Ch.211Of course I’ll fold.

>First of all, congratulations on your Asian Games gold medal

>I’ve been slightly bragging to people around me that I know you, is that okay?

>There’s no one on Broadway who doesn’t know you now

Evelyn started with light greetings to break the ice.

<Is that so? I’m honored

>No need to be modest, it’s only natural.

>Whether it’s the Olympics or this Asian Games.

>Everyone’s fallen for your incredible performances!

<You too?

>….

There was a moment of silence.

Was my joke too much?

Just as I was wondering if I should apologize.

>We’ll talk about that when we meet in person

>More importantly, let me tell you about Tarzan!

>From what I’ve heard, it’s going to be in musical format, which makes sense since it’s a Disney live-action adaptation

<Yes, I already knew that much. I’ve already had some discussions with the producer

>Actually, there’s a lot of talk about that right now

Evelyn then explained the current situation in Hollywood.

To summarize.

No matter how overwhelming my performance and how attractive my appearance might be.

An Asian actor who hasn’t been proven in Hollywood becoming the lead.

This sentence itself was currently facing strong resistance.

>But when you meet him, you’ll see that Berillard is such

>a perfectionist that he’s completely baffled by the situation

>He’s also dumbfounded by the sudden racial discrimination

“It’s inevitable that there would be pushback.”

Honestly, this concern would have emerged the moment I took a leading role in any film.

But even so, to think they would oppose the producer’s decision.

‘I thought one person’s push in Hollywood carried enormous weight.’

For the pushback to be strong enough to ignore that.

I knew Hollywood was a conservative industry, but.

I didn’t expect it to be this severe.

Even with the title of lead actor in Korea’s highest-grossing film.

In Hollywood, am I still treated as just a newcomer?

This shows how high their pride and standards are.

<I see. Berillard didn’t mention anything so I wasn’t aware

>I guess that makes sense. The situation is awkward so it must have been difficult to bring up

>So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to make a different proposal. What do you think?

Now we’re getting to the main point.

Just as I was wondering why she had been leading up to this so gradually.

>Would you be interested in auditioning for a special musical performance during the off-season?

“Huh?”

I was taken aback by this completely unexpected suggestion.

++++++

At the same time.

“What did he say?”

“No answer yet.”

“He must be thinking hard about it since he’s never done musicals before, and even if he wants to do it, he still has to audition.”

“Still… I really hope he’ll do it.”

At Evelyn’s wistful comment, her colleague Mimery’s eyes widened.

“You hope he’ll do it? That man?”

“Yes, why?”

“…No, it’s just the first time I’ve heard you say you want to do something with someone.”

Mimery had known Evelyn for a long time.

She knew how hard Evelyn had worked and what kind of life she had lived.

Knowing all that, this reaction was refreshingly unexpected.

“I thought you liked women.”

Her casually thrown comment was met with:

“What?! Where did that come from?”

Evelyn looked at Mimery as if she had said something absurd.

“Well, you know. You’ve never had any romantic interest in anyone so far… and you’ve rejected every advance that came your way.”

“That’s because they seemed too frivolous, lacking responsibility.”

“So this Asian guy is—”

“Donghu.”

“Right, sorry. Don’t glare at me like that. I’m not being discriminatory… Anyway, he’s different?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I want to see more of him and made this suggestion.”

“…”

Mimery was speechless at Evelyn’s answer.

‘This feels like a teenage girl with a crush?’

It was both impressive and surprising that she was experiencing this at twenty-three.

Then again, all the men around Evelyn so far had only looked decent on the surface.

All of them had controversies in their private lives.

Many had issues that just hadn’t been exposed yet.

‘That’s also why she’s making this suggestion now.’

The musical “Ghost of the Opera,” consistently beloved on Broadway.

While it appeared to be running smoothly without any issues,

in reality, it was slowly rotting from the inside.

The male lead actor Kritos’s personal issues had become a ticking time bomb.

Though the exact nature wasn’t clearly identified.

It was certain that if it exploded within a few months, it would cause devastating damage to the performance.

So the solution they came up with was a substitute.

Specifically, an off-season substitute.

Since there were no problems yet,

they would continue performances until the end of the year.

‘And during that time, they’ll keep looking for someone.’

Between January and February, during the musical off-season, they would temporarily replace the lead.

During this period, they would search for a new lead actor.

Of course, they wouldn’t mind if the temporary replacement stayed longer.

But naturally, with the expected aftermath of the scandal,

they decided to use a substitute until things calmed down.

Providing a big stage for a newcomer.

And the musical team desperately trying to avoid criticism as much as possible.

And typically in such situations.

‘Recommendations from existing actors have a huge influence.’

The recommendations of lead actors carry significant weight.

In other words,

if Mimery, who played Carlotta, and Evelyn, who played Christine, backed someone,

they could at least secure an audition spot for that person, regardless of proven ability.

‘It’s really shocking that she said she’d be okay with a kiss scene with Kim Donghu.’

Evelyn deliberately avoided kiss scenes.

She would angle away in every scene to pretend,

and tended to avoid musicals where kissing was absolutely necessary.

People speculated various reasons for this.

But Mimery, her best friend, knew the exact reason.

‘She wants her first kiss to be romantic.’

A 23-year-old woman still holding onto high school sentiments.

How adorably unique.

But to say she’d be okay with a kiss scene with Kim Donghu?

This meant she’d be okay with Kim Donghu being her first kiss.

“But what if he refuses?”

To Mimery’s question,

“That… I don’t think he will.”

Evelyn smiled brightly, flipping her blonde hair slightly.

“How can you be so confident?”

“The person I know understands exactly what I mean by this… and what kind of opportunity this is.”

And indeed, not long after,

“He replied! He said yes! He’s going to do it!”

Just as Evelyn had predicted, Kim Donghu accepted the proposal.

+++++++

“Donghu, this is an incredible opportunity! You know that, right?! Huh?!”

“I know.”

Manager Seokho was so excited about this that he couldn’t contain himself, jumping up and down.

“Broadway! Musical! This could completely squash those Tarzan concerns!”

If I could prove my skills in a musical,

racial discrimination against Asians would cease to exist.

And the key point was debuting as a lead on a major stage, even if it was during the off-season.

“I’ve calculated the schedule, and it fits perfectly after the training camp ends.”

As soon as I agreed,

Manager Seokho quickly started business-related meetings,

and the results were being methodically written on a whiteboard.

“You can only do individual practice until mid-December anyway, and Christmas is their peak season there.”

So we’ll focus on volunteer work until then to fill all our time,

and as soon as that’s done, we’ll head straight to Broadway.

I nodded at Manager Seokho’s plan.

It seemed like there would be no obstacles if we proceeded this way.

“How’s the script request going?”

“Oh, I received that online and I’m having it made into a book now.”

“Thank you.”

“This is just what I should do, no need for thanks.”

Then Manager Seokho naturally checked the March schedule.

“The special performance only runs during the off-season, so it’s six weeks at most.”

“Yes.”

“After that ends in March… I guess that’s when discussions about Tarzan will come up?”

If it’s confirmed then, you’ll need to stay in America until at least December.

That’s almost a year abroad, are you okay with that?

I nodded to his question.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Really? Then let’s inform people in advance, they’ll need time to prepare mentally.”

“Oh, you mean people around me?”

“Of course, and everyone will be surprised about a year-long stay abroad.”

Come to think of it.

‘If I tell Seohyun about this… it’s going to be a situation.’

Seohyun has been growing up so quickly lately.

And with her growth, there are more events to attend.

Especially.

>Oppa!

>I have a talent show at the end of the year

>Will you come too?

I really wanted to attend events like her kindergarten year-end talent show.

But going to America means missing these things.

‘Definitely, hmm.’

And I need to tell Sujin and Jaerin too.

There were certainly many people I needed to explain the situation to.

“Yes, I have a general idea of what needs to be done. I understand.”

“Good. Any more adjustments needed? Even if there are later, for now?”

“No, I think we can proceed as planned.”

“Okay! Then let’s go with this plan, and it’s almost time.”

“Oh, you’re right.”

I checked the time and confirmed it was already time for the intensive camp.

It’s the first day, so I shouldn’t be late.

With that thought, I headed straight to the Jincheon National Training Center.

“Hello!”

“Welcome!”

Amid the enthusiastic welcome upon arrival,

we moved directly to the training area without any inauguration ceremony as requested.

“Hello. I’m Kim Donghu, and I’ll be conducting this intensive camp.”

*Clap clap clap clap clap!*

*Wooooooo!*

Applause and cheers erupted as soon as my brief introduction ended.

Since it was the first day, I thought of the most effective way for us to introduce ourselves.

“Now we’ll have some light sparring. Warm up for about 30 minutes, and those who are ready can come up to the ring.”

“Excuse me?”

“As a light orientation, I’d like to do some sparring. Think of it as a level test.”

“Um… who will we be sparring with…?”

“With me, of course.”

The moment I said that, the training hall suddenly went quiet.

How pleased they must be for their eyes to widen like that.

It was quite gratifying.