Chapter 14
The atmosphere on set froze at Jeong Eun-sun’s words.
Naturally, this was to be expected.
After all, anyone could see that Seo-yeon’s performance had been impressive.
As expected.
Director Gong Jeong-tae squeezed his eyes shut.
It was clear that Jeong Eun-sun was not pleased with Seo-yeon.
Given her fondness for Jo Seo-hee, it made sense that she wouldn’t be happy to see her fall short during auditions.
Or maybe she thought there was some kind of favor happening, as rumored about Director Jo Bang-woo’s influence.
“Actor Jeong,”
In such a delicate situation, the only one who could diffuse it was himself.
If anyone could reel in the situation, it was certainly the veteran actress who held the greatest power on set.
“Uh, your words seem a bit harsh. Seo-yeon’s acting was more than commendable.”
Typically, expectations for child actors aren’t particularly high.
As long as they could deliver their lines clearly and ride the emotional wave, they were already considered promising.
After all, it wasn’t for nothing that Jo Seo-hee was dubbed the princess of daily dramas.
Gong Jeong-tae had never seen a child perform as well as Seo-yeon, at least not before meeting her.
This girl’s acting carries weight.
While lacking in technique, she possessed the ability to move people’s emotions.
Though he thought that might be challenging in a drama setting, she had certainly proven otherwise.
“Excuse me?”
Jeong Eun-sun shot a sharp glance at Director Gong after his commendation.
Her gaze was as icy as Queen In-hye’s, sharp enough to make him flinch.
“Cough, cough! Didn’t your words seem a bit excessive?”
No matter how seasoned the veteran, he was still the director on set.
He couldn’t just let Jeong Eun-sun get away with her attitude.
How bad was it that even those who usually held colored glasses towards Seo-yeon thought that was crossing the line?
“……”
For a moment, Jeong Eun-sun was speechless in response to Gong’s words.
“I think you might have misunderstood what I meant.”
“Pardon?”
Was there anything from his words that could be misinterpreted?
Director Gong, confused, replied back, but Jeong Eun-sun’s gaze remained fixed on Seo-yeon.
Seo-yeon just sat there, blank-faced, trying to figure out the situation.
Honestly, from Seo-yeon’s perspective…
“Can’t a little critique be allowed?”
After all, Manager Kim always picked on her like this.
With that calm thought, she carried on.
“Director Gong, how did you feel about Seo-yeon’s performance just now?”
“How did I feel? Of course it was good! It was good enough for me to send the okay sign, wasn’t it? I would rather ask you, Actor Jeong, what aspect of Seo-yeon’s performance didn’t you like?”
“I never said that.”
Jeong Eun-sun resolutely answered Director Gong’s comment.
“What I said was that there was no emotion in this child’s acting, that it wasn’t sincere.”
……Isn’t that basically the same?
Though such thoughts crossed his mind, Director Gong listened to her words without interjecting.
“The acting was exceptional, no two ways about it. Yes, it was really quite good. Honestly, I was taken aback.”
Such sudden praise took him off guard.
As he stared at her, Jeong Eun-sun glanced at Seo-yeon for a moment.
Those bright eyes.
The ethereal glimmer with a tinge of red.
That must be one of her charms.
“Director Gong.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Could I have a moment’s conversation with Seo-yeon’s mother?”
Such a request from her left Director Gong frozen, caught entirely off guard by her unexpected words.
*
“……”
Sua instinctively recoiled slightly as she looked at the middle-aged woman in front of her.
To be honest, Sua disliked Jeong Eun-sun.
It was perfectly understandable.
After witnessing everyone marvel at Seo-yeon’s performance, how could she say such words?!
Had it not been for another staff member’s intervention, she would have rushed into the set right away.
But the conversation had taken a weird turn, leading to this moment with her.
Filming had temporarily halted.
Seo-yeon was waiting outside while only Director Gong, Sua, and Jeong Eun-sun remained in the cramped waiting room.
“I must say, there was no authenticity or emotion in Seo-yeon’s acting.”
“……What do you mean by that?”
Having been rattled by her earlier comments, Sua felt a flash of anger at Jeong Eun-sun’s words.
Just about to slam her hand down on the table as a fierce retort, she paused at the continuation of Jeong Eun-sun’s statement.
“What I mean is, even though there was no sincerity or emotion, that just shows how much potential the child has. Everyone sees her as a child actor specializing in emotional performances.”
“Oh.”
Only then did Director Gong finally grasp what Jeong Eun-sun was getting at.
Being a director with ample experience, he could pick up on her implications.
In truth, he should have recognized sooner.
Of course, Sua had no chance of understanding what Jeong Eun-sun meant.
“That’s…”
“I initially thought it was a misunderstanding, but today’s performance has cemented my belief.”
The first time Jeong Eun-sun saw Seo-yeon was in a Do-You CF.
At that time, all she thought was, “Well, she’s just a lively child.”
There was no thought of acting involved.
Then came the Taesumdahl auditions.
She watched the making film, where her cherished junior Jo Seo-hee starred.
And it was there she saw Seo-yeon again.
“Something’s off…”
Seo-yeon and Jo Seo-hee had a nail-biting performance face-off.
The split between Part 1 and Part 2 was indeed a remarkable battle.
That a child could act to that extent?
Jeong Eun-sun was naturally amazed.
While she supported her junior Jo Seo-hee, her eyes gravitated toward Seo-yeon.
“Something’s strange.”
She replayed it numerous times.
Seo-yeon’s acting caught everyone’s eyes.
Emotional acting.
The subtitle claimed Seo-yeon’s specialty was emotional performance.
Method acting.
“No way.”
However, Jeong Eun-sun, being a method actor herself, could recognize the distinction.
What Seo-yeon displayed was not genuine method acting.
With true method acting, one could hardly detach from feelings so readily.
Especially at such a young age.
No, categorizing childhood actors as being emotional performers is, frankly, a dangerous notion.
Was it possible that the CF had been edited so mercilessly? Did she miss something?
But if all of that was real…
Jeong Eun-sun bit her lower lip.
A normal child couldn’t do that.
If it were emotional acting, she would be hailed a born talent.
Though that set the bar far too high, the acting emerging from such “experience” is not innate.
Thus, she thought there could only be external reasons contributing to it.
The individuals who most significantly influence child actors?
Parents.
From the moment she considered it, Jeong Eun-sun had been feeling a sense of unease.
Unreasonable expectations placed on a child, compelling them to labor.
Such situations occurred frequently.
It was precisely why she thought there was likely something wrong with the parents.
But Sua didn’t seem too out of place in front of her now.
“……Method acting feels like tossing oneself into the depths of an ocean.”
Fully immersing in their character, sinking to the depths.
So, when they swim back up, they’re gasping for air, finding it hard to escape those emotions easily.
“But Seo-yeon isn’t like that. She’s just walking on the surface, performing on the superficial level. The emotion that appears comes from her familiarity with how others perceive her. That’s not something common children exhibit…”
“Is that a bad thing?”
Sua cautiously inquired.
Jeong Eun-sun hesitated, unsure of how to reply.
If method acting was diving into the water, then Seo-yeon was merely skimming the surface.
She was gazing into the water’s reflections.
Like a child who didn’t comprehend feelings, she imitated them.
How is that even possible? Even now, Jeong Eun-sun couldn’t grasp it.
Yet…
“……If she can deliver this much without utilizing her emotions, it’s likely due to her lacking techniques.”
That was why Jeong Eun-sun had liked Jo Seo-hee.
Jo Seo-hee recognized her boundaries.
She understood the limitations of feelings you could convey.
But Seo-yeon had no such borders.
There were no brakes to her performance.
Of course she wouldn’t know.
She couldn’t even comprehend how far she could go.
The absence of boundaries was due to not knowing how to imbue her emotions into her acting.
But what if…
What if Seo-yeon did commit to learning acting?
If she truly captured emotions, transcending mere mimicry into method acting…
Jeong Eun-sun hesitated.
“I can’t say for sure. It might not be an issue… but Seo-yeon is still a child.”
As she considered this, Jeong Eun-sun felt her discomfort grow.
Emotional acting can be poison for a child.
This is something I can firmly attest to.
It would be prudent to avoid excessive emotional acting, especially in a sensitive child.
Should she undertake method acting, it could take an extended time to escape those feelings.
Yet here was a child displaying deep performances even if they were fabricated.
“What could happen when she truly becomes an actress?”
Thus, Jeong Eun-sun found herself doubting Seo-yeon’s act.
Her unease lingered from the fear of the child who played along the emotional river,looking into its depths.
It felt akin to a child placed by the riverbank.
That was the sensation it inspired.
“I can only hope I’m just overly worried.”
As Jeong Eun-sun shared her concerns, neither Sua nor Director Gong had anything left to say.
*
Despite the slight ruckus, filming ultimately concluded successfully.
After all, the scenes with Jeong Eun-sun had already been given the official thumbs-up.
The shots were pretty decent, all things considered.
Later, as she returned alongside her mother, Jeong Eun-sun wore a still-uncomfortable expression but even managed to offer an apology for her earlier harsh words.
“Seo-yeon.”
“Yes?”
On the way back, her mother quietly asked,
“How was acting?”
Sua seemed somewhat more subdued than usual.
The reason was elusive.
Did Jeong Eun-sun say something?
That seemed unlikely.
Honestly, while her perception of others wasn’t stellar, she didn’t feel any direct animosity from Jeong Eun-sun directed at her.
Still, she had kept looking at Seo-yeon with a slight frown.
“It’s fun.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
In the beginning, it felt like a simple practice session before she became a VTuber, but now, she found her footing and even liked the experience.
After all, in becoming someone completely different, it bore some resemblance to being a VTuber.
“Though I’m not that fond of the red pill…”
Yet isn’t it kind of cool to be a popular actor from being just an ordinary VTuber?!
No, then again, that red pill…
“Seo-yeon, if you ever find anything tough, do make sure to let me know, okay?”
“Yes? Oh, yes.”
Caught off guard, her response came automatically.
At the very least, she thought she was living far more earnestly than her previous life.
The evidence lay in the money steadily accumulating in her bank account!
If I keep working hard here, filming more commercials and dramas!
Hmm…
Suddenly, she recalled Jeong Eun-sun’s earlier remarks.
Her claim that there was no sincerity or emotion embedded in her performance.
While that might not have been true for others, she could find herself inclined to agree with that sentiment.
……Ugh.
Crossing her arms, Seo-yeon sighed.
At least lately, she had been getting a better sense of it all.
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