Chapter 6

First Contract (1)

The memorial park where his mother was laid to rest was located on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province. Dojun arrived at the memorial park after an hour on the subway and thirty minutes on a village bus, starting early in the morning.

A building stood alone in the wide open space, flanked by dense forests on both sides. Passing through the empty parking lot, Dojun entered the indoor columbarium.

The spot where Dojun had placed his mother was in a corner on the top floor. It was so high up that her photo was barely visible. To see his mother’s photo, he had to crane his neck.

'I should have chosen a better spot...'

Dojun regretted it. However, after using the insurance money to pay off the hospital bills, there wasn’t much left in his pocket, making it an inevitable choice.

While not as significant as a grave site, the location for placing the urn also had its prime spots, each with a different price.

'Mother...'

It had been half a year since Dojun last visited his mother.

After the meeting with President Baek, his already slim chances of becoming an actor plummeted, making it impossible for him to face his mother.

For a moment, he felt resentful that his mother had told him to find his father. But ultimately, he felt sorry for his mother, who had struggled to raise him at a young age.

'Mother must have never imagined that President Baek would treat his own blood like that...'

Dojun later remembered the incident when the police officer who received the call about the disturbance in front of the building acted suspiciously.

The officer had fiddled with Dojun’s hair, claiming something was stuck in it, as Dojun was about to leave.

At the time, Dojun was so embarrassed by his situation and didn’t think President Baek would have influence over the local police, so he dismissed it.

'This is the face of someone who is sure I am his biological child and has trampled on my life.'

Dojun took out the letter from his mother that he had brought in his bag.

'I love you. My most beautiful son.'

Standing there with a stern expression, Dojun finally smiled as he read the letter one last time.

Now, he finally had a face that matched the content of his mother’s letter, calling him her 'most beautiful son.'

"Mom, this is the real handsome face."

Dojun refolded the letter and put it back in the envelope. He then called a staff member to place the letter and the flowers he had bought on his way there at his mother’s spot.

Dojun didn’t plan to retrieve the letter anytime soon.

"Ah, Mr. Kang Young-soon’s son?"

The staff member recognized Dojun’s face.

Not only because they had seen him just the other day, but also because he was a handsome man who was hard to forget.

"Yes... Can you place these here?"

The staff member brought a ladder and opened the door, placing the letter and flowers neatly next to Dojun’s mother’s photo.

"Mom, I’ll come back to pick up the letter. Soon."

Swallowing his sorrow and bitterness, Dojun quickly moved on. Now, the only thing left in his bag, which had contained the letter and flowers, was the script from Director Park Chan-jong.

***

'Jong Film.'

Dojun arrived at the film production company, which Director Park Chan-jong had established ten years ago, at 2:50 PM, exactly ten minutes before the scheduled time.

'Right on time.'

When Dojun pressed the doorbell, a staff member asked who it was over the intercom.

"I’m Kang Dojun, here for the contract today."

The door opened immediately.

Since this was his second visit, Dojun stepped in without hesitation, despite the unpleasant memories from his previous visit.

A female staff member sitting at the end of the room greeted Dojun.

"Are you here to see Manager Lee? This way, please."

The staff member was dressed casually in a thin checkered shirt and jeans, the same outfit she had worn during his previous visit.

At the time, it didn’t seem particularly special. She had guided Dojun to a seat, asked if he wanted anything to drink, and returned to her desk after he declined.

"Could it be that you’re playing the professor’s son...?"

As they walked to the manager’s office, the staff member suddenly spoke.

Dojun decided not to be surprised when new people or acquaintances spoke to him, whether out of unwarranted kindness or interest.

After all, his current face was one that people wanted to talk to, even if they had no particular reason.

"Yes."

Before the regression, the role he had passed for was a 'gang member,' but here, he had passed for the 'professor’s son.' The difference in the roles was significant, and so was the difference in their importance.

The staff member’s face lit up at Dojun’s answer.

"Wow, the director was really struggling, but he finally made a decision!"

"Really?"

"Yes. He was really struggling because there were no new actors with the exact image he wanted. But now..."

The staff member turned to Dojun as she opened the door to the manager’s office.

His fair skin and prominent features were a face that one couldn’t help but look at, and it didn’t seem like it would get old.

"You really look like you jumped out of the script."

"If that’s the case, I’m relieved. Thank you."

"You don’t need to thank me. Hehe. Please wait a moment. Manager Lee will be here soon. What would you like to drink?"

Following the staff member’s guidance, Dojun sat on the sofa in the center of the manager’s office.

"Could I have a glass of water, please?"

"It’s getting hot outside, isn’t it? Summer is almost here. I’ll bring it right away!"

Dojun smiled gently as the staff member left with a bright face.

A moment later, Lee Sung-ryeol, the casting manager of 'Jong Film,' entered with the staff member holding a glass of water. Dojun stood up and thanked the staff member.

"Ah, Mr. Kang Dojun. You’re here already."

The same greeting as last time.

Of course, last time, it was followed by, "Actually, I was about to call and tell you that you didn’t need to come today," which shocked Dojun. This time, it was different.

Manager Lee Sung-ryeol’s expression was bright as he greeted Dojun.

"Unfortunately, your mother passed away."

Manager Lee extended his hand with a serious expression. Dojun shook it and replied.

"Thank you for your concern. I apologize for the inconvenience caused by personal matters."

"Not at all, not at all. It’s not just any matter... Please, have a seat. Let’s talk while sitting."

As Dojun sat down, Manager Lee took out a file from his desk and sat opposite him.

"Today, with Dojun’s contract, the main cast will be complete. Now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and get to work."

"Thank you for this opportunity."

"No, no. We should be the ones thanking you. Director Park has been trying so hard to find an actor who fits his vision. It’s his comeback after five years, so he’s putting a lot of effort into it, but we understand that..."

It seemed that the casting process had been quite challenging, as Manager Lee began to vent.

Director Park Chan-jong was a renowned director, both domestically and internationally, having won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival ten years ago.

He was one of the top three directors in Korea and was highly respected in the film industry for his excellent character.

The film Dojun was about to sign for was, as Manager Lee said, Director Park’s comeback after five years.

For some unknown reason, despite his previous work, which was highly praised by many experts for its experimental spirit, Director Park had entered a long hiatus.

"The casting process was quite difficult."

When Dojun responded, Manager Lee seemed to be eager to vent his frustrations.

"Indeed. It wasn’t just difficult; it was the most important role, even though it wasn’t the lead. The role of the professor’s son."

"Yes... I see."

While reading the script, Dojun had thought the same, and now it was confirmed by Manager Lee.

'The most important supporting role.'

Even the role of a gang member would have been a blessing for Dojun, but the role of the professor’s son was on a different level. The professor’s son held the key to the beginning and end of the film.

'Because the first scene is the professor’s son’s death.'

Dojun recalled the first scene of the script he had read repeatedly on the subway and bus on his way to the production company. Each time he read it, he felt a shiver.

He knew the visual beauty of Director Park Chan-jong’s films, which made it even more impactful.

The film starts with the death of the professor’s son and then goes back in time to reveal why the butcher had to kill the professor’s son and the true identity of the professor.

The professor’s son appears frequently in scenes with the professor, and since the audience already knows his fate from the first scene, they can’t help but feel a deep sense of empathy for the character.

"So, we needed someone who not only fit our image but could also play a key role in the plot. It was really hard to find someone who could do both... That’s why Dojun, you’re really lucky."

"Really?"

"Maybe it’s because they’re new. If they have the right face, their acting isn’t good. If their acting is good, their face isn’t... This happened a lot."

Dojun was lucky because he had both the right face and acting skills.

Manager Lee’s honest praise, comparing him openly to other newcomers, made Dojun smile awkwardly and change the subject.

"By the way, why did you specifically want a new actor?"

"The professor and his son have a mysterious aura. One of the professor’s biggest secrets is his son."

"It’s quite a twist."

"That’s why we wanted an actor who had no previous 'image'... someone who had never been publicly revealed to the audience."

"I see. It was a stroke of luck for me."

"We’re also very fortunate to have found you. Here’s the contract. Please read it. It’s nothing complicated."

Dojun looked down at the contract that Manager Lee Sung-ryeol was extending to him, his heart pounding.

This was the contract for his debut work. To debut in a film by Director Park Chan-jong was hard to believe.

It was clear that this work would completely change his acting career.

"The pay will be as discussed over the phone..."

"Yes."

Although Dojun didn’t know the details of the phone discussion, he answered immediately. Money wasn’t the most important thing right now. When he finally looked at the contract, the amount offered to a new actor seemed appropriate.

"We can’t pay much, but since you don’t have an agency, there’s no need to split it, so it’s a bit better, right?"

"Ah, well... hahaha."

Dojun laughed awkwardly in response. As Manager Lee stood up to get a pen for the signature, the desk phone rang. It was an internal call. Manager Lee habitually pressed the speaker button to answer.

"Yes, what is it, Director?"

—Manager Lee, you said you hadn’t signed the contract with the actor for the professor’s son role, right?

"Yes, but..."

—There’s a problem with that...

"Yes?"

Dojun, the party to the contract, was listening to the conversation. Manager Lee and Dojun’s eyes met in the air, both startled.

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