Chapter: 44
The reason I knew Shim Cheong-seok was, in a way, similar to how I knew Pyo Ji-woo.
It was a tragic incident widely reported on the news.
Since I only saw his face in a small corner of the news footage, I couldn’t recall it right away.
“I think the incident happened about a year ago.”
It occurred during a drama shoot.
A fall accident.
He stumbled and went tumbling down a valley while filming.
Initially reported as just a simple accident, it later turned out to be the result of a senior actor’s bullying.
They said he forced the scene without the stuntman being present.
“Bullies among actors.”
It was a hot issue for various reasons.
Fortunately, I had never personally encountered such bullying during my child acting days.
But reportedly, child actors are often in a vulnerable position, easy prey for other actors or staff.
“Guess I was lucky.”
Anyway, unlike me, Shim Cheong-seok wasn’t so fortunate.
Maybe he felt inferior that he shifted from the theater scene to an oversized OTT drama all at once.
Thanks to that, there were talks in the National Assembly about creating a law—Shim Cheong-seok Law—to address bullying among actors.
“…Why are you looking at me like that? No, really?”
“Huh?”
“It’s like you’re looking at someone who’s about to die, you know?”
Shim Cheong-seok said this with a rather sour expression.
Oops! Had I been looking at him with that face by mistake?
“But why does his speech sound so awkward?”
Is it strange for him to speak formally to a younger actor?
If he keeps talking like that, it might hinder our conversation!
“You can just talk comfortably. It’s okay.”
“Oh, really?”
The moment I told him that, Shim Cheong-seok dropped the formality with surgical precision.
I didn’t really care, but what should I say now?
“Does he at least know I’m his senior?”
He definitely didn’t seem like the typical junior who would charm the seniors.
I mean, it’s not like I wanted to throw my weight around as a senior.
…Seriously.
“More importantly, what you just saw didn’t have any special intention behind it.”
“Hmm.”
He had a sharp profile by nature, but his tone didn’t match that.
His speech was slow, and his movements weren’t particularly brisk.
He definitely had the look of someone who could take a beating in the business.
“Anyway, if you’re ready, let’s get started.”
Shim Cheong-seok seemed to have lost interest in me, looking around instead.
Currently, the actors participating in the play were seated in a circle around a table.
Time for a script reading.
Whether it’s a drama or a play, the script reading is the foundation for all tasks that involve handling the script.
It’s not just about spouting lines and continuing the performance; it’s also about reviewing pronunciations and sentences that suit each actor.
“I breezed through the last drama.”
I might have taken it lightly back then because I was a child actor.
But as I thought this through, I could feel that the scripts in everyone’s hands had different styles.
Each script was tailored to their own style.
For reference, mine was just the basic one.
I hadn’t really needed to tweak anything, so I was sticking with what I was initially given.
“Seoyeon ssi, this is your first script reading for a play, right?”
“Yeah.”
While sitting still and perusing the script, Lee Hye-jin, who played Song Min-seo, spoke up cautiously.
“Typically, the first reading takes quite a while. It might run late, is that okay?”
“Yeah, I already informed my home.”
And even if it wasn’t okay, it had to be done.
Having already committed, I knew saying I would leave now would mean losing my role along with it.
“Then as mentioned earlier, let’s have Seoyeon and Cheong-seok start first.”
I wondered why it was just the two of us, but thinking it through, it made sense.
The other two actors were already practiced at the premiere, as they’d worked together before.
Since all the actors assigned to our parts were different, this would essentially be our ‘first’ reading.
“But shouldn’t we start with Lee Hye-jin who plays Song Min-seo first?”
I felt a hint of doubt about that decision, but it was clear there was something they wanted to verify.
I thought about it as I opened the script.
The introductory scene of Act 2, featuring the first meeting between Bae Seong-hak and Hong Jeong-hee.
*
“Let’s begin.”
At Shim Cheong-seok‘s words, all eyes turned to the two of us.
Shim Cheong-seok and Joo Seoyeon.
These two were likely to steal the spotlight during the script reading.
“The rising star of the troupe and the child acting genius.”
Both clearly had well-defined characters.
Kim Cheong-woon glanced over at Shim Cheong-seok.
Honestly, when Jo Do-yul recommended him, I thought they’d lost their sanity.
He clearly had the skill, but he was, in essence, like a wild horse.
A strong-willed actor aware of his own colors.
He was a particularly daunting figure for Seoyeon, who was essentially new to the play.
Especially in this script reading, if Seoyeon didn’t manage to sync up properly, the one to kick her multiple times would be Shim Cheong-seok himself.
Indeed, among the actors, some even avoided him because of his cold demeanor.
“Ah! Hong Jeong-hee! Nice to meet you. You always come to every performance, right? You look familiar.”
Bae Seong-hak, played by the idol, initiated the first conversation with Hong Jeong-hee in the play.
His sharp expression faded, replaced by a charming smile in an instant.
He didn’t even have to put on an acting face for it to shine through.
“Ah, hello! I’m Hong Jeong-hee.”
In response, Seoyeon showed no weakness.
Just like she proved during the auditions that she could defeat Pyo Ji-woo, even with voice acting, emotions were crystal clear.
Her articulation was superb.
A collective gasp of admiration escaped everyone present.
“Hmm.”
However, Shim Cheong-seok frowned slightly with a discontented expression.
“Isn’t your speech a bit too stuttery?”
His tone came off almost as an attack.
If she were a mere actor, it could be enough to sap someone’s spirit.
Of course, that wasn’t his intention.
It was just his way of expressing pure curiosity.
“If they could talk well, they wouldn’t be prattling on about Song Min-seo.”
“That’s not the same.”
“No, it is! The script says ‘they speak while making eye contact,’ but it would be better to tremble with your body while avoiding direct eye contact in this part.”
Yet Seoyeon didn’t back down.
She was stubborn in her interpretation of characters as well.
During her child acting days, she was known to rewrite scripts on her own.
Even if… the reasoning might have been hilariously trivial.
Regardless, in response to Shim Cheong-seok‘s critique, Seoyeon decided to retaliate in kind.
“Your acting is a bit too sweet.”
“…….”
“Doesn’t quite match the character.”
Hearing that, Shim Cheong-seok raised his eyebrows.
He probably didn’t expect to be critiqued himself.
“You have to maintain this tone to convey it well to the audience. You might not realize it, given your lack of experience.”
Oh ho, the weight of experience, huh?
Seoyeon maintained her poker face but twisted her lips slightly.
“What’s your debut date again, Shim Cheong-seok?”
“Debut date?”
“For the record, mine was 10 years ago.”
“…….”
“Who’s lacking in experience, then?”
He certainly wouldn’t listen to excuses about having been out of the game for a while or it being his first time in theater.
“My acting career spans 10 years.”
Filled with confidence, Seoyeon puffed out her chest.
“Let’s continue.”
“……Alright.”
His eyes narrowed as he looked at Seoyeon for a moment.
His expression seemed to say, “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
And indeed, that was what Seoyeon wanted too.
The following script reading turned out to be rather intense.
It wasn’t some half-joking stare-down like before.
We discussed each scene, making edits and moving forward.
Script readings typically last two to three times the length of the play.
So a base duration of three to five hours is what you’d expect.
However, the reading wrapped up around midnight.
A whopping eight hours later!
“…I’m really sorry for getting so heated.”
“No, no! Don’t mind it, Seoyeon ssi.”
Of course, the script reading wasn’t just between Seoyeon and Shim Cheong-seok.
There were other actors involved, which is why it took so long.
Clearly, Seoyeon and Shim Cheong-seok took up most of the time, but…
“Wow, this kid is legit.”
Watching Seoyeon glancing around nervously, Kim Cheong-woon was secretly impressed.
Even though it was her first script reading, she appeared incredibly at ease.
Well, no wonder. She had been through this process during her drama shoots; we might need to specify “in theater.”
“This will definitely give the production team something to think about.”
In fact, even if Seoyeon’s acting were slightly below Pyo Ji-woo’s, she would still get the role.
The child actor from The Sun Hidden by the Moon making her return after ten long years—that’s some prime promo move.
The title of a ‘comeback project’ is a one-time premium title.
While it may not carry the same impact as a public broadcast, compared to other productions, it’s like giving a tiger wings.
“And she didn’t lag behind Shim Cheong-seok at all!”
I was already looking forward to her actual performance.
Shim Cheong-seok was also a remarkably talented actor.
*
There’s a variety show called Looking Back at the Past!
It’s a program that reenacts shows or dramas that were popular in the past.
Typically, it targets teens who are unfamiliar with that ‘past.’
There have been instances where they’ve gone to schools to reenact classic scenes from old dramas.
They even had students performing a past popular variety show.
“Since we’ve been in the variety segment before, shouldn’t we handle a drama this time? Or should we do both?”
“……”
“Why the silence?”
The chief producer Jung Min-jae said to his junior, Park Geon.
“Uh, we were just checking on how much time we have left until we air.”
“…..Uh-oh.”
The previous viewership rating was nearly 6%.
Barely hanging on to life.
If the viewership dips even a little bit more, we’re officially off the air.
This season would likely be our last run.
“They said viewer participation shows were popular…”
“Looks like it’s because the participants are students.”
“Hmm.”
Jung Min-jae sighed.
Originally, the idea was to reenact previously popular shows or dramas.
He thought it’d be amusing to showcase that through the lively portrayal of students.
The trial run had received positive feedback too.
But what was the reality?
A mere 6% viewership.
“Well, reenacting it properly is pushing it.”
Unless the school has a drama club at the ready.
If not, it would simply be a festival of cringe-worthy performances for a whole 20 minutes.
At least, that in itself was good for keeping a viewership of 6%.
“Let’s bring in a guest.”
“A guest?”
“Having a real actor around would boost their morale, wouldn’t it? Plus, it might make the performances a bit more watchable.”
That was a surprisingly decent idea for a spur-of-the-moment suggestion.
Then, using someone who starred in the drama we wanted to reenact would be just perfect.
Jung Min-jae’s thoughts raced.
“Actually, we might need to pick the actor first, rather than the drama. Do you know any good actors for our show?”
“I do.”
At that moment, one staff member raised their hand.
It was the staff member who always ordered rice soup alone while everyone else got the spicy stir-fried pork during lunch.
“Uh, who do you mean?”
“Park Jung-woo.”
“Excuse me?”
Jung Min-jae was momentarily stunned, wondering if he had misheard.
Who did you say?
“My father’s close friend’s son worked with Park Jung-woo once, so that’s how I know.”
“Is that a close enough connection to contact him?”
“Of course! We chatted on KakaoTalk just the other day.”
He said that while showing the KakaoTalk conversation he had with Park Jung-woo.
“Oh my gosh. Does this even work?”
Park Jung-woo was the hottest actor recently.
At just twenty, he had moved out from beneath his father’s shadow and carved his own path in acting.
His striking looks had produced a legion of fan sisters.
“Park Jung-woo, Park Jung-woo… If we can get him, then the drama will practically be set.”
“The most successful drama he’s been in was The Sun Hidden by the Moon, right?”
The visuals alone would be incredible.
If we could make this work, it just might save the program.
“Is there a drama club at the high school we’ll be visiting?”
“Yes, there is! And it’s quite renowned.”
“Oh, perfect.”
Jung Min-jae grinned widely, promptly pulling up the high school they were set to visit on his smartphone.
Yeonhwa High School.
That was precisely the school where Seoyeon and Ji-yeon were currently enrolled.
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