Chapter 116: Birthday Party
“Happy birthday.”
“You already said that when you arrived—saying it again makes me feel burdened.”
When Kim Si-woo joked, Shim Ji-young responded in kind.
“The earlier one was for last year’s birthday. This one’s for this year.”
“Hahaha. Anyway, what did you think?”
“The project you announced?”
“Yes.”
Shim Ji-young and the other actors looked at him with sparkling eyes.
“Is there a role available?”
“Sounds like it’s good.”
From Shim Ji-young’s answer and the actors’ eager gazes, Kim Si-woo finally felt certain.
<Peerless Joseon> would be a success.
“And I already have an actor in mind for the male lead.”
“Whoever it is, they just hit the lottery.”
“Exactly.”
“Don’t you need female actors? There’ll be female roles, right?”
Kim Si-woo thought about the female characters.
“Hmm… The grand prince’s wife and daughter, the queen, palace maids—for now, about that many…”
“How big are the roles?”
“Honestly, I can’t say they’re major. It’s going to revolve around the male lead…”
“Still, if you had to pick the biggest ones?”
Even hearing the roles were small, Shim Ji-young didn’t give up and kept asking.
“Hmm… Probably the jimil nain (close palace maid) who serves him, and the protagonist’s wife and daughter would be the largest.”
“Jimil nain… That sounds fun. Last time I was a queen.”
“Oppa… Didn’t you say you weren’t releasing a new project…?”
Shim Ji-young was already drinking the kimchi soup, while Hong Soo-yeon beside her looked gloomy.
“I’m not producing it right away. If things go well, you might be able to audition too, Soo-yeon? Besides, if I release this, you’ll be the lead in the next one, right? Wouldn’t it be better to make it quickly?”
“Huh? Yeah, that’s true? Still, give me at least a cameo.”
“A cameo’s always possible if your schedule allows.”
While Kim Si-woo cheered up Hong Soo-yeon, Jung Se-yeon and Kim Ji-hyun appeared in glamorous dresses.
“Sorry. Traffic was bad…”
“I’m sorry. Happy birthday.”
“Thank you. It’s fine. Seoul roads are always jammed. By the way, did you see the video?”
“Ah… You mean the one Yoo-jin sent earlier?”
“The announcement video for the next project.”
“Huh?”
Surprised, the two quickly pulled out their phones, played the video Lee Yoo-jin had sent, and even put in Bluetooth earphones to watch.
In the meantime, several people approached Kim Si-woo to greet him.
Their goal was, of course, roles.
But Kim Si-woo only mentioned that roles existed—he gave no firm answers.
Kim Si-woo’s birthday party was truly a hot spot.
People desperate to build any connection with him begged acquaintances for permission to attend.
Yet even when they tried to talk to him, his surroundings were already crowded with famous actors, staff, directors, and investors.
“Yes, yes, we can discuss investment details later at the Siwoo Film office.”
Kim Si-woo was starting to feel uncomfortable with the endless investment talk.
He could smile through one or two, but with no end in sight, his expression inevitably hardened.
Noticing his state, Lee Yoo-jin stepped in first and handled the investors for him.
Kim Si-woo gave her a thumbs-up for the help.
“Um… Si-woo-ssi.”
“Yes, Hae-soo-ssi.”
“But… am I appearing in the film too?”
Kim Si-woo remembered that Lee Hae-soo had won appearance rights at the recent MT.
“Hmm… Would you like to try? A simple minor role or cameo should be fine.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Yes, take your time and let me know when you’re ready.”
Besides Lee Hae-soo, Kim Si-woo was swamped with greetings from others.
He also greeted people from CBS and from W Films.
After about three hours, those who were leaving had all gone, leaving only those who would stay.
Officially, they had gathered to celebrate Kim Si-woo’s birthday, but that wasn’t the real reason.
It was connections.
Most of the people here had come to expand or create new networks.
But Kim Si-woo was currently sitting in a corner with a deeply furrowed brow.
Because of that, the actors and directors who wanted to talk to him couldn’t easily approach.
“What’s this? The party host is sulking in the corner?”
Of course, close friends were an exception.
“Why else? Because he’s tired…”
“That’s just lack of stamina. You should join a gym near the office and work out.”
“It’s a hassle…”
Shim Ji-young sat beside him while recommending exercise.
“What did you think?”
“Of what?”
“The party—fun?”
“Hmm… It’s tiring, but not bad.”
“Look over there—that’s Kim Ji-oh, the male actor who’s been gaining recognition little by little since last year. I heard he begged his agency president nonstop to meet you today.”
“Ah…”
“And on the opposite side is Chae Si-hyun. Don’t even talk to that woman—she’s infamous for flirting with directors to get roles. Total fox.”
Kim Si-woo smiled as he listened to Shim Ji-young’s explanations.
“Listening to you is the most fun thing since I got here.”
“Really? Then I’ll keep going. And over there is… huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
At the end of the finger Shim Ji-young extended to explain was a man.
“Huh? That’s Choi Ji-hoon?”
Kim Si-woo turned to look where she pointed. Besides the male actor, there was one more person—Hong Soo-yeon.
“This is bad. That guy is total trash in this industry. If it’s a young and pretty woman—actor, staff, even married—he doesn’t discriminate.”
“Fuck.”
Kim Si-woo cursed and stood up, walking toward the man.
As the previously still Kim Si-woo moved, people’s gazes naturally followed him.
“Soo-yeon, come here.”
Having reached near Hong Soo-yeon, Kim Si-woo called her.
“Huh? Oppa! Ah… Ji-hoon sunbaenim, sorry. I’ll be right back.”
Hong Soo-yeon, who had been talking with Choi Ji-hoon, bowed to him with a happy expression and moved behind Kim Si-woo.
Suddenly trying to take Hong Soo-yeon away, Choi Ji-hoon hurriedly approached Kim Si-woo and greeted him.
“Hello. I’m actor Choi Ji-hoon.”
“Ah. Yes.”
Kim Si-woo responded to the greeting with extremely displeased eyes.
Not expecting such a cold reception, Choi Ji-hoon looked flustered.
But he quickly changed his expression and kept talking to Kim Si-woo.
“I really enjoyed the project presentation today, writer-nim. Actually…”
“If it’s about casting, I’m not listening.”
At Kim Si-woo’s sharp rejection, Choi Ji-hoon faltered. Still, he persistently tried to appeal for a role.
But faced with Kim Si-woo’s iron wall, Choi Ji-hoon eventually grew tired and stopped following or talking to him.
“Soo-yeon, from now on, stay with me and listen to Ji-young noona’s stories.”
“Yes!”
Hong Soo-yeon kept grinning widely for some reason, and Kim Si-woo thought she didn’t grasp the seriousness of the situation.
Of course, Hong Soo-yeon already knew that Choi Ji-hoon couldn’t resist pretty women and constantly hit on them.
His reputation was so notorious that even she—a relative newcomer—had heard it.
And just as he was persistently asking for her number, Kim Si-woo had approached.
“The guy over there with the flipped hair and the one in jeans—don’t even make eye contact. The flipped-hair one does drugs, and the jeans guy hasn’t even done his military service yet.”
Shim Ji-young seemed to know an endless amount of facts; information about people poured nonstop from her mouth.
In that moment, Kim Si-woo thought of Hwang Ji-yoo—the former reporter he’d tasked with gathering intel, Siwoo Film’s information source.
“Ah! Noona, just a second.”
Kim Si-woo briefly left his seat and approached Hwang Ji-yoo.
“Ji-yoo-ssi.”
“Ah! Yes, writer-nim.”
“For the people who came to the party today—especially the actors and directors—organize the info and send me a file.”
“Yes, writer-nim!”
She confidently answered, as if she’d already been collecting information on them.
As the party grew livelier, the spot where Shim Ji-young and Hong Soo-yeon were sitting soon included Lee Hae-soo, Lee Yoo-jin, Kim Ji-hyun, and Jung Se-yeon, forming a group.
The male actors and directors around them paced nervously, gauging the mood.
One man broke through to speak to the women.
Naturally, that man was Kim Si-woo.
“What’s this? Everyone’s gathered here?”
“Yeah. We’ve greeted enough people, and there are too many uncomfortable ones around.”
“Ah…”
At Jung Se-yeon’s words, Kim Si-woo glanced around and nodded.
But the “uncomfortable people” Jung Se-yeon meant weren’t the men.
They were her fellow female actresses.
Ten minutes earlier.
“Sunbaenim! Hello.”
“Oh, hi. How have you been?”
“Yes! You too, sunbaenim? I loved your idol movie. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
“By the way, are you close with Writer Kim Si-woo?”
“Yeah, pretty close. Why?”
“Then could you introduce me to him? Please? Just once.”
At Jung Se-yeon’s confirmation that they were close, the junior actress asked for an introduction to Kim Si-woo.
“Huh?”
She had expected it, but hearing the direct request suddenly soured Jung Se-yeon’s mood, and she brushed it off.
“Well… I’m not sure. Writer-nim might feel burdened? I’ll try to arrange something next time.”
“Really? Thank you, sunbaenim.”
Of course, Jung Se-yeon had zero intention of arranging anything.
After that, every female actress who approached Jung Se-yeon asked the same thing: to be introduced to Kim Si-woo.
Hearing the irritating request over and over drained her, and the exhausted Jung Se-yeon quickly looked for a place to rest. Spotting Shim Ji-young and Hong Soo-yeon chatting in the corner, she rushed over.
“What’s wrong? Why does your face look like that? Are you sick?”
Shim Ji-young worried about the weary-looking Jung Se-yeon.
“No, just tired…”
“Don’t tell me people are pestering you to introduce them to Si-woo too?”
“Yes…”
“Sigh… The others will probably come here soon too.”
As Shim Ji-young predicted, a short while later Lee Hae-soo, Lee Yoo-jin, and Kim Ji-hyun joined them with equally tired expressions.
“You too?”
“Yeah, me too.”
Instantly understanding each other’s fatigue, the women sighed and talked only among themselves.
A few men approached in between, but the unwelcoming vibe drove them away quickly.
By the time Kim Si-woo finished talking with Hwang Ji-yoo and returned, everyone was gathered together.
“You’re all here?”
When Kim Si-woo spoke, the women’s eyes turned sharp.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Forget it. How would you know, writer-nim?”
“Right.”
“Exactly.”
The women took turns adding a remark.
“No, what did I even do…”
“There are reasons. Half of why we’re like this is because of you, so just deal with it.”
“Ah…”
Dumbfounded, Kim Si-woo awkwardly sat down nearby.
Time passed, and his twenty-ninth birthday party safely came to an end.
After the party, Kim Si-woo dragged his exhausted body home.
The women said they were going for an after-party and invited him too, but he firmly refused.
An after-party?
No way.
Just handling people at the party had been mentally draining; an after-party would be overkill.
Excessive drinking only ruined the next day’s condition.
Now that the project announcement was done, it was time to seriously prepare casting.
‘More importantly, when am I going to open all these gifts…?’
**************
TL Note:
This novel is now translated and finished at Chapter 176
If you’d like to continue right away, the remaining 60 chapters 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 45 advance chapters, updated at 7 chapters per week.
Link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/Vritratls
For this novel specifically, check the collection under “Genius Writer”
**************
Thank you for the chapter!
ReplyDelete