Chapter 15

After a day of intensive preparation, the next day, Park Byung-ryul confidently brought Jang Seung-woo to the filming site of the Nongshim Shin Ramyun commercial. When they arrived, it was just a few minutes past seven in the morning, and the staff on the scene were already busily setting up the shooting area. Only a middle-aged man, who seemed to be the director, was sitting on a reclining chair, deep in thought.

Park Byung-ryul greeted everyone along the way, bowing politely to everyone, whether he knew them or not. Jang Seung-woo followed suit, mimicking his actions. The two walked up to the middle-aged man who was deep in thought and, not wanting to disturb him, quietly stood in front of him, waiting for him to notice them. After a while, the middle-aged man came to his senses and, upon seeing a pair of feet in his line of sight, quickly looked up. He saw a middle-aged man with a very likable appearance smiling at him and stood up to ask, "May I ask who you are?"

"Director Park, hello! I am Park Byung-ryul, the representative of Logosfilm Advertising Agency. This is our artist, Jang Seung-woo. We received a notification to come for the interview today. Please take care of us," Park Byung-ryul bowed and explained their purpose.

Jang Seung-woo followed with a bow, saying, "I am Jang Seung-woo, a new model here for the audition. Please give me your guidance, Director."

Director Park returned the bow and carefully examined Jang Seung-woo. He was immediately impressed and couldn't help but praise, "Very good, very good. He fits the character in our commercial perfectly. It seems I made the right choice. Congratulations, Mr. Park. Your artist doesn't need to audition anymore; I've chosen him." After all, it was just a minor role in the commercial, and acting skills were not crucial. Jang Seung-woo's outstanding appearance alone was enough to catch the eye.

Park Byung-ryul was initially delighted but then said somewhat unsatisfied, "Director, thank you for this valuable opportunity. We are very honored. However, I think my artist should demonstrate his acting skills. This way, you can better understand the model's capabilities and make better arrangements during the shoot." Park Byung-ryul's intention was to have the director recognize Jang Seung-woo's exceptional acting skills, so he might give him more screen time during the shoot or in post-production.

Director Park thought about it and found Park Byung-ryul's words reasonable. He thought, "If this model's acting skills are up to a certain standard, the commercial will be more engaging. I won't hesitate to give him more guidance. If his acting is terrible, I can adjust the script and make him a mere figurehead, which won't affect the overall outcome." He nodded in agreement.

To be honest, Director Park didn't have high expectations for Jang Seung-woo. Based on his experience, models with outstanding appearances like Jang Seung-woo usually had average professional skills. Even if a few were slightly better, they were still far from exceptional due to their lack of experience. Therefore, Director Park only asked Jang Seung-woo to make some common expressions and a few stylish poses. Seeing that Jang Seung-woo could easily meet his requirements, he praised him a few times and quickly ended the audition without further exploring his abilities.

Perhaps he didn't want to discourage the young man's confidence, or perhaps he thought it was a waste of time. However, Park Byung-ryul was deeply disappointed by the director's behavior and sighed inwardly but didn't dare to make further requests. Jang Seung-woo, on the other hand, shrugged indifferently. He was well aware that he was just a small figure, only to be ordered around, and didn't even have the right to speak up. Even though he felt somewhat unsatisfied, he had to endure it. Fortunately, his years of cultivation in his previous life had given him a remarkable quality: patience and the ability to endure loneliness.

After a simple audition, Park Byung-ryul and Jang Seung-woo bid farewell to Director Park and were about to leave, but the director asked them to stay and wait for the shoot. It turned out that Director Park had planned to have the selected model start shooting on the same day. Time is money in any industry, and for a commercial shoot, the faster, the better. He then arranged for Jang Seung-woo to go to the makeup room for makeup and sat back on his chair, lost in thought again.

About twenty minutes later, around eight o'clock, another group of people arrived, with much more fanfare than Jang Seung-woo. Jang Seung-woo, who was bored after getting his makeup done, glanced over with Park Byung-ryul and immediately recognized the newcomers as the currently hottest star, Jang Dong-gun, and his management team. This time, Director Park, alerted by his assistant, quickly came to his senses and warmly greeted them with a few key staff members. This gave Jang Seung-woo a preliminary understanding of the reality of the entertainment industry.

Upon seeing Jang Dong-gun, Jang Seung-woo immediately realized that he must be the main character of the commercial. Park Byung-ryul also immediately abandoned his plan to have Jang Seung-woo secure more screen time through outstanding performance, as the gap between Jang Seung-woo and Jang Dong-gun was too significant. He solemnly reminded Jang Seung-woo, "When we go over to greet him, be polite in your manners, understand?"

Jang Seung-woo nodded calmly.

Jang Dong-gun, born in 1972, was nearly eleven years older than Jang Seung-woo and could be considered a senior in the industry. He debuted in 1992 and, after seven years of relentless effort, had become one of the most popular and acclaimed TV actors. His performances in "Medical Brothers" and "Heaven's Ladder" in 1997 left a deep impression on Korean audiences.

With his rising popularity, his endorsement fees had also increased. Park Byung-ryul guessed that Jang Dong-gun would earn at least 100 million won from this Shin Ramyun commercial, while Jang Seung-woo would earn no more than 500,000 won, which was less than half of the average monthly salary in Korea.

Becoming a successful person like Jang Dong-gun, who was both popular and wealthy, was the goal Park Byung-ryul set for Jang Seung-woo. He had mentioned Jang Dong-gun to Jang Seung-woo multiple times, encouraging him to learn from Jang Dong-gun's diligence, humility, and gentlemanly demeanor, as these qualities would help him establish himself in the entertainment industry.

However, Jang Seung-woo was not particularly enthusiastic about this. First, he was not familiar with Jang Dong-gun and had not watched any of his TV dramas, so he had no deep understanding of him. Asking him to learn from a stranger was difficult. Second, he was naturally aloof and extremely proud. Even if he had to make some changes to earn money, he could not transform himself into a template of someone else.

Park Byung-ryul, of course, was unaware of Jang Seung-woo's mindset. To avoid being nagged, Jang Seung-woo never shared these thoughts with him, merely nodding in agreement while having his own plans for the future. Of course, their current goals were aligned, so they cooperated well. As for whether they would have disagreements or conflicts in the future, that was something to be dealt with later. Jang Seung-woo made this decision indifferently.

After Director Park finished greeting Jang Dong-gun and exchanged some pleasantries, he suddenly remembered the presence of Park Byung-ryul and Jang Seung-woo and gestured for them to come over. Park Byung-ryul quickly led Jang Seung-woo to greet them respectfully.

Jang Dong-gun was known in the entertainment industry as a "triple-good" man—good at acting, good in character, and good in personality. He never put on airs. Seeing Park Byung-ryul and Jang Seung-woo's respectful demeanor, he quickly bowed in return. When Director Park introduced Jang Seung-woo as the model who would be working with him in the commercial, Jang Dong-gun's attitude became even more warm. Although he was more introverted and couldn't be as enthusiastic as Park Byung-ryul, Jang Seung-woo found him increasingly likable and thought he was a great person.

Since they would be working together soon, to build better chemistry, Jang Dong-gun and Jang Seung-woo immediately started to communicate. Initially, Jang Dong-gun asked Jang Seung-woo about his basic information, and Jang Seung-woo answered. As they became more familiar, they discussed the commercial script, and Jang Seung-woo took the opportunity to ask him about how to portray the character's personality and depth, as well as how to improve his acting skills. Jang Dong-gun answered with great enthusiasm and detail, greatly benefiting Jang Seung-woo, who was deeply grateful.