Chapter 317
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 317
Chapter Title: Survivors and Evaluations
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An Daho stared at Seojun for a moment, then burst into laughter.
“If it’s what you want to do, Seojun, then you should do it. I’ll put the independent film on the back burner. So, which project is it?”
Having read all the scripts sent to Seojun, An Daho was curious which of the three in the box had caught his eye.
“This one.”
Seojun grinned and placed the script he was hugging onto the table. An Daho looked at the title on the cover.
[Survivors]
[Survivors]
The lines from all the scripts he had read jumbled together in An Daho’s mind before settling. He sifted through his memories of the plot, production company, and director related to ‘Survivors’ and spoke.
“The production company is Bearound, right?”
“Yes.”
Seojun glanced down at the script’s cover.
The roaring bear logo of Bearound and its name were printed there, and below it, the names of the confirmed cast members.
“Hmm. For works from production companies other than Marine Company, Kings Agency does the research and passes it on to us. It’s more accurate and detailed to have them investigate locally than for us to do it from Korea.”
Seojun nodded at An Daho’s words.
Unlike Marine Company, with whom they had worked several times, he didn’t know much about other production companies.
The only Hollywood film Seojun had shot besides the Shadowman series was *Over the Rainbow*. Although it was a Wales Studio production, Wales Studio was a subsidiary of Marine Company.
‘So you can’t say they were completely unrelated.’
It was possible Marine Company had exerted some influence during the filming of *Over the the Rainbow*.
“Team 2 made sure to ask Kings Agency about all the points to consider…”
Things like interference from the production company, the director’s leadership style, their attitude toward child actors, the filming environment and schedule, and other miscellaneous evaluations.
When they had first requested research on a project, Kings Agency had looked weary at the long list of questions from Cocoa Entertainment’s Team 2, but now they sent back answers as a matter of course. They had done the initial research and just had to update it periodically, so it was a bit easier now.
An Daho furrowed his brow slightly.
“They said the lead actor was a bit of a concern…”
“The lead actor?”
Seojun blinked.
“Davis?”
[Davis Garrett]
Seojun looked down again at the name of the confirmed actor on the script’s cover and tilted his head. He had never worked with him before, but Davis Garrett was a good person.
‘And he’s a great actor.’
In fact, Seojun was thrilled at the prospect of acting alongside him, so An Daho’s comment was puzzling.
“Umm.”
After a moment of thought, An Daho spoke.
“I heard Davis Garrett does a lot of improvisational acting.”
“Improvisational acting? Ad-libbing?”
‘Isn’t ad-libbing a good thing?’
Done well, ad-libs could create memorable scenes.
Of course, Seojun himself had never done it, as he followed the script’s lines to the letter, though he might improvise his movements.
“It might be more than just ad-libbing… It seems to be a pretty famous story in Hollywood. For *Redbone 1*, he practically rewrote the entire script, and *Redbone 2* was half-revised. Plus, because his acting is so spontaneous, it’s apparently difficult for his co-stars. I’m worried because your role would clash with his.”
“Wow… So Davis acted in *Redbone 1* through improvisation. That’s amazing…!”
To Seojun, who always stuck to the script, Davis Garrett’s story sounded like something from another world. Seeing Seojun’s eyes sparkle even more after hearing the story, An Daho gave a wry smile and spoke.
It seemed an actor and a manager had different perspectives.
“It’d probably be faster to ask Evan Block or Richel Hill. How he seems off-set and the opinions of actors who’ve worked with him can be very different.”
Seojun quickly pulled out his phone.
“I’ll ask them now!”
Whether they were in LA or somewhere else, the two actors’ replies were slow to come.
While reviewing the lines of Davis Garrett’s character in the [Survivors] script, Seojun kept glancing at his phone.
A moment later, his phone buzzed.
Seojun’s eyes lit up at the incoming message.
>Evan: Davis? He’s difficult.
>Evan: He and I don’t mesh well.
Evan Block’s assessment made Seojun’s wagging tail droop. Just from his expression, An Daho could guess what the message said and couldn’t help but smile.
>Richel: I thought it was fun!
>Richel: You never know where he’s going to go, so it makes you focus more on your character, you know?
>Richel: Oh, it’s not that you don’t know where he’s going!
>Richel: Davis moves strictly according to his character. Once you figure that out, it gets a bit easier.
Richel Hill and Evan Block had differing opinions.
>Evan: Still, his lines are hard to predict, so he doesn’t suit an acting style like mine.
>Evan: And it only works because he’s Davis. If he had even a little less acting ability, it would’ve been a disaster.
>Richel: But in this industry, as long as it’s a hit, it feels like /jackpot/, so a lot of people like Davis!
>Evan: /Jackpot/… You sure pick up some interesting words.
>Richel: /haha Korean dramas are fun./
>Richel: But why the sudden question about Davis?
>Richel: Ahaha, you’re talking about the *Redbone 1* story, right?
>Evan: …That script was just awful.
>Richel: The fact that Evan is saying this should tell you how bad it was, right?
For Evan Block, who valued the script so highly, to say something like that… Seojun found himself curious about the original script before Davis Garrett had overhauled it.
>Evan: I think it’d be worth a try.
Seojun, who had been delighted by the message, tilted his head when he saw the sender’s name. It was from Evan Block, not Richel Hill.
>Evan: I meant that he doesn’t mesh with my acting style.
>Evan: We won’t know how it’ll be for you, Jun, unless you try.
>Richel: Right! For some reason, I feel like you and Davis would have a lot of fun filming together, Jun.
>Evan: You want to do it, don’t you?
>Evan: Then you should.
At Evan Block’s message, Seojun looked up at An Daho.
Faced with the actor’s star-like, sparkling eyes, An Daho raised both hands in surrender.
“Alright. I’ll contact Bearound right away.”
“Okay!”
While an excited Seojun went back to reading [Survivors], An Daho immediately called Team 2 and told them to stop searching for independent films. Upon hearing that Seojun had taken a liking to a Hollywood movie, the Team 2 staff began to clear away the piles of research materials on independent films from their tables.
* * *
“Hello.”
“Welcome, Seojun.”
The doctor at the Mental Health Center of Mirinae Arts High School’s designated hospital greeted Seojun with a smile.
He was a doctor who had been in charge of countless students since Mirinae Arts High School was founded over a decade ago and first entrusted its students to the hospital’s mental health center. Perhaps because many of those students went on to become active in the entertainment industry, the center was now frequented by many other celebrities.
“We’ll just be doing the tests today, and the analysis will be out next week. A few of the tests you can do by yourself will be conducted in the next room. Just be comfortable and honest. The results will not be shared with anyone other than your guardian, so don’t worry.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
After speaking with the doctor, Seojun began the tests as instructed. They weren’t intelligence tests, but rather psychological ones, so they weren’t particularly difficult.
It was just that…
“…You’re a good artist, too.”
In the test where he had to draw a house, a tree, a family, and a person to assess his current psychological state, he produced drawings so fine they could have been framed and hung on a wall.
“I take art classes at school.”
Seojun chuckled at the doctor’s admiration.
The doctor nodded, organized the papers, and began the next test.
“I’m going to show you a picture. Tell me the first animal that comes to mind.”
“Okay.”
The doctor flipped over a card, revealing an image that looked like scattered black ink. To Seojun, it resembled a burning butterfly, so he answered, “A butterfly.”
The doctor nodded, wrote something down on a piece of paper, and flipped over other cards. Seojun answered with the first objects, emotions, or animals that came to mind.
“From now on, you’ll be on your own in the next room. It’s a quiet place, so relax and answer honestly.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Seojun took the test papers from the doctor and headed to the adjacent room. The small room was quiet and cozy, which seemed to put one at ease.
Seojun sat at the prepared desk and opened the first test paper. It was a sentence completion test.
12. I am happy when I am ____.
Seojun picked up his pencil and wrote ‘acting’.
He filled out all 30 sentences at a steady, unhurried pace.
“Done!”
After finishing the first test, Seojun moved on to the next one. About thirty minutes passed. Having completed all the tests, including the multiple-choice ones, Seojun stretched his body this way and that before heading out.
“Doctor. I’m finished.”
“Are you?”
The doctor took the test papers from Seojun, tapped them neatly on the table, and said with a smile.
“The results will be out next week. Please stop by one more time.”
“Okay! Thank you.”
As Seojun stepped outside, Han Jiho, who had finished earlier, stood up from his seat.
Seojun’s eyes widened to see that Jiho, who had gone into a different consultation room at around the same time, was already out.
“When did you finish?”
“They said not to overthink it, so I just said whatever came to mind. It went by pretty fast.”
“You really just said whatever came to mind?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you?”
At Jiho’s question, Seojun smiled with a peculiar expression.
To be honest, when asked what animal the burning butterfly-like picture resembled, he had thought of ‘Osmos’, a creature from his past life that looked exactly like it. And when asked what animal the picture of mud splattered everywhere reminded him of, he had thought that it looked just like a Singing Slime after it got angry, let out a high-pitched sound, and self-destructed.
But Seojun had painstakingly pushed those thoughts aside and answered with the next things that came to mind, tailoring his responses to ‘reality’.
“I was honest, too. But I’m not sure how the results will turn out.”
At Seojun’s worried words, Han Jiho shrugged.
“Can’t do anything about it now that it’s over. Want to grab a bite to eat nearby?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
Seojun sent a message to An Daho and his parents to let them know his health checkup was done, then nodded at Jiho’s suggestion.
* * *
The doctor analyzed the test papers of the Mirinae Arts High School students who had visited that day.
Recalling the computer-generated results and his own observations, he jotted down information to share during next week’s consultations.
Then came [Lee Seojun]’s turn.
There were no points of concern. He had a bright personality, and since he was diligently following his path, there were fewer worries compared to other kids. His relationships with family and friends were good, and his current state of happiness was clearly reflected.
But one thing stood out.
His passion for acting was exceptionally strong.
“This is similar to the other acting students, but…”
Across multiple tests, it was palpable that the actor Lee Seojun genuinely loved what he was doing—acting.
“…This is different.”
It was a powerful intensity, even when compared to all the Mirinae Arts High School students the doctor had ever counseled.
Usually, once a person becomes famous and well-known, their satisfaction level rises, and that initial desperation fades.
Yet, here was an actor who had made a name for himself worldwide and even won an Academy Award, but his drive was overwhelmingly higher than others who were desperate for a single audition or a minor role.
A desire to act better, to act more.
Lee Seojun’s obsession with acting was evident in every single result sheet.
“…Was he possessed by the ghost of someone who died unable to act?”
It felt as though he had just peered into the very source of the actor Lee Seojun, the one whose performances sent thrilling shivers down one’s spine.
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