Chapter 127: Variable
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: Variable
“Aaaaargh!”
Though I was nestled in my soft bed under the covers, I couldn't feel more uncomfortable.
Doah... why on earth are you doing this...
Why would you recommend that to the Pink Army!
She must have had some reason for saying that, right?
Or maybe not? Maybe she just brought it up because she had nothing else to talk about?
Either way, the emotional damage to me was the same.
And even though I'm only on screen for about five seconds, I'm the one who rudely tells the otaku character to know his place...
Only after I sent her a text begging her to stop did Doah finally drop the subject.
I kept watching the stream, but I was worried.
If I actually get famous from this, won't I lose the time to watch her streams?
Forget about people bothering me—what if I get scheduled for something on the day of Luka's concert...
A perfect case of putting the cart before the horse.
I'd be gifting Doah an original song that I couldn't even see her perform.
I realized I could end up in a situation where I do all the work and someone else reaps the rewards.
No, no, no. I'll just have to say I can't work that day, no matter what.
I had to avoid that, whatever it took.
Beyond the screen, her light pink hair swayed.
[Me? My goal for this year is, hmm... for CLOSER to become even more successful, of course!]
[As a proud idol, my goal is to show all of you an even better side of myself!]
Her energetic answer lifted my spirits as well.
If I... become a public figure, could I also become a source of strength for someone like that?
Of course, my motivation might be Luka's concert, but if this works out and I continue down this path, I'll need a goal of my own.
Where on earth am I headed?
Even as I watched the stream, a part of my mind was painting a picture of the future.
If it goes well, that's a problem in its own way.
But if it fails, I don't think I'd feel good about that either.
Because no matter the field, the fact that I failed a challenge would remain.
[Okay! Well then, shall we get the game started?]
Luka and the Pink Army bantered back and forth with bright smiles.
...For now, I guess I'll get a better sense of things as I go.
I figured it was too early to be talking about success or failure.
The second shoot wasn't in an alley, but on a school set.
On this bitterly cold day, all the staff members outside were wearing hats and gloves.
“Cut!”
Everyone on set moved busily.
“Oh? Taemin-ssi! Hello!”
A woman bowed with a wide smile.
“Ah. Yes. Hello.”
This person playing the female lead, Hyerin... what was her name again...?
Unfortunately, I couldn't recall her name, so I just gave a slight bow in response to her greeting.
“Taemin-ssi, the buzz around you has been pretty hot lately, you know?”
“Ah... um... thank you.”
Having always put up a wall against any woman who wasn't Doah, I found moments like these incredibly taxing.
Regardless, she was a colleague.
A fellow sailor on the same ship.
I couldn't just be openly rude to her.
My manager had also told me that since this was the stage where I was building my image, it was important to be as polite as possible. So I had to do the best I could within my limits.
“It would've been nice if the director had given you a slightly bigger part so we could have worked together more. Still, I'm really glad we get to work together today.”
“I suppose so...”
An awkward silence hung in the air.
“Jisun-ssi! We're going straight into the next scene!”
A staff member came and led her away. She gave me a smiling glance before disappearing beyond the camera's view.
“Taemin-ssi. Aren't you cold?”
My manager, who had walked over from a distance, was holding a warm coffee.
“Ah, I'm okay.”
“Here, drink this while you wait. It looks like we'll be filming outside all day today.”
Indeed, I was already in my thin school uniform, since I didn't know when I'd be called to film.
I had a padded jacket on over it, but that was only temporary.
The moment I was called, I'd have to take it off and run in front of the camera.
Over there, the main actors were performing diligently.
My manager and I watched the scene from a short distance away.
“How were the acting classes?”
“Ah. They were... fine...”
How should I put it? The acting classes I took over the past two days felt like they were just slapped together.
How to act well.
What are the fundamentals of acting.
There was no opportunity to learn any of that.
It was a practical, compressed course designed for the imminent shoot.
It was clearly on the level of a high school 'College Entrance Exam! Just know this before you go in!' cram session.
“That reaction is a little disappointing to hear. The instructor has coached many famous actors, you know.”
I considered asking who, but I figured it would be more awkward if I didn't recognize the names, so I thought it better to stay silent.
“Still, the teacher said you should be fine, so I trust you'll do well today.”
So he wasn't just saying that.
When the teacher kept saying I was doing great and that it was really good, I thought it was just encouragement for a beginner.
Apparently, my acting wasn't complete garbage after all.
“Um... but...”
Since there was more waiting than filming anyway, I cautiously asked my manager something I'd been curious about.
“If this goes well, will I continue to act?”
A puff of white breath escaped the manager's lips as he brought the paper cup to his mouth.
“Hmm... to be honest, with new talents, it's hard to give a definite answer about what will happen.”
“For official idol trainees who've gone through long training periods, there's usually a plan laid out, but that's not your case, Taemin-ssi.”
“Future activities will be decided through meetings, taking into account what you can do, the potential you have, and how the public perceives you.”
In other words, he didn't know either.
“But if you manage to make a big splash here, there's a high chance you'll be put on an acting track, right?”
The manager gave a good-natured smile and squeezed my shoulder as if to say, ‘You can do it.’
At that exact moment, my name was called.
“Taemin-ssi! Time to film!”
The manager took the padded jacket I was wearing, and I followed a staff member's directions to a spot that looked like it was behind a warehouse.
Shin Gyumin.
The character who had horrified me while watching the drama.
It felt incredibly strange to have him standing right in front of me.
There was no time for friendly greetings.
“We'll start as soon as I give the signal!”
“And we're rolling!”
“Action!”
Shin Gyumin slowly approached me.
With an incredibly haughty expression, I waited for him to deliver his line.
“...Kim Eojin.”
For a loser, his face, filled with venom, looked quite convincing even to me.
“What.”
“Did you have to do that?”
“Haaah...”
The line I had repeated dozens of times flowed mechanically from my lips.
“Stop getting so full of yourself. Huh?”
I raised my index finger and poked Shin Gyumin's head again and again.
“Know your place and act accordingly. You can't even speak up for yourself, so why do you keep getting on my nerves?”
The performance I had practiced in front of Doah was now even more polished and sharp.
Shin Gyumin bit his lip hard.
“...I'm a person, too.”
He muttered quietly, his head slightly bowed.
“I'm a person, too! You bastard!”
After spitting out his resentment at me, he began to pant heavily.
“Cut!”
At the director's signal, the actor, whose face had looked like he was about to burst into tears, regained his composure.
If I keep doing this, I'll have to deal with this kind of tension all the time.
Feeling like a student waiting for their homework to be graded, I looked toward the director.
The director reviewed the footage, stroking his chin, then nodded his head.
“Good! Let's move on to the next scene!”
There was no particular praise, but I felt good just from the fact that we passed in one take.
I guess it was true that the acting coach was really skilled.
As we moved to the next location, my manager ran over and handed me my padded jacket, and thankfully, we were able to go inside the school building.
The next scene was of the bullies plotting something in a classroom.
It was another part where I just had to act like a jerk, so I didn't think there would be a problem with the acting itself.
Even from my perspective, the other actors seemed natural, so I thought we'd move on without a hitch, but...
“Let's go one more time!”
The assistant director, who had been looking at the monitor, ran over to us.
“We're going again, same as before, but this time, Ara-ssi, you'll deliver your lines while linking arms with Taemin-ssi.”
“What?”
It was a scene that wasn't specified in the script.
Completely flustered, I let out a somewhat dumbfounded response, and the assistant director looked at me with a slightly annoyed expression.
“You'll do it the same way, just with Ara-ssi linking arms with Taemin-ssi.”
Th-this wasn't in the script...?
The actress named Ara came closer.
Giving me a slight nod, she wrapped her arm around mine.
“Is this about right?”
She looked at the camera, as if my opinion didn't matter in the slightest.
The director gave a thumbs-up in approval.
...Doah's face kept flashing in my mind.