Chapter: 106
—
“XN Entertainment, what now?”
Hwang Min-hwa wasn’t feeling too chipper lately.
Mainly because his so-called ambitious project, Utopia, wasn’t getting much love from the audience.
Sure, it didn’t perform terribly.
4 million.
At least it felt like it crossed the break-even point.
Yeah, break-even.
Just enough to get his investment back.
But today, his manager told him that XN Entertainment had reached out.
What could they possibly want?
“I heard that Hwang Min-ha was with Nova Entertainment before, right? XN is asking if they could talk with Joo Su-yeon…”
That was precisely the kind of comment to send Hwang Min-hwa’s blood boiling.
“Seriously? Because of that girl, I’m in this mess?”
“Min-ha, can’t you see the performance isn’t bad? Everyone has off days.”
Jang Cheol-ho, the head of Horizon Company, wiped the sweat off his forehead as he tried to calm Hwang Min-hwa down.
‘His pride is on a whole different level.’
In truth, it’s good to have a strong sense of pride as an actor.
It shows ambition, after all.
But Hwang Min-hwa took that to extremes.
His desire for success overshadowed all others.
‘The Chaser was a disaster. Yet somehow, he managed to pull off 4 million for that mess.’
Jang Cheol-ho genuinely thought that.
While Joo Su-yeon did gain some attention, realistically speaking, that kind of performance didn’t happen solely because of her.
Directors, scripts, and other actors.
All of them were highly competent.
Joo Su-yeon might have played a villain, helping others shine, but ultimately the story was driven by the two leads.
‘Director Bae Jin-hwan really is a character. Proper investment really makes the direction phenomenal.’
He brought out not just 100% but 120% of Joo Su-yeon’s performance.
That kind of trust in an actor is what leads to success.
“Hah! This is just ridiculous. So, XN asked me to link up with Su-yeon?”
“You don’t have to take it too seriously. So let’s not jump down the rabbit hole…”
Jang Cheol-ho worked hard to soothe Hwang Min-hwa.
If not, he’d certainly face the wrath of his manager.
‘Telling Hwang Min-hwa something like that without prudence…’
The request from XN Entertainment.
The manager relayed it thoughtlessly, and the situation spiraled into chaos.
‘Who knew he had such a temperament?’
He had already gone through two managers in record time.
Hwang Min-hwa had a knack for pointing fingers.
More accurately, he only showed his anger to those who weren’t likely to leak his weaknesses to the public.
That meant the employees of the agency.
Actors thrive on their image.
So, it was essential to manage their public perception; hence, the staff had to keep everything under wraps.
After all, they depended on his stardom for their paychecks.
“I’ll handle things well with XN Entertainment.”
“…You’re not trying to tear that girl down, are you?”
“Oh, come on.”
Even while cursing inwardly, Jang Cheol-ho continued to appease Hwang Min-hwa.
To be honest, the rumors swirling around didn’t bear that much negativity due to how well Hwang Min-hwa had managed his image.
So, XN probably didn’t think much when they inquired.
‘They can’t just take her away from me.’
Although Utopia didn’t exactly break records, Hwang Min-hwa’s star power had pulled in the numbers.
After all, achieving 4 million happened significantly due to his acting chops and ticket selling ability.
But if he continues sulking like this, his manager will change yet again…
“Ah.”
“What?”
“By the way, I’ve got some news I recently heard.”
Jang Cheol-ho mentioned a variety show that GH Group was planning.
An action film.
And an audition for it too.
“…And that girl will be there?”
“It’s basically a done deal.”
“Hmm. Nice.”
An audition for an action movie, and if it’s combined with a variety show, it seemed straightforward.
‘They must want to see how well she can handle action.’
Are they planning to pick through survival challenges?
That means it won’t be on public broadcasting.
It’ll likely be some web variety show instead…
‘But if GH Group invests that much, they must be up to something else.’
Hwang Min-hwa mused, thinking of Joo Su-yeon.
It seemed her action performance in The Chaser left quite an impression.
‘Hmph, she probably just relied on the stuntmen.’
Of course, Hwang Min-hwa had watched The Chaser.
He didn’t want to, but knowing your enemy is key, right?
So The Chaser was undoubtedly a well-made film.
Joo Su-yeon’s action scenes were impressive, but it didn’t create an impression that it was her doing all the work.
‘If it comes to action acting, I might have an edge here.’
Hwang Min-hwa had plenty of experience with action performances.
So, if it came to an audition against Su-yeon, he felt confident he could pull through.
‘How effective is that petite figure going to be in action scenes?’
Joo Su-yeon’s height wasn’t on the taller side.
She barely reached Hwang Min-hwa’s eye level.
And he was disciplined about his health.
He had even kept up with yoga, giving him excellent stamina.
‘But still…’
You never know.
“I can’t exactly be sure I’ll make the audition,” he said.
He wasn’t exactly uncomfortable with physical roles, but how much action would they be asking for?
Honestly, if he faced Joo Su-yeon directly, she might come off favorably in the tasks they set.
So, with an inquisitive tone, he asked.
“Then let’s find one more project. Something that fits just when the action film comes out.”
In other words, how about having a rematch, he suggested.
To be honest, the reason Hwang Min-hwa lost to Joo Su-yeon this time was that GH Group invested in her alongside competent directors and co-stars.
‘She’s impressive for her age, I’ll give her that.’
But even so, she was still unworthy of being on Hwang Min-hwa’s level.
She’d practically climbed to the level of A-list actors.
No, essentially, she was an S-class actor.
A figure worthy of being called a megastar.
“…That sounds good.”
At that, Hwang Min-hwa finally smiled with satisfaction.
Horizon Company—he thought it would be just a pit stop on his way to the top, but their work was surprisingly effective.
‘Joo Su-yeon.’
Hwang Min-hwa recalled her face from their last encounter.
A creepy cute face.
And that overwhelming presence.
‘Next time, I’ll stomp you down properly.’
Coincidentally, Joo Su-yeon’s image had a lot in common with Hwang Min-hwa’s.
Beautiful looks, a cold aura.
An impression that suited a villain.
So, he absolutely didn’t want to lose.
No way.
—
“…What are you up to?”
Lee Ji-yeon was deep in thought about how she could ace the audition for Gyeongseong Lady.
Deadline? There was still time.
In fact, you could say it was coming up pretty quickly considering shooting dates.
“Preparing for a variety show.”
Seoyeon was wielding a long stick like a weapon.
The aura of danger was palpable.
Is this gladiators: the reality show?
“We’ve got a fishing variety show lined up.”
“…Oh, is it Star Fisher?”
“That’s right.”
“But that’s cable, isn’t it?”
Of course, Star Fisher was quite a popular program.
It had a solid fanbase, and celebrities showcased new sides of themselves.
Moreover, the participants were all big-name actors.
From a networking perspective, it was definitely worth appearing.
“Didn’t something come in on public broadcasting?”
“Nothing suitable came up.”
Seoyeon had also reviewed the variety shows and ads sent her way.
There were interesting options, but most were in the interview format.
‘I really wanted to do Running People.’
A must-pass for popular stars.
It’s a program where you have various missions and tear off the name tags attached to your shoulders.
Personally, Seoyeon was a huge fan and desperately wanted to participate.
But…
‘Not yet, huh?’
She felt The Chaser would have been a perfect fit for Running People, but it seems she wasn’t ready just yet.
Perhaps they still wanted to gauge her appeal.
‘Given my close relationship with KMB, there’s a high chance they wouldn’t reach out to me.’
She could roughly guess the reason.
So far, Seoyeon had only been involved in projects relating to KMB.
Running People was an MDC production.
So, she might have been a bit fishy to them.
‘I’ll make sure to participate later.’
Once she hits a couple more projects, maybe she could directly pitch for a spot, right?
For publicity at least.
“Other than that, I didn’t find much that suited me.”
“There were plenty that came in, but nothing of substance.”
“Exactly.”
As a side note, Seoyeon wasn’t particularly interested in Star Fisher.
It was a show more for middle-aged men.
If her father, Youngbin, had watched it, he might have influenced her, but… Youngbin wasn’t exactly into that kind of show.
He’d rather catch the World Cup highlights or YouTube Shorts.
Suddenly, something crossed her mind.
“Oh, Lee Ji-yeon.”
“What?”
“I want to do some idol activities.”
“…What?”
Seoyeon’s sudden declaration left Ji-yeon baffled.
It felt like the perfect moment for an out-of-the-blue comment.
‘Has she been interested in the drama club all this time?’
Thinking back, after The Past: Looking Back, she’d been eagerly waiting for Seoyeon to join the drama club.
But even considering that possibility, Ji-yeon wasn’t convinced Seoyeon had brought this up because of the drama club.
“…Which club?”
“eSports club.”
Seoyeon genuinely wanted to get better at gaming.
She was serious.
—
“Is the guest this time an actress?”
“Hmmm.”
In the Star Fisher meeting room, the fixed cast members, Song Gwang-min and Lee Sang-soo, wore awkward expressions.
“Have you… fished before?”
“Can’t say I know much about that.”
“Hmmm.”
Well, seeing a young girl go fishing with two older guys could have its charm.
But in terms of broadcasting, it was hard to gauge how it would play out.
“She’s on the rise after The Chaser and Dream Future, right?”
“Ah, hasn’t Teacher Lee not seen her work?”
“I haven’t seen it. I’m a bit out of touch with the young dramas lately.”
Lee Sang-soo, in his mid-fifties, was not exactly well-versed in thrillers.
He’d tried to watch Dream Future, but it didn’t resonate with him at all.
‘They’ve mentioned he’s in a slump lately, though.’
Star Fisher‘s PD Jeong Seung-hyun sighed internally in disappointment.
Lee Sang-soo.
An esteemed veteran actor with a plethora of hits under his belt, including three movies grossing over 10 million.
To top it off, he was the lead in two of them.
‘After his disastrous experience in Hollywood, he lost his will to act.’
Five years ago, when he tried to make it overseas believing it was his last chance, Lee Sang-soo faced significant setbacks.
The role didn’t fit him, and the Hollywood execs barely gave him any decent parts at all.
He may have been promised a significant supporting role, but his screentime hadn’t even hit five minutes.
That experience led him to abandon his overseas ambitions and return to Korea.
After a return with a drama, he faced a barrage of harsh critiques.
Lee Sang-soo took a break after that, but PD Jeong Seung-hyun felt compelled to bring him onto Star Fisher.
His only hobby—fishing.
“If only I were a bit younger, she could be like a granddaughter, and we’d sync so much better.”
“On the other hand, if she hooks up with a guy, it might work.”
The middle-aged man chiming in was slightly younger than Lee Sang-soo.
Song Gwang-min made no secret of his love for fishing.
So he seemed uneasy about having an actress who might know nothing about fishing as a guest.
“What if she complains when trying to ride the boat? Can she even keep her balance?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. We’ve checked everything out.”
“…Hmm. I know PD Jeong is thorough, but…”
Seemingly a bit embarrassed, Song Gwang-min cleared his throat.
But the frown didn’t fully disappear.
‘But PD Shin knows what he’s doing.’
Shin Young-woo, director of Survival Without People.
He had been a senior of Jeong Seung-hyun at school.
Through that connection, he had heard about Joo Su-yeon, and after gathering intel, he managed to extend an invitation.
‘As long as half of what I’ve heard is true, we’re good.’
That’d be more than enough to grab ratings.
After all, the remaining factors, her looks and recognition, would boost viewer engagement substantially.
That was precisely what Jeong Seung-hyun had in mind.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
