Chapter 128: Last Day of Shooting (1)
Perhaps because I refused to go to Ace Entertainment, Ju Yung-In's shoulders slumped. Ju Yung-In resembled a kitten drenched in water with her sharp demeanor softened.
After wiping off the tears in her big eyes with a tissue, Ju Yung-In said in a defeated voice, "Yoon-Ho oppa, you won. So you don't have to be so wary of me anymore. I won't ask you to come to Ace Entertainment anymore."
"Do you really mean that?"
"Yes. But let's at least acknowledge each other and say hi when we run into each other. After all, you were my talent agent for a month. And it's not like I was trying to eat you up, was I?"
I agreed with Ju Yung-In as she continued to grumble. If I had said no, I couldn't predict how she would react.
But there was one thing I wanted to correct.
"Understood. But I'm a bit uncomfortable with you calling me oppa."
Ju Yung-In frowned. "Ah, I don't care. I'm going to call you whatever I want!"
It seemed that she had no intention to give in on that point. But there wasn't much I could do to stop her if she insisted on calling me that.
"Alright then. Do as you wish."
Ju Yung-In complained and seemed annoyed by my attitude. The time it took for the soaked kitten to turn into an angry cat was merely ten seconds.
'As expected. So much for her true nature.'
Seemingly furious, Ju Yung-In gulped down the sparkling water she was carrying. The fizzing sensation in her throat made her frown.
"Ugh! Getting angry just made me hungry. And I'm on a diet too!"
Ju Yung-In glared at me for a moment and reached for the food set on the table. After eating a few bites, Ju Yung-In put down her chopsticks.
"Listen to me, oppa. Unlike what people say, Im Sung-Hak is definitely not a kind person. He won't sit still after having his big offer turned down."
"I know."
Ju Yung-In looked at me in silence before sighing.
"Call me if things get too hard to handle. I'll try my best to persuade him."
'What's with this uncharacteristic kindness? This is so unlike her.'
Ju Yung-In stood up after she finished speaking.
"See you later, then."
The uncharacteristically polite Ju Yung-In bowed and then left after closing the door behind her.
The sound of the door sliding seemed like the ringing of a bell of liberation.
***
Im Sung-Hak was waiting for Ju Yung-In in the spacious parking lot of Hansol Korean Fine Dining.
"Should I go inside to check, sir?" asked Lee Chan-Dong from the driver's seat.
Im Sung-Hak shook his head. "No, let's wait a little longer. She'll be out soon."
That's when Ju Yung-In stormed out to the parking lot.
As soon as Ju Yung-In got into the van, Im Sung-Hak asked, "What's wrong? Did it not go well?"
Ju Yung-In answered with an irritated expression. "No. But this is strange...even though Kang Gam-Chan took good care of him and gave him a bonus, I highly doubt it was good enough to refuse our offer..."
"Could it be that the rumor about him being Kang Gam-Chan's hidden son is true?"
Ju Yung-In shook her head. "Definitely not. I would have noticed if that were the case."
"Hmm. Alright. Just leave the rest to me and focus on building connections with him. If we take all the celebrities under him, what tricks could he possibly have left to play?"
Ju Yung-In replied to Im Sung-Hak sweetly, "Got it. I'll leave it to you then~."
With the advertising losses recovered manifold through Ace Entertainment's sales capabilities, a bit of flattery was hardly an issue to Ju Yung-In. Of course, the rising popularity of the drama certainly played a significant role as well.
Blue Sky seemed to lag behind its competitors at one point, but it had now monopolized praise from both the public and critics.
Ju Yung-In quickly acknowledged that her judgment had been hasty. At the same time, her greed for Jung Yoon-Ho deepened simultaneously.
She thought to herself, 'Jung Yoon-Ho really has good eyes for picking out good projects. I must get him on my side by any means.'
With Ace Entertainment's sales power, her charm, and Jung Yoon-Ho's project selection skills, becoming the best actress in Korea wouldn't be hard.
However, Ju Yung-In had to change her strategy since Jung Yoon-Ho firmly refused to join Ace Entertainment.
Im Sung-Hak spoke to Lee Chan-Dong, who was seated in the front, "Let's go, Chan-Dong. This is not the time to just sit around."
"Yes, sir."
Ju Yung-In's face blossomed into a smile after seeing the proud Im Sung-Hak moving exactly as she intended.
'Give up? Ha, my ass,' she thought to herself with a smirk on her face.
Such a term didn't exist in Ju Yung-In's dictionary.
***
Today was the last day of filming for Blue Sky.
Currently holding the top spot in its time slot, Blue Sky had reached its highest viewership rating of 20.2% with the recently aired 18th episode.
Despite unexpected challenges, including fierce competition, Blue Sky managed to break the 20% mark around the same time as before the regression.
Thanks to this, the atmosphere on the last shooting day was electrifying.
Murmur.
The rented wedding hall in Namyangju was crowded with numerous people.
Click! Click!
As the two lead actors stood in front of the officiant's stand, photographers with large cameras swarmed to take pictures.
"Alright, everyone. We're short on extras, so we need staff members to quickly fill in the empty seats. All the talent agents, I'd appreciate your help too."
Everyone sat in the guest seats with cheerful expressions thinking about how the past five months of filming was finally coming to an end today.
But Kang Soo-Hoon, the PD in charge of the scene, was the only one who didn't let go of his tension until the end.
"Let's stay focused until the end to avoid any accidents," Kang Soo-Hoon urged the staff.
That's when Yoo-Jin asked a sudden question. "Mr. Kang! Will there be a dinner party today?"
Kang Soo-Hoon answered Yoo-Jin's question with a smile, "Of course there is. There's a company dinner planned, so make sure everyone attends. You'll regret it if you don't."
The staff burst into skeptical cheers at Kang Soo-Hoon's words.
"Wow, what's gotten into Mr. Kang?"
"Surely he's not going to settle for pork ribs again after all that talk, right?"
Kang Soo-Hoon pulled out a black card from his pocket. At the same time, everyone gasped as if they had seen the Absolute Ring.
"Oh my goodness! Could that splendid black card be...?"
What Kang Soo-Hoon held in his hand was a black card with a small diamond embedded in it.
"It's the company credit card!"
Cheers erupted at the expectation of being able to eat unlimited beef.
"Alright, let's all give our best until the end!"
Amid the noisy commotion, the final wedding scene preparation was completed.
"Sound team, do you have the piano ready? Are we good? Good. Then let's go. Ready~ Action!"
The wedding march resounded throughout the venue. The staff showered Ju Yung-In, the bride walking down the aisle, with flower petals.
As the shooting continued smoothly, it didn't take long before they moved on to the family and friends photo taking scene.
The supporting actor officiating hurried down from the stage.
"Okay, let's move! Musicians, please step aside. Mr. Sung-Jin and Miss Yung-In, please stand in the center with family and friends around you."
The set was just as hectic even on the last day of filming.
As the male and female leads stepped onto the stage at the staff's call with their arms linked, supporting actors also hurried to gather.
The actors quickly descended from the stage again immediately after the photo was taken. The fast-paced movement on the set was a spectacle in itself like a mass game. But the sight of numerous actors and staff members coming together to create something special was now coming to an end.
"Now, it's time for the last scene with the bouquet catch. Miss Yoo-Jin, please stand in place. And supporting actors, just pretend to catch it but don't actually catch it."
"Okay~!"
Yoo-Jin stood at the center surrounded by the supporting actors, and Ju Yung-In held a large mist bouquet sponsored by the wedding hall in her arms.
"Miss Yung-In, throw the bouquet high behind you when I give the signal."
"Okay."
The visibly moved Kang Soo-Hoon announced the last scene's shooting.
"Alright, the last scene of Blue Sky! Ready~ Action!"
On cue, Ju Yung-In threw the bouquet backward with her eyes tightly shut.
However, the bouquet thrown into the air fell way too short of reaching Yoo-Jin. Just as it seemed it would result in an NG, Yoo-Jin made a desperate leap.
"It's mine!"
Snap!
When Yoo-Jin snatched the bouquet like a hawk capturing a sparrow, all the staff widely opened their mouths in surprise.
But perhaps due to the height of her jump, Yoo-Jin slipped after barely managing to land on both feet.
Thud!
Kang Soo-Hoon abruptly stood up to see if he needed to call an NG. And that's when Yoo-Jin clutched the bouquet in her right hand and lifted it high like an athlete hoisting a trophy.
"I caught it!"
At that moment, a wave of laughter erupted from the actors and staff. What could have ended as an NG turned into a moment that highlighted her character, Twilight.
Kang Soo-Hoon gave the okay sign with a satisfied smile. "Okay! Great job, everyone!"
As soon as the director signaled okay, applause broke out among the crew.
"Wow, what dedication! Miss Yoo-Jin is amazing!"
I tried to approach Yoo-Jin to check if she was okay, but Lee Sa-Rang got there first and started her affectionate nagging.
"You need to be careful! How can an actress be so reckless with her body?"
Yoo-Jin grinned and charmed Lee Sa-Rang with a cute expression. "I'm okay. What's a bruise or two?"
"Goodness. Thank goodness that it was the last shoot. What if it wasn't? Seriously."
"Hehe." Yoo-Jin sniggered and playfully stuck out her tongue while responding charmingly to Lee Sa-Rang's scolding.
"Stop laughing! I really mean it!" Lee Sa-Rang reprimanded her.
Worried Lee Sa-Rang might scold her even more, Yoo-Jin quickly linked arms with Lee Sa-Rang and started chatting away.
I approached them and greeted Lee Sa-Rang. "Mrs. Lee Sa-Rang, thank you for all your hard work."
As soon as Lee Sa-Rang saw me, she urged me to scold Yoo-Jin for her reckless behavior.
"What kind of talent agent are you? What if she gets hurt behaving like this?"
I, too, clung to Lee Sa-Rang, trying to charm her. "I'll give her a stern talk later. Please don't be upset."
Lee Sa-Rang couldn't help but burst into laughter. "What an actress and a talent agent. You two are so alike."
Saying she'll meet us again at the dinner later, Lee Sa-Rang headed to her van.
Then I turned to Yoo-Jin after saying goodbye to Lee Sa-Rang. It was now my turn to lecture her.
"Do you not realize we have a CF shoot right around the corner? Think before you act. Think!" I berated Yoo-Jin.
Yoo-Jin pouted. "I did think, but..."
"Then that's even worse!"
I thought to myself, 'What's the point of thinking if you don't act on it?'
Yoo-Jin stuck out her tongue after a bout of scolding and retorted, "Oh, come on. I won't get a bruise. I used the falling technique I learned in gym class when I fell."
"Falling technique?"
"Yep."
"Falling technique~?"
'Does she think everything counts as a falling technique as long as she hits the ground with her arm? She was just lucky there was a carpet underneath.'
But fortunately, she seemed to be okay without any injuries.
I couldn't help but laugh upon seeing Yoo-Jin's carefree smile. "Just don't make me worry so much."
"Were you worried?"
"Of course I was."
"Ooh, I'm touched. Then...here, I have a gift for you. I guess you deserve this much since you moved me."
Yoo-Jin held out the bouquet she had been cradling against her chest.
"What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Take it. This is so you can get married soon, oppa."
But the corners of Yoo-Jin's eyes quivered at that moment. It seemed the pain of falling earlier was finally catching up to her.
'Marriage is out of the question. We need to go to the hospital first.'
"Stop talking nonsense and go get changed. We have an interview to do."
"Okay, got it."
After changing in the van, Yoo-Jin stepped out in front of the reporters who were gathered on one side of the filming location.
Though the drama's leads were Ju Seong-Jin playing Sung Blue and Ju Yung-In playing Kim Sky, the focus was on the popular Ju Yung-In and Yoo-Jin. As a result, Ju Seong-Jin and the other actors had to quietly descend after taking only a few photos.
It was an awkward situation for the actors, but this was the reality of the entertainment industry—popularity dictated everything in this cold and unforgiving jungle.
Then one of the reporters standing next to Ju Yung-In and Yoo-Jin asked a question.
"I am Reporter Lee Hye-Won from Weekly Stars. Congratulations on surpassing 20% viewership ratings. Now that the filming of Blue Sky has ended, could you share some words about your next projects?"
Yoo-Jin first announced her participation in Lee Ji-Yeon's next project In the Name of God which was already known. Mentioning an MBS drama on the set of an SBC drama felt awkward, but promotional opportunities had to be seized whenever possible.
But at that moment, Ju Yung-In unexpectedly brought up something no one had anticipated.
"I'm also considering appearing in Ms. Lee Ji-Yeon's In the Name of God to be aired on MBS."
'What? Ju Yung-In is appearing in In the Name of God?'
A buzz of surprise spread through the crowd because the idea of the lead and supporting actors from a drama that surpassed 20% viewership ratings reuniting in another drama was certainly newsworthy.
'Ju Yung-In, what exactly are you planning right now?'
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