Chapter 118: Casting Is My Decision (2)
After arriving at a restaurant near the office, the two ordered what they wanted to eat.
“By the way, how’s the casting going?”
“Well… everyone I asked said yes so far. I’m relieved. But starting next time, I’m thinking of changing up the casting a bit.”
“Because it feels like the same actors keep appearing?”
Lee Yoo-jin saw right through Kim Si-woo’s thoughts.
“Yeah. Even if the roles are different, seeing the same faces might get tiring.”
“That’s true…”
“Ah! And is the child actor list ready?”
“Yes. Should I send it to you?”
“Yeah, I’m planning to hold auditions soon.”
“Then I’ll reserve a studio along with the list.”
Kim Si-woo felt at ease watching Lee Yoo-jin, who perfectly understood even his vague instructions and handled everything smoothly.
“Your food is here. Enjoy.”
As they talked, the ordered dishes arrived. Just as Kim Si-woo picked up his fork to eat the pasta, an urgent voice came from across the table.
“Wait a second!”
“Huh? Why?”
“I’m going to take a picture.”
“Ah… okay.”
Lee Yoo-jin quickly snapped photos of the food with her smartphone, then told Kim Si-woo to pose before taking a picture of them together.
“All done. You can eat now.”
“Uh… sure.”
Kim Si-woo, a bit dazed, picked up his fork again and ate the pasta.
During the meal, they chatted about various things.
She was excited about learning new directing techniques from Park Se-yong, and Kim Si-woo encouraged her to study hard.
“Should we start our own production company later? What do you think?”
“I’d love that!”
“An agency?”
“That too. But even now, the actors signed to Siwoo Film are doing better than most mid-sized agencies.”
“Really?”
“Well… it’s all thanks to you, writer-nim. And even the famous actors who aren’t officially signed rush over when you call. It feels a bit like disrupting the ecosystem.”
“Tch…”
Kim Si-woo scratched his head at the word “ecosystem.”
“Still, if we train them on the Siwoo Film YouTube channel first and debut them in films or dramas later, it’d be smoother, right?”
“Exactly what I was thinking. At least they wouldn’t go hungry while acting.”
Lee Yoo-jin, pleased with his idea, shyly continued eating.
After finishing the meal and dropping her off, Kim Si-woo headed home. On the way, he looked puzzled at his constantly ringing phone.
“What’s this? Who’s calling so much at this hour?”
Checking his phone on the drive home, he saw multiple missed calls from several people.
“Ji-young noona, Se-yeon-ssi, Soo-yeon?”
Seeing repeated calls from all three, Kim Si-woo first called Jung Se-yeon.
“Se-yeon-ssi, what’s up?”
-No, what are you doing right now?
“Huh? Heading home?”
-Ah… Did you just eat with Yoo-jin?
“Yes? Yes… But how did you…”
-Got it.
Beep… beep… beep…
Jung Se-yeon hung up abruptly. Flustered, Kim Si-woo called Shim Ji-young and Hong Soo-yeon.
Their reactions weren’t much different.
Since nothing more happened after the calls, Kim Si-woo figured it was nothing and went to sleep.
Unaware that they would show up at the office the next day…
A day passed, and upon arriving at the office, Kim Si-woo sensed an odd atmosphere and walked in.
“What’s going on? Why’s the vibe like this?”
“Writer-nim.”
“Yeah.”
“Actress Shim Ji-young is inside.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I’m not sure either…”
“Got it.”
Shim Ji-young had come to the office early in the morning.
“Noona, what brings you here so early?”
“What do you mean? I came to get the script.”
“Huh? I was going to send it anyway—why bother coming…”
“Whatever. Sit down first. I brought lunch boxes. Let’s eat and talk.”
“Huh? Ah… okay.”
Shim Ji-young handed over the lunch boxes with a smile.
“Wait!”
Just as Kim Si-woo was about to open the lid and eat, an urgent voice rang out.
“Uh… Are you taking a picture?”
“Yeah.”
In that instant, Kim Si-woo remembered what happened last night.
‘What’s this? It’s exactly like yesterday?’
Shim Ji-young took photos of the lunch boxes, then—just like Lee Yoo-jin—took pictures with Kim Si-woo.
“Done. You can eat now.”
“Ah… Thanks for the food.”
After finishing the meal, Shim Ji-young quickly left, saying she had a schedule.
“What was that? Did she just come to eat with me?”
But when Jung Se-yeon arrived right at lunchtime, Kim Si-woo realized they weren’t just coming to eat together—there was another reason.
Probably because of last night’s dinner with Lee Yoo-jin.
“Alright… Let’s take pictures first.”
“Ah! Yes.”
Jung Se-yeon looked flustered, not expecting Kim Si-woo to suggest photos first, and raised her phone.
“Say kimchi.”
Jung Se-yeon stood right beside him, linking arms for the photo.
“Can I eat now?”
“Yes!”
After lunch, Jung Se-yeon also vanished quickly, citing a schedule—as if following some unspoken agreement.
“Could it be… Hong Soo-yeon for dinner?”
Kim Si-woo’s guess was spot on.
When work ended and he got home, his mother was preparing food—with Hong Soo-yeon helping.
“You’re home? Wash your hands quickly. Tonight’s hanwoo beef.”
“Yes.”
Kim Si-woo washed his hands, changed clothes, and walked to the table.
“Soo-yeon, what brings you here without a word?”
“Your mom said to come over and hang out.”
“That’s right! Why not visit more often? It feels like I have a daughter—it’s great. Sigh… Our house is so bleak with only men. Come whenever you want.”
“Yes, Auntie.”
Kim Si-woo’s mother adored Hong Soo-yeon.
Two sons.
Plus the father—three men total.
In such a stark household, Hong Soo-yeon’s cuteness and companionship placed her high in favor.
On top of earning well and being pretty, she was perfect daughter-in-law material—100 points.
“It feels like Mom likes Soo-yeon more than her own son. Am I imagining it?”
“No, it’s fact. I love my son too, but right now Soo-yeon’s more to my liking. What do you think, Soo-yeon? Want to be our daughter-in-law?”
When “daughter-in-law” came up, Hong Soo-yeon’s smile stretched ear to ear.
“Hehe. I’d love to, but… I’m not sure what Si-woo oppa thinks.”
“Hah… No matter how great our son is, he’s not on Soo-yeon’s level.”
As she started grilling the meat, Hong Soo-yeon showed off her charm, and Kim Si-woo’s mother was completely smitten.
The father didn’t seem to mind her aegyo either; he said nothing but smiled satisfactorily, alternating looks between Kim Si-woo and Hong Soo-yeon.
After dinner, photos were inevitable.
But Hong Soo-yeon didn’t just take them with the food and Kim Si-woo—she included his parents too.
Thus ended a busy day, and Kim Si-woo began even busier ones.
***
Kim Si-woo, with meetings scheduled with investors, headed out accompanied by Lee Hae-soo and Lee Yoo-jin.
After two days of meetings, the results were honestly all about the same.
Similar conditions from similar major corporations.
Even Lee Yoo-jin and Lee Hae-soo remarked that there wasn’t much difference.
“Hmm… Then let’s do this.”
“How?”
“We’ll go with the one that offers the most PPL and actor ads.”
“Huh?”
“More money is always good. And if possible, include the rookie actors in the ads too.”
“I’ll discuss it.”
After the first round of meetings, when Lee Yoo-jin relayed Kim Si-woo’s proposal, the other side welcomed it with open arms.
Typically, PPL in films wasn’t as blatant as in dramas.
It could break immersion if done poorly.
Of course, it wasn’t completely absent.
But applying it without disrupting immersion was difficult, so there were limits to the PPL they could accept.
A few days later, Lee Yoo-jin returned with a smile, bringing the PPL and ad offers from each company.
“So what came in?”
“For PPL, chicken, smartphones, hanbok, etc. For ads, everything from chicken to their own products—they’re offering a wide range.”
“Then tell them we’ll sign with the one that gives the most. They can send the contract to Lawyer Lee Hae-soo.”
“Yes, writer-nim.”
Kim Si-woo generously secured ads for the actors and bonuses for the staff.
With the investor and distributor contracts finalized, the next step was forming the production team or signing with a production company.
Several production companies had approached, but since Park Se-yong—who was directing <Peerless Joseon>—belonged to one, they decided to go with it.
As a bonus, some Siwoo Film staff would join the set, and especially Lee Yoo-jin would get to learn directing from Park Se-yong.
“Everything’s ready, so now it’s time to meet the lead and child actors.”
Child actors through auditions.
The lead in person.
Choi Seung-yong—the actor decided for the protagonist of <Peerless Joseon>.
A tremendous actor who had built a solid foundation in Chungmuro.
Before Kim Si-woo emerged, he had starred in films that surpassed ten million viewers, effortlessly handling comedy, suspense, and action genres.
With some comedic elements in <Peerless Joseon>, Choi Seung-yong was perfect.
An actor who could blend serious and funny sides in a short time was needed.
After scheduling through his agency, Kim Si-woo met him in the conference room of Choi Seung-yong’s agency. His appearance was slightly different from what Kim Si-woo had imagined on screen.
He was thinner, taller, and showed a somewhat timid side.
That appearance actually made Kim Si-woo like him more.
Even before greetings, he was already mentally trying different makeup and costumes on him.
“Hello. I’m writer Kim Si-woo.”
“I’m actor Choi Seung-yong.”
“You’ve heard the details, but I’d like to cast you as the lead in <Peerless Joseon>.”
“Ah… Thank you.”
At Choi Seung-yong’s lukewarm response, Kim Si-woo handed over the documents he’d brought.
They listed the co-stars, shooting schedule, investment amount, ads, PPL, director, and production company.
“If there’s an ad you want, Choi Seung-yong-ssi, we’ll make sure you get it.”
“Um… Sorry to ask this, but could I recommend one junior of mine?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“There’s a friend named Jung Pil-gyu—he’s really good at acting. Could you give him a chance for one of the open supporting roles, even if just an audition? I’m fine with reducing my fee or giving ads to others.”
“You must care for him a lot.”
“Yes… We’ve been together since Chungmuro days. He’s passionate enough to act while doing day labor on construction sites, but unlike me, things haven’t gone well for him lately. He’s struggling. And recently he had a kid and said he’s quitting acting—it’s personally heartbreaking…”
“Alright. Send me his profile. I’ll review it and have a simple audition. Since you vouch for him this much, I won’t worry about his acting.”
At Kim Si-woo’s words, Choi Seung-yong briefly left the room and immediately called his junior, Jung Pil-gyu.
“Hey! Jung Pil-gyu. I’m texting you an email address right now—send your profile there immediately!”
-Huh? Profile? Why?
“You have an audition. Hurry and send it. Opportunities like this don’t come often. Just trust hyung this once.”
-Uh… okay. Hyung, thank you.
Jung Pil-gyu, flustered, sent his profile to the email Choi Seung-yong provided.
Meanwhile, Choi Seung-yong’s brief absence actually worked in Kim Si-woo’s favor.
He needed new actors anyway—getting one with guaranteed acting skills from Choi Seung-yong, plus creating a favor owed, was a win.
‘Aren’t I the only one benefiting here?’
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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 58 chapters are available on My Patreon Premium tier, along with extra chapters from my other 5 ongoing translated novels.
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