Chapter 158
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: The Story Waiting for Its Star
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Director Woo Jeonghan, who was looking at his phone, shot up from his seat.
The spoon, on its way to the mouth of the director of photography sitting across from him, froze in mid-air.
“What, what is it?”
“…My next project is decided.”
The director of photography blinked.
‘What does that have to do with him suddenly standing up? Still, it's a relief he's finally starting a project after three years.’
The director of photography had come to meet Director Woo Jeonghan today specifically because of his next project.
For him, it was far more comfortable in many ways to shoot with Director Woo Jeonghan, with whom he had worked for a long time, than with any other director.
‘Besides…’
Working with Director Woo Jeonghan almost guaranteed success, so he could shake off the pressure of box office performance that loomed over every shoot.
A wide smile spread across the director of photography's face as he spoke.
“Really? You're shooting a historical drama, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Let's see… What era haven't we done yet?”
Putting the suspended spoon into his mouth, the director of photography counted on his fingers, recalling the projects they had done so far.
‘We've done Sejo, Yeongjo, Sejong, and Seonjo. Hmm… Should we do Taejo Yi Seong-gye? It would be thrilling with Jeong Mong-ju and Yi Bang-won…’
Lost in thought, the director of photography looked up.
“But why are you still standing there?”
Director Woo Jeonghan, who had jumped up in the middle of his meal, was still standing in the exact same position.
“Ah, sorry.”
Seeing Director Woo Jeonghan sit down and immediately start tapping furiously on his phone, the director of photography watched for a moment before continuing his meal.
That was just the kind of guy Director Woo Jeonghan was. When he got hooked on something, everything else took a backseat.
While the director of photography ate with practiced ease, Director Woo Jeonghan was contacting the person who had sent him the message.
***
After school, Seojun was supposed to head to their new house with his mom, but he got a call from Daho.
When Daho told him Director Woo Jeonghan wanted to meet, Seojun readily agreed.
Seojun met Daho, who had come to pick him up in front of the school, and they headed to Cocoa Entertainment.
Seeing An Daho heading toward a conference room instead of the usual practice room, Seojun tilted his head.
“Hyung, aren't we going to the practice room?”
“It's under construction right now.”
“Construction? Did something break?”
It seemed something had happened to the Cocoa Entertainment practice room while Seojun had been excitedly practicing his acting in the one at home.
An Daho chuckled at Seojun's surprised tone.
“No, nothing broke. We're installing cameras in the company practice room, just like the one at your house. I showed the CEO a picture of your practice room, and he said he couldn't be outdone and started the construction right away.”
“Aha.”
Seojun nodded, his eyes sparkling.
“So they're making it exactly like the one at home?”
“Yep. The company's practice room is bigger, though, so it'll be more convenient for characters that require more movement.”
Seojun nodded at An Daho's words.
“While we're at it, we're planning to renovate the other practice rooms too. The trainees and the kids about to debut are all really excited.”
“When are the Nunas debuting? If you tell me, I'll promote them to my friends!”
An Daho burst out laughing at Seojun's comment.
The members of 'Red Crown,' Cocoa Entertainment's third group and first girl group, would have been thrilled to hear that.
Seojun and An Daho arrived at the conference room, chatting idly.
Sitting in a chair, Seojun began to read through 'Danjong,' which An Daho had printed out for him.
Just as he was completely engrossed in the script, there was a knock on the door.
“Seojun, the director is here.”
“Okay!”
Seojun stood up from his seat to greet Director Woo Jeonghan.
“Hello, Director Woo Jeonghan. I'm Lee Seojun.”
“It's good to meet you, Seojun. I saw your audition video. It was great.”
“Hehe.”
Seojun grinned at Director Woo Jeonghan's praise.
As Director Woo Jeonghan took a seat, Seojun and An Daho sat down as well.
“Thank you for deciding to take the role.”
“The script is really interesting. So much so that I really want to act in it.”
For Director Woo Jeonghan, who had written the script himself, there could be no greater compliment.
Director Woo Jeonghan smiled gently.
“I'm so glad you liked it.”
“I was happy to receive the offer, too.”
“If it wasn't for you, Seojun, I wasn't going to make this movie. So I'm the one who should be thanking you.”
“Huh?”
Seojun blinked at the director's words. Seeing his reaction, Director Woo Jeonghan faltered.
An Daho, who had been quietly observing the conversation between the director and the actor, sighed inwardly.
The conference room fell silent.
Seeing the director at a loss for what to do, Seojun tilted his head in confusion.
“Ah, I was so happy that I misspoke. I apologize.”
“No, I should have mentioned it to you beforehand…”
Seojun looked back and forth between Director Woo Jeonghan and An Daho. He wouldn't have made it if it weren't for me?
“What do you mean by that?”
An Daho began to explain at Seojun's question.
“The production and distribution company slots for 'Danjong' were empty, remember?”
“Yes.”
Back then, Daho hyung said they couldn't find any because the schedule was too tight.
‘Could it be that wasn't the real reason?’
“When the script came in, Team 2 had already guessed that if you didn't take the role of Danjong, Director Woo Jeonghan wasn't planning on making the movie at all.”
“Why?”
“Director Woo Jeonghan's films always surpass their break-even point, guaranteeing a return on investment. Since his projects are profitable investments with no risk of loss, he's a very popular director among investors.”
Hearing An Daho's words, Director Woo Jeonghan looked embarrassed. Although he knew it was true, hearing it said so directly was still a bit awkward.
Seojun nodded. He didn't know much about investments, but he knew that Director Woo Jeonghan's films were good.
“Ten days is a short time, but for a director of his caliber, finding a production company and investors is easy. The fact that nothing was lined up meant that your casting was likely the starting point for this project. That's what we thought.”
To think the existence of the film depended on his participation.
It was an unimaginable story, yet it didn't seem entirely impossible.
As Seojun nodded, Director Woo Jeonghan, the one who had sent the script, spoke up.
“If you agreed to do it, I was going to find a production and distribution company. If not, I was planning to just shelve the project.”
“But this is a great story… Even if I didn't do it, couldn't you have found another actor?”
He had heard that for 'Over the Rainbow,' they would have cast another child actor and filmed it if he hadn't accepted the role.
Assistant Director Emily had told him at the awards party that the production budget would have been cut in half, and she couldn't even imagine what kind of movie it would have become.
Director Woo Jeonghan gave a wry smile at Seojun's words.
“I've waited ten years, but I never found a Danjong who was right for the part.”
Ten years.
Seojun blinked. That was when the movie 'Sejo' was released.
Director Woo Jeonghan continued, as if recalling an old memory.
“The original script for 'Sejo' was actually this one, 'Danjong.' I wanted to make this film, but there were no child actors who fit the role. None of them met my expectations, so I had to give up. But I couldn't let it go completely, so I inserted some of 'Danjong's' lines into 'Sejo.'”
“Those lines?”
Both Seojun, who was hearing this for the first time, and An Daho, who hadn't known the full backstory, widened their eyes.
Director Woo Jeonghan smiled.
“Yes, the very lines you performed in your audition video.”
“…I see.”
“After seeing that, I knew I wanted you to play Danjong. If you had said no, it would have remained on a bookshelf somewhere, just as it has for the past ten years.”
Seojun nodded at the director's words.
‘So that's how it was. Well, that's that.’
Seojun looked at An Daho. Meeting his intense gaze, An Daho let out a soft sigh and began to speak.
“This isn't the first time a movie's production has hinged on whether you accept the role or not.”
“Huh?”
“Some of the offers you've received so far have been like that. 'This movie will only be made if Lee Seojun stars in it,' or 'This drama was written with Lee Seojun in mind.'”
An Daho continued to explain.
“When we first heard stories like that, Team 2 debated a lot about whether to tell you or not. After a long meeting, we concluded that knowing those backstories might interfere with your choice of projects. That's why we kept it from you.”
“Hmm.”
Seojun wasn't the type to choose a project because of someone else's story.
But for An Daho and Team 2, who wanted Seojun to choose his projects without any external influence, hiding these details was the best course of action.
“I was going to ask the director not to mention it until filming was over, because I was worried it would put pressure on you. But it ended up coming out anyway.”
An Daho scratched his cheek.
“I was planning to tell you after filming. It's the kind of story that would inevitably come up in interviews, and it's great for publicity.”
Seojun nodded at An Daho's explanation.
‘Well, it's not like it was something I absolutely needed to know.’
Regardless of being the actor they had waited ten years for, Seojun planned to give his all to the performance, just as he always did.
“I understand. Thanks, Daho hyung.”
“No, thank *you*. For understanding.”
An Daho breathed a sigh of relief at Seojun's words.
Honestly, he had been very worried while keeping it a secret. Would Seojun be angry that he'd hidden the truth, or would he understand?
Despite those worries, An Daho had kept his mouth shut because he wanted Seojun to choose the projects he wanted to do, without any interference.
And he planned to continue doing so in the future.
As the atmosphere in the conference room relaxed, Director Woo Jeonghan, who had been cautiously watching Seojun and An Daho, spoke up.
“We need to decide on a production company for the film. Is there any company you'd like to work with?”
“Do I have to choose?”
Director Woo Jeonghan chuckled at Seojun's question.
“I was just wondering if there was a company you were comfortable with. It would be a problem if I chose one that didn't get along with you, Seojun.”
“I'm fine with anything. 'The Devil' was the first and last movie I filmed in Korea, so I don't really know any production companies here.”
“Really? Then is it okay if I pick a good one?”
“Yes!”
At Seojun's reply, Director Woo Jeonghan thought back to the project where he had felt most at ease during filming.
***
The head of the planning team at 'Dahong' film production company beamed at the message that had just arrived. He shot up from his seat and checked his schedule.
“What are you doing, chief?”
“Director Woo Jeonghan is doing his next film.”
At the mention of Director Woo Jeonghan, the entire planning team broke into wide smiles.
Working with Director Woo Jeonghan was easier compared to other directors, and securing investments was a breeze.
“It's going to be a historical drama again, right?”
“Ah, if it's a historical drama these days, isn't it that one? The one about Danjong.”
“With Lee Seojun?”
“He already covered the Danjong story in 'Sejo.'”
A team member replied to the team leader's comment.
“Then shouldn't we reconsider? If Lee Seojun films a Danjong movie, it'll come out around the same time as ours. We'll probably get crushed.”
“True, if people had to choose between the two, they'd go see the Lee Seojun movie.”
“Me too.”
The team leader crossed his arms at his team's comments.
“We can just film it now and release it when the timing is right. It's not uncommon for a release to be delayed by a year or so. When Lee Seojun's movie is announced, everyone else will lay low. We can just lay low with them.”
“That's true.”
It might be different for an animated film, a children's movie with a completely different target audience, or a movie from another genre entirely. But for the same genre…
No film had the courage to be released at the same time as a Lee Seojun movie.
“Director Woo Jeonghan, has he decided on the lead actor?”
“With all the actors he's worked with and his own reputation, I'm sure finding a lead won't be a problem.”
“Hold on.”
-Director, do you have an actor in mind for the lead role?
The message from Director Woo Jeonghan, which he expected to arrive right away, took some time.
While the planning team staff were betting on which era the film would be set in, a reply arrived.
*Ping*—
The team leader, who had glanced at his phone when the message came in, stopped breathing.
“Isn't the Goryeo period a good option?”
“Goryeo is too far back. How about the story of Crown Prince Sado?”
“That's good too. Chief, did you get a reply?”
The chattering team members called out to their motionless leader.
“Ugh…”
“Ugh?”
“Aaaaargh!”
Startled by their leader's scream, the team members rushed over. The shriek, echoing from the wide-open door of the planning office, drew people from other teams as well.
Realizing the source of the scream was the phone, one of the planning team members looked at the screen.
“Aaaaaah!”
A single BananaTalk message had turned the film production company 'Dahong' upside down.
-The lead actor is Lee Seojun. The period is Danjong.
-I'm planning to film the story of Danjong.
-I've cast actor Lee Seojun.
-(A photo of Lee Seojun and Woo Jeonghan together)
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