Even when Kang PDnim called, Joon didn’t immediately turn around. A faint sigh soon escaped him. The feeling of that sigh seeped into my chest.
Without a break. Completely.
“Do as you please…”
A voice whispered softly, audible only to me. Joon turned away from me. Slow motion encapsulated his figure.
“Yes. I just arrived.”
The rhythmic sound of his footsteps echoed through the room each time Joon walked forward. It strangely harmonized with his mid-low tone voice.
“Now, our writers, interns.”
Kang PDnim placed the hefty documents on one side of the table, drawing the attention of the people in the office to himself.
“As these things happen, the longer the introduction, the less impact it has. Let me tell you straight. The First Love Project has been confirmed for movie adaptation based on the investment evaluation results. We’ll start shooting in earnest from July!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Kang PDnim started applauding like a large seal. Soon, writers and interns joined in the applause.
“Now, finally, is this the beginning for our team?”
Hyunsoo’s voice was full of vigor.
“Somehow, my heart is swelling. It really progresses so smoothly. In the blink of an eye.”
Mijeong clasped her hands together, covering her face, and conveyed her joy to me with a soft voice.
“Yeah, it seems so.”
In fact, the fact that Joon was joining this project was enough to decide the investment evaluation. People in the industry knew this fact publicly.
Moreover, Joon, who had entered the ranks of world-renowned directors at a young age with his movie ‘The Train,’ which incorporated his actual first love experience, could start from a much more advantageous position with a movie that scripted his real first love experience. ‘The Train’ had already captured the hearts of many fans worldwide, and starting from a much more favorable starting line meant a lot.
So, the news Kang PDnim conveyed was more like a verdict than news to those present here. It felt like leisurely enjoying the official verdict.
“All four major production companies in Korea said they would all participate, but after consulting with Director Kim, we decided to go in the direction that seemed to have the deepest understanding of the direction of the movie we planned. Of course, the conditions were excellent, but we prioritized understanding of the planning intentions.”
Heads of writers and interns nodded happily here and there.
“Oh, and about the script this time. This writer?”
“…Yes?”
Sudden call from Kang PDnim, I raised my right hand without thinking. I’m not even an elementary school student. Next to Kang PDnim, Joon glanced at me. Embarrassing.
“Our project originally started as ‘Where Is Your First Love?’ So, from the beginning, the focus was on recreating memories of first love.”
There was no new story to tell. Naturally, my head, which was nodding while looking at Kang PDnim, was filled with confusion.
“But that’s when we’re talking about simply recreating viewers’ memories of first love. To produce it as a movie, we need an introduction, development, and conclusion.”
If my Korean proficiency were not bad, the next words coming out in this context seemed so obvious. So far, my screenplay had only lingered around the introduction, development, and conclusion.
No, the expression “lingered around” might not be accurate. It was like a film deliberately cut off at the most important part, unnoticed.
From the part that was abruptly cut off, the next scene is undoubtedly nowhere to be found, creating an incomplete film that will make everyone who searched for it loiter in front of it.
Then…
“So, are you trying to encompass the scene where you break up with your first love, the reason for facing such an ending, and the subsequent story?”
In the end, it came out. The words I had in mind.
“First of all, the filming will proceed from the beginning of the scenario, so there’s no shortage of time. Still, I hope this writer, who’s now working with Director Kim, will join in on the writing. Director Kim has already agreed, and how about this writer?”
Joon agreed?
Before answering, my trembling gaze turned to Joon. Joon was already looking at me.
Expressionless, Joon shrugged his shoulders. As if saying, interpret it yourself. Then, he quickly turned away the indifferent gaze that had just reached me. I’ve made my choice, so it’s your turn now, as if saying, do it on your own.
I felt a sigh rising. If it turned out like this, there was no other way. There was only one option left: to circle the correct answer on the paper Kang PDnim and Joon had presented.
“…Ah, yes. Sure. For the completeness, first…”
“Yeah, yeah, completeness. We’re also trying to drag it out like that. Since it’s all in the past, you can just write it without emotional involvement, right? It’s vague and sad; what else is there? About the old days. Right?”
“It can be vague and sad.”
Joon, who reacted as if catching the words Kang PDnim lightly threw at me, was the one who picked them up in the middle.
As if trying to maintain at least the basic courtesy as colleagues working together, Joon raised his eyebrows, looking at Kang PDnim. Of course, his cold gaze, unaffected by his intentions, made his indifferent look even more prominent.
“Even professional screenplay writers who write fictional stories sometimes suffer from mental anguish due to the aftertaste of their work. Even when they read that scenario again after a while, they go through as much mental suffering as that.”
I took a deep breath, clasping both hands together.
“PD Kang, emotions and memories of people, like photographs, cannot be casually crumpled up in one hand just because they are all past memories. What I and this writer are trying to do is not to casually pick up an already crumpled and existing old memory photo and imitate it in the same way.”
Although Joon spoke calmly with a constant tone, every word he uttered accelerated and thudded against my heart.
“You should be prepared for it to be vague and sad.”
Before finishing his words, Joon’s gaze was overtly directed at me. Flustered, I hurriedly moved away from his gaze.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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