Ch.19Wait a moment

Thump thump thump.

My legs are trembling.

Shiver shiver shiver.

My body vibrates endlessly.

‘What on earth did I just see?’

Lee Minha, the writer of High Dream, had goosebumps all over her body.

Honestly, she wanted to run straight to Kim Donghu, forgetting all about the filming set.

‘Kim Donghu!’

When she asked him to show his acting, she never expected him to completely embody Lee J.

“P-PD-nim, thank you so much.”

Lee Minha barely managed to speak each word while trying to calm her trembling heart.

“Pardon?”

“…I said thank you for letting me meet actor Kim Donghu like this.”

It was fortunate that she met him at his lowest point.

Just imagine meeting this actor in another project.

‘Wouldn’t I have gone crazy?’

I should have met him first!

I could have given him a better script to act with!

The person who prevented her from losing sleep over such thoughts was none other than the bucket hat-wearing PD Kim Youngmo.

“Haha, this isn’t because of me at all.”

It’s thanks to actor Kim Donghu who came to the audition.

PD Kim Youngmo genuinely thought so.

What he just showed wasn’t acting.

It was like he had brought someone else’s entire life and placed it before them.

‘I heard method acting is usually very difficult at such a young age.’

As much as younger actors can act more emotionally,

the boundary between reality and acting often blurs, sometimes causing mental damage.

That’s why child actors can cry so well.

And that’s why it’s hard for them to break out of character.

‘But he shows no signs of that at all.’

Despite performing such emotionally intense acting, Kim Donghu was perfectly fine.

Without even showing signs of inner struggle, Kim Youngmo, who had seen countless child actors, could tell.

That kind of emotional control is difficult even for actors with years of experience.

Slowly, slowly.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Kim Youngmo approached Kim Donghu and asked.

“Donghu, where did you learn to act?”

How could you act like that?

But the answer he got was remarkable.

“No, I haven’t learned it anywhere specifically.”

“S-self-taught?”

“Yes.”

Hearing this exchange,

Jang Geonho, who was taking care of Kim Donghu nearby, frowned deeply.

‘Really self-taught?’

During the script reading, this answer had seemed playful,

but now it felt different.

It seemed impossible, but then he found himself agreeing.

‘That’s why it’s possible, because he’s self-taught.’

Not learned from any academy, agency, or management company.

The result of countless trials and errors on his own.

It was hard to believe he achieved this at just fourteen years old.

But with the result right in front of him, he couldn’t deny it.

On the other hand, he was also worried.

While he, the PD, and the writer might be happy about an actor performing well—

‘The rookies are going to suffer.’

For other rookies debuting in the same position,

the weight of main and supporting roles would feel like pressure.

Honestly, they would have realized it after one encounter.

That things were going to be strange.

That they might fail if they didn’t struggle from the beginning.

And Jang Geonho’s prediction was accurate.

“…What was I doing when I was 14?”

“Pardon?”

“No, just looking at him made me wonder what I was doing back then. I think I was buying Apollo chocolates at the stationery store.”

Jin Suhyeok, who played the role of Song Cheolsu, the first male lead of High Dream, laughed dejectedly.

“When I heard a 14-year-old was cast through an open audition, I really looked down on him. I thought, how good could he possibly be?”

But isn’t this going too far?

“Honestly, that was an NG situation just now. We couldn’t deliver a single line. But why did they just let it pass?”

“…Because it felt natural.”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Glance.

Jin Suhyeok looked at the screen where the scene they just filmed was being replayed.

It showed him unable to make a sound, overwhelmed by Lee J’s presence.

Rather than trying to argue back,

it was more natural to look at the floor like a mouse before a cat.

Needless to say, it wasn’t intentional.

He had just naturally been crushed.

Crack.

His fist clenched tightly.

This was an issue that an actor’s pride couldn’t accept.

‘Kim Donghu.’

I will definitely catch up to you.

Jin Suhyeok wasn’t the only one thinking this.

Everyone who had been swallowed by Lee J, or rather Kim Donghu’s acting, made the same vow.

From the first day of filming, an untimely spirit of improvement was burning brightly.

‘Our Donghu has become a complete catalyst, hasn’t he?’

Seeing this, Kim Yuryeon smiled contentedly.

When a tyrant cracks the whip, the minnows below struggle to survive.

In a way, it was the natural order of the ecosystem.

+++++

After the successful first day of filming,

I was able to go straight home without attending the company dinner, thanks to the advantage of being fourteen.

‘That was intense.’

The acting, the filming set.

There wasn’t a single element that didn’t make me tense.

It’s like just standing still drained my energy.

If I hadn’t been exercising regularly, I might have collapsed already.

“Son, I heard you had filming today.”

As soon as I got home, my dad immediately heated up some galbi-jjim, as if he had been waiting.

“I should have picked you up, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Dad. You’re busy these days.”

“Still, I’m sorry.”

Dad had been busy lately.

In life, when one problem is solved, another one always pops up.

As soon as Mom’s cancer treatment costs disappeared, visa issues arose.

It was true that Mom’s health was improving,

and she had been declared cancer-free, but it wasn’t 100% resolved.

Dad wanted Mom to continue receiving treatment in the US for a long time.

The process of extending the visa to prove this was quite complicated.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

“Hehe, I’ll enjoy the meal.”

I patted Dad’s back and immediately started eating the heated galbi-jjim.

While eating, I checked the calendar hanging on the wall.

‘Five years left.’

How could I forget the moment I lost my parents in an unexpected accident?

If I can just get through that day well, I might be able to continue feeling this happiness.

Katalk! Katalk! Katalk!

While I was thinking about this, KakaoTalk messages arrived one after another.

>I heard today was your first filming, did you do well???

>Honestly, you don’t really care about actors or idols, right?

>I’m the prettiest, right? Be honest, huh?

The sender was, of course, Sujin.

Looking at this, she’s really still such a kid.

<Well, I’m not sure.

As soon as I sent the reply, another message came in within a second.

>What? What are you saying, do you want to die?

>I’m the prettiest ㅡㅡ

>That’s because you only see me on screen, I’m much prettier in person

<Okay, okay, let’s go with that

Knowing Sujin’s personality well, I immediately surrendered.

‘By the way.’

Glance.

I looked at the calendar again and recalled my schedule.

Strictly speaking, the role of Lee J wasn’t a main or supporting role, so

I had fewer appearances than expected.

A character with significant impact but not frequent appearances,

certainly, it wouldn’t be good for a villain to appear too often in a youth drama.

‘The PD said he’ll let me know about the next filming.’

I’ll have to wait.

+++++

At the same time.

“The movie is almost completely set up.”

“That’s right, the studio production is almost done, and we’ve secured all the location sponsorships.”

“So now we just need to film?”

Stretcccch.

The man who said this stretched out, as if relieved.

From investment attraction to distributor selection and actor casting.

There was so much work involved in making just one movie.

The preparations were more difficult than the actual filming, geez.

The man complained, but the smile never left his face.

“Director Kang, so you’re going to start right away, right?”

“But, but you know, CEO Park…”

At the words of Director Kang, who had a long beard like Guan Yu,

the man, or rather Studio Geumgang CEO Park Geumgang’s lips trembled anxiously.

“Again, again why, is there something else to add?”

A tone that suggested he was beyond fed up.

Movie settings had been added like this more than ten times already.

But it wasn’t completely unreasonable,

and as he listened, the quality of the movie improved, so he had no choice but to agree.

It was that kind of strange request.

“…Our movie, you know, right? We need to show the horrors of war.”

“That’s right.”

As if Director Kang wasn’t making this kind of request for the first time,

he naturally got up from his chair and headed toward the whiteboard.

Pop.

With the clear sound of the whiteboard marker cap being removed,

Director Kang’s request presentation began.

“Even though it’s a fictional story, in the end, it’s a movie that shows the tragedy of the Korean War! That’s what we’re doing.”

“I know, I know, Director.”

I know too well, why wouldn’t I?

It was an explanation he had heard so many times his ears were calloused.

So he also knew what was coming next.

“The horrific battle of Baekma Hill! The countless times the hill changed hands, right? That’s our story!”

“That’s right, there’s also the name Icaro Hill, isn’t there?”

“Yes! An anagram of Korea, right? An extremely fierce battle.”

Tap, tap tap.

As Director Kang spoke, his hands moved busily.

The result of those busy hands was a single word written boldly.

<Student Soldier>

“If we just had one student soldier role, it would be really good.”

“Don’t we already have enough young actors?”

“They’re… still a bit older, what I want is someone more fresh, you know?”

“Pardon?”

“I’d like someone around middle school age.”

And I want someone who can act really well.

Upon hearing the last part, CEO Park had to restrain his heart from flaring up.

‘Does he think great actors just fall from the sky?’

He wanted to say something but held back.

Because the screenplay for this movie was too good.

No matter how he looked at it, it was bound to succeed.

Glance.

CEO Park looked at the movie title written in the corner of the whiteboard.

<Endless Frontline>

The thought of finding a middle school student actor perfect for this movie about a horrific war

already made the road ahead seem daunting.