Kim Seung-hoon was easier to persuade than expected.
Now we just need to convince Lee Jung-woo.
Lee Jung-woo and Kim Seung-hoon had completely opposite TV personas.
On TV, Lee Jung-woo appears gentle and warm, but in reality, he’s a rational person who doesn’t show much emotion.
In contrast, Kim Seung-hoon has a cold, aloof image on TV, but in real life, he’s very emotional and laughs easily.
“Still thinking about how to sweet-talk Lee Jung-woo?” Jun-seong asked, looking at me.
“Yeah. I feel like if I can just get him to sit down once, I can sort everything out.”
After co-starring in a single movie together, these two actors end up as close as brothers. Even without any special effort, they just click the moment they finally talk things out.
So, all I need to do is create an environment where they can have a real conversation at length. And if I intervene just enough to clear up their misunderstandings, that should do it.
“But how are you going to arrange that without their agencies involved? Meeting off the record would probably solve everything.”
“Lee Jung-woo seems stubborn, though. It won’t be easy. Do you really think meeting outside of work will sort this out? Sounds kind of like wishful thinking.”
“You know that people with opposite personalities can actually get along really well, right?”
“Huh… complete opposites, yet they click?”
“Having the opposite personality and getting along aren’t mutually exclusive. You and I are totally different, but look at us.”
“Yeah… when you put it that way, maybe you have a point.”
Jun-seong rested his chin on his hand, thinking it over.
“Hey, you and Lee Jung-woo have a really similar vibe, you know. You look nothing alike, of course, but…”
“Comparing my looks to an actor’s is cheating, you jerk.”
“Heh, that’s not the point. I feel like your personalities are kind of the same. We only met him for a short time, but I got the same impression as when I first met you.”
“What impression?”
He grinned as he answered.
“Rude, irritating…”
“You jerk?”
“See? You start swearing right away.”
Seeing him point and laugh at me, a thought popped into my head.
It might actually work.
Getting a rational person all worked up and making him act on impulse could be a decent solution…
“Hey, call his manager and set up a meeting,” I said.
“What, you’ve got a plan?”
“Yeah, the ‘Lee Jun-seong Strategy.’”
“…What?”
He tilted his head, so I explained the idea I’d just come up with.
“You’re nuts. His manager will be right there. If you pull a stunt like that, aren’t you worried you’ll get punched?”
“I’ll just take the punch, then ask him to join the cast in return. ‘I won’t sue, so please appear in our movie.’”
“Oh, wow, talk about self-sacrifice.”
“If it makes the movie a success, I’ll sell my soul.”
“Tsk. Well, I’m not sure if it’ll work, but I’ll arrange the meeting anyway.”
A few days later, we went back to Lee Jung-woo’s agency. The manager let out a sigh the moment he saw us.
“You’re here again?”
“Yes!” Jun-seong replied cheerfully, and the manager looked at him like he couldn’t believe someone could be so… cheerful.
“Don’t look so happy for no reason. People will think you’re unhinged,” I muttered, low enough that only he could hear.
“You can’t hit someone with a smile on his face, right? If fists start flying, I don’t want to get punched. You take it. Better a punch to the face than selling your soul, right?” he whispered back.
“Keep talking and I’ll be the one punching you,” I warned.
Inside the meeting room, Lee Jung-woo was sitting down. He stood as soon as we walked in.
“I assume you’ve come to give me your final decision?”
“Yes.”
I answered, taking a slow look at his face again. He really was handsome. Whereas Kim Seung-hoon had more Western features, Lee Jung-woo had a distinctly attractive Eastern look.
“We’d like to meet with you and Kim Seung-hoon somewhere informal,” I said.
“…What?”
His expression hardened instantly.
“Kim Seung-hoon said he wants to meet casually.”
“Why would I meet that bastard in private?”
“He wants a chance to talk honestly. Don’t you want that as well?”
“No, not at all. In fact, I really, really don’t want that.”
His manager, looking anxious, eyed us as if he had no idea what we might pull next.
“Well, maybe you’re sc— Ah, never mind.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing… could you be chick—? Oh, that’s not it either. Producer Lee, what word am I looking for here?”
That was the cue for Jun-seong, who had been waiting to deliver his lines. He folded his arms, gave Lee Jung-woo a good look from top to bottom, and let out a small snort.
“Small-minded?”
“Are you two out of your minds?”
Lee Jung-woo leapt to his feet.
“What did you say? ‘Small-minded’? ‘Scared’? ‘Chicken’?”
“Well, Kim Seung-hoon’s bigger than you, and he looks pretty intimidating, right? Maybe you’re worried it could turn into a physical altercation.”
His manager also stood up and whispered something to him. Lee Jung-woo took a deep breath and sat back down. He looked like he was forcing himself to act calm, but really, he was barely holding it in. We’d done enough provoking.
I signaled to Jun-seong to ease off, and he nodded.
“Do I look like the kind of guy who’d skip out just because I’m scared?”
“No, of course not. We’re not saying that. But Kim Seung-hoon might think so. We’re just making you aware of that possibility.”
He frowned, crossing his arms.
“You don’t avoid crap because it’s scary; you avoid it because it’s disgusting.”
“Then why not just check out this ‘crap’ once? Maybe there’s gold underneath. If you find out for sure it’s just garbage, then you can leave.”
“…”
“All we ask is that you meet him one time. If you still hate it, Producer Lee and I will make sure we cast you without him.”
Hearing that, he let out a long sigh.
“Fine. But only once. If it doesn’t work out, drop Kim Seung-hoon and hire me.”
“Deal. I’ll be in touch soon. Can I have your phone number instead of going through your manager? It’s an informal meeting, and it’d be nice to give your manager a break.”
“I’d prefer it if you just contacted me,” the manager interjected, looking puzzled by our unconventional approach.
“Oh, come on. As a fan, I’d like to treat him to a meal. No big deal.”
“All right, then call me directly,” Lee Jung-woo said as he scribbled his phone number on my notepad and handed it back.
“Great, I’ll coordinate with Kim Seung-hoon on the time and give you a call.”
“All right.”
We bowed politely and left the agency building. The moment we got outside, we both let out a long sigh of relief.
“That’s done…”
“That was just the warm-up, right? This was exhausting—now the real game begins.”
“For us, that was the real game. All that’s left is the meeting between them.”
“And what if we can’t just sit back and watch? What if fists do fly?”
“They’re actors. They can’t start filming with black eyes, can they?”
“All you ever think about is the movie,” Jun-seong said, smacking me lightly on the back of the head.
I retaliated with a headlock.
“Ack, let go! C’mon, I’m sorry!”
“Fine. I’ll spare you just because you performed so well in there.”
He gave a sly grin once I released him.
“I deserve Best Actor. Did you see how his eyes changed the second I said ‘small-minded’?”
“That’s thanks to my direction. Leading him on with ‘sc…? chick…?’ then hitting him with ‘small-minded’ was the perfect hook.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re amazing, you psycho. ‘Directing’ the guy even while you’re trash-talking him,” he said, bursting into laughter.
Afterward, Jun-seong contacted both Kim Seung-hoon and Lee Jung-woo separately to set a date.
We decided to meet at my house.
I’d asked my parents to stay in a hotel for the night. Since they’re both actors and we expected this meeting might involve some shouting, it made more sense to keep it private rather than do it in public.
Drawing on my experience living alone in my previous life, I cooked for the occasion.
The menu was spicy stir-fried pork (jeyuk bokkeum).
I’d gotten sick of takeout in my last life, and I also wanted to save on delivery fees. I wasn’t sure about their personal tastes, but it’s a pretty safe choice—most guys love it.
When he saw me cooking, Jun-seong said from behind me:
“You’re cooking? Have you lost it? I’ve never even seen you walk into a kitchen before. Now you’re suddenly whipping up a meal?”
“Just try it.”
“It looks and smells okay, I guess…”
He cautiously took a tiny nibble.
“You won’t taste anything eating that little. Take a proper bite.”
So he picked up a bigger piece.
“Whoa… wow… This sweet taste, the spiciness, the saltiness, the fatty flavor—it’s so well-balanced. What are you? A certified chef or something?”
“I may not cook often, but when I do, it comes out pretty well.”
He scooped up some rice and laid more stir-fried pork on top.
“Man, this is the ultimate rice-stealer, maybe even a beer-stealer too. This is insane. Did your mom make the sauce?”
“Nope, I did.”
“…Huh? Then why bother making movies? You should open a stir-fried pork place.”
“First it was ‘Spread out a mat and sell soondae,’ now it’s jeyuk? Make up your mind.”
Just then, the door buzzer rang.
“Hey, check who it is,” said Jun-seong, glancing at the intercom.
“It’s Kim Seung-hoon, here first.”
“Perfect.”
I’d planned it that way to talk to him privately first. It was nice to see things going as expected.
The moment he came in, he flashed a bright smile that could lift anyone’s mood.
“It smells great in here. I brought a little something. I didn’t want to show up empty-handed,” he said, pulling out an envelope.
“Producer, do you live here too?”
“Yep. I’m mooching off him until I make some money,” joked Jun-seong.
Kim Seung-hoon turned to me.
“It must be tough for you, Director.”
“It is. Feel like taking him home with you? He won’t leave on his own.”
“So… is Lee Jung-woo here yet?”
“No. We asked you to come early.”
He folded his coat neatly and laid it on the couch.
“Oh? Why?”
“Well, I know you’re ready to be accommodating. But if you can, could you criticize the agencies a little? Especially the noise-marketing, press-leak stuff. It’d help smooth things over with Lee Jung-woo. It’s not really your fault, but it could help mend fences.”
He sighed.
“Ah… so you already knew. I wanted to bring it up before, but it was hard with my manager around. Of course, I realize I’m not entirely blameless, but if it’ll help our relationship, and if it means I can do Night, I’ll do whatever.”
He glanced at the plate of stir-fried pork in front of him.
“Great. By the way, try some of that—it’s homemade, courtesy of Director Gyeong.”
“Director Gyeong made this?”
He carefully picked up a piece and popped it in his mouth, while I quietly held my breath.
“Wow, that’s delicious.”
“Right? He could seriously open a stir-fried pork joint,” said Jun-seong.
“I’d probably be here every day,” joked Kim Seung-hoon.
“See? I keep telling you, Chan-hyun. Forget movies—just go into the pork business.”
“Pff… haha!”
At that, Kim Seung-hoon tried to stifle a laugh but ended up laughing even louder. Right then, the door buzzer rang again.
Ding-dong.
“…He’s here,” said Jun-seong, taking a deep breath.
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