Chapter 119: Casting Is My Decision (3)
After finishing the call with Jung Pil-gyu, Choi Seung-yong returned with a much lighter expression.
“Please take good care of me.”
“The pleasure is mine.”
They shook hands, and Kim Si-woo handed over the contract. Choi Seung-yong read it with his agency staff and signed immediately.
“Then I’ll send the script soon, along with news about your junior.”
“Thank you.”
With the lead successfully cast, Kim Si-woo returned to the office and checked the profile Jung Pil-gyu had sent to his email.
“Hmm… Over 20 years of experience…”
He had started acting in middle school year 1 and joined a theater troupe at 20.
Since then, he had appeared in various works in minor roles.
But excluding theater, he hadn’t landed a significant role in 20 years.
“His face… looks pretty intimidating.”
188 cm tall, 120 kg.
A rugged face.
In other projects, he’d fit as a gangster or detective.
And in this film, he was perfect for the blacksmith who helps the protagonist.
“Acting with his sunbae Choi Seung-yong should make him less nervous.”
For him to continue his acting career, a role with decent weight meant fewer mistakes.
His reputation and standing depended on proving himself.
This opportunity came by luck, but whether another would follow was uncertain.
If he showed poor skills on set, Kim Si-woo would never call him again, nor would Choi Seung-yong recommend him.
“Well… Choi Seung-yong recommended him, so his acting should be decent… Still, I need to see an audition.”
Kim Si-woo approached Lee Yoo-jin, who was editing.
“Yoo-jin. One more person is coming on the child actor audition day.”
“Huh? Who?”
“Jung Pil-gyu—I’m considering casting him this time. I sent his profile by email, so just send him the audition info text.”
“Yes, writer-nim.”
A light skill-check audition text was sent to Jung Pil-gyu, but for him, it wasn’t light at all.
“It’s a hard-won chance. I have to do my best.”
After finishing day labor, he went home and prepared endlessly for the audition.
His wife supported him wholeheartedly.
Time passed, and the audition day arrived.
Jung Pil-gyu dressed in a suit and headed to the studio address in the text.
“Whew… I can do this.”
Taking deep breaths, he entered the audition studio—and couldn’t help but freeze.
Inside, kids who barely reached his waist were running around.
“D-did I come to the wrong place?”
He hurriedly checked his phone for the address again, but it was correct.
“This is the place…”
Confused and looking around, Lee Yoo-jin spotted him and approached.
“Actor Jung Pil-gyu?”
“Ah! Yes.”
Hearing “actor” made his heart warm for a moment, but now wasn’t the time.
“We have a separate child actor audition today. Actor Jung Pil-gyu, please come this way.”
“Ah… yes.”
Lee Yoo-jin immediately led him to Kim Si-woo.
Knock knock.
-Come in.
Kim Si-woo’s voice came from inside when Lee Yoo-jin knocked.
“Writer-nim, Actor Jung Pil-gyu is here.”
“Hello. I’m writer Kim Si-woo.”
Kim Si-woo stood and extended his hand.
Jung Pil-gyu grasped it and bowed.
“Hello. I’m Jung Pil-gyu. Thank you for this opportunity.”
“Save the thanks for Actor Choi Seung-yong. I’ll decide after seeing your acting.”
“Understood.”
“You prepared a piece to show, right?”
“Yes!”
Looking at the much smaller Kim Si-woo in front of him, Jung Pil-gyu inwardly marveled.
Something felt off.
It was like the feeling of auditioning in front of a famous director.
“Then start when you’re ready.”
As Jung Pil-gyu took a deep breath and began acting, Kim Si-woo’s gaze grew sharper.
As if piercing through his performance.
As an actor performing, it felt like his clothes were being stripped away.
A suffocating tension.
Only after the intense performance ended did Kim Si-woo’s gaze return to normal.
“Good work. Definitely worth Choi Seung-yong’s recommendation. Let’s sign the contract.”
“Huh?”
At the immediate offer to sign, Jung Pil-gyu was flustered.
“Yoo-jin, could you bring the contract?”
“Yes, writer-nim.”
At Kim Si-woo’s words, Lee Yoo-jin brought the <Peerless Joseon> contract from nearby.
“Take your time reading it and sign when ready.”
Jung Pil-gyu, still dazed, took the contract and slowly read through it.
It was clearly a normal contract.
Except for the exceptionally good terms.
“Um… Is this contract correct?”
Jung Pil-gyu cautiously asked, and Kim Si-woo explained with an awkward smile.
“This might be uncomfortable to hear, but… I heard your situation isn’t great… I thought it’d be better to pay the fee upfront. If it offended you, I’m sorry.”
“Huh? No, it’s not that—the amount…”
“Ah, the amount is correct. As written, Jung Pil-gyu-ssi has a fairly significant role.”
At Kim Si-woo’s words, Jung Pil-gyu bowed his head, hands trembling.
“Th-thank you. Really, thank you.”
With shaking hands, he signed while tears fell.
“I’ll work my hardest. Truly… until my body breaks.”
“…You shouldn’t do that. You need to manage your condition.”
“Ah! Yes!”
The mid-30s Jung Pil-gyu hurriedly wiped his tears and pulled himself together.
“Um… I wasn’t offended by the fee. Rather, thank you for your consideration.”
“Thank you. Then focus comfortably on the work from now on.”
“Yes, writer-nim. Thank you. I’ll do my absolute best.”
“Here, take the script too while you’re at it.”
Kim Si-woo handed him the <Peerless Joseon> script nearby.
“Peerless Joseon…”
Jung Pil-gyu murmured the title softly after receiving it.
As if he couldn’t believe it.
***
After Jung Pil-gyu left, Kim Si-woo fell into thought.
‘His acting is definitely good. Just a strong theatrical feel… How to put it—there’s a slight trace of “acting.” Well, that can be fixed gradually.’
His acting was certainly not bad.
If anything, it felt like a half-polished gemstone.
Of course, by Kim Si-woo’s standards.
In terms of skill, he wouldn’t fall short compared to most active actors.
But the actors around Kim Si-woo were simply monsters.
“I’ll think about Jung Pil-gyu later. The bigger issue is the child actors first.”
Right now, child actors were more important than Jung Pil-gyu.
Unlike adult actors, there weren’t many child actors to begin with.
A small pool meant it was hard to find ones that satisfied Kim Si-woo.
He was even considering reducing the child roles by revising the script if no suitable ones appeared.
“Sigh… About 10 minutes left. Yoo-jin.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know anything about child actors?”
“Uh… They say avoid chase scenes.”
“Why?”
“Kids laugh when they run. That’s why everyone says filming with children is tough…”
“Yeah… At that age, they laugh at anything. Ah, whatever. The director will handle it well.”
The moment it left his hands, Kim Si-woo switched to “whatever” mode.
He’d just select decent child actors; controlling them was Director Park Se-yong’s job.
“Alright, let’s start.”
“Yes.”
At Kim Si-woo’s words, the child actor auditions officially began.
There were 50 applicants for child roles.
A truly small number compared to adults.
Some had even come from outside Seoul.
“Send in the first one.”
Child actors mostly came with parents.
“Oh my, hello. Come on, Jae-jun, greet them too.”
“Uh… h-hello.”
Seeing the extremely shy child, Kim Si-woo started the audition right away.
“Then can we see the prepared piece?”
“Yes. Just a moment.”
The child’s mother explained earnestly to her son, and he nodded.
“…Uh… th-that…”
In the end, the child’s voice was barely audible, and he acted with his head down, standing in place.
When even the faint voice faded, Kim Si-woo gave up watching.
“Thank you for your effort. Please send in the next one.”
“Already? He has three more prepared!”
“No, it’s fine. One is enough.”
“But just one more—”
“No, there are still forty-nine waiting. Thank you.”
The mother left looking dissatisfied.
The child actor auditions that followed were a complete madhouse.
Uncontrollable kids, crying kids, angry parents—a total disaster.
Kim Si-woo hadn’t expected much from child actors to begin with, but he hadn’t imagined it would be this bad.
“Sigh…”
Kim Si-woo sighed after arguing with one child’s parent moments ago.
The parent had complained that he was judging too hastily, leaving Kim Si-woo dumbfounded.
How was he supposed to watch seriously when the child was half-hearted?
On top of that, while the parent argued, he saw the child pick his nose and put the finger in his mouth.
It was obvious the kid had no interest in acting and was only doing it because his parents made him.
Feeling rapidly exhausted, Kim Si-woo was about to call the next applicant when Lee Yoo-jin spoke in an excited voice.
“Huh? Writer-nim, finally—one showed up.”
“Who?”
Kim Si-woo looked at the application she pointed to.
It was an experienced child actor.
A child actor who had played a supporting role in a terrestrial drama meant guaranteed skill.
“This one might be worth expecting. Send them in quickly.”
With high hopes, Kim Si-woo called the next applicant.
“Hello. I’m Park So-yul, applying for this audition. I’m 10 years old.”
“Nice to meet you. Can we see your prepared piece right away?”
“Yes!”
Unlike the others, Park So-yul’s mother simply watched from behind.
Park So-yul gathered her emotions and soon began acting, tears flowing.
‘Tear acting… Impressive for her age. And showing tears definitely makes it look like good acting. Smart choice.’
A moment later, the performance ended, and Kim Si-woo had already decided.
Park So-yul for the grand prince’s daughter—the princess role.
She was pretty, spoke clearly, and her diction was decent for a child actor.
“Thank you for your effort. We’ll contact you individually within a week with the results.”
The audition wrapped up safely, and he returned to the office.
Until arriving at the office, the princess role in <Peerless Joseon> belonged to Park So-yul.
That is, until a variable appeared.
Upon reaching the office, Kim Si-woo saw people gathered and buzzing.
“What’s going on? Why’s everyone crowded there? Did someone bring a cat?”
“Ah! Writer-nim. A little kid came looking for you. We thought maybe they got the audition location wrong.”
“What? No, all the applicants today came. Let me see.”
Kim Si-woo approached the child among the Siwoo Film team members and spoke.
“Hey, kiddo. How did you get here?”
“Are you Writer Kim Si-woo oppa?”
“Yeah. But?”
“My name is Lee Ok-ja. I’m 10 years old. Choi Do-hyun oppa told me to come find Writer Kim Si-woo, so I did.”
“What???”
The sudden mention of Choi Do-hyun’s name shocked everyone around, and Kim Si-woo looked thoroughly perplexed.
‘What kind of trick is this now?’
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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 57 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 46 advance chapters, updated at 7 chapters per week.
Link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/Vritratls
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