Ch.23The Flower That Fed on Hatred, Lee J

‘What am I looking at right now?’

Filming director Ji Jangmin didn’t notice that his eyes were becoming bloodshot.

It was a moment where even the time to blink felt wasteful.

His entire body screamed to put down the camera.

To see it directly, to properly savor it.

But what kept him holding on was his professional pride.

Having lived for his role as a filming director, he kept his gaze fixed through the camera to capture the best moment.

Kim Donghu, no, Lee J reflected in the camera was possessed.

While playing the piano and pouring out his emotions, he suddenly fixed his gaze on the camera.

Look at me, put only me in your eyes.

I’ll kill you if you look at anything else inferior.

Face my hatred head-on.

Despite having no knowledge of piano,

‘I can feel it.’

What Kim Donghu, no, Lee J wanted to say was being conveyed.

And this resonated even more deeply with those who witnessed Lee J in person, not just through the camera screen.

‘Wow, I’m getting goosebumps just watching him play.’

PD Kim Youngmo momentarily fell into the illusion that he was at a concert.

Perfect immersion—if Lee J were really alive, wouldn’t he be like this?

Even in simple practice, never being careless.

Having to face hatred every day to constantly prove his genius.

The loneliness of a brilliant genius could be felt.

And now the performance was heading toward its climax.

The difference between a grand piano and a regular piano is the pedals.

Sostenuto, the middle pedal, its role is to handle the delicacy of sound.

The delivery of sound changes due to the hatred that only Lee J can press.

The difference in delicacy.

Writer Lee Minha, who understood this detail, was now on the verge of fainting.

‘Ah…aah.’

To be honest, characters created by writers had been portrayed through acting quite often.

Especially for popular writers like Lee Minha, it was a common occurrence.

But he could say with certainty that it had never been like this before.

That wasn’t acting.

The real Lee J had appeared and was playing the piano.

Despite receiving applause from countless audiences,

Unable to receive it from the people he most wanted approval from,

Instead being despised,

A flower grown on hatred.

Lee J had truly torn through the script and appeared.

‘I, I must work with actor Kim Donghu on my next project, no matter what, absolutely…, I’ll make him the lead no matter what, Kim Donghu, I and Kim Donghu…’

An indescribable catharsis swept through his entire body.

His extremely excited body alternated between tension being released and heightened.

The performance gradually raced toward its end.

Lee J’s hand movements, having poured out all his hatred, gradually became quiet.

Amidst the diminishing and monotonous sounds.

Drop.

What struck the keys last was Lee J’s tear.

It was the sorrow of being unable to stop despite knowing this hatred was abnormal.

The resentment that no one had ever asked if he was okay.

How much had Lee J gone through to shed tears.

The single tear, squeezed out like blood, was both Lee J’s scream and his blood.

“Ah…aah…”

What am I watching right now?

Lee Minha’s tension melted away.

“Wr, Writer?!”

Kim Youngmo, who was next to him, was startled when he saw Lee Minha.

“Yes, yes,”

What? Why are you calling me suddenly? I’m still feeling the afterglow.

Lee Minha, who answered with a slightly displeased look, was surprised by Kim Youngmo’s next words.

“No, nosebleed!”

“What, what?!”

A nosebleed?

Wait, why am I feeling dizzy?

Thud.

Lee Minha lost his balance and collapsed toward the chair.

“Writer?!?!?!”

A brief commotion.

Principal Yego, Edward Park, didn’t care that someone had collapsed.

Or more precisely, he couldn’t care.

‘I can see it.’

Edward Park was certain that this actor’s future wasn’t in acting.

The performance itself couldn’t be called extremely high-level.

But the density of emotion contained in it was unbelievable.

With just a little refinement, just minimal adjustments.

And as time passes and his playing skills become solid.

‘I can see the future of a master.’

This child shouldn’t be acting.

Piano, he is destined to play the piano.

Edward Park was convinced and determined.

Whether through scholarships or recommended admission.

He would do anything if he could just get that child to enroll.

+++++

After the performance.

Whoosh!

‘Lee J’ gradually disappears.

There is no lingering emotion.

But it was just exhausting.

‘So piano playing is such a hard task.’

The full effort exerted by a 14-year-old body that hasn’t fully developed yet.

Despite having exercised for a long time, piano playing seemed to be a different realm.

‘Let me rest a bit.’

A deep breath.

At the same time, I closed the keyboard lid for cleanup.

And at that moment.

“Cuuuuuut!!!”

With the director’s passionate OK sign,

Clap clap clap clap clap clap.

Applause poured out.

It was evidence that everyone was satisfied with Lee J’s performance.

‘Feels good.’

Just as I was about to get up from my seat with a pleased heart.

Someone urgently approached me.

“When you’ve acted like that, you need to slowly, slowly cool down your emotions to avoid suffering.”

Senior colleague and Yego Principal Wang Ho actor, Senior Jang Geonho.

Senior Jang Geonho patted my back and comforted me.

“Truly, truly precious to see.”

“Indeed, Donghu. Even then I felt it, really…”

Senior Kim Yuryeon, who had approached without notice, placed a bottle of water on the piano.

It was probably consideration to drink after composing my emotions.

But.

‘I’m really fine though.’

I was actually completely fine.

However, in a situation like this, I couldn’t be tactlessly honest.

I slowly nodded my head and acted as if I was struggling.

“…Thank you for your consideration.”

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“That’s right, Donghu. Just think about yourself first for now.”

The warm consideration of industry seniors.

While grateful, on the other hand,

‘It’s so burdensome I feel like I’m going to die.’

It was tough.

+++++

“What on earth made something like that pop up.”

ST Entertainment CEO Kim Gilsan clicked his tongue while watching the filming site.

Just fourteen years old now.

An age with infinite time to grow further.

But to already show such a level of acting.

‘Everyone’s completely intimidated.’

Glance.

CEO Kim Gilsan looked toward the main and supporting actors playing High Dream members.

‘There will be a lot of NGs today.’

Completely crushed expressions.

Kim Gilsan knew very well what would happen when idols with such faces went on stage.

It wasn’t like he’d only been in the entertainment business for a year or two,

The predictable outcome was obvious.

“Honestly, I resent the writer.”

And CEO Lee Sanghak, who shared the same sentiment, grumbled beside him.

As the CEO of Full Lady who had raised numerous actors, Lee Sanghak knew too well how the filming atmosphere would flow now.

“Looking at the script, our kids are supposed to eventually beat him.”

Is that possible? Is that even an imaginable picture?

At first, he just thought he was an incredibly talented child.

But when they opened the lid, something unbelievable was inside.

Sigh.

A sigh turns into breath, coming out long like cigarette smoke.

But regret is regret.

Swish.

Swish.

“What are you doing?”

“What about you, what are you doing?”

“Me? Taking out my business card. Oh, and later, say hello to actor Kim Donghu who will be joining our ST Entertainment family. I’ll introduce you after filming.”

At the slick words of CEO Kim Gilsan with his weasel-like face,

CEO Lee Sanghak’s toad-like cheeks trembled.

“Your acting has aged a lot, your jokes are too much, actor Kim Donghu will be going with our Full Lady.”

“Says who!”

“Then, then you! Who says you get to decide!”

While the two CEOs were arguing at a distance that wouldn’t disturb the filming,

Far away, there was a separate group that was really going crazy.

“Who is he? Who is that kid?”

“Don’t push! If you push again, I’ll really break all the cameras!”

“Hey, get out! I came to film him!”

“Talking nonsense, you came to film Jin Suhyeok! Who do you think you’re fooling? Get lost!”

They were reporters gathered to film the public shooting site.

Gathered for publicity hoping to get good footage for making films,

They were going crazy at the sudden appearance of a catfish, and.

Regardless, filming quickly resumed.

Now that Lee J’s practice was over, the next scene was High Dream’s ensemble practice.

Although it sounded quite good, no one was impressed.

They had all been swallowed up.

Lee J’s hate-filled performance lingered in everyone’s ears,

Whispering throughout the filming.

That talent can never be caught by effort,

That he would surely kill all inferior things.

++++++

After all the filming was done.

“This is tiring.”

I quickly put my body, exhausted from numerous rejections, into a taxi.

So many people offered to drive me home.

I was almost completely drained from rejecting each one.

‘I need to find an agency.’

I couldn’t keep coming and going to filming sites alone as an actor.

I needed an agency to solve these problems.

I’d like to entrust it to Minhyeok, who had earned his kart license up to professional level, but.

‘He said he’s really preparing to be a kart pro these days.’

His words about honing his skills for more precise driving were still vivid in my ears.

Anyway, it was really time to find a home now.

Ring ring ring.

My phone rang.

“Dad?”

-Yes, son, did the filming go well?

“Yes, same as always for me.”

-Actually, could you stop by a building in Bundang?

To summarize my dad’s words:

There’s a new bachelor tenant who’s grateful for being treated well and set up a dinner appointment.

Curious about what this “treating well” meant,

Dad belatedly found out that I always sent wreaths when new tenants moved in.

After praising me for having such a thoughtful idea,

Dad said he thought it was right for me to attend that dinner.

“Sure, I don’t mind. I’ll do that.”

-Good, having such thoughtful ideas, our son has really grown up.

“Haha, whose son do you think I am?”

Dad was so pleased that he poured out several months’ worth of words at once.

‘By the way, what was the name of the person who moved in this time, Choi… Seokho?’

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, my eyes widened.

Although the building was in my name, Dad handled the management, so I hardly paid attention to it.

‘I should have paid more attention.’

The agency I was going to join, sent by [Sims – Real Life],

Was in my building.