Chapter 318
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 318
Chapter Title: A New Challenge
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"King's Agency, where Seojun Lee is represented, has expressed interest in the film," said the planning team leader, who had contacted them to schedule a meeting.
“Seojun Lee's side seemed quite happy to accept.”
Some actors had declined upon hearing that the script might be revised due to Davis Garrett's involvement, but Seojun Lee sent a positive response shortly after receiving it.
“Is it because he doesn't know anything?”
If he wasn't aware of Davis Garrett's acting style, he might have made the decision easily.
The planning team leader scratched his cheek, trying to recall if he had informed King's Agency about the possibility of script revisions when he sent it over.
“Maybe he heard about it from Evan Block or Richel Hill? Both of them were in *Assemble* with Davis, so they'd know his style.”
The planning team leader nodded at the employee's words.
“That could be it. I hope they told him good things....”
The casting could fall through at any moment before the contract was signed. He hoped to schedule the meeting as soon as possible and that Seojun wouldn't change his mind before then.
*Well, sometimes things fall through even after the contract is signed.*
Hoping that wouldn't happen, the planning team leader reviewed the current casting status.
Actor whose casting is confirmed, with the contract signed: Davis Garrett.
Actor who has expressed interest but has not yet signed the contract: Seojun Lee.
The planning team leader from Bearround smiled happily at the names of Marine Company's eternal hero and their most beloved villain.
“Marine Company must be pretty jealous.”
* * *
Seojun, his black cap pulled down low, followed an employee to a private room. Since it was a regular spot for him, the employee seemed to treat him like any other customer. However, he couldn't completely hide the excitement in his steps.
“Hey, Seojun!”
“You're here?”
As Seojun entered the room, familiar faces greeted him warmly.
There was Lee Jiseok, who was currently filming a movie; Park Dohun and Kim Jongho, who were on a break; and Lee Dajin, who was starring in a drama.
“Hello, everyone!”
“Come on, sit here.”
“You worked hard saving that whale.”
At Park Dohun's words, Seojun chuckled and took a seat across from Lee Jiseok.
“And you hit a home run! I never thought I'd see that live!”
“I even bought a jersey! I brought it today, so please sign it for me, Seojun!”
Seojun burst out laughing at the sight of Lee Dajin, who, prompted by Kim Jongho's words, was about to pull a jersey from her bag.
“Well then, shall we start grilling? They say the pork ribs are good today.”
Lee Jiseok picked up the tongs and placed the pork ribs on the grill over the charcoal. *Sizzle.* The well-marinated ribs began to cook to a golden brown over the hot coals.
“Are you not doing a year-end performance this year?”
At Lee Dajin's question, everyone's eyes, except for Seojun's, lit up.
While they enjoyed watching Seojun's work on screen, the allure of a play, where they could feel the actors' breathing and the energy of a live performance, was even greater.
Seeing the actors look as if they were ready to sign up as special instructors at Mirinae Arts High at a moment's notice if he announced a year-end play, Seojun smiled and said,
“I don't think I can. I'm scheduled to film my next project.”
Contrary to the Bearround planning team leader's worries, Seojun was already fully committed to filming, even though they hadn't even had a meeting, let alone signed a contract.
For the past two days, ever since he received the script and accepted the role, he had been analyzing it and building his character. Because of Davis Garrett's acting style, he was being more meticulous with character development than usual.
“Next project?”
Park Dohun, who was making a lettuce wrap, paused.
“Have there been any interesting scripts lately?”
If it was a project that caught Seojun's eye, Park Dohun might have been interested too, but there hadn't been any such scripts coming into his agency.
“If you were starring in something, it would be huge news... but I haven't heard any rumors at all.”
Lee Jiseok said, recalling as he cut the well-cooked pork ribs with scissors. People were still buzzing about Seojun's documentary. There hadn't been so much as a whisper of a next project.
“Maybe they're trying to keep it a secret until the very end, like they did with *Escape*?”
“You're right. The impact was huge because they kept it under wraps at first.”
Kim Jongho, who was drinking soju, nodded in agreement with Lee Dajin, who was drinking cola.
Soon, everyone had stopped eating, their attention focused on Seojun. The people here knew better than anyone how good Seojun's eye for scripts was.
Seojun, who was diligently making and eating a lettuce wrap, anticipated what was coming and chewed earnestly. He knew he was passionate, but it seemed everyone else's passion for acting was just as intense.
“Seojun. Just tell us a little bit.”
“Do you have the script? Can I read it?”
“Who's the director? What's the genre?”
“Who are you acting with?”
As expected, the actors bombarded him with questions. Seojun smiled and said,
“I'll be acting with Davis Garrett.”
“...Huh?”
At the unexpected mention of a foreign actor, the four actors blinked.
And a few seconds later.
Lee Dajin and Park Dohun's eyes went wide. Lee Jiseok and Kim Jongho also gasped, their mouths agape.
“Don't tell me your next project is... a Hollywood movie?!”
Lee Dajin, who had almost shouted without realizing it, covered her mouth with both hands. It occurred to her that someone might hear, even though they were in an enclosed room.
“Yes.”
Another wave of awe swept through them at Seojun's reply.
“Wait a minute. Seojun. Davis Garrett means Redborn, right? So you're filming a hero movie?”
“Hyung. Davis Garrett's contract ended with *Assemble 4*, so he probably won't be in any more.”
Lee Jiseok answered Kim Jongho's question.
“Didn't Seojun's contract also end with *Shadowman 3*?”
“They could always sign a new contract, though.”
Park Dohun and Lee Dajin also looked completely clueless. Everyone seemed more interested in Seojun's next project than the meat sizzling on the grill.
Seojun smiled and said,
“It's not a hero movie, it's a disaster film. The title is *The Survivors*.”
“The title already screams disaster movie.”
The other three actors nodded at Kim Jongho's remark.
“*The Survivors*... I wonder if it's something like *Escape*?”
“It's a Hollywood movie, so the scale could be bigger, Hyung.”
“Like a meteor strike?”
Everyone burst out laughing at Lee Dajin's comment.
“That's a bit of a stretch.”
Lee Jiseok laughed as he moved the cooked meat to the side of the grill with the tongs. Thankfully, it hadn't burned.
“Still, it's not a zero percent chance.”
Lee Dajin nodded repeatedly at Kim Jongho's words.
“There are quite a few Hollywood movies set in space, so I might be right. What do you think, Seojun? Am I right?”
Seeing Lee Dajin's sparkling eyes, Seojun smiled and shook his head.
“Nope.”
“Aww. I guess not.”
The meal, which had paused for the news of Seojun's next project, resumed. While munching on the cooked meat, Seojun briefly explained his upcoming film.
Park Dohun, who had been listening and nodding, asked,
“Who's the director?”
“This will be his second commercial film. He's directed a lot of independent films. The production company is Bearround.”
“Not Marine Company.”
At Park Dohun's comment, everyone couldn't help but laugh.
Because the *Shadowman* series, where Seojun had debuted and built his career, was a Marine Company film, they had subconsciously assumed this one would be too.
“If the setting is a shopping mall, they'll need a lot of extras.”
Seojun nodded at Lee Jiseok's words.
“That's why they're planning to hold auditions. They'll probably find the background extras locally, but they're also casting my character's family. The roles for the father and mother.”
“So they'll be casting Asian actors.”
“Yes. They have lines, too.”
At Seojun's words, Kim Jongho's gaze intensified.
Unaware of Kim Jongho's reaction, Seojun and the other three actors continued their meal, chatting amiably. The topic of conversation shifted from Seojun's next project to Lee Jiseok and Lee Dajin's current filming schedules.
“Should I give it a try?”
At the sudden remark, the gazes of Seojun and the other three actors turned to one person. They saw Kim Jongho, holding his soju glass, looking deep in thought.
“Huh? What are you going to try, Hyung?”
As Lee Jiseok tilted his head in confusion, Kim Jongho said curtly,
“The audition.”
“Audition... Oh, are you judging an audition? Samchon, are you starting a new project?”
In response to Park Dohun's question, Kim Jongho scratched his cheek and said,
“No. I mean the audition for Seojun's next movie.”
“Seojun's next movie is....”
...a Hollywood film.
“And the audition is for....”
...Seojun's family member?
Seojun and the other three actors stared at Kim Jongho with blank expressions.
“Well, they're looking for an Asian actor. I don't know if the lines are in Korean or English, but I can speak some English. Considering my age, a slightly awkward English might even be more fitting. If all else fails, I can learn the pronunciation from Seojun and just spit it out. Once I learn a dialect, I can nail it perfectly. Besides, I think I'm the right age for the role of Seojun's father.”
Feeling awkward under their four pairs of eyes, Kim Jongho started rambling.
It was only then that Seojun and the others realized Kim Jongho was serious, and their jaws dropped. At their reaction, Kim Jongho laughed awkwardly and said,
“Hmm. Hollywood at my age... Is it foolish of me?”
Seojun quickly shook his head at Kim Jongho's words.
Foolish?
“Not at all!”
Absolutely not.
In fact, it seemed incredibly cool.
Wasn't Kim Jongho already one of the top actors in Korea?
To decide to start from auditions in a new place like Hollywood, just like any other rookie actor, required more than just ordinary courage.
If Seojun's casting became known, it would attract a lot of attention. And no matter how secretly it was handled, there was a chance that word of Kim Jongho's audition attempt would get out.
*And...*
He didn't want to think about it, but he could fail the audition.
*If that happens, there will definitely be negative articles.*
There was no way Kim Jongho hadn't considered the same things Seojun was thinking.
Thanks to Seojun's activities, the path to Hollywood felt closer than before.
But it was still a difficult path, with a higher probability of failure than success. Even now, actors challenged it every year, only to fail repeatedly.
And this was none other than the acclaimed actor, Kim Jongho.
The fallout from failure would not be small. It could even damage his image as a master actor. Yet, Kim Jongho said he wanted to try.
There wasn't a single actor in the room who didn't understand how incredible that was.
“Not at all.”
Lee Jiseok, who might have playfully teased Kim Jongho about anything else, had no intention of disrespecting his challenge.
“Seojun. Is there a role for an older brother? No? What about an uncle?”
If anything, Kim Jongho's challenge seemed to have ignited Lee Jiseok's own desire to try.
While having a Korean film screened in theaters worldwide was a dream, wasn't it also an actor's dream to appear in a Hollywood movie and act alongside world-famous stars?
“That's so cool!”
“It really is!”
Park Dohun and Lee Dajin said, their faces flushed with excitement. Unlike them, who had only thought about it, Kim Jongho, who was actually taking on the challenge, seemed truly amazing.
At the sincere reactions from Seojun and the other three actors, Kim Jongho cleared his throat and said,
“Then I guess I'll give it a shot.”
Seojun, Park Dohun, and Lee Dajin beamed at the sight of Kim Jongho speaking while shyly averting his gaze. Our Samchon is so cool!
Lee Jiseok chuckled and said,
“Jongho hyung. Just don't cry if you pass the audition.”
“Hey!”
Everyone burst into laughter at Lee Jiseok's affectionate joke.
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