20demayo Chapter 392: Hwaranjeon Script Reading (3)
Chapter 392: Hwaranjeon Script Reading (3)
Chapter 392: Hwaranjeon Script Reading (3)
During the script reading for Hwaranjeon, rookie actress Min Gyu-Ri stormed out of the room after Oh Bok-Hee scolded her.
Oh Bok-Hee immediately called for Min Gyu-Ri's talent agent, Jang Sam-Duk from TNT Entertainment, who entered in a panic.
Jang Sam-Duk pleaded with Oh Bok-Hee. "M-Mrs. Oh, she's just a rookie and who doesn't know any better..."
Oh Bok-Hee fumed and raised her voice. "No matter how new they are, shouldn't rookies be taught the basics before coming here?"
"I-I'm sorry. I think she was just really startled. So please, I'm begging you..."
"That's enough. If you don't want her role cut right now, get your company's president in here."
"Mrs. Oh, please! Just give us one more chance..."
Oh Bok-Hee's eyes flashed as she raised her voice. "Did you not hear me? Shall I just cut her role right now?"
"N-no, I'll call the president right away."
Although Min Gyu-Ri was the one at fault, only her talent agent from TNT Entertainment was taking the heat.
In the end, the script reading session was cut short.
Trying to calm herself, Oh Bok-Hee addressed everyone. "I would appreciate it if everyone kept today's events to themselves. If rumors spread, it will hurt all of us. You know what I mean, right?"
Oh Bok-Hee looked around, making it clear that any broadcasting issues should stay internal. The actors nodded and they agreed to reconvene for another script reading in three days.
"The show will begin filming at the Gyeongju set next week, so please coordinate your schedules to avoid any conflicts."
Actors and staff nodded at Oh Bok-Hee's instructions.
Just then, Jang Sam-Duk informed Oh Bok-Hee that their company president had arrived and that they would bring Min Gyu-Ri to Oh Bok-Hee's office right away.
"Alright. Tell them to come up immediately."
"Yes, ma'am."
As Oh Bok-Hee stood up, she looked at me. "And Mr. Jung, could you meet with me in ten minutes? There's something I would like to discuss with you."
I wasn't sure what it was about, but I agreed.
Oh Bok-Hee and Ryu Han-Joon left with Han Woo-Ju, discussing matters with serious expressions.
Meanwhile, the remaining actors stood and exchanged baffled looks over the strange experience.
"Min Gyu-Ri...she's something else, huh..."
"They say it was the pressure, but how will she handle acting with that attitude?"
"Who knows? Either way, we should all keep quiet around reporters. We shouldn't ignore PD Oh's request."
Everyone shook their heads and quickly left, offering little more than hurried farewells, as most were busy, in-demand actors
Just then, Oh Tae-Hyuk, the 180-cm-tall future "acting idol" approached us. He hesitated and fidgeted nervously with his fingers without saying a word.
Yoo-Jin smiled with her eyes and tilted her head in curiosity. "Is something wrong, Mr. Tae-Hyuk?"
Oh Tae-Hyuk quickly got into a 90-degree angle classic idol bow. "Thank you for helping me earlier, sunbae-nim."
Caught off guard by the idol-style bow, Yoo-Jin hurriedly waved her hands. "Oh, it's nothing! I make so many mistakes in acting myself, so don't worry! From what I saw, you're doing great. Keep it up."
That was a lie. Except for her first day when she almost made a mistake in front of Lee Ji-Yeon, Yoo-Jin had hardly slipped up.
Nonetheless, Yoo-Jin was telling a kind lie to encourage Oh Tae-Hyuk.
She continued, "Don't rush yourself and lean on the people around you. If there's anything you need help with, just ask me."
Oh Tae-Hyuk's face lit up. "Really?"
"Of course."
Yoo-Jin was only a second-year actress, yet she had grown enough to support others around her. She wasn't just an actress focused solely on herself anymore but someone who could consider those around her.
I felt a small sense of pride.
After a brief conversation, Oh Tae-Hyuk spoke up with his face flushed with excitement. "And actually... I'm a huge fan of you and Miso."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'm a member of the You&Me fan club. My fan club ID is 'Cute and Lovely.'"
"Cute and Lovely?"
Oh Tae-Hyuk scratched his head awkwardly. "Well, it's a nickname my group members made up for me as a joke..."
The leader of Raven, the top up-and-coming boy group, was a fan of Yoo-Jin and Miso. It hit me just how much Yoo-Jin's popularity had grown.
At that moment, Miso standing behind me peeked out and looked up at Oh Tae-Hyuk. "Oppa, are you really a fan of my mom and me?"
Oh Tae-Hyuk nodded enthusiastically. "Y-yes, Miso."
Miso smiled and looked at me. "Uncle Yoon-Ho. Can I have my bag, please?"
I asked, "What do you need the bag for?"
"I have something I want to give this oppa."
"Alright."
I handed Miso her pink Powertuff Girls bag. Miso unzipped it and pulled out the collection of her favorite fluorescent Powertuff Girls stickers.
"This is a gift from me!" Miso exclaimed.
I wondered if he would really appreciate it, but Oh Tae-Hyuk looked completely moved.
Then, Oh Tae-Hyuk flipped the back of the sticker over with an excited expression. "Um, Miso, could you maybe sign it for me?"
"Sure!"
Delighted, Miso placed the sticker on the table and began signing it with a bright smile. "Jung~ Mi~ So~ Done!"
Oh Tae-Hyuk asked Yoo-Jin for her autograph as well. With a smile, Yoo-Jin signed next to Miso's.
That's when Yoo Kang-Seok noticed me and recognized who I was. "Mr. Jung from Hoop Entertainment...?"
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Yoo."
Standing at 180 cm in a high-end designer suit with a Peter Philip watch on his left wrist, Yoo Kang-Seok was well built for a thirty-eight-year-old and looked closer to his late twenties.
"Nice to meet you too. I've been meaning to meet you, Mr. Jung. This might not be the best time, but... could I see you tonight?"
"And what would we be discussing?"
"You'll find it worth your time."
Yoo Kang-Seok was a formidable figure who would temporarily secure the number one spot in the industry in two years thanks to aggressive acquisitions.
However, his success wouldn't last long as he would be burdened by the heavy debt incurred from his rapid expansion.
Hence, it wasn't hard to guess his intention: a recruitment offer.
Nonetheless, I had no interest whatsoever, especially with So Yi-Yung and Min Gyu-Ri at TNT.
"I'm sorry, but my schedule is packed. I'm afraid I can't promise anything."
"Still, please contact me whenever you can."
Yoo Kang-Seok gave a disappointed look before disappearing toward the elevator with the still-sulking Min Gyu-Ri and Jang Sam-Duk.
As soon as they left, Yoo-Jin and Miso came running up to me.
"Oppa, was that another scouting offer?"
"Uncle Yoon-Ho, are you going to work somewhere else?"
I handed Yoo Kang-Seok's business card to Yoo-Jin. "Where would I go? Here, you take this."
Ever since traveling back in time, I had been getting scouting offers so often that Yoo-Jin and Miso had a sense of what had just happened.
At that moment, Yoo-Jin took the business card from me and handed it to Miso. "Here you go, Miso!"
Miso took the card and suddenly looked around. "That spot will work."
"Huh?"
"Uncle Yoon-Ho, close your eyes! Quickly!"
I did as Miso asked though I kept my eyes slightly open out of curiosity.
Miso ran over to the fire extinguisher in the hallway and stuffed the business card under its base, making sure it was well hidden.
Miso smiled proudly as if she had just accomplished something big and returned to me with a bright voice. "Okay, Uncle Yoon-Ho. You can open your eyes now."
"What did you do?"
"It's a secret~"
I couldn't help but laugh upon seeing Miso's innocent smile.
'Don't worry, Miso. I'm not going anywhere.'
***
I entered Oh Bok-Hee's office, where Ryu Han-Joon and Han Woo-Ju were.
With a sigh, Oh Bok-Hee said, "We gave Min Gyu-Ri a stern scolding, so I don't think we'll expect any more trouble from her."
I answered, "We don't mind, but I'm sorry you had to go through the burden, Mrs. Oh. By the way, why did you want to meet with me?"
When I changed the topic, Oh Bok-Hee's expression lightened a bit as she explained. "Oh, I wanted to discuss the original soundtrack."
Currently, the main theme for Hwaranjeon was set to be 'Soulfire' by Kang Ha-Na and Kim Jong-Hoon.
The track alone had cost an impressive 25 million won, thanks to Oh Bok-Hee's wonderful negotiation skills.
"Is there a problem with 'Soulfire'?" I asked.
"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. It's just that there was a suggestion to release an album at the same time as the drama."
MBS planned to create an original soundtrack album with about twelve songs for Hwaranjeon.
"So I was wondering if we could ask Mr. Bang Seon-Woo, the composer of 'Soulfire', to produce about six tracks."
"Six tracks? Where would you source the remaining songs?" I asked.
"We're planning to ask Epil K from Ace Entertainment to handle the other half."
As friendly as I had gotten with Oh Bok-Hee, I needed to tread carefully here. After all, PDs held considerable authority when it came to production.
However, in this case, I couldn't let it slide.
"I'm sorry, but we have an issue with Epil K."
Of all people, they wanted to bring in Epil K who tried to plagiarize Bang Seon-Woo's music. I was planning to confront Epil K at some point, but I was waiting until I had solid proof.
Caught off guard by my rejection, Oh Bok-Hee looked puzzled. "Is there some problem with Epil K?"
"Yes, Mrs. Oh."
Oh Bok-Hee's face showed deep thought. "Hmm, then what do we do..."
Just then, an idea to maximize the original soundtrack album's profitability struck me. 'Hold on. This could be huge if done right.'
Looking at Oh Bok-Hee, I decided to make a counter-proposal. "What if we took on the entire album project ourselves?"
"Are you saying Hoop Entertainment would manage the whole album?"
"Yes. If you let us handle it, we won't charge any composition fees."
MBS' fees didn't mean anything to me since I had figured out a way to maximize the album's profitability.
"But why wouldn't you charge composition fees? Wouldn't it be a lot of work for your team to produce the album?"
Oh Bok-Hee tilted her head, clearly not understanding my reasoning.