episode_0059

After Kim Sun-il entered the waiting room barracks.

A group of about five staff members immediately started whispering.

“Sun-il is going in? Sua must be in there.” “Could it be? Is there something between them?”

“No, no. He looked serious. Besides, do you know Sua’s personality? And Sun-il has quite the temper too. They’ve never had a dating rumor even after doing so many projects together.”

“…Then, not dating, but maybe to fight?” “…”

A moment of silence followed.

…Lee Sua and Kim Sun-il’s battle of wills?

Their faces paled. To be honest, the staff members didn’t feel confident in controlling either of them.

If the two had a huge fight, the filming could be completely ruined.

“Nah, that can’t be!”

Then, one of them confidently spoke up.

“Sun-il and Sua are both complete pros. If they were the type to let their emotions ruin a project, they wouldn’t have been able to create such great scenes in the first place. That’s why I think it’s something else.” “Something else?” “Like, maybe they’re agreeing on the next ad-lib scene?”

“Ah…!”

Finally, everyone seemed to understand the situation and relaxed their expressions. They were filled with admiration for Sua and Sun-il. “They’re both crazy about their passion. They do their best during filming, and when the camera is off, they research and work together on the next scene….” “That’s why the scenes are great, and that’s why they’re pros.”

“Pro. That’s a good way to put it. Sua is a rookie, but the word ‘rookie’ feels so awkward for her. She really has a professional vibe.”

The conversation continued for quite some time after that.

Well, it was all just their speculation, though.

◈◈◈◈◈

Meanwhile, inside the waiting room barracks.

‘…What am I supposed to do when you’re blocking the entrance like that?’

That was the short thought that went through Sua’s mind as she looked up at Kim Sun-il.

She was dying to go back to the dorm to rest, but she couldn’t pass because he was blocking the entrance with his tall height as if showing off.

It was then that Kim Sun-il nodded his head.

“I knew it, you were thinking the same thing.” “Huh?” “It’s better to stay on site to work on research, after all.”

“I rec….”

Sua almost blurted out, “I recognize that.”

It was like the constant manifestation of Sua’s “herbivore Sua recognition.” But there are times in life when you’re just too tired, and that was right now for Sua.

Too sleepy, Sua shook her head.

“…Honestly, I’m too sleepy, so I’m going to sleep now.” “There’s no need to be so wary. Kim Yu-han and Lee Kang-cheol are rivals, but they’re also partners. In the first place, with your skills, I don’t think you need to be wary of anyone.” “….” “I’m saying, let’s be a little more comfortable with each other from now on.”

“Uhh….”

“And.”

Kim Sun-il handed Sua a canned coffee.

He then lightly sanitized his hands with hand sanitizer, and Sua finally remembered. Oh yeah, this guy has mysophobia.

“Lee Sua, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Something you want to ask?”

Sua was inwardly nervous.

He’s the one who started the conversation, and he’s even giving me canned coffee.

This isn’t like Kim Sun-il. No surprise, he wanted something.

But.

Sua couldn’t help but tilt her head at the words that followed.

“Did I look unhappy when I was acting, by any chance?”

“Huh?”

What kind of question is that?

It was a completely unexpected question, but Sua thought for a moment and then nodded. It was true that Kim Sun-il didn’t look happy, at least. Then Kim Sun-il also nodded.

“…I see, if it’s your eyes, it must be accurate. I guess it wasn’t a completely nonsensical story.”

“What?” “It’s nothing.”

Sua furrowed her brow slightly.

Why are you making me curious and then not telling me!

But soon it didn’t matter. Because she was too sleepy.

“More than that. Lee Sua, let me ask you one more thing.” “What?” “How can I broaden my acting spectrum?”

Kim Sun-il asked with a serious look in his eyes.

“I’m actually stuck in a specific role for a long time. But you freely move between Wi Ji-hye and Kim Yu-han. I’m curious about your secret. I really want to hear it if possible.” “Uhm…?”

It was actually a difficult question for Sua to answer. Sua was just a special case who was growing with the help of perks; she wasn’t someone who had truly built up her acting from the ground up.

As Sua’s silence grew longer, Kim Sun-il added a few words, thinking that his explanation was insufficient.

“I mean, the variations you try with the script are really amazing. It looks like you’ve done a lot of research. I’m curious to know what mindset you had that allowed you to see the path.” “I…”

Sua thought for a moment and then said,

“I think it’s important to become one with the role.” “I pride myself on being good at that, too. No, I’m focusing solely on that. I carefully move while thinking about what the role has to do.” “No, no. That’s not it.”

Sua shook her head without even realizing it.

This wasn’t a calculated action. It was instinct.

“You said you focused on what the role has to do, right?” “Yes.” “I’ve never thought about that. Rather, I thought about what the role wants to do. Then things would naturally come to mind.”

And immediately after spitting that out.

“…Ah.”

Only then did Sua inwardly scream in surprise.

Because she had thought deeply about Kim Sun-il’s question, she had unintentionally spilled out all the thoughts she had. The fact that Sua was extremely sleepy right now probably played a role as well.

Sua quickly tried to recover.

“No, well, that’s just me. Never mind.”

But it was already too late.

Kim Sun-il already seemed deep in thought.

“….”

It was a situation where Sua was sweating down her spine.

Because she was just someone who was acting by relying on perks, she wondered if it was okay for her to be lecturing about acting in front of someone who was truly serious about acting.

“Listen with one ear and let it out the other. I said it.”

So Sua quickly tried to back out.

“…Not what I have to do, but what I want to do.”

Kim Sun-il slowly nodded. Very slowly.

“I understand. Thank you.”

What he understood, what he was thankful for.

It was a story that Sua didn’t yet know.

◈◈◈◈◈

Late at night.

The Special Task Force 808 team rented several rooms in a hotel near the film studio, and most of them, exhausted, were already sound asleep. However, there were also some who were not yet asleep.

Writer Lee Geum-suk and PD Choi Hee-won were among them.

The two were eating dried snacks and drinking canned beer. They couldn’t drink too much. They had to work tomorrow.

Actually, it would be better not to drink at all, but they knew that and still dared to drink. For them, today was such a satisfying day that they couldn’t bear not to drink canned beer.

PD Choi Hee-won opened his mouth first.

“Come to think of it, there weren’t any big NGs today. No NGs that completely stalled and blocked the progress all day long.”

“And Sua-yang didn’t have any NGs, right?” “We did a few re-shoots, but that wasn’t Sua’s fault either. I mean Sua was flawless.” “Amazing. Really amazing….”

Khrrr, writer Lee Geum-suk said after emptying her canned beer.

“Sua-yang! My Kim Yu-han! I really love you!”

. . .

Meanwhile, CEO Kim Yi-seo visited Sua’s room.

“…?”

Kim Yi-seo tilted her head slightly.

Because Sua was in her pajamas.

No, actually, the pajamas weren’t the problem. It’s common to put on pajamas. The problem, however, was the pattern.

Yes, the pattern above all else.

Sua’s pajamas were covered with adorable Arctic fox character faces at regular intervals. It was like a northern archduchess who hunted Arctic foxes and kept only their heads as souvenirs?

…It would look good if her face was covered in blood. Seriously.

“What’s the matter?” “Ah.”

Only after Sua called out to her did Kim Yi-seo break free from her thoughts.

Yes, she should tell her the main point first.

“Sua, you did a perfect job on the first day. I was getting envious looks wherever I went today. And it’s well-deserved. Sua is under our Mystic Entertainment.” “I recognize that.” “Get plenty of rest today, and please do well tomorrow too.” “That’s a good analogy.”

Sua roughly glossed over it without knowing what kind of perk she was using. She didn’t have any particular thoughts in her head. Ah, the CEO seems excited. I think she’s praising me. Okay, okay.

Then suddenly.

“CEO.” “Yes, Sua. I’m listening.” “How do you like these pajamas?” “Ah, the pajamas? Pajamas, you say….”

Kim Yi-seo pondered.

After a moment, she uttered what she thought was the best answer and left.

“….”

Sua’s expression, now alone, became serious.

. . .

Kim Sun-il’s room.

There was also a visitor here: surprisingly, it was Seo Yeon-ju. Seo Yeon-ju was still rolling around and munching on potato chips.

“…Why are you eating them here?” “My room will get dirty. I hate it.” “What about my room?” “You clean it.”

Kim Sun-il considered throwing Seo Yeon-ju out the window, but soon decided not to. It would be a problem if the street got dirty.

Instead, he sighed deeply and opened the script.

Seo Yeon-ju showed subtle interest.

“What are you doing? At this late hour?”

“I have something to think about.”

Kim Sun-il replied briefly, and Seo Yeon-ju’s gaze returned to the TV that was on. And after a while, Kim Sun-il spoke again.

“Seo Yeon-ju.” “What?” “What is it that you want to do?” “…Suddenly?” “No, do you live thinking about what you want to do?”

“Why are you like this?”

Seo Yeon-ju stared at him as if she had heard some strange question, but Kim Sun-il continued to speak stubbornly. And more than anything, his expression.

The Kim Sun-il that Seo Yeon-ju knew had that face when he was serious.

“Sun-il, why are you suddenly asking something like that?” “I was curious whether you live thinking about what you want to do or thinking about what you have to do.” “Hmm…. About half and half…?”

“Half and half, you say.”

For Kim Sun-il, even that was a reply that made him think a lot.

What do you think about, and what attitude do you have?

Each and every person was different.

He had lived only thinking about what he had to do, Seo Yeon-ju was half and half, and Sua seemed to live only thinking about what she wanted to do.

Kim Sun-il increasingly felt a sense of reaching some truth.

“…Thinking about what I want to do, huh.”

He kept repeating that short phrase. Endlessly.

◈◈◈◈◈

The next day.

The site where all the staff are busy setting up equipment, the filming site of Special Task Force 808 will burn hot again today.

PD Choi Hee-won also arrived at the site with determination.

“Huh?”

He soon widened his eyes.

There was another unexpected guest today.

“Director Ko Tae-min?”

Then Ko Tae-min burst into laughter.

“I ended up coming again today after all. The work looked so good.” “No, it’s an honor for me, but is it okay? You’re such a busy person with preparations for your new work and all….” “Still. There was something I really wanted to ask you.” “Please ask me anything. I’ll answer with all my heart. Or would you like to watch again today? There are a few scenes that Park Do-hee will be filming. It would be helpful for you.”

But right after that, PD Choi Hee-won tilted his head. Because Ko Tae-min didn’t seem to want Park Do-hee.

“Ah, maybe it’s not Do-hee but some other part…?” “That’s right.”

Ko Tae-min nodded.

“Do-hee also acted well. I was also surprised that her skills had improved so much in the meantime. But someone I’m more curious about appeared.” “Someone you’re more curious about….” “Yes. The actor playing Kim Yu-han. I’m a little curious about that person.” “I knew it.”

PD Choi Hee-won burst into laughter.

“Actually, I was waiting for you to ask.”

“Really, this person! No, how can you hide such a monster? You should have told me in advance. Where on earth did that friend appear from? The casting staff on our side don’t seem to know anything about him at all?” “Well, I’m not much different either. Do you know the entertainment program ‘I Became an Actor Like This’?” “Of course I do! The one that discovers actors through survival auditions.” “Yes. That’s right. He was a participant who appeared there.” “A participant? Can you tell me more about it?”

Director Ko Tae-min’s deeply sunken eyes sparkled. “Actually, I don’t know the details either. I just saw it a little longer than the people in the industry, but I don’t really know the identity….”

“That’s enough. Tell me even what you observed.” “Hmm…. In that case….”

PD Choi Hee-won began to speak with his arms crossed.

“First of all, she started acting as a hobby, and it seems like she’s mastered other fields as well. What’s amazing is that she learned it on her own—” “…!”

The more the story continued, the more Director Ko Tae-min’s eyes widened. Later on, they were almost popping out and rolling on the floor.

People always add a word or two when spreading rumors, and they add praise if it’s a story they like. PD Choi Hee-won was no exception. He cherished Sua very much.

PD Choi Hee-won passed on all of his misunderstandings and all of Sua’s strengths that he thought of to Director Ko Tae-min.

“I can’t believe it….”

Director Ko Tae-min’s one phrase.

Of course, Sua didn’t know anything about it.

◈◈◈◈◈

Meanwhile, Sua, who arrived at the filming site, saw an amazing sight.

Swish— Swish—

Seo Yeon-ju and Kim Yi-seo were throwing something into a sack. Looking closely, there was a commonality.

The commonality was that both of them were holding wads of paper.

Sua peeked and asked.

“What is all this?” “Ah, Sua doesn’t need to worry about it.”

Kim Yi-seo said as she threw a wad of paper.

Seo Yeon-ju threw them with a swish with her long arms, but Kim Yi-seo had a small build, so she threw them one by one with difficulty. She really felt like a kid.

Kim Yi-seo added a few words.

“Don’t take it the wrong way. It’s not like we’re only not telling Sua; it’s really something that’s not important at all. We’re going to throw it all away. We’ll do the hard work.” “…CEO, why are you expressing it as ‘we’? Just have the employees do it later. Or have the CEO do it alone.”

In the meantime, Seo Yeon-ju complained, but it was no use. Kim Yi-seo shook her head and looked at Seo Yeon-ju.

“This is all Yeon-ju’s. Have some conscience.”

All these many wads of paper are all Seo Yeon-ju’s?

Sua became even more curious and asked.

“What is it that’s making you do this?” “They’re scripts.”

Seo Yeon-ju said as she threw one with a swish.

“I’ve been carefully collecting the scripts that I’ve been offered. Why, I had that kind of feeling back then. Seeing a lot of them piled up made me realize my popularity and gave me a sense of self-esteem?” “Ah.”

Sua felt like she knew what she meant.

It was probably similar to collecting 99+ friend requests when playing a game. The feeling that this many people are looking for me is, well, thrilling and fills my need for recognition in many ways.

“Why are you throwing them away now?”

“They take up too much space. And I was excited to collect these one by one when I was a rookie, but now I don’t feel anything.”

“Ah, there are so many. Were the scripts all bad?”

“Some were actually bad, some didn’t fit my schedule, and the content itself seemed to be diverse? There was one where I sang, one where I played the violin…. Huh?”

Seo Yeon-ju suddenly tilted her head.

“That’s right? Now that I think about it, there are a lot of things related to music? Why do these kinds of scripts always come to me once in a while?”

Then Kim Yi-seo answered.

“It’s because Yeon-ju has a pure and innocent image. She looks like she’d sing well on stage like a nightingale. Clear and elegant.”

Sua thought for a moment.

“….”

Thinking and thinking again.

“Don’t throw these scripts away; give them to me.” “…?”

Then both of them looked at Sua at the same time.

It was Seo Yeon-ju who broke the silence first.

“These are really old? Even if Sua likes them now, they’re works that you can’t participate in anymore. Right, CEO?” “That’s right. And it’s not just Korean scripts. Yeon-ju’s face is especially popular in China, so there’s Chinese in the scripts, Japanese, and all sorts of things mixed in.”

Meaning, they’re no different from trash, so don’t be interested.

But Sua’s eyes were sparkling even more.

“It’s okay. Give them to me.”

They’re not trash.

In Sua’s eyes, all of this looked like treasure.