AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart

Chapter 14

by LoveCR2

edited by All-About-AAE

 

"Some have said a smile brightens not just your own life, but also leaves a treasure in someone else's." -- Jin Sun-Mi

 

 

EVE'S MORNING STUDIO, MBS YEOUIDO STSUDIOS AND HQ ...

 

On the Eve's Morning set, just minutes before air time, studio techs busy themselves with final camera and sound checks. The set crew bustle about, delivering full water glasses to the anchors and adjusting props, as the PD calls out directions from the control room. Waiting patiently in their seats, the live audience listens to final instructions from the PR reps.

 

At the curved anchor desk, under the bright studio lights, Shin Ki-Jong, anchor for the ‘Sports, Sports' corner, gets the attention of Lee Kyung-Hee, anchor for the Family and Community corner. She turns and assists him in adjusting his earpiece wire. He says a few words to her, and they share a private laugh.

 

On the left end of the desk is the Cultures and Arts corner anchor, Seo Ma-Ri, a new hire from Batch 28 of the MBS training program. Instead of her usual bright smile, she fidgets self-consciously in her seat.

 

Seated in the main host seat usually occupied by Kim Sun-Dal, Jin-Soo drums his fingers as he quietly rehearses the opening lines. He briefly glances to his right, at the empty co-anchor seat, takes a sip of water from the glass on the desk, then goes back to his mumbling. Drops of nervous perspiration bead his forehead, triggering the appearance of the studio makeup artiste, who daubs his brow dry with a white cloth.

 

Hyung-Chul enters the control room, where PD Shin is watching the preparations anxiously.

 

"It's five minutes to air time, and Jin Sun-Mi is still not on the set!" PD Shin complains. "Are you sure she was the right choice?"

 

Hyung-Chul is curt. "If you had reservations, you should've aired them last night."

 

"In a crisis decision, regrets often come later," PD Shin replies in his defense. "I'm concerned about the rumors."

 

"What rumors?"

 

"Like with the News At Nine, there's gossip that you favored Jin Sun-Mi for the slot," PD Shin informs him.

 

"When did we start making decisions based on rumors?" Hyung-Chul objects. "You were there, you know the circumstances."

 

"Yes, and frankly, it looked as if you were trying too hard to make it appear you weren't promoting Jin Sun-Mi," PD Shin lays out his reasoning. "Although she was the logical choice, we had to go through every other possibility first, before she calls ‘out of the blue' to ‘volunteer' to fill the slot."

 

Hyung-Chul's initial reaction is indignation, but after a moment of reflection, reconsiders. "I see your point," he concedes. "I thought Jin Sun-Mi was considering the London appointment. I didn't know she'd changed her mind."

 

"So you're saying you had nothing to do with it?"

 

"Right. This was completely her decision," Hyung-Chul affirms. "I agreed because of her performance ratings on Art Club. Let's just see the ratings before we make the final decision, okay?"

 

"Fair enough," PD Shin concurs.

 

While they are talking, Sun-Mi appears in the studio, script in hand. Immediately murmurs break out among the studio audience at her unexpected appearance.

 

"Quiet on the set," PD Shin barks over the intercom speakers to restore order.

 

Sun-Mi pauses to chat with Ma-Ri briefly. When she moves on, a self-assured smile replaces Ma-Ri's apprehensive face.

 

When Sun-Mi slides onto the seat beside Jin-Soo, he turns to her breathing a sigh of relief: "I was worried I'd have to do this by myself."

 

Sun-Mi is adjusting her earpiece when she sees the script in Jin-Soo's hand is shaking. "Don't worry, you'll do fine," she encourages him. "You always said we'd be partners sometime, and today's that day!"

 

"Still, everything seems different now that we're here," he frets.

 

PD Shin delivers the final warning, "Anchors standby..."

 

The Eve's Morning introductory music plays on the studio speakers, as the audience applauds vigorously on cue. Jin-Soo and Sun-Mi wait with frozen smiles, facing Camera 1, waiting for their prompt.

 

The ON AIR light comes on, and PD Shin announces, "Anchors!"

 

"Welcome to Eve's Monday... er... Eve's Morning... I'm Choi Jin-Soo, on vacation for Anchor Kim Sun-Dal… er... I mean..." Jin-Soo stammers nervously, garbling his opening line.

 

Spontaneous tittering erupts from the audience. Red-faced, Jin-Soo freezes, wide-eyed like a deer caught in headlights.

 

PD Shin reacts instantly. "Camera 2! Jin Sun-Mi!" he barks the command. "Cut!"

 

The broadcast feed monitor displays the close up shot of Sun-Mi from Camera 2.

 

Without missing a beat, Sun-Mi confidently takes over, her voice poised and mellow: "Good morning. I'm Jin Sun-Mi…".

 

The rest of her sentence is drowned out by an avalanche of robust applause and cheers of approval from the studio audience.

 

In the control room, PD Shin and Hyung-Chul exchange a look of relief.

 

Off camera, Kyung-Hee shakes Jin-Soo out of his panicked stupor. Jin-Soo wipes his brow and nods to PD Shin, signaling he is ready.

 

Once the studio quiets, Sun-Mi completes the opening lines: "Mr. Choi Jin-Soo and I will be your hosts while Anchors Kim Sun-Dal and Lee Sang-Joo are away. We'll bring you an entertaining and informative hour each morning..."

 

As she is speaking, Hyung-Chul appears beside Camera 2. When Sun-Mi sees that he is there to watch her performance, her face glows as the happiness in her heart bursts out.

 

"Some have said a smile brightens not just your own life, but also leaves a treasure in someone else's," she adlibs. "I hope that we can bring a smile to your life every day."

 

The audience, seeing Sun-Mi's beaming smile, believes it is intended for them and redoubles their applause.

 

But from beside Camera 2, Hyung-Chul knows differently. By her brilliant smile and the sparkle in her eyes he knows that Sun-Mi is speaking directly to him. He can't break his gaze away from that smile, taking picture after picture with his eyes, to treasure in his heart.