Login in to Alandal

Five months passed after filming the "Palace of the Blood Sea."

Kyu-ha finished preparing around 65 cow carcasses like any other day. Then, he went into the changing room and checked his phone. 

- 5 Missed calls 

He dialed a particular number after noticing numerous missed calls from it. A woman answered his call on the other side. 

"Hello? I'm calling you back for the calls I missed." 

"Oh, are you Mr. Song Kyu-ha?"

"Yes. Please, who is this?"

"Hi. I'm Han Jeong-hee, a team leader of the Actor Team #4 at Stellar Entertainment."

"Thanks for calling, but why did you reach out to me?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but could you lend me some of your time? I need to meet and talk to you."

***

Stellar Entertainment 

It is a management agency specializing in taking care of actors, with a good reputation in the filming industry. 

The founder, Han Jeong-chul, was guided by his principle that ‘one proper artist is far better than a hundred nobodies,’ deciding to focus exclusively on developing a few talented actors instead. 

True to this strategy, there were only about ten actors in the agency. 

Although small in number, they were all renowned for their talent, having steadily built their careers.

Most of them had begun acting at Stellar, often showing off their loyalty to the agency by mentioning their willingness to stay with it for as long as they act to the media houses that enquire about their statuses.

Being brought on board at Stellar Entertainment was a tacit acknowledgment of a person's talent and potential. 

Ms. Han Jeong-hee, the team leader of Actor Team #4, was the only child of CEO Han. She joined the entertainment industry intending to follow in her father's footsteps and had spent the last ten years developing a strong passion and love for it. 

One day, Han Jeong-hee stopped by to look around at the filming set of a movie directed by Director Kim Yeong-cheol, the 'Palace of Blood Sea,' in which one of her veteran actors in Team #4, Park Jong-kyuk, also took part.

That was when she first saw Kyu-ha's assassin torture scene. 

Before the scene's shooting, he had come across as bland, not making much of an impression despite his notable height. 

But as soon as the camera began to roll, Kyu-ha's eyes suddenly shifted, and his terrifyingly brutal acting gave her goosebumps. 

"That's in...insane...! How can he act like that?"

She has seen countless actors throughout her career, but it was the first time to feel like this.  

"This is beyond acting. It's like he turned into a different person."

Ms. Han thought to herself for a while, then hurriedly ran to Assistant Director Yang Gu-cheol. 

"Excuse me, Director Yang! Can I know the agency of that actor who played Soo-chil?"

"Mr. Kyu-ha? Oh, he's not an actor. He was only here to help us out for a bit. But, I'm also quite surprised at how good he is."

Han Jeong-hee was again astonished that Kyu-ha was not a professional actor and returned to the office. 

"What was I thinking... Let me just focus on doing my job!"

But after a week and eventually, a month passed, and Han Jeong-hee couldn't stop thinking about Kyu-ha's eyes and his acting in the scene, she knew she had to get him. 

Eventually, Han Jeong-hee went to CEO Han. 

"I need to tell you something. Do you have a minute?"

"Sure, Jeong-hee. It must be important as you're bringing it up here, not at home."

She explained how she met Kyu-ha at the filming set of 'The Palace of the Blood Sea' with assurance emanating from her eyes. 

"I insist we reach out to him faster than anyone else. He has great potential."

Han Jeong-chul listened and stared at her without providing any reaction for a few seconds. Then he smiled and said, 

"Jeong-hee. You know how Stellar Entertainment came all this way?"

"Sure I do. You started it with Uncle Shim Cheol-min, who has been with us for the longest of all our actors."

Shim Cheol-min was one of the most well-known actors nationwide, and he started his career with CEO Han.   

"When I first saw him, he had only done a minor role that didn't even require a name."

"But he put so much effort into it that the director later turned his head."

"I knew at that moment that he would become a successful actor. So I followed my dream with him."

"That decision built up Stellar Entertainment and has kept it growing." 

Han Jeong-chul calmly told Han Jeong-hee the old story as he looked into her eyes. He continued.

"In this type of job, you will have to make some decisions based solely on how you see the talent of others. So if you've seen something, go for him and make him your actor. That's what Stellar Entertainment aims for."

Han Jeong-hee returned to her desk and began looking for the paper with Kyu-ha's number written on it. 

She hadn't felt this ecstatic for a while. 

***

Kyu-ha and Han Jeong-hee sat across from each other in a cafe where partitions split tables, creating a private dining space, and she gave him her business card. 

"It is nice to meet you; I'm Han Jeong-hee from Stellar Entertainment. I'm the team leader of Actor Team #4."

“Hi, I'm Song Kyu-ha. What brings you here?"

"I'll be honest. I want to cast you to Stellar Entertainment."

Kyu-ha somewhat expected this to come, but this was sudden.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not an actor. I also never properly learned how to act."

"I know you are not in the industry, but I saw you at the 'Palace of Blood Sea filming scene,' and as someone in the entertainment business, I want to work with you."

Han Jeong-hee tried to persuade Kyu-ha from her heart. 

"You have great talent and potential. 'Palace of the Blood Sea' will be released in a month, and after that, many people from the film industry will talk about you. Your acting in that film was that impressive! I want you on my team before you become too well-known."

At that moment, Kyu-ha thought to himself. 

She means it. 

This woman in front of him coincidentally saw his performance and now sincerely wants him to be an actor. 

Kyu-ha had lived different lives through dreams, and he could tell if someone was telling the truth by glancing into their eyes. 

His interest in acting had only recently been kickstarted. 

Although it was only two short shooting scenes, they were enough to show him how exciting acting is. 

"Let me sleep on it, please."

"Alright. I'll send you the contract details, so go over them and contact me whenever you are ready."

***

Kyu-ha had a lot on his mind after meeting with Han Jeong-hee. 

What was Song Kyu-ha's life goal? 

Frankly speaking, his life was in disarray. 

After his parents passed away, he had to go through different shitty situations, making him unable to empathize with others. Had he conducted a check-up earlier in his childhood, he might have been diagnosed as a psychopath. 

He knew those dreams had been helping him cope with this harsh life. 

He had endured his hard life but had no clear goal or ambition. But this opportunity aroused his desire to find purpose and pursue something he sincerely desired. 

A lesson once taught to him by the chief monk crossed his mind. 

"Kyu-ha, happiness is not something others can bring to you, but something you have to build for yourself."

Kyu-ha thought to himself. 

He wasn't sure if this could answer the lifelong question of what he wanted out of life, but he was willing to try it out. 

***

He called Han Jeong-hee precisely a week after their meeting.

"I want to do it. I look forward to working with you."

Kyu-ha visited the Stellar Entertainment offices and signed a contract containing fairly decent terms for a rookie actor. 

This was fifteen days before the release of the 'Palace of the Blood Sea.' 

***

Kyu-ha became busy with other stuff after starting work with Stellar Entertainment.

He shared the good news with CEO Seol Woo-don and his colleagues, who had been kind to him. Although they were disappointed that he had to leave, they congratulated him on his newfound job and even threw a farewell party on his behalf. 

***

On the opening day of 'Palace of the Blood Sea.' 

The film grabbed the audience's attention thanks to the two rising stars, Song In-ho and Koo Min-seob, the actors that had been cast as Prince Imhae (Yi Jin) and Prince Gwanghae (Yi Hon). 

After the premiere, many critics and bloggers complimented the movie's fantastic acting and breathtaking storyline. Even though it was R-rated, it recorded an audience of 500 thousand viewers on its opening day.

The movie did not need viral marketing to promote it due to its quality, but people did it regardless. 

Many short videos and stills from the film were uploaded on various SNS platforms and YouTube, drawing more and more people's attention. 

After only 18 days from its premiere, the view count hit four million. 

Online articles were written about the film, with comments indicating the same opinion. 

ㄴ Wow, Palace of the Blood Sea is soooo grand! Shout out to Song In-ho and Koo Min-seob for their superb acting.  

ㄴ I mean, we already know they are great, LOL. But who is that assassin? I've never seen him before. 

ㄴ Neither do I. He almost made me shit on myself. It was freaking terrifying. 

ㄴ That scene where he engraved that word with his dagger was cruel. It was fierce but also kinda cool. Shame that he died so fast. 

The bigger the film got, the more the audience gradually began to recognize Kyu-ha's performance. 

***

Han Jeong-hee and Kyu-ha were having a serious conversation in the meeting room at Stellar Entertainment.  

"I knew it! As 'Palace of the Blood Sea' is getting more popular, more people want to know about you."

"I was so surprised. My scene was only like five minutes...."

"Your acting was that great. You already have a new script waiting for you. Do you want to check it out?"

Han Jeong-hee put a screenplay on the table. 

[In the Name of the Devil]

"It's about a villain character. You got it because of your role in the Palace of the Blood Sea. You'll have to do the audition separately."

"I'll go through it first."

"Okay, let me know when you're done."

Kyu-ha returned home with a collection of movie scenes, took a shower, and began reading the script thoroughly. 

"Hmm....."

While Soo-chil was a cold-blooded murderer, his new role was that of a killer full of madness.

It had been a long time since Kyu-ha had heard his heartbeat this loudly.