He had gotten a call from Jung Dusik.
It was to tell him that the CEO of PAN Entertainment wanted to meet with him.
The moment he got that call, Han Seongtae could not help but feel a bit dazed.
‘Why would the CEO want to see me…?’
There were at least a few things Han Seongtae knew about the person who was PAN Entertainment’s CEO.
CEO Jang Panseok.
He was a very capable person, someone who spent every day extremely busy.
He was not so free that he could spare time just for “one mere actor.”
[‘The One Who Made Laughter from Tragedy’ says you are not “just one mere actor.”]
[‘The One With a Thousand Faces’ says he does not like seeing you belittle yourself.]
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ spreads his lats wide and says for a martial artist, confidence is life itself.]
Letting out a small laugh at the gods’ reactions, Han Seongtae started walking and went outside.
Jung Dusik was waiting in the parking lot on the first floor.
He was on his way to meet the head of his agency.
‘I am nervous.’
Even as he was getting into the car, Han Seongtae was nervous.
From the start, this was his first time, past life included, meeting the head of his agency like this.
In his previous life, he had been an actor with neither talent nor potential.
Only in this life was he finally starting to see the light from his efforts.
“Hyung, you are sure the CEO really wants to see me, right?”
“Yeah, that is right.”
“Why would he suddenly want to see me?”
At Han Seongtae’s question, Jung Dusik turned his head to look at him sitting in the back seat.
After staring at him for a moment, Jung Dusik gave a little snort of laughter and straightened his posture.
“What, are you nervous?”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if I was not? I am going to meet the CEO, after all.”
“True. Being nervous is normal. But do not be too nervous. Just think of it as proof that you have been doing that well.”
“Is that so.”
At Jung Dusik’s words, Han Seongtae laughed and nodded.
Yeah, worrying too much about it was strange in its own way.
If he had made a mistake or done something wrong, that would be one thing.
But since joining PAN Entertainment, Han Seongtae could confidently say he had been living a very diligent daily life.
On top of that, he was producing good results. How many people could really find fault with him?
“From what the team leader said, the CEO has been really curious about you.”
“About me?”
“Yeah. You are a rookie but you have been getting good results. And this time you even signed a contract with Netflix. With something that big, it is not strange for the CEO to step in personally.”
“Ah.”
Well, when he thought about it, there was Netflix.
They had gotten a chance to play in a massive market. From the company’s point of view, there was no way they would stay hands-off.
‘Just the signing bonus alone easily more than tripled what I had been getting so far.’
It was while Han Seongtae was briefly lost in thought.
“…Seongtae, you are not getting out? We are here.”
“Ah… When did we arrive?”
“Just now? I kept calling you and you did not answer, so I thought something was wrong.”
“Oh. I just ended up thinking about a lot of things.”
“What could you have so much to think about? Anyway, let’s move. You could go up first if you want, but if you are alright with it, I think it is better if we go together.”
At Jung Dusik’s words, Han Seongtae nodded right away.
He had been thinking along similar lines himself.
If he went up alone for no reason and happened to run into the CEO, things could get a bit awkward.
It was better to move with at least one person he knew.
“Let’s go up. I got word that the CEO is waiting upstairs.”
“Yes, hyung.”
As he watched Jung Dusik walk back from parking and listened to him talk, Han Seongtae nodded and started walking.
That was how they arrived at the office of Actor Team 2.
Unlike usual, the place was very noisy.
People were milling about, and among them two people came into his field of vision.
Min Najung, and the person standing in front of her.
‘So that’s him.’
There was a strange feeling that came with seeing in person someone he had only ever seen in photos.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Min Najung looked this way and said something to the CEO in front of her.
At her words, he rose from his seat.
The CEO walked briskly toward them.
“It is nice to meet you. I am Jang Panseok.”
He held out his hand.
The four of them took seats in the meeting room.
With Han Seongtae in the middle, Min Najung and Jung Dusik sat on either side of him, and across from him sat Jang Panseok, smiling.
“I am glad I can finally see Actor Han Seongtae in person after only hearing about you.”
Wearing a friendly smile, Jang Panseok started talking to him.
He seemed to have so many questions that for nearly ten minutes, all they did was answer Jang Panseok’s questions.
“Ahem, CEO.”
“Ah, I am sorry. I got a little too excited. I hope I was not being too much of a bother.”
At the sound of Min Najung clearing her throat beside him, Jang Panseok gave an awkward smile.
Seeing that, Han Seongtae shook his head.
“No, I enjoyed it as well.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
At his words, Jang Panseok continued speaking with a gentle smile.
“I heard you signed with Netflix.”
“Yes.”
“It could not have been easy to sign with them. You must have gone through a lot.”
“It is thanks to them seeing me in a good light. I plan to work even harder to live up to their expectations.”
“That is a good mindset. I do not dislike people who work hard.”
Working hard and producing results on top of that was even better.
At his words, Han Seongtae nodded.
He knew that the reason Jang Panseok was showing goodwill was because he was getting results.
Though Jang Panseok gave off an affable impression, he was not someone who liked people with no ability.
“Working with Netflix is a very good opportunity. It will be a valuable experience for you as well, Actor Han.”
“Yes.”
“If things go well, you might even be able to aim for overseas activities. Netflix’s main stage is not Korea, after all.”
He knew that part well too.
That was why even actors who had not understood Netflix at first now strongly wanted to work with it.
It was by no means easy for an actor to make an overseas debut.
“Of course, our company will also spare no support for Actor Han. If you need anything, just tell us right away.”
“Yes, thank you for looking after me.”
“I am only doing what I naturally ought to do. So, our dear actor can just stay at ease.”
Doing only what you naturally ought to do…
Han Seongtae knew better than anyone how difficult that actually was.
In his previous life, when he had no ability, his agency had practically neglected him.
Words like that only barely applied to actors who were already producing results.
‘It cannot be helped. That is reality.’
He knew that, but he did not dwell on it.
He had already been through it once, and it was not something he would go through again.
For someone walking with the gods of acting, only a staircase going upward lay ahead.
“Actor Han, you just need to keep focusing on acting, the way you are now.”
“Yes, I will work hard.”
“I am always looking forward to your work.”
Hearing his answer, Jang Panseok nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Ah, by the way, what happened with the commercials? I understand quite a few offers have come in.”
“Ah… that.”
At Jang Panseok’s question, Han Seongtae gave an awkward laugh and stole a glance at Jung Dusik.
The types of commercials that had come in for Han Seongtae were extremely varied.
Starting with health supplements, there were quite a few ads related to exercise and fitness.
However, among them, there was not a single one that really appealed to him.
‘Even if I could somehow make health supplements work, the others just do not fit my current image.’
It was best to shoot a commercial that matched the image Han Seongtae currently had.
And there was exactly one such commercial.
A pet product commercial.
An ad for dog food, toys, treats, and other products for dog owners.
When he first saw that commercial, Han Seongtae had not been planning to accept it.
[‘The One Who Defined an Era’ smiles and says that commercial suits your image the best.]
[‘The Actor of Eternal Youth’ laughs playfully and says it would fit you very well.]
[‘The One Who Lives and Dies by Speed’ quietly suggests it would not be a bad idea, since it is a commercial where you can really bring the character Ji Yeonwoo to life.]
The gods of acting were telling him this was the commercial he should grab.
He did feel like they were teasing him a little, but still…
‘They are not wrong.’
The character Ji Yeonwoo had the appearance of a human, but in essence he was a Sapsal dog.
A mountain god and Sapsal dog—in other words, a dog.
He had even appeared in dog form in the drama.
In some ways, you could say it was the commercial that fit him best.
“Ah, and about the signing bonus for this one…”
It was a cliché thing to say, but the money was simply too big to turn down.
“Hey, what have you been up to these days?”
Han Seongtae was on the phone with Kim Minseok.
Since he had signed with Netflix, the days when he could actually see Kim Minseok in person had decreased.
Kim Minseok had been following Yeon Jaehoon around, studying, and lately he had even heard that Minseok was newly restructuring the series script.
―Just doing this and that. Right now I am revising the script. What about you?
“I am about the same. Baeknyeoncho is heading into the final shoot, so I am getting ready for that.”
―You must be busy. You are working hard.
“You are the one working harder.”
For Han Seongtae, it was enough to read the script and practice.
But things were different for Kim Minseok.
He had to study directing and editing, and revise the script too.
In some ways, you could say Kim Minseok was doing more than Han Seongtae was.
―Ah, right. The director says he wants to see you sometime.
“The director?”
―Yeah, he says he has some things to talk about regarding the project. It is probably about the audition or the shooting schedule.
“Ah, got it. I will check my schedule and let you know what days I can do.”
If it was about that, it was welcome anytime.
Now that filming for Baeknyeoncho was nearing its end,
Han Seongtae did not want to break the flow of his acting.
To do that, preparations for the next project’s shoot had to be finished.
The original A Day (Haru) only needed two actors, but the A Day that would be turned into a series would have a larger cast from the outset.
There was a lot to prepare, and they needed to recruit actors too.
That was probably why he had brought up auditions.
“When do you think you will be done revising the script?”
―Hard to say. From what I can tell, it will take at least another week. Once episode 1 is finished, I will send it to you first. You should start checking it early.
“Alright. Hang in there.”
―You too, work hard.
After hanging up the call with Kim Minseok, Han Seongtae set his smartphone down and looked up at the ceiling.
He was already looking forward to filming A Day with Netflix.
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