Chapter 140: Learning
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 140: Learning
I had to meet with the casting team leader again to discuss delaying my contract, but thankfully, he was willing to accommodate me.
When I told him I wasn't confident in my acting abilities yet and wanted a little more time, he granted me a grace period, suggesting we officially revisit the contract in a month, when the current one was set to expire.
I was incredibly grateful and relieved.
My rising popularity might have been the reason the company was being so lenient.
After the nerve-wracking meeting, I went down the familiar staircase. When I opened the door, my acting coach was waiting for me, just like always.
“Taemin.”
“Yes.”
I’d never had one-on-one lessons before, not even back in middle or high school.
I still found these hours-long lessons difficult.
Or more accurately, it wasn't that they were difficult, but... intimidating.
“You've read the script, as I asked?”
“Yes. I read it thoroughly twice.”
The new drama I was cast in was a completely different genre from the last one.
The plot felt a bit generic, but this was my first time joining a project as a proper actor.
Since this was my first time in a supporting role—not just an extra—I had read and reread the script countless times.
“Before we get into the acting, what did you think of the script?”
The coach gestured for me to sit, so I took the script from my bag and set it on the desk.
“Um... I thought it was a good story.”
It had some decent twists, and the characters felt very well-rounded.
“Your cameo last time... well, to be frank, it wasn't quite at the level of what you'd call 'acting,' was it?”
I nodded in understanding.
“This time, you need to delve much deeper. Into the story itself, and into the character you'll be playing.”
The role I’d been given was the spoiled youngest son of a chaebol family.
He was the type of character who reveled in luxury and pleasure, someone for whom abusing his power was second nature.
In some ways, he was similar to my previous role as Kim Eojin, but his actions and speech had to be far more sophisticated.
He would flaunt his immense power more than necessary, yet there were also scenes where he acted so crudely you’d question if he was really from a wealthy family at all.
If I had to sum him up, he was essentially a major antagonist.
After discussing the overall plot, we went through the script page by page, breaking down my character, Baek Gyeong-ho.
“How do you think you should portray this part?”
“This part... I feel like...”
When I said it was difficult to explain in words, my coach told me to stand up and perform it.
I'd learned a thing or two, so I did my best to put it into practice.
“How much is it?”
“I can just give you that chump change. Why are you making such a scene and bothering me?”
“You still don't understand who you're talking to, do you?”
S-Something like that... right?
There were many differences between practice and a real performance, but the biggest one I was struggling to adapt to was the lack of a scene partner.
I had to deliver my lines into thin air.
The whole process still felt incredibly awkward.
“Hmm... That's quite similar to what I had in mind.”
But when my coach demonstrated the same part, I immediately saw what I was lacking.
“So? Could you feel the difference?”
“Ah... Yes...!”
Understanding the character, studying him, immersing myself in what he must have been feeling.
Now that I was determined to do well, these lessons didn't feel so agonizing anymore.
In fact, I was surprised by how quickly the time flew by.
“Thank you!”
I would leave in the morning, practice until sunset, and then head home.
Even though we'd been at it all day, my coach still gave me homework.
Even so, with the first day of filming already scheduled, I felt like I was running out of time.
It's about six now... Doah starts her stream at eight...
I thanked the manager for the ride, got out of the car, and immediately called Doah.
[Hello?]
[Yeah. Doah. I'm home.]
[Want to come over to my place?]
[I was just about to. I'm on the first floor now.]
I could rest and practice after Doah started her stream.
It was a sad reality, but lately, I'd been watching Luka's streams to the very end less and less.
It wasn't that I'd stopped liking Luka as a VTuber; it was just unavoidable due to my real-life circumstances.
Even if I wanted to stay up late watching, I couldn't pull all-nighters with classes during the day. And if I did have any free time, it wasn't for watching streams.
I wanted to spend it with Doah.
I knocked, and footsteps approached from inside.
“Okaering~”
Doah greeted me at the door, wearing a light pink apron. She must have been cooking.
“What's this? What were you making?”
“Yeah. It's a bit of an experiment, but I wanted to try making tomato stew.”
She had a video of a popular chef playing on her phone and was diligently adding ingredients according to the instructions.
“Well, the smell passes the test.”
“I fell asleep watching the video for this last night, and I was dying to try it.”
As I hung my coat, Doah approached me, blowing on a spoonful of the stew.
“Try it.”
“Is it hot?”
“I haven't tried it yet, so how would I know?”
Shouldn't you, in good conscience, try it first before feeding it to someone else?
I was so dumbfounded I almost snapped at her, but my resolve melted when I saw her looking up at me with rabbit-like eyes.
I took the spoonful of stew into my mouth.
“Ahck... Ah...!”
Ah, Kim Doah! You! Ah, shit... It's so fucking hot...
It was so hot I could barely speak.
“How is it? Is it good?”
Can't you see your boyfriend is dying over here?
In contrast to my pained expression, Doah's eyes were sparkling with anticipation.
“Wa... Water!”
Only after my desperate SOS did Doah finally hand me a bottle of water.
“So, how did it taste?”
“I don't know. The roof of my mouth is all burned.”
“Was it that hot?”
“You try it.”
Thinking I was exaggerating, Doah scooped up a spoonful for herself and put it in her mouth...
“Oppa! Wa... Water...!”
A solemn mood fell over the dinner table.
With the roofs of our mouths completely scorched, we sat across from each other with the pot between us.
“...Oppa. How could you?”
“How could I what?”
“You knew it was boiling hot, why would you feed it to your girlfriend!”
For some reason, Doah was blaming me.
Normally, I would have just laughed it off, but I was a victim here, too.
“Did I force the spoon into your mouth? Did I cook this stew? How is this my fault?”
“Hmph...”
Seemingly unable to argue, Doah just ladled some stew into my bowl.
“But it's good, right?”
“...Yeah.”
My mouth stung, but it was undeniably delicious.
“How was your day?”
We finally started catching up, something we couldn't do amidst the cooking chaos.
“I practiced a bit with the new script, and it's difficult.”
“Really? When did you say filming starts, exactly?”
“Next Monday.”
“Oof... That's not much time...”
Doah chewed on a piece of potato like a little herbivore.
“You can do it, right?”
“I have to. Anything special going on with your work?”
Since we saw each other and talked on the phone every day, there usually wasn't much to report.
“Hmm... Oh! There is one thing.”
“What is it?”
“You know how they make congratulatory videos to play during the breaks at solo concerts?”
“Yeah.”
It made sense. Doah couldn't just sing for the entire concert, so there had to be other segments.
“So, the other members and some staff are recording messages, but they told me a member of a real idol group is going to film one for my concert!”
“Whoa... Really?”
“Our very own senpai! She's from a YM girl group. Guess who!”
“How would I know?”
You're asking me?
The only idol group whose members I knew inside and out was CLOSER.
“Aww. No fun. Ta-da! It's her!”
On the phone she showed me, a singer I recognized was posing for the camera.
“So, she's the one filming a video for you?”
“Right?”
Doah really was amazing.
Having a currently active idol film a special video for you... isn't that the definition of making it?
“I could film one for you too...”
Though I guess my popularity isn't nearly high enough to compare.
As I trailed off with a playful smile, Doah slowly crept over to my side.
“Oppa, don't film one.”
“Why? Worried about more dating rumors?”
“Nope.”
Doah shook her head gently.
“If you have time to film that.”
Her hand reached out and pinched my cheek, stretching it.
“You should just give me another kiss instead.”
...If we did it now, we'd probably taste like tomatoes.
A tomato-flavored kiss wasn't so bad, after all.