A Familiar Title
I answered in a slightly sulky voice.
“I looked around a bit, but there wasn’t really anywhere I wanted to go.”
“Still, you need to find an agency soon. What about the ones Do Je-hyun or Gi Seong-hui belong to? If you’re in the same company, it’ll be easier to learn acting from them, right?”
I didn’t point out that not all celebrities in the same agency get along. I also didn’t mention that a good actor doesn’t necessarily mean a good agency.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Okay. Get a copy of the contract and we’ll look at it together with Auntie Rin’s mom later. Your mom’s been studying law lately, so we won’t fall for any shady tricks.”
They probably wouldn’t hand over a contract copy that easily… but following Mom’s wishes, I kept a few agency emails without sending rejection replies.
It was true that I needed to find an agency quickly, but that didn’t mean I could just join anywhere. One wrong contract could tie me down for years and throw off all my plans.
The best option would have been to meet the president of the agency I worked with before my regression, but I had left this world faster than expected.
The drama was always going to do well, but it didn’t blow up this much originally…
Since Do Je-hyun had even posted a photo on Inbreeze, more people recognized me whenever I went out these days. The house we lived in wasn’t exactly in a safe area, so this kind of attention was troublesome.
Once I had an agency, they could help me find better housing and handle interview requests and next-project offers. It made sense that Mom was eager for me to sign somewhere soon.
If something happens to Mom while we’re waiting for that uncle, it’ll all be pointless. There are ways to approach him, but as a complete rookie it feels burdensome to make the first move… It would be nice if Go Jin-gi contacted me first.
In a pinch, I could pick an agency that hadn’t caused any major problems before my regression, but none of them had been as successful as my previous one. And there certainly wasn’t any other company that would fully support the direction I wanted to take.
While I pondered these things inwardly, my eyes and hands stayed busy sorting through emails.
After clearing out all the reporter and agency messages, only about thirty next-project offers remained. I skimmed through the safe-looking ones, discarding those with crazy directors or actors, obvious flops, or projects that hadn’t even been greenlit yet. Then one subject line caught my eye.
Father’s Judgment!
The title was more familiar to my ears than my eyes, and a nostalgic voice immediately came to mind.
“Haha.”
I had so many things to feel sorry about toward that uncle, yet this memory surfaced first.
I opened the email right away.
It contained a light greeting, some compliments on my acting, and the synopsis for Father’s Judgment.
After scanning the synopsis and the name of the main PD, I confirmed it was indeed the project I remembered.
“There are one-act dramas too, huh? What do you think, Su-a? Are you interested?”
“…Yeah. It looks pretty interesting.”
“Let me see. It only goes up to the middle, but even I think it seems fun. The medical records made the friend seem so sad, but here she’s cute.”
The one-act drama Father’s Judgment was a rather adorable and light story about a daughter who evaluates the man her mother wants to marry as a potential new father.
The plot itself was ordinary and the final twist was close to a cliché, so it wasn’t particularly fresh. Still, for a one-act drama, it had pulled in decent ratings.
It was considered well-made for its format but never became a famous work. In fact, I had never seen it myself. Neither the writer nor the PD went on to make a big name for themselves later.
Yet I knew this project well for two reasons.
First, the main PD here was the one who had cast me after watching my Wetube videos before my regression.
Second.
He bragged so much about how everyone praised his acting.
I was very close with one of the actors who had appeared in it.
Thank goodness. This time, I would get to meet him even sooner.
Mom was flustered when I said I wanted to appear in this project. Now that my face was out there, it made more sense to secure an agency first and then prepare for the next role.
“You’re right, Mom. But I still think I’m not good enough yet. If I can raise my value even a little before signing, won’t I get slightly better treatment?”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to take a small role in a regular drama instead of a one-act? Not many people even know about one-acts.”
“The role I’d play in Father’s Judgment has almost lead-level screen time. A brief appearance wouldn’t be enough to properly show what I can do.”
In truth, that was nonsense. Choosing a one-act over a full-length drama just to inflate my price? Unless the one-act became a massive hit, that would never happen.
But it must have sounded convincing to Mom, because she soon nodded in agreement.
After I expressed my intention to appear via email, a meeting was scheduled immediately. The young PD we met at the broadcasting station had a huge grin on his face.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Senior Gu. You really are pretty.”
He reached out as if to pinch my cheek, so I turned my head to avoid it. This guy was still the same.
“Achoo! Oh, I’m sorry. The fine dust is really bad today.”
“Excuse me for a moment. Su-a, are you okay?”
When I pretended to sneeze, Mom chimed in and wiped my nose with a handkerchief. I wasn’t even running a runny nose…
The young PD withdrew his hand with a doubtful expression.
“The weather’s been like that lately. Let’s head inside.”
He introduced himself as Chu Won-woo and talked nonstop on the way to the conference room.
He said he had watched the drama, that the visuals were incredible just as expected from Senior Gu, that we had to manage my image well so I would look pretty this time too, and so on…
He really hadn’t changed at all.
Before my regression, I never had a chance to see his directing skills, but that won’t be the case this time.
I had only worked with Chu Won-woo once before my regression. I played a role where I was rescued by the male lead in a drama he directed, and I had been carried around like a prop all day.
It wasn’t a pleasant memory, so whenever casting offers came from him afterward, I turned them all down.
That happened about a year from now, so I figured his tendencies wouldn’t have changed yet…
Had he seen Go Jin-gi? He probably still had that habit of only caring about facial expressions and angles during filming, right?
Working with a director who only pursued visuals was exhausting. Since I wasn’t coming in blind this time, I was about to say something when Mom wrapped her arm tightly around my shoulders.
“PD Gu Su-min told me that Su-a has a talent for breathing life into even a single photograph. He said that making videos that are merely pretty with an actor like her would be a failure of skill.”
The moment PD Chu stopped walking, clearly about to feel offended as he processed the words, Mom added,
“But he also said that PD Chu Won-woo would be able to create truly wonderful stories, so we came here with peace of mind.”
“…Senior Gu talked about me?”
“Both of you work at KBC, so I asked him about it. After hearing what PD Gu said, we started considering this one-act as Su-a’s next project. I hope the script is as interesting as the synopsis.”
When Mom smiled brightly, PD Chu awkwardly smiled back. I could practically see the calculations spinning in his head.
He had probably assumed the contract was already as good as signed. After securing a decent child actor, he must have planned to shoot exactly as he pleased.
But Mom had reminded him that she had only begun considering the contract after receiving advice from his senior, Gu Su-min. The choice was ours.
She had also subtly pointed out that if the casting fell through, it could damage the reputation of Gu Su-min—the senior who had praised her.
No one wanted to earn a bad look from an industry senior, especially one currently directing the hottest project of the year.
PD Chu Won-woo’s chatter decreased noticeably, and his attitude became much more cautious.
As expected, Mom knows exactly when to step up.
The hand on my shoulder felt a little cold. She was still new to this industry and clearly nervous, but she wasn’t the type to tolerate uncomfortable situations.
Feeling somewhat more at ease, I followed them into the conference room and received the script.
“Father’s Judgment is the most anticipated project among this quarter’s scheduled broadcasts. We’ve been extremely careful with casting from the beginning. The script is normally only released after signing, but this time we’re making a special exception…”
I ignored PD Chu as he spouted nonsense and quickly read through the script.
There were three main characters: the mother, the daughter, and the potential new father.
Since the daughter was the one doing the judging, her screen time was almost at lead level. I’d have to make sure that was properly reflected when we negotiated the contract.
Sometimes scripts fell short of their synopses, but this one was fine. If we shot it well, it could help shed some of the tragic image that still clung to “Min-seo.”
I asked PD Chu, who was pretending to be relaxed while secretly watching our reactions.
“Who has been cast in the other roles?”
“Ah~ I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but since I think Su-a can keep a secret, I’ll make an exception. The mother role will be played by Oh Na-yun, and the potential new father will be Kwon Du-il.”
PD Chu puffed himself up unnecessarily, but I just smiled faintly.
They were familiar, welcome names.