Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Nomen (2)
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The actor playing Lee Ji-an's father, Lee Jang-woo, was Shin Su-hyeok, the kind of face you saw all the time in movies and dramas but whose name often slipped your mind.
The type where if someone said his name, you wouldn't know who they meant, but if they described the role, you'd go, Oh, that guy?
Or the moment you saw his face, it clicked: Oh, him!
He might seem like a minor actor at first glance.
But that just proved his acting chops and the incredible range of his performances.
He was a senior actor worthy of respect.
"Hello! I'm the rookie actress Jeong Gyeowol!"
"Ah... the psycho girl from that drama? I watched it. Good stuff."
Psycho girl?
And not watching it, but watched it?
Clearly, he hadn't seen it. Probably just skimmed a headline or two.
That was the limit of my recognition.
It sounded like a reminder that I had a long way to go.
I needed to work harder, do more projects.
Just like that, he was motivating me.
"Thank you! I've really enjoyed all your works too, sunbaenim."
Saying I watched your work could come off as fake or perfunctory.
It was a greeting anyone could toss out, like a generic holiday group text.
Best to specify which role in which project stuck with you and why.
Shin Su-hyeok, a senior by far, could get away with fumbling a title and brushing it off.
If I, the junior, did that, it'd be insubordination. The whole shoot would be thorns in my side.
Twelve years of set savvy. My body might've changed, but the honed survival skills hadn't.
Actors who sucked at acting but landed supporting roles through agency pull.
Those with trash personalities propped up as rising stars just for their looks.
Crazy directors who treated actors like tools for their vision.
Worse, the directing staff with egos even bigger.
Even the extras with a few lines and puffed-up shoulders.
How much I'd bent over backward to appease them all...
No, not now.
Save the grim past flashbacks for home.
Right now, I needed to reference the tragic project where Shin Su-hyeok had his first lead but flopped.
It was a great era—you could pull up an actor's entire filmography with a few clicks from your seat.
And I'd even streamed a few.
"You have so many great ones... But Death Loop really stuck with me. That panicked performance after coming back to life felt so real. I learned a ton from it. You may not have taught me directly, but you're like my acting master."
His eyes lit up at the specific details.
This kid? Thought it was just polite chit-chat, but she actually watched?
Yeah, he was already half-sold.
"You saw that? Wow... that's an old one. You're not even twenty yet, right, Jeong Gyeowol-ssi?"
"I watch pretty much everything, no matter the era or genre. Feels like it really helps my acting."
Planting the hard worker image? Perfect cherry on top.
Slowly, a smile spread across Shin Su-hyeok's formerly stoic face.
"Not like the kids these days. So diligent. Hit me up anytime you need help—with acting or networking."
"Yes, sunbaenim! Looking forward to working with you!"
Leave a solid first impression like this, and even if I slipped up, he'd have my back once or twice.
After sending Shin Su-hyeok off,
I dove back into work.
Once I'd imprinted on everyone that I was nice, diligent, a good person!
The first day's checklist was basically done.
Taking a breather, I checked when my scene was up.
"Alright! The ritual prep is ready. Everyone gather round!"
One corner of the set had a simple spread: rice cakes, fruit, a pig's head beaming with a grin stuck in its mouth.
The safety prayer began, wishing for no accidents.
The big shots among the crew and lead actors took turns bowing, then jammed cash into the pig's mouth.
That money went to the wrap party.
Sometimes millions piled up.
Word was Director Kim Chi-seung didn't usually do these rituals.
But after bombing a string of projects, maybe he wanted to borrow some superstitious luck.
I'd never directed, but I got it somehow.
In my past life, I'd been desperate enough to shell out emergency savings for a shaman.
...Just wasted cash.
Anyway.
Once the ritual wrapped safely, real shooting kicked off.
Today's scene for me: the heroine's father, Lee Jang-woo, getting targeted for assassination.
Lee Jang-woo was the number two in the killers' syndicate 'Babylon,' but betrayed them for some reason and vanished.
Years later, his trail surfaced.
Babylon dispatched their elite killer, Kim Ha-yul—groomed as his replacement—to take him out.
Kim Ha-yul usually executed flawless plans, assassinations so clean even the target never knew.
But having been raised in Babylon, constantly compared to Lee Jang-woo his whole life, Kim Ha-yul grew curious about the man's skills.
He shadowed him endlessly until Lee Jang-woo was finally alone.
Trailing him into an abandoned factory, oblivious to the trap.
"Prrrrrr—"
I loosened my lips with a lip trill—or lip bubble—to shake off the slight stiffness from the cold.
"Just stand here, and when you hear the cue, walk straight ahead."
A jib overhead. Two cameras on rails flanking for the dolly run.
A steadicam waiting dead ahead.
*Dolly: Smooth movement along rails.
*Steadicam: Wearable gear for shake-free shots.
Shooting a drama was a different beast from the start.
This setup meant fewer retakes per scene.
Budget wasn't cheap.
Finished blocking with the assistant director.
Now waiting for the signal from the megaphone-wielding director.
Right now, Kim Ha-yul should feel a flicker of rivalry blooming in his stoic demeanor.
Built on inferiority toward the stranger, Lee Jang-woo.
I drew up those subtle emotions.
"Ready! Action!"
Cautious, but not slow.
Light steps carried me forward.
Kim Ha-yul, elite killer, made no sound—not even footsteps, per the script.
Sound design would erase them later, but heavy steps could feel off, so I focused hard.
Reached the mark, cueing Shin Su-hyeok's line.
Same setup on his side, multiple cams ready.
Time to convey subtle anger laced with pity, in a tone neither light nor heavy.
Seemed tricky, but...
"I've heard about you. Some blade they're raising inside. Didn't expect a kid girl, though."
Shin Su-hyeok nailed the exact vibe of Lee Jang-woo I'd pictured from the script.
Great chemistry ahead—no clashing rhythms here.
"...Being young or a girl is a plus in this business."
"Sure, old folks, women, kids—you always gotta watch 'em. Still... fighting someone my daughter's age feels a bit pathetic, don't it? You're in high school, right? Go have fun and head home safe."
"What the—"
Lee Jang-woo spotted the assassin tailing him and planned to lure him into a trap for the kill.
But facing Kim Ha-yul changed his mind.
He had a daughter about Kim Ha-yul's age.
She flashed in his head; he couldn't bring himself to strike.
The once-top killer had softened after leaving Babylon to raise his kid.
Pity. Sympathy. Regret.
Emotions tailor-made for a quick death.
Lee Jang-woo knew it best, flashing a wry smile.
The trap here would buy time.
Plenty to shake Kim Ha-yul.
The moment Kim Ha-yul lunged as Lee Jang-woo turned for the back door...
"...!"
A specially treated wire, invisible to the eye, snagged his foot.
Laid so stealthily Kim Ha-yul missed it.
Ping—
The safety pin yanked free.
No thinking needed.
Grenade booby trap.
I dove for cover.
Only a toppled drum barrel nearby.
Curled tight, pillbug-style.
Minimized exposure.
But... no blast.
Dud? Botched setup?
Neither.
Lee Jang-woo wasn't that easy.
No way he'd have that rep.
Double trap from the start.
Just to stall.
"Cut! Good take! Just reset cams and roll right into the next!"
"Push the rail harder this time! Full speed to the back door!"
"Steadicam! Mind that line when walking backward!"
Crew scrambled the second "cut" hit.
Yoo Jun-seung hustled over with a water bottle.
Lid pre-punctured. Straw ready.
Oh, guy's getting the hang of it.
But.
In Nomen, Kim Ha-yul was barefaced almost always.
No lipstick smudge risk, no need for a straw.
He'd shown sense, but today it was wasted. Pity.