GalaxyTL
"Hello, seniors!"
Bow, bow.
From a distance, a tall boy made his presence known with a loud greeting. He was like the star at the top of a Christmas tree adorned with all sorts of jewels, as if the splendor of the Milky Way had been transformed into a person.
As Kim Dong-hoo entered, the High Dream set buzzed with excitement.
"Dong-hoo, you’re here?" "Yes, hyung. How have you been?" "Oh, well..."
Jin Soo-hyuk, who played Song Cheol-soo, the male lead of High Dream, awkwardly smiled as he exchanged pleasantries with Kim Dong-hoo.
"...I've been okay."
To tell the truth, he hadn’t been doing well. Ever since Kim Dong-hoo’s performance on the first day of filming, the expectations surrounding acting had soared to an overwhelming level.
Because of this, the rookie actors were having a tough time. Of course, no one said outright:
But their eyes said it all. Those eyes that subtly seemed to expect more, that wished for someone to capture even a bit of the atmosphere Kim Dong-hoo had brought.
With that vague pressure spreading through the set, Kim Dong-hoo’s reappearance today made it impossible to act casually around him.
Plus, today was also the day they were filming the making-of video.
Which meant, if they messed up their acting today, they could get completely wrecked.
‘But today should be fine,’ Jin Soo-hyuk reassured himself as he recalled today’s shooting schedule. There were no confrontation scenes with Kim Dong-hoo today.
‘We’re all just practicing in our own rehearsal rooms.’
Today’s shoot involved scenes where the High Dream members were intensely practicing for the Mirinae competition, the tournament they had to win. Kim Dong-hoo, in particular, had solo practice and a scene plotting with Principal Wang Ho.
“Vocal training must be tough, right?” “Yes, but I’m doing my best not to be a burden to the seniors!”
Since High Dream was set at an arts high school, either instrumental or vocal skills were essential.
Over the past few months of filming, the High Dream members had worked hard, and their skills had improved significantly. Now, their performances were pleasant and easy to listen to.
For some reason, this gave Jin Soo-hyuk a sudden surge of confidence. It was as if a suit of armor made of self-assurance was supporting him.
"Yeah, give it your best."
In this area, Jin Soo-hyuk was certain he would win.
After all, as a former idol from ST Entertainment, it didn’t make sense for him to lose to a rookie in music.
‘Honestly, it’s impossible to be good at everything.’
Lee Jae, Kim Dong-hoo’s character, was portrayed as a genius, but that was just a fictional setting.
There were countless ways to edit and present someone on TV. Even a tone-deaf person could be made to look like a musical genius with enough tricks behind the scenes.
‘He must’ve been cast for his acting.’
Encouraged by the thought that Kim Dong-hoo couldn’t be perfect at everything, Jin Soo-hyuk patted his back.
“Do your best, Dong-hoo!”
Tap, tap.
"Thank you!"
"Yeah, yeah."
As if he could be good at music too.
Lee Min-ha.
The writer of High Dream and the famous "deadline swordmaster" who had never once missed a deadline since her debut.
And now, she was in the middle of...
"Uuuugh..."
...a terrible dilemma.
It was something she absolutely shouldn’t do.
But if she did, the synergy could be incredible.
‘I want to go for it.’
Should I? No, I can’t. Should I? I hate this.
It was the dilemma of a lifetime.
Something she wouldn’t have even considered before meeting Kim Dong-hoo.
‘Script changes on the day of filming.’
That was a taboo.
This wasn’t some early-2000s sitcom where they wrote scripts on the spot. How could she possibly change the script on the day of a drama shoot?
"PD-nim, is the schedule flexible?"
But her mind and body weren’t in sync. Rationally, she knew it wasn’t allowed, but her instincts were pushing her toward rewriting the script.
“Well, thanks to the positive reactions to the making-of footage, we’re getting good PPLs and ads, so the scale of the production has grown.”
Kim Young-mo, the PD, answered with a subtle hint of pride in his voice. It was his way of saying, ‘Look how our directing and editing are making us money.’
‘But why is she asking that?’
She’s not someone who wastes words.
A sense of unease crept over him.
“So, I guess that means I can make some script changes?”
“Sorry, what? Script changes? You do that all the time, don’t you?”
Of course, script revisions happen all the time during the writing process.
“As long as you give us a heads-up in advance, we can adjust the schedule accordingly…”
As he spoke, PD Kim suddenly stopped.
He had looked into Lee Min-ha’s eyes.
At that moment, after spending so many years in the industry, PD Kim knew exactly what she was about to suggest.
"...Are you talking about what I think you are?"
“Yes.”
A script change on the day of filming.
A move that could send all the actors and crew home.
That’s what Lee Min-ha was asking for.
“Hold on, wait a minute. Could you at least tell me what you want to change?”
A reasonable question.
And with that, Lee Min-ha fully revealed her desire.
"You know how Kim Dong-hoo’s acting is incredible, and he’s also great at singing, right?"
"Yes?"
"So, Lee Jae was originally just supposed to be a vocalist, like the other bands in High Dream competing against each other, right?"
"Yes, I’m aware."
Glancing over, PD Kim looked at the band in the background of the set.
While the High Dream members had to perform their own music, Lee Jae’s band didn’t, so they had brought in an external band.
A band versus band showdown!
Wasn’t that the original plan?
Seeing PD Kim’s confusion, Lee Min-ha quickly explained.
"But it doesn’t feel right."
"What do you mean?"
"Lee Jae is a genius."
"That’s true."
"A flower that bloomed amidst hatred, someone who considers everyone else inferior."
How could someone like Lee Jae play music alongside others?
How could a wolf dine with lambs?
Lee Min-ha knew she was being absurd, even as she continued speaking. It was a bit of a stretch.
But.
‘I’ve seen it with my own eyes.’
She had witnessed Lee Jae come to life before her eyes.
The real Lee Jae, more perfect than the one she had written.
If she couldn’t meet that standard, could she even call herself a writer?
That was her pride as a writer, something she had built her entire career on.
"So... what exactly do you want to change?"
Now understanding Lee Min-ha’s mindset, PD Kim, an artist at heart, asked bluntly.
What did she want to change that was taking so long to explain?
Lee Min-ha lowered her head slightly and answered.
"Piano."
"...Piano?"
"Yes, I’d like it to be a grand piano, if possible."
High Dream would bond over playing together as a band,
while Lee Jae would sit alone at a grand piano, singing.
It created a perfect contrast.
“We do have a grand piano…”
Since they had rented the entire arts school, equipment wasn’t an issue.
However.
“For Kim Dong-hoo to master the piano, it would take a lot of time.”
Even for basic hand-syncing, it would take at least a month.
Normally, this would require extensive discussion.
But Lee Min-ha was suggesting they make the change immediately.
“Let’s ask the actor about it first.”
"Yes, yes, we should. Where is Kim Dong-hoo?"
“Oh, there he is.”
Kim Dong-hoo came into view for both PD Kim and Lee Min-ha.
Because of his young age, he didn’t blend into the set completely,
but his mere presence commanded the attention of everyone around him.
He was an actor whose future was unimaginable.
Lee Min-ha walked straight up to him.
“Kim Dong-hoo.”
“Yes, writer-nim! Oh, and please feel free to speak casually to me.”
“O-okay, Dong-hoo. Do you know how to play the piano? A grand piano…”
Even as she asked the question, she clenched her eyes shut.
‘There’s no way!’
Maybe he had learned basic piano as a kid.
But a grand piano was a professional instrument.
At just fourteen, in his first year of middle school, there was no way he had learned it.
If he had, he should have attended a music-focused middle school.
But then.
“Yes, I can play it.”
“Of course, I knew you would… wait, what? Huh?”
Did I hear that wrong? No, my hearing’s fine.
“C-can you say that again?”
“I can play the grand piano.”
Should I show you?
Kim Dong-hoo’s confident answer left Lee Min-ha speechless.
“W-writer-nim! PD-nim! Someone! The writer’s jaw! Her jaw…!”
Clatter.
It dropped.
Rewind to the day I received the second script.
During the immersion process, something felt off.
‘Does it really make sense for Lee Jae to play in a band with others?’
It was a doubt only I, who could truly experience the character, could feel.
Lee Jae, who trusted no one, who hated being lumped together with other failures,
would never hang out with people beneath his level.
‘If he’s supposed to stand out on his own, wouldn’t it be better if he played piano or violin?’
Instruments with a more refined image suited Lee Jae’s character better.
And at that moment, as if to cheer me on, I got a message from [Sims - The Real Life].
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The message was practically spelling it out for me.
Don’t just be a genius actor—become the perfect genius.
Recreate Lee Jae 100%.
‘Ha.’
My answer was already decided.
“Immerse.”
Yes, I’ll show them.
The perfect Lee Jae.