Joo Seo-yeon was shocked twice by Director Kang Tae-jin’s words.
First, he mentioned that they were planning a variety show for a movie.
Second, it was a variety show she had never heard of in her previous life.
‘As expected, no matter how I think about it, I couldn’t find a variety show similar to this.’
It meant there was a high chance it was a completely new movie.
A movie Seo-yeon didn’t know about, one that didn’t exist in the past.
She felt a thrill while being surprised.
After all, all the movies Seo-yeon had seen up until now were ones she had already watched.
“By the way, the director is Han Ye-geon,” Kang Tae-jin said, quietly gazing into Seo-yeon’s eyes.
She recalled hearing the name of that director.
A director known for his expertise in action directing.
He had high standards and was somewhat self-centered with a definite style.
“Well, I don’t know if you know this, but he is a bit challenging to approach. After all, he has been active in the industry for a long time,” he added.
“Yes, I’ve heard of him.”
“Then you must have a quick grasp of things.”
Kang Tae-jin was secretly surprised as he looked at Seo-yeon, who quietly stared back at him.
‘For someone so young, she’s quite composed.’
She didn’t show any signs of being flustered or tense while dealing with him.
Could it be because she’s an actress?
Kang Tae-jin could easily see through others’ emotions.
But he couldn’t read Seo-yeon at all.
It was just like Cha Seo-ah he had seen in the movie.
‘What was it called again? Emotional expression incapacity syndrome?’
When he was younger, Kang Tae-jin had been told he was emotionally dull too.
He thought there was something wrong with him, but it turned out he was just a bit slow on the uptake.
In any case, he could somewhat relate to Cha Seo-ah, so it wasn’t a lie that he enjoyed [The Chaser].
Kang Tae-jin was the one who highly valued Seo-yeon and arranged this meeting.
Of course, his high regard for Seo-yeon was based on an objective assessment, not a subjective one.
“For now, we have a tentative title for the movie, ‘Mine.’ It can be described as modern fantasy featuring superpowered individuals,” he continued.
Seo-yeon weakly nodded.
It was something she still didn’t understand.
“To put it simply, we prepared a large-scale audition before filming this movie. It’s an audition to select the leading role.”
Was he asking her to participate in that audition? She looked at him expectantly.
“Yes, I really hope that Joo Seo-yeon will participate in the movie audition. This variety show is set to be aired on public broadcasting as well.”
It seemed like they were genuinely planning a variety show audition.
However, one thing puzzled her: why call Seo-yeon specifically to ask her to participate in the audition?
Typically, they could just request it through her agency.
“Of course, I think it might be a bit shocking for you, Joo Seo-yeon, as I’m not asking you to appear in the film but to participate in the movie’s audition,” he explained.
“That’s…”
She was about to say no but then Kang Tae-jin’s words came out faster.
“The possibility of this movie’s project coming to fruition is thanks to [The Chaser].”
“Yes?”
“It seems [Mine] has a strong action element and thriller aspects. Given the current situation where Korean movies are struggling, it has remained in the planning phase.”
But it seemed that the representative of GH Group was deeply impressed by [The Chaser].
“To put it simply, Seo-yeon, you were invited by the representative’s request,” he added.
“……”
This was a much bigger deal than she had expected.
The invitation came from none other than the head of GH Group, who wanted Seo-yeon to star in the movie.
“In fact, there’s been assorted information. Something about the Cheonghong Action School… So I thought that Joo Seo-yeon would excel in the audition,” he said, displaying a hint of hope.
“Is that so?”
“So even if you don’t make it through the audition, as long as you show an excellent performance, you won’t have to worry about a role,” he assured.
He meant they would be competing for the lead role, but even if she lost, she would still be given a part.
“……”
Even though it was a good thing, it strangely hurt her pride a bit.
It was hard to tell from the director’s cheerful expression whether he was teasing her or sincerely believed in her ability.
‘A superpowered action movie.’
Now she understood why filming had been delayed.
This was a genre that had recently been dominated by Western films.
A genre classified as superhero films.
Inevitably, it would be compared to that, which probably led to the postponement.
Homegrown films made with similar concepts had been bombed.
Adding a thriller concept to that would make it all the more challenging.
“First, I’ll try to think positively,” she said.
“Thank you.”
She wasn’t sure if she should genuinely be thankful.
More than that, she looked at him as if to ask if that was all there was to it.
“Then let’s move on to the next topic.”
“Yes?”
She looked at him as if to say he didn’t invite her just to request her participation in the movie audition.
“I mentioned earlier that I have a few proposals I want to discuss.”
With that, Director Kang Tae-jin handed her a few documents.
“This is an advertising proposal.”
“Yes?”
“The latest Éclat Étoile advertisement was quite impressive,” he remarked.
Kang Tae-jin scrutinized Seo-yeon.
Among celebrities, her beauty was in a league of its own.
Once she became an adult, she would surely shine even more.
Add to that her potential as an actress.
Considering everything, Kang Tae-jin was determined to secure her.
While others hesitated, calculating risks, he took action instinctively.
Even within GH Group, discussions were still underway, but Kang Tae-jin wanted to snatch her up faster than anyone else.
“I hope that Joo Seo-yeon will become the face of GH Group,” he said.
Kang Tae-jin had one goal.
He envisioned her face on every billboard bearing the GH Group name in Seoul.
Of course, preparing for that step by step was necessary.
He needed results convincing enough for everyone in GH Group to be on board.
These advertisements would serve as the starting point.
*
The day after her meeting with GH Group, Seo-yeon found herself a bit dazed.
She had received a mountain of contract papers the day before, leaving her with a lot to ponder.
Yes, some advertising deals were jaw-dropping, but Director Kang Tae-jin had suggested three proposals.
While they weren’t quite at the level of those on advertisements for big-name celebrities, the amount was still quite considerable.
‘Hmm.’
To be honest, it felt a bit burdensome.
Especially since Kang Tae-jin’s thoughts were hard to read.
‘Anyway, it’s not a bad opportunity, so I should give it a shot.’
After all, just because she shot an advertisement didn’t mean it would get released immediately.
Probably next year.
Precisely, it would ramp up right after [Mine] hits theaters.
Conversely, it could be said that the success of [Mine] would be a ‘test’ for Joo Seo-yeon.
If she achieved a mediocre performance, that would likely mark the end of these three advertisements.
‘[Mine].’
It was a movie that had never been released in the first place, so she had no idea what its potential would be.
And the other major problem that Seo-yeon knew about was:
‘The release date coincides with [The Thief].’
That was the movie of director Cho Min-tae, whom Seo-yeon had connections with since her childhood.
A Ten Million Movie.
And the leading actor in that film was the actress Kim Jung-ha, with whom Seo-yeon had her first shoot.
Surely, they weren’t a weak competitor.
Although [The Chaser] had stomped over [Utopia], [The Thief] was a different story.
As a reference, when [The Thief] was released, a blockbuster movie also hit theaters.
That film got trampled thoroughly, achieving ten million attendees, all thanks to [The Thief].
If [Mine] were to go up against such a film, the expected results were a mystery.
‘It seems like I should avoid that.’
Honestly, she didn’t want to go head-to-head like that.
She had no intention of taking a gamble and wanted to avoid conflicts with those she had connections with.
But obviously, Seo-yeon couldn’t just do as she pleased.
‘Anyway.’
Lately, Seo-yeon had been feeling the scrutiny of others at school.
During the time when [The Chaser] was in theaters, it was imbued with some fear.
As if she were a cockroach, she’d scurry away to avoid the attention.
“Are you popular nowadays?”
Lee Ji-yeon teased.
Seo-yeon narrowed her eyes and glared at Ji-yeon.
“Yes. It’s scary when you glare at me like that, you know?”
“It was just a glance.”
Either way, as Ji-yeon teased, since the airing of episode 11 of [Dream Future], the male students looked at Seo-yeon differently.
The character Jo Ha-rin in the show was a very cute woman, making it easier to compare her with Seo-yeon.
‘More than that.’
Seo-yeon slyly observed Ji-yeon.
Recently, whenever she watched Ramiel’s show, it felt like Ji-yeon was keenly keeping up with Seo-yeon’s drama and movies.
Her reviews were exceedingly detailed and overwhelmingly positive.
There were numerous praises for Seo-yeon’s acting, leaving her feeling awkward.
She wanted to express her gratitude, but there was no suitable way to do it.
So, wanting to return the favor in another manner:
“Late.”
“……….”
At that moment, Jo Seo-hee had arrived.
She was wearing her high school uniform.
‘She must have plenty of clothes to wear, so why does she come in her uniform?’
It was no longer strange for Jo Seo-hee to visit the school.
How many times had this been now?
However, it bothered her that she came in uniform every time.
“Well, I just got here right after school, so it makes sense,” she said.
“Is that so?”
“That’s a surprising answer.”
Jo Seo-hee crossed her arms.
Just with that pose, she resembled an arrogant villainess.
Honestly, the uniform didn’t seem to suit her very well.
Or did it? It could be seen as unexpectedly okay.
“……Anyway.”
The three of them moved to a nearby café, where they began a proper conversation.
‘Why do I always end up in these discussions?’
Jo Seo-hee was inwardly anxious.
After all, this meeting was about [Gyeongseong Young Lady].
‘Why of all things!’
To be honest, Jo Seo-hee didn’t hold any prejudice against homosexuality.
However, if she was cast in such a role, it would pose quite a problem.
As an actress, she had to immerse herself fully into her character.
Moreover, most importantly:
‘I’ve never even acted in a romantic role before.’
The only films Jo Seo-hee gained significant popularity from were disaster movies.
She hadn’t done any light-hearted dramas like Seo-yeon’s [Dream Future].
Plus, her strong presence affected the types of roles she received; sweet romance roles hardly came her way.
Given her age, that was probably a factor too.
Yet, she was about to shoot her first romantic film as a gay movie.
‘What kind of calmness does this girl have?’
While staring blankly at Seo-yeon, Jo Seo-hee felt increasingly anxious.
Though she pretended to hold her arms crossed and tilted her chin up, it was all an act.
‘Cha Seo-ah…’
Suddenly, memories of [The Chaser] flooded back.
Seo-yeon’s performance there had left a huge impact on Jo Seo-hee.
She realized there was another actress her age who acted so well.
Seo-yeon’s portrayal of ‘Cha Seo-ah’ felt so real that Jo Seo-hee wondered if Seo-yeon had ever suffered from such a condition herself.
‘Of course not.’
When she looked it up, it turned out it wasn’t even a treatable condition.
Thinking of that only increased her astonishment.
That she could deliver such a heartfelt performance.
Regardless, Jo Seo-hee expressed those impressions first.
Her candid thoughts on [The Chaser] and [Dream Future].
And then she mentioned, “The audition for [Gyeongseong Young Lady] is starting soon. Are you going to watch it?”
“Yes, I’ve mentioned it already.”
Seo-yeon replied calmly.
She didn’t understand what she was thinking.
‘More importantly, why does she only speak formally to me?’
Jo Seo-hee felt a bit hurt.
Seriously.
“We’re the same age, after all.”
“And… about that audition, does that girl next to you want to participate as well?”
“……”
Lee Ji-yeon looked confused by Jo Seo-hee’s question, glancing at Seo-yeon.
She had been annoyed at Jo Seo-hee and was now faced with a request to co-act in the same movie?
‘Why is she looking at me like that?’
Looking at Ji-yeon, Jo Seo-hee, truthfully, felt a bit of a ‘kindred spirit’ connection.
She didn’t seem to have the best personality either.
“What movie is it?”
Still, since she was Seo-yeon’s friend, she didn’t want to make a bad impression.
“Just speak comfortably,” Jo Seo-hee said.
“What movie is it?”
“…….”
As soon as Ji-yeon said to speak comfortably, she immediately dropped her honorifics.
This surprised Jo Seo-hee a little, but at that moment she thought, ‘Could it be?’
With hopeful eyes, Jo Seo-hee turned to Seo-yeon.
Since Ji-yeon had eased up, wouldn’t Seo-yeon follow suit?
“It’s called [Gyeongseong Young Lady], directed by Director Baek Min.”
“Oh, it’s the one you mentioned before.”
“Yeah, Seo-hee senior introduced it.”
Even while realizing the honorifics, hearing the term ‘Seo-hee senior’ made Jo Seo-hee think, well, this is not bad at all.
‘Are we making some progress here?’
The fact that they talked about such things so comfortably with a friend seemed to indicate an open-mindedness.
“By the way, it’s a gay movie.”
“Ah, I see…….”
Due to Seo-yeon’s nonchalant tone, Ji-yeon’s flow of speech suddenly halted.
“……What?”
Ji-yeon’s expression shifted dramatically.
Seeing this, Jo Seo-hee savored a warm cup of tea.
‘Ah, I didn’t express it properly, did I?’
Watching the two of them, Jo Seo-hee found the situation quite exciting.
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