Chapter 849: First Filming of Haze (3)

Unable to calm down, PD Oh Sang-Do kept shouting into the intercom.

"Hey! We've got twenty kids from the traditional folk song choir! But only one teacher showed up? We were promised three! What? Only one made it because the others got food poisoning? Then who's supposed to manage all those kids? Me? Are you insane?"

The reason Namhae County had allowed filming at Jodo, Hodo, and other locations was because KBC promised to restore everything to its original state after production, and the crew had made another commitment.

They had promised to feature the Namhae traditional folk song children's choir in the show

Haze

, helping them gain nationwide recognition. To film that scene, the crew had revised the script, planning to portray the children as kids who had played with Illyeong on Yeonmu Island a hundred years ago.

But this morning, two of the three teachers meant to chaperone the choir had been hospitalized with food poisoning before boarding the ferry.

"Hold on! Who's the one left? You're telling me it's just that assistant who met the kids two weeks ago? Not Ms. Choi or Mr. Kang?"

It was one problem after another.

Of all people, the one who remained wasn't Choi Yi-Joo, the fierce head of the choir, nor the deputy director Kang Sung-Yeol, but a twenty-three-year-old assistant who had joined the team just a month ago.

The choir was made up of about twenty kids, ages six to twelve. Without their strict chaperones, the kids were bound to run wild on the island like untamed colts.

At that moment, I instantly knew the schedule entry in my planner meant that something was going to go wrong with the kids today. Someone would get hurt, or they would cause a problem. After all, there was nothing more dangerous than children who were completely out of control.

I glanced at my phone. It was 8:30 a.m. And the scheduled cancellation time noted in the Everyday app was 11:00 a.m., just two and a half hours away.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: April 5, 2021]

-11:00 a.m [NEW: Jung Miso]

Shoot of the day canceled.

(Emergency meeting note: Rescheduling required.)

The teachers who got food poisoning clearly weren't going to make it today. That meant we needed to keep the kids under control until shooting wrapped to prevent this scheduled cancellation from happening.

At that moment, President Han Yoo-Sik and Production Chief Hyun Jong-Yeon stepped in, trying to calm the shouting Oh Sang-Do.

"PD Oh, lower your voice. People are watching."

"I'll go down to the dock too. Just settle down."

Once both Han Yoo-Sik and Hyun Jong-Yeon had stepped in, Oh Sang-Do finally came to his senses and let out a deep sigh.

"

Sigh

... Yeah, okay. Then check on the kids at the dock and radio me. It doesn't look like we'll be able to start filming right away, so I'll wait."

"Got it."

After a deep breath, Oh Sang-Do spoke into the intercom to the person he had been yelling at just moments earlier.

"Hyung-Jin, I'm sorry, man. I wasn't mad at you, just pissed about this whole situation. Hope you understand. I'll buy you a drink when I get off the island. Also, Mr. Han and Mr. Hyun are heading down, so don't take your eyes off those kids."

Then he turned to Han Yoo-Sik.

"Sir, twenty kids might be too much for just you and Mr. Hyun. What do you say we take Gyu-Ho and a few more staff members?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

At that point, I raised my hand voluntarily. "I'll go with you."

Oh Sang-Do blinked at me. "Chief Jung? You will?"

"Yes. I'm good with kids."

Back at the orphanage, keeping the younger ones in line had always been my job. So twenty of them were no problem. Besides, I had one more secret weapon.

"And Sang-Bong's good with kids too. Sang-Bong, leave Miso with Mr. Nam and come here."

In Korea, taekwondo studios were considered the pinnacle of trustworthy childcare facilities, and Jung Sang-Bong, who spent most of his life in one, had already been a specialist at managing child actors even before the regression.

Jung Sang-Bong brushed the dirt off Miso's shoes, then handed her off to Team Lead Nam Pan-Gyu and came over to me.

Han Yoo-Sik looked at the two of us with a satisfied nod. "Yeah, just from how well you handle Miso, it's clear you and Sang-Bong are better than most of the staff. Let's head out, then."

Without hesitation, we made our way down toward the dock at the foot of the mountain.

Knowing how short children's attention spans were, I started to get a little tense, wondering what kind of chaos we would find once we arrived.

***

At the dock on Hodo Island in Namhae, the 23-year-old chaperone Park Hee-Ae and the youngest staffer Jo Hyung-Jin were sweating bullets trying to wrangle the kids who were running wild in every direction.

The moment Han Yoo-Sik and Hyun Jong-Yeon saw the scene, their faces turned pale. "What the... what is this chaos?"

Just as Hyun Jong-Yeon said, it was pure mayhem. The twenty children were scattered in every direction, darting around like they were at a theme park.

One boy, who looked to be around eight, was cautiously creeping toward the fog-covered breakwater, glancing around to make sure no one noticed.

Seeing him, the flustered chaperone Park Hee-Ae, holding another child in her arms, shouted urgently. "Yung-Jin! You can't go that way!"

The boy paused and asked, "Why not?"

"

Uh

, because..."

She fumbled for a reason, finally blurting out that he might get hurt. But before that landed, another boy, around ten, flung his arms wide and sprinted into the mist.

"I'm the man who cuts through the fog! Fog Man~!"

Jo Hyung-Jin dashed after him and caught him by the collar. "

Huff, huff

... hey, you'll get hurt! And what even is a Fog Man?"

"Uncle, don't you know the villain from

Powetuff Girls

?"

"How would I know that? What if you cut through the fog and fall into the ocean?"

The boy grumbled as he was dragged back. "Fog Man doesn't get hurt!"

"Yeah, right. Come on, you."

While Jo Hyung-Jin wrangled the kids, two nine-year-olds had wandered below the dock and were dipping their hands in the chilly seawater.

"

Ah

! That's cold!"

"Bet we can't swim in it, huh?"

"No, we'll catch a cold."

At that moment, Choi Sung-Moo, the talent agent for Sung Gyu-Hwan from Hayoon Entertainment, lifted the two boys up effortlessly. "What were you gonna do if you fell in?"

"

Kyahaha

! Do it again, mister!"

The two kids squealed with laughter, enjoying the ride in an adult's arms.

Meanwhile, a few other kids had climbed onto a cart meant for transporting luggage. "Vroom vroom~ Let's gooo!"

And that still wasn't the end of it. Even Sung Gyu-Hwan and Ju Yung-In, the stars of

Haze

who had disembarked with the group, couldn't escape the madness. Sung Gyu-Hwan was already drenched in sweat, trapped between two little girls firing questions at him.

"Uncle! I've watched all your shows!"

"

Oh, uh,

really? Thanks."

"So what's your role in the new one?"

"

Ah

, this one?

Uh

... it's kind of hard to say in advance..."

"Uncle, wanna Kk Talk with me? I'll give you my number."

"

Ah

, no, that's..."

"Why not! Come on, give me your number!"

While Sung Gyu-Hwan was getting swarmed, Ju Yung-In was also surrounded by kids and fending off questions.

"Auntie Yung-In! Were you always this pretty?"

"Of course!"

"Even without makeup?"

With her chin held high, Ju Yung-In answered proudly. "Naturally. You think just anyone can be a celebrity?"

"Wow!"

"There's no need to be too jealous. When you grow up... well, you might not be as pretty as me, but you'll be cute enough."

'

Ju Yung-In really has changed a lot

.'

Before the regression, Ju Yung-In never minced words, even with little kids. But now, even though she had added a qualifier—'might not be as pretty as me'—she was still offering a kind of encouragement.

Just then, Han Yoo-Sik looked at me and Jung Sang-Bong, his face blank with disbelief. "Chief Jung... can we even handle this?"

It was more chaotic than I had expected, but still manageable. At least it was for Jung Sang-Bong.

"Sang-Bong, think you can handle it?" I asked.

Jung Sang-Bong, who had been zoning out, snapped to attention. "The boys, yes."

Apparently, even back at the taekwondo studio, girls had been harder to manage.

I nodded. "Got it. I'll help with the girls. For now, just try lining them up."

"Yes, sir."

At once, Jung Sang-Bong raised his voice. "Everyone, gather here!"

The kids froze mid-chaos and turned toward him.

"Hey! It's Jung Sang-Bong! The taekwondo champion!"

"The gold medal guy!"

Even though it had been over four years since he won his medal, the kids still recognized him from all the match footage played at the studio.

"Okay! The quicker you line up in front of me, the higher your score. I'm counting to five! One..."

Jung Sang-Bong suddenly launched into a countdown. The boys hesitated for a second, then sprinted toward him. They had no idea what the score was for, but they ran anyway. Swept up in the energy, the girls began following suit.

One by one, a line started to form.

Then, seeing a kid try to cut in, Jung Sang-Bong barked out, "Fog Man! Cutting in line means minus ten points!"

The ten-year-old Fog Man froze, then quietly walked to the back of the line.

Once they were all lined up, Jung Sang-Bong gave them a fierce look. "We're heading up now. If you stay quiet, you get points. Rack up those points and I'll give you prizes based on your score!"

Fog Man raised his hand. "What kind of prize?"

Jung Sang-Bong glared at him. "Fog Man! You asked without permission. That's a warning!"

Startled, Fog Man clamped both hands over his mouth. A few other kids mimicked him, also covering their mouths.

With his eyes sharp and commanding, Jung Sang-Bong lowered his voice. "It's exactly twice as cool as whatever you're imagining."

The kids' eyes widened in unison. "

Whoaaa

~"

Jung Sang-Bong never said what the prize was. He only talked about points and made the prize sound good. Still, the boys were completely hooked.

The older girls, though, weren't so easily impressed. Especially twelve-year-old Hong Seo-Hee at the very end of the line, who had a sullen expression. She was the oldest among them and clearly past the age to fall for vague promises.

So I walked over and leaned in to ask softly, "Seo-Hee, do you have a favorite boy group?"

At twelve, odds were good she had at least one idol crush.

Sure enough, Hong Seo-Hee glanced around and muttered, "Extension oppas."

Extension was the five-member boy group managed by Lee Joon-Soo, formerly of Hoop Entertainment. They were the ones I had saved in that rainy car accident. Luckily, they were kids I had direct access to.

I smiled and said, "I'm super close with them."

"Really...?"

"Yup. Here, look."

I pulled out my phone and showed her a photo of me with the Extension members, arms slung over each other's shoulders.

Hong Seo-Hee's face visibly brightened.

I didn't miss a beat and continued, "So here's the deal. If you help manage the girls today, I'll set up a video call with them later. How about it?"

"Really?"

"Of course. And if there's any kind of gift the girls want, just ask them and let me know. Nothing too expensive though. If there's something reasonable, I'll get it. I can even get autographs. Just keep them in line today, and I'll make sure you're well rewarded."

At that, Hong Seo-Hee raised her voice from the back of the line with new energy. "Hey! Listen to Mr. Sang-Bong! If you keep acting up, I'll be watching. And I'll tell Mr. Kang from the choir everything later!"

With a drill sergeant in place, even the girls started moving with more urgency.

Jung Sang-Bong nodded, then grabbed the cart and shouted, "Alright, everyone grab on. Let's go! Whoever helps me the most gets double points!"

"Yes, sir!"

"I'll help too!"

"Me too! Me too!"

The kids all pitched in, groaning and grunting as they pushed the cart loaded with gear uphill. The chaperone who had come with Jo Hyung-Jin hurried to the back of the cart, making sure none of the children got hurt as they pushed. With the adults guiding them, the cart began its climb without issue.

Finally, I let out a breath and turned to greet Ju Yung-In and Sung Gyu-Hwan. "Thanks for hanging in there, both of you."

Ju Yung-In looked up at the kids heading up the hill like she had just seen the devil.

"Oppa, how are you going to manage all of them? Seriously, they never shut up. I think my eardrums are blown. Can you check for me?"

Sung Gyu-Hwan, equally drained, responded with a dazed expression. "That was the longest moment of my life. I don't even remember what they asked or what I said."

Han Yoo-Sik, still reeling from the brief but intense chaos, turned to me. "Chief Jung,

phew

... turns out Sang-Bong's better with kids than I expected. So, can we relax now?"

'

Relax? Not even close

.'

I shook my head. "No, this is just the beginning."

"Huh?"

"They're more high-strung than I thought. Their focus is probably going to run out before we even reach the top. We'll need to change the filming schedule right now and shoot their scenes first."

"

Ah

, okay, got it." Han Yoo-Sik turned quickly to Hyun Jong-Yeon. "Chief Hyun, call the team on the mountain and tell them to rearrange the whole shooting order. Unless they want to see a disaster unfold."

"Understood."

Hyun Jong-Yeon hurriedly radioed in.

"The kids are on their way up. Shift all their scenes to the morning block. Wrap everything with them before noon. And... brace yourselves."

-Why?

"Just know this—if you slip up even once, it's hell."

The staff on the mountain answered immediately.

-Got it. I'll move the schedule up right away.

We had cleared the first hurdle, but the Everyday app's notice that today's shoot was canceled hadn't disappeared yet.

Until that vanished, I couldn't afford to let my guard down for even a second.

***

On top of Hodo Island's mountain set, the kids' arrival flipped the entire filming schedule.

They skipped Scene 5, the key one involving Illyeong playing with the children, and started shooting the other parts first.

"Alright, kids, run from the left to the right. Ready—no, when I say action, you run!

Ugh

, dammit. Action!"

"

Waaaahhh!

"

There was nothing scarier than kids who couldn't be controlled. The sound cues were overlapping, but they decided to fix that in post and just kept shooting as much as possible.

In between takes, Jung Sang-Bong and I switched between bribes and warnings to keep the kids in line, but their focus lasted just one hour. After that, they plopped down in a circle, dirty clothes and all, and began whining.

Jung Sang-Bong, drenched in sweat, tried to comfort them one by one. "Guys, we're almost done. Just hang in there, okay? I'll show you a kick later."

He made every promise he could think of to get them up, but there was a limit. Those who stood up sat right back down, clutching their stomachs and spacing out.

-But when do we sing? Once we sing, we're done for the day, right?

-Yeah. I wanna shoot my scene with Miso and eat.

-I'm hungry.

-But we just had snacks. And it's only 10:30.

-I'm still hungry.

-Unnie, can't we film tomorrow instead?

-Hold on.

Eventually, the oldest of the group, twelve-year-old Hong Seo-Hee—my inside ally—came trotting over and asked,

"Talent Agent Uncle. I think the kids are too tired. They're not really listening to me anymore. What should I do?"

I smiled. "Don't worry. You've done more than enough, Seo-Hee. I'll take it from here."

"Okay."

I told Hong Seo-Hee to wait for a moment, then made my way over to Oh Sang-Do. He was looking at the storyboard, letting out a sigh.

"Chief Jung, you and Sang-Bong are bearing the brunt of this."

"Not at all. You've got it worse, Mr. Oh."

Oh Sang-Do looked over at the kids sprawled on the ground and sighed again. "It doesn't look like they're in any shape to keep filming... Should we send them down to the village hall for a break and some snacks?"

At the moment, the kids were practically slumped against trees and Jung Sang-Bong was calming them down while handing out drinks with help from the village elders.

Filming seemed impossible, but I shook my head. If the kids went down to the village hall, getting them back up would be a lost cause. Worse, we hadn't even shot Scene 5 yet—the most important one where they sing with Illyeong.

And crucially, the cancellation notice on the Everyday app was still active. If they went down, today's shoot would really get scrapped. That meant we had to finish now.

"No. Let's shoot right away."

"Huh? But the kids are exhausted."

"I'll get them back on their feet."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"I've got a way to boost their focus through Miso."

Oh Sang-Do tilted his head, then gave a nod. "Alright. Whatever it is, give it a shot. I'll prepare the set."

"Yes, sir."

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Immediately, I called over Miso, who had just finished her makeup.

"Miso, come here."

Miso hurried over, her skirt fluttering as she ran. "Uncle Yoon-Ho, when's my scene?"

"In just a bit. But first, I need your help."

"With what?"

I leaned in and whispered a few tricks to draw the other kids' attention into her earways.

Miso nodded with determination. "Okay! I'll try it."

"That's my girl. Let's go!"

Miso took a quick breath, clapped her hands, and stepped confidently in front of the huddled group.

"Hey! It's Miso!"

"Miso! Can you tell them we're hungry?"

At that moment, Miso flashed the group a cheeky grin and began doing something that left everyone stunned.