Not long after we started reaching out to various agencies, Lee Jung-woo’s agency got back to us.
They said Lee Jung-woo liked the script and wanted to set up a meeting.
Since we couldn’t very well invite him to the basement of KMD Group, we decided to go straight to Lee Jung-woo’s agency ourselves.
“Sss, hoo… Sss, hoo…”
On the way there, Jun-seong kept taking deep breaths. He seemed pretty nervous.
“Hey, we haven’t even figured out who’s in the driver’s seat yet. Why are you so tense? Didn’t they say he liked the script?”
“He’s not exactly a superstar yet, but he is a rising star. Aren’t you nervous?”
“Rising star, three-star, it’s all the same. They’re just people.”
“What kind of corny joke is that?”
“Let’s call it a ‘romantic pun.’”
“Tsk, you need to see a doctor.”
When we arrived at the agency, a staff member guided us to a meeting room.
Inside, we saw Lee Jung-woo seated with his manager.
Twenty years from now, he’ll have that mature charm of a middle-aged heartthrob, but right now he looked like a confident young actor in his prime—eyes that seemed a bit sad and a striking silhouette.
Currently, he’s just an actor known primarily for his looks, but later he’ll develop into a top-tier performer. Seeing his younger self in person felt a bit surreal.
“Hello, I’m Lee Jung-woo.”
“I’m Producer Lee Jun-seong from Seonghyeon Productions, and this is Director Gyeong Chan-hyeon.”
Lee Jung-woo looked surprised at how young we were.
“You’re both much younger than I expected.”
“Thank you. You look even more handsome than you do on screen. It’s like the camera can’t capture your full charm, haha.”
With a bright smile, Jun-seong nudged me in the side. He then shot me a look as if to say, “Join me in buttering him up.”
“Uh… yeah, you really are good-looking!”
I had no idea if that meant much to someone who’s probably told he’s handsome every day, but I went along with it anyway.
“Thanks. So, the script—did you write it yourself, Director?”
“Yes, I did.”
“I found it really interesting. The idea of a friend group splitting into a cop and gangsters is really compelling.”
“Thank you.”
Like so many first meetings, we kicked things off by trading compliments to break the ice. Eventually, we got to the main point.
“I heard Kim Seung-hoon is set to play the gangster part. Is that true?”
“Yes. I have a feeling you two would make a great pair. Aren’t you on good terms with him?”
The manager next to Lee Jung-woo gave a tiny snort.
“No. If that bastard’s in it, I’m out.”
When he said “that bastard,” Jun-seong and I both blinked and looked at Lee Jung-woo in surprise.
“Huh? You mean because of Kim Seung-hoon?”
“Yes.”
I’d never imagined we’d run into a problem like this right at the start.
And for him to outright refuse a project he likes just because of another actor… They must really not get along. But why?
A few years down the road, they’d be known throughout the industry as close friends. What happened now?
“You might regret letting this role go. It’s a powerful dilemma—choosing between friendship and social justice—and audiences will find that conflict really appealing.”
My words didn’t budge him in the slightest. He set his jaw even more firmly and replied,
“Then just drop Kim Seung-hoon. If you really want me, that’s the only way. I don’t want to lose this role, but I won’t do it if he’s involved.”
A brief silence fell.
No one seemed sure how to respond, and we all just looked at one another.
Finally, the manager spoke up, breaking the hush.
“Mr. Jung-woo, we’d better wrap this up. You have another schedule coming up.”
He rose from his seat, and Lee Jung-woo followed suit.
“Looks like our time’s up. We’ll talk again later.”
Watching him walk away, both of us let out a sigh.
“What do you mean, ‘Don’t you two get along’? Are you crazy? Do you actually know either of them?”
“No…”
“Then how can you say they’re friends, you lunatic? If you’re going to bluff, at least make it sound believable.”
“…Well, do you have any idea why they’re at odds?”
“How should I know? He says he loves the script, but if Kim Seung-hoon’s in it, forget it? Does he think he’s some huge star already?”
The same guy who’d been doing breathing exercises just minutes before was now cursing about Lee Jung-woo under his breath.
“I think there’s some kind of misunderstanding. Let’s figure out what’s going on.”
“We’ve got more than enough on our plate. Let’s just find someone else.”
“Trust me. Kim Seung-hoon and Lee Jung-woo together would be a huge box-office draw.”
“Yeah, I guess, but is it worth all this effort?”
He sighed heavily, staring at the ceiling.
“Just trust my instincts. Didn’t we learn something with Hyo-seon last time?”
“Your instincts… Are you some kind of animal?”
“But you have to admit, they’d look amazing on a poster. Just the two of them standing there, looking serious, would grab a lot of people’s attention.”
“Ugh, fine. I’ll trust you.”
“So, did you already contact Kim Seung-hoon?”
“Yeah, we’re supposed to meet him tomorrow.”
“Great. Then let’s grab every paper and entertainment magazine we can find.”
Before returning to the KMD office, we went and bought a stack of magazines.
Back then, online news wasn’t really that prominent, so if you wanted celebrity gossip, magazines were still the best source.
We dug through back issues from the past few years, trying to figure out the nature of their relationship.
“We need to know what’s going on before our meeting tomorrow, so hurry up.”
“I’m going, I’m going. Seriously, we’re supposed to be a production company, not the rumor police.”
“Instinct!”
“You’re insane.”
Grumbling, Jun-seong kept flipping through magazines at high speed, and I did the same.
“Hmm…? Oh? Oh!”
I found an article mentioning both Kim Seung-hoon and Lee Jung-woo. It was a piece comparing the two, quoting Kim Seung-hoon as saying he was the superior actor and criticizing Lee Jung-woo’s performances.
Reading those articles jogged my memory:
About three years from now, at a press conference for another film, Kim Seung-hoon would reveal that his agency made him say such things as part of a ‘noise marketing’ stunt—that it was all just a joke. But to Lee Jung-woo, joke or not, it was insulting.
And the subsequent press releases were even worse. Even the most patient person would have been furious.
From that point on, Lee Jung-woo started to hate Kim Seung-hoon, and Kim Seung-hoon admitted he felt awkward around him too.
“These agency press releases are the problem.”
“What?”
“The noise marketing. Their agencies built up a fake rivalry, and the actors ended up as collateral damage.”
Frowning, he read the articles over my shoulder.
[Kim Seung-hoon: “Lee Jung-woo’s acting is weak—he’s worse than me.”]
Below that were headlines I’d torn out from other pages:
[Supporting role in drama goes to Kim Seung-hoon, not Lee Jung-woo. An obvious outcome?]
“This stuff actually got printed? I had no clue…”
“It wasn’t a huge story, so it never blew up, but they obviously knew about it. Actors generally keep track of articles that mention them. And back then, they were basically no-names, so you can see how it’d sting.”
Resting his chin on his hand, he kept reading. Then he looked at me in amazement.
“So they ended up like this because of some agency-manufactured rivalry?”
“Exactly. It’s all a big misunderstanding. I told you they could become friends.”
“Dude, don’t talk like you’re clairvoyant. You’re freaking me out.”
By then it was already five in the morning, and the office floor was covered with magazines.
“When’s the meeting?”
“Nine.”
“And we’ll leave at…?”
“Around eight?”
We’d need to wake up by seven if we wanted to look halfway presentable.
“You get some sleep. I’ll wake you.”
“What about you?”
“I’m going to write up a little script for how I’ll persuade Kim Seung-hoon.”
“You’re crazy—living your life like it’s literally a movie.”
“If you’re not going to sleep, I will.”
“Thanks, Director Gyeong.”
He laughed and then slumped forward onto the magazines, falling asleep immediately.
Early the next morning, we headed over to Kim Seung-hoon’s agency.
“You good? Not too tired? I’m about to keel over here.”
“Think I’m not tired? I’m dying.”
“How’d you finish your ‘plan’ last night?”
“With what I’ve prepared, any actor would sign on.”
“Heh, I hope your smooth talking actually works.”
“Don’t just believe once—believe repeatedly.”
“Look at you, oozing confidence.”
Kim Seung-hoon’s agency building was a bit larger than Lee Jung-woo’s.
Later they’d expand further into the idol business, but for now it was still just a mid-sized entertainment company.
A manager led us inside to a meeting room.
The moment we entered, Kim Seung-hoon stood up to greet us.
“You must be Producer Lee Jun-seong?”
It seemed like he’d been practicing speaking standard Korean. Compared to the interviews I’d seen before, his accent sounded much more natural. Still, a hint of his regional tone slipped through.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“And this is Director Gyeong Chanhyeon?”
“That’s right. Nice to meet you.”
His sharp, almost Western features contrasted with that subtle accent, creating a unique sort of charm.
I recalled an interview in which his agency’s president supposedly told him not to talk much because of his accent. From the way he flinched every time it slipped out, it seemed true.
“I’m working really hard to fix my accent. I think it’s better, but whenever I get nervous, it creeps back in.”
“It’s fine, really.”
“I read the script, and it was amazing. It’s the first time I’ve found a script so vivid that I could practically see it playing out in my head. And the role they offered me is really appealing, too.”
He looked at me with admiration.
“I heard the director wrote it himself?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You could probably write professionally for a living. It’s seriously good.”
Compared to the very composed, guarded impression from Lee Jung-woo, Kim Seung-hoon seemed more openly emotional.
On TV, he always came off as the strong, silent type, but maybe that was because his agency had told him to speak as little as possible. His real personality seemed more lively.
“I really loved the tension that builds between the characters. It starts off comedic, then bam—it ramps up the suspense, so the rhythm changes and you get totally drawn in.”
He spent a few minutes just praising the script. When he was done, I brought up our main question.
“You’ve heard that Lee Jung-woo is slated to play the other lead, right?”
“Yeah. I don’t have a personal problem with it, but I’m pretty sure he… well, that guy… hates me…”
He trailed off, glancing at his manager.
“But you’d be fine working with him?” I asked. Kim Seung-hoon let out a hearty laugh.
“Sure! The script’s too good to pass up over something like that.”
“In that case, what if we set up a time for you two to talk things out?”
He looked at his manager again before answering.
“Manager, is that all right?”
Unlike when he spoke to us, his tone with the manager was more reserved.
“It doesn’t really matter. Just let me know when.”
But the manager frowned at us in a way that said otherwise.
“Great! Then we’ll be in touch soon!”
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