episode_0015

“Ah….”

“Uh.”

The staff and actors momentarily fell silent.

They hesitated to speak, unsure of what to say in the unexpected situation, and ended up closing their mouths awkwardly.

“Beyond imagination.”

Suddenly, one of the staff murmured.

And it was true.

The scene where Seo Yisoo and Kang Seongwoo harmonized exceeded their expectations.

Of course, in a good way.

Scene 68.

This scene was a crucial turning point for the protagonist, Han Seong’s character.

A former top star who had fallen to become a manager.

From the beginning, Han Seong struggled with a deep sense of lethargy.

Understandably so.

There’s a saying, isn’t there?

You can’t downgrade your house or car to a lower class just to survive.

The same goes for social status.

The man who had everything as a top star found it unfamiliar and difficult to be reduced to the position of a manager, hearing the ridicule of others.

“Hey, isn’t that guy Han Seong sunbae?”

“Sunbae? What a joke. Just another celebrity.”

“Doesn’t he have any industry colleagues to comfort him?”

“That’s why you should have taken care of your surroundings when things were going well.”

Surrounded by malice.

Han Seong initially gets angry.

But the manager, not even a director but just a regular road manager, is nothing but the lowest level of the entertainment industry pyramid.

He was powerless, and powerlessness. It is learned through repetition.

As Han Seong became a manager, he rapidly lost himself.

It was Ye Na who comforted him.

Through his interactions with Ye Na, Han Seong fixes his heart and dreams of a second leap as a manager.

He harbors feelings close to affection for her.

He decides to make this woman a more magnificent top star than his former self.

To do that, he suppresses his true nature and simply dedicates himself as a ‘pure manager’ to perform his duties.

“How long are you going to act like a child?”

“…What are you talking about?”

The initial confrontation with the villain Cha Yeon Soo was a catalyst and a necessary role in awakening Han Seong’s suppressed nature.

“…You’re really twisted.”

“Even you, sunbae. Just like me.”

Because Cha Yeon Soo is a monster-like woman.

Han Seong had to confront Cha Yeon Soo to protect Ye Na.

And for that, he couldn’t just remain an ordinary manager.

In the scene, 68.

While conversing with Cha Yeon Soo.

Cha Yeon Soo fully reveals her twisted side through words, expressions, and actions.

Facing that.

Han Seong gradually awakens his charisma as a former top star.

The initial gap between the two, which was like a firefly in front of the sun, gradually narrows as their words intertwine.

And eventually.

“Cha Yeon Soo.”

“Yes, sunbae. What is it?”

“I will never let you do as you please.”

When Han Seong declares that he will protect his actress, Ye Na, while looking directly at Cha Yeon Soo.

At that moment, the presence of the two becomes equal.

It was the conclusion of a scene that anticipated the active role of Manager Han Seong, who struggles for his actress, Ye Na.

Scene 68 was such a scene.

“His expression is killer.”

An assistant director cautiously approached PD Jo Gil San, who was checking the scene on the monitor.

“I thought it would be amazing if we had an actor who could match Seo Yisoo properly. But with Kang Seongwoo as the counterpart, scenes like this are captured right away.”

The assistant director’s expression was filled with admiration.

On the monitor, Cha Yeon Soo was smiling twistedly.

“His emotional expression is truly remarkable. It’s clearly a draft of acting. How is such acting possible?”

Even though there was no cold wind blowing.

The assistant director shivered as if feeling chills.

Jo Gil San understood the assistant director’s excitement.

He silently stared at the monitor.

He looked at the expression on Cha Yeon-soo’s, no, Seo Yi-soo’s face.

He captured the expression she made as she declared to stop him, glaring at herself.

“Okay. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Yi-soo’s expression as she said she was looking forward to his performance.

The expression had a dual nature.

On one hand, there was a deadly hostility towards the enemy daring to confront her.

On the other hand, there was a joyous excitement and a touching emotion as if she had found her confidant.

It was an overwhelming expression.

It contained emotions so intense that anyone who saw it even once would never be able to turn away again.

Just by looking at it, one might feel as if they were being drawn in without realizing it.

That was the expression.

“Wow.”

“Is this Seo Yi-soo’s amazing expression, or is it Kang Seo-woo’s amazing ability to match her?”

After the cut sign rang out, the momentarily quiet set became noisy as if asking when that had happened.

Everyone began to express their thoughts on how impressive the scene they just witnessed was.

Even some supporting actors who usually ignored and teased her were now wearing disgusted faces.

However, among those people.

Director Jo Gil-san’s expression was subtle.

‘What a waste.’

He looked at Seo Yi-soo on the screen once again.

It was certainly an overwhelming performance and scene.

But….

‘They don’t match.’

Unlike the admiration of others, Seo Yi-soo and Kang Seo-woo did not synchronize their acting.

There were parts where they were slightly out of sync, causing the dynamic between them to be distorted.

However, Kang Seo-woo’s exceptional acting skills allowed him to match Seo Yi-soo better than others.

‘Fundamentally, Seo Yi-soo’s emotions are too exaggerated.’

In a way, Seo Yi-soo’s acting this time was too much.

Even though she was a supporting role, she seemed like she could overshadow Kang Seo-woo, the lead actor, at any moment.

‘If their breathing had been a little more out of sync, there would have been a NG.’

The recent shoot was more dangerous than it seemed.

Seo Yi-soo’s acting was inexperienced.

However, her emotions were so intense that they far surpassed the level of the culprit.

‘To continue shooting without NG, there’s a lot to consider.’

Director Jo Gil-san’s head was spinning.

But he didn’t dislike the current situation.

‘Well, anyway. Thanks to her, the scene was shot perfectly.’

He had anticipated this level of risk when casting Seo Yi-soo.

‘Working with Won-seok is like this.’

It was like handling an untamed wild horse.

You had to hold the reins tightly with a nervous heart, not knowing when or where it might veer off.

But if you could handle it properly, you would gain a specialty that was incomparable to riding such a warhorse on the battlefield.

And there was someone who shared the exact same thoughts as Director Jo Gil-san.

***

“Sigh.”

Seo Yi-soo let out a deep breath.

It was a sign of breaking free from the playfulness.

Playfulness was the act of constructing a virtual personality and burying one’s original personality as a sub-personality.

Therefore, when breaking free from playfulness, one always felt a refreshing feeling like waking up from a deep sleep.

That was why the dragon played playfulness.

It was why Seo Yi-soo liked playfulness.

And it was also why she was gradually expanding her interest in acting that was similar to but slightly different from playfulness.

“This playfulness was more enjoyable than ever.”

But lately, Seo Yi-soo had been enjoying playfulness even more than before.

With the addition of acting and filming elements.

She was already looking forward to the next shoot.

But then.

“Seo Yi-soo, junior.”

“Hmm?”

Kang Sungwoo was looking at himself with annoyance.

He said, “How long are you going to pretend?”

“Pretend…?”

“It’s time to start taking it seriously.”

“….”

“If you want to hear more details, ask the director.”

Kang Sungwoo pointed to Jo Gilsan PD, who was contemplating in front of the monitor.

Then he said his piece and moved away from Seo Eisu.

As he moved away, he thought, ‘Too bad.’

Kang Sungwoo was disappointed.

‘I thought I would succeed.’

He was thinking about his failure.

The current hot topic in the shooting location was not the issue, but who would be the first to have a proper chemistry with Seo Eisu.

People were already buzzing about Kang Sungwoo’s performance in the previous shoot.

But Kang Sungwoo knew better than anyone that it wasn’t true.

He felt the same problem that Jo Gilsan PD felt.

‘But still, it’s impressive. How can I bring out such a performance without any acting skills?’

Kang Sungwoo, who had been hearing praises of being a genius since his debut, was not arrogant, but he never denied the evaluation of being a genius.

But today, Kang Sungwoo thought.

Maybe he was just a slightly outstanding talent.

He might be facing someone with much greater talent than himself right now.

“If that actor improves his acting skills… it will be scary.”

Perhaps in the not-so-distant future.

A monster-like actor might be born in the Korean entertainment industry.

Seo Eisu went straight to Jo Gilsan.

And she could hear the details from him.

“Was it too much?”

“Yeah. That’s what the PD said.”

The subtle emotional expression was good, but it was still too much.

Jo Gilsan commented on the previous shoot like that.

“He said, for the next shoot, focus more on the chemistry with the co-actor than emotional expression.”

Jo Gilsan’s advice was appropriate and kind.

It was rare for a director to give advice and homework to a supporting actor.

But the problem was that Seo Eisu was playing.

“Chemistry? How do you even match that?”

“Well…”

There was no need to match chemistry in playing.

Since there was no co-actor in the first place.

So even if Jo Gilsan advised her to focus on chemistry, it was not something she could understand.

“Hmm. I can’t seem to grasp it at all.”

In a corner of the shooting location.

Where others’ eyes couldn’t easily reach.

Seo Eisu was lost in thought, holding her head.

She was still ignorant of this world.

So the chances of finding an answer by thinking like this were not very high.

But still, she didn’t stop thinking.

“Acting… acting.”

During the last shoot, all the relationships and experiences she had in this group were her assets.

Through those experiences, Seo Eisu became interested in acting and, above all, developed a desire to impress others and make them admire her more.

“….”

Shin Jihu saw her like that.

Unconsciously, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

“You’re working hard.”

“Of course.”

Before she knew it, whether she was playing or acting, she had a clear goal of making a better shoot.

She wanted to do her best for that.

“I want to create better scenes. I hope more people will see me and like me more.”

“That’s right.”

Seo Eisu herself didn’t know, but her appearance was no different from that of a romantic rookie actress full of passion and talent trying to navigate the harsh jungle of the entertainment industry.

Shin Jihu’s eyes slightly trembled.

“Yeah. Looks good.”

In Shin Jihu’s eyes, Seo Eisu was shining brightly.

Brightly. Like a flash of light.

I hope her wish comes true.

I hope this strange girl becomes famous and becomes a star to many people.

Shin Ji-hoo harbored such a wish.

“Then should I get you an acting teacher? If I contact the company, we could make the connection within this week.”

“An acting teacher?”

“Yeah. Well, your skills may not improve in a short time, but they might get better as you learn something.”

It was during such a conversation.

“Why are you going around in circles like that?”

Someone approached the two.

“Actress Gil Hye-yeon?”

It was Gil Hye-yeon.

“Seo Yi-soo, junior.”

She said.

“Acting. Can I help you a bit?”

The sub lead of .

She, who overwhelmed even the main female lead of this work with her acting skills, reached out to Seo Yi-soo.

“Even Senior Kang Sung-woo failed. Should I be happy about this?”

Feeling guilty towards Seo Yi-soo, Gil Hye-yeon harbored a desire to act properly with her.

During that time, she hesitated.

It was because of Yoo Ha-neul.

Reaching out to Seo Yi-soo meant directly challenging the feelings of the industry’s top star, Yoo Ha-neul.

‘If I didn’t have any relationship with that woman. But we already have some relationship, and on top of that, if it’s known that I reached out to Seo Yi-soo… It might not end with just a slap on the face.’

That’s why Gil Hye-yeon hesitated.

Even while watching Kang Sung-woo, who is much better at acting than her, fail to match with Seo Yi-soo, she had to just watch.

But…

After finding out that even Kang Sung-woo failed.

Gil Hye-yeon could find herself relieved without realizing it.

Seo Yi-soo, who may be a bit strange but has tremendous talent as a beginner actress, could be the one to match her.

To the extent that she harbored the desire to act with Seo Yi-soo, she was a charming actress.

Gil Hye-yeon decided to acknowledge her own feelings.

‘Who cares about Yoo Ha-neul. Since when did I care about that dirty woman’s opinion.’

Gil Hye-yeon is a talented actress.

She was beautiful like an actress.

If she had sold her conscience a little, she could have easily climbed higher than she is now.

She was the kind of person who could sell her conscience but chose not to.

But now, it was funny to be concerned about the top star’s opinion.

“We’re filming right now. Come to my accommodation after dinner. I’ll teach you acting.”

And…

That night.

“So, the filming crew is when the camera…?”

“I’ve always been curious. What is a camera?”

“…Was I supposed to start explaining from there?”

Gil Hye-yeon’s pupils shook violently.