Chapter 281
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 281
Chapter Title: The Dog-like Actor
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“We've finished casting the supporting roles.”
Assistant Director Kim Danbi's report earned a nod from PD Gong Heechan. Her gaze drifted to PD Gong Heechan's hands, where a paper with stiff, formal writing lay.
“Oh? Did actor Lee Seojun's contract arrive?”
“Yeah. It just came in.”
“So it's really confirmed now! By the way, I told everyone it was extended from four episodes to six. They were all happy, but some people were puzzled.”
“That's understandable. A rookie PD's project suddenly got longer.”
Most of the supporting actors had been cast before Lee Seojun was approached. All of them had readily agreed, even knowing it was a four-part series by a rookie PD. Since he had put a lot of thought into casting them, PD Gong Heechan decided to stick with the original actors.
“So, what roles are left?”
“We've cast the female lead and her child counterpart. All that's left are Male Lead A and Male Lead B.”
PD Gong Heechan looked at Kim Danbi with a quizzical expression.
“...No one's accepted Male Lead A yet?”
“We offered it to actor Kim Taein... but he said no. The others did, too.”
Male Lead A, the protagonist of the four-part series.
It seemed that no matter how good the role, no one was interested in starring in a four-episode drama.
“Well, they say they have scheduling conflicts... but it probably means they think it's beneath them.”
Hearing Kim Danbi's words, PD Gong Heechan spoke with an expression caught somewhere between pleased and exasperated.
“I was wondering how I was going to explain the addition of Male Lead B... but I guess I don't have to. This is actually for the better. Let's find an actor who fits Lee Seojun's image.”
PD Gong Heechan pictured the faces of actors in the right age range. With the child actor confirmed, the image of the adult actor quickly came into focus. PD Gong Heechan began writing down his top choices for Male Lead A and Male Lead B.
“Yes! But don't you think it's okay to mention that Lee Seojun is in it now?”
PD Gong Heechan paused his pen, thought for a moment, and nodded.
“Right. Let's do that. The chances of them accepting will be higher. Here, take this.”
“Yes, sir!”
Kim Danbi took the list of actors from PD Gong Heechan, ran to her desk, and picked up the phone. After a few rings, someone answered.
“Ah! Is this actor Park Dohun's agency?”
* * *
“Whoa! Team Leader!”
At actor Park Dohun’s agency.
An employee from Actor Team 1 called out to his team leader, who was currently on the phone. The team leader, deep in conversation with a casting manager from a film production company, frowned. He mouthed silently, phone still pressed to his ear.
“What?”
“An offer just came in for Park Dohun...”
The team leader's frown deepened at the employee's excited face.
The call he was on was also about casting Park Dohun. And for the lead role in a film that reeked of being a blockbuster! Surely no other offer could possibly be better than this, he thought—
“They said they cast Lee Seojun!”
—a thought he immediately abandoned.
The team leader and the other employees in the office stared in shock. The employee who had taken Kim Danbi's call looked triumphant.
“Ah, yes. Just a moment. I'll call you back shortly.”
The team leader quickly ended his call and demanded.
“What are you talking about? A project with Lee Seojun?”
“Yes! It’s a drama from MBS, and they've cast Lee Seojun. They said he’s already signed the contract!”
“MBS… is it writer Oh Youngchul's drama? No, that’s a rom-com. Is there even a role for a child actor in that?”
“Ah, it's not that one.”
“Not Oh Youngchul? Then what is it?”
“It's a special project. You know, that four-episode drama.”
At the employee's words, the team leader furrowed his brow.
“...Didn't they say that was with a rookie PD and a rookie writer? And one of them dropped out, so a CP was taking over? Was that the thriller?”
“I heard the writer for that thriller has some experience... Maybe Seojun agreed because a CP is directing?”
“Yeah. Could be.”
The employee quickly shook his head.
“No. It's not the thriller, it's the romance. The one with the rookie writer and director. And it's been extended from four episodes to six.”
“Well, if Seojun is in it, of course they'd extend it. It's a wonder they only added two more episodes. But a rookie writer and director…”
The Team 1 Leader was lost in thought.
The film might smell like a blockbuster, but you never knew until it was released. Plenty of big-budget movies have flopped. But if Lee Seojun was starring, it was guaranteed to be a hot topic.
‘Besides, has there ever been anything with Lee Seojun that didn't succeed?’
A 100% success rate.
He was a superstar who could turn even his practical exam videos for middle and high school entrance into a massive sensation.
The team leader’s deliberation was short.
“Get the synopsis first. And give a copy to Dohun. Well, I’m sure Dohun will say yes regardless. But what role is Seojun playing?”
“Uh… about that…”
The employee, who had been so triumphant until now, scratched his cheek and spoke.
* * *
“A child role!”
“Our Seojun is playing a child role!”
At a barbecue restaurant that had become their regular spot.
Five actors—Lee Jiseok, Kim Jongho, Park Dohun, Lee Dajin, and Seojun himself—had gathered to celebrate the news that Park Dohun and Seojun would be working on a new project together.
Lee Jiseok and Lee Dajin’s jaws were hanging open in surprise. Kim Jongho felt the same.
Only Park Dohun, who had heard the news from his agency beforehand, and Seojun, the person in question, looked calm. Of course, Park Dohun had also been incredibly shocked when he first heard.
“Isn't this the first time you've played a child role, Seojun?”
Seojun nodded at Kim Jongho’s question.
“Yes. That’s partly why I was drawn to it. Ever since *Over the Rainbow*, I haven't received any offers for child roles.”
“That makes sense. Who would offer a child role to an actor who's won an Oscar?”
Lee Jiseok’s comment made Lee Dajin marvel.
“That writer and PD are amazing.”
“I guess you really have to shoot your shot. They probably never imagined they’d actually cast him.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Kim Jongho.
“But it really is strange. Seojun playing the younger version of someone. I started in theater, so I've never done a child role... Jongho-hyung, you neither. Dajin and Dohun, you two have, right?”
At Lee Jiseok's question, Lee Dajin and Park Dohun nodded repeatedly.
“I only did it a few times, but Dohun-oppa did it a ton.”
“Well, I started when I was little.”
“That's right. Back in the day, if there was a flashback scene, it was almost always Dohun.”
Kim Jongho's words made everyone burst out laughing.
“It also became a curse that led to a slump, though.”
Park Dohun could now bring it up as a joke, no longer bothered by it.
“Right. You overcame it, and that’s what matters!”
Kim Jongho and Lee Jiseok smiled warmly.
Even as the meat cooked and they ate, the five actors didn't stop talking. The topic, of course, was *Spring Has Returned*, the drama Park Dohun and Seojun were about to film.
“So I’m planning to perfectly mimic the vibes of both Male Lead A and Male Lead B.”
At Seojun's unexpected statement, the four other actors let out a collective hum.
“If you can pull it off, there's no better way to play a younger counterpart... but won't it be difficult?”
“I agree. This isn't just playing a character; it's playing an actor who is playing a character. It seems harder than creating something from scratch.”
Lee Jiseok and Park Dohun agreed with Lee Dajin and Kim Jongho.
If it were a character Seojun had created, viewers wouldn't know any better and would accept it as the character's nature. But when portraying an existing character, even a single minor habit could reveal that they were a different person.
“An actor’s inherent image is bound to come through, but you’re planning to capture even that, aren't you, Seojun?”
“Yes. That's the only way the viewers won't feel a sense of disconnect. Looks are one thing, but everyone has their own unique aura.”
Seojun nodded as he answered Lee Jiseok’s question.
It wasn't that Seojun was unaware of his own outstanding looks. To be an actor, an objective perspective was crucial, and Seojun was more objective than anyone.
“Seojun is certainly handsome.”
At Kim Jongho's remark, the three actors looked at Seojun. They had watched him grow up, but his radiant appearance still elicited awe every time they saw him. Lee Dajin smiled warmly at the sight of her younger brother, who had grown up so well even through his hormonal years.
“He is. And he has a great voice. He’s tall, too.”
“With a face like that playing the child role, the adult actor has to be pretty damn good-looking.”
The gazes of Kim Jongho, Lee Dajin, and Lee Jiseok shifted to Park Dohun, sitting opposite Seojun. Park Dohun gave an awkward smile at the sudden attention. The three actors' eyes darted sharply between Seojun and Park Dohun.
“Hmm... Dohun is good enough, isn't he?”
“I think so. Dohun-oppa is handsome too!”
“They’re a good match.”
As the three actors gave their approval, Park Dohun breathed a sigh of relief. His reaction made Seojun and the others burst into laughter.
“Who’s playing the other male lead?”
“Actor Kang Taeyoung.”
“Isn't Kang Taeyoung good too?”
Kang Taeyoung.
An actor of a similar age to Park Dohun, he had been cast as Male Lead B in *Spring Has Returned*.
“Dohun-hyung. Have you ever acted with Kang Taeyoung before?”
“He’s around my age, but we've never met.”
“I have, once. On a drama set.”
“What was he like?”
Seeing the sparkling eyes of Seojun and Park Dohun, Lee Jiseok answered in a slightly reluctant voice.
“He’s... a bit like a dog.”
“...A dog?”
Seojun and Park Dohun tilted their heads in confusion.
* * *
A few hours earlier.
At actor Kang Taeyoung's home.
Kang Taeyoung's manager watched his actor, who was sitting on the sofa in protest. He was holding up the synopsis for a project he hadn't even been offered, as if to make a point.
[MBS, Tentative Title ‘Spring’]
The manager sighed at the familiar title.
“Where did you get that?”
“I asked Team Leader Oh to get it for me!”
“Are you really going to do a four-episode drama? They didn't even offer it to you because you don't fit the image.”
“If I can’t be a main character, I’ll take a supporting role. So please, just ask if there are any spots left.”
At Kang Taeyoung's words, the manager pressed his hand to his forehead.
“Why are you so determined to be in that PD's project?”
“Because he helped me out when he was an assistant director. He's a really great person, so I promised myself I’d be in his debut project. I, Kang Taeyoung, always repay my debts!”
The manager shook his head at Kang Taeyoung's bright smile.
“You’re getting older now, shouldn't you calm down a bit?”
“Hyung, the day I calm down is the day the sky falls.”
“Fine. Do whatever you want.”
Finding himself agreeing with Kang Taeyoung, the manager gave up and pulled out his phone. Just then, it rang. It was the agency he had been about to call.
The manager tilted his head and answered the phone.
“What's up?”
—Team Leader!!
It was a scream-like cheer.
The manager held the phone away from his ear for a moment before bringing it back. The voice was so loud that Kang Taeyoung could hear it too, and he perked up his ears with a curious expression.
—MBS just called!
At the mention of MBS, Kang Taeyoung's eyes lit up.
‘Hyung! The four-parter! The four-parter! PD Gong Heechan!’
The manager let out a deep sigh at Kang Taeyoung's silent mouthing and switched the phone to speaker mode.
“Ask them if there are any supporting roles available.”
“A cameo would be fine too!”
“...He says a cameo is fine, too.”
—No! That's not it! It's a lead role! For PD Gong Heechan's project at MBS! They want to cast Kang Taeyoung as a lead!
“Didn't they say his image didn't fit?”
—They added a new character! But that's not even the important part!
—Lee Seojun!
The employee’s excited voice came through another scream-like cheer, but even through the noise, those three syllables were crystal clear. The manager and Kang Taeyoung stared at each other.
“...What?”
—Actor Lee Seojun is starring in it!
The manager and Kang Taeyoung's jaws dropped at the news coming from the phone.
“Whoa! Th-this is epic!”
Kang Taeyoung’s eyes sparkled.
“Hyung! Did you hear that?! It's Lee Seojun! This is my first time seeing a Hollywood actor! Should I prepare a gift? What does Seojun like? Wow! I get to film with Lee Seojun! I love Jin Natra! Of course, I love Gray Vainie and his other works too!”
Seeing what looked like an invisible tail wagging like a propeller, the manager pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.
“...Should we turn it down?”
Imagining his actor pestering Lee Seojun, the manager unconsciously voiced his inner thoughts.