Chapter 43
When Ha Sarang said that she wanted to use Jinseok, Na Jinho asked with a slight smile.
“You mean, you want to take Jinseok. That is it, right?
“Jinseok? Are you close enough with this actor?”
“We are very close. I’m the one who discovered him and brought him up.”
Ha Sarang snorted at Na Jinho’s words.
“That’s harsh. Before his work, he appeared in ‘Dreams of the Sum Rising’ and also in a web drama.”
“—Just because it’s a bit like that. “Can’t you save my friend’s face?”
“There is no way.”
Ha Sarang suddenly held out her hand and said.
“Give me your contact number. If the production is confirmed, I’ll ask for an audition myself.”
This time Na Jinho snorted and shook off Ha Sarang’s hand.
“I’ll give it to you when the production is confirmed.”
“—.”
“You don’t need to know before then, do you? I can’t give you someone else’s contact information.”
Na Jinho spoke quickly and immediately added in a subtle voice.
“Tell me the truth.”
“What, what?”
“You don’t want to get contact information as a producer or…”
“—.”
“I think it’s about your self-interest? “You’re a fan of Jinseok, right?”
“—!”
Perhaps Na Jinho’s words hit the nail on the head, Ha Sarang’s relaxed expression was broken.
“You’ve become quick-witted.”
“If you’re that old, you deserve to be quicker.”
“Okay. But will you feel sad?”
“What?”
“In the past, when you were so quick-witted.”
“?”
“It could have been like the love letter you wrote me.”
“—.”
“I pushed you because you were frustrated.”
Ha Sarang, who had finished speaking, laughed.
Na Jinho had no choice but to bow to the dark history between them forever.
***
About three weeks after I spoke with producer Na Jinho on the phone.
The long-awaited Kakaotalk was finally here.
[Producer Na Jinho: Jinseok!]
[Producer Na Jinho: This is the link to the article I was talking about]
[Producer Na Jinho: I gave the contact information to the person in charge, so he’ll come up with an audition proposal soon]
[Producer Na Jinho: The role I will give you to audition for is the role of “Omanho”. Then fighting ^^]
I immediately clicked on the link that producer Na Jinho sent.
The title of the article is ‘Korea Noir Master, Ha Sarang PD. After a long break, they return to <the path they chose>.
——
Producer Ha Sarang from Redcat Culture House Studio is working with Redcat Culture House again.
Producer Ha Sarang, who was responsible for “The Eternal Carousel”, “The Night of Eden” and “The Moonflower”, is currently on Netflix.
The production of this work was confirmed unusually quickly.
In response to such concerns, Ha Sarang said, “It’s not something to worry about, it’s something to be happy about. This is because we can present good works as soon as possible,” she said. “K-drama is recognized worldwide, but it has not yet been recognized as much as K-noir. I will break this prejudice with this work,” she said.
——
“As producer Na Jinho said, the Netflix production has been confirmed.
I was a little nervous because I hadn’t heard from him in a while, but I thought it was good to listen to producer Na Jinho.
Although the casting was not confirmed, at least I had a chance to audition.
“If I had auditioned again and gotten in, I would have just had to watch this work.
If you got another audition, you were worried about what you would do. Honestly, I was worried that I would be exhausted.
“By the way, the producer’s background…”
It was all work I found impressive.
Especially “Moonflower” is one of the masterpieces that some Korean men have not seen. But no one has seen it just once.
What an honor it would be to participate in a new work by the producer who created such a work.
I calmed my pounding heart and reread the synopsis of this work that producer Na Jinho had sent me.
——
1979, Busan.
“Omanho lived with his younger sister, who was no different from his daughter and ran a small shop inherited from his parents.
However, his parents also left him with a huge debt along with the small shop, and the gang’s violence to pay off the debt increased day by day.
Then, to make matters worse, his wife gets into a car accident and he ends up paying her hospital bill with the money to pay off the debt.
When the thugs notice this, they come to the store and make a fuss. He then threatens Oh Minyoung, Oh Manho’s younger brother.
Oh Minyoung was an arrogant man who didn’t resist anything, but he couldn’t forgive the thugs for threatening his sister, so he knocked them all out.
“Ma Jungwoo,” the boss of the gangsters who saw Omanho’s skills, suggested that Omanho join the organization instead of paying off his debt.
Omanho was a man of honor who had lived with honesty all his life, but he couldn’t resist the offer.
Eventually, Omanho became a gangster, paid off his debt, and lived a rich life.
I thought I’d be able to live a happy life like that.
The younger sister stays away from the gangster-turned-Haman, and even his wife dies in a fight.
To make matters worse, the “War on Crime” was declared in 1990, and the organization’s heavyweight, Omanho, was arrested.
However, it was none other than his childhood friend, prosecutor Song Kyunghoon, who was in charge of Omanho’s case, whether it was a joke of fate or not.
Song Kyunghoon says that he can reduce Omanho’s sentence if he tells him that he was forced to become a gangster because of his wife and sister.
However, if he does this, his wife and sister will become the ones who turn themselves into “thugs”.
In a trial that can carry the maximum death penalty, what choice will the Omanis make?
<Synopsis of their chosen path> The end.
——
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. . . . I really want to do this.”
Producer Na Jinho gave me a chance to audition, but there was one thing I was worried about.
“Can I act as well as Nakamura?”
Maybe it won’t be easy.
Of course, because I continued to study acting, I would have improved a lot compared to the past.
It was not as good as producer Na Jinho and others expected.
I might be able to draw ink on the face of the man who recommended me with my current skills.
“That’s not what I was thinking…”
The ability to meet ghosts in dreams and act upon them instead of doing them a favor.
Although it is the ability to perform perfectly, there was a risk that there might not be any ghosts that fit the role.
“My bone hurts.
Perhaps because I was thinking too deeply, I quickly became tired.
I fell asleep.
I tried to wake up somehow, but in the end, I couldn’t get over it and went to bed to sleep.
“Let’s sleep and wake up…”
***
“This is…”
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a white room in my dreams. I looked around to see who was calling me, but I couldn’t see anyone.
Then a man approached me from a distance.
He was wearing a fluffy black suit that would have been popular in the 1980s.
The appearance was considerable, but he didn’t feel fat at all.
“Hello. My name is Lee Manseok.
“I am Kang Jinseok.
I felt it when I saw it from a distance, but it was even more frightening when I saw it up close.
Lee Manseok spoke with a serious voice.
“It’s such an honor to meet the most famous actor in our world.”
“Oh, yes, yes, yes.”
“We don’t have much time, so let me start with the main story. The character named ‘Oh Manho’ in the work you’re about to enter is very similar to me.”
Lee Manseok took a deep breath and continued.
“Oh Manho became a gangster under the pretext of being a family member, and he hurt his family a lot. Just like me.
Throughout Lee Manseok’s speech, his voice was full of regret. Why did a person with so much regret become a gangster?
“Can I ask you something?”
Just as he was about to ask why he became a gangster, Lee Manseok said with an urgent voice.
“There really isn’t much time left. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but can I ask you a favor first?”
“Oh, yes. Go ahead. I’ll do my best.”
I was very nervous because I thought he was going to ask for difficult things like revenge or a blood feud.
“Please write a letter to my brother.”
“Letter?”
“Please include in the letter what I wanted to say and what I need to say.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes, that’s enough.”
But what he wanted was a simple and heartwarming task: to deliver a letter to the family left behind.
Like “Faithful Manho,” the natural nature of being forced to become a gangster appears to be a good person.
“I understand. I’ll make sure it happens.”
“Thank you. Thank you very much.”
Lee Manseok, who was smiling brightly like a child who received a gift, looked into the air for a moment and said with a serious face.
“Actor.”
“What?”
“Actually, I took a look at the concerns of the actor in the human world earlier. You’re worried about what will happen if you don’t get help from ‘us’ when you act.”
“Oh, yes, yes.”
“Can you even know what I’m worried about?”
It suddenly reminded me of my grandmother who once said, “Spirits know everything.
“That’s what It meant. . .
“Don’t worry about that in the future. No matter what your role is, “we” are always getting ready for waiting tickets. I’m more worried that we won’t get a chance.”
“—.”
“There are ghosts who have lived that kind of life in every role. So choose the work you want to do in the future. Then a spirit that fits the story will come.”
With that, I woke up.
***
The conference room at the KL Entertainment headquarters.
Staff members in suits were sitting there.
With a long round table between them, they seemed to have little interest in each other, but they were unconsciously keeping each other in check.
Perhaps because of such a fight, even the air in the conference room felt heavy.
There’s an uncomfortable silence right now.
Breaking the silence in the conference room, the director of “Actor’s Room 4” said.
“The head of department 5. BDD has put our company on the ‘blacklist’ because of our collaboration with Lee Homin and KSC this time. Other stations don’t like us either. The same goes for KSC.”
The 5th chief frowned and growled at the words of the 4th chief, who seemed to be arguing.
“So what are you saying?” Director Four asked.
“It’s no big deal. I’m just telling you to take responsibility. It doesn’t matter if the actor’s room 5 collapses, but it causes damage to rooms 4 and 3.”
“Responsibility? That’s ridiculous. Did I do it alone? The 4th chief also agreed at that time!”
“What do you mean, “yes”? I just approve of it. First of all, I was careful not to touch producer Na Jinho and writer Jo Seokwon. They’re not easy people either.
In response to the voice of the 4th boss, who was full of laughter, the 5th boss hit the round table hard.
Thump!
The moment he tried to shout something, the man who was listening with his eyes closed said to the 3rd chief.
“Stop it.”
The 5th Chief coughed in vain and straightened his clothes. Director 2 watched the scene with interest.
I asked, pointing to her empty spot where a dark red lipstick stood out.
“Huh? But are you working outside the office again today?”
The staff member who was attending the meeting on behalf of the head of the second division calmly answered the head of the second division’s question.
“Yes. I’m the only one who attended the meeting because he’s very busy these days.”
The second manager said, “Huh, it must be nice to have someone busy,” said the subordinate next to him, “We’re busy too, so didn’t you come because you said ‘Pilcham’? That’s right,” he said sarcastically.
Then the door to the conference room opened and a man walked in.
A man with his half-white hair completely combed back, a thick wrinkle full of forehead, and eyes that seemed to illustrate his career.
As the man entered, the chiefs stared nervously forward.
“You worked hard to make time while you were busy.”
The man spoke indifferently and tossed a script onto the round table.
“This time, it’s a script for <The Way They Chose>, which Ha Sarang and PD are in charge of on Netflix.”
The man’s words caught the eyes of some of the employees. Most of them were the employees of the 4th and 5th rooms.
“It’s still being revised, but they say that the big framework won’t change. And the sergeant and the producer told me that.”
The man went on, looking at his notebook.
“It is said that there is no actor in mind yet except for the main character, ‘Oh Manho’. Let’s say we’re going to audition for “Fan ID.
“—.”
“Who will be in charge of this work?”
As soon as the man finished speaking, the 4th and 5th chiefs raised their hands.
The man who was staring at them asked the head of the 3rd office.
“Are you not confident about it room 3?”
“No, sir. It turned out to be a noir written by a new artist. I don’t think it fits the image of our actors in the third room.”
“Okay. Then, four or five rooms, you two should prepare properly this time and proceed without any problems.”
“Yes!”
The man stood up as if he had nothing more to say. Then he said as if something had occurred to him.
“Oh, by the way. Chief five.”
“Yes.”
“What is Lee Homin doing these days?”
Chief Five hesitated for a moment.
“If it’s Lee Homin—“The filming of <Hardly Written Poems> has just finished. It’s about to end, and these days, His doing some introspection and practicing his acting.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“Yes, but what brings you here, Lee Homin?”
The head of the 5th division asked, looking at the man’s face.
“It’s not a big deal. I just thought of Kang Jinseok because he said he wanted to audition for this role.”
“Kang Jinseok is a friend who had a conflict with Lee Homin before.”
“That’s right.”
The man gave a short answer and then his eyes flashed. When I saw that look, the head of the 5th section was worried because he didn’t know why.
Maybe his fear was unfounded because the man told the fifth chief a troubling story.
“Five chiefs.”
“—- Yes.”
“Let Lee Homin participate in this audition.”
“—.”
“It’s a revenge match with Kang Jinseok. Don’t you think it will be fun?”