Chapter 179
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Something Fun
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While Seojun was studying hard at school, Team 2 at Cocoa Entertainment was handling a flood of calls.
Ring, ring. They'd answer the phone and listen to the caller's request.
The requests were all more or less the same. Most were offers from various broadcasting stations and production companies, asking him to appear in this or that project. Otherwise, they were interview requests from magazines or newspapers.
"Yes. Nothing has been decided yet."
"We're currently reviewing it."
Hearing the Team 2 employees respond like answering machines, the callers on the other end were growing frantic.
*Yeok (Reverse)* had recorded ten million viewers in Korea alone, and despite being a historical drama, its international success was also tremendous. Just a single broadcast appearance could generate enormous profits.
There were the advertising fees before and after, plus overseas exports. They didn't even have to pioneer new export channels. The streaming site Plus+, already used worldwide, took care of that.
From the process to the result, everything was perfect. It was a path paved with flowers. But getting started was more than just difficult; it was despair-inducing. The golden goose that promised a jackpot if caught was proving impossible to catch.
'If we could just get him, we're confident we could nurture him carefully and just collect the golden eggs!'
The usual tactics that worked on other actors—hefty appearance fees, even threats—wouldn't work on him, so they had no choice but to meekly contact Cocoa Entertainment.
Team 2, responding mechanically, didn't have much else to say either. They were only there to assist actor Lee Seojun; the final decision was always his.
"The other day, a writer asked me something."
An employee who had just hung up the phone spoke up. Everyone else listened with one ear while continuing their mechanical responses. Their hands didn't stop jotting down notes from their own calls.
"'Is this really going to be passed on to actor Lee Seojun?'"
"Ah, I got that too. They must think our company is screening the offers."
"Well, a typical agency would, but..."
The Team 2 employees shrugged.
When it came to movies or dramas, the scope of what Team 2 could filter out was incredibly narrow.
Even a shaky production company would become solid overnight if they announced Lee Seojun was starring. A poor investment situation? Solved with just Lee Seojun. Most other problems could also be resolved with his name alone.
When things reached that point, there were very few scripts they could afford to reject.
"We do filter out the ones that look like outright scams, though."
"But these days, even the scams seem incredibly well-crafted..."
The Team 2 employees sighed.
The projects were entirely up to Lee Seojun.
The only programs Team 2 could have some say in were variety and educational shows, but even those were ultimately Seojun's decision. So, the employees simply diligently noted down the names and dates of the programs that called with offers.
An Daho collected the hastily written memos, checked the rankings of the programs in a file organizing domestic broadcast shows, and wrote them down in order.
Broadcasting station, program name, producer, cast, viewership ratings.
They had already gathered and organized a lot of information, so unless it was a new show or the producer had changed, there was no need for separate research.
Once the deluge of calls subsided, it was time to review the synopses and scripts that had arrived by email. Half of Team 2 handled the ringing phones, while the other half examined the printed materials.
"Back to the sea of synopses."
Just looking at the stacks of paper made their eyes ache.
"It was easier when he was filming."
"I know, right? During filming, we don't have to look at as many other projects. Everyone holds off and then starts sending them right after the movie premieres."
After *Yeok*'s premiere, the synopses and scripts that had been held back during filming started pouring in. A Team 2 employee, sorting and rating scripts as usual, spotted a familiar name.
"This is from Director Choi Daeman."
"Really?"
Both the Team 2 employees and An Daho knew Director Choi Daeman well.
He was the director of Seojun's first commercial and his first Korean film, 'The Evil Spirit'. And...
"This makes it the sixth time."
He was a persistent director who, even after being rejected five times, would propose a sixth synopsis.
But while this might be unusual elsewhere, it wasn't anything special for Team 2. It was a chance to work with superstar Lee Seojun. A chance to gain wealth and fame. Six times was nothing; many people tried ten, even twenty times.
"Well, who here isn't like that?"
"Still, some directors send the same script over and over. It's interesting that Director Choi Daeman always sends a different story."
"Plus, he has a connection with Seojun."
"Is it a new project this time too?"
The employee holding Director Choi Daeman's synopsis flipped over a page. The staff chatted, taking a short break.
"What was his last project?"
"I think it was a historical drama..."
"Wasn't the historical drama the one before that?"
"Hmm. Was it?"
Having seen so many projects, their memories were hazy. While the employees tried to recall, the one with the synopsis flipped through the pages. As if he'd misread something, he flipped back to the front, read the back again, and tilted his head.
The employee's reaction drew the attention of An Daho, who was messaging Seojun, and the other staff. The employee looking at Director Choi Daeman's synopsis spoke with a bewildered expression.
"This... isn't this the first time for this genre?"
Cocoa Entertainment's Team 2 had read an enormous number of works. There were plenty of projects with overlapping themes and cliché-ridden plots that had similar developments and endings. As such, they often had the thought, 'Haven't I seen this somewhere before...?'
But, the first time?
Question marks appeared on the faces of An Daho and the Team 2 employees. The employee holding Director Choi Daeman's synopsis handed it to An Daho.
While An Daho focused on the synopsis, the other employees asked.
"What is it? Why are you acting like that?"
He saw his colleagues' eyes sparkle with curiosity. The employee scratched his cheek and answered.
"It's a zombie movie."
"...? What?"
"Zombies. A zombie movie."
An Daho, who was reading the synopsis, and the Team 2 employees who heard the answer, all widened their eyes.
***
Oh.
The blood drains out.
My blood.
Bright red blood.
My heart is pounding.
Watching the bright red blood, Seojun's eyes gleamed.
"Alright. We're done. Press down firmly until the bleeding stops."
the nurse said as she placed a bandage on the inside of his arm where the needle had been. Seojun, who had been staring blankly at his blood being drawn, snapped out of his daze.
"Thank you."
"Once the bleeding has stopped, please fill out the questionnaire."
"Okay."
Seojun stood up and offered the chair to Jaehan. With a pale face, Jaehan awkwardly shuffled over and sat down.
Unlike Seojun, who thought little of it since he'd been getting annual check-ups since *Naeuiwon*, Jaehan, who was having his blood drawn for the first time in his life as far as he could remember, couldn't hide his trembling.
First-year middle school and first-year high school students had mandatory national health check-ups. They had to be done at a hospital affiliated with the school, and Yeoul Arts Middle School was no exception. The submission deadline was the end of October.
After school, Seojun and Jaehan decided to get their check-ups at a nearby hospital. Luckily, the hospital wasn't crowded, so they had already finished the other tests like the X-ray and physical measurements. All that was left was the blood test and the questionnaire.
Seojun pressed down on his bandage and looked at Jaehan, who seemed on the verge of tears. The sight of Jaehan's scrunched-up, frightened face was so amusing he almost laughed.
"It doesn't hurt that much."
"It looks like it'll hurt a lot. The needle is so sharp..."
The needle of the syringe for the blood draw glinted under the light. At the sight of the menacingly gleaming needle, Jaehan gulped and turned his head away.
'Don't look. If I don't look, it won't be scary... not scary... so scary!'
As Jaehan squeezed his eyes shut in fear, the nurse tied a rubber tourniquet tightly around his upper arm.
Thump, thump, thump. His heart felt like it was going to leap out of his mouth.
"Have you never had your blood drawn before?"
"N-no."
At Seojun's question, Jaehan slowly opened his eyes and fell into thought. As far as he could remember, this was the first time.
"I think this is the first time... Have you done it before, Seojun?"
"Yeah. I had a health check-up during *Naeuiwon*."
"Ah, I saw that. It was on the *Naeuiwon* special, right?"
He remembered watching TV with his parents, who discussed what they needed to do to be as healthy as Lee Seojun.
*Naeuiwon*.
Seojun was such a good actor back then. It was hard to believe that the Grand Prince on TV was in the same third-grade class as him. With a single gesture, a single step, the Grand Prince made countless people laugh and cry. The entire country was captivated, and almost everyone around Kang Jaehan loved the Grand Prince. Kang Jaehan, just a third-grader himself, was no exception.
The Grand Prince was dazzling, so realistic that he'd asked his parents if a real Grand Prince lived in a palace. Of course, that magnificent Grand Prince... even now, the thought brought tears to his eyes.
It was after that that Kang Jaehan started acting. He pestered his parents into enrolling him in an acting academy and practiced diligently. And so, Jaehan became a fifth-grader, then a sixth-grader.
As he was about to enter middle school, he applied to Yeoul Arts Middle School, which offered the best support among the various arts schools. The competition was fierce, and he applied with the mindset that it was okay if he didn't get in, but he suddenly found himself accepted.
Jaehan would never forget the day he received his acceptance notice.
[Actor Lee Seojun Accepted into Yeoul Arts Middle School!]
Could the young third-grader Kang Jaehan ever have imagined that he would become a classmate, in the same school and same class, as the Grand Prince who had sparkled on television?
A friend.
It was a word that felt familiar, yet still made him nervous.
Jaehan grinned foolishly.
"Yeah. I've done it once a year since then."
"You haven't done it this year?"
"They said we'd have a check-up at the middle school, so I didn't."
"I see."
While Jaehan was nodding at Seojun's words, the nurse pulled the syringe needle from his arm.
"There. All done."
"Oh, already?"
Jaehan's eyes went wide, and Seojun burst out laughing.
The nurse also smiled as she placed a bandage on Jaehan's arm. She had been surprised to see actor Lee Seojun at such a small hospital, and it was heartwarming to see him talking to his scared friend to distract him.
"Don't rub it, or you'll get a bruise. Just press down firmly."
"Okay. Thank you."
After the blood draw, Seojun and Jaehan sat on nearby chairs to fill out their questionnaires.
"Nothing abnormal. Nothing abnormal."
Unlike Seojun, who filled his out at nearly the speed of light, Jaehan read through his carefully. While waiting for Jaehan, Seojun sent a BananaTalk message to An Daho. He had already told Daho hyung yesterday that he would be home late because of the check-up.
>Really? Are you coming straight home?
>Alright. Let me know when you get home.
Jaehan, who had carefully read and checked everything until the very end, looked up.
"I'm done writing."
"You are? Then let's go get tteokbokki."
After submitting their questionnaires, Seojun and Jaehan left the hospital and headed to a nearby snack shop.
They ordered tteokbokki and fried snacks, and soon, the piping hot food arrived. Seojun took a bite of the spicy tteokbokki and spoke.
"Joohee and Jookyung said they're going to start looking for audition notices during summer break. Are you going to audition too, Jaehan?"
Both of them said they would start searching for auditions diligently from summer break, not waiting for the second semester.
'Most of the kids in the acting department will probably audition...'
There was no better way to gain experience than by actually filming or performing on stage.
However, there were also some kids in the class who surprisingly said they would focus solely on their acting classes. That wasn't a bad thing either. It meant they knew their weaknesses and wanted to work on them.
'What about Jaehan?'
Jaehan, who was munching on a fried snack, nodded.
"Yeah. I'm planning to apply for auditions when the notices go up."
Seojun, who had thought the cautious Jaehan would choose to focus on acting classes, was surprised by the different answer. His eyes sparkled as he asked.
"A drama? A movie?"
"I'm thinking of applying for both. I've never been in a real shoot before."
A child actor with no filming experience.
It wasn't particularly unusual. There were many aspiring child actors, but not many roles. There were quite a few kids like that in the acting department at Yeoul Arts Middle School.
"Really? That's great. You have to try various things to know what suits you."
Jaehan, smiling brightly at Seojun's response, asked.
"When are you starting a new project?"
It was a question tinged with the heart of a fan waiting for their favorite actor's next work. Seojun tilted his head.
"I'm not sure. I guess I'll do one if I find a project I like? But I don't know when a project like that will come along."
"A project you like? What kind of project is that?"
"Hmm..."
Seojun dipped a piece of fried snack into the tteokbokki sauce, smiled, and said.
"Something fun."
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