Become a Star

It was spring, but his inability to feel it represented his state of mind. “What does your spring look like?”

Woo-Jin asked Hyun-Min.

“For me, as long as I’m with my Ggong, it’s always spring for me,” he answered.

He nicknamed his girlfriend ‘Ggong’ because her last name was ‘Gong,’ and appeared as if just thinking about her made him happy. However, when he looked at Woo-Jin in front of him, a wry smile appeared on his face as he grumbled that the reality was winter.

“By the way, are you filming something historical this time?” Hyun-Min asked.

“Why?” Woo-Jin asked.

“Everyone looked at your hair and guessed it,” he answered.

“Well, no matter what I do, I think I’ll do a historical film while in this state,” Woo-Jin said.

After returning from her vacation, even Hwang Yi-Young was against Woo-Jin getting a haircut, so he didn’t really care anymore. After meeting with Director Yoon Seon, he started thinking about many things, and even though he was constantly thinking about Prince Myeong-Hwan from Red Enemy, he had a hard time making a decision.

Woo-Jin started becoming curious about how Director Yoon Seon was going to express the spring that he thought of and how he was going to show it to the people, so he started rewatching the movies that the director filmed a long time ago. There were a few he watched before and others that he’d never watched. After watching the director’s recent movies, Woo-Jin was left with a feeling of comfort and consolation and realized that the director looked at people kindly. Red Enemy was probably going to be like that too, which was why Woo-Jin became even more curious. Will people be able to feel spring even after watching a movie that had a tragic ending?

Ding~!

When Woo-Jin received a text notification, Hyun-Min was more interested than he was.

“Who’s the guy that’s been sending you petty texts recently?”

“Just some guy. He’s a persistent and passionate person,” Woo-Jin answered.

Woo-Jin checked his phone, wondering what the text would say this time. After his last meeting with Director Yoon Seon, he occasionally texted and emailed Woo-Jin. He sent all the materials he collected about Prince Myeong-Hwan and even reported about the film set currently being built and the film's progress.

When Woo-Jin sent a reply asking why he would make preparations for the film when the main character hadn’t been decided yet, the director replied with a crying emoticon. After he met with Woo-Jin, the director claimed to be inspired by him and sent new content that was going to be added to the script. The scene was about Prince Myeong-Hwan learning the sword dance from Seol Ha, and while reading it, Woo-Jin couldn’t help but recall the past, which made him smile.

That was when he realized what Director Yoon Seon meant when he mentioned the spring that Prince Myeong-Hwan couldn’t feel. The faint warmth that he felt was like spring.

“Oh Ha-Na?”

Woo-Jin read the unfamiliar name on the text message.

“Is she the same Oh Ha-Na that used to be a child actor?” Hyun-Min asked.

“Probably? If I get cast as the main character, then Oh Ha-Na will be my partner,” Woo-Jin said.

After the audition for Queen Yoon finished, Director Yoon Seon told Woo-Jin the name of the person finalized for that role through a text message.

“Oh Ha-Na? Not bad. She turned 21 this year, so you two should be able to get along, and even though she has that smart and coy image, it should be fine since she’s pretty and good at acting,” Hyun-Min explained.

While searching for Oh Ha-Na, his eyes lit up.

“Are you thinking about doing Red Enemy?” he asked.

“How did you know?” Woo-Jin asked, surprised.

“There’s an article about it that says that Oh Ha-Na was finalized for the role of Queen Yoon in Red Enemy and even though they haven’t revealed who’s going to be playing the role of Prince Myeong-hwan, there are rumors that it’s going to be Chae Woo-Jin,” he answered.

Hyun-Min showed Woo-Jin the article that he was reading. It said that the production company and the investors of Red Enemy had their eyes on Chae Woo-Jin since last year, but due to Director Yoon Seon’s constant opposition, they didn’t know who would finally get that part.

“Someone’s calling you,” Hyun-Min said.

Woo-Jin hadn’t realized his phone was vibrating because of the article he was reading. He returned Hyun-Min’s phone and answered the call.

— It’s not true!

“Excuse me?”

When the person on the other line started off with a vehement denial, Woo-Jin checked to see who had called him and realized it was Director Yoon Seon.

— Oh my gosh! I don’t know who wrote such an article, but what they wrote about me opposing you is false. False, I tell you! You’re not upset, are you?

“Of course not,” Woo-Jin answered.

Anyways, Woo-Jin knew just how much effort the director put into trying to cast him, so he didn’t get swayed by what was written in the article.

— Oh yeah? That’s a relief. What kind of reporter would write something like that? They should’ve just written about Oh Ha-Na being cast instead of dragging all of us down. Don’t take it the wrong way because you’re the only person who can play my Prince Myeong-Hwan, and if you don’t agree, then I’m not going to film the movie!

“Wait, there’s no need to go that far.”

— Where are you right now? Should we meet?

When Director Yoon Seon mentioned that he didn’t have anything else to do after the audition, he subtly asked Woo-Jin’s whereabouts, but Woo-Jin shook his head and ended the call politely after telling him that he was with a friend.

“Despite what the article says, it seems like the director wants to cast you, but you still haven’t decided, right?” Hyun-Min asked.

Based on Woo-Jin’s attitude during the call and the director’s animated voice he heard from time to time through the phone, Hyun-Min guessed the situation and seemed excited about it.

“Why aren’t you accepting the role of Prince Myeong-Hwan?” he asked.

“It’s because he’s a real person. It’s not fun,” Woo-Jin answered.

“Doesn’t that make him more charming?”

When Hyun-Min said that, Woo-Jin looked at him as if he was being ridiculous.

“Even though everyone knows about him, in the end, no one knows since he’s a historical figure, so don’t you think it’s great that you’ll be able to create a new character of the prince and let people know about him? People might even think of you first when they talk about Prince Myeong-Hwan,” Hyun-Min explained.

Hyun-Min was saying that when people mentioned Prince Myeong-Hwan, the actor who played the prince first popped into their heads, but since things changed with time, he wanted Woo-Jin to take the role.

“Why?” Woo-Jin asked.

“I like Prince Myeong-Hwan too. If you do play that role, it’ll look so real that my heart will ache, and I’ll become sad, but I think I’ll also be happy. I’ll be vicariously satisfied while thinking, ‘Ah, Prince Myeong-Hwan is my friend!’” Hyun-Min answered.

Woo-Jin asked if it would interfere with him trying to empathize with the character. When Woo-Jin mentioned it would be difficult to focus if a friend played the role of a historical figure, Hyun-Min shrugged.

“He’s a historical figure, but the prince that’s shown on the screen is a fake character, so don’t think so much about it. Remember that Prince Myeong-Hwan is nothing more than a role that actor Chae Woo-Jin needs to overcome and challenge himself. It’s up to you whether you want to do it or not, but don’t give up just because you’re burdened by the fact that he’s a historical figure,” Hyun-Min explained.

Even if the script was written based on historical evidence, it couldn’t be 100 percent identical. In the end, Prince Myeong-Hwan showed in the movie, couldn’t be a real person and was only a new character recreated through an actor.

“You’re pretty rational,” Woo-Jin said.

“More than that, Prince Myeong-Hwan died young before he reached 30. That means a young actor needs to play that part, and out of all the actors in their 20s and early 30s, no one’s a better actor than you,” he said.

“Hey, that kind of compliment makes me feel uncomfortable, and there are a lot of actors that are in their mid-30s,” Woo-Jin commented.

When Woo-Jin mentioned a few names, Hyun-Min waved his hand and frowned.

“Even if an actor takes good care of himself to the point that he looks younger than his age, they give off a certain vibe. Honestly, the people that played Prince Myeong-Hwan so far were too old, and some people got shocked after finding out that the prince died before he reached 30 years. History has been misinterpreted. What I’m also trying to say is that even if you wanted to play Prince Myeong-Hwan later, you wouldn’t be able to, so take the chance while you can,” Hyun-Min told him.

He must’ve gotten thirsty after so much talking because he picked up his cup, but upon realizing it was empty, started spinning it as he contemplated, “Should I order another?”

“You said you were going to meet Miss Ggong here. Aren’t you going to drink coffee with her?” Woo-Jin asked.

The two were currently in the new location of the cafe they used to visit often. While filming the drama, Woo-Jin met the owner of this cafe again, and after that, he would visit occasionally.

Since there was still time left before Hyun-Min’s date with his girlfriend, Woo-Jin decided to wait with him, and when he spoke while looking at his watch, Hyun-Min placed down his cup as if he had given up on reordering.

“By the way, since when did Miss Tae-Hwa start working part-time again?”

Woo-Jin whispered to Hyun-Min while looking at Kim Tae-Hwa studying at the counter since there weren’t any new customers. After the first exam, Woo-Jin thought he would never see her again, but the unexpected reunion made him feel awkward. Kim Tae-Hwa offered to buy his coffee today for the umbrella he gave her and for not apologizing properly last time, but as the coffee was more expensive than her hourly pay, he couldn’t let her do that.

“I guess the owner asked if she could do it since he couldn’t trust anyone else. He told her that he didn’t mind her studying when there weren’t any customers, so she’s studying while working as a part-timer,” Hyun-Min answered.

The cafe owner needed a reliable person to work the counter while he was out, and in exchange for not interfering with whatever she did during the remaining time, he offered the job to Kim Tae-Hwa. Unlike the occasional visitor, Woo-Jin, Hyun-Min knew a lot as he often visited with his girlfriend.

“When I asked her about the exam after hearing it from you, she said she passed based on her provisional grade.”

“And she’s still working as a part-timer?” Woo-Jin asked.

“I guess it’s a bit tough for her since she missed out on the scholarship last semester. Wait! I don’t think you have any right to say something like that,” Hyun-Min pointed out.

Not only was it difficult living the life of a celebrity while attending school, but he was at the point where he had to prepare for the bar exam. Hyun-Min, who had enthusiastically encouraged Woo-Jin to accept the role, now changed his mind and told him to give up the Prince Myeong-Hwan role. No matter how he looked at it, it would make Woo-Jin look really greedy.

While the two were immersed in their conversation, the chime bell rang, signaling the entry of a new customer, but other than the part-timer, no one really cared.

“Thud!”

The sudden dull sound caused everyone to turn their attention to one place. The sound came from the counter where Kim Tae-Hwa was sitting, and a middle-aged woman stood holding her handbag in front of her, fuming.

“How dare you! How could you do this? You wench! You wench!”

Every time the woman spoke, she hit Kim Tae-Hwa’s head with her bag, and the sound that everyone heard just now was the sound of the bag hitting her head. While the other customers remained at their spots surprised, Woo-Jin and Hyun-Min stood up and approached the woman.

“Ma’am, I don’t know what this is about, but you should talk it out.”

Hyun-Min took the lead and stood between the woman and Kim Tae-Hwa. Woo-Jin quietly grabbed the woman’s bag and blocked her so that she couldn’t hit Kim Tae-Hwa anymore.

“Who the hell are you? This is a family problem, so you two stay out of it.”

The woman talking down to them resembled Kim Tae-Hwa. Not able to do much, Woo-Jin looked at the dumbfounded Kim Tae-Hwa, standing up from her seat and nodding.

“She’s my mother,” Kim Tae-Hwa said.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s fine. It’s really nothing,” she said.

Kim Tae-Hwa approached her mother while looking embarrassed.

“Mom…”

“How dare you ignore my calls!”

“Please don’t do this here. Let’s go outside. We can talk outside,” Kim Tae-Hwa said.

Kim Tae-Hwa signaled the other part-timer and exited the cafe while dragging her mother by her arm.

“What the? The way that woman hit her seemed serious. Shouldn’t we follow them?” Hyun-Min asked.

He shivered while mimicking the way the woman hit Kim Tae-Hwa’s head. As a pacifist, he hated violence. Moreover, if it was between family members, no matter what the issue, he believed resolving it through violence wasn’t right.

“That woman didn’t care about hitting her even with so many people around. What if she starts hitting her outside?” Hyun-Min asked with concern.

Woo-Jin held Hyun-Min back from heading outside because his girlfriend would arrive soon.

“I’ll follow them, so you stay here,” Woo-Jin said.

Woo-Jin was very concerned because he believed that violence between family members was inappropriate. Since he was going to leave soon anyway, he decided to follow Kim Tae-Hwa. He couldn’t interfere with family problems and didn’t want to get involved in other people’s personal affairs, but it was dangerous to be with someone who used violence like that.

“Call me later,” Hyun-Min said.

Woo-Jin nodded and exited the cafe. After taking her mother outside, he saw Kim Tae-Hwa heading toward the parking lot behind the building. When he slightly opened the door leading to the parking lot, he saw the mother and daughter standing in a corner away from the building. He stood behind the pillar at the parking lot entrance and looked at the mother-daughter pair. He might be nosy, but if that woman used violence again, then he would be ready to run towards them.

“You’re such a cruel girl. I’ve never seen a girl as cruel as you,” her mother said.

“I sent you the money,” Kim Tae-Hwa said.

“Do you really think that’s enough?!” she yelled.

“I couldn’t do any tutoring last month because something came up. That’s all the money that I have,” Kim Tae-Hwa said.

Based on what Kim Tae-Hwa said, Woo-Jin realized that her family didn’t know she had taken the bar exam.

“Yeah, right! I’m sure you hid the money somewhere. Your sister is working hard in the UK, but you don’t even want to support her while living comfortably here. Didn’t I tell you that she needed to prepare for the upcoming competition and get private lessons?” the woman said.

Kim Tae-Hwa’s mother yelled while pressing her finger against her head. It wasn’t as bad as what she had done earlier, so Woo-Jin held it in, staying still.