NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34
The KBC Broadcasting Station’s drama meeting room.
All members of the [Hide Dream] drama, centered around PD Kim Youngmo, are gathered there currently.
“Whoa, it’s real! He really stood out here.”
“The viewer board’s going wild right now! Who’s playing Lee Jae-yi?”
“Seems like Donghu’s got a Facebook account; he’s gained a ton of followers in just one day?!”
“People are catching on; a ridiculously handsome guy can actually act well.”
They were analyzing the ratings for episode 2 of Hide Dream while sharing their thoughts.
“A fan cafe popped up in a day! The energy is insane.”
“That ending scene where they zoomed in on Donghu’s face, did you do that on purpose, PD?”
“Of course! You don’t let a national treasure face go to waste.”
“I heard that while they zoomed in on his face, there was an ad for… chicken.”
“Oh, right.”
“Articles say orders are flooding in; they can’t even keep up with the chicken demand right now.”
Just when Hide Dream was off to a smooth start, suddenly a new sail appeared.
PD Kim Youngmo also didn’t expect Donghu to generate this level of impact.
“I thought at least he’d come out during the moonlight scene to boost it.”
Just by appearing, he bumped it up by 2%.
If things continue this way, the direction of the drama could change significantly.
The most noticeable change among them was this:
Bang!
“Zuhahahaha! Our broadcasting station is crushing the competition, huh?”
The drama director walked into the meeting room, joyfully munching on a cherry pie.
“From now on, this is the world of KBC dramas! This is our signal! The dream of completely dominating dramas isn’t over!”
KBC Drama Director Kim Cheoldo plopped down anywhere there was an empty seat, with his hearty laughter.
Munch munch munch.
Every time he bit into the cherry pie, crumbs fell to the floor, but he didn’t care.
Because there was something way more important than that right now.
“You were analyzing the ratings graph, huh? Good stuff, it’s great to succeed.”
While everyone sat in a daze, not knowing what to say, Cheoldo kept chattering away.
He spoke as if presenting a prepared script.
Thunk.
He slapped a corporate credit card on the desk and passed it towards PD Kim Youngmo.
Cheoldo continued to laugh heartily, as if he couldn’t help it.
“Zuhahahaha! You should’ve seen the faces of those SKS and MNC drama directors when they bit the dust!”
How hard had it been until now?
“Use that to buy some beef, the good stuff. Hanwoo, you know what I mean? If you buy anything below Hanwoo, you might as well consider yourself dead to me.”
“you know how to do it for me.”
Kim Cheoldo, the drama director, who smiled kindly, wondered if the introduction was finally over.
Before long, the laughter was slowly fading away.
And then came the quick main topic.
“Lee Jae-yi’s screen time is up; we haven’t finished shooting the drama yet. Can we increase it? Huh?”
“Ah, well…”
“No, I mean, I get it, but when I said it nicely, I didn’t mean to ask; I commanded it smoothly.”
Lee Jae-yi’s screen time must be increased without fail.
Does that face only deserve five episodes? We need to use him more.
Upon hearing Kim Cheoldo’s words as if he had announced some grand plan.
“That was my intention. I had previously discussed it with writer Lee Minha…”
PD Kim Youngmo showed the chat history as if it had already been confirmed.
Blink blink.
Yeah, he definitely does his job well.
Kim Cheoldo, the drama director, chuckled awkwardly.
“…Youngmo, you really have a knack for making your boss feel awkward, as much as you have skills.”
“You interrupted me without invitation… thanks for the cards.”
“…”
“Please clean up all the cherry pie powder; our kids are really struggling to shoot ‘Hydream’ these days.”
“Uh, uh, right… I’ll take care of it…”
+++++
– Is your son doing well?
“Yes, Mom, of course.”
– I saw the article; our son looks super handsome!
“That’s a given.”
– Mom will recover soon, and I’ll be able to come over, probably around February.
“Yeah, and don’t worry too much. Seok-ho hyung is taking great care of me.”
– Right, he does seem to take really good care of you, looking at the schedule… I’m so grateful.
A little while after the airing of Hydream episode two, Mom and I chatted about various things over the phone.
‘I’m glad your cancer treatment went safely.’
When I heard someone say that such a good outcome was incredible, I suddenly thought maybe this was the power of the superhero bonus.
“Oh, by the way, can you hand the phone to Dad for a moment?”
– Oh my, does our son want to see Dad too? Got it, honey~
– Uh, hey son, it’s Dad. What’s up?
A dull and indifferent voice.
I decided it was time to inform Dad about one ludicrous mistake made by a writer from Earth.
“Dad, do you happen to know about Bitcoin?”
– Bitcoin? I’m hearing about it for the first time.
Even knowing future information, isn’t it foolish to completely neglect having knowledge about investments?
‘That said, I don’t want to get involved.’
If I had any interest in that area, I wouldn’t have pursued acting.
But not using it feels off, so I decided to share investment information with the person I trust most.
“Well, it’s like this…”
The investment god who got me to buy a building for the World Cup Toto,
The deity of investment who made Toro buy a building,
Kim Donghu, the origin of Kim Jeong-ryeol, had a plan to reveal future value to him.
“Sounds funny when I put it that way.”
Does it give the impression of knowing the answer too well?
Most would doubt if I said it like this.
– Got it.
Dad believed me right away, without any suspicion.
The pillar who trusted me more than anyone else, quiet but unwavering.
That was my dad.
Afterward, I was on the phone with Dad, my eyes fixed on the calendar.
In two weeks.
So, it would be the end of January.
“Is this when I’ll shoot my first leading role?”
The first filming for [Hero] was set.
+++++++
[Hero]
Evil destroys evil,
A lawbreaker who acts justly,
The story of a boy who wants to become a hero.
It all began with killing a wild dog threatening the neighborhood kids.
Boom!
As the knife plunged into the leather puppy doll smeared with muddy water and ink,
The artificial blood inside splattered all around.
“Are you okay? Now that I killed it, don’t worry too much.”
Lee Seong-deok, shooting Kim Donghu who casually delivered his lines, barely suppressed the goosebumps all over his body.
“I felt it even when watching the footage, but his acting is really unreal.”
It was the first filming, the weather was chilly, and with a tight budget, all the nonsensical thoughts that flitted through his mind before the shoot vanished.
“I’ve got everything I want.”
Director Lee Seong-deok had one clear reason for filming [Hero] in black and white.
Intensity.
He wanted to express the protagonist, who belonged somewhere in a world divided into black and white,
That’s why he named the protagonist ‘Hero.’
But there was a significant problem when he was brainstorming this script.
It was all about acting skills.
“I needed actors with good acting skills worthy of a prize at the Mise en Scène Short Film Festival.”
It goes without saying that the most important thing in a movie is the actor’s skill.
But is it easy to find actors who can deliver good performances in indie films?
This situation was nothing short of a blessing for Lee Seong-deok.
“I certainly found them, so why are they running away?”
Zing!
More than five cameras captured the hero’s face from different angles.
Originally, there would have been only one, but thanks to the investment from Veritas, they were able to shoot the film from various angles.
A miracle where investment and actors were solved at once.
Immersed in this divine experience, Lee Seong-deok grew more engrossed in the filming.
The [Hero] script itself had no complicated or challenging parts.
There wasn’t a single confusing part.
It was just a matter of continuously throwing questions at the audience.
Can we really say that the struggle to eradicate evil is a bad thing?
Since the process was intense just to do good, can’t we see the ending as good too?
After all, a hero is merely a being that acts in the name of justice.
Can you really call someone evil when you see a hero?
Constantly posing that question was the essence of being a hero.
Swordsmanship was learned to protect the weak,
And the act of killing a loan shark was also to protect the family.
And the director’s ongoing questions reached their peak when the hero ultimately confronts the police.
Gulp.
It was a scene that hadn’t even been shot yet,
but the thought of shooting it already made Lee Seong-deok feel dry in the throat.
Could I truly capture Kim Donghu perfectly? That was the question.
From assignments to graduation projects, I was proud to say I had shot quite a few films.
“But still, I can’t guarantee that I can perfectly portray Donghu…”
Lee Seong-deok burned with passion in a realm of talent that felt too distant.
I will ensure that the name of actor Kim Donghu isn’t wasted,
And capture every moment perfectly in the movie.
“I’m aiming for an award at the Mise-en-scène Film Festival!”
Not just on TV, but Kim Donghu’s name will spread widely on screen as well.
++++++
Amid the excitement of everyone over the success of “Hydream,”
There was a man who furrowed his brow watching Kim Donghu’s performance.
“…Hmm, is this really all we can use Donghu for?”
It was none other than Director Kang Sang-hun of the film “Endless Frontline.”
Despite having such perfect material, all they did was zoom in on his face and focus on it.
Doesn’t he realize that Kim Donghu’s true talent lies in his acting skills, proportional to his face!
“This is why dramas… tsk tsk…”
The filming of Endless Frontline was proceeding smoothly.
No, to be precise, the actors’ performances had risen to a ferocious level.
“It must be because of Donghu.”
He showed such acting at a young age.
It wasn’t something senior actors could just stand by and watch.
In order to show that their experience wasn’t just for show,
The cast of Endless Frontline was putting their hearts into every moment.
And about two weeks later.
“I’m going to be the first director to truly showcase the brilliance of actor Kim Donghu!”
The climax scene of the Student Soldier was scheduled to be shot.