Chapter 98: Villain Only

An Offer You Can't Refuse (3)

"Director Jang, you're already drinking at this hour? The sun will rise in the north tomorrow, won't it?"

Song Jeong-woo appeared with a sly smile, and Kim Sang-hee lightly pressed her forehead.

Her gaze turned to the bartender and owner, Kim Min-seok, who shook his head as if to say he didn't know.

'Could it be Ji-eun?'

She glared at the early-arriving employee, but he also shook his head, indicating he didn't know either.

'Who could it be then?'

She looked at Jung Se-hoon, but he seemed to be exchanging messages with some actresses, something he hadn't done in a long time.

'Director Jang wouldn't have done it, and maybe the professor?'

If so, this situation makes sense.

Song Jeong-woo squeezed in between Kim Sang-hee and Jang Seung-won.

"Ouch, the seat is tight. Director Jang, can you move a little to the side?"

"Why do you insist on sitting here when there are plenty of empty seats?"

Jang Seung-won grumbled but quietly moved over.

Song Jeong-woo looked at Kim Sang-hee with moist eyes.

"Don't stare at me like that. It's making me uncomfortable."

"Writer Kim, you've been doing so well with the underdog stories that I'm really proud of you, and a bit sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

"You've already surpassed 30% in ratings. When I saw that, I felt bad. I blamed myself a lot. I thought, 'Writer Kim's script is great, but my direction is lacking, that's why it only reached 29.9%.'"

Song Jeong-woo glanced at Jung Se-hoon again.

"I'm also sorry to Se-hoon. It wasn't supposed to stop at 29.9%. It's all because of this incompetent PD!"

"Writer Kim, you have a deep admiration for period dramas, and conversely, Director Jang envies your success in modern dramas."

"Each of you holds what the other lacks."

"Exactly."

While the two PDs were still bickering, Jung Se-hoon stepped in.

"Director Song, did you know this?"

"What?"

"Director Jang is going to be the CEO and chief producer."

"Wha...?"

Speechless, Song Jeong-woo stumbled for words and clung to Kim Sang-hee.

"Writer Kim, do you really have to do this with Director Jang? If I bring better conditions for the schedule..."

"Se-hoon is the production company's director. If he wants to star in the drama, it has to be produced here. It's a package deal."

"Oh, right. The director. I need to get my head straight."

Song Jeong-woo was suffering a mild mental breakdown, while Jang Seung-won smiled like a winner.

"Writer, are you giving this project to me?"

"Director Jang, I trust your period drama directing skills, but you've been out of the modern genre for too long. What does our Director Jung think?"

"Well, I..."

Jung Se-hoon started, and the two PDs' desperate gazes turned to him simultaneously.

"Let's discuss this after the filming of the underdog story is finished. It's not the right time to seriously talk about a new project yet."

"Director, you're leaving it for later. You want to see us squirm a bit more, don't you?"

By now, Song Jeong-woo was subtly calling Jang Seung-won 'President' and trying to flatter him.

Even as long-time friends and subtle rivals, they both showed a commendable attitude when it came to directing rights.

While the two were briefly in the restroom, Kim Sang-hee subtly said,

"If you have time, talk to Cha Do-jin. I think it would be more effective coming from you than from others."

"You're thinking of him for the role of the competing professor in the villain drama?"

"Yes. He seems perfect, doesn't he? He did a great job as a lawyer in 'Illegals.'"

"Even if you tell him directly, the weight of the lead actor and director proposing it would be different."

"Understood. Do you have any other actors in mind?"

"Having all of Jung Se-hoon's co-stars appear would be interesting. Yu Jeong-a, Chae Ji-hyun, Han Seo-hee, and Lee Seo-hyun. What do you think?"

"If they fit the image, I wouldn't object. They are all visually and acting-wise acclaimed actors."

Kim Sang-hee, who had expected a slightly troubled reaction, muttered to herself.

"Well, I can already see how the viewer comments will flip. I'll have to live with the anticipation of that."

"Wait a moment. I'll contact Cha Do-jin first."

After sending a message, his phone rang shortly.

Jung Se-hoon checked the notification and got up from his seat.

"I should leave first."

"Suddenly? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to cast the male lead's partner. Cha Do-jin wants to meet now."

"Right now? He's quick."

"He's a prospective director. He needs to hustle."

Kim Sang-hee shook her head.

"A top graduate from Korea University, a genius actor who hit three consecutive blockbusters, and now a production company director. If this character appeared in a drama, viewers would say it's unrealistic."

Kim Sang-hee had originally made the villain role of Professor A quite 'realistic.'

A brilliant strategist with boundless ambition and patience, but in his 50s and with a rather ordinary appearance.

If Jung Se-hoon were to play this role, viewers unfamiliar with his real-life credentials might complain that the character is too unrealistic.

'If they knew the real-life specs of the actor, they'd probably shut up.'

* * *

The place Cha Do-jin invited him to was a gym.

A residents-only gym in the high-end residential complex where he lived, with strict security.

Thanks to the secret code Cha Do-jin provided, he easily passed through the building's entrance, and the gym desk was almost a free pass.

"Mr. Cha Do-jin, I'm a friend of yours. You called me here, right? They said they'd let me in if I told them at the desk."

"Are you the actor playing Daegun in 'Underdog'? I'm a big fan of the drama. If you're Mr. Cha Do-jin, then Mr. Jung Se-hoon must be a friend of yours. Please come in. Wear these shoes, and there are communal workout clothes inside."

The young male manager enthusiastically guided Jung Se-hoon.

Thinking Cha Do-jin would come to greet him, he was surprised to find that his face was his ID.

After changing into workout clothes in the locker room, he felt the gazes of the people around him.

Especially the housewives over 40, whose gazes were not just warm but almost overtly admiring.

Fortunately, due to the prestige of living in a high-end apartment, no one approached or acknowledged him.

"Ah, you're here?"

At that moment, a drenched Cha Do-jin appeared and greeted him warmly.

His personal training outfit clung to his body, highlighting his well-defined and lean muscles.

"You could have just waited and watched. Why did you come all the way here to see me work out?"

"I wanted to see you work out in person."

"You changed clothes? Since you're here, why don't you work out with me, Se-hoon? Do you usually work out?"

"I don't particularly work out."

"Right, you said you only studied. But how is your body like this?"

Cha Do-jin examined Jung Se-hoon's body and let out a light exclamation.

"Wow, this is a body that doesn't work out? Your entire body is just packed with dense, fine muscles. Are you really saying you don't work out?"

"I don't particularly work out."

"Sit here once."

Cha Do-jin, his eyes gleaming, sat Jung Se-hoon in a pec deck machine, which is mainly used to train chest muscles.

He set the machine to the contraction load mode and the weight to 20 kg.

"Let's start with a light one."

Jung Se-hoon moved back and forth a few times very lightly and quickly, then asked,

"Is it supposed to be this light?"

"I set it low because I thought you might get injured if you didn't work out. Let's try a bit heavier."

In the end, the weight went all the way down, and Jung Se-hoon completed 30 repetitions without breaking a sweat.

Cha Do-jin, with a towel around his neck, opened his mouth in disbelief.

"Are you human?"

* * *

Cha Do-jin, now curious, showed Jung Se-hoon how to use various pieces of equipment and tested his strength.

For Jung Se-hoon, pretending to struggle was more difficult than anything he had ever done, either in front of the camera or in real life.

"How can someone with such a lean body have this much strength? This is impossible."

Jung Se-hoon had a body closer to a model fit than a bodybuilder.

Yet, he displayed strength that defied Cha Do-jin's common sense.

Even when he pretended to struggle and stopped at a moderate point.

"Let's have an arm wrestling match."

In an impromptu arm wrestling match, Jung Se-hoon easily won with just his index finger.

Cha Do-jin, feeling utterly defeated, stretched his legs weakly and sighed.

"I've been working out so hard, but it was all for nothing. For nothing... Do you have some kind of warrior gene in your family?"

"Carrying and running with a rifle in the military naturally built up my lean muscles."

"Really, like Ji-won, did you fight on foreign battlefields? Oh, really."

Cha Do-jin, who had been alternating between admiration, sighs, and envy, opened his water bottle and drank an electrolyte drink.

"Mr. Cha Do-jin, do you have any projects lined up?"

"I've seen a few scripts and screenplays, but nothing really caught my interest. Why are you asking, Se-hoon?"

"Would you like to do a project with me?"

"You're still filming 'Underdog.' Are you planning to jump into a new project right after?"

"Please read the script first."

Jung Se-hoon showed Cha Do-jin the script Kim Sang-hee had sent via email.

After reading up to Chapter 4, Cha Do-jin looked back with curiosity.

"Why isn't the PD doing this, and why is the lead actor doing the casting pitch?"

"The director hasn't been decided yet. I have the final say in this project."

"Not the writer, but you, Se-hoon?"

"Yes. My mentor has decided to invest heavily in this drama."

Hearing the simple explanation, Cha Do-jin clapped his hands and seemed genuinely excited.

"Wow, I'm envious. I wish I had a mentor like that. Spending 300 billion for a student? That's a lead actor-level character."

"I really want you to play the role of the competing professor."

"You keep calling me 'senior.' How many times have you called me that?"

"How many times?"

"You must have cast the actresses first and are only now coming to me. How many times have you called me?"

"Of course, you're the first. I came to you first, Cha Do-jin."

"Me, Cha Do-jin, am the first pick for a drama produced by Jung Se-hoon?"

Jung Se-hoon swallowed the words that he was just a director and had nothing to do with the production.

He could sense a strange, emotional glow in Cha Do-jin's eyes.

"If I take too long, the company will say something... Ah, I'll take responsibility and reject all the casting offers coming in."

"Thank you."

"But don't put Yu Jeong-a in the love triangle with us. It's hard to get into the right emotional state with her, and I think she feels the same way."