Rebirth: King to Superstar

"So you got the villain role. Do your best out there." Pak Shin commented as he took Joon-won's measurements. 

Joon-won nodded and looked around the room. He helped around here for 3 days and everything was still the same. He looked at Pak Shin and asked, "Are you guys not short-handed like before?" 

Pak Shin shook his head and said, "No we are actually ok for this week. This week's script is modern, unlike the previous one which was Rome. So we will be able to get the costumes from outside stores, ready-made ones and we would only have to make a few adjustments to those dresses if needed. That's all. Last week, we had to make the costumes ourselves, that's why we were underhanded."

Joon-won nodded and didn't talk after that. He let the man continue to do his work. After 2 minutes, Pak Shin stood up after taking the last measurement and said, "Alright, that's it for your measurements. Come back on Friday for the costumes and you can try it on." Joon-won nodded and got out of the room. He didn't disturb the others when they already had their hands full. 

As he walked out of the building, he heard someone call for him. He turned around and saw Dokgo Ki's angry face coming at him. It didn't look like the kid was about to stop and so Joon-won sidestepped and, as he expected, Dokgo Ki didn't stop and tripped. He fell face-first on the floor. 

He looked up with a red face and was pointing his finger towards Joon-won with no words coming out of his mouth. He didn't expect Joon-won to be bold enough to trip him. His face was suffering, and he was so angry he couldn't even speak properly. 

Joon-won took a glance at him before stepping over him and continuing towards the road. He wanted to quickly find a cab and go away from the idiot behind him. 

"Bastard, wait right there. I don't know what scam you pulled off to get that role. No way a newbie like you is better than a movie star like me. Just you wait, my acting skills will outshine yours and you'll be humiliated in front of everyone." Shouting like a madman in front of the drama house. Joon-won just found it strange that the guy thought he cheated in the audition. How could he have cheated? 

He ignored the guy and waved a cab down before getting away from the idiot. Now all that Joon-won had to do was to prepare for the role. He didn't need to go to the drama house even on Thursday, too. So the one day he has, removing his shift at the store was important for him and he decided to not waste it. This was, after all, the first step towards his acting career. 

He reached home and took a deep breath, ate some snacks before starting to prepare for the role. The rest of the day went away with him, practicing his scenes and lines over and over again. He went to bed quickly once again and started Friday early once again. 

This time, as he made his way towards the gym, he readied his mind for the possible muscle pain he might get. As soon as he entered the store, the same guy he saw yesterday was behind the front desk. He stood up when he saw him and pulled out a card from the drawer before handing it over to him.

"This is a trial passcard you'll get for a week. Please have it with you when you come in so that we know who you are. You'll get a membership card after the free trial and based on if you want to continue or not." 

Joon-won nodded and took the card from him before keeping it in his pocket and moving into the gym. As he entered he saw the same scene, he saw the last 2 days and so he looked around for Dong Kun. He noticed Dong Kun doing a few exercises and walked towards him.

Dong Kun noticed Joon-won and stopped before standing up and said with a smile, "Alright then, let's start if you're ready." The smile looked like a devil's grin for Joon-won, but he still nodded and an hour of exercise started.

After an hour later he wobbled out of the gym once again with his body aching and slowly started to walk back home. As soon as he reached home, he got into another ice bath and felt lucky that he stored some water the whole night in the refrigerator before going to sleep. 

After another painful ice bath, he dressed up, ate a full breakfast, and rushed for work. The shift went smoothly, without any problems. He listened to Gah Soo, who whined about her exams again, and gave her some words of encouragement before walking back home. 

As soon as he got home, he received a text and thought it was from either Jung-hwa or Hea-Jung, but it turned out to be from Kar Jung. Kar Jung sent him a text asking if he was free. He felt skeptical when he saw the text and after a few minutes of trying to figure out what the old man might want but coming up with nothing he sent a yes. 

He kept his phone in his pocket after that and walked into the kitchen to cook some nice lunch for himself and, as he was cooking, he received a reply from Kar Jung.

[If you are free, then come to my house so that we can practice and I want to see how far you can go with your problems. What I saw yesterday wasn't enough and let's make some progress.]

Before he could react to the message, he received another one.

[Right, eat lunch before you come. I don't want you crashing my peaceful lunch too.] This made Joon-won think when he crashed the old man's anything. But he remembered his obsession to be alone with his wife and just didn't care about it. 

He thought for a second and decided to agree. His progress was ok, but it was difficult for him to do it alone and Kar Jung might help him by giving a technique to do it better than just forcing the excess emotions down. So he simply sent a text back that he would be there in an hour and kept the phone aside before taking his time to cook the food.

After finishing the food, he took his headphones, wore a hoodie, and walked out of the house. As soon as he exited the building, he saw a cab and waved it down. The ride was long, and he enjoyed the music in his ears. After listening to the music for a while, he found a few bands he liked to listen to, and those songs were always on a loop. The music was way better than what he had, that music was too plain and boring.

Eventually, he arrived in front of a gated community and the driver told him he couldn't go in. He got out, paid the money, and walked in after getting Kar Jung to tell the security guard he was there for a friend. After crossing a few enormous houses, he arrived in front of Kar Jung's house. He still can't believe how Kar Kung brought such a house from a few movies and dramas. 

He went up to the door and rang the doorbell. The door opened, and he saw it was Kar Jung's wife, Kar Min. Kar Min smiled and invited him. She asked how he was and led him into the backyard. He couldn't see the last time he came because it was during nighttime and was closed by the curtains. 

He replied to her questions, and they eventually reached a small room on the other side of the big yard. Joon-won also noticed a small swimming pool on the side of the yard and just thought he should own a house like that after he makes it big. 

The small room was simple from the outside, and Kar Min led him inside. The small room was actually a miniature house with a room, a kitchen, and even a living room. 

Kar Min looked at him and said, "Let's wait here for a few minutes. Kar Jung went out for a few groceries and told me to make you wait here until he comes." 

Joon-won nodded and continued to look around the house. Kar Min noticed this and told, "This is actually for Kar Jung when he wants some alone time. He likes to be alone and have a peaceful surrounding whenever he gets a script and needs to practice a role. So he locks himself here for a few days to prepare for the drama or movie. He was here even yesterday and today."

Joon-won nodded as he understood where Kar Jung was coming from. Even he needed to be alone and not only them, but most of the actors also prefer to be alone when they try to understand a role and read the script. It just helps them concentrate better.