episode_0011

The next day.

And the day after that.

The filming continued.

And around that time.

Both Director Seo and Shin Ji-hoo sensed that something was off.

“Cut!”

The director’s cut sign.

But Producer Jo Gil-san’s expression was not good.

“…Let’s do it again. FD, please coach the extras on their acting.”

“Yes, Director.”

“We’ve had more NGs these days. Please do better.”

“I’m sorry.”

FD apologized with his head bowed.

It was his job to convey acting directions to the extras and make sure they followed them on set.

But that didn’t mean he had no excuse.

“Phew.”

He looked at a corner of the set with a complicated gaze.

There, an attractive actress was taking a break.

It was Seo Yisoo, playing the supporting role of Cha Yeon-soo in “My Manager.”

For the past few days.

The extras had been having trouble with Seo Yisoo.

“They say it’s difficult to act with her.”

The extras muttered in defense.

That it’s not because they want to mess up on purpose.

They said that openly, without hiding their true feelings.

For everyone on set to hear.

“Well, that actress is a bit… difficult. Even Actress Yoo Haneul said something similar.”

On the day Seo Yisoo first showcased her acting.

What Yoo Haneul said gave credibility to the extras’ words.

That they weren’t intentionally causing NGs, adding that credibility.

As if to prove that, the extras acted normally when working with other actors.

“So, in the end, it’s not the extras causing the NGs, but this newcomer Seo Yisoo.”

Naturally, the atmosphere on set turned hostile.

“Just because of a supporting role.”

FD grumbled.

Filming.

Especially drama filming, always had tight schedules.

Each day’s tightly packed schedule required filming to proceed accordingly.

They had to be more sensitive to NGs than in movies.

But even with the main actors having multiple NGs, it was the supporting role causing the most trouble.

The public opinion on Seo Yisoo was hitting rock bottom every day.

That was the situation.

***

“Why are they acting like this?”

“I… I mean.”

Seo Yisoo had a gloomy expression.

Her shoulders slumped.

She was showing her frustration all over her body.

“Ji-hoo.”

“Yes?”

She looked up at Shin Ji-hoo.

Her round eyes seeking an answer from him.

She asked.

“The people I’m acting with these days are strange.”

“Really…?”

“Yes. While acting, they suddenly stop talking or stutter. Then that PD guy says NG… and we have to reshoot the scene.”

“I see. That must be frustrating.”

“Yoo-hee keeps getting cut off. It’s not fun.”

“Yoo-hee?”

“Oh, no. I mean the acting.”

“I see.”

Shin Ji-hoo listened to her words, but he knew why the extras were acting that way.

He was aware of the rumors spreading on set.

“Is it all because of her?”

The extras said.

That they cause NGs because Seo Yisoo can’t act.

That she acts selfishly, causing trouble.

“Is it true?”

For Shin Ji-hoo, it was a story he couldn’t quite understand.

“In my eyes, she’s been doing well.”

Shin Ji-hoo had recently dedicated himself to the entertainment industry.

He had low experience points.

As the son of a once-famous actress, he had an eye for acting and talent, but he lacked the evidence to confirm what he saw was true.

“And even if I say it’s not me… Top star Yoo Haneul said something too. Who’s telling the truth and who’s lying between me and that actress. Honestly, it’s pretty obvious.”

Words and words.

Real and fake.

At least objectively, it was clear which of the two was true.

“Huh? Shin Ji-hoo. Come on, tell me. Why is everyone acting like this? Those supporting actors, no matter how much I try to talk to them, they don’t respond. They completely ignore what I say.”

“What? Really?”

“That’s what they say.”

Shin Ji-hoo’s face stiffened.

Ignoring even when spoken to.

This is a different story from just making mistakes repeatedly.

Mistakes can happen depending on the actor’s skills and the chemistry between people, but ignoring someone’s words, that’s a problem in the relationship.

‘Is this bullying?’

This is going too far.

It was not right.

Shin Ji-hoo felt frustrated.

He was angry at what his actor was going through.

But there was no immediate solution to that.

‘If she had been a supporting actor, I would have officially complained.’

Seo Yi-soo was a supporting actor.

Not just any supporting actor, but a half-hearted supporting actor who was hastily cast through an audition for a difficult role.

People’s views on Seo Yi-soo were merely that she was lucky or that she got into the project through the power of a large company.

And public opinion was not favorable either.

Even if she complained, the response would be that it’s all because of Seo Yi-soo, a cold and indifferent reaction.

So Shin Ji-hoo felt frustrated.

“By any chance…”

At the sudden words, Shin Ji-hoo lowered his gaze.

Seo Yi-soo was muttering with a choked voice.

“By any chance, am I being hated here?”

“No, that…”

Seo Yi-soo bowed her head deeply.

The girl who was usually so lively and caused trouble was now making a dark expression that was hard to look at.

It couldn’t be helped.

For a very long time, she had to live alone, trembling in the face of threats against herself without any friends or family.

The threat posed by Gwang-ryong to a normal living being was always a persistent and reckless enemy.

Seo Yi-soo was vulnerable to kindness.

It was because she had never experienced it.

She was easily swayed because she had no immunity.

But for exactly the opposite reason.

Because it was too familiar.

So she was also vulnerable to malice.

Facing a cold and sharp heart, she felt like her whole heart was crumbling as if she had PTSD.

“By any chance, by any chance.”

Now.

She was recalling everything that had happened since she came to Earth.

People whose expressions hardened whenever she spoke.

The PD and other production staff at the audition.

Even Shin Ji-hoo showed a similar reaction at first.

“By any chance.”

She asked cautiously.

With a frightened expression somewhere.

“By any chance, am I a bit strange?”

She asked Shin Ji-hoo.

“…”

Shin Ji-hoo.

Looked at Seo Yi-soo.

Lowering his gaze to the ground.

Shrugging his shoulders.

He saw a girl who looked somewhat unstable.

“Well, not really.”

He said.

His voice was a bit low.

But it didn’t feel growling.

Rather, it was a reassuring voice that resonated calmly, giving a sense of stability.

“Everyone is like that. Everyone. Everyone is strange in their own way. You, me, and the people who dislike you for being strange. All of them.”

Thinking of his mother.

Shin Ji-hoo.

She didn’t say that she was ordinary.

Instead.

She just said that everyone is strange.

“So.”

So.

Even if you’re a bit strange.

That’s.

“It’s okay for you to be strange, there’s no problem.”

He said.

“So, don’t worry too much.”

Reaching out, he patted Seo Yi-soo’s head.

Perhaps it was a somewhat meaningless thing to say.

It was a feeble word.

It didn’t solve any problems.

Not even a comforting lie for good intentions.

It was such a word.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

And yet strangely, Seo Yi-soo felt her heart calming down.

Somehow, hearing those words made the loneliness that was about to turn into malice warm.

A little less lonely.

That was the kind of words that made one think so.

“Yeah, I see. Alright then.”

Seo Yisoo said brightly.

Seeing her energized, Shin Jihoo felt relieved.

But…

“I can’t just leave this problem as it is.”

The filming set is a harsh place.

And for an actor there, unless they are at least supporting roles, they are just a fly’s breath.

“First, I should film the acting and ask the seniors about it. The seniors would know the answer. Then I can find a solution.”

If I can only know the answer, I can find any solution.

If Seo Yisoo’s acting is really the problem, he could also seek help from the company’s acting trainers.

Or maybe the opposite.

There would be various ways.

“But, I have to endure today’s filming first. What should I do about this?”

However, even if he gets help from the seniors as soon as possible, it would be after today.

The problem now was the filming that had to be done immediately.

“But Shin Jihoo. How can I not have any NGs?”

Seo Yisoo also threw a similar question.

The tone seemed to imply that if he looked at her straight, he would naturally know the answer.

“What does she think of me?”

As a rookie road manager, Shin Jihoo was in a difficult situation.

And what does he even know?

He couldn’t even grasp whether Seo Yisoo’s acting was really bad.

But…

“Well, at least. I don’t feel bad about being supported like this.”

But, it didn’t feel bad to be relying on her support.

Somehow, he wanted to live up to that expectation.

“Um.”

That was why.

Shin Jihoo racked his brain to do his best.

“Actually, if there really is a problem with her. No matter what I do, there’s no solution.”

After all, acting is what actors do.

If the current situation is caused by Seo Yisoo’s inability to act, then any advice would be useless.

“But, if. If, by any chance, my eyes as a mere rookie manager are not wrong.”

But if.

If his eyes were right about Seo Yisoo’s acting.

If Seo Yisoo’s acting was not a mess and the extras weren’t constantly having NGs.

Then why were they having NGs?

“…”

At that moment, Shin Jihoo had a flash of inspiration.

But that inspiration contained a somewhat radical idea.

“No. Can I really do that? Well, even if I fail, it’s just one more NG. Anyway, if things continue like this, NGs will keep happening.”

With determination, Shin Jihoo spoke up.

“You can just ignore what I’m about to say from now on.”

“No. No. I can’t ignore what you say. Go ahead and say it.”

Following his inspiration.

Shin Jihoo said something a bit irresponsible.

And Seo Yisoo, being someone who didn’t even have the basic common sense to realize she was hearing irresponsible words.