As the auditions for ‘The Forsaken Prince’ came nearer, insiders revealed SK channel’s intent to make a drama adaptation of the well-loved book.
The stakes were already higher, but they had been doubled because ‘The Forsaken Prince’ also had a very popular manhwa and anime, probably even more popular than the original novel.
In that sense, fans of the franchises were also expecting a lot from the project.
– They better cast the perfect actor for Hajin.
– I can forgive any other cast except for the main characters! Don’t mess it up.
– Wouldn’t Daniel be a good choice for Hajin?
– Bitch, fuck off. Daniel can’t act for shit. Ian Seo for the win.
– Ian Seo looks too pampered for that role. There’s a reason why nearly all of his characters are rich, good-natured, or practically a display on an altar.
– I can already feel the headache coming in. No matter who they cast, there’s going to be a war.
– Some are already posting their dream cast on Sigmoid. Let’s just say that some people have taste… but they should keep it to themselves.
– They better not leave out the best parts of the manhwa!
– They already cut off too many scenes from the book to the manhwa. Manhwa fans should not have a say in this!
– Yeah, yeah. Talk to me when you already read the book.
It wasn’t only in the country. There were plenty of fans from the entire world, and while it wasn’t a global sensation, it was still popular enough that it trended at the 35th spot worldwide.
“Are you ready for it?” Moby asked, his hands shaking as he parked the car.
Zeno opened his eyes, staring at the nervous man.
“Yes,” he said without any hesitation.
“Sir Bobby would like to apologize for being absent. He’s with Leni and Sarang for another event. They were only called this morning, and they took it for the extra money. Sir Bobby needs it to buy the keyboard piano for his daughter.”
Zeno’s eyebrows raised. “I thought he already bought it?”
Moby scratched the back of his neck. “Instruments are quite expensive, aren’t they? He bought a cheap one from an online shop, but it came as big as a water bottle. It was functional, though, but his daughter couldn’t play on it.”
Zeno shook his head. “You really shouldn’t fall into such scams.”
He merely chuckled. However, Moby’s breath got caught in the back of his throat when he saw a man walk toward the SK building.
“What?” Zeno asked.
“Th—that’s,” Moby stammered, pointing toward the entrance.
Zeno focused his gaze on the man with two bodyguards swiftly walking toward the building.
“It’s Yuan!” Moby exclaimed.
Zeno turned to him with one eyebrow raised. The name wasn’t too familiar to him.
“You don’t know him?” Moby asked.
Zeno shook his head, his gaze focusing back on the man, who appeared a bit older than him, with very fair skin and soft features.
“He’s a new member of the ‘Rookie Class,'” Moby began to explain.
“His name is Yuan. Just Yuan. He doesn’t even use his last name because there’s no need for one, apparently.”
“The industry knows him for being an idol once. However, his group disbanded after their military hiatus, and their company had cast them to the side.”
“Some of his members had already started building their families, some were arrested, and then there’s him, who pursued becoming an actor. In a brutal movie about school bullying, he established himself in the industry as a good actor. Since then, he has starred in more dramas and films as the main character.”
Zeno squinted his eyes to see if he could make out his stats.
[B-lister with B+ talent]
This was definitely a new world for him. After being with the cast of ‘Stars in My Ordinary Sky,’ who were D-list influencers with mediocre talent at best, being with the bigshot actors made Zeno feel that the stakes were higher.
“Well, I’m going,” Zeno said, about to open the door to Moby’s beat-up truck. However, another artist, this time greeting those around him with a wide smile, appeared.
“Omo!” Moby exclaimed. “Wait a minute. That’s Suho Ryu!”
Zeno stopped once again, and he looked through the window.
[B-lister with A- talent]
“I’ve seen him grow up on TV! He used to play everyone’s younger version. What is he doing here?” Moby muttered.
“He’s going to audition, of course,” Zeno deadpanned.
Moby pursed his lips. “Then, that’s bad news. His specialty is period dramas like this one. He always played the young, wise prince, but now that he’s older, I bet he’s going to audition for the role of Hajin!”
“He was so amazing on ‘The Peacock Throne,’ too. That’s my mom’s favorite drama.”
Of course, Zeno didn’t expect anything less than this. Although it wasn’t a prime time slot, a lot of stars would still fight for the big role. In fact the 11:00 PM slot might just be the best time, as most people were still awake (not Zeno, though).
“Can I go now?” Zeno asked.
Moby nodded, feeling even more nervous than before. There were too many artists that Zeno would be competing with for the role!
Just before Zeno could take another step, however, Moby exaggeratedly gasped once again.
Zeno turned to him and clicked his tongue.
“What now?” he asked.
“I can’t believe this,” Moby muttered, his eyes fixed outside.
Zeno looked once again.
“Oska Baek,” Moby muttered.
“His grandfather is the first Korean director to ever win an Oska, one of the most prestigious awards in the entire world!”
“It was back in the 1940s, the black-and-white reel days. That’s why they named him Oska.”
“Oska’s family has been influential ever since he was born. However, most people can’t argue with his talent. He’s an intense actor who specializes in a lot of melodramas. They say he can cry in 0.27 seconds.”
“That’s impossible,” Zeno muttered. Those values were too low! That wasn’t even a breath.
“It’s true,” Moby exclaimed. “Anyway, be careful around him. He’s got a lot of connections, and the fact that he’s from Daebak Entertainment already says a lot.”
Zeno silently nodded. He didn’t have to be told such a warning. Just looking at Oska Baek’s status was already enough of a threat.
[A-lister with A+ talent]