Chapter 25

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Translator: Wjin

Chapter: 025

Chapter Title: Innocent Boy (1)

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Scenario

It was simple enough.

'The story of an ordinary boy arrested for murder.'

Of course, nothing inside that premise was simple at all.

Even from an objective viewpoint, the audience would end up torn between the boy's innocence and guilt.

Despite the clear evidence.

The boy's innocence, his ordinary family... At some point, viewers would forget the truth entirely.

And that forgetfulness would lead to a massive sense of betrayal toward the boy.

Confusion and doubt.

And at the center of it all, pulling the entire story along, was the 'boy'—a role that Shin Yi-han would play.

The screenwriter of the film and a rookie actor who could already deliver eerily perfect performances. It was a tremendously reassuring fact for Kwak Hoon.

In the first place, hadn't Kwak Hoon scrapped the original planned scenario on a whim and switched to Innocent Boy precisely because of Shin Yi-han?

'Honestly, filming won't be an issue at all.'

From Murder's Delusion to the finale of Blazing Inferno, and even the special teaser for Brilliant Sky.

Having witnessed Shin Yi-han's acting multiple times, Kwak Hoon couldn't help but feel even more confident.

No matter what mess he made, Yi-han would grab the film by the throat and drag it to success.

Right now, all he had to do was secure solid supporting actors with the chops to back up Innocent Boy.

However.

There was a slight problem.

'Uh... Way more applicants than expected...'

It was a modest audition room set up in the Red Film office.

Just before the auditions were about to start.

Kwak Hoon sat in the judge's seat alongside a few staff members. The writer, naturally, was absent since the process was being kept confidential.

And right now, Kwak Hoon was clutching his forehead.

This audition was meant to cast the boy's parents, sister, and various minor roles.

'When am I gonna get through all these?'

It felt hopeless from the start. Even after whittling down the list, there were still tons to see today.

'I wasn't kidding about this being a grave.'

With it being his first project, his enthusiasm had overflowed.

Kwak Hoon had invited far too many applicants. He couldn't bear to cut them without seeing them in person.

Of course, at first, he'd been thrilled.

Holy crap! So many people showing up to the audition! Things were off to a great start.

But now that he realized he had to pick just a handful from that crowd, it was a massive headache.

'Ugh... Can I even finish this on time...?!'

He'd already spent days tearing his hair out over the applications just to prep for the audition.

And it hadn't even started yet—he was already exhausted.

He'd begun with the ones who seemed least promising.

They were the people recommended by Shin Yi-han himself, the writer and lead actor, so he'd called them first... but still.

'Please make sure to audition these people. First if possible.'

'Huh? Most of them have no filming experience, though?'

Recalling his conversation with Shin Yi-han, Kwak Hoon couldn't help but look skeptical.

'Yeah, they have good faces.'

No, Yi-han. Good faces? Suddenly talking about physiognomy?

For a moment, the reliable Yi-han had seemed like just another kid his age.

Like that's gonna cut it...!

And from someone who didn't strike him as the superstitious type, it baffled Kwak Hoon even more.

Still, wanting to honor Yi-han's request, he'd invited them anyway.

"First applicant, come on in!"

He still couldn't fully trust it, though.

The first role up was the boy's father.

The second-most crucial role after the boy himself, one that would sow confusion and empathy in the audience.

But when the first applicant's audition began...

"Hello! I'm Lee Cha-beom, here for the father role!"

A middle-aged man greeted them with a booming voice.

"...?"

Kwak Hoon was thrown off by the applicant's first impression.

'Huh.'

This was someone with no experience and a weird attached photo—he'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠figured it'd be a bust.

'He doesn't look anything like his photo... If anything, the real thing...'

Somehow, it clicked right from the start.

'He's just like the father I had in mind...'

But brushing it off as coincidence, Kwak Hoon proceeded with the audition without high hopes.

Yet the more they talked...

'Uh...'

The more he acted...

'Uh...?'

Kwak Hoon couldn't shake the thought.

Maybe Shin Yi-han really did have a knack for reading faces.

"Director... I don't think we need to deliberate long on this one."

One of the staff muttered, and Kwak Hoon could only nod silently.

They'd already found him.

The boy's father.

And amazingly, the next applicant was the same. No—all the ones Shin Yi-han recommended!

Like puzzle pieces snapping perfectly into place.

They fit the scenario to a T.

The repetition sent chills down Kwak Hoon's spine.

'Y-Yi-han...?'

The tricky roles filled up in a flash.

'What the hell are you?'

It was no exaggeration to say the absent Yi-han had decided all the key castings.

'That physiognomy stuff wasn't a joke!'

Everyone Shin Yi-han recommended got cast on the spot, leaving Kwak Hoon—the only one in the know—stunned.

Great actor, great writer...

And spot-on judge of talent? Come on.

Kwak Hoon felt deflated after all his efforts sifting through applicants.

The audition wrapped up in no time.

Hearing the audition results for Innocent Boy, Shin Yi-han couldn't help but chuckle.

'Yi-han?!'

'Did you seriously study physiognomy or something...?!'

He could only imagine how intense Kwak Hoon's reaction had been.

'Or were they people you already knew?!'

'Everyone you recommended—I had no choice but to cast them all. They fit their roles like gloves...!'

Of course, Shin Yi-han just shrugged and smiled at the questions.

He might not remember lotto numbers,

but he knew the actors and scenarios inside out.

Thanks to that, he'd brought in a bunch of overlooked gems, letting Innocent Boy kick off smoothly.

Things were going very well.

And it wasn't just Innocent Boy progressing nicely.

On the day of Innocent Boy's script reading, the Brilliant Sky script reading video went public.

This was the full-scale promo ramping up ahead of Brilliant Sky's imminent episode 1 airdate.

'Right. Sis said she edited this one.'

Shin Yi-han chuckled as he checked out the freshly uploaded Brilliant Sky script reading video. He felt proud of his sister for pulling an all-nighter in the editing bay for it.

The love poured into it was obvious, and the reactions were great.

The crowd was flocking to the exact spot where his narration kicked in.

Shin Yi-han chuckled as he scrolled through the comments.

'Everyone's loving it.'

It was just a short clip from the script reading, but the strong response to those few lines felt great.

'Hope it airs soon.'

Lately, that was pretty much all he could think about.

Ah, of course, he was also thinking about today's Innocent Boy script reading.

He was on his way to Red Film right now, after all.

And when Shin Yi-han arrived at the Red Film office on time...

"Yi-han! Come on in!"

Kwak Hoon barreled out barefoot to greet him.

His excitement was palpable for this first project and first script reading. Shin Yi-han smiled and followed him in.

They headed straight ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the conference room for the reading.

A few people were already inside.

"Hello! I'm Shin Yi-han. Nice to meet you all!"

Seeing these faces he'd meet again after going back in time, Shin Yi-han greeted them warmly.

"Oh! The lead actor's here! Nice to meet you!"

"Whoa! You're the guy who played Dong-ho in Blazing Inferno, right? Awesome!"

"OMG! I loved your Dong-ho scenes!"

Excited by Shin Yi-han, the actors jumped up in surprise. To them, this publicly debuted newcomer was a novelty.

"I'm Lee Cha-beom, playing the father."

The first to extend a hand was a wrinkled, portly middle-aged man.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too. Mr. Lee Cha-beom."

Shin Yi-han shook it gladly.

As expected, a familiar face.

Lee Cha-beom.

An actor he'd deeply respected in the past, and the one who'd shone as the father in that era's Innocent Boy.

This was rock-solid.

Especially since Lee Cha-beom, despite no filming experience, had diligently studied acting at academies after work.

Back then, he'd submitted auditions everywhere, but his blank resume and oddly filtered photos kept him overlooked.

Innocent Boy back then was from an unknown writer and director, after all.

No one paid attention, so they auditioned anyone who applied.

And that unearthed this gem.

A middle-aged actor everyone would soon fight to cast.

"I'm Kim Tae-woo! Playing the homeroom teacher."

"I'm Oh Young-sook! The mom role."

The others were just as spot-on, following Lee Cha-beom.

Every name ringing out belonged to actors destined to rise high.

Not famous yet, but their talent was top-tier.

"Park Soo-jeong here, for the sister."

"Great to meet you! Jang Dong-cheol, playing the detective."

In the warm atmosphere, Shin Yi-han beamed and greeted each one.

With this lineup, Innocent Boy was set to soar. He was already buzzing with anticipation.

"Ah, I'm Choo Gyeo-ul."

But there was one fly in the ointment.

"No specific role."

Winter Entertainment's CEO, Choo Gyeo-ul, blended seamlessly among the actors.

"I came to work with Shin Yi-han. As an investor or manager."

She tossed it out playfully.

Honestly, her face was actress-level. He hadn't expected her at the script ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reading, though.

"How've you been?"

Choo Gyeo-ul smiled softly, offering her hand.

"Good. You too, CEO Choo?"

Shin Yi-han took it with a grin.

"Of course! Obviously not. Couldn't sign with actor Shin Yi-han."

Her cheeky follow-up drew another laugh from him.

"Hm."

Shin Yi-han matched her energy.

"Guess you'll be doing great soon, then. Hit me up whenever."

"...!"

He'd signaled his intent to sign, loud and clear.

Not an impulse decision.

He could've shopped around big agencies longer.

But the ones that had reached out weren't great, and many ghosted him for being "arrogant" as a rookie when he didn't bite right away.

Only Winter Entertainment had respected him to the end.

'And no matter how I slice it, they're the best for doing the acting I want freely.'

Until now, working at the same broadcaster as his sister meant no real need.

But for serious activities ahead, an agency made sense.

"Whoa!"

She was the CEO who cast indie hopefuls without hesitation,

and invested in their films to boot.

"I'll definitely call! I've got everything prepped already! My schedule's wide open now!"

Choo Gyeo-ul's eyes sparkled at his words.

"Sure. After we nail this script reading."

"Right! Yeah! Script reading first. I'll cheer from the back! Ace it, then we talk contracts!"

"Deal."

Choo Gyeo-ul buzzed with excitement before settling into her seat by the Red Film staff helping with production.

Fighting! she mouthed quietly.

Shin Yi-han chuckled and nodded, then turned back.

The room was now full of actors. Real script reading time.

"Alright! Let's get started!"

Kwak Hoon plopped down next to Shin Yi-han in the center seat.

But Choo Gyeo-ul glanced around urgently and raised her hand.

"Oh! Is the screenwriter not coming?"

She blurted it out.

"Ah... Yeah. As noted in the scenario, the writer's identity is confidential. I'll handle it solo today."

Kwak Hoon answered, sweating bullets.

"Ah... Got it."

She looked genuinely disappointed, unaware the writer was right in front of her.

Shin Yi-han stifled a laugh inside and opened his script.

And right after...

"Since some arrived late, how about quick intros around the room? I'm Kwak Hoon, the director!"

The script reading truly began.

"Shin Yi-han here, playing the protagonist boy, Kang Jae."

As writer and lead.

"Nice to work with everyone!"

This was his first script reading ever.