Editor: Veris
JJJJANGU_: When are your free periods?
Honghong_: Typing a message…
I immediately replied to Honghong.
Honghong_: Right now.
JJJJANGU_: Typing a message…
The timing was perfect.
JJJJANGU_: Wanna grab something to eat?
It was a sudden, impromptu meeting. Hong Chi-ryeon and I were at a rice bowl restaurant near the school, slurping down rice balls and beef bowls.
“Senior.”
Hong Chi-ryeon, who had already finished three rice balls, leaving almost nothing in her beef bowl, opened her mouth.
“You had something to say?”
“I just wanted to fill my stomach first. Ah, I’m so full.”
There was another reason why I only ate without saying much. I couldn’t tell how close I was to Hong Chi-ryeon.
I tried to gauge the extent of our relationship through her words.
“We aren’t that close, are we?”
Hong Chi-ryeon, awkwardly picking at her food with chopsticks, didn’t seem comfortable in this situation.
With no makeup on her face and oversized glasses that made her big eyes look small.
Hong Chi-ryeon, who looked like a simple college student, seemed far from the glamorous figure I had encountered in my past life.
‘I thought she looked quite mature for her age back then.’
She must have dressed formally for the occasion, but…
‘There’s still a world of difference from back then.’
There was only one reason why I remembered Hong Chi-ryeon. She was a beauty who would turn heads just by walking past.
Her presence here was almost negligible with her large glasses and plain attire. Even Seong Jun-won, who couldn’t care more about women, seemed completely uninterested in her.
“Hmm… why do you think that way? Calling someone out and then saying you don’t want to see them.”
Anyway, there was a need then for Hong Chi-ryeon to look good.
LS Entertainment was the largest entertainment company in Korea as a subsidiary of LS Group. It was famous for providing generous support to its artists.
Lee Hee-do, Hong Chi-ryeon’s mother and the CEO of LS Entertainment, was the biggest player in the industry.
Since the previous stages of his life, he had keenly felt the value of connections.
“I just wanted to buy you some food. I was worried you might be hungry. I’ll cover this.”
Hong Chi-ryeon narrowed her eyes at me as I stood up with the bill.
“Since when did you start buying me things?”
“What?”
‘Did I hear that wrong?’
“You’ve been harsh the whole time, and suddenly you’re being nice. What’s up with that?”
“…Huh? Are you close with me?”
“Are you kidding me?”
Hong Chi-ryeon’s lips were pursed.
‘Lucky…?’
* * *
As it turns out, I had been classmates with Hong Chi-ryeon during high school, where we both participated in the broadcasting club.
It was said that Hong Chi-ryeon went so far as to repeat a year just to enter the same school as Kang Jang-gu, who was in a different grade, something only possible because of how close they must have been.
But once he entered as a freshman, Kang Jang-gu apparently ignored her, a sad story that circulated.
I struggled to appease the heavily misunderstood guy, vaguely explaining that there were reasons behind it all.
“Hey, I didn’t want others to hate me just because I favored you. Do you have any idea how strict the senior-junior hierarchy is here?”
It was a very plausible yet absurd excuse, but the innocent freshman Hong Chi-ryeon soon accepted it.
‘How cute.’
With this, I gained a solid ally who would support me at LS Entertainment.
Of course, with my current credentials, I couldn’t just walk into LS Entertainment right away, but having connections was a big advantage.
It felt like sacrificing an innocent lamb, but it was unavoidable.
To become the best actor, one couldn’t afford to be picky.
With such pleasant thoughts in mind, I was whistling when I heard murmurs in the distance.
“Wow…”
The place I arrived at was the filming site of the drama Bugiheup.
While I arrived alone without a manager, the actors were surrounded by staff members, moving around with ease. Numerous cameras, microphones, and rails were scattered around, along with the martial arts director, Ha Jae-woong, who warmly waved at me.
“Jang-gu, you’re here?”
He introduced me to the directing PD and promptly sent me to the costume team.
After changing into tennis attire and sneakers, and donning a wig with long hair like the lead actor’s, topped with a headband, I looked quite convincing as a tennis player.
“The outfit feels a bit tight, doesn’t it?”
“Sweetie, can we get one size up?”
“Your physique is better than expected.”
The costume team seemed momentarily taken aback by the sharp six-pack visible beneath the tight tennis outfit.
“We’ll focus more on the back and details, so no need for makeup.”
“Yes, thank you.”
As I emerged in my filming attire, the martial arts director raised his thumb in approval and began discussing action sequences with the director, holding a tablet in hand.
‘Ahh..I can’t focus at all…’
What ensued was not filming but a series of waiting.
Due to delays in the previous scenes, my turn kept getting pushed back naturally. In the chaotic corner of the filming set, without even a waiting vehicle like the supporting actors, I sat in the outdoor bleachers in a T-shirt and shorts, watching over the set.
‘This is also a form of ordeal.’
The continuity handed to me by the martial arts director was something I had seen countless times, to the point where I could visualize the scenes even with my eyes closed, but my turn didn’t come easily.
Finally, just as drowsiness threatened to overwhelm me, it was my turn.
As I limbered up my stiff body, there was a creaking sound.
“Hey there. You’re not a professional, are you?”
“No. But you might be surprised when you see me.”
“Hmm…”
Feeling the directing PD’s skeptical gaze, I quickly gripped the racket and began swinging it back and forth.
As my natural racket handling caught his attention, his arms uncrossed.
“Action!”
With the assistant director’s cue, the cameras moved to capture my movements.
Starting as a background character, I smoothly executed forehands, backhands, volleys, and drop shots.
– Thwack!
With a crisp sound of impact, the yellow tennis ball crossed over the net countless times.
“Not just good form, but hitting the points accurately too.”
The PD, watching the recorded footage, exclaimed in admiration.
In response, the martial arts director, Ha Jae-woong, shrugged his shoulders and said, “I told you. He’s top-notch.”
From full angles to detailed shots, the filming progressed smoothly toward the climax.
“Jang-gu, do you need a break?”
But what surprised them the most was my stamina.
Despite enduring intense shots for over thirty minutes, there was no sign of fatigue whatsoever.
‘This is a piece of cake.’
“I’m fine.”
At my relaxed response, the PD, who had been leaning back in his chair, nearly fell off.
Then came a loud praise that even reached my ears.
“Ha, where did you find such talent?”
* * *
At that moment,
Inside the office of Professor Choi Han-cheol, the director of the theater club, the atmosphere was heating up.
It was because they were preparing for the “2020 Young Theater Festival,” which was a large-scale theater festival where theater clubs from about 50 universities gathered to present their works.
As it involved all the universities, it often became a battleground for professors’ pride.
“Hmm… We should start preparing soon. Starting next week, we need to assign roles and all.”
That’s why Professor Choi Han-cheol’s contemplation was deeper than usual.
After discussing with his assistant for a while, they were starting to get some ideas.
“As you said, Professor, maybe we should go for an original play this time instead of a designated one!”
“Don’t you agree? Doing the same old designated plays every time doesn’t excite me either.”
Professor Choi Han-cheol’s thoughts had been leaning toward original plays from the beginning.
While designated plays, mainly classical ones, were safer, the real hits that would be remembered in the future often came from original works.
He unfolded a script and said, “And this piece. If done well, it might get a huge response.”
The play laid out by Professor Choi Han-cheol was called Final Weapon 1208.
It was a science fiction original play about an android who realizes its own identity as a robot and rebels against humanity.
There were indeed some puzzling elements, but that was precisely the charm of original plays.
Depending on how they were performed, they could provide a fresh shock.
“But the problem is, who will take on this role? We need someone who can handle the action scenes, not just acting.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Professor. We have plenty of talented students in our department. If we look closely, there are quite a few. Go Tae-jin, the president of the club even did boxing.”
“Is that so? These days, even normal kids have muscles for aesthetic reasons though.”
“Uh, how do you differentiate? Maybe we should have them spar somewhere…”
If there was a suitable lead actor to lead this play, it was worth a try.
“Hmm? Sparring? That’s actually a good idea.”
Suddenly, a gleam appeared in Professor Choi Han-cheol’s eyes.
* * *
After the filming was done,
The PD of the drama Bugiheup raised his hand and applauded me.
“So, the assistant director said you guys met at a movie audition. I thought you were a tennis player.”
“Yes, I’m an aspiring actor.”
“Oh, you’re not just an aspiring one. You’ve already been cast.”
“Is that so? There was a role we were still debating about casting. It’s a relief. Hey, Assistant Director, bring me the script for episode 7.”
In response to his words, the assistant director rushed over with the script.
“Here it is.”
“Oh, where was it?”
The PD flipped through a few pages with his finger and then handed the script to me.
“You’ll be playing the main character’s rival. You’ll appear briefly in episode 2, but your role is quite significant. Your mask fits the villain role perfectly, and if your acting and voice are good, you’ll be perfect for this role. Plus, since you know tennis, we won’t need a stunt double. It will add a lot of realism.”
Having a face that suited the villain role…
It didn’t seem like much of a compliment, but it was an opportunity.
“Aren’t actors from the School of Performing Arts usually average at acting without even looking? Can you try this line? It’s Jung-woo’s line.”
Feeling the anticipation in their eyes, I accepted the script and skimmed through the contents.
—————————————————————————————————————-
S#4. Tennis court / Day
Kim Jung-woo is bouncing the ball on the ground with his racket.
He seems to be discussing tactics with his friends.
Kim Jung-woo: How should we deal with that guy? Someone with a good idea.
Friend A: Hmm… Should we break his racket or something?
Friend B: Hey, wouldn’t that be too obvious? If it’s the strings, maybe.
Kim Jung-woo: (With a sinister smile) The strings? That sounds good.
—————————————————————————————————————-
In the script, ‘Jung-woo’ is a typical spineless villain.
He was what one might call a ‘cancerous character.’
‘Looks like the key point here is the sinister smile.’
However, my acting skills were unfortunately at a C level.
Just average, nothing special.
Moreover, this was a filming set. It was challenging to focus on acting amidst the noisy atmosphere.
‘If I knew this would happen, I should have invested in acting skills rather than a mask.’
The actor once again painfully realized the importance of having acting skills to back up.
But I couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity, so I started bouncing the ball with the racket in my hand and said,
“Well then, I’ll give it a try.”
Let’s try approaching it with the mindset of an athlete who is tired of not knowing and has experienced it countless times.
It’s something I have to do, so I might as well enjoy it.
“…Oh?”
“Ha-ha-ha!”
Then, out of the blue, the PD, who had been watching my acting seriously, burst into laughter.
Oh no, did he do good or bad?