Chapter 16
Ju Seo-yeon, age 7… with just a week to go.
The drama was gearing up to shoot a new scene.
“We can’t delay it any longer.”
The staff thought this while stealing glances at Seo-yeon.
Standing there blankly, she seemed unfazed, but given the events from two weeks ago, it was clear they were on high alert about her wellbeing.
After all, it was none other than the veteran actress Jeong Eun-sun who had raised the red flag.
“I guess she didn’t say anything.”
Seo-yeon felt slightly puzzled by the staff’s glances in her direction.
While the atmosphere of concern was comforting, she still wondered if she was really okay.
That day, her conversation with Su-a and Director Gong Jeong-tae had been kept under wraps.
Consequently, actress Jeong Eun-sun appeared to be criticizing a 6-year-old child actress without reason.
Well, there were guesses behind their suspicions.
Seo-yeon was playing the role of Princess Yeonhwa, not Jo Seo-hee.
Hence, the other staff and actors couldn’t help but worry about her interactions with Jeong Eun-sun.
The one most in distress was the cinematographer, Gong Jeong-tae.
“The remaining scenes mostly feature Seo-yeon.”
And there were quite a few of them.
Since Seo-yeon played the lead role of Princess Yeonhwa.
The young princess would only appear in three episodes.
While that may seem few in terms of episodes, it’s not when considering the number of shooting sessions.
Typically, when filming a 16-episode drama, they shoot roughly 100 sessions.
In other words, shooting the three episodes would require over six sessions per episode.
“That’s assuming we shoot without any blunders.”
Seo-yeon’s estimated shooting sessions stood at around 20.
And currently, she had only completed one.
That meant she had a whopping nineteen sessions still ahead of her.
Even with other scenes being shot intermittently, it would unquestionably be arduous.
“Seo-yeon’s mom, will she be okay?”
“……”
Su-a watched Seo-yeon energetically stretching a little farther from the filming area.
Look at that nonchalant stance without a care in the world.
From an outsider’s perspective, she appeared completely unfazed.
…Or is she really not fazed at all?
The ones worrying seemed almost the odd ones out.
“Seems… fine?”
“……Hmm.”
“Honestly, I’m not too sure.”
While Seo-yeon was indeed her daughter, Su-a thought she was uniquely peculiar.
From a baby, she rarely shed tears and had never voiced a desire to do something of her own.
In fact, it was Su-a who suggested she begin acting in the first place.
But this time felt a bit different.
“This time, Seo-yeon was the one who said she wanted to try first.”
Seeing her daughter speak confidently was endearing, yet it made any mother worry.
Instead, Su-a was just grateful that Director Gong Jeong-tae was so attentive to Seo-yeon.
“So you don’t need to worry too much. I appreciate how considerate you are.”
It’s rare for a cinematographer to be so mindful of a child actor.
Care for the actors is typically an individual’s responsibility.
“Well, talented actors bring benefits to the director, after all.”
Even if things were shaky right now, Gong Jeong-tae believed in Seo-yeon’s talent.
The real talent recognized by actress Jeong Eun-sun.
A vast ocean of emotions packed tightly into that tiny little chest.
Gong Jeong-tae was no rookie director.
He had several hits under his belt and had seen many actors along the way.
Some sparkled like stars, just like Seo-yeon now.
“Director Jo Bang-woo wasn’t just taking a keen interest for nothing.”
With that thought in mind, Gong Jeong-tae nodded, thinking the set preparations were nearly done.
“Alright, today’s scene is where young Yoon-seo-il meets young Lee Hye-wol.”
Thus, Gong Jeong-tae began acting guidance for the child actors who were destined to carry the future of Korea.
He meticulously explained how to act and express the scene.
Then, the official shooting began.
*
As the child Yoon-seo-il, Park Jeong-woo felt a certain curiosity about the girl before him.
“She’s not nervous at all.”
Park Jeong-woo was the only son of the acting powerhouse Park Seon-woong.
At age ten, he was quite the veteran child actor with five years of experience.
In front of him, Jo Seo-hee, the princess in a daily soap, was just another ordinary child actress.
At least, there wasn’t any other child actor of his age with a career that exceeded his.
For Park Jeong-woo, Seo-yeon had always been an intriguing girl from the very beginning.
That was true back in the auditions and remained true now.
“Okay, we’re rolling. …Action!!”
At Gong Jeong-tae’s shout, the filming commenced.
The performances of young Yoon-seo-il and young Lee Hye-wol unfolded before everyone’s watchful eyes.
A meeting between Yoon-seo-il, son of the Grand Scholar of Sungkyunkwan, and Lee Hye-wol, who had sneaked out of the palace.
“Your Highness, are you perhaps Princess Yeonhwa?”
“N-no! You must have mistaken me!”
Despite their childlike innocence, Yoon-seo-il spoke seriously, and Lee Hye-wol fled like the wind.
Even biting her tongue mid-sentence seemed perfectly natural.
Gong Jeong-tae examined the script.
It clearly noted, “Surprised, and flustered with pronunciation.”
While it fit the script, it felt even more naturally interpreted.
“I felt that during her audition, too.”
It was as if she was reading the script and grasping it in her unique way.
This interpretation seemed like a different talent of Seo-yeon, distinct from emotional acting altogether.
Furthermore,
Gong Jeong-tae quietly observed the performances.
There was absolutely nothing to nitpick about their acting.
Every line, every light gesture, and movement truly embodied young Yoon-seo-il and Princess Yeonhwa.
The staff were utterly mesmerized as they watched.
The actors exchanged small murmurs and chuckles.
They were astounded by the performances of these budding talents.
“Is the emotional range a bit lesser than before?”
When compared to the performances seen in the auditions and those performed with Jeong Eun-sun, the ‘Princess Yeonhwa’ feeling seemed diminished.
If plunging deep into emotional acting is akin to submerging in water, then this felt like splashing about on the surface.
“The funny part is that it fits even better because of it.”
Whether intentional or not, this was, on reflection, the most correct interpretation.
Naturally, Princess Yeonhwa Lee Hye-wol becomes “the Yeonhwa princess acting like a commoner” as she sneaks out of the palace.
So, it made sense for her behaviors and speech to feel a little awkward or emotional disarrayed.
Just like Seo-yeon right now.
“Cut! You both did incredibly well! Perfection!”
Gong Jeong-tae raised his hand and shouted, and the two child actors finally released a sigh of relief.
Especially Park Jeong-woo, playing young Yoon-seo-il, was taken aback at Seo-yeon’s performance.
“She’s become a bit more natural than before.”
While there might have been some lacking movements, at that moment, it felt more subtle.
Park Jeong-woo briefly glanced through the script of young Lee Hye-wol.
Honestly, he had thought it was a bit challenging, yet she had perfectly matched his performance.
“You’re amazing.”
“Pardon?”
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Seo-yeon felt slightly bashful at Park Jeong-woo’s compliment.
“Getting praised by a ten-year-old.”
Well, with acting taken directly from her previous life, it made sense she would perform well.
However, she had felt a slight tremor this time, which seemed to have worked naturally in her favor.
“It turns out going vague is tougher than perfectly mimicking.”
This was a revelation she hadn’t realized before.
Seo-yeon’s emotional acting, being a replication of true emotions, always sought “perfection.”
So dropping that standard and landing somewhere in the “uncanny valley” was proving unexpectedly challenging.
She reflected on herself, having thought it would be simple.
“Certainly, future young talent differs.”
It wasn’t that the child actors she had worked with before lacked presence.
Of course, Seo-yeon didn’t want to fall behind.
No, I can’t fall behind. He’s a real ten-year-old after all.
As Seo-yeon burned with ambition, Park Jeong-woo looked at her with raised eyebrows.
“What were we doing at that age?”
“Well, we were supporting characters, right? Let’s have a drink.”
To the other actors, they both just seemed like monster child actors.
Especially Seo-yeon, whose acting career hadn’t even hit a year yet.
And with this being her first drama shoot, it was nothing short of unbelievable talent.
Even if she had the memories of her previous life.
Seo-yeon herself was utterly unaware of these aspects.
“Well then, let’s continue to the next scene!”
After a brief break, Director Gong Jeong-tae’s shout rang out.
His voice was much lighter than before.
Of course, the staff could guess the reason behind it.
“Today’s shoot is going to wrap up quickly.”
For anyone, getting off work faster is always a good thing.
*
“How was the shoot today, our girl?”
As soon as Joo Yeong-bin got off work, he knocked on his daughter’s door.
Upon entering, he found her sitting seriously in front of the robot toy and the Peep Peep plushie he had bought before.
“…What are you doing?”
“I was pondering.”
“Pondering about what?”
“About Peep Peep and Toobot. Who’s stronger.”
Joo Yeong-bin found himself pondering that question as well.
Among boy and girl toys, who really is stronger?
It was a subject he had never considered before.
Cough, it’s quite a unique topic to contemplate sometimes.
She seemed uninterested in girl toys yet played with them when given.
When they were at the store, she would effortlessly toss robot toys into the shopping cart.
In fact, she had even set up a proper display for her robot toys like a true aficionado.
“Well, if nothing significant happened, that’s a relief.”
In any case, Yeong-bin felt reassured that his daughter was seemingly okay.
His wife Su-a had been quite anxious lately.
“So don’t play too late.”
“Okay.”
As Yeong-bin closed the door and left, Seo-yeon glanced back then flopped down onto the floor.
“Hmm, I’m not sure.”
And no, it didn’t mean she was uncertain about who was stronger between Peep Peep and Toobot.
“True emotional acting.”
Whether she could do it or not, she probably could.
The real question was how far she could take it — that was an entirely different issue.
In that regard, actress Jeong Eun-sun was right.
She had always had confidence in emotional replication, but advancing beyond that was unexplored territory.
Confronting her own feelings had always been foreign to her.
After all, it could very well hurt her fragile child psyche.
Though her TS body was invincible, hormones and emotions could be another story altogether.
It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.
“Hmm.”
Seo-yeon lifted the script she had placed next to her.
There it was, marked in red ink — the scene number highlighted.
“True emotional acting is needed in two scenes.”
Scene numbers S#24 and S#32.
Those two were the parts where she truly wanted to act with sincerity.
After all, this scene was none other than the climax for young Lee Hye-wol.
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