The Script-Eating Actor – Chapter 67

Ch 67

I feel it every time, but goodbyes are always hard.

Not to mention the director and staff who have been running like crazy together for 2-3 months.

“Sunbae! You’ve worked hard!”

“Aigo—! It’s a shame, such a shame.”

Fellow actors like Italy and Yoo Kyung-sung Sunbae, with whom I worked closely in the drama.

Lastly.

Saying goodbye to ‘Lee Sun’ is the same.

Saying goodbye to a role.

You might think, ‘So what?’, but every moment feels regrettable.

The clothes he wore.

The way he spoke.

The energy he alone possessed.

The fleeting moment that ends with just one word, ‘Okay!’.

The memories of ‘Lee Sun’ that I poured out, now only remain in the camera.

Recently, I poured all my time into the movie .

It’s a moment where the words ‘bittersweet’ fit perfectly.

A way to remember the end of this time.

“Let’s have a drink!”

While having a drink, we’ll reminisce again.

A company dinner was held at a beef restaurant not far from the Jeonju film studio.

The focus of everyone’s attention was Director Im Chang-tae’s next move.

“The release date needs to be discussed, but the most likely is late June to July.”

Im-O Hwabyun.

The 8 days from July 4, 1762, when he was confined to a rice chest, until his death on July 12.

It seemed he wanted to release it around that date.

And the end.

“Now I should rest, what more can I do. Keol keol! I want to go on a yacht trip.”

Once the movie is released, movies will no longer be a job in his life but a hobby.

Director Im Chang-tae said he wanted to travel with his family in his later years.

Along with saying that he hadn’t been faithful to his family, spending half of the year on set, as if he was possessed by a wandering spirit.

“I have to make my wife live in luxury. Keol keol!”

I hope I don’t become a burden on his last retirement work.

I hope it was a good gift.

Director, you’ve worked hard.

From now on, Film Company Soop, that is, Im Chang-tae’s Crew, will be led by the assistant director.

The assistant director has several scenarios he has written while preparing for his debut.

It’s a perfect baton pass.

“Will you give me a chance next time?”

I laughed at the assistant director’s question.

“I’m the one who should be asking for your help.”

Everyone’s attention was on me. They all had a common question for me.

“Jae-hee, have you started on your next project?”

I shook my head.

“Not yet. I’m going to rest a bit and think about it slowly.”

“Okay. You’ve worked hard, so you can rest well and take your time.”

“Whatever work Jae-hee takes on, he’ll do well. I’m looking forward to it. Alright! Let’s drink! Raise your glasses!”

“Everyone has worked hard!”

“You’ve all worked hard!”

This movie is now catching its breath and preparing for a real leap.

As always, I will wait for the leap from behind, while also waiting for the next saddle to jump on.

I don’t know what it will be.

A movie? A drama?

First of all, I want to rest a bit without thinking about anything.

*

Recently, the growth of cable channels is terrifying.

No, the growth of cable channels was already predicted a while ago.

Even terrestrial broadcasting stations, which are evaluated as having done better than average if they exceed 10% viewership, sometimes record single-digit viewership.

In the past few years, cable channels have been achieving double-digit viewership for dramas.

They have been releasing a mega-hit once or twice a year.

The three terrestrial broadcasting companies are busy trying to turn viewers’ attention to dramas.

But the results were not good.

In the viewership war of the already finished first quarter, there were no winners or losers.

Rather, they recorded the same single-digit viewership as cable, and only the cable channels smiled.

At this point, it’s a battle of pride.

They have to win.

They have to try to reverse the situation in the summer quarter by any means.

Because of this pressure, numerous one-act plays have been released into the market.

There are many ‘excellent works’.

All three broadcasting companies already have lists of works they can use for the year.

Now, the key depends on how they secure the programming.

No, there’s something even more important left before that.

“Okay, the work is good, but who’s going to do it?”

“….”

“Is there anyone who’s been talked to?”

Who will do it.

Which actor will jump into this work.

How many ‘top-tier’ actors can they bring into the drama.

That would be more important.

Everything is about ‘recognition’. An actor who can influence the box office score.

“There are many candidates. Im Ju-won said he’s going on hiatus this time, and Yoon Min-woo also returned from China. And there’s also Park Shi-hyun, a rising actor of Korean-Japanese descent…”

“No. I know that!”

“Ah…”

Just like there are many works, there are also many actors in the market.

But, they can’t just use anyone.

They need a ‘player’ whose competitiveness has been proven in a two-out, bases-loaded situation.

“What about Do Jae-hee?”

Although struggled more than expected.

SBC’s ranked 1st in viewership.

MKC’s ranked 1st in viewership.

It’s rare to have a career that has achieved such clear results in that quarter, regardless of the broadcasting station.

“What about Do Jae-hee?”

“Ah, I heard that the movie he was filming recently ended.”

“I know that too. That’s why I’m asking, right? Then, bring Do Jae-hee.”

“Ah, I already checked with L&K, and they said Do Jae-hee is currently resting…”

“Do you not understand what that means? It means they want to raise the guarantee.”

He really just needs a rest.

There are people who misinterpret it like this.

Is this how the market structure is supposed to be?

Ah, dating is the same.

Only the person who wants it more is more anxious.

“Even if we have to raise it, cast him no matter what.”

“…. But there are many competitors…”

This opinion is not just from one broadcasting station or production company.

The same goes for TV-K, which is representative of the three broadcasting companies and cable channels.

“Still, bring him! No matter what!”

The most anticipated super-promising rookie of 2019.

The ‘casting war’ to get Do Jae-hee has begun.

*

I was only focused on unpacking boxes with Jae-ik Hyung at home.

Jjik! Buuuuuk.

I’ve been sleeping at home for the past few days, so Jae-ik Hyung came to my house, suspecting that I might be sick.

Along with a huge amount of packages.

“What is all this!”

“It’s all yours. Gifts sent by fans. There were too many piled up in the office, so I decided to bring them all at once.”

『The charm has gone wild. Actor, Do Jae-hee Fan Cafe.』

Fan cafe president ‘Do Jae-hee Dojyeotdari’

My fan cafe, whose membership has been growing rapidly, has already surpassed 10,000 members.

These are gifts sent to the L&K office by the members of this place, which has been recognized as an official fan cafe, having already sent a coffee truck to the filming location of the movie .

‘Oppa, congratulations on finishing filming!’

‘Make sure to put on a face mask before you sleep! You have to take care of your skin!’

‘I love you, Oppa ㅠㅠ’

The expensive items range from robot vacuum cleaners to beef, ginseng wine, and Cheongsimhwan. On a smaller scale, there are all sorts of face masks, nose masks, and foot masks, from herbs and rosemary to various kinds of packs.

By the way, there are foot masks too…?

The variety was so diverse that I wouldn’t have to go out for a while.

I’m not an idol, and I’m already thirty, but I’m receiving all these gifts.

Fans, hooray! No, a thousand hoorays!

“Cheongsimhwan. Did they give it to you to use before acting? They don’t know anything. Our Jae-hee is an actor who doesn’t get nervous.”

“Why are you like that? To my fans.”

“Oh? There are also eye drops? I don’t need these.”

There are also artificial tear eye drops.

Hmm, I don’t need those, but anyway, hooray!

“Hyung, haven’t you eaten yet?”

“I haven’t. I came straight here after going to work and loading the luggage. Should I make you something to eat?”

“Shall I make it? I was thinking of ordering in.”

“Oh, you can cook too? Then let’s make it ourselves.”

“Should we…”

I can’t cook.

The movie script I absorbed before was .

I haven’t cooked often, but I have the theory of some recipes in my head.

And, I have good beef. I chose steak on rice.

I cooked according to the recipe that came to mind.

Clumsy but slowly.

Sizzle!

Season the sirloin with salt, grill it to the right degree, then cut it into easy-to-eat 1-inch pieces and place it on top of warm rice. Enough to cover the white rice.

After that, lightly braise onions, garlic, and rosemary in soy sauce, then sprinkle it on top of the rice to complete it.

It’s good to add an oriental dressing sauce according to your preference.

It’s also good to eat it simply with just pepper, salt, and soy sauce.

The visuals are passable, but cooking is still difficult.

“Oh, the seasoning is perfect.”

But Jae-ik Hyung’s reaction wasn’t bad.

“You’re better at cooking than I thought? When did you learn this?”

“I live alone.”

“I know you always order in, what are you talking about.”

Haha, is my excuse a bit lame.

“It’s just grilling meat and stir-frying vegetables and mixing it all together. What’s the big deal?”

I glossed over it and focused on the food.

The meat is definitely tender, so it goes down smoothly.

After finishing a bowl of rice, Jae-ik Hyung asked.

“How long are you planning to rest?”

I smiled and answered.

“I was waiting for you to ask.”

The rest period wasn’t long.

About 4 days. But Jae-ik Hyung said he felt like he was getting sick from all the calls he was getting.

“You know that the three terrestrial broadcasting companies are all failing with their dramas these days, right?”

“Did they all say they have single-digit viewership?”

“That’s right. It seems like they thought it was because of the New Year and didn’t take it seriously, but it’s already March. And cable drama viewership is still going up.”

In short, it’s an emergency.

“Calls are coming from everywhere. Calls related to casting you.”

“….”

“It’s not like this is a new thing, but this time it’s a bit unusual. It’s also a good opportunity to raise your guarantee.”

Pros move for money.

It would be a problem if it was excessive, but my drama guarantee is still less than half of what top stars receive.

Is it time to raise it?

Jae-ik Hyung said, rummaging through his bag.

“I brought a few synopses, would you like to read them?”

A drama.

I shook my head.

“I’d like to avoid live broadcasts.”

Dramas are live broadcasts.

There’s the excuse that it’s hard and physically demanding, but most of all, the difficulty of managing the schedule is a problem.

The real reason is that my ‘ability’ doesn’t work, but.

From now on, I will only choose works that have a chance of success.

But that means the range of choices will be narrower.

Jae-ik Hyung, worried about this, asked.

“Then, are you only going to do movies? You liked dramas because your parents watched them. If not that, how about pre-produced dramas?”

“…. Pre-produced….”

If it’s a pre-produced drama, that’s a different story.

Basically, filming starts after the 16-episode script is completed. And when filming is finished, the broadcast begins.

In the case of blockbuster dramas with production costs of over 10 billion won, this is usually the case.

“Is there anything currently in preparation?”

“For the third quarter. It’s a bit tight on time, but there is. SBC.”

But the disadvantages are also clear.

It’s not a common system in Korea, to the point where there’s a saying that ‘pre-produced dramas fail’.

With side scripts, you can make changes if the viewership is falling after checking the viewers’ reactions, but pre-produced dramas go through all 16 episodes as they are.

There’s the advantage of being able to improve the quality of the work, but that advantage is overshadowed by the disadvantage that viewership may be low.

And the results speak for themselves.

If there are 10 pre-produced dramas, all but 1-2 have ‘failed’.

That’s how fast trends are changing.

Jae-ik Hyung asked again.

“For now, will you read it?”

I took the script.

But this writer, the name is familiar.