NOVEL NEXT Chapter 261
Recently, Seo-yeon, who had started building more human-like relationships, was feeling a surge of confidence.
More students in her class had started talking to her, and it seemed like she was on track to having a large group of friends.
On top of that, her circle of actor friends, who could be considered her coworkers, was steadily growing.
‘Hmm, it feels a bit weird, but Stella did say she likes me.’
Though the way she meant “like” might be a little different, well, whatever.
She was even getting along well with Stella, who usually built walls around herself.
So, it was only natural that she had started to highly evaluate her own communication skills lately.
In fact, maybe she was already an insider?
Filled with confidence, Seo-yeon had nothing to fear.
Even when Manager Park Eun-ha was worried about Arthur Diaz, she thought, “I’ve already become close with Stella, haven’t I?”
Well, not exactly friends, but…
She roughly thought so.
‘But I shouldn’t get arrogant.’
The better things go, the harder she should work.
With that in mind, Seo-yeon had recently been reading books about building relationships.
The opening lines of those books were mostly similar.
‘Become someone who compliments and affirms others.’
That’s true.
So, while waiting quietly for Arthur to arrive in the GH Group conference room, Seo-yeon ran several mental simulations.
‘Stella said she’s a very famous actress overseas. According to Stella, she even taught Arthur Diaz acting.’
If they’ve taught each other acting, they must be close.
Plus, regardless of Stella’s personality, Seo-yeon highly admired her acting skills.
If Stella compared her to Arthur, it meant he was one of the best actors of his generation, with no real rivals.
‘Alright.’
Having roughly thought of what to say, Seo-yeon was filled with confidence.
Since they’d be filming together, it was best to build a good relationship.
“He’s late.”
Unlike Seo-yeon, Kim Chang-kyu, the head of the Cultural Affairs Department at GH Group, who was overseeing this project, frowned.
Today, he was here in place of Director Kang Tae-jin, who was leading the project.
Honestly, for a meeting like this, having just the director and a few investors would’ve been enough.
But since the other party was Hollywood actor Arthur Diaz, they needed to make a proper impression.
“Arthur Diaz is known to be very polite in Hollywood,” said Han Ye-geon, the director of <Mine>, with a sharp gaze.
“Well, rumors are just rumors,” he added.
The young genius director was just as difficult to handle as Arthur Diaz.
Kim Chang-kyu now understood why Director Kang Tae-jin hadn’t come today.
‘At least Seo-yeon is quiet, thank goodness.’
Having heard so much about Seo-yeon from Director Kang, Kim felt a strong sense of familiarity with her.
He’d been keeping up with her recent activities, whether it was meals or other events.
To anyone watching, it might seem like she was his daughter.
‘Even that robot-like director has a human side, huh.’
Maybe she’s the daughter of a friend.
It’s hard to say that connections didn’t play a role.
Seo-yeon had been given quite a few conveniences at GH Group.
But the reason no one talked behind her back was simple.
She was chosen through a public audition.
To avoid any talk of favoritism.
It’s not strange for GH Group to support an actor who earned their place through skill.
In fact, people would think, “The lead actors are treated well here.”
‘If she achieved that much in just a year, she has every right to be a little arrogant.’
That said, Kim liked Seo-yeon because she lacked the typical arrogance of a rising star.
Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
With that level of success, a bit of arrogance would be normal.
But adding recklessness to it is another issue, though young actors often fall into that trap.
‘Maybe it’s because the actors she’s around are all very disciplined.’
Park Jung-woo and Jo Seo-hee.
Both are figures who’ve never been involved in scandals.
They’re actors who manage themselves thoroughly, so maybe Seo-yeon thinks that’s just how it should be.
“Sir, he’s here.”
At that moment, an employee whispered in his ear.
Simultaneously, the conference room door opened, and a tall man appeared.
Behind him, a large group of people entered the room.
Arthur Diaz and his manager, along with the agency staff handling his contract.
The number of people was even greater than those already waiting in the conference room.
“Hello, I’m Arthur Diaz.”
Sensing the tension in the room, Arthur smiled softly and greeted everyone.
The atmosphere eased as people realized he spoke fluent Korean.
Naturally, people feel good when someone from another country speaks their language well.
‘Easy.’
Arthur smiled faintly to himself.
After all, the people he’d be talking to today were his agency, his manager, and the group’s representatives.
The actors didn’t really need to be here.
But Seo-yeon and Arthur had come to greet each other as the lead actors of <Mine> before the script reading.
As the meeting began with calm English, Arthur leaned back in his chair.
‘Is that her?’
Arthur, sitting comfortably, looked at Seo-yeon with interest.
‘Her looks are impressive.’
He was inwardly impressed.
He’d thought, “She’s just an Asian actress,” but seeing her in person, her beauty was beyond words.
Her cool demeanor, sharp eyes, pale skin, and red lips made her look like a finely crafted doll.
What stood out was her presence as an actress.
‘Maybe Stella wasn’t exaggerating.’
Arthur was genuinely intrigued.
Of course, she was still just a young Asian actress in his mind.
‘Still, her looks are quite good…’
She looked too young for him to consider making a move, but the thought of making her fall for him and seeing Stella’s reaction amused him.
He couldn’t help but smile.
“?”
Feeling his gaze, Seo-yeon turned and their eyes met.
Arthur smiled softly at her.
Even Hollywood actresses would blush and look away when faced with his smile.
Some even sent him subtle glances.
But.
“??”
Seo-yeon just stared back at him.
Did he have something to say?
Or was he just bored and wanted to have a staring contest?
‘Is this what they call eye contact?’
She remembered reading in a book that conversation requires looking into each other’s eyes.
Maybe Arthur Diaz had something to tell her.
With that thought, Seo-yeon kept her gaze steady.
Meow, I kept watching Arthur Diaz.
‘…What’s this?’
Of course, from Arthur Diaz’s perspective, he was flustered by Seo-yeon’s sudden glare.
Suddenly being stared at so intensely, even Arthur Diaz flinched for a moment.
For Arthur, who was always used to receiving gentle gazes from women, this was extremely bewildering.
‘Ah, she must have heard something from Stella.’
Otherwise, there’s no way she would react like that to his smile.
‘Talking will change things.’
Thinking that, Arthur quietly waited until the meeting ended, skillfully deflecting the gazes of Director Han Ye-geon and Executive Kim Chang-kyu.
About two hours later.
“Finally, we can have a proper conversation.”
Arthur spoke to Seo-yeon in a soft tone.
As the meeting dragged on, the two moved to the lounge prepared by GH Group.
The purpose was to give the two lead actors a chance to talk before the filming of <Mine> began.
Seo-yeon’s original purpose for coming to GH Group today.
“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Arthur Diaz.”
He bowed gently, his appearance like a prince from a fairy tale.
Shining blond hair, deep green eyes.
Plus, his tall stature and slim figure made it easy to see why he had so many female fans in Korea.
“I’m Joo Seo-yeon.”
Seo-yeon’s calm reply.
Arthur was inwardly taken aback by her response.
‘Is she really not reacting at all?’
He couldn’t sense even a hint of emotional change.
But women usually show some kind of reaction when they meet him.
Except for Stella, who said at their first meeting, ‘I’ve never seen someone more pretentious than you,’ most women show interest.
In a way, Seo-yeon was even more extreme than Stella.
She seemed completely indifferent.
In this strange standoff, Seo-yeon belatedly realized the awkward silence.
‘Ah, is it time to speak now?’
The lack of reaction was because Seo-yeon had been running simulations in her head to prepare her words.
Praise, I should praise.
“Stella told me that you learned acting from her? That’s why you two seem similar, indeed.”
“……”
She meant that he was comparable to Stella, a great actress.
That was the intention.
Of course, every word felt like it was prepared to provoke.
For a moment, Arthur struggled to maintain his composure.
Is she provoking me?
He held back the anger rising in his throat.
It was truly an incredible display of patience.
If he gave in to this provocation, Stella would probably laugh at him.
“……Is that so?”
“Yes. It reminds me of how I felt when I first saw Stella.”
“I see.”
Of course, the first impression wasn’t good, but at their first meeting, Seo-yeon could immediately tell that Stella was no ordinary person.
Something about her.
Arthur didn’t feel anything like that, but for Seo-yeon, it was a well-prepared compliment.
Of course, Arthur Diaz gritted his teeth again.
‘Is this not it?’
Seo-yeon tilted her head, looking at Arthur.
Of course, Seo-yeon had prepared thoroughly, knowing she was meeting a Hollywood actor.
In other words, she was fully prepared.
“Arthur Diaz, you have many fans overseas and are amazing. In ‘Lionheart,’ which recently premiered in Korea, you played a medieval knight, and the overseas media gave you great reviews. I heard you attracted over 3 million viewers in Korea alone. It was the best performance among foreign films this year, and your appearance had a big impact in Korea.”
“……”
Seo-yeon endlessly praised Arthur Diaz.
How much the movie earned, how many viewers it had.
It felt like she was quoting from internet articles, which was very unsettling.
‘What is with this woman?’
Arthur clenched his teeth and stared at Seo-yeon.
His pride wasn’t just cracked; his mind was slowly drifting into space.
Her attitude showed not a hint of interest in him.
A woman spouting words like a malfunctioning ChatGPT.
If this continued, he would end up hearing all about Korean movie performances, which he didn’t really want to know, so Arthur cut her off.
“……Rather than that, I have a proposal for you.”
“A proposal?”
Only then did Seo-yeon stop her mechanical recitation.
When it came to memorization, Seo-yeon was impressive.
She had about five more internet articles prepared, but she decided to listen to Arthur first.
Listening to the other person is important, as the book said.
“I’ll be staying in Seoul for a while. Could you show me around Seoul?”
Now it was truly a battle of pride.
Arthur wanted to make this Seo-yeon woman fall for him to laugh at Stella.
And to give the same humiliation to the woman who had humiliated him.
“No.”
“……What?”
“Then I’ll get in trouble.”
Seo-yeon made an X gesture with both hands.
If she went around alone with Arthur, Jo Seo-hee or Park Jung-woo would definitely freak out.
They’d say it would cause a scandal, are you crazy?
Surprisingly, Seo-yeon took such advice well.
“……”
“But it was nice meeting you today.”
Arthur felt like his mind was slowly slipping away.
After that, Arthur had to listen to Seo-yeon’s endless praise for an hour like a radio.
And so, everything ended.
“Seo-yeon.”
Park Eun-ha asked Seo-yeon in the van with a slightly worried tone.
“Did Arthur Diaz bother you?”
“Huh? No, he kept listening to me.”
“Really? Phew, I was worried, but that’s good.”
It seemed the young actors got along quickly.
Park Eun-ha smiled softly at Seo-yeon’s triumphant expression.
Anyway, today’s meeting seemed to have gone quite well.
***
“Yes, hello… Yes? Ah, that’s me.”
A woman who stumbled out of the darkness held her phone to her ear, speaking in a hoarse voice.
She had been writing a novel until dawn, so she was completely out of it.
But her mind snapped awake at the next words.
“……What? A meeting? With who? What?”
The news that a completely unexpected person had been cast in the drama adaptation of her novel, which she had been eagerly anticipating, had just arrived.