I Became the CEO of an Idol Company in a Game Chapter 96

<Episode 96>

 

“Hello. I’m Leejoo from Spade Joker!”

Because the meeting date was set sooner than expected, Leejoo didn’t have much time to practice acting. As a result, he greeted the drama director and writer with a visibly nervous expression.

“Nervous?”

“Huh? Yes.”

The director looked at Leejoo as if he found him cute.

Nineteen years old.

He was about the same age as the director’s own daughter.

“Please sit over there.”

“Yes.”

Leejoo pulled out the chair with trembling hands.

Seeing that, Kim Jawook handed him some water. It was a gesture telling him to take a sip and calm down.

After sitting down, Leejoo gulped the water.

“There’s no need to be so nervous. We’re just going to read the script. Relax. Think of it as practicing alone.”

“Yes. Understood.”

At the director’s gentle voice, Leejoo seemed to relax a little.

“First of all, you’ve read the script, right?”

“Yes. I’ve read all of it.”

The director’s gaze moved to the script in Leejoo’s hands.

It looked slightly worn at the edges, as if it had been read multiple times. There were also colorful index tabs attached.

The director found Leejoo even more endearing, thinking that he didn’t take this project lightly.

“Good. Then, in your opinion, what kind of character is the youngest priest?”

“I think he’s a weak but strong presence. He’s timid and weak, but if you look closely, he has decisiveness.”

“You understood it correctly.”

At the writer’s praise, the tips of Leejoo’s ears turned red.

“Then where do you think the youngest priest’s emotions are expressed most intensely?”

The writer was curious how far Leejoo had gone in his character analysis, so she asked another question. Leejoo grabbed an index tab and opened the script.

[#S23. Inside the church at dawn.]

“I think it’s this part.”

He pointed to the scene where the youngest priest prays alone at dawn.

Since it was a part without much dialogue or direction, the writer found it unexpected and asked:

“Why?”

“The youngest priest is confused and wants to set everything right, so he prays for the wisdom to know the truth, and for the ability to guide things correctly if all of this is right. That’s why I think this is the part where his emotions are expressed most intensely.”

The corners of the writer’s lips curved upward.

“Doesn’t the scene at the end, where he stabs another priest with a cross, seem more intense?”

“By that point, he’s already made his decision, so I think his expression would actually be calm. The confusion would have already disappeared through prayer. His actions may be intense, but the emotions he feels wouldn’t be.”

At Leejoo’s answer, the writer felt as if she had been struck on the head with something heavy.

Originally, the writer had drawn the youngest priest’s emotional line in a very complex way to create intense action in the final scene. But in this part, Leejoo’s interpretation felt more convincing.

‘Right. Since he’s a priest, by the time he finishes praying, he would’ve already made up his mind. That’s why he picked up the cross. I was too fixated on what’s visible.’

The writer realized she had been so absorbed in visual direction that she failed to properly look into the character she created.

“Who taught you how to analyze characters?”

“Actor Kang Woojin. He told me not to trust the script too much. He said I should constantly think about what I would do if I were that character, or what someone else I know would do if they were that character. He said if I keep doing that, there will naturally come a moment when I understand the character.”

Both the writer and the director deeply agreed with Kang Woojin’s teaching.

“You’ve got a good mentor. Then shall we try a reading now?”

“Yes.”

“The prayer scene. Can you do it?”

“Yes.”

Leejoo slowly made the sign of the cross and clasped his hands together, just as he had learned from Cain, who was Catholic.

His lips moved very slightly.

It looked as if he was concretely expressing the act of reciting a prayer internally.

Leejoo’s clasped hands began to tremble.

To stop the trembling, he clasped them tighter.

But it didn’t help, and eventually he lowered his hands onto his knees.

The writer and director watched his acting in silence.

‘This is beyond expectations.’

Leejoo’s lips pressed together.

Soon, he opened his eyes.

At that moment, the hesitation disappeared from his face.

There was no trace left of the nervous young boy from before.

 

***

 

“Let’s keep using the same desks and chairs we have now. And let’s add a few more of the same kind in case the number of people increases. Also, it’d be better to increase the number of practice rooms. If Leejoo seriously wants to pursue acting, he’ll need a space to practice.”

“Understood.”

“Tomorrow is the Florence music video shoot, right?”

“Yes.”

“Everything proceeding without issues?”

“Of course.”

Since there were many things already set in motion, there was a lot to check. Fortunately, things were being resolved one by one.

Bzzz.

At the sudden vibration, I checked my phone.

[Reporter Kim Yerin]

It was someone I hadn’t expected to contact me at all, so I frowned without realizing it.

“Is there a problem?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just an annoying message. You can head out now. Go take care of your work.”

“Yes.”

After Han Sooseok left the CEO’s office, I checked the message.

[Hello, CEO. Thanks to you, I’m living a peaceful daily life at my new company. I’m still adjusting, but I’m gradually getting used to the work. After writing articles that criticize and insult others every day, now reading children’s fairy tales feels like my life has changed. Thank you.]

Fortunately, it wasn’t a bad message.

[That’s good to hear. I hope you continue doing well.]

It was too awkward to ignore, but I didn’t want to continue the conversation either, so I sent a somewhat distancing reply.

‘Looks like the saying that environment shapes a person isn’t wrong.’

When she worked as a reporter, she had no hesitation in tearing others down. But after moving to a publishing company that mainly handled children’s books, she seemed to have become more innocent.

Bzzz.

The phone vibrated again.

This time, it was a call from Kim Jawook.

“Hello.”

[Hello, CEO.]

“Yes, what is it?”

For some reason, Kim Jawook’s voice sounded a bit excited.

[Leejoo did it.]

Only then did I remember that Leejoo had gone for a drama script reading today.

“Wasn’t today just an image meeting combined with the reading? The results shouldn’t come out this quickly.”

Since he wasn’t a top actor like Kang Woojin and didn’t even have acting experience, I assumed it would take several more meetings before casting decisions were made.

[The director and writer said Leejoo’s acting was really good, and his character analysis was excellent. They said they’re even going to slightly revise the ending based on his interpretation.]

That was good news.

‘But was Leejoo really that good at acting?’

In all previous cycles, the acting member I pushed was Sera.

The other members had clear roles like main vocal, main dancer, rapper, maknae, etc., but Leejoo, being a sub-vocal and sub-dancer, had a weaker defining character.

‘Sera also has a distinctive kind of handsome look rather than a standard one, so I thought it would help him take on diverse roles.’

“That’s great. Since there aren’t any schedules for a while, he can set the filming schedule comfortably. Ah, for the variety show in the U.S., only Cain and Sora were cast, and the other members were invited as guests.”

[Yes.]

“Because of that guest schedule, he might have to miss filming for about three days, so make sure to inform them in advance. If the schedule gets messed up because of that later, it’ll be our responsibility.”

[Understood.]

After ending the call with Kim Jawook, I sent a congratulatory message to Leejoo. A reply of thanks came immediately.

‘He must be really excited about getting a role in a drama.’

I could vividly imagine Leejoo’s happy face.

‘It’s a bit earlier than I expected, but now that it’s come to this, I should start giving Spade Joker members some individual activities. Zen is already set to appear on a music variety show anyway.’

To do that, I needed to start knocking on doors.

 

***

 

After finishing overtime work, I returned home with a tired body.

“I’m exhausted.”

It was already close to midnight.

I wanted to wash up quickly and lie down on the bed.

Since tomorrow was the weekend, I thought I’d sleep in and then check how the interior construction of the building I was moving into was progressing.

“Good evening, CEO.”

When I looked up, it was CEO Joo Youngjun.

He had parked his car in front of my house and was leaning against it while looking at me.

His eyes were filled with undisguised hostility.

“You must’ve worked hard stealing my kids away.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Are you going to pretend you don’t know? Well… I suppose you would.”

The corners of Joo Youngjun’s lips trembled slightly with agitation.

“Ha. You must feel guilty after stealing kids I raised for 10 years with so much effort.”

I understood what kind of misunderstanding he was making.

But what puzzled me was how he found out that I was connected to A-Pen.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about. And did you really wait in front of my house at this hour just to say this? How did you even find my address?”

I questioned him directly.

“Is that really what you should be asking right now? I asked you first.”

“Ha, so I have to answer first? Fine. I’ll tell you. I have no relationship with A-Pen.”

“No relationship? Then why are you visiting the house of kids who left, saying they wouldn’t renew their contracts?”

It seemed he knew that I had attended A-Pen’s party after being invited recently.

‘No, but seriously… how does he know this?’

A-Pen hadn’t posted any photos or written anything about it, yet CEO Joo Youngjun knew. That made me uneasy.