I Spent a Night with a Top Star Actress Chapter 30 - Storm.

Two texts from the future had arrived.

-[World] Shocking upset! Korean actress claims Best Actress at the Academy Awards!

-[PICK] The Busan International Film Festival announces its lavish closing ceremony, actress “Choi Go-eun” takes home this year’s Best New Actor award…

The pounding of my heart started to climb.

I thought I’d gotten used to future texts by now, but apparently not.

A cold tension crawling up the back of my neck made me forget the midsummer heat for a moment.

In that state, I slowly read down through the article the future text had sent.

A moment later, I let out an involuntary hollow laugh.

“Hollywood?”

What was this one about?

-[World wild] Shocking upset! Korean actress claims Best Actress at the Academy Awards!

“… A Korean actress won Best Actress at the Oscars?”

I furrowed my brow.

‘Does this even make sense?’

The Academy.

The most famous film awards ceremony in the world.

According to the future text, a Korean actress had won Best Actress at the world’s biggest film awards.

‘Even for a message from the future, this is hard to believe.’

The whole world was shouting against racial discrimination.

And yet Hollywood was still a place where white supremacy lingered.

A Korean actress winning Best Actress at the Academy Awards, the crown jewel of that very Hollywood…

No matter how hard I tried to picture it, I couldn’t form any image at all.

Scratching my chin slowly, I turned my eyes to check the article’s date.

My eyes went wide.

“What? Ten years from now?”

Wasn’t this article a little too far in the future?

‘But ten years from now…’

A Korean actress winning Best Actress at the Academy Awards… did that even make sense?

A joke I’d heard back in the army suddenly came to mind.

A silly joke that by the time you got discharged, there’d be flying cars in the sky.

Five years since I’d been discharged, hearing that joke.

Surprisingly, that silly joke had become real.

They said Paris, France now had flying air taxis.

“… Still, I can’t picture a Korean actor winning Best Actress at the Academy Awards.”

Mulling it over, I redirected my thinking.

Worrying now about something that’d happen ten years from now was just inefficient.

I read the second future article.

-[PICK] The Busan International Film Festival announces its lavish closing ceremony, actress “Choi Go-eun.” takes home this year’s Best New Actor award…

“An actress winning the Best New Actor award at the Busan International Film Festival?”

Not as much as Hollywood, but this one was pretty interesting too.

I checked the second article’s date.

“First one’s ten years out, second one’s this very year?”

Wasn’t the gap between them way too big?

‘So these two futures aren’t… connected at all?’

I couldn’t be sure.

But one thing seemed clear.

Unlike the first future text, the second one had actual plausibility.

Rookies who pick up Best New Actor at the Busan International Film Festival came out of the woodwork every single year.

“The actress’s name is Choi Go-eun.”

A name I’d never heard before.

‘Still unknown, then?’

Or maybe it was a stage name.

Or maybe she hadn’t even debuted yet.

From the name alone, there was no way to guess what kind of actress Choi Go-eun was.

Finished thinking it through, I dropped down onto the bench.

I looked up and saw a sky thick with dark clouds.

“… A storm, huh.”

Come to think of it, wasn’t there supposed to be a typhoon with rain and wind today?

“My own situation’s a storm too, right now.”

It felt like if I let my guard down for even a moment, I’d get swept up and blown away by the sheer wind of it all.

That’s how fast the situation around me was moving.

‘Lee Ha-eun, with her changed attitude.’

The future texts. The bet with CEO Baek. The five-million-admission occult script. The lottery win.

And now Hollywood and some rookie at the Busan International Film Festival had jumped into the mix too.

The situation was so tangled it left my stomach a little queasy.

Like one wrong step and I’d drop off a cliff with no bottom in sight.

But…

I felt the pressure, but I wasn’t afraid.

If anything, this whole thrilling mess was insanely fun.

“I’ve really lost it.”

Now I could tell for sure.

My nervous system had been broken ever since I won the lottery.

Instead of feeling threatened by stimulation past every threshold, dopamine just kept pouring out of me nonstop.

But… yeah.

If I got scared and ran from this situation, I’d end up with nothing at all, wouldn’t I?

“Might as well just enjoy it, maybe.”

If I couldn’t run, the only option left was to push straight through.

In that instant, a path came into view.

Lee Ha-eun. [The Priest in Black]. The crown prince of romance, Seo Tae-jun.

A path that could turn the most urgent of the problems facing me right now into opportunities.

To do that…

I first needed to bring all these events under my own control.

Once I’d worked it out, I moved right away.

“Team Leader Choi. Let’s grab a meal tomorrow.”

Time to rein in these events that had been running wild on their own.

The first up to bat was the five-million-admission occult script, [The Priest in Black].

---

The famed occult director.

Director Park Jun-seo asked Team Leader Choi in an excited voice.

“Is it really true actress Lee Ha-eun’s been booked?”

“No, I’m telling you it’s real!”

Green Pine Productions’ Team Leader Choi declared it with total confidence.

“It’s because you didn’t see Chief Kwon’s face back then, Director Park! The guy was completely sold on it!”

“… Really?”

“Ugh, I said it’s real! Lee Ha-eun’s manager took one look at the [The Priest in Black] script and his eyes just lit right up! Feels like if we play it right, we could even pull other actors on top of Lee Ha-eun, heh heh…”

At Team Leader Choi’s theatrics, Director Park Jun-seo was left dumbstruck.

‘… This is actually real? That Lee Ha-eun’s going to be in my film?

Why would someone as big as Lee Ha-eun want to be in a minor film like this?

No matter how much he thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

But if Team Leader Choi’s words were true…

One thing was clear.

Lee Ha-eun playing [The Priest in Black]’s Seo Rin-bi would show an incredible visual match to the character.

‘The character Seo Rin-bi had been born out of Lee Ha-eun as a motif to begin with!’

If this story checked out, this was an absolute jackpot for him.

Director Park’s mouth loosened into an oily grin.

‘… If this meeting wraps up well today, I should get Team Leader Choi something really big as a gift.’

Let’s see.

This guy Team Leader Choi, he goes crazy for good liquor, doesn’t he?

There’s that five-million-won bottle of foreign liquor he got at the last film festival, might give him that as a gift…

Just then, the sliding door of the private room they’d booked opened.

“Ah, sorry. Traffic was bad, I’m a little late.”

Baekhak Team 5’s Chief Kwon Chan.

The man known as Lee Ha-eun’s former manager appeared with a smiling face.

Team Leader Choi made a big fuss.

“Late, nothing! We just got here too. Come on, sit down first, Chief Kwon!”

Kwon Chan sat down across from Director Park.

“And this is…”

“Ah, this is Director Park Jun-seo, who wrote [The Priest in Black].”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, though this is our first time meeting, Director Park Jun-seo. I’m Chief Kwon Chan, Baekhak Management Team 5.”

Kwon Chan took a business card out of his wallet and handed it to Director Park Jun-seo.

Taking the card, Director Park Jun-seo stole a quick glance at Kwon Chan.

‘His face reads older than you’d expect.’

Not that he looked old for his age, more that the air around him was heavy.

Word was he wasn’t actually that old, yet he had a strikingly distinct aura.

Then again, making chief at that young an age and still carrying a light air about him would’ve been strange too.

Meanwhile Team Leader Choi hyped up the mood and called out.

“Come on, come on! Even Diamond Mountain looks better on a full stomach! Let’s eat first and talk!”

Team Leader Choi laid beef on the grill and asked.

“Chief Kwon. You drinking?”

“Ah, I’ll pass today.”

“Why? Gotta have soju with meat!”

“Last time I drank and tried to read a script, it nearly killed me.”

Turning down Team Leader Choi’s offer smoothly, Kwon Chan changed the subject.

“Before we eat, I’d like to look at the [The Priest in Black] script, would that be all right, Director?”

“Ah, of course.”

Director Park Jun-seo held out the script he’d brought along.

Setting down the chopsticks in his hand, Kwon Chan opened the script.

-Flip.

A strange silence settled over the room.

The only sound was Kwon Chan turning the pages of the script.

Team Leader Choi and Director Park Jun-seo’s eyes stayed fixed on him and wouldn’t budge.

How long had it been like that?

Team Leader Choi finally couldn’t hold back and asked.

“So, Chief Kwon?”

“I’ll let you know once I’ve finished reading.”

“!”

Team Leader Choi clicked his tongue, looking embarrassed.

Beside him, Director Park Jun-seo’s eyes went round.

‘It’s not just the air around him, the man himself carries weight.’

Would you look at that?

On top of that, for a manager, the way he read a script was oddly strange.

‘That focus is no joke.’

Kwon Chan’s eyes, reading the script, sparked the same way a major star’s would.

Just as Director Park was starting to take an interest in this Kwon Chan.

Kwon Chan’s mouth finally opened.

“It’s good.”

“!”

“The story flows a lot smoother than before, and the final twist’s cleaner too, isn’t it?”

Director Park Jun-seo’s face turned bashful.

Why did it feel good, hearing praise from a manager of all people?

Meanwhile Team Leader Choi made a fuss and called out.

“Heh heh… so that settles it, right?”

“What does, Team Leader Choi?”

“What do you think! What we talked about last time over drinks! Actress Lee Ha-eun’s booked, right?”

The smile hanging at the corner of Kwon Chan’s mouth vanished.

Director Park, who’d been stealing glances at Kwon Chan, flinched at the shoulders.

‘… Huh? What is this? Was this actually settled?’

That Chief Kwon.

The second Lee Ha-eun’s name came up, the air around him went cold.

But the excited Team Leader Choi didn’t catch the shift in Kwon Chan’s expression.

“We’ll make sure the terms are more than fair, so let’s set up a meeting right away! Once Lee Ha-eun signs, we can go straight into booking the other actors, and before the script reading we can blast out the articles right away too…”

“Team Leader Choi.”

“Hm? What is it, Chief Kwon?”

“You’re stepping over a line here.”

“!”

Team Leader Choi shut his mouth in surprise.

Meanwhile Kwon Chan set down the script he’d been holding and said.

“When did I ever say actress Lee Ha-eun was booked?”

“Wh, what? Wasn’t it settled between us?”

“I said I’d pass the script around to the actors I manage. I never said one of them was Lee Ha-eun.”

“!”

“This puts me in a tough spot. For an actor at Lee Ha-eun’s level, even the news that a project’s confirmed is a risk in itself. You haven’t gone around running your mouth about this somewhere, have you?”

Team Leader Choi startled and waved his hands.

“Whoa! I haven’t said a word! The only one who knows is Director Park, right here!”

Kwon Chan’s gaze swung over.

Director Park, who’d been quietly watching the two of them talk, startled and answered.

“I haven’t told anyone either.”

Having stirred up the mood in an instant, Kwon Chan got up from his seat.

“I’ll go to the bathroom for a moment.”

“Uh, uh, sure! Go ahead!”

Once he confirmed Kwon Chan had left the room, Director Park shouted at Team Leader Choi.

“You said Lee Ha-eun was confirmed, you idiot!”

“Ah, no… it felt like it was confirmed…”

“Ugh… I’m the idiot for trusting this guy. But…”

Trailing off, Director Park glared.

“That Chief Kwon guy, is he actually a chief? What’s with that air of his?”

“He’s a chief, all right. And a newly promoted one at that…”

“He’s really some fresh-off-the-boat rookie chief who just got promoted?”

“Today he’s just… a different person, honestly.”

“You don’t even know anything properly, ugh…!”

Director Park bit down hard on his lip and muttered.

“You, keep your mouth shut from now on, Team Leader Choi.”

“…”

“One wrong move and we won’t even break even, so don’t so much as breathe a word! Got it?”

Team Leader Choi nodded without a word.

Director Park, his temper suddenly flaring, snatched up the meat Team Leader Choi had been grilling and ate it.

Just then the door opened and Kwon Chan came back.

“…”

A low, heavy tension settled in.

Team Leader Choi and Director Park’s throats bobbed hard.

Back at his seat, Kwon Chan slowly opened his mouth.

“I’d like you both to keep a tight lid on this.”

“!”

“I think I’ve explained what I mean well enough, so I won’t say any more on it. Now then…”

Trailing off, Kwon Chan smiled brightly.

“Shall we get back to talking about casting?”

---

My nerves were definitely still on edge.

Normally I wouldn’t have reacted this hard to Team Leader Choi’s theatrics.

But…

Thanks to that uncharacteristic version of me, the upper hand in this negotiation had swung my way.

As proof, Team Leader Choi and Director Park’s eyes on me had gone oddly meek.

I loosened my bristling senses just a little and took the lead on the mood.

“Shall we get back to talking about casting?”

Director Park spoke up cautiously.

“When you say casting, do you mean you’ve got another character in mind besides the lead, Seo Rin-bi?”

“Yes. I told Team Leader Choi, didn’t you hear?”

Director Park whipped his gaze around, sharp!

Team Leader Choi, who’d been silently grilling meat, startled and answered.

“I, I did tell you! Baekhak wants both leads! We even talked about co-production at the same time!”

“…”

Judging by how little confidence was in that excuse, our Team Leader Choi.

Hadn’t actually told Director Park any of this.

Meanwhile, his neck flushed red, Director Park let out a heavy sigh.

“Guess the message didn’t quite get through, then.”

Unlike a moment ago, Director Park now leaned into the conversation actively.

“So Baekhak wants Kang Ji-hu as well, not just the lead role, Seo Rin-bi?”

“For now, yes.”

“… Do you have an actor in mind?”

I answered as lightly as I could.

“For now, I’m thinking of actor Seo Tae-jun.”

“!”

Director Park asked, startled.

“That crown prince of romance, Seo Tae-jun?”

“Yes.”

“… Doesn’t feel like a fit for the role.”

Director Park, muttering it loud enough to hear.

Anyone could see he meant for me to hear it.

‘Ten-plus years surviving in this business, and this is what he’s got?’

Fair enough.

A director at that level letting his own rice bowl get taken right in front of him would be a problem too, in its own way.

I answered, lifting the corner of my mouth.

“If it’s the actor’s image that’s the issue, I agree, but purely on acting ability, I think someone at Seo Tae-jun’s level could pull off Kang Ji-hu just fine, Director.”

Director Park nodded.

“That’s true. Someone at Seo Tae-jun’s level has plenty of acting chops.”

“So the image is what’s holding you back?”

“Well, honestly, yes. As you well know, Chief Kwon, this business runs on image.”

Director Park pushed his point strongly.

“Of course, an actor at Seo Tae-jun’s weight class would carry gravity regardless of image, but the genre being occult makes it awkward. The film’s atmosphere matters more than anything, and Seo Tae-jun’s image… does have a bit of a lightweight side to it, no denying that.”

I nodded.

“Then let’s do it this way, Director Park.”

“How…?”

“I’ll pass the script along to Seo Tae-jun and set up another meeting.”

“You mean an audition?”

I let out a short laugh.

“An actor at Seo Tae-jun’s level auditioning wouldn’t look great, would it?”

“!”

“Let’s just make it a casual meeting, more like watching a prepared reading. That’ll take some of the pressure off you too, Director Park.”

Director Park Jun-seo’s mouth fell open a little.

His face said something like, would you look at this guy.

“Well, that much should be fine. Not uncomfortable for me either.”

“I’ll talk with actor Seo Tae-jun sometime this week and get back to you. Oh, right.”

I picked up the tongs and set a well-cooked piece of meat down on Director Park’s plate.

“Could you hold off on casting the lead, Seo Rin-bi, just a little?”

Director Park tilted his head.

“… What? Seo Rin-bi?”

“Yes. Nothing’s confirmed yet, but I think it’d be fine to wait and see a bit longer.”

Director Park’s eyes went wide.

The hidden hunger in that expression of his made my chest itch.

“You never know…”

Trailing off, I dropped the first single drop of paint onto the picture I was about to start painting.

“Actress Lee Ha-eun might just pick [The Priest in Black] as her next project.”

Of course, this was still only the groundwork.

The real planning would start from here.

---

At that hour, in Baekhak Entertainment’s CEO office.

CEO Baek, taking in the night view of Seoul under the settled darkness, spoke.

“Division Head Park, what do you think?”

“I think it was a fair call.”

Division Head Park Yu-hyeon said, decanting a bottle of Château Margaux, one of the finest wines made in France’s Bordeaux region.

“Cutting Team Leader Kim Seong-hun of Team 1 loose let us contain the nasty rumors going around about actress Lee Ha-eun, and it put some tension back into the management department. I don’t see any reason to feel bad about it.”

CEO Baek let out a short laugh.

“No, not that.”

“… Then?”

“Ha-eun’s next project.”

“!”

CEO Baek turned her head with a slow spin.

“Ha-eun turning down that Hollywood Universal offer, what do you make of it, Division Head Park?”