Chapter 181: Beyond the Boundary Shooting Set (3) |
At the wrap-up party for Beyond the Boundary, I could hear everything that was going on at the actor's table since I was seated only about a meter away.
The delicious smell of revenge wafted through the air. Thanks to that, there was no need to find a way to get back at Choi Yang-Seop. Lee Tae-Poong had already won the recognition of Baek Yoon-Sung and the other actors, so intervening now would only have negative impacts. Choi Yang-Seop’s reputation had already hit rock bottom anyway.
At that moment, Choi Sung-Moon, seated to my left, muttered to himself, "Indeed, Mr. Baek really has a good eye for people."
As Pyo Eun-Mi carefully wrapped lettuce around garlic and beef, she agreed with him and shouted to make sure everyone could hear. "Of course, it’s Mr. Baek we’re talking about! By the way, Mr. Choi. Don’t you think Mr. Tae-Poong’s acting has improved a lot?"
"Yes, indeed. Oh, I haven’t even thanked you two yet," said Choi Sung-Moon as alternated his gaze between Pyo Eun-Mi and me, expressing his gratitude.
He continued, "If it weren’t for you two, I wouldn’t have thought of choosing Tae-Poong for the lead role. Thank you so much."
"Not at all. It's because it's a film by someone as highly respected as you that Tae-Poong is giving it his all and doing his best. It's all thanks to your motivation, sir." I replied.
As I responded humbly, Choi Sung-Moon smiled pleasantly. "Is that so? Ha ha. That's nice to hear even if it's just flattery."
Choi Sung-Moon, who was in a good mood, burst out in laughter and then turned his gaze to Lee Chan-Dong. But his smile soon turned into a threatening expression as he spoke.
"What, what do you mean by that...?" Lee Chan-Dong asked.
"Didn’t you see what happened? Your actor ignored the choreographed sequence we decided on during the rehearsal and aimed for Tae-Poong's face instead. What would you have done if Tae-Poong had been seriously injured?"
"N-no, that wasn't intentional..."
"I won't make it a problem this time because I don't want to hurt Yang-Seop's reputation, but make sure it doesn't happen twice. I mean it."
Lee Chan-Dong turned pale. "M-Mr. Choi. But it was never intentional. My actor just got so immersed in his role that he got carried away a little bit. That's all."
As Director Lee Chan-Dong continued to make excuses, the alcohol-fueled voice of Choi Sung-Moon grew louder.
I shook my head. 'It seems like he doesn't know Choi Sung-Moon hates people who talk back. It would have been better for him just to admit the mistake and move on.'
"Chief Lee! Do you think of me as a fool? I'm trying to be nice here and this is how you talk back?" Choi Sung-Moon growled.
That's when Pyo Eun-Mi quickly stepped in to mediate. "Oh, come on, Mr. Choi. Please control your temper. There are a lot of people listening..."
But once Choi Sung-Moon got angry, even famous actors could not stop him from a fistfight. It was no surprise that Pyo Eun-Mi’s words fell on deaf ears.
Choi Sung-Moon turned toward the actors' table. "Choi Yang-Seop! Come over here!"
Choi Yang-Seop, who had only been drinking in silence amidst the chaos, quickly approached him. Even though he was an award-winning actor, he was just another actor to Choi Sung-Moon.
Choi Sung-Moon glared at him sharply and shouted, "Why did you do that at the scene earlier? I let it slide because you have your reputation to uphold, but seeing Chief Lee Chan-Dong talk like that, I think we need to settle this."
Choi Yang-Seop should have admitted his fault then. Although Choi Sung-Moon had a fiery temper, he was quick to forgive those who acknowledged their mistakes. However, with his pride hurt, Choi Yang-Seop chose to feign ignorance.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir."
"Really? From what I saw, you completely disregarded my directions and did the film your way," Choi Sung-Moon rebuked him.
"That never happened. There was a bit of improvisation, but I acted in the direction I thought was best," Choi Yang-Seop argued.
Infuriated by Choi Yang-Seop’s brazen attitude, Choi Sung-Moon began to rage. "Everyone from Ace Entertainment is just ridiculous. Hey, you! Don’t even think about showing up on the set for a while!"
Choi Yang-Seop was taken aback by those words. "Excuse me?"
"If I see your face, I’d rather quit the shooting altogether. So stay off the set!" Choi Sung-Moon yelled.
Choi Yang-Seop finally realized the severity of the situation and apologized, but it was already too late.
"Are you ignoring me again? You scratched the lead actor's face and didn’t even apologize. Do you think I'm a fool? You son of a bitch!" Choi Sung-Moon continued with his berating.
At that moment, Lee Chan-Dong hurried over and knelt with his face white beyond pale.
'Wow. It's been a while since I'd seen such a fiery power play,' I remarked inwardly.
Only then did Choi Yang-Seop kneel as well. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Choi."
"Mr. Choi, I couldn’t control my emotions. Please forgive me," he continued.
But Choi Sung-Moon wasn’t in the mood to listen. "Why are you kneeling? Do you really want to make me look like a fool until the end? Get out this instant! Or rather, do you want to leave my movie? Let’s consider the scene where you almost died as if you actually did. How about that?"
When Choi Sung-Moon’s face flushed as if he had eaten two packets of nuclear fire noodles[1], Pyo Eun-Mi quickly waved her hands with a perplexed expression.
For the production company, ruining the relationship with a big star with a large fandom would be a significant loss. In particular, kicking out a famous star like Choi Yang-Seop could create chaos among investors.
Pyo Eun-Mi quickly gestured with her hands. "Both of you! Just go home for today! I'll contact you separately."
"Oh, okay. Yes."
After glancing around, Choi Yang-Seop and Lee Chan-Dong left the place as if chased away. Choi Yang-Seop would return to the set in just a couple of days, but as an acting award winner, he had never experienced such treatment before.
Choi Sung-Moon fumed for a while even after they left and downed a shot of soju.
"They better keep their fighting spirits in check. They get one small award and get all high and mighty...They're not the only ones who've won an award before!"
The mood at the gathering soured due to Choi Sung-Moon’s outburst. If the gathering ended like this, the purpose of organizing today's event would be halved. Therefore, I cautiously brought up Lee Tae-Poong to ease the situation.
"It's okay, Mr. Choi. The scar on Tae-Poong’s face will disappear in a day or two."
Choi Sung-Moon glanced at me. He was on the verge of raising his voice again but barely managed to contain his anger, knowing that I, as the organizer of today’s gathering and Lee Tae-Poong's talent agent, must have been the most upset.
"Hm, hm. Well, that’s a relief then," said Choi Sung-Moon as he began to calm down.
Seizing the moment, I poured him another drink. Choi Sung-Moon downed the soju I offered in one go as if to quench his thirst.
"Ahh~ that's refreshing."
After emptying his glass, Choi Sung-Moon asked, "But aren't you upset, Team Lead Jung? Your actor was the one affected."
"Mr. Baek and you already scolded them, didn’t you? What more could I say?" I responded.
"Look at how this guy talks. Is this how you handle things without lifting a finger?" Choi Sung-Moon asked.
"Well, that's how it turned out."
Choi Sung-Moon glared at me for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. "What? Ha ha ha. That was your plan all along?"
Finally, the chilly atmosphere of the gathering returned to normal. Choi Sung-Moon raised his glass to the crowd after calming down.
"It seems like I ruined the mood. I'm sorry, everyone."
"Not at all, sir!"
Choi Sung-Moon cleared his throat. "Ahem. Let's all forget what just happened. Since Team Lead Jung here generously treated us today... we should hear a toast from him, right?"
"Yes!"
The staff and actors cheered, raising me to my feet.
Thanks to this, I had to do my opening toast with a soju glass in my hand.
'Ah, what should I say?'
After a brief moment of thought, there was only one thing to say. "Then I will lead the toast."
Seeing the staff ready to follow, I shouted energetically, "To reach ten million audience~"
Everyone from the actors to the staff cheered instantly.
"Let's go~"
"Wow. Calling for ten million straight away?"
"Damn. Team Lead Jung has some ambition, huh?"
Choi Sung-Moon chuckled at the staff's cheers. "You should shout 'cheers' right away. Again!"
With the atmosphere slightly unsettled, I shouted even louder than before. "To Beyond the Boundary reaching ten million audiences~"
A resounding response roared back as if it would lift the roof of the barbecue place.
"Cheers!"
***
As the number of celebrities I managed increased, my days became busier. But even during this busy time, Yoo-Jin continued to visit the senior center twice a week to deepen her understanding of her role.
The release date for her next work In the Name of God was approaching fast. When I received a call from Kim Soo-Hee to check on Yoo-Jin's practice progress, I immediately drove home. But unlike this morning, I noticed four men in security guard attire stationed in front of the gate.
'Here they are.'
They wore black suits with "ADD Caps" badges on their chests. Despite having a security camera at home, some persistent fans had been loitering around the property, necessitating increased security.
We considered moving to a more secure location, but Yoo-Jin chose to pay for personal security instead to avoid leaving the landlord whom she didn't want to part with.
As I attempted to drive into the parking area by the house, two security guards stopped me.
"Could we see your ID, please?"
When I rolled down the window and handed over my identification, a man in his late thirties approached.
"Hello, Mr. Jung. I'm Team Lead Baek Seok-Man."
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Baek. Has there been any trouble today?"
"A few reporters and some overzealous fans showed up, but we managed to send them away nicely," Baek Seok-Man replied.
At that moment, a worry crossed my mind and I asked, "You didn't have to use any force, did you?"
"Absolutely not. You've made it clear that we shouldn't overdo it unless there’s a direct threat to Miss Yoo-Jin or Miss Miso, right?"
"Exactly. That's good to hear. But why four guards today?" I asked with curiosity.
Normally, Yoo-Jin’s security detail consisted of two guards from ADD Caps. The area was manned during the day and under unmanned surveillance at night with the plan that response teams from nearby ADD caps would arrive within two minutes should any emergencies occur.
"Today we have workers going in and out due to the remodeling of the second and third floors, so we increased the personnel to manage them," Baek Seok-Man answered.
I nodded. "I see. Please continue to take good care of Yoo-Jin and Miso."
After exchanging greetings with the guards, I drove into the parking lot inside.
***
Having moved in with Haru, we initially planned to remodel just the attic on the third floor. However, the landlord decided to take this opportunity to renovate the entire house.
As I exchanged greetings with the landlord, Yoo-Jin and Miso finished preparing to visit Kim Soo-Hee's house.
"Alright. Shall we go then?" I asked with a smile.
"Yes!"
Yoo-Jin and Miso got inside the Merciless Springer van and we headed straight to Kim Soo-Hee's house.
When we arrived, Kim Soo-Hee greeted us warmly before looking intently at Miso who was visiting for the first time, and said, "So this is the famous Miso."
Miso bowed to her. "Hello! I'm Jung Miso from Lila Kindergarten! Please don't scold my mom, ma'am!"
Miso greeted with a clear voice, combining a greeting and a plea in one shot.
A smile flickered across Kim Soo-Hee's face at Miso's bold demeanor. "What a bright child. But I heard you want to act too?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Make sure you prepare well."
Kim Soo-Hee encouraged her with a serious expression and Miso nodded in agreement.
"Okay!"
Then Kim Soo-Hee hurried Yoo-Jin. "I don’t have much time today, so let's go upstairs, Yoo-Jin."
"Yes, Mrs. Kim."
Before heading upstairs for her lesson, Yoo-Jin instructed Miso, "Miso, don’t play around and stay quietly with Uncle Yoon-Ho. Okay?"
"Okay, Mom!"
As soon as Yoo-Jin heard Miso’s reply, she went upstairs with Kim Soo-Hee.
Meanwhile, I took out drawing tools from Miso's bag and spread them on the table so Miso could draw like usual, but Miso just stared upstairs.
"Miso, don't you want to draw?" I asked.
"I want to act too," Miso replied.
Curious, I asked what kind of acting she wanted to do.
Miso responded that she loved acting itself. "Anything! I feel really happy when I watch Mom act."
"Is that so?"
"Uncle Yoon-Ho, do you want to see me act?"
Miso positioned herself in front of me without being asked.
Yoo-Jin had been in charge of Miso’s acting training, which was more like play than formal acting. But this approach meant that Miso did not harbor the same fears about performing as other child actors did.
Since I hadn’t seen Miso act since the auditions, I nodded. "Alright, let’s see how much Miso's acting has improved."
"Okay!"
Miso clasped her hands together and nodded, sending a signal that she was ready.
I winked at her and gave a director-like cue. "Ready... Action!"
Miso took a deep breath and instantly transformed into the young character, Cheongmyung, she was portraying.
At that moment, I was left speechless with my mouth agape.
'What... what is this?'
1. Korean instant noodles famous for being spicy ☜
Ristretto's Thoughts
It's them actor DNA
