CNC Ch 10

Director Kang Woo-hyun’s <Cream Mansion>, Resumes Production

The movie <Cream Mansion>, which had been halted for a while after the death of the late Choi Hong-seo, who was selected as the lead actor, will begin production again.

Production company ‘J Company’ today officially announced the audition schedule to cast new actors for vacant roles.

They planned to find new actors for various roles, not just the role that was confirmed as Choi Hong-seo. This was because, as production was delayed for several months, many of the previously cast actors were already appearing in other works.

<Cream Mansion> is the next film from Director Kang Woo-hyun, who is especially loved at international film festivals. It’s a psychological thriller that deals with the strange conflict that arises between the residents of a high-end villa called ‘Cream Mansion’ over a murder case that occurred there.

Meanwhile, <Cream Mansion> once had difficulties attracting production costs.

As it was an ambitious work by director Kang Woo-hyun, who valued ​​aesthetic perfection, it was known that more than 15 billion won would be needed just to produce the set. There was analysis in the industry that the fact that director Kang Woo-hyun’s works, which focus on artistry rather than popularity, have not had much to do with box office success may have had a disadvantage in attracting investment.

Fortunately, production was able to begin when the film investment company ‘HS’ decided to invest, but the future prospects became uncertain due to the lead actor’s sudden accident. However, ‘HS’ recently announced that it would support the production without breaking the contract, and <Cream Mansion> was able to see the light of day once again.

The actor who will take over the lead role from Choi Hong-seo was already drawing attention and anticipation from movie fans  domestically and internationally.

He must have fallen asleep at some point.

When he opened his eyes at the sound of activity coming from the living room, the sunlight beyond the blinds was remarkably gentle. The sound of footsteps removing slippers, the rhythmic movements of someone putting something down and organizing, these small noises created by human activity were pleasant to hear. It brought a sense of relief.

Choi Hong-seo got up and went out to the living room.

Even though he said it was okay, Yong-jae must have bought something to eat and was organizing things in front of the refrigerator in the kitchen.

“Hyung, are you feeling unwell? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

“It’s okay. I was a little tired so I lay down and felt better.”

“Drink this. You haven’t even had any water since you got home, right?”

“Thank you.”

After hearing Yong-jae offer a glass of water, suddenly Choi Hong-seo felt thirsty. As he drank the refreshing water in sips, Choi Hong-seo glanced at the playpen on the Irish table. More precisely, at the kitten inside the crate.

“It seems like this little one wants to come out now. Tiffany, I’m home. Hyung-ah is also here.”

Yong-jae gently placed the carrier on the floor and opened the door.

The cat peeked out of the crate, then cautiously walked out. It came straight up to Choi Hong-seo and hovered around him, but then it turned around and scampered back to Yong-jae. Its little cries were pitiful as it rubbed itself between Yong-jae’s calves.

“Hey, it’s hyung-ah. You cried every day saying you missed your hyung, so what’s wrong?”

Perplexed, Yong-jae picked up the cat and approached Choi Hong-seo. However, the little one seemed indifferent to Choi Hong-seo.

“Uh? Why is this guy acting like this?”

“Maybe it finds me unfamiliar.”

“What? Unfamiliar? Hey, Tiffany, look. It’s hyung-ah that you like, right?”

Even if he didn’t have a single close friend, Yoon Hye-ahn at least liked his cat so much.

Yong-jae picked up the cat a few more times as if it was strange, but when it continued to reject him, he couldn’t help but put it down.

“It must be because you haven’t been home in a while,” along with some comforting words.

The freed cat jumped onto his cushion, this time next to the couch, and began to lick his front paws lazily. After watching the cat’s peaceful behavior, Choi Hong-seo turned his attention back to Yong-jae.

“Yong-jae, I’m still with ENA, right?”

“Yes.”

“How long do I have left on my contract?”

“It’s until next year, so that’s a little over a year away.”

“Well, just let me have the house. Since there’s still time left in the contract, so the landlord won’t mind if I offer to pay the broker’s fee.” 

“The house?”

“My bank account is empty… And there’s a debt at the company. It needs to be repaid quickly.”

To Yong-jae’s reluctant look, Choi Hong-seo held out the screen of his phone.

“And here. I’m going to audition for this, so get ready.”

Needless to say, it was an audition notice for The Cream Mansion.

“Hyung, you can’t be serious…”

Choi Hong-seo smiled wryly and lowered his head.

“No, I don’t think I’m Choi Hong-seo anymore. I don’t know why I suddenly acted like that back then… Maybe because I have no memories about myself. It’s still unsettling now, but… I don’t entertain such crazy thoughts anymore.”

Regardless of how he felt inside, he decided to stop crying in front of others that ‘I’m Choi Hong-seo, not Yoon Hye-an.’ It wasn’t going to work anyway.

Yong-jae’s expression brightened once more.

“I might be able to set you up with something else, I’ve actually gotten quite a few offers since you woke up.”

A washed-up idol-turned-actor who fell into unconsciousness after jumping off the Dongho Bridge and woke up after several months.

It was an intriguing story that people would be interested in. However, even if it was a casting, it was likely to be a low-quality gossip-oriented talk show. It wasn’t the time to waste on such things.

“No, I’ll go with this. And please arrange acting lessons with a good instructor for me.”

“But, hyung, why do you keep calling the company debt ‘my king’?”

“What?”

“The debts that host bar athletes or room salon ladies incur in the business are called ‘my king,’ right? What you borrowed from the company is just a business loan.”

It was a tone and expression that clearly conveyed the idea that this and that were fundamentally different, as if heaven and earth were as distinct as can be.

“No, I mean… I’m not trying to argue with what you said, hyung…”

“…”

“I was trying to say… don’t treat yourself the same as those people… celebrities and people like that are not the same.”

Taking Choi Hong-seo’s silence as a sign of displeasure, Yong-jae stammered out an excuse, unable to break his old habit of treating Yoon Hye-ahn with respect.

My king was one of those buzzwords he picked up as a host.

However, people in the entertainment industry who lived a luxurious life with borrowed money eventually became enslaved by debts to the company and turned into puppets for the company. Entertainers who earned stable income in the tens or hundreds of billions constituted less than 5% of the entire industry workforce.

They accumulate debt, making it impossible to escape, and manipulate others at will.

In that context, from Choi Hong-seo’s perspective, there was little difference between the debts in the entertainment industry and the “my king” in the nightlife industry. At least, that’s what he thought.

Smiling bitterly and vaguely, Choi Hong-seo picked up the finished cup of water and walked to the sink. Yong-jae’s voice, still unconvinced, followed behind.

“And this is the house you said you were going to live in no matter what, but are you really going to move out?”

Setting his cup down in the sink, Choi Hong-seo turned on the water and washed his hands.

“I’m sick and tired of being in debt, whether it’s my king or loan.”

“……”

“I even dislike installment payments on credit cards.”

Turning around after wiping his wet hands, he tried to smile as if it were a joke, but there was a bitter taste around his mouth.

After Yong-jae left with a promise to stop by again tomorrow, Choi Hong-seo sat down at some distance in front of the cat cushion.

Choi Hong-seo brought a toy from the storage room and shook it in front of the cat. The cat showed interest in the toy but didn’t come down from the cushion. Its eyes, filled with curiosity and wariness, alternately glanced at Choi Hong-seo and the toy.

Whether it was a cat or a dog, Choi Hong-seo had never raised an animal before, and the sight of it flicking its ears and tilting its head was so cute that it made him laugh.

Choi Hong-seo, shaking the toy weakly, rested his chin on his raised knees and sighed.

The investment company that supports the production of ‘Cream Mansion’.

‘HS’ was a film investment company operated with personal funds by Lee Hae-seong, the future leader of the ARA Group and the current vice president of ARA Electronics. Previously, it was more of Lee Hae-seong’s personal activity than a company. However, after deciding to invest in “Cream Mansion,” Lee Hae-seong properly established the business and named it ‘HS.’

It was named after Hae-seong and Hong-seo’s names.

[“We’ve already decided to invest in the movie, and we’re not going to change our minds no matter what he says, so that removes the suspicion that you’re trying to hold the movie hostage and sleep with him, right?”]

Throughout their meetings, he had never lied once.

With just one person like that by his side, the world was bearable, and it was worth enduring. He didn’t know that at the time. He made foolish decisions, lost everything, and now, looking back after confirming the loss and returning, he seemed to understand.

It would have been easier and more worthwhile to kneel down and plead with him not to hate him.

The cat, conflicted between curiosity about the toy and wariness of Choi Hong-seo wearing Yoon Hye-an’s disguise, chose to maintain its guard. In front of the cat, completely lying on the cushion, Choi Hong-seo this time showed a snack.

“Want a treat?”

Seeing the frozen fish in the transparent cylinder, the cat raised its head. It seemed like it was finally going to come down from the cushion, but it grabbed the treat from Choi Hong-seo’s hand and quickly returned to the cushion.

With skillful movements, it started eating the frozen fish from head to tail. In between, it glanced at the person-shaped figure while remaining cautious. Sitting with knees raised and arms resting on them, Choi Hong-seo quietly observed the cat’s behavior.

By now, the slanting evening sun was casting an orange glow over the living room floor.

“At least you know.”

The cat looked up, licking its lips with its tiny tongue.

“That I am not Yoon Hye-an.”

The cat that didn’t come to his side became a source of comfort instead.

Because it seemed to acknowledge, at least as much as this cat could, that he was not Yoon Hye-an.