NOVEL NEXT chapter 140
140 – Musical Casting (4)
In the car on the way to Yeouido, Afternoon Sweets members—Jo Min-joo and Koo Ga-eun—stared at my face.
… He looked like he wanted me to intervene somehow.
No, I was thinking of doing that.
“Song, I don’t have anything else planned today.”
“Yes.”
I spoke to team leader Cho Hyun-ho, who was holding the steering wheel.
“Team leader, please give Songi the documents from the musical production company later.”
“I understand.”
I returned my gaze to Jo Min-joo and Koo Ga-eun, who were still staring at me.
I was a little cautious as it was a situation that was not present in the ‘Idol Producing’ game.
If you think about it, it seems like there aren’t many things going on like the ‘idol producing’ game these days….
“Mr. Ga-eun—.”
“Well, I but…” ! I’ve been a little worried since a while ago… !!”
“Which one?”
Gu Ga-eun suddenly cut me off.
I’ll be arriving in Yeouido soon, so what’s the point?
“Please talk to me like Minjoo… !”
If we are the same age and are a duo, wouldn’t it be a bit strange if only one of us spoke informally?
Well, I said I understood because it wasn’t difficult.
“Ga-eun, first of all, I want to respect Ga-eun’s wishes as much as possible.”
“Yes… !”
“Still, as Minju said, I doubt whether it is realistically possible to practice properly in such a short amount of time.”
“Yes… ….”
At every word I said, Goo Ga-eun raised or lowered her shoulders.
… The reaction is strangely good.
It had the effect of making me speak more carefully than usual.
“I will meet with the person in charge of the musical production company and find out exactly what level they want. And then it’s okay if we discuss this again?”
“Oh, yes…” ! Thank you… !!”
“Of course it’s my job, so you don’t have to be grateful.”
“Still, I am grateful… !”
I should say he was innocent, but he had a very kind personality.
I was so naive that I didn’t even recognize bullying as bullying.
Still, such innocence is Gu Ga-eun’s identity and selling point.
I should never have lost it.
I took a quick look at Jo Min-joo’s expression.
[Name: Jo Min-joo]
[Current thought: Since he is an uncle, he will treat Ga-eun well….]
The basis for something is strange.
Because it’s me, I’ll do well.
It meant that you trusted me that much,
It gave off a hint of loneliness that Gu Ga-eun was handed over to me.
… Compared to how awkward they were when they first met, their appearance was truly 180 degrees different.
*
We dropped off Jo Min-joo and Koo Ga-eun in Yeouido.
Team leader Cho Hyun-ho also followed along.
Secretary Jeong Song-i took the wheel and headed to Gangnam, where the musical production company is located.
She said she would return before the filming of Sweets’ afternoon broadcast was over.
“Producer, you said you can use mind reading on idols.”
“Uh.”
“Why did Gaeun suddenly say something like that?”
The innocent Goo Ga-eun is protected by Jo Min-joo, who has been through most of the ups and downs in her world.
It could not be denied that such a relationship had continued until now.
Gu Gain himself is also aware of this.
But why does Gu Ga-eun refuse that protection?
No complaints so far.
Secretary Jeong Song-i may have looked suspicious.
“… “It’s because of me.”
“Yes? Why is she so self-deprecating all of a sudden? “I don’t like that.”
“No, it’s not self-deprecation, it’s because Minjoo and Seonjeon like me.”
“Yes??”
Through her status window [Current Thoughts], We have figured out Gu Ga-eun’s psychology to some extent.
That’s why I was really embarrassed.
Jo Min-joo and Yeom Seon-jeong like me as a man.
And after some discussion, the two decided to share the day.
Yeom Seon-jeong was his wife, and Jo Min-ju was his concubine.
As a result, Jo Min-joo and Yeom Seon-jeong naturally became close through me.
Gu Ga-eun felt left out in the process.
It may be a childish problem in some ways, but
It was by no means a childish issue in that it could lead to discord between members.
“It must be a big deal because the only person Ga-eun can call her friend is Min-joo.”
“That’s right….”
As we have only one friend, we become sensitive to even small changes in the other person.
The irony is that because it is precious, the relationship may become even more strained.
This case should never be viewed as limited to musicals.
I arrived at an office building in Gangnam.
When I took the elevator up to the 6th floor, the logo of the musical production company immediately caught my eye.
[Studio Neckmu]
I entered the office.
It is said to be a well-known production company in the musical industry, but the office size was smaller than expected.
“What brought you here?” Uh, aren’t you Producer Lim Boo-gil?”
“Oh yes, that’s right.”
“Oh my, my.”
… The office staff recognized my face and made a fuss.
I once again felt that I had really increased public awareness.
Secretary Jeong Song-i stepped forward.
“Our representative told us in advance that the producer was leaving.”
“Oh, is that so? Wait a minute.”
The employee, who seemed to have checked, soon guided me to the reception room located inside the office.
As expected, the office itself was small, so the reception room was barely equipped with a variety of items.
When secretary Jeong Song-i and I sat down, the employee gave us each a cup of coffee.
“The CEO will be here soon.”
I spoke lightly and left the living room.
Because it was in an expensive-looking coffee cup, I thought it was coffee brewed directly from a machine.
… It was an ordinary coffee mix.
I inadvertently burst into laughter at this strange unbalance.
One minute to savor the familiar taste of coffee.
A middle-aged man came into the living room.
In complete contrast to the CEO of Cocoro Music last time, he was a person with really rich hair.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
I got up from my seat briefly, shook hands, and sat down again.
A male employee also came in, and he seemed to be about the same age as me.
Is this person a practitioner?
“First, let me explain this plan.”
In response to the CEO’s words, a male employee handed me a printed matter.
… It was a much thicker plan than I expected.
After looking through the content, I found that most of the staff had already been hired.
It was a really small-scale musical.
There are only three actors.
Two people had already been cast, and it remained to be decided whether to fill the remaining spot with Gu Ga-eun or another actor.
“Here is the script.”
It is difficult to read it thoroughly at this time, so I read it lightly just to see what it was about.
I understand what the story is, but honestly, I don’t know if it’s interesting or not.
From what I’ve heard, there is a tendency for small theater musicals to be considered more artistic.
First, I closed the script and spoke carefully.
“Is the main purpose of casting Ga-eun for publicity?”
It was Team Leader Cho Hyun-ho’s and my guess.
The purpose of recruiting Goo Ga-eun, who has almost no acting experience, is to bring about a promotional effect at a relatively low price.
For us to be able to move as intended, we had to clearly state the purpose.
The male employee seemed embarrassed by my question and said, “Oh, no, that’s…” .” He stammered.
When the offer first came to us, we explained that Koo Ga-eun’s acting suited the image of the musical character well.
It was a reason that made no realistic sense.
According to team leader Cho Hyun-ho’s investigation, ‘Studio Nekmu’ has so far avoided using celebrities other than professional musical actors as much as possible.
“Yes, that’s right.”
The representative nodded once and answered.
If publicity effect is the main goal, the level of acting required from Gu Ga-eun will not be very high.
… It would be unconscionable to give an active idol, or even someone who has never done a musical before, a training period of only 3 weeks and expect the quality to be high.
“To be honest, as you probably already know, our company’s situation is not that good right now. Still, although it is small compared to Goo Ga-eun’s name value, we have prepared all her appearance fees in advance.”
It seemed like he wanted to tell me not to worry about losing money.
Well, for us, money is money, but….
“Approximately what level would you like Ga-eun to reach?”
“Um… ….”
The CEO crossed his arms as if he was thinking for a moment and then left the reception room for a moment.
And I brought a tablet PC from outside.
“The role that Koo Ga-eun will play is not a very difficult character to play. “That’s about it.”
The CEO played a musical video on a tablet PC.
It seemed to be a musical of similar scale to the project we were planning to do this time.
The actor on stage performed his daily routine and soon began to sing.
Even as someone who is not well-versed in musicals, it was difficult to say that he had extremely good acting or singing skills.
In fact, when it comes to vocals alone, Koo Ga-eun is much better.
Her key point is acting, and she thought that if she got an acting trainer like she did last time when she was preparing for the Romeo and Juliet play, she might be able to become an actress.
Even back then, I was surprised at how quickly I improved my skills within a short period of one week.
“Can you send this video to us? “We’ll use it as a reference for Ga-eun’s training.”
“Yes, of course you can.”
The CEO had a male employee sitting next to him send the video to the email address provided by secretary Jeong Song-i.
Now she had to consult with Lucky Seven Entertainment’s acting trainer to see if Koo Ga-eun could bring herself up to the level of the actress in this video in three weeks.
Not only did she have to train for acting for three weeks, but she also had to go to school and juggle her existing idol schedule, so she didn’t have much time.
“I will talk more with Ga-eun and give you a definitive answer by the day after tomorrow.”
“I understand.”
I got up from my seat and went out of the living room. After briefly saying hello to the
Representative for the last time, she got on the elevator.
She arrived at the underground parking lot and Secretary Jeong Song-i asked.
“Are you going to Lucky Seven Entertainment?”
“That’s right.”
Secretary Jeong Song-i took her car key and opened the door.
When she reached out her arm to the handle of her car door,
“Over there!!”
We heard a woman shouting in our direction.
Both I and secretary Jeong Song-i turned our heads in the direction of the sound.
She didn’t double park or scratch other people’s cars, so what’s going on?
The woman who screamed strode towards me.
At that sight, secretary Jeong Song-i hurriedly ran in front of me.
“Are you Producer Lim Boo-gil?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Today, many people recognize my face.
… But this woman’s words and actions did not give the feeling that she had simply discovered a celebrity.
I felt like he was waiting for me on purpose.
“I admit that you are capable of being an idol. “I admit it, but please don’t snoop around in musicals!”
“… Yes?”
“Are you acting like a fool now?! “They’re trying to steal my role!!”
What on earth does this mean?