"Father."
Cho Min-tae said as he looked at his father's shabby back.
He was once a commercial director, and following in his father's footsteps, he became a movie director.
As time passed, he became a famous director.
Now, having produced consecutive hit works, his father had become a completely different person.
"I think you are being too hasty."
"……."
Once called the magician of box office success, he had become a director whom no one would hire after a string of consecutive failures.
Actors used to contact him first and ask after his well-being, but now, there were hardly any such people left.
If there were any left, it would be Park Sun-woong or his son.
That much was the last remaining connection Director Cho Bang-woo had.
Therefore, he couldn't easily ask them for help either.
"……The actress who was originally cast as the lead refused to appear."
"If you're talking about the one cast to appear, do you mean actress Yeon A-ri?"
"Yes."
A popular actress who had steadily built up her recognition over the past 3 years.
An actress under Horizon Company, and one of the actors the company was pushing to some extent.
If it were the Cho Bang-woo of the past, he would have hesitated a bit over her career, but for him now, he didn't have the leeway to find a better actress than that.
"Why? It's a movie that already received investment, so……."
"Well, I don't know either. I heard a senior actor blocked it."
"A senior actor……."
Cho Min-tae fell into thought for a moment.
In Horizon Company, there were very few actors with a better and more outstanding career than Yeon A-ri.
Among them, if there was someone who would do such a thing…….
'Hwang Min-hwa?'
That was the only person he could think of.
It was merely a gut feeling, though.
An actor who greatly tarnished his name value when
'Of all things, it had to open at the same time as The Chaser.'
The Chaser.
Joo Seo-yeon.
Cho Min-tae couldn't help but naturally recall that name.
Because it was earlier this year that she made a fuss as the returned Yeonhwa Princess.
And, she became a star overnight by achieving ridiculously amazing results in her first released movie.
After that, the movies and dramas she appeared in definitely had poor starts but eventually became massive hits.
She became known as a genius actor with an incredibly excellent eye for works.
'That kid…….'
Honestly, Cho Min-tae felt overwhelmed with emotion.
The very first video Joo Seo-yeon appeared in was his soy milk commercial.
Because she was the genius actor he discovered, together with actor Kim Jung-ha who was with him now.
He felt a bit lonely when she went missing for 10 years, but seeing her succeed so spectacularly, she was exactly as talented as he had seen.
'That's why it's even more likely because of Hwang Min-hwa.'
Director Cho Bang-woo and Director Cho Min-tae had a record of being briefly mentioned on broadcast as the directors who discovered Joo Seo-yeon.
Because Seo-yeon's consecutive successes made it a regular topic on broadcasts and YouTubers dealing with gossip.
If he had seen that, it would make sense that Hwang Min-hwa blocked a junior from appearing in Director Cho Bang-woo's movie.
The actor who brought him humiliation.
To screw over the director who discovered that actor.
'It's just a gut feeling, though.'
To the public, Hwang Min-hwa's image is that of a wonderful senior who donates a lot and does a lot of volunteer work.
However, Cho Min-tae knew that image was the product of thorough image management.
Because he couldn't forget the eyes that looked down on him as a mere commercial director when he hadn't succeeded yet.
Maybe because of that, he was now subtly avoiding him…….
'If I tell him that, he'll be even more disappointed.'
Cho Min-tae sighed and silently watched his father start drinking again.
He thought about gathering actors with his own network, but.
'Father will absolutely not accept it.'
He knew it.
Right now, he was his father's proud son, but at the same time, he was a rival as a director.
And if he got actors with his son's help, he would only feel more miserable.
Had he fallen so low that he couldn't work as a director unless he reached out to his son for help?
"How about holding the audition a little earlier?"
"……Is there a need?"
"You never know. If we set the period a bit longer, we might be able to find a decent actor."
"Min-tae."
Cho Bang-woo stared at his son with a beer can in his hand.
"The problem is the lead."
"……Even if they don't have recognition, wouldn't it be fine to feature an actor with good acting skills as the lead?"
"I'd like to do that. But, would the investors accept that?"
"……."
"It was actress Yeon A-ri, so the investors went along with it. But, at the point where the lead Yeon A-ri has dropped out…… I can feel them considering pulling out their investment."
Surprisingly, the cast actors are very important from the investors' perspective.
Because what they see is not pure acting skill, but the box office power the actor holds.
Furthermore, the male lead actor hadn't been decided yet.
Two protagonists.
With both of those positions empty, the investors couldn't help but agonize over investing in Director Cho Bang-woo's movie this time.
If they pull out now, they would escape with the least amount of loss.
"Still, isn't it better to try something?"
"……."
At his son's words, Cho Bang-woo hung his head.
That was true.
Just drinking away like this won't produce a proper solution.
'Still, we need some kind of excuse to continue production. Just an audition won't do.'
It was the moment Cho Bang-woo thought so.
Light came on his phone, which he had set to mute.
"Father, it's a call."
"Leave it. It's probably from the investors. They must have heard about actress Yeon A-ri's departure. What audition? It might just end like this."
"No."
Cho Min-tae made a strange face when he saw the name displayed on the smartphone.
"It's Park Jung-woo."
"……What?"
"I mean Jung-woo, the son of actor Park Sun-woong."
Staggering up, he looked at the smartphone screen and rubbed his eyes for a moment.
Park Jung-woo? Was it the Park Jung-woo he knew?
But why a call?
"H-hello. Uh, it's been a long time."
Actually, he hadn't talked on the phone with Park Jung-woo much directly.
When he was a highly successful director, the last time was rather when he boldly said, 'If there's an opportunity later, I'll let you appear in my movie.'
So he knew the number, but didn't have the confidence to actually contact him.
Because from his completely changed position compared to then, he couldn't dare say such things to Park Jung-woo.
"Uh, uh, what? A movie? The lead role? I-it's empty. Of course it's empty!"
Cho Min-tae doubted his ears at Park Jung-woo's words over the phone.
Surely, Park Jung-woo at this moment.
So dramatically.
"Then, would it be okay if I take the male lead role? It's fine even if you want me to audition."
"No, what audition. Of course, of course it's fine."
For Cho Bang-woo, who needed an actor to speak to the investors, there were no words as grateful as these.
Yeon A-ri? She was a promising actor recently, but she couldn't be compared to Park Jung-woo.
Park Jung-woo was famous for choosing his works with great deliberation.
As much as that, the works he appeared in were hits, taking both commercial success and artistic quality, and usually reigned as the biggest hit of the year.
A young actor.
And now a young actor.
A son who perfectly inherited his father's name.
Because he was an actor who lacked nothing in character or personality, he was also the young actor investors liked the most.
"And……."
"W-what, is there something else you want to say?"
Afraid he might say 'Actually, I don't think so' now, Cho Bang-woo asked with an anxious voice.
"No, it seems like you wouldn't like it if I say it."
"Huh?"
"I thought about it after hearing the news of Yeon A-ri's departure, but how about pulling up the audition?"
Pull up the audition?
Wasn't that what his son just said?
At that time, he wondered what meaning it would have, but if it was Park Jung-woo's words, he had no choice but to nod.
Right now, it was as if the investors depended on his name.
"But, may I ask the reason?"
"The reason?"
Park Jung-woo was silent for a moment at those words.
And.
"Well, I think you'll know when you see it yourself."
He said with a voice mixed with a strange laugh.
"Because there is an actress who told me she really wants to appear in your work, Director."
An actress?
Director Cho Bang-woo looked at Cho Min-tae with a questioning face.
Because his son also shrugged as if he didn't know.
Was there an actress who really wanted to appear in his movie when he had become a has-been?
Honestly, he couldn't believe it.
He thought it might just simply be lip service from Park Jung-woo.
"That's not difficult. We were also talking about how it would be good to set the audition period a bit more generously."
He said so and accepted Park Jung-woo's words.
That was the reason the audition period became earlier than before.
Of course.
"Why on earth was it pulled up? Did some problem occur or something?"
Because of that, Seo-yeon rummaged through all sorts of memories in her head for a while to find a reason why the audition would be pulled up.
Of course, she would find out that reason on the day of Director Cho Bang-woo's movie audition.
***
"Huh? The actress is sick?"
Park Jung-woo said with a dizzy face.
He really felt that filming was not easy.
Today's shoot happened to be the commercial for Violl, for which he was the Korean promotional model.
However, the actress who was supposed to appear with him became severely ill and had to drop out.
"Since it's come to this, wouldn't it be okay to shoot it alone?"
At the director's words, Park Jung-woo shook his head.
Of course, he was Violl's commercial model, and the model appearing with him was always close to a prop to highlight him.
The important thing was himself.
But he didn't want to ruin the originally planned concept of the commercial.
"A female outfit has to appear too."
"That's true."
The director also said so as if he felt regretful.
Certainly, the commercial for Violl they were shooting today had the prettiest picture when it was a pair of a man and a woman.
'Damn, that guy is ridiculously handsome.'
What they were shooting today was a Hanbok-concept outfit released by Violl.
Violl used to announce outfits inspired by the image of each country, and it happened to be Korea this year.
Hanbok, or rather something close to modified Hanbok, but suits and dresses derived from it.
Among them, Park Jung-woo, wearing a white suit, looked so handsomely picturesque that the female staff let out deep sighs.
"Why didn't Violl decide on a female commercial model?"
"There was. They just rejected everyone saying they didn't like them."
If it was 'that side', it obviously meant the Violl headquarters.
Except for Park Jung-woo, whom Violl directly appointed, they refused to accept any actor requested by the Korean branch as a model.
"By any chance, how about requesting your agency to bring one person, Jung-woo-ssi?"
"That's……."
Well, there was that method too.
The director seemed to have tried calling here and there but couldn't find a suitable person.
'But it can't be helped.'
With Park Jung-woo as the counterpart, they had no choice but to be picky about the female model as well.
Normally, the looks would inevitably be compared, and if the picture was unbalanced, it would be worse than just taking pictures of Park Jung-woo alone.
Even the model they were using temporarily right now, the Violl headquarters kept contacting them to replace.
The branch was working hard to block it, but the model must have known that fact too.
The fact that she didn't come out today probably wasn't simply because she was sick.
At that time, Park Jung-woo, who had been agonizing for a while, opened his mouth.
"One……."
"Yes?"
"There is one actress who has the day off today."
"An actress, not a model?"
Oh, of course it's not that actors are bad.
However, models usually wore clothes more beautifully than actors.
"If it's okay, I think I can try contacting her once."
"Yes, well. I can trust Jung-woo-ssi's eyes."
To be honest, the director would have just let it go even if Park Jung-woo shot alone.
Shooting a luxury brand commercial was honestly burdensome even for a director.
Because there are a lot of people who say things this way and that.
"But can I know who that actress is?"
Since he had to report it upstairs anyway, when he asked like that.
Park Jung-woo, who hesitated for a moment, opened his mouth.
And.
"……They said it's absolutely great?"
The branch welcomed it with raised hands.
Because there was no other actress who fit this concept as much as that.
***
Seo-yeon was troubled.
It wasn't because of Director Cho Bang-woo's movie anyway, whose reason she couldn't figure out.
She kept racking her brain, but in the end, she couldn't find a valid reason.
"Hmm."
Just crossing her arms and looking at the posts on the internet, Seo-yeon frowned.
"Slowly, it's dangerous."
The image of Seo-yeon, which she had worked hard to cover up with Harara, was slowly returning to her past appearance again due to the variety shows she appeared on consecutively in Japan.
At least last time, she was simply photoshopped into a gorilla or a strange elephant.
Now she was wrestling with ghosts.
==
Post: Joo Seo-yeon vs Sadako
Who wins?
Replies
- Joo Seo-yeon breaks Sadako's spine when she crawls out of the TV lol
- Forget crawling out, the TV explodes
- Haven't you seen her riding a bear? Does Sadako win against a bear?
==
For reference, the Japanese variety show hadn't even aired yet.
Only some on-site photos had leaked.
The photo showed Seo-yeon riding around on a bear.
Her majestic appearance was enough to make one wonder if it was a scene from a movie.
'What should I do about this.'
If this airs, wouldn't her image become irreversible again?
Seo-yeon rolled around on the chair, on the bed, agonizing over it.
For reference, since she had nothing to do, she only had a lot of thoughts.
She also did the web surfing she had put off, spending hours searching for the three letters Joo Seo-yeon on Google, Naver, and all sorts of communities.
Still, her image wasn't as bizarre as before.
There was also the magical girl image, and the effect of her hard work in managing her image recently remained.
But if this continues, that too…….
And it was then.
[So, the Violl commercial model spot is empty right now? It might be a bit burdensome, but just come for a bit, like doing a part-time job…….]
"I'll do it."
A pretty decent part-time job offer came from Park Jung-woo.