Chapter 202: Genius Actor (3)
Chapter 202: Genius Actor (3)
To be honest, only three people had expected Seo-yeon to deliver this kind of performance.
Narumi Sora, Director Kakeba Hiro, and finally, the reporter Furihata Yuito.
The image everyone else had of Seo-yeon was quite different.
“Isn’t she that girl who looked like a ghost on that variety show the other day?”
“She was crawling on the ground.”
The broadcast had hyped her up as a "genius actress" during a hidden camera prank, but you couldn't truly tell how great her acting was just from that. She had no lines, and her face and emotions were hidden the entire time. After all, there was more to acting than just scaring people.
"Genius actor"—it was actually a very common modifier. If a child actor showed even a hint of talent, agencies and broadcasting stations would toss the label around lightly to build hype.
Most people thought this was just another one of those cases.
But then...
"What’s this, what’s this? Why are you all alone? Did you get dumped or something?"
The lines were undeniably trivial.
A group of extras swarmed in, chattering away. Seo-yeon’s voice was now so melodic and flirtatious that it was hard to believe she was the same actress who had been sitting in total silence moments ago.
Her steps were light. She leaned forward, peering up at the male lead, Kento. It was a classic "looking up from below" look. She pressed her index finger against his chest, either lacking a sense of personal space or doing it with deliberate intent.
"So what if you're bored? I’m, like, to-tally free~."
Her tone was the embodiment of a woman hitting on a man in the street. She was a "landmine girl"—the type you’re commonly warned to avoid at all costs. If you took the bait, you were in for a world of trouble.
In real life, encountering such a person would be unpleasant, but in a drama, it was different. First, there was her appearance. Then, her vocalization. Finally, her sheer presence naturally commanded the eye.
"I-I’m sorry, but... I-I want to be alone."
The actor playing Kento, Hara Shou, felt like it was a miracle he even got the words out. Normally, he would have delivered the line with more coldness, but he found himself stammering, his gaze stolen by the girl in front of him.
The funny thing was, the stammering actually felt natural for the scene.
"Eeeeh? What? You’re no fun. Hey, Sat-chan, you try flirting with him. He’s totally not biting."
She took two steps back, swaying her body as if throwing a playful tantrum, and shook the shoulder of the girl next to her. The movement was so bubbly and full of charm that it naturally brought a smile to the observers' faces.
"Seriously, how humiliating. I thought he’d fall for me instantly. I feel like a total background character now."
She continued her lines with a whining tone. Following her lead, the other extras began to chime in one by one. Though they had been frozen a moment ago, they still had their assigned lines. They began to speak, almost as if they were under a spell.
About four extras were talking rapidly. In the middle of it all, the landmine girl simply stood with her arms crossed, looking annoyed.
Those watching the scene felt a sense of dissonance. There were clearly multiple people in the shot, but...
I can only see one person.
Even with the male lead, Kento, standing right there, everyone was being overshadowed by a single extra.
Realizing the abnormality of the situation, people turned to look at Director Kakeba. The extra’s presence was far too large—to the point where it felt like she was dominating the entire scene.
And then, a woman naturally stepped in between the two.
It was the female lead of First Love Moment, Sato Mio. Having been momentarily frozen off-camera, she did her best to deliver her lines.
"Wait! Wait, wait, wha—what are you people doing?!"
She pushed the girl away with exaggerated force. Or rather, she was supposed to. But she failed to make a smooth entrance; her feet got tangled for a split second. Even her delivery felt shaky.
Ah, I messed up.
The moment she thought that—
"Cut! That’s a wrap for this bit."
Director Kakeba raised his hand to stop the scene. It was clearly an NG, but the director’s face looked excellent. He looked extremely satisfied. Although the flow had broken when Mio entered, everything leading up to that point had been perfect. It was clean enough that they could just pick up from Mio’s entrance.
"You handled your entrance part in one go," Director Kakeba said with a smile.
There was no need to ask who he was talking to.
Ju Seo-yeon. She was standing there blankly, straightening her clothes.
Wait, hold on.
Was that all of her lines?
She was an actress who made you forget she was just an extra. One minute. Yes, looking back, her screen time was probably exactly one minute.
According to the script, Mio was supposed to appear and push the landmine girl away. Her friends would then step in for their fallen comrade. Of course, they would all eventually be driven off by Mio’s stubborn and aggressive personality.
In other words, Seo-yeon didn't have much to do in the following sequence. She just had to stay down, pretend to be in pain, watch her friends fight from the background, and then run away in a panic later.
Still, giving her that much focus at the start is plenty of screen time for a cameo.
Before filming, the thought was, "As much as a whole minute?" Now, the thought was, "Only a minute?"
How should one put it? Her acting was just... different.
The "color" of acting in Korea and Japan is quite distinct. In Korea, people sometimes mock Japanese acting as looking like a school play because it tends to be more melodramatic and over-the-top. The dialogue is dense, and the performances are often closer to what you'd see in anime or musical theater.
"However, Director Kakeba’s works sit right on that borderline," said the reporter, Yuito, as he watched.
To be honest, it was closer to a Korean drama. The sensibilities and subject matter were Japanese, but the acting style was similar to Korea’s. Of course, there were still Japanese elements, so Seo-yeon had adjusted her tone to match exactly what Director Kakeba wanted.
"By the way, was Actress Ju Seo-yeon always that good at Japanese?"
"It looks like she memorized the words, but the intonation and feel... I think she just mimicked exactly how I speak."
It was a bit funny, but the intonation Seo-yeon had used for her lines was identical to how Sora had spoken earlier. Seo-yeon had simply added a bit more color to it. Since Seo-yeon loved anime, it probably wasn't that difficult for her.
Sora remembered when she first saw Seo-yeon’s acting in Hyper Action Star.
Right, she was this kind of person.
Sometimes, it was easy to forget. That Ju Seo-yeon was someone who truly deserved the title of "Genius Actress."
Yet, Seo-yeon just stood there with a dignified air, looking like someone from another world. Sora probably wasn't the only one who felt that way.
But in reality, Seo-yeon was thinking:
I have no idea what everyone is talking about. I wish someone would explain things to me.
Seo-yeon kept glancing at Sora. It was a desperate gesture for her to come over and explain the situation. In response to that gesture, Sora just looked at Seo-yeon and started clapping.
No, don't clap! Translate!
Of course, Seo-yeon’s desperate plea didn't reach Sora. And while Seo-yeon was wallowing in her solitude...
"As expected."
Filming paused briefly, and the staff gathered around to check the footage they had just shot.
"This... yeah. It’s not just our imagination; she’s practically devouring the scene by herself," the camera director said, and the other staff members nodded in agreement.
"But it doesn't feel weird. It just feels like... that’s how the scene is supposed to be?"
"Actually, I think this fits the tone better..."
The staff looked at Director Kakeba, wondering if he had planned this. After reviewing the scene a few more times, he smiled.
"I had a feeling it might turn out like this, so I modified the scene and script slightly. It seems Actress Ju Seo-yeon... though she probably intended to film it as a pure extra... read my intentions perfectly."
"Is that so?"
They felt like they understood vaguely, but it was still a bit fuzzy. They felt like they’d only truly get it once they saw it on TV later.
"This one minute might turn out to be much bigger than expected."
"For our drama?"
"Eh? Ah, well, it’ll certainly have an impact on the drama too."
Of course, a cameo’s performance wouldn't suddenly skyrocket a drama’s viewership ratings. It would be a hot topic for a moment and then fade.
But for Actress Ju Seo-yeon...
It felt like she was showing far too much during her few days in Japan. It was only a minute in the drama, but on the internet, it would be a different story. In the entertainment industry, a mere five seconds of acting can change a person's life. Just like that one idol who was dubbed the "Once-in-a-Millennium Idol" because of a single photograph.
"I should prepare a project in advance."
Something that would tempt Seo-yeon. He knew it wouldn't be easy. He could tell she didn't have much interest in Japanese films or dramas. To move someone like her, an ordinary project wouldn't suffice.
For today, I’ll be satisfied with having established a connection.
He clapped his hands together, satisfied. After all, filming wasn't over yet.
*
"Hey, you!"
Someone called out to Seo-yeon just as she was coming out of the dressing room after filming. Despite her soft features, the woman’s aura was quite overbearing.
Her name was...
The female lead of First Love Moment. The actress playing Sato Mio, Goto Reika. It was a very... elegant, old-fashioned name.
This situation feels strangely familiar.
Though the original person Seo-yeon was thinking of looked much scarier, the situation was similar—being confronted right after changing clothes.
"You did that on purpose during filming, didn't you? Were you trying to bury my presence? I can't understand that kind of acting otherwise."
Seo-yeon looked at her with calm eyes.
I can't speak Japanese.
It wasn't that she couldn't speak it at all. She could guess the meaning of certain words.
I know words that are common in anime, but...
There was no way she could hold a conversation with just that. The only words coming to mind right now were things like "onna" (woman) and "damare" (shut up), which was a problem.
I get the feeling she’s criticizing me.
Since she didn't know the exact reason, she couldn't even respond. Plus, while the nuance was clear, there were confusing words mixed in. It was a classic case of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing.
"...Do you really... not speak... Japanese?"
"Pardon?"
Reika, who had been ranting at her, frowned and spoke in awkward, broken Korean.
Wait, what?
Why was everyone else so good at foreign languages? Even Seo-yeon, who was trained by years of anime, couldn't speak Japanese yet, but everyone else seemed to speak both Korean and Japanese effortlessly.
After a moment of thought, Reika typed something into her smartphone and held it out. It looked like she had used Google Translate to type what she had just said.
I guess she’s not as fluent as Sora.
Feeling strangely relieved, Seo-yeon read the translated text. Roughly translated, it said: How dare a mere extra act so boldly? The wording was polite, but the meaning was clear.
Wait, does she not know?
But Seo-yeon figured she might not. After all, it was a scene that had been added suddenly.
[The connection between the scenes was weak, so it’s fine.]
When Seo-yeon typed that back, Reika seemed to realize something. Looking only at the acting part, it certainly might have seemed like Seo-yeon was overstepping. However, when viewed on TV, it wouldn't stand out that way.
It was easy to understand if you recalled the context. The scene took place after the leads, Mio and Kento, had already had a fight. The atmosphere was already set, so even if Seo-yeon showed off her presence and overshadowed Kento, it wouldn't be a problem. In fact, it was necessary. It helped convey to the viewers that Kento was currently feeling diminished and discouraged.
When Mio appeared afterward, the situation would flip, and the extra’s presence would naturally fade. Even in the script, the landmine girl doesn't say a single word after Mio arrives.
That was likely Director Kakeba’s intention. The landmine girl role was created from the start to bolster Kento’s performance.
[I... I knew that too.]
A reply came back from Reika. Seo-yeon stared at it.
Is she... a bit slow?
Suddenly, Seo-yeon felt a bit better. A response that felt a bit "dim-witted"—it was a type she didn't encounter often. Everyone around Seo-yeon was so sharp that if she said one thing, they’d go:
“Ah, so that’s what it was...”
“I basically get it.”
“So you mean I should do it like this.”
That was how things usually went. Park Jung-woo, Jo Seo-hee, even Lee Ji-yeon were like that. She’d known them since they were kids, but they were all too smart. So, encountering someone like Reika—a girl her age who couldn't just accept an explanation and had to stubbornly deny it—felt refreshing.
She felt like a slightly dumber version of Jo Seo-hee. That was how Seo-yeon categorized Reika.
[Are you leaving for Korea now?]
Perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed, Reika added another question.
[Yes. Now that filming is done, I have to go.]
She had rested for quite a while, and once she returned, she had to start filming Gyeongseong Lady in earnest.
And...
She also had to prepare for her role in Director Jo Bang-woo’s film. She realized she was going to be quite busy.
[Next time, I won't make a mistake like I did today.]
Reika said this while narrowing her eyes in her own version of a sharp glare. She seemed to be trying her best to look intimidating, but to Seo-yeon, who was used to the gazes of Jo Seo-hee and Lee Ji-yeon, she just looked like a baby chick. Her attitude and actions were like "Jo Seo-hee Mark II," but her face was far too gentle.
[Just you wait.]
With that, Reika turned around and walked away with a huff, trying to look cool. She was the textbook definition of a prideful actress.
"Ah."
Come to think of it, there was one thing Seo-yeon had wanted to ask.
That actress who called Sora-san a "handmaiden" or whatever.
Seo-yeon was sensitive to insults, even if she wasn't the target. She had been eavesdropping earlier to see if the woman was insulting her, but it turned out the insults were directed at Sora.
I wanted to give her a little flick on the forehead.
She had wanted to point out that she shouldn't say such mean things, but she had missed her timing.
Well, it’s probably better if Sora-san handles it herself.
After all, once Mine was released, Sora would become plenty famous on her own.
And so, the long vacation in Japan came to an end.
A small ripple began to spread.