Rebirth: King to Superstar

Joon-won looked around the small bar they got into. There weren't many people and unlike his previous experience, most of the people were middle-aged men who were drinking away as if it's the last day of their life while complaining about everything they could. There were only a few people on the dance floor with the DJ playing songs above on a small stage. 

He looked at the two youths in front of him, who were already done with one bottle of beer. Joon-won took things at a small pace and only had a few sips. Gim Tae looked at him, then his bottle, and said, "Bro, you need to drink more. Your bottle isn't even halfway done." 

Joon-won shook his head and replied, "I don't drink much." 

Do Ryung looked at him and ask, "But why? You should enjoy your life more at this time. You are out of university you won't get chances like this anymore." He spread his hands and exclaimed. Joon-won heard similar words from another friend and he shook his head. 

"It's ok. I don't like to drink alcohol that much. Oh by the way, when did you both start working in the drama house?" He asked his first question of the night.

Gim Tae and Do Ryung looked at each other and shrugged before Do Ryung replied, "I have been working for 2 years now and Gim Tae here has been working there for a year." Making Joon-won nod.

"Does the work always be this hectic? You guys had no time to even chill except for that break." 

This time it was Gim Da who replied, "No, it's not always like this. Most of the time we are quite free and only have small tasks. But those are times when the drama has a more modern vibe to it. Because the theatre would rather buy the costume online than let us make it from scratch. It's only because this week's drama is related to the Roman emperor times that we need to make costumes from scratch, making the workload more. So it's just your bad luck that you came in today." Making Do Ryung nod. 

Joon-won nodded and heard Gim Tae ask, "Joon-won, why did you start in our department and not the others? You could have helped around in the crops and setting department instead." 

Joon-won shrugged and replied, "No particular reason. The guy who brought me to your room said you guys were short-handed and asked me if I was good at sewing so I just said ok. That's all, nothing there to it." A simple coincidence. 

"Well, you are pretty good at using needles and thread. The way you stitch is so fast and clean too. You should learn how to use a machine too. It would be easier with the help of technology." Gim Tae who sat beside him the whole day nodded and suggested. 

Joon-won shrugged and replied, "Well, it's not like I'll be using the machine every day like you guys.  So the needle and thread are enough for now." Making the other two nod.

"Earlier today you told me that you guys get called into movie sets, how does that happen? What is it like in sets?" Joon-won asked another normal question.

"Let me answer, I have been to more movie sets between both of us. Generally, movie production teams come to our drama house for actors to fill the not-important roles. When they do, they'll ask for costume or set makers if they need any and because our drama house is famous, we get many offers." Do Ryung jumped in and replied.

He continued, "Movie sets are pretty tense and organized. Every group has a leader and we need to follow the leader's orders and get things done before the director or the main actors arrive on the set. If we aren't done with that task then the director will shout at his assistant and that assistant will take out that frustration on our leader who takes it out on us." He shrugged helplessly. Joon-won nodded and understood how that feels. 

"Right, how is the drama house acting scene. Do all the actors in our drama house have experience in a movie set?" 

Gim Tae was the one to reply this time, "Well yeah but only for very small roles. Our Drama house isn't particularly known for its actors so we don't get many offers. Did you come to get exposure and offers? If you did, you should have tried the other two drama houses in the inner part of the city. They are more famous than ours for their actors." 

Joon-won shook his head and said, "No, I really didn't come here for those kinds of reasons. I have a few problems with my acting and need to solve them. So they sent me here to learn under the boss's wing in the theatre. Only if I solve this problem of mine,mine,mine, will I get good roles in movies." 

"Oh! What is that problem of yours?" Gim Tae asked immediately and Do Ryung also leaned in to hear the answer. 

Joon-won shook his head and said, "It's nothing very important. I'm a bit uncomfortable to say so." He trailed off and the other two understood. 

"It's alright man. You don't need to share anything with us. We only met today and of course, you will be uncomfortable sharing anything with us. Come, let's continue drinking." Do Ryung said before raising the 2nd beer bottle and taking a sip. 

Joon-won nodded and asked, "Thanks for understanding. Right, how is the weekly audition for roles in our drama house? The boss told them that they are fair and all. But are they really fair?" 

Gim Tae nodded and said, "Yeah, they really are fair and also very strict. The boss will personally select for each role so she doesn't allow any mishaps. There was this one time an actor bribed one of the boss's assistants for a role. But that poor guy instantly got caught by the boss during practice sessions and she fired the assistant on the spot and made sure that guy won't get any opportunities in films in the city. The boss is pretty influential so be careful in your auditions next week."

Joon-won was surprised when he heard the story. He acted with a bit of doubt and mockery. But the reply he got was pretty serious. He didn't doubt Gim Tae when he saw even Do Ryung nodding alongside him. He was also surprised by how decisive and influential San Min was. She actually fired her assistant without batting an eyelid in front of everyone and was also influential enough to stop the future of the guy who crossed the line. 

"So the boss is influential in the city?" 

Do Ryung nodded and said, "Yes, I heard there were many drama houses who wanted to take her down when Roses Drama houses was getting famous. But she fought and stepped on all those drama houses, making them vanish. Many people say she is from an influential background. But no one really knows her background."

Joon-won nodded and said, "Alright then, let's continue drinking." He took a sip and changed the topic. He asked for the information he needed. He was curious about San Min. 

After another 1hr they stopped drinking and the two were pretty drunk but enough to tell the cab driver what their address was. Joon-won only drank another bottle in that one hour and was completely sober. He checked the time, and it was almost half-past 10. He waved his hand for a cab and told the driver to get to the university. 

As he was in the cab his phone rang and noticed it was from Hea-Jung. He sighed and contemplated a little before he picked up the call. If he didn't then the girl would call him the whole night until he picked it up.

"How was your first day at the drama house? Did you face any problems?" She was a little too excited to know about his problems. 

He shook his head and replied, "No, I'm pretty well. The drama house is pretty good. Everything is very professional."

"Of course everything will be good and professional. What else did you think? That place is a cherry on top of all the drama houses out there. Many people would get on their knees to beg to get into that place." She scoffed on the other side.

Joon-won nodded and asked, "Alright, you are right. Anyway, why did you call so late at night?" 

"Well, I called to inform you that I might not be in touch this frequently for the next 2 months or even more. My shooting is starting in 2 days and I'll have to go to another city for the shoot. So I might not respond to your calls or messages and so I did you a favor by calling you and informing you of this. Now don't cry that I'll not be here to talk. You can send a text and I'll reply when I see it." She completely unleashed her narcissistic side. 

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