✏️How to Write a K-Drama: Chapter Eighteen
Madame Do. 💃
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She leaned forward, her eyes now looking piercingly into Da Young’s.
“Are you dating my son?”
Madame Do, as she liked to be called, expected a variety of reactions. Eun Joo Ni might shrink back and widen her eyes like an innocent doe, ready to give some sort of stuttered excuse or another. She might look down and away like a fox pretending to feel ashamed. Maybe she would look her straight in the eye, not even bothering with subterfuge. Madame Do had watched enough dramas—yes, weekend ones especially—for research purposes. She had been prepared for any of these reactions.
What she had not expected was the woman before her to pull out a notebook and pen (a ridiculously pink one with a fluffy top) and slam them on the table. Her eyes had been rather dull and wary before, but now they were positively sparkling. She opened up the book and scribbled a few notes—how rude—then looked back at Madame Do with shiny eyes.
“Are you Jae Woon’s mother?” she asked.
Madame Do had not expected to want to throw a cup of water in her face—not quite this soon anyway—but this Joo Ni was unforgivably rude. Unfortunately, the water had yet to arrive. The service here was not up to par and she would have to talk to the manager.
“Of course,” she said in the most pitying voice she could muster. “I’m well known in the industry. You’re so out of the loop, dear child.”
Da Young nodded. “Are you here to talk me out of dating your son?”
“So you are dating him!” Madame Do exclaimed, slamming a fist down onto the table in a rather unlady-like manner. She stared at the writer again. Her looks might be slightly above average, especially marked by a pair of fetching eyes, but she was no beauty and her manners were seriously lacking. While she was dressed neatly, her clothes were forgettable and not brand-name.
“I will not mince words,” continued Madame Do. She pulled an envelope out of her high-fashion bag and turned back to the writer, only to almost drop the envelope because if the woman’s eyes had been shiny before they were now practically blinding and about to pop out of her skull in excitement.
Da Young continued furiously writing in her journal with one hand while waving the other as if to tell Madame Do to hurry up and hand over the money. Completely baffled and rather scandalized, Madame Do slid the thick envelope across the table. Had she done something incorrectly? This was how all the rich mothers seemed to behave on TV, but her approach was clearly not very effective on this strange young lady.
Da Young put aside her pen and notebook to pick up the envelope. She opened it with pursed lips and started counting the money as if this was a weird, under-the-table deal between the two of them. Madame Do impatiently tapped the arm of her chair and looked over her shoulder to see when the waiter would be bringing the pitcher of water over already—yes, a pitcher. She wanted a whole pitcher of iced water now.
Finally, in the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of black and turned with relief toward the server—only to have the server rush past her and toward Da Young. Unbelievable! Clearly Madame Do had to be served first. She exclaimed in shock and turned toward the server to make a complaint. If they had any kimchi, she’d rather slap them both with that instead, but that wouldn’t be very demure of her. Plus, it might damage her clothes.
Da Young hadn’t noticed the server at all as she had been counting her money, so she jumped a bit in her seat when a male voice said right by her ear, “How much did she give you?” She looked up from the envelope to see Jae Woon just inches from her face looking back at her.
“Do Jae Woon!” shouted his mother. “Get away from her!”
“Hm,” Da Young said with a shrug, “not enough. I guess she doesn’t find me that big of a threat yet.”
Madame Do gaped. “Not enough? Not enough? There are, like, hundreds in there.”
“I’m only worth hundreds to Madame Do,” Jae Woon announced to Da Young.
“Strange since you’re worth millions in real life,” Da Young murmured back. She scribbled some more notes down.
Jae Woon looked at his mother. He had never seen her so flustered before. Her face was turning red, giving her the appearance of an early Christmas in her green attire. The nervous hum started vibrating deep in his chest, the usual warning.
Madame Do huffed and said, “Ma’am? Ma’am? Look here you little—”
Before his mother could finish, Jae Woon grabbed Da Young’s hand and pulled her up to stand. As he expected, the tirade began.
“You haven’t been answering my calls, so I supposed you were busy, but you had enough time to stalk your little girlfriend here? You and your love for writers. Why choose one so lowly as her when you could find an established luxury editor with connections? I could get the latest brand-name bag or attend fashion events…”
Da Young winced slightly as his grip on her hand tightened. She herself was starting to feel quite tired from this woman’s venting which was elevating in pitch with every word.
“…Maybe I should pen a memoir about being the neglected mother of one of South Korea’s biggest stars, and then you’ll start giving me some attention.”
“Whatever makes you money, Madame Do,” he said. He tugged at Da Young’s arm, but his mother wasn’t done.
“Don’t talk to your mother that way. And this relationship? No. I forbid the two of you.” Her voice became low and dangerous. “You’re better than this, so much better. And you have your fans to think about. You can only have the best woman out there so even your fans will respect your choice and think what a lovely couple you two make. She should be all elegance with a superior family background…But this little simpleton? What about—”
“You can’t keep us apart,” he said. Da Young looked up at him. He was staring back at his mother, not with much anger, rather resignation. There was great fatigue behind those eyes, but she couldn’t read much otherwise, just like during the script reading. Come to think of it, she realized, just like in the alleyway. Right before he had called her a sasaeng fan and left her.
“What?” his mother whispered in shock, her lips beginning to tremble on cue.
Jae Woon continued, his voice now very matter-of-fact, “Because we’re contractually obligated to work together for the duration of the drama filming.” He turned to Da Young and murmured for just the two of them to hear, “Did you get what you needed?” Her pen had been furiously shimmying throughout the meeting. This was what had first drawn him to the corner of the cafe hotel that was mostly blocked by large dividers.
Da Young nodded, and he pulled her away from his shocked mother.
“How’d you know?” asked Da Young as they moved through the cafe.
“I had a meeting here and saw your pen,” he explained. Jo Suk joined them and discreetly cleared his throat, indicating there were others at the cafe. Jae Woon casually dropped Da Young’s hand and turned to face her. He saw her other hand was still happily holding the envelope.
He gestured to it. “What do you plan to do with that?”
“I’ll buy you dinner.”
“That’s my money.”
“It’s your mom’s.”
“Which is mine.”
“So you’ll buy me dinner.”
He sighed. She put an arm around her shoulder—or she tried. “C’mon, let’s talk about how we can raise your value. Maybe we can get more money out of your mom.”
“That’s my money,” he repeated.
“You should think more highly of yourself, then.”
Meanwhile, Madame Do was busy screaming at the server who had finally arrived with the water and insisted they did not have kimchi at a hotel cafe.
Next week on 🌟How to Write a K-Drama🌟
She giggled like a schoolgirl. Scary.
“What?” he mumbled, still chewing. Jo Suk wasn’t back yet.
“I like you!” she exclaimed. He almost spat out his food once again.