Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Tough Monday Morning
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A tough Monday morning dawned, the kind that made it hard to get up. I tossed and turned sluggishly before blankly staring out the window.
Tweet! Tweet!
I spotted sparrows perched on a tree, grooming themselves. They say busy birds catch more worms, right?
'Yeah, I should get up and get ready too.'
I tried to drag my heavy body upright but froze. Yu-na, cute as an angel, was plastered flat against my stomach.
'Lately, she's always doing this....'
Seeing her like that always put me in a good mood for no reason. I really felt like I'd become the perfect dad.
'Sigh, drool soaked right through my clothes.'
I gently shifted Yu-na aside and perched on the edge of the bed, stretching with a groan.
"Ugh! Shooting starts up again today. Gotta power through."
I headed straight to the bathroom for a quick wash-up, then came out feeling refreshed and threw myself into breakfast prep.
I set out steaming multigrain rice and the side dishes from the fridge on the folding table, curving my lips into a smile.
'Nice. Perfect again today.'
Right on cue, Yu-na stirred on the bed, rubbing her eyes.
"Hmm... Daddy...."
I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her flailing her arms through the air, searching for me without even opening her eyes.
"She's been extra clingy lately, huh?"
I scooped her up and hoisted her into the air.
"Breakfast time now."
"Yu-na's sleepy. Can't I sleep more?"
"Eat first, then wash up and off to kindergarten."
"But I wanna sleep more...."
She'd played herself silly at Neverland yesterday, then came home and spent ages on the phone with the seniors and Shin Dong-hyun.
No wonder she was wiped out.
I gave her soft, chubby cheeks a light pinch to snap her out of it.
Her cheeks really were so squishy, downright addictive. Careful not to leave a mark, I let go and clapped my hands.
"I'll feed you, so let's get up."
"Yesss...."
Still half-asleep with her eyes shut, she climbed down from the bed and plopped at the table, head hanging low.
Nod... nod...
'The cuter I look at her, the more I love her.'
I sat down and scooped a small bite of multigrain rice, sized just right for her mouth.
"Here, ahh?"
"Ahh."
She took it, chewed for a bit, then subtly spat something out.
Plop! Plop!
Up close, it was a big bean.
Here we go again.
I narrowed my eyes and fixed her with a stern look.
"Sssp. Yu-na, what did Daddy say about picky eating?"
"But.... it tastes bad."
"You have to eat a variety to grow big and strong. Do it again, and Daddy's gonna get mad."
With her eyes half-open, she stuck out her lower lip in a pout. Fixing Yu-na's picky eating habits was a full-on war every single morning.
'Haa, this one's really tough.'
Behind the back gate of Ace High School, down the stairs, there was a rice paddy—or what used to be one.
Calling it a paddy felt like a stretch, though. It looked utterly desolate, like no one had touched it in ages. The ground was badly cracked, littered with all sorts of trash.
You might think it was dressed up for filming, but no—it was genuinely that rough.
Two handsome guys in school uniforms were sitting on that dirt, wiping sweat as they talked.
"This time, I really thought you were gonna hit me. Can't you go a little slower?"
Cha Eun-hyuk gave a small shrug at Kang Min-woo's grumbling—his lips made to look split open with the special makeup.
"It didn't hit, so what's the problem?"
"What if it had?"
"Then it'd be even more realistic. Better that way."
"......"
Kang Min-woo was left speechless. A real hit would've messed up the shoot.
An actor's face is their lifeblood, after all.
But still...
A palm and a fist were worlds apart.
He wasn't really trying to hit me, was he?
Kang Min-woo squinted at him suspiciously.
"Got something to say?"
"No.... More importantly, you okay? After that gastroenteritis last time..."
"Haha! Can we forget about that?"
Feeling the silent pressure, Kang Min-woo flinched and bowed his head.
"Yesss...."
"Ah, looks like break's over?"
"Yeah. Shall we get ready?"
The director's booming voice rang out as the break ended.
"Alright! Let's go again!"
The waiting staff sprang into precise action at his words.
Filming kicked off right away.
The moment the camera rolled, the two of them transformed completely.
Han Mun-jin watched them, stroking his chin.
'Their acting's definitely improving.'
At first, their conflict felt flat, but now the voice tones and gazes were incredibly natural.
'Was it just poor emotional control?'
Thud!
"Did you just hit me?"
Kang Min-woo propped himself up from the ground, wiping blood from his "split" lip with his sleeve as he glared at Cha Eun-hyuk.
"Go on, say it again. What did I say?"
Kang Min-woo let out a hollow laugh at Cha Eun-hyuk's words, then shot back with a sneer.
"You were all meek in front of your grandpa, but you act like that with the teacher?"
"...F*ck. You keep crawling because I let you?"
Cha Eun-hyuk's eyes burned with life as he swung his fist again, like all his pent-up rage was finally exploding.
Han Mun-jin, who'd been watching closely, crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.
"Hmm."
Their acting was flawless, nothing to nitpick, but something still felt off.
'No real satisfaction in nurturing them....'
He smacked his lips. It just didn't spark that urge to push them like when he'd first seen Lee Jun-seo's acting in the audition.
'His skills have dropped off a cliff, which is a shame, but...'
He wished the guy could just bring back that initial level consistently.
Dash!
Cha Eun-hyuk charged at Kang Min-woo with ferocious speed, pinning him down.
Han Mun-jin snapped to attention, grabbing the megaphone.
"...Cut! Nice charge from Actor Cha, but can we make it a tad faster?"
Cha Eun-hyuk dusted himself off and replied confidently.
"Yes, I can."
"Wait a sec! Director! Faster here? We could get hurt!"
Han Mun-jin shook his head.
"This is the key scene where Yoo Sung-min explodes with all that pent-up resentment. Wouldn't he charge in recklessly, damn the consequences?"
"......"
"Got it? Let's go!"
The barren, cracked rice paddy.
The director watched the ongoing shoot with a serious expression.
'Should I go say hi to the others?'
I kept my distance so as not to disturb him, then greeted the bustling staff.
"Hard work today, everyone."
"Haha! Hello!"
"You're early, huh? Have a seat over here."
Their joke with the fancy folding chair had me laughing.
"What a nice chair. You go first—your legs look shaky. Wouldn't want it snapping under you."
I played along and sat the most genuine-seeming staffer down first.
His face turned tomato-red, sending us into another wave of laughter.
"See? Told you."
"Jun-seo said he wouldn't."
"......"
We could laugh freely here without it carrying to the active set.
"Okay, done now, right?"
He jumped up and offered me the seat. Hey, playing the fool wasn't so bad.
To give them their fun, I sat with legs crossed arrogantly.
And for good measure, I tilted my head back proudly.
'Go ahead and laugh it up.'
But...
They didn't laugh.
"Wow...."
"Like a painting...."
Their praise made my face heat up. The whole situation was embarrassing; I just wanted to bolt.
'Just laugh—why the compliments?'
The director's booming voice carried all the way here just in time.
"Cut! Moving to the next scene. Lee Jun-seo—that guy's here, so tell him to prep and hurry over!"
His tone was sharp as a knife.
An inexplicable unease hit me. I gave quick greetings to the staff and headed to makeup.
The schedule had this slotted after lunch, but since the prior scenes wrapped early, they were jumping straight in.
But why did he sound pissed?
Rustle!
I slipped into the big makeup tent pitched in the field and took an empty seat.
A nearby makeup artist placed a hand on my shoulder.
"No daughter with you today?"
"Yeah, that day was a kindergarten holiday, so I had no choice but to bring her. Anyway, they said to hurry and get ready..."
She smiled and leisurely picked up her cosmetics. My impatience made her pace feel agonizingly slow.
"Please hurry it up."
I prodded, and she paused for a beat, then smiled with her eyes and picked up speed.
"Hehe. Got it."
Swish! Tap!
"All done."
"Huh? Already...."
I was speechless.
My reflection in the mirror was perfection itself. The makeup suited me even better than before, and I grinned in satisfaction.
"I like it. Thanks."
"Sure thing. Have a great day."
With her send-off, I approached the director and bowed deeply.
"Hello, Director. Looking forward to working with you today."
"...You didn't forget anything?"
"Huh? Forget what?"
He narrowed his eyes at me, glared, then whipped his head away.
"Whatever. Check your blocking—we're shooting right away. Got it?"
"Ah, yes! Got it!"
The sound director seated next to him let out a chuckle.
"You gotta tell him the reason."
"Watch that short tongue of yours."
"What, total director playing favorites? Jun-seo, this guy's..."
"Get going already!"
His ears flushed red. Looking embarrassed, he tried to cover the sound director's mouth.
'There's a reason he's mad at me?'
I'd have never guessed—I was confident I hadn't done a thing wrong.
What could it be?
The sound director dodged Han Mun-jin's hand and spoke up.
"You, remember those Neverland passes? You just said thanks and never sent pics or a review?"
"Ah, yeah...."
"That's why he's sulking."
"Hey, you XX!"
Smack!
The sound director rubbed the back of his head and glanced back. There stood Director Han Mun-jin, face beet-red.
'He's got a cute side.'
Reading the room, I tactfully slipped away for the director's sake.
And I didn't forget to send a few Neverland photos to his personal number.
'Sent 'em now. That should cool him off, right?'
Bzzz!
My phone buzzed loudly right then.
'What the?'
Incoming call from Kang Su-ho. Why's he calling me?
I cleared my throat with a cough and picked up.
"Hello?"
-Yeah, it's me. You're shooting today, right?
"Yes."
-No agency yet, so I sent something. Snap a proof pic and send it. Hmm... Nah, just post it on Beolstar.
"Huh? What do you—"
-Gotta shoot soon. Hanging up. You too, good luck.
He said his piece and hung up.
I tilted my head.
'What'd he send?'
It didn't take long to find out.
"Wow, isn't Lee Jun-seo supposed to be a rookie? He's buddies with Actor Kang Su-ho. Impressive."
"Jun-seo, cheers!"
"Thanks."
Before shooting, the staff, extras, and even the director took a break with the coffee Kang Su-ho had sent over for me.