By Zephyria “Yes. Didn’t you hear? We received two thousand profiles for the role of Lee San. Our staff almost died checking them all.”
He had expected many applicants since it was Director Jung Joon-hee’s film, but he never imagined two thousand people. Although the role had significant screen time, it was a supporting character. Or perhaps, people flocked to it thinking the probability of getting cast was higher than for the lead.
The moment he heard the 2,000 to 1 competition rate, Song Hyun-soo’s stomach burned with pressure.
“Haha. Our Hyun-soo, your face has turned completely white.”
PD Kim found Song Hyun-soo’s reaction amusing and laughed, tilting her head back.
“May I call you Hyun-soo?”
“Of course. Please speak comfortably.”
“If we have a wrap party today and have a drink, you’ll probably become that way immediately. People will curse behind your back, saying I’m being too casual!”
“Oh, no, that won’t happen.”
“You’ll be seeing my face constantly until filming wraps and we do stage greetings. Think of me as an aunt from now on.”
“An aunt?”
“Aren’t I about your aunt’s age? You’re in your mid-twenties now? Early twenties?”
“Thank you for your words, PD-nim, but I’m twenty-eight.”
“Oh my, you absolutely don’t look it.”
“PD-nim, I’d say you look like an older sister, but definitely not an aunt.”
“Well, young man, you’re good at social interactions!”
Fortunately, the chief producer didn’t seem like a difficult person to deal with. She also seemed to like Song Hyun-soo.
If the director was the one creating the work, the chief producer was the overall commander of the practical aspects involved in producing and distributing a film, including planning, administration, hiring, marketing, and securing distributors. While situations varied by project and production company, she often held more authority than the director. In short, she was a very high-ranking person to Song Hyun-soo. Her relationship with him was as important as his relationship with the director.
Suddenly, PD Kim lowered her voice and winked towards Yoon Joo-ho.
“So, did you greet him?”
“Yes. We did.”
“Right, it couldn’t have been easy. You worked hard.”
Hearing that he had greeted Yoon Joo-ho, she patted his shoulder as if to comfort him. PD-nim, you understand how I feel. Song Hyun-soo felt like he could shed a tear. He was convinced he would get along very well with PD Kim.
“Your laughter could be heard all the way to the stairs, PD-nim? What’s so funny?”
Just then, the conference room door opened, and a new person entered.
“Ah, Joo-young! Here, our San. What do you think?”
PD Kim turned Song Hyun-soo’s shoulder towards someone who had just entered the conference room.
Han Joo-young. According to what he had heard when signing his contract, he was the actor playing the film director Jeon Yu-jeong in this movie.
“Oh wow, San’s actor has finally been decided?”Han Joo-young’s exclamation sounded closer to ‘Oh’ than the Korean ‘Oh.'”” He was a third-generation Korean-American who started acting seriously at a relatively late age.
“He’s a very refreshing handsome guy!”
“Right?”
“It’s like San is walking around alive.”
“Exactly!”
At Han Joo-young’s words, PD Kim excitedly slapped his shoulder.
“You two, greet each other. This is actor Han Joo-young, who plays Jeon Yu-jeong. And this is actor Song Hyun-soo, who plays Lee San.”
“Hello, I’m Song Hyun-soo. It’s a pleasure to work with you.”
Song Hyun-soo bowed deeply and extended both hands. He knew Han Joo-young was thirty-two, the same age as Yoon Joo-ho, three years older than him. It was also a habit ingrained from dealing with people in a professional capacity, always showing excessive courtesy.
“The pleasure is mine. Since most of the actors are around my age, I think this project will be really fun. Right?”
Han Joo-young smiled broadly and clasped the hand Song Hyun-soo offered. He didn’t bow, nor did he offer both hands. Song Hyun-soo subtly straightened his slightly hunched posture.
PD Kim turned to Song Hyun-soo and asked,
“So, when did you debut?”
“My first role with dialogue was about four years ago.”
“Was Joo-young’s debut three years ago? A financial commercial?”
“That’s right.”
A financial commercial. An image popped into Song Hyun-soo’s mind.
“Oh? Could it be… the ARA Financial Group commercial?”
“Oh wow, that’s it! You remember!”
Not just anyone can be a model for a financial group advertisement. High recognition wasn’t enough. Only celebrities with a clean image that could inspire trust were eligible, and for lesser-known models, an honest, diligent, or elegant and luxurious image was required.
The ARA Financial Group commercial at the time depicted the luxurious lifestyle of a young man starting his day in a high-rise apartment with a stunning view. It was an advertisement that instilled the fantasy that such a life was possible with ARA Financial Group.
And in the commercial, the man who looked kind and gentle yet exuded vibrant energy was Han Joo-young.
“I shot it by chance after getting a business card on the street while briefly visiting Korea for my graduation gift. Oh, Hyun-soo, you might not know? I grew up in Boston. I went to college in Manhattan, though.”
“I knew you were from America.”
“Oh, you did? Thank you. Anyway, I went back to the US to attend graduate school, but the feeling of being in front of the camera kept coming back to me. I wanted to quit my studies and act. It took quite some effort to persuade my parents. My dad was so angry he didn’t speak to me for a whole day?”
Han Joo-young said it as if recalling a terrible incident. As if he had never experienced anything more dreadful in his life.
Unlike the man in the ARA Financial Group commercial, the real Han Joo-young was quite talkative. It was a cheerful chattiness stemming from the confidence that everyone was curious about his story. Depending on the person, it could be charming. He thought he had met all sorts of people while dabbling in the film industry. But this type was new.
He wasn’t an incredible beauty like Yoon Joo-ho. However, Han Joo-young clearly had his own unique aura. That was a tremendous weapon for an actor. Moreover, his gentle, approachable appearance had a definite market. After all, his chattiness would be hidden by his role, and the audience wouldn’t even know about it.
“If you debuted four years ago, Hyun-soo, you’re the senior.”
PD Kim stepped in to sort out the hierarchy.
“I was a waiter with one line, though. You should count my real debut as
“Real debut! Then
Han Joo-young seemed amused by the term “real debut” and repeated Song Hyun-soo’s words several times, while PD Kim stepped in to organize it once more.
“Okay, then you two can be considered as batchmates.”
“I’ll call you Joo-young hyung from now on.”
“Hyung? I know it’s common in Korea, but it feels a bit awkward to me. It makes me feel old. Just call me hyung! What’s the big deal.”
“Joo-young… hyung?”
“Great, Joo-young hyung! I don’t have any siblings. Let’s be close, Hyun-soo. I like hanging out. We can drink together, go to good restaurants. Oh, do you play any sports? I heard tennis is a bit popular in Korea these days. Do you play tennis?”
Song Hyun-soo felt a bit dizzy from Han Joo-young’s unending chatter. He felt like he was with Jung-ho at ‘Jessica.’
“Hyung… your Korean is amazing.”
“Ah, I’m pretty good, right? Among my Korean friends, I’m the best! I had to speak Korean at home all the time. Still, my pronunciation is a bit clumsy, so I’m taking lessons diligently these days.”
“Oh, really?”
Song Hyun-soo met Han Joo-young’s barrage with hollow reactions.
“My teacher is from Seoul National University’s English Education department, so she’s also very good at English. She explains difficult parts in English, so it’s easy to understand.”
“Ah, is that so?”
While Han Joo-young rattled off Korean proverbs he was learning, Song Hyun-soo nodded as if listening intently, but the words didn’t sink in. Judging by her expression, PD Kim seemed to feel the same. I must remember to order bubble wrap today. As Song Hyun-soo thought this, his gaze inadvertently fell on Han Joo-young’s attire.