Chapter 613

“What the hell are you talking about, you bastard!”

Eom Gyun snatched the screenplay off the table and hurled it onto the floor. Ji Haebeom, as if he'd expected exactly this reaction, didn't so much as flinch.

“You think life's gotten too easy for you lately?”

“Thanks to you, it's been pretty damn hard.”

“Money means nothing to you now, huh? Comes so easily it's just scraps of paper?”

“I earned it working with you, Director. You think that was easy?”

“Graaah!”

Every comeback only made Eom Gyun explode harder.

“What, you wanna stick one absolute disaster in your filmography and make some glorious comeback with the next one? You trying to earn yourself some ‘actor who rose from adversity’ title?”

“If someone recorded even half of what you're doing right now, that's exactly how people would see it.”

Despite having burned someone else's finger with a cigarette not long ago, Ji Haebeom shamelessly pulled out another one.

“So this is why you never sent the script to Dong Baekyeong? Is that why you told me to wait when I said we should send it the second it was finished?”

“Well...”

Ji Haebeom lit the cigarette.

That was answer enough.

And it lit something inside Eom Gyun, too.

“I'm out. I'm done, you son of a bitch. Do it yourself.”

“Empty threats.”

“Look at what you're doing! Does this look sane to you?”

Eom Gyun yelled, kicked the table, then picked the script back up off the floor and waved it wildly in the air.

Ji Haebeom simply watched the performance of complete mental collapse while calmly finishing his cigarette.

“If this was your plan, you should've told me from the start. I wouldn't have busted my ass writing this script. This is fraud, Haebeom. Actual fraud. Do you know how precious one or two years are to a director pushing fifty?”

“At the time...”

When they'd first started discussing the screenplay, Ji Haebeom had honestly been considering Dong Baekyeong for the lineup.

Casting was never certain until the very end, but Dong Baekyeong's name alone carried the kind of weight a serious film deserved.

The pure essence of that unique aura possessed only by true film actors.

The kind of presence that swallowed everyone's attention without saying a single word.

Even when they weren't functioning as celebrities, they still had value simply by existing.

And yet...

To choose Han Yeoreum over Dong Baekyeong.

“I never expected her to grow this fast.”

Hearing such an irresponsible-sounding answer, Eom Gyun grabbed the back of his neck.

“Listen to me. She's still got a long way to go before she's on Dong Baekyeong's level. Work with her later if you want—I don't care. But not in a film I'm directing.”

“You're making too much noise. Sit down.”

“You've got something clouding your judgment, don't you? Right? Isn't that it?”

“Sit.”

Ji Haebeom dropped the burned-out cigarette into the ashtray.

Silence settled between them.

“...”

“...”

“You stubborn little shit. Open your damn eyes.”

Letting out a hollow laugh, Eom Gyun finally collapsed onto the sofa, still fuming.

Ji Haebeom smiled quietly.

With his fingers loosely interlocked on his knees, he showed no real intention of arguing.

“It's really fine.”

“It's not fine for me. What the hell are you doing this for?”

“Because she's iconic.”

Iconic.

At that word, Eom Gyun's jaw dropped. His jaw muscles twitched as countless rebuttals piled up in his mind, leaving him unsure which one to fire off first.

Iconic.

Symbolic. Legendary. An icon of an era.

Something that represents an age or culture so completely that the moment people think of it, that image instantly comes to mind.

New York meant the Statue of Liberty.

Paris meant the Eiffel Tower.

That was what "iconic" meant.

But an actress who had debuted only a few years ago and had appeared on the big screen merely three times in supporting roles?

Calling someone like that iconic was utterly ridiculous.

“She holds the screen well. I like the way she consumes it.”

“That level of acting isn't enough to play Kim Bomi.”

“Her analytical ability is probably the best among actresses her age.”

“Then let's cast someone older.”

“Can't you at least think about it?”

“Yes! I hate the very idea!”

There was a reason Eom Gyun was reacting like this.

Ji Haebeom was unbelievably stubborn.

That easygoing attitude of his came from never accepting anyone else's opinion.

You can bark all you want.

I'll still do what I want.

That was Ji Haebeom's default state.

If a mule like him was saying, Just think about it, then what he really meant was, While you're thinking, I'll already be slipping her into the project.

“Then let's do this.”

Speaking quietly to the chain-smoking Eom Gyun, Ji Haebeom said,

“At least meet her once.”

“And if I refuse?”

“How often do you get a chance to meet a triple ten-million actor?”

“Pretty often. There's one sitting right in front of me.”

“Stop being so contrary. Just talk to her. If you still think she's wrong for it afterward, I'll drop the idea myself.”

It was rare for Ji Haebeom to back down this much.

Which only meant he was that confident.

After a long silence, Eom Gyun finally laid out his conditions.

“Just another ten-million hit isn't enough.”

“Okay.”

“This one has to become the highest-grossing film in the series.”

“Fine.”

Eom Gyun had survived in this industry long enough.

If Ji Haebeom was this confident about achieving a third ten-million-viewer success, then it would probably happen.

“And.”

He continued.

“It also has to make more net profit than the previous installment.”

“...”

That was an entirely different story.

The previous film had been shot entirely in Korea.

To surpass its net profit, simply reaching ten million admissions wouldn't be enough.

They'd need at least fifteen million.

The corner of Ji Haebeom's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

* * *

“I could hear all that screaming from outside.”

“Why'd you bother listening?”

“You alright, Haebeom?”

“I'll sleep on the way.”

Arms folded inside the van, Ji Haebeom closed his eyes.

After enduring Eom Gyun's shouting for so long, the echoes still seemed to ring in his ears.

A faint shadow settled across his tired face.

Behind the quietly driving manager, he sank into thought.

Fifteen million...

Even getting Eom Gyun to consider it was already a major victory.

The worst-case scenario had been losing the director altogether.

Which meant that, deep down, Eom Gyun unconsciously thought the same thing.

That Han Yeoreum wasn't a hopeless card.

He must have seen her as Huijae in <The Great Garland>.

And he'd probably caught at least a few scenes from <Strange Tales>, the drama that had rewritten the history of cable-network CGI.

But he probably never went through her filmography one project at a time.

At the very least, if he'd watched <Faster Than the Law 3>, he probably would've spent only twenty minutes screaming instead of a full hour.

The thought eased Ji Haebeom's expression.

It was, in many ways, a gamble.

If someone asked him why he'd made a choice he'd never made before, even Ji Haebeom couldn't point to one crystal-clear reason.

Han Yeoreum's face on the screen had simply pulled him in.

She had shown him the single most important quality an actor could possess.

He couldn't just sit back and wait anymore.

Of course, Ji Haebeom had also been fully aware of the exact reason Eom Gyun disliked Yeoreum's acting.

“She cries too much like a child.”

This role demanded something completely different from anything she'd done before.

She would have to embody the emotions of an entire era, not merely those of an individual.

How will she cry this time...

Ji Haebeom imagined several different expressions.

Then stopped.

She would probably surprise him again.

Bring him an emotion he'd never considered.

Find a reason that caught him completely off guard.

“Hanamura.”

The junior who had once spoken those words with such a youthful face...

had already grown considerably.

Fifteen million.

For a film that hadn't even reached two million admissions yet, it was an almost absurd expectation.

Even so, Ji Haebeom decided he would enjoy waiting.

* * *

Eunnyangi frowned as Han Yeoreum's face continued to dominate every recommendation in the algorithm.

“Why is this showing up now?”

INTUBE

[First Ride Live │ What's the perfect drink with somaek? <Faster Than the Law 3> is as addictive as mala hot pot // Yun Hyeonjo ・ Kwak Cheolsik ・ Joo Junseo ・ Han Yeoreum] 45:29

The stage greeting clips had already become exhausting enough.

Now long-form videos were joining them, making Eunnyangi frown even harder.

But perhaps her weakness for handsome men had kicked in.

Drawn in by Joo Junseo's face, she clicked the video.

Han Yeoreum was proudly declaring herself a self-proclaimed mala master.

Unlike the <Working Holiday> video she'd watched because of Myeong Jeha, today's Yeoreum wasn't wearing twin buns.

Her hair was tied into a high ponytail.

It reminded Eunnyangi so much of On Jihwa from <Seoul Metropolitan City>.

Thinking back to seeing her in person at K-EX, Eunnyangi soon found her attention stolen by the bubbling crimson mala hot pot.

Caption: [The Violent Aroma of Mala]

After watching every imaginable ingredient get thrown into the pot—

followed by Kwak Cheolsik's spectacular beef-dunking performance—

her mouth filled with saliva almost immediately.

She had never actually tried mala hot pot before.

“Why would anyone eat something like that?”

She didn't like food that was simply spicy.

If it was deliciously spicy, sure.

But if it was just bright red for the sake of being red, it wasn't appealing at all.

“Here's your tofu blanket~.”

Han Yeoreum handed everyone small plates decorated to look like pandas tucked into bed.

The fluffy fried tofu became the blanket, while a piece of bok choy served as the pillow beneath the panda's head.

Taking a sip of the glossy, beef-fat-coated mala broth, Han Yeoreum smiled.

“This is it.”

...

Eunnyangi stared at her.

“Senior, is it too spicy?”

“That's not it.”

“What do you mean, it's not?”

Perhaps the mala was too much for him.

Joo Junseo gulped down glass after glass of water.

Or perhaps her weakness for handsome men was acting up again.

Either way, once she saw Joo Junseo carefully cutting the sweet-and-sour pork into bite-sized pieces for Han Yeoreum...

She couldn't bring herself to close the video.

* * *

“Great picture quality.”

It was Friday night, just before a holiday weekend.

Intube traffic was at its peak.

Not long after upload, <First Ride Live> was already closing in on one hundred thousand views.

People who had notifications turned on flooded in immediately, followed by the core fanbases of both Joo Junseo and Han Yeoreum.

1:03 THIS PART IS INSANE LMAOOO that's SO much beef

↳ Kwak Cheolsik abusing his power lol

Watching this at this hour should be illegal

Goeun's so cute lol just watched the movie today, happy to see all four of them again

↳ Who's Goeun?

↳ Watch Faster Than the Law and you'll find out.

The comments poured in at incredible speed.

Whenever people dismissed Han Yeoreum as nothing more than an entertaining personality, Manager Hong couldn't help letting out a dry laugh.

Forget the view count.

One thing nobody could deny anymore—

every video with Han Yeoreum in the thumbnail always had a wildly active comment section.

Being "entertaining" meant people simply wanted to spend time with her.

Everyone came to the video with something to say.

Yet somehow, Han Yeoreum always became the center of every conversation.

Blending naturally into a crowd...

and becoming its focal point...

wasn't something just anyone could do.

“No wonder the marketing team is obsessed with her.”

Because she could make people smile...

for no reason at all.

Doing something “just because” was the hardest thing in the world.

And Han Yeoreum made it look effortless.