Chapter 308
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 308
“Ah, ahaha, haha. Ho-yun, you must really love kimchi fried rice! I love jajangmyeon just as much. Enough to eat it for all three meals a day.”
“Hahahaha.”
“Today is just a casual meeting, so don’t be nervous. Just think of it as light small talk, okay?”
Director Ju smoothed over the atmosphere and pressed the record button on the camcorder the assistant director had set up in advance. This meeting had been arranged as a simple substitute for a formal audition.
Even after seeing Seo Ho-yun in person, a corner of Director Ju's mind remained skeptical, but at the same time, his professional greed as a director began to prickle.
In Director Ju’s judgment, the most important thing in a drama about the entertainment industry—especially when the character was an idol—wasn't singing, dancing, or even acting ability.
Of course, those were bonus points, but the absolute priority was appearance.
While handsome faces were a dime a dozen in this industry, it was incredibly difficult to find an actor who possessed that specific "vibe" unless they were an actual active idol.
However, having Seo Ho-yun—whom he had previously dismissed as just another pretty boy with delicate features—right in front of him felt like encountering a true idol.
“Look at Seo Ho-yun’s styling today. He could walk onto a stage right now and not look out of place at all,” the assistant director whispered beside him. Director Ju nodded in agreement.
When Seo Ho-yun had appeared on TV as Kim Woo-ho in Dead after Hope, his looks were certainly pleasant. However, perhaps because of the role, he had looked a bit worn down by the world.
But now, with his hair dyed a slightly lighter shade and dressed simply in a white short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, he was different. He exuded a pure yet inexplicable radiance that seemed to burst out in every direction.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Facing Ho-yun’s genial smile, Director Ju recalled his phone call with PD Jeong a few days ago.
When asked what actor Seo Ho-yun was like ahead of the casual meeting, PD Jeong had showered him with excessive praise, saying he was kind, gentle, and the best colleague to work with.
‘We don’t have any other candidates yet. He’s not bad. But I should see if he actually fits the role before deciding...’
He didn't particularly intend to make him dance or sing here.
There was only one thing Director Ju wanted from Seo Ho-yun: the "color" of the character bleeding through his attitude, expressions, and actions.
The Kang Ji-sung that Seo Ho-yun would portray.
“I’d like to hear how you’ve interpreted the character, Ho-yun. I’ll ask a few simple questions; please tell me how that person would act.”
“Yes, sir.”
Director Ju cleared his throat and asked, “Ahem. You’re walking down a broadcasting station hallway and a junior greets you. How would Kang Ji-sung handle that?”
“‘Oh, hey,’ he says, and keeps walking.”
As if demonstrating, Ho-yun gave a casual, indifferent wave of his hand, then added with a bright smile, “But Ju... I mean, Kang Ji-sung probably wouldn't even know who spoke to him.”
“...Why do you think so?”
“Because he has no interest in others. Part of it is being used to the one-sided affection people show him, but I think he’s also been burned so much by relationships that he’s built his walls that high.”
Director Ju’s eyes sharpened instantly.
“Oh, interesting. Then what if someone he dislikes tries to get clingy with him? How would he react?”
“Ah...”
Ho-yun’s gaze drifted into the air as if searching his memory, and then he tilted his head slightly.
“Sorry.”
He pulled one corner of his mouth into a smirk.
“I don’t have a very good memory for people with forgettable faces.”
Though he didn't show it outwardly, Director Ju was impressed.
It was a perfect answer.
After reaching the pinnacle of idol stardom, Kang Ji-sung couldn't accept people’s kindness or goodwill at face value. He believed there was a hidden motive behind everything.
Naturally, he became indifferent to his surroundings.
“If, as in the drama, Kang Ji-sung finds someone he actually wants to step up and help, how do you think he would approach them?”
This was a part that hadn't even been scripted yet.
Director Ju wondered if he was asking too much, but he found himself eagerly awaiting Ho-yun’s response.
“He’d have to be suspiciously annoying.”
“Pardon?”
“He’d contact them constantly, pestering them at all hours. Only when the other person ignores him would he grumble and finally stay quiet for a short while.”
“......Hmm?”
However, what actually came out of Ho-yun’s mouth was a completely different direction for the character of Kang Ji-sung.
“Oh. I don’t think that’s quite right.”
“......Excuse me?”
Even though these were questions without set answers, Director Ju felt a sense of disappointment proportional to his heightened expectations.
“As you said earlier, Ho-yun, Kang Ji-sung basically builds walls against people. On top of that, he’s very proud. Even if there’s someone he wants to help, I don’t think he’d approach them so easily.”
“......Is that so?”
Ho-yun blinked, looking as if he didn't quite understand. Since the acting would follow the script anyway, it wasn't an immediate concern.
More than that, something else had been catching Director Ju’s eye from the start.
“By the way, do you play the guitar?”
Following Director Ju’s finger, Ho-yun looked at the guitar and stroked the case.
“Someone taught me, so I can play a little.”
“Oh, a friend?”
“A friend...... Yes, well. A composer I know.”
“Then could you play any song for us?”
“Of course.”
Ho-yun readily agreed, took out the guitar, and calmly took his stance.
“I’ll begin.”
After fingering a few chords and plucking the strings, a gentle melody began to flow.
【Chill out, Do not go too far….】
“...!”
The moment a clean, mid-to-low baritone voice spread through the quiet guitar notes, the eyes of the director and assistant director widened.
【You and I are waiting fear hid underneath the bed】
‘I’m getting goosebumps.’
It was a song released by a rock band in the 1990s.
It was famous for being difficult to sing despite not having high notes or flashy techniques, yet Seo Ho-yun was handling it with great skill.
【As we cannot leave all the things behind…】
The sight of Seo Ho-yun singing to the guitar accompaniment looked like a scene from an indie music film.
The way he continued to play steadily, unbothered by the intense, almost burdensome stares focused on him, felt like proof that he was already accustomed to such situations.
【Lay down, do not go too far
You and I are waiting hope over the sunlight】
Just as Director Ju and the assistant director were becoming fully immersed in the song, the melody stopped.
“No, no, why stop there?”
“Ahahaha.”
“Were you originally training to be a singer?!”
Before Director Ju could even open his mouth, the assistant director, whose face was flushed red, shouted first.
“I thought you were just a good dancer, but it seems you’re even better at singing?”
“I’m better at dancing,” Ho-yun said flatly.
Recalling the entertainment news program featuring Seo Ho-yun that the head writer had shown him recently, Director Ju agreed.
Seo Ho-yun was a big catch.
It was obvious just by looking at the assistant director, who was nudging his side as if telling him to sign the kid quickly.
His understanding of the character ‘Kang Ji-sung’ was a bit lacking, but with singing, dancing, and even acting...
He was a talent who possessed the full trifecta.
However, at this point, Director Ju wanted to check one more thing.
“......Ho-yun. You know.”
“Yes.”
“Actually, if we give an idol a romantic relationship, it might cause various controversies, so there won't be any overtly romantic scenes... but in the head writer’s mind, Kang Ji-sung is someone who has gone through many girlfriends.”
The corners of Ho-yun’s lips, which had been turned up, dropped for the first time.
“...Is there a real-life motif for that?”
“Huh? I’m not sure about that.”
“I see....”
Turning his head and scratching the back of his neck, he spoke cautiously.
“......But this drama doesn't have romance, does it?”
“Even so, I’d like that kind of nuance to be reflected in his words and actions.”
The settings of a role are meant to leak out through small gestures or tone of voice. To the viewers, that would translate into charm.
Director Ju believed that the flavor of acting came from an actor’s direct or indirect experiences.
He didn't necessarily expect Seo Ho-yun to be an expert in that area, but at the very least, he didn't want him to look like a total novice.
‘A man who has met many women...’, ‘A man so handsome that everyone passing by stares...’ No matter how detailed the writer’s stage directions were, if the actor couldn't portray it properly, the character’s charm would inevitably be halved.
Director Ju absolutely did not want to put an actor in that state in front of the camera.
“If you’re okay with it, could you try a pick-up line or something? If you need a partner, I’ll even lend you the assistant director here.”
“I’m down!” the excited assistant director agreed, raising both hands.
“......Do I have to?”
Ho-yun, wearing a troubled expression, looked like he really didn't want to do it.
“Is it absolutely necessary?”
“...Hmm? Did I ask for too much?”
According to PD Jeong, Seo Ho-yun was supposed to be good at everything without holding back.
‘Is romance his landmine?’
Since there were occasionally actors who were weak in specific genres, Director Ju looked slightly troubled.
As Director Ju fell into thought and let out a low hum, Ho-yun stood up and let out a small sigh.
“Why are you making me do that?”
Then, he reached out one hand to lean on the table and leaned his upper body close.
Not toward the assistant director, but...
“...Huh?”
Toward Director Ju.
Director Ju, fifty-four years old this year, was extremely flustered by this sudden situation.
“Um, Ho-yun. If you don’t want to do it, you can just say—”
“It’s not that.”
Ho-yun lowered his long eyelashes.
“Director... are you really okay with me saying things like that to anyone but you?”
“Wh-what??”
His thinly trembling voice sounded as if he were suppressing a deep sense of hurt.
“Really?”
Director Ju was unable to respond to the bombardment—Director Ju later said there was no other way to describe the moment—of Seo Ho-yun’s presence at such close range.
“...I’m a bit disappointed.”
Even though the assistant director witnessing this scene in real-time was beyond shocked, Ho-yun’s gaze did not leave Director Ju.
He smiled slightly at the director.
It was a different smile from the one he had worn throughout the meeting.
It was a smile that suggested he knew exactly when he looked most attractive.
In other words,
“What time do you finish today?”
It was the face that a certain someone Ho-yun was emulating often made.
*
Whoosh.
As he stepped out of the building, a breeze carrying the summer heat brushed against his cheeks.
The meeting had ended with Director Ju saying he would actively consider him for the role of Kang Ji-sung.
“Ju Woo-seong is...”
But rather than thinking things had gone well, he was dazed by a sudden reality check.
“How on earth did that Over-immersion Master do this...?”
Ding!
[I learned a lesson today.]
“...What lesson.”
[Friends are.......]
“......”
[...Something you should choose very carefully.......]
“That bastard isn't my friend...”
He wanted to go back to Idol Tycoon as soon as possible.