Chapter 190:

Chapter 190:

After arriving at Los Angeles Airport and retrieving my luggage, Jang Sunho guided me to the exit.

"Over here, actor," he said.

Unlike me, Jang Sunho moved without hesitation, as if he had been here several times before.

"When I went to Japan, there were quite a few reporters. I wonder if it'll be the same this time," I thought.

I wasn't particularly expecting it, but still, it would have been nice if people had been waiting for me since I had come to the United States.

However...

"..."

Outside the exit, there was no one.

To be precise, there were many people, but they were all waiting for their acquaintances, not me.

A situation quite different from what I had experienced in Korea and Japan.

Faced with the temperature difference, I was momentarily bewildered, but I faced reality.

Here, I was a complete rookie.

While and other works on Netflix had achieved considerable success, I, in the end, was a newcomer who had achieved nothing here.

It didn't make me feel bad or uncomfortable.

Instead, it stimulated me.

"It feels like I've returned to being a rookie actor," I thought.

Even now, if I were to be honest, I was still a rookie.

"Actor Kang! Team Leader Jang!"

While I was looking around with various thoughts, a man approached, calling out to me and Jang Sunho.

Jang Sunho lightly raised his hand in response to the man who called him, then moved in that direction.

"Hello! I'm Lee Jaehyun, the manager who will be assisting Actor Kang Jinseok during his U.S. schedule this time."

The man greeted me with a cheerful voice and handed over a plastic bag.

"Team Leader Jang asked me to prepare a lunchbox for you."

A lunchbox!

It was truly a welcome phrase to hear. Of course, I had eaten the ‘special meal' that Jang Sunho had prepared for me on the plane. However, it was a somewhat bland porridge, and to be honest, it didn't taste good. It lacked the savory flavor of regular porridge; it was just like ‘tasting water.'

"Thank you!"

As I graciously accepted the lunchbox, Jang Sunho, as if it wasn't the right time yet, took the lunchbox away, saying, "Let's move by car first. Mr. Lee, did you happen to park the car openly somewhere?"

"I parked it right in front."

The car Lee Jaehyun came in was outside the airport. It was the same type of van I used to ride in Korea.

"Ah, more than that, it's truly an honor to meet you in person like this. I'm a big fan of Actor Kang Jinseok."

Lee Jaehyun said to me as he started the engine.

"Oh, yes! Thank you."

"Oh, I should be the one thanking you. Well then, let's get going."

Our destination was ‘The OS Hotel LA.'

It was a hotel with the same style where I had stayed even in Japan, and the room was truly luxurious.

As soon as we arrived, I sat down at the table and hastily started eating the lunchbox. I was curious about the menu since it was a lunchbox in the United States, but it turned out to be the same as what I would eat in Korea.

During that time, Jang Sunho checked the schedule with Lee Jaehyun.

"According to the schedule I received, today is a day off. You will finish acting rehearsals by the day after tomorrow and then attend auditions, is that correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"After the audition, will you return immediately?"

"Yes. I can't wait endlessly for the audition results."

"Since you're here, you might as well do some sightseeing. Anyway, I understand. Oh, and didn't Team Leader Jang mention that you have a meeting to attend?"

After glancing at me, Jang Sunho spoke to Lee Jaehyun.

"..."

"Can you do that for me?"

Lee Minyoung chuckled uncomfortably.

After a moment, she responded with a somewhat uncertain voice, "I can't definitively say which prison you'll go to or how the cell assignments will be made. And, fundamentally, it's discouraged to place convicts involved in the same case in the same space. I'll look into it, but don't get your hopes up too much."

"Just that alone is appreciated."

Ryu Sungho, seeming to have no more to say, leaned back on the chair's armrest. As if almost forgetting, he asked Lee Minyoung,

"Oh, Prosecutor. How is the public opinion regarding Actor Kang Jinseok? It seemed fine before I went to prison."

"The public opinion is really good. He even went to the United States for an audition yesterday."

"If it's an audition in the U.S.... it must be Director James Won."

"You knew?"

"Yes. I've had various interactions with Actor Kang Jinseok and even caused him some difficulties. I've been interested in him."

Ryu Sungho gave a faint bitter smile.

"I hope things go well for him. It might be a long time before I get to see that work."

***

"Actor Kang Jinseok's audition is coming up soon."

Late at night, James Won sipped strong coffee, thinking about Jinseok.

Drinking coffee at this hour would likely make it difficult to sleep. But James Won didn't have much thought for sleep anyway.

Strictly speaking, he was too busy to have time for a good night's sleep.

"Among the actors that auditioned so far, Steve Oh is the one I liked the most. We've worked together on a project before, so it would be convenient to cast him."

But James Won didn't find Steve Oh particularly agreeable.

It wasn't because of Steve Oh's acting abilities; his acting was considered top-notch not only by other Hollywood directors but also by fellow actors.

The reason James Won wasn't satisfied with Steve Oh was because of Jinseok.

"When I saw his acting in Japan, it felt like my eyes were opening anew. There was a divine quality to his performance."

James Won recalled Jinseok's acting that he had secretly observed among the staff in Japan.

It was difficult to express in words, but Jinseok's acting was on a different level from other actors.

His acting not only immersed himself but also drew other actors into the scene. James Won wanted that kind of performance.

"Maybe my standards have become too high."

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

"Director, it's Kim Hyun."

"Yes, come in."

Kim Hyun entered the room and handed James Won a thick stack of documents.

They were all actor profiles.

"This is the list of actors for the fourth callback. It includes both lead and supporting roles."

A callback generally referred to re-inviting actors who had already been interviewed or auditioned and were deemed suitable for the project.

So, a fourth callback meant they had gone through this process four times.

Yet, there were still so many actors remaining.

It indicated the considerable interest among actors in James Won's upcoming project.

"Even if it takes up to the sixth callback."

James Won chuckled and spoke as he looked at the profiles, then pushed them aside on the desk.

While these roles were important, the most crucial one now was the ‘protagonist,' so he had little concern for the others.

Kim Hyun, looking at Jinseok's profile on James Won's desk, asked, "It seems like you have great expectations for Mr. Kang Jinseok."

"Yes."

After a brief response, James Won tapped Jinseok's profile with his hand and concluded, "I've seen thousands of auditions, but an actor awaited with such anticipation as Kang Jinseok is a first."