Chapter 44: Preparing for the Play (1)
Chapter 44: Preparing for the Play (1)
The departure of Min Seo-ho, the actor who had been cast as the lead, Bae Seong-hak, was swift.
Even though the scandal hadn't broken yet, I wondered if they would actually go as far as dropping him, but it seemed Jo Do-yul and the rest of the production team had decided to find a replacement.
“There are too many people involved in this.”
“If even one person loses their cool and spills everything…”
Arguments must have gone back and forth in places where I wasn't present.
With a little over a month left until the play opened, now was the only time to make a decision.
Generally, the preparation period for a play is between a month and a half to three months.
In other words, six to twelve weeks is the standard. Anything more is too long; anything less is too short.
Therefore, dropping an actor before rehearsals had even begun wasn't that difficult—provided, of course, that there was another actor ready to step in.
“…This is Shim Cheong-seok.”
And Jo Do-yul quickly found an actor perfectly suited for the role of Bae Seong-hak.
Shim Cheong-seok.
A man who had already played the lead in several plays in Jongno.
“Whoa, Cheong-seok is joining us?”
“Isn’t this his first time doing a romance? I’m really looking forward to it.”
When he first appeared at the gathering of the entire cast, the staff let out high-pitched squeals of excitement.
Seo-yeon stared at him intently, tilting her head slightly.
He certainly is handsome.
However, she wasn't sure if he would fit well with Close Your Eyes.
The previous Bae Seong-hak, Min Seo-ho, was what people called a "refreshingly handsome" man. To be honest, he didn't look like the type who would date five people at once. Based on looks alone, he was the definition of an innocent young man.
That’s why even Swordmaster Pyo didn’t realize it.
Even if he had known, he probably would have thought he was mistaken. As someone once said, admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding.
“Well then, let’s have the actors introduce themselves briefly today. You all know rehearsals start tomorrow, right?”
The one who spoke was the stage director, Lee Hyung-hak. He smiled with a good-natured face and gestured to the actors gathered there.
There were fifteen of them in total. With three lead-level characters and two multi-role actors, the number was quite substantial.
Is that the girl…
The one who was in Taesumdal back then, right?
Among the gathered actors, the one receiving the most attention was Seo-yeon. It was only natural. She was the child actor who had suddenly vanished ten years ago. No one had imagined she would show up in a place like this.
The ones feeling the most pressure were the two actresses playing the same role of Hong Jeong-hee. They had already seen her audition video, so they knew comparisons were inevitable.
Besides, is that right?
Wasn't she too—excessively—pretty to play Hong Jeong-hee? Both actresses were fairly confident in their own looks, but Seo-yeon felt like she was in a different league entirely.
And then there was her presence. It was a vivid aura she had rarely felt even when meeting various actors in Jongno.
The child who had won the Best Youth Actor Award at a young age. The claim that she possessed the qualities of a top actor was certainly no exaggeration.
Why is a girl like her here?
Aside from the pressure, it was a genuine question. Why did Seo-yeon choose to audition for this play of all things? No matter how long her hiatus had been, surely there were plenty of better opportunities if she wanted them.
Amidst those questioning gazes, someone let out a small cough.
“Hello, I enjoyed watching your audition. I’m Park Hee-jun, playing the role of Bae Seong-hak. I look forward to working with you, Miss Hong Jeong-hee.”
The first to greet Seo-yeon was one of the actors playing Bae Seong-hak, Park Hee-jun. He was the eldest among them and a seasoned veteran who had been active in Jongno for a long time.
“My, should I call you ‘Senior’? Considering the year you debuted, Seo-yeon…”
“You can just call me whatever is comfortable.”
“Ah, is that okay? Then I’ll do that.”
No matter how long they had been acting, no one here had debuted earlier than Seo-yeon. Although the world of dramas and plays were different, there was no rule saying she would stay in one place forever. It was always better to make a good impression on an actor with a bright future.
“Cheong-seok, why don’t you say hello too? You’ll be working closely together in the same part.”
At Park Hee-jun’s playful prompting, Shim Cheong-seok nodded slowly.
Looking at him, Seo-yeon thought, somewhat amusingly, Isn’t he a bit young?
“I look forward to working with you.”
That was it. A man of few words and a stiff impression. That was Seo-yeon’s first impression of Shim Cheong-seok.
*
Rehearsals were basically three hours a day. Naturally, I had to miss part of my afternoon classes.
“I got permission from the teacher,” I said, making a V-sign with my fingers.
Lee Ji-yeon looked at me as if it were absurd. “What? When I asked, they dragged their feet so much.”
“Actually, the teacher seemed to like the idea.”
“I’m so annoyed. I guess having one hit project really is that important,” Ji-yeon grumbled.
Despite her words, Lee Ji-yeon was the pride of Yeonhwa High School. Since the presence of a celebrity was a huge promotional boost for a private high school, Ji-yeon, who was currently appearing in a cable drama, was one of the school’s most important figures in that sense.
Actually, the reason I got permission so easily was thanks to Lee Ji-yeon.
Because Ji-yeon’s activities had provided so much publicity, the school was eager to actively support my entertainment career as well.
But I didn't bother saying that. If I did, she would definitely get cocky.
“Oh.”
Ji-yeon seemed to remember something and pulled out her smartphone.
“What is it?”
“Is this you?”
Wondering what she meant, I looked at the screen.
—Whoa, whoa! Did you see that? That guy practically flew!
(Loud noise)
—Ah~, is it because she’s a high school girl? That ‘one tank equals three high school girls’ thing?
It was a video from someone who appeared to be a YouTube streamer. The video wasn't long, about a minute or so. The problem was the two people in it.
The quality wasn't great, so they weren't clearly visible, but there was a high school girl with long black hair. And in her hand, a woman was being half-dragged along.
—I thought she was scared because the club guard was approaching aggressively, but a person just flew?
—Ah, she looked this way, this way! I’m getting out of here too.
The YouTube comments were buzzing. Some said it was staged, while others argued why anyone would bother staging something like that. After all, if they had faked it, the club would have surely filed a complaint.
Various opinions were exchanged, but the most upvoted ones generally claimed it was impossible. The YouTuber was insisting it was real, but not many believed him.
“This is you, right?”
“…”
“Don’t avoid my eyes, Ju Seo-yeon. It’s that thing you mentioned before.”
Ji-yeon put her phone back in her pocket and clicked her tongue.
“You said you hid well while filming, but what is this? You made your comeback on YouTube faster than in the play. You know this guy has over 500,000 subscribers and is pretty well-known, right?”
“I didn’t know.”
I felt wronged by Ji-yeon’s words. How was I supposed to know someone would be filming in that situation?
I was hidden well in the alleyway.
I certainly hadn't felt anyone watching, but I had the bad luck of being caught by a YouTuber. Still, looking at the video, it didn't seem like many people had recognized me. If there had been a huge uproar, Min Seo-ho would have known too.
“Hmmmm.”
Ji-yeon stared at me intensely. It was a look that asked what kind of trouble I was getting into when she wasn't looking.
“Just in case, you haven't met this woman since then, right?”
“No.”
“Then it’s fine. Nothing good comes from getting involved with dangerous people, so be careful.”
She sounded just like a mother. Thinking that made me a bit anxious. Speaking of mothers, my actual mother suddenly came to mind.
What if Mom sees this too?
Seo-yeon’s mother, Sua, enjoyed watching YouTube. If it became a hot topic, she might see it. If she did, it wouldn't end with just an hour or two of nagging. I shivered at the mere thought.
“Ju Seo-yeon.”
“Yeah?”
“About that promise you mentioned before.”
The promise? I thought about it for a moment before it finally clicked.
“Ah, coming to my house?”
“Yeah. Once your play starts, it’ll probably be hard for a while. Is this week okay?”
“Yeah.”
Rehearsals started today, but this week should be fine. My parents had mentioned they were going shopping with my younger sibling that day anyway.
I should do a good job that day.
I glanced at Ji-yeon. It was a relief that things were going well for her, but I still hoped she would do it, even if just as a hobby.
*
“Alright, we’re starting in earnest today, so let’s all give it our best.”
Rehearsals for the play began after afternoon classes ended. By rushing a bit, I could make it just in time, so I arrived without being late. Of course, once the performances started, I’d have to miss some classes, but that was a problem for later.
Ju Seo-yeon.
The acting direction for the play was primarily handled by the assistant director. Kim Cheong-un narrowed his eyes as he watched Seo-yeon, the high school girl who had arrived a bit late.
Will it be okay? Her acting skills are definitely solid.
He felt a bit uneasy. The audition had been magnificent. Since he had been there, he fully understood why Seo-yeon had been cast as Hong Jeong-hee.
But talent and personality are two different things.
A gifted child actor. Considering she was still in her teens, there were many potential variables. Even if she was past puberty, she was still at an age where emotions could run high.
“First, we’ll look at the Bae Seong-hak side of the acting, and then we’ll have Cheong-seok and Seo-yeon work on their chemistry. Is that alright?”
“Yes.”
Short answers came back. Shim Cheong-seok and Ju Seo-yeon. Both rarely showed changes in expression and were sparse with their emotions.
Oh, my head.
He felt like the actors in this part were particularly stoic. He even wondered if this would really be okay.
However, Seo-yeon wasn't thinking about any of that. She actually found it comfortable because she didn't need to talk much. Moreover, Seo-yeon was currently lost in deep thought.
If it’s Shim Cheong-seok…
Seo-yeon narrowed her eyes as she watched Shim Cheong-seok warming up. She’d had a feeling she’d seen him somewhere since the first time they met. Looking closely, he was indeed someone Seo-yeon knew.
He’s definitely… the person who became a sensation in an OTT drama later on.
With outstanding acting skills and a handsome face, he was someone who had become an overnight star. But the reason Seo-yeon remembered him was different.
It was because he was the ill-fated actor who had passed away just before the final episode while filming that very drama.