Chapter 55
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 055
Chapter Title: Filming Others' Hell (3)
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"…Cut."
Director Gil Mi-jin's call of "Cut!" had barely rung out.
The only sound on set was Choi Gyeol's ragged breathing, his face drained white as he gasped for air.
A strange silence settled over the filming location.
"……."
That hush didn't break easily.
It was the most intense scene Shin Yi-han had delivered yet as Geum Seong-je.
The sight was so gripping that even the onlookers found themselves holding their breath.
Chills prickled their skin over and over, impossible to ignore.
'What... what the hell did we just witness?'
'This is insane.'
'It's on another level from everything before...'
Geum Seong-je was truly horrifying.
The way he toyed with the bugs like an innocent child, utterly devoid of revulsion.
He looked so utterly delighted.
His laughter bubbled up uncontrollably.
That bizarre purity turned their stomachs.
And it was all directed at Choi Pil-seung, the blameless cop—making it all the worse.
The cool satisfaction they'd felt watching Geum Seong-je dispatch the hero's allies like some heroic game was long gone.
'Villain.'
That was all that lingered.
And the reason they felt that way was probably...
Choi Gyeol's flub.
Even with so few lines, he couldn't get his mouth to move properly.
But no one could bring themselves to call it an NG.
'Puhahat!'
Geum Seong-je's laugh changed everything. It ensnared everyone there.
Even though it deviated from the script, it felt flawless.
And when Choi Gyeol skipped his lines afterward, it still rang true.
No—his silence made the scene come alive.
The cop's fragility, trembling and losing all hope...
It contrasted perfectly with Geum Seong-je, rendering him all the more monstrous.
The despair etched on Officer Choi Pil-seung's face at the end...
It was no different from someone who had gazed into hell itself.
"Q-quick, play it back...!"
Director Gil Mi-jin hurriedly checked the footage.
Monitoring took priority over everything else.
She had to confirm that insane scene had been captured right!
But even amid everyone's shock...
Choi Gyeol's thoughts diverged from the rest.
He dragged himself up when monitoring started, but...
His face burned.
He could only clench his fists and bury his head in the towel his manager handed him.
He just couldn't hold it in.
He couldn't bear looking this pathetic!
Everyone had gone quiet because he'd ruined the scene, surely.
Those stares felt like accusations.
'Crazy bastard.'
Crazy, crazy!
'Did you really have to push me that hard? Huh?!'
Choi Gyeol huffed, tearing at his hair.
Shin Yi-han was no different from Baek Eun-won, just messing around wildly.
He hadn't stopped for the NG—instead, he'd forced the scene to continue. Choi Gyeol felt wronged.
In his bewilderment, he couldn't even recall what he'd done.
He hadn't unleashed any prepared acting.
He couldn't even tell where his performance began or ended!
Facing Geum Seong-je head-on...
He'd just been too terrified, dragged around like dead weight.
Yeah. In the end, he'd done nothing.
'Absolutely nothing...!'
Tears and snot streaming down his face.
His makeup, his clothes—all a mess.
Choi Gyeol was mortified.
How hideous would he look on camera? Total disaster!
And that was when Choi Gyeol squeezed his eyes shut and shuffled to the monitor.
- Ah.
- It's starting.
He flinched. Geum Seong-je's voice emanated from the speakers.
Choi Gyeol tensed, bracing for his own image.
It had to be the worst.
Standing there like an idiot, mumbling without delivering that short line—
……?
But upon seeing himself, Choi Gyeol could only blink in confusion.
Huh?
In a good way.
Wait, what?
The version of himself on the monitor wasn't the catastrophe he'd imagined.
Quite the opposite.
Wait, hold on.
'Is that... me?'
It was uncanny. The deeper he sank into panic, the more the scene glowed.
No extra effort required—it was enough.
No, it had to be. That was right.
Geum Seong-je had made it so.
And in the hell that Geum Seong-je created, the desperation Officer Choi Pil-seung was meant to feel...
Every expression as it darkened into despair...
'This is insane.'
Choi Gyeol couldn't believe he'd pulled off those faces.
Nothing looked pathetic. Nothing was funny.
This was truly a first.
His acting, honed since childhood, suddenly felt childish by comparison.
He even thought he'd finally acted properly.
"We're going with this take, just like that."
Even Director Gil Mi-jin was nodding, thrilled with the off-script moment.
"No question. This one—this!"
Her voice brimmed with certainty.
Choi Gyeol finally lifted his head.
Murmurs of agreement rose from behind—like he wasn't alone in thinking so.
The staff and fellow actors who'd come to watch the results.
Including those who'd spent the day gossiping about him.
Even in their eyes, the scene was brilliant.
'N-no way! Shin Yi-han carried the whole thing!'
'Right! I know Choi Gyeol's real talent isn't that bad...!'
They wanted to deny it so badly.
'But...'
'I don't think I could've gone that far...'
'What about you guys? Think you could?'
But they had to concede: Shin Yi-han had dragged Choi Gyeol's performance to its absolute limit.
A height they could never reach.
'…….'
'…….'
They clamped their mouths shut.
When their eyes met Choi Gyeol's, they hurriedly averted their gazes and slipped away.
That reaction made Choi Gyeol beam.
...He was thrilled. Immensely.
He'd done nothing himself, but the fact that it came out like this set his heart racing.
The realization that he could pull this off warmed something deep in his chest.
"We'll wrap early today."
Shin Yi-han had sidled up beside him. Choi Gyeol's eyes widened.
"Right? Senior Choi Gyeol."
A newbie calling him senior, no less.
Of course, Shin Yi-han was inwardly delighted at how perfectly Choi Gyeol had played along.
Unaware, Choi Gyeol felt profound gratitude at that smile.
Sob!
What? Shin Yi-han being some Baek Eun-won type?
What nonsense!
How could an angel like this be Baek Eun-won?!
"Yeah! Totally!"
Choi Gyeol bobbed his head enthusiastically at Shin Yi-han's words.
"Thanks to you, it's perfect! The best!"
In his excitement, he even threw up a thumbs-up in praise.
Of course, they'd only done the full shot—bust shots and other angles meant repeating the ordeal.
The thought dulled his joy a bit.
"Tha...nks...!"
Still, Choi Gyeol was growing awfully fond of Shin Yi-han.
Lately, Director Gil Mi-jin and Writer Go Ji-sook were savoring every moment.
Every scene they shot was legendary.
Even better, the actors ramped up their intensity the moment Shin Yi-han showed up on set.
The staff caught fire from the sight.
Who wouldn't look forward to the final product?
'WHAT?! You didn't follow the script?'
'Mi-jin! You know I hate ad-libs—why aren't you reshooting...'
Sure, there'd almost been friction over the scene where Geum Seong-je kidnaps the cop.
'...Insane. Shin Yi-han pulled it off again.'
But it resolved in a flash when script-stickler Go Ji-sook nodded approvingly.
Shin Yi-han alone was so reliable.
Hard to gauge just how massive one newbie actor's impact was on the drama.
Especially noticeable: Choi Gyeol's expressions had improved dramatically after shooting with Shin Yi-han.
'Thanks, Writer. For giving me the Choi Pil-seung role.'
Go Ji-sook had cherished him enough to shoehorn him into Geum Seong-je's scenes, after all.
'I'm thinking of really studying acting this time around.'
The more they shot, the straighter Choi Gyeol's slumped shoulders grew. His eyes had changed.
'I'll show you even more growth...!'
Go Ji-sook could finally relax about him.
Ah, but there was one actor weighing on her mind.
Baek Eun-won.
The thought struck her, so she asked.
"By the way, Mi-jin. How's Actor Baek Eun-won holding up?"
"Baek Eun-won?"
"Yeah. You should've seen him last time I visited set—his face was so gaunt..."
Director Gil Mi-jin scratched her cheek. She'd come for a script meeting.
"Hmm. Well."
Couldn't skip actor talk.
"He looks totally strung out. That much pressure...?"
Go Ji-sook pressed again.
Baek Eun-won had arrived gaunt on day one, and midway through shooting, he was still the same.
And it was all because of Shin Yi-han.
She'd overheard he'd lost sleep after seeing Murder's Delusion at the Seoul Independent Film Festival...
Having gone with them, she somewhat understood the feeling—but this extreme?
Actor worries aside, she fretted it might delay production.
"But Shin Yi-han..."
Shin Yi-han saw it differently, apparently.
"Says it's great?"
"Huh...?"
Gil Mi-jin smiled awkwardly as she relayed it.
"Shooting's going amazingly well, too."
"R-really?"
"Yeah. Strangely enough."
Gil Mi-jin nodded.
Shin Yi-han was closest to Baek Eun-won on recent shoots.
When she'd asked about him once, he'd said it was good.
Something about her tone—veteran-like, as if she knew Baek inside out—made Gil Mi-jin trust it.
Relief washed over her at Shin Yi-han's assurance.
"And there's definite synergy."
Of course, the results were too perfect to argue.
Gil Mi-jin recalled recent footage.
The repressed protagonist Ban Gi-hyeok, and the sub-villain Geum Seong-je gleefully detonating everything.
The actors' real tension and defeat sharpened their dynamic.
And that bottled-up protagonist...
The moment Geum Seong-je made it all go boom!...
Was coming soon.
Yeah. That would be Geum Seong-je's highlight.
"But Writer, know the real issue?"
"Huh? Real issue?"
It coincided with Shin Yi-han's scenes wrapping.
"Shin Yi-han's done shooting!"
Sob. Gil Mi-jin clenched her fist in regret.
Never had a sub-villain's mid-series exit felt so infuriating.
"Ah. Can't argue that."
Go Ji-sook felt the same pang.
"But since it's the finale, lots of visitors, right?"
"Yeah. Newflix Korea branch is sending people. Jennifer Kim too."
"Really? Then everyone..."
But the anticipation was undeniable.
"The place'll go wild."
When Geum Seong-je's finale exploded.
How was time flying by so fast?
'Last shoot as Geum Seong-je already.'
Shin Yi-han woke early and checked his phone.
He'd figured sub-lead meant plenty of filming, but it zipped by faster than expected.
A mix of reluctance and excitement for the finale.
Habitually touching his face, Shin Yi-han smiled faintly.
He brushed his teeth, eyeing the mirror.
Lean frame, sharp jawline. The image screamed Geum Seong-je now.
Perfect for the last scene.
Stomach growling a bit.
But thoughts of today's highlight drowned it out.
As Shin Yi-han threw on clothes and stepped out...
"Ah! Come on in!"
Choo Gyeo-ul was already there ahead of him, waiting outside his place to pick him up.
"The last one."
Shin Yi-han said as he climbed into the car.
"Wow. That sounds so loaded."
Choo Gyeo-ul pouted.
She hated how bittersweet today felt.
She'd agreed to road manage only through Innocent Boy and the next project.
Once this shoot ended, back to CEO duties.
"You know this is our last together too... right?"
She asked wistfully.
"Yeah. Kinda that vibe. The last."
So stingy...!
Choo Gyeo-ul teared up at his teasing.
"Kidding. I'm bummed too. It was fun riding together."
"...Huh."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Say stuff like that and it's touching."
Shin Yi-han couldn't help laughing at her playful whine.
An exhilarating dawn, all around.
Mostly the shoot's thrill, of course.
He'd stacked the tower high as Geum Seong-je.
- Gi-hyeok, that creep hasn't been around lately, right? The drunk who shoved you.
- Oh? Yeah. Work's been way easier at the BBQ joint lately!
Pretending to care for the protagonist.
- That guy from the goshiwon you mentioned. Barging into our share house demanding stuff he didn't even steal.
Testing him.
- Hasn't been tailing you lately. How's it feel?
- Ah! Amazing!
Watching.
- Hoped he'd just vanish, and poof—he's gone. Feels great!
- Yeah?
And today...
Geum Seong-je would topple that tower.
To Ban Gi-hyeok, living an ordinary life like everyone else.
By teaching him his first murder.
Proving he was the same kind of person.