The Script-Eating Actor – Chapter 80

Ch 80

“Jae-hee’s YouTube video… what’s the view count now?”

“Right now? Let’s see, it’s been a week since it was posted and it’s over 8.8 million. Wow… that’s fast.”

The musical video of the Korean actor’s impromptu busking performance in London Trafalgar had belatedly caught fire.

The video poster was a regular person who didn’t do any streaming activities.

Also, the fact that the video was a crude recording taken with a mobile phone seemed to indicate that it would be buried without attracting public attention.

However, the influence of the name ‘Do Jae-hee’ reversed the situation.

It was gradually retweeted through social media among Koreans and musical actors in London, and then it caught an upward trend two days later.

And now, it’s in the weekly best rankings and his name is even being mentioned at the tail end of real-time search terms on Korean portal sites.

It was only natural that the news reached L&K.

“What? 8.8 million?”

The ‘Trafalgar Busking’ video became a video that was slowly gaining recognition not only in Korea but also worldwide.

L&K Management Team 1 office.

Team Leader Park Chan-ik, after checking the video himself, chuckled as if he was dumbfounded.

“Jae-ik, how many years have you been in this industry?”

“A little less than 10 years.”

“Have you ever seen a case like this?”

“What kind of case? One where someone goes abroad and gets into trouble? Or one where they actually bring in work?”

“Of course, the latter. Is this trouble? How many people in this industry travel abroad this soundly? Wait, it’s not sound. Is it clever? Hehe.”

Usually, news from social media that originates overseas often just shines for a moment and then fades away.

Like, ‘I happened to meet OO actor in the US, and they were nice enough to take a picture with me.’ kind of ‘story’.

Even those are hard to believe since they are sometimes accompanied by reporters for image laundering.

Most actors’ overseas trips are kept top secret, and when they do become known, it’s usually because they caused an accident and made the front page of the sports newspapers.

On the contrary, this case is one where he’s causing a sensation, bringing in ‘work’, and helping his image.

“Of course, it’s the first time I’ve seen it.”

Hwang Jae-ik smiled.

“Ha, really. They say those who are meant to succeed will, and now he’s getting famous just by singing on the street.”

Team Leader Park Chan-ik put his phone in his pocket and said.

“But Jae-hee, did he originally sing too?”

“No.”

“Right? No, right? But why are musical companies contacting us? Honestly, his singing ability is far behind top-tier musical actors.”

“It’s probably because of the tickets. Jae-hee would be a huge help for promotion.”

“I know, I know. But it wouldn’t be enough with just that? Singing isn’t something you can improve just by learning it right away.”

That’s true.

He was good at singing for a regular person, but the wall of a professional is high. There are plenty of amateur singers who can sing just as well.

“That’s true… but I think ‘Do Jae-hee’s’ name and acting ability can cover it…? But don’t worry about it. Anyway, Jae-hee won’t do it.”

Anyway, the answer was already decided.

“Jae-hee said he’s only going to do movies from now on. And his ‘weapon’ that he can show off for sure is his acting, so he’s going to do a musical where dancing and singing are the main focus? Hey, I’ve been with Jae-hee for over two years now. I know him well, he won’t do it. He won’t.”

“Right? A musical is a bit much at a time when he’s soaring high…”

Anyway, Do Jae-hee himself wouldn’t do a musical.

There’s no reason for him to stand on a stage where he can’t fully demonstrate his capabilities at this moment when he’s in the golden age of his career.

However, through this incident, he gained one definite ‘weapon’.

Not ‘vocal’ as a technical direction, but ‘music’ approached emotionally, he found out that he can pull it off quite nicely.

“Not a musical…”

Though, maybe another ‘direction’.

Team Leader Park Chan-ik’s lips curled up.

“Maybe a music movie.”

*

“Huh?”

My video that made it to YouTube’s weekly hot issues.

8.8 million views.

I know. I’ve been getting calls from the company non-stop asking what was going on.

However, while traveling by train between France and Switzerland, no one recognized me.

The world is wide, and there are many incidents.

“….”

But a person who recognized me at first glance, whom I met by chance on the train.

Just who the heck are you.

“Who are you?”

At my question, the platinum blonde woman took off her sunglasses and looked at me.

“….”

Blue eyes, and white skin that made the expression ‘white as jade’ seem inadequate.

She was small and petite, probably not even 160cm.

But her eyes were saying.

‘You know me, right?’

Yes, I can tell that she’s someone out of the ordinary.

But, I don’t know.

Really.

She asked.

“You don’t know me?”

“… No.”

When I nodded obediently, the woman smiled as if she was intrigued.

“Ah?”

It was as if she was saying, ‘It’s been a while since I’ve met someone who doesn’t know me?’ but that was only for a moment.

She changed her expression playfully and said.

“Well, that’s not important.”

“….”

Oh, okay.

I’m more interested in who you are.

“This, is this you, right?”

She shook her phone.

My video was still playing on her phone.

When I quietly nodded, she narrowed her eyes and smiled brightly.

“It’s amazing. Meeting like this in a place like this.”

It felt like a wall that had felt cold was breaking down at once.

“I happened to see the video. I thought your voice was really nice when I heard you sing, so I searched on Google, and a Korean actor? And then to run into you like this in a place like this…”

However.

“Who are you?”

I need to know who you are.

At my question, she looked at me for a moment.

And then a brief silence fell.

She pursed her lips, then took out her earphones from her pocket, plugged them into her iPod, and handed them to me.

… Is she telling me to listen?

I carefully took the earphones and put them in my ears.

Then a very familiar melody tickled my ears.

Ellani O’connor（Ellani O’connor）’s

It’s a song I know too.

It’s a famous song from the OST of the movie , and it’s so famous worldwide that even people who don’t know pop have heard it at least once.

But, what does this have to do with anything?

“It’s ‘My Home’.”

At my words, she let out a sigh of relief and said.

“Phew, that’s a relief. I see you’ve heard the song. I was wondering what I would do if you hadn’t.”

“Of course. It’s so famous… huh?”

When I looked at her with a doubtful expression, she burst out laughing.

“Yes. That’s right. I sang that song.”

Oh, dear.

*

Ellani O’connor（Ellani O’connor）

A pop artist with a distinct vocal color.

A New Zealand-American who realized the ‘American Dream’ and is the next generation queen of pop.

She’s also famous as a genius singer-songwriter who debuted at 16 and won the Solo Pop Artist Award at the Grammy Pop Awards at 18.

But that was already 10 years ago.

She, who is already nearing her late 20s, said to me.

“I was a little embarrassed that you didn’t recognize me.”

“I’m sorry.”

Not recognizing her isn’t a crime, but I had shown Ellani a lot of wariness, so I apologized first.

But Ellani is a singer who is more famous for her voice than her face.

When I pouted my lips, Ellani said playfully.

“Hehe, I’m just kidding. Was I too mischievous?”

As soon as Ellani was sure of who I was, the atmosphere that had felt so cold at first loosened up in a strange way. I released the tension in my stiff shoulders.

Only then did my curiosity rush in.

Ellani O’connor.

Why is a big shot of the American pop scene here?

“Are you traveling?”

She answered simply to my question.

“Schedule.”

“Yes?”

Schedule?

She took a connecting train from Switzerland to Italy because of her schedule?

Lies. Not a first-class flight from LA?

When I made a disbelieving expression, Ellani smiled and said.

“I was trying to take a break, but you could say a schedule came up?”

After hearing the details, it turned out that she was about to take a very short break at her villa in Switzerland when she was invited to a launching event for a famous luxury fashion brand in Milan, Italy.

The brand she uses the most, as she is also famous as a fashionista, is AereMang, which is also well-known in Korea.

Is there something different about global stars?

“That’s amazing.”

But Ellani shook her head at my words.

“Not at all.”

And she showed a very annoyed expression.

“A singer should just sing.”

And after glancing at the two bodyguards next to her, she said to me.

“You know what I mean, right?”

“….”

I think I know.

I don’t know well, but roughly.

Perhaps, she might need a ‘break’.

Bodyguards follow her around for her schedule and safety. I can understand a little bit how she feels, being ‘escorted’ to Milan for a ‘bothersome’ other work, not ‘music’, after taking a break at her private villa.

Even for famous idol groups in Korea, their schedules are set by the minute, not by the hour.

What would it be like for a global pop star like Ellani O’connor?

Beauty, genius, fashionista, the queen of the next generation of pop.

She, who has all the modifiers, has reached the peak of her career as a singer, but she may have a lot of complaints about her own life.

At least, that’s how it seems right now.

“Is Jae-hee traveling?”

I nodded obediently.

“Yes.”

After that, my travel story took center stage.

During the short train ride of a little over two hours, my travelogue of going through London, France, and Switzerland became the best conversation starter.

“Wow, no one recognized you? Really?”

“Of course. It was a perfect solo trip.”

“Oh my god! That’s unbelievable. How could they not recognize the best star that Sundance produced? Ugh! That’s too much! Really.”

“Haha! Thanks to that, I’m having a very fun trip. And meeting amazing people like you.”

At my words, Ellani smiled a little bitterly.

“Are you going to travel alone all the time?”

“Yes. I’m planning to go to Rome.”

“For how long?”

“About three days.”

And then a brief silence.

After the silence, Ellani narrowed her eyes and smiled.

“… I’m jealous of Jae-hee.”

“….”

It’s a word that could be taken lightly.

How could someone like her be jealous of me.

She’s a woman who has already experienced all the ‘success’ that can be achieved by someone her age.

But why does her word feel so ‘sincere’?

She achieved the American dream, but she’s a small canary who has grown up in a glass greenhouse since she was a teenager. What she wants most desperately is not a singing doll, but her ‘own life’.

She had beautiful but sad eyes.

“D*mn it, why a launch at a time like this. F*cking Arermang”

“….”

… F*cking, she said.

The sad eyes, scratch that.

Anyway, whatever.

That’s it, up to here.

A chance encounter in a train for about two hours.

Now Ellani has to digest a tight schedule in Milan, the home of fashion, with two bodyguards.

And I’m planning to transfer to a train heading to Rome.

“Well, it was nice meeting you.”

“Jae-hee, have a great trip.”

After saying goodbye like this, we probably won’t see each other again.

I turned my back, pulling my suitcase.

And after waiting for about twenty minutes, I boarded the train to Rome, scheduled to depart at exactly 12:00 noon.

The seats were relatively empty.

I leaned back on the comfortable and quiet train seat and thought about what had just happened.

“… Ellani O’connor.”

I can’t believe it.

But then.

Something even more unbelievable happened.

I rubbed my eyes and jumped up, wondering if I had seen it wrong.

“Ellani?”

Ellani O’connor.

She was entering the train with large sunglasses and a white padded jacket covering her face.

She was looking around, but soon found me, smiled, and sat across from me.

I asked.

“How did you get here?”

“Well, shall we be travel buddies?”

Travel buddies.

What suddenly.

“What about your schedule?”

At my question, Ellani frowned and said.

“That’s a frustrating question. I ran away. Because it’s bothersome.”

“Yes?”

What kind of irresponsible…

“It’s okay. There are a lot of people attending. It won’t even be noticeable if I’m missing, right?”

Ellani stretched her arms up, looking refreshed, as if she didn’t care about that anymore.

“Ugh, this is exciting!”

“….”

I could see the bodyguards running around outside the window.

Squeeeeeak!

The train departed right at noon.

Inside the moving train, Ellani smiled brightly as if she was excited and said.

“I promise I won’t bother you.”

“….”

“Have you been to Rome? I’ll give you a proper tour.”

Ellani O’connor.

She ran towards me like a princess who escaped from the embassy in the movie .

And I.

“… Do you want to wear a hat?”

I put my hat on her head.