Chapter 115
"Where on earth did such an actor come from?"
Park Jinmo marveled as he watched Jinseok's acting from the corner of the alley.
Whatever it may be, there's always a limit' to everything. No matter how perfectly an actor immerses themselves in a role, there is a certain awkwardness inherent in their performance due to the habits they've developed throughout their life.
For instance, the actor's pronunciation or actions might reveal a familiarity with their previous roles.
However, in Jinseok's acting right now, there was not a hint of awkwardness.
It felt as if he had extracted from the script the scenario of a perfect con artist, thrown off balance by the deviation of his plan, accidentally confessing' and brought it to life.
Such admiration wasn't limited to Park Jinmo alone.
"Hehe"
A small laugh escaped from Yeo Jaeyoon's lips. During the shoot, Yeo Jae-yoon had been strict and somewhat cantankerous, but Jinseok's acting undeniably caused the muscles in his face to loosen.
"During the first audition, he couldn't find the direction, and now."
On the screen capturing Jinseok's face were dilated pupils expressing bewilderment, cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and a lower lip uncertain of how to deal with shyness.
And, in an awkward yet harmonious manner, the fingertips directed towards a flustered Lee Hyemin were captured, completing the ensemble.
"Surely, there's something different about actor Kang Jinseok's performance. It's something that can't be explained simply by excellent script analysis."
At that moment, Jinseok's face, which had been facing the floor, subtly turned towards the camera. Following his gaze, the camera slowly shifted to a frontal view.
It was a first-person perspective aligned with his eye level.
As scripted, the face of Lee Hyemin, blushing and displaying signs of embarrassment, entered the frame. However, for some reason, there was a feeling slightly different from those emotions.
"Is this a sense of being moved?"
More precisely, it was an expression that seemed to be inspired by something rather than just being moved.
"My intention was a bit different."
Since there was no intention to cut slack just because she was his daughter, if the acting had been subpar, Yeo Jaeyoon would have called for retakes without hesitation.
However, the current feeling wasn't bad, so he decided to let it pass.
Just insisting on reshooting might have been a huge setback if Jinseok's acting wavered.
Lee Hyemin wrote a note with trembling hands and showed it to Jinseok.
"Is it true?"
"Re-really? Of course!"
It was an unexpected note, and Jinseok's eyes widened in surprise.
That too was brief; Jinseok somehow managed to speak in a nonchalant tone, but he still trembled visibly, unable to conceal his hesitation.
"Uh, well we um, food!"
"Foo-food? Shall we eat? There's a delicious pig's trotters place nearby, and a pork bone soup place also a fried chicken place."
"Or there's bossam"
The menus suggested by the man who had just confessed weren't exactly suitable for a date. That's why Lee Hyemin found it even more endearing.
Jinseok, or rather, the man who had just confessed, was making his embarrassment even more apparent.
The two of them, caught on screen, looked incredibly awkward. Lee Hyemin shyly nodded her head.
The screen displayed a charming awkwardness, reminiscent of a couple attempting to take their first steps in a relationship.
"One, two, three."
Watching their interactions, Yeo Jaeyoon silently counted in his mind.
"Ah, cut!"
Yeo Jaeyoon tossed aside the headset connected to the microphone and let out a hearty laugh.
"Wow, this is no joke."
"But I feel embarrassed just watching."
"Amazing. What's the title of this movie?"
"Hey! When is this movie coming out?!"
"I forgot to breathe. This is real acting."
Whether it was the trigger for the applause or the citizens who were watching the shoot, they all collectively marveled. Among them were, of course, students from Seoguk University.
"You have to do that to make a movie."
"But the two of them in a two-shot, they really match well."
Like beginners admiring a veteran, the students were impressed by Jinseok's acting.
Of course, Seo Yeonsoo felt the same way.
As the citizens and students marveled, the staff members moved the lights for the next shoot, and Jinseok and Lee Hyemin walked out of the alley, chatting with each other.
Seeing this, most of the citizens took pictures, and Jinseok, with a stylish smile, shook hands with people.
"Wow, as expected of Jinseok!"
"That was great! It was worth coming to see the acting!"
"Is this a drama? Oh, was it a movie?"
At that moment, breaking through everyone's voices, the loud voices of the workers from Seongsoo Warehouse echoed. They seemed relaxed and carefree.
The considerably robust voices drew the attention of both the citizens and the staff members.
Of course, Jinseok's gaze naturally turned in their direction.
"Oh? Gentlemen, how did you end up here?"
Jinseok greeted them warmly as he approached. However, their bright smiles suddenly turned blank.
"Us? We just"
"Uh Why did we come here?"
"Did we come to eat something?"
Park Chunsam, the team leader, and Mr. Kim, who were at the forefront, gave vague answers.
"We brought them here. Since there's filming nearby, I thought you all might want to see it."
Then, unexpectedly, Jang Sunho, who was standing by Jinseok, took over from Park Chunsam.
In response, Park Chunsam and the other employees awkwardly laughed, saying, "Oh, right, right. We just came to see it. It's nearby. Haha"
"Um"
Examining them curiously, Jinseok spoke as if sensing something odd.
"Is that so? But everyone seems relieved, like after finishing work on Chuseok or New Year."
""
"Did something happen for you all to come here?"
Jinseok asked without much thought, but the moment he spoke, the men and Jang Sunho hesitated.
Then, Park Chunsam clenched his fist and spoke with a solemn voice.
"Nothing at all"
"?"
"Happened."
It seemed a bit strange, but since they were insisting like this, Jinseok couldn't press further and just shrugged, nodding his head.
"Oh, Actress Lee Hyemin. These gentlemen are"
Then, he noticed Lee Hyemin standing behind him, observing him and the men with a curious expression.
"They're like my father."
Jinseok didn't want to simply define them as coworkers.' So, he expressed them as family, using the term father.'
Whether they were surprised or moved by his words, the Seongsoo Warehouse workers seemed to be touched, their noses twitching.
Lee Hyemin politely greeted the Seongsoo Warehouse workers. Whether it was because of Jinseok's reference to them as like his father' or perhaps due to their intimidating stature, they were being quite cautious.
"Are they intimidated?"
Lee Hyemin wasn't usually the most outgoing, but at this moment, she seemed particularly tense, almost frozen.
It was understandable, given the somewhat intimidating appearance of the men.
"I wonder if a cheerful greeting would help."
To ease Lee Hyemin's tension, Jinseok introduced her to the men.
"This is Lee Hyemin, the actress who plays the female lead in this project. You saw her a little while ago, right? She's really good at acting."
"The female lead?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I see."
At the mention of "the female lead," the men exchanged knowing glances.
"Jinseok is filming a romantic comedy this time, right?"
"Not exactly a romantic comedy. But well, that's close enough."
"I see. So, are they going to hold hands and act all lovey-dovey?"
"Probably. These days, that's a trend."
"Hmm. That's the trend of trends. But what is the trend, exactly?"
Normally, those who would scold each other without hesitation were strangely in sync during moments like these.
It was a conversation very familiar to Jinseok. In response, he raised his head with a somewhat embarrassed smile, as if saying he couldn't help it.
However, for Lee Hyemin, the somewhat heated conversation seemed a bit unfamiliar, and her face flushed. The men found her reaction cute and burst into laughter.
"You said Hyemin, right? Nice to meet you, Hyemin."
At that moment, Kwak Dupal, the team leader, nodded slightly and greeted her. Startled by his unexpected greeting, Lee Hyemin quickly blinked her large eyes.
Then, with her long hair falling to her waist, she gracefully bowed to Kwak Dupal.
***
"At Pizza King, they want to use Kang Jinseok as their exclusive model."
In the conference room of the advertising agency "Dolphin Excursion."
Like a calm pond disturbed by a thrown stone, the tranquil atmosphere was disrupted by the team leader's casual remark.
"If it's Pizza King KL Entertainment's Kwon Seokhoon, right? KL Entertainment must be aware that the contract is likely to be extended."
"Besides, Pizza King should know that KL Entertainment doesn't like Kang Jinseok. Why would they want to use him?"
"It's going to be noisy again."
"Actor Kwon Seokhoon didn't react badly either. Why would they want to change?"
In response to the team members' questions and reactions, the team leader placed documents on the table and spoke.
"The person in charge said they want to change Pizza King's image, and Kang Jinseok is quite popular these days, right? His recent work with Director Yeo Jaeyoon? Even though the movie won't be released for a while, there are photos popping up on social media and news portals. You know, right?"
"That's true."
"And if the movie becomes a hit after it's released, his appearance fee will go up. They might be trying to secure him in advance."
"What if the movie flops?"
Still, even if it's a contract with a rookie guarantee, it wouldn't be bad. Besides, Kwon Seokhoon doesn't really have much activity going on, right?"
As the team leader explained in a weary voice, the team members nodded in agreement.
Looking at his team members, the team leader added one more thing.
"And this upcoming project is expected to hit at least a mid-range. I have a friend in the film industry, and it seems like other directors are all trying to delay the release dates for their films."
"Why?"
"They think they'll lose all the audience if they release around the same time. I don't know the details, but it seems like rumors are already spreading over there. This next project is no joke."
Surprised by the team leader's words, the team members nodded, saying, "If it's the combination of Director Yeo Jaeyoon and Kang Jinseok, it's sure to be at least a mid-range hit."
Sipping on his lukewarm coffee, the team leader continued.
"But there's a problem. The advertiser wants to grab Kang Jinseok specifically for the model, so we have to adjust to that. But suddenly rejecting Kwon Seokhoon seems like KL Entertainment would catch on."
"Oh that's true. That director really has a dirty personality."
"That's right. Also, besides our Pizza King project, there are a few more ad shoots lined up with KL Entertainment actors. We need to extend contracts for some of them. If our relationship sours because of this, it's really going to be a headache. Do you understand what I mean?"
The team members nodded in understanding. Although the advertising agency and the entertainment planning agency weren't in a direct hierarchical relationship, they often collided with each other, so maintaining a good relationship was preferable.
After a moment of silence, one of the employees asked the team leader.
"But, Team Leader, isn't KL Entertainment a bunch of money-crazed people? They won't care much, right? They'll do anything that makes money."
"Well, that's true, but when you actually go to the shooting site, they can be quite picky. This one has too much exposure, so it's a no-go. This one doesn't match the image, so it's a no-go. This one doesn't align with the planning and feels different, so it's a no-go.' They'll go on about that kind of stuff."
"Ah"
The team member nodded, seeming to understand.
It was a challenging situation where the desired actor for the advertiser could potentially have a negative impact on another advertisement.
The conference room fell silent in the face of the difficult circumstances.
"Now, let's tell KL Entertainment that Kwon Seokhoon is done as a model, and we need to successfully wrap up this project."
In that atmosphere, the team leader threw another question into the mix.
"Anyone confident?"
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