Chapter 62: Provocation
After Shim Ji-young left, Kim Si-woo sat in deep thought.
He needed to decide which acting academy to send Hong Soo-yeon to.
Finding a good trainer was never easy.
A bad one could ruin her entire foundation.
“…I should probably ask her first.”
He picked her up after work as usual and drove her home.
“Soo-yeon.”
“Yes?”
“Have you ever thought about going to an acting academy?”
“Huh? D-did I… do that badly earlier?”
She immediately assumed he wanted to “fix” her because her acting was lacking, and her confidence shrank.
“Well… lacking? Sure, maybe by professional standards. Ji-young noona says it would be good for you to polish the basics at an academy.”
“What do you think I should do?”
“Me? Hmm… If you ask me, I think you should go. Better acting skills only benefit you. And you have talent. You work hard. Actually, you work too hard— that’s the real problem.”
“Really?”
A hint of excitement lit up her voice.
“Then… I’ll try an academy.”
“Good. Don’t worry about tuition. I’ll take care of it.”
“But… is it really okay for you to keep spending money on me? What if I suddenly quit?”
“Yeah… that’d be a problem.”
He answered casually, like he had no plan at all.
But paradoxically, it made Soo-yeon happy.
It meant he trusted her.
The bitter feeling she had earlier, watching him act close with Shim Ji-young, melted away completely.
Before long, they arrived at her house.
The time felt too short, but she had to get out of the car.
“Get home safe. Listen to your grandmother.”
“I’m not a kid. You get home safely too, ajusshi.”
“Yeah.”
He dropped her off and headed home himself.
On the way, his mind filled with plans—future YouTube direction, scripts for Jeong Se-yeon, and more.
***
The next day, Si-woo reached out to contacts and looked for a good acting academy.
He found a reputable one near the office and enrolled Soo-yeon immediately.
The other actors didn’t complain.
Most of them had grown up attending academies from childhood, so instead of being jealous, they pitied Soo-yeon for having to start so late.
In return, Si-woo reinstated the financial support he had cut earlier because of Lee Seung-hyuk.
(Minus company dinners, of course.)
A month passed.
Then, one day—
[Team Leader Kim Dong-su]
An incoming call from W Film’s team leader.
Ever since the Choi Dae-ho incident, he had acted overly submissive toward Si-woo, making things a bit awkward.
Even when he called to give casting updates, his tone always sounded timid.
“Yes, team leader.”
—Writer-nim. I was calling to ask whether you’ll be joining the script reading this time.
“Ah… if possible, I’d like to skip.”
—Understood. I’ll let them know you can’t attend due to schedule conflicts.
“Thank you. If anything needs revising, don’t hesitate to tell me.”
—Will do.
After hanging up, Si-woo thought of the most important cast member in this movie:
Ha Seung-woo, the male lead.
A top actor in his early 30s who had been in countless films since his youth.
He had such a wide acting range that, early in his career, people sometimes didn’t even recognize him as the same person in different films.
Some of his movie lines remained iconic years later—so iconic that people still imitated them.
Si-woo himself had watched one of Seung-woo’s films over ten times.
The rest of the cast were also powerful, skilled actors—something that pleased him greatly.
“I do want to see them in person… but script readings feel suffocating. I’ll just see them when filming starts.”
That was what he firmly believed.
At least until—
He watched that actor’s interview.
***
After finishing his shower, Kim Si-woo turned on his computer to watch some YouTube—only to spot a video with his own name in the title.
“…What is this? ‘Genius Writer vs Genius Actor?’ What nonsense now?”
He clicked on it.
A very handsome actor appeared on screen, giving an interview.
The caption identified him as Choi Do-hyun, the actor who would be starring opposite Shim Ji-young in her next project.
As the video neared the end, the problematic part began.
—Your film is scheduled to premiere on the same day as the new movie by the youngest 10-million-ticket-selling writer, Kim Si-woo. Do you think you can beat him?
—Writers write, but actors act. Without good actors, a script is worthless. Kim Si-woo? Isn’t he just a mass-produced writer? Someone who only succeeds because of actors and directors? But I am a genius actor. So the result is obvious, isn’t it?
The arrogance in Choi Do-hyun’s tone bled straight through the speakers.
“How did he know? I am a mass-produced writer carried by actors and directors. But if he loses to someone like that… then he’s just a trash-tier actor, isn’t he?”
Suddenly, Kim Si-woo felt a fire light inside him.
But Choi Do-hyun didn’t stop at provoking him.
He even insulted Ha Seung-woo, the lead actor of Si-woo’s upcoming film—calling him a good actor who had “passed his prime.”
The situation quickly escalated.
Online, people split into two camps:
“Choi Do-hyun only said the truth.”
Vs
“What an arrogant brat. No respect.”
And in the end, the argument settled into a single conclusion:
“Let the box office decide.”
***
The next morning.
As soon as he woke up, Si-woo called Kim Dong-su.
“Hello? Team leader? When did you say the script reading was?”
—Uh… four days from now. Saturday.
“I’ll attend. The script reading.”
—Huh? Why suddenly…? Did you perhaps see the Choi Do-hyun interview…?
“Yes. Since they’re provoking us that openly, I should give it my all too.”
Kim Si-woo decided to pour everything he had into Gangster Detective.
“Anyway, I’ll see you at the company in four days.”
—Y-yes… understood.
***
But before the script reading, Si-woo had something important lined up that day:
Interviews
For new writers and staff.
He had always wanted to expand Si-woo Film and automate more of the workflow.
Now that the company was stable, he wanted it to function well even without his constant presence.
So he set aside his irritation and prepared for the upcoming interviews.
“I hope at least one good person shows up…”
When he arrived in his office, interviewers—including Yoo-jin—and several staff members were already waiting.
“You’re early.”
“We wanted to prepare. We’ll be working with them more often than you will.”
“Good. Choose people who work well. You’ll learn more that way.”
About an hour later, the candidates began arriving.
“Next applicant, please come in.”
A young man entered and sat down.
“Hello! My name is Jo Young-deuk, and I’m applying to Si-woo Film.”
Freshly graduated from a film department.
Good résumé.
Passionate.
Hardworking.
In the past, he would’ve caught Si-woo’s attention.
But now, the company needed experienced professionals, not promising rookies.
Dozens of interviews later, they finally selected:
1 new writer
A filming director
A lighting director
A sound director
All with solid experience.
“Haa… thank goodness this ended faster than the actor auditions.”
As Si-woo stretched, Yoo-jin burst out:
“Did you SEE the article, Writer-nim!?”
There was only one possible article she could mean.
“Choi Do-hyun?”
“Yes! Seriously, isn’t he insane? How can he talk like that about someone he’s never even met? And insulting another actor on top of that—ridiculous!”
“Well… nothing we can do.”
Although he said that, Si-woo’s expression was filled with irritation.
“Anyway, I really hope you crush that arrogant jerk, Writer-nim.”
“Me too!”
Surrounded by staff cheering him on, Kim Si-woo focused entirely on one thing:
How to make Gangster Detective even better.
***
The next day, after hiring new staff, Kim Si-woo gathered them together to deliver an important message.
He told them not to look down on the younger team members.
All he expected was mutual respect—nothing more, nothing less.
He specifically emphasized treating Yoo-jin as a director, and respecting her position properly.
And to the existing team members, he gave the opposite warning:
Don’t be rude to the experienced newcomers. Learn as much as you can from them.
After finishing all the discussions, he explained that he would be stepping back from Si-woo Film temporarily.
With that, Si-woo took a heavy breath and opened the door back to the film industry.
***
Three days later.
After locking himself in his room for days, Si-woo finally stretched and stepped outside.
“Today… it begins.”
Looking scruffy, he headed to a hair salon. After shaving and getting his hair styled, he looked much cleaner—though the exhaustion on his face was still visible, so he had to put on makeup to hide his dark circles.
“I really don’t want to wear makeup.”
“Ugh! Writer-nim, male celebrities wear makeup all the time these days!”
“I’m not a celebrity.”
SMACK.
He ended up getting a slap on the back.
After finishing his makeup and changing into a suit, he briefly had the illusion:
“Am I… the main character of the movie?”
“How do I look? Do I look like a gangster?”
“…Is that something you say to the person who just styled you?”
“No, hahaha… I’ll get going now.”
Afraid of earning another slap, he ran outside and headed to W Film.
This time, W Film treated him very differently than when he first submitted the script.
The receptionist greeted him with the warmth reserved for a VIP.
“Hello.”
“Ah! Writer-nim, welcome!”
Receiving the greetings, he headed to the meeting room, where staff busily prepared.
“Hello.”
“Ah, hello.”
He had become famous within W Film, so every passing employee greeted him.
Inside the meeting room, Park Chan-young and Kim Dong-su were talking.
“Busy, I see.”
“Oh! Writer Kim, you’re here?”
They quickly approached him.
“This time, let’s crush that brat’s arrogance. Actor Ha Seung-woo is fired up too.”
“Great to hear that. Did you print the materials I sent?”
“Yes, yes! They’re placed next to the script.”
“Thank you.”
A moment later, preparations were complete, and actors and staff began entering one by one.
Actresses, supporting actors, Park Jun-ho, Ha Seung-woo—everyone arrived.
Park Chan-young stood up to begin.
“Alright, we’ll start the first script reading for Gangster Detective. Before we begin, let’s introduce ourselves. I am Park Chan-young, CEO of W Film. If any of you have concerns before we begin filming, please let me know openly.”
They went in a circle, each person giving a brief introduction.
“I’m Kim Dong-su, the director for this film. I’ll do my best.”
From the newly assigned director to the staff, the introductions continued—until it was Si-woo’s turn.
“Hello, I’m writer Kim Si-woo. I actually wasn’t planning to attend the script reading, but someone provoked me recently, so here I am. Next to the script, you should find something new—a detailed setting guide for each role. Please refer to it. Thank you.”
Upon hearing that, the actors quickly flipped open their personalized setting books.
“Alright, alright, save that for after the reading. Let’s continue with introductions.”
Park Chan-young calmed the excited actors and moved on.
“Hello, I’m Park Jun-ho. I’ll do my best to show a more mature performance through this project.”
After him, the last person stood—the male lead, Ha Seung-woo.
“I’m Ha Seung-woo. Like Writer Kim, I was also directly provoked. Thanks to that, even at my age, I feel fired up again. I’ll give this film everything I’ve got. Gangster Detective, fighting!”
With spirits burning, everyone sharpened their resolve.
At last—
The script reading began.