“Mr. Robert Penn. Would you mind coming forward and introducing yourself?”
At Gyeong Chanhyeon’s request, Robert nodded and stepped forward.
After scanning the room with a confident expression, he opened his mouth.
“Nice to meet you all. I’m Robert Penn, famous for being the best prey for reporters. The actor they love to chew on, tear apart, and savor the most.”
A few members of the production crew chuckled at Robert’s self-deprecating yet confidence-filled joke.
“On the other hand, you won’t find a better billboard than me. As you all know, I’m a very, very intense person. Which means the reporters will basically do the advertising for us. However, I understand that some of you might be feeling anxious.”
As the crew members, who had been staring at Robert with uneasy eyes, nodded, Robert continued with a relaxed smile.
“I won’t repeat past mistakes. In the contract for this film, I’ve agreed to undergo periodic drug tests. So, let’s all get ready to devour Hollywood, just as Director Gyeong Chanhyeon said.”
After Robert’s introduction and the introductions of the other new actors, they officially began the table read.
It was a scene where Robert questions a junior detective.
The actor playing the junior detective stared intently at the script, his face stiff with nervousness.
“Excuse me. Do you mind if I speak casually? Ryan? We’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on.”
“Ah, yes. Haha. Please, feel free. You’re a great senior.”
“Right.”
At the junior actor Ryan’s awkward smile, Robert spoke with a gentle expression.
“Stop biting your lip and relax your face. You’re going to make your lip bleed.”
“Ah… haha. Yes, I understand.”
“Then, let’s give it a go.”
Robert didn’t even need to struggle to immerse himself in the role.
Thanks to Gyeong Chanhyeon, he already perfectly understood his acting direction, so he only had to deliver the lines as if he were simply talking.
“You’re saying this is a suicide? Are you sure?”
As Robert’s voice signaled the start of the performance, Ryan also seemed to slip into character easily.
“Yes. Did you see the evidence sent by the forensics team at the scene?”
“I did. But you’re telling me that evidence leads to a conclusion of suicide?”
“The evidence at the scene points to suicide as well.”
“Ha, and what do you think?”
While acting, Robert glanced at Ryan, who was completely immersed beside him.
Burning eyes and natural facial muscles.
Robert marveled inwardly at the innate talent.
‘What the… where did he find a kid like this?’
Most rookie actors struggle to immerse themselves during a table read and are usually just desperate to get through the lines, but the actors Gyeong Chanhyeon brought in were different.
Their acting was so stable that he wondered if they were actually undiscovered actors.
It wasn’t just Ryan. All the other actors handled their roles naturally, and the table read came to a close.
“Ryan?”
“Yes?”
“Where were you before this?”
“I, uh, was staying at the lodging Director Gyeong Chanhyeon arranged for me…”
“No, not that. I mean, where did you learn to act?”
At Robert’s question, Ryan answered with a bright smile.
“Ah, I was with a theater company.”
“Which one?”
“In Philadelphia.”
“Walnut Street? Or Forrest?”
At Robert’s question, Ryan replied with an awkward smile.
“It wasn’t a grand theater like those; it was a small theater.”
“What? Then how did you get in touch with Director Gyeong Chanhyeon?”
“At first, I got a casting email, but I thought it was some new kind of scam, so I ignored it. Then a few days later, some bald middle-aged man showed up. He started grilling me about why I wasn’t checking my emails, and I honestly thought I was going to die.”
At Ryan’s frightened expression, Robert chuckled and looked toward Gyeong Chanhyeon.
Looking satisfied with the table read, Gyeong Chanhyeon was exchanging greetings with the crew with a pleased smile.
‘Just how on earth did he… find actors like these?’
After the table read ended, Gyeong Chanhyeon herded the crew and actors into the best bar in Hollywood to commemorate their first official meeting.
“Those who can’t drink, please don’t feel pressured. I prepared this gathering so we can get comfortable with one another. In the future, there will be many times when we’ll clash, and many misunderstandings because we don’t know each other well. That’s why it’s important to get to know each other, right?”
Robert was curious about this new way of proceeding, which was uncommon in Hollywood.
Not a strict business arrangement, but a more humanistic approach to the production process.
Despite having been in the film industry for a long time, this was the first time Robert had experienced such a refreshing start. He joined the gathering with his own food.
Seeing Robert munching on celery and sipping a non-alcoholic mojito in front of greasy party foods, the surrounding crew members looked bewildered and focused on him.
“What?”
“What is that?”
“Celery.”
Crunch.
As Robert chewed the celery with a sly smile, the sound of health echoed clearly.
“What’s with him? Why did he bring his own greens to a company dinner?”
“Better than doing drugs.”
“His body must have been ruined by drugs… I guess he’s taking care of himself now.”
“Yeah, he’s forty now. That’s the deadline age where you have to start taking care of your health.”
“Exactly. If you don’t start then, you end up like me.”
Some crew members looked at Robert’s behavior strangely, but some of the older team members nodded in understanding.
Robert didn’t seem to care about the whispers directed at him; he continued chewing his celery while chatting with the crew members sitting with him.
Leading the atmosphere with witty humor, Robert kept glancing toward where Gyeong Chanhyeon was.
He kept a close eye on the seat next to him, which rarely became vacant, and as soon as a spot opened up, he stood up immediately.
As soon as he sat next to Gyeong Chanhyeon, the director, whose face had turned slightly red, spoke.
“Haha. You’ve joined us?”
“Yes. I have so many things I’m curious about.”
“Curious about?”
Robert took a sip of his mojito, set the glass down, and asked.
“Where and how did you find those actors?”
“Ah, the new actors?”
“Yes.”
Gyeong Chanhyeon scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed to answer.
“Do you usually travel all over the country to watch plays? The company Ryan belonged to is so small that its name isn’t even famous…”
“Haha…”
“And the actors from England, how on earth…”
“When I went to look for an actor named Andrew Sakil before, I developed an interest in British theater companies as well.”
At Gyeong Chanhyeon’s words, Robert looked at him with a skeptical gaze, as if his doubts hadn’t vanished.
“He’s famous for that. His eye is completely different. I bet he could just grab anyone passing by and know if they’ll make it or not.”
At Lee Junseong’s sudden interruption, Robert nodded in surprise.
“To that extent…?”
“Yes! He’s a Midas touch who turned a theater actor no one knew in Korea into a top star and made unskilled actors act well.”
“Haha, then does that mean I’ll rise again too?”
At Robert’s question, Gyeong Chanhyeon nodded.
“Yes. You will rise higher than any actor I’ve ever met. Especially with the acting skills you showed earlier. That kind of talent can’t be created through effort alone.”
At Gyeong Chanhyeon’s confident gaze, Robert replied with a sly smile.
“I think you’ll become a great director in the future, Director Gyeong. Seeing as you don’t even care about the rumors going around right now.”
Perhaps because he was mindful of Susan’s words, Robert tried to offer sincere encouragement to Gyeong Chanhyeon.
“Rumors are just rumors. But I worry that those rumors might affect the audience.”
“Hmm…”
“That’s why the success of this project is even more important. I will make sure it succeeds.”
Robert was inwardly impressed by Gyeong Chanhyeon’s grand ambition to make his Hollywood debut a hit immediately.
“So you’re hoping for a success so great that false rumors can’t have any impact.”
“Yes. I intend to build an unshakable position as an Asian film director in Hollywood. I felt it enough with Space Vagabond. That surviving in Hollywood won’t be easy.”
When Gyeong Chanhyeon told Robert about the events that took place until Space Vagabond was released in the US, Robert frowned at the story he was hearing for the first time.
“Good grief… seriously?”
“Yes.”
Space Vagabond was undoubtedly the best visual effects movie to date.
Especially since it was a film that revived the space opera genre, Robert had never imagined it would be this difficult for the movie to be released in the US.
“If it were me, I would have just stayed in Korea making movies. Rather than being treated like that… I don’t think I would have even thought about coming to Hollywood. To be ignored like that just because you’re Asian…”
“I could have made a living just filming in Korea. But my dream can’t end at just making a living.”
“Then… what is your dream, Director?”
At Robert’s question, Gyeong Chanhyeon replied with a faint smile.
“To become a director with influence in the film industry. That is the ultimate goal.”
“Haha… that won’t be easy.”
“Yes. I don’t think it will be easy. I feel like I’ve only just come a step closer to that dream.”
“By making your Hollywood debut?”
“Yes.”
An inexplicable sincerity.
If anyone else had said it, it would have been dismissed as nonsense, but because such a cringeworthy statement came from a man who seemed so rational, it felt even more sincere.
“I think you’re thinking several steps ahead of me. I can’t keep up.”
“Haha, it’s just nonsense. Let it go in one ear and out the other.”
Gyeong Chanhyeon gulped down his beer, his face slightly flushed.
“Then I’m a bit disappointed. I’d rather you be sincere.”
“Nonsense usually has sincerity hidden in it.”
Watching him answer with a beaming smile, Robert looked exasperated and pulled a piece of celery from his plastic bag to chew.
“Is that tasty? Do you eat cheeseburgers in the morning and vegetables at other times?”
“I mostly eat oatmeal and things like that. I’ve treated my body too poorly until now.”
“Haha.”
“Want one?”
“Hmm… sure.”
Gyeong Chanhyeon took a piece of celery and took a large bite, just like Robert.
“Pfft…”
“Ugh.”
As Gyeong Chanhyeon frowned and struggled to chew, Robert spoke while holding back laughter.
Raw celery is a food that is generally hard to eat at first.
Because of its unique fishy taste and the scent that wafts up, most people give up after a few tries.
However, as if driven by stubbornness, Gyeong Chanhyeon chewed and swallowed it with a grinding sound.
“The first time is always a bit hard.”
“I don’t think this is only hard the first time.”
“I eat it every day. You’re in your 20s, right?”
“No, 30s.”
Robert nodded as if surprised and replied.
“Then you should start managing your health. Let’s make a ‘Celery Pact.’ We can eat celery together on set and take care of our health. How about it?”
“…”
“Sounds good, right?”
“No. I’m not into it.”
“Tsk, what a shame.”
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