"First off, congratulations on the gold medal at the Asian Games!" "I may have casually mentioned to people that I know you, hope that’s okay?" "Right now, there’s no one in Broadway who doesn’t know your name."
Evelyn started with some light pleasantries.
"Is that so? It's an honor."
"No need to be humble, it’s only natural." "Both the Olympics and the Asian Games, everyone was blown away by your performance!" "You too?"
There was a brief pause. Had I overdone it with the joke?
As I wondered if I should apologize, Evelyn spoke up again.
"We’ll talk about that later, but let’s discuss Tarzan!" "I heard it’s going to be a musical, which makes sense since it’s Disney’s live-action adaptation." "Yes, I’m aware. I’ve already had some discussions with the producer." "In fact, there’s been a lot of talk about it recently."
Evelyn went on to explain how things were progressing in Hollywood.
Even with overwhelming performances and captivating looks, the idea of an unproven Asian actor leading the role was still a sticking point. Hollywood was stuck on this concept, with a strong resistance in place.
"But when you meet him, you’ll see, Berrilard is such a perfectionist." "He’s even shocked by the sudden racism."
"This kind of pushback isn’t surprising."
Honestly, when an actor is as skilled as him, it’s to be expected. But I hadn’t anticipated such resistance from the producer himself.
‘I’ve heard that one influential push in Hollywood can be huge, but this seems to be a much bigger reaction.’
Even with the title of the most-watched film in Korea, am I still treated as a newcomer in Hollywood? It’s clear how high their standards are.
"I didn’t know Berrilard hadn’t said much about it."
"Yeah, I think it’s hard for him to speak up since the situation’s still uncertain." "So, if you’re okay with it, I have an unusual proposal for you. How would you feel about it?"
Now we’re getting to the point. What was she building up to with all this?
"Would you be interested in auditioning for a special musical performance during the off-season?"
I was caught completely off guard by the suggestion.
"What’s that about?" "We still haven’t heard back." "Musicals are a new thing for him, so he’s probably struggling with the decision. Even if he wants to, he’ll have to audition." "Still... I really want him to do it."
At Evelyn’s complaints, her colleague Mimeri’s eyes widened.
"Want him to? That guy?" "Yeah, why?" "...I’ve never heard you say you wanted to work with anyone before."
Mimeri had known Evelyn for a long time. She knew how hard Evelyn worked and the life she lived, so her reaction was refreshingly new.
"I thought you were into women."
With that comment, Evelyn shot Mimeri a look.
"What?! What are you talking about?"
Mimeri shrugged, explaining how Evelyn had never had any romantic entanglements before, and even turned down any advances.
"That would make you look too flighty. Irresponsible." "So, this Donghu guy..." "Kim Donghu." "Right, sorry. Don’t glare at me. I’m not discriminating... so, he’s different?" "I don’t know, that’s why I keep trying to see more of him, that’s why I’m pushing this." "..."
Evelyn’s answer left Mimeri speechless.
‘She’s acting like a teenager, huh?’
It was impressive in a way to see a 23-year-old still holding on to that youthful feeling.
But still, every man around Evelyn so far had been wrapped in superficial perfection. They all had their own scandals, many of them ready to break.
‘Maybe that’s why she’s pushing for this one.’
Broadway’s ongoing musical The Phantom of the Opera was popular, but there were signs of slow decay behind the scenes.
The male lead, Kritos, had become a ticking time bomb due to personal issues. While the specifics weren’t clear, it was certain that if it came to light in the next few months, it would cause irreparable damage to the production.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
The solution was a temporary replacement. A standby for the off-season.
For now, the performances would continue without issue, but they’d need to find a new lead during the off-season (January–February).
Of course, there was no issue if the temporary replacement performed well, but they knew the potential for trouble with Kritos was high.
They were looking for a new lead, and this time, they’d give a chance to a rookie. It was an attempt to avoid the backlash from possible scandals.
‘Recommendations from the existing cast play a huge part in these situations.’
The lead roles held significant weight in deciding the next lead, so Mimeri, playing Carlotta, and Evelyn, playing Christine, could easily influence the auditions.
‘The fact that Evelyn said a kiss scene with Kim Donghu would be okay is truly shocking.’
Evelyn had always avoided kissing scenes in the past, using camera angles to avoid them, and opting out of musicals with mandatory intimate scenes. People speculated why, but Mimeri knew the real reason.
‘She wants her first kiss to be romantic.’
A 23-year-old still holding on to that sentiment—how cute and unique.
But now, she was saying that with Kim Donghu, it would be fine? That meant, with him, she was okay with her first kiss scene.
"But what if he doesn’t want to?"
Mimeri asked, and Evelyn smiled brightly as she flicked her blonde hair.
"I don’t think that’ll be the case."
Evelyn answered confidently.
"How can you be so sure?" "Because the person I know understands exactly what I meant and knows exactly what kind of opportunity this is."
Not long after that...
"We got a response! He said yes! He’ll do it!"
As expected, Kim Donghu accepted the proposal.
"Donghu, this is an incredible opportunity! You know that, right!? Huh?!" "I know."
Seokho was so excited about this, bouncing around, unable to contain his excitement.
"Broadway! The musical! If we do this, we can totally squash any Tarzan doubts!"
If I can prove myself in a musical, there’s no way the racism against an Asian lead will matter.
And even though it’s the off-season, debuting as the lead in a major production is the key opportunity here.
"I’ve also worked out the schedule, and if we go after the training camp, it’ll be perfect."
As soon as I accepted the offer, Seokho quickly started scheduling meetings related to the job. The results were being carefully written on the whiteboard.
"Until mid-December, I’ll only be able to do personal practice, but Christmas is a peak period anyway."
So, we’ll focus on volunteer hours until then, and once that’s done, we can head straight to Broadway.
I nodded at Seokho’s plan. It seemed like everything was falling into place, and there didn’t appear to be any obstacles.
"What about the script request?" "Oh, I got it online, and now I’m working on turning it into a book." "Thanks." "Of course, no need to thank me."
With that, Seokho casually checked the schedule for March.
"The special performances are only during the off-season, so it’ll last a maximum of 6 weeks." "Got it." "After that, in March... Tarzan should be coming up by then, right?"
If that gets confirmed, I’d need to stay in the U.S. until at least December. That’s almost a year abroad. Are you okay with that?
"Yeah, I’m fine with it." "Really? Then I’ll let everyone know now. The sooner, the better to prepare mentally." "Oh, you mean telling people around me?" "Of course, and they’ll probably be shocked if they hear about you living abroad for a year."
‘If I tell Seohyun about this... it’s going to be a scene.’
Lately, Seohyun had been growing up, and with that, the number of events I had to attend was increasing.
"Oppa!" "I’m having a year-end performance at the kindergarten. Will you come?"
I really wanted to go to the year-end performance at the kindergarten. But if I have to go to the U.S., I won’t be able to see these moments.
I also needed to talk to Sujin and Jaerin. There were a lot of people I had to explain things to.
"Yeah, I think I’m starting to get a good idea of what I need to do. Got it." "Good. So, no more changes, right? It’s all set for now?" "Yeah, looks good." "Okay! Then we’ll proceed with this, and time’s almost up." "Ah, right."
I quickly checked the time. It was time for the training camp. Since it was the first day, I couldn’t afford to be late.
Thinking about it, I headed straight to the Jincheon National Athlete Village.
Upon arriving, I was greeted with enthusiastic cheers. As requested, we skipped the formal ceremony and moved straight to the training area.
"Hello, I’m Kim Donghu, and I’ll be leading the training camp."
Clap clap clap clap! Wooooo!
After a brief introduction, applause and cheers erupted. Since it was the first day, I thought the best way to introduce myself was to do it in the most direct way.
"Now, let’s start with a light sparring session. We’ll warm up for about 30 minutes, and those ready can step onto the ring." "Huh?" "It’ll be like an orientation, just a level test." "Umm... who will I be sparring with...?" "Obviously, with me."
At that moment, the training area fell silent. I couldn’t help but feel proud as everyone’s eyes grew wide.