A Studio in the United States.
"No, no, no! I don’t like any of them! Not a single one of these guys is cutting it!"
"We’ve already locked in the casting and schedules for the female lead, though."
Disney’s next big project after Beauty and the Beast—
a live-action Tarzan—
had been in developnt since early last year.
Set construction was already underway.
But, as with all things in Hollywood,
a sudden shake-up had thrown everything off course.
The project had been handed to a new producer.
And in the U.S.,
a producer’s power is absolute.
A single decision could derail everything.
And that was exactly what had happened with Tarzan.
While the initial planning phase had gone smoothly,
the new producer had slamd the brakes on casting.
"Why are we even considering an actual British actor? We just need soone with British ancestry. Evelyn Quinn Ember is right there—why are we looking elsewhere?"
"We still need to hold auditions, sir."
"Exactly! That’s my point! We’re doing auditions all over again."
The man behind this chaos?
Berilard Ice.
A perfectionist.
A tyrant.
A control freak.
He was rude, arrogant, and insufferable.
A guy who,
if a cashier asked, “Would you like a bag?”
would snap back, “Oh, so I’m supposed to just carry all this in my hands?”
A guy who,
if a waiter asked, “How many in your party?”
would sneer, “Do I look like I’m with anyone?”
And yet—
Despite his awful personality,
his movies made money.
And that was all that mattered.
Which ant no one could argue with him.
"Tarzan can’t just be handso," he scoffed,
"He has to be stupidly, insanely, unfairly handso!"
Live-action Tarzan.
It sounded good on paper.
But Berilard Ice’s face twisted into a scowl.
"This character is basically shirtless the entire ti—just a loincloth and so muscles! So what’s the most important thing, huh?"
"Uh… the courage to withstand public humiliation?"
"Wrong! Absolutely wrong! God, you’re all useless!"
He clicked his tongue in irritation.
Then, raising his voice so that everyone could hear—
"Looks! It’s all about looks! Tarzan and Jane’s love story only works because *Jane saw him and imdiately knew—this is a man.”
"That primal masculinity has to co from an overwhelming physical presence!"
"A wild, untad force, yet still sculpted to perfection—like an ancient Greek statue co to life!"
"Otherwise, tell —why the hell would a well-bred British woman choose to honeymoon in a damn jungle?"
…Well.
The guy wasn’t wrong.
But was that really enough of a reason to scrap the entire lead role and restart casting?
An entirely new audition process?
That was insane.
Sure, the female lead had already been shortlisted.
But the male lead?
That was where things got ugly.
Because whoever got cast had to et Berilard’s impossible standards.
And—
‘Wait… doesn’t he need to be able to sing, too?’
The casting team shared a collective look of horror.
Just how much more hell was this going to be?
***
"Kim Donghu Wins Grand Prize! ‘I Will Keep Reaching Higher!’"
"Even in 2018, Still Only 22—How Far Will Kim Donghu Go?"
"With the Asian Gas Wrapped Up, His Athletic Prowess is Undeniable!"
"How Much Higher Can He Climb? Public Curiosity About Kim Donghu’s Future Peaks!"
"Every Project a Smash Hit! South Korea is in the Grip of the Kim Donghu Phenonon!"
"In March, a Quick International Release? True Hero Expands Worldwide!"
"Post-Awards Ceremony Photo Goes Viral: ‘Hand-in-Hand with a Drama Co-Star,’ Netizens Shocked!"
Kim Donghu’s popularity showed no signs of slowing down.
There was no way to asure his peak—because he just kept rising.
"W-Wait… You're saying Kim Donghu agreed to do it?"
"Yes, he said he'd do it without hesitation. He really liked the script."
"…You an for the Netflix short?"
Netflix content production team leader Park Ji-yi blinked in disbelief.
"Honestly, I thought it wouldn’t happen."
"Sa here."
"What?"
"Donghu is extrely ticulous when choosing scripts… If he isn’t completely convinced, he just won’t do it."
"Ahh…"
But there was sothing else that Park Ji-yi found even harder to believe.
Why is Director Lee Seong-deok speaking so deferentially?
19.56 million.
That was the final box office figure for True Hero.
It was the result of Lee Seong-deok’s very first film.
Normally, a director who achieved that level of success would develop a certain level of arrogance.
Ironically, Lee Seong-deok showed none of that.
No—more accurately, whenever Kim Donghu was ntioned, he practically shrank.
It was as if he was deliberately lowering himself.
"So, have you decided to hold auditions for the female lead?"
"Yes, we’re prioritizing rookies."
"Rookies?"
"Yes, preferably those with voice acting experience."
That wasn’t the most important thing right now, so Park Ji-yi shifted back to business.
"Voice actors? Because it’s a short, so the voice carries more weight?"
"Yes, and there isn’t much physical action involved."
"Right… The entire story unfolds in a car, depicting the process of a breakup."
"Exactly."
"A 30-minute short, right?"
"Yes."
"What if we trim it to 15 minutes and submit it to Cannes?"
"…What?"
The sudden suggestion caught Lee Seong-deok off guard.
Cannes? Out of nowhere?
"Cannes requires exclusive premieres. And right now, it’s January… It’ll take until mid-January to finalize casting, right?"
"Roughly… yes."
"Since it’s a short, filming won’t take long—at most a month."
That ant another month for editing.
By mid-April, everything would be done.
And what do you know? The Cannes Film Festival was in May.
Lee Seong-deok’s eyes widened.
The tiline was perfect.
But…
"The short we’re about to film is vastly different from the usual Cannes short film entries."
"I know. But submitting it is significant in itself."
"You an as a way to attract attention?"
"Exactly."
To be precise, it was about boosting recognition.
Korean Netflix content still lagged behind other countries.
This was a way to generate buzz while strengthening Netflix Korea’s influence.
"You’ve already conquered the dostic film industry. It’s ti to look overseas."
Ah, so that’s why she insisted on this eting.
The mont she heard that Donghu was attached, she must have double-checked the opportunity over and over.
It was a perspective he, as a director, had never considered before.
"What do you think?"
"…It’s good. Really good. But will Donghu agree? I need to check with him first."
"Check?"
"Yes. Since this changes the original plan, I have to inform him."
"Ah, right."
Brrr…
Wait, he’s calling him right now?
Park Ji-yi was amazed by Lee Seong-deok’s decisiveness.
And while she was still processing that—
"So, there’s a change in plans. Would you be okay with it? Ah, I see. Alright, understood."
Click.
The call was already over.
"Did you just finish the call?"
"Yes. Donghu is very quick at making decisions about these things."
Wait…
That was a ten-second call.
Wasn’t that a little too fast?
***
Right after finishing my call with Director Lee Seong-deok.
“…Is this the kind of move that catches Disney’s eye?”
I quickly analyzed the conversation I just had and cross-referenced it with Sims’ future prediction ssages.
Even if we don’t win an award, just being at Cannes itself will have a massive impact.
The Academy kept a close eye on Cannes, which ant Disney probably did too.
My international recognition barely extends beyond Japan.
In the West, I was still seen as a boxer, not an actor.
But if this mont marked a shift in that perception—
It ant I could start working overseas in earnest.
I wasn’t at the stage where I could be sure of anything yet.
But just the possibility of it happening was already a huge advantage for .
Crack.
I wrapped up my thoughts and resud my warm-up.
The Asian Gas were in August.
It was ti to shift gears and train in earnest.
“Aren’t you going to Drake Gym this ti?”
“I am, but not right away… Probably in two months.”
“Because of that short film?”
“Yeah.”
I answered Sangha’s question casually before we both stepped into the ring.
For now, he was the only proper training partner I had.
The best way to maximize our workouts was to push ourselves with minimal rest.
We kept at it for a while.
After about two hours, drenched in sweat, we finally decided to call it a day.
Training was important, but so was recovery.
For the most part, my schedule remained unchanged.
This was the ti to focus on training, so unless it was a must-do comrcial, I passed on everything.
I only took on major projects and ignored the smaller ones.
Two weeks later—
“…Who?”
“Oh, you’ve never heard the na? Usami Chisako. She’ll be working with you on the short film. She’s a Japanese voice actress.”
Like hell I haven’t heard of her.
I was just caught off guard by how random this was.
Why Chisako?
What kind of connection did she have to this project?
Why was she suddenly starring alongside in a short film?
“The first shoot is next week. Filming will last a week. Is your schedule clear?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
I’d figure it out when I t her.
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