Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 281

“We’ve cast all the supporting roles.”

PD Gong Hee-chan nodded at the report from assistant director Kim Dan-bi. 

Kim Dan-bi’s eyes moved to Gong Hee-chan’s hand, where a paper with neat handwriting was held.

“Oh? Did actor Lee Seo-jun sign the contract?”

“Yeah. It just came in.”

“So it’s really confirmed! By the way, I told you that the drama was extended from four to six episodes, right? Everyone was happy, but some people were also puzzled.”

“I guess so. It’s not every day that a PD Im Bong work gets longer.”

Most of the supporting actors were cast before Lee Seo-jun was hired. 

They all agreed to join the four-episode drama without hesitation, even though it was directed by PD Im Bong. 

Since Gong Hee-chan had carefully chosen them, he decided to keep them as they were.

“What roles are left now?”

“We’ve decided on the female lead and her child role. Only male lead A and male lead B are left.”

Gong Hee-chan looked at Kim Dan-bi with a curious expression.

“…No one accepted male lead A yet?”

“I tried to offer it to actor Kim Tae-in, but… he said no. So did the other actors.”

Male lead A, who was the protagonist of the four-episode drama.

It seemed that no one wanted to play the main character in a four-episode drama, even if it was directed by PD Im Bong.

“Well, they said they had schedules, but… they probably didn’t think it was worth it.”

At Kim Dan-bi’s words, Gong Hee-chan made a face that didn’t know whether to be happy or sigh.

“I was wondering how to explain that male lead B appeared out of nowhere… but I guess I don’t have to. It’s better this way. Let’s change it to an actor who matches Lee Seo-jun’s image.”

Gong Hee-chan thought of the actors who were in the same age range as Lee Seo-jun. 

Once the child role was confirmed, the image of the adult actors was easy to grasp. 

Gong Hee-chan wrote down his first to last choices for male lead A and B.

“Yes! But can we announce that Lee Seo-jun is joining now?”

Gong Hee-chan stopped his pen and thought for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah. Let’s do that. That will increase the chances of acceptance. Here, take this.”

“Yes!”

Kim Dan-bi ran to her seat with the list of actors that Gong Hee-chan gave her. 

She picked up the phone and dialed a number. 

The ringtone went on for a while before someone answered.

“Ah! Is this the agency of actor Park Do-hoon?”

***

“Huh! Team leader!”

The agency of actor Park Do-hoon.

The staff member of team 1 who received a call shouted for the team leader of team 1. 

The team leader, who was talking with a casting manager of a movie production company, frowned. 

He silently mouthed while holding his phone to his ear.

“What?”

“Park Do-hoon got an offer…”

The team leader scowled at the excited face of the staff member.

He was also on the phone with a movie production company about Park Do-hoon’s casting. 

And it was for the main role of a blockbuster movie! 

There was no casting offer that could beat this one,

“Lee Seo-jun joined!”

…or so he thought.

The team leader and the staff members in the office looked surprised. 

The staff member who received Kim Dan-bi’s call looked proud.

“Ah, yes. Just a moment. I’ll call you back later.”

The team leader quickly hung up and asked.

“What are you talking about? Lee Seo-jun joined what?”

“Yes! MBS is making a drama and they hired Lee Seo-jun. He even signed the contract!”

“MBS? Then… is it writer Oh Young-chul’s drama? No, that’s a rom-com, so there’s no room for child actors, right?”

“No, not that one.”

“Not writer Oh Young-chul? Then what is it?”

“A special project. The four-episode drama.”

The team leader wrinkled his brow at the staff member’s words.

“…Didn’t you say that was by PD Im Bong and writer Im Bong? And I heard that one of them got scrapped and CP took over? Wasn’t that a thriller?”

“Well, I heard that thriller writer did some work before… but maybe Lee Seo-jun agreed to do it because CP is directing it?”

“Maybe. That could be it.”

The staff member quickly shook his head.

“No. It’s not a thriller. It’s a romance. By writer Im Bong. And it got extended to six episodes.”

“Well, of course they have to extend it if Lee Seo-jun is in it. It’s surprising that they only added two more episodes. But writer Im Bong…”

The team leader fell into a dilemma.

It was a blockbuster movie, but that was something he had to see after it was released. 

There were movies that flopped even with a huge budget. But if Lee Seo-jun was in it, it would at least be a hot topic.

‘Besides, Lee Seo-jun never had a flop.’

A 100% box office hit.

He was a superstar who could make even his audition video for middle and high school entrance exams a huge sensation.

The team leader’s dilemma didn’t last long.

“Let’s get the synopsis first. And give it to Do-hoon too. Well, I’m sure Do-hoon will say yes. But what role is Lee Seo-jun playing?”

“Uh… well…”

The staff member who had been confident until now scratched his cheek and said.

***

“A child role!”

“Our Seo-jun is playing a child role!”

A regular spot for them, the barbecue restaurant.

Five actors gathered in one place after hearing the news that Park Do-hoon and Lee Seo-jun were working on a new project together.

Lee Ji-seok and Lee Da-jin opened their mouths wide in surprise. Kim Jong-ho felt the same way.

Only Park Do-hoon and Lee Seo-jun, who had heard from their agency beforehand, and the person himself, Lee Seo-jun, looked calm. 

Of course, Park Do-hoon was also very surprised when he first heard the news.

“Isn’t this the first time Seo-jun is playing a child role?”

Lee Seo-jun nodded at Kim Jong-ho’s question.

“Yes. That’s why I was more attracted to it. I haven’t received any child roles since I did Over the Rainbow.”

“Of course. Who would offer a child role to an Academy Award-winning actor?”

Lee Ji-seok said, and Lee Da-jin admired.

“The writer and the PD are amazing too.”

“They must be the type who like to challenge themselves. They probably didn’t even know if he would accept it.”

Everyone nodded at Kim Jong-ho’s words.

“It’s amazing, really. Seo-jun is playing the child role of someone. I’ve never done a child role since I started with theater… Neither did Jong-ho hyung. Did Da-jin and Do-hoon do it?”

At Lee Ji-seok’s question, Lee Da-jin and Park Do-hoon nodded repeatedly.

“I only did it a few times, but Do-hoon oppa did it a lot, right?”

“Well, I’ve been doing it since I was young.”

“Right. In the past, whenever there was a flashback scene, it was almost always Do-hoon.”

Everyone laughed at Kim Jong-ho’s words.

“That became a poison and I suffered a slump too.”

Park Do-hoon, who didn’t care about it anymore and could joke about it, said.

“Well, you overcame it, so that’s good!”

Kim Jong-ho and Lee Ji-seok smiled with satisfaction.

Even while eating the cooked meat, the five actors’ mouths didn’t stop. 

Of course, the topic was the drama ‘Spring Has Returned’ that Park Do-hoon and Seo-jun were filming.

“So, I’m planning to perfectly imitate both the vibe of Male Lead A and Male Lead B.”

The four actors gasped at Seo-jun’s unexpected words.

“That would be the most convincing child acting if you can do that… But isn’t it hard?”

“Right. This is not just acting as a character, but acting as an actor who acts as a character. It seems harder than creating something from scratch.”

Lee Da-jin and Kim Jong-ho agreed with their words.

If Seo-jun had created a character himself, the viewers wouldn’t know the character and could think that it was originally like that. But if he acted as an existing person, he could reveal that he was someone else from a small habit.

“I guess you can’t help but show your own image as an actor, but are you going to capture that too, Seo-jun?”

“Yes. That way, the viewers won’t feel any discomfort. Even if I can’t help my appearance, people have different vibes, right?”

Seo-jun nodded and answered Lee Ji-seok’s question.

Seo-jun knew his own outstanding appearance. 

To become an actor, one needed an objective perspective more than anything else, and Seo-jun was more objective than anyone else.

“Seo-jun is handsome indeed.”

The three actors looked at Seo-jun at Kim Jong-ho’s words. 

They had seen him since he was young, but his dazzling appearance made them admire him every time they saw him. 

Lee Da-jin smiled with a happy face at the sight of her younger brother who grew up well even during the hormone-raging period.

“That’s right. His voice is good too. And he’s tall.”

“With that face, the adult actors have to be pretty cool too, right?”

Kim Jong-ho, Lee Da-jin, and Lee Ji-seok’s eyes turned to Park Do-hoon who was sitting across from Seo-jun. Park Do-hoon smiled awkwardly at the attention on him. The three actors’ eyes sharply compared Seo-jun and Park Do-hoon.

“Um… Isn’t Do-hoon hyung good enough?”

“Yeah! Do-hoon oppa is handsome too!”

“They look good together.”

The three actors gave their approval and Park Do-hoon sighed in relief. The four actors laughed at his reaction.

“Who is the other male lead?”

“Actor Kang Tae-young.”

“Isn’t Kang Tae-young okay too?”

Kang Tae-young.

An actor in the same age group as Park Do-hoon who played Male Lead B in ‘Spring Has Returned’.

“Do-hoon hyung. Have you ever acted with Kang Tae-young?”

“We’re in the same age group, but I’ve never met him.”

“I did once. When I did a drama.”

“How was he?”

Seo-jun and Park Do-hoon looked at Lee Ji-seok with sparkling eyes. Lee Ji-seok answered in a slightly trembling voice.

“He was kind of… dog-like.”

“…Dog?”

Seo-jun and Park Do-hoon tilted their heads.

***

A few hours ago.

Actor Kang Tae-young’s house.

Kang Tae-young’s manager sat on the sofa and looked at his actor who was showing off a synopsis of a work that he hadn’t even been casted for.

[MBS, tentative title ‘Spring’]

The manager sighed at the familiar title.

“Where did you get that from?”

“I asked Team Leader Oh to get it for me!”

“Don’t you really want to do a four-part series? They didn’t even cast you because your image doesn’t match?”

“If I can’t be the lead, I’ll do a supporting role. So please ask them. If there’s any room left.”

The manager rubbed his forehead at Kang Tae-young’s words.

“Why do you want to do that PD’s work so much?”

“The PD helped me when he was an assistant director. He’s a very nice person, so I vowed to be in his debut work. This Kang Tae-young! I always repay my favors!”

The manager shook his head at Kang Tae-young’s bright smile.

“You’re getting old, you should calm down a bit, don’t you think?”

“Hyung. The day I calm down is the day the sky falls.”

“Fine. Do whatever you want.”

The manager unknowingly agreed with Kang Tae-young’s words and gave up. 

He took out his phone. 

Just then, the phone rang.

It was the agency he was about to call.

The manager tilted his head and answered the phone.

“What is it?”

-Team Leader!!

It was a scream-like cheer.

The manager dropped the phone far away and put it back to his ear. 

Kang Tae-young also looked curious and perked up his ears at the voice that could be heard outside.

-MBS called a while ago!

Kang Tae-young’s eyes sparkled at the sound of MBS.

‘Hyung! Four-part series! Four-part series! PD Gong Hee-chan!’

He opened his mouth and said.

“Any role is fine, even a cameo!”

“…He said he’s okay with a cameo.”

-No! No! It’s the lead role! MBS wants to cast Kang actor as the lead role in PD Gong Hee-chan’s work!

“Didn’t they say your image doesn’t match?”

-They added a new character! But that’s not important!

-Lee Seo-jun!

Along with a scream-like cheer, the staff’s excited voice came through. 

Even among them, the name of three syllables was clearly heard. 

The manager and Kang Tae-young looked at each other.

“…What?”

-Lee Seo-jun actor is in it!

The manager and Kang Tae-young opened their mouths wide at the news from the phone.

“Holy! Big hit!”

Kang Tae-young’s eyes sparkled.

“Hyung! Did you hear?! Lee Seo-jun! I’m seeing a Hollywood actor for the first time! Should I prepare a gift? What does Seo-jun like? Wow! I’m filming with Lee Seo-jun too! I really like Jin Nattara! Of course, I also love Gray Baine and other works!”

As if he could see a tail that shouldn’t be seen spinning like a propeller, the manager pressed his forehead with his thumb and index finger.

“…Should we quit?”

The manager unknowingly blurted out his true feelings, thinking of his actor who would bother Lee Seo-jun.