Maru picked up the cat roaming around his feet and sat down on a chair, the cat on his lap.
“You don’t happen to be talking about a romantic relationship, are you?”
“Love is an emotion that transcends all of time. It’s a strong source of pathos as well.”
“Are you really going to go with such a plot?”
He neither had the thought nor the right to go against the writer if she set her mind on it, but if she was just thinking about it, he wanted to tell her to think again. The love between the daughter of an evil hospital director and a man who barely managed to become a doctor after much hardship was a typical Cinderella story. It was something that appeared a lot even today and would continue to appear even in the future. It wasn’t bad. It was just that in his opinion, using such a story to connect Bigfoot and Yoomin inside Doctors was a bad way to go.
The viewers’ responses would be obvious. If Bigfoot, who displayed the hardships of youth in the current era in a plain fashion, fell in love with a woman from a household of power within the drama, the viewers who sympathized with the ‘ordinariness’ of the character throughout episodes 7 and 8 would become frustrated at the key to everything – love.
“If you’re going to ruin the drama, then go ahead – this is written all over your face right now. Of course, I’m not going to do it like that. I finally managed to incite sympathy from people, so I can’t let love ruin all of it. Ordinary people will not feel like it’s love; they will feel like it’s filth instead.”
“Then how are you going to do it?”
“Before I say it, how do you think it should go?”
“For me personally, I think it should end as it is.”
“That’s an opinion that pours cold water over the discussion, but fine. Why do you think that?”
“It’s because Bigfoot has shown all of the character’s value in episode 8. He has already conveyed the message that we understand the pains of the many ‘Bigfoots’ out there. I liked the fact that we didn’t show them any hope, nor any consolation. I asked around after yesterday’s episodes went live about their feelings. It was just as we intended it. The internet responses were the same. It felt like my story – that was the majority’s opinion.”
The requirement of a good story was a good ending. Bigfoot’s story already fulfilled that criterion. There was no refreshing revenge or a hopeful tomorrow, but it still manage to dissolve the conclusion that people endured and still forged ahead into the story. It was a story that was good because it was not dramatic. It would be for the best to close the door right here while there were still some lingering feelings. If people reflected back on the scene someday because of those lingering feelings, they would naturally think of the actor known as Han Maru as well. He was in the perfect condition to leave behind a good impression.
“Not only that, people are also saying that the actors did a good job, so if we touched it recklessly, the good image we have formed might shatter, so it will be for the best to leave things here. Is this what you’re saying?” Eunbin asked.
Maru stroked his hand down his face. Was there something written on his face? She really had a full grasp on what he was thinking. Jayeon referred to Eunbin as the master of describing character psychologies. In order to describe such things, she would have to have a good understanding of them. This female writer definitely had an unordinary pair of eyes for discerning what people thought.
“So you know. That’s my honest opinion. All the clips that went on the internet were the scenes where Hyunjin-noona and I were acting. At least for episodes 7 and 8, we were the main characters. If you don’t talk about Bigfoot anymore, I feel that it’s going to get talked about a few more times among the viewers in the future. It was a splendid result for a consumable character, so I want to leave it as it is.”
“But that means that you want to do another story if it’s something that can be talked about among the viewers, right?”
“In theory, yes. My job is to act anything you write, so I’m going to do my best when playing my role regardless of what you write.”
“Even while cursing me on the inside?”
“How could I possibly curse someone who’s given me work? I’ll just think it’s a little pitiful.”
“If you don’t want it, then you don’t have to do it, do you?”
“If I reject the script you write just because it’s not to my liking, that will be the day my contract ends.”
These days, it was the writers that sat on the thrones in the drama industry. Other than top-tier actors and producers, there was no one who could endure pressure from the writers. Just like how there were people who bought movie tickets just based on the director’s name, there were many drama viewers who believed in the writer when watching a drama, even if they didn’t entirely like the cast. A mere minor actor with a standard contract going against the writer who sat on the throne was a fantasy that wasn’t even talked about in dramas.
“So in the end, it means that I have to write well, huh? If I want you two to keep liking me.”
Eunbin brought some A4 paper and a pen from her room. She put the paper in the middle and wrote ‘Yoomin’ and ‘Bigfoot’ on each end of the paper.
“There is no such thing as a ‘new’ story in this world. It all comes down to how you recombine the existing stories. The story about you two managed to provoke the interest of the viewers. There was a reaction in the viewing rate, so we can’t afford to miss it. But if we go with a love story, then just as Maru said, it would be worse than not doing it at all, but we can’t go with a rival relationship either since the two characters can’t be compared whether it’s their talent, background or passion.”
Maru nodded. They couldn’t just make Bigfoot into a hero. There was already a hero played by Lee Heewon after all.
“But we can’t keep leaving Bigfoot in reality. This is a drama after all. If we keep giving trials to the character, it’s likely that the viewers would get fed up and leave first. There needs to be a catharsis. It doesn’t need to be anything great. Bigfoot’s charm is all about the small stories after all.”
“What are you going to do with his relationship with Yoomin?”
“This occurred to me while talking to Miss Hyunjin: A loveable villainess. When inside a drama, even murderers can be sympathized with. We all know that the murderer’s actions are wrong, but since we know that it’s all imaginary, we can assimilate our emotions with them. Yoomin will no longer be changed by the main character and will remain evil until the end. But being ‘evil’ doesn’t mean she crosses the line. She’ll just desire everything that she can reach out to. Perhaps she might end up looking like an adolescent girl. The main character and Bigfoot are standing in her path to making everything her own. If she bites back at both the characters in the same way, it would be no fun, but if there’s a difference in the way she treats the two people, her character will become really plentiful. A cute villainess who knows pity. It might be a good idea to portray the contrast between the main character running towards the ideal without stopping and Bigfoot, who conforms to reality through the character Yoomin as the standard.”
What started off as an explanation quickly turned into muttering to herself. Eunbin’s hands became busy. Words that portrayed her thoughts started filling the empty A4 paper. She clearly seemed to be the type of person who didn’t notice her surroundings once she became absorbed in something. Even when Hyunjin called out to her, she did not reply. The cat just kept watching as though she had seen her owner act like that many times.
“Let’s give her some room,” Maru said to Hyunjin.
It was just as Jayeon said in the gukbap restaurant. She said that the writer would start going on by herself after a certain point; and that they should just leave her be if something like that happened. They left the kitchen and sat on the sofa in the living room. Eunbin kept writing with her pen, and with her other hand, she ruffled her hair. From the looks of it, it didn’t look like she was going to finish anytime soon.
“Creating a story isn’t easy, huh.”
“You tell me. I think I can see how some writers get carried on an ambulance due to stomach cramps. I’m sure writer Eunbin must have it hard too.”
“I guess that must be why she focuses like that once she gets a grasp of something. She will have to wander for a long time if she doesn’t write while her Muse is still here. But still, she’s really aggressive about it.”
Eunbin stared holes into the paper as though her thoughts had reached a stop. She could be heard swearing from time to time as well. She sometimes even prayed to a certain being. It was like watching a monodrama.
“Do you think other writers are like that too?”
“Probably not. I’m sure she’s a special case.”
“You never know. Most writers work on their own in their studios. Maybe it’s because they all swear and become aggressive like that, so they can’t help but work alone.”
“A friend of mine is the opposite though. He becomes so quiet that his existence becomes faint. Sometimes, it makes me think that he’s sleeping.”
“You have a writer among your friends?”
“An aspiring one. It’s just my intuition, but he’ll probably become famous. He promised to use me in his work if he does well. Maybe this is why connections are good.”
“If it’s a really good piece, then give me a spot as well.”
“You’ll naturally have to go through an audition, noona.”
They conversed while waiting. When Eunbin came out from the kitchen, she stomped her way to the veranda and opened the door wide. The autumn wind made gushing noises as it intruded into the living room. The artificial fragrance that filled the room disappeared in an instant.
“I’m hungry. You said you brought dried pollack gukbap, right? Let’s eat that. Miss Hyunjin, you should eat with me,” Eunbin said as she turned around after looking outside in a daze.
Her face looked very calm compared to before. It seemed that she managed to bring things to a closure.
“Do you think you can write a good script?” Maru asked.
Eunbin told him to look forward to it without hesitation.
“I think Lee Heewon and Yoonseo will have to be tense. You know that sometimes, the supporting cast gets more attention than the main cast, right? There’s no rule stating that minor roles can’t do the same. If we can ride the flow well, things will get very interesting. The two of you need to treat me to something good if things go well, okay?” Eunbin said with confidence.
“If that happens, I’ll listen to your wish once.”
“Me too.”
When Maru and Hyunjin said those words, Eunbin widened her eyes and replied,
“You just need to introduce me to a man. Miss Hyunjin can introduce me to someone around my age, and Maru, someone younger than me. I don’t prefer older men.”
I’m not joking – Eunbin added seriously. Maru nodded. Just then, the cat on top of the table hopped over and pulled on Eunbin’s foot. The cat seemed to be asking her owner why she needed anyone else when she had her.
“Because you’re female,” Eunbin said.
Hyunjin covered her mouth and laughed.
“I’ll boil the soup for now. Both of you can stay seated. It’ll be somewhat plain with just the soup, so should I make some side dishes as well? If there are ingredients, I can make some.”
“You can cook too?”
“Well, if you live by yourself, you have no choice but to do it.”
“Maru, would you like to come to our house as a housemaid? This noona will give you a lot of money. Miss Hyunjin, don’t you think everyone should have a Han Maru at their house?”
Hyunjin agreed with her. Maru just shrugged at the two women and opened the fridge.
