Kim Han-ul was deep in the most serious dilemma of his filmmaking life.
A monstrous rookie actor with ridiculous skill.
A seasoned, popular actor whose success is guaranteed.
Who would have thought he’d be so concerned over this, with the last casting choice being the female lead, Lim Yeon-ok?
“Why is a 15-year-old acting this well…?”
If she were an ordinary monstrous rookie, he wouldn’t have concerned this much.
Kim Siyeon was a disaster that could even swallow a monster.
A disaster of meteorite-impact scale that could even destroy planets.
Siyeon’s acting was far superior to any acting he had seen before.
Honestly, it was so outstanding that he worried it might not blend well with the other actors.
He had to consider a lot of things.
The movie’s box office. The artistic quality of the film. The chemistry between the character Lim Yeon-ok and the movie’s vibe. The synergy between actors. The mood on set. The pace of filming…
Taking all that into account, Kim Han-ul’s heart was split in two.
If it were a safe choice, of course, it would be Jeon Ji-won.
Her name alone would guarantee a certain level of success.
And since she had worked with the other actors multiple times, the filming would proceed smoothly.
On the other hand, Siyeon was quite a challenging choice. But if it succeeded, the payoff would be huge.
First of all, her skill was beyond words. But because that skill was so intense, it might be hard to harmonize with the other actors.
In some cases, Siyeon might have to suppress her skill to match another actor’s vibe.
Even if she was incredibly talented, could she really adjust her acting freely like that?
If she could, that would be great, but if not, it could cause unease on set during filming.
But despite the disadvantages of a rookie, there were positives.
For one, her lower fee compared to Jeon Ji-won. There was a huge difference in their pay.
And if the movie succeeded with Siyeon, he could be the director who discovered a new star, gaining both fame and recognition.
Moreover, Siyeon’s skill sparked Kim Han-ul’s artistic spirit.
Her acting was the kind of performance that could deliver everything the director wanted.
“Haaa…”
“Senior! Why are you like this?”
As his concerns continued, someone brightly approached Kim Han-ul.
It was Director Bong Jun-young, who had been passing by nearby.
Bong Jun-young was a film junior from the same university as Kim Han-ul.
“Hey, Jun-young, long time no see. I really enjoyed <Here Heart> last time, and congratulations on the Director’s Award. I’ve been so busy, I couldn’t even contact you…”
Seeing him after such a long time made Kim Han-ul realize something.
He hadn’t congratulated his junior for such a big award and the ten-million-view milestone.
Of course, Kim Han-ul had been busy preparing for <Assassination Battle>, so he hadn’t had time to contact him.
Usually, directors would understand, so he wasn’t worried about being upset.
But as soon as he met Bong Jun-young, an idea flashed through Kim Han-ul’s mind.
“J-Jun-young! Hey! This is great timing. Sit down here!”
“Why, what’s going on?”
Kim Han-ul grabbed Bong Jun-young and pushed him into the seat.
It felt like a savior had arrived.
“Hey, I’m preparing a movie called <Assassination>, you know?”
“Yeah, I heard. It seems like it’s going to do well, right?”
“Yeah, I’ve been preparing it so hard that I forgot to congratulate you on your Director’s Award. I have a strong feeling it’s going to do well, but right now, things are in big trouble.”
“Why? What’s the problem?”
“The female lead is supposed to be an independence sniper, but there’s a problem with casting her.”
“I heard Jeon Ji-won is going to play her?”
“That was the plan, but…”
Kim Han-ul explained the situation as if a waterfall was pouring out.
As a director, he couldn’t just leave the decision to the staff, so he had been concerning by himself.
But as a fellow director and the only one who had worked with Siyeon, he could confide in Bong Jun-young.
“…Did Siyeon really do that? Then she really must have wanted it.”
“Yeah. She even provocatively challenged Jeon Ji-won, saying, ‘I think I can do this better than you~’ in front of her!?”
“Ho…Ho… Truly, Siyeon…”
Hearing Kim Han-ul’s story, Bong Jun-young couldn’t help but be amazed.
No matter how great her skills were, for a 15-year-old to provoke Jeon Ji-won was unbelievable.
And the level of her provocation was such that they had an acting showdown right there.
“I understand how you feel, Senior. What you can gain from each lead role is clearly different. Siyeon is a gamble, too…”
“Yeah. So what do you think? Honestly, I feel bad for Ji-won, but Siyeon’s skill is no joke. You’ve worked with her, so you know. Who should I choose, huh!?”
Seeing Kim Han-ul in such distress, Bong Jun-young couldn’t help but chuckle.
He was always a bit over the top, but that meant he was sincere in everything.
A director with good skills and sincerity toward the film.
He was a transparent, good artist in the world of mass entertainment.
“I’d obviously choose Siyeon…”
Bong Jun-young would have naturally considered working with Siyeon without a second thought.
He had even publicly declared in his award speech that his next project’s lead would be Siyeon.
And from their experience working together, he knew that Siyeon had the potential to surpass Jeon Ji-won.
But just as Bong Jun-young was about to suggest Siyeon, he hesitated.
He knew that choosing Siyeon would likely bring better results for Kim Han-ul.
But that wasn’t necessarily the best outcome for Bong Jun-young.
Unlike Kim Han-ul, Bong Jun-young wasn’t purely an artist with a transparent soul.
In many old stories, those who made deals with the devil were stronger because of it.
“Siyeon… I don’t think I’ll work with her. She’s great, but I think it might be too much to throw her into such a big movie right away.”
“R-Really?”
“Yeah. Powerful, but not refined. If handled well, she could achieve great results, but I’m not sure how she’ll blend in with the other established actors.”
“Y-You really think so?”
That was a lie.
Bong Jun-young knew very well how well Siyeon adapted to other actors’ styles.
Her skill was beyond belief. But if there were any actor less skilled than her, she would adjust herself and tone down.
Even with such ruthless talent at 15, she didn’t try to outshine others.
At just 15 years old, Siyeon had the ability to read the bigger picture, something adults often missed.
She understood that bringing out the team’s synergy was more important than standing out, which raised the quality of the results.
In an instant, she could gauge her co-actors’ abilities and adjust accordingly.
Sometimes, Siyeon even seemed like a machine.
Not just perfect acting, but perfect performance in whatever task she took on.
Yet, despite knowing all this, Kim Han-ul lied to him.
“If it were me, I’d go with Ji-won. There are just too many things to consider, don’t you think?”
“Ha… I knew it, right? There was also what we talked about before. Thanks, Jun-young. This helped me clear things up a bit.”
“Of course, Senior.”
Still, at this moment, when no other directors were eyeing that extraordinary level of an actor,
the one who had to be the first to turn it into a project had to be none other than himself.
Jun-young smiled at Kim Han-ul with a face that was hard to read, like it could be real or fake.
“…Ah, by the way,”
“Yeah?”
“Siyeon said that if she didn’t make her own choice in the end, she’d regret it. It should be fine, right? Her eyes were like those of someone who could kill a few people. Thinking about it now, it’s kind of chilling.”
“Well… um.”
Kim Han-ul couldn’t bring himself to say it would be fine.
“What… what do you mean?”
“Th-That’s… um, the director… the director said!! Not me!! Aaaahhh Siyeonaaaa!!!”
A few days later, it would come back to him with a shocking realization.
It was the news that Director Kim Han-ul had chosen Jeon Ji-won over him.
He couldn’t believe it, so he grabbed Je-young by the collar and shook him mercilessly.
“Ha… Did you really say that? Why on earth?”
“Ugh… Ugh… There must be several reasons. When you invest so much into a film, you can’t just think about the artistic side, right? And if she mixed with actors who couldn’t keep up, it could backfire.”
“I can adjust to match their skill level!”
“Guess the director thought differently.”
Sigh.
Kim Han-ul let out a rough breath and threw himself onto the sofa.
After Tom Cross, another action movie I liked had slipped away.
It was kind of frustrating… no, it was anger-inducing.
I didn’t even get this emotional when missions didn’t go according to plan.
Wait, when did I start getting so angry about things like this?
As an assassin, the key is to suppress emotions no matter what happens.
I don’t know. Anyway, Kim Han-ul’s choice was arrogant, that’s for sure.
“At least Jeon Ji-won has a good personality. If you had challenged another actor to a duel like that, you could’ve been blacklisted in this industry, Siyeon… If your personality isn’t good, they won’t call you again in this field. Please, try to control yourself next time.”
“…I understand. But still, I made this decision with all calculations in mind.”
“Sigh… Yeah, I guess…”
Considering Jeon Ji-won’s personality, there would be no hard feelings, and Siyeon thought she could provoke her and show her skills. Kim Han-ul’s personality made her judgment seem perfect.
Pushing so hard was probably the best way to handle that type of person.
She had expected it to work because it seemed like a typical human reaction, but now, something unexpected had happened.
Was there an unexpected variable? Or had her instincts dulled?
“There’s nothing I can do. I’ll choose the next project I can get into as quickly as possible.”
“Yeah. This time, let’s focus on controlling your personality… Starting with a supporting role might be good…”
“No. Since this happened, I’m going straight for a leading role. It doesn’t have to be an action film.”
It didn’t matter what it was.
Even if a mission failed, the important thing was how to recover from it.
Dwelling on past failures didn’t matter as much as using those failures to create new opportunities.
She quickly shook off the shock of failure.
“No, a leading role is still too much! I know you’re good, Siyeon!”
“Fine. I’ll go with this one. The script is good, and the release timing is similar to <Assassination Battle>.”
“No, let’s leave the lead for later… Ah, but why are you concerned about the release timing?”
“Of course, I want to make sure <Assassination Battle> doesn’t do well.”
“What, what?!”
“By starring in a film released at the same time, we’ll make sure people watch only our movie.”
“Whattttt?!”
If they didn’t choose me, then they’d have to pay the price.
I’d show them what happens if they mess with me, so no one in this world would ever make a foolish decision like Kim Han-ul again.
Let’s see how it goes.