Chapter 876: You’ve waited a long time, haven’t you? (5)

The production team lifted their heads proudly.

“While conducting on-site research in Gunsan, we were able to identify even the smallest details about Seon Myeongju.”

“We really put our heart into understanding Korean sentiment.”

“We must have interviewed at least several hundred Koreans just for the research.”

They truly were people worthy of being called Hollywood’s top staff.

I clapped and said,

“That’s honestly incredible. I didn’t expect you to go that far.”

“We put in some effort.”

Director Kim Bora replied with a bright smile.

“This is Seon Myeongju’s film, after all. We couldn’t afford to fall short in our research.”

“Exactly.”

The Korean Americans nodded in agreement.

They spoke over one another.

“If we mess this up, I’ll go home and get absolutely chewed out by my father. ‘You ruined Seon Myeongju’s film,’ he’ll say.”

“In Korean, what would that be? The traitor of the whole family. What was that word? Ah—traitor.”

“Not traitor. You’d just be trash.”

Hearing that my father was a symbol of pride for Korean Americans made a smile form on my lips.

As the noisy chatter gradually died down, I said with a grin,

“At least the biggest hurdle we were worried about has been cleared. We don’t need to worry about Korean sentiment anymore.”

Besides, Korean writers from Studio LM would be consulting on the Korean-related scenes anyway.

I took the revised script and began the meeting.

My role here was in the planning of the film.

Especially since the film was being developed as a musical, my knowledge of music played a major part.

After all, the goal of this film was to introduce the music itself.

“I want to show who my father was—through music.”

Although he achieved tremendous success, I honestly believed that Seon Myeongju as a musician was still undervalued.

If he had been white or Black, he would have become a global legend beyond comparison.

There were simply too many masterpieces that remained unknown.

“I want to add lyrics to those pieces. Some of my father’s works already have lyrics, but most of them don’t.”

And so, the concept that the production team and I came up with was this:

“What if we add lyrics to the jazz pieces that contain Seon Myeongju’s life? What if we turn that into a musical film?”

What many people didn’t realize was just how important lyrics were in making a song popular.

Of course, music could still be moving without lyrics.

But when it came to cinematic storytelling, having lyrics was overwhelmingly advantageous.

Once lyrics were added, the audience could immerse themselves in the story much more easily.

When listening to classical music, people interpret it differently without background explanation, but a love ballad with lyrics is easily understood.

Especially in visual media, the absence of lyrics was a disadvantage.

“Look over there. Seon Myeongju is crying while playing the piano. Why is he crying?”

If there were lyrics, the answer would come naturally.

But if he simply shed tears silently while playing, the audience would have to piece together the context themselves.

A good film should be understood intuitively at a glance.

Which meant lyrics were essential.

Ultimately, our goal was to use the powerful medium of film to present my father’s life and music in an accessible way.

“Hmm...”

That meant our immediate task was selecting which songs to use.

Out of countless tracks, we continued narrowing down the candidates.

“I think entertainment value is important too. We should include some of Seon Myeongju’s more fun pieces...”

“What about including the early works he wrote as practice? It could show his growth.”

As the discussion continued, songs were added and removed.

Each time a song was eliminated through voting, sighs of regret echoed around the room.

After filtering through the already shortlisted tracks once more, we were left with twice the number of final candidates.

Looking at the list, I said,

“Twenty-two songs left.”

“And we still have to cut that in half...”

At Director Kim Bora’s distressed expression, I smiled and replied,

“It’s unfortunate, but we don’t have a choice considering the runtime. Even if we pick about ten songs and arrange and trim them, that alone will take around forty minutes. If the total runtime is about a hundred minutes...”

As I spoke, I organized the list.

From here, we would finalize the selection and work on the musical numbers together with Frank Chow and others.

Director Kim Bora said,

“I’m counting on you, Wooju.”

“I’ll do my best. I really will....”

This wasn’t just anyone’s music.

It was my father’s.

This was something I had to accomplish, even if it meant burning myself out.

As I nodded, the production team smiled.

“Ah.”

Director Kim Bora glanced at her watch.

“Looks like we’re out of time.”

“Seems so.”

Everyone checked the time and began gathering their documents.

Director Kim Bora, casting director John Deokgyu Choi, and the key staff stood up.

It was time to meet the lead actor.

Lee Gyeonwoo.

One of the most sought-after actors in Korea among those in their thirties.

And the actor I wanted for my father’s adult role.

Childhood and teenage roles would be cast separately, but for the adult version...

“Hmm.”

Casting director John Deokgyu Choi looked over Lee Gyeonwoo’s profile.

“If he’s cast, he’ll need to lose some weight. His lines need to be sharper to match Seon Myeongju. Right now, his face looks a bit too glamorous.”

“We can decide that after seeing him.”

Director Jo Gyuhwan replied calmly.

“He hasn’t been cast yet.”

“What kind of actor is he in Korea?”

“In terms of current value, he’s at the top. Great face, excellent acting, good manners on set. Directors always want him first. Most importantly, his acting is consistent.”

“Oh...”

Director Kim Bora, intrigued, asked,

“Then why would someone like him be interested in our film? Not to be rude, but our project isn’t exactly in the spotlight right now.”

“If I had to answer that...”

Director Jo Gyuhwan winked and pointed at me.

“Our Wooju here played a big role. He’s quite close with Lee Gyeonwoo.”

“...Me?”

We were just the kind of acquaintances who exchanged holiday greetings and casual messages.

“He mentioned you in an interview recently.”

“...?”

I picked up my phone and searched for the article.

Director Kim Bora leaned in. “Oh my, it’s true.”

—[Hot Interview] Actor Lee Gyeonwoo: “Close friend? NewBlack’s Wooju...”

Reading it, it sounded like, “I’m close with Wooju!” but something felt off.

I could practically picture him panicking during the interview.

“...NewBlack’s Wooju...?”

Yeah. That kind of situation.

Smiling, I opened my messenger to ask where he was—

But then I noticed his status message.

[No messages / No calls]

...Did I try too hard to act friendly lately?

It felt like reaching out to a hedgehog only to get pricked.

Just as I felt a bit down—

“He just arrived,” said Director Jo Gyuhwan.

“Oh, he’s here?”

Everyone straightened up.

Knock—

“Come in.”

The door opened.

“....”

“....”

Everyone’s eyes widened.

“Uh...”

Director Kim Bora looked like her eyes might pop out.

The Korean Americans stood frozen, mouths open. Only Director Jo smiled knowingly.

“....”

I couldn’t hide my shock either.

“Hello. I’m Lee Gyeonwoo. I’m here for the audition.”

It wouldn’t have been strange to call him Seon Myeongju instead.

White shirt. Black slacks. Glasses.

At a glance, it was hard to tell him apart from my father.

No...

How should I describe it?

My chest swelled, my heart ballooning as if I had reunited with my father.

“....”

Visually, they were different.

But the aura—

It was as if my father had returned.

“Wow...”

Director Kim Bora spoke first.

“I thought Seon Myeongju himself had walked in. This is rare... that immediate feeling...”

“Thank you.”

“Now I understand why Wooju recommended you.”

His gaze flicked toward me, and I instinctively looked away.

It felt like making eye contact with my father.

Thankfully, the casting director spoke.

“I didn’t expect this level of preparation.”

“It’s my philosophy as an actor.”

He continued calmly.

“I show what I’ve prepared. If I fit the role, I’m cast.”

“Have you ever failed?”

“Not yet.”

Even though he was almost a guaranteed choice, the staff were clearly impressed.

“Let’s begin with the script.”

Director Kim Bora read the mother’s lines, and Lee Gyeonwoo responded as my father.

“Are you not worried? I heard the audience will be massive...”

“Well.”

A low, gentle tone.

Different voice—but the same presence.

Relaxed. Confident.

“Shouldn’t they be the ones worried? After all, I’m the one going on stage.”

Warm and confident.

Like the sun itself.

“...!”

Smiles spread across the room.

It felt like a stamp of approval.

“Could we hear you act in English as well?”

“Yes.”

His fluent English drew even more satisfied smiles.

“Seriously, you prepared so much.”

“I did my best.”

He explained his method approach—living without a phone, adapting to the era.

Listening, I found myself learning about acting.

“Then... shall we hear you sing?”

“...Yes.”

And then—

♪ The East Sea and Mount Baekdu... ♬

“....”

“....”

Good voice.

Unstable pitch.

“I thought he was too perfect...”

“They can train him...”

As they discussed vocal training, I nodded.

I already knew what to do.

After the audition ended, the room buzzed with excitement.

“I really thought Seon Myeongju walked in.”

“No wonder he’s a top actor.”

The lead role was effectively decided.

Then—

“Oh, right.”

Director Jo spoke to me.

“There’s one more actor who begged to audition.”

“Sure.”

The door opened.

A handsome man walked in.

“Hello. I’m Wang Jiho.”

And instantly—

Laughter erupted.

“...Go.”

“Son...”

“Get out.”

The room burst into laughter as Jiho backed away with a sad smile.

“Son...”

“Hey!”

The audition room exploded with laughter.