Chapter 188: Meeting
“Ah. I think I drank too much. My head hurts.”
Bora frowned, pressing her temples. She had only meant to have a little, but the party didn’t break up until dawn.
It wasn’t just the excitement of the festival—when like-minded people started talking about their work, they ended up watching the sunrise.
“Here, drink this. We’re only doing the lunch event today, so just hang in there a little longer.”
Ko Gyeongmin patted Bora on the back as he handed her a hangover remedy.
“So, did you have fun?”
“Ah, oppa, I think I’ve got my next project lined up.”
“Looks like you two hit it off.”
“Yeah. Details when I get to the company—”
“Me toooooo…….”
At that moment, Muyoung stumbled over, plopping down on the hotel lobby sofa. Gyeongmin held up another hangover remedy and asked,
“You too? Did you drink last night as well?”
“Yes, and I’ve also decided on my next project.”
“What—!?”
“Ugh. My head……”
What started as one beer turned into two, then three, and eventually mixed with soju. Might as well have stuck to soju from the start.
“What, what is it? What did you decide on? And the pay?”
Usually, when an actor decides to take on a role, they negotiate the project and pay before signing on. But Muyoung had never done that.
He’d commit first, then negotiate later.
“I think the company can handle that. I’d like to set up a meeting as soon as we get back to Seoul.”
“Oh, okay……”
Not really okay, but what else could he say?
While Gyeongmin acknowledged Muyoung’s good eye for scripts, he couldn’t shake the anxiety. What if he picked something really strange?
“Where’s it from?”
“The production company is Gulre, and the project is called Indulgence.”
“Indulgence? Ohhh.”
Gyeongmin exclaimed, seeming to understand.
Wasn’t this the script that the writer had said they wrote with Muyoung in mind?
And wasn’t it……
“Isn’t that about a murderer?”
Gyeongmin knew about Muyoung’s trauma. When he asked again, looking puzzled, Muyoung just smiled.
As soon as the news arrived from Busan, the company was abuzz.
They had to review not only Bora’s next project but also Muyoung’s. While no project was more important than the other, after the unprecedented success of Blade’s Edge, everyone was more focused on Muyoung’s next move.
“CEO Yusah is here.”
Muyoung, who had been spinning his chair in the meeting room, stopped at the employee’s words. Yusah, wearing only a shirt and tie, rushed in with the staff.
“Mr. Muyoung.”
“CEO!”
CEO Yusah entered the meeting room with a light smile. Muyoung, Gyeongmin, and the other employees stood up to greet him.
“Long time no see.”
“How have you been?”
“I couldn’t work properly because I was so caught up in Blade’s Edge.”
It sounded like a joke, but it wasn’t.
As Muyoung’s fame soared, Big Win’s workload increased too. They were planning new ventures with the money he brought in and reinvesting in his projects.
As the head of the company, Yusah was busier than ever before.
“When are the people from Gulre arriving?”
“They should be here soon.”
Yusah checked his watch.
The employees sat around the meeting table, distributing documents.
“Have you read the script?”
Muyoung asked Yusah, tidying up some papers.
Yusah smiled smoothly.
“It’s good.”
Putting aside the characters and story, the mise-en-scène was particularly promising.
It was rated for adults only, but this kind of film usually does better overseas. Muyoung’s face lit up at Yusah’s approval.
“That’s a relief.”
It meant the company wasn’t opposed. While they couldn’t stop Muyoung if he was set on a project, it was ideal for everyone to be on the same page.
“It’s perfect for broadening your acting range. The character is intense, so the whole project feels powerful.”
Among the company staff, only Gyeongmin knew about Muyoung’s trauma. Gyeongmin, sitting next to him, watched Muyoung with concern, while the rest of the employees were all positive.
After a moment of thought, Yusah asked,
“By the way, Mr. Muyoung, are you planning to invest in this film too?”
When it came to Street Sunlight, there weren’t enough investors, so Muyoung had put in his own money. But this time, that wouldn’t be necessary.
With Muyoung’s guaranteed box office draw, everyone would be clamoring to invest.
“Hmm, I haven’t really thought about it.”
Money was good to have, but beyond a certain point, it didn’t mean much to Muyoung.
He only ate three meals a day and wore just a couple of outfits, so what was the point?
“Why do you ask?”
“SJ plans to push as much investment as possible this time.”
Yusah smiled.
“Of course, a significant portion of that will go toward your salary.”
It was a win-win situation.
SJ would pour money into the production company, and Muyoung’s salary would flow right back to Big Win, an SJ subsidiary. The money would circulate, naturally inflating Muyoung’s value and generating headlines about “unprecedented investment.”
“Oh, I see.”
Muyoung simply nodded, and Yusah leaned forward, smiling.
“Your value is our company’s value.”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
Muyoung caught on. The company’s attitude had to do with his upcoming contract renewal.
With back-to-back hits just before the season, other agencies were eyeing him. There hadn’t been any contact yet, but……
We’ll raise your value again, so don’t even think about going elsewhere.
That unspoken offer was thick in the air.
“I knew you had a good eye, but when I saw the project, I got greedy as a viewer.”
Yusah set down the script with a smile.
The film had a uniquely sacred and lavish Catholic atmosphere, and the protagonist was a genius artist bordering on a quasi-chaebol.
The visual appeal of the scenes would undoubtedly be the project’s main attraction.
“I’ll show you what real mise-en-scène is.”
He sounded very confident—pouring capital into the project to elevate its quality. Muyoung clapped and laughed.
“The director will be overjoyed to hear that.”
“We’ll probably add more of our actors to the cast. We’ll need to discuss casting.”
An investor’s influence was absolute. They could sway casting decisions and even modify the script.
“CEO, I chose this because I liked the director’s script. You know that, right?”
Muyoung was subtly warning him not to overstep.
Yusah smiled wryly and shook his head.
“Mr. Muyoung, you don’t know me?”
“I do, but just in case.”
“That’s hurtful.”
He valued autonomy, Yusah muttered politely.
Just then, word came that the people from Gulre had arrived.
Click-
“Hello.”
“Hello, welcome.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Donghwang, CEO of Gulre.”
“And this is Director Kim San, who wrote the script.”
“Please sit down. It was a long trip. I’m CEO Yusah.”
The management and investment company met with the production company.
Having only seen each other at the drinking party, Kim San awkwardly smiled at Muyoung.
“I read the script. You wrote it with Mr. Muyoung in mind?”
Yusah spoke first, making small talk.
Unfazed, Kim San repeated what he’d told Muyoung: it would be a boundary-pushing project for both of them. Yusah nodded in agreement.
“It’s going to be huge. Mr. Muyoung’s acting is beyond question, and this will be a truly bold transformation.”
“With your fair skin and tall build, you’ll be perfect for the role.”
“Then let’s get into the project details.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Director Kim, you directed Youthful Passion, which won at the Independent Film Festival, and your representative work is Dot, Danbae. This project feels a bit different from your previous ones.”
Yusah was asking as an investor.
Kim San answered smoothly, explaining the project’s direction.
“……So, it’s about the dark side of religion, human ugliness, and the nature of evil and sin. The essence of capitalism and religion drives the character of Dokyeong.”
What is sin, really? If sin is defined by society’s rules, then are Dokyeong’s murders not sins? After all, the institution of indulgence forgave him.
“Have you thought about casting?”
“Mr. Muyoung is our top priority.”
Anyone who had issues with Muyoung or didn’t mesh well with him would be excluded.
Yusah nodded in satisfaction.
“Aside from Mr. Muyoung, the most important role is Secretary Kim, right?”
Secretary Kim was Dokyeong’s personal secretary and accomplice in his murders.
“Yes, we have a few actors in mind, but we’re still in the internal casting stage.”
Dokyeong was obsessed with beauty.
He liked to capture his victims at their most beautiful moments in paintings, and some even became his models after death. Then, Secretary Kim accidentally saw his own sketch. He thought he was a loyal hunting dog, but to his master, he was just another ‘subject’ of beauty.
“It’s hard to find an actor who matches Mr. Muyoung in both physique and acting skills.”
“Ah, I agree. It’s not easy to outshine our Mr. Muyoung on screen.”
Yusah immediately chimed in, agreeing with the director. Muyoung just sat there, awkwardly smiling. No one in the room thought it was a joke.
“We’ll discuss this internally and get back to you.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
Secretary Kim ultimately became the catalyst for exposing Dokyeong’s atrocities to the world.
While people died in his mansion, the police were blind, and journalists couldn’t write a word. The public was outraged by the shocking truth, and the religious community, trying to distance itself, declared Dokyeong a devil.
“Oh, and are there any scenes that might be difficult for Mr. Muyoung?”
Kim San asked cautiously. The film was rated for adults only and had many intense scenes.
If there was anything Muyoung wanted to adjust, they could make it work. It would be his first project of this nature.
But Muyoung immediately refused.
“No, it’s all fine. I can handle it, so don’t worry about me. Director, just tell the story you want to tell.”
His words felt like a promise. No matter the scene, no matter the role, he would deliver exactly as written. Kim San smiled faintly and sighed in relief.
“Ah, thank you. I appreciate that.”
“Then we’ll wrap up today’s meeting. CEO and Director, let’s schedule another day.”
The formal meeting was over, leaving only the practical discussions about fees and scheduling.
Talk of casting the actor to star alongside Muyoung would happen then.
“Well, I……”
Muyoung laughed, smoothing his hair. Once the casting for his counterpart was finalized, there would be a camera test.
To keep things moving quickly, he had one task.
“I’ll start by dying my hair back.”