Side Story Chapter 4
A few days later, I formally requested a meeting with JNC Entertainment through Hanshin Media’s Visual Content Business Team.
The message was simple.
Director Song Jaehyun was considering actor Baek Ina for the male lead in his next film, and we wanted to discuss casting.
But contrary to my expectation that they would respond immediately, JNC Entertainment did not contact us until well over two weeks after the request.
“Hello, this is Manager Kim Minguk from JNC Entertainment. I’m the manager in charge of Baek Ina.”
“Ah, we’ve been waiting for your call. If you let us know the time and place, we’ll come to you.”
“But... will Director Song Jaehyun be attending the meeting personally?”
The Hanshin Media employee handling the call was already annoyed.
JNC had taken this long to respond, yet they were now asking, rather rudely, whether Song Jaehyun himself would be coming.
“No, Director Song won’t be attending this first meeting personally....”
Before the employee could even finish, Kim Minguk’s disappointed voice came through the phone.
“Ah, so Director Song himself won’t be attending?”
“That’s correct. This casting is being handled directly by our vice president, so before meeting Director Song, you’ll first meet with our vice president.”
The other end went silent for a moment.
Then Kim Minguk’s voice returned, sounding flustered.
“V-Vice President? Do you mean Vice President Min Kibaek of Hanshin Media?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Is there a problem?”
“No, no problem at all. Ahem.”
He said that, but clearly hadn’t expected this.
“Then... could you come to our office this Friday at 2 p.m.?”
Friday afternoon.
As I headed toward JNC Entertainment’s headquarters in Gangnam, I thought through the situation.
The name Song Jaehyun was an irresistible lure in Korea’s entertainment industry.
For any actor, simply appearing in one of his films was an honor.
For an agency, it was also an opportunity to make a great deal of money.
And yet Song Jaehyun had offered a casting opportunity.
Not just any role, either.
The lead.
And JNC had still waited more than two weeks before responding?
Sure, agencies representing famous actors sometimes played hard to get.
But that was with ordinary directors.
Playing that game even with Song Jaehyun?
That made no sense.
If their response had been delayed despite all that, it was more reasonable to assume something had already gone wrong between JNC and Baek Ina.
Don’t tell me... JNC has already done something to him.
My anxiety began to rise.
Before I realized it, the car had already stopped in front of JNC Entertainment’s building.
It was a standalone four-story headquarters.
The first-floor lobby was decorated with giant photos of the actors and singers signed under the agency.
Baek Ina’s photo occupied the most prominent spot.
Looking at all those brightly smiling faces, I felt strangely unsettled.
How many of them are actually smiling from the heart?
I entered the lobby, gave my name to the receptionist, and explained that I had an appointment.
The employee immediately guided me toward the elevator as though they had been expecting me.
Perhaps it was because they knew I was a vice president of Hanshin Media, but the tension in their expression was obvious.
I took the elevator to the fourth floor and was shown into the CEO’s office.
The room was spacious and neatly arranged.
CEO Kang Jintae rose from the sofa to greet me.
He looked exactly like the photographs I had found online.
“Vice President Min! What an honor that you came here personally.”
Kang Jintae looked to be in his early fifties.
He wore a neat suit, his hair was combed cleanly back, and a gentle smile rested on his face.
“An honor? Not at all. It’s good to finally meet you.”
“You’re much more handsome than your photos.”
I smiled.
“Honestly, CEO Kang, maybe you should have become an actor yourself.”
Kang Jintae laughed as though he liked the compliment.
“Oh, come now. An actor? Not just anyone can do that.”
“By the way, you’ve seen my photos?”
“Yes. I read one of your interviews.”
“Your line about the growth of your actors being the growth of the company, and your goal of becoming an agency that nurtures talent, both left an impression on me.”
Kang Jintae stared at me blankly for a moment, looking genuinely moved.
Considering that I had already become something of a legend in Korea’s media industry at just over forty years old, the fact that I remembered his old interview almost word for word seemed to inflate his pride beyond what he could hide.
“My goodness... that article was from years ago.”
“Please, have a seat first.”
He quickly guided me toward the sofa.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Coffee is fine.”
“Manager Kim, two Americanos.”
Kang Jintae turned toward the man who had been in the room from the moment I arrived.
The man looked slightly displeased at being ordered to fetch coffee before even introducing himself.
But he left the office without complaint.
“So, I heard Director Song Jaehyun is considering our Ina for the lead in his next film?”
Kang Jintae smiled broadly.
“This really is an incredible honor.”
“In fact, Ina said he wanted to come today too, but I told him not to.”
“I see.”
I smiled calmly.
But I didn’t particularly believe his claim that Baek Ina had wanted to attend.
“May I ask what kind of project it is?”
Kang Jintae immediately moved to the real subject.
“The script hasn’t been finalized yet, but I can tell you with certainty that it will feel very different from Director Song’s previous films.”
I explained that Song Jaehyun’s next project would be a human drama set against modern Korean history.
Around seventy percent of the story would take place in the United States and Japan, making it enormous in scale.
“Most of the filming will take place in the U.S. and Japan?”
“Yes.”
“That’s why a major American production company has already joined as a co-producer.”
“A major American production company...?”
“I can’t reveal which one yet.”
“Ah. Of course....”
That part wasn’t a lie.
