6
# Chapter 6
My father-in-law never liked me.
It wasn't simply because I wanted to be an actor.
"Acting, entertainment, the film industry. Fine, I understand. I'm not that narrow-minded."
As the Executive Director of CS Media and the CEO of CS Film, he had no real issue with me pursuing acting itself.
"But Jihoo... because I'm not narrow-minded, I dislike people who are."
What he couldn't stand was the fact that I was a talentless, unknown actor.
Or rather...
That his only daughter had to keep pouring water into a bottomless bucket because of me.
Looking back, his feelings were perfectly understandable.
Back then, however...
I neither understood them nor even tried to.
"Speak of the devil..."
Hana sighed as she looked at the words Dad on her phone.
"Answer it. He'll worry if you don't."
"I don't want to."
She had just said she was planning to stay at my place tonight.
If she ignored his calls on top of that...
Knowing my father-in-law, he might actually report her missing.
"Hello?"
She answered in a deliberately indifferent voice.
"Yeah. We're having dinner first, then studying. I might even stay over at Yoonji's place tonight."
As she spoke, she wrinkled the bridge of her nose.
That was Hana's habit whenever she lied.
"No, it's not like that!"
Apparently, her father had seen right through the lie despite not being able to see her face.
"Why can't you trust your own daughter? Seriously, that's not it! Fine! Bye!"
Flustered, Hana raised her voice and hung up.
"...Actually, it is. Hehe."
"..."
There was still plenty of time before dinner.
Hana decided to study a little longer at the café.
I simply sat beside her, quietly watching her profile.
"...Honey. I can't study with you staring at me."
"How are you going to survive university with that level of concentration? Think of this as training. Ignore me and focus."
"Hmph..."
Perfect.
That was the only word that came to mind as I watched her studying.
Not because her face was perfect.
Although that was true too.
Rather...
My current situation was.
Compared to my previous life...
It was perfect.
I had twenty years of experience.
And with my possession ability—or "immersion," as I'd decided to call it—I could reduce my preparation time by dozens...
Hundreds...
Perhaps even thousands of times.
Now I could spend all the time I wanted with Hana.
And at the same time...
Rise higher and faster than I ever had before.
Not for myself.
For my father-in-law's approval.
For Hana's happiness.
"I'm so miserable."
"...Huh?"
"I don't want to study..."
Tap.
I lightly flicked the bridge of her nose.
"No. Study."
"But now that you've passed the audition, I'm too excited to concentrate. Let's talk about it instead."
I quietly looked at the face that had somehow drifted so close to mine.
She stared back with wide, innocent eyes.
Like Puss in Boots.
"...Ten minutes."
"Yay!"
The moment I gave in, Hana threw both arms into the air before scooting even closer.
"Can I be honest?"
"Weren't you always honest?"
"...Anyway! Earlier I was saying all those things about independent films..."
She smiled sheepishly.
"But honestly... I'm really happy you're making a movie."
Then she laughed again.
"Hehe."
"..."
Watching her smile...
My heart felt strangely heavy.
'She's this happy over an independent film.'
Hana had always loved movies and television.
One reason she'd entered Yonsei University's Department of Media and Public Relations was to eventually inherit my father-in-law's company.
But the bigger reason...
Was that she'd genuinely loved the industry from the beginning.
Not just casually.
She knew everything.
Korean dramas.
Korean films.
Even overseas productions.
But in my previous life...
She had never truly enjoyed watching me film movies and dramas.
She'd been too busy taking care of me.
"So when does filming start?"
"They'll let me know after finalizing the schedule. But it'll probably begin right away."
"Huh? Without even doing a script reading?"
"Probably. The additional audition delayed everything."
After that, we talked about the cast, filming locations, transportation, and everything else related to production.
"So you're really taking the subway every day?"
"I'll probably take the bus too."
"Does that even make sense?"
She couldn't accept the idea of an actor riding the subway alone.
She insisted she'd find me an agency.
That CS had subsidiaries.
That if she asked her father, everything could be arranged immediately.
It took some effort...
But I eventually calmed her down.
"...Dad isn't coming, is he?"
"Hm?"
As we got ready to leave for dinner...
Hana suddenly asked something unsettling.
"My father-in-law..."
I quickly corrected myself.
"...I mean, your father? He's coming?"
"No. It's just... I'm Going to School is being funded by CS Film."
I slowly nodded.
"Dad's the CEO, so maybe he'll visit the set or inspect the production or something. Though... he probably won't. Hehe."
She tried to laugh it off.
But my anxiety remained.
My father-in-law...
Might come to the filming set?
How was I supposed to act around him?
"Come on! Let's go eat! What do you want? Beef? Tuna? Korean food? Japanese?"
Noticing my expression, Hana smiled brightly.
Bzzz.
This time...
My phone vibrated.
"Who is it?"
Not a call.
A KakaoTalk message.
"What is it? Wait... is it a girl?"
"It came."
I grinned.
"What came?"
"The filming schedule."
---
A few days later.
An internet high school located in Yongsan District, Seoul.
"Jihoo! You made it! Was it difficult getting here?"
The moment I arrived on set, Assistant Director Jo Woori greeted me warmly.
"You took the subway, right?"
"Yes."
"Go wait over there for now. We'll be filming soon."
As expected of someone on a film set, she looked incredibly busy.
She'd only taken a moment to greet me because I'd arrived alone without an agency or even a manager.
Holding a megaphone in one hand and the script in the other...
She immediately rushed off to another staff member.
'It's been a long time since I worked on an independent film.'
Unlike Jo Woori, I wasn't nervous.
I leisurely observed the set.
Every film set had its own atmosphere.
Movies.
Television dramas.
Each felt different.
Independent films were another story altogether.
Some felt less like professional productions and more like college club activities.
Others...
Were even more intense than the sets of famous directors.
'This one's the latter.'
Na Chanho wasn't exactly an amateur.
And with a major corporation funding the film...
Even amid the chaos, sharp tension filled every corner of the set.
"Oh! Actor Kang Jihoo!"
Someone called out behind me.
"No... I should call you Star Kang."
Turning around...
I found Producer Shin Sangcheol standing there with two cups of coffee.
'Star... what?'
By current standards, I was still an unknown stage actor who hadn't even appeared in a single film.
What star?
The unexpected nickname left me too stunned to even greet him.
"The future star. Soon-to-be star. So... Star Kang."
He burst into laughter.
"Here. I bought this coffee especially for you."
"...Thank you, Producer."
I accepted it with a slight bow.
"Huh?"
He tilted his head.
"Wait... did I ever tell you I was a producer?"
'Ah.'
Now that I thought about it...
We'd never properly introduced ourselves after the audition.
Shin Sangcheol.
At the moment, he was just another producer in the industry.
But years later...
He would become one of Korea's most influential executive producers and eventually the head of a major film production company.
Of course...
That was still far in the future.
"I heard Assistant Director Jo mention it during the audition."
"Ah! Right! Even with everything going on, you caught that."
Pat.
He lightly slapped my shoulder.
"Not only can you act, you've got social skills too. You're going to make it big faster than I expected."
"...Thank you."
He wasn't wrong.
I probably would.
"Star Kang."
Keeping his hand on my shoulder, he casually pulled me into a side hug.
"Do you know Actor Bae?"
"Bae Jiho. The lead of our movie. Over there drinking coffee."
He nodded toward one side of the set.
Sure enough...
Bae Jiho stood alone, smoking while sipping coffee.
Of course I knew him.
He would become one of the people who had the greatest influence on Shin Sangcheol's future career.
Unlike me...
He was short and had an adorable face.
'A ruthless bastard.'
Despite his appearance...
He worked harder than almost anyone.
'He looked down on me like crazy.'
More than anything...
He adored talented actors.
But actors he considered mediocre?
He didn't just ignore them.
He treated them as if they weren't even human.
I'd worked with him several times in my previous life.
Each time...
He'd looked down on me without hesitation.
Eventually...
He acknowledged me.
But that wouldn't happen until much later.
"Oh, Jae Youngcheol's over there too. Since it's your first day, things might be awkward. I'll introduce you."
Just as Shin Sangcheol started leading me over—
"Good afternoon!"
Jo Woori's respectful voice echoed from the other side of the set.
Barely a second later—
"Our money people are here."
Producer Shin instantly understood the situation.
"Sorry, Star Kang. I'll go say hello."
He immediately turned and headed over.
'Money people?'
I frowned.
There weren't many people Shin Sangcheol would refer to that way.
'Someone from CS Film.'
I'm Going to School was funded through CS Film's Independent Film Support Project.
Which meant...
If someone important enough to visit the first day of filming had arrived...
'My father-in-law?'
Thump.
Thump.
My heart immediately started racing.
Slowly...
I turned my head.
"It's been a while! The whole team came for the first day?"
The person Producer Shin bowed to...
"Haha. It hasn't been that long. We saw each other last month."
...was a middle-aged man wearing a trench coat.
"If we haven't met this month, then it's been a while, hasn't it?"
He laughed.
"By the way, this is your first time meeting everyone from our production department, right? Go ahead and introduce yourselves."
"Come on, Manager..."
Apparently...
The man was CS Film's Head of Production.
The people behind him looked like department managers and assistant managers.
Which meant...
'My father-in-law didn't come.'
I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Mr. Kang Jihoo, right?"
Someone suddenly spoke beside me.
"...!"
Having just relaxed...
I jumped far more dramatically than I should have.
"Y-You're Kang Jihoo, right? Wow, you startled me."
The man exaggerated his own surprise just as much.
"Haha. Nice to meet you. I'm Bae Jiho. I'll be playing Kim Mooyoung."
"...I'm Kang Jihoo."
It was Bae Jiho.
"I heard you completely turned the audition upside down. The director and assistant director couldn't stop praising you."
He looked up at me with an expression somewhere between curiosity and anticipation.
"We're filming our first scene together. Let's work well together. Jiho, Jihoo. Even our names are similar."
"Likewise."
Since I couldn't read what he was thinking...
I answered politely while remaining cautious.
'Whew.'
Bae Jiho smiled before walking away.
I quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
But it didn't last long.
'So that's the guy playing Han Jinil?'
'The one Jo Woori wouldn't stop talking about?'
'What's his name again? They said he came from theater.'
'Isn't he a complete rookie?'
'His first audition was a disaster. Wonder how he'll do this time.'
Maybe it was my imagination.
Or maybe it was an inferiority complex.
But everywhere I looked...
Staff and actors were glancing my way with those exact thoughts written across their faces.
"Hey. He's looking."
Apparently...
It wasn't my imagination after all.
The moment our eyes met...
Several people quickly turned away while whispering among themselves.
'Hmm...'
I shifted my gaze away from them.
The staff.
The actors.
The CS Film executives.
Everyone else gathered on set.
Looking at the growing crowd...
One thought naturally crossed my mind.
'Will anyone else be coming?'
After all...
The more people there were to applaud...
The better.