Rebirth: King to Superstar

Both of them walked up to the assistant who was sitting on her desk outside the door to the side. She seemed to be busy as she was going through files on her desk and checking records on her computer and so didn't notice the two people in front of her. 

Hea-Jung noticed on her desk and finally caught her attention as she stood up. She hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry Ms. Seo. I was busy going through the records and didn't notice you." With a worried expression, as if she had done a huge crime. 

Hea-Jung waved her hand, trying to stop the girl from apologizing, and sighed when she was done before replying, "You don't need to apologize about something like this. It's good to see you focused on your work but keep an ear out for the elevator sound. Anyway, uncle told me to bring this guy to his office and wait for him.," while pointing at Joon-won behind her.

The lady finally noticed him and nodded before coming out of her desk. She opened the door to Do Hwan's office and said, "Yes, the president sent me a text a few minutes ago that you both might arrive and asked me to help you sit in the room. Come inside." Hea-Jung nodded before beckoning Joon-won to follow her as she walked inside. 

They entered the enormous room with a sight of the city on the other side through the glass walls. Do Hwan's desk was directly ahead while there were sofas to the right for people to sit. Both of them sat while Joon-won looked around for a bit before looking at the assistant. 

"Do both of you need something? Coffee? Tea?" 

Joon-won shook his head and asked for a glass of water while Hea-Jung asked for a complicated coffee which he couldn't catch onto. The assistant nodded before going to another side of the room where there was almost a mini kitchen with a fridge and a coffee machine. She started preparing a coffee for Hea-Jung while getting water for Joon-won. 

After a while, she took both two glasses and handed them over to them. He took a sip of water before keeping it on the coffee table before them. He noticed a few magazines on the table when he sat down and each of the magazine's covers was an influential person. One of the magazines also had a cover of the Heavenly king Dongbang Jea, the first movie he saw after coming into the world. He really liked the person's acting in the movie. 

He reached out and took the magazine in his hands. As he did, Hea-Jung noticed the cover and exclaimed, "Wow, finally there is a movie worth watching. It looks like the rumors are true that the Heavenly King Dongbang Jea was shooting a new movie. The country will go crazy when the movie releases." 

The assistant, who was still standing to the side nodded and said, "Yes, Ms. Seo. There were too many rumors, and it was too late to stop, so I heard that their production company just had to release the news way earlier than expected. Many people asked what the movie was about but the production crew was tight and didn't let any news about it out. So many people are eagerly waiting for at least a movie name." 

Hea-Jung nodded while drinking her coffee and replied, "Well of course many people will wait. This guy could probably run for the president and win with a landslide. That's the number of people who would die for him. Whatever film he is doing, other production companies and crews will be on the lookout as they wouldn't want to clash with a behemoth like that and rather delay their movie releases." 

The assistant nodded and remained silent. Joon-won turned the magazine over to the page with the interview and slowly read it. Most of the interview was about the movie and who was involved in it but Dongbang Jea answered the questions cleverly and escaped. He talked more about his daily life and other stuff non related to the movie. 

Dongbang Jea was a very charismatic middle-aged guy and he could see why there would be many people willing to die for him and place him so high in their hearts. He seemed like a very interesting guy but Joon-won didn't have any other thoughts about it and placed the magazine back on the table. 

The three continued to wait for a few more minutes before the door opened and Do Hwan walked in. Hea-Jung and the assistant who were talking stopped while Joon-won stood up. Do Hwan waved his hand and signaled him to sit down before asking the assistant to leave them alone.

After the assistant left, Do Hwan made himself a coffee before taking a seat on the couch with them. He took a sip of coffee before groaning a little. He seemed very tired from the busy day. 

"Today was hell. So much work." He complained. 

Hea-Jung laughed and said, "Won't it be like this until the actual production of the film starts." Making him nod. The room was silent for a few more minutes until Do Hwan pulled himself together and looked at Joon-won. 

"So what next?" He asked Joon-won. Joon-won himself was confused so he replied, "I was hoping to find an answer for that from you. You're the expert at this stuff. I don't know anything about the industry."

Do Hwan shrugged and said, "I can't tell you anything. Today you understood your problem clearly after failing that audition. If you do not pass this hurdle, it will be difficult for you to make it into the big screen." 

Joon-won nodded and asked, "So what do you suggest I do to cross this big hurdle." 

"Get more experience. That is something you lack a little in movies. You are very good at the theatre but not for the movie. So you need to practice how to change the style." 

Joon-won nodded, but it confused him. How he can change his own style he had been honing for decades. It will take him a long time to destroy and rebuild everything he had for this new world and its standards. 

"Do you know anyone who can help me change my style and point out the differences between the two? Right now I have no clue. I practiced my whole life just to act on a stage and now I want to act in a movie." He looked at Do Hwan for answers. This was the only man who had enough connections to help him out. 

Do Hwan downed the entire coffee he had and said, "MY first suggestion. Follow that. That drama club is special, and it fits people like you. You can learn from the people thereby observing and skiing around on how to improve. It will be a wonderful learning experience. If you are lucky enough, you might get a role before your summer ends. 

Joon-won nodded and thought for a second. Everything he just heard made completely sensible and there was no reason to reject the suggestion now, especially now when he was a bit desperate to learn and change so he could act in some good movies. 

Seeing him nod, Do Hwan also nodded before getting up and walking towards his desk. He leaned over and took out a business card from a drawer and gave it to Joon-won as he sat down. 

"This is that drama club's business card. Call the number on it and ask when you can come in as I already informed them about you. So you can call this evening. Do not forget to learn when you are there Joon-won. It's a wonderful experience, and it's sad to see a person like your talent not getting roles." He repeatedly said to call them. 

Joon-won nodded and kept the card inside his pocket. It was important for him as he could tweak the problems on his acting over there. 

"If your acting gets better before the end of this summer, then let's try to send you to another audition. There will be many movies and dramas in this town that are constantly in need of actors. So try hard, kid." He tried to encourage Joon-won. Joon-won nodded, and they continued to talk for a few minutes before Joon-won stood up to go back home. 

Hea-Jung also stood up to drop him but he rejected her kindness and said he will take the bus. He wanted some more time to clear his head. She agrees and Joon-won tells goodbye to both of them and exits the room. He enters the elevator and goes down before exiting the building. 

Looking at the bright sun, he looked down and saw the time on his phone. It was already 4, his audition and talk were over in 2 hours. He sighed before walking along the busy sidewalk towards the nearest bus stop. Reaching the bus stop, he looked at the huge map of the city and understood which bus number he had to take to go back to his university.