Chapter 1016: Genius Child Actors (3)

Writer Lee Ji-Yeon approached me with Team Lead Yeon So-Hee from Actor Division 4 and Writer Kim Soll-Ip at her side like a pair of wings.

Smiling playfully, she asked, "Yoon-Ho~ Why's it like a war zone over here? What happened? Did the kids start fighting and the parents take over?"

Just then, the two presidents of Mira Entertainment stepped forward, clearly intending to tell their side of the story.

"Mrs. Lee. Hello, we—"

'Not so fast.'

I cut them off and explained what had happened instead. "Miso gave an outstanding performance and even improvised. But after seeing it, the presidents of Mira Entertainment accused her of trying to hurt the other children. I was trying to calm things down. Then they said they were going to tip off reporters..."

The smile instantly disappeared from Lee Ji-Yeon's face, replaced by an icy expression. "Miso deliberately tried to hurt someone while acting? What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that?"

Just as I had expected, Lee Ji-Yeon didn't believe for a second that Miso would do such a thing.

At once, Cheon Mi-Ra, the mother of child actress Sung Ri-Yeon, protested indignantly. "Mrs. Lee, do you think we'd threaten to call reporters for no reason? When Miso picked up that rock, if Ri-Yeon hadn't run away, she would've really been hit!"

Yang Mi-Ra, the mother of child actor Nam Joo-Hwan, pressed a hand to her chest, claiming her heart was still racing. "That's right! It wasn't just our kids. The other child actors were so frightened they ran away too!"

As the two women dug in their heels, Lee Ji-Yeon stared at them for a moment before beckoning Miso over from behind me. "Miso. Were you really trying to hit those unnie and oppa?"

Miso hurried over, clasped both hands together, and shook her head vigorously. "No. I wasn't."

"Then why did you raise the rock? That wasn't in the script."

"Because Ri-Yeon unnie and Joo-Hwan oppa got so immersed in their acting that I had to match the mood. I didn't have a choice but to improvise."

When actors performed together, there were times when they had to match their scene partner's emotional intensity. If one actor raised the emotional stakes and the other failed to respond at the same level, the chemistry fell apart and the scene felt awkward.

That was exactly what Miso explained. She had simply matched the level of Sung Ri-Yeon and Nam Joo-Hwan's bullying performance.

"So that's what happened?" asked Lee Ji-Yeon.

"Yes!"

Lee Ji-Yeon nodded, smiled warmly at Miso, then immediately called out, "PD Ju!"

Ju Se-Hyung answered, "Yes, ma'am?"

"How long have you been doing this? You can't even control your own set? How could you let the mothers of child actors barge in and cause a scene like this?"

On a filming set, a child actor's parents were allowed to come and go as guardians and were effectively treated like talent agents. Since many child actors didn't belong to agencies, their parents often served as their actual talent agents.

However, that didn't mean they had any right to interfere with the production. On set, the PD's authority was absolute. Ju Se-Hyung had avoided clashing with those parents because he was worried Mira Entertainment might stop supplying child actors in the future. That was exactly what Lee Ji-Yeon was criticizing.

"Well... Mrs. Lee... The thing is, these days Mira Entertainment has become very influential among the child actors' mothers..." Ju Se-Hyung replied awkwardly.

Lee Ji-Yeon cut him off. "Listen, PD Ju. They were talking about tipping off reporters. That's practically praying for the drama's premiere today to fail. Was I wrong to trust you with directing this? Did I really hand my drama over to a PD who'd just stand there and watch it get destroyed?"

Only then did Ju Se-Hyung visibly flinch. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Lee. I think I handled this the wrong way."

After he backed down, Lee Ji-Yeon let out a long sigh, her tone softening. "I know you're under pressure. I know the schedule's brutal. But if you don't control the set, who will? And you're more than capable of handling something like this, aren't you?"

"Yes. I can do it."

"Sigh. Good. So... what are you going to do now?"

Only then did Ju Se-Hyung harden his gaze, speaking with the sharp authority he used to have. "I'll stop anyone from contacting the press and get things under control."

"So you're admitting that Miso didn't deliberately cause trouble?"

"Yes. At first, I was completely fooled because I thought she had genuinely lost her temper instead of acting. But the moment I called cut and saw her calmly put the rock down, I realized it had all been part of the performance."

The corners of Lee Ji-Yeon's lips lifted slightly as she nodded. "That's our PD Ju. You've still got a good eye. Exactly. If she'd really lost her temper, she wouldn't have calmed down that quickly."

Just as expected of Lee Ji-Yeon, she sorted out the situation in no time.

Then, Cheon Mi-Ra, who had been listening quietly, flared up. "Mrs. Lee, don't you think you're being unfair?"

Lee Ji-Yeon turned to her sharply. "What's unfair?"

"You didn't even watch Miso's performance yourself. How can you jump straight to a conclusion?"

"Why would I need to? I already know."

"You already know? Do you have any idea how vicious Miso's expression was? Besides, everyone here saw her trying to intimidate our kids!"

She subtly reframed Miso threatening them with a rock as merely "a battle of wills" between the child actors.

Lee Ji-Yeon let out a scoff. "Why would Miso be competing with child actors? She wasn't cast as a child actor."

"...I'm sorry? What do you mean by..."

"Miso was cast as a regular actress for the role of Yoon Kkot-Nim. While your two kids are making five hundred thousand won an episode, she's making five million. She's the lead! So who exactly is competing with whom?"

The three major broadcasting networks all used an internal eighteen-tier pay scale to determine appearance fees for dramas and variety shows. Child actors generally fell into Grades 1 through 5. At Grade 1, it wasn't unusual for a child actor in a daily drama to earn less than one hundred thousand won per episode.

Once a child actor became well known, however, they were promoted beyond Grade 5 and treated as adult performers. Even Sung Ri-Yeon and Nam Joo-Hwan, both former child stars once hailed as prodigies, were classified as Grade 6 performers, earning five hundred thousand won per episode for a daily drama.

Miso, on the other hand, was being paid ten times that amount. In other words, she was being treated as a genuine lead.

"I'll overlook the fact that you couldn't tell the difference between acting and genuine emotion this one time, since you're not professionals. So stop talking nonsense and keep quiet."

The moment she was told she wasn't a professional, Cheon Mi-Ra fell silent.

Yang Mi-Ra, however, couldn't swallow the insult and immediately pushed back. "Even so, she's still just a child! When she tried to hit our kids with that rock, she clearly lost control of her emotions. I saw it with my own eyes!"

Lee Ji-Yeon's brows drew together into a deep frown. "So... you're saying you don't trust my judgment?"

"That's right! You haven't even watched the footage. You're only taking Miso's side because you're biased."

In an instant, the atmosphere on set turned icy. No matter how influential Mira Entertainment was among child actors and their parents, Yang Mi-Ra had just openly challenged one of Korea's most celebrated drama writers. Yet perhaps realizing there was no turning back now, she refused to back down.

Lee Ji-Yeon stared at the two women for a long moment before slowly nodding. "Fine. If you're so determined that I watch the footage, I will. But you'd better prepare yourselves. If I'm right, I won't let this slide."

"And if you're wrong? Who's going to guarantee that?"

Lee Ji-Yeon answered with a piercing glare, "I'm Lee Ji-Yeon. I don't play games when it comes to drama."

Yang Mi-Ra instinctively flinched and took a step back.

Lee Ji-Yeon then turned to Ju Se-Hyung "PD Ju. Do you mind if I take over and sort out this mess?"

"I'd be grateful if you did."

"Good. Then let's watch what we filmed a moment ago before we say anything else."

"Of course. Right this way."

As Ju Se-Hyung led the way, pointing to the seat beside the monitor, Lee Ji-Yeon followed behind with Yeon So-Hee and Kim Soll-Ip.

Meanwhile, the other mothers of the child actors, who had been watching everything unfold, began whispering to the two presidents of Mira Entertainment.

"What are you going to do now, Mrs. Cheon?"

"When Mrs. Lee glared at us, I thought I was going to wet myself... More importantly, how are you going to smooth things over with her? What if she cuts our kids' screen time because of this...?"

"Enough! I've got a plan, so just stand back and watch!"

The two presidents of Mira Entertainment began assuring the other mothers that they knew how to calm Lee Ji-Yeon down.

Meanwhile, Miso, the one at the center of all the commotion, walked over to me and whispered, "Uncle Yoon-Ho, it's true that I wanted to beat them with my acting... but I really wasn't going to hit anyone with the rock. Really."

She looked genuinely wronged.

I nodded. "I know that, of course."

"Then why are those ladies saying I'm a bad kid?"

"Because you were just that good."

Miso thought about it for a moment before asking, "Then... should I tell them I'm sorry?"

"No. You didn't do anything wrong, so why would you? Just leave everything to me and Mrs. Lee, okay?"

"Okay."

Kind-hearted as always, Miso felt guilty for causing such a scene. However, the presidents of Mira Entertainment would've stirred up trouble sooner or later regardless of what we did. To them, Miso was the one who had stolen the title of "child prodigy" from their own children.

"Okay. But... someone should tell Joo-Hwan oppa to change his pants..."

After wetting himself, Nam Joo-Hwan had run away without changing. Even though Miso had been angry at him and Sung Ri-Yeon only moments ago, she had apparently already forgiven him and was worrying about him instead. Seeing how kind she was, there was no way she ever truly lost control and acted out of real anger.

"I'll help him change later. Mrs. Lee has finished watching the footage, so she's probably going to address that first."

"Okay."

At that moment, Lee Ji-Yeon pushed her chair back and stood up after finishing the playback.

Scrape.

Everyone's eyes turned toward her.

Then, Lee Ji-Yeon's furious roar exploded across the set. "How dare you slander her! Miso did exactly what she was supposed to do!"

The atmosphere became so heavy it was as if a bomb had gone off. Everyone swallowed nervously.

Cheon Mi-Ra, however, seemed to have expected this. Gritting her teeth, she said, "We don't believe you! You're only saying that because you're so close to Miso. Did you think we wouldn't notice?"

Apparently, she had decided from the start to paint Lee Ji-Yeon as a liar.

"I believe I already said I don't lie when it comes to drama."

"Even so, Miso could be the one exception!"

As everyone watched, unsure where this was heading, Lee Ji-Yeon opened her mouth again.

"Really? Then there's only one way to settle it."

"...What?"

Lee Ji-Yeon looked at Miso. "Miso. Can you recreate exactly what you did a little while ago?"

"Huh? Oh, yes!"

"Okay. Then do it again. Just don't crawl on the ground this time."

The moment she heard that, Miso instinctively started to drop to the ground before catching herself and stopping. She straightened up, looked around for a moment, then ran over to pick up the same rock she had used earlier.

Watching her, Lee Ji-Yeon addressed everyone. "If it wasn't acting, she wouldn't be able to recreate it. But if it was acting, she should be able to do it again. Right?"

This time, no one objected.

Then, holding the rock, Miso closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A few moments later, she opened them. A chilling, murderous gleam settled into her eyes as she began recreating the very same performance from moments before.

It was an almost perfect recreation.

***

Tap.

After finishing the performance, Miso gently set the rock back on the ground. "I'm done! And I can do it again if you want!"

The murderous intensity vanished from Miso's face in an instant. Looking around with bright, innocent eyes, she smiled at everyone. The two presidents of Mira Entertainment stood there with their mouths hanging open.

Lee Ji-Yeon smiled with satisfaction. "No. Once is enough. Good job."

After praising Miso, she slowly turned her head. Then her voice turned ice cold.

"See?"

Cheon Mi-Ra clenched her teeth, ready to argue again.

Before she could, Yang Mi-Ra grabbed her arm and forced an apology. "We're sorry, Mrs. Lee. Miso's acting was just too convincing... We must've misunderstood. We're truly sorry."

Cheon Mi-Ra trembled with frustration, but under Yang Mi-Ra's insistence, she eventually lowered her head as well. "I think President Yang is right. Miso's acting felt so real... I was foolish."

The other child actors' mothers, lined up behind them, hurriedly bowed too. "We're sorry, Mrs. Lee!"

Watching the scene, Ju Se-Hyung quietly let out a sigh of relief. He thought it was finally over—he was wrong.

"You're all unbelievable," said Lee Ji-Yeon.

Cheon Mi-Ra and Yang Mi-Ra cautiously raised their heads. "...Excuse me?"

"You barged onto my set, turned everything upside down, and now you think one little apology is enough? You even threatened to brand one of my lead actors as violent."

"W-We just didn't know..."

"If you didn't know, then you should've kept your mouths shut instead of throwing threats around!" Lee Ji-Yeon's eyes blazed as she continued. "And I told you already. I wasn't going to let this slide."

She snapped her head to the side. "Team Lead Yeon. Set up my laptop."

"R-Right away."

Yeon So-Hee hurried over and placed a laptop on the monitoring table.

Thunk.

Lee Ji-Yeon looked at Ju Se-Hyung. "PD Ju. I'm revising the script."

"...Right now?"

"I'm not changing enough to disrupt production. Besides, you said I could handle this situation, didn't you?"

"Y-Yes. Of course. I'm sorry. Go ahead."

By then, the laptop was ready.

Yeon So-Hee said, "Mrs. Lee. It's all set."

Lee Ji-Yeon sat down at the table, opened the laptop, and immediately began typing at lightning speed. Unlike usual, however, she read each line aloud as she wrote.

"Yeo Soo-Jin snatched Yoon Kkot-Nim's shoes and threw them outside the orphanage. At that exact moment, the prospective adoptive parents arriving to adopt Yeo Soo-Jin witnessed the scene. Horrified by what they saw, they decided not to adopt her. From that day on... no one ever saw Yeo Soo-Jin again!"

Just like that, Lee Ji-Yeon erased Sung Ri-Yeon's character from the drama. However, she wasn't finished.

"Oh Jin-Gu became enraged after wetting himself and charged forward with his fists clenched. At that moment, Yoon Kkot-Nim's older brother appeared and beat him black and blue. After that, no one ever saw him again. The end!"

Originally, Yeo Soo-Jin was supposed to be adopted by a wealthy family before reuniting with Yoon Kkot-Nim later in the story. Likewise, Oh Jin-Gu was meant to be adopted as well before crossing paths with Yoon Kkot-Nim again, creating further conflict. With just a few keystrokes, however, Lee Ji-Yeon had written both characters completely out of the drama.

"M-Mrs. Lee! Why are you doing that to my daughter...?" Cheon Mi-Ra cried out in panic.

Yang Mi-Ra's eyes widened as well. "Mrs. Lee! This isn't right! You can't do this!"

Lee Ji-Yeon scoffed. "Why not?"

"T-This is an abuse of power!"

Lee Ji-Yeon let out a derisive snort. "Don't be ridiculous. I cast your kids based on their reputations as 'child prodigies.' If they get scared of Miso and run away, why shouldn't I replace them?"

"That's..."

Just then, Ju Se-Hyung spoke up hesitantly. "Mrs. Lee. I'm not trying to oppose your decision, but if those two leave, we'll have a huge gap in the production. They still have scenes after Episode 4, and Episode 5 will be affected too. At this point, finding replacements on their level..."

Then, Lee Ji-Yeon looked at me. "Yoon-Ho. Can you cover it?"

Everyone's attention shifted to me. Fortunately, I already had a solution.

I nodded confidently. "I can."

Lee Ji-Yeon pointed at me with a confident shrug. "Yoon-Ho says he can handle it. Is that still not good enough?"

Ju Se-Hyung said hesitantly, "If Chief Jung guarantees it, that's a different story. In that case... Ri-Yeon, Joo-Hwan, and everyone from Mira Entertainment will leave the set immediately."

Looking visibly relieved, Ju Se-Hyung turned to Cheon Mi-Ra and Yang Mi-Ra. "You heard that. Take your kids and get out!"

Having just been thrown off the production, Cheon Mi-Ra and Yang Mi-Ra trembled with rage.

At that moment, the two women turned to the other child actors' mothers. "You all heard that, didn't you? If you stay under a writer who's clearly taking Miso's side, your kids will be supporting characters forever. Come with us. I'll personally get every one of your children into another drama. Better yet, I'll sign them all to Mira Entertainment and line up commercial work for them too."

The two presidents of Mira Entertainment tried to lure away the rest of the child actors by offering agency contracts. The other mothers immediately found themselves torn between staying on a drama where their children had already signed a contract, or following the two women who held so much influence over future casting.

"Really?"

"You mean it, Mrs. Cheon?"

Everyone except Lee Ji-Yeon looked panicked. If all the child actors walked out, the entire day's filming would be ruined.

Sure enough, Ju Se-Hyung exploded. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

I immediately stopped him. "Mr. Ju, please leave this to me."

"Why? Do you actually have a plan?"

"Yes, I do."

From this point on, I intended to make the two presidents of Mira Entertainment pay for trying to frame Miso and sabotage Lee Ji-Yeon's drama by pulling all the child actors.

Ju Se-Hyung nodded. "All right. Let's see what you've got."

I turned away from the two presidents of Mira Entertainment and addressed the other child actors' mothers instead.

"Everyone. Rather than joining a company that was looking down on you just moments ago, how about Hoop Entertainment instead? We'll offer the best treatment in the industry." I swept my gaze across the entire group. "Every single one of you."

As someone who had returned from the future, I knew not only which child actors here would eventually succeed, but also which future child prodigies had yet to emerge. That knowledge let me make an offer no one else possibly could.

The expressions on the faces of Mira Entertainment's two presidents immediately changed. However, this was only the beginning.

'Trying to play games in front of someone who's lived through the future? How dare you!'