Chapter 102: Change (1)
Kim Si-woo made a proposal to the actor who seemed lacking in confidence.
“Let’s discuss actor recruitment a bit more, but go ahead and hire more staff.”
No matter what, these people were precious to him—they had trusted and followed him—so he felt they deserved more discussion.
“How should we recruit? Post job openings? Hold auditions? Or scout at schools like we did before?”
“Connections from school, hometown, or family are fine, but… the best is someone desperate. Someone who really wants this job. Eventually, we’ll have to make movies ourselves, right?”
At Kim Si-woo’s ambition, the staff’s eyes widened.
“Why are you all so surprised?”
Seeing their reaction, Lee Yoo-jin smiled at the team, and soon everyone else was smiling too.
The same thought crossed all their minds.
‘Ah… we might just become a new storm in the film industry.’
Honestly, their skills were no longer at a level anyone could criticize.
The know-how learned from veterans, the time, passion, and effort poured in—it had all stacked up solidly inside them.
They could tell what someone wanted just from a glance.
“Alright! Let’s recruit people who’ll become our hands and feet!”
“Yeah, first let’s make a plan.”
Energized by everyone’s enthusiasm, Kim Si-woo instructed them to draw up a plan, then stood up and added,
“And actors and Yoo-jin, follow me to the practice room for a bit.”
Kim Si-woo headed to the practice room first, with the actors and Lee Yoo-jin following.
Once there, he looked at the actor who had seemed insecure earlier.
“Are you really that lacking in confidence?”
“I’m happy with things as they are.”
The actor then honestly shared his thoughts.
The endless competition he’d faced since young.
Fighting friends for lead roles, supporting roles, even tiny parts—he was exhausted.
Feeling his own limits had also eroded his confidence.
“I’m satisfied just acting and making a living like this. Without competing with anyone…”
“Wait.”
Kim Si-woo cut him off.
“So you’re saying you’re content just being a web drama actor?”
“Yes.”
“Do the rest of you feel the same?”
More than half the actors nodded.
“No good. Yoo-jin-ah.”
“Yes, Writer-nim.”
“Can you call a bus? Money’s no issue—get a nice one.”
“Got it.”
At Kim Si-woo’s words, Lee Yoo-jin hurriedly made a call. Kim Si-woo turned to the discouraged actors.
“When the bus comes, everyone get on.”
“Okay.”
“Yoo-jin, when it arrives, herd the kids on and ride with them.”
Leaving only that instruction, Kim Si-woo disappeared outside.
Left in the practice room, Lee Yoo-jin and the actors waited for the bus in heavy silence.
Lee Yoo-jin wasn’t oblivious to what they meant.
Not everyone could keep climbing upward.
Some looked down and stopped rising, while others fell.
“Sigh…”
As their former school senior rather than a director, all Lee Yoo-jin could do was sigh and comfort them.
In the past, they might have ignored Kim Si-woo, but now they couldn’t.
He had always supported them without holding back.
Even peers at big agencies weren’t treated much better.
Soon, Lee Yoo-jin got the call that the bus had arrived and led the actors outside.
Once everyone was on board, before she could even call Kim Si-woo, he climbed aboard.
“Everyone on?”
“Yes, Writer-nim.”
Confirming they were all seated, Kim Si-woo told the driver the destination. The driver entered it into the navigation and hit the gas.
“Um… Writer-nim.”
“Yeah?”
“Where exactly are we going?”
When Lee Yoo-jin asked, Kim Si-woo smiled.
“A place to snap you all out of it.”
“Huh?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
About an hour later, they arrived in the heart of Seoul.
“Alright, everyone off.”
At Kim Si-woo’s words, Lee Yoo-jin and the actors got off the bus.
“This place…”
Lee Yoo-jin and the actors knew exactly where they had arrived.
Some had come as child actors, others on school field trips, and some to learn the job.
They had arrived at the CBS broadcasting station.
“Why the broadcasting station…?”
“They’re here.”
At Kim Si-woo’s words, they turned and saw Kim Jin-man CP running toward them with two other PDs, out of breath.
“Huff… huff… Writer-nim. You’re here.”
“You didn’t have to run like that…”
“No, I had to come greet you. This way, please.”
The actors followed Kim Si-woo like ducklings trailing their mother, looking bewildered.
Following him, they soon entered the station and reached a studio where filming was in progress.
Many actors were there, deeply focused on their scripts.
Until Kim Si-woo appeared, that is.
“Huh? Writer-nim!”
Actors and staff who recognized him hurried over to greet him.
“What brings you here?”
“Ah, just giving my kids a little tour. Don’t mind us.”
At his words, everyone who had greeted him returned to their places.
“Go ahead and look around.”
“Okay…”
Even without being told, the actors watched intently.
YouTube might be the trend these days, but appearing on TV was on another level.
Moreover, seeing a former colleague—someone who had acted alongside them not long ago—now chatting with famous actors was incredibly enviable.
There’s a huge difference between visiting a set as a clueless kid and seeing it after you’ve grown.
Soon, filming resumed, and everyone except the director held their breath.
“Ready… Cue!”
At the director’s signal, the actors of <Celebrity Secret Rescue Team> began their performance.
It wasn’t extraordinary acting, but it was perfectly in sync.
Natural, as if they’d practiced endlessly.
“Cut!”
When the scene ended, the actors let out sighs of relief and returned to their spots.
“Phew… thank goodness.”
The Siwoo Film actors continued observing until filming wrapped.
Each carried different emotions in their eyes.
Envy for some.
Jealousy for others.
Emptiness and helplessness for a few.
But one thing was the same for all.
A burning passion to achieve their dreams.
Their eyes sparkled whenever the actors performed.
They all claimed to be content as YouTube/web drama actors, but deep down, they wanted that.
To be on TV.
Compromising with reality might have been their way, but if they were going to compromise, Kim Si-woo wouldn’t have brought them in the first place.
He had supported them to dream.
To become actors with no regrets, even if not super famous.
Eight hours after Kim Si-woo arrived.
The Siwoo Film actors had taken in everything with their eyes and felt it with their skin.
Soon, the director’s voice announced the end.
“Alright, that’s a wrap for today.”
“Good work, everyone.”
“Good work.”
While actors and staff exchanged greetings, Kim Si-woo approached Kim Jin-man and the PDs.
“Thanks for letting us drop by on such short notice. If it’s okay, I’ll treat everyone—let’s hit a barbecue place.”
“No need. This is nothing…”
“Really? Writer-nim, I love you.”
Kim Jin-man tried to decline, but the PD behind him quickly jumped in between them.
“Haha. CP-nim, why not just call it a company dinner today?”
“Fine. But you—see me later.”
“Haha… yes, sunbae-nim.”
Kim Si-woo headed to a barbecue restaurant near the station that Lee Yoo-jin had reserved.
It was originally supposed to be beef, but at Kim Jin-man’s earnest request, they switched to pork.
“Alright! I’m taking care of all the pork today.”
The CBS staff was thrilled, while the Siwoo Film actors looked gloomy and deflated.
“I know what you’re all thinking, but that’s not why I brought you here today.”
Kim Si-woo spoke to his downcast team.
“Do you know the difference between you and them?”
“Looks and acting skills?”
“If that were the answer, I wouldn’t have needed to bring you here.”
Kim Si-woo looked pityingly at the actor who spoke, then picked up the soju bottle nearby.
“Here, hold out your glasses.”
He poured a shot for each of the Siwoo Film actors.
“Drink… and then let’s have an honest talk.”
“Yes…”
Kim Si-woo downed his first, and the team followed suit.
“Kyaah… Oh, right—someone’s joining us soon. They were pretty pissed about today.”
“Huh?”
“Who’s coming?”
“It’s a sec—”
Before he could say “secret,” a loud voice rang out from behind.
“Kim Si-woo!”
“They’re here. Over here.”
Kim Si-woo raised his hand, and a woman strode over, briskly returning greetings from those around her.
She was Shim Ji-young, her face full of anger.
“These are the kids? The ones you mentioned earlier?”
“Yeah.”
“These punks quit because they’re living too comfortably under you, huh? Acting all full and happy?”
The appearance of top star Shim Ji-young alone was shocking enough.
“If other actors heard that mindset, they’d want you buried. You call yourselves actors with that attitude? Then just go join some college theater club in a tiny venue. This is why you shouldn’t spoil people.”
Shim Ji-young unleashed her fury on the Siwoo Film team.
She believed they were the reason Kim Si-woo had lost faith in people and fled to Japan.
But that wasn’t his intention at all—he had called her to rein her in.
“Noona.”
“I’m not done talking yet.”
“Noona!”
When Kim Si-woo raised his voice too, Shim Ji-young stopped and looked at him.
“You’re too worked up. And you know saying it like that could really hurt them.”
“Sigh…”
Shim Ji-young sighed, running a hand through her hair.
“You’re right. I got too excited after a long time. Whew…”
Then she filled a beer glass to the brim with soju and chugged it in one go.
“Kyaah…”
“Noona?”
“Fine, let’s hear the details first. You hate competing?”
“Yes…”
“What do you think acting is?”
One of the Siwoo Film actors answered Shim Ji-young’s question.
“Expressing the character written in the script.”
“Then you just need to act your character—why compete with others?”
“Well… to get cast, you have to be better than everyone else…”
“Are you an idiot? Just do your own acting.”
“But… I’m not particularly good-looking, and my acting isn’t that great either…”
“Did you start acting to be the lead? If your acting’s lacking, practice! Or ask Si-woo to get you a teacher. God, you’re frustrating. I can’t help but get mad.”
Shim Ji-young’s questions left the Siwoo Film team breathless.
“If you only want lead roles, that’s an insult to acting, so like I said—go do theater club. Even a genius like me has done way more supporting roles than leads. Unbelievable.”
Kim Si-woo scratched his head awkwardly as the team he’d called her to advise kept getting scolded.
‘Something’s going wrong here…’
Just as he felt embarrassed, noisy voices came from the entrance.
“You the ones making Writer Kim suffer?”
They were veteran middle-aged and older actors from Kim Si-woo’s previous works.
At their arrival, everyone—including Kim Si-woo—stood to greet them.
“Noona, you called them?”
“Yeah, I figured they’d be better suited than me, so I spread the word—and they all said they’d come.”
“Hey, Writer Kim! You should’ve told us you were back in Korea!”
“Ah… sorry. Please, sit here.”
“Hey! Don’t yell at Writer Kim!”
The middle-aged actor who shouted got smacked on the back by an older one.
“Writer Kim, leave this to us today. Take Ji-young and go. She’s too aggressive. Times like this, you comfort them. That’s why geniuses are… tsk tsk.”
“Sunbae-nim…”
“Shoo! Go on.”
“Now… where should we start?”
Sinister smiles spread across the veterans’ faces.
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TL Note:
This novel is now translated and finished at Chapter 176.
If you’d like to continue right away, the remaining 74 chapters (102–176) are available on my Patreon Premium tier, along with extra chapters from my other 5 ongoing translated novels.
There’s also a Plus tier with 38 advance chapters, updated at 7 chapters per week.
Link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/Vritratls?utm_source=search
For this novel specifically, check the collection under “Genius Writer”
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