Trainees' Homework and the Blockbuster Sting
Suhyeon headed down to the basement level 2, where the trainees practiced, around 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning. He wanted to check on the Muran members' progress and inspect the homework he'd assigned them. Among the four practice rooms divided into groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, Muran had been granted exclusive use of Room 3 due to their imminent debut. As he descended, he could hear singing spilling out from each room even at the entrance. In the hallway, trainees sat drenched in sweat from morning practice, catching their breath, or drinking water from the hallway purifier. Spotting Suhyeon, they bowed deeply in greeting, and he responded with a bright smile as he made his way to Room 3.
Ignoring the envious stares of the other trainees, Suhyeon stepped inside, and the Muran members greeted him loudly.
"Keep practicing as you were. I need to see just how hard you've been working."
After watching the Muran members practice, Suhyeon approached Erika, who was sweating profusely and pacing endlessly along one wall of the room.
"Erika. You've been practicing hard. But right now, it's not about walking faster. With every step, you need to think constantly in your head. That's how it gets imprinted deep into your subconscious, your nervous system, your muscles—only then can you truly change your walk. That's the priority."
"Yes. Got it."
"What did I say about the front foot?"
At Suhyeon's question, Erika rattled off the answer breathlessly, as if reciting from memory.
"When stepping forward, the front foot should touch down lightly like a cat's whisker to determine the direction and check the ground."
"And the back foot?"
"The moment the front foot confirms direction and terrain, give power to the toes and explosively push off the ground for propulsion."
"Breathing?"
"Inhale on the front foot, exhale on the pushing back foot."
"Body?"
"Imagine someone holding your body upright with a string from above—always keep it straight and tall."
"Good memory. But your breathing and feet still aren't syncing. Slow down the pace if you have to and walk with proper breaths. You can't run until walking is perfect. Remember that."
Erika clenched her fist and replied determinedly.
"Yes, oppa. Don't worry. I'll practice hard."
"Good. Just master that before debut."
Encouraging Erika, Suhyeon then approached Sohee, who had her hair in pigtails, arms outstretched to the sides, and was steadily doing diaphragmatic breathing.
As Suhyeon drew near, Sohee spoke first.
"Oppa, I asked my mom about it when I got home."
"Huh? About what?"
"You said that day I was born with the talent for high notes, but couldn't hit them properly because my lungs are weak. That to bring high notes down beautifully with head voice, I need strong breath support to carry the sound all the way up, but mine runs out midway, leaking sound. And you thought I'd probably had a severe lung illness as a kid."
"Right. But you said you didn't remember anything like that."
"Yeah. But I asked Mom, and she said I did. Before I was even a year old, I got acute pneumonia and was hospitalized for nearly a month, nearly died. You were spot on, oppa."
"I see. Sohee."
"Yes, oppa."
"That's not what's important now. No one can change the past. With steady practice in your current state, you can absolutely hit beautiful high notes. What did I tell you?"
"Always maintain a posture that fully expands the lungs, no matter when or where. Never hunch your shoulders in daily life—thrust your chest out when you walk. And when practicing diaphragmatic breathing, steadily exhale long and strong. High notes are totally doable."
"Exactly. Diaphragmatic breathing is tough, but exhale long until you feel like you're about to collapse. Only when your breath lengthens can you move to the next stage. Remember: consistent, correct practice will improve the body. Forget the past."
"Yes, oppa. I'll go all out, even if it kills me."
A moment later, Suhyeon had gathered all the Muran members for the homework check. Suddenly, he exploded in anger, berating them.
"Who doesn't know about the Lilliputians and giants in Gulliver's Travels? Even kindergarteners in our neighborhood know that. I told you that day: not kids' fairy tales, read the adult version. No one knows Jonathan Swift, the author, was an Anglican priest? Why would a priest write something like this? What was he trying to say? Why include a land like Lilliput? Did any of you think about that while reading? I specifically told you to read it closely. Why do you think I gave you three whole days for one book? Don't you know what close reading means? Bringing in homework like this..."
At that moment, Suhyeon's phone rang. He let out a deep sigh and answered.
"Hello?"
"Suhyeon! It's Park Sil-jang. What the hell have you been up to?"
"Pardon? What do you mean all of a sudden?"
"BJ Group just called. They want a meeting ASAP. Sigh. Can you come to my office now? Let's talk in person."
"Yes. On my way."
Suhyeon hung up and fixed the Muran members with a sharp glare.
"Listen up. Step out this door a few paces, and the hallway's full of trainees staring at this room with envy. You think they can't debut because they lack your talent or effort? Ridiculous. Think hard about that."
He locked eyes with each member before continuing.
"People have different 100-meter dash times, just like different intellect levels—it's natural. I'm not telling you to analyze Gulliver's Travels academically. Read at your level, but think constantly. That's close reading. I'll check again in three days. If anyone slacks off, you're out, replaced by a new member. Got it?"
"Yes, oppa."
"Got it. We'll do close reading!"
"Don't worry, oppa."
"Believe in us, oppa."
A short while later, Suhyeon took the elevator to the fifth floor and entered Actor Team 1 Manager Park Dongju's office.
"Come in, Suhyeon."
"Hello, Park Sil-jang."
As Suhyeon sat on the sofa, Park Dongju unleashed a torrent of words, as if he'd been waiting.
"Suhyeon, the more I learn about you, the more mysterious you get. It hasn't even been three days since I heard from Yu Sil-jang that you want to star in a blockbuster, right? How does something like this happen in just three days? It's unbelievable. What on earth..."
Suhyeon raised a hand to calm the excited Park Dongju and cut him off.
"Park Sil-jang, I have no idea what's going on. Calm down and explain slowly."
"Right, I got too worked up. You heard from Yu Sil-jang about the offer that came in?"
"Yes. A CF tie-in where I shoot their product ads exclusively for a while, and in return, they consider me for the lead in a blockbuster. From BJ Group, with intent to monopolize me temporarily."
"That was just a preliminary offer, not confirmed. Great for us, but they need to crunch the numbers. The moment you mentioned blockbusters, we started prepping materials to prove your worth as an actor. Your resume's too short, after all. The promo team and I were racking our brains."
"Then they suddenly reached out first?"
"Yes. They heard we're positively reviewing it internally and want a quick meeting. I don't get it—this isn't casual. They've already decided your film. Means BJ has a concrete plan..."
"If it happens, what's the movie title?"
"Sting: A Report on That Beauty"
The title sparked a memory in Suhyeon's mind.
"Hm? That film..."
"You've heard of it?"
"Heard of it? I memorized the script. Wasn't it one of the ones you gave me to read? International con artist protagonist..."
"As expected... Geniuses are scary. Still got the script memorized... Yes, that's the one."
"But I heard overseas shoots make production iffy."
"Right. But BJ bought the script. Since you memorized it, what qualities does the character need?"
Suhyeon answered without hesitation.
"Young age, handsome face, quick wit, silver tongue, fluent in foreign languages, agile body, excellent fighting skills."
"One more: tall stature. Crucial for overseas shoots. A short lead among tall foreigners kills the visuals. How tall are you?"
"About 186 cm."
Park Dongju nodded.
"Anyone can see you're perfect. But on the call, they mentioned a 30 billion won budget. Double what I expected—I was shocked. And it hit me."
Park Dongju stared intently at Suhyeon.
"What are they betting on? What gives them such confidence? Even 3 billion films don't move this fast. 30 billion. Like Battle of the Island recently. If it flops, even a chaebol's stock shakes. They must be dead certain it'll succeed. Otherwise, no way. So I thought: Suhyeon must've done something huge I don't know about. Tell me—what happened in these three days?"
"Only one standout thing in three days. But it wasn't that special."
"What?"
"Monday afternoon, Seong Kang-ho hyung asked me for a cameo at a Namyangju set, so I headed out."
"And?"
"En route, they changed the location to somewhere near Namyangju and sent a new address. Said plug it into nav and come."
"So?"
"Plugged it in, arrived—and it wasn't a set. It was a barge."
"Barge?"
"No, barge."
"Ah, barge... And?"
"So..."
Suhyeon recalled that day's memory as he spoke.