The fact that Heavenly Yuah has a half-sibling is none of my concern.
Or rather, it might be somewhat related to me, but it’s not something I need to worry about.
Judging from appearances, it seems to be a boy somewhat similar to the young martial prodigy, Su Ma-gong. But Su Ma-gong merely had a chaotic atmosphere around him; personally, he was rather gentle.
To begin with, he preferred painting over martial arts.
What would it be like here?
As long as I stayed appropriately hidden behind Heavenly Yuah, there would be no problem.
As for the S&M organization… there’s absolutely no reason for me to get involved in that.
That place seems far more complicated than the New Religion. Thinking about it alone makes me feel like vomiting.
“That’s unfortunate, isn’t it? Fighting?”
“…Is there something annoying about it?”
So, I quietly consoled the poor Heavenly Yuah, who ended up with a mountain of overtime work, and left it at that.
The relationship between Heavenly Yuah and me may still be uncertain, but even if things between us progress, I am certainly not going to get anywhere near the S&M organization.
Previously, the former Lord Heavenly Demon, that is, the Chairman, still seemed quite active despite his age. If he feels the need, he can always have a late-born child.
No, wait. If the Chairman is like the old Lord Heavenly Demon, there might already be illegitimate children.
Speaking of our former Lord Heavenly Demon…
When the Demon Queen passed away, he risked entering the realm of ‘Chu Hwa Eep Ma’ in a desperate attempt to undergo the forced Rebirth Ritual, which is truly romantic.
On the other hand, he was also a philanderer who had three wives and four concubines.
If his tendencies are similar, then it’s natural to speculate that he might have some mistresses.
In any world, wealthy and high-ranking men tend to have several women under their wings.
“I just hope they don’t force Young Yuah to manage the group.”
“Exactly.”
Because then Heavenly Yuah would really lose her temper for sure.
Though it might seem like the right thing to say, I also secretly wish for her family’s peace and would prefer if they secured another heir ahead of time.
*
After the interlude of rest, we re-commenced exploring the scripts.
The next project is almost certainly going to be a drama, but to refresh my mood, I’m currently looking through movie scripts.
There weren’t any interesting dramas, so…
Firstly, the script named Sun Juhong caught my attention immediately, marked with not one, not two, but three asterisks.
But, judging by the content, it didn’t seem to be an ‘Obscure Nightshade’. Instead, it seemed like a newly drafted scenario.
But still, in the end, Sun Juhong is just Sun Juhong.
I set it aside without giving it a read.
After clearing away the unsuitable scripts, I leisurely went through and evaluated the rest of the scenarios.
Most were obviously not right, but there was a certain charm to them, making them somewhat readable.
Of course, the reason for this was that I enjoyed reading and examining scripts and scenarios.
“…Hm?”
“Why?”
“No, it’s just…”
“It’s a script you’re looking at… Ah, it’s an independent movie.”
“Yes, an independent movie.”
Then, by chance, I found a strangely familiar scenario.
Not now, but long before transitioning to the Martial Forest, specifically before my time with Old White Siu.
“The Two-Faced Beast.”
The protagonist of this was ‘Two-Faced Beast,’ which literally means a beast with two faces.
This movie was the first and last work in which the (Old) White Siu starred.
“Thus, Director Jeong Cheol-ju. Ah, that’s right. That movie from back then.”
Though (Old) White Siu was criticized everywhere for lacking acting skills…
One director thought highly of White Siu.
A young director named Jeong Cheol-ju thought uniquely of White Siu’s talent, specifically regarding this film, ‘The Two-Faced Beast.’
What did Director Jeong say back then?
That White Siu’s face was the ideal for portraying both good and evil coexisting within a single person?
Ultimately, he placed more emphasis on my appearance rather than my acting skills, but Director Jeong Cheol-ju was the one who gave me the one and only opportunity.
“And it failed.”
Jeong’s ‘The Two-Faced Beast’ begins with the protagonist, who lost his parents in a murder case when he was very young, and that same murder case eventually remained unsolved.
Suffering from shock as a child, the protagonist not only lost their memory but developed dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities), and works as a sheriff under the pseudonym ‘Joy’.
The context suggests the setting isn’t Korea, but somewhere else.
As a sheriff, the protagonist conceals not only this mental health condition but uses his position to investigate the murder of his parents, which remains unresolved.
“Really, it was an incredibly difficult role. To begin with, how could you possibly entrust an actor with multiple personality disorder?”
Playing a character with multiple personalities is not an easy task by any means, especially for someone with poor acting skills like the old White Siu.
Director Jeong Cheol-ju, for reasons unknown, chose me as the protagonist, and the young me, foolishly, accepted the offer.
“The result was predictable. If the main actor’s performance is bad, can there be any way out in a one-star male romantic drama?”
‘Two-Faced Beast’ is a classic example of how a poor acting performance can destroy a film.
Ironically, the film received mostly positive reviews in every other aspect besides the acting.
The story was something I considered to be good, and others seemed to agree.
Many even considered it a tragic masterpiece with potential, that if only the actor’s performance had been better, it could have been a masterpiece.
Ultimately, it failed because I couldn’t act well enough.
“And amidst all that, Director Jeong remained steadfast. Instead, he apologized to me.”
The incredible part was that, though he received such mixed reviews and despite the movie’s failure, he could have blamed me as the main actor.
I tried my best, but that was all.
Instead, he apologized to me, expressing regret for pushing me into such a heavy role too quickly, for being too greedy.
At that time, the feeling was quite strange.
No matter what, fifty years have passed and I still vividly remember what happened then.
“Fortunately, it was a low-budget film and Director Jeong wasn’t your average person. I don’t know what happened after that.”
The movie was made around two years prior.
When I was gradually becoming known as a decent supporting actor due to some minor roles.
At the end of this film, I went astray for a while but eventually boarded the train to the Martial Forest.
Given Director Jeong’s potential as a director, I assume things must have gone well for him.
Since such talent usually succeeds.
“Still, I’m thinking of shooting this film.”
“…An independent movie? I thought you mentioned making a drama earlier?”
“Yes, I had that intention, but circumstances have changed.”
“Hmm, an independent movie. It’s not bad, but…”
To follow a blockbuster with an independent film is somewhat amusing.
Had this not been Flame, which allowed actors to pick their own projects, suggesting such a thing would have been impossible.
A young actor in their prime suddenly coming down with an artistic bug is indeed amusing.
However, within our company, such eccentric behavior is permissible.
The owner of the company, Heavenly Yuah, is genuinely passionate about such artistic ventures.
“Still, why does he want to cast Siu? In the world of independent films, actors of Siu’s caliber aren’t exactly easy to engage. The rates are vastly different, obviously.”
“Ahh, you’re right. Now that you mention it, you’re quite right. Why does he want me again? Thus…”
“Yes.”
“The reason for inviting you to star is because of your… face where good and evil coexist.”
“Hm, that’s quite the compliment. For an actor, there’s no greater praise than this.”
“That’s right, it’s a good compliment.”
This guy, he’s as consistent as ever.
Of course, the character ‘Joy’ himself embodies this duality, but being recruited for the same reason as before makes me burst out laughing.
Director Jang is really thick-skinned, inviting a top-tier actor like me to star in a low-budget film, not based on acting skills but merely citing a visually striking face — it could be quite offensive depending on how one perceives it.
And to top it all, does he know what my guarantee amounts to? Nowadays, my value-to-performance ratio is getting worse.
Though if he was thoughtful, he wouldn’t have given a lead role to an actor like me, who was previously terrible ((Old) White Siu).
“An independent movie. It won’t cost that much, I assume.”
“Surely, you’re not considering investing?”
“Yes, I must.”
“Hmm, is an independent movie really a viable option?”
The script seems to be drawing Heavenly Yuah’s interest, as she’s inclined to invest.
Why would she bother investing her time and money into independent films?
This doesn’t seem right, so I voiced my objections. However, her assessment was different from what I anticipated.
“The script quality is unexpectedly good. If Siwoo merely performs well, we could create an impressive film.”
“Is that so?”
“Given the timing of this script, I believe it aims for the Cannes Film Festival. That application deadline is by March.”
“Ah, really? It’s too ambitious for this.”
“No, indeed. They will absolutely submit it to Cannes. Considering this, we need to invest at least several billion won at the very least…”
“…What? Spending that much on an independent movie?”
“Money isn’t a concern. After all, Siwoo’s money is Yuah’s money, and vice versa. The last movie generated more profit than expected, so it’s necessary to invest further.”
“…How could you be like that?”
Trembling with anticipation,
I have never heard such a phrase in my life, yet it surprisingly has a strong impact. It almost made me get teary-eyed again.
But it seems unnecessary to take such drastic measures.
Even if we proceed with this project, Director Jeong will likely be fully funding this film, like in the past.
Back then, even though there were investors interested in his work, he firmly rejected their offers.
So, I decided to let him deal with everything while keeping my distance.
“Director Jeong has accepted funding.”
“Yes, the production budget has been secured.”
“Indeed, though it’s not a substantial amount, it’s still an amount he’s accepted.”
Despite his usual demeanor, Director Jeong accepted Heavenly Financial’s funding offer.
Something doesn’t add up.
Why did he reject offers in the past?
Director Jeong, known for his artistic integrity, remains enigmatic as always.
“Still, I suppose this can be counted as returning the favor from back then.”
Indeed, this life’s Director Jeong is quite fortunate.
Not only did he end up with an actor who has grown in talent, but he also secured a solid financial backer.
Given his nature, I think helping him make a movie would be worthwhile.
