69novels Chapter 77: Casting Begins for "Goblin"
Chapter 77: Casting Begins for "Goblin"
Before "Stranger" had even finished airing, Lee Young-eun had already submitted the first draft of her new script.
She didn't write it alone. The outline was given by Su Yu—two months ago, he called Li Ying'en into his office, closed the door, and talked for a full hour. He explained everything from character settings to world-building to the core conflict, down to the exact location where the sword should be stuck in the male protagonist's chest.
After listening, Li Ying'en remained silent for a long time before asking, "Representative Su, did you come up with these yourself?"
Su Yu glanced at her. "No."
"That is..."
"You don't need to worry about it. Just write it as a script."
Lee Young-eun didn't ask any more questions. She spent two months piecing together the fragments Su Yu had dictated into a complete script. When the first draft was submitted, the cover read "Goblin," with "Screenwriter Lee Young-eun" credited below, but she added a small note at the end—"Creative idea provided by: Su Yu."
Su Yu read it in the company's conference room. It was a thick stack of A4 papers. He flipped through it, reading from the first page to the last. He drank two cups of coffee in between, went to the restroom, and came back to continue reading.
It was already three o'clock in the afternoon when he finished reading. He closed the script, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes for a while.
Lee Young-eun sat opposite him, holding a cup of coffee that had gone cold, staring at him nervously.
"Representative Su?"
Su Yu opened her eyes.
"How is it?"
"good."
Lee Young-eun paused for a moment. "Not bad?"
"Not bad at all." Su Yu pushed the script back. "There are a few places where the rhythm can be adjusted a bit. I've marked them. Read it and make the changes. Once you've made the changes, it'll be finalized."
Lee Young-eun opened the script and saw a few lines written in pencil in the margin—not changes to the dialogue, but adjustments to the scene order and emotional moments. She looked at it for a while, then looked up, her eyes lighting up.
"With your adjustment, the climax of episode nine will come earlier, and the audience's emotions will be stirred up sooner."
"Okay. Send it to me when you're done."
Lee Young-eun stood up with the script in her arms, took a couple of steps, and then turned back.
"Representative Su, you still haven't told me where you got these ideas from."
Su Yu looked at her and remained silent for two seconds.
"I dreamt about it."
Lee Young-eun stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled. "Okay, you dreamt about it. Then dream a few more."
She pushed open the door and went out.
Su Yu leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He certainly wasn't dreaming. Those images, those plots, those lines—they were all etched into his mind—from another world, from the classic works he'd read before his transmigration. *Goblin* was one of them. He wasn't the screenwriter; he was merely a copyist.
But now there is a problem.
In the original world, the male lead of "Goblin" was Gong Yoo, and the female lead was Kim Go-eun. It was a successful combination, proven by the market. But Su Yu didn't want to use Gong Yoo. It wasn't that he couldn't afford him; he wanted to give the opportunity to someone he knew.
Yoon Shi-yoon.
He's been with Su Yu since day one, from the wall-climbing scene in "Model Taxi" to now, without a single complaint. His acting is solid, and he's popular with audiences; he just lacks a role that can truly cement his legendary status.
That's the character from "Goblin".
As for the female lead, Su Yu never considered a second candidate.
Cai Xiubin.
My phone vibrated. It was a message from Cai Xiubin: "What do you want to eat tonight?"
Su Yu typed: "Hot pot. And invite Yoon Shi-yoon over for dinner."
"Why call him?"
"Speak if you have something to say."
Cai Xiubin sent a puzzled emoji, but didn't ask any further questions.
At 7 p.m., Yoon Shi-yoon arrived at Su Yu's house. He was wearing an old hoodie and carrying a bag of fruit. As soon as he entered, he exclaimed, "It smells so good!" Cai Xiubin was busy in the kitchen, and the soup in the pot was bubbling away.
"Sit down," Su Yu said, pointing to the sofa.
Yoon Shi-yoon sat down and placed the fruit on the coffee table. "You didn't just invite me here for hot pot, did you?"
"Um."
"What is it?"
Su Yu took a script out of her bag, placed it on the coffee table, and pushed it in front of Yin Shiyun.
Yoon Shi-yoon glanced down at the cover—"Goblin." He picked it up and flipped through it, his hands starting to tremble after a few pages.
"This is... for me?"
"Um."
"The male lead?"
"Um."
Yoon Shi-yoon looked up, her eyes red-rimmed. "Su Yu, are you serious?"
"When have I ever not been serious?"
Yoon Shi-yoon stared at him for a few seconds, then hugged the script to his chest as if it were something precious.
"I'll act. I'll act even if it kills me."
"You don't have to die. Just act well."
Cai Xiubin came out of the kitchen carrying dishes and saw Yoon Shi-yoon holding a script with red eyes. She was stunned for a moment.
"What's wrong?"
"Su Yu wants me to play the male lead in his new drama." Yoon Shi-yoon's voice trembled slightly.
Cai Xiubin looked at Su Yu. "He's cast as the male lead? What about the female lead?"
Su Yu looked at her. "You."
Cai Xiubin almost dropped the plate in her hand.
"I?"
"you."
Cai Xiubin placed the plate on the table, wiped his hands, and walked over to Su Yu.
Say it again.
"You are the female lead."
Cai Xiubin stared at him for several seconds, then turned to look at Yin Shiyun. Yin Shiyun nodded at her, grinning like a fool.
"real?"
"real."
Cai Xiubin's eyes also reddened. She didn't cry; she took a deep breath and swallowed it back.
"Let's eat," she said. "We'll talk after we eat."
The three of them sat down to eat hot pot. The broth in the pot was boiling, and the steam blurred their faces. Yoon Shi-yoon ate very quickly, as if afraid that Su Yu would change her mind. He was reading the script while eating, and almost ate the ginger slices instead of meat.
"Stop reading." Su Yu snatched the script from his hands. "You can read it after you finish eating."
Yoon Shi-yoon chuckled twice and then lowered his head to eat heartily.
Cai Xiubin sat next to Su Yu, barely eating. Her chopsticks stirred the food in her bowl, her mind elsewhere.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
When did you make that decision?
"Very early."
"How early?"
Su Yu thought for a moment. "When I signed her."
He didn't say who "she" was, but Cai Xiubin knew.
Yoon Shi-yoon found out too. He put down his chopsticks, looked at Su Yu, then at Cai Xiubin, and then smiled.
"You two are really something."
"Really what?" Cai Xiubin asked.
"That's so enviable."
Cai Xiubin felt a little embarrassed by his words and lowered her head to drink her soup. Su Yu didn't say anything, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
After finishing their hotpot, Yoon Shi-yoon left. Before leaving, he stuffed the script into his bag, zipped it up, patted it, and said to Su Yu, "Don't worry, I won't let anyone down." Su Yu replied, "Just don't embarrass me." Yoon Shi-yoon smiled, turned, and left.
Cai Xiubin was washing dishes in the kitchen. Su Yu walked in and hugged her from behind.
Are you happy?
"I'm happy," Cai Xiubin said softly, "but I'm also afraid."
"What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid I won't play the role well. This role is much more difficult than Ahn Go-eun's."
Su Yu rested his chin on her shoulder. "You were afraid before you played An Gaoen. What happened afterward?"
Cai Xiubin didn't say anything, but she leaned into his arms and relaxed a little.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
Why did you choose me?
"Because you are my girlfriend."
"Is that all?"
Su Yu thought for a moment. "You acted well. You worked hard. You believed in me. And," he paused, "I want to work with you on a project. Not just the kind where you're the actor and I'm the producer, but a real collaboration."
Cai Xiubin turned around to face him, looked up and gazed into his eyes.
"I could say that for the rest of my life."
Su Yu lowered his head and kissed her.
"Then let's say it's for a lifetime."
After the casting was finalized, Su Yu began recruiting people.
"Goblin" needs several key supporting actors. In the original world, these characters made the drama and those actors famous. Su Yu wants to poach them and sign them to Yinuo Entertainment.
The first one is Kim Go-eun.
In the original world, she was the female lead in "Goblin." Now the female lead has been replaced by Chae Soo-bin, but Kim Go-eun is still a gem. Her acting skills, her charisma, and her versatility are unmatched by most newcomers. When Su Yu asked Choi Min-soo to contact her, she was still making independent films, had little fame, and her agency was a small, unheard-of studio.
"She said she needs to think about it," Choi Min-soo reported back.
"What are you considering?"
"Consider whether we're scammers."
Su Yu's lips twitched slightly. "Have her come to the company for a visit."
Kim Go-eun arrived the next day.
She was wearing a gray coat, had no makeup on, and her hair was casually tied up; she looked like a college student. Su Yu met her at the company entrance and showed her around—the building wasn't big, and there weren't many people, but everyone was busy.
"Our company isn't very big," Su Yu said.
"I know."
"Then why did you come?"
Kim Go-eun looked at him. "Because you filmed 'The Model Taxi.' That drama was very good."
"I didn't film it. It was the director and actors who did a great job."
"But you made the choices," Kim Go-eun said. "You chose the director, the actors, the script. It was all your choice."
Su Yu glanced at her. "What do you want to act?"
"Isn't there a ghost character in 'Goblin'? I want to play that role."
She was an important supporting character in the drama, with limited screen time but a very memorable role. Su Yu originally wanted to find someone else, but Kim Go-eun brought it up herself.
Why did you choose that one?
"Because that character has a backstory. Although his screen time is limited, every scene he plays is a gem."
Su Yu was silent for a few seconds. "Okay."
Kim Go-eun signed a contract and became an actress with Influence Entertainment.
The second one is Lee Dong-wook.
Su Yu hadn't intended to sign him. Lee Dong-wook was an established actor with his own agency; it was unlikely he'd join a small company. But Su Yu needed him to play the Grim Reaper in "Goblin"—in the original world, that role was played by Lee Dong-wook, and Su Yu didn't want to replace him.
He asked Choi Min-soo to negotiate a collaboration—not a contract, but a film project. Lee Dong-wook's manager read the script and said, "The role of the Grim Reaper is very interesting, but Lee Dong-wook is currently looking at other scripts." Su Yu asked Lee Young-eun to compile the Grim Reaper's scenes separately and send them to Lee Dong-wook.
Three days later, Lee Dong-wook's manager called.
"He said he wanted to act in it. His schedule could be adjusted."
Su Yu said "okay" and hung up the phone.
The third is Yoo In-na.
She was also part of the original cast from the original world. When Su Yu asked Cui Minxiu to contact her, she was negotiating a contract renewal with her original company, but they couldn't agree on a price. Su Yu directly offered a price 30% higher than her original company's, and Liu Renna came over the next day.
"Your company is really small." That was the first thing she said when she came in.
"Um."
"But the price they asked for was quite high."
"Because it's worth it."
Yoo In-na smiled. "Okay, I'll sign."
The fourth is Yook Sung-jae.
He started as an idol and wants to transition into acting. Su Yu has seen his performances; he has talent, but lacks polish. Su Yu asked Choi Min-soo to contact his agency, who said that Yook Sung-jae was willing to take supporting roles, but the price wouldn't be low. Su Yu said, "Price isn't the issue; the issue is whether he can act well." After Yook Sung-jae found out, he called himself.
"Representative Su, I will definitely perform well."
"How do you know you can act well if you haven't even read the script?"
"Because I want to act well."
Su Yu was silent for two seconds. "Come to the company tomorrow to pick up the script."
The fifth was Kim Min-jae. A young actor with limited screen time, but Su Yu felt he had potential. When Choi Min-soo went to sign him, Kim Min-jae was filming a web drama, only sleeping four hours a day. When he received the contract, he asked, "Does your company provide meals?" Choi Min-soo said "yes," and he signed.
Within a week, the main cast of "Goblin" was finalized:
Male lead: Yoon Shi-yoon (Yin Guo Entertainment)
Female lead: Chae Soo-bin (Yin-Yong Entertainment)
Second female lead (ghost): Kim Go-eun (Yin-Yong Entertainment, newly signed)
Second male lead (Grim Reaper): Lee Dong-wook (collaboration, not under contract)
Third female lead (fried chicken shop owner): Yoo In-na (newly signed with Inguo Entertainment)
Third male lead (grandson of a chaebol): Yook Sung-jae (Yin-Yong Entertainment, newly signed)
Supporting role: Kim Min-jae (Yinguo Entertainment, newly signed)
Su Yu looked at the list and did a quick mental calculation—one drama, seven main actors, five of whom were from his company. This wasn't much; there would be more in the future.
Choi Min-soo stood next to him, also looking at the list.
"Other companies will have objections if you poach talent like this."
"What's your opinion?"
"You've poached all the good talents from other places."
Su Yu put down the list. "I didn't dig. They came on their own."
Choi Min-soo glanced at him but said nothing more. The boss was right; they really did come on their own. Kim Go-eun came on her own, Yoo In-na came on her own, and Yook Sung-jae came on his own. He simply offered a price they couldn't refuse.
When Cai Xiubin got home that evening, she sat on the sofa reading the script. She had already read it several times, and every page was covered in notes.
"You're back?" She didn't even look up.
Su Yu changed his shoes, walked over and sat down next to her, glancing at the script in her hand.
"Which episode are you on?"
"In the third episode, during the scene where the grim reaper appears, I think the emotions could have been toned down a bit."
"Did you tell Lee Young-eun?"
"I told her. She said she'd think about it."
Su Yu leaned back on the sofa, watching her. Cai Xiubin was very focused when reading the script, her brows slightly furrowed, her lips occasionally moving as if she were reciting lines. She wasn't like this before. Before, when she received a script, she would read the story first, and only read her own scenes a second time. Now, she started analyzing the emotional logic of each scene from the very first reading.
"Cai Xiubin".
"Um?"
You've changed.
Cai Xiubin looked up. "Did it get better or worse?"
"It's gotten better."
Cai Xiubin smiled, put down the script, and leaned into his arms.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
"Thank you for choosing me."
"You're welcome."
"I want to thank you," Chae Soo-bin said in a muffled voice, "not because you're the boss and I'm the actor, but because you believe in me. You believe I can play Ahn Go-eun well, you believe I can play the Goblin's Bride well. You believe in me more than I believe in myself."
Su Yu gently patted her back.
"That's because you deserve it."
Cai Xiubin closed her eyes, a smile playing on her lips.
The night view of the Han River outside the window was as quiet as ever. Su Yu's phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn't take it out to check. Whether it was work or something else, he could wait.
Now, all he wanted was to hold her and stay a little longer in this quiet Seoul night.