Chapter 127: Glamorous Entrance
TL: Aniea
"Hello, Director."
"Oh! Aren’t you Actor Kang Woo-ju!? Please, come in. I was just waiting for you. Seems like your popularity has skyrocketed since I last saw you?"
"You flatter me."
"Ay, too much humility is harmful. Honestly, I can’t tell you how lucky we were to sign with you two before the play even started."
Hahaha-
The director of the film <Crows> that I’m appearing in, ‘Park Hee-seok’, laughed heartily.
It didn’t seem like empty words. He kept praising me and Seo Jun-woo while nodding his head.
"There’s barely a need for separate promotions. Honestly, I’d release the movie now if I could, before the hype dies down."
"It might just be possible."
"Tsks. I actually already talked about that with CEO Kim Eun-ha. The goal is to release it within the year, right?"
"That’s right."
Hmmmm-
When I agreed without the slightest hesitation, Director Park Hee-seok let out a voice that sounded troubled for the first time.
"This is your first time shooting a film, right, Actor Kang Woo-ju?"
"That’s true, but."
"No matter how many times I think it over, it’s a tough issue. Especially since our film is full of action scenes, the post-production time is going to be lengthy. I’m not sure if it’s really possible...."
"We have to make it possible."
At my firm stance, Director Park Hee-seok scratched his cheek as if gauging my mood, then continued speaking.
"Of course, I’ll also give it my all. Thanks to CEO Kim Eun-ha’s full support, we were able to hire the cast and crew and rent equipment in no time."
"Were you in a rush and happened to...."
"No, you don’t have to worry about that. CEO-nim is so capable that we ended up with a lineup far better than what I originally envisioned."
Listening to the more detailed story, it turned out that Director Park Hee-seok had prepared Plan A, B, and C in case casting fell through.
However, according to his judgment, Plan A was practically impossible, a utopian casting lineup.
And indeed, most of the actors and staff he originally tried to recruit turned him down with hesitant expressions.
"Thanks to using your name and Seo Jun-woo's, we managed to secure about half of them. I thought that alone was already a massive success...."
It must have been around that time I introduced him to Kim Eun-ha. Director Park Hee-seok raised both hands dramatically toward the sky, praising her.
"She was nothing short of a goddess descending to earth. I’ve shot quite a few films, but I’ve never met such a generous sponsor before."
"Was it really to that extent?"
"Ah, I guess she didn’t talk to you about the budget. To exaggerate a bit, it’s enough to shoot the same movie twice."
"......."
The sheer scale left me speechless for a moment. Maybe pleased with my reaction, the director chuckled and went on.
"On top of the budget support, she even contacted the agencies of the actors I was trying to cast herself."
"The agencies?"
"Yes. CEO Kim Eun-ha recently acquired an entertainment company, right? Seems she’s built up some connections during that process."
"Hooh."
Of course, it’s Kim Eun-ha.
When she first said she’d acquire an entertainment company, I thought it might be too much of a stretch, but to think she’s already built a network in this industry.
Her business skills never fail to leave me in awe. She’s created an environment where I can focus entirely on acting.
‘This is exactly what [Queen of Support] means.’
Queen of Support.
That’s one of the nicknames Kim Eun-ha recently picked up.
It came about as word spread during the drama shoot about the countless human and material resources she had provided.
Thanks to that, the origin of the enormous funding, which once sparked rumors that I might be the illegitimate child of a chaebol family, began to slowly spread on SNS.
-I’m jealous..... life.....
-Wow! His girlfriend looks like a celebrity and even has skills. On top of that, he’s tall, handsome, and good at acting? Fuck, what kind of world is this?
└ That’s exactly why he has a girlfriend like that.
└ If you’re salty, go get a girlfriend too.
└ Might as well be reborn.
Whenever the paparazzi uploaded photos of me on a public date with Kim Eun-ha, the comments section on the forums would explode that day.
Of course, the internet isn’t a place where only good things are said, so there were plenty of malicious comments too.
Most of them said things like she was being too openly supportive or that I should stop riding on her coattails.
-Yes, yes. Next patient, please?
-At that level, it’s not a parachute but a supply helicopter. Directors are grabbing his pant legs begging for him to land here, LOL.
└ This is real. My uncle works at a broadcasting station and says everyone’s dying to work on a project with Kang Woo-ju.
└ What’s the problem with someone helping him grow based on his abilities? It’s not like Kang Woo-ju lacks talent. He carried <Peaceful Chaebol Life> on his own.
└ And now Kim Eun-ha is literally the ‘CEO’, LOL. She’s nurturing actors from her own agency. Who could say anything against that?
There were so many people defending our relationship, I wondered if these were really the same netizens I knew.
Most likely, the positive image Kim Eun-ha had steadily built over time exploded through the recent Orphanage theater performance.
‘...There must be people working hard behind the scenes too.’
Simple malicious comments, and even articles full of spite, would often quietly disappear if I just waited and watched.
Though I didn’t hear the details, judging from Kim Eun-ha’s past actions, it seemed likely she had a separate media team in place.
"Anyway. Thanks to CEO-nim, the prep period was drastically shortened, and she even said she’d look into distributors and theaters for us. If we can finish filming quickly, there’s a real chance the movie could be released within the year."
"There’s no time to hesitate."
Mmm-
Director Park Hee-seok nodded heavily. Then, with a much more serious expression, he began to go over a few key points.
Once we judged the conversation had reached a good point, we headed to the designated room for the full production meeting as originally scheduled.
***
Hoo-
Kim Ji-an, a new staff member, took several deep breaths before finally managing to lift her head.
Sshhk-
Her eyes quickly scanned the inside of the meeting room. Then she noticed the people seated around the massive U-shaped table.
‘That’s Actor Seo Jun-woo!’
The one who stood out first and foremost was Seo Jun-woo sitting across from her. The idol of all actors, and even called a celebrity among celebrities.
She had thought his face was already vivid and striking even beyond the screen, but seeing him in person made her realize the camera hadn’t captured even half of his presence.
‘...Is he feeling unwell?’
According to senior colleagues and friends in the industry, Seo Jun-woo was supposed to be the mood-maker on set.
They said he’d usually break the ice, even with people he just met, by starting conversations and dissolving the subtle wall between staff and actors.
‘But right now, he feels kind of cold?’
Contrary to what she’d heard, the Seo Jun-woo in front of her felt a bit distant.
Even though he smiled and greeted anyone who made eye contact, he didn’t keep the conversation going for long.
‘He’s way more serious than I expected.’
Kim Ji-an also nodded to herself, thinking this must be what a real actor looks like.
‘...The others are incredible too.’
Starting with the 'thousand faces' actor ‘Kim Min-jae’, and even ‘Yoon Ji-soo’, who had proven her acting skills despite being a former singer-songwriter.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call this the Avengers of the Korean film industry. It was such a dazzling lineup, it might never happen again.
‘Even the supporting cast is top-tier.’
The lead actors alone must command enormous appearance fees, yet even the supporting and minor roles were filled by faces every Korean would recognize.
With all these people gathered, she couldn’t even imagine what kind of movie they were trying to make.
And that wasn’t all.
There was even an assistant director who had worked in Hollywood, and a screenwriter who received critical acclaim every time they released something.
If reporters had been present at this gathering, they could have easily produced a year's worth of articles just by interviewing each person one by one.
‘...I want to take a picture.’
The fact that she could work as a staff member on <Crows> was a stroke of luck beyond comprehension.
Word spread so fast that even friends she hadn’t heard from in years since graduation were reaching out to congratulate her.
Of course, it was a lot of pressure, but she wasn’t so spoiled that she’d throw away an opportunity that practically fell into her lap.
‘...I absolutely must not mess up!’
Gulp-!
Kim Ji-an swallowed dryly and planted her feet firmly. Working with people like this was the kind of experience money couldn't buy.
She was so nervous that even her knee joints were creaking, but she somehow managed to get herself together.
Or at least, she was trying to, when it happened.
Suddenly, her eyes landed on an empty seat in the meeting room.
‘...Judging by the location, that’s a lead actor’s seat?’
With less than a minute left before the meeting started, all the other actors and even the director were already seated, yet that seat remained empty.
Who wasn’t here yet?
Could someone really be late on the very first day?
That would be a disaster!
In just a matter of seconds, countless questions and worries flooded Kim Ji-an’s head.
“Ahem.”
“Is someone still not here?”
“Who’s this late?”
Apparently, others were thinking the same thing as they glanced at the empty seat with visible discomfort.
Everyone here was someone with nothing to be ashamed of no matter where they went, so it seemed they were especially sensitive to this sort of thing.
‘...Should I go out and look for them right now?’
She wasn’t sure if this was something the rookie staff was supposed to handle, and she couldn’t decide what to do.
That’s when it happened.
Thud-
Someone walked confidently into the meeting room. As Kim Ji-an naturally turned her head, her eyes locked with the person’s in midair.
Gasp-!
She involuntarily sucked in her breath. The man had such an intense gaze that it felt like the air was being choked out of her lungs.
It was the first time she had seen him in person, but Kim Ji-an instantly recognized who he was.
‘...Is that Kang Woo-ju?’
She had heard the bizarre rumor that he always arrived at meeting spots with not even a second's delay.
The memory of people scoffing and saying, “What kind of nonsense is that? Don’t lie”, suddenly flashed through her mind.
“.......”
“.......”
Those watching Kang Woo-ju couldn’t quite hide their discomfort, and a heavy silence descended upon the meeting room.
Kim Ji-an felt like she was walking on thin ice. From the very start, things had gone completely off track.
But as the rookie staff, she couldn’t possibly speak up, so she just sat there silently, breaking into a cold sweat, when it happened.
“Hello.”
Kang Woo-ju’s voice, excessively calm, broke the silence. He slowly looked around at the people seated in the meeting room and spoke again.
“I’m Kang Woo-ju.”
As she watched him, Kim Ji-an was so overwhelmed she lost her sense of reason and blurted out without meaning to.
“Crazy bastard....”
*****
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