Chapter 92: Trip to Japan (5)
They started drinking again, snacking on the food they’d brought and the hangover ramen Arimura Noa had prepared.
“Noa-ssi, your Korean is really good. Did you study it?”
“No, my mother is Korean, so I’ve spoken it since I was little.”
“Ah… I see. So how did you meet Writer Kim Si-woo?”
All the questions were aimed at Arimura Noa.
“Well, on the way to Osaka I saw someone furiously writing a script. I kept peeking at it from the side, and that’s how we got to know each other. To be precise, I was the one who approached him first.”
“Ah… haha…”
“After that, I just became his guide and we got close.”
“So you two traveled together… just the two of you?”
“Exactly. Want to see pictures?”
The moment Arimura Noa pulled out her phone and showed photos from their trips together, Hong Soo-yeon’s and Jung Se-yeon’s faces turned to stone.
The awkward laughter that followed somehow made Kim Si-woo incredibly nervous.
“Ha… ha… ha… ha… looks like you had fun.”
“Doesn’t it? Ha… ha… ha… you two must have gotten really close.”
Both women’s eyes locked onto Kim Si-woo.
‘Why are they looking at me like that…?’
Feeling the pressure, Kim Si-woo instinctively looked away.
“You must have had a wonderful time in Japan, Writer-nim. I bet you don’t even remember what ‘stress’ feels like anymore.”
Jung Se-yeon’s stomach was boiling—she’d spent all that time in Korea worrying about him, while he was apparently flirting and traveling with another woman. But she couldn’t show it. The other woman was sitting right there.
“Let’s just drink, okay?”
“Are you sure you’re okay? You already drank a lot earlier.”
“Not at all. What, can’t Noa-ssi hold her liquor?”
“Of course I can. I’m practically an alcoholic.”
The conversation somehow turned into a drinking showdown. Park Woong-deok watched with a satisfied grin, while Hong Soo-yeon clung to Kim Si-woo’s arm the entire time.
“Oppa, let’s go to the amusement park too! Okay?”
“Sure…”
“Really?”
“Uh… probably.”
Hong Soo-yeon kept pointing at places in the photos and begging to go together, while Arimura Noa and Jung Se-yeon were busy trying to out-drink each other.
Two hours later.
The two women glared at each other while “complimenting” one another.
“Noa-ssi, you drink way better than I expected.”
“You too, Se-yeon-ssi.”
“Hohoho, you’re all impressive drinkers.”
Hong Soo-yeon had passed out long ago and had been carried to an empty bedroom.
“How about we call it a night? We have plans tomorrow… well, later today…”
“No way! Even if we have to skip sightseeing, I’m drinking tonight.”
“I’m ready to rest tomorrow too.”
Despite Kim Si-woo’s attempts to stop them, both women declared they’d see this through to the end. And so the Korea-vs-Japan drinking war officially began.
The next morning.
Hong Soo-yeon woke up clutching her aching head and discovered Jung Se-yeon, Arimura Noa, and Park Woong-deok still drinking.
“Huh? Where’s Si-woo oppa…?”
She soon found him in the kitchen preparing hangover food and walked over.
“Oppa… sorry about yesterday. I got too excited and drank too much…”
“It’s fine. At least you slept. Look over there—they’ve been drinking since last night. Don’t they ever get tired?”
“They’re insane…”
The two women who had pulled an all-nighter were barely clinging to consciousness.
“Just give up already.”
“You first, Noa-ssi.”
“Heh heh. Let’s finish this last glass and call it quits. We’ve got sightseeing to do, and we’re out of booze anyway.”
Park Woong-deok was finally ready to end the party, less because of the schedule and more because the alcohol had run dry.
“Fine.”
“Me too!”
And with that, they downed their final glasses.
“Okay. It’s finally over.”
With Park Woong-deok’s declaration, the two women stared at each other for a second longer, then slid down like melted ice cream and passed out on the floor.
“Looks like it’s really done. Director-nim, come have some dried pollack soup.”
“Oh! Kim Writer, you can cook that too?”
“Well… I learned it to survive…”
It was the hangover soup he used to make (or his mom used to make) after drinking sessions with Park Woong-deok. He knew the recipe from the times he had to fend for himself.
“Soo-yeon, sit and eat too. I’ll carry these two to bed.”
“Okay.”
Kim Si-woo laid Jung Se-yeon and Arimura Noa to separate beds, then came back and ate his own bowl of soup.
“Kyaah… Director-nim, are we still going sightseeing today?”
“Of course. We came all the way to Japan; it’d be a waste not to.”
“I’m staying home and resting.”
After finishing the soup, Park Woong-deok headed back to the hotel where the rest of the group was staying. Hong Soo-yeon used “I’m tired” as an excuse and stayed behind.
Of course, Park Woong-deok gave Kim Si-woo a very suspicious look the entire way out the door.
Yawn… “I need to sleep too. Soo-yeon-ah, if you’re sleeping more, use the empty room.”
“Yeah… I think I’ll sleep a bit longer…”
Hong Soo-yeon disappeared into the spare room. By the time everyone started waking up again, the sun was already setting.
“Mmm…”
After dinner, Jung Se-yeon and Arimura Noa were back to glaring at each other.
“Both of you, stop it already. Se-yeon-ssi and Soo-yeon, head back to the hotel. Noa-ssi, you should go home too.”
“Tch.”
They were reluctant because of their ruined makeup and clothes, but they obeyed.
“See you in a bit!”
“I’ll change and come right back!”
“Huh? Then me too!”
They vanished in a flash, leaving those words behind, and exactly two hours later they reappeared at the apartment.
No matter how you looked at it, they had showered, redone their makeup, changed outfits, and rushed back.
“We’re here! Writer-nim, we’re going out to have fun too! Noa-ssi will guide us, right? Take us to the best restaurants!”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
“Sigh…”
In the end, Kim Si-woo was dragged outside with them.
Their first stop was a famous sushi restaurant in Osaka—one Arimura Noa had been to dozens of times and Kim Si-woo more than ten. It was that good.
“Mmm… you can really taste the difference when it’s authentic.”
“It melts in your mouth.”
They went from one famous spot to another, and soon it was the very last day of the trip. Everyone headed to a famous amusement park.
“Phew. That woman is finally gone.”
The moment Arimura Noa wasn’t around, Jung Se-yeon let out a relieved sigh.
“Come on, let’s take pictures!”
“Unnie, I’ll take them for you.”
“Thanks! I’ll take yours next.”
“Got it!”
Jung Se-yeon finished her solo shots first, then beckoned Kim Si-woo over.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and come here!”
“Me?”
“Who else is ‘Writer-nim’ around here?”
Kim Si-woo looked around—he hadn’t even noticed, but everyone else had mysteriously vanished.
“Sigh… fine.”
He stood beside Jung Se-yeon for the photo.
Right before the very last shot,
Jung Se-yeon suddenly hooked her arm through his.
Click.
The shutter sound rang out. Kim Si-woo looked at her, flustered.
“What? That other girl did it too… am I not allowed?”
“N-no, that’s not it…”
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, and right then Hong Soo-yeon walked up.
“Now take pictures of me too, please!”
“Let’s take lots of pictures today!”
“Ah… sure.”
Jung Se-yeon handed the camera to Hong Soo-yeon and stepped back. Hong Soo-yeon immediately took her place beside Kim Si-woo.
“Oppa, can I link arms with you too?”
“Do whatever you want.”
“Yay!”
Hong Soo-yeon beamed and happily hooked her arm through his.
“Say kimchi!”
Click-click-click!
The shutter went off several times in a row. When the photo session with Hong Soo-yeon ended, Kim Si-woo’s face was noticeably red.
Only he knew the reason was a certain soft sensation pressing against his elbow—a secret he’d take to the grave.
“Now let’s go ride the attractions!”
“Yes!”
After that, they spent the rest of the day riding rides with the group.
Before anyone realized it, the day had come for the ‘Idol’ team to return to Korea.
A lot had happened, but their chaotic Japan trip had ended without any major incidents.
“Everyone, travel safe.”
“Yeah. Kim Writer, sort out your head and come back soon. We’ve got another shoot to do.”
“You have to cast me next time, okay?”
“M-me too!”
For some reason, the staff were begging for roles even more than the actors, but Kim Si-woo just smiled.
“Hurry up or you’ll miss your flight.”
“See you again, Writer-nim.”
“Oppa, eat properly, okay?”
And just like that, the noisy few days were over. Now it was time to finally get to the work he’d been waiting for.
When the Korean group and Arimura Noa had collided, Kim Si-woo had been terrified that someone would accidentally spill that they were shooting a movie here. Surprisingly, though, not a single word about the film left Arimura Noa’s lips.
“I don’t know if that’s lucky or… Anyway, it’s time to get started.”
With everyone gone, it was finally time to dive into work.
“Noa-ssi said she already sent the script to all the actors… so I should prepare too.”
Time passed, and the audition day arrived.
Thanks to Arimura Noa’s recommendation, Kim Si-woo was on the judging panel. Since he had studied the Japanese version of the script, he had enough grasp of it to evaluate performances.
He didn’t need to memorize the entire thing—just the scenes the actors would perform—so it wasn’t difficult.
“Have you ever judged auditions in Korea?”
“Well… pretty much every single one, I think?”
“Really? Then please pick some great actors again this time.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Soon the audition started, and actors began filing in.
Kim Si-woo gave his full attention to judging, with a dedicated interpreter by his side.
“What do you think of this one? The acting looked solid…”
“Skill is good, but he’s got some womanizing scandals…”
“Pass.”
“How about this person?”
“Had a power-abuse controversy…”
Even the talented actors all had some kind of minor (or not-so-minor) issue.
Kim Si-woo judged not only acting ability but also character and how they’d affect the set atmosphere, so finding people who met his standards wasn’t easy.
Especially since this was a film that would run over four hours—shooting would be long, so set harmony was crucial.
“Anyway, I think being a decent human being is just as important as acting skill.”
“Totally agree. Any noise on set just makes everyone ten times more exhausted.”
The auditions were scheduled over three nights and four days.
Arimura Noa had put in serious effort, so the number of auditionees was huge. To accommodate the judges’ stamina and the actors’ schedules, they generously spread it over four days.
After the four days ended, they immediately jumped into final selection meetings.
Kim Si-woo was part of those meetings, and since he held full casting authority, his opinion carried enormous weight.
He believed choosing the right actors was just as much a skill as writing the script itself, so he was extremely careful.
This was his very first project in Japan.
It was also his chance to prove that his scripts succeeding in Korea hadn’t been a fluke.
It felt a little earlier than he would’ve liked, but he accepted it as inevitable.
He was using a pseudonym anyway, so even if the movie bombed, word probably wouldn’t reach Korea.
Of course, his mental state would still take a huge hit.
But strangely—and this surprised even him—he didn’t feel the slightest premonition of failure.
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