Chapter 3

“Today, the 10th placer in the entire school came from our class.”

If this was a movie set, the director would have promptly captured the homeroom teacher’s face with a reverse angle shot. 1 His fierce and doubtful look that was relentlessly projected upon the subject of his gaze, and the report card that served as a simple prop to amplify the doubt.

“Jang Yeongguk, congratulations.”

An unbelieving look spread on the students’ faces like a fuse that caught fire. It was like seeing the audience’s reaction to the teacher’s words.

Needless to say, what happened was impossible if you look at Jang Yeongguk’s midterm exam results. Wasn’t he competing for the last place in class? In just a few months, he ranked 10th in the entire school. It was only natural for the suspicions to spread as if it was the truth.

“Aren’t you going to get your results?”

Jang Yeongguk stood up from his chair and walked towards the podium just as the teacher beckoned him with his results. But for some reason, his expression didn’t look good when he received his report card. He didn’t look refreshed, as if he was someone who couldn’t finish his business properly at the outhouse. 2

“Thank you.”

Kim Bongdu, the homeroom teacher, tutted sheepishly at the unexpected response. When he received Jang Yeongguk’s results in the faculty room, the very first thing that came to his mind was that he cheated. He who used to rank last in class suddenly seized the 10th place in the entire school. Wasn’t it natural to think that he cheated?

However…

The subject teachers did give an excellent evaluation.

Starting with the core subjects 3, the general consensus among the teachers in charge of those subjects was that Yeongguk’s attitude towards learning was perfect.

First of all, he didn’t slack off in class. He kept taking notes as the teachers went on with the lessons. The teachers, without exception, all said that it was like the person changed in the blink of an eye.

It does happen sometimes…

Witnessing dramatic changes in students is bound to happen as teachers go on with their duties, even though it’s quite rare.

But is it possible for a student – who used to play soccer during lunch and not pay attention to his studies – to place 10th overall just because he doubled-down on studying for a couple of months?

“You mean he placed 10th in the entire school?”‘ Several parents from the PTA 4 already raised suspicions that the exam paper was leaked.

Meanwhile, contrary to what his homeroom teacher and classmates thought, Yeongguk felt discouraged as he received his report card. He had been pulling all-nighters to study for a couple of months now, starting almost immediately after he returned to the past.

He felt like his memory and comprehension skills were far superior compared to his past life, probably because of his regression. He could even easily memorize a thousand English vocabulary words in one day.

His expectations were so high that this time, he was looking forward to the day that the results would be released. He was so serious about it that, after taking the final exams, he almost believed that he could get perfect scores.

“Jang Yeongguk, follow me to the department head’s office for a bit.” 5

The class hasn’t even started yet but Teacher Kim Bongdu intended to clear up the situation first. The fact that they were heading towards the department head’s office and not the faculty room where people frequently come and go was his last bit of consideration for Jang Yeongguk.

Upon arriving at the office, he went straight to lock the door and plopped himself onto the seat.

“Jang Yeongguk, you cheated, right?”

“No, I didn’t.”

Kim Dongbu scoffed at the prompt response. His 20-year career as a teacher would be disappointing if he stops at that.

“You punk, what do you mean by ‘no’? It’s not like I don’t know what your midterm results were. Yeongguk-ah, just basing on common sense, who would believe that the student who used to compete for the last place in class would suddenly place 10th overall? Even if you ask a stray dog that question, it would say that it’s impossible.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“What?”

“No, I mean, how can a stray dog talk?”

Kim Bongdu was instantly rendered speechless, but only then did he take in Jang Yeongguk’s appearance.

Usually, students can’t help but feel anxious when they are summoned to the department head’s office because they would worry that they had done something wrong. But he couldn’t see any nervousness and anxiety in Jang Yeongguk’s eyes. Even worse, he actually seemed calm instead.

“Teacher, you probably know this too, but you can confirm how the seats were arranged during the finals. Weren’t my slacker classmates seated around me, from front to back and diagonally? Cheating is cheating, but they were all sleeping and it was getting on my nerves. Jinguk, that guy, was even snoring.”

That’s undeniable, because the class seat plan was rearranged for the exam.

The reason why the majority of the outstanding students, who had excellent grades and good learning atmosphere, were seated together was simple. It was just like what Yeongguk said. Students who don’t care about their results might disturb others.

“Next, you’ve probably thought that the test papers were leaked but was there even anything that was stolen, perchance? If you really don’t believe me, I can also retake the exam separately. But Teacher has to take full responsibility for the outcome.”

“What?”

Have you ever seen such a daring person?

Kim Bongdu doubted whether the Jang Yeongguk in front of him was the same student that he knew. What’s more, there’s nothing to be done if he asserts his innocence this much.

“Fine, you can go back for now.”

“Okay.”

This kid, how did he know that the scariest thing to ask from a civil servant like me was taking responsibility? 6 Kim Bongdu thought to himself as he watched Jang Yeongguk turn around with his head bowed.

Namhang Market’s maze-like layout gives tourists a curious sense of mystery. The scent of the sea and the strong accents of the Busan ahjimaes who seemed like they came from a foreign land…it’s a banquet that was good enough to satisfy the five senses.

On top of that, it’s a place peppered with coffee shops that serve different variations of ssanghwa. 7 If a famous foreign barista witnessed such a scene, they would probably proclaim that the original ca phe trung is not in Vietnam, but in Korea.

“Yoo-PD 8, do you know why there are so many coffee shops at Namhang?”

“Maybe people from Busan love coffee?”

“Pfft, I don’t know about that but here’s something more likely. For refugees who fled to Busan during the 6.25 War, Namhang Market is where they meet with their loved ones after crossing the Yeongdo Bridge. I heard that, in the past, this was Korea’s site for reunions.” 9

Yoo Myunghan has been a drama PD for KBC Broadcasting Station for seven years. Although his 10 tenure doesn’t make him a veteran yet, even respected veteran PDs admired his skills in planning and producing. In fact, they used to fight over him sometimes during his time as an assistant director.

“Writer Choi, 50 years have gone by since the Korean War, so why would there still be so many coffee shops? I mean, it’s probably not because people from Busan still reunite at Namhang Market. Even the tourists here came to eat after touring Taejongdae. 11 They probably can’t care less about having coffee, right?

“As expected of you, Yoo-PD. You’re sharp. Actually, the coffee shops here in Namhang Market aren’t just mere stores where coffee is sold. For people from Yeongdo, this place is like a reassuring mother.

“Mother?”

“Here in Namhang Market, the coffee shops are the very first to open in the morning. Fishermen who are about to depart to sea or day laborers all go to the coffee shops to eat their breakfast and warm their bodies with ssanghwa or husik. 12 It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that, for a while now, the coffee shops in Namhang Market have been taking care of all the breakfast meals of the fishing crews docking at Yeongdo.”

“How do you know about that?”

“My hometown is Yeongdo, and my father was a fisherman.”

Choi Eunsook is a drama screenwriter boasting a career that will hit the 5-year mark this year. However, she still hasn’t debuted with her own work because she has been working as an assistant under Writer Wang.

In that sense, Writer Choi and Yoo-PD had a lot in common. Both of them will use the production that they will be doing this time as their debut into society. 13

“But Writer Choi, this venue had been decided on from the very first day. Is it okay for you to be coming here with me?”

Usually, the job of a drama screenwriter is one that is pressed for time. That’s because, unless it’s a pre-produced drama, the script will be altered several times depending on the viewers’ reactions and the station’s pressure. Each character’s presence in the script will also have to be adjusted, so there’s a lot of things to worry about. It’s not for nothing that jjokdaebon 13 is considered a custom of a drama station.

“It’s my debut drama, you know. It’s my first day as a mom after giving birth to my brainchild, so it’s okay to be lazy. And also, there are plenty of people questioning me why I’m debuting so early. 14 If this work flops, my career will snap in half.”

“Now that you’ve said that, I’m somehow feeling pressured. But don’t worry, it’s going to be my debut too so I’m not going to be careless about it. I’m going to go all-in with this production.”

“It looks like you have a lot of worries since you’re going all-in. Even during the train ride on the way here, you were in deep thought while checking the casting progress.”

Yoo-PD nodded his head slightly as they strolled around Namhang Market.

“Actually, I like all the lead actors…”

“So you don’t like the supporting actors?”

“Well, I don’t like the child actor for the main character, Kim Hajin. I think his name was Kim Mintae? I think you know him. He’s the child actor who appeared in Writer Wang’s fantasy 15 series the other day.”

“Wasn’t he pretty good at acting? I remember that Writer Wang was also praising him after watching the show.”

Yoo-PD touched his dry lips. 16

“His acting is better compared to his same-aged peers, but his satoori isn’t good enough. It somehow feels like he’s wearing clothes that don’t suit him. He has to act out the childhood of someone who was born and raised in Busan, but I understand that that’s difficult for someone who was born in Seoul.”

Yoo-PD recalled how the child actor, Kim Mintae, was like during the audition. He had asked the assistant director to prepare a dead fish just in case, but the child actor freaked out as soon as he touched it, so his satoori performance was quite poor. It’s just that it was covered up by the fact that no one else did worse than him.

The problem is, there wasn’t an alternative either. The child actors who auditioned in Seoul were like acorns of the same sizes. 17 The issue is no longer about choosing the best, but making the least worst choice.

Suddenly.

“The nuya 18 over there! You look so pretty, why don’t you come over here and take a look at my fish? Today’s mackerel is so fat and fleshy that I thought the fishermen had caught a shark. I’ll give you lots―!”

A youthful voice that hadn’t gone through puberty yet rang loud and clear across the long line of fish stalls in Namhang Market. The voice resonated so well and the enunciation was so clear that the harsh accents of the Busan ahjimaes seemed like calm waves in the background.

Yoo-PD and Writer Choi walked hurriedly towards the direction where the voice was coming from as if they were possessed.

“Haengnim, 19 come take a look at this flatfish! It tastes better than the sashimi from the shop. Today your girlfriend will be in the best mood if you buy this. I’ll give you some of the big mackerel too, so don’t just stand there. Come take a closer look, come. You have to examine it closely to see if it’s really good or not!!”

“Hey, I’m already turning 40 tomorrow, how can I not buy from a child who’s cute enough to be my son?”

“Hahaha, he called me your girlfriend―! Student, you sure know how to do business.”

Can he speak casually like that with pot-bellied middle-aged men? He looks so young, and he’s probably a middle-school student, but his voice was filled with strength. The tourists gathered around as if they were drunk on his voice and gestures, and even the surrounding ahjimaes were watching the scene with delight.

The person right next to the child seemed to be his mother, but a lot of people flocked to their stand because of the child’s peddling and so, she seemed very busy cleaning the fish.

And at that moment, both Yoo-PD and Writer Choi turned their heads around to face each other.

“Found him!”

reverse angle shot ↩

A very roundabout way to say that someone couldn’t shit properly, probably due to constipation. ↩

국영수, the three core subjects in secondary schools. 국 from 국어 (Korean), 영 from 영어 (English), and 수 from 수학 (Math). ↩

The English equivalent is the Parents-Teacher Association. They are very vocal and can be quite hands-on with theirs own kids’ academic situation. Frequent contact and regular meetings with the homeroom teachers is considered normal. ↩

The exact term is the head of the grade. Bigger schools usually have a grade head in charge of all the classes in that grade. For example, a grade head for freshmen and a different grade head for sophomores. ↩

JYG’s school is most likely a public school and that’s why the homeroom teacher is considered a government employee. Yeongguk’s case could blow up and the teacher’s entire career could go wrong. ↩

Traditional Korean black tea usually served with an egg yolk. Similar to Vietnam’s ca phe trung or egg coffee. ↩

Abbreviation for producer-director. In Korea, it’s a given to call other people by their job titles, either adding on the job title as a prefix or suffix to their last names. ↩

For more context, the 6.25 War or the Korean War was a war between the North and the South. They call it 6.25 because Day 1 was on June 25, 1950. In the confusion during the war, a lot of families and friends were separated and were never able to reunite because of the separation of the two Koreas. It wasn’t even clear who survived. So a lot of the refugees who settled in Busan crossed the Yeongdo Bridge in hopes of meeting their missing relatives and friends or hearing news about them. Namhang Market is 15 minutes away from the bridge.

Yeongdo Bridge to Namhang Market ↩

The raws do not indicate their genders but this sounds like a man’s name. The manhwa adaptation also shows him as male, and Writer Choi as female. The manhwa has some deviations from the novel but I believe the genders should be correct. ↩

Taejongdae is a natural park with several tourist attractions built around it. ↩

‘Husik’ (후식, hoo-shik) is the common term for dessert, but it can also mean small meals like snacks, dimsum, non-sweet pastries, etc. ↩

A script that was written on the fly and often given to the actors on the day of filming, as a result of changing the scenes and lines in accordance to the viewers’ or executives’ wishes. The opposite of this is a regular fixed script given in advance, usually in movies or pre-produced shows. ↩ ↩

For those who are confused why, it’s because she has been working in the industry for only 5 years. Traditional Korean workplace culture puts a lot of emphasis on seniority and tenure. So she’s still considered a ‘junior’. ↩

Specifically, a fantasy genre that involves demons, angels, immortals, etc. Something like the xianxia genre in Chinese media. ↩

‘입술을 쓸어’, I don’t know the English equivalent to this but it’s when you swipe your fingers at your lips. Celebrities often do this pose to look “sexy” or cool, but it can also be a harmless quirk to some. ↩

Literally, “was like comparing the height of acorns”. It means they are all more or less the same. ↩

Satoori for ‘noona’. JYG is speaking in heavy satoori. ↩

Satoori for ‘hyungnim’, the formal term for elder brother, used by younger brothers; younger sisters use ‘oppa’. ‘Hyung’ or ‘hyungnim’ can also be used for older male non-relatives, and sometimes ‘hyungnim’ is used to refer to a ‘boss’. Just like when JYG uses ‘noona’ towards female characters, he is using ‘haengnim’ here to flatter the male characters by implying their youth. ↩