Startled, Yu Myeong and Miho rapidly exchanged words in their minds.
{What the heck is that human?}
Exactly... Could he perhaps... see something?
{There are no traces of influence from the Immortal Realm. There isn't another spirit creature nearby, either. Maybe he's simply a perceptive human...}
Seeing the confusion on Yu Myeong's face, Kyler immediately apologized.
[Oh, it's just a feeling I had. Sorry if I startled you.]
[Ah...yes...]
[I think an interesting screenplay will come out of this.]
[...]
[I'll interview you several times while I work on the screenplay, Mr. Yu Myeong. Other than inspiring me, there isn't much you'll need to do, so get plenty of rest and come by whenever I contact you. No need to feel pressured.]
Yu Myeong nodded, and Derek suddenly cut in.
[Ahhh, I'm so bored.]
[??]
[There's a certain "top" actor who still hasn't decided on his next project. I hear every director out there is desperate to cast him...]
Yu Myeong froze in embarrassment.
Derek McCurdy could be stubborn and self-centered, but even Yu Myeong readily acknowledged him as one of the greatest actors alive.
Studying under him and preparing a performance together had given Yu Myeong an enormous amount of stimulation. Derek was an actor who drove forward with tremendous energy while displaying astonishing delicacy in the smallest details. His philosophy of acting was firm to the point of obstinacy, yet he was also cool enough to concede immediately when someone else was right.
But what was with this...elementary school kid?
[Derek.]
Derek ignored Kyler's call and addressed Yu Myeong instead.
[Mr. Shin Yu Myeong, do you know why I agreed to be a judge on Casting Vote?]
[I heard the two of you were childhood friends... Was °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° there another reason?]
[Ding-dong. Because I wanted the first-place prize you're holding now.]
The first-place prize...
Kyler Unshaw's next film.
[They said established actors were eligible too, so I actually considered applying to Casting Vote. I really would have done it if my manager hadn't stopped me. If I had, you wouldn't have won quite so easily, Mr. Shin Yu Myeong. Haha.]
Was he joking?
No...he meant it.
Yu Myeong clicked his tongue inwardly.
When he had abandoned the safe path of establishing himself as a top Korean actor and applied to an American audition program, he had heard that countless media outlets criticized him for lowering his status simply by participating.
But this was Derek McCurdy.
Everything he had built. The legendary name "Derek McCurdy."
He had genuinely considered doing something that might reduce all of it to a laughingstock.
Kyler Unshaw apparently had not known about this either. He studied Derek closely, as if trying to determine whether he was serious.
Then he laughed, clear and bright.
[Wow, you really mean it. Why would you go that far?]
[Because you refuse to make a film for me. I thought I'd at least hover around you and advertise myself. Director~ There's a perfectly good actor right here~ And he has plenty of free time~]
Derek's shameless attempt to sell himself to Kyler, without the slightest concern that Yu Myeong was present, suddenly seemed admirable.
Kyler Unshaw was said to touch the essence of an actor and write a work that no one else could possibly perform.
Just as Yu Myeong desperately wanted to appear in one of his films, Derek harbored the same ambition.
When it came to acting, he would neither yield nor compromise. His accumulated reputation, his pride, everything else was irrelevant.
Who could understand that feeling better than Yu Myeong?
Kyler thought for a while, then casually tossed out a suggestion.
[Derek, would you be willing to take a supporting role?]
Yu Myeong was slightly surprised.
Derek McCurdy was currently at the absolute peak of his acting career. No director would dare offer him a supporting role. A brief cameo, perhaps, but nothing more.
[You mean in your next film? Then absolutely.]
Yet Derek seized the offer without hesitation.
A chance to appear in the Kyler film he had wanted for so long, with the added advantage of working with Yu Myeong again.
Apparently, there was nothing for him to consider.
[Seeing the two of you together has given me an image. Nothing is certain yet, and I'll have to develop the composition further. I'll also need to discuss it with the production company.]
[All right. I'll be waiting.]
Yu Myeong observed the peculiar relationship between them.
There seemed to be more to it than a simple childhood friendship.
Kyler mercilessly manipulated Derek with his gentle manner, while Derek willingly let himself be manipulated and still made sure to obtain exactly what he wanted.
What kind of work would those two create with him?
This worked out well.
One of the regrets that had lingered with him until the very end of Casting Vote might now be resolved.
After filming ended, Yu Myeong asked Ho Cheol to take him to Yu Seok's office.
It had only been two days since he left the program, so this was his first time visiting the American office Yu Seok had rented.
On the way, he stopped at a small flower shop and selected a potted plant.
[I'll take this one.]
The florist kept tilting her head as she looked at him, then asked cautiously,
[Excuse me... Are you "Yu Myeong"?]
[Yes. Hello.]
At his confirmation, her face blossomed like a flower.
[Wow... Congratulations on Casting Vote. I loved watching you. I voted by text every time and cheered for you so much.]
[Thank you very much.]
[Oh...this isn't the time for that. Paper... Could I possibly get your autograph?]
[Of course. Please, hand it over.]
The single autograph made her look as though she had gained all the happiness in the world.
Then she waved her hands, refusing to accept payment for the plant.
[No, I have to pay. It's a gift celebrating the opening of a business, so it has to be something I bought myself. Please take the money.]
When Yu Myeong firmly insisted on paying, the florist reluctantly accepted the price of the plant, then presented him with a large bouquet separately.
[Then you'll accept my gift, won't you? It's a gift from a fan. I'll be looking forward to your film.]
[...Thank you.]
In the end, Yu Myeong accepted the bouquet and gave her a radiant smile.
Her face immediately turned bright red.
When he climbed into the car with the plant in one hand and the bouquet in the other, Ho Cheol asked,
"You said you were going to buy a plant... What's with the bouquet?"
"It was a congratulatory gift for winning."
"Wow... You really are a star now."
Yu Myeong carefully set the plant down by his feet, cradled the bouquet in his arms, and took a deep breath.
It was strange.
Even after seeing it with his own eyes, even after hearing that tremendous wave of applause,
even while receiving all those congratulations and so much attention, he had remained strangely calm.
Yet now, intoxicated by the scent of flowers, emotion surged into his throat.
She was one of the countless viewers beyond the television screen who had watched his acting.
The small gift she had given him with such overflowing goodwill filled the entire car with its fragrance.
So many people watched my acting...and it moved them.
Only now did it truly feel real.
Yu Myeong closed his eyes slightly, almost dizzy from the realization.
Yu Seok's office was located one block away from Hollywood Boulevard.
Yu Myeong chuckled when he saw the company name. He knew what the W stood for.
Worst... The superlative of bad. That's just like him.
Bad Enter had been a "bad" company for management, which meant it was a "good" company for its members.
Now he had taken it even further and was aiming to create the "worst" company of all.
But just as Yu Seok had said that the company kept turning a profit despite his original intention of merely supporting Yu Myeong, Yu Myeong had no doubt that he would create a company that was best for both its actors and itself.
Ding.
When Yu Myeong stepped off on the third floor and reached Yu Seok's office, a rather bewildering sight greeted him.
The office door stood slightly ajar, and a man's booming voice rang out from inside.
[Honestly. You really don't understand the situation, do you?]
[I don't understand the situation...me?]
The incredulous voice replying belonged to Director Moon.
[You had one program go well and got some attention, and now you've apparently gotten a head full of hot air. Don't you know celebrities who debut through audition shows never last long? He's Asian, on top of that. People are making a fuss because he's a novelty right now, but once that dies down, who do you think will even look at him?]
[Then who is so desperate to acquire an actor no one will look at?]
[N-No one is desperate! We only thought it would be a shame for a fairly talented actor to disappear so quickly, so we offered to look after him. How long do you think a minor actor like that can survive with a tiny agency like this?]
[Probably longer than your company.]
[What? This is unbelievable. Do you even know what kind of agency we are?! What do you think will happen if I decide to crush this place? Will you still be wearing that smug smile then, huh?]
Yu Myeong stared in disbelief.
Judging by the situation, the man throwing a tantrum inside seemed to belong to some talent agency.
Not a production company, but an agency...?
Had they proposed some sort of partnership or merger and been rejected?
Ho Cheol, standing beside him, explained in a low voice thick with restrained fury.
"It's an agency called FU. They sent a proposal recently saying they wanted to acquire our company, including all the actors under contract. The President ignored it as complete nonsense, so it looks like they finally came here to pull this crap."
Yu Seok seemed largely unharmed, merely provoking the other man with a dismissive look.
Even so, Yu Myeong was starting to feel irritated. Just as he moved to enter the office, a man standing behind him stepped between Yu Myeong and the doorway to stop him.
[An actor shouldn't have to deal with garbage like that. Please remain elegant.]
[And you are...?]
[Ah, I'm this sort of person.]
Gold-rimmed glasses. Refined upper-class speech. Though casually dressed, the man seemed to radiate sophistication.
He gave a warm, good-natured laugh and handed over a business card.
<CRD TV Series Production, Chief Producer, Nicolas Pandas>
Printed upon it was the name of a high-ranking executive at the largest television production company in America.
[FU? What kind of pathetic little bastards are they?]
The polite man underwent a complete transformation.
Yu Myeong's mouth fell slightly open.
The way he utterly looked down on the other man and seized control with a stream of profanity was so different from when he had handed Yu Myeong his business card that it was almost absurd.
[And who the hell is this bastard?]
[You said you run a talent agency. And you don't know who I am? Ha. What kind of con artist are you?]
[What? A con artist? Who the hell are you?!]
He took out a business card and flicked it toward the man.
It spun through the air, and its sharp corner struck the man's forehead before falling to the floor. The man was about to explode in anger, but the force of Nicolas's presence made him pick up the card first.
The instant he read it,
[C...CRD... You're Nicolas Pandas...?]
[That's right, asshole.]
[Uh...well, I'm from FU Enter—]
[Your agency is called FU? If you're going to operate like this, why didn't you just name it FUCK?]
Nicolas unleashed the insult with refreshing bluntness. The man's face reddened, but he could not answer.
[The entire industry is desperate to sign the actors here right now. CRD even sent me personally, and your company sends some nobody like you to lowball them? At least do something that makes sense. Christ.]
Sweat poured down the man's face as he backed away.
Nicolas instantly changed his demeanor again and asked Yu Seok with perfect politeness,
[President, did you keep that man's business card?]
[I did.]
[May I take it? I don't remember the company, so it must be some small start-up, but I'm sure a few of their actors are appearing in our productions. It seems I need to have a conversation with their president.]
[Here it is.]
The man's face went deathly pale, and he began stumbling through excuses.
[Th-That's not what I meant... I'm sorry. I lost my temper for a moment...]
[Then this will be a good opportunity to cure that habit. I have important business to discuss with the guests here, so would you mind getting the hell out? I think I might do something worse if you don't.]
[I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!]
The man scurried away with his tail between his legs.
Nicolas straightened his clothing once more, then offered his hand to Yu Myeong and Yu Seok.
[Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Nicolas Pandas, Chief Producer at CRD.]
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter