DWWWB Ch 3 part 1

“I heard that he’s thinking of working in Korea now.”

“So is he shooting this because he wants to freshen up his image? But he didn’t have that many scandals for him to do that.”

I found myself listening in on a conversation between one of the head writers in charge of the program and the director of photography.

“No, Director-nim! That scandal was all fake news!”

“How do you know that, Writer Park? Do you have proof?”

“But there isn’t any proof that it was true!”

It was an argument that occurred wherever you went, and the topic of conversation was none other than Gong Mujin.

“There are so many photos of evidence.”

The director of photography searched for Gong Mujin’s scandals on a search portal website and brought it up to Writer Park’s eyes.

“Each of these can be refuted. This is a photo from a reception that a watch company threw. The company is an official sponsor of one of the world’s three major cycling races, so he had to attend. His picture was taken with a watch model while he was there. This photo is from the French Tourism Office. This one’s from the year-end party hosted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, an Italian newspaper. The model is standing next to him, but the model’s husband is standing on her right. However, the Korean media cropped the photo to make a sensational story out of it.”

The director of photography grinned and swiped his phone a few times. Then he shoved it back in Writer Park’s face.

“Then what about this?”

Writer Park paused. I continued to watch the two with much interest.

“That was a representative from the company that makes the bicycle that Gong Mujin rides.”

“I heard that the representative was a woman twelve years older than Gong Mujin.”

The dirty gossip was about to pour out.

“Director-nim.”

After watching them quietly, I quietly spoke up. The two had been talking as if they were the only ones in the conference room, so they were surprised when they saw me.

“I won’t ask you to like the subject, but please treat him without prejudice. Viewers are incredibly sensitive to that.”

The director of photography coughed and turned his head away.

“PD Oh, I’m a pro. Why are you acting as if you’ve never worked with me before?”

He answered without meeting my eyes as if he were embarrassed. The director had worked with me on a couple of programs when I was an AD.

“Yes, I know. It seems that Writer Park knows a lot about Athlete Gong Mujin, right?”

I stopped focusing on the director, who didn’t seem to want to have this awkward conversation, and turned my attention to Writer Park instead.

“This is just the bare minimum amount of research we should do in a program like this. And is Gong Mujin your average athlete? He said he’d be here in ten minutes, right? Wow, this is my first time seeing Gong Mujin in person.”

Writer Park, who works across various dramas and variety shows, is two years older than me. She entered this field early and was both talented and lucky. As befitting her nickname ‘Bustle Park¹’, she has produced a series of blockbusters. When she heard that we would be working on an educational variety show with Gong Mujin as the main subject, she eagerly joined the team.

“I’ve met all kinds of actors and idols in our country who are considered handsome, right? But Gong Mujin has a handsome face, a handsome career, a handsome personality, and a handsome mind.”

I laughed at Writer Park’s way of saying it.

“PD Oh, you met Athlete Gong Mujin?”

“Yes.”

“How many times?”

It was a question I should have expected, but it still stung for some reason.

“Twice.”

Twice after we broke up. Both times, PD Han was there as well.

“How is he? Isn’t he handsome? What about his personality?”

“He did look handsome. As for his personality…”

I took an imperceptible deep breath and continued speaking.

“As an athlete who takes good care of himself, he is a bit picky. But I don’t think he’s so stubborn that he won’t be able to compromise.”

I made my judgment from a producer’s perspective.

“That’s different from what I’ve heard. PD Han said he had a hard time because he was rejected at every meeting.”

“When he met with me, it wasn’t like that.”

I didn’t know why it bothered me so much even though I was telling the truth. It felt uncomfortable, like getting a fishbone stuck in my throat.

“Is it possible that Gong Mujin is interested in PD Oh? Once you joined the team, PD Han said that things started going smoothly.”

“That’s probably because my abilities are just that good.”

I laughed heartily.

“You used to be an AD who was always frowning and upset… You’ve grown up a lot, PD Oh.”

The director of photography grinned and chimed in as well.

“It is true that our PD Oh is talented, but she’s also pretty. PD Oh, after you quit EBC and before you joined us, did you use a skin booster or something?”

“Skin booster? What is that?”

“Something you inject into your face. Why is your skin so nice? It’s glowing.”

“It wasn’t a skin booster. It was a resignation booster.”

When she heard my answer, Writer Park clapped her hands and laughed.

“That’s right. Resignation is the best treatment! My skin is shiny when I’m not working.”

“What’s shiny?”

PD Han entered the conference room and asked.

“Our PD Oh’s face. When she was at EBC, her face was already amazing, but now she’s really brightened up. And you know what? PD Oh’s eyes are really big. Other people wear contact lenses to make them look bigger, but PD Oh’s eyes are just black and big. I think these kinds of eyes are really pretty.”

The director of photography tilted his head and looked at me.

“Ah, so the reason why PD Oh’s face looks so well-defined like a doll is because her pupils are big.”

“And look at the bridge of her nose. It’s as pretty as the tip of a shoe. And her lips are red, too.”

PD Han looked at me. I covered my face with the sheet of A4 paper in front of me and groaned.

“Writer Park, please stop. No matter how much you flatter me, I can’t do anything about the tight schedule.”

“Jeez, you caught me.”

Writer Park muttered.

“If you try to flatter a pretty person by telling them they’re pretty, it won’t work. You’ll have to try something else.”

Like a contrabass playing on a rainy day, a low voice suddenly rang out into the conference room.

“Hello, Athlete Gong Mujin! Nice to meet you. I’m Park Serin, the main writer for the program.”

Writer Park greeted him cheerfully.

“Hello, Writer-nim. My name is Gong Mujin. I’ll be in your care.”

“And this person here is the director of photography.”

I slowly lowered the sheet of A4 paper that I was using to cover my face. The director of photography raised his hand and held it out to Gong Mujin.

“And this is PD Oh Milhee, who is pretty and doesn’t respond to flattery. You know that, right?”

When he heard Writer Park’s clever introduction, he smiled, revealing the dimple on his left cheek.

“Yes, I know. PD Oh Milhee, who is so pretty that she doesn’t take flattery.”

Gong Mujin looked straight at me and nodded. My heart started beating slightly faster. Gong Mujin was always a man like the wind to me. Always sweeping me away. And a wet wind. Rain always follows after a wet breeze. Even though I knew it would rain, I would regrettably get swept away and become soaked in the end.

“Shall we start the meeting now?”

PD Han intervened at the right time. The program’s concept and the locations that the location manager had previously surveyed were revealed.

“I think the highlights will be the section of National Route 7 that has the view of the ocean and the uphill section of Samcheok, Gangwon-do. Samcheok is over 1,000 meters above sea level, and National Route 7 is the Sokcho section. There is a newly built Ferris Wheel in Sokcho called Sokcho Eye. The local government has requested that it be included.”

“But Athlete Gong Mujin has a fear of heights.”

As I was looking through the list, I said the words out loud before I realized they sounded strange. Everyone’s eyes were on me. Of course, that included Gong Mujin, who was smiling strangely.

“Athlete Gong Mujin, do you have a fear of heights?”

Writer Park slowly took her gaze off me and asked Gong Mujin.

“No.”

Gong Mujin shook his head and laughed.

How could that be? From what I could remember, Gong Mujin clearly had a fear of heights.

“Really? I guess I was wrong.”

Everyone easily dismissed it, assuming my preliminary investigation might have been wrong. However, the dark eyes of Gong Mujin as they stared at me bothered me so much that they could not be ignored.

“Rather than riding quickly on a road bike on National Route 7, how about riding casually on a hybrid bike?”

Gong Mujin took his stubborn gaze away from me and asked PD Han.

“Is there a specific reason why?”

“When I’m so focused on competing, there are times when I don’t know what kind of scenery I’m riding through. It’s like when the good times pass by so quickly that it’s hard to recognize them until they’ve already passed.”

As he looked around the conference room, his gaze stopped on my face.

“Have you ever felt that way? A time you felt was nice… once you look back?”

My heart began to race.

“If I think about it, I’m sure I can find some.”

I lowered my head and started flipping through the plan as if I weren’t avoiding his gaze.

“When you say hybrid bike, do you mean a bike that combines the characteristics of a mountain bike and a road bike? The ones that people who commute by bike use these days?”

I asked as if this had been a part of my preliminary investigation.

“You know a lot about bicycles. Are you good at riding a bike?”

Although his tone did not sound like he was meddling, it was enough to provoke me. Gong Mujin was the one who taught me how to ride a bike.

“I can’t ride a bike.”

I raised my head and answered him. This might have been my timid revenge for the fear of heights comment earlier. He raised his brow and looked at me suspiciously.

“PD Oh, you can’t ride a bike?”

Writer Park asked in surprise.

“When was it again? When we went on a summer training outing, you were really good at wakeboarding, right? But you really can’t ride a bike? I remember you being very good at sports, though…”

“I have bad memories attached to bicycles.”

As soon as I answered with a cheeky smile, a pleasant voice chimed in.

“Did you have a really bad fall or something?”

Unlike before, when he had been rushing in to start a fight, Gong Mujin asked this question more earnestly. His expression was indifferent, so it was difficult to read his true intent.

“I didn’t fall.”

Unexpectedly, my voice sounded sentimental as it came out of my lips.

“I really can’t ride.”

I quickly added before calming my ragged breaths and went back to flipping through the plan.

“Huh? That’s a great idea! The PD in charge can learn to ride a bike from Athlete Gong Mujin.”

Writer Park came up with the idea. If that PD wasn’t me, it would have been a pretty good concept.

“Sounds like a good idea.”

PD Han nodded in agreement and looked at Gong Mujin.

“It sounds good to me too.”

And like dominoes, Gong Mujin’s eyes drifted to me. It was time for me to agree that this was a good idea.

“That’s an interesting idea.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say it was good, so I held back.

“It’s not just interesting. I think it’ll also look quite good, PD Oh.”

The director of photography stepped forward and also agreed.

“I think it would be fun to film it first and release it as a teaser. I think it would be really fun if PD Oh did it. How about learning how to ride a bike while you’re at it and try to ride up a hill? It would show how difficult it is for an ordinary person to do it.”

Writer Park spoke excitedly. The atmosphere in the conference was good for everyone except me.

“Then let’s cast an actor.”

I didn’t want to be in this situation even if I died.

Isn’t it too cruel to use an ex-girlfriend in a scene where the ex-boyfriend was put on a pedestal?

“When an actor stands in front of the camera, they instinctively start to act. I think it would be better for someone without a public persona to stand in front of the camera.”

PD Han spoke in a serious tone.

“Then… do you want to do it, Sunbae?”

I asked with a big smile on my face.

“Sunbae…”

Gong Mujin murmured quietly. His gaze was directed somewhere around the conference room table. No one seemed to find it strange, but I vaguely felt that he was bothered by my use of the word ‘sunbae’. He was once a sunbae to me, too.

“I can’t because I can ride a bike. Then I’d have to act like I can’t ride a bike in front of the camera, and I’m even worse at acting.”

I’m not good at acting either. And I’m also good at riding a bike.

Gong Mujin was the one who claimed my physical strength was poor and dragged me to the Han River every day to make me ride a bike under the pretense of going on a date. The more I rode the bike, the stronger my core became, and thanks to that, on the bed, I was able to… No, why did my thoughts stray over here?

“…Let’s do it. PD Oh?”

And in terms of core strength, no one could keep up with Gong Mujin. The power sploding from his thighs while training to bike 3,500 km in three weeks was incredible. Where would he use his remaining strength when he wasn’t training? He’d use it on me in bed, no, anywhere he could… Ah, stop thinking about this.

“Hey, Oh Milhee!”

“Yes?”

I had been so lost in obscene thoughts. Startled, I looked at PD Han.

“We’re going to do that, okay?”

“I didn’t hear you. What did you say?”

“This is so ridiculous that I can’t even laugh at you right now.”

But there was a huge smile on PD Han’s face.

“Aaah, Sunbae-nim. I must not have heard you. What did you say?”

My eyes formed crescent shapes as I smiled at him.

“That we’re going to do that.”

“So what did you say before that part?”

“Just do as I say.”

“I don’t think that was a part of my employment contract.”

Writer Park chuckled.

“They’re just like siblings. It seems like our PDs get along quite well, so I can feel at ease.”

“Writer Park. My oppa is really handsome, okay? PD Han can’t even compare to him.”

“Really? Even more than Athlete Gong Mujin?”

Gong Mujin tilted his head and raised a brow. Gong Mujin knows very well what my brother looks like. But the way he was shamelessly pretending to be curious was ridiculous.

“Ah, Writer Park. That’s too mean. Then are you saying I’m ugly?”

When I heard PD Han’s bitter remark, I responded.

“My oppa is the most handsome in the world.”

He laughed silently.

“Hey, he may be handsome, but he’s not the most handsome guy in the world.”

Suddenly, Gong Mujin asked with a smile.

“I guess the two of you are really close?”

“She worked under me at EBC. I raised her ever since she was a crybaby AD, and now she’s fighting back like this.”

PD Han smiled as he answered Gong Mujin.

“Ah, I see. Since she was an AD… You’ve known each other for five years.”

“Five, six years, I guess.”

Gong Mujin looked coldly at PD Han as he counted on his fingers.

“But it seems that Athlete Gong Mujin knows a little bit about the broadcasting world. You were able to more or less calculate the amount of time a person spends going from AD to PD.”

Writer Park smiled kindly.

“I remembered… hearing it from someone before.”

That person was probably… me?

Back then, I was probably studying for the media exam to enter a broadcasting station. I decided to become an educational PD because of a certain man who enjoyed watching documentaries when he trained indoors. However, I never dreamed that I’d meet that man again on an entertainment program that was a variety show and not a part of the educational department.

The atmosphere of the meeting afterwards was much better than I’d feared, and it made me feel even more shitty. In the end, I was destined to be assigned as the PD who was taught how to ride a bike by Gong Mujin.

Should I tell PD Han that Gong Mujin is my ex-boyfriend?

After the meeting, I headed to the cafe on the second floor of the broadcasting station. Instead of a warm latte, I desperately needed a sweet drink with lots of crushed ice. With a cold juice made up of ground mangos in my hand, I walked towards the deserted balcony.

Whether it was a design flaw or an act of consideration for poor employees like me, the dead-end balcony area was a no man’s land. No one came or left. The first thing I did after joining the company was find a place to hide when I got too overwhelmed. Wiping away tears in the editing room was something only inexperienced ADs would do. It was the perfect place to get caught by someone.

I drank all the mango juice at once and my head started to spin. The moment I closed my eyes, I felt someone’s presence.

Yeah, I guess there might be someone else who discovered this place besides me.

“Producer Oh Milhee-nim.”

I was surprised that it wasn’t a Minerva employee. I slowly turned towards the voice. The balcony located inside this hallway was very narrow. It was difficult for two people to stand side by side.

Gong Mujin didn’t hesitate and walked over. His appearance tends to overwhelm people. Even though I knew this well, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling drained.

He came up to me. The distance between my black canvas shoes and his dress shoes was barely half a step.

I looked up at him with a stubborn gaze. The mango juice in my mouth muffled the tangerine scent he gave off. Fortunately, there was nothing that could easily shake a person’s heart as much as a memory tinged with a scent.

His eyes, so indifferent that I couldn’t discern the emotions behind them, scanned me. Silence settled over us. It seemed like he was provoking me by taking advantage of my personality that couldn’t stand silence. My heart surged. Inexplicable goosebumps ran down my skin.

My breaths quickened as my heart pounded. I hoped he wouldn’t notice my shallow, rapid breaths. It was unfair that I was the only one who was nervous. I had no choice but to hold my breath for a moment.

“Oh Milhee… PD-nim?”

He called my name slowly as if he were savoring it. Then he added my title of PD at the end. I looked up at him with steady eyes.

“Do you have anything to say to me separately?”

He lowered his head with a crooked smile. His lips were barely touching my ear. The scent of fresh tangerines coming from his thick neck grew stronger. My throat stiffened up so much that I couldn’t even hold my breath.

“I’ll be in your care.”

He spoke slowly, breathing each syllable out. The erotic noise of his lips, the flesh inside his mouth, and his moist tongue flowed into my ears. Even after he finished speaking, his face remained close.

“What’s your answer?”

He tilted his chin slightly, and his breath brushed against my lower jaw.

“It’s my job. I’ll do it well even without you asking me to do it.”

I could have just said ‘okay’, but I didn’t like short replies because it made me feel like I was losing.

“Does that mean I should worry about things outside of work?”

I turned my head towards him. Our faces were barely apart.

“There won’t be any interactions outside of work.”

I shoved his shoulder hard and escaped the suffocating balcony. With every step I took, I could feel that my underwear was soaked. I grew annoyed.

Why did it have to be Gong Mujin? Why did I quit a company I was doing well at and change jobs? Why did PD Han recommend that I change jobs? Why did I fight with the chief so that I couldn’t go back anymore? Why did I become a PD? Before the rush of existential questions reached ‘Why was I born?’, I made my way to the bathroom.

I splashed cold water on my face and took a deep breath.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds him annoying. I could be an annoyance to him, too.

So maybe he was following me around to scare me into leaving the production team?

Suddenly, I remembered the class I took with him. ‘Understanding Contemporary Theater’. I remembered Nina, a character from Anton Chekhov’s play The Seagull.

The important thing in life is to endure.