Joining Up
"Bernard Fenton?"
"According to them, he first saw you at the Korea Arts Awards and has been keeping a close eye on you ever since. Their casting system works a bit differently from ours. Even for a well-known actor, they usually take about four months and run several rounds of auditions to make sure the performer truly fits the role."
Yeon-woo nodded as he listened to CEO Kim Ju-seong.
He had watched enough documentaries on overseas casting to have a rough idea of how the system worked.
"Hmm. If I take this project and actually shoot it, it'll be the first time my name reaches an international audience."
"Once Master Plan finishes its theatrical run, it'll be exported to multiple countries as well. Still, a formal launch would be a first. Flip to the next page—there's a rough outline, even if it isn't very detailed."
At Kim Ju-seong's words, Yeon-woo turned the page.
A noir action series in which figures from various nations become entangled as they converge on a single goal.
"That's really just a bare-bones summary. Barely enough to grasp the premise."
"That's how they usually operate. Once you decide to audition, they'll give you more. And if you don't like what you see after that, you're free to pull out."
Kim Ju-seong lifted the cup in front of him, took a sip of water, then laced his fingers together with an easy expression.
"Of course, Bernard Fenton's involvement means this is a blockbuster-scale project—a genuine opportunity. But looking at your current standing and momentum in Korea, there's no need to rush. Even if you accept, nothing will start immediately. They like to take their time. The audition schedule probably won't lock in until early next year."
Yeon-woo nodded, turning the offer over in his mind.
Noir action, huh…
In his previous life, existence itself had been a noir action film, so he had never particularly liked the genre. Yet if he were to do one, it would also be the genre he could perform better than anyone.
It's not as if I'm going to avoid every noir action role for the rest of my career. Reality and fiction are different things.
Having made up his mind, Yeon-woo gave a firm nod.
"I'll give it a shot. Sounds fun."
As if he had expected exactly that answer, Kim Ju-seong smiled.
"Given how fluent you are with languages, I thought it would be a good opportunity. We'll proceed on that understanding."
Looking at him, Yeon-woo spoke again.
"On a different note, thank you so much for helping Actress Jeong Su-yeon last time. I kept wondering whether I'd asked too much—she isn't even under our agency, after all."
Gratitude was genuine, but Yeon-woo also hoped he might glean some information about Byeon Hak-gyu from the CEO.
Kim Ju-seong simply shook his head as if it were nothing.
"Don't give that a second thought. Byeon Hak-gyu of Plus10 came in as a rookie back when I was still working on set. Greed has always been his problem. Even when he was young he was forever causing trouble… Ah, I believe young people call this TMI these days. Haha."
Yeon-woo smiled and shook his head.
"Not at all."
"Leaving the Netflix matter aside, I was thinking it might be good for you to rest a little during your break—do some non-project work. Commercials, fan meetings… there's plenty outside of actual productions."
Yeon-woo nodded.
"If I choose Netflix, it would be difficult to jump into another major project during the prep period anyway. Understood, sir."
Soon a staff member brought in the meal, and they wrapped up the meeting with warm conversation about the projects Yeon-woo had recently finished.
After that he went down to Daejeon, spent time with his family, and the next day found him working out at home when his smartphone chimed.
Ding—
After weeks of radio silence while Seong-sik prepared for midterms, the message finally arrived. Yeon-woo replied.
The call came through almost immediately.
"Yeah, Seong-sik."
"Yeon-woo, I saw the articles. Congrats on wrapping the shoot. And nice work thrashing that pervert and catching him."
Seong-sik's completely unfiltered directness drew a snort of laughter from Yeon-woo.
"You really say whatever comes into your head."
"Oh, and Yeon-woo—what are you doing this weekend?"
"This weekend? Probably monitoring episodes 11 and 12 of Star Beyond the River? I'm down at the family house right now."
"Oh, then how about coming with Jun-su, Ju-hyeong, and one other college friend to a private villa?"
Yeon-woo tilted his head at that.
"Ju-hyeong—my college classmate?"
"We ran into each other again at the inter-university presentation contest. We've gotten pretty close since then."
"Your social skills never quit, do they, Woo Seong-sik."
"Anyway, I bombed midterms because of you. Between watching Star Beyond the River and Master Plan, I had zero time to study."
Having personally tutored Seong-sik back in high school, Yeon-woo snorted again, checked the calendar, and nodded.
"You were slacking off again, weren't you. Anyway, I can make it. What about Noona Yu-ri and Su-yeon?"
"Guys only this time. Yu-ri's mad at Jun-su for something."
"Got it. The old crew getting back together after a while."
"Hell yeah, I'm already hyped. Let's go hard on the friendship juice. Yeon-woo, melt my heart like deer antler."
Click—
"…That bastard Woo Seong-sik."
Yeon-woo stared at his phone in disbelief, shook his head, and went back to his workout.
Meanwhile, at the KBC1 drama department, they were checking the rebroadcast ratings for Star Beyond the River, which aired every Tuesday from 1 p.m.
"Hahahaha! This is an absolute smash."
Director Hwang and the programming staff sat across from each other, grinning so hard their mouths nearly split as they reviewed the numbers.
The figures handed over by the ratings company were spectacular. Afternoon rebroadcasts normally pulled about twenty percent of the original broadcast's audience—yet this one had cleared forty percent.
"Director, at this rate we might break twenty-five percent this weekend."
"Ryu Yeon-woo is a walking gold mine. Oh, right—so nobody got hurt in that incident yesterday?"
Director Lee Sang-hun thought, They sure ask fast, as he answered the chuckling pair.
"Yes, thankfully both of them are fine."
"Good, good. From the movie all the way to the media buzz—everything's going beautifully. Hahaha!"
Lee Sang-hun was pleased with the rising ratings too, of course, but the thought of something bad happening to actors he had grown fond of during filming weighed on him.
Still, the fact that the situation had been resolved cleanly with no injuries left him exhaling in relief.
And the Seo Ji-eun he was worrying about was currently sitting on her living-room sofa, staring blankly into space.
Pupils unfocused, she gazed at empty air, lost in deep thought.
Her mother finished the dishes in the kitchen, came out, and approached with a look of pity at the sight of her daughter.
Tears welling, she pulled her daughter into a tight hug.
"Huh? What is it?"
"My baby, you must have been so scared. Just staring off into space like that."
"No, it's not that. I'm trying to figure out what gift to get Yeon-woo. A wallet feels too ordinary, right?"
"…What?"
The unexpectedly bright tone made her mother pull back and stare.
Seo Ji-eun clenched both fists and nodded firmly.
"The criminal's been caught and everything's resolved—no reason to mope! Fighting! But seriously, what would he actually like?"
Watching her daughter rummage for her phone to search for gift ideas, her mother felt relieved—and, at the same time, privately flabbergasted by the absurdly positive mindset of the child she herself had raised.
"There's a ton piled up."
The day before the villa trip with his friends, Yeon-woo finished dinner with his family and headed back up to Seoul. By the time he was driving, a flood of group-chat messages had accumulated.
Reading from the top, it seemed they had originally planned to bring one more college friend, but that person had bailed at the last minute.
Hmm? Did they book a five-on-five futsal match or something?
The mention of needing matching numbers against the other team made him tilt his head—then a certain someone suddenly came to mind, and he typed.
Yeon-woo read the messages and, just in case, placed a call.
Rrring—
"Yeah? Yeon-woo, what's up?"
"Hey, any schedule this weekend? I'm heading out with some friends and wondered if you wanted to come. All guys."
"…Hmm. Do those friends like movies?"
The person on the other end was Jin Yu-han.
True to form for the acting-obsessed Jin Yu-han, he asked a question Yeon-woo had never expected.
Do they like movies? Well, my college classmate Ju-hyeong is definitely a total film buff.
Yeon-woo nodded to himself and continued.
"Yeah, I think so. One of them is a complete movie maniac."
"Alright. Then I'll go."
Jeong Su-yeon had described Jin Yu-han as an impenetrable fortress among child actors—someone hard to approach. The cool, casual acceptance was more surprising than Yeon-woo had anticipated.
"Great. I'll pick you up Saturday morning. Send me your address, Yu-han."
Yeon-woo hung up and typed into the group chat.
Just what the hell did they reserve…
And so Yeon-woo kept Jin Yu-han as his special guest trump card, while his friends hid their exciting leisure activity as theirs—and the next day arrived.
"Ji-eun must have been really shaken. Glad you didn't get hurt either."
"I called her—she's tougher than I expected. We're here."
Yeon-woo had picked up Jin Yu-han first thing in the morning and returned to the officetel.
"They'll be here soon. Let's get out and wait a bit."
As Yeon-woo and Jin Yu-han stretched beside the car, a van pulled up with the familiar diesel rumble.
Rumble—
"Yo, Yeon-woo man."
"That doesn't suit you at all."
Seong-sik, hopping on the current hip-hop wave, threw exaggerated hand gestures and tried to copy a rapper's greeting. Yeon-woo's deadpan roast made him wilt instantly.
Jin Yu-han stood beside Yeon-woo, watching with open curiosity at how casually Yeon-woo treated his friends.
"Introductions. This is Jin Yu-han, the friend joining us today."
"Hello."
At Yeon-woo's introduction, Jin Yu-han removed his hat and mask and greeted them.
"Holy crap. I had a feeling, but…"
"…Oh damn. Baam."