Chapter 93: Trip to Japan (6)
The grueling four-day audition finally ended, and they moved on to the final selection meeting.
Everyone was busy lobbying Kim Si-woo, insisting that the actors they’d picked were clearly the best.
After all, the final casting authority rested entirely with him.
“Noa-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t we also need to consider the casting budget?”
“Well… this much is fine. Besides, all the really expensive stars got eliminated anyway.”
“Really? Hmm…”
After listening to various opinions, Kim Si-woo settled on the male lead and the female supporting lead.
The male lead: Honda Daisuke.
A rising star who won Best New Actor at a major Japanese awards ceremony last year. He looked great in glasses and had mostly played intellectual roles or awkward engineering-student types so far.
The female supporting lead: Kirishima Sumire.
A former child actress with a rock-solid career. For some reason she’d never had luck landing main-lead roles and had mostly been cast as the second female lead or strong supporting characters in big projects.
“Hmm… by the way, Noa-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think you can pull off a high-school student?”
“W-what did you just say?!”
“I mean, those two are in their early twenties, so it’s fine for them, but Noa-ssi… you look a bit too… mature for a high-schooler.”
“My face is still totally early-twenties!”
“Then could you come back with the makeup test first? If it really doesn’t work, we’ll have to recast just the high-school version of the character.”
“…Got it.”
Arimura Noa realized Kim Si-woo was dead serious, not teasing her, so she immediately headed to the makeup salon she always used.
“Unnie, grab me a high-school uniform from somewhere nearby.”
“On it.”
While heading to the salon, she texted her stylist to procure a uniform, then fell deep into thought.
“Do I really look that old…?”
Once she arrived and sat in the chair, she asked the makeup artist,
“Unnie, do I look old these days?”
“What? Oh, come on, what kind of nonsense is that!”
“No, seriously—this movie I’m doing, I have to play a high-school girl, and someone said I look too mature…”
(Of course Kim Si-woo never said “old,” but Arimura Noa had already over-interpreted it.)
“What?! Who said that?! Bring them here, I’ll give them a piece of my mind. Don’t worry, today I’m turning you into a hundred percent into a high-school girl.”
“I’m counting on you, Director!”
One hour later, makeup and hair finished, Arimura Noa stared at the mirror in awe.
“Wooow…”
“You just usually do age-appropriate makeup, that’s all. I can make you look as young as you want, no problem.”
“As expected of you, Director!”
“Alright, now go show that person who’s boss.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Full of newfound confidence, Arimura Noa rushed back to the company where Kim Si-woo was waiting.
“Unnie, the uniform?”
“Right here!”
“Thanks!”
She changed into the sailor uniform in the restroom and sprinted to the meeting room, flinging the door open with gusto.
“Tadaa! How do I look— …huh?”
She had expected only Kim Si-woo to be there.
Instead, the meeting room was packed with company staff.
“Noa?”
“Noa-ssi?
Everyone stared, wide-eyed, at Arimura Noa in a high-school uniform.
A few seconds later, realizing the situation, her face turned crimson.
Not a set—just a conference room.
Dozens of shocked stares.
And right in the middle, Kim Si-woo’s completely serious face.
KYAAAAAAAAAA!
With a scream that could shatter glass, Arimura Noa bolted back out of the room.
‘I’m gonna die of embarrassment! Die! I thought only Writer Kim would be there!’
Meanwhile, inside the now-silent meeting room:
“Was that… the high-school version of the lead?”
“Ah… yes. I asked her to test the look, just in case. If it didn’t work, we’d have to cast the high-school segment separately.”
“I see…”
The room nodded in understanding.
“I’ll step out for a minute.”
“Go ahead. Everyone, let’s take a short break.”
Kim Si-woo left the meeting room and called Arimura Noa.
“Hello?”
-…Why are you calling…
“Where are you?”
-In the bathroom…
“I didn’t get a good look earlier. Come out already.”
-Give me a second… I’m dying of embarrassment right now. I need to cool my face.
“You’re an actress—why are you that embarrassed?”
-I didn’t know there’d be that many people!
“Fine. When you’ve calmed down, just text me where and when to meet.”
-Okay…
After the detailed supporting-role casting meeting ended, Kim Si-woo headed back to his apartment.
“Huh… still no message?”
He found it strange that she hadn’t contacted him even by the time he got home.
But he didn’t have to wait long to see her—she was already there.
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
When he unlocked the door and stepped inside, he spotted women’s shoes at the entrance and instantly knew.
“So that’s why she went radio silent.”
He walked into the living room and found Arimura Noa sitting on the sofa with the world’s most sulky expression, still in the high-school uniform.
“Ooh… you actually look perfect for the role.”
“That’s not the point! You should’ve told me there’d be people in there!”
“I didn’t expect you to barge in that fast.”
“Ugh… whatever… So, how is it? Can I play the part?”
“Mind doing a full turn?”
Arimura Noa stood up and spun once as requested.
“Hmm… yeah, it works. Just make sure you nail the speech patterns and the vibe, okay?”
“Got it.”
“And please pass that on to the other actors too.”
As soon as the conversation ended, she dashed into the bedroom, changed back into normal clothes, and came out with a huge sigh of relief.
“Phew… I can finally breathe again…”
“Why? It suited you way better than I thought.”
“S-shut up. Let’s just go eat. I’m curious who you picked for the supporting roles anyway.”
“Sure.”
They went to a restaurant near the apartment and talked about the final casting over dinner.
The next day, once even the supporting roles were locked in, Kim Si-woo’s work in Japan was officially finished.
“So what are you going to do now? Stay for the script reading and the whole shoot?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure yet.”
“It’d be great if you stayed and watched everything with us.”
Time—long if you think about it, short if you don’t—had passed, and Arimura Noa genuinely felt a little sad.
At first he was just “some writer,” then “a genius writer.”
But the more she saw, the more she realized he had an incredibly sharp eye for actors and a deep understanding of what really matters on set.
She was now genuinely curious what it would feel like to work with him on location.
“I don’t speak Japanese, so I’d probably just get in the way.”
“We’ll provide a full-time interpreter, obviously.”
“Hmm… let me think about it and get back to you.”
Kim Si-woo was curious about how Japanese productions worked, but he also missed Korea, so he agonized over it for days.
“Noa-ssi, I’ll drop by the set just to observe and then head back. I’ll skip the script reading, but if there’s anything wrong with the script, just tell me and I’ll fix it right away.”
“Got it!”
At the news that he’d be staying a little longer, Arimura Noa’s face lit up.
“Of course, I’m going back to Korea for a short trip first.”
“Sure! I’ll let you know the schedule.”
“Thank you.”
And with that, Kim Si-woo wrapped up his first “trip” to Japan and flew home.
A few days later, having finished everything in Japan, Kim Si-woo stepped onto Korean soil once more.
“Phew… how should I put it? Korea really does move fast.”
Breathing Korean air again on the way home, he felt noticeably lighter.
“I’m home!”
He opened the door expecting a welcome, but the house was strangely empty.
“What the—my parents knew I was coming… Whatever, I’ll shower and crash.”
He took a shower, flopped onto his bed, and immediately passed out.
A few hours later, a delicious smell tickled his nose and woke him up.
“Something smells amazing… Mom’s home? Mom!”
He sniffed the air like a puppy.
“Why are you yelling!”
At the sharp reply, Kim Si-woo got out of bed and walked into the living room. The dining table was covered with a glorious spread of side dishes.
“You’re finally up. Sit down. My goodness, you come home after months and act like you just went grocery shopping?”
“As long as I’m home, right? But what’s with all the food?”
“My son hasn’t been home in months. I have to feed him properly—especially now that he’s making good money. Hoho.”
Kim Si-woo’s mom set down the last pot of stew, and the family meal officially started dinner.
“Alright, let’s eat.”
“Thank you for the food!”
The next day, Kim Si-woo headed to the set of <Celebrity Secret Rescue Team>.
“Oh! You’re here!”
Kim Jin-man, who rarely showed up early, was already waiting for him.
“Long time no see, Chief Producer.”
They shook hands and chatted.
“How’s filming going?”
“Great, of course! But just in case, please watch a bit and let me know if anything feels off.”
“No need to go that far… I just came to see how my kids are doing.”
“Ah! This way, please.”
Guided by Kim Jin-man, Kim Si-woo found the two actors from his company, Choi Ha-rang and Lee Jae-gu.
“Long time no see.”
“Writer-nim!”
The moment they spotted him, both ran over shouting.
“Did you enjoy Japan? I heard a little from Su-yeon.”
“It wasn’t bad. How about you two—are you doing okay?”
“We’re doing pretty well, I think. Hehe.”
“Jae-gu, you?”
“Me too…”
“Should I ask the PDs then?”
“Huh? Don’t embarrass me like that!”
“Then do well before I have to ask.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Keep preparing like that.”
After the quick talk, Kim Si-woo went around greeting the staff.
Once the hellos were done, he sat next to Kim Jin-man and the drama PD to watch the shoot.
‘Oh… it’s actually better than I expected.’
He quietly admired the lead actors’ performances, the way his own company’s actors were blending in, and how smoothly the crew worked together.
Morning shooting wrapped up, and just in time for lunch, the coffee truck and food truck Kim Si-woo had ordered arrived.
“Today’s treats are courtesy of actors Choi Ha-rang and Lee Jae-gu. Everyone, enjoy!”
At his announcement, the whole set thanked the two actors.
Choi Ha-rang and Lee Jae-gu immediately whipped their heads toward Kim Si-woo.
“Writer-nim…”
Choi Ha-rang was already tearing up as she looked at the banners on the trucks.
“Touched?”
“Yes…”
Meanwhile, Lee Jae-gu was wiping actual tears.
“Wow, that guy’s really moved—crying and everything. I should’ve sent these earlier if I’d known he’d react like this.”
“Thank you… Writer-nim.”
Lee Jae-gu managed to choke out his gratitude.
“You’ll be getting these every project from now on, so stop crying and come eat.”
“Yes…”
The two ate their meals barely tasting anything, noses running, absolutely beaming with happiness.
They’d started filming with decent supporting roles, but it hadn’t fully sunk in yet.
Seeing their names on the banners of coffee and food trucks finally made it real—they’d truly made it as actors. A flood of emotions hit them all at once.
“Slow down or you’ll choke.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lunch ended, the afternoon shoot finished smoothly, and everything was perfect…
…until Kim Jin-man dropped a certain piece of news.
“By the way, Writer-nim… Choi Do-hyun says he really wants to meet you…”
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