Inside the conference room.
A presentation went up on the large screen, and a staff member squared his documents and began.
"I believe everyone is well aware of PD Lee Woo-seok."
The people seated in the conference room nodded quietly.
There was no way they wouldn't know his name.
"He started in variety, then began taking on sitcoms, wrapped up all four seasons to great success, and made it big as a drama director."
The staffer continued.
"After that he landed consecutive hits with 'I Can See Your Heart' and 'Under the Camellia Tree,' and since April of last year he's been preparing a new project, currently in the casting stage."
The posters of the dramas he'd directed passed across the screen one after another.
Each work had been a success, and PD Lee Woo-seok was now firmly established as a certified hit maker.
The mood in the conference room turned positive.
Just then the staffer brought up the next slide.
"This project is 'The Temperature of a Meal.'"
The drama's logo and outline came up on the monitor.
"It features roles across a wide range of age groups, introduces the many food cultures of our country, and can build a sense of connection across generations."
"That... is it similar to that famous mukbang drama from Japan?"
CEO Lee Sang-hyuk cut in and asked.
"It isn't that type of drama. If anything it's closer in form to a weekend serial. However, since the country's largest food company, 'New World Corporation,' is investing heavily, a considerable amount of PPL is planned."
Hearing this, the CEO tapped the desk with a finger and said,
"...Doesn't a lot of PPL make viewers resent it?"
"Correct. But thanks to PD Lee Woo-seok's seasoned handling of PPL, he's famous for satisfying both viewers and investors instead. His signature 'roasting the PPL' approach and humorous direction are his strengths."
Several staff in the conference room nodded.
"And New World Corporation itself has succeeded in building a 'good company' image the public feels familiar with. That will also help minimize viewer resentment."
CEO Lee Sang-hyuk propped his chin on his hand and nodded, seemingly intrigued.
"Hmm... New World's image isn't bad."
Having confirmed the CEO's positive reaction, the presenter continued.
"Most brands that have invested in PD Lee Woo-seok's projects have succeeded, and the roles tied to those brands naturally become promotional models. He's a director who captures the broadcaster, the agency, the actor, the advertiser, and even the viewers all at once."
CEO Lee Sang-hyuk nodded and asked,
"Right, I get it. So what's the role PD Lee Woo-seok is offering Cha Eun-yul?"
The staffer flipped the screen.
"A convenience store part-timer, Yoo Dae-yeong."
For a moment the conference room fell into a slight silence.
The CEO's brows drew together a little.
"...Just a convenience store part-timer?"
There was clear dissatisfaction in his tone.
Just then, a staffer from the marketing department raised a hand.
"I'll take it from here."
The screen changed again, bringing up materials on the convenience store interior and product PPL.
"This role is not a simple convenience store part-timer. 'CN Convenience Store' is a subsidiary of New World Corporation, and while you could dismiss it as a PPL character, in practice it's an important role that will become the brand face representing the company. And there's a strong chance the role connects directly into becoming CN Convenience Store's promotional model."
CEO Lee Sang-hyuk folded his arms and narrowed his eyes.
"Promotional model...?"
"Yes, that's right. Right now, this is the best possible opportunity to restore actor Cha Eun-yul's image."
A map of the country appeared on screen, dotted with countless points.
"As of last year, CN Convenience Store had roughly 18,000 outlets nationwide. If he takes this role, it connects naturally into being CN Convenience Store's advertising model, and we can even expect the reverse effect of the actor being promoted through the brand."
CEO Lee Sang-hyuk's expression brightened considerably.
"That part's good. But why Cha Eun-yul specifically?"
As if he'd been waiting for exactly that, the staffer brought up a prepared slide.
"At present, actor Cha Eun-yul remains at the center of the conversation, with an 'it's him vs. it isn't' argument raging over the MZ Vitamin commercial controversy."
The monitor filled with various reactions from recent social media and news articles comparing Cha Eun-yul to the figure in the commercial.
"In other words, he's already a hot potato being talked about. PD Lee Woo-seok's casting of Cha Eun-yul is clearly meant to ride that issue. But there's nothing for us to lose. If anything, through this project we can naturally imprint actor Cha Eun-yul's comeback on the public."
CEO Lee Sang-hyuk sighed and leaned back against the desk.
Then he snickered and muttered,
"Haa... this Lee Woo-seok bastard, his casting is variety-show too, just like a variety PD."
Then, shaking his head slightly,
"Cunning little fox."
There was an intrigued smile lingering at the corner of CEO Lee Sang-hyuk's mouth.
I sat in my chair, looking at the script in front of me.
Documents laid out neatly on the table.
And beyond them, the CEO watching me, and Ji-ho hyung, and the staff.
The CEO was looking at me quietly with his arms folded.
That gaze was sharp, but it wasn't the look of someone forcing anything.
"Internally the company is strongly in favor. But you make the decision."
His words were decisive.
Because he knew all too well that no matter how hard the company pushed, it could never succeed if the person himself didn't want it.
I slowly turned my eyes back to the script.
'There's no hesitation.'
I don't run anymore.
If anything, I wanted to test myself as soon as possible.
"I'll do it."
The instant my words dropped, a short silence ran through the conference room.
The truth was I'd heard from Ji-ho hyung on the way what kind of role it was, which was why an immediate answer was possible.
Ji-ho hyung nodded as if relieved, and the CEO snickered and turned his head away.
I looked at the script again.
And suddenly one thought crossed my mind.
'If Yoo Dae-yeong is a convenience store part-timer... this might be connected to that title I acquired a little while ago.'
Without anyone noticing, I quietly equipped the [Veteran Convenience Store Guy Cha Eun-yul] title.
Then I slowly picked up the script.
In that moment, I felt the title crackle and some of its letters change.
[Convenience Store Part-Timer Yoo Dae-yeong]
My familiar name had vanished, and the role's name had taken its place.
'So when the role and the title match, my name disappears after all......'
I slowly steadied my breath and thought deeply about the role.
Yoo Dae-yeong.
A character who grew up in an orphanage, was pushed out into society the moment he came of age, and lives working part-time at a convenience store.
I turned the script page by page and chewed over Yoo Dae-yeong's life.
'My name is Yoo Dae-yeong.'
With one short sentence, his life seeped slowly into my head.
A person thrown alone into the world with no family and no one to support him.
The image of him finishing off a day eating instant noodles alone in a cramped, dark studio apartment spread before my eyes with painful clarity.
For a moment one side of my chest sank, heavy.
I never grew up in an orphanage.
I always had a family, and I was rarely ever lonely.
'So why does it feel this vivid?'
'Why does the emotion this character Yoo Dae-yeong carries come at me like a part of my own life?'
I pressed my temple without meaning to.
- The world is equal. Everyone starts from the same line.
- No family, you say? Yes, next question, please.
'In the end, kids like me have no choice but to be thrown away by society.'
- No parents? Well, that explains it......
- I told you it wasn't me!
Yoo Dae-yeong's lines brushed past my ears like auditory hallucinations.
These were nothing but lines in a script, and yet strangely they rang somewhere deep in my heart.
'This isn't my life. It's clearly just a character called Yoo Dae-yeong.'
I kept repeating it to myself, but it came at me more and more like the real thing.
The pain, the loneliness, the anger that this person Yoo Dae-yeong carried were so vivid that it felt as though I were living that life.
'Am I me, or am I Yoo Dae-yeong......'
I drew a deep breath.
I no longer distinguished between myself and Yoo Dae-yeong.
Just then—
"However—"
The low voice of the acting trainer, the staffer in charge of role analysis, broke the silence in the conference room.
He spoke carefully, but with a firm look in his eyes.
"This role is harder than it looks. He's a dark character."
"Dark? Is a PPL character allowed to be dark?"
When CEO Lee Sang-hyuk asked with a puzzled expression, the staffer answered calmly.
"It isn't a simple background setting. Yoo Dae-yeong is a character who will earn viewers' empathy through the way he carves out his own life and grows."
CEO Lee Sang-hyuk's expression turned serious.
The staffer squared his documents and looked at me.
"As an actor, it's high risk, high return. Handled well, he can become not just a drama character but the face representing the brand. Handled badly, the backlash will be severe."
CEO Lee Sang-hyuk folded his arms and said,
"Put simply, if Cha Eun-yul can't keep up with this role, the brand called 'Cha Eun-yul' itself could be shaken."
The staffer nodded.
"Yes, CEO-nim. And actor Cha Eun-yul's hiatus has been very long."
The air in the room turned heavy.
"We know the actor's ability well, but the public's eyes are another matter. Whether he can break a five-year absence and pull off this role......"
The staffer held the rest back.
CEO Lee Sang-hyuk sighed and turned his gaze to me.
"Cha Eun-yul, can you handle it?"
Everyone was looking at me, and I slowly rose from my seat.
Every gaze turned my way. I set the script down on the desk and quietly steadied my breath.
'Words alone probably won't cut it, so how about I show them a little.'
I closed my eyes for a moment and immersed myself fully in Yoo Dae-yeong's emotions.
The instant I opened them, my expression and the air around me had completely changed.
The atmosphere in the room shifted in an instant. Slowly, naturally, as though I had become Yoo Dae-yeong, I opened my mouth.
"I grew up in an orphanage, and the moment I came of age I was thrown out into society."
A composed voice.
The natural tone of someone drawing out, for the first time, a wound long left to sit in his chest.
The people in the conference room glanced at one another at my sudden words. CEO Lee Sang-hyuk clearly looked thrown for a second as well.
But soon, as if he'd caught on to my intent, the look in his eyes slowly changed.
"Interviewers always say the same thing. That there are a lot of gaps on my resume."
I looked the staffer straight in the eye.
"Ha... gaps?"
Then I lifted one corner of my mouth and muttered coldly.
The atmosphere in the room turned frigid in an instant.
I smiled again.
"Someone told me not to make it obvious I have no family, and to build up my credentials instead. That then I'd succeed."
I picked up a sheet of paper.
"If you look at my resume, interviewer, do you think you could really let these gaps slide?"
I said it while tapping at the document. Of course, in reality it wasn't a resume at all, just some unrelated paperwork.
"How am I supposed to write down what I don't have?"
A short silence ran through the quiet room. I steadied my breath and spoke one last time.
"People often say origins don't matter. But if that were true, why do they make that subtle face when I say I'm from an orphanage?"
The people in the conference room unconsciously avoided my eyes.
"If origins don't matter, why do they start with questions about family?"
I scanned them calmly and threw out my last line.
"Equality...?"
After letting a beat pass, I smiled again.
"Like hell."
The silence in the conference room ran long.
The CEO looked at me with a strange smile. His expression held both anticipation and relief.
I slowly looked around at everyone once more and delivered my final line.
"Well? Can you feel the hiatus?"