"So what do you think, V.I-kun?"

The smile on the man's face was warm, fatherly, and it reminded Seungri of the President in his good days. 

Seungri could feel that his words are sincere; he was truly giving him a chance to shine. He knew that he had acted before in several dramas, but nothing as big as this movie. And he had heard of EXILE TRIBE a couple of times during his promotions in Japan, one of his friends here actually liked them because they are so very elaborate with all their performances, so Seungri knew for a fact that they had quite a following here in Japan. He flipped the script and the photos of the cast, all of them are very handsome, some are even better looking than Jiyong-hyung, could he really...

"Seungri-ssi," his manager called, his tongue distinctly Korean, judging by the honorific he used. Seungri realized that he had let the silence hang for too long, so he offered a friendly smile to Hiro-san. "I would really love to give this role a try." Seungri flipped the script until it showed the characters' description. His eyes darted towards a highlighted name. "Changson Lee?" He tried the name, familiarizing his tongue with a name he would have to take in the universe. Hiro-san nodded. "I've seen your variety shows and I went to your concert once in Nagoya; I think this character will be a challenge for you."

Changson Lee

The only son and heir of the Korean mafia that intended to take over S.W.O.R.D. He allies himself with the Mighty Warriors, offering them as reinforcements for Kohaku in his quest to destroy S.W.O.R.D. Lee is a sly and manipulative man, even going as far as dangling the information about Kohaku's friend to get his interest.

"Wow, he is nothing like me at all..." Seungri had acted a lot. In musicals, in dramas, hell, even in music videos. But most of them are always comedy and music videos are nothing like acting in a movie. Seungri is a variety idol in Korea (and Japan too, nowadays) because he was a funny guy with flat jokes that often embarrased himself and his hyungs in front of camera, Seungri is Teddy Seo because he understood unrequited love and he knew all too well the feeling of being plunged into a new environment while being a stranger, and plus he could speak English, Seungri is Seungho because he is a simple and straightforward person that happened to be a little eccentric, but Seungri wasn't sure if he could be Lee.

(Which was ironic because technically, he is Lee, Lee Seunghyun)

Hiro-san had a smile on his face, one that Seungri would have fought tooth and nail to get from the president. "But when I created the concept for Lee, you are the first person that comes to mind, V.I-kun. So, what do you say?" Seungri was utterly utterly honored that someone thought of him that way. So he looked towards his manager, a determined look on his face as he gripped the script tight. His manager sighed and gave him a nod as he opened up his phone, no doubt to text the company that Seungri would be taking a movie-filming job in Japan. 

He turned towards Hiro-san once more and sighed. "Will it be okay, Hiro-san? I mean, everyone is so handsome, I wonder if I could fit in...?" Hiro-san laughed warmly as he offered a hand to Seungri. "You are very handsome too, Seungchan. I'm looking forward to see how you'll bring Changson Lee to life." Seungri took his hand, smiling coyly as he often does.

"I will be under your care, Hiro-san."

"Same to you."

***

Seungri went back to Korea the day after, but he didn't go to Gangnam or to the office, he went straight home.

After he showered, Seungri put on some clothes before going to the living room of his apartment. He lied on the rug, staring at the ceiling as he mindlessly the TV to have some background noise.

He hadn't tell anyone. He didn't say anything in the group chat, nor did he call Jiyong-hyung to let him know that he had gotten himself a fairly important role in such a huge-scale movie in Japan. And because EXILE TRIBE are all musicians, he even got a featuring, and that was something he should be proud about. But he hadn't really think of that.

The only thing in his mind at this very moment was Changson Lee. 

It was hard to picture himself as a villanous character because he'd been a comedian for as long as he could remember. It was hard to picture himself withholding information because he wanted someone to do his bidding. Seungri was by no means a saint, because he does have manipulative side from time to time but still...

He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. He had already read the script multiple times when he was on the plane back home. He already tried to picture the scene, and yet still it didn't come together. Changson Lee is still just a name. He didn't have quirks, he didn't have things he'd do because he noticed things about himself (like how Seungri would always sit with his left side towards the camera because that was his best angle), he had no likes or dislikes or anything that makes him special or unique or human. 

Changson Lee should be another person entirely. Someone so opposite of himself. Changson Lee should be different from Lee Seunghyun. 

And he knew just the way to do it.