Capítulo 395: Chapter 395: Son Ye-jin
The Walkerhill Hotel in South Korea, known as Asia's first six-star resort hotel combining food, leisure, entertainment, and shopping, also housed South Korea's largest foreigner-exclusive casino.
The casino only catered to foreign tourists, showing South Korea's clear intentions.
The next day, Lin Chi-ling rejoined the Red Cliff crew and left. Gao Yuanyuan also returned to Beijing with a new script to discuss the female lead with investors. She didn't want to star in it but would recommend one of her agency's artists.
Charles met the Korean artist Son Ye-jin, whom he had met the previous night. In a country known for its plastic surgery industry, natural-born artists were extremely rare.
In the riverside suite at Walkerhill, Son Ye-jin had a lively conversation with Charles.
Charles asked, "Have you heard of the movie Haeundae?"
"Yes, it's written and directed by Yoon Je-kyun. It's Korea's first disaster blockbuster and the biggest movie project this year!" Son Ye-jin definitely knew about Haeundae.
"Would you like to act in it? You totally fit the bill," Charles said, pulling out his phone.
"Me?" Son Ye-jin was at a loss for words. Director Yoon Je-kyun had a close relationship with Ha Ji-won, and the female lead was almost confirmed to be her.
Charles called Xu Xiaoling. By this time, Capet Pictures and CJ Entertainment had just held a joint press conference to form a new joint venture movie company.
"Hey Charles, what's up?"
"Nothing major. Are you done with your tasks over there?"
"Almost. The CC investment company you wanted is already being handled. You'll get feedback very soon!"
"Alright, Phyllis Jones will take over the company when the time comes," Charles said without much thought.
"By the way, I think Son Ye-jin would be a good lead for Haeundae."
"Son Ye-jin, huh, got it!"
Charles hung up, looking at Son Ye-jin's surprised expression. "Your agent should get notified soon."
Son Ye-jin blinked her big eyes; she had heard Charles' conversation.
"I heard Haeundae involves a 100 billion won investment. With the economic slump these past two years, the Korean film market hasn't been doing well, and actors had to lower their fees. Big projects have become rare." Son Ye-jin had only participated in low-budget romance films before.
"160 billion won, actually. At the current exchange rate, that's around 15 million dollars," Charles corrected. The dollar had already started to strengthen against the won, and by the end of the year, this 160 billion won might be worth less than 13 million dollars.
...
At the CJ Entertainment headquarters in Seoul, Xu Xiaoling and Miky Lee had signed a contract and were initially chatting about Korean films in the office.
Xu Xiaoling soon returned after taking a call. "President Lee, I think Son Ye-jin is a good candidate for Haeundae's female lead!"
Lee Mi-kyung had no hesitation upon hearing Xu Xiaoling suggest Son Ye-jin. "Indeed, that's a great choice. She just won the Best Actress at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival two years ago and is a top Korean star."
"Haeundae's investment is very large for Korea, and casting a popular and skilled leading actress is a wise choice!"
With that, Miky Lee picked up the phone on the table and made a call. "Inform the person in charge of the Haeundae project that Son Ye-jin is chosen as the lead actress. If any pre-selected male actors don't match Son Ye-jin's image, replace them with someone who complements her better!"
A timid voice replied on the phone, "No problem, I will execute it immediately."
Xu Xiaoling didn't expect such a quick response. Although she didn't fully understand the Korean, she recognized a few familiar words.
"Ms. Xu, the matter is settled. Haeundae, as our joint venture company's first movie, will not disappoint," Miky Lee assured. She wasn't concerned about just one movie but knew that Charles Capet had spoken a few words to Son Ye-jin last night.
"The film's budget has been increased to 180 billion won, which should speed up the production process," Xu Xiaoling added.
"No problem," Miky Lee at her watch. "There's a stage play tonight. Ms. Xu, would you like to join me?"
Xu Xiaoling nodded. Now in charge of Capet International Entertainment's Asia-Pacific operations, she clearly held more importance to Charles.
...
That evening, on the Han River shore near Walkerhill Hotel, Charles and Son Ye-jin took a stroll. Son Ye-jin, who had just received a call, nervously walked up to Charles.
"My agent just called. The Haeundae crew wants me to audition for the female lead in a few days," Son Ye-jin, who was quite shy, said.
"But from what he said, the audition is just a formality, mainly to discuss the film's idea and requirements with the director!"
Charles smiled, took Son Ye-jin's hand, and walked a few steps, "That's great news. Only in commercial films can an actor's value truly be realized."
"Charles, I..." Son Ye-jin started to speak, but Charles stopped her with a kiss.
Son Ye-jin responded by wrapping her arms around Charles' neck.
After the kiss, Charles put an arm around the girl's waist and gently brushed her long hair, "The entertainment industry is all about seizing opportunities. With 50 million people in South Korea, there are about a million people working in the industry. If you don't strive for it, you'll be the one to get eliminated."
"Alright, let's head back."
As for Haeundae's lead replacement, it made things difficult for director Yoon Je-kyun and saddened Ha Ji-won, who had prepared for the role for months. But none of that was Charles's concern.
After all, the higher the view, the more beautiful the scenery, oblivious to the struggles of those at the bottom.
*****
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