Chapter 153: Lucky Boy
“Can you explain to me what the hell is going on right now?”
“W-Writer-nim, please calm down and let me explain first…”
“So you said you called in candidates for the male lead, and I was wondering who it would be… and you bring him?”
“No, it’s just that…”
The moment Kim Si-woo laid eyes on Choi Do-hyun, a quiet storm brewed in his gaze.
It was a side of Kim Si-woo that Lee Yoo-jin rarely saw, and she shrank back even further. When she glanced toward Choi Do-hyun for help, he simply averted his eyes with an innocent “I don’t know anything about this” expression.
‘That… traitorous bastard.’
***
A few days earlier.
Lee Yoo-jin and the rest of the Siwoo Film team were still desperately searching for the perfect male lead.
Then, by chance, a video clip began playing—and Choi Do-hyun appeared in it.
“This… why is this guy…”
The video was actually someone else’s acting reel, but Choi Do-hyun, who happened to be acting alongside that actor, passed by so naturally that he completely stole Lee Yoo-jin’s attention.
“Damn it…”
The moment she saw him, her mind had already cast Choi Do-hyun as the male lead.
Handsome face, straightforward personality, naturally gifted physique—he was practically the spitting image of the character.
“Sigh…”
The only thing that bothered her was his bad relationship with Kim Si-woo.
“Hey, guys.”
“Yes?”
“If we used this person as the male lead, what do you think would happen?”
When Lee Yoo-jin asked, the Siwoo Film team members gathered around and looked at the screen she was showing. Every single one of them froze in shock.
“Director… are you secretly trying to quit this movie?”
“I don’t want to see Writer-nim get angry…”
“I-I’ll work even harder…”
Their reactions were unanimously negative.
“We should probably give up… right?”
No matter how accommodating Kim Si-woo usually was, this felt like crossing an entirely different line.
“How about we keep looking? We’ll search harder too, Director. Please?”
“…Yeah.”
A week passed like that, and most of the Siwoo Film team members were walking around with dark circles under their eyes.
Even they had to admit it.
Choi Do-hyun was the best fit for the male lead by far.
In the end, with no better alternatives found, everyone threw up their hands in defeat.
“Director…”
“Guys…”
They exchanged pitiful looks before Lee Yoo-jin suddenly stood up with determination.
“No! You never know. Writer-nim said he’d support me as much as possible—he might allow it.”
“…”
Of course, no one agreed with her, so the room remained silent.
“Let’s just… meet him first and talk.”
Lee Yoo-jin searched for Choi Do-hyun, found his manager’s contact, and sent an email.
She wanted to meet regarding a movie casting opportunity.
The reply came that very afternoon, and she was able to schedule a meeting for the next day.
The following day, Lee Yoo-jin visited the theater where Choi Do-hyun was currently performing and met him while he was still in makeup.
“We’ve met before, haven’t we? Director Lee Yoo-jin.”
Seeing her, Choi Do-hyun smiled and extended his hand.
“Hello. I’m Lee Yoo-jin.”
“So you want to cast me?”
“Yes.”
“That movie… is it the one hyung-nim wrote?”
“Hyung-nim?”
“Kim Si-woo hyung-nim.”
“Ah…”
Lee Yoo-jin had seen Choi Do-hyun act friendly toward Kim Si-woo back at the orphanage, but Kim Si-woo’s cold reaction had made it clear their relationship wasn’t exactly warm.
“To be honest… I wish there was an actor more suited to this role than you, Choi Do-hyun-ssi.”
“Well, I am pretty one-of-a-kind.”
“…”
Lee Yoo-jin felt a surge of irritation at the way Choi Do-hyun’s shoulders puffed up with confidence right in front of her.
“Si-woo hyung still hates me, doesn’t he?”
“…Probably.”
“You didn’t even ask him before coming here, did you?”
Choi Do-hyun quickly read the situation from Lee Yoo-jin’s awkward reaction.
“…No.”
“Aigoo… Well, can I at least take a look at the script first? I might still say no.”
“Ah! Yes, of course.”
Lee Yoo-jin handed the script she had brought to Choi Do-hyun, and he began flipping through it quickly right there on the spot.
But before he could finish reading, his manager came in and called him.
“Do-hyun-ah, let’s get ready for rehearsal.”
“Got it.”
After replying to his manager, Choi Do-hyun took Lee Yoo-jin’s smartphone and entered his number.
“Director-nim, can we meet again tomorrow? Tomorrow’s a day off from the play, so we’ll be able to talk longer.”
“Understood. See you tomorrow then.”
Lee Yoo-jin stood up and left just like that.
She headed straight back to her reserved seat in the theater…
As she watched the performance from her seat, she lowered her head the moment Choi Do-hyun appeared on stage.
No matter how much she thought about it, it seemed impossible to find an actor of his caliber.
“He’s disgustingly good…”
She had thought his talent was only in acting, but he moved his body with skill and even sang beautifully.
He was, quite literally, a genius.
It felt like he was born to act.
The play she had watched with a heavy heart finally ended, and on her way home, Lee Yoo-jin lay in bed still racking her brain for ways to convince Kim Si-woo.
The next day at lunch.
Meeting Choi Do-hyun at a restaurant, Lee Yoo-jin ate alone with him and talked.
“I read the script you gave me yesterday. It’s definitely tempting… but that’s not the important part, right?”
“Exactly. So why did you have to torment an innocent writer and cause all this mess!”
“I was a little… out of it back then…”
Even now, Lee Yoo-jin didn’t exactly see Choi Do-hyun as normal.
“Anyway… do you think you can convince him?”
“Come on, Director-nim, you came to me because you already have some kind of plan, don’t you?”
“It’s a bit… complicated…”
Lee Yoo-jin began explaining her connection with Kim Si-woo, and how this was her first commercial film debut, so Kim Si-woo had promised to give her generous support.
“Oh… then set a date soon. On that day, Director-nim, just make the most pitiful face you can toward Si-woo hyung-nim. I’ll handle the rest.”
“You’ve already thought of something?”
“Something like that. Anyway, just trust me.”
Lee Yoo-jin decided to put her complete faith in Choi Do-hyun.
A few days later, they agreed to meet at the Siwoo Film office.
As a result, Choi Do-hyun avoided Lee Yoo-jin’s gaze, and Kim Si-woo’s expression turned icy.
“Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on here?”
“I… need to use the bathroom real quick.”
“Me too!”
“M-Me too…”
One by one, people disappeared until only Kim Si-woo, Lee Yoo-jin, and Choi Do-hyun remained in the Siwoo Film office.
“Hyung-nim!”
“Who’s your hyung?”
Choi Do-hyun stood up confidently and spoke, but within a second he sat right back down.
“Sigh… Director Lee Yoo-jin.”
“Yes?”
“Are you really set on using this guy?”
“I’m sorry.”
Kim Si-woo alternated glances between Choi Do-hyun and Lee Yoo-jin, then scratched his head.
“You read the script?”
“Huh? Ah! Yes.”
“You came all the way here because you want to do it, right? If you didn’t like it from the start, you would’ve turned it down.”
“Yes!”
At Choi Do-hyun’s answer, Kim Si-woo glared at him and spoke.
“If you pull any nonsense, I swear—even if it means giving up my writing career—I’ll show you what real revenge looks like. So don’t cause any trouble.”
“That means…”
“Yeah. Do it. Male lead.”
“Waaaaah!”
At Kim Si-woo’s permission, Lee Yoo-jin rushed over and hugged him.
“Thank you so much, Writer-nim. I’ll really give it my all.”
“Sigh… Fine. If that bastard doesn’t listen and you change your mind, tell me anytime.”
And so, the male lead for <An Unfortunate Girl and a Lucky Boy> was decided to be Choi Do-hyun.
“Hyung-nim. Thank you.”
“Whatever. I didn’t accept because I like you.”
“Well, either way, you accepted, didn’t you? Hahaha.”
At Choi Do-hyun’s laughter, Kim Si-woo’s expression hardened again.
“Ha… ha… Then I’ll get going. Please contact me when the schedule is set.”
Choi Do-hyun vanished like the wind. Kim Si-woo rubbed his throbbing temples and returned to his office.
“For some reason… I feel uneasy…”
With Kim Si-woo’s anxiety lingering in the background, casting was finally complete.
Kim Si-woo informed Hong Soo-yeon about the identity of the male lead.
Hong Soo-yeon frowned and looked at Kim Si-woo.
“Are you okay?”
“Well… what can you do? The director wanted him so badly. And I did promise to help as much as possible.”
“Ah… yes.”
“More importantly, you be careful. If that guy tries anything funny, tell me right away.”
“Yes!”
Hong Soo-yeon smiled brightly in response to Kim Si-woo’s concern.
But ironically, the worry soon reversed.
That worry materialized not long after—at a gathering Kim Si-woo had arranged.
***
With the casting issue finally resolved, there were no more major obstacles in pre-production. They quickly secured a distributor and investors, and the movie gained real momentum.
In the meantime, Kim Si-woo gathered all the cast members for a get-together.
Building rapport among the actors before shooting began would improve communication on set—and increase the chances of producing a better film.
So Kim Si-woo reserved a sushi restaurant near the Siwoo Film office.
The actors began arriving one by one at the appointed time.
Kim Si-woo, who had arrived first, greeted each one and guided them to the inner room.
“Writer-nim. Hello.”
“Yes.”
Among them was also actor Jung Pil-gyu.
He had been cast as Hong Soo-yeon’s father in the film.
This was his second commercial film following <Peerless Joseon>.
Kim Si-woo could never forget the expression on Jung Pil-gyu’s face when he first received the casting offer.
It was the look of someone who had just seen their savior.
Starting with Jung Pil-gyu, the actors entered with bright expressions and took their seats.
Most sat with the people they would be filming scenes with most often. Hong Soo-yeon, Choi Do-hyun, and Jung Pil-gyu ended up at the same table.
Kim Si-woo sat at a different table with Lee Yoo-jin and the Siwoo Film staff, quietly observing the dynamics among the actors.
As time passed and drinks began to flow, the actors started loosening up and getting along—until Kim Si-woo stepped away to the restroom for a moment.
That was when the fight broke out.
And the two people at the center of it were Choi Do-hyun and Hong Soo-yeon.
“Have you finished talking?!”
“No, I still have more. Honestly, if you keep acting like that, you’re just going to be a nuisance to everyone.”
“What did you say? Who do you think you are?!”
“Me? Choi Do-hyun.”
“Both of you… please calm down.”
The raised voices of the arguing pair mixed with Jung Pil-gyu’s attempts to mediate.
Kim Si-woo hurried back to the table. There he found Hong Soo-yeon with a face full of fury, and Choi Do-hyun wearing a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
“What’s going on?”
“W-Well…”
When Jung Pil-gyu hesitated to speak, Kim Si-woo turned his gaze to Choi Do-hyun.
“You can at least explain what happened, right?”
“Uh… well…”
Only then did Choi Do-hyun remember Kim Si-woo’s warning not to cause trouble. He hesitated.
In the end, Hong Soo-yeon explained why the fight had started.
“This guy told me my acting is only half-baked.”
“Sigh…”
Kim Si-woo finally understood what had happened.
Or more precisely, the entire situation played out clearly in his mind.
Choi Do-hyun had probably looked up Hong Soo-yeon’s previous acting footage to get a sense of his female lead.
Even though Choi Do-hyun usually seemed laid-back about everything else, when it came to acting he was razor-sharp. He must have spotted flaws in her performance and pointed them out bluntly.
The phrase “half-baked acting” made Kim Si-woo certain of it.
“Choi Do-hyun-ssi.”
“Yes, hyung-nim.”
“From now on, think before you speak. Got it?”
“I’m sorry.”
Everyone was stunned at Choi Do-hyun’s apology.
The same Choi Do-hyun who had once talked back even to famous directors was gone—replaced by someone as docile as a lamb. It was enough to leave them speechless.
“Ah, and the point you were trying to make—I’ll say it for you.”
“Yes! Hyung-nim.”
“Soo-yeon-ah, come outside with me for a second.”
“Yes, oppa.”
Kim Si-woo took Hong Soo-yeon outside the restaurant so he could deliver the message Choi Do-hyun had intended to give.
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TL Note:
This novel is now translated and finished at Chapter 176
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