There are three great national parks in America.
The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite.
Of the three, Yosemite is said to be the most lyrical and beautiful.
[You're lucky. Yosemite is truly beautiful on a clear day like this. April is especially lovely because the snow that accumulated through the winter melts and pours down as waterfalls.]
Kyler explained Yosemite with a bright smile.
Why are we going all the way there...?
Yu Myeong had wondered whether Kyler might tell him the reason, but apparently he had no intention of doing so.
In the end, Yu Myeong decided there was no point worrying and settled back into his seat.
He had entered an audition program the moment he arrived in America, so this was his first opportunity to go sightseeing anywhere.
During the drive, Kyler and Yu Myeong sometimes listened to music and sometimes talked.
[You're a twin?]
[Yes. In Korea, there are specific terms for older siblings. Since I was born a little earlier, my mother insists that my younger brother address me that way, while he argues that we're the same age and refuses. They bicker about it all the time.]
[But twins are only born a few minutes apart... You still distinguish between the older and younger one?]
[Korea can be rather strict about things like that... Conservative families still care about it. When it's just the two of us, he seems to make up for it by challenging me even more... It's cute.]
Before he realized it, Yu Myeong was talking freely.
Whenever Kyler offered a quiet, gentle response, Yu Myeong somehow found himself sharing one story after another.
Was it like speaking to a priest hearing confession?
No...
Perhaps it was more like a mirror.
Talking to him made Yu Myeong look at himself, as though he were sitting quietly before an exceptionally clear mirror.
It was like suddenly realizing one day, So this is the kind of person I am.
By the time they reached Yosemite after the long drive, it was a little past one in the afternoon.
As they emerged from Wawona Tunnel, Yu Myeong stared at the view before him with his mouth slightly open.
Roughly a million years ago, a glacier had passed through the heart of Yosemite. Its erosion cut and carved away the hard granite, creating the landscape that existed today.
The sheer faces of the cliffs gleamed a dazzling white, as though they had been sliced cleanly with a blade.
The mountains were rugged, yet the ground below was strangely flat.
Dense sequoia forests covered the valley floor, and beneath a deep blue, cloudless sky, the scenery looked unreal, as though he had stepped into a postcard.
[It looks...like something out of a fairy tale.]
[Doesn't it?]
Kyler smiled with satisfaction at Yu Myeong's awe.
After parking the vehicle, they walked across the broad, level floor of Yosemite Valley. Enormous granite cliffs rose beyond the tall, ancient sequoias.
[That's Half Dome. It's something of a symbol of Yosemite.]
As its name suggested, Half Dome was a mass of granite shaped like a dome that had been split in half.
[I wanted to show you this place. Half Dome came to mind when I saw you, Mr. Yu Myeong.]
[In what way?]
[It's pristine, beautiful, and incredibly solid, but...]
Kyler glanced at Yu Myeong and continued carefully.
[Somehow...it also feels as though only half of it is whole.]
Yu Myeong flinched in surprise once again.
After their first meeting, Miho had followed Kyler for several days.
In the end, she concluded that he did not actually know anything. His own energy was so pure that he seemed unusually sensitive to the energy of others.
Even so, whenever he said things like that...
Yu Myeong could not help becoming wary.
[How did you begin acting?]
The interview began in earnest.
Yu Myeong hesitated, wondering whether it was safe to tell the truth.
But the reason he had wanted to appear in a Kyler Unshaw film in the first place was because he hoped Kyler would understand his essence and create a work from it.
If he began evading each question, then coming this far would have been meaningless.
I'll hide the Immortal Realm and Miho, and only tell him about myself. Some parts may not line up...but if he starts probing into those inconsistencies, I'll know I need to be more cautious.
[When I was young, I was the kind of child no one noticed.]
Kyler tilted his head and looked Yu Myeong over once more.
His eyes suggested that he found the statement difficult to understand.
[Hmm...that's hard to imagine, looking at you now. You may seem quiet at first glance, but your presence is unmistakable even when you do nothing, and you're the type to speak your mind. I can't picture you disappearing into the background anywhere... How unnoticed were you?]
Yu Myeong answered honestly.
[When I went on school outings as a child, there {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} were several occasions when the teachers returned with the other children without realizing I was missing. After that, my mother warned me sternly to stay close to the adults at all times.]
[...]
[Once, while I was crossing the street, a car nearly hit me because the driver didn't see me.]
A crease formed between Kyler's brows.
[When I entered college, I saw a play for the first time. I felt strangely drawn to it, so I applied to the theater club. In my first minor role, there was one scene where I appeared onstage alone. The rest of the world was dark, and only one spot was illuminated, so the audience had no choice but to look at me...]
That was the first time I understood what it felt like for my words and actions to reach another person completely.
[...]
[No matter how hard I tried, I could never impress my existence upon others. But onstage, it was different. If I expressed myself a little better, the audience understood me a little more. For me, it awakened an entirely new sensation, as though I had stepped into another world.]
Kyler looked puzzled.
What he knew did not match Yu Myeong's account at all.
He had heard that Yu Myeong gained attention immediately after joining his college theater club and rose to stardom without hardship...
But Kyler soon discarded his existing database and began absorbing Yu Myeong's story exactly as it was.
More than any information he had gathered, the look in the eyes of the man speaking before him proved that it was true.
As they talked, they reached Mirror Lake.
Looking at the pristine white granite peak reflected perfectly in the transparent water, Kyler asked,
[Would you tell me about the saddest memory of your life?]
Yu Myeong fell silent for a moment before speaking.
[...There was once a time when there were so few people available that I was given a supporting role. Even after casting me because he had no other choice, the director often reminded me that I was still lacking and had only been entrusted with a supporting part, so I needed to work hard.
Even so, I was happy enough to swear that I would.]
His resonant voice made Kyler share the same image almost instantly, even though Yu Myeong was not acting.
[But after the first performance, the director slapped me.]
Kyler's eyes widened in disbelief.
What did he mean...?
[He said I could have done more but hadn't tried. He raged that he had trusted me with the role, only for me to perform so carelessly.]
[...That must have wounded your pride deeply.]
[More than my pride, I was sad because I could tell he genuinely believed that. Being told I was bad was fine. If it was true, then there was room for improvement. But being told I hadn't tried when I truly had done my best...made me wonder whether I was someone who had no right to be there at all.]
As Kyler listened, something came to mind.
[Derek McCurdy is joining the film in a supporting role?!]
[Yes. Will that be possible? It will increase the budget somewhat.]
[Of course, Director. Absolutely!]
The headquarters of Work Brothers.
One of Hollywood's colossal dinosaur-like production companies.
After merging with TBC, the company had been given the new name TW, but the people who worked there still described themselves as belonging to Work Brothers.
It was a matter of pride among filmmakers.
Kyler sat across from the head of production planning.
[Then please handle the negotiations with Derek's agency. I also intend to use "that card" on this project. I plan to cast her either as co-lead opposite Shin Yu Myeong or as the secondary female lead.]
[That card...on this project? Hmm...that may be difficult.]
[You made a promise.]
[I'm not saying we won't honor it. We have a contract, after all. But this project is a reward for the winner of Casting Vote. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to make it a co-leading role? Perhaps you could use that card on your next project...]
Kyler quietly watched the head of production planning, then smoothly tossed out a question.
[If Derek and Yu Myeong share top billing...it would make quite an impressive picture, wouldn't it?]
[Wow...that would be truly—]
The man's face broke into a broad smile before he realized he had been led into a trap.
[You see? Saying a co-lead would be inappropriate was merely an excuse, wasn't it?]
[...]
[I understand your concerns, but you'll accept it once you read the screenplay. That card...will suit Shin Yu Myeong remarkably well.]
[...Will she really...?]
The untold story behind the creation of Casting Vote.
Many people had speculated about the enormous sums required to secure a spectacular lineup that included Derek, Natalie, and Director Kyler.
In truth, they had not been motivated by money alone.
Natalie had wanted Derek.
Derek had wanted Kyler.
And in exchange for staking his next film on Casting Vote, Kyler had received one promise from TW.
One completely unknown actress.
Kyler wanted to make a film with an actress who would ordinarily have struggled to be cast even in a supporting role, and place her in the lead.
Naturally, the proposal had been rejected everywhere.
In exchange for Kyler offering his next project as the prize for Casting Vote, TW had promised to invest in and produce that film.
[Then perhaps we can make the final decision once the screenplay is complete—]
[No, Head of Production Planning. My contract contains no clause stating that the decision must be made in consultation with TW. Nor does it contain any clause barring me from fulfilling this agreement in the next film I make with Shin Yu Myeong.]
His tone was gentle, but his words were unyielding.
[I merely approached this as a discussion out of respect for Work Brothers.]
[...]
[I will use Erhi for this project.]
Kyler was not requesting permission.
He was informing them of his decision.
Several days later, Yu Myeong met Kyler again.
Kyler had selected a rental studio where the entire floor had been divided into small rehearsal rooms and conference rooms.
[Hello, Director.]
[Hello. What have you been doing lately?]
[I appeared on one program requested by TW, and did several magazine interviews arranged by the agency... Other than that, I've spent most of my time in the rehearsal room.]
[What are you practicing?]
[Lately, I've been working on the exercise Derek taught me, walking as though I were the character. I've tried it with characters I've played before, and also with specific characters from films.]
Kyler listened closely.
He added diligent and obsessed with acting to the information he had accumulated about Yu Myeong.
[I would like to see that sometime.]
[Come visit the rehearsal room. Only Kai and I are using it right now, so you can drop by whenever you like.]
[I will.]
After their brief exchange about recent events, Kyler brought up the subject he had prepared for that day.
[There was an actress I desperately wanted to make a film with.]
Surprised by the unexpected turn in the conversation, Yu Myeong responded with curiosity.
[Is she someone I know?]
[No. She is still completely unknown. But her passion for acting is second to none. And during my first interview with you at Yosemite...I pictured the two of you standing together. That is why I want her to appear in this film with you.]
[...I see.]
[I want to show her to you first.]
Kyler gestured for Yu Myeong to follow, then stepped out of the conference room.
They proceeded deeper inside along a winding corridor.
At last, they reached the room at the very end.
Inside the rehearsal room, a woman was standing before a mirror, completely absorbed in practice.
No...
Yu Myeong flinched when he saw her.
[Her name is Erhi Dever.]
Her presence was...
extraordinarily faint.
Just like his own had once been.
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