Chapter 51: How to Replace Him

Nice, very good.“The female model's expression is more natural, don't be so stiff!”The woman's eyes should respond, looking directly into the other person's eyes. If there's anything embarrassing abou..."The main event"

Speaking of this, Ji Jingyuan became spirited. He hasn't acted in a TV drama since finishing filming "Reply 1997" last year.

Because of the success of "Reply," plus his acting being widely recognized and winning many rookie awards, there were actually quite a few role offers sent to ** in between.

He's just been busy preparing for a new album. Second, many scripts he looked at were not very good, and some of the scenes didn't match his memory, so he hasn't acted in his second drama yet.

Because filming is really tiring, especially when there are other activities, Ji Chang Wook set himself the goal of "no more than one drama per year" when he filmed "Reply". Now that 2013 has gone halfway, it's time to think about it.

This news about Puzi's message gave him some ideas.

"Inside, it's a drama that SBS is very optimistic about. The main creative team for the show has already been decided. The director is Kang Shin-hyo, who directed the film "The Conman," and the screenwriter is someone you definitely know - it's the renowned screenwriter Kim Eun-sook."

Park Jin-hye briefly introduced the main crew members of the drama.

"Well... this lineup is indeed quite strong. Does that mean this is a new work by screenwriter Kim Eun-sook"

Chi Jingyuan nodded, indicating that he had long admired the person's name.

Kim Eun-sook is a well-known figure in the Korean film and television industry. She has written many famous and successful screenplays, such as "Paris Lovers," "Secret Garden," and last year's highly acclaimed and award-winning "The Gentleman's Dignity."

Since this new production from SBS is using her new script, it will naturally be treated as a key project by the television station.

"That's right, I haven't received the full script yet, but I've gone over the general plot. The tentative title is "The Heirs." It's a bit of a cliche story about a group of chaebol heirs in the upper class society on the peninsula and their love story with an ordinary girl at school."

"Heirs and chaebol second generation"

"Well, well, what do you think Sounds perfect for you, doesn't it Totally your style."

Park Ja-hyun laughed loudly, "Ji Jingyuan is playing the role of a second-generation chaebol. Just thinking about it is so interesting."

"Well... how's the character selection situation looking now"

After hearing the introduction, Chi Jingyuan matched it with the image in his mind and felt a little moved.

"This drama's been in preparation for a while, but there were some issues with casting before, which delayed it until now. It was originally scheduled to start filming at the end of August, but looking at the progress, it's estimated that it will be pushed back to September."

Park Jae-in had learned quite a bit beforehand and explained it smoothly: "The female lead has been confirmed as Park Shin-hye. There are three major male roles, with Lee Min-ho tentatively cast as the male lead. The second and third male leads haven't been decided yet, but I hear the competition is very fierce, given that it's a new drama by Kim Eun-sook."

"If Jingyuan is interested, we can try for the second or third male lead, there shouldn't be any problem. But I took a look at the character setting, the second male lead is set as an antagonist with some bullying plot points, it's not very suitable for your image."

"That means the best match for me is number three, the male…"

Chi Jingyuan murmured a word and then fell silent. All that could be heard on the phone was the faint sound of breathing.

Park Jaeyeon knew the other was thinking, and said nothing, waiting for Ji Jingyuan to make his own judgment.

After pondering for a moment with a thoughtful expression, Ji Jingyuan spoke up: "Has Lee Min Ho already confirmed his appearance"

"The contract should not have been signed yet, but it should be almost done. The crew is very optimistic about him," Park Jae-hyun said after hesitating for a moment.

"If I were to play the male lead, what would we need to do and what obstacles might there be"

After some consideration, Chi Jingyuan spoke directly, his tone calm and firm, as if he had already made up his mind.

“…………”

Hearing Park Jae-hyeon's tone, Ki Jung-won immediately understood. He didn't try to persuade him and immediately entered his role, thinking for a moment before beginning to offer his opinion:

"Jingyuan, your acting experience pales in comparison to Lee Min Ho's. You only have one hit drama, "Please Answer," to your name. However, seniority isn't the most important thing. What really matters is your connections and network within the industry. SBS has a wide network of contacts. With some maneuvering, there shouldn't be any problems."

"And although your experience is less than his, your acting has already been widely recognized. With EXO's recent popularity surge, your fame will also be valued by television stations."

Then there's the level of the agency, Lee Min Ho's agency in the background is Starha, it's not a big company, that's nothing to worry about. Whether it's ** or us, we don't need to worry too much about it.

"The main issue now is that author Kim Eun Sook really admires Lee Min Ho, and it's said she specifically requested him to play the male lead. The television station also values Kim's opinion."

Lee Min Ho was born in 1987, while the male lead character is set at 18 years old. There's a big age gap. If it weren't for writer Kim pointing him out and strongly recommending him, he wouldn't have been confirmed so quickly to star in this production.

"So if we want to squeeze him out, other aspects can be operated. The current problem is persuading Kim Eun-sook writer."

Park Sae-byeok succinctly clarified the current situation. If Park Geon-yeong really wants to compete with Lee Min-ho and even take his place as the male lead, then neither the television station nor the agency nor the production crew would be an issue. The biggest obstacle right now is Kim Eun-sook.

A renowned author's power on a Peninsula drama set is immense. In this "Inheritors" cast, it can be said that the director can change at will, but not the writer. This drama's current fierce competition for roles is largely due to the writer's influence.

"Is there a special relationship between the writer Kim and Lee Min Ho"

After a moment of hesitation, Chi Jingyuan glanced around and asked in a low voice.

When an author so strongly supports and believes in an actor, it's inevitable to wonder.

I haven't heard anything about this. It's probably nothing. I guess it's just a level of appreciation, maybe Lee Min Ho's appearance or acting style suits her taste. Apparently, Writer Kim has been quite fond of him from before.

After some thought, Park Jae-hyun shared his own speculation.

"If that's the case, then it's fine. Hyung, let's do it. From now on, let's start working towards making me the male lead of this drama. First, we need to handle things with SBS, and then have SBS persuade Kim Eun-sook. That way, we'll get twice the results with half the effort."

Chi Jingyuan's fingers lightly tapped on his thigh, like playing the piano, he considered for a moment before making his decision.

"Okay, I'm starting to contact them now."

Park Jaehyun nodded, and after exchanging a few more words, they hung up the phone.

"Ugh..."

Ji Jingyuan let out a soft sigh, moving his right hand slightly. His mind was still on what Park Jae-hyun had said just now.

He's not actually too worried about the outcome of Park Jae-hyun's activities. If he can handle the TV station side, even if the writers oppose it, it won't make much difference.

Unless Kim Eun Sook truly admires Lee Min Ho to the point of losing her sanity, and is so adamant that she would even offend SBS to insist on a different actor, then that's a different story.

Chi Jingyuan doesn't want to be too domineering, and they didn't make any effort in dealing with the TV station side. They definitely need to make some exchanges.

As for Kim Eun-sook, he still hopes to persuade her. Maybe after they meet, she'll stop caring about Lee Min Ho and start appreciating him, Park Kyung-won, instead

He is actually quite confident in his personal charm.

"Children, let's clean up and get going. Let's have dinner first, we have a program to record tonight."

"Inside."

At that moment, the manager shouted at the door of the resting room. Several members immediately responded, picked up their belongings after stretching a bit, and followed the manager out.

This novel is first released by the Traditional Chinese Novels Network. Let me know if you'd like me to translate anything else!Chi Jingyuan looked at the other person's sincere eyes, he made a helpless expression, smiled and shook his head, his right hand impatiently wa...