Chapter 78

Finding a very suitable actor for the role of "Xia Chunhua," Park Ji-hoon was already quite satisfied and did not mind that no one else had passed the audition afterward.

The main roles were now almost complete. The lead role was also recommended by someone, but after the audition, he nodded directly. He did not resist using connections; otherwise, he wouldn't have personally chosen Krystal. The entire industry worked this way, but the prerequisite was that it must not hinder the production.

For the remaining roles, the limits could be relaxed a bit, and it was not impossible to arrange some newcomers with connections.

However, what he did not expect was that the next day, a piece of news suddenly emerged and spread quickly.

The message was long, and the general idea was that he took his first film as a director very seriously, and all actors had to go through strict auditions. He had rejected many artists with connections. However, there was one person who did not even show up for the audition and was reportedly chosen for a role before the public auditions were even announced! Moreover, this person was not an actor but a member of the idol group f(x), Krystal, a girl who had just entered high school!

The implications were clear.

Originally, Park Ji-hoon's "mysterious" creation of a script and its production by CJ Group, which he directed himself, had already been a hot topic. Now, with this sudden news, it naturally attracted a lot of attention.

The public and netizens were clearly more interested in entertainment gossip than in regular news.

Some people suspected that this might be another publicity stunt by Park Ji-hoon for the new movie, a consequence of not clarifying rumors earlier. Of course, such people were few, and even if they existed, it was simply out of dislike. After all, starting publicity before the movie was even officially in production was something even a fool wouldn't do. Korea was not Hollywood, where movie companies would hype a film for half a year or even a year.

"Is it a backroom deal?" In the bedroom, Krystal sat cross-legged on Park Ji-hoon's bed and muttered indifferently after hearing the news.

It was already two days later. Park Ji-hoon had worked almost all night in the office and only returned at around 4 in the morning, planning to sleep in. However, he was woken up by Krystal's call before 8.

This little one was filming an MBC TV drama, "Cutie Honey," and had also worked all night. After finishing work early in the morning, she realized she had forgotten her house key and didn't want to go to the company to find her mother, so she called him directly.

Park Ji-hoon had also asked her why she didn't go to the dormitory, to which she replied, "The dorm is too small, and I always sleep at home." Park Ji-hyun was at work, and Park Min-ah was meeting with a publisher, so it was just the two of them in the apartment.

As soon as Krystal finished speaking, a piece of mango jerky hit her forehead.

"Ah!" She caught it and glared at the culprit, but she was too tired and sleepy to muster much energy.

"Some things don't need to be said!" Park Ji-hoon said calmly. He had been forced to sit at the desk after she took over the bed.

"Hmph!" Krystal huffed and bit into the mango jerky as if it were him. Indeed, he had changed a lot in the past six months, becoming much more assertive and proactive, unlike his previous lazy and indifferent demeanor.

"Have your company issue a statement to clarify this," Park Ji-hoon said.

"Why?" Krystal asked, munching on the mango jerky. She had no sense of propriety, not even a bit of a girl's reserve!

"It's bad for your image!" Park Ji-hoon said.

"It's fine, a bit of publicity will boost my popularity," Krystal said. "Didn't you and Min-ah-ssi's rumors go unclarified at the time?"

"We didn't need to clarify that! We live together," Park Ji-hoon said. "Besides, we are siblings. No matter how much the rumors spread, it can be explained in one sentence, with no negative consequences for her. It's different for you! Also, don't always use 'you' to address me. It's fine before you debut, but now every word and action is watched, and it's easy to give people the wrong impression!"

"There's no one else here now, right?" Krystal replied nonchalantly. She knew the boundaries. Her sister's and others' experiences had deeply ingrained this in her.

"Don't avoid the main issue!" Park Ji-hoon said helplessly.

"Then how should I explain it?" Krystal asked.

"Just say you auditioned," Park Ji-hoon said.

"When did I audition?" Krystal blinked and asked.

"I said you auditioned, so you did!" Park Ji-hoon glared at her irritably.

"I'm curious too!" Krystal leaned forward, looking curious. "OPPA takes this movie very seriously, and all actors must audition, but only I am an exception. Are you not afraid of internal gossip? And, such special treatment is not good for your authority, right?" Beneath her curious expression, there was a hint of concern.

"It's fine, you can do it!" Park Ji-hoon smiled faintly. "Even if you can't, I will teach you until you can successfully portray the role!" His words carried a confidence he had never shown before.

Krystal was stunned.

This was the first time she had seen him like this! Radiant and ambitious, as if he had transformed into a different person.

"Work hard and don't disappoint me, okay?" Park Ji-hoon continued.

"Okay!" Krystal pouted in response, seemingly nonchalant but deeply etched in her heart.

"Also, the lead actress of this movie, Shin Eun-kyung, is a girl born in 1994. Try to interact with her more," Park Ji-hoon suddenly said.

"Why? Does OPPA have something in mind for her?" Krystal perked up, leaning forward and asking in a low voice.

"Smack!" Another piece of mango jerky flew, but she caught it and bit into it triumphantly.

"Very promising!" Park Ji-hoon said. "Her acting is the most powerful I've seen among female actors, except for Ha Ji-won!"

"What?" Krystal's chewing paused, her eyes wide with disbelief. Was he sure he was talking about someone born in 1994, not 1984 or 1974? Having been in the industry for ten years, he had seen countless female actors, and to give such high praise to a girl her age was simply unbelievable!

"You didn't hear wrong, Shin Eun-kyung, the same age as you," Park Ji-hoon said. He understood her surprise; he had been equally shocked when he saw Shin Eun-kyung's acting!

"Okay." Krystal finally responded vaguely, her mouth moving slowly, her eyes filled with curiosity. She also understood that he was suggesting she make some good friends. In the entertainment industry, competition was everywhere, and he was the only one who had ever said such a thing to her, aside from her manager for work-related reasons.

"Don't just eat. Call your manager now!" Park Ji-hoon yawned. He had only slept for less than four hours and was very sleepy.

Krystal obediently took out her phone, dialed her manager's number, and after talking to her manager, suddenly asked, "Why would Min-ah-ssi write such a script?" She had read the script and found it hard to connect with Park Min-ah, a 90s girl writing a story about 80s high school students, especially the scenes involving girl groups, fighting, and smoking, which seemed out of place coming from a genius student.

"Everyone has a hidden side," Park Ji-hoon said with a smile. "In this internet age, all kinds of knowledge are accessible, and many such things happen in high schools now. Not having experienced it doesn't mean you haven't seen it. Most importantly, she's a genius!"

"I still feel this story shouldn't be written by a model student like Min-ah-ssi," Krystal said, still feeling uneasy.

"She's not the kind of model student who always listens obediently," Park Ji-hoon said. He had watched Park Min-ah grow up, even though they were in different places, they still talked every day, and occasionally wrote letters, so he knew her well. Especially after high school, when the biggest burden was lifted, she seemed to shed a weathered skin, revealing a brilliant and dazzling light!

No matter how busy they were, the bits of free time they had over the past six months added up to a significant amount, but they never liked going out shopping. There was no entertainment at home, so they relied on chatting to pass the time, sometimes talking all night. As his mother said, in life, having someone to truly open up to and rely on makes things much easier. So, they never hid their thoughts from each other.

People outside described Park Min-ah as a "genius student" and a "model student," but how could they know that to her, these were just child's play! Her ambitions were vast and far-reaching! To put it in one sentence, it was a pity she wasn't a boy—not that she couldn't achieve great things as a girl, but it was hard to imagine what she could accomplish if she were a man!

"Ah?" Krystal blinked in surprise when she saw Park Ji-hoon suddenly lost in thought.

"What are you planning to do now?" Park Ji-hoon, coming back to his senses, changed the subject.

"Sleep!" Krystal yawned and smacked her lips. Her eyes were only half open, and she was struggling to stay awake while talking to Park Ji-hoon.

"Sleep here?" Park Ji-hoon's lips twitched.

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