Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Han Taesung's words were much firmer than expected, and Choi Moonho's eyes wavered for a moment.

But Choi Moonho also seemed unwilling to back down this time, so he quickly continued.

“CEO, I'm telling you, we're in a last-resort situation right now! If we only postpone filming until after October, we can get the full investment again. Besides, what if we start looking for a rookie actor now and still can't find anyone we like? What are we supposed to do then?! Why are you choosing the difficult path when there's an easy one right in front of us?”

As soon as Choi Moonho finished speaking, I quickly responded.

“But PD Choi··· October may sound fine, but the background of our movie is summer. That means we would have to start filming by next spring at the latest. No, even if we make every concession and start filming in October, what are we going to do about the other staff until then? You know that almost all the other work, except casting, is already nearly finished. Besides, the filming team and art team said they have to start their next projects immediately after finishing our movie. If we postpone things like that, both their schedules and ours will get completely tangled.”

As I calmly laid out the facts, Choi Moonho frowned deeply in irritation.

“Hey, whether it's the directing team or the production team, we can just disband for now and gather everyone again later. The filming team? The art team? Are those the only filming and art teams in Korea? We can hire other teams that are available at that time! Gibeak, if you have a brain, please use it to think. We can't make this movie without an actor. Don't you know the difference between shit and soybean paste?!”

“What if there is another actor?”

At the words “another actor,” CEO Han Taesung's eyes immediately lit up.

“There is another actor? Who is it?”

Unlike the hopeful Han Taesung, Choi Moonho frowned as though that was impossible.

“That's ridiculous. An actor? Do you think I didn't look harder than you did?!”

“Wait, PD Choi. Even if we have nothing to lose, let's at least hear what this young man has to say.”

“There is no point in hearing it. You know it too, CEO. We already checked all the actors at the level of Park Jeongho and Lee Gyeonghun. They all rejected us. The only one we barely managed to persuade was Na Yoseop!”

“PD Choi.”

Han Taesung's gaze toward Choi Moonho became stern.

Only then did Choi Moonho realize that he had gotten too emotional and lowered his eyes slightly.

“Ah, I'm sorry.”

Han Taesung turned his gaze toward me.

“Then, who is the actor you mentioned?”

“Actor Min Seongjae.”

At the unexpected name, Han Taesung and Choi Moonho exchanged confused looks.

“I think you said Min Seongjae··· Did I hear that wrong?”

I had expected a reaction to some extent, but the shock seemed greater than I had anticipated.

The fact that CEO Han Taesung was even questioning his own hearing proved it.

“No. You heard correctly. I said Actor Min Seongjae.”

Choi Moonho seemed so dumbfounded that he couldn't even find the right words.

He only snorted repeatedly before once again raising his voice in anger.

“Ha, are you out of your mind? Min Seongjae? Don't you know what kind of situation Actor Min is in right now?!”

“No. I know very well. Last year, the fact that he had a hidden daughter was revealed, and he came under heavy criticism from the public. Since then, he's been staying away from the public and reflecting on his actions.”

“Ha, and knowing all that, you're still bringing up Min Seongjae?!”

As Choi Moonho's voice grew louder, Han Taesung gave him a look telling him to stop.

“Of course, I also think Min Seongjae will return as an actor someday. Among actors in his age group, it's hard to find anyone as passionate about acting and as talented as Min Seongjae. But right now··· the public's attitude toward Actor Min is still cold. And you're saying he should be the protagonist of our movie···.”

I tried to remain as calm as possible before opening my mouth.

“What if I have a way to change the public's cold attitude toward Actor Min Seongjae?”

At my words that there was a way to change the public's opinion, Han Taesung and Choi Moonho exchanged glances again.

“You can··· change public opinion?”

“Yes. That's right.”

Choi Moonho asked in a still-mocking tone.

“Fine. Let's say you really have such a method. What is it? I think we should hear that first.”

“I'm sorry, but I can only tell CEO Han Taesung.”

In an instant, even the mocking smile disappeared from Choi Moonho's face.

“Are you saying I don't need to know?”

“That's not what I mean. It's just that to explain the method, I have to reveal some of Actor Min Seongjae's personal history.”

My eyes remained completely steady.

Han Taesung seemed to make up his mind and spoke.

“PD Choi, could you leave us for a moment?”

“C-CEO!”

“I'm sorry. Since he says it concerns Min Seongjae's personal history, I'll hear him out first and then make a decision.”

Faced with Han Taesung's firm attitude, Choi Moonho had no choice but to stand up.

But his eyes were still sharp as he looked at me.

After Choi Moonho left the CEO's office, Han Taesung asked me again.

“Is this enough?”

“Yes··· Thank you.”

“There's no need to thank me. I'm only listening to what you have to say. Anyway, I'm more worried about you than myself. You unintentionally made PD Choi your enemy.”

‘Unintentionally? No. Choi Moonho was my enemy from the very beginning.’

I simply made an expression as though I had no idea what he meant.

“If PD Choi thinks of me as an enemy, that's unfortunate.”

“Unfortunate? How amusing. You summed up this situation with the word ‘unfortunate.’ Hahaha.”

Han Taesung laughed for a while before his expression became serious again.

“Now, tell me. What is this method you have for changing the public's opinion of Min Seongjae?”

“The truth is··· Actor Min Seongjae's daughter isn't his biological daughter.”

“What?”

Han Taesung looked at me with an utterly bewildered expression.

But his shock wasn't really because Min Seongjae's daughter wasn't his biological daughter.

Rather, he was more stunned that I had casually summed up such an important matter in one sentence without any explanation.

“Is that··· all? Don't you have anything else to add?”

“Ah, Actor Min Seongjae's daughter isn't his biological daughter. She's the daughter of his late older brother, meaning she's his niece. At the time, his older brother's girlfriend was pregnant. Before they could get married, his older brother died in a traffic accident. His brother's girlfriend didn't have the confidence to raise the child alone, so she practically abandoned the child and left her with Actor Min. That's why Min Seongjae adopted his niece as his own daughter.”

“Adopted her?”

“Yes. But because his niece grew up believing that he was her father, he has been hiding the truth because he is afraid she will be hurt if she learns that he isn't her father but her uncle.”

After hearing my explanation, Han Taesung let out a short, sorrowful sigh.

“Ha··· Seongjae really is something··· He's far too stubborn and old-fashioned for his own good. And yet, he even gave up the acting career he'd spent his entire life building just to protect his niece···.”

“If the truth is revealed, Actor Min's image will change. Instead of being seen as a cruel father who hid his daughter for the sake of his own success, he'll be seen as a man who sacrificed himself for his family.”

“If that happens, his popularity might become even greater than before. But how did you find out about this?”

I had expected him to ask this question.

“I'm a very distant relative.”

“Relative?”

“Yes. That's why I happened to overhear some of the elders in my family talking about it secretly.”

“Ah··· I see···.”

My claim that I was a distant relative of Min Seongjae wasn't exactly a lie.

Even though he was a relative so distant that he was practically a stranger, a relative was still a relative.

To be exact, Min Seongjae was something like the son of the daughter of the son of my great-grandfather's older brother.

In truth, he was practically a stranger.

But whenever Min Seongjae appeared on TV, my mother used to proudly emphasize that we were connected by blood.

And now, I had finally found a way to use that blood relationship···.

“Anyway, you're saying you plan to leak this fact to the media and turn public opinion around. But I'm uncomfortable with the idea of secretly leaking something the person involved wants to keep hidden···.”

“Of course, we can't do that.”

Han Taesung tilted his head.

“Then what do you plan to do?”

“First, we'll cast Actor Min in this movie. After that, Manager Baek and I will try to persuade him.”

“What if Actor Min doesn't want to reveal that the child isn't his biological daughter until the very end?”

“Then we'll have to go with Plan B.”

“Plan B? What's that?”

“I can't tell you that right now.”

Han Taesung spoke as though he felt slightly hurt.

“Weren't we on the same boat?”

“That statement··· means you're willing to··· Actor Min···.”

I swallowed unconsciously.

“Fine. Let's give it a try.”

‘Yes!’

I celebrated inwardly.

“Now, tell me. What is Plan B?”

“The truth is··· Plan B is a card that I don't really want to use either···.”

Han Taesung tilted his head again.

Then he nodded as if he understood.

“Anyway, I understand. I'll persuade Director Park Junbeom. No, perhaps Director Park Junbeom will be the happiest of all.”

Han Taesung explained that Director Park Junbeom had actually written the screenplay with Min Seongjae in mind from the very beginning, three years ago.

But the incident had happened at the beginning of last year, so Park Jeongho, who had an image similar to Min Seongjae's, had been cast instead.

“Then what about PD Choi···?”

“What can PD Choi do? If the director and I want it, he'll have no choice but to follow.”

“Ah, and I'd also like you not to tell PD Choi, the director, or anyone else that Actor Min's daughter isn't his biological daughter yet.”

“Of course. I wasn't planning to tell them until Manager Baek persuades Actor Min.”

“Thank you.”

“It's too early to thank me. If things go according to your plan, I might actually be the one who should thank you. Well then, is the only thing left to do to persuade Actor Min? Hahaha.”

“Ha, what the hell is Min Gibeak doing?! It's not enough that everything was finally going smoothly, and now he's throwing ashes all over it. Min Seongjae? Why the hell is Min Seongjae suddenly coming up?!”

Choi Moonho paced around the rooftop garden alone while smoking a cigarette.

Unable to contain his anger, he repeatedly grumbled to himself.

‘Come to think of it, Min Seongjae really isn't going to get cast, is he? No way··· Surely not···. What kind of person is CEO Han? There's no way he'll be easily swayed by the words of some inexperienced kid···.’

That was what he told himself.

But strangely, his heart wouldn't calm down.

And there was a reason for that.

Choi Moonho had already received quite a lot from Na Yoseop in exchange for persuading Director Park Junbeom and CEO Han Taesung to postpone filming until October and wait for him.

If this deal failed now, Choi Moonho would be in an extremely difficult position.

‘But that young bastard Min Gibeak···.’