No. 1 Actress
At Director Park’s story, Director Kim’s eyes went wide.
“So you signed with that Futures or whatever too?”
Director Park muttered as he tilted back a shot of soju.
“Mm...”
“Don’t drag it out, you bastard!”
“Want the truth?”
“Are you planning to lie to me?”
Director Park drained the soju in one gulp before answering.
“I did sign.”
A low sigh slipped out of Director Kim.
“Hey! No matter how good the terms are, what kind of newbie investment company are you—”
“I checked with a lawyer. There’s nothing wrong with the contract.”
“Still, damn it!”
Director Park nodded.
“I get what you’re worried about, Director Kim, but let’s be realistic for a second.”
He lifted his thumb and pointed at the ceiling.
“The contract’s clean, and the terms are good. I even heard the directors I know got their deposits up front.”
Director Kim’s eyes widened again.
They were paying the deposit in advance?
What, were they not some washed-up commercial directors, but the ghosts of Chungmuro themselves?
As Director Kim stood there looking awkward, Director Park slowly went on.
“It’s a little suspicious since it’s a new investment company, sure. But if the contract’s fine and they’re giving us the deposit, and they’re even advancing the production budget... if you don’t take that—”
He let the sentence trail off with a shrug.
“Wouldn’t you just be an idiot? Huh?”
Director Kim’s mouth closed into a thin line.
‘If you don’t take it, you’re an idiot?’
Right.
On the surface, if you passed on this, you really would be an idiot.
That was when Director Kim started to get a little restless.
‘Damn it, should I have just closed my eyes and stamped it today?’
Was he going to throw away a golden opportunity just because he wanted to look cautious?
As his thoughts tangled up, Director Park scratched his chin slowly.
“But aren’t you curious about one thing?”
Pulled out of his daze, Director Kim asked, “What?”
“No, it’s not that strange for a new investment company to show up and invest in indie films, but this is the first time I’ve seen them sign so many directors at once, isn’t it?”
“...Well, yeah.”
“I mean, if that young CEO at Futures has developed some kind of art-obsessed fever, I can almost understand it. But the investors who put money into Futures...”
Director Park tilted his head, bewildered.
“Can they really accept this situation? Their precious investment money’s being sucked dry by the ghosts of Chungmuro.”
***
Leaning against the wall, I watched the script reading room.
Staff, managers, and even the actors who had just finished their reading.
Everyone gathered there was sneaking glances at me.
In my head, the stories I’d just heard kept replaying.
Baek Ji-won’s pick. Baekhak’s man. The million-hit manager.
There had even been the ridiculous rumor that I was Park Yu-hyeon’s successor.
My expression turned strange.
‘When did that kind of rumor spread?’
...No, more than that, those people.
They actually believed it?
I couldn’t make sense of it.
Baek Ji-won’s pick was one thing, but Park Yu-hyeon’s successor was pure nonsense, wasn’t it?
The man was still active in the field, for crying out loud.
‘How am I supposed to explain this?’
Should I step forward and say it’s not true?
But the situation had already moved past the point where I could just do that.
“Heh heh... the atmosphere at the script reading is terrific.”
The middle-aged man standing beside me gave a little laugh, and my face soured.
“Since the mood is this good at the reading, I’m really looking forward to the drama shoot too. Isn’t that right, Team Leader Kwon?”
The bearded man’s identity was, surprisingly enough, MBN’s head, Director Kang.
I let out a heavy sigh in my head.
‘What am I supposed to explain when I’m standing next to a terrestrial drama department head like this?’
***
The actors gathered for the script reading all looked toward one place.
“So that’s Team Leader Kwon?”
At one middle-aged actor’s remark, the actress beside him rolled her eyes in fascination.
“So I heard. Supposedly he’s Baek Representative’s pick.”
“Oh my, you heard that rumor too?”
“After *Black Bride* hit ten million, I bet that rumor made its way around to just about every actor out there. Our own representative has definitely been taking an interest.”
Kwon Hyeon-bin, who had been sitting with an unreadable expression, perked up.
‘Team Leader Kwon is Baek Representative’s pick?’
Hmm...
Interesting.
Very interesting.
He leaned in a little more and kept eavesdropping.
“Just the fact that he’s the manager in charge of Actress Lee Ha-eun is impressive enough, isn’t it?”
“Exactly. I heard Actress Lee Ha-eun went through fifty managers.”
“Wait, seriously? How difficult would she have to be to chew through fifty managers?”
As the actors clicked their tongues, an actress who seemed to know more about Team Leader Kwon raised her hand.
“So isn’t that exactly why Team Leader Kwon is such a big deal? He’s still the one managing Actress Lee Ha-eun.”
“That’s how you’re reading it?”
“That’s how it is! Besides, according to our representative...”
The actress lowered her voice and whispered.
“The manager over there picked *Queen of Joseon* and *Black Bride*, where Actress Lee Ha-eun hit back-to-back home runs!”
“Oh, really? Is that true?”
“Yes! So our representative was seriously saying maybe *The Wise Life of a Namhae Intern Doctor* will even hit a 20 percent rating!”
“Because it’s the drama picked by the manager who picked *Queen of Joseon* and *Black Bride*?”
The actress snapped her fingers.
“Doesn’t that feel promising? Honestly, one hit could be a fluke, but this is a manager who hit home runs on two consecutive projects picking ours!”
At that, the actors’ expressions shifted.
‘Could that be?’
‘No, that’s too much. A drama’s success doesn’t hinge on one person’s pick.’
‘But then again, who knows? There are people who are weirdly good at predicting this sort of thing.’
‘Besides, *Queen of Joseon* and *Black Bride* aren’t exactly ordinary dramas or films.’
One was a drama with a 25 percent rating.
The other was a full-blown ten-million-viewer film.
If it was true that the manager who picked those projects had also picked *The Wise Life of a Namhae Intern Doctor*, it really would be an interesting fact.
Then the actress who had been acting like she knew Team Leader Kwon suddenly turned and shouted, “Actor Kwon Hyeon-bin!”
The Hallyu star, who had been listening hard to the actors’ conversation, jolted and his shoulders twitched.
Then the actress asked him brightly, “In your opinion, what kind of person is Team Leader Kwon?”
All eyes turned to Kwon Hyeon-bin.
“Right, the manager in charge of Actor Kwon is Team Leader Kwon, isn’t it?”
“Oh my, the two of them have the same surname? How interesting.”
“Actor Kwon, tell us. Is that manager really that amazing? Does he do his job well?”
At the barrage of questions, Kwon Hyeon-bin composed his expression and answered.
“Are you asking about Team Leader Kwon?”
“Yeah, that Team Leader Kwon!”
A look of quiet thought settled over Kwon Hyeon-bin’s face.
Was he actually considering it?
For some reason, thinking that kind of gorgeous face was in thought only drew more attention.
And then, just as Kwon Hyeon-bin became the center of everyone’s focus, he spoke.
“He’s the best.”
The actors’ eyes widened.
“The best? That guy Team Leader Kwon?”
“Yes. Of all the managers I’ve ever met...”
Kwon Hyeon-bin let the sentence hang, then said with certainty, “he’s the best partner by far.”
Low gasps rippled through the actors.
“Wow... if Actor Kwon says that much, then maybe the rumor wasn’t nonsense.”
“He must really be an incredible manager. Well, if he wasn’t capable, rumors like that wouldn’t even spread.”
“Actor Kwon, Actor Kwon! Then is it true that Team Leader Kwon also picked *The Wise Life of a Namhae Intern Doctor*?”
At the actress’s question, Kwon Hyeon-bin answered at once.
“I’m not sure about the word ‘picked.’ But...”
At his confident answer, the actors’ eyes went round.
“The reason I ended up in *The Wise Life of a Namhae Intern Doctor* was because Team Leader Kwon recommended it, so I’d say he probably did pick it.”
***
I was still wondering how on earth this absurd rumor had spread when I suddenly felt a hot stare from the actors’ table.
“?”
...No, wait.
Why were those people, who should have been getting ready for the reading, staring at me again?
When I glanced toward Kwon Hyeon-bin in disbelief, our Hallyu star suddenly gave me a thumbs-up.
-Flash!
“??”
I blinked stupidly.
...What the hell was that gesture supposed to mean?
At that moment, Director Kang, standing beside me, called out, “Team Leader Kwon? By any chance, did you hear that Ho PD is planning a special broadcast?”
I nodded a moment later and answered, “Yes. I heard the script reading itself is being scheduled as the first episode of a special broadcast.”
“Ha ha, it’s rare for a network to put together a plan like this these days, but somehow it came to that.”
Director Kang looked at me knowingly.
I instinctively picked up on what he wanted to hear and said, “Once the special broadcast date is set, Baekhak will be giving it our full support, Director.”
“Oh, that’s really appreciated. Marketing costs have been brutal lately, so we’ve had a lot to worry about. If Baekhak’s promotion team gives us a hand, that’ll be a real relief.”
As he said that, the look in Director Kang’s eyes practically dripped honey.
I ignored it and thought, ‘So I’m the main attraction here?’
Drama director, actors, staff, managers.
The people gathered for the script reading seemed more interested in me than in the acting.
‘At this rate, are the making-of cameras going to start following me around too?’
Seriously, should I move seats?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, Ho PD stood up and shouted, “All right, actors! We’ll begin the reading now!”
The eyes that had been trained on me began to fade.
Good. Looks like I won’t need to clear out after all.
Rubbing the back of my stiff neck, I turned toward the script reading room.
Ho PD was raising the room’s focus, meeting each actor’s eyes one by one.
“Since this is a private reading, everyone just relax. Then, Actor Kwon Hyeon-bin.”
At Ho PD’s call, even the attention that still lingered on me vanished.
It all gathered instead on the true lead of this reading.
Hallyu star Kwon Hyeon-bin.
With his usual blank expression, he opened the script.
“Scene 3, the part where Han Hye-seong examines the villagers of Namhae. Please read it lightly.”
***
A low silence settled over the reading room.
“............”
Maybe because this was a private reading and they hadn’t invited the press, the atmosphere was remarkably still and quiet for a terrestrial drama script reading.
But the actors, reading the script with serious expressions, were burning with intensity.
Especially the drama’s lead, Kwon Hyeon-bin. His eyes were anything but ordinary.
“Grandma, your ECG shows a slight arrhythmia. It’s not a serious issue, but you’ll need to keep getting checked regularly.”
His gaze was sharp. And because he was dressed in a black suit, the aura pouring from his back felt especially striking today.
But unlike that overall impression, Kwon Hyeon-bin’s voice was very warm.
The expression he wore as he delivered the lines, the gestures that appeared in little flashes from time to time.
Even those small movements carried an odd kind of softness.
Watching his performance, I let out a quiet murmur of admiration.
‘The Namhae intern doctor lead, Han Hye-seong, fits him perfectly.’
Han Hye-seong was warm, and kind to everyone.
He was the complete opposite of Kwon Hyeon-bin, who didn’t easily open up to anyone.
And yet Kwon Hyeon-bin was reproducing that completely different image through precise facial acting and vocal tone.
How could he do that?
To someone like me, who knew nothing about acting, it was astonishing.
But one thing was certain.
I could feel, down to the bone, how much work and research had gone into shaping that character through this performance.
And the flawless acting born from that effort drew everyone’s eyes.
From the actors attending the reading to Ho PD, the chief producer, everyone was unable to look away from Kwon Hyeon-bin.
“...Wow, he’s really good. Kwon Hyeon-bin.”
“No wonder Director Na Jun-hu, who’s already had two ten-million hits, called Kwon Hyeon-bin a genius.”
“Hey, look at that. The detail is completely alive. Even twirling the pen while delivering the line right now is a gesture he must’ve studied to bring Han Hye-seong to life.”
As the low murmurs around me rose and fell, my lips curved faintly.
Then the smartphone in my pocket vibrated softly.
I gave a small bow to Director Kang beside me and stepped out of the reading room.
“Investor.”
At the voice coming through the phone, my eyes widened slightly.
At this point, there was only one person who would call me an investor.
“Hearing you call, I guess the contract went through, Representative Im.”
At my question, Im Hyeon-seong, my ten-year friend and the CEO of Futures Investment, answered in a tired voice.
-Yeah, damn it. As of yesterday, we’ve signed investment contracts with six of the directors on the list you gave me.
“You’re moving faster than I expected.”
-We offered better terms than the industry average. Of course it moved fast.
“What about the other four?”
-After meeting them, it sounds like they’ll come around soon. But...
He trailed off, then asked in a worried voice,
-Are you really okay with this?
“With what?”
-No, I mean, if you keep giving this much away, is there anything left for us?
Im Hyeon-seong, CEO of Futures Investment, pointed out the practical problem.
-We’re a new investment company, so offering better-than-average terms isn’t strange, but if the conditions are like this, breaking even won’t be easy. You sure you’re okay with that?
At his words, I fell into thought for a moment.
Breaking even wouldn’t be easy, huh...
He was right.
Just as Hyeon-seong said, the terms I’d offered Chungmuro’s directors were far above the industry average.
Considering that the films I was investing in were indie films, not commercial ones, it was going to be hard to break even unless they were massive hits.
‘But what if all of them become the year’s standout indie films?’
Then the terms I’d offered wouldn’t matter at all.
In the end, whether you set the terms stingy or generous, the film still had to succeed before the investor could make money.
And I knew the films I’d invested in were all going to succeed.
“Don’t worry. There’s no problem.”
At my answer, Hyeon-seong let out a long sigh.
-...Man, I don’t know what to say.
“If you don’t know, just trust your older brother and follow along, damn it.”
-Cut the crap and tell me: contract the remaining four on these same terms too?
“Please do.”
After ending the call with Hyeon-seong, I didn’t go back into the reading room. Instead, I scrolled through my phone.
Pulling up the June calendar, I slowly stroked my chin.
“It’s June now.”
The Busan International Film Festival, the crown jewel of indie films, is held in October.
If the investment goes in now and filming and editing are all completed, then the films I’ve backed should all be able to attend Busan as planned.
I nodded.
“Perfect timing.”
With the leaves turning in autumn,
it felt like the season for harvest, when I’d just have to gather up the seeds I’d scattered.
Then my phone, which had only just finished the call with Hyeon-seong, rang again.
“Hello?”
-Manager Kwon! How have you been?
My eyes widened.
“Yes, Teacher Kim Ye-seon. I’ve been well. But if you’re calling me, then...”
-Yes! We just got in touch a moment ago, so I called right away!
At Teacher Kim Ye-seon’s words, my heart began to beat low but fast.
-Manager Kwon, I just got in contact with that student Kang Seon-woo you were looking for, and he said he wanted to meet you too. What should we do? Should I set up a meeting?