Chapter 44

Villain Only Acting 044

Instead of a Chick, a Turkey (1)

"I'll have all the scenes with that kid cut and we'll go into reshoots. The same goes for that woman. There won't be any trace of them in the film archive."

"Is that even possible? At this late stage, reshoots? What about the time and budget? Haven't we already spent all the production costs?"

Hwang In-joon gritted his teeth inwardly.

To worry about reshoots at this late stage when the person was considering scrapping the entire film.

It was like a cheetah that had torn a rabbit apart alive saying, "Tell me if you're in pain."

"The shooting itself won't take long. If the set is ready, we can finish the principal photography in a week, no, five days."

"Indeed, the genius of Chungmuro, Director Hwang. Impressive. But won't the budget ultimately be the problem?"

"......"

"Let's say the new actor's fee is one thing. We need to set up the same location again, reassemble the shooting team, and there will be various expenses. How do you plan to handle that?"

"800 million... no, 500 million will be enough to finish the reshoots."

"Where will that money come from? Surely you're not going to use the marketing budget?"

"I'll secure additional investment."

For a moment, Park Si-hong's eyes betrayed a hint of mischief.

He must be expecting Hwang In-joon to beg for more funding.

Hwang In-joon knew he shouldn't fulfill that expectation.

He had even considered proposing additional investment if everything went well, but at least not now.

'Given the current mood, he'll probably suggest scrapping everything as if he's been waiting for it.'

That attitude, deliberately stimulating their expectations, was a trap.

"I'm the director, so I'll bet on the film. Don't you want to see how the 116 billion you invested will pay off?"

Hwang In-joon decided to play his biggest card, the film, without holding back any longer.

Park Si-hong's eyes narrowed, and he wore a subtle smile.

It was hard to tell if it was a good or bad sign.

"You should. Let's do it."

At that moment, Hwang In-joon felt as if he had been acquitted in a final appeal, his heart boiling with excitement.

"Without those two jerks, it would be even more interesting. So, who will you cast as a replacement?"

"A new actor. Yun Hyeong-sik and I..."

"Just call it an affair. I don't want to hear their names."

"Understood. The new actor has a completely different visual and acting style, but I expect it will bring a fresh feel to the film."

"Will it be better here?"

"Yes. I have some scenes in mind. We just need to shoot them."

"Show me."

Though the subject was unclear, Hwang In-joon understood perfectly and played some scenes from the illegal drama.

Among the scenes he considered the best, where Lee Jin-wook's madness was chillingly revealed.

Hwang In-joon noticed something.

Park Si-hong had very slightly bitten his lip.

-Heh, hehe... Bad guy, you killed another one. Hehehe, hahaha!

At the final moment when Lee Jin-wook was hunting even himself, Park Si-hong even clenched his fists.

The screen went dark, the blinds retracted, and the office brightened again.

"Have you talked to that actor? He might not like coming in as a last-minute replacement."

"He agreed. He also watched the film and said he liked the role of Kim Chan and secretly wanted to play it."

"You should have used him from the start. Everything would have been clean."

"I didn't know him back then. He just debuted a few months ago, and the drama ended not long ago."

"You'll have to pay his fee, and there will be additional production costs for reshoots?"

"I'll have to go around and get a new investment proposal. But there are still people who trust me just by looking at my face..."

"Enough. Don't do it."

Hwang In-joon's facial muscles twitched. He almost failed to maintain his composure.

"Do you like gambling?"

"No, I've only pulled a few slots for fun."

"I enjoy it quite a bit."

Park Si-hong loosened the muscles in his interlocked hands and continued, his gaze fixed on the air.

"Folding with 116 cards is a foolish move."

"Mr. Park."

"I'm raising. Tell Secretary Choi the number. Whatever you need."

Enough!

Hwang In-joon threw several victory uppercuts in his mind.

"Bring that actor in. The sooner, the better."

"Understood! Thank you! Thank you, Mr. Park!"

Park Si-hong waved his hand lightly, indicating that he had heard enough and was dismissing him.

***

As soon as he stepped out, Hwang In-joon called Jung Seo-hoon.

"It's done! We've secured additional production costs, and now we just need to shoot Seo-hoon's part! Can we meet now? I need to see your signature to feel at ease."

-My father has just returned from abroad, so it might be difficult to go out today.

"Then I'll come to you. Let's meet near your house and get the signature."

-Understood.

Hwang In-joon caught a taxi and rushed to Jung Seo-hoon's neighborhood.

The standard contract he always carried, just in case, had never felt as reassuring as it did today.

Sitting in a quiet café, he waited, and the door opened as Jung Seo-hoon entered first, followed by Jung Su-yeon.

Hwang In-joon stared at them, slightly mesmerized.

Not only was his superior visual presence and aura impressive, but the film seemed to come alive because of him, making Hwang In-joon see a halo around him.

"Welcome."

"Director, you've been through a lot."

"That's what being a director is like. This kind of thing happens all the time. It's nothing special."

"If this kind of thing is nothing special, maybe I should reconsider my career path."

"Hey, now that you've barely managed to get out of the swamp, don't joke about it. Didn't you look pale for a moment?"

"Let's get the contract signed. Help my heart not to stop."

Jung Seo-hoon took the contract and read it.

It was the standard film contract recently prepared by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

Without delving into the details, he only needed to fill in the name, amount, and numbers.

"Negotiating fees is usually done with the agency, not the actor, because it's a sensitive matter..."

Jung Seo-hoon didn't have an agency yet.

He had suddenly entered the drama scene, and the drama had just ended, so he had to rush into the film.

"That's fine. I don't have any pride or sensitivity about such things."

He had fought with supply officers over supplies, almost to the point of a life-or-death struggle, and had been sent to the brig several times for insubordination.

Negotiating fees was like a children's play.

"Seo-hoon is still a newcomer and this is his first film, but he made a big splash in 'Illegals,' and I'm asking him to join this film as a favor..."

Jung Seo-hoon remained calm, while Jung Su-yeon was more anxious, swallowing hard and waiting for the next words.

Hwang In-joon, gauging Jung Seo-hoon's reaction, spoke cautiously.

"About 50 million won... what do you think?"

"50 million won?"

Jung Su-yeon almost exclaimed, "50 million won?!" but managed to control herself and responded as calmly as possible.

"The role is a supporting one, and the production budget is tight, so even if I wanted to offer more, I can't. I promise to give you the lead role in the next project with very good conditions, so for now, I hope you can be satisfied with this..."

Jung Seo-hoon glanced at his sister.

From an angle Hwang In-joon couldn't see, she was using all her facial muscles to urge, "Sign it, sign it!"

"I'll do it."

***

When their son and daughter returned with the film contract, their father, Jung Tae-hyun, expressed his concern.

"Is this okay? Usually, stepping into a failed project doesn't end well. I once had to clean up a mess at ARM and barely managed to finish, trembling with fear."

"This is different, Dad. The film is fine; they're just cutting out one actor due to personal issues."

"Is the contract okay?"

"He knows more about law than most lawyers. He studied law to become a patent attorney. But why did you study to become a patent attorney?"

"Since it wouldn't hurt to have, my professor advised me to get it when I had the time."

"That professor is a great scholar. He's too big for Korea University. If not for that incident, he would have stayed at Caltech."

After expressing a moment of regret, Jung Tae-hyun turned his attention to the contract.

"So, what about the fee? Since Seo-hoon is a newcomer, he probably won't get much."

"He's getting 50 million won, Dad. That's... quite a lot."

"Newcomers don't get good treatment, I see. Don't be too disappointed, Seo-hoon."

Jung Tae-hyun clicked his tongue in sympathy, and Jung Su-yeon, exasperated, countered.

"Dad, for a newcomer in Korean cinema, 50 million won for a supporting role is a generous offer."

"Is that a good deal? My neighbor, who's an actor, isn't famous, and I've never seen him on TV, but he made 30 million dollars last year."

"Dad, you can't compare Hollywood to Korean cinema. They're in different leagues."

"Anyway, it's really hard for artists to make a living in our country."

***

The next day, Jung Seo-hoon moved to meet investors with Hwang In-joon.

"He seems like a scary and cold person, but he conducts business without sentiment. As an investor, he actually prefers this dryness. And... he tends to speak in a more casual manner, so I hope Seo-hoon can understand."

"You mean he prefers informal speech. Understood."

"We've already invested 116 billion in our film, and he agreed to invest more. He's a very wealthy person, likely from the finance sector, with a strong interest in media business."

Instead of saying 'underground finance,' he used 'finance' to soften the expression.

Hwang In-joon didn't know much about Park Si-hong's past.

What he knew for sure was that SH Invest was a legally and externally problem-free, legitimate investment company.

"Welcome."

As they entered the office, Park Si-hong stood up and greeted them warmly.

The atmosphere was completely different from yesterday, as if a different person had put on a new skin to welcome them.

"Director Hwang, when will the shooting start?"

"We're currently reassembling the staff and restoring the set. It will likely start at the end of this month at the earliest."

"Don't rush and ruin it. Saving 100 million won could cost you a billion. By the way, is this the new actor Director Hwang praised so much?"

While his mouth was smiling, his calm eyes were fixed on Jung Seo-hoon.

"Nice to meet you. I'm a new actor, Jung Seo-hoon."

"I'm Park Si-hong. You can call me Mr. Park."

"Yes, Mr. Park."

After that, they were silent.

They stared at each other with intense gazes, and Hwang In-joon, not knowing why, fidgeted uncomfortably.

After a long while, Park Si-hong slowly spoke.

"Our new actor has very good eyes. Familiar eyes."

"Thank you."

"What did you do before becoming an actor?"

"I studied. I was a student."

"No, I mean, what else did you do?"

"......"