Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 408: Jiri Mountain Filming Site (1)

Creak.

As I opened the door to Cheonwang Mountain Lodge and stepped inside, I saw a wood-burning stove in the center of the living room. Lee Tae-Poong and Go Jae-Soo sat across from each other.

Although the filming was temporarily paused, the two were still immersed in their roles and glaring at each other.

As such, the staff preparing for the shoot couldn't greet Shin Jong-Ki properly when he arrived.

'So they've already started getting into character...' I thought.

The scene was so captivating that I quickly began recording them with my phone. At that moment, Lee Tae-Poong's gaze turned toward us as the people around him bustled about.

I thought he would snap out of his immersion and greet Shin Jong-Ki. Instead, he simply spoke to Kang Si-Ah. "Oh, my daughter. You're here."

The movie Jiri Mountain, which we were filming, was a disaster thriller about seven members of a university mountaineering club reuniting after ten years for a trip to Jiri Mountain.

The plot continued with the group seeking refuge in Cheonwang Mountain Lodge during a heavy snowfall. There, their vengeful, psychopathic former member, Oh Myung-Jin, appeared, seeking revenge for events from a decade ago.

In the movie, Lee Tae-Poong played the role of Kang Dae-Hyun, the mountaineering club's president from ten years ago. His character was a widower raising his daughter, Kang Yung-Ah, alone.

Worried about leaving his daughter alone at home, Kang Dae-Hyun brought her to the club reunion where he faced countless challenges protecting her from the vengeful Oh Myung-Jin.

Lee Tae-Poong's character consistently expressed profound love for his daughter throughout the movie. As a result, the way he looked at Kang Si-Ah was filled with warmth. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Kang Si-Ah was flustered to hear her name suddenly called, but she quickly clenched her fists and responded energetically. "Hi, Dad!"

In the blink of an eye, Kang Si-Ah was also absorbed in her role.

Lee Tae-Poong smiled and stretched out his arms. "It's cold. What are you doing out there? Come here."

"Okay~"

Kang Si-Ah ran quickly and threw herself into Lee Tae-Poong's arms.

Lee Tae-Poong patted Kang Si-Ah's head as he asked, "My daughter, what took you so long to get here?"

"I was playing outside. I even built a snowman."

"There are moon bears in Jiri Mountain, so you have to be careful. What if a bear goes 'roar' and takes you away?"

"For real?"

"For real~! Roar~!"

At that moment, Kang Si-Ah made a frightened expression. "Eek~ that's scary."

Lee Tae-Poong laughed and hugged Kang Si-Ah tightly. "It's okay. I will protect you no matter what. Forever!"

Kang Si-Ah lifted her head and held out her pinky finger. "Pinky promise?"

Lee Tae-Poong hooked his pinky with hers and smiled with his eyes. "Pinky promise!"

This was from Scene 22 where the father and daughter made a promise.

Seeing this, Park Sun-Jae and the staff looked on with satisfaction. They had been worried about the child actress' performance, but it felt like an impromptu audition had just taken place.

I felt reassured, knowing that entrusting Kang Si-Ah to Choi Ji-Yung had been an excellent decision.

Even in this situation, Go Jae-Soo sitting opposite the wood stove maintained a cold expression and added more firewood to the flames.

Crackle.

The dry branches crackled and splintered in the fire. Immersed in his role, Go Jae-Soo simply stared blankly at the burning flames.

Shin Jong-Ki let out a small sigh of admiration as he watched the two actors who didn't respond to his presence. "Hahaha. I guess this is a vibe I shouldn't interrupt."

This made Park Sun-Jae look somewhat troubled. "I'm sorry. Both actors are deeply immersed in their roles right now."

"No, don't be. Greeting me isn't important. The film's success is what matters. Don't worry about it. In fact, it's nice to see them so focused."

"Thank you for understanding."

Shin Jong-Ki stepped aside with Lee Eun-Joo and moved to a corner of the lodge to avoid causing any disruption. "Don't mind me and just keep filming, alright?"

"Yes, sir."

I also moved to the side with Kang Si-Ah's mother and Deok-Bae.

Once we cleared the space, Park Sun-Jae resumed the shoot. "Alright. Let's save the proper greetings for mealtime and resume filming right away. Actors, please standby."

Having spent many years as an assistant director, Park Sun-Jae gave instructions with an air of authority.

As the staff busied themselves, Kang Si-Ah slipped out of Lee Tae-Poong's arms and went to sit next to the youngest member of the directing team.

Lee Tae-Poong and Go Jae-Soo glared at each other with the wooded stove between them, waiting for the cue to start filming.

At that moment, Filming Director Lee Tae-Sik, with twenty years of experience, raised his hand. "Director Park, the camera team is ready."

"The camera team's good. What about lighting and sound?" Park Sun-Jae asked.

"Just a bit more setup and we'll be done on this side."

"Sound team is ready!"

Lee Tae-Sik had been specially assigned by Shin Jong-Ki to support Park Sun-Jae

The filming director was typically the second most important person after the main director on set. As such, assigning someone skilled and experienced, like Lee Tae-Sik, to the rookie director seemed intentional.

Though Lee Tae-Sik had a reputation for being stern and overbearing, his work was highly regarded.

However, the face of the assistant cameraman next to Lee Tae-Sik looked familiar.

'That guy... isn't he Woo Dong-Ho?' I wondered.

The twenty-five-year-old Woo Dong-Ho would become the most sought-after filming director in Korea within five years. He had the ability to capture a director's intent while producing stunningly beautiful visuals.

Despite winning awards at various amateur film festivals during his school years, he was currently relegated to tasks like organizing camera cables as an assistant.

'What a waste. If only this film were left to Mr. Woo Dong-Ho...' I remarked inwardly.

As much as I regretted it, I couldn't overstep the boundaries with an established camera team already in place.

"We are all set."

As the staff finished their preparations, Park Sun-Jae turned his attention to the monitoring screen.

Taking advantage of the moment, I handed Deok-Bae a tablet with the Jiri Mountain script. "Deok-Bae, forget your current role for a moment and compare the script with their performance. It'll help a lot for tomorrow's audition."

When Deok-Bae trained under Choi Ji-Yung, he learned about acting dynamics with female co-stars. Now, watching the tension between male actors would be invaluable.

Since there was a confrontation scene with Gook-Seon in the audition, this was the perfect opportunity to prepare for it. After all, seeing is believing.

I told Deok-Bae to focus on Lee Tae-Poong and Go Jae-Soo's performances, setting aside his work on Hwaranjeon for now.

Nodding, Deok-Bae found the portion of the script for the upcoming Scene 33 and began reading it.

At that moment, Park Sun-Jae raised his hand. "Alright, everyone. Quiet on set. Ready~ Action!"

With that, Lee Tae-Poong and Go Jae-Soo began acting with razor-sharp expressions.

Their words carried an intensity as chilling as a biting wind.

***

As Lee Tae-Poong and Go Jae-Soo delivered their passionate performances, Deok-Bae focused on their acting.

Meanwhile, my eyes were fixed on the monitoring screen that Park Sun-Jae was watching. No matter how impressive the actors' performances were, the audience would only see what was captured on that tiny screen.

However, what unfolded on the monitor left me speechless. 'Why is the filming director doing whatever he wants?'

The filming director's role was to translate the director's storyboard into visual footage. Yet, the monitor showed footage completely different from Park Sun-Jae's storyboard.

I repeatedly checked the storyboard provided on set just in case, but the result was the same.

Park Sun-Jae's storyboard called for tight shots of the actors' faces to highlight their emotional expressions, but the monitor displayed wide shots of their full bodies. In other words, Lee Tae-Sik was taking liberties with the direction.

'Why is Director Park Sun-Jae just letting this happen?' I wondered.

Wondering if he had given separate instructions, I observed Park Sun-Jae's reaction.

As expected, Park Sun-Jae's expression wasn't good. Meanwhile, Lee Tae-Sik seemed utterly engrossed in his work as he was filming excitedly.

Watching this, I began to understand why the situation had unfolded this way. 'Park Sun-Jae is being dismissed as a rookie and Lee Tae-Sik is shooting as he pleases.'

This film was entirely funded by LT Entertainment. Since Lee Tae-Sik was personally recommended by Shin Jong-Ki, Park Sun-Jae had no choice but to endure it while swallowing his frustration.

Nonetheless, this wasn't right.

The ultimate responsibility for the film should lie with Park Sun-Jae. Regardless of whether the movie turned out great or a disaster, the authority over direction belonged to the head director.

No matter how experienced Lee Tae-Sik was, this was overstepping boundaries.

After some deliberation, I tapped Ahn Yoo-Joo on the shoulder. When she turned to look, I handed her my phone with a message written on the memo app.

[The filming director seems to be shooting as he pleases. How long has this been going on?]

Ahn Yoo-Joo pursed her lips tightly before writing a response below my message.

[Since the first day. He keeps saying he's in charge of filming and has been doing whatever he wants.]

I took back the phone and typed another message.

[Why didn't you tell me sooner? It's already been a week.]

[I thought about it, but he was recommended by Mr. Shin...and if we lose him now, we won't make the screening deadline. So Mr. Park said he'd just shoot and fix it in post-editing.]

'This won't do,' I thought.

If the writer were the king in the world of drama, the director held that title in film.

Furthermore, since Park Sun-Jae was the one who wrote the screenplay for Jiri Mountain, no one understood the work better than he did.

No matter how much of a veteran the filming director was, he had no right to interpret the director's vision at will.

If this continued, bigger problems could arise as the shoot progressed—the film might end up being completely different from its intended vision.

This would not only jeopardize the film's success but also potentially harm the careers of Lee Tae-Poong and Go Jae-Soo.

I had to make a decision.

[Ms. Ahn, Mr. Woo Dong-Ho over there is highly skilled. He's more than capable of replacing Filming Director Lee Tae-Sik.]

[Mr. Woo?]

Ahn Yoo-Joo glanced at the twenty-five-year-old Woo Dong-Ho with her doubtful expression, questioning how someone so young could fill that role. After all, the more experienced a filming director, the better their skills typically were.

[He may be young, but he has worked as the filming director for short films like Ajeon, The Fate of Tae-Hu, and Yanghwaju since he was twenty.]

Short film festivals rarely garnered much attention. However, Ahn Yoo-Joo, who had worked as an accountant and secretary for a small film company called Lee Seon Films to support her boyfriend, had encountered countless scripts and movies.

Hence, she recognized the titles I mentioned.

[I know those films. They were visually stunning. Are you saying Mr. Woo Dong-Ho shot those?]

When I nodded, Ahn Yoo-Joo's eyes sparkled with newfound determination.

Park Sun-Jae had endured countless hardships—being trampled on by Director Jo Jae-Kyung and tormented by Director Gong Hak-Beom—just to finally hold the megaphone. To now face trouble from a rogue filming director was a bitter twist.

Nonetheless, with Woo Dong-Ho present, a solution was within reach.

[Ms. Ahn, what will you do?]

As both a wife and the production chief for this film, Ahn Yoo-Joo made her decision.

[I'm going to cause a scene.]

The moment I saw Ahn Yoo-Joo's resolute expression, I wrote a note and handed it to her.

[I'll support you.]

***

Park Sun-Jae called for a stop to the shoot with a displeased expression. "Cut! That's it for now."

At that moment, the intense confrontation between Lee Tae-Poong and Go Jae-Soo gradually subsided as they both took deep breaths to come out of their immersion.

While Lee Tae-Poong's performance was impressive, Shin Jong-Ki's eyes sparkled as he admired Go Jae-Soo whose delivery made every line memorable. "As expected. Everyone brought in by you is something, Team Lead Jung. Don't you agree, Director Park?"

"Uh, yes... well..."

Park Sun-Jae's reluctant response made Shin Jong-Ki look confused. "Is everything okay? Something doesn't seem right to you?"

As Park Sun-Jae hesitated over how to respond, Ahn Yoo-Joo stepped forward to answer. "Mr. Shin. Actually, there is a bit of an issue with the shoot."

Both Lee Tae-Poong and Go Jae-Soo delivered outstanding performances, and the director didn't call for any retakes.

Hearing there was a problem nonetheless, Shin Jong-Ki tilted his head in confusion. "What's the issue?"

"The shooting isn't following the storyboard."

"What do you mean by that?"

At that moment, Lee Tae-Sik frowned. "Hey, Chief Ahn. It sounds like you're saying that for my ears."

"Good observation."

"What did you just say?"

Lee Tae-Sik's voice rose, but Ahn Yoo-Joo didn't back down.

"You heard me. You're not even referencing the storyboard when you shoot."

"Listen. Things won't work if you stick too rigidly to the storyboard. To capture the essence of the scene, you need to adapt and adjust on the spot. Understand?"

"Since when did disregarding the storyboard become 'adapting'?"

"What? This is absurd. Do you think you can just say whatever you want like that?"

As the filming director and production chief clashed head-on, the atmosphere on set turned icy.

I was about to step in to support Ahn Yoo-Joo.

However, Park Sun-Jae acted before I could and confronted the filming director directly. "Mr. Lee. I've held back until now, but I just can't continue shooting with you."

I decided to observe for the moment and wait for the right opportunity to lend my support. For Jiri Mountain to be completed properly, Lee Tae-Sik needed to be removed.

'Director Lee Tae-Sik, you're out.'