Chapter 177: Improvisation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 177: Improvisation
The reviews of the fan meeting were mostly positive.
≫ What do you mean our King Cute Maknae Black Panther cried?
What the hell happened at the fan meeting?
└ Ah, seriously, between I-wol’s contact names being leaked and Gi-yeon crying because of the fan event... ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I regret not going a million times over. Noir Heart of Jealousy...
≫ The maknaes were seriously bawling their eyes out. It was so cute but my heart was breaking.
The funniest part though -> The middle line members trying to hold back their tears because they’re "hyungs," even though there’s barely an age gap lol ㅠㅠ Ah, you guys are babies too. Cry if you want to. (Actually, I just want to see it.)
└ We have to love them f*cking much... We have to shower them with affection...
└ It’s true that the older you are, the less you cry. The oldest line was a total iron fortress, lol.
└ Ha, I want to see the oldest line wailing. My heart felt like it was tearing apart when I saw the maknaes cry, but if the hyungs cry, I think my mouth will tear from grinning so hard.
≫ Reading through the fan meeting reviews right now.
I f*cking lost it when Cheong-hyeon was crying and then suddenly said, "Ha, I have to stop crying... because I’m I-wol-hyung’s Cute Pretty Visually..." ㅠㅠ
└ I seriously don’t know what Kim I-wol was thinking when he saved the members' names like that.
└ Kim I-wol is more sincere about Spark than anyone.
└ The fact that Choi Je-ho and Kim I-wol maintained a physical distance of 100m after that came out is the real highlight, lol.
≫ Previews of the crying maknae line are up.
F*ck this shitty world.
└ When will I ever stop loving the sight of tears falling from eyes that look like they’d only produce icicles?
└ No, but they really cried a lot;;;; Are the kids having a hard time lately? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└ It might be because Spark has been working so hard lately... Ha, guys, let’s only walk the flower path.
≫ So when is the next fan meeting?
You did Seoul, so now you have to hit Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, Jeju, and Dokdo.
└ I’ll add Seosan, Cheorwon, Gangneung, Cheonan, Asan, Jeonju, Yeosu, and Pohang.
└ Let’s just fly the kids around on drones.
≫ An idol group that says the fan meeting is 2 hours but pulls a 4-hour session out of nowhere.
Thanks to that, the Sparklers and the staff kept exchanging looks, wondering when to start the fan event, lol.
@@: Should we ask them to play it now?
@: N-now?
Now?! × They did that about 300 times. But it was great.
└ Ak, lol. Just imagining it is cute.
≫ After seeing a guy skip his fan meeting to go on a date, watching Spark feels like a breath of fresh air.
They danced so much, sang a million songs, and even sang acapella when there was no MR.
Handing out shopping bags to everyone on their way home felt a bit like my mom, but anyway.
└ Wait, I’m hearing about the shopping bags for the first time. What was in them?
└ There were photocards, and since it’s autumn and throats get dry, there were things like mini humidifiers ㅠㅠ The letters were printed, not handwritten, but they included letters from all six members... ㅠㅠㅠㅠ If this had been random, I might have actually cried.
└ Oh, and there was pudding, lol. Apparently, Je-ho’s older sister got obsessed with pudding for a while and bought so much that he had to eat nothing but pudding for three days because of the expiration date, lol. So Je-ho was all proud, saying he’s good at picking out delicious puddings.
└ Ah, Choi Je-ho, you giant baby-adult-snake.
└ Not a single word in that sentence makes sense.
There were many other reactions expressing satisfaction. It was a relief.
The atmosphere of a venue can change drastically depending on who the MC is, so not having a dedicated MC seemed to have been a good choice.
If there’s someone who constantly gets a specific member’s name wrong or makes jokes that cross the line, the fans can’t fully enjoy the event they spent their precious time to attend.
Fortunately, it was possible because Jeong Seong-bin’s hosting skills had improved significantly. Although he looked a bit haggard the next day, that’s how everyone grows.
Many people also liked the fan song that was uploaded separately to MeTube. Thanks to that, my steps toward the filming location were light.
While I scrolled through the communities a few times, the van arrived at the site.
“I-wol, we’re here!”
“Yes, I’ll head out first!”
Leaving the manager to park the car, I headed toward the office... no, the set.
I wonder what kind of ad-libs are waiting for me today.
Back at Hanpyeong Industry, unexpected tasks from Department Head Nam used to ambush me, but in In My Office, ad-libs were testing me. Thanks to that, I’m constantly in a state of defense after defense.
“I-wol, you’re early again today!”
“Hello, Assistant Director.”
The call time for actors is much later than that of the staff. It’s probably because their areas of work are different, but it’s not like I’m some A-list actor who can afford to show up exactly on time. Unless there’s a scheduling conflict, I try to arrive early.
Hair and wardrobe are basically adjusted on-site according to the story or atmosphere of the day.
Since Do Yeong-hwan is just "Ordinary Employee 1," his hair was usually just styled down or in a light comma hair style. Since I usually arrive the earliest and I’m a supporting character with no major style changes, my preparation usually finishes in a flash.
Once I’m ready, my routine begins. Which is...
“Mmm, it’s as clean as ever.”
...Wiping down Do Yeong-hwan’s desk.
On the first day of filming, the director set the actors' arrival time an hour earlier than the shooting time.
The point was to decorate the desks in the office to match the characters' personalities.
Between the audition and now, I realized he places great importance on an actor’s character analysis.
Some people brought a bunch of miniatures from their cars to display, while others stuck several Post-its next to their monitors to look professional.
The actor playing Ji Seong-in, one of the leads, even brought a desk calendar with things already densely written on it. I thought, Is that what lead-actor class looks like?
So, what did I do?
I just cleared everything off. Except for the books, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and mouse pad.
‘What? Is Do Yeong-hwan a minimalist?’
The staff members commented as I peeled off the index tabs that were originally stuck to the monitor.
The director also chimed in.
‘I-wol, if you’re doing this to stand out...’
‘Ah, no. It’s not like that.’
I opened a part of the script for Episode 1 and pointed to a short stage direction. It was a part I had underlined in red.
『I don’t know what Yeong-hwan is thinking, but that’s his charm.』
It was Ha Seo-myeong’s line.
‘I thought about how this part could be portrayed. Do Yeong-hwan isn’t a character who lacks social skills, and he’s someone who does his job perfectly, so I wondered where that "mysterious charm" comes from.’
‘Hmm, I see.’
‘So I used this photo as a reference.’
The director checked the photo I had printed out in advance: "The desk of someone who is ready to resign at any moment."
Just in case, I also brought along some positive comment reactions. It would be hard to view it negatively.
‘But I-wol, did you know I was going to ask you to decorate the desks? When did you prepare this?’
It was an indirect approval. I took the paper back and answered.
‘If you hadn’t asked, I was planning to suggest it first.’
‘You’re quite something.’
And so, Do Yeong-hwan’s desk became an all-white, sterile office worker’s desk. And I’ve been sweeping and wiping it every time I come to work. It was a habit from my days at Hanpyeong Industry.
“Does a person this neat keep a resignation letter hidden in their drawer or something?”
Ha Seo-myeong approached and asked.
She occasionally acts unpredictably, but she’s someone who treats all the cast members kindly and creates a good atmosphere. So, I’ve been trying my best to match her pace lately.
“This is a large corporation, though. Wouldn’t the resignation be handled through electronic approval?”
“Ahahaha! True. I thought you might have a laminated resignation letter.”
Then, Ha Seo-myeong clapped her hands.
“This conversation is great. How about we modify it a bit and put it in as an ad-lib later?”
“‘I didn’t print it because I’m going to submit it through electronic approval’... would that be enough?”
“Exactly, exactly. I-wol, you really have a sense for this.”
Ha Seo-myeong gave me a thumbs-up. I also bowed my head, thanking her. I wasn’t sure if being in Ha Seo-myeong’s good graces was a good thing or not.
To an office worker, lunch break is as precious as gold.
The group around Seon Gu-an, minus those who had already slipped away to the company gym, walked along the riverside with coffee in hand.
“Ugh, don’t you feel like it’s getting colder lately?”
One colleague rubbed their arms.
“The thought of winter coming is terrifying...”
Someone else chimed in.
The insulation of a suit is the worst. Even wearing thermal underwear top and bottom couldn’t block the biting wind. Everyone at My Asset Management knew that fact all too well.
“Still, winter has that big event. Everyone’s got 2,000 won in cash ready in their hearts, right?”
Seon Gu-an shouted energetically, looking back at his colleagues.
The bungeoppang stall lined up right in front of the subway station closest to My Asset Management, and the takoyaki truck that came near the river every Wednesday evening, were hotspots for Yeouido suit-wearers—so much so that they were registered on a secretly shared "seasonal seafood" map.
The colleagues, who had benefited greatly from their cash pockets last winter, nodded.
“Of course.”
“Naturally.”
There was an unexpected person among them. It was Seon Gu-an’s junior, Do Yeong-hwan, who looked like the type to decline bungeoppang with a polite, ‘Ah, I’m fine with sweet things.’
He was a man who never frowned except when putting in artificial teardrops, who always stared at the monitor with a bland expression, and who just typed away as if he weren’t there before going home.
That Do Yeong-hwan was carrying around bungeoppang money in his heart?
“Yeong-hwan, you’re prepared too? To buy bungeoppang?”
Seon Gu-an asked.
Do Yeong-hwan answered while looking somewhere into the distance.
“No, I’m going to buy a Lotto ticket on my way home.”
“...”
Seon Gu-an turned his head, following Do Yeong-hwan’s gaze.
A banner reading ‘1st Place Winner 3 Times’ fluttered on the main road across the street.
Do Yeong-hwan said:
“If you don’t see me next Monday, please don’t look for me.”
Seon Gu-an and the colleagues were momentarily speechless. However, the look in Do Yeong-hwan’s eyes told them just how sincere he was.
“Ye... Yeong-hwan, even if you win, you can resign, but don’t go completely ghost on us, okay? Huh?”
“How dare you seniors try to rip off a maknae’s pocket-money Lotto!”
Seon Gu-an held his colleagues back. Do Yeong-hwan walked silently behind his seniors.
“Cut!”
The director gave a short signal of approval.
At the same time, I let out a sigh of relief.
How can they put in this many ad-libs?
Originally, my only line was ‘Naturally.’ Everything from the part about Yeong-hwan carrying 2,000 won to buy a Lotto ticket was an ad-lib.
Since I had decorated the desk like an office worker dreaming of resignation, I had no choice but to match the tone of the response.
I expected the director to cut it if it wasn’t working, but that didn’t happen. It seemed Do Yeong-hwan was going to be broadcast as a common office worker who buys Lotto tickets.
Furthermore, I’m increasingly being paired with Ha Seo-myeong as a banter duo. My screen time has doubled compared to my original lines.
I’m grateful, but also embarrassed. Please don’t do this to me. I’ll study the script even harder, but...
While they were filming scenes I wasn’t in, I sat in a corner and read the script until it was worn out. Then, someone sat in the empty chair next to me. It was Ha Seo-myeong.
“Your first time acting must be really hard, right?”
“No, everyone is helping me so much that I’m enjoying it.”
“Is that so?”
Ha Seo-myeong laughed.
“I doubt it.”
“I’m serious.”
“Really? That’s amazing. It was really hard for me.”
I responded to Ha Seo-myeong’s affable comment with a smile full of social grace. There weren’t many expressions I could make in this situation.
“About the ad-libs, I’m sorry. Looking at the original script, there weren’t many points where the dialogue really had a ‘flavor’ to it.”
“I see.”
“How many people these days watch a drama from start to finish? Most people watch clips or compilations. But those parts usually come from funny scenes. Where there’s tiki-taka, an interesting combination of characters, and tasty dialogue.”
“...”
“In my eyes, Do Yeong-hwan seems like the perfect character for that. Let’s try to create some ‘fun’ points!”
“Yes, yes!”
I ended up shouting a "fighting" along with her. This person has the aura of a boss with a straight character and initiative.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I glanced around, looking for somewhere that might need help.
Ha Seo-myeong laughed while watching me.
“It’s exactly what Eun-i said.”
The name ‘Eun-i’ didn’t immediately ring a bell.
Then, a person came to mind. It was Teacher Oh Eun, the vocal trainer at UA.
“Do you know the teacher?”
“Of course I do. We were in the same team.”
I had found out by chance during my trainee days that Teacher Oh Eun was from a girl group that didn’t succeed. I had heard that the group disbanded, but I had no idea Ha Seo-myeong was in the same team.
That meant this person had also gone through the arduous journey from idol to actor. And that was at a level incomparable to me, who was just appearing briefly as a supporting character.
But Ha Seo-myeong didn’t show any sign of that. Her eyes were just full of positive energy.
“She’s not the type to talk about others, but she said a really polite and hardworking kid was coming. She told me to take good care of him if I liked him.”
“‘If you like him, take good care of him’... that definitely sounds like my teacher.”
“She’s always been a bit of a prickly one. Anyway, I listened to her and watched, and what do you know? You’re exactly like what Eun-i said.”
Ha Seo-myeong handed me a drink. It was a fruit juice that cost over 4,000 won a bottle despite the small amount.
“I told Eun-i before. To be a solo singer. I said someone of her caliber could easily do it, so why was teaching kids fun?”
The teacher was truly good at singing. Given that she still had things to teach Jeong Seong-bin and Park Ju-woo, who were beyond idol-level, there was no "area she couldn't teach."
“But these days, I think I understand that feeling. Even though Eun-i is a trainer at a small company and I’m still an ambiguous actor trying to find my place.”
Let’s do well. Saying that, Ha Seo-myeong held out her hand.
I also bowed and shook her hand, saying I looked forward to working with her.
Even on a set where I thought I was alone, someone was looking out for me. That fact brought a lot of comfort.
“Oh, right. And a proposal will be going to UA soon. I don’t know if it’s a designated request or not.”
“What kind of proposal?”
Ha Seo-myeong winked.
“An OST request.”