Chapter 28
-Signature's L'Vyu, cast as the villain Jin Dong-ho in UBS's Wednesday-Thursday drama Moment — L'Vyu, we will do our best.
-L'Vyu joins UBS Wednesday-Thursday drama — writer Min A-ru's influence was strong...
-Various reactions to L'Vyu's casting — is L'Vyu's supporting role casting too early?
-PD O Chang-seok praised L'Vyu's acting and cast him — the acting controversy was strongly denied.
-JMT's casting was fair — L'Vyu himself remains silent...
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After several rounds of table readings, the news that Kim Deok-su had been cast spread through public opinion.
The reactions were all over the place.
"Oppa L'Vyu, fighting!" -
-Even if it came out of nowhere, once I see L'Vyu act, my legs will obey. My legs.
└That leg might actually...
└They say that guy has ten legs or something.
-It wasn't at all sudden. Min A-ru writer has great casting instincts. We'll support you.
-L'Vyu has been acting for a while now. I'm looking forward to it... you'll all cry from laughing.
-It came out of nowhere, but it can work.
-lol lol lol lol lol JMT must have spent money lol lol lol lol lol
-Enough already, make Deok-su practice singing more lol lol lol lol lol lol
-L'Vyu's career seems a little tight for a Wednesday-Thursday supporting role. He's only done morning dramas, supporting roles, or indie films. Suddenly a supporting role? His screen time will keep shrinking until he disappears.
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The casting news about Kim Deok-su caused the biggest stir of all.
His image had been restored after several scandals, but the fact that he was an ex-idol and his limited filmography made controversy inevitable.
Plus, Min A-ru's power as a bestselling writer wasn't strong enough in everyone's eyes, so the debate grew even louder.
Looking at the articles, the president of Moment's production company, Hayanaru, White Lotus, Lee Min-kwon grabbed his forehead.
"Min writer, did you see that? She's a total typhoon. I'm done."
"Actually, it's good. The station will handle the promotion on its own."
"Yeah, yeah... thanks to her, the ratings are going to explode. Just like that."
The president's tense neck muscles tightened at Min A-ru's brazenness.
He had already had to calm down the YiDooyoo side, which was threatening to cancel the PPL contract at the last minute.
But Min A-ru was unfazed. No, she was downright bold.
She had her own reasons to be confident.
"Watch this. They'll all be shocked and fall over."
"Did Kim Deok-su really act that well?"
"Way better than expected."
Min A-ru spoke confidently, but Lee Min-kwon's unease refused to fade.
Lee Hui-yeong now had a new problem.
The company had assigned two staff members just to "team" her.
The road manager was fine. He was two years younger, fresh-faced, and worked hard.
The real headache was stylist Mun A-rim.
The seven-year-older team leader stylist was radiating an energy that made her hard to approach.
"I'll stop by Cheongdam-dong tomorrow. Since Deok-su is a chaebol second son, I'll look for a watch and suits that fit the role."
"Understood. The maker is..."
"Deok-su said he doesn't have any preferred makers."
It was ordinary business talk, but a thin wall still existed between them.
Neither Lee Hui-yeong nor Mun A-rim could bridge the gap easily.
They were worlds apart from the relaxed Deok-su.
"Deok-su, do you have any style preferences?"
"It doesn't matter. Just something that's been popular among chaebols lately."
"Got it. I'll work hard."
Mun A-rim listed the items she needed and chatted with the fidgeting Park Hyeon-woo.
'...They already click so well.'
Lee Hui-yeong shook her head as she dismissed the thought.
While she did, Deok-su playfully punched Park Hyeon-woo's arm.
"Hyeon-woo. You said this was your first job, right?"
"Yes, hyung. You asked twice already."
Deok-su smiled awkwardly.
Park Hyeon-woo had dropped out of a local junior college and joined through an acquaintance.
At first he had been nervous hearing Deok-su's bad reputation, but once they started working together, the "gangster" label felt far away.
Deok-su had looked out for him in every way.
Instead of treating him like a kid, he had taken care of him and taught him everything kindly.
Thanks to that, within days they had become like big and little brothers.
Thanks to Park Hyeon-woo's quick adaptation and handling of small tasks, Lee Hui-yeong could focus on her real work of scheduling and sales.
Inserting her phone, Lee Hui-yeong said,
"Oppa. The president asked if Menclothing can sponsor the drama's outfits. What should we do?"
"We have to check if the clothes match the character's personality."
"A chaebol second son wearing Menclothing... it's a bit..."
Lee Hui-yeong shook her head.
Deok-su had even dieted for the role. She knew better than anyone how seriously he took character details.
Looking at the Menclothing homepage, Mun A-rim said,
"The brand matters, but if Deok-su can pull it off, it's different."
"But now everyone researches the brand. People might feel weird..."
"They might. But if he wears it like high-end brands? It could be even better."
The opinions of Mun A-rim and Lee Hui-yeong refused to narrow.
After listening for a long time, Deok-su quietly spoke up.
"Let's try them on first and decide. If they don't suit, we can't force it..."
"Got it! Then I'll stop by there tomorrow too."
As Mun A-rim, full of energy, turned to leave, Deok-su added one more line.
"When it comes to fittings, you're the expert, right?"
Mun A-rim paused for a second, then nodded.
"Of course. It's been a while since anyone said that..."
After the contract renewal, Deok-su received even more support.
Foreign language training was one of them.
Among English, Chinese, and Japanese, he had chosen Chinese first.
"No matter how much I emphasize the importance of tones, it's never enough. Every pronunciation has different meanings..."
JMT assigned a beautiful academy teacher who was active in the language scene.
Celebrities who knew Chinese got massive premiums when working in China, but few could master the difficult language.
'Chinese and English are musts. I'll prepare gaps whenever I have time.'
The acting stage wasn't just Korea.
Hollywood, China's Charliewood, Cannes, and Berlin in Germany were all vast and varied.
After the Chinese lesson, in the break room, Deok-su was cooling his hot hair when he noticed a tired man sitting alone.
"Ryu Gang-hyeok? Didn't you have a schedule today?"
"...Kim Deok-su. You're here too."
Signature's leader Ryu Gang-hyeok sat on a chair, looking exhausted.
His loose clothes were soaked with sweat.
"You were practicing dance."
"It happened to be a rest day. Just wanted to loosen up."
"You're working hard. The others are all resting..."
"Rest is important. You know that."
Today was one of the rare Signature off days in a year.
Deok-su could only admire Ryu Gang-hyeok practicing even on those rare days.
Ryu Gang-hyeok quickly opened the drink Deok-su had given him and gulped it down.
"I heard you got cast in the Wednesday-Thursday drama."
"I got lucky. Everyone talks so much."
"Everyone talks because they're interested. And luck... you've been doing well, so casting is natural."
"When you put it that way, it really sounds like that."
"Haha. What can I say. Still a bit sad though. I thought you'd return to Signature right after the contract."
A hint of regret appeared on Ryu Gang-hyeok's face.
Deok-su felt a little flustered. He felt bad.
But he had never considered returning, so his resolve was firm.
"Now acting is fun. I don't want to add a spoon to the Signature you all completed."
"Who said you'd add a spoon... we're all doing it together now."
"Even if you think that, the members might think differently. Fans probably won't like me returning. It might be better to just disappear like this."
Seeing Deok-su's firm stance, Ryu Gang-hyeok stopped trying to convince him.
But he still looked regretful.
The pure desire to continue working together made Deok-su feel even worse.
After a long silence, Ryu Gang-hyeok shook his head to shake off the feeling.
"I heard the role you got is a chaebol second son, right?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Are you preparing well? I've seen actors research similar roles, do camp, and do interviews."
He and Lee Hui-yeong had already looked, but finding a real chaebol second son wasn't easy.
Chaebol second sons were rarer than celebrities.
Their schedules were always packed, and they stayed hidden in their own world.
Deok-su showed his difficulty, but Ryu Gang-hyeok tilted his head in confusion.
"You... sometimes you're really stupid, huh?"
"What does that mean?"
"You have someone close, right? Our president."
It felt like he had been hit.
Only now did Deok-su remember that the president was the only daughter of the chairman of the JM Group.
Without a word, Deok-su stood up and ran to the president's office.
Despite the secretary's protests, Deok-su bargained his way in and eventually entered.
"What is it? You're acting like you're about to buy something..."
"I came because I need a favor. I'd like to learn about the president."
"...What?"
The president's mouth fell open at the sudden request.
But once she realized the reason, she crossed her arms calmly.
"...So, our Tteok-su wants to learn about me because he needs to research the chaebol second son role you're playing. Is that it?"
"Please."
"Haha! Haha! Tteok-su! This is the funniest thing you've said yet!"
The president burst into wild laughter, but Deok-su remained serious.
After laughing for a long time, she stood up and shrugged.
"Fine. Whatever. One interview is fine."
"I'd rather see the president's actions than an interview."
"Wait. Are you going to stalk me? That's crossing a line..."
"I'll do secretary work."
Only then did the president relax her arms.
It was unrealistic for Kim Deok-su, who had no secretarial experience, to take on a professional secretary role.
But driving and small tasks would be fine.
"Secretary Yang."
When the secretary entered, the president wiped her expression.
"From tomorrow, Deok-su will be my personal secretary. Teach him roughly."
The next day, Deok-su began serving President Kang Sang-mi.
The president's day flew by at breakneck speed.
She arrived at work at seven, called a department head meeting at eight, and held it for an hour.
"...President. It seems your taste in secretaries has changed."
"Don't worry about the secretary. When does Ms. Cheoren arrive?"
"At three today. I'll have a direct interview with the department head..."
Even during the meeting, the department heads stared at the secretary sitting beside the president with strange eyes.
'She's all over the place.'
The president was constantly busy.
She never had time to sit on a chair with her butt down.
Even lunch time, which should have been relaxing, was work for her.
"...President. The factors that will affect this week's revenue..."
Even after lunch, her work continued.
Her face finally relaxed at ten at night, when she was alone in a high-end bar, sipping a glass of liquor.
'Is this how chaebol second sons usually live? Jin Dong-ho would never do something like that.'
Deok-su observed every action, taking notes and memorizing habits and behaviors. In his mind, the character Jin Dong-ho slowly took shape.
On the last day of observation, the president still had a chaotic day.
In the usual bar, she was tilting her glass when she waved her hand to Deok-su to take the empty seat next to her.
Once he sat, the president silently slid her glass toward him.
"Our Tteok-su. Well done."
"I'll do my best."
"Grammar. You'll have to do Signature activities later too."
The president's sharp slap on Deok-su's shoulder left him speechless.
A few more days passed.
"We must make our drama a huge hit!"
Before the first shoot, PD O Chang-seok and writer Min A-ru bowed deeply in front of the altar.
Five ten-thousand-won bills were stuck in the pig's head.
Then the lead actors Lee Jin-ho, Kang Se-a, and Deok-su also bowed and inserted bills.
When the three came back, reporter Im Ju-ri asked the lead actors for interviews.
But Lee Jin-ho and Kang Se-a politely refused, saying they needed to concentrate.
Im Ju-ri approached Deok-su, who was preparing in the back.
"I'm sorry, but could you do an interview just once..."
"Oh, no problem. Come on. A long one will be tough..."
"It's fine. Ten minutes, or even five, is okay."
When Deok-su set down his script, the reporter's face lit up.
She had come for a broadcast station interview but had been treated coldly by the actors and left waiting for hours.
Even this small favor from Deok-su felt like an angel's gift to her.
"...Mr. L'Vyu, if you have any promises for this drama, what would they be?"
"Well, I do a little cooking. If the ratings break 33.3%, I'll have a food truck come and treat everyone to a meal for three hundred thirty-three minutes?"
The reporter's eyes widened.