Chapter 54

54. Noisy Casting

"Of course. I knew you would make that decision, Se-yeon."

A smile spread across Park Sung-woo, the director of HC Entertainment.

"Serin has made up her mind! Haha! Actor Yeon Seong-hoon, no, Serin's father! Thank you. I will really raise Serin properly this time!"

A smile no less bright than Director Park's spread across the face of NTN's Director Jang Dong-soo.

Then, as if they had made a pact, they both asked the same question.

"So, what did Jin-hyuk decide to do?"

— Ah, Jin-hyuk...

Lee Seung-soo, the CEO of WP Entertainment, clenched his fist and raised it. It was a victor's celebration.

The corners of his mouth curved up as far as they could.

"Hehe. Well thought out! Well thought out."

It was exhilarating. It was the first time in a long while he had felt the thrill of a natural catch.

"Then, let's try to arrange a meeting with his parents as soon as possible."

***

"Huh, so many all of a sudden?"

"Shh. Jin-hyuk might hear."

"Sigh. I heard that there are few rental properties available in this area due to recent redevelopment. But raising the deposit so much at once..."

"We still have about two months. Let's look into a loan first, and if that doesn't work, we'll have to move. What else can we do?"

Jin-hyuk's mother, Kim Sun-hwa, sighed deeply.

"It's the moving season, so it will be hard to find a suitable property at a reasonable price around here..."

"I'll try my best to gather some money."

Click.

Jin-hyuk's door opened. The couple abruptly changed the subject of their conversation.

"Sigh. Since you're not working overtime, I feel like I'm the one living."

"Haha. You like it that much?"

"Yes, hehe... Hey, Jin-hyuk, why? What do you have for us?"

Without a word, Jin-hyuk pulled out a chair from the table where his parents were sitting and sat down.

"Dad, Mom, I think I need to sign a contract with an agency."

"Contract?"

"Where, the one that came to our house last time...?"

"No. I told you I refused them back then."

"Then?"

The couple looked at Jin-hyuk with surprised eyes at his sudden announcement.

"It's a company called 'WP Entertainment.'"

"WP Entertainment? Isn't that a big company? I think I've heard of it."

"Yes. It's the agency of actor Kang Woo-jung."

Kang Woo-jung. A name known to everyone in South Korea, regardless of age, a renowned middle-aged actor.

One of the reasons Jin-hyuk decided to join WP Entertainment was because of actor Jeong Ji-an. It was also the easiest name to use to convince his parents.

"But why do you suddenly want to join an agency? Didn't you say you didn't like contracts?"

The couple felt a vague sense of unease about contracts. It was a field they didn't understand, which made it even more so.

And there was one more thing they didn't know: how significant it was to be cast in a major role in 'High School 2.'

Since Jin-hyuk wasn't the type to explain things in detail, his parents only knew that he would appear on TV in a minor role.

"The drama I've been cast in is quite famous, and I have a significant role. The company's management is necessary in this situation."

"Isn't it just a one-time appearance?"

"No. It's a 20-episode drama, and I'll be in all of them."

"What?"

Jin-hyuk's parents were bewildered.

"Director Yeon Seong-hoon and a contract specialist lawyer he knows will be joining us. I think it would be best if one of you came along."

It took a while for Jin-hyuk's parents to fully understand what he was saying.

***

"Excuse me, how much is the contract fee...?"

At the contract site, Woo Bong-soo doubted his own ears. His wife, Kim Sun-hwa, who was sitting next to him, felt the same way.

"Ah, yes. It's 100 million won. You might feel that the amount is a bit small, given the large earnings of celebrities reported in the news. However, for a newcomer without a clear track record, this is an unprecedented and generous offer."

The WP representative, who was listening to the lawyer's explanation, added.

"In fact, paying a contract fee to a new actor is a rare occurrence, not just for us but in the entire industry. We hope you can see our sincerity in breaking this precedent."

The representative looked at the lawyer from Yeon Seong-hoon and Jin-hyuk's side.

"I believe you understand. As you can see from the contract, the profit-sharing ratio is set at the highest level."

The answer was far from what Woo Bong-soo had expected, and Jin-hyuk's parents were too surprised to continue speaking.

"It's true."

Yeon Seong-hoon nodded. In fact, he was the one who was truly surprised when he saw the contract in advance.

As someone who knew the industry better than anyone, he was fully aware of how unreasonable WP's offer to Jin-hyuk was.

A 100 million won contract fee for a newcomer who hasn't even debuted was unheard of, and the profit-sharing ratio was no different.

Moreover, the contract included a significant level of activity support, a guarantee of freedom for Jin-hyuk, who wanted to go to university, and considerable autonomy in future project choices.

Crucially, if Jin-hyuk reached a certain level of activity, there was an option for immediate renegotiation.

This meant that once Jin-hyuk proved himself, they would offer a proper new contract fee.

In an industry where abusive contracts for newcomers were still rampant, even in large agencies, this contract was unprecedented.

Seung-soo, the CEO of WP, seemed to have a personal wish behind this contract.

At most, it would be 10 years. The time when Seung-soo would have to retire. Perhaps he thought that polishing a gem like Jin-hyuk would be a beautiful way to end his career.

The fact that Seung-soo himself came to greet Jin-hyuk's parents at the contract site was evidence of this.

Seung-soo, who had been sitting silently, seemed to read Seong-hoon's mind and his eyes sparkled.

Seong-hoon repeated to Jin-hyuk's parents.

"Father, Mother, the terms offered by WP are unprecedented, even to me."

The lawyer on Jin-hyuk's side also nodded.

Unable to calm her trembling heart, Kim Sun-hwa held her husband Woo Bong-soo's hand under the table.

Woo Bong-soo looked at Jin-hyuk. Jin-hyuk nodded. Thus, the contract was signed.

Seung-soo stood up with a pleased expression.

"Hehe. What a wonderful day! Thank you both for coming all this way. We will do our best to raise Jin-hyuk. Please trust us."

Woo Bong-soo, holding Seung-soo's hand tightly, said.

"No, Mr. CEO. I am the one who should be grateful. Please be lenient with Jin-hyuk's shortcomings and provide him with much guidance."

As they left the WP building, the couple watched their son walking alongside Seong-hoon, deep in conversation.

Kim Sun-hwa held her husband's hand tightly. She was trembling. Woo Bong-soo held her hand back.

After the accident last year, their son had shown signs of growing up.

But at this moment, the couple saw more than just a grown-up son.

It felt as if they were finally recognizing their son, who had already left the nest and was spreading his wings towards the world.

***

Jin-hyuk, who had left the nest and started his brilliant flight towards the world.

On one hand, he was about to sign with a major agency and appear in a famous drama.

At school, however, something surprising happened.

Surprisingly, that is...

He was moving up to the second year.

"Hey, Jin-hyuk, even if we're not in the same class, don't be too sad. I'll visit you during breaks. We have lunchtime too."

His friend Do Min-woo, who was overly protective, was also there.

"Aww, it's a shame. It would be great if we were all in the same class."

President Kim Min-young looked at Jin-hyuk, Se-yeon, Min-woo, and Yeong-joon with a wistful gaze.

She felt like crying. Memories of the last semester flashed before her eyes.

But parting is a fate. What are the chances that all five of them would be in the same class out of a class of about thirty students?

:

:

"Kim Min-young, Class 3."

"Do Min-woo, Class 3."

Kim Min-young looked at Do Min-woo in surprise, and Do Min-woo smiled.

"Min Se-yeon, Class 3."

Huh?

"U Jin-hyuk, Class 3."

Hmm?

"Lee Yeong-joon, Class 3."

"..."

Probability is just a number.

Moreover, can you really express a humanities class with numbers? Perhaps this falls into the realm of philosophy, like the reason for existence or fate.

"Well, and I'll be the homeroom teacher for 2nd year Class 3. I'm sorry, Class 3. Hehe."

Teacher Jung Su-jin laughed as if she was excited, with no hint of apology.

Thus, all five of them ended up in the same class. Or rather, six, including the homeroom teacher.

Kim Min-young's face lit up with joy. Do Min-woo and Lee Yeong-joon said "Yay" and Min Se-yeon showed a rare smile.

"Well, let's go to our new classroom, everyone."

Do Min-woo smiled.

After the opening ceremony in the newly assigned classroom that afternoon, Jin-hyuk and his four friends gathered at a hidden gem burger place on their way home.

"Do you like burgers? I ate so many when I was abroad, so I don't really care for them."

"Se-yeon, this place is completely different. Just try it."

Min-young took it upon herself to promote the burger place. It was true; it was a hidden gem that even Jin-hyuk, who usually insisted on Korean food, acknowledged.

Thus, a small celebration for being in the same class was held.

"Wow, so when you go to that script reading the day after tomorrow, you'll see An Ye-na and Jeong Ha-neul? Wow— I'm so jealous."

Do Min-woo shuddered with envy at the prospect of seeing a girl group member in person, and Kim Min-young glanced at him.

"Hey, Jin-hyuk, can I be your manager? You know, I'm a manager. We won an award, remember? I'm a symbol of luck."

"Hey, Do Min-woo. Did you not hear Jin-hyuk? He's joining WP. Why would he need a lousy manager like you?"

"Lousy? What kind of harsh words are those, President?"

While Do Min-woo and Kim Min-young bickered, Lee Yeong-joon spoke.

"From what I heard, that script reading won't be an easy time."

"Really? Why?"

Do Min-woo asked.

"It's not just a casual event. They record it and use clips for promotion."

"Is that so?"

"There are many people who are eager for it. And why do you think Park Do-yoon recently targeted High School 2?"

To be precise, it was also a target on U Jin-hyuk.

Park Do-yoon, an idol singer and actor under CM Entertainment, who was dropped from the High School 2 cast due to U Jin-hyuk.

Recently, Park Do-yoon posted this on his SNS.

Anyone could tell it was a thinly veiled attack, not a genuine show of support. Although it was quickly taken down, possibly due to management, screenshots had already spread across fan communities.

Even though Park Do-yoon's idol group was a second-tier act, the firepower of male idol fans was terrifying.

Baseless attacks on U Jin-hyuk flooded fan communities and various community boards for a while.

— Our Do-yoon isn't the type to be outshone by a rookie, right? How great must he be to have a newcomer take his place? Let's see.

— It's obviously a favoritism.

— I heard he has a connection with the writer.

— His profile picture looks pretty good, though.

— Come on, profile pictures are all the same these days. With today's technology.

— Covering up bad acting with looks is hard even for No Hyun-woo.

Because of this, there were many wolves waiting for the script reading video clips to catch Jin-hyuk's acting flaws.

"Hey, hey, Jin-hyuk, don't mind those comments. Once people see Jin-hyuk act, they'll all be blown away."

Do Min-woo, waving his burger excitedly, said.

In fact, Jin-hyuk wasn't bothered by those comments. His mental fortitude was too strong to be affected by such things.

"Our Jin-hyuk's acting is way better than Park Do-yoon. Right, Se-yeon? From the perspective of someone who has acted with him."

Se-yeon, suddenly called out, hesitated. She was about to take a big bite of her burger in a corner. The sauce from the burger she had already bitten into was smeared around her mouth.

With her mouth wide open, all eyes turned to her.

"..."

Se-yeon quietly put down her burger. Then, embarrassed, she changed the subject.

"This burger is too big. Auntie, do you have a knife and fork?"

Se-yeon got up from her seat and approached the auntie.

Anyway, the day of the script reading, which was being eagerly awaited from all sides, was approaching.