Become a Star

{What exactly does that make me now?} Rayford asked.

{Isn’t it true? You’re a famous director in America, not here. The main leads of your movies are famous in Korea, but you aren’t.}

Rayford was a well-known director, so many people worldwide recognized his face. However, it wasn’t to the point that any random person he met abroad on the streets by chance would recognize him. Hugh felt sorry for his narcissistic friend and clicked his tongue softly.

{Nevertheless, he’s still an actor, no?}

On the other hand, Rayford’s argument was not entirely invalid. The general public might not know who he was, but actors often recognized the faces of international film directors abroad, especially a ‘famous director’ like himself.

{Even if he knows who you are, he would have only seen you in pictures. Besides, you look much better in pictures than in real life, unlike some people.} Hugh pointed at Genie with his chin and laughed at Rayford.

If one had to evaluate Genie’s aura and appearance as an actor, he was much better in person than in videos. Hence, as soon as they saw him, they could recognize him without a shred of doubt.

{I know, I did tell the paparazzi and reporters not to photoshop my pictures too much! It’s time for me to make a move to restore our image that you destroyed.} As soon as Hugh got up from his seat with a cup of coffee in his hand, Woo-Jin quickly lowered his gaze — he had been watching their reflection in the window the entire time. Woo-Jin felt very nervous. It seems like they’re officially starting the hidden camera prank now.

{Are you here alone?} Hugh asked as he gently sat down in front of Woo-Jin.

{No, I’m meeting a friend here. I’m currently waiting for him.}

{You must have been taken aback earlier because of my friend, right? He thinks he’s famous, like an actor or something.}

{Is he really an actor?} Woo-Jin asked as he glanced over at Rayford. Rayford was looking at him too. He didn’t have the looks of a typical actor, but he wasn’t bad-looking. Woo-Jin didn’t know if he was truly an actor from another country or a foreign actor active in Korea, so he wanted to clarify with Hugh.

{Actor? Oh please! Never say such a thing to him. He might let it get to his head and really quit his job to become an actor.} And then Hugh took out a business card from his wallet and gave it to Woo-Jin. After looking at what was written on the card, Woo-Jin raised his brows slightly.

<LL-Studio. Hugh Miller>

Woo-Jin was well-aware of who Hugh Miller of LL-Studio was. He was already a successful screenwriter in Hollywood, a founding member of LL-Studio, and a producer directly involved in movie productions. But unfortunately, Woo-Jin didn’t know what he looked like.

{You’re very famous.}

Hugh was bewildered by Woo-Jin’s indifferent reaction. Hiding their identities and approaching Woo-Jin before putting him to the test and casting him, just like what Rayford wanted, was nothing but a pipe dream. In reality, they were just foreigners having a hard time holding a conversation with Genie. The most realistic and appropriate procedure would have been to openly reveal who they were and propose to Woo-Jin to do an official audition. More importantly, it was also the most polite and proper way of making an offer to the actor they wanted. Hence, Hugh gave Woo-Jin his business card and tried to be honest with him, but the other party only showed indifference.

{You’re also famous, aren’t you, Genie?}

Hugh had dropped all pretense and called Chae Woo-Jin by his nickname. Woo-Jin’s real name was not hard to pronounce, but they had already gotten used to his nickname, Genie.

(So you do know who I am. I sensed something fishy earlier. I am indeed Chae Woo-Jin, but can you prove you’re the real Hugh Miller? Surely this business card is not enough to verify your identity.}

As expected, Hugh confirmed that Woo-Jin really didn’t know what they looked like. He took out his phone and quickly found an article with their picture before handing it to Woo-Jin. The photo was taken at the premiere of their recent movie with the other actors standing next to them.

Woo-Jin looked at Hugh, comparing him to the picture, before looking at Rayford again. And barely managed to hold back his laughter.

{Ah! My friend told the reporter to edit his face in the photo, and that was the end result. He’s the one in the picture.}

Even though Hugh was telling the truth, Woo-Jin was only taking it with a grain of salt. The person in the photo and the person claiming to be Rayford looked very different. They certainly shared some similarities, but it would be a bit of a stretch to say they were the same person. Nevertheless, Woo-Jin acknowledged the hard work of the hidden camera crew for finding people who looked this similar to the actual people. At the very least, Hugh Miller looked like the person in the photo.

Hugh and Rayford were known for being flexible about street casting. As a result, quite a number of actors had caught their eye by chance and made their debut. They were now successful actors in Hollywood. Because of that, Woo-Jin remembered hearing about people deliberately camping on the streets they passed through, waiting for them.

Woo-Jin tried his best to hold back his laughter and returned the business card to Hugh. He finally figured out the topic for today’s hidden camera prank — it was a hidden camera prank where they disguised some people as famous Hollywood producers, offering to cast him in a movie, and was aimed at seeing his reaction.

Woo-Jin smiled calmly and swept his bangs to the back with his hands. He felt that these people were going a little too far. Every actor dreamed of going to Hollywood and making it big. That was the same for Woo-Jin. He wouldn’t have been fooled even if he didn’t know it was a hidden camera prank, but this experiment seemed like a terrible joke by giving people false hopes.

{Why did you show me your business card?} Woo-Jin pretended to be fooled. He was very curious about their next move and what they would say to him.

{We’re in the midst of preparing for our upcoming movie. We need an Asian actor for a supporting character in our movie, and we’re thinking about casting you. We’ve seen your work and Rayford is very fascinated with Genie, the actor. Of course, I know the standard procedure is to send an official request for an audition to your agency and discuss the offer, but our curiosity about you has brought us here.}

Despite Hugh’s earnest confession, Woo-Jin kept still with his arms folded and a slight smile on his face. For some reason, the look on his face didn’t seem like the reaction of a person who had just received great news.

{It seems like you ran into me here by chance, huh.}

{Exactly! Isn’t this fate!} Hugh wanted to refrain from using that expression, but he couldn’t find a better word to describe the current situation other than this clichéd, overused line. Even though he was a writer, he was reminded of the limitations of words and expressions at times like this.

{I don’t think it can be considered fate.}

{Huh?}

{The ‘fate’ you speak of is used to express the hope of some kind of potential in our future.} As Woo-Jin spoke, Hugh shook his head slightly. His writer’s instinct subconsciously kicked in and was about to ramble on, but he managed to stop himself. There was a dignified look on Woo-Jin’s frowning face. He didn’t look like an actor who had just received an offer from a famous movie producer.

Woo-Jin sipped on his coffee gracefully and looked at Hugh with a bitter smile. He was currently feeling conscious of the hidden camera, which could be anywhere, thus explaining the look on his face.

{It’s crucial for the producers to choose the right actors for their production, but the actors themselves have an equally important role in making the final decision as to whether or not they want to do it. Even if they’re interested in accepting the offer, it’s also important to fit it into their schedule. If any of these conditions aren’t met, there’s no way we can work together.}

In other words, Woo-Jin was trying to express his thoughts along the lines of, ‘By telling me you want to work with me and go for an audition, did you think I’d be hasty to jump right into it and be happy?’ as politely as he could. Naturally, he wasn’t directing it at the ‘fake’ Hugh sitting in front of him; it was a message for the production crew behind the hidden camera prank aiming to make fun of an actor. Woo-Jin didn’t know what kind of reaction he was hoping for, but at the very least, he didn’t want people to laugh at him. Even if he might be criticized for being arrogant, his pride made him protect his dignity as an actor. He would never act recklessly and look shocked just because he heard the name ‘Hollywood.’

Woo-Jin stood up quietly, ensuring his chair didn’t make a sound. He spoke politely to Hugh.

{Since you took time out of your busy schedule to come here, I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip before heading home. If you want to cast me in your movie, please officially send the script and documents pertaining to the shooting schedule to my agency. I’ll know if I’ll like it after taking a look at them. Only then will I be able to come to a decision. I wish you all the best.}

Woo-Jin greeted Rayford with a gentle nod and happened to see Hyun-Min coming up to the second floor.

{Just in time — my friend is here.} Woo-Jin pointed to Hyun-Min, who was greeting Woo-Jin with his hand raised.

{I mean, we….} Hugh tried to stop Woo-Jin from leaving, but he had already walked off. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry, but he was already gone after taking a few graceful steps. Hugh could only blink his eyes at this ridiculous situation.

{He’s so proud! And so cool! That’s Jin right there!} Before Hugh knew it, Rayford was already sitting on the chair in front of him, where Woo-Jin sat previously. His slightly teary eyes were filled with admiration. Even if they didn’t have to look specifically for an Asian actor, out of all the actors in Hollywood, he had never seen anybody so proud and confident thus far. It was a kind of pride with a sense of authenticity distinctively different from those who tried hard to make themselves look dignified on the outside.

{How did he know this is my weakness…?} Rayford thought of the scene where Jin shook off the blood on his sword and advanced towards his enemies and automatically imagined Genie as Jin, who looked even more cold-blooded with the light reflecting off his glasses. He was an honorable person who never yielded to anyone and would firmly cut off anyone that tried to coerce him.

{I don’t think now’s the time for you to rejoice….}

In Hollywood, fame was priceless. Both Hugh and Rayford had only made two movies since they had founded their studio, but they had previously made a name for themselves in Hollywood. Thus, up until now, every actor had reciprocated their interest in them. As a result, this experience was very unusual and new to Hugh. If he had shown Woo-Jin his passport, the matter would have easily been resolved, but he just had to show him a picture of him from an article, thereby creating this issue. And now, he was stuck in a huge dilemma.

Hyun-Min turned his head and looked at them as he was being dragged away by Woo-Jin. He wanted to know why because he felt like he had seen the two foreigners somewhere before, so he asked Woo-Jin about it.

“What happened?”

“I’m in the middle of getting myself out of a nasty prank.” Woo-Jin walked even faster, feeling worried that the production crew behind the hidden camera prank would come rushing in. He wanted to let it pass and move on from it as civilly as possible, but it made him rather unhappy that they were playing with a person’s ambitions and desires in such a manner.

However, the production crew didn’t make an appearance. After leaving the cafe, it was still silent for a long time. He didn’t get any calls from Kang Ho-Soo either. If he had been in a hidden camera prank, his manager would have already known about it, but he still heard nothing about it even after a couple of days.

And the day after Red Enemy was released, LL-Studio officially sent a script of the movie along with a casting offer to DS.