Chapter 48

"Ha ha, Director Li, it's like this, I have something to talk to you about. Can we meet and talk in person?" Su Zhixie said.

"Sure, where? I'll come to you." Li Zhong hadn't eaten enough, and it was just right to have someone bring food. Li Zhong was naturally willing.

"There's a bar called Lan Yun on the edge of Cheongdam-dong. Come there, I'll wait for you there." Su Zhixie mentioned a place Li Zhong had never been to.

Li Zhong started his car and drove out slowly. At this moment, Yoon Ah, Hyun, and Yoo Ri were just coming down the stairs. In an instant, Yoon Ah saw Li Zhong in the car, and the car was so familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before. Yoon Ah didn't figure it out, but she didn't mention it to the other two. The three of them quickly walked towards the supermarket.

Li Zhong followed the address given by Su Zhixie and found that the bar was a quiet one. Upon entering, the warm yellow lighting and Ryuichi Sakamoto's piano music made it feel very cozy. As soon as Li Zhong walked in, a waiter approached him and asked, "Are you Mr. Li Zhong?"

"Yes, I'm Li Zhong," Li Zhong replied.

"Please follow me, Mr. Su is waiting for you." The waiter led Li Zhong to a small private room.

Inside the room were two people, one being Su Zhixie, and the other was someone Li Zhong knew, but not very well—Jang Hyuk.

Seeing Li Zhong arrive, Su Zhixie stood up. "Director Li Zhong, hello, welcome. This is Jang Hyuk, you two should get to know each other." Su Zhixie also introduced Jang Hyuk.

"Ha ha, Su Zhixie, sit down, Jang Hyuk-ssi is here too!" Li Zhong sat opposite Su Zhixie.

"Director Li Zhong, you two know each other?" Su Zhixie looked at Jang Hyuk.

"Yes, Li Zhong is a relative of Kim Jong-kook. I and Kim Jong-kook, Cha Tae-hyun are dragon brothers, so I also know Li Zhong." Jang Hyuk smiled. In fact, he only knew Li Zhong and wasn't very familiar with him. He had only seen Li Zhong at Kim Jong-kook's celebration party, and the impression Jang Hyuk had of Li Zhong was that he was talented and could drink.

"Right, I saw you at Jong-kook-ssi's celebration party. By the way, Su Zhixie, what did you want to talk to me about?" Li Zhong noticed that Su Zhixie and Jang Hyuk were dressed casually and were already drinking, which didn't seem like they were specifically looking for Li Zhong to discuss something.

"Oh, it's like this. I was chatting with Jang Hyuk-ssi earlier, and I mentioned the movie I auditioned for before. Jang Hyuk-ssi said that Director Kim Ki-duk is going to shoot a new movie and is currently looking for actors. Later, he called a friend and found out that it was actually Director Jang Hoon who was shooting the movie. Director Jang Hoon was also present at my audition, but I only have your contact information, so I wanted to ask for your help. Can you ask Director Jang Hoon if the lead role has been chosen yet? Do I have a chance?" Su Zhixie explained the reason for finding Li Zhong.

Li Zhong looked at Su Zhixie from head to toe and then from toe to head. "Su Zhixie, stand up and turn around." Su Zhixie was wearing a blue high-necked sweater that perfectly accentuated his slender figure.

"Su Zhixie, I want to ask you, are you prepared to make sacrifices?" Li Zhong asked.

"Sacrifices? What do you mean?" Su Zhixie didn't understand what Li Zhong meant.

"Director Jang Hoon is shooting a modern kung fu movie with fight scenes and some nudity. You need to be mentally prepared." Li Zhong thought Su Zhixie's conditions were very good, and he had the potential to play the lead role.

"That's no problem, but can you decide on the cast, Director Li Zhong?" Su Zhixie was surprised by Li Zhong's response.

"More or less. I'm the assistant director of this film. Tomorrow, you can go to Director Jang Hoon for a screen test. It should be fine." Li Zhong explained.

"Ah, thank you very much, Director Li Zhong. What would you like to drink today? I'll treat you." Su Zhixie didn't expect Li Zhong to be the assistant director and have this authority.

"Um... Can I order something to eat first? I didn't eat much tonight..." Li Zhong said awkwardly.

The image of the authoritative director in both their minds instantly collapsed...

Li Zhong ordered a light meal. Fortunately, it was a quiet bar, and they had everything. Later, Su Zhixie finally understood why Jang Hyuk said that Li Zhong left the impression of being talented and a heavy drinker. Li Zhong really could drink. After getting both of them drunk, Li Zhong still acted as if nothing had happened and even sent them home...

After returning home, Li Zhong called Jang Hoon and told him about Su Zhixie. When Su Zhixie auditioned, Jang Hoon was also present and was very satisfied. If it weren't for the role of Chi Young-min being too challenging, Su Zhixie would have gotten it. "What role do you think he should play? A celebrity or a gangster boss?" Jang Hoon asked.

"That depends on whether you have any other actors in mind. If you have a good actor, let him play the action star. If you don't have a good actor, let him play the gangster boss. His acting skills are not bad, and he can handle it. But he needs to train, especially in martial arts like Taekwondo, to make the fights look good." Li Zhong, being both the assistant director and the action director, felt he should remind Jang Hoon.

"Of course, but my budget is limited. If I hire him, there won't be much money left for the other lead, considering his high price..." Jang Hoon was worried about the budget.

"There's 20 billion won, which should be enough. For the female roles, you can find some unknown actors. If that doesn't work, I can find some guest appearances... As for his salary, it shouldn't be too high... The box office of the movies he's been in hasn't been great." Li Zhong calculated and thought it should be fine.

"Alright, if there are no issues tomorrow, we'll go with him. We'll decide the specific role after we find the other lead..." Jang Hoon was a straightforward person, so they basically agreed.

The next day, Su Zhixie arrived early at Kim Ki-duk's studio, where Jang Hoon was. "Su Zhixie, you're here. Take a look at the script first. Li Zhong will be here soon, and then you can act out a scene." The receptionist on the first floor had already informed Jang Hoon of Su Zhixie's arrival.

Su Zhixie took the script. The movie was titled "Film Is Film." Su Zhixie opened it and quietly read, soon becoming engrossed in the plot, not even noticing Li Zhong's arrival.

"How long has he been here?" Li Zhong asked.

"About half an hour. He should be almost done with the script." Jang Hoon had been busy until Li Zhong arrived, then he took a brief rest.

"Um, what are you working on?" Li Zhong glanced at the documents Jang Hoon had been busy with.

"Yes, I'm working on the budget. Although the producer is my master, most of the work is done by me. He just checks it and gives the final approval. He wants me to be independent, as I've been with him for ten years and should start my own career." Jang Hoon sighed. Originally, Jang Hoon didn't have these thoughts, but after Li Zhong started shooting movies, Jang Hoon had more and more reflections. Compared to Li Zhong, Jang Hoon felt he had wasted the past ten years...

"That's true, but why is the travel and transportation budget so high? Are you planning to shoot on location?" Li Zhong was puzzled. Isn't it a modern drama? Can't it be shot in Seoul? Shooting on location would really be expensive.

"Yes, I added some scenes at the end of the film that require shooting on location..." Jang Hoon was also frustrated. No matter how he calculated, the budget was always short!

While Li Zhong and Jang Hoon were discussing the budget, Su Zhixie finally finished reading the script. He really liked the movie, especially the role of the gangster boss, which he felt was designed for him. "Ah, Director Li Zhong, you're here." Su Zhixie looked up and saw Li Zhong.