✏️How to Write a K-Drama: Chapter Twenty-Three
Training in love. 🥊
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Da Young gave him a look for he was being loud. Kyung Hwan waved her goodbye and followed his actors back onto the set while farther off, Hye Na, still working at the coffee truck, shook her head like she did when her children misbehaved.
Yul Hee wanted to hold a watch party for the premiere of their drama, but they were still in the midst of filming. They shot some night scenes while Da Young continued to type away at her makeshift desk, the fan club starting to feel frustration that the contractual relationship between the writer and Jae Woon seemed to have stalled.
“It should pick up after the premiere,” President Ha murmured to the others, still wearing his sunglasses despite it being nighttime.
The drama premiered—and the result of the viewership was quite positive. Considering the success of Eun Joo Ni’s first two productions, the popularity and good reputation of Yul Hee and Won Joo, and the anticipated return to rom-com for Jae Woon, there was a good audience turnout for the very first episode. They hit 5%, which for a cable network was remarkable.
The second episode, which they also ended up missing due to filming, saw a pretty hefty boost to almost 7%. The reviews online seemed positive, as well.
But there was one problem that Won Joo was facing.
“What do you mean I have to take boxing lessons?” he asked Da Young.
Da Young had made his character somebody who had a heart of gold but could also fight when needed.
Won Joo had never fought anyone or anything in his life, not even an extra charge on his phone bill.
Yul Hee overheard their conversation and came over. “Don’t tell me you never punched anything before,” she chirped.
He eyed her warily, suddenly recalling her high kick towards the elderly man that one time he happened across all three of them before he had even met them.
“You have?” he asked, though his voice suggested he already knew the answer.
She nodded. “Oh, plenty of times! My dad runs a martial arts place.”
“Perfect,” Da Young said. “You can go train with Yul Hee there. Nothing too serious. We just need to make sure your form is right.”
“I’m a pacifist,” Won Joo murmured.
“Did you tell that to the South Korean government when it was time for you to enlist in mandatory military service?” asked Yul Hee.
And that was how all four of them found themselves at Yul Hee’s father’s martial arts place one day. They were on a three-day break as the production side of things were handling sets and schedules.
Jae Woon eyed Da Young, who watched Yul Hee instruct Won Joo on the proper form to throw a punch.
“No, your thumb should never go inside your fist,” Yul Hee was explaining, her small hands wrapped around Won Joo’s bigger ones to help him, “or you’ll injure it. It has to wrap around the outside, like this.”
It had been a while since Jae Woon and Da Young had gone on a date or reenacted any scenes that she might want to put in the script.
Does she not need me anymore? Jae Woon wondered.
Won Joo started half-heartedly “punching” the focus mitts Yul Hee held. Jae Woon warily eyed them now as Yul Hee looked like she was eager to start punching Won Joo instead, not out of any vindication but a natural glee for violence.
Da Young’s phone started to vibrate. She gave Jae Woon a pointed look like she knew what he was thinking and wanted him to keep an eye on the two of them. She stepped out to answer the call.
Ms. So’s voice came through the line. “I read your recent scripts and discussed them with Kyung Hwan, and we both believe that they’re lacking. The first few episodes did so well and they really carried a punch, but the chemistry is diminishing in these latest drafts you’ve submitted.”
Unbeknownst to Da Young, Ms. So was currently sitting in her office with President Ha and Jo Suk (who had merely dropped Jae Woon off and toodle-ooed) listening in on the conversation. The two men wanted her to push Da Young to do more romantic scenes with Jae Woon, but Ms. So was genuinely dissatisfied with the latest scripts and focusing on that—like a true professional. The scripts had notes from Kyung Hwan, too, who also wanted more.
“I understand Won Joo is training right now for his character. We think this would be a good chance for you to insert some romantic scenes between his character and Yul Hee’s to amp up the suspense and love rivalry,” Ms. So stated.
“I understand,” Da Young murmured, worrying her lower lip. The two exchanged a few more words before hanging up.
When she turned around to face the actors, she saw Yul Hee, who finally reached the point of too much excitement, punch Won Joo while showing him her technique. He fell backwards, knocked out.
“Great!” Da Young chirped.
“Oops,” Yul Hee murmured.
“Go grab the first aid kit. Jae Woon, let’s bring him over there to sit.”
Jae Woon, who had not been surprised by this turn of events at all, helped Da Young carry Won Joo over to a seat by the wall and propped him up.
“This would be a great scene. You know Won Joo out and Yul Hee has to nurse his wounds while you watch with envy,” Da Young murmured.
“As long as I’m not the one being punched,” he replied. “I think he might be traumatized after this, though. You really want him to even fake being punched again by her?”
Yul Hee came back, clattering and noisy as she rushed over with an ice pack.
“For something like this, you don’t need a first aid kit, just a good ol’ bag of frozen peas,” she explained, then proceeded to smack it onto Won Joo’s cheek, causing him to squeal as he came to, from both the coldness of the bag and the impact on his tender cheek.
Da Young quietly pulled out her notebook and pen, her eyes narrowing in on the two.
“Can’t you be more gentle?” Jae Woon murmured, eyebrows furrowing as he moved closer to Won Joo, who was on the verge of tears. Jae Woon gently lifted the ice pack, his bangs falling over his eyes as he stood over Won Joo and studied the red spot on the younger man’s cheek.
Yul Hee joined Da Young, both squatting on the floor before the two men, eyes narrow and focused.
Won Joo, still in a daze from the shock and the pain, looked up to see Jae Woon uncomfortably close, but like a light was radiating from the veteran actor. Won Joo’s eyes were fixed on how handsome Jae Woon was and how he was aging like fine wine for such a pretty boy.
Jae Woon, with both hands cupping Won Joo’s face, gently caressed the area on the other man’s cheek, noting that the spot was starting to swell. Jae Woon was satisfied, though, that the bruise wouldn’t be too bad and could be easily covered by makeup if necessary without looking too caked on.
Jae Woon grabbed a tissue from a table nearby and folded it, placing it right on the spot. Slowly, he lowered the ice pack and told Won Joo in a soft voice to gently rock the bag back and forth so the cold wouldn’t be too unbearable and to cover more of the area.
Won Joo nodded and his hand reached up to grab the bag, ending up on top of Jae Woon’s hand. They locked eyes. The warmth of Jae Woon’s hand was a nice contrast to the coldness radiating off the pea bag.
Da Young frowned. “I don’t think this is the scene we were going for…” A grin spread across her face. “But…”
Yul Hee, nodding, cut in, “...the viewers will eat it up.”
Ms. So, in the meantime, snapped her head up. She was still at her office, and she suddenly felt like she was missing out on something. “Hm…” she said, eyebrows furrowed. She shook her head and tried to get back to work.
Back at the martial arts center, Yul Hee exclaimed, “What a hot couple!”
That last crow from Yul Hee snapped Won Joo out of his reverie while Jae Woon had been patiently waiting for the man to release his hand, his expression that of an older, weary brother.
“Yeah, I’m so using this,” Da Young said to herself, amused as she scribbled down the idea into her notebook.
“But where’s the romance?” asked Jae Woon, turning to her once Won Joo, now redder overall, let him go. Yul Hee hopped up to copy what Jae Woon did, accidentally pressing on the forming bruise and hurting Won Joo more.
“We’re going to have so much fun with our lessons!” Yul Hee said to Won Joo excitedly while he paled, wondering how many more times he might pass out.
Da Young told Won Joo, “Maybe we’ll move on from boxing for now. The most important thing to learn is how to fall. Like right now, you could’ve hurt yourself if you had fallen poorly.”
“I was unconscious,” Won Joo pointed out.
“You practice enough, you can do it in your sleep.”
“Not sure the body works that way.”
“Da Young can teach you! She’s great at falling,” Yul Hee chirped.
Da Young had other ideas. She grabbed Jae Woon’s wrist and tried to flip him to show Won Joo how not to fall, but Jae Woon’s instincts kicked in. Although he wasn’t the best action star, hence his return to rom-com, he still had been trained for a while. Reflexively, he resisted Da Young’s pull and used the momentum to bring her down instead—onto the safe mat, of course.
He landed atop her, their faces inches apart.
“Not this again,” Yul Hee said, rolling her eyes and turning back to Won Joo to show that she did have a nurturing side to her (she did not, however, have a gentle side).
Won Joo, thoroughly impressed, said quietly, eying Da Young’s abandoned notebook and pencil, “Maybe I should be the one taking notes.”
Jae Woon did not hear any of that. Something about Da Young’s round eyes staring back at him in challenge struck Jae Woon weirdly, like a hit of nostalgia, of a familiar yet unfamiliar feeling he couldn’t quite grasp. He couldn’t quite understand this feeling or why it struck him so hard, but something felt heavy and ached in his chest, like there was something he was missing.
Next week on 🌟How to Write a K-Drama🌟
“That’s all in the past and you’re both grown adults. I’m sure he’d be delighted to see you again. Old friends, and all that.” Madame Do smiled in a way she thought was discreet, but she was too easy to read, especially for someone as perceptive as Ha Na.