Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: The Acting Coach
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“Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Unlike the voice I'd heard through the speakers, his actual voice had a lingering resonance that tickled my eardrums. Was it a vocalization specialized for the stage?
“Hello?”
“Hello, sir. I'm Rosi from the group Answer!”
As actor Jung Hyung-sik came out of the lecture hall, Rosi bowed politely.
“Right. And your last name?”
“Ah! It's Oh.”
“Aha, Oh Ro-si?”
Jung Hyung-sik's demeanor, somewhere between a respectable elder and a condescending old man, felt unsettling.
“You look better in person.”
“Thank you.”
“No, really, why did you become a singer? You have the perfect face for an actor.”
Rosi gave an awkward smile at the ambiguous compliment.
“No matter how famous a singer is for their beauty, many of them pale in comparison when they stand next to an actor. At best, they only have the face for a supporting role.”
“Ah… yes.”
I gave a half-hearted reply to actor Jung Hyung-sik, who was speaking while looking at her face, but these days, lead actors weren't necessarily stunners.
“Of course, the world has changed a lot, and the basic standard for a protagonist is shifting from looks to natural acting.”
It was like he'd read my mind.
“Handsome manager. You're thinking I just read your mind, aren't you?”
What's with this guy?
He was an interesting person. Had he laid a trap to lead me to that thought?
Suddenly, I was reminded of actors who end up becoming shamans.
“Viewers' tastes have changed a lot. There are still people who fantasize about being the beautiful protagonist, but recently, there's been a rise in viewers who immerse themselves in protagonists with ordinary looks similar to their own.”
Finishing his words, actor Jung Hyung-sik offered Rosi a seat.
About time he offered her a seat.
“Well then, since it's our first day, shall we start with an interview?”
“Yes, sir.”
Rosi nodded, her face tense.
“Any acting experience?”
“When I was in middle school in Australia, I performed in a festival play with a script I wrote.”
“Australia?”
“Yes. I was born in Australia, finished middle school there, and then came to Korea.”
“…Your diction is excellent. You were a native English speaker?”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Hmm. Anyway, that means you haven't made your acting debut yet, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“That's actually a relief. You won't have any bad habits.”
Are there bad habits in acting?
I knew training existed to improve acting skills, but the idea of 'bad habits' was new to me.
“It's been a while since I've seen such perfect diction. It's truly surprising, considering you're a native English speaker.”
Rosi's diction had always been good, but it felt like it had become even clearer after I leveled up her rap skill.
“Beauty, posture, diction… If you can memorize scripts well too, you'll be perfect as an actress.”
As actor Jung Hyung-sik interviewed Rosi, he explained the basics of acting here and there, and it was exactly what I already knew and had learned.
He had a bit of that condescending attitude, but judging by his ability as an acting teacher, I felt I could entrust Rosi to him without worry.
* * *
After the acting lesson, I was on my way to pick up Seul-bi and Yi-na.
“How was the acting coach?”
“Um... he was interesting, and I think he'll be a good teacher.”
Was she worried about the condescending streak hidden beneath his gentle demeanor?
But most of the people who still dominated the broadcasting world had at least a minimal level of that condescension, so as a newcomer, she had no choice but to adapt.
I arrived at the gym where Seul-bi and Yi-na had finished their workout. Yi-na, who was already waiting, carefully got into the van. Her trembling legs confirmed she'd had an intense workout.
“Hey! Jjang-na, hurry up and get in!”
On days when Yi-na was being particularly whiny, Seul-bi would sometimes call her Jjang-na.
She probably grumbled throughout the entire workout.
As Yi-na sluggishly climbed into the van, Seul-bi poked her butt.
“Aah! Don't push me! It hurts!”
“What are you talking about? I just poked your butt with my finger.”
“…Ugh! Cramp! A cramp!”
Suddenly, Yi-na collapsed, not knowing what to do. A surprised Rosi and Seul-bi started massaging her calf.
“Aaaah! Don't touch it! Ahh!”
“Yi-na, grab the tip of your foot and pull. That should release it.”
Yi-na bent over as if to try what I said.
“Gah!”
But her body straightened out as if she'd been electrocuted, and I had no choice but to step in. I moved to the back seat and bent her foot for her.
“Ugh... I think I tore a muscle.”
“It's okay, don't worry.”
Yi-na's expression gradually relaxed, but beads of sweat had formed on her forehead from the tension and pain.
“Jeez. This is why you should work out regularly.”
“This is all your fault, Unni!”
“Huh? Did I force you to eat it? You're the one who put it in your own mouth.”
Yi-na, pouting, whipped her head around to look out the window.
“How was acting?”
“Yeah. I think he'll be a good teacher.”
“Huh? You didn't learn anything today?”
“Today was just an interview where he talked about the industry and basic stuff like that. But even that felt helpful.”
“That's a relief. Didn't he say he'd get you a role right after your lessons are done?”
“Honestly, that's more terrifying. It's not an audition, so if I mess up after getting in through a recommendation, I'll make the coach look bad.”
“Jeez. You worry about everything!”
“Ah!”
All eyes turned to the sulking Yi-na, who had suddenly yelped in surprise.
“Today's payday! I'm so excited!”
Everyone let out a dry laugh at the sight of Yi-na suddenly dancing in her seat.
“Sigh, do you have a split personality? Don't you remember what happened 10 seconds ago?”
“Dunno?”
“Really? Then... Shin-na, should I tell you a piece of bad news?”
“What?”
“The person giving you your pay statement is the same person who's going to do your InBody scan.”
“Ugh! You always have to ruin the mood!”
“Hee! Teasing you is so much fun!”
Seul-bi hadn't teased Yi-na for a while, but as the atmosphere improved, their cute bickering had started up again.
We arrived at the company.
“Can't we just not go up?”
“Because of the InBody scan?”
“Uh-huh!”
“And not get your pay statements?”
“…Haaah.”
From my perspective, I wondered what was so scary about an InBody scan, but I figured that for a girl Yi-na's age, especially an active girl group member, it could be a sensitive issue.
Or maybe just being near the Director was scary enough.
We squeezed into the small elevator and went up to the office.
“How was Rosi?”
The Director's emotionless question seemed to make the members shrink back unnecessarily.
“He seemed like a good teacher.”
“Good, that's a relief. It's 70,000 won for ten minutes, so focus and learn well.”
“Gasp!”
The Answer members were shocked.
“So... what we just did cost 560,000 won? It was just an interview.”
“That's right. Of course, that includes the option for a minor role recommendation.”
560,000 won for an hour and twenty minutes... it was hard to fathom how much he could earn in a month. Of course, officially, it was just an expensive lesson fee, not a referral fee, so it wouldn't be an issue.
If she was genuinely good at acting and caught the coach's eye, a recommendation could come surprisingly easily.
“Looks like you arrived just as the pay statements were ready.”
The members gulped as they heard the Director muttering to himself while giving the pay statements a final review.
“Seul-bi and Yi-na, follow me. Rosi, go over what you learned today one more time. You took notes, right?”
“Yes, yes! On my phone.”
With long faces, Seul-bi and Yi-na followed the Director. While Rosi reviewed her phone notes, I turned on the computer to manage the fan cafe and Tube channel.
-Wow, I won a spot for the music show!
-Ah! You were the delivery driver! Congrats congrats
-I'm so moved. I really wanted to see their comeback stage T_T
-After reading your story, I thought even I would have picked you if I were the fan manager. Seriously, congratulations.
-Thank you. I guess I have to live diligently now!
The delivery driver who had received a warm coffee from Rosi posted, overjoyed.
What might seem like trivial girl group fandom to some could be the driving force that sustains another person's life and allows them to dream of the future.
I felt an unexpected sense of fulfillment.
A call came from reporter Shin Dong-min.
“Hello, Reporter Shin. I've been seeing your articles on the main page often lately.”
-Hahaha! It's all thanks to you, Timjang-nim. Please let me treat you to a meal.
“Answer's keeping me busy, too.”
-I may not have been in the entertainment section for long, but I've been to a lot of showcases, and that was a truly distinctive one.
“Thank you for the kind words.”
-I'm not just being kind; it was genuinely great. Especially that Lee Yoo-ah, right? The singer who played guitar and sang. Wow, I was blown away. It had the feel of the Western pop songs I used to listen to in my prime, so I really enjoyed it.
My mood lifted, pleased that Reporter Shin Dong-min had been moved by the very point I was aiming for.
“Personally, I think Lee Yoo-ah will blow up faster than Answer.”
-What? Didn't Answer hit number one on the charts?
“Not in terms of domestic popularity. I'm talking about the global market.”
-Ah, so you produced it with that intention? No wonder, it really had that emotional pop feel. You had it all planned out.
But Reporter Shin Dong-min's words didn't sound entirely sincere. It was only natural that it would be hard to imagine a song released in Korea sweeping the globe, no matter how much it was made to sound like a Western pop song.
Due to the nature of her genre, Lee Yoo-ah wouldn't gain popularity as quickly as Answer. But I knew that as word of mouth spread, she would eventually reach the top.
-More importantly, how about you give me an interview about the point card incident?
“I'm not too keen on being in the spotlight.”
That's what I said, but in reality, I was delaying the interview with the ulterior motive of bringing it all up again just when Gyeon Sang-jin was about to forget.
Gyeon Sang-jin was focused on cleaning up the mess after Your Girl took the point card commercial from Answer, so my interview would surely piss him off all over again.
I wondered if a relatively minor interview could have such a big impact, but an article from Reporter Shin Dong-min right now would be enough to get on the main page, even if only for a moment.
If I don't torment him, who else is going to torment that powerful piece of trash?
-Aigoo, I know. But your name is already out there as the whistleblower, isn't it? You'll be receiving a commendation soon, too... To be honest, my desk keeps nagging me about why there's no follow-up interview. Please, do me this favor.
I was planning to agree to the interview anyway, and here was Reporter Shin Dong-min practically begging.
“Since you're putting it that way, Reporter Shin, how could I possibly refuse?”
-Hahaha! My apologies, and thank you. Just name the time and place you want, and I'll be there.
“Yes. I'll let you know a time as soon as possible.”
I ended the pleasant call with Reporter Shin Dong-min. My first impression of him wasn't the best, but after the incident with Answer's rumors and now this, I could feel a mutual trust between us.
Rosi was concentrating as if trying to memorize every single character of her notes. Regardless of age, gender, or status, a person focused and working hard is the most attractive sight.
The InBody scan must have finished, as the Director and the members were coming back.
“Isa-nim, I worked really hard. I even got a cramp in my leg earlier, and Min-jun Oppa had to help me with it.”
At Yi-na's words, the Director's expression soured.
I thought the Director glanced at me looking at the monitor, but I wasn't close enough for a normal person to have heard her.
“Yi-na.”
“Yes?”
The Director stopped walking and called her name with a stern face, startling even Seul-bi into stopping in her tracks.
“It's good to have a comfortable relationship with your manager, but always be respectful to PD Min-jun. You may be similar in age, but he's the chief manager.”
“Ah... yes.”
“On top of that, he's also the producer who planned everything from composing your album to the smallest details.”
“Yes….”
“If I were you, I would have immense respect for PD Min-jun.”
Yi-na looked confused by the sudden reprimand, and Seul-bi was cautiously watching the Director's expression.
“Without PD Min-jun, the Answer of today might not exist.”
“Yes.”
Isn't this a bit much?
Director, why is she suddenly acting like this?