The Face Genius Actor

Episode 148

After getting off the plane and unpacking at the hotel, we immediately headed out for our appearance on .

I was a bit nervous since it had been a while since we had done a broadcast schedule.

The feeling was even stronger because we were appearing on the most famous talk show in America.

When we arrived at the filming location of , Jimmy King approached us first.

“I finally get to meet you two. I’m Jimmy King. Nice to meet you.”

Jimmy King greeted us pleasantly with a lively voice.

He gave the impression of being full of confidence.

“It’s an honor to be invited to .”

“Me too.”

My brother and I greeted Jimmy King while shaking hands.

But that was it.

“Let’s save all the questions I want to ask for when filming starts. Is that okay?”

Jimmy King quickly wrapped up the conversation like this.

It was a clean finish without any unnecessary additions, but it didn’t feel like he wanted to have a deep exchange with us.

Through this attitude, we could roughly understand how Jimmy King viewed us two.

‘Flash in the pan stars.’

That’s exactly how he seemed to see us.

Jimmy King was the type of person who actively promoted guests he really liked by taking selfies with them and posting them on social media.

But now, he seemed to have no such intention, constantly checking his watch and looking around.

Certainly, from Jimmy King’s perspective, it wasn’t strange to evaluate us this way.

was a popular program where global stars were invited as guests at least once a week.

Although had been on a recent impressive streak, from Jimmy King’s point of view, this level of popularity was quite common.

Also, to Jimmy King, who had been hosting for over 30 years, ’s records could be broken at any time.

In fact, was here because it had broken ’s record.

So from Jimmy King’s perspective, we two might not look all that impressive.

In reality, the news of our appearance on was being covered more actively in Korea.

This was proof that it was more of an honor for us to appear on .

‘Indeed, the status of is impressive. It’s been nominated for Emmy Awards nearly 80 times.’

However, this didn’t mean that my brother and I were showing a cowed appearance.

Just bowing our heads here wouldn’t make today’s filming go well.

Rather, ’s viewers tended to cheer for confident appearances.

So my brother and I were also determined to show such an appearance here.

And my brother…

‘He’s managing his expressions so well that there’s no need to worry about that aspect.’

My brother was a person who was nothing without confidence.

So I was the only one who needed to do well in this situation.

That’s why I smiled as I had practiced beforehand and answered.

“Please feel free to ask anything. We’ll be ready to answer all of it.”

Jimmy King looked at me for a moment and then nodded.

“Alright. See you later.”

* * *

A little while later.

As the filming officially began, we two appeared to the applause of the audience along with Jimmy King’s introduction, and we lightly bowed our heads.

We could comfortably choose this method as Korean-style greetings had already become a topic through other American talk shows.

As soon as we sat down in our designated seats, Jimmy King asked,

“I’m really glad to meet you two who have captured the hearts of people worldwide with . The bow you did as you came in was a Korean greeting, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

My brother answered in English, holding the microphone.

An interpreter was with us to help facilitate smooth conversation.

However, since both my brother and I were fairly proficient in English, we had agreed to handle most of the conversation directly if possible.

The interpreter’s presence was like insurance for unexpected situations.

“Actor Lee Jung-joon from also created a buzz with his Korean greeting, right? Were you conscious of that?”

“It’s true that we got a hint from that. However, we didn’t choose the Korean greeting to create a buzz like Actor Lee Jung-joon. We just thought we could greet in the way most comfortable for us.”

My brother answered truthfully and comfortably, and Jimmy King nodded.

“I see. Indeed, the Korean greeting feels quite familiar now. It’s natural since is gaining tremendous popularity following . Then, shall we naturally ask a question related to this? What do you think is the reason K-content is gaining worldwide popularity like this?”

Jimmy King looked at me while asking the question, so I immediately brought the microphone to my mouth.

“We can think of various reasons. But if I had to pick just one, I would talk about the quality of the work. No matter how many different elements are involved, I think that if the quality of the work isn’t high, it can’t receive love from many people.”

“Are you saying that even works from other countries can receive worldwide love if the quality is high?”

“Of course. In fact, nothing has as universal value as the quality of the work. Everything else is a variable.”

“But sometimes, don’t works with high artistic quality fail to receive love?”

“Now that Jimmy King has brought up the topic of artistic quality, the conversation is going to get a bit deeper.”

“Is that so? I guess I brought up an unnecessary topic. Shall we move on to another subject?”

“No. Since we’ve brought up the topic, let’s discuss it fully. I think artistic quality is just one of many criteria for evaluating a work’s overall quality. The criteria for determining a work’s quality include…”

was a program that discussed various topics daily.

Because of this, this kind of conversation seemed to flow freely.

I talked at length about the quality of work, and finally, Jimmy King nodded as if he understood and moved on to the next question.

“After hearing Lee Si-joon’s explanation, I think I understand why is loved by so many people. Now, let’s move on to the next question. has been on an incredible streak recently. Following , there are evaluations that it’s close to winning an Emmy Award this September. What do you think? Do you think you’ll win an award?”

It was my brother’s turn to answer this time.

“Yes. To be honest, I think we will.”

“Wow! That’s incredible confidence! Usually, people would say they’re not sure in this situation.”

“With articles pouring out daily that make us realize our popularity, we can’t help but think this way.”

“That’s true. I also think has the highest possibility of winning. However, there’s one thing I’m worried about. If wins an Emmy this time, won’t the pressure for season 2 increase? The success of season 2…”

Jimmy King suddenly trailed off, then added a question while his eyes sparkled towards us two.

“Would that be possible?”

My brother and I were momentarily taken aback.

We hadn’t expected to receive questions about season 2 in this way.

Above all, what surprised me was Jimmy King’s thoughts that I sensed from the question.

Jimmy King didn’t seem to be optimistic about the success of ’s season 2.

He seemed convinced that my brother and I would disappear as fleeting stars.

I was curious where he got this conviction from, but after organizing my thoughts for a moment, I opened my mouth.

“My brother is confident about winning an Emmy, but I’m actually more confident about the success of season 2.”

“Oh, is that so? May I ask the reason?”

“The reason is simple. It’s because I’m confident that everyone involved in making is the best.”

“Hmm… This information is a bit different from what I’ve researched. I acknowledge the two of you sitting here. Especially in the case of actor Lee Si-joon, your acting skills were recognized at Cannes with the work . But isn’t this all we can be sure of regarding everything surrounding ? From what I’ve heard, most of the production company, actors, directors, and on-site staff of are new faces or close to new faces, aren’t they?”

Listening to Jimmy King’s words, I could understand why he was negative about the success of season 2.

As expected, Jimmy King thought the current popularity was fleeting.

Certainly, when viewed from a step back, didn’t seem like a work with a high chance of success.

But after receiving Jimmy King’s proper question, I felt much more at ease.

I thought Jimmy King’s basis was much weaker than I had expected.

“That’s interesting. If you look at it from a step back, it might seem that way. Actually, I was also anxious when I first started preparing for .”

“Are you saying you’re not now?”

“Yes, that’s right. The anxiety about success originally stemmed from me. As I said earlier, I thought everything surrounding was perfect. If there was one thing lacking, I thought it was me.”

“That’s surprising. I thought Lee Si-joon would already have great confidence due to the success of .”

“Yes. It seems many people think that way. But in fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say that I’ve been acting in, writing, and directing works to gain confidence until now. I was always plagued by anxiety. Am I someone who deserves to be in this position? Is this okay? With feelings like that. was what put a period to this long, anxious journey. With the success of , I finally realized that it’s okay for me to stand shoulder to shoulder with such excellent people. So now, if someone asks about the possibility of success for season 2…”

I paused here and looked straight at Jimmy King.

Then I continued.

“Yes, I’m confident it will succeed. How could I not be confident about its success?”

* * *

And so, my brother and I were able to successfully finish filming and drank until late in the evening.

Then, while we were back in Korea and immersed in filming part 13 of , the episode of featuring us two finally aired and caused a huge sensation.

<“How could I not be confident about its success?” Lee Si-joon’s Statement Continues to Make Headlines>

<‘Toema Hwan Ya Dam Season 2’ Might be Released Before the Emmy Awards Ceremony in September?>

The response was beyond expectations.