episode_0028

After Gil Hye-yeon’s lesson, Seo Yi-soo’s preparation for her role also caught fire.

Seo Yi-soo’s acting was fundamentally playfulness.

It was closer to a constructed virtual personality moving on its own rather than her own self.

Like another soul possessing her.

But that didn’t mean Seo Yi-soo didn’t have to put effort into preparing for the role.

If she didn’t analyze the footage shot by the camera, Seo Yi-soo wouldn’t know how she appeared as Yu-hee at all.

To truly act well, she ultimately had to put in the effort.

She had to analyze the character, study how to make that character more appealing in front of the camera.

A month until the crank of “The Sea Diary.”

That time was for Seo Yi-soo.

Time to study the role.

Time to delve deeper into the character of “Minseo.”

Time to deeply understand the life of the character she would portray and embrace the characteristics of that person.

Through that intensive time, Seo Yi-soo came to understand “Minseo” more deeply.

She began to hold more affection for the character she would portray.

Like many other ordinary actors.

Although the process and methods were slightly different, Seo Yi-soo learned the behavior of a respectable actor.

Seo Yi-soo spent her days in the practice room at the KS Entertainment building.

Looking at the footage captured by the camera, she would occasionally trace the image of “Minseo” on the monitor with her finger.

“I see. You are this kind of person. I will introduce you well to others.”

Speaking with an affectionate voice.

And.

Like that.

A month passed.

Director Han Kyung-jin contacted them.

“We’ve finalized the schedule, staff composition, and casting. We’ll be booking accommodations in Gavido and setting up the filming location… So, prepare for a long stay.”

The meeting place was Yeosu.

They would all gather there and head to Gavido by boat.

The filming location was a small island located at the southern end of Namhae.

It was a place with beautiful sea views and many picturesque rock formations, popular as a tourist destination and fishing spot.

In preparation for the crank date.

Seo Yi-soo headed to the port of Yeosu with Shin Ji-hoo.

Seagulls chirped overhead.

Passenger ships hugging the sea and dozens of fishing boats were lined up in disorder.

The sea breeze blew from afar, carrying a salty taste in the air.

“I don’t know about anything else, but the scenery is amazing.”

Shin Ji-hoo exclaimed.

As he said, the port facing Namhae had a feeling that overwhelmed people.

A mix of modern Earth technology and the passage of time created a strange sensation.

Of course, there was no time to leisurely enjoy the view.

“Please gather all the luggage here!”

The assistant director busily organized the schedule.

Not only that person, but everyone was moving busily.

They had to finish the departure preparations before the sailing time.

Amidst all this.

Seo Yi-soo finally exchanged greetings with the lead actors she would struggle alongside in “The Sea Diary.”

Director Han Kyung-jin personally stepped forward to introduce Seo Yi-soo and the other two actors.

“Let’s exchange greetings. This is Seo Yi-soo, who plays the role of Minseo. And…”

The three lead actors, including Seo Yi-soo.

Following Han Kyung-jin’s introduction, they observed each other’s faces.

“This is Han Seon-yul, who plays the role of Sang-jin. As a child actor, he has the longest acting experience among the leads.”

A child actor.

Seo Yi-soo didn’t know the term and tilted her head, but followed Shin Ji-hoo’s strict order to pretend to understand when unfamiliar words came up in conversation.

Even though she didn’t understand, she just nodded and smiled, as if saying, “I don’t know what that means, but okay!”

“…?”

Han Seon-yul gave her a puzzled look, wondering why she was acting strange, but it wasn’t a big issue.

And now, it was time to introduce the highly anticipated Minjun role.

“And this is actor Oh Kyung-bae, who plays Minjun. He has the shortest acting career among the two lead actors. We ask for your help and support.”

“He picked a good mask.”

Shin Ji-hoo muttered as he watched.

Despite the expected casting difficulties due to his appearance.

Although his acting skills were still unknown, he seemed to pass based on his looks.

With his copper-colored skin and distinctive lip line.

He clearly didn’t look like a Korean to anyone.

“Hello. I’m Oh Kyung-bae.”

So when fluent Korean came out of his mouth, everyone except Seo Yi-soo was surprised.

“Isn’t it fascinating?”

As if it was familiar, Oh Kyung-bae chuckled.

“My mother is Korean. My father is from somewhere else. I may look like this, but I’m Korean. As for acting… I honestly don’t know much. I’m a complete newbie… Please teach me a lot.”

Nonchalantly brushing off a potentially sensitive topic.

He seemed quite affable.

On the other hand, Han Sun-yul, who was a child actor, had a slightly stubborn impression.

“…Please take care of me.”

With that said, he added a few more words.

“I’m a child actor… but I took a few years off in between. I’m not really a senior, and I’m not sure if there’s anything for me to learn from you.”

It was a statement with a very low energy level.

It made the atmosphere slightly awkward, but Oh Kyung-bae spoke up at the right moment.

“Sister.”

He addressed Seo Yi-soo.

Taken aback by the sudden title, Seo Yi-soo was confused.

“Sis, sister?”

“You’re not my sister? I’m 19 years old.”

Seo Yi-soo’s public age was 20.

So, Oh Kyung-bae calling her his sister at 19 was correct.

However, from Seo Yi-soo’s perspective, who was not originally a woman, and not even human, the title felt very unfamiliar.

With a glint in his eyes, he said.

“I’m a drama fan. I watched ‘My Manager’ too. You were great in it.”

“Oh, really.”

“Ha. Cha Yeon-soo. She’s just… But is Yoo Ha-neul really that pretty? What’s she like in person?”

“Uh… That’s…”

Oh Kyung-bae’s words were not easy for Seo Yi-soo, who was already lacking in vocabulary, to understand.

He spoke quickly, making it even more difficult.

However, Seo Yi-soo was sensitive to the emotions of others towards her.

She felt that Oh Kyung-bae was showing her kindness.

Although it was just a light fan sentiment.

She wanted to respond to his kindness.

‘Shin Ji-hoo said that. If you don’t know, just smile and nod.’

“Um. Um. Yes, you’re right.”

“As expected. Well, her beauty can’t just be for the screen.”

“The screen? What? Yes. You’re right.”

“But sis, your way of speaking is a bit strange. Like, 4-dimensional? That kind of feeling?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“…?”

In reality, they weren’t understanding each other at all.

But on the surface, a somewhat affectionate first meeting between the lead actors was taking place.

Han Sun-yul watched the conversation between the two actors with a blank face.

The faces of the lead actors were quite unique.

One was a rookie actor chosen for his looks.

The other was a child actor turned supporting actor with a nonchalant attitude.

And the only female lead of the production wasn’t even human.

With this unique combination, what kind of visuals would they create.

It was a moment that promised something unexpected.

***

The ‘Sea Diary’ team set sail towards Gabido as planned.

It was a journey to the filming location, but it wasn’t just that.

They also had to film on the boat.

The one who brought the filming of ‘Sea Diary’ to a halt was none other than Han Sun-yul.

He played Sang-jin in the drama.

Having spent his whole life in a hospital in Seoul, Sang-jin was now heading to the island of Nokdo for rehabilitation.

This shoot was planned to capture the scene of Sang-jin arriving at Gabido, where the story unfolds.

“Keep the rest of the people away so they don’t get caught on camera, and be careful, Director Kim. The actors shouldn’t be backlit.”

The director and staff were busy preparing for the shoot.

Everyone looked tense.

“Actors, even if there are small mistakes, keep going until I call cut.”

There was no other reason.

“Now, everyone, stay focused. If we can’t get this scene right before the ship docks, we won’t be able to reshoot it until we leave the island.”

Everything that happened on set incurred costs.

And it was because “The Sea Diary” was a low-budget film.

Even lifting the boat costs money.

The “The Sea Diary” team didn’t have the resources to lift a separate boat for one scene.

It took about 30 minutes to reach Gavido.

Within that time, they had to shoot one scene.

“Let’s do well, son.”

Middle-aged actress Jo Myeongsuk, who played Sangjin’s mother, said with a smile.

It was a gesture to ease the stiff expression on Han Seonyul’s face, who was full of tension on set.

“Oh, yes, senior. Please take care of me.”

“Relax. Relax. Not being able to get this scene right now won’t ruin the whole project.”

Quite skilled.

Han Gyeongjin, who was worried about the cast made up of rookies and newcomers, was a veteran with a thick bone in the theater world.

But…

“Cut. NG. Let’s do it again.”

“Cut.”

“Cut!”

As soon as the shooting started, there were consecutive NG calls.

Even though they had decided to overlook minor flaws.

It was because of Han Seonyul.

Han Gyeongjin approached him.

“Actor, is there any problem?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just… I can’t immerse myself in the role.”

“Hmm. This scene is a bit difficult to express.”

Han Gyeongjin rubbed his chin in embarrassment.

As he said, the scene they had to shoot now was challenging.

Sangjin, who had been born and had never been outside the hospital, had finally decided to go to Gavido to at least recuperate in a scenic place.

Just turned 20.

Although it was an age when he should be full of hope and passion for the future.

The emotion Sangjin had to express in this scene was deep despair and resignation.

As a young actor, it was not an easy emotion to express.

Especially in a time-limited environment like on the deck.

“I feel rushed, so… I’m a bit lost on how to express the emotions. I’m sorry.”

Han Seonyul apologized while lowering his head.

It was a self-blaming expression.

Although Han Seonyul was from a child actor background.

As he grew older, he had long suspended his activities as an actor.

This was his debut work as an adult actor in “The Sea Diary.”

He felt uncomfortable because he was the reason for the filming problem.

The young lead actor blamed himself.

The rookie director couldn’t resolve the situation.

As the situation reached this point, the atmosphere on set naturally began to deteriorate.

“Oh, this is a mess.”

“What can we do? Honestly, our project. The actors are too young. We started knowing they would stumble over various things.”

“They’ll probably reshoot it when they leave the island.”

They were already giving up on the shoot.

And there was a girl who watched the scene with innocent eyes.

“Shin Jihu.”

“Yes?”

“Is that scene that Han Seonyul has to act really that difficult?”

“Well, it is a bit. It’s not easy.”

Shin Jihu briefly explained the current situation to Seo Yisu.

Shin Jihu, who had only been a manager for 2 months, had accumulated enough experience to explain the situation appropriately even to the understanding-lacking Seo Yisu.

“Hmm. I see.”

And Seo Yisu.

After listening to Shin Jihu’s explanation, she had a strange expression.

Shin Jihu raised her eyebrows.

“Why?”

“The director asked me to lead the acting, didn’t he?”

“Yeah.”

Seo Yisoo was preoccupied with the request Han Kyungjin had made on the day of the meeting.

At that time, she had shown quite a positive response.

She had said she was willing to try anything for the sake of the shoot.

She had harbored expectations that it would be enjoyable.

And now, she felt the same way.

There was a sense of eagerness in her eyes, a desire to try something new.

“I can’t seem to grasp how to express emotions, I can’t catch the feeling.”

Suddenly, Seo Yisoo muttered.

“Well, why don’t you just show it with your eyes then?”

When you can’t grasp the feeling, showing it directly with your eyes is the best way.

She had realized this during her acting lessons with Gil Hye-yeon.

“…What? Sangjin is a male character?”

“What’s the problem with that?”

Even though she had transformed into a female body now.

During her dragon days, she had not been in a male body either.

Although she was ignorant about humans.

There was no problem with her female body taking on the role of a male character for entertainment.

“I’ll give it a try. Since I’ve already memorized the script.”

One could say she was lucky.

While studying the role of Minseo, Seo Yisoo had naturally memorized the entire script of “The Diary of the Sea.”

She had a rough idea of what kind of character Sangjin was.

There was no problem downloading the character’s records from the Akashic Records.

“I’ll give it a try once, Shin Ji-hoo. You watch and see if it’s worth considering for the shoot.”

On the deck.

On the way to the island along the sea route.

There.

Seo Yisoo prepared for the role, not as herself, but as a character.

“The Diary of the Sea”

#Scene 09.

-Passenger ship

“We’ll be arriving soon. Sangjin, are you excited?”

My mother said to me.

It was noisy.

I didn’t bother to respond to her nagging.

“Sangjin, why are you so gloomy? Don’t worry. Nowadays, even on an island, the facilities are good. It’s much more comfortable to live there than in a hospital, right?”

Who was worried about that?

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue and leaned against the railing, looking ahead.

In the distance, the outline of a grim island full of rocky cliffs was visible.

“…”

I suppressed the sarcasm that was about to come out.

It was difficult to endure my mother’s forced brightness.

To receive care in a place like that.

There was no way my condition would improve.

I knew that, and my mother knew it too.

But my mother tried to ignore the truth.

And for me, that truth was too heavy to ignore.

“Sangjin… Huh? How about it? Are you excited too?”

My mother asked me earnestly.

“…”

I looked at her with indifferent eyes.

The camera would probably zoom in on my eyes like that.

In that state.

I looked at my mother, who desperately wanted me to affirm her words.

My eyes would be empty, just like that.

Just like my life.

“Yes.”

So, I said what my mother wanted to hear.

Because I was too empty to argue.

Desires only ignite when the filled and empty mix appropriately.

I had an empty life.

So I didn’t know how to reveal desires.

Arguing or refuting someone’s deception ultimately required desires.

So I just said.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

My words came out like that.

They had a texture like dust, devoid of warmth or luster.

***

“Phew. Shin Ji-hoo. How was it? Can we use this as a reference?”

Seo Yisoo, who had stepped out of character, wiped her sweat and asked.

“Um… That.”

And Shin Ji-hoo couldn’t give her a proper answer to her question.

There were too many eyes watching them for him to speak freely.

“Now… what’s going on here?”

Han Kyungjin asked with a puzzled look.