Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Script Reading (4)
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"What's that? What are you looking at? Just so you know, if you take that money, I'm handing you over to the audit team."
"Here, you bastard! Why the hell would I take your money? I'm just checking something real quick."
"Wh-what are you doing! Why are you touching someone else's wallet!"
The culprit (played by the assistant director) noticeably panicked and threw a fit, desperately demanding his wallet back.
Even with the assistant director's performance that was little more than reading from a Korean textbook, Geum Yuna and Kim Ki-tae kept up their unshakable acting.
"Shut up, you punk. Detective Kim here needs to check something."
"No way! This is abuse of power! You guys are all going to jail because of me!"
"...Jeez, you've picked up all sorts of crap from who knows where. Go ahead, report it. Like that'll work."
Kim I-seo rifled through the spots where bills would go, the card slots, and the ID compartment.
He checked everywhere, but the drugs he expected weren't there.
"See? No way it was real, right? Whew, me too."
She snickered and was about to close the wallet when she felt an odd texture inside.
Something was sewn into the lining of the wallet.
"N-no! Stop it! Give me back my wallet!"
"Damn, this guy's really got something in here, huh? He's making a huge fuss!"
Kim I-seo ripped open the sewn part without hesitation.
And pulled out a small ziplock bag from inside.
The ziplock bag was filled with white powder.
"...Found it. Why the hell is this actually here...?"
"What? What'd you find?"
"Drugs."
Screeech—
The car came to a screeching halt on the shoulder.
The scene cut to Song Su-chan and Kim I-seo's shocked eyes, along with the culprit's devastated expression.
"S#5. Narcotics squad / Day. Conversation between Hwang Hae-na and Kim I-seo about the discovered drugs..."
"Hold on! Wait a sec!"
"...Pardon?"
"...Let's take a break. Just a short break."
"...We just started?"
The assistant director, who had barely managed to push through his embarrassment to keep things going, couldn't understand why the PD wanted a break after just one scene.
But the actors were all grateful to the PD.
'Geum Yuna's lost her mind!'
'Why the hell is she going all out like that all of a sudden!'
'Is this... what a script reading is? Do rookies just die trying?'
It was exhausting for the actors just watching someone act with full commitment in a reading room, not even on set.
In the end, it meant they'd have to match that intensity when their turns came.
The atmosphere was so overwhelming that even average rookies were intimidated into stumbling over their lines.
Even the mid-level veterans weren't immune.
They'd come to the reading with a light heart, only to find themselves needing to give it their all, which left them flustered.
Amid all that, only Jeong Gyeowol was grinning ear to ear.
It was just plain fun.
Thanks to the grueling training at action school, stamina wasn't an issue.
She felt like a fish in water, ready to flop around with energy.
'...Whoa, it's like watching a drama. So freaking fun. This must be why they do script readings.'
Jeong Gyeowol's beaming smile was building up a misunderstanding about script readings.
'I had no idea they put this much effort in from the reading. Gotta give it my all too.'
The small snowball Geum Yuna had started rolling was picking up steam, growing bigger and bigger.
No one could predict how far it would go.
"It's great that everyone's putting real effort into the acting even in a reading—as a director, that makes me happy... but how about we tone it down a bit?"
"Yeah, Geum, you've gotta consider the rookies too. If it's this intense already, how are they supposed to keep up?"
"I guess I got nervous in front of all you seniors. I'll be careful."
The PD and veteran actors stepped in to mediate, but the fire in Geum Yuna's eyes didn't die down.
Every time her gaze met Jeong Gyeowol's, it blazed even hotter.
After that, she ignored the PD's mediation and kept up the passionate acting.
Finally, it was Jeong Gyeowol's turn.
The performance she'd shown at the office meeting in front of the PD and screenwriter.
Helena's first appearance scene.
Since Jeong Gyeowol had just been smiling innocently, no one was tense.
"First case. Victim Kwak Du-pal, 63 years old. Murder by blunt force trauma. The weapon was a brick, the kind you find littered all over the streets."
The scene itself didn't demand any extraordinary acting chops.
Everyone was watching casually when...
Suddenly, Jeong Gyeowol stood up from her seat.
There'd been no opponent for her role in the office scene.
But now, there was the idol actor playing the rookie detective opposite her: Kang Min-hyuk.
Jeong Gyeowol headed straight to his spot. It was just two seats away, so it didn't disrupt the flow.
'...What's this kid doing now? Why stand up in a reading!'
'Driving me crazy. Is this a hidden camera or something?'
'...Am I just old? Is this the new trend in script readings?'
Part of them wanted to cut her off and say it wasn't necessary, but... her expression alone was persuasive enough.
Kang Min-hyuk stood up with slightly flushed cheeks and matched her movements.
She raked her nails slowly from his solar plexus downward.
Kang Min-hyuk put on a flustered expression as per the script... but it felt real.
In the script, Helena didn't go this far.
It was basically Jeong Gyeowol's ad-lib.
Just like in the office, she toyed with him using her fingers until his face turned bright red.
Then she jabbed firmly at the spot below his navel, where the abdominal aorta runs.
Twitch—
Kang Min-hyuk's body stiffened in genuine surprise.
Even so, he didn't forget his line.
"Urk! Wh-what are you...?"
The actors watching couldn't tell if it was real or acting.
And no wonder—his flushed face and flustered look made it seem like he'd actually fallen for Jeong Gyeowol.
'...Do idols act at that level these days?'
'Guess I am getting old. I was lowkey looking down on her as an idol actor, but that was some real acting...'
Misunderstandings were sprouting among the actors.
But for Jeong Gyeowol, the situation was just too much fun.
'Hahaha, this is hilarious!'
It's rare for minor or supporting actors to match moves and lines directly with leads.
For Jeong Gyeowol, with her 12 years in acting, this was one of the highlights.
And after becoming a woman, her acting had been limited to lonely auditions and office reads with no partner—so getting excited now was only natural.
Her performance continued.
The highlight of this scene.
Helena leaving the police station.
She flashed a bright smile.
The moment people's eyes left her as she departed, her face went blank.
And the instant she passed incoming officers, it switched back to a radiant expression.
The scene that had stunned the PD and inspired the screenwriter was recreated in the reading room.
"Whoa... insane."
"How many expressions did she switch in that split second?"
"Her presence is overshadowing the leads...?"
"...This a script reading?"
The actors' admiration for Jeong Gyeowol's acting poured out, and even the assistant director was so shocked he froze mid-word.
That's when PD Yoon Jong-pil cut in.
"...This won't do. I'll burn out before any of you."
"...?"
Geum Yuna and Jeong Gyeowol looked puzzled, like they had no idea what he meant.
The other actors wore expressions of full agreement.
"You all know there's dinner after this, right? I don't wanna crawl there, so please ease up. We're all gonna die at this rate..."
"...?"
"Please, take it easy. I want to see this burning passion on set, not here."
Jeong Gyeowol puzzled over the connection between dinner, crawling, readings, and acting passion, but no answer came.
Still, seeing the exhausted faces of the other actors and staff, she figured she should dial it back as the PD wanted: strip out the energy, the emotion, read like a textbook.
Geum Yuna seemed to feel the same, toning down afterward.
In a way, the true essence of a script reading finally unfolded.
Though both held back, whenever a scene with Jeong Gyeowol came up, Geum Yuna ignited again.
And Jeong Gyeowol matched her intensity in response.
"...And that's the end of the reading. Great work, everyone."
""Great work, everyone!""
They wrapped up the assigned pages, and it was finally over.
Everyone looked relieved, like they could breathe again.
"Dinner's at seven! Anyone who can't make it?"
The assistant director checked attendance for dinner.
They'd gone over it beforehand, but...
Last-minute no-shows were common.
Schedules could pop up, so one more check was needed.
"Uh... I'm not feeling great today..."
"I'm kinda wiped too..."
"If I drink now, I'll end up in the ER."
A few actors begged off, citing poor condition.
Before filming starts, nothing bonds the cast and loosens the mood like dinner.
The PD might've pushed harder normally, but even he was drained from Jeong Gyeowol and Geum Yuna's acting showdown.
Instead, he coolly let off those who wanted out, even consoling those heading out.
The script reading had started at 1 PM and dragged past 5 PM—over four hours total.
At 7 PM, they agreed to meet at the reserved barbecue spot and called it a day.