Chapter 1475: Finalizing (5) |
“I’m sorry? Can you repeat that for me?”
Han Eun-Sol grew puzzled by what he heard on the phone just then.
—No problem. What I said was, we’d like to work with Miss Choi.
“…? Seriously?”
Han Eun-Sol asked again while failing to his shock in his voice.
With how busy the person on the phone must be, they shouldn’t have a reason to prank-call Han Eun-Sol in the middle of the day. Despite knowing that, though, he couldn’t help but ask again. That was how stunned he was right now.
—However, we have a condition.
Han Eun-Sol nervously swallowed his saliva.
Yup, I knew it. It couldn’t be that easy.
So, the other person on the line must’ve wanted to give Choi Yeon-Ha a different part to play. But the question was: would she be okay with whatever character they were offering her?
No, hold on. It should be more like, will I be happy with what they are offering?
Choi Yeon-Ha said she’d behave like a complete newbie in town as long as she was here. And she was fully capable of following through. Since that was the case, she probably would say yes even if the part only required her to pop in and out of a scene as a background cameo.
But Han Eun-Sol couldn’t accept that. Why? Because he was Choi Yeon-Ha’s manager, of course!
It might look like he nagged Choi Yeon-Ha constantly, but that was so that he could rein in her antics. And he only did that when they were by themselves, too! If anyone was to badmouth her, it must be Han Eun-Sol and nobody else!
He would never accept some random stranger insulting Choi Yeon-Ha and underselling her worth as an actor.
“I see. What is this condition?”
—We want to cast Miss Choi for a different part.
Sure enough! It was as Han Eun-Sol had expected. In that case…
“Excuse me, but can you tell me which part you have in mind?”
—We’ve determined that the part Miss Choi auditioned for doesn’t match her image. The writers and the director saw her audition tape, and they all agreed that they might as well create a new character for her.
“I’m sorry?”
What was that? A new character?
The initial part of Han Eun-Sol’s prediction was on the money, but the rest proved way, way off the mark!
Han Eun-Sol covered the mouthpiece of the phone and whispered to Choi Yeon-Ha nearby. “Noona? They say they want to write a new character just for you.”
Choi Yeon-Ha’s eyes widened. “Ng? Why?”
“They haven’t told me yet.”
“Ask them, then. Find out why.”
Han Eun-Sol nodded. “Then… Excuse me? Do you mind if I ask you why you want to do that?”
—Oh, no. We don’t mind. If we’re being honest, Miss Choi’s audition failed to resonate with us. But what she did afterward was quite memorable, to say the least.
“Huh? Afterward?”
—Yes, afterward. We were deeply impressed by how she stormed out of the audition after flunking her improvisation. We have a Korean in our production crew, you see? And that’s how we learned that Miss Choi has been in a few productions in the past that required such a level of intensity. When we rewatched her audition tape, we realized her fiery character was like a breath of fresh air.
“…”
Oh, so what you’re saying is…
Choi Yeon-Ha’s audition was a bust, but the casting agents were still impressed by the sight of her throwing a tantrum after she ruined her audition?
What kind of lucky break was that?!
“I, I don’t follow?”
—It’s not that hard to understand, actually. We’ve been searching for a fiery character like this for a while, after all. Even now, Hollywood only has this stereotypical image of Asian women and casts them accordingly. Isn’t it obvious that a bold and brave production like ours would want to break new grounds?
So, basically, they were calling Choi Yeon-Ha a potential villainess? The Wicked Witch?
Well, at least I know noona will kill it in that role, so…
If she could bring only half of her usual off-screen energy to the role, people would start raving about her method acting. As a matter of fact… Wouldn’t she win at least a few acting awards if everything goes well?
Holy cow! So, this is how the cookie crumbles?
Han Eun-Sol fake-coughed to clear his throat while inwardly celebrating this unexpected fortune.
“Kuh-hum! So, uh… How important will this character be? And what about her screen time?”
—Of course, it won’t be on the level of the main protagonists, but plot-wise, she might be one of the top three characters, actually. But the new draft of the screenplay needs to be finished first before giving you any assurances.
“I see. What can we expect from the new screenplay, then…?
—There’s nothing to worry about in that regard, too. Although I said it’s a new character, it’ll be more accurate to say we’re taking a pre-existing character and swapping their gender around. Of course, we’ll adjust their lines, too. But I assure you, this character plays a sizable role in the original draft of the screenplay.
“Aha, I see, I see. That shouldn’t be a problem, then. If it’s okay with you, can you tell us which character we’re talking about? In the original draft, I mean.”
—No problem. We’ll courier you the copy of the original draft for this character. Please read through it, but remember that it’s still a draft. So… When can we hear from you?
“We’ll get in touch with you as soon as we go through the screenplay.”
—I see. Thank you. We’re looking forward to working together with you.
“Yes, me too. Goodbye.”
Han Eun-Sol ended the call, then fell down face-first on the couch like a man about to pass out from fatigue. Unfortunately, his troubles weren’t over yet.
Choi Yeon-Ha hurriedly walked up to him. “So? What did they say? Why do they want to hire me?”
Well, it’s because you’ve somehow managed to impress the casting agents with how cranky and scary you were. And they want to cast you as a villain. Probably.
…Could he say that out loud?
Eiii, no freaking way. I ain’t got the balls to deal with the fallout, after all!
Han Eun-Sol barely raised his head from the couch’s cushion and glanced at Choi Yeon-Ha. “Apparently, they want to break new grounds. They said Hollywood only casts Asian women in stereotypical roles, so they wanted to try something new and fresh. And then, they saw your audition tape and thought you’d be perfect.”
“Really? Even though my audition was a hot piece of garbage?”
“I-I mean, come on! How many people in this world are capable of matching your acting prowess, noona? I’m telling you, your self-standard is way too high. It’s not like you were auditioning for a role in an art house flick, you know? This is a part in a big-budget blockbuster. Who cares about your acting chops or whatever?”
“Hmm? I guess you have a point. Even as a fellow actor, I thought a lot of people in the audition were… let’s just say uncomfortable to watch.”
“There you go, then.”
Just as he said that, a single cold sweat drop trickled down his spine.
“My pronunciation was rubbish back then, though. Were they really okay with that?”
“H-hahaha~! An Asian struggling with English sounds pretty natural to me, though? I guess they thought the same as me on that one.”
“Well, if you say so…?”
Choi Yeon-Ha narrowed her eyes and stared suspiciously at Han Eun-Sol, prompting him to sneakily turn his head away.
Gee whiz. Even a good thing can be troublesome with noona.
In this world existed something called a well-intended lie, AKA the white lie. A simple tweak here and there to the truth could make so many people happy, so why should Han Eun-Sol be honest and leave a lingering sour taste in everybody’s mouth?
Now that I think about it, I better talk to the American production company people. So that they watch what they say around noona!
In any case!
It didn’t matter how it happened, getting an opportunity to appear in a Hollywood big-budget production was an incredibly positive development. Up until now, the best Choi Yeon-Ha could hope for was appearing in Chinese productions, but America was a different story altogether. If one truly wanted to be a global star, they simply had to set their sights on Hollywood, no?
Money wasn’t the issue here. No, the important thing to remember was getting her hands on the title of the global superstar! This was the issue of her honor. Her legacy!
Of course, a Korean actor could ride on the popularity of Korean productions to enter the global entertainment industry. It was not uncommon to see Korean movies walking away with prestigious international awards these days, after all.
Since Choi Yeon-Ha had been diligently appearing in movies with high artistic merits, she should eventually get the recognition she worked so hard to achieve.
However, that was not what Han Eun-Sol wanted. In his view, what truly mattered wasn’t the industry’s recognition, but… the box office appeal!
Being recognized as a great actress was pointless, at least in his view. No, she needed to be a superstar who could sell tickets with her name alone!
Sure, noona doesn’t think that way, but…!
Her mindset was also commendable, wasn’t it?
An actor should focus on her acting and the overall quality of the movie. But the manager should focus on the marketability.This could very well be the ideal combination of a talent and a manager that everyone wanted to achieve!
“It sounded like they were going to gender-swap one of the existing characters for you, noona. They agreed to courier the draft screenplay for the character in question. Once we get it, let’s print it out and read through it.”
“Really?” Choi Yeon-Ha’s expression brightened, and she stood up a little taller. “Does that mean the producers were impressed enough with my audition to change the existing character? Just for me?”
“Y-yes, more or less…”
Choi Yeon-Ha was technically correct. No, forget “technically,” she was 100% correct about that assumption!
Of course, there was a bit of difference between what she was thinking of and what the casting agents were thinking of, but… Han Eun-Sol fervently told himself that was a trivial problem not worth worrying about.
“Okay, so! That means our itinerary has been set, right?”
Han Eun-Sol shook his head. “No, not yet, noona. I haven’t given them a definite answer. After we check out the screenplay, okay?”
“Why? It’s not like we’ll say no even if the part is weird, anyway.”
“…? Huh?”
She was right again, wasn’t she? In fact, how dare Han Eun-Sol even think about saying no in this situation?
Most hopefuls tried everything in their power to appear in even minor parts, yet Han Eun-Sol was thinking about rejecting the part if it was bad? Even though they were rewriting one of the major characters so that it fit Choi Yeon-Ha better?!
“Y-yeah, you’re right…”
“Of course I’m right,” said Choi Yeon-Ha. “We gotta say yes, no matter what. However, we must add a clause in our negotiation, okay?”
“A clause? Like what?”
“Tell them we need to be able to change my lines. I’m even willing to give up my salary for this. I’m not going to star in a movie as some random weirdo Korean who does wacky sh*t and says crazy things on screen. That might happen if we sign on to a project without checking out the screenplay, after all.”
“Ah…!”
Han Eun-Sol hurriedly nodded while realizing that he had made a stupid blunder. How could he miss something so significant as a manager?!
If someone had offered Choi Yeon-Ha a similar part in Korea, she and Han Eun-Sol would have rejected it without a moment’s hesitation. She had no obligation to decide when the screenplay for the production wasn’t even finished, after all.
But Han Eun-Sol failed to think about that because they were in Hollywood.
He was scared of Choi Yeon-Ha losing her head from all the excitement and causing a scene, but… As it turned out, it was Han Eun-Sol who got too excited for his own good and almost made a huge mistake.
He needed to reflect on himself.
“Sorry, noona. I got too excited and missed it. I’ll talk to them about it right away.”
“Yeah, do that,” said Choi Yeon-Ha while furrowing her brow.
Plenty of Western films portrayed Asians in a negative light. There was a huge difference between playing a villain and a role that painted Asians as bad people. She didn’t want to contribute to that if she could help it.
“It’s not like I’m going to say what’s what when it’s their movie. But that doesn’t mean I must be a passive observer and do nothing, right?”
“I totally agree, noona. But you still gotta get paid for your role.”
“Nah. I’m fine with not getting paid as long as the screenplay turns out great.”
“Nope, you can’t do that. You mustn’t do that, as a matter of fact. If you do that, Hollywood producers will start thinking that all Korean actors showing up in this town will work for peanuts.”
“Eh…? Oh. That’s true, isn’t it?”
This time, it was Choi Yeon-Ha’s turn to look flustered.
It was not a problem for her to waive her salaries while appearing in one or two movies. But that story didn’t apply to other actors.
Being passionate about something was great, but what if that passion was used as a yardstick that everyone was expected to match, no matter what? Some would say that this passion was badly “misplaced”, now wouldn’t they?
“Geez, this is tough,” said Choi Yeon-Ha.
“Yup, I agree.”
The actress and her manager stared at each other and chuckled softly.
“But! At least we can worry about something like this, which is incredible, right?”
“Yeah, noona. Honestly, I still can’t believe it. I had faith that a day like this would arrive eventually, but… Doesn’t it feel all too sudden?”
“You think so?”
They still had plenty of problems to sort out, but that knowledge still couldn’t stop this merry peal of laughter from bursting out of their mouths.
“Hah! I told you so!”
Han Eun-Sol tilted his head. “Told me what, noona?”
“I told you that sticking closely to Mister Jin-Ho will reward us handsomely, didn’t I!”
“Huh? I’m pretty sure the chairman hasn’t done much this time, though?”
“What do you mean, hasn’t done much? He’s brought us to the States, hasn’t he?”
“…”
Well, that was technically correct… Maybe?
When Han Eun-Sol thought about it some more, Choi Yeon-Ha was right, wasn’t she? Without Kang Jin-Ho, they wouldn’t have come to America. And without coming to this country, Choi Yeon-Ha wouldn’t have auditioned for the part, either.
…That also meant luck wouldn’t have been on her side like this.
Even though the part wasn’t hers yet, at least Choi Yeon-Ha had a shot now, which was more than she or her manager had hoped for. If it hadn’t been for Kang Jin-Ho…
Wow. This is so weird.
Should Han Eun-Sol thank Kang Jin-Ho or not?
Regardless of what he thought, though, the look on Choi Yeon-Ha’s face said that she totally believed it was all thanks to Kang Jin-Ho.
Yup, that’s an illness, alright.
Han Eun-Sol chuckled helplessly, only for his eyes to widen. “Eh? Hold on, noona.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Don’t we need to confirm something first? If your role expands in the movie, doesn’t that mean you’ll have to stay here for longer than expected during the filming? And you might even have to start filming your scenes earlier than we think, too. In that case, what about all the other parts you’ve agreed to play?”
“Ehh?”
Choi Yeon-Ha’s jaw fell slightly in stupefaction.
