Chapter 159
Chapter 159
I’ll take them all.
“By the way, are you in touch with Seo-jun?”
“I am. We’re gaming buddies.”
“You play games together?”
“If you played, we’d carry you.”
“......No, thanks.”
Yu Yeon-seo narrowed his eyes at Lee Tae-gyeom’s grin. It was both annoying and suspicious how his brother would meddle whenever he looked even slightly unwell. Since his brother and Baek Seo-jun were close, it was possible he might subtly exclude him from the investigation.
“He hasn’t said anything to you?”
“Like what?”
“About finding the culprit, that kind of thing.”
“No? What would I do with that information anyway?”
The immediate response suggested he was telling the truth. If he were hiding something, he would have stammered and insisted it wasn’t true.
“Don’t you know more about it than I do?”
“Do I?”
“You don’t suspect our brothers, do you? Hey... no way, right? You’re the witness.”
Yu Yeon-seo nodded. Was I overthinking it...?
“Don’t be too hard on him. I heard he’s doing stakeouts after work to catch the culprit.”
“Really?”
So that’s why he’s been hard to reach since he said he found a lead. A wave of guilt washed over him.
“......Hey, what if.”
Lee Tae-gyeom shared the same theory he had told Baek Seo-jun and Im Seung-hyeon. He had been drunk and rambling at the time, but the two of them had taken it quite seriously. Maybe Yu Yeon-seo would listen carefully too.
After hearing the whole story, Yu Yeon-seo stroked his chin. It actually made a lot of sense.
“What are you?”
“Think it might be helpful?”
Yu Yeon-seo nodded. It was a new perspective. Indeed, to be so enraged that someone married another person that you’d break into a heavily guarded mansion to kill them... it had to be an extraordinary obsession.
Wait a minute.
If Lee Tae-gyeom’s guess is right... I could use myself as bait if needed.
Keeping the idea of using himself as bait in mind, he headed to the vicinity of M Company for the Snake meeting.
“This is the place? Are you sure we’re not mistaken?”
“This is it.”
He had expected to just have a meal and a chat at some run-of-the-mill restaurant. That was usually how lead actors were cast. He didn’t really have to come, but he had no choice after they insisted.
The place before him was a high-end restaurant he remembered. His past self used to frequent it, so it was bound to be expensive.
“Yeon-seo-ssi!”
“Writer-nim, it’s been a while. You should have waited inside.”
Kim Dae-seong, who had been standing outside, rushed over as soon as he spotted him. Yu Yeon-seo quickly sized him up. During the White Tiger meeting, he had looked a bit disheveled but healthy; now, his silhouette was noticeably thinner.
“You seem to have gone through a lot.”
“Well, you could say that.”
He shrugged. His expression was bright, likely because Yu Yeon-seo’s positive response had given him some breathing room.
“But why did you think of sending the script directly to me? What if I’d held onto it and not let go?”
“Surely, you wouldn’t do such a thing, Yeon-seo-ssi?”
“Oh, I’m not that nice. Don’t you remember the old me?”
“But now isn’t the past. Besides, your image in the industry is really good these days.”
Ah, his comments at Director Lee Jeong-hun’s premiere had been covered in several articles, and thanks to that, the number of manuscripts submitted by aspiring writers to JSENM had apparently increased. Though he hadn’t found anything worth using yet.
“What are the rumors?”
“That Yu Yeon-seo is a god.”
“Excuse me?”
“That’s pretty much the reaction.”
The story of Director Lee Jeong-hun having his screenplay stolen had spread by word of mouth, attracting a lot of attention. Since Yu Yeon-seo had resolved it and provided unwavering support during filming and release, he was apparently being deified.
There was also talk that Only surpassing 8 million viewers was because Yu Yeon-seo had secured an almost monopolistic number of screens for it.
I think that was my mother, not me...
Kim Dae-seong rattled off exaggerated rumors, like how Yu Yeon-seo was a god, a gift from the heavens sent for starving aspiring writers. Listening to him, Yu Yeon-seo frowned.
What kind of bizarre rumors are these... Thinking about it again, he had been living too diligently. He’d have to cause some trouble soon.
“I just meant I’d only pick scripts that would do well.”
“And that’s why you’re here. So, I passed, right?”
“Well, yes. But is this really the place?”
“Um... you’ll see once we go inside.”
What is it? Yu Yeon-seo read hesitation in Kim Dae-seong’s gestures. As he followed him into the restaurant, the staff gasped and covered their mouths upon seeing him. Such reactions were now a daily occurrence.
When they entered a private room in the far corner, the people already seated shot to their feet.
Why are there so many people?
There were too many people for a simple pre-production drama meeting. Yu Yeon-seo bowed his head first.
“Hello.”
“Hello! Yeon-seo-ssi.”
A middle-aged man in a suit extended his hand.
“Hello, haha. It’s the first time we’re meeting like this.”
“This is our department director.”
“My name is Park Cheol-ho.”
Oh, so he was finally important enough for a department director to show up. It took longer than he expected. Yu Yeon-seo shook the offered hand and also greeted the person who had introduced the director. She introduced herself as the head of the PR team and pointed to the woman sitting next to her.
“This is the director of our Snake.”
“Hello. My name is Lee Seul-gi.”
“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
They finally sat down after the round of introductions was more or less over.
“To be honest, we all screamed when we heard back from you.”
“Really? I’d have thought many actors would want the part after reading the script.”
“You were our number one choice over any of them. Ah, would you mind taking a picture with us later?”
The PR team leader was doing an excellent job as the mood-maker with her cheerful voice. The director, Park Cheol-ho, who had been listening quietly, also asked for a photo for his daughter.
“It’s a relief that the writer is close with you.”
“It’s not because we’re close, but because the synopsis was good.”
“That’s the best compliment.”
Kim Dae-seong grinned. The director’s expression brightened at that. A positive evaluation from Yu Yeon-seo, who was famous for his keen eye for projects, meant the drama had a high chance of success.
“That’s a relief. We’re staking everything on Snake. The production budget is quite large as well.”
“There was some pushback because of it, but that’s not something you need to worry about.”
Park Cheol-ho said calmly. It seemed the production team was a bit weak for it to be called a highly anticipated work... but he didn’t say anything, as the director was right in front of him. However, as if anticipating his thoughts, Park Cheol-ho spoke carefully.
“Um... actually, we had a few incidents at our company early this year.”
“Did you? Ah...”
He didn’t know much about it since he had been completely immersed in his role for Filicide, even cutting himself off from the internet. M Company had been in turmoil for a while at the beginning of the year due to a strike. It had been resolved somehow, but key staff members had moved to other broadcasting companies or production houses.
“Things are a bit chaotic because of that, but the Snake team will proceed without any problems. I promise you that.”
The synopsis had given him a good feeling, but now, not so much. And his instincts were never wrong. The director being a rookie wasn’t the issue; he had often worked on rookie directors’ projects. However, being a rookie meant she lacked power, so friction with other staff members couldn’t be ruled out.
But since the director was asserting it so firmly, he had nothing to say and just nodded silently. He was participating here simply as the lead actor, not as a representative of the production company or an investor.
“How should we handle the promotional schedule?”
The PR team leader, who had been listening to their conversation while glancing around, said casually. It was a comment made assuming his participation was all but confirmed.
“What are the options?”
“There are magazine photoshoots, variety shows, and things like ‘Guerilla Date’...”
“Guerilla Date?”
“It used to be a segment on an entertainment program, but after it was canceled, it’s now run on a MyTube channel.”
They would appear on the street without notice, interview passersby, and do fan service as part of their promotional activities. Yu Yeon-seo’s eyes sparkled. That plan to use myself as bait... I think I can make it happen soon.
“Sounds good. I’ll take them all.”
“What?”
The PR team leader’s eyes widened. Until now, Yu Yeon-seo’s promotional activities had consisted of nothing more than magazine photoshoots and simple interviews. He’d appeared on a variety show once or twice, but that was it. And now he was suddenly agreeing to participate in all promotional events.
“That’s unexpected. Have you had a change of heart?”
“The lead actor can’t keep avoiding it forever.”
“Oh my... that’s great for us.”
The PR team leader hastily revised her plans. It would mean working late, but it was fantastic news, as the variety show department had been desperate to cast Yu Yeon-seo. The director listening beside her was grinning from ear to ear.
“However, I’d prefer if they were mainly outdoor activities.”
“Outdoor activities?”
“Like the Guerilla Date you mentioned, I’d like to meet fans on the street... It might be a bit difficult, but.”
“Oh, not at all. What would be difficult about it? I’ll coordinate it well.”
The request was a bit unusual, but it wasn’t difficult. There were plenty of variety shows that would roll out the red carpet to welcome him. In fact, the entire variety department would welcome him with open arms.
“Then, I’ll be in your care.”
“We’ll be in yours.”
After the meal, Yu Yeon-seo stood up and bowed deeply to Director Lee Seul-gi and Writer Kim Dae-seong.
Yu Yeon-seo Confirmed to Star in M Company’s Highly Anticipated Second-Half Drama, ‘Snake’
Father and Son from ‘Demon’ Reunite as Colleagues in ‘Snake’, Yu Yeon-seo and Jeong Hyeon-sik Confirmed
...In ‘Snake’, Yu Yeon-seo will play a former special forces operative and current police officer who gains a special ability after an incident in his past.
└OMG FINALLY
└My actor’s next project is out!!! Ahhh!!
└I’m nervous lol Aren’t the major networks kinda bad these days? I heard all the veterans left this one because of the strike
└I was waiting for news on his next project, but it’s not a movie..
└└I’m glad it’s not a movie lol We can see it soon
└Yu Yeon-seo has a good eye for projects, so I’m looking forward to it
└Wow, even Yu Yeon-seo is getting new projects, why isn’t my actor...
└The character seems a bit similar to White Tiger, but we’ll have to see the drama to know for sure
└Never heard of the director? Anyone know them?
└└Heard she’s famous in the commercial world, this is her first feature-length debut
└└└Ah lol makes me nervous lol
└I was wondering where all the haters who blindly bash Yu Yeon-seo were lol Filming hasn’t even started and they’re already saying they’re nervous lmao
With his next project confirmed, he visited an action school for the first time in a while to immerse himself in the role. He was playing a former special forces operative; if his partner, played by Jeong Hyeon-sik, was the brains, he was the brawn who did the legwork.
I need to get in shape, too.
With that thought, he began the next move. Moving his body to his heart’s content definitely seemed to relieve his mental fatigue. He had been feeling confused lately because of the search for the ‘head’.
“Wow... he’s flying.”
“He seems to have gotten even better than before, doesn’t he?”
Park Seong-jin, the martial arts director of Cheonha Action School, marveled at Yu Yeon-seo’s movements. In truth, there was nothing left to teach him; he was essentially just lending him the training ground.
As Yu Yeon-seo kicked off the wall and spun in mid-air, the director and the trainees applauded.
“Was that even possible without wires?”
“I know, right? Didn’t you teach him that, Director?”
“I taught him a few times... but only he can pull something like that off. The drama’s going to look great.”