Return of the Genius PD

PD Kim Jong-su, seated at the driver’s seat, reached out to turn off the interior light of the car.

Dawn was breaking.

He slightly turned his head to look at the passenger seat.

“What an unpredictable guy…”

Ji-won, looking disheveled, was sound asleep, his head tilted to the side.

In the middle of the night, after receiving Ji-won’s call, he had hurriedly driven back down to the countryside. At the riverside, after a long walk, he was surprised to find Ji-won laughing and sharing drinks with actor Han Se-gyu.

He couldn’t figure out what was so amusing; they hadn’t noticed his presence until he got close.

‘How on earth did he manage to persuade him?’

As he thought about the young man who must have wandered through dark mountain paths all night in search of Han Se-gyu, various emotions tangled within him.

‘Foolish guy.’

With a faint smile on his lips, he pulled the blanket up to Ji-won’s chest.
‘Get some rest. You’ll have to start running around again from tomorrow on.’

PD Kim Jong-su reduced his speed and leisurely drove toward Seoul.

* * *

At the quiet riverside, Han Se-gyu was reading the script of Eccentric Doctor Ham In-ju that Ji-won had left behind, a serious expression on his face.

How much time had passed?

After maintaining silence for a long time, he finally spoke.

“What a piece of trash.”

Then he began tearing the script to shreds.

“Terrible.”

Rip.

“The plot is cliché.”

Rip!

“The characters are flat.”

Rip!

“They even printed this garbage and called it a script?”

Rip!

“I feel insulted.”

Soon after tearing the script into pieces, Han Se-gyu tossed it into the blazing fire pit.

.

.

“Aaaaargh! No!”

Ji-won sat up with a rough scream.

“Huff, huff, huff…”

As he blinked a few times, he began to see the sign through the car’s windshield:

[Seoul Tollgate]

He was inside PD Kim Jong-su’s car, which had momentarily stopped to pass through the tollgate.

“Hey! Why are you screaming? You scared me! I almost hit the car in front!”

Turning his head, he saw PD Kim Jong-su looking at him as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Look at you sweating. Did you have a nightmare?”

At those words, Ji-won’s mind began to clear.

“Whew! It was a dream! Thank goodness…”

“A dream? What kind of dream?”

“It was a terrible dream! One I never want to have again…”

Sighing in relief, Ji-won collapsed weakly onto the seat.

“Go home and rest today. You seem to have overdone it yesterday.”

* * *

That afternoon, PD Kim Jong-su burst into the director’s office, violently swinging the door open.

“Director, I heard the air date has been decided!”

“Where’s Ji-won?”

“He seemed really out of it, probably from overdoing it,” PD Kim Jong-su replied with a smirk. “I sent him to rest.”

He stared at Ko Dong-guk, his eyes silently asking, “So, about that air date?”

“Hey, Kim Jong-su. If you don’t get good ratings after all this, just jump off the Hangang Bridge.”

“Oh! Since you mentioned jumping off the Hangang Bridge, I guess it’s not scheduled for when the river’s frozen!”

After responding, “You rascal, sharp as ever,” Ko Dong-guk immediately added, “Yeah, it’s April. Plenty of preparation time, right?”

April means exactly half a year from now. It was a generous timeline, considering that broadcasting usually starts around the middle of filming. If the filming plan was well-organized, they might even be able to finish shooting before the first episode aired.

PD Kim Jong-su puffed out his chest, displaying confidence. “Director, I’ve been doing this for 14 years.”

“Are you saying it’s time to quit?”

“I’m saying that goes without saying.”

“Are you telling me not to nag?”

“Geez, why are things getting so twisted?” PD Kim Jong-su smirked. “I’m just saying I’m that confident.”

Nodding a few times, Director Ko Dong-guk replied, “If you’ve eaten up that many years, start acting your age. Stop prancing around like a mudskipper.”

“A broadcaster who gets old at heart can’t make good work. They end up holed up behind a desk like you, Director.”

At those words, Director Ko Dong-guk’s eyes twitched. “You little bastard, again.”

As he picked up the Bluetooth mouse, PD Kim Jong-su shrank back.

Knock, knock.

Just then, someone knocked on the director’s office door.

“Yes, come in.”

As the door slowly opened, the head of business planning and the leader of Production Team 1 entered. One had a plump body, while the other was the complete opposite, with a skinny frame. The heavier one, the head of business planning, opened his mouth with a raised corner of his lips.

“Director Ko, looks like you’ve got some good news?”

Director Ko Dong-guk stared at the two who had entered, then hardened his expression and retorted, “To what do I owe the pleasure of such busy people visiting this humble place?”

The head of business planning clicked his tongue at Director Ko’s gruff tone. “Tsk tsk, what a way to talk to your superiors.”

He cautiously brought up the main point. “Anyway, I’m sorry about this.”

Then he said with a sneer, “I heard you got the April slot? You’ll have to make a concession.”

“Excuse me?”

“It looks like the drama that Production Team 1 is preparing needs to go in.”

Director Ko suppressed his anger and asked, “You mean ‘Loser Boss’? Isn’t that drama already in the middle of filming? April is still a long way off…”

The skinny one standing behind answered instead. “The lead actress, Kang Hee-soo, got injured during filming. It looks like it’ll be delayed by a month.”

Noh Ji-sung, the leader of Production Team 1. If it weren’t for Director Ko Dong-guk, Team Leader Noh Ji-sung would have secured the Drama Department Director position. 

Whether in terms of experience or company connections, he was right next to Director Ko. He was probably praying for the day Director Ko would fall.

But Director Ko Dong-guk wouldn’t come down.

With dramas, it’s common for expected hits to fail and unexpected ones to succeed. That’s why there’s an industry joke that even God doesn’t know about ratings.

However, if you look at the average ratings of JTVN’s drama lineup for a year, collecting 10 dramas, Director Ko Dong-guk has never once let the ratings drop compared to the previous year.

A Drama Department that consistently trends upward, even if not spectacularly—that’s the JTVN Drama Department that Ko Dong-guk has built.

Director Ko Dong-guk looked at the Team 1 Leader with an expressionless face.

“Why didn’t our Team 1 Leader report such an important matter?”

“I apologize. We’ve been so busy.”

“I thought Team 1 Leader was crooked but wouldn’t sabotage us.”

“How could there be sabotage within the same Drama Department?”

Director Ko Dong-guk turned his head back to the head of business planning. “So…”

The head of business planning cut him off. “That’s right, we’re talking about switching the order with Ham In-ju.“

He continued nonchalantly, “I’ve already reported directly to the CEO and got approval.”

Director Ko Dong-guk’s eyes narrowed. The picture became clear.

They probably rushed to the CEO as soon as they heard about Kang Hee-soo’s injury, excited by the opportunity. The air date was already set, and they must have been scrambling to keep up with the script updates.

Those annoying ones…

This was their chance to check Eccentric Doctor Ham In-ju, which had been climbing the ranks of the Drama Department’s anticipated works, and secure ample filming time. It was truly killing two birds with one stone.

“Shouldn’t you have discussed this with me, the director, first?”

The head of business planning frowned deeply. “I’ve been so busy that I couldn’t report to each employee individually. I apologize. I’m sorry. Is that enough?”

…

“The script is all done anyway, right? Isn’t February enough? Can’t you just answer cleanly that you understand?”

In the upcoming February, SBC’s 60th anniversary special project drama would air. They would have to compete with a highly anticipated terrestrial network drama. It was a situation where even full preparation wouldn’t be enough, and now the timeline had tightened.

“Don’t tell me it’s because of SBC’s special project drama?”

The head of business planning added, “This isn’t like you, Director Ko. SBC has lost its touch, hasn’t it?”

Team Leader Noh Ji-sung chimed in, “Well, PD Kim Jong-su is so skilled, he’ll probably crush them easily, right?”

At those words, PD Kim Jong-su glared at the Team 1 Leader, growling, “Team Leader, what exactly are you trying to do?”

The head of business planning answered instead, “PD Jong-su is still ill-mannered. Is it because his mentor is like that?”

It was a remark aimed at Director Ko Dong-guk.

At least no one in this room was unaware that PD Kim Jong-su’s mentor was Director Ko Dong-guk. The head of business planning waved both hands as if annoyed and spoke in an overbearing tone.

“I’m not here to ask for permission. I’m here to inform you that it’s been decided. Anyway, it’s been decided, so let’s all do our best together.”

Having finished speaking, the head of business planning and Team 1 Leader immediately turned to leave the director’s office.

-Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

PD Kim Jong-su repeatedly pounded his fists against the closed door. “Take this! And this! And this! And this!”

Director Ko Dong-guk opened his mouth after a moment. “Sigh, Jong-su.”

“Yes, Director?”

“You heard it? It’s February.”

You could feel Director Ko Dong-guk’s insides boiling.

“Director, if we think positively, isn’t that more of a peak season? The viewership pie is much bigger then…”

“Can you do it, Jong-su? I can’t stand seeing those two guys, fatty and skinny, snickering in my space anymore.”

“Since it’s come to this, should we compete physically? Let’s show them the bitter taste of brawn and flab!”

“That method is good too, but let’s keep it on hold for now. We should try to compete with our work first.”

Director Ko, rubbing his face in frustration, asked, “You know what I always say? What is a crisis?”

“An opportunity.”

“If you hit any roadblocks, bring them all to me.”

Director Ko added in an unusually serious tone, “I’ll pave the highway for you.”

Having finished speaking, Director Ko Dong-guk glared at PD Kim Jong-su. “Hey, what are you doing? Got lots of time? Move quickly!”

* * *

The next day, PD Kim Jong-su rifled through documents in the meeting room, his tone serious.

“Ji-won, you might not have known because you were busy, but we don’t have much time left now.”

“Ham In-ju’s air date is confirmed for February,” he continued.

“Didn’t you say around April?” Ji-won asked, surprised.

“It ended up like this because of ‘fatty and skinny.'”

Ji-won raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. “Huh? Who are ‘fatty and skinny’?”

“If your senior says so, just take it as is,” PD Kim Jong-su replied curtly.

Ji-won nodded, jotting down notes in his notebook.

Fatty and skinny, unknown identities but key figures.

He was carefully drawing a star next to the words when suddenly, PD Kim Jong-su’s expression turned serious.

“If,” he said, glaring at Ji-won, “just if actor Han Se-gyu is cast, the villain role becomes just as important.”

“Yes, of course. If the weight of acting skill is too unbalanced, the tension of the confrontation won’t come alive,” Ji-won replied, eager to keep up.

PD Kim Jong-su showed him a profile. “In that sense, we need this actor.”

“Mr. Choi Jin-hyun! I have no objections!” Ji-won exclaimed.

Actor Choi Jin-hyun.

When it comes to villain roles, especially elite high-ranking villain roles, there’s no one better than him—a scene-stealing actor whose face everyone recognizes, even if they might not remember his name.

“But I’m not sure if he’ll have time. He doesn’t seem to be doing many dramas these days.”

PD Kim Jong-su smiled confidently. “I’m Kim Jong-su, the industry’s social butterfly. I’ve already put out feelers. Hehe.”

He immediately added, “And the two of them have the same debut work.”

“Oh? Now that you mention it, that’s right,” Ji-won said, recalling the connection.

“They’re debut colleagues and rivals in a sense.”

“Do you really think they’ll see it that way?” Ji-won asked, a hint of skepticism in his voice.

“I think Mr. Choi Jin-hyun will,” PD Kim Jong-su insisted.

Although they debuted together, actor Han Se-gyu was far ahead in terms of recognition—not just in fame, but also in timing. His name became known much earlier.

However, from actor Choi Jin-hyun’s perspective, if Han Se-gyu appeared, it would certainly be tempting. He would want to have a real match with him.

“Anyway, we need to confirm Han Se-gyu’s casting before we can approach him, right?” Ji-won said, shifting back to the task at hand.

PD Kim Jong-su shrugged. “We don’t have time. Actually, I’ve already bluffed a bit to Mr. Choi Jin-hyun.”

“How?” Ji-won asked, puzzled.

“I told him that if he appears, actor Han Se-gyu has also agreed to do it.”

Ji-won blinked, stunned. 

Huh…? Did I just hear that wrong?