A Night Soaked With You - Chapter 11
The movie Yeong-won was supposed to shoot, ‘Distress’, was a project by Director Choi Bong, someone she had maintained a close relationship with for a long time.
Yeong-won had intended to wrap up her acting career with this film, but it seemed even that might not happen.
– Shouldn’t you just pull out of it quickly too?
“I’ll wait until the end of this week. Then I’ll let them know.”
In truth, ‘Distress’ had been shaky from the very beginning.
It was difficult to find a production company because it wasn’t guaranteed to be a hit, and finding investors was even harder.
Things seemed to be moving forward only because a fairly famous actress had agreed to take on the lead role. But then, of all things, that actress had an accident.
The investors who had committed because of her quickly pulled out, and the director tried to find another well-known actor, but no one stepped up.
Filming had already begun, but they were severely lacking in budget. The movie was on the verge of being scrapped.
– There’s no point in waiting any longer. Just pull out. From what I see, it’s a lost cause.
“I know, I know. Don’t worry too much.”
– How can I not worry? It’s because you’re too soft. Look at Yu Chae-young. That wicked woman stole your role and now she’s all over the director of ‘New York Serenade’, doing interviews everywhere. She’s acting like the lead when she’s not even the main character. You have to be shameless like her to survive in this industry. Your acting skills aren’t the issue, it’s your overly nice personality that’s the problem! If you were like Chae-young, you would have left without a second thought. No, you wouldn’t have even taken the role in the first place.
Yuna rambled on excitedly, and Yeong-won muttered absentmindedly, “Is that so?”
Yeong-won had never thought of herself as a nice person.
Still, she had believed she could say a fair bit, but it seemed that wasn’t enough in this industry.
She had lived with the notion that all an actor needed to do was act, but after clashing with Chae-young multiple times, she began to realize slowly.
You had to know how to handle people, have a bit of ambition, and be prepared to throw anything out there, but she was none of those things.
At the age of twenty-six, it felt too late to understand that.
“Yeong-won, the director is looking for you!”
At the voice coming from outside, Yeong-won hung up the phone and stepped out of the container.
As she emerged from the stuffy space, a light breeze felt refreshingly cool against her skin. At the end of the quiet filming location sat Director Choi, slumped in his seat.
As she approached him, he greeted her in a weak voice, “Yeong-won, you’re here?”
She had thought the sunlight was blinding, but now she realized Director Choi simply looked exhausted.
“……Did it not go well?”
Yeong-won asked, noticing that Director Choi seemed troubled after saying he would contact the investor he had cut ties with last time.
Instead of answering, Director Choi let out a deep sigh. Yeong-won tried to bring up a name that felt like a ray of hope.
“What does Ms. Chae-young say?”
“She won’t even pick up the phone.”
Oh dear. Yeong-won clicked her tongue inwardly. After bragging about being close to Senior Chae-young, it seemed their ten-year friendship was worth nothing.
Then again, who would want to board a high-speed train hurtling downhill?
Chae-young was participating only because she intended to leave the entertainment industry after this project. If she were in a different position, she might have thought differently.
The director murmured gloomily.
“……We have to scrap the movie, right?”
Realistically, she should answer “yes,” but looking at the director’s face, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Director Choi looked as if he might jump into the flowing valley water above the moment he heard such words.
Director Choi sighed and tilted his head back.
“I wish money would rain from the sky. Then I could make all the movies I want. It’s really disgusting, I can’t stand it anymore.”
“Right.”
Yeong-won followed along, looking up at the sky.
The sky was high and clear, just entering the early summer. It didn’t look like money would fall from there.
If only it were a bit darker, there might be a glimmer of hope. But there wasn’t a single cloud in sight.
Money.
What was it about money that both the director and she were trapped in this cycle, forced to compromise with reality.
If only they had money, Director Choi would be able to make the movies he wanted, and she could be content just living happily as an extra.
Yeong-won saw herself in the director. No matter how much she struggled, she kept crumbling in front of the walls of reality, like a sandcastle.
‘I wish someone would just appear and be Santa for Director Choi.’
Soon it would be summer, so Santa might be off on vacation somewhere, enjoying a swim.
Right. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Yeong-won thought as she made a wish to the sky.
‘Dear Santa, dear Santa. Please grant our director’s wish. And mine too. Please, Santa.’
