Chapter 29

Master (1)

Sunday morning.

After waking up in the accommodation near the filming location of 'Detective Agency,' Kang Ujin immediately headed to C-Blue Studio. He had received a call from the 'Profiler Hanrang' production team, though in fact, a meeting had been scheduled for a few days. Originally, the meeting was supposed to be held earlier, but PD Song Manwoo had postponed it to accommodate Ujin's filming schedule.

In any case, after getting out of the 'Detective Agency' van, Ujin met PD Song Manwoo, writer Park Eunmi, and the production manager. The meeting started with PD Song Manwoo, who showed Ujin the finalized style concept for the character 'Park Daeri,' including the settings and locations.

"Mr. Ujin, this is the general costume concept for Park Daeri and the finalized concepts for various settings like his home. Please take a look."

Kang Ujin reviewed the appearance of the character 'Park Daeri' and the various settings that had been decided. Although it was previously just a rough idea, this time it was finalized, and Ujin maintained a calm expression.

'Wow, it's really detailed. They even show pictures of the locations and home. The costumes change every episode. Well, the basic design is similar, but they do a lot of research and preparation before starting the work.'

He was inwardly amazed. After about 10 minutes of discussing the storyboard, writer Park Eunmi took over and moved on to the script meeting.

"Here, this is the official script for Episodes 3 and 4. The other actors have already received theirs, but Mr. Ujin's was delayed due to the 'Detective Agency' filming. It might be tight, but please analyze it well."

A hint of worry appeared in Park Eunmi's eyes, as she seemed concerned about giving the script late. However, Kang Ujin had no problem with it. He could absorb everything by the end of the day.

So, with a bit of bravado:

"No problem."

"Really?"

"Yes, Writer."

Immediately, the worry in Park Eunmi's eyes turned into affection. Regardless, 'Profiler Hanrang' had already released the official script for up to Episode 4. Ujin didn't know, but the initial draft had progressed to beyond Episode 7. The cover and format of the scripts for Episodes 3 and 4, which were given to Ujin, were the same as those for Episode 1. Of course, a black square was attached to the side of each script.

At this point, PD Song Manwoo explained to Ujin:

"Park Daeri appears up to Episode 4 and then exits. However, there are a few flashback scenes in later episodes, around Episode 6."

A total of 6 episodes, which, at 3.5 million per episode, amounted to 21 million. Just the basic calculation, but including reruns and other factors, it was a considerable sum.

'Good, actors are great.'

Kang Ujin inwardly cheered. Then, for about an hour, Ujin had to listen to a verbal rehearsal of Episodes 3 and 4. It was somewhat interesting, as hearing the thoughts of the creators and director helped him compare with his own reading.

As soon as the script meeting ended, PD Song Manwoo smiled.

"Thanks to Mr. Ujin, the other actors seem to have woken up."

"Woken up? What do you mean by 'woken up'? It's not a fantasy."

Curious, Ujin asked in a low voice.

"During the script reading, the actors saw Mr. Ujin's performance and felt the pressure, worried that they might not be able to match Park Daeri."

Writer Park Eunmi added, still smiling.

"Did the 'Detective Agency' filming go well?"

"Yes, no problem."

"I'm looking forward to 'Detective Agency' too. How was the atmosphere on set? Was it manageable?"

It almost didn't go well. This was Ujin's honest feeling, but here, pretending it was fine was the right answer.

"It was manageable."

"Manageable? You seem to have good stamina, Mr. Ujin? That's good. Now, our 'Profiler Hanrang' first filming is coming up soon, so please take care of your condition. I'm sure you'll do well."

Is there even time to adjust my condition? Kang Ujin thought he just had to tough it out. The meeting ended in the afternoon. As soon as he stepped out of the building, Ujin muttered to himself.

"It's chaotic, but it feels doable."

At that moment:

-Vroom, vroom.

A long vibration came from the pocket of the fleece Ujin was wearing. It was a phone call. Checking the caller, it was the burly Kim Daeyoung. Looking around, Ujin answered the call.

"What."

"Hey! Kang Ujin! Come out now! Let's have a drink. The guys are all free."

"I refuse. You guys go ahead."

"…Are you still pretending to be busy? You haven't even changed jobs yet."

"Thanks for the concern, but shut up."

"What have you been up to lately? Why are you suddenly being so mysterious? Why won't you show your face?"

Ujin wanted to meet his friends, but honestly, he didn't have time for a drink right now. He was really busy.

"I'll tell you later, bye."

-Click.

As soon as he hung up, Ujin muttered to himself, remembering Kim Daeyoung and the others.

"Well, they'll all see me on TV soon enough."

It was better to reveal it gradually rather than lie when meeting them.

By this time, the van from the production company that was to take Ujin home had come out of the underground parking lot. There was no reason to refuse, as they were offering to take him home.

-Whoosh!

As soon as Ujin got in, the van started moving. With the production team present, Ujin returned to his concept. He had a blank expression. Then, he picked up the script for Episode 3 of 'Profiler Hanrang' from the 3 and 4 parts he had just received.

"Should I read Episode 3 before I get home?"

-Poke!

He was now used to piercing the black square, and soon Ujin entered the endless dark subspace. He then confirmed the floating white square.

"The script is indeed listed like this."

Episode 3 of 'Profiler Hanrang' was a small square below the original white square. It was the same as Episode 2. If it were 16 episodes, there would be 16 white squares, which would be hard to see. The size was smaller, but the operation was the same.

Kang Ujin moved his finger, having grasped the new method.

-[2/Script (Title: Profiler Hanrang Episode 3) selected.]

-[Characters available for reading (experience) are listed.]

And then:

["'E: Park Daeri' preparing for reading..."]

Ujin was sucked into the unfamiliar world of Park Daeri in Episode 3.

Later that day, around lunchtime, in Kang Ujin's studio apartment.

Ujin returned to his studio apartment after 1 PM. Fortunately, the 'Profiler Hanrang' team had driven him home, so he arrived comfortably. However, due to the five days of filming, the after-party yesterday, and the meeting this morning, Ujin was:

"Ugh-"

As soon as he got home, he collapsed onto the bed.

"..."

After lying still for three minutes, Ujin barely moved. Or rather, he rolled over. How long had it been since he found peace? Even the noise from the upstairs apartment felt cozy.

Should I just go to sleep like this?

While habitually reaching for his phone, Ujin rolled over again. At this moment, he saw the business cards.

"Oh."

These were the business cards he had received on the day of the script reading. Ah, right. They were still there. It had been about a week since he received them, so it was time to make a decision.

"Phew-"

But Ujin was too lazy to even get up. So, he stretched out his hand and picked up the stack of business cards while still lying down. There were a total of 9 cards, all from talent agencies, with one from a film company. Well, that's a different story.

"Agency- Checking the company is basic, but do I really need to meet all eight agencies?"

That seemed a bit excessive. It was a bit troublesome, and with the concept Ujin had adopted, it didn't seem right to go around meeting them all. Besides,

"When I met them on the script reading day, they seemed to know each other well. If I start meeting agencies, won't it become a rumor?"

He was right, even though he didn't realize it. In the entertainment industry, where rumors spread faster than light, especially in the agency sector, which is highly sensitive to trends, rumors spread even faster. If Ujin started going around, there was a good chance that negative rumors would spread.

"Moving around too lightly is out of the question."

At this point, Ujin paused at a familiar business card.

-bw Entertainment.

-Representative Choi Sunggeun.

The agency of top actress Hong Hyeon.

"Hmm-"

Ujin touched the business card and let out a hum. Many thoughts crossed his mind in a short moment. Honestly, Ujin knew nothing about the entertainment industry. Searching each agency wouldn't lead to a clear judgment.

'Just more worries.'

Therefore, he needed experience.

Later that same afternoon, at an advertisement filming set.

It was a cosmetics ad, and a desk was set up in the middle of the set, with various cosmetics laid out on it. Sitting at the desk was Hong Hyeon in a white dress. She applied a cosmetic to her cheek and smiled at the camera.

"Bestow nature to your skin."

At the same time, a fat man watching the monitor shouted into a megaphone.

"OK! Great expression, Hyeon! We'll just change the cosmetic and do it again!"

The ad team staff rushed to the desk where Hong Hyeon was sitting. The cosmetics were quickly replaced, and the stylists swiftly adjusted her makeup.

At this moment:

-Swoosh.

A familiar man with a pompadour hairstyle entered the set. It was Representative Choi Sunggeun. As soon as he saw him, Hong Hyeon, whose face was being handled by the stylists, opened her mouth.

"You're here?"

Representative Choi Sunggeun immediately gave her a thumbs up.

"You're killing it, Hyeon. Looking good today?"

"What's up? Why did you suddenly fly me here? What's the matter? Tell me quickly. What is it?"

"Haha, nothing, really. But, thinking about it, there is a small matter. Since you're done with 'Detective Agency,' how about being a chicken model?"

"No."

"Hey, at least hear the conditions."

"If I become a chicken model, I'll have to eat only that chicken. There are so many types of chicken. No thanks."

Representative Choi Sunggeun let out a long sigh.

"How much is it worth to turn it down based on your taste?"

At that moment:

-♬♪

Representative Choi Sunggeun's phone rang. It was a call from an unknown number. He gestured for Hong Hyeon to wait and answered the phone.

"Yes, this is Choi Sunggeun."

On the other end of the phone, a low male voice was heard.

"Hello, this is Kang Ujin."

Choi Sunggeun's eyes widened slightly, and he immediately mouthed to Hong Hyeon.

'Hey, it's Kang Ujin.'

Hong Hyeon jumped up.

'What are you doing! Speak quickly!'

Thanks to this, Representative Choi Sunggeun smiled and spoke.

"Ah, Mr. Ujin. I've been waiting for your call."

"I'm sorry. I was filming."

"I know, I know."

"I want to meet you regarding the contract."

Soon, Representative Choi Sunggeun clenched his fist.

"Of course, let's meet! It's a bit late now, but I'll come to your place tomorrow."

But Kang Ujin's voice on the other end of the phone was calm.

"No, I'll come to bw Entertainment."

16th.

The weekend had passed, and it was a busy Monday morning. Of course, bw Entertainment, located near Samsung Station, was no exception. The office wasn't very large, but about ten employees were busy with their respective tasks.

The interior of bw Entertainment was generally clean.

There was nothing particularly special. The office, meeting room, and representative's office. The only noticeable thing was that Hong Hyeon's photo posters were hung on the walls and various places.

The employees of bw Entertainment were whispering.

"Who is the man who just went into the representative's office? Do you know him?"

"Is he from some company?"

"He looked good for a company representative. He had a serious aura, almost like an actor."

"Huh? An actor? What's going on? I haven't heard anything from the representative. Is he a new talent?"

"Wow- Is he our second actor??"

"But, isn't it a bit much to sign an unknown actor at this time?"

The main character of their whispers was sitting at one of the four desks in the representative's office. It was the expressionless Kang Ujin. He was dressed casually in jeans and a hoodie. He was:

'I want that large poster.'

Looking directly at the large Hong Hyeon poster on the front wall. At this moment:

"Hahaha, Mr. Ujin, please have this."

The pompadour-haired Representative Choi Sunggeun placed a cup of coffee in front of Ujin, and Ujin, who had been looking at the poster, suddenly came to his senses.

"Thank you."

Representative Choi Sunggeun, maintaining his smile, sat across from Ujin and twirled his finger.

"It's a bit cramped, but it's quite large for a startup. Well, it's all thanks to Hong Hyeon. Hahaha."

Indeed, a top actress. Could one person maintain a whole company? Ujin recalled articles about entertainers buying buildings worth hundreds of millions and asked.

"But why only Hong Hyeon?"

"Of course. I've been focusing on Hong Hyeon, and I've been busy establishing the company. I've been visiting production companies and broadcasting stations, handing out business cards."

After answering, Representative Choi Sunggeun smiled and stood up. He then retrieved a transparent file from his desk and sat back down across from Ujin, buttoning his suit jacket and becoming serious.

"Mr. Ujin, have you met with other agencies?"

This is the first one. But he couldn't say that. Kang Ujin mixed in a bit of bravado with his answer.

"I've met with a few."

"It's been busy, hasn't it? But you need to focus. It's an important time."

The pompadour-haired Representative Choi Sunggeun pushed the transparent file slightly towards Ujin.

"This is the contract we are proposing to you. But before we get to the main point."

Representative Choi Sunggeun, with his hands together, met Ujin's calm eyes.

"I think it's best to address this first. The signing bonus. It will make the contract discussion smoother. You mentioned that other agencies offered 'unprecedented conditions.' I've prepared accordingly."

Faced with the sudden practical talk, Kang Ujin inwardly flinched but:

'Oh, this guy is throwing a fastball. Phew- Stay calm, Kang Ujin. You've experienced this before.'

He pretended to be calm and slowly nodded.

"Go ahead."

"Do you have any specific amount in mind?"

He did. Kang Ujin had a rough estimate of the signing bonus amount. The source was Director Shin Dongchun.

'I think 20 million won is a reasonable signing bonus.'

That is, 20 million won. But is this really right? Now that he was here, 20 million seemed like a huge amount to Ujin. Indeed, it was a large sum.

'Will I be turned away if I ask for 20 million?'

Or maybe the pompadour representative would get angry and throw his coffee in Ujin's face.

Like in morning dramas.

On the other hand, Representative Choi Sunggeun wasn't thinking about morning dramas. He was just doing calculations in his head.

'It's okay, he's different. He's already in two projects, one of which is 'Profiler Hanrang.' He's bound to skyrocket after that. Recovering the signing bonus will be no problem. The key is to secure him first.'

Representative Choi Sunggeun, who had been through the entertainment industry, would never do a losing deal.

Meanwhile, Kang Ujin made up his mind.

'Calmly. Just say 20 million won. Just say it. Go for it, just do it. What's the worst that could happen? Getting a bit of coffee on my face? I'll just say I washed my face.'

Just as Ujin was about to say the 20 million won he had in mind:

"Mr. Ujin."

The serious-looking Representative Choi Sunggeun blocked Ujin's 20 million. He took the initiative.

"30 million, how about that?"

Huh? Why? Surprised by the unexpected amount, Ujin's pupils briefly wavered, though his expression didn't change due to his adopted concept. However, he couldn't stop his mouth from opening in surprise.

"Th-Thirty..."

'Thirty million won?!!