TL: Aniea
"...The children's imagination is extraordinary."
"...Indeed it is."
Haah-
Director Kang In-ho sighed deeply, pressing his forehead. The children's suggestions were far more diverse and overflowing with creativity than he had anticipated.
- It would be great to have a battle scene.
- Wouldn't fairies be better than dwarves?
- It would be aweso if the princess fought alongside them!
Why had I never thought of adding a battle scene to a fairy tale like Snow White until now? It made reflect on myself.
"If we include all of this, it might turn into Star Wars."
"Surely, the scale is opera-level. Just the number of participants already exceeds fifty. We've long surpassed the level of a school play."
"I think it was already too late to turn back the mont you brought a cara, Director."
"...Well, I don't particularly want to deny that. Honestly, it feels overwhelming. At this point, it might be faster to assu there's no original story and create sothing entirely new."
"Hmm."
I nodded, quietly agreeing with Kang In-ho's opinion. It was indeed a perplexing issue.
Of course, there was no need to accept all of the kids' suggestions, but since this was an event for them, I wanted to incorporate as much of their ideas as possible.
"What does Writer Jung think.... Huh?"
Unable to co up with a solution, Kang In-ho quickly sought out Writer Jung Ha-rin. A look of confusion appeared on his face as he turned his head.
"...She's already switched on."
Haha-
Director Kang In-ho chuckled heartily as he looked at Jung Ha-rin. She was typing furiously on a laptop she'd set up on a table she had sohow found.
Unlike us, who felt utterly stuck, it seed she'd found so inspiration that struck her just right. She was so engrossed that she couldn't even hear our voices.
"At least we don’t have to worry about the script."
"I don’t know.... I’m already worried about what the result will be. Sotis Writer Jung can beco more innocent than a child."
Hmm-
Director Kang In-ho let out a low groan. Having worked with Jung Ha-rin for a long ti, he probably understood her tendencies better than anyone.
Though not to the sa extent, I also had a rough idea of what Kang In-ho was concerned about.
'Writer Jung’s drafts tend to lack realism.'
In fact, even during the filming of , there were tis when her scripts felt wildly unrealistic.
For example, she might request full CGI to depict the protagonist's dream world or suggest a setting in a foreign location that required over ten hours of flight ti to reach.
'It would’ve been pretty tough without the director.'
It was Director Kang In-ho who cajoled, consoled, and sotis firmly scolded Jung Ha-rin to adjust the scripts.
In the end, it was he who brought her imagination to life.
Because they complented each other's shortcomings, they could continue working together for such a long ti despite their constant bickering.
"And to top it off, all the assistant writers are on vacation this ti. I'll have to deal with her stubbornness alone.... Sigh-"
"I’m sure it’ll be fine."
"What makes you think so?"
"Because Eun-ha ssi is here."
"...Huh? Ah!"
Realizing what I ant, Kang In-ho slapped his knee. His wrinkles seed to smooth out one by one, and soon, a bright smile appeared on his face.
"That's right! We have CEO-nim! Then persuading Writer Jung might not be as hard as I thought."
"No, it's the opposite."
"Huh? What do you an?"
Kang In-ho tilted his head, puzzled by my words. I replied with a serious expression.
"She doesn’t know any limits."
"???"
Kang In-ho still looked confused, but I didn’t say anything more.
I simply swallowed an awkward smile and shook my head quietly. No matter how many tis I explained it, he wouldn’t understand.
'Because she lives in a completely different world from us.'
Her way of thinking was fundantally different from that of ordinary people. In that sense, perhaps the person who gets along best with Jung Ha-rin is her.
“You’ll co to realize it naturally later. For now, the script will take a few more days, so let’s plan other parts in the anti.”
“Well, if you say so, Woo-ju. The most urgent thing right now is the choir. We’ll need soone to teach the kids the basics first.”
“Oh, I’ve already found a conductor.”
I answered in an incredibly nonchalant tone, signaling that he need not worry. At this, Kang In-ho looked at with skeptical eyes.
“...I just brought that up this morning, didn’t I? And let tell you in advance, a local teacher won’t cut it. The kids need to be taught completely from the ground up.”
“You don’t have to worry about that part, either. The person I’ve found has ample experience in this field and is confident enough to be called the best in the country.”
“And soone like that just magically appeared out of thin air in half a day?”
“Yes.”
I nodded firmly. Although it was sooner than expected, it seed like the ti had co to show Kang In-ho just what Kim Eun-ha was capable of.
“Show the money.” (TL Note: It is the na of a South Korean music/rap competition show)
“Why are we suddenly talking about hip-hop?”
"...I an the cheat key. The cheat key."
“Aha. For a second, I was wondering what you ant. But you know, kids these days wouldn’t understand it if you said that. Anyway, wasn’t that the ‘unlimited money’ keyword or sothing? Out of nowhere....”
Mid-sentence, Kang In-ho abruptly fell silent. His pupils quivered for a mont as if sothing dawned on him, and then his eyes widened dramatically.
“...No way.”
“I sent a text earlier when things were starting to take shape this morning. Eun-ha said she’d look into it, and as luck would have it, they just happened to get in touch.”
“Who’s coming that you’re being so dramatic about this?”
“I think you’ll know when you see them, Director. They happened to have a schedule nearby, so they’re on their way here as we speak. You can et them in person.”
Hmm-
Still unsure of what was happening, Kang In-ho scratched his head with a perplexed expression.
.
.
.
“...Holy shit.”
A short while later, a curse escaped Director Kang In-ho’s lips when he finally saw who the teacher was.
Of course, it wasn’t ant negatively. It was more of an exclamation that slipped out unconsciously, a reaction to emotions that couldn’t be expressed with ordinary words.
“Hello.”
The middle-aged woman smiled brightly as she greeted Kang In-ho, who was clearly stunned. I, too, had only ever heard about her in stories; this was my first ti seeing her in person.
She was a conductor who, over a decade ago, had gathered various entertainers to form a choir. The shows she appeared on were still considered legendary and are talked about to this day.
“I’m Kim Kaelin.”
Woooaaaah-
At that mont, the staff, who had finally snapped back to reality, let out a collective gasp of admiration.
While the staff mbers were more accustod to eting celebrities than the general public and usually didn’t react much to famous people, Kim Kaelin was different. She wasn’t soone who frequently appeared on TV, and above all, she was soone they had only seen on television during their school days.
“...How on earth? I heard you weren’t doing choirs anymore.”
“No, I simply said I wouldn’t do a second season. It just didn’t align with the direction I had in mind. I’ve always been more suited to live performances than broadcast work.”
“Then how did you end up here...?”
Swoosh-
In response to Director Kang In-ho’s cautious question, Kim Kaelin glanced around briefly before her gaze settled on a cara nearby.
On the screen, footage of the children recorded earlier was being displayed as-is.
“I’ve always wanted to try doing a choir with children at least once. Especially now, when public perception of orphanages isn’t great, I thought this could be socially aningful. And also....”
“......?”
Kim Kaelin, mid-sentence, suddenly turned her head toward . eting my gaze, she continued speaking with an intriguing smile tugging at her lips.
“And, personally, there’s soone I find quite interesting.”
“......?”
“Was it ? Your acting left quite an impression on . I thought it’d be nice to work together soti.”
Grin-
Kim Kaelin raised the corners of her mouth playfully as she spoke. Her sharp gaze, honed from dealing with countless people as a conductor, made feel as though she could see right through .
“...Thank you for the complint, but due to scheduling constraints, the choir and theater teams will be practicing separately. Unfortunately, I’m on the theater side.”
“I agree with that arrangent. However, I can still offer so advice. Believe it or not, I’m a fairly well-known musical director in that field.”
As she said, while Kim Kaelin didn’t appear much on TV, she was actively involved in musicals and performances.
With a career as impressive as hers, there were countless people who wished to hear her advice but never had the chance.
Since she was volunteering to offer guidance herself, there was no reason for to refuse.
“I’ll be responsible for overall vocal training and giving direction-related advice. As for the broadcasting setup, the staff here probably know far more than I do. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
“Likewise. Working with soone as passionate as you is always a pleasure. Let’s create sothing great together.”
With that, we shook hands. Then, Kang In-ho, who had been standing at the back, stepped forward.
Having finally recovered from the shock, he faced Kim Kaelin with an uncharacteristically serious expression.
Naturally, the two locked eyes mid-air. Kim Kaelin, silently gazing at Kang In-ho, slowly lifted the corners of her lips.
“There’s another interesting person here. Your na?”
“Kang In-ho. I’m the director for this project.”
“So, you’re the director. That explains it.... The order and roles are quite different from usual, but it’s good that we could formally introduce ourselves now, even if a little late. I look forward to working with you.”
“I have much to learn.”
With a firm handshake between the two, preparations for the event officially began.
*
“CEO-nim, you’ve made things big again.”
“The bigger the stakes, the greater the returns.”
“And this ti, you’re planning to step on stage yourself? If you go on broadcast, those old... I an, the elderls will criticize you as a ‘wannabe entertainer’.”
“Is it the first ti those old-tirs have done that? It’s not like it’s anything new. Besides, their families have them completely shackled anyway. It won’t have much of an impact.”
Sigh-
Unshaken and resolute, Kim Eun-ha left no room for argunt. Seeing this, Secretary Yoon let out a long sigh and pulled out a trump card.
“But, have you told Woo-ju ssi?”
“Told him what?”
“That CEO-nim is absolutely tone-deaf.”
Tap-
The pen in Kim Eun-ha’s hand paused briefly as she signed a docunt. However, it was only for a mont.
Scribble scribble-
As if nothing had happened, she resud signing with confident strokes.
“I’m not that tone-deaf.”
“You’re usually so self-aware, CEO-nim, so why now? Before things escalate, how about hiring a professional actor?”
“The kids said they want to work with .”
“Are you sure it’s not because you want to act with Kang Woo-ju ssi?”
“.......”
Scribble scribble-
Kim Eun-ha continued signing without saying a word. To anyone watching, she appeared completely focused on the docunts.
“You signed that one wrong.”
“Ah!?”
“...I’ll print out a new copy of that docunt, so set this one aside. I don’t know how soone who used to be so ticulous has beco this sloppy.”
Shake shake-
Secretary Yoon shook her head from side to side as if she couldn’t bear it anymore. She grumbled as she cleared the incorrectly signed docunt off the table.
“Why don’t you just be honest and say what’s really on your mind? You got jealous watching Kang Woo-ju ssi getting all cozy with the female lead in the drama....”
“That’s not it.”
“Sure, sure. If you say so.”
“I’m telling you, it’s not.”
“Then why did you suddenly organize this solo event that wasn’t even planned? Originally, the event was just supposed to be about delivering so funding and gifts, then calling it a day.”
Tap tap-
Kim Eun-ha glared at Secretary Yoon with half-lidded eyes, tapping the desk with her fingers. At that, Secretary Yoon let out another quiet sigh to herself.
‘Still... it’s so much better this way.’
Because until recently, Kim Eun-ha had been so devoid of emotion, so focused solely on work, that she could have been mistaken for a robot developed by Mirae Group.
‘I just wish she’d let go of all this revenge stuff and move on.’
But that would be difficult, wouldn’t it?
If so, the only thing Secretary Yoon could do was support Kim Eun-ha as best as she could, so that Eun-ha could enjoy this mont of peace, even if just for a little while.
“Sign here....”
“Oops, my hand slipped. Could you bring another copy of this one too?”
“I’ll bring my resignation letter along with it.”
“No, really, this ti it was an honest mistake!”
Kim Eun-ha jumped up from her seat in panic. Looking at her, now so much more expressive than she had been in the past few months, Secretary Yoon quietly swallowed her smile.
*****
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