episode_0024

“ .”

“Yeah, that’s the title. It’s a movie. But…”

As he spoke,

Shin Ji-hoo seemed to hesitate a bit.

“To be honest, as your manager, I think it might be better to just do the second or third Cha Yeon-soo instead of that work.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The one who came to find the work was Shin Ji-hoo himself.

But still, Seo Yi-soo seemed reluctant to participate in .

He said,

“It’s a low-budget film. That’s what it is.”

A low-budget film.

Literally, a film with minimal capital investment.

Without creating elaborate sets or casting famous actors.

In many cases, the director is also often a novice director who has just started their career.

The appearance fee that Seo Yi-soo would receive was definitely not going to be substantial.

But Shin Ji-hoo’s reluctance to participate in was not just because of the money.

“Having a low budget also means… in other words, distribution and promotion are not that great either.”

The Korean film market was a strict case of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

Big-budget films that received massive investments from distribution companies monopolized the theaters.

Most low-budget films only received a small number of theaters, leftovers after the blockbusters had taken over.

“If you’re unlucky… you might work hard on a film but end up not being able to get it into theaters and it goes straight to VOD.”

It was a phenomenon caused by a small number of major corporations monopolizing the theaters.

That’s why, even though Shin Ji-hoo personally sought out the work, he had to be cautious about participating in due to the high probability of failure.

“You’re a rookie who has just started your career, and especially in the film industry, where you have never appeared before. The beginning is really important.”

In the entertainment industry, only the results matter.

That’s why there was a superstitious aspect to it.

Myths and jinxes played a role.

“If you mess up a work, there are many cases where the production company is reluctant to hire an actor who has failed.”

There are actors like that.

They act well.

They have enough popularity.

But they are not used in films, especially if their first few works fail, leading to a bad reputation.

“That actor has bad luck with works.”

This kind of reputation.

Then, no matter how well you act, it doesn’t matter.

Because the production and investment companies are reluctant to use them.

Shin Ji-hoo was worried that Seo Yi-soo might fall into that category.

Nevertheless, there were several reasons why Shin Ji-hoo brought .

“If you don’t want the same role as Cha Yeon-soo… unfortunately, all the offers coming to you right now are in that direction.”

One reason was that a different character role than Cha Yeon-soo had not come to Seo Yi-soo.

So, the only work he could participate in was .

There was another reason.

“And aside from the low budget, the work itself is good.”

The script of was quite good.

The director, although a rookie who did not receive a large investment, was also recognized for his talent in the industry.

“And above all…”

As the final reason,

“It’s the lead role. The character.”

It was because the role Seo Yi-soo would take on was the lead role in the work.

The lead.

The protagonists who lead the work.

Although he showed a bit of presence in , Seo Yi-soo, who was still just a rookie, could only take on supporting roles in low-budget films.

Because it was a low-budget film.

A small work that couldn’t cast a star, so the lead role offer could come to rookie actor Seo Yi-soo.

Shin Ji-hoo summarized the situation.

“You can choose one of the two.”

In other words, it was a choice between two options.

The work that offered a role that seemed like a replica of Cha Yeon-soo had a major scale.

Even though the role was mostly supporting.

More than anything, Seo Yisoo’s acting might be boring, but the possibility of success was quite high.

There was no better way to increase recognition.

On the other hand, “Sea Diary” was a low-budget film, and the possibility of success was uncertain.

In extreme cases, it might not even be shown in theaters.

Even if it succeeded, objectively speaking, it was not a blockbuster film.

Instead, Seo Yisoo’s role was the lead.

“Just assuming it’s not a flop… Leading a film in the movie industry will be a huge advantage.”

One side is low risk, low return.

The other side is high risk, high return.

“Anyway, in this situation, personally, I think a role like Cha Yeonsoo… Seo Yisoo?”

“Hmm?”

“…Are you listening to my explanation?”

“Yes.”

“Yes? Really?”

Ah, the same indifferent response made Sin Jihoo’s temples throb.

She had thought hard about asking about the role.

She had explained it diligently and provided options.

But Seo Yisoo wasn’t even listening properly and was doing something else.

“Ah, no, it’s just that…”

Seo Yisoo mumbled in defense.

“I always feel this way, but Sin Jihoo, your explanations are too complicated. No matter how much I listen, I just don’t understand those complex stories. I just…”

Seo Yisoo looked at the synopsis in her hand.

“If the life of the character I’m going to play is interesting, then it’s all good.”

So, instead of focusing on Sin Jihoo’s explanation, Seo Yisoo was reading the synopsis.

Her gaze fell on the A4-sized paper.

There, the title of the work and a brief summary were printed.

“Exhausted from a long illness, Sangjin goes to the island of Nakdo for recuperation.

There, Sangjin meets two peers named Minseo and Minjun. Minseo had fair skin, and Minjun had a coppery complexion. They said they were siblings.”

This was the summary of “Sea Diary.”

And the role Seo Yisoo would play was…

The sister Minseo of the Minjun-Minseo siblings.

Siblings with different skin colors.

Dramas unfolding in the closed and backward environment of the island of Nakdo.

“Sin Jihoo.”

“What?”

Seo Yisoo’s eyes sparkled.

“This woman’s life. It’s really interesting.”

Her eyes were shining with interest.

Low-budget film, possibility of success.

She didn’t care about such complicated matters at all.

In fact, that was true.

“I want to live this life too.”

Seo Yisoo was an outsider to the world.

She was a dragon who spoke clearly, and therefore had no interest in worldly matters.

What was important to her was how fun it would be to act, to play.

So, Sin Jihoo prepared two choices, but it might have been meaningless from the start because the answer was already decided.

“I want to do this.”

To play an interesting role.

To live the life of that character.

That was all that mattered to Seo Yisoo.

Seo Yisoo was becoming that kind of actress.

“…Alright.”

Sin Jihoo was the person who volunteered to be her manager.

“Okay. Got it. I’ll schedule a meeting with the director.”

Sin Jihoo’s mind was busy.

Instead of Seo Yisoo, who only looked at the role, she was thinking about real-world problems.

Lack of budget.

Poor conditions and limited theaters for screening.

Various problems were being sorted out in Sin Jihoo’s mind.

Two days later, at a movie theater on Teheran Road in Gangnam.

Sin Jihoo and Seo Yisoo had a meeting with the director of “Sea Diary.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hankyungjin.”

He was in his mid-thirties.

A man with a quite natural smile.

“I’m Sin Jihoo, the manager. And as you know, this is Seo Yisoo.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”

“Yes. Seo Yisoo, the actress. Hmm.”

Hankyungjin looked at Seo Yisoo and tilted his head.

It was because of her appearance.

“Your impression is completely different from Cha Yeonsoo, isn’t it?”

He sounded quite surprised.

Actually, Hankyungjin was not entirely satisfied with the casting of Seo Isu.

Due to the low budget, he couldn’t afford well-known actors with good acting skills, so he reluctantly reached out to Seo Isu as well.

However, one of the main characters of “The Diary of the Sea,” Minseo, was a completely different personality from Cha Yeon-su.

If Cha Yeon-su was a charismatic top star.

Minseo had to be a pure first love kind of woman.

Because of this, Hankyungjin was worried deep down even as he scheduled a meeting with Seo Isu.

“What if Seo Isu’s acting doesn’t match well with Minseo?”

Such worries.

But…

“Haha. Our actor’s acting skills are broader than I thought, right?”

“Acting skills? What is that supposed to mean?”

“Just nod your head. Keep your mouth shut.”

The Seo Isu he actually met was completely different from Cha Yeon-su.

There was a slightly naive charm in his expression, and his smiling face seemed quite innocent.

Could this work better than expected?

Such thoughts came naturally.

But he quickly shook his head.

“No, don’t get ahead of yourself.”

The entertainment industry in South Korea is small.

There are plenty of actors, but only a handful of them are actually good.

Hankyungjin was a rookie director.

And the actors he worked with were mostly like himself, lacking in some aspects just like inexperienced directors.

“Moreover, Seo Isu is a rookie. The acting he showed in ‘Cha Yeon-su’ was more emotion-based than technical.”

Seo Isu was definitely not an actor with a wide range of acting skills.

“Don’t get your hopes up too much.”

Hankyungjin reminded himself.

He shouldn’t have high expectations.

Because when expectations don’t match reality, the disappointment is even greater.

It was a truth that Hankyungjin had learned in his short directorial career.

“Um… Have you prepared your acting?”

“Of course.”

Hankyungjin observed Seo Isu preparing for the audition while standing against the wall of the conference room.

Suppressing his expectations.

Preparing his heart not to be too disappointed by the rookie actor’s modest acting skills.

Getting ready to dissect and taste the rookie actor’s acting.

And…

“Huh?”

Director Hankyungjin.

His heart raced-

“What is this feeling?”

Just by watching the acting for the audition.

His heart raced-

Bringing back the emotions of a long-gone first love.