Chapter 9

**All-Round Entertainment Life 9 (9/280)**

***

Nothing in life goes exactly as planned.

A test-taker's plan to study for eight hours a day can be shattered by a single message from a friend asking, "What are you doing now?"

Long-term projects, like those that span a lifetime, often fail to even last three days, let alone three hours, such as quitting smoking or dieting.

Not to mention the plans of office workers.

Of course,

the same goes for dramas.

"Wh- What about the Lime Actors?"

"Both Kim Yujin and Lee Sohyun have tight schedules."

"···Sigh. I guess we have no choice but to hold auditions."

In the third small conference room on the 9th floor of JWN.

The main director, Lee Hojin, and the internal assistant director, Kwak Seungyeon, of *Your House* were leading the production team. The producer, Shin Jung-hyun, who held the purse strings, the casting director, Kim Gil-hong, who was coordinating the casting, and the JWN planning CP, Oh Young-seok, were all present, and they all sighed deeply.

The table was piled high with A4 papers printed with actors' profile photos.

'Situations seem even more hopeless than I thought···.'

Na and Im So were the only ones who awkwardly smiled and quietly observed the situation.

The casting director, Kim Gil-hong, who had been rubbing his forehead, slammed his hand on the table.

"Maybe we should broaden our search to include actors in their early to mid-twenties?"

"I'm against casting established actors."

Without a moment's hesitation, Lee Hojin PD opposed Kim Gil-hong's suggestion.

"Kim Yujin and Lee Sohyun are established actors, too, right? They've been acting for several years. Didn't you agree to their casting when we discussed it last time?"

The popular young stars, Kim Yujin and Lee Sohyun.

Both are the same age and belong to Lime Actors. They started acting in front of the camera when they were still young, guided by their mothers.

Their acting careers, which began with smiling on command and crying on cue, have already spanned a decade.

At sixteen, they have more experience than many adult actors.

"Kim Yujin and Lee Sohyun are still young. They fit the age of the character, Lee Sodam, and have excellent acting skills, so there's nothing to complain about. However, making adult actors wear school uniforms to play high school students···."

'It's not very appealing.'

In the past, Lee Hojin preferred to cast new talent who fit the image rather than ambiguous established actors.

'Sure enough, he's the same.'

If the early part of the drama only briefly featured the young version of the character, and the main story focused on the adult, it might be different.

But casting an obviously adult established actor to play a high school student from start to finish is a significant risk.

He knows very well that a bad casting choice can lead to suffering throughout the broadcast.

Moreover,

'Even though Lee Hojin is a new director, he is still the main PD of this project.'

If there's friction between the director and the casting of lead and supporting actors, everyone suffers.

'I can't force it if Lee Hojin doesn't want it.'

As Kim Gil-hong, who met with unexpected and firm opposition from Lee Hojin, rubbed his forehead again.

Oh Young-seok CP made a decision.

"Let's go with the auditions for the Lee Sodam character, as we discussed before."

Oh Young-seok looked at each person in the meeting.

While Lee Hojin nodded silently, Kim Gil-hong sighed deeply but did not object.

"I'll summarize the audition details and report back to you this week!"

Kwak Seungyeon, the internal assistant director, quickly chimed in, sensing the desire to move to the next step rather than continue the sluggish conversation.

'In the end, it's going to be auditions.'

Lee Seon's face came to mind.

Lee Seon, who joined *Share House* through auditions.

I wondered if Lee Seon would appear in the auditions at this time, even though White Rose hadn't debuted yet.

'She must be much younger now. I don't even know where she is or what she's doing···.'

Even knowing future information, there's no other way but to wait and see.

'If Lee Seon doesn't join···.'

Who will play the Lee Sodam character?

Suddenly, So-hwa's round face, which had been floating in my mind all weekend, came to mind.

I waited for 'Entertainment Life' with a hopeful heart, but there was no news after the fortune alert.

'Not everything is revealed, I guess.'

How much can I interfere?

Im So nudged me, lost in thought.

The notebook she clearly brought to take notes was pushed towards me.

'Oh.'

Did I look too distracted? I quickly picked up a pen and wrote a response.

Im So looked around again and quickly added a line to my note.

'Ah···?'

I was naturally thinking about the high school student, Lee Sodam, but Im So's sudden mention of Oh Hyesook caught me off guard.

I focused on the conversation around me.

"Actress Kim Misook recently finished filming a movie. Her schedule should be free for a while, right?"

"···Well, I talked to BS Team Leader, but··· Actress Kim Misook hasn't given a response yet···."

The discussion, which started with the Lee Sodam character, had shifted to the top of the character list, Oh Hyesook.

"Sounds like a no. They always reject in such a roundabout way."

"They don't want to say no outright, so they drag it out. They want us to back off on our own."

The few profile photos of actors laid out by Kim Gil-hong, the casting director, sitting opposite, caught my eye.

'Yang Hyeun, Ko Doo-yeon, Kim Misook···.'

These must be the profiles for the Oh Hyesook character.

They were either actors who had already received the synopsis or those who were about to.

But,

'What? There's no Yoon Mi-jung···?'

Unlike Lee Seon, who hasn't debuted yet, Yoon Mi-jung is an active actress.

It didn't make sense for her not to be on the casting list.

'Why is that···?'

"Still, we should try to persuade Kim Misook a bit more···."

"Traditionally, she often rejects several times before accepting···."

The conversation gradually shifted towards persuading actress Kim Misook.

Lee Hojin PD, who seemed reluctant, didn't say anything.

Oh Young-seok CP listened silently with his arms crossed···.

Kim Gil-hong was pushing to "try again with BS."

'I'm getting anxious···.'

Why isn't anyone mentioning Yoon Mi-jung?

My heart grew increasingly anxious.

"Um···."

About an hour into the meeting.

I, who had been quietly listening, spoke up, and the room fell silent.

Everyone looked at me as if to say, 'What is this guy up to?'

"···What about Yoon Mi-jung?"

Oh Young-seok, who had uncrossed his arms, tilted his head.

"Doesn't Yoon Mi-jung usually avoid TV dramas? I haven't seen her on screen in a long time. She's been doing theater, right?"

Kim Gil-hong chimed in as if he had been waiting for this.

"Yoon Mi-jung is a great actress, but···. The character doesn't quite fit. The roles she's played so far are quite··· different, you know?"

That was true.

Yoon Mi-jung is a first-generation villainess in Korea.

From her debut to now, she has been known as the epitome of a femme fatale.

Villainess. Femme fatale. White-haired witch.

As the representative adjectives suggest, she has never shown a normal woman, especially a mother, in her acting career.

'Such a reaction is understandable.'

But,

'Yoon Mi-jung actually played this character.'

And received overwhelming praise.

She proved that a true actor doesn't choose characters.

'Yang Hyeun, Ko Doo-yeon, Kim Misook···.'

While they are all excellent actors, none of them could have the same impact as Yoon Mi-jung.

"If Yoon Mi-jung agrees to play the role, it would be great for us. I'm also curious to see how Yoon Mi-jung would portray Oh Hyesook."

Fortunately, Lee Hojin PD gave a nod of approval.

Kwak Seungyeon, who always follows the main PD's opinion as if it were the law, quickly responded.

"Should we contact her? Yoon Mi-jung's agency···."

Kwak Seungyeon, who was searching for "Yoon Mi-jung" on her phone, was interrupted by Kim Gil-hong, who waved his hand.

"She doesn't have an agency. Let's see. Does she have a manager?"

"No, Yoon Mi-jung doesn't have a manager. She receives synopses and scripts directly via email."

"Oh, really? I didn't know that."

I couldn't say, "I know because I've lived in the future," so I awkwardly smiled, and Lee Hojin answered for me.

"Her sister is an actress."

So, that's how he knows? I had nothing to say to Lee Hojin's follow-up.

'Not exactly, but···.'

I just smiled awkwardly.

"Alright, then. Let's contact Yoon Mi-jung first and discuss it again later. Next item?"

With Oh Young-seok CP's clear resolution, a brief silence fell over the meeting room.

Im So, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke up.

"Mr. Jeon Cheon-ho, the public relations officer, and our channel marketing team have a proposal."

It was about the auditions and pre-meeting filming I had discussed with her earlier.

She explained with a smile, clearly pleased that there was a possibility of casting Yoon Mi-jung, whom she hadn't expected.

'Just trust me!'

Im So's eyes seemed to say exactly that when they met mine.

First-Year Pro and Intern Reporter

Studio Y's representative office.

Yoon Seok-jin, dressed in a neatly tailored dark gray suit, stood looking out the front window of the representative office.

Outside the window, across the intersection, a large screen on the JWN building was showing a video of the idol group Lions, who had recently reunited and become a hot topic in the entertainment industry.

Yoon Seok-jin, who had been reading the subtitles at the bottom of the screen, turned his gaze away from the window.

When he turned around, Oh Young-seok and Shin Jung-hyun were sitting on the sofa for guests.

The contrast between Oh Young-seok, who was buried in the sofa as if it were his living room, and Shin Jung-hyun, who was sitting straight and tense, made Yoon Seok-jin smile.

"So, I heard a brief summary of the last meeting from PD Shin. You're in contact with actress Yoon Mi-jung for the role of Oh Hyesook, right?"

"···Yes, that's right."

Surprised by the sudden question, Oh Young-seok answered a half-beat late.

He seemed to have spilled his tea, and his movements to wipe his pants were quite busy.

"Surprising. I don't remember Yoon Mi-jung's name being in the initial casting list."

"That's because we didn't expect to contact Yoon Mi-jung."

"Hmm?"

Yoon Seok-jin, who met Oh Young-seok's gaze, soon burst into a hearty laugh.

"···You know Jeon Cheon-ho, right? It was his idea."

Yoon Seok-jin's eyes widened in surprise, and he reached out to tap Shin Jung-hyun's knee.

It was a reprimand for not mentioning it earlier.

Shin Jung-hyun subtly avoided Yoon Seok-jin's gaze, and Oh Young-seok spoke up again.

"To be honest, I was surprised when Jeon Cheon-ho suggested Yoon Mi-jung. The roles Yoon Mi-jung has played so far are completely different from Oh Hyesook. We never considered her for the role. But when I heard her name, I thought···."

As if imagining Oh Hyesook with Yoon Mi-jung.

Oh Young-seok's gaze wandered through the air.

"Why didn't I think of this before? Even though Yoon Mi-jung's image is completely different, she is a great actress."

"Great actors don't get stuck in roles. It might even be refreshing."

"Exactly what I was thinking!"

Yoon Seok-jin's words made Oh Young-seok nod in agreement.

"As you