After what nearly beca a major safety incident, the discussion was far from over. Seokho, Verilad, Ice, and the production team decided to have a separate eting.
“It’s not just about you being fine, is it? Then why have a contract at all?”
“I know, I’m always grateful, hyung.”
“This is exactly why I’m representing the company and acting as your manager.”
No matter how well things wrapped up, we couldn’t just continue riding that good mood.
A safety accident in Hollywood, where hundreds of millions are at stake? That had to be addressed thoroughly.
‘But it’s weird for the actor to be directly involved in this.’
For issues like this, Seokho and a good lawyer would solve everything. Since a safety incident occurred, the studio would also need to be checked again.
‘We’re probably looking at at least a week of downti.’
Apparently, such things were common in Hollywood, so even if it felt odd, there was no choice but to adapt quickly.
As I was sorting my thoughts amidst the conclusion of the shoot, I suddenly heard a voice.
“Is your shoulder okay?”
The director of Tarzan quietly approached.
“Huh? My shoulder?”
“Yes, these kinds of movents can put ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) a lot of strain on the joints, especially the waist and shoulders.”
“I’m fine. Thanks for your concern.”
The director had a short haircut, a bit sparse on top, with blue pants and a chubby physique. He looked sowhat like a cartoon character.
“You know, I get told I look like a cartoon character often.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, people say I look like one. And then, oh! I even eat donuts like this, and they go wild saying I look like a character.”
"...?!"
I was taken aback by his unexpected talent show. Then, the director reached out a hand.
“I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself. I’m McGroy Drom.”
“I’m Kim Donghu.”
Despite the suddenness of the situation, it felt surprisingly natural. There was a certain bouncy charm to it. Was this Hollywood?
“I actually prefer a very realistic approach to directing.”
“Huh?”
In that mont, he suddenly launched into an unexpected self-promotion.
I was caught off guard, but McGroy continued on.
“I dislike using too much CGI. I don’t like spending money on things we don’t need. I enjoy creating things myself.”
“Oh... I see.”
“Of course, for things like jungles, we’ll have to use CGI for environntal and animal safety.”
Was he one of those people who lived in the real world but dread of fitting the ideal mold?
Just as I was starting to question why he was saying all this, he got to the point.
“By the way, would you mind taking a quick look at the screen?”
“The screen?”
“Yes, this scene is so good that I think we’ll use it almost as is... yeah.”
As he said this, I followed McGroy to the monitor. On screen, I was swinging across the ropes, performing a series of acrobatic moves.
From the thrilling mont I started to swing to the tricky twists of my ankles as I grabbed the ropes, it was all captured on cara.
And between those acrobatic feats...
Thud.
“...?”
Sothing was dangling.
“I want to give the scene as raw a feel as possible. What do you think? A dynamic, alive performance!”
Thud.
Thud.
Since Tarzan's costu typically covered the lower half of his body with sothing like banana leaves, underneath were just a pair of shorts and tight drawers.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
I hadn't expected it to look like this.
“...No, I think you’ll need to CGI that part.”
“Huh? You an the directing?”
“Are you talking about the directing?”
“Yeah, is there sothing wrong with that...?”
The mont I gave my answer, McGroy's expression changed subtly. He quickly understood the situation, and his face shifted.
“Of course, we’ll handle it with CGI. Haha... hahaha, I thought you ant a prop like a portable club or sothing...”
I realized he was just reacting to my response.
With McGroy’s rambling words, I couldn’t help but bow my head. Trying to shift the conversation in a smoother direction, I said.
“So! What I ant to say was—how do you feel about adding more action or directing in scenes like this?”
“...Sounds good.”
McGroy continued the conversation as best as he could, but I was nearly losing my mind, wanting to escape this awkward situation as fast as possible.
***
News of Kim Donghu's first Tarzan shoot spread quickly.
"Did he shoot his first scene?!"
"Yeah, I just heard."
"No, no... I was really planning on watching it!"
By mid-February, Evelyn, who had been preparing for the last performance of the off-season for Tarzan, voiced her disappointnt.
"This is so disappointing..."
"It can’t be helped; the schedules just didn’t align."
"We really need to practice together seriously, and to do that, we need more ti, so it’d be better to et earlier."
Evelyn wasn’t typically one for many words—usually just a few at most. But recently, she’d beco more talkative.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
'It’s because of a man.'
The CAE representative wasn’t sure whether this was a good sign. Scandals were one of the most dangerous things in Hollywood.
Of course, just because a scandal broke didn’t an everything was ruined. Depending on the type of scandal, it could actually serve as a stepping stone to success or open up unique promotional opportunities.
'The problem is with the paparazzi.'
It all depended on how they manipulated the story. If they forced the actor to explain themselves unnecessarily, it could cause significant damage. As a representative, he preferred that Evelyn, who had never shown interest in n, kept things straightforward.
That way, he didn’t have to worry about the ssier aspects.
But then...
'A man appeared out of nowhere and changed everything.'
Kim Donghu was the issue. It was true that he was undeniably handso, practically perfect by any standard. But if that were the case, he should have so flaw—maybe a bad personality or sothing to balance it out.
But there was nothing. He was too clean-cut.
A man everyone could like, without a doubt. Maybe it was better that Evelyn had fallen for soone like him than for a bad boy.
'If she had fallen for so other guy, it could have been...'
Who knew? Maybe she’d have developed a much worse taste. The representative thought of Evelyn as a daughter, and he really cared about her well-being.
"That’s true; later, we’ll need to dance together, so..."
That’s why it was difficult to talk about romantic matters.
"Should we just et separately and practice more?"
"What?"
"Well, we did the sa when we did The Phantom of the Opera. Why are you so surprised?"
"Privately?! It's... a bit weird, isn’t it?"
"Yeah, that’s just not going to work."
It was far too risky. If they t privately, the chances of getting caught by the paparazzi were 100%.
"Is it because of the paparazzi? As long as we’re careful, it should be fine."
"Oh, Evelyn... I knew this day would co, but let just tell you one thing."
"Huh?"
"Everyone who’s said that has ended up getting caught in scandals."
"Are the paparazzi really that bad?"
"Of course, they are. It’s almost impossible to stop them."
It was a complicated structure. Evelyn understood, but she couldn’t truly grasp it since she hadn’t experienced it firsthand.
"I didn’t know, I sotis hear about articles about caras getting stolen..."
"That’s because it’s rare. Normally, no one even knows where they’re being shot from."
"Really?"
"Of course. Plus, beginners are the easiest targets."
Especially soone like Kim Donghu, who had just beco the lead in Tarzan.
As she nodded, it seed like those words were proving true.
At the sa ti...
Click.
Click.
A paparazzi was snapping pictures of Kim Donghu in real-ti. It was clear that a mole had been placed in Desny, feeding them information.
The information about Tarzan’s lead hadn’t been released properly yet. If they leaked it now, it would surely draw significant attention.
'They must be doing so kind of internal testing...'
It was easy enough to dig up information about the actor who briefly appeared in The Phantom of the Opera.
'But he’s really incredibly handso.'
Even without many people knowing him yet, he could already feel the gazes as he walked down the street. So people were outright staring and marveling at him.
His looks, dominating both Eastern and Western standards, were undeniable.
Click.
Click.
‘And I’m the one showing the world this beauty.’
They should be grateful, the paparazzi mumbled as the shutter clicked nonstop.
How many photos did they take?
They hadn’t even gotten a shot of the Tarzan scene yet, but they’d gotten all the photos they needed to tease the public.
Just as the paparazzi was about to leave, having gotten the perfect shots...
Whoosh.
"Huh?"
Kim Donghu’s eyes locked with theirs.
It seed like a coincidence. It didn’t make sense.
Currently, they were about 250 ters away. In a crowded city, how could their eyes et?
'More like, did he just make eye contact with my lens?'
That was impossible.
'It’s nothing, right?'
But just as the thought crossed their mind...
Swish!
Kim Donghu moved.
"Huh?"
His movent was direct, heading straight toward the paparazzi.
"What... what is he doing?!"
The paparazzi froze in fear, realizing Kim Donghu was charging toward them like a predator stalking its prey.
In just 12 seconds, Kim Donghu had already cut the distance.
‘Is he really coming towards ? For real?’
The reason they hadn’t taken a close-up shot? Simple. The closer they got, the more they could capture, and the more valuable the photos beca.
But getting caught?
Was this really happening?
As they turned to run, the seconds ticked by.
Thud!
It was already past 26 seconds, and Kim Donghu was right in front of them.
"Did you just take those photos? Multiple shots, too."
"...Huh? Eh?"
Stunned into silence, the paparazzi couldn’t even respond.
"How about a little fun conversation with ?"
Kim Donghu flashed a bright smile.
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