Chapter 48: Rising Star (3)
Chapter 48: Rising Star (3)
"Oh, if it isn't Actor Shim Cheong-seok?"
In a bar in Daehak-ro, Seoul.
A voice called out to Shim Cheong-seok, who was enjoying a relaxed drink with a fellow actor.
"I heard you went to put out the fire for that play that's currently in flames? Let's see, it was Close Your Eyes, right?"
Turning his head, Shim Cheong-seok saw a man with a decent enough appearance.
Ah, this guy.
Shim Cheong-seok shook his head.
The man was a graduate of the theater and film department of a prestigious university in Seoul and was currently active as an actor. He had recently made a bit of a name for himself, and there were rumors floating around about whether he would be cast in a drama or not.
His name was... Kang Se-hyun, I think.
For the record, he was someone Shim Cheong-seok had performed with in a play exactly once. That was the extent of their connection.
"Well, if it's the gr~eat Actor Shim Cheong-seok, I'm sure you'll do fine. It's a revival of Close Your Eyes, isn't it? The script is quite good, too..."
"If you have business with me, why don't you just get to the point?"
The man's eyes narrowed at Shim Cheong-seok's blunt remark.
"Hah, that arrogant personality of yours hasn't gone anywhere, has it?"
"Phew, I'd like to ask who was the one being sarcastic first."
Shim Cheong-seok let out a smirk, causing the corners of Kang Se-hyun's mouth to twitch.
"Since you want it so badly, I'll get straight to the point."
"Go ahead."
"It just so happens that the performance dates for our play overlap exactly with when Close Your Eyes is running."
Shim Cheong-seok stared at him, wondering what that had to do with anything.
"What, did you not know? Haven't you heard of Under Snitch?"
"What?"
He had heard of it.
Under Snitch.
It was a remake of a play that had been popular abroad, and it was being staged in a grand theater with over 800 seats. At that level, it was definitely considered a 'pushed' production.
"I'm sure you've heard of the actors involved, too. Not only is Actor Hong Tae-baek participating as a lead, but Actor Seong Si-ha has taken on a major role as well."
Both were actors with very high name recognition in the theater world. Seong Si-ha, in particular, was a former idol who had transitioned into acting; he seemed to have found a passion for theater lately, as he was participating in productions frequently. He probably intended to move into musicals later on.
Regardless, both were actors with incredible drawing power, a rarity in the theater scene.
"And?"
"Huh?"
"Why are you telling me this? You went out of your way to find me at a bar just for this?"
At Shim Cheong-seok's words, Kang Se-hyun leaned an arm on the other man's shoulder and spoke.
"Well, I just thought I'd offer some consolation. You stepped up to help out, which is unlike you, but it looks like you're headed for a total flop."
He said the words, but his face looked incredibly pleased. Ever since their previous play together, Kang Se-hyun had picked fights with Shim Cheong-seok at every opportunity. Despite having more experience, he held a grudge because his acting skills had been completely overshadowed.
"Hang in there. Let me know if you need help."
Shim Cheong-seok let out a hollow laugh as he watched the man walk away after patting his shoulder.
Help, my foot. He wouldn't even pick up the phone if I called.
"Seriously, what is wrong with that guy?"
"Don't pay him any mind, Cheong-seok. Does a play's success really depend only on the actors' fame?"
The actors he was drinking with offered their own consolations, but Shim Cheong-seok honestly didn't care either way.
Drawing power, huh.
A certain girl came to Shim Cheong-seok's mind.
Come to think of it, she said there was some filming at her school.
With that thought, Shim Cheong-seok poured himself another drink.
"Cheong-seok, are you okay?"
"Ah, yes. I'm fine. It's just..."
An actor's ability to draw an audience.
He had a feeling he was about to witness exactly what that looked like.
*
"It's Park Jung-woo!!"
"Please look over here just once!"
"Oh my god, look at his face! It's the size of my fist! My fist!!!"
Screams and cheers erupted throughout Yeonhwa High School.
Park Jung-woo waved with a smile at the students' cheers, but internally...
...I'm already tired.
Though Park Jung-woo hated bothersome things, he was an actor known for excellent fan service. Having been educated by his father since childhood, he knew that without fans, there were no actors.
'You must always be grateful for the cheers of the crowd.'
That was his father's teaching, and Park Jung-woo followed it faithfully. As the saying goes, if this kind of fan service brought even one more person to the cinema, it was a profitable trade.
"Where are the staff?"
"They're preparing over there. Excuse me!"
As the manager shouted, staff members came running to assist Park Jung-woo as he stepped out of the van. To ensure the students didn't swarm him, teachers—starting with the Dean of Students—had come out to control the lines. There were security guards as well, but they were clearly struggling with the sheer number of students.
By the time Park Jung-woo entered the filming site...
"The theater club... I was told the theater club teacher would be here... Ah! Over here!"
PD Jung Min-jae beamed as he saw Song Da-yeon, the advisor for the theater club, running toward him out of breath.
"You're Teacher Song Da-yeon from the theater club, right? Are the students appearing in the broadcast all ready?"
"Of course. Oh, do you happen to know Lee Ji-yeon? She's a student currently appearing in a cable drama..."
Lee Ji-yeon.
PD Jung Min-jae was slightly surprised by the name. Wasn't she the girl playing the role of 'Lee Min-chae' in that popular cable drama? She was a memorable child because her acting was quite good and she was beautiful. She was a child with the talent to eventually be seen on major networks or in films.
"Ah, so that girl is playing Princess Yeonhwa?"
"Yes, she's preparing now. What about the script?"
"It's right here. The reenactment drama will take place in four hours, but we'll start filming the preparations immediately. Is that okay?"
"Pardon? But they haven't even memorized the script yet."
"Four hours is plenty of time."
Besides, strictly speaking, they didn't need to memorize it perfectly yet. This wasn't a 'drama shoot' but a variety show. The sight of students racking their brains to practice was also part of the content.
It's the real deal.
Listening to the conversation between Teacher Song Da-yeon and PD Jung Min-jae, a male student was filming with his smartphone. For the record, he wasn't just taking photos or videos for a souvenir.
It was a so-called internet broadcast.
The student, Song Yong-ho, usually earned pocket money by occasionally streaming games as a hobby, but today was different. How could he stay still when a variety show was being filmed at his school?
Although such comments appeared in the chat, his viewer count was double its usual size. The number was a whopping 200! It might be modest to some, but for a high school streamer, it was a very encouraging figure.
"They said it's okay to film, so it's fine even if I get caught a little. Also, Park Jung-woo is participating as a guest in today's shoot, and it seems Lee Ji-yeon... is playing the role of Princess Yeonhwa."
While such chats were exchanged, the variety show filming began in earnest. Song Yong-ho wasn't the only one broadcasting the situation in real-time; others were also working hard to capture the scene.
"First, I will help with the acting direction for the next four hours."
With several cameras positioned around the theater club room, Park Jung-woo spoke. The boys' jaws dropped, and the girls were practically trembling as if having a seizure. Someone once said that being handsome is the best quality of all.
"Ex-excuse me, Actor P-Park Jung-woo, is it okay if you don't practice separately?"
"I've already memorized everything."
"Ah! As expected!"
As the girl marveled with a flushed face, Park Jung-woo maintained a gentle smile. Of course, it was an act. These were girls three years younger than him. He was simply playing along with their fuss.
Their acting level doesn't seem bad, but...
At the end of the day, it was just a high school theater club. They couldn't be compared to real actors.
"By the way, Teacher. Where is the actress who will be playing Princess Yeonhwa?"
"Ah, Ji-yeon?"
The actress Lee Ji-yeon, who was supposed to play Princess Yeonhwa. Apparently, she wasn't just a member of the theater club but a proper actress appearing in a cable drama.
I skimmed through some of her clips, and her skills were definitely decent.
But regardless of that.
"Why isn't she here?"
"Ah, well... Ji-yeon said she wanted to prepare on her own."
Since this conversation was being recorded by the cameras, Song Da-yeon had to be careful with her words. She couldn't let her student get criticized because of something she said.
"I see. That's quite common among actors. Some need time alone to get into character."
"Right? Ah, it seems Ji-yeon wants to be thoroughly prepared since Actor Park Jung-woo is here."
"I see."
He replied with another bright smile, but honestly, Park Jung-woo didn't like this Lee Ji-yeon girl.
This isn't a simple drama shoot; it's a variety show. Can't she even distinguish between the two?
And even if she was preparing separately, just how much could she possibly be preparing? This wasn't an audition; it would have been more beneficial to practice with him here to get more screen time. Or did she mean she didn't want to act with these theater club kids?
Either way, I don't like it.
Park Jung-woo clicked his tongue inwardly and proceeded to coach the other students. Although Lee Ji-yeon had taken the lead role of Princess Yeonhwa, the other students each had their own roles to play.
"Teacher Song Da-yeon, this isn't good. You should go get Lee Ji-yeon right away."
PD Jung Min-jae called Song Da-yeon over and spoke in a low voice. The scenes of Park Jung-woo teaching the students were certainly good content. Having a real actor teach made for a better viewing experience than just students working together, but...
"Ultimately, the most important thing is the chemistry between Lee Ji-yeon and Park Jung-woo."
A reenactment of Episode 8 of The Moon That Hides the Sun. In the end, the most crucial scene was the reunion between Yoon Seo-il and Lee Hye-wol. But if they started without having rehearsed together even once and things went wrong...?
They might get some NG outtakes, but the overall picture wouldn't look good. Since Park Jung-woo was appearing, there had to be a scene that would make viewers go "Wow!"
Song Da-yeon hurriedly called Ji-yeon. She felt like something was going to happen if things continued like this.
"Yes, yes, Ji-yeon. Huh?"
As she spoke on the phone, Song Da-yeon showed a strange reaction.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah, no. Well, PD Jung Min-jae."
"Yes?"
"Ji-yeon is asking if she could see you separately for just a moment."
See him separately? It wasn't a difficult request, but he wondered if that was something one should say to a PD. He'd heard that young actors these days were 'MZ' or whatever, and he wondered if this was an example of that.
"It's because... she's worried it might not be good if she's spotted while moving separately."
"Good grief."
He wondered what on earth was going on for her to say that.
"Fine. Let's go now."
PD Jung Min-jae nodded, making up his mind to give her a stern warning if it turned out to be nothing important.
*
It had been a long time since he'd worn these clothes.
Park Jung-woo looked down at the hanbok he was wearing and let out a sigh. A historical drama. In fact, the last historical drama Park Jung-woo had appeared in was The Moon That Hides the Sun. He hadn't done any since then because nothing had particularly appealed to him.
The grown-up Yoon Seo-il, huh.
Looking in the mirror, he felt like he could see the young Yoon Seo-il. After reciting the lines in his head for a moment, he slowly stepped outside.
"Wow, you look exactly like the Yoon Seo-il I imagined."
Park Jung-woo smirked at the staff member who immediately gave him a thumbs-up.
"It's been ten years; do you still remember that?"
"Of course. It's the drama of my life."
The drama of one's life. In a way, it might be the same for Park Jung-woo. He had done many works, but no other project had remained in his heart quite like this one.
"Where is PD Jung?"
"Ah, I heard he's with the girl playing Princess Yeonhwa. He told us to proceed first."
It seemed he had dumped the proceedings on the junior PD and disappeared. He could roughly guess why this variety show had ended up in this state.
"Wow! He looks so good in a hanbok."
A makeshift set made by setting up paper boards in the auditorium. Whispers could be heard as people watched Park Jung-woo arrive. There was a cacophony of voices—the students filling the auditorium and the voices of the staff.
I'm tired.
Muttering the words for what felt like the hundredth time today, the filming began.
"My Lord, come over here!"
"Are you going to the palace again today?"
The students' acting was decent enough, but it was clearly different from that of a 'real actor.' It was passable. Still, it was the best among all the episodes of Looking at the Past and Memories so far. The staff thought so, too.
"It's about time for Princess Yeonhwa to appear..."
"Is she still not here? What on earth is the PD doing?"
As those words were heard, the theater club students swarmed out to create a crowd. It wasn't exactly acting; it was more like creating a 'marketplace' atmosphere. Yoon Seo-il walked through it quietly, reminiscing about the past.
Ten years ago, the commoners' market I walked through with Princess Yeonhwa.
Princess Yeonhwa, marvelling at even the smallest snacks. The young Ju Seo-yeon. Her image flickered in Park Jung-woo's mind before vanishing.
Now, Princess Yeonhwa should be right here.
Was she not there? If so, it was definitely an NG. The thought of having to reshoot already made him feel tired. Just as a negative impression of Lee Ji-yeon was about to take root in his mind again...
He saw an elegant figure mingled among the marketplace crowd. Her form was hidden by a long jang-ot worn over her head, but anyone could tell it was Princess Yeonhwa.
There she is...
Relieved, Park Jung-woo followed after 'Princess Yeonhwa.' The students were noisily chatting away according to their roles, and Princess Yeonhwa stood among them. Even with the jang-ot over her head, something was different. Her posture, her aura...
She was different from an ordinary student.
The moment Park Jung-woo realized that fact, his pace began to quicken.
Perhaps this wasn't acting.
Park Jung-woo—no, Yoon Seo-il—moved his feet reflexively. He pushed through the crowd. Even though he knew she wouldn't run away, he reached out urgently.
As he grasped her small shoulder, a faint laugh was heard. It was a familiar and incredibly clear voice.
"Seo-il."
The woman's hand moved, slowly pulling down the jang-ot from her head. The scene unfolded slowly, as if in slow motion.
The first thing he saw was her elegantly tied long black hair. Her fair skin.
"I'm a little... late, aren't I?"
The cute features he had seen in her childhood had transformed, growing into a beautiful maturity.
Princess Yeonhwa, Lee Hye-wol.
"...I'm late, but..."
Her star-like appearance was etched into the eyes of Park Jung-woo—no, Yoon Seo-il.
"I've come back."
In her eyes, which held a hint of red, and the mischievous smile playing on her lips...
Park Jung-woo's mind went completely blank.