Chapter 10
Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Sudden Lead Casting
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Today's visit to the graduation film set was to help out as staff again. Choi Min-jun spotted Yoo Ha-jin sitting in a folding chair with his legs crossed, reading the script, and rushed over in a flash. He freaked out and blurted,
"Hey...! Everyone's working, and what are you doing...! If this goes on, it's not just you—your sister too..."
A burly senior with a scruffy beard approached, and Choi Min-jun cut himself off.
"If you're ready, we're jumping right in. For lines, we'll see how it sounds—any parts that don't record well, we can dub later. Still, stick to what you did earlier."
"Got it."
After the bearish senior lumbered away, Choi Min-jun asked, puzzled,
"Ready? Dubbing? What's all that about? You volunteering for sound duty?"
"Nah. I just got cast as the lead in this graduation film."
Choi Min-jun tilted his head like he was buffering.
"What? When!?"
"Just now."
"...This is insane."
It wasn't some casual behind-the-scenes hangout where you could crack jokes freely—not with seniors around on a graduation project set.
Besides, Yoo Ha-jin, whom he'd reconnected with after his return from military service, had changed a lot, but he wasn't the type to joke at a time like this.
'He wasn't even the type to joke, period. But seriously, this guy... 'Just now' means he got thrown in out of nowhere, right? How's he so calm?'
Even the way he sat there, legs crossed, exuded the seasoned aura of someone who'd spent years on sets.
'No way that's possible. But it's Yoo Ha-jin, so... yeah, I'm kinda looking forward to it.'
The acting prowess he'd witnessed in Acting 1: Improvisation and Expression Techniques class. If he replicated that, there shouldn't be any issues. Hell, it might even turn out better than expected.
The core team on this graduation film must have seen the same performance from Yoo Ha-jin that he had. Otherwise, this situation would've been impossible.
Anyway, the atmosphere on set was...
"That senior's an actor, not staff?"
"Why's Yoo Ha-jin acting like that? In a graduation film??"
"Probably just a quick cameo or extra. I heard his sister's the director."
"This project's weird. Usually, you don't even glimpse the lead on day one of shooting. And now the director's little brother jumps in?"
Not great. Other underclassmen helping as staff, like Choi Min-jun, were thrown into confusion too.
Bang Tae-hyuk's sudden dropout as the lead had badly tangled the shooting schedule.
Because of that, they were filming here, there, and everywhere. And the doubts and skepticism among the underclassmen staff only snowballed at the next location.
A rented room provided by one of the seniors on the graduation team. Once the camera, lights, and boom mic were set up, Yoo Ha-eun said to her brother,
"Shooting's about to start. Ready, our star lead actor?"
The place erupted in murmurs.
"Lead?"
"She talking to that senior?"
"No way~."
Yoo Ha-jin's classmates didn't voice outright complaints, but their faces twisted in disapproval.
"Graduation film's fine with a second-year as lead??"
"More like, why him of all people, and so suddenly? Fine, Yoo Ha-eun's one thing, but what are the other seniors doing letting this slide??"
"They couldn't find anyone, so they shoved him in as a temp??"
"If that's it, they won't pass the school review..."
Choi Min-jun tried to calm them.
"Hey, hey~! We're here to work, not gossip~!?"
"Heard you've been hanging with him a lot this semester. Covering for him now?"
"Bottom-feeders bonding over shared misery?"
Choi Min-jun knew he got subtle shade for his own lack of skill. He was used to staying chill in situations like this.
"Just watch. You'll see."
This time, it wasn't bravado. He truly felt no anxiety.
'If it's the Yoo Ha-jin I saw last time...'
His cryptic words left question marks hovering over the heads of his classmates and the underclassmen staff.
A stark one-room apartment furnished only with basics: desk, bed, fridge. In reality, plenty of college students' and renters' places were even worse. Some were straight-up coffins. But that wasn't important right now.
He mulled over the scene's blocking, emotional beats, then stepped out briefly.
Up on the rooftop of the apartment building, clusters of students puffed on cigarettes. He stared into the distance, mouth watering a bit. Beyond the ramshackle rooftops of the slum-like neighborhood rose the high-rises of the bustling downtown.
The weather was warming up now that the sun rose higher. A gentle breeze had everyone—guys and girls—chatting about spring outings.
"Who you going cherry blossom viewing with this year?"
"Me? Dunno, you?"
"Piss off."
A knee-jerk reaction, like the patellar reflex when a doc taps your knee. Anyone would think he'd asked to borrow money.
Even amid the sitcom-worthy banter, he quietly gazed into space. He felt occasional glances, but the other students' negativity didn't faze him.
What mattered more was how he viewed himself.
In his past life as an actor, he'd dreamed of success—to repay his family for their sacrifices. Ironically, the more he fantasized, the less he looked after them.
'Just wait a bit.' 'I'll make it big and prove it.' He'd harbored those words inside.
But his mother passed, his family turned away, and he proved nothing.
He'd wanted to show them on TV, even just a news blip about winning a broadcast rookie award. But he'd failed at that too.
He'd vowed it was his last performance, yet anxiety surged—like he might slip back into that old self.
Then someone tapped his back.
"What're you doing alone?"
It was Choi Min-jun.
"Just resting before shooting."
"Think it's time to head in."
Shooting was about to start.
As they walked, Choi Min-jun offered advice.
"Don't mind the bad vibes from the others. Focus on your acting. Their talk... means nothing if you nail it."
Then, like when he'd appeared, he patted his shoulder and left. He watched his retreating figure for a moment.
Strictly speaking, his relationship with Choi Min-jun was something he'd changed with his own hands since regressing.
He was already reshaping this life, step by step.
Through his past mistakes, he'd learned. He was confident he wouldn't repeat them.
'Like Choi Min-jun said. Right now, just focus on acting better in this graduation film.'
Back to the room. As he entered, the director yelled.
"Lead actor in position. Gear check done. Ready~ Action!"
Snap.
The slate clapped.
Right before shooting began, the chatter about Yoo Ha-jin wasn't kind.
"Heard him talking to Kim Jin-su about double majoring?"
"Double major? No advanced major?"
"Asked where jobs are good."
"Ha, quitting acting? After today, might need to transfer, not just double major."
"Yeah... rumors spread, departmental life's hell. Obvious flop, then he'll be too ashamed to show his face."
"What major's he picking? Media comms? Business? Wanna bet?"
"I'll take the third option."
"What's that?"
"Dropping out."
But Yoo Ha-jin's two male classmates who'd gossiped soon found themselves questioning everything. The moment the slate signaled roll.
"Ha, I wanna quit... It's too much."
Yoo Ha-jin launched into his final performance from his past life. A dazed gaze sweeping the room after splashing cold water on his face that morning.
Bzzz. Bzzz.
"Yeah, Mom? Of course~. Results come today. Yeah, yeah. This time it feels good."
Playing Jong-hyuk, the long-term job hunter facing another exhausting morning. His emotional processing—faking cheer on the call with his mom—was flawless.
The brief pause gathering himself before answering. Deadpan face with an upbeat tone. It perfectly captured Jong-hyuk, the cornered protagonist rationing every ounce of energy.
"Hoo."
Then, after hanging up, the complex sigh with a troubled expression.
'That's really Yoo Ha-jin!? And he's double majoring while doing that? Why??'
'Back from military, just reinstated... Last place hiding talent. Not some webnovel title. Good thing I didn't bet.'
The staff students, who'd assumed a hasty casting, now gaped with furrowed brows.
Especially the juniors who barely knew him—they were even thinking:
Maybe not just a temp? Could be the secret weapon they hunted down to the end...?
It was a fair point. Yoo Ha-jin's acting carried the desperate resolve of his one last shot in life. Fierce, like venting the grudges from his 30 years as a reenactment actor, sealed in that hospital bed.
Lee Jong-myeong, a directing major one year ahead of Yoo Ha-eun but graduating the same time, was out drinking with his graduation team.
Sizzle. Sizzle.
Beef grilled on the hot plate. A full private room for a massive gathering—beyond what average students could afford, but no issue for Lee Jong-myeong.
A hired pro actor, J University acting alum, chimed in slyly.
"Jong-myeong, put in a good word with your dad later~. Can I ask a favor~?"
"Of course. He's got high hopes for this project anyway."
"Haha! Tell him not to worry."
"You bet. How about a drink?"
"Thanks, junior~."
As Lee Jong-myeong raised his glass, everyone filled theirs.
"Light and Memory fighting!"
"All the way to the film fest!!"
"Cheers~!"
Talk naturally shifted to other graduation teams. Yoo Ha-eun's drew the most buzz—they'd clashed for top spots in every class they shared.
One of Lee Jong-myeong's cronies, face flushed, said,
"Heard? Yoo Ha-eun couldn't find a replacement for Bang Tae-hyuk, so she threw in her brother as a patch."
Lee Jong-myeong raised an eyebrow.
"Her brother's at our school?"
"Yeah~. Yoo Ha-jin, XX class."
Others jumped in.
"Oh~. He's her brother!? 'No son like the father,' but sister's great and brother's a mess? Heh."
"Little bro coming to save sis? Heartwarming?"
"'Bro, you here to rescue me? Sis, I'm trapped too...' Something like that? Heh."
Lee Jong-myeong knew the name Yoo Ha-jin from XX class. Supposedly terrible skills.
He dipped a thick slab of beef from the grill into Himalayan pink salt and popped it in his mouth. Those around him scrambled to pile more grilled meat on his plate.
Lee Jong-myeong, who'd been eyeing Yoo Ha-eun, decided to drop the worry.
Son of a famous director, backed by his dad's name and family resources, he'd hired pros for everything except the student lead: supporting actors, ADR, Foley, mixing, mastering, color grading, VFX.
Even at her best, Yoo Ha-eun had nothing to fear.
Then, one hungover buddy eating wraps casually dropped a bomb.
"But that brother... word is he's been acting pretty decent lately."
The ass-kissing team members piled on to scold him.
"I saw and heard it myself—he ain't acting jack! Bet he'll stab his sister in the back hard."
"No one stepped up after Bang Tae-hyuk left~. Thought it was total trash, but it's not~. That's what it means."
"Yeah, no expectations, then he acts human. Cheers, cheers, let's drink."
Glasses clinked, keeping the vibe jolly.
"Can't wait to see that cocky Yoo Ha-eun's face after the screening~!"
"All pride, no talent anyway."
Wishing that day came soon, Lee Jong-myeong just smirked silently.