Managing the Korean entertainment industry: I have superpowers, but I won't say.

Chapter 78: Script Reading for "Goblin"

The script reading was scheduled for 10:00 AM on Monday in the conference room of the new building of Yinguo Entertainment.

Su Yu arrived half an hour early. The long table in the conference room could seat twenty people, and he had someone arrange the name tags—Yoon Shi-yoon, Chae Soo-bin, Kim Go-eun, Yoo In-na, Yook Sung-jae, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Dong-wook. Lee Dong-wook's name was written on the far right, which Su Yu had arranged specifically. It wasn't out of disrespect, but because Lee Dong-wook wasn't a company employee, and it would be awkward for him to sit in the middle.

He stood by the window and smoked a cigarette. Outside was the Han River, the winter sun shining brightly on the water. He heard footsteps behind him, but didn't turn around; he caught a whiff of familiar perfume.

"You're here so early?" Cai Xiubin walked to his side, holding two cups of coffee, and handed one to him.

"I can't sleep."

"Nervous?" Cai Xiubin tilted her head to look at him.

"It's not nervousness. It's confirmation." Su Yu stubbed out his cigarette, took a sip of his coffee, and said, "Confirming that these people are the right ones."

Cai Xiubin laughed. "The person you chose, how could you say they were wrong?"

Su Yu glanced at her. "You used to think you weren't good enough. How about now?"

"Now I think you made the right choice." Cai Xiubin stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. "Stop smoking, the person is coming soon."

At 9:45, Yoon Shi-yoon was the first to arrive. He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater, and his hair was shorter, making him look more energetic than usual. He greeted Su Yu first upon entering, then smiled and nodded at Cai Xiubin. "Xiubin, you look great today." — He was eight years older than Cai Xiubin, so calling her by her first name was more natural than calling her "older sister." Cai Xiubin said, "You look so handsome today," to which Yoon Shi-yoon replied, "Of course, I'm the male lead." Su Yu glanced at him, and he immediately shut up.

Kim Go-eun was the second to arrive. She wore a gray coat, had no makeup on, and her hair was casually tied up. She bowed slightly as she entered, her voice not loud. "Representative Su, Senior Chae Soo-bin."

"Just call me Soobin." Cai Soobin pulled her to sit down. Kim Go-eun was three years older than Cai Soobin, so calling her Soobin was just right.

Yoo In-na and Yook Sung-jae arrived together. Yoo In-na was dressed formally in a red dress, her hair styled in large waves. Upon entering, she exclaimed, "Wow, this conference room is bigger than I expected!" Yook Sung-jae followed behind, wearing a white sweatshirt and looking like a college student, but with a serious expression. He saw Su Yu and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle.

"Representative Su, I will do my best."

"Sit down."

Kim Min-jae was the last to arrive. He rushed in, covered in sweat, and said, "There's a traffic jam! There's a traffic jam!" Seeing Su Yu checking her watch, she added, "Sorry." Su Yu said, "Next time, arrive ten minutes early," and Kim Min-jae nodded vigorously.

At 10:00 AM sharp, Lee Dong-wook arrived.

There was a moment of silence in the conference room when he pushed the door open. Not because he was late—he wasn't late, it was exactly ten o'clock. It was because of his aura. He was wearing a dark blue suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he glanced around before nodding with a smile.

Sorry, there was a bit of traffic on the road.

Su Yu stood up and shook hands with him. "Exactly ten o'clock, not late."

Lee Dong-wook smiled. "Representative Su has a very strong sense of time."

"I'm used to it."

Lee Dong-wook sat down and began flipping through the script on the table. The seat next to him was empty; across from him sat Kim Go-eun. Kim Go-eun glanced at him, said nothing, and continued reading the script.

Everyone was present. Su Yu stood in the main seat, not sitting down.

"Today's reading session will focus on only one thing—reading through episodes one through four from beginning to end. No discussion, no revisions, we'll talk after we've finished." He looked at everyone. "Any questions?"

No one spoke.

"Let's begin."

The director sat next to Su Yu, flipping through the script. He was someone Su Yu had hired; his surname was Li, he was in his early forties, and he had directed several TV dramas with decent ratings, but none of them were huge hits. Su Yu chose him because he was good at directing nuanced emotional scenes.

"Episode 1, Scene 1." The director read the scene description, "The underworld, a ghost stands in a wasteland, a sword stuck in its chest."

Yoon Shi-yoon took a deep breath and spoke.

"Nine hundred years ago, I stood here. Nine hundred years later, I am still here."

His voice was lower and slower than usual, each word sounding like it was being squeezed out of his throat. He wasn't reciting lines; he was speaking.

The meeting room was quiet.

Lee Dong-wook looked up at Yoon Shi-yoon; his expression remained unchanged, but his eyes were different.

Kim Go-eun lowered her head, her fingers lightly tapping on the script, as if sensing the rhythm.

Cai Xiubin looked at Yoon Shi-yoon, and the corner of her mouth twitched—not a smile, but a gesture of relief. She had worked with Yoon Shi-yoon on "Model Taxi" and knew his abilities, but this conversation today showed that they had taken another step forward.

After reading the monologue, Yoon Shi-yoon glanced at Su Yu. Su Yu nodded but didn't say anything. Yoon Shi-yoon knew he had gone too far.

Next, the female lead appeared. Chae Soo-bin didn't have many lines, but every single one had to be perfect. When she spoke, her voice was clearer than usual, carrying a youthful innocence, but not overly so.

"Uncle, are you a ghost?"

Yoon Shi-yoon replied, "You can see the sword?"

"Sword? What sword?" Cai Xiubin's tone changed from curiosity to doubt. "You don't have anything on your chest."

The director nodded in agreement.

Kim Go-eun's scene is in the second act. She plays a ghost, a woman who has been dead for a long time, wandering among humans, and only ghosts can see her. When she speaks, her voice is very soft, like the wind.

Are you waiting for someone again?

Yoon Shi-yoon said, "No." Kim Go-eun said, "You've been waiting for someone for a hundred years." There was no emotional fluctuation, but every word carried weight.

Lee Dong-wook glanced at Kim Go-eun, but this time his gaze was different—not out of politeness, but out of approval.

Next, the Grim Reaper appeared. Lee Dong-wook opened the script and found his first scene. He stood up, not because he was nervous, but because he felt he couldn't convey the feeling of reciting the scene while sitting.

"You, a ghost, have lived for nine hundred years. I, a messenger of the underworld, have lived for who knows how long. Neither of us should exist." He looked ahead, as if speaking to thin air, "But we both exist."

The meeting room fell silent again.

Yoon Shi-yoon pursed his lips and remained silent. He knew Lee Dong-wook was good at delivering lines, but he hadn't expected him to be this good. That sense of emptiness, of "having lived for who knows how long," wasn't acting; it was ingrained in his very being.

Su Yu leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. Only Cai Xiubin noticed—he always did this when he was satisfied.

The reading lasted three hours. There were two breaks in between for coffee and to use the restroom. Yook Sung-jae barely spoke throughout; when it was his turn to read, his voice trembled slightly, but his emotions were there. Yoo In-na was very steady; she played a fried chicken shop owner, and her lines were relaxed and natural, as if she were playing herself. Kim Min-jae had few scenes, but he read every line very attentively.

I finished reading the fourth episode at 12:30 pm.

Su Yu stood up. "Let's eat. We'll continue at 1:30 PM."

The crowd dispersed. Yoon Shi-yoon pulled Yook Sung-jae to the cafeteria, Yoo In-na and Kim Go-eun walked together, and Kim Min-jae followed behind. Lee Dong-wook stayed behind, sitting at his seat flipping through his script.

Su Yu walked over. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Let's look at it a little longer." Lee Dong-wook looked up. "Representative Su, did you write this role of the Grim Reaper for me?"

Su Yu looked at him. "What do you think?"

Lee Dong-wook thought for a moment. "I think so. But I want to hear what you have to say."

"It wasn't written for you," Su Yu said, "but when I saw you, I felt it was you."

Lee Dong-wook stared at him for a few seconds, then laughed. "You're an interesting person. One minute you say no, the next you say yes. You keep going in circles."

"I'm not being evasive. I'm telling the truth."

Lee Dong-wook closed the script and stood up. "Okay, to be honest. Then let me ask you, why did you choose Yoon Shi-yoon to play the Goblin? He's young and not very experienced, but you dared to give him such a big role."

Su Yu was silent for two seconds. "Because he can act well."

"That's it?"

"This is it."

Lee Dong-wook laughed and patted Su Yu on the shoulder. "You're having a fun time as a boss."

He left. Su Yu stood there, and Cai Xiubin came over and handed him a sandwich.

"You haven't eaten yet," she said.

I'm not hungry.

"Eat." Cai Xiubin shoved a sandwich into his hand. "There are still four hours left in the afternoon. You won't be able to hold on if you don't eat something."

Su Yu looked at the sandwich in his hand, tore open the packaging, and took a bite. A tuna sandwich, his favorite flavor. Prepared by Cai Xiubin; she always prepared things he liked.

"What did you say to Lee Dong-wook?" she asked.

He said Yoon Shi-yoon was too young and lacked experience.

"What did you say?"

"I said he could act well."

Cai Xiubin laughed. "You always say that. To me, and to him. Can't you say something different?"

"What did you say?"

"For example, saying things like, 'He's my brother, I trust him.'"

Su Yu glanced at her. "I won't say things like that."

"I know. You just didn't say it, but you did it." Cai Xiubin leaned closer, resting her head gently on his shoulder. "Su Yu, you smiled when you watched Yoon Shi-yoon read his lines today. You might not have noticed, but I saw it."

Su Yu didn't speak.

"You rarely smile. But you smile every time you see someone doing well." Cai Xiubin looked up at him. "You're the kind of person who, though you don't say it, is happier than anyone else."

Su Yu looked down at her. "You're quite observant."

"I'm your girlfriend, who else should I observe if not you?"

The afternoon reading continued. From episodes five to eight, the emotions grew increasingly intense. The relationship between the goblin and his bride began to blossom, and the secrets of the grim reaper slowly surfaced.

Kim Go-eun had a crying scene with only three lines, but her voice went hoarse when she read the last line.

"I've waited for you for a long time. So long that I've even forgotten what I've been waiting for."

The meeting room was silent for several seconds. No one moved until the director called "cut." Kim Go-eun kept her head down, her fingers gripping the edge of the script until they turned white.

Su Yu glanced at her and said to the director, "Continue."

Yook Sung-jae didn't have many scenes, but he read every sentence with great effort, as if he were speaking with all his might. Yoon Shi-yoon listened from the side and later told Su Yu, "This kid has potential." Su Yu said, "Take good care of him."

Yoo In-na had the easiest lines, but she read them the most attentively. She said, "The fried chicken shop owner isn't a supporting character; she's the most normal person in the whole drama." Su Yu said, "Normal people are the hardest to portray." Yoo In-na paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "You're right."

I finished reading episode 8 at 4:30 pm.

Su Yu stood up. "That's all for today. Next week at the same time, episodes nine through twelve."

People left one after another. Before leaving, Lee Dong-wook shook hands with Su Yu and said, "It was a pleasure working with you." Su Yu replied, "We'll talk about whether it was pleasant or not after filming." Lee Dong-wook laughed, "You really don't know how to talk." Su Yu said, "I know."

Yoon Shi-yoon was the last to leave. He stood at the conference room door, looking at Su Yu.

"Su Yu".

"Um."

"Thank you."

Su Yu looked at him. "What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity." Yoon Shi-yoon's voice was a little hoarse. "I know you could have found bigger actors, like Gong Yoo or Lee Dong-wook. But you chose me."

Su Yu was silent for two seconds. "I chose you because you can act. Not because you're my artist, not because you're familiar with me. It's because you can act."

Yoon Shi-yoon stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled. There was a hint of tears in that smile, but he didn't let them fall.

"Then I can't let you down."

You never will.

Yoon Shi-yoon left. Only Su Yu and Cai Xiubin remained in the conference room. She stood by the window, the setting sun casting a golden glow on her hair.

Su Yu walked over and stood next to her.

"Are you tired today?" he asked.

"I'm not tired." Cai Xiubin leaned on his shoulder. "The people you chose are all very good. Yoon Shi-yoon is good, Kim Go-eun is good, Lee Dong-wook is good, they're all good."

Su Yu didn't speak.

"Su Yu".

"Um."

"Who exactly are you? How do you know these people will act well?"

Su Yu gazed at the setting sun outside the window and remained silent for a long time.

"I guessed."

Cai Xiubin smiled and didn't press the matter. She knew he wouldn't tell, but she didn't care. All she knew was that he was hers, and that was enough.