10
Chapter 10
As soon as Kang Jihoo arrived at the filming set, his phone buzzed.
[hana - Did you get to the set safely?]
[hana - Good luck with today's shoot!]
[hana - I'll be studying for my exam while thinking about you.]
[hana - Don't feel pressured. Just act comfortably. My hubby is the best.]
[hana - Don't reply! Focus on filming!]
"...So am I supposed to reply or not?"
Even after telling him not to answer, Yu Hana had sent him five messages in a row.
Smiling, Jihoo typed back.
[kang - I arrived. Now stop looking at your phone and focus on studying.]
A reply came almost instantly.
[hana - ㅡㅡ]
[hana - You always tell me to study.]
[hana - (Crying hamster emoji)]
[kang - Study hard. Then after your exams, you can enjoy spending time with me without worrying.]
[hana - (Touched hamster emoji)]
[hana - Okay! Hehe. Time to study hard. Don't stop me!]
After exchanging a few more messages, Jihoo finally headed inside.
"Good morning!"
With a bright smile and a loud voice, he greeted every staff member he passed.
Greetings were the basics of working life.
He had never been naturally outgoing, but if he was going to do it, he wanted to do it properly.
'I should've done this from the beginning.'
In his previous life, even though he knew how important it was, he never bothered. Because of that, his reputation on
set had been terrible, and Hana had often tried to repair it for him.
"Oh, Jihoo's here!"
"Getting greeted by such a handsome guy makes my day."
"Careful, people might misunderstand if you say that."
"What? Kang Jihoo is a lot friendlier than I expected."
"Isn't his image supposed to be cold and distant?"
"He's just ridiculously handsome."
Just saying hello was enough to make the staff—especially the women—respond warmly.
Some even stopped what they were doing just to chat with him.
'...I don't think Hana would like seeing this.'
She never showed it openly, but she was surprisingly jealous sometimes.
Still, he couldn't stop greeting people.
"Hello."
"Oh, Kang Jihoo."
Director Na Chanho noticed him from afar and suddenly started jogging toward him.
"What... the director is running?"
Even Jihoo was surprised.
He quickly walked over to meet him.
"Let's talk somewhere private."
"Yes."
The director wrapped an arm around his shoulder and led him away from the staff.
"Did you look over the new lines I gave you yesterday?"
"I did."
Jihoo had read them several times, practiced them, and even tried adding them to the printed script to see if his
possession ability would recognize the handwritten additions.
It didn't.
Apparently, the ability only worked with officially printed text.
The extra dialogue itself wasn't difficult.
The real concern was today's action scene.
It was Scene 7.
The abandoned construction site.
The scene where Han Jinil brutally beat Kim Mooyoung for the first time.
The director had added new dialogue and expanded the violence.
"I think Bae Jiho needs to know first," Jihoo said. "I'm the one hitting him, but he's the one taking it."
"...Right."
The director looked shaken.
A moment later he noticed the CS Film executives arriving.
"I'll go talk to Bae Jiho. I trust you, Jihoo."
"Understood."
As Director Na walked away, Jihoo's gaze shifted toward the visitors.
Manager Choi Younggil was there again.
Beside him stood a middle-aged woman with short hair.
"...That's not just some acquaintance."
It was Yoo Euiju.
The CEO of CS Entertainment.
Even more surprising...
She was staring directly at him.
---
Only after Director Na left did Yoo Euiju speak.
"That's Kang Jihoo, right?"
"You recognized him immediately."
"Hmm..."
She was about to continue when another actor caught her eye.
"Isn't that Bae Jiho?"
He had originally been the actor she wanted most.
Even before he became famous, she had seen incredible potential in him.
Although Forest Entertainment had signed him first, she still hadn't completely given up.
One day, when he became a bigger star, she intended to lure him away with a better offer.
"So you're saying Kang Jihoo acts better than Bae Jiho?"
"I didn't say that. I only said he might have greater growth potential."
"Same difference."
She looked back at Jihoo.
'His visuals are definitely better...'
From appearance alone, she could sign him immediately.
But acting mattered far more than looks.
If he could perform at a level close to Bae Jiho...
She would personally offer him a contract.
Maybe even arrange a direct audition for a major project.
Just then, Manager Choi pointed toward Director Na and Bae Jiho.
"What are they talking about?"
The director appeared unusually serious.
---
Meanwhile, Director Na explained the last-minute changes to Bae Jiho.
"So... there will be several slaps instead of one. And extra dialogue."
"...Can you do it?"
Honestly, even the director felt he was asking too much.
Yet Bae Jiho smiled.
"Let's do it. Jihoo will handle it well."
"If we end up doing twenty takes..."
"I trust him. Just have the makeup team prepare fake blood."
Director Na suddenly felt ashamed.
Not because of the unreasonable request.
Because, for a moment, he hadn't fully trusted his own actors.
'I should trust them.'
He resolved not to lower his standards.
If anything, he would judge today's performance even more strictly.
---
"Scene Seven. Ready..."
"Action!"
The moment filming began, Kang Jihoo disappeared.
Only Han Jinil remained.
He lit a cigarette and slowly exhaled smoke.
The other delinquents followed.
"Nice place, isn't it?"
"Seriously, how do you always find places like this?"
"You don't need to know."
Han Jinil smirked.
The group laughed.
Then Lee Changsoo spoke nervously.
"Do you think Kim Mooyoung will actually come?"
The laughter instantly died.
"If he doesn't..."
Han Jinil smiled.
"...then he's dead."
An awkward laugh spread through the group.
Soon someone pointed ahead.
"There he is."
Kim Mooyoung slowly approached.
"You came."
"...Why did you ask me to meet here?"
"Do you smoke?"
"No."
"Try one."
Han Jinil held out a cigarette.
"I'm okay."
Lee Changsoo quietly muttered,
"...We're in trouble."
Han Jinil's expression hardened.
"Take it."
Kim Mooyoung hesitated.
"I have to go straight home, so if my uniform smells—"
Smack.
A heavy slap echoed through the construction site.
Kim Mooyoung froze in shock.
Before he could even process what had happened—
Smack.
Another slap landed.
He instinctively turned to flee.
Han Jinil grabbed him by the hair.
Then the blows continued.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
The relentless slaps left Kim Mooyoung's nose bleeding.
Only after Han Jinil noticed blood staining his own hand did the assault stop.
Kim Mooyoung stood there in silence, his face covered in blood, too stunned to speak.
"Kim Mooyoung."
"..."
"Answer me."
"...S-Sorry."
"Go wash your face at the subway station restroom."
Without saying another word, Kim Mooyoung slowly turned and walked away.
Han Jinil silently watched his retreating figure.
"...Cut! Okay!"
For only the second time in Director Na Chanho's career...
The scene was completed in a single take.