Chapter 41: The Cast Dinner

And so, the cast list for the film Evil Plan was confirmed. The assistant director quickly created a group chat for everyone and announced the time for the first script reading and group dinner.

There were quite a few new artists in the film. The three with the most significant roles were Qi Huai, playing the young police officer Yuan Jae-seok; Baek Soo-kyung, playing the righteous journalist Song Hyun; and Bian Tai-xian, playing Son Ik-han, the trusted confidant of the illegal organization’s leader.

Although it was an ensemble film, the absolute male lead was Kim Min-kyung. He played Seo Sang-hyuk, a police officer who went deep undercover in an illegal organization right after graduation and remained there for many years. Due to collusion between high-ranking police officials and the organization, he nearly died.

After returning to the police force, Seo Sang-hyuk appeared to be a listless and unsuccessful officer on the surface, but he was secretly investigating the conspiracy from years ago. Qi Huai’s character, Yuan Jae-seok, joins the police force at this time and becomes Seo Sang-hyuk’s “apprentice,” and the plot unfolds from there…

The main villain, the leader of the illegal organization, was played by veteran RC Entertainment actor Liang Dong-yuan. Besides him, most of the important roles in the police station and the organization were played by experienced senior actors, which showed that this was a serious, well-crafted film and that Director Baek’s influence in the industry was extraordinary.

The script reading began in the afternoon and lasted until evening. Although it was called a script reading, a large part of the time was actually spent on the actors getting to know each other, as there were so many new artists.

On set, Director Baek called out names according to the importance of their roles, starting with the male lead, Kim Min-kyung, and everyone introduced themselves in turn.

This was the first time Qi Huai had seen Attack Dog #4, Kim Min-kyung, up close.

He was wearing a black and green striped sweater, wide-leg jeans with dense decorative elements, and a full set of earrings and sunglasses. His hair was styled into light brown waves by a top stylist—a handsome and roguish-looking trendsetter.

From his appearance alone, one would never guess that Kim Min-kyung came from a traditional and strict prosecutor’s family or that he was a young Best Actor who had graduated from Seoul National University’s law school.

The System clicked its tongue: [According to the comic summary, I thought Attack Dog #4 would be more of a sophisticated scoundrel, but he’s not sophisticated at all.]

But he definitely looks like a scoundrel…

So flashy…

Qi Huai thought to himself, This style really doesn’t match Baek Soo-kyung. But considering Baek Soo-kyung’s needs, maybe none of that matters.

Of course, what Baek Soo-kyung thought didn’t matter either. The important thing was that he absolutely must not get involved with Attack Dog #4, otherwise he and the System would have another headache.

Kim Min-kyung, the nightclub owner, was quick-witted and eloquent. With just a simple self-introduction, he could make everyone roar with laughter.

Screenwriter Hong Eun-byul’s face ached from smiling. She kept rubbing her cheeks. “Omo, why is Actor Kim always like this? My dermatology appointment this month was for nothing. I’m going to get wrinkles.”

The atmosphere instantly became harmonious, all stiffness swept away. Even Qi Huai had to admit that Kim Min-kyung was an extremely emotionally intelligent person.

Sitting next to Qi Huai, Baek Soo-kyung was also seeing Kim Min-kyung for the first time. Having already heard about some of the “conflicts” between Kim Min-kyung and Seok-jin sunbae, he couldn’t help but secretly compare the two.

In the past, from Park Seok-jin’s perspective and descriptions, he had thought Kim Min-kyung seemed like a very arrogant and difficult person. But now, observing him up close, he didn’t seem as distant as Seok-jin sunbae had described.

This young Best Actor was not only friendly and easy to get along with, telling them they didn’t need to use honorifics, but he even occasionally cracked jokes that made everyone laugh.

So you really have to meet someone in person to understand them. Is that it? Baek Soo-kyung thought.

Furthermore, Baek Soo-kyung couldn’t help but wonder if RC Entertainment, being able to cultivate a young Best Actor like Kim Min-kyung, had a stronger training system than Woosan Entertainment.

He had heard that RC’s Chairman, Eun Chul-woo, was from the UK. Could it be that they used foreign systems?

Among the cast of Evil Plan, there were indeed more actors from RC Entertainment. Although this might be due to RC’s internal investment, Baek Soo-kyung observed carefully that even RC’s new artists were very strong.

In contrast, the Seol Tae-rim and Shim Se-bin he knew, who were also new artists who had just entered the entertainment industry, were not only a bit dim-witted and lacked ambition, but their skills were also subpar.

They seemed far behind RC.

Baek Soo-kyung first compared the artists, then the companies, thinking his comparison was very fair, completely forgetting that the reason Tae Sang-won had signed Seol Tae-rim and Shim Se-bin was to have them accompany him and make up the numbers.

Tae Sang-won was older, had no great ambitions, and didn’t want to exhaust himself training new artists. This was also one of the reasons why Baek Soo-kyung, after being transferred to him, always felt that the resources and the quality of his peers were unsatisfactory.

And from Woosan Entertainment’s perspective, Yoon Nam-hyuk would generally hold back pure rookies for at least a year, letting them build a foundation before sending them out to gain experience. Unless the rookies were like Baek Soo-kyung and Qi Huai, who had already been in a production and had a project under their belts right after debuting, they would continue to maintain their exposure according to their manager’s arrangements.

Baek Soo-kyung didn’t really know much about this, because Choi Min-jun had never intended to cultivate him as a serious actor and naturally couldn’t be bothered to waste his breath explaining it to him.

While Baek Soo-kyung was lost in his own calculations, he suddenly heard Qi Huai say in a low voice, “Soo-kyung, do you remember the nightclub we went to last time?”

Nightclub? Heaven?

Baek Soo-kyung was stunned. “Yes.”

A smile touched Qi Huai’s lips, full of meaning. “I heard recently that the nightclub is owned by Best Actor Kim Min-kyung. Because his father and brother are both prosecutors,¹ that’s probably why the police didn’t dare to investigate too much that day, don’t you think?”

Kim Min-kyung???

Heaven is Kim Min-kyung’s business?!

Baek Soo-kyung was stunned, a layer of cold sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead. The helpless experience of that night at the nightclub was like a nightmare. Since then, Baek Soo-kyung had been very careful at any dinner gathering, terrified that the same thing would happen again, but with him as the main character.

He vividly recalled Park Seok-jin’s words on the phone that night—“Although I don’t like him, I don’t want to mess with him.”

Only now did Baek Soo-kyung understand. No wonder every time Park Seok-jin mentioned Kim Min-kyung, he had that look of disgust mixed with forced tolerance…

So he really was someone not to be messed with.

Director Baek’s film was about the corrupt collusion between the police system and illegal organizations. And Kim Min-kyung, a descendant of prosecutors, was personally playing the role of the righteous police officer.

But darkness had seeped into reality. Kim Min-kyung, who played the righteous police officer, actually ran a nightclub in real life that did illegal things to its customers.

This was truly terrifying.

The people in this circle were far more complicated than he had imagined. It seemed that elites from common backgrounds like Choi Min-jun and Park Seok-jin were merely appetizers in the decadent banquet of the upper class.

Baek Soo-kyung didn’t speak again, his face growing paler the more he thought about it.

The System observed in secret: [Host Opla, you seem to have scared the protagonist shou.]

Qi Huai thought calmly, “He needs to be scared. I don’t want a second Park Seok-jin to appear.”

It’s a good thing for a person to have strong desires. But only by knowing fear can one avoid dying too tragically.

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The entire afternoon was spent with the cast and crew getting to know each other. In the evening, Director Baek took everyone to a familiar barbecue restaurant for dinner.

The restaurant’s decor was not high-end or luxurious; it had a very old-school feel. The owner was an auntie with graying hair. She smiled and brought out a stack of folding chairs. “Director Baek used to come to my restaurant all the time when he was young. At first, he couldn’t afford barbecue and only ordered pork soup rice. When I couldn’t bear to watch, I’d give him a little bit of barbecue. Later, he became a big director and often came to support my business… Aigoo, he’s practically an investment product.”

Director Baek was astonished. “Auntie, how can you just call a living person an investment product? This… all the warmth in the story is gone.”

The auntie pouted. “I’m not a director. You’re so fussy. Hurry up and sit down and wait for your food.”

Director Baek scratched his head, speechless. Everyone roared with laughter.

At this moment, Eun Chul-woo pushed open the door and entered, smiling. “I think the owner is right. Director Baek is my investment product too. The returns he brings are very considerable. Please continue to maintain your high standards, Director.”

Baek Se-won glared. “Oh, you. Hurry up and sit, sit.”

There were many people at the dinner, so the tables had to be arranged into a long line of ordinary square tables. Everyone sat cross-legged on either side.

Eun Chul-woo sat down with a smile, right next to Baek Se-won. He looked around at Kim Min-kyung, Qi Huai, and the others, and clasped his hands together in apology. “I’m sorry. I was held up in a meeting this afternoon. I’m late.”

Kim Min-kyung smiled at him. “The side dishes have just been served. You’re not late. Perfect timing.”

Eun Chul-woo smiled back. “Thank you for comforting me, Best Actor Kim. Let me pour everyone a drink… Hmm?”

He was a little surprised. “Is everyone drinking soju?”

Actor Liang Dong-yuan, who played the leader of the illegal organization, complained, “You know Director Baek’s habit. He doesn’t drink good liquor, only soju. We who sit at his table are just unlucky. We’ll have a headache again tomorrow.”

Director Baek pounded his chest dramatically. “How can Koreans eat Korean barbecue and pork soup rice without drinking soju? Are you trying to pair it with red wine and whiskey? You old man with no taste.”

Liang Dong-yuan: “Aish…”

The two were good friends and playfully wrestled.

Eun Chul-woo smiled and filled everyone’s glasses one by one. When he got to the young actors playing important roles, like Qi Huai and Baek Soo-kyung, he discreetly glanced at Qi Huai and asked, “Is everyone okay with soju? Don’t worry, Director Baek is just joking. You can drink whatever you like.”

Before Qi Huai could answer, Baek Soo-kyung, flattered, had already picked up his glass and answered first, “Thank you, Chairman Eun. I can drink soju.”

He was young and had a sweet appearance. The way he answered nervously was very innocent, making one want to tease him.

Eun Chul-woo’s smile didn’t change as he sized up Baek Soo-kyung. “Is that so? You’re young, but very considerate. You don’t have to call me Chairman Eun. If you don’t mind, just call me Chul-woo hyung. It’s more intimate. We don’t have so many hierarchical rules at RC.”

Baek Soo-kyung and Bian Tai-xian quickly agreed, both calling him Chul-woo hyung. Qi Huai just smiled and nodded, saying nothing.

Eun Chul-woo finished pouring the drinks, and the group had a drink with the side dishes. Director Baek said with emotion, “Back then, it was also a very cold winter. In weather like this, Chul-woo’s father invested in me in the UK.”

Eun Chul-woo sighed. “Director… I’ve heard this story so many times my ears are about to fall off.”

Bian Tai-xian, who played the gangster’s subordinate Son Ik-han, was very surprised. “Ah, Director and Chul-woo hyung have such a history?”

Director Baek’s face lit up, and he immediately launched into his story. “Of course. Do you want to hear it, young man?”

The young actors all nodded. Qi Huai was also very surprised and looked at the director with great interest.

Director Baek said with satisfaction, “Those who have heard it can listen again. Don’t tell me I’m being repetitive.”

Kim Min-kyung nodded resignedly. “Yes, Director. Please begin.”

Director Baek smacked his lips. “Your director, me, wanted to make movies when I was young. I wanted to tell stories with a camera, especially those delicate stories that could touch people’s hearts and emotions. So I traveled all the way to the UK to study film, working and studying at the same time, eating plain white bread, learning many advanced techniques, and filling my head with what I thought were advanced ideas, hoping to come back to Korea and achieve great things. But when I took out my first film script, no one was willing to invest in me.”

Baek Soo-kyung was surprised. “Your first film was Seoul Promise, wasn’t it? Such a good story, and you couldn’t get funding?”

The director laughed loudly. “Of course not.”

Actor Liang Dong-yuan whispered, “It’s a good thing you’re already 19. Otherwise, the director would have to censor his own words in a minute.”

Director Baek: “Hahaha, that’s right. My first film was large-scale. Very large-scale!”

Everyone perked up their ears.

Director Baek: “My script at that time was a story about a British gentleman and an Asian cross-dresser. Such a theme was very interesting to overseas investors, but it was completely unwelcome in the Korean market. Investors avoided it like the plague, and they practically called me mentally ill! Hmph… I had no choice but to go back to the UK to find funding. Reality was much harder than I imagined. It was nearing Christmas, a cold day just like this. I was drawing storyboards in a coffee shop when I met Chul-woo’s father, a very gentle British gentleman.”

Qi Huai froze.

The System was bewildered: [Huh? A cross-dresser?]

Qi Huai thought to himself, A story about a British gentleman and a cross-dresser… Doesn’t Eun Chul-woo have a cross-dressing fetish?

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1. Prosecutors (검찰관/geomchalgwan): In the South Korean legal system, prosecutors have significant power, including directing police investigations and having sole authority to indict suspects. A family of prosecutors is thus a very powerful family. ↩︎