Ch.199It was something that could be looked into next week.

A studio in America.

“I don’t like it, I don’t like it! There’s not a single guy who catches my eye!”

“We’ve almost finalized the casting adjustments and schedules for the female actors!”

Tarzan, the ambitious project Disney was preparing after Beauty and the Beast.

They had started development early last year and were preparing the sets.

But as with all things in life, an unexpected variable emerged.

The producer had changed.

Unlike in Korea, producers in America wield tremendous power.

All existing plans could be overturned.

And Tarzan was experiencing exactly that.

While the initial planning phase had proceeded smoothly,

the casting process had hit a major roadblock.

“We shouldn’t use British actors, we should use actors of British descent, right? Why are we using other actors when we have the perfectly suitable Evelyn Queen Ember?”

“Shouldn’t we hold auditions?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Let’s hold auditions again.”

Bernard Ice, the producer for the live-action Tarzan.

In a word, he was an extremely picky and irritable person.

When asked “Would you like a bag?” after purchasing something at a convenience store,

He was the type to respond, “What, am I supposed to carry this with my bare hands?”

And when asked “How many in your party?” at a restaurant,

He would reply, “Can’t you see I’m alone?”

Rude and arrogant, but

with an overwhelming ability to lead films to success.

That one skill alone was what kept him firmly seated in the industry.

And he wasn’t happy with the casting board for Tarzan.

“Tarzan can’t just be handsome, he needs to be insanely, ridiculously handsome!”

Live-action Tarzan.

Easy to say.

Bernard Ice furrowed his brow deeply.

“He has to run around practically naked with just a loincloth. What do you think is most important there?”

“…The courage to overcome shame?”

“No, no! How can you be so incompetent, tsk.”

Clicking his tongue, Bernard Ice raised his voice as if to make sure everyone heard him clearly.

“It’s appearance! Appearance! How could Tarzan and Jane fall in love? It’s because Jane immediately saw Tarzan as a man!”

“And that masculinity comes from his overwhelming appearance.

A body that’s both wild yet refined like a sculpture.

That’s the combination that made her fall for him!”

“Otherwise, would a woman living in England logically spend her honeymoon in the jungle?”

“…”

He wasn’t wrong, but was that reason enough to overturn all the casting?

Start auditions all over again?

‘And replace the lead actor?’

They had quickly narrowed down the list for the female role.

The problem was the male role.

Finding an actor who would satisfy Bernard’s picky taste.

‘And he needs to be a good singer too, doesn’t he?’

How much more trouble would this be?

The faces of the subordinates darkened at the thought.

++++++

“Kim Donghu Wins Grand Prize! ‘Moving Toward Greater Heights'”

“Still Only 22 in 2018, How Far Will Kim Donghu Rise?”

“Perfect Proof of Athletic Ability After Asian Games Participation!”

“How High Can He Go? Curiosity Surges About Kim Donghu’s Future Activities”

“Everything He Touches Turns to Gold! South Korea Currently in Kim Donghu Syndrome!”

“Quick Overseas Export in March? The Real Hero Goes Global”

“Photo Posted After Awards Ceremony ‘Intimate Hand-Holding with Drama Wife’ Netizens Shocked!”

Kim Donghu’s popularity continued to soar without any signs of cooling down.

No one could predict how high it would go.

“D-did Kim Donghu really agree to do it?”

“Yes, he said he’d definitely do it. He really liked the script when he read it.”

“…You mean the Netflix short film?”

Park Ji-i, the Netflix content production team leader, blinked in disbelief.

“I honestly thought he wouldn’t do it.”

“I thought so too.”

“Pardon?”

“Donghu is very thorough when reviewing scripts… If he doesn’t think it will work, he won’t do it at all.”

“Ah, I see…”

Actually, there was one more thing Park Ji-i found hard to believe.

‘Why is Director Lee Seongdeok being so extremely respectful?’

19.56 million.

That was the final box office figure for The Real Hero.

The result of Director Lee Seongdeok’s “first film.”

Usually, such success would make someone arrogant.

Ironically, Director Lee Seongdeok showed none of that.

Or more precisely, he became incredibly humble when mentioning Kim Donghu.

As if deliberately lowering himself.

Anyway.

“So has it been decided that we’ll hold auditions for the actress?”

“Yes, we’re planning to focus on newcomers.”

“Newcomers?”

“Yes, preferably with voice acting experience.”

Since that wasn’t the important part, Park Ji-i returned to business matters.

“Voice acting? Is that important because it’s a short film?”

“Yes, and also because there’s not much physical action involved.”

“You said it portrays a breakup process in a car, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“And it’s a 30-minute short film?”

“Yes.”

“What about making it 15 minutes and sending it to Cannes?”

“…Pardon?”

Lee Seongdeok was startled by the sudden suggestion.

Cannes, out of nowhere?

“Cannes requires premieres. And now it’s January… casting should be finalized by mid-January, right?”

“That’s… about right.”

“Since it’s a short film, filming won’t take long. A month at most.”

“Then editing would take another month, so all schedules would be completed by mid-April at the latest.

And guess what? The Cannes Film Festival is in May.”

Lee Seongdeok’s eyes widened at Park Ji-i’s words.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect.

However.

“The short film we’re about to make is quite different in nature from the Cannes short film competition.”

“I know, but submitting it alone is meaningful.”

“To attract attention?”

“Yes, exactly.”

Strictly speaking, it was about recognition.

Currently, Korean Netflix content was modest compared to other countries.

This would promote it while strengthening Netflix Korea’s position.

“You’ve already conquered domestic films, now you should look abroad.”

“…”

So that’s why she insisted on having this meeting.

‘That’s why she kept confirming that Donghu would participate.’

It was an approach the director himself had never considered.

“What do you think?”

“…It’s good, I like it. But I need to check if Donghu will do it… I’ll confirm that first.”

“Confirm?”

“Yes. The plan has changed, so naturally I need to inform the actor.”

“Ah, I see.”

Ring ring.

Is it normal to ask about this right here and now?

Park Ji-i was impressed by Director Lee Seongdeok’s decisiveness.

And during that moment of admiration…

“…So that’s the situation, the plan might change, would that be okay? Ah, I see, yes, understood.”

Click.

The call ended.

“That was quick.”

“Yes, Donghu is very decisive in these matters.”

Even so, making a decision in 10 seconds of conversation seems too fast, doesn’t it?

++++++

Right after the call with Director Lee Seongdeok.

“…So this is how I catch Disney’s eye?”

I analyzed the conversation I just had along with the future text information from Sims.

‘Regardless of winning chances, just being seen at Cannes itself would have a significant effect.’

Since the Academy also pays attention to Cannes,

it was highly likely that Disney would be watching Cannes as well.

‘My international recognition is limited mostly to Japan.’

In the West, my image was that of a boxer, not an actor.

But if that image changed from this moment on.

‘It means I could potentially begin serious international activities.’

It wasn’t yet time to be certain about anything.

But the mere possibility was a positive development for me.

Crack.

I continued stretching as I organized my thoughts.

With the Asian Games in August,

it was time to shift gears and focus on training.

“Aren’t you going to Drake Gym this time?”

“I am, but not right now… probably in two months.”

“Really? Because of that short film?”

“Yes.”

After briefly answering Sangha hyung’s question, we both climbed into the ring.

During that time, Sangha hyung was my only suitable training partner.

The best we could do was limit our rest time and train intensively.

How long had we been at it?

After about two hours,

Sangha hyung and I, both drenched in sweat, decided to end today’s training.

Recovery is just as important as exercise.

After that, my schedule didn’t change much.

It was time to focus on training, so I passed on everything except essential advertisements.

I moved toward accepting only major commitments and skipping the minor ones.

After two weeks had passed,

“…Who?”

“Oh, you haven’t heard of her? Usami Chisako… she’ll be working with us on this short film, she’s a Japanese voice actress.”

How could I not have heard of her?

I was just surprised because it was so unexpected.

‘Why Chisako?’

What connection could there be that would have Chisako filming a short film with me?

“The first shooting day is next week, filming period is one week, is your schedule okay?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

I’d find out next week.