Chapter 342
âWhy donât we have a meal together since weâre here?â
At Milan Chellenâs suggestion, the actors and director Jeffrey moved to a nearby restaurant as it was almost dinner time.
The table was full of food and they all started to eat while chatting about various things.
Kim Jong-ho, who was a bit nervous to meet the actors for the first time, also relaxed and joined the conversation with a smile.
âThe final cut will be a hit for sure.â
âI hope so.â
Milan Chellen nodded at Vanessa Olsenâs words.
âWhen do you think it will be released?â
At Davis Garrettâs question, everyoneâs eyes turned to director Jeffrey.
This kind of schedule would be better known by the planning team leader, but both Bearound and Plus+ were busy with meetings because of the directorâs cut, which was different from the final cut that everyone was satisfied with.
The planning team leaderâs face, who seemed to have given up on the peopleâs cheers, came to Seo-junâs mind and he smiled softly.
âWeâre planning for around summer.â
Director Jeffrey answered, having heard from the planning team leader beforehand.
At his words, not only Seo-jun but also the actors looked surprised.
âThatâs fast. I thought it would be autumn at leastâ¦â
âYou saw the edited version earlier, but apart from a few places that need to be fixed, itâs almost done. It was faster than expected.â
Thanks to their efforts on the set, they were able to minimize the CG work and hire more people for the CG work thanks to Bearoundâs financial power.
âI wonder how well it will do.â
âThe final cut will be a hit, butâ¦â
âAs for the Directorâs Cutâ¦â
Without saying anything, the actors and director exchanged awkward looks and eventually burst into laughter.
***
Seo-jun returned to Korea and headed to the district office the next day.
The civil servant who met Seo-jun again took out Seo-junâs ID card from among the ones that had been made.
He could find it easily by looking at the handsome photo.
Meanwhile, his colleague next to him, who had been poked in the ribs by the civil servant (it was a predetermined signal), looked at Seo-jun in a black hat with starry eyes.
âHere you go.â
âThank you.â
Seo-jun bowed and went outside.
He got into the car that was parked in the parking lot.
He came by his own car because he thought it would attract attention if he parked a big car in front of the district office.
Ahn Da Ho, who was sitting in the driverâs seat, smiled at Seo-jun who sat in the passenger seat.
âDid you get it?â
âYes. Here it is.â
Seo-jun, who seemed a bit excited with his cheeks flushed, handed over his ID card with a photo taken at Sunset Studio.
Ahn Da Ho looked at Seo-junâs ID card back and forth while Seo-jun fastened his seat belt.
âThe photo came out well.â
It was good that he took it at the studio.
Ahn Da Ho handed back Seo-junâs ID card and started the car.
âIâm starting to feel that youâre becoming an adult soon.â
âHaha. Really?â
When did he grow up so much?
Ahn Da Ho felt both happy and sad that the little actor who led him to the entertainment industry had grown up so well.
âI wonder if heâs amazed by his own ID card.â
He looked at Seo-jun who was examining his ID card here and there. But in Ahn Da Hoâs eyes, he still looked like a young child.
***
Early June.
Bearound started to promote [Survivors].
Articles about [Survivors] poured out from not only America and Korea but also all over the world.
[Bearound, âSurvivorsâ scheduled to be released in July!]
[Davis Garrett x Lee Seo-jun! âSurvivorsâ to be released in July!]
[Lee Seo-jun x Kim Jong-ho! âSurvivorsâ to be released simultaneously worldwide!]
[Korean actorâs Hollywood debut?! Kim Jong-hoâs first Hollywood movie, Survivors!]
-Wow. I thought it would be winter at leastâ¦
=22 July? July?
=N I need to save money for multiple viewings!!
-Worldwide simultaneous release wow
=Thatâs Hollywood scaleâ¦
=Escape also had simultaneous release in some countries.
=Only about twenty countries.
=Only? Itâs amazing that a Korean movie had simultaneous release in foreign countries!
-I wonder if more Korean actors will appear in Hollywood movies now?
=Lee Seo-jun, Kim Jong-ho went there, so why not Lee Ji-seok, Lee Da-jin, Park Do-hoon?
=Itâs all thanks to Lee Seo-jun!
-But there are many actors who donât make it to the final cut even after filming.
=22 Or they appear very briefly.
=333 I guess we have to watch the movie to find out.
Ring.
Phones rang everywhere.
The staff of Kim Jong-hoâs agency had to run around to answer the ringing bells and incoming casting offers.
âWorldwide simultaneous release. Thatâs Hollywood for you.â
âRight. Escape also had simultaneous release in some countries, but Survivors is going to be released in more than 100 countries.â
They were amazed by the enormous scale.
âIs it okay to promote it like this a month before the release? It must cost a lotâ¦â
âI donât think they have to worry about money. They must have confidence that they can recover it all with this much promotion.â
They all nodded unconsciously.
âKings Agency called!â
At the staffâs shout, the team leader of Team 1 quickly answered the phone.
Kings Agency.
Lee Seo-junâs American agency and also the place that helped Kim Jong-ho a lot while he was appearing in a Hollywood movie.
Manager Lee Sang-woo only had good things to say about them.
From clothes and daily necessities to accommodation and food.
They were so well prepared that it felt like they went on a trip rather than filming, and Lee Sang-woo came back with a glowing face.
Just by looking at that, they could tell how well Kings Agency cared for their actors.
âMaybe theyâll get some scripts from Hollywood after Survivors is released.â
And maybe Kim Jong-ho would be interested in some of them.
If Kim Jong-ho decided to appear in another Hollywood movie, it would be difficult for his agency to open a branch in America, so they would have to find a new partner among the agencies in America.
âThe best one would be Kings Agency.â
They already worked together once and knew each otherâs working style, and they probably had some information and know-how from taking care of Hollywood star Lee Seo-jun, so working with Kings Agency would increase the chances of success.
âThe problem is that Kings Agency only has Cocoa Entertainment actors as their clients.â
He was good at his job and had a lot of information, but he only had three Korean singers and one actor as his clients.
According to a rumor that only those who knew knew, one of the members of Brown Black made it for his American activities, but⦠As a team leader, he had no way of knowing whether it was true or not.
âWell. I have to do my best to look goodâ¦â
And then, if he sent Kim Jong-ho and other actors one by one, maybe his agency would have an actor who could make a name for himself in Hollywood.
âSeo-jun is our lucky charm!â
The bright voices of the staff reached the team leaderâs ears.
ââ¦I donât even hope for someone like Seo-jun.â
He sighed lightly and listened to the words of the Kings Agency staff on the other side of the phone.
***
[Kim Jong-ho x Lee Seo-jun! âSurvivorsâ making film released!]
[Survivors, making film released! Wait, why is this here?]
[The Korean hiking fashion that is spreading to the world?]
The making film of [Survivors] was released on YouTube.
Kim Jong-hoâs audition scene, which was kept for record purposes, was also edited very briefly, and Kim Jong-hoâs greeting with director Jeffrey Rodex was also shown.
-Where did all the comments saying that Kim Jong-ho was edited out go!!
=22 They even made a making film centered on Kim Jong-ho?!
=333 They should have promoted it as
-Kim Jong-ho auditioning⦠It feels weird;;;
=Right. He should be sitting on the judging panel;;;
=I remember when the audition article came out. If it were me, I would have seen Kim Jong-ho and just said he got inã ã
-Theyâre all foreigners, so it really feels like Hollywood.
-Itâs amazing that thereâs Kim Jong-hoã
=But itâs familiar that thereâs Seo-junã
=ã ã ã ã ã ã
They all laughed again when Seo-jun joined the group of middle-aged men and women in hiking clothes.
-Itâs like me stuck between my mom and dadâs friends.
=222 It was so embarrassing back thenâ¦
=But if they give me money, I can show some social skillsã ã
The making film ended with a view of the set of [Survivors] and Seo-jun, Kim Jong-ho, and Korean-American actors going up on the set.
-Wow. The set is no joke.
-I thought it was a shopping mall ad when I saw it.
=22 The shopping mall is so cool that I forgot what I was watching.
-They made it with CG, right?
=They probably did for the collapsing scene.
=â¦Maybe they really collapsed it in Hollywood.
-But what are those machines next to the set?
=Are they supports for the set?
=They look weird for that.
=Thatâs Hollywood for you.
=Aha.
=Donât understandã ã ã ã
The making film of Bearound was broadcast not only on YouTube but also on television.
The Hollywood set with familiar Korean actors was enough to arouse the curiosity of the viewers.
And the ratings went up accordingly, so there was no reason for the broadcasters to refuse.
-I donât have to worry about Korean acting with Kim Jong-ho (relieved)
=222 I like that thereâs Korean, but I hate it when the pronunciation is so bad that even Koreans canât understand.
=333 Finally, I can hear some proper Korean!
-I wish they showed some filming scenes too.
=You have to watch that in the theater.
-Iâm waiting for Survivors!!
=Itâs perfect for summer vacation and multiple viewings!
***
And in mid-July.
A few days before the start of summer vacation, Bearoundâs [Survivors] was released.
They took their final exams early,
âYu-jung. What about your report?â
ââ¦Itâs okay. Itâs due in two days.â
â¦and headed to the movie theater to enjoy their vacation. Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na had excited faces.
There were a lot of people because it was the first day of release, or because it was Lee Seo-jun and Kim Jong-hoâs movie.
It was lucky that they booked in advance.
Lim Ye-na read articles about [Survivors] on her phone. She cared about every article and comment because her actor was in the movie.
[Survivors, pre-sale rate, 80.7%!]
[Survivors, released today! What is the opening score?]
[The movies that were postponed because of Survivors!]
âSome movies were postponed.â
âI would postpone them as much as I could too.â
Lim Ye-na read the article further.
âThey say that Survivors already released the making film, so if thereâs no big issue, other movies might be released in two weeks?â
âReally?â
[Kim Jong-hoâs first Hollywood debut! How is it?!]
[Father and son, Kim Jong-ho x Lee Seo-junâs chemistry?!]
âWhat chemistry? You can tell by just looking at the poster. They already confirmed their chemistry as Taejong and Seongnyeong.â
âRight.â
Lim Ye-na said proudly, looking at the eye-catching article.
Song Yu-jung also nodded and carefully picked up one of the posters of [Survivors].
It was a shopping mall that collapsed in the background, and five actors were standing with their backs turned.
They all looked terrible.
âI can guess what kind of story it is, butâ¦â
At Song Yu-jungâs words, Lim Ye-na shrugged.
Even if they didnât want to know the story, anyone who had watched a lot of movies or dramas could guess how it would unfold with some small pieces of information.
A collapsed shopping mall.
An extra father and a main character son.
âI canât watch it without tears.â
âI brought tissues.â
Lim Ye-na smiled and handed Song Yu-jung a tissue from her bag after hearing her words.
âWow, youâre well prepared.â
âI always carry tissues with me since I cry so much watching Seo-junâs movies. And this one is a disaster movie, so I think Iâll cry even more.â
Song Yu-jung nodded in agreement and put the tissue in her bag.
âDo you think the previous show is over yet?â
âThereâs still some time left. But itâs a shame. The exit of this theater is on the other side, so we wonât be able to see the reactions of the people who watched it.â
âI like watching without knowing anything. Oh, I should avoid the internet too.â
Then they had to wait.
Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na chatted while looking at Seo-junâs profile picture that they had downloaded and set as their phone wallpaper.
They sometimes argued about which Seo-jun was the coolest, but it had been two months since the profile picture was released.
After a fierce fight, Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na decided to respect each otherâs preferences.
âMy taste is Seo-jun.â
âSeo-jun is cool no matter what he looks like.â
The fans of actor Lee Seo-jun, Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na smiled at each other.
A few moments later.
âScreen 6! Those who are going to watch Survivors, please enter!â
The staff shouted.
The people who were scattered around the theater checked the location of screen 6 and got up from their seats. Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na also got up and headed to the theater.
âHere it is.â
âWe have a good view!â
Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na sat down with excited faces and waited for the theater to darken.
Soon the theater darkened and ads started to play on the screen.
Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na, as well as the other audience members, checked the location of the emergency exits and escape routes on the screen as usual.
And then on the center of the screen.
The logo of Bearound, the production company, appeared.