Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: The Ad-lib Clause
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With the formal audition wrapped up, the head writer suddenly had urgent business and left us behind.
After that...
I returned to the office and was meticulously reviewing the contract.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The incessant messenger notifications kept ringing out.
Ha Ji-won was glued to her phone, completely ignoring me.
It was nice of her to give me time to read it alone, but was this really appropriate behavior in such an important setting?
"Excuse me, Producer Ha Ji-won?"
Only then did she turn her gaze to me, set her phone down, and speak.
"Is there a problem with the contract?"
"No..."
"How much more time do you need?"
"...I'm almost done."
I let out a quiet sigh at her brazen attitude and looked away.
It was hard to trust someone like her.
She could have slipped in unfavorable terms to put me at a disadvantage.
"Hmm..."
After reading it thoroughly to the end, the contract seemed fine. Except for the clause underlined at the very bottom.
'S Stick to the script. That means no ad-libs...'
I set the contract down and turned it so she could see.
"Excuse me, Producer? I'd like to change this clause here."
"...Which clause is the problem?"
She vaguely glanced at the spot I pointed to with her finger, without putting her phone down.
My patience was starting to reach its limit.
Just hold on a little longer...
I forced a smile and asked her in the gentlest tone I could muster.
"Won't this clause cause issues during acting?"
"What kind of issues..."
"Actors often add ad-libs depending on the situation to create better scenes."
As I spoke smoothly without hesitation, she burst into laughter as if she'd expected it.
"Ahaha! Actor Lee Jun-seo, you're still a rookie, right? Rookies always want to stand out and stray from the script. That's why we added it. I hope you understand."
I wiped the smile off my face at her condescending tone.
"...So even a mere rookie like me can't do ad-libs?"
"That's right. That kind of recklessness tires everyone around you."
She had a point.
It was a perfectly reasonable judgment from someone who wasn't an actor.
However.
For an actor, ad-libs are an essential skill that can't be omitted.
'No matter how much of a rookie they are.'
But...
Had things changed in the world?
Was this clause standard in contracts now?
I'd never seen one like this in any contract before.
Not even in sitcom contracts.
This was suspicious...
"Can't we remove this clause?"
"I'd have to check with upper management. The team leader isn't here right now..."
"I saw him at his desk earlier."
"......"
Ha Ji-won let out a deep sigh.
Then she muttered under her breath.
"Just a rookie acting like..."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. The team leader is very busy right now. I'm busy too—could you please sign the contract quickly?"
Was this the moment?
The moment my patience snapped.
I shot up from my seat.
"Why are you treating me like this, Producer? Even if so, isn't ignoring me crossing the line?"
"What? When did I..."
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
As my voice rose, the eyes of everyone working turned toward us. Ha Ji-won, glancing around nervously, gestured for me to lower my voice.
"Ah, forget it. Is that the team leader over there? I'll talk to him. I don't want to deal with you anymore."
"Th-that..."
That was when it happened.
A head popped up from the desk I was heading toward. He gaped, stood up, and walked straight over to us.
"Yawn... Who's making all the noise?"
A disheveled middle-aged man in slippers shuffled over, glared at me, and spoke.
"And who are you? A salesman?"
I glanced at his employee ID hanging around his neck, stood up, and bowed.
"Hello. Team Leader Im Jeong-gu."
"You know me?"
"Your ID is visible."
He ducked his head to look at his ID, scratched his head, and let out a smirk.
"Yeah. You're Actor Lee Jun-seo, right?"
Since he recognized me, calling me a salesman must have been his idea of humor.
In that case.
Humor deserves humor in return.
Getting in good with higher-ups is how you survive here long-term.
I shrugged, nodded, and played along with seasoned wit.
"Yes, that's me. Not a salesman, though."
"Ahahaha! What a funny guy. I'm Team Leader Im Jeong-gu. What brings you here, Actor Lee Jun-seo?"
Finally, the team leader's attitude turned polite.
I composed myself and recounted everything Producer Ha Ji-won had done.
I ended up looking like a tattletale...
But after hearing my long explanation, he clutched his head and shook it.
"Haa, again...?"
From his words, this wasn't the first time.
"I told you over and over, didn't I? Fix that kid's attitude. Didn't I say this was her last chance?"
"Ah, well. You see..."
Watching Ha Ji-won shrink pathetically before authority was hard to stomach.
'I didn't want to say this.'
Honestly, it soured my mood.
"Sigh, I can guess. She must have thrown a tantrum because this guy rejected your little scheme."
"......"
Ha Ji-won's face flushed red with embarrassment in an instant.
Just as I thought.
I'd suspected it.
She was getting petty revenge because I refused to let Yu-na appear?
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Team Leader Im Jeong-gu turned to me and bowed.
"Actor Lee Jun-seo, if I've upset you, I apologize. I'm truly sorry."
"Shouldn't someone else be apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong, Team Leader."
At my words, Producer Ha Ji-won's shoulders twitched. Even as I glared, she refused to apologize.
"...The team leader is bowing, and you're just going to stand there?"
"...I'm sorry."
Ha Ji-won finally apologized to me.
'It wasn't fully satisfying.'
Still, getting an apology from someone like her brought some relief.
These types had egos sky-high.
The ones I'd seen before never uttered "sorry."
I let out a deep sigh.
"Haa. Fine. I want to change this clause at the end. Or remove it altogether."
I handed the contract to Team Leader Im Jeong-gu. He furrowed his brows and stared at the bottom clause.
"This wasn't in the original..."
He muttered softly, then shot a sharp glare at Ha Ji-won.
"Pulling stunts like this in a contract? You've lost it completely."
"Te-Team Leader! I'm really, really sorry. Please, just this once..."
Her face drained of color as she dropped to her knees, tears streaming, begging forgiveness.
Finally, it felt like sweet justice.
'Now that's refreshing.'
After signing the contract, I took a short break in a nearby park on the way to the kindergarten.
A spring shower had passed briefly, and a beautiful rainbow arched across the sky.
'Did I bring the umbrella for nothing?'
Holding the cumbersome umbrella in one hand, I looked up.
The sky was dyed red, with the rainbow and crimson clouds creating a stunning vista.
'It's been ages since I felt this free gazing at the sky. So beautiful...'
I stopped in my tracks, lost in the expansive scenery.
Being like this stirred countless emotions deep in my chest.
Just like in my past life, I placed a hand over my heart and pondered what this feeling was.
Relief...
And a desire to set off on a trip somewhere.
What was this sensation?
I gently closed my eyes.
Yu-na's face immediately floated into my mind. Her bright smile as she asked me to open a can for her.
Her duck-like pout when she didn't like the beans in her rice.
"Pfft..."
I couldn't help but laugh.
I'd just been trying to identify my emotion, but Yu-na popped up and ruined it.
Thank goodness Yu-na doesn't take after me.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have that cute face.
I shrugged and headed to the kindergarten with light steps.
How long had I walked?
I arrived at New Sprout Kindergarten just as the kids started streaming out of the building one by one.
'Where's my Yu-na?'
Finding Yu-na wasn't hard. Among the kids gathered on the playground sandbox, one stood out.
I approached slowly so as not to disturb, watching them build a sandcastle.
"Yu-na, here."
"Yeah, thanks."
Yu-na tapping the sandcastle with her tiny hands was unbearably adorable.
I felt an urge to rush over and hug her tight.
'But I shouldn't interrupt.'
Carefully, I pulled out my phone and zoomed in to snap a photo of Yu-na without capturing the other kids.
Checking it, it turned out pretty good.
I'll post this later...
Then Yu-na whipped her head around. Our eyes met, and she bolted into my arms without a care for the crumbling sandcastle.
"Huh? Daddy! When did you get here?"
"Just now. Was my girl playing well at kindergarten?"
"Hehehe, yeah!"
"Shall we head home now?"
"Yeah! Bye, everyone!"
Yu-na waved to the kids sitting in the sand.
My senses told me those little ones liked her.
These kids...
I hurried out of New Sprout Kindergarten without responding to their greetings.
They might think I was being petty over kids Yu-na's age.
'Yeah, I'm narrow-minded.'
I hope Yu-na doesn't have a boyfriend already...
"Daddy! Daddy!"
"Yeah?"
"Hehehe. I drew a picture today."
"What kind? Can you show Daddy?"
"Wait a sec."
Yu-na wriggled down from my arms, opened her bag, and pulled out a drawing.
"Here!"
"Hmm, let me see."
Only with close scrutiny could I make out Yu-na's drawing: her happily smiling while holding my hand.
And in the blue sky, some object floated around.
"Yu-na, what's this in the sky?"
"It's, it's the fairy! Yu-na wants to meet the fairy, but it's not, I guess."
Yu-na's lips pouted duck-like in disappointment. She still thought the drone was a fairy?
Touched by her innocence, I poked her puffed-up cheeks like steamed buns.
"You'll meet one next time."
"Really?"
"Yeah, Daddy doesn't lie."
"Tch. You lie all the time..."
Han Mun-jin smoked a cigarette as he rewatched the recorded footage several times.
- Hasn't Sung-min come to school yet? Does anyone know?
The teacher's worried expression upon noticing an absent student during roll call.
He could feel a wealth of emotion in Lee Jun-seo's performance.
'This guy's the real deal...'
- You lot, put the cigarettes from your pockets on the desk right now. Where'd you even buy this stuff? Impressive. Very impressive.
There was nothing to nitpick in the acting that followed.
'Is it possible to understand a character from a script and embody them perfectly in such a short time?'
Lee Jun-seo had dived straight into acting the moment he got the script.
Even if he'd read the scenario thoroughly beforehand.
This defied logic.
- R-run away now! The cops are coming. Hurry! I'll handle it.
Now he understood why Lee Han-sol had praised him endlessly.
A promising talent.
Talented actors were rare these days.
Everyone focused on looks, leaving acting skills subpar.
That's why he disliked handsome actors.
And yet.
Han Mun-jin had stuck with high school series, where looks mattered most.
A contradictory choice...
But high school series featured many rookies. He'd endured to scout promising talents.
Watching young actors grow steadily from afar was an old man's pleasure.
Lately, that joy had been absent.
'If that's truly a rookie...'
Han Mun-jin's lips curved up to his ears.
"This'll be fun to watch."