Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: This Will Be Fun
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Actor Park Chan-su opened the door and stepped inside to begin the scene.
However, seeing him freeze up for a moment right after,
the three people already in the room furrowed their brows slightly.
'Hmm...'
'Looks like he's pretty nervous.'
'Tch... From the first time we met, he seemed a bit off...'
Great actors fundamentally have a strong presence.
After all, the profession of acting is all about imprinting your existence on the public, so this is only natural.
And this presence naturally radiates through what's called an 'aura'—that distinctive air about them.
In fact, when a famous actor appears on the street, even if they're not doing anything special,
people's eyes ignore everyone else and lock onto that one actor alone.
This is partly due to their fame, but even more so because of the overwhelming power of their aura.
That's why top-tier actors,
especially when they dive into their roles and start naturally emanating their aura,
effortlessly dominate the space around them without even trying, erasing everyone else's presence.
And when that aura is particularly intense, it can unintentionally pressure the other person—just like right now.
With not one, but three such auras bearing down at once, it was only natural for him to tense up.
Even so, regardless of that fact, seeing Park Chan-su stiffen the moment he stood before them left them clicking their tongues inwardly.
Park Chan-su wasn't without acting experience, despite appearances.
As a popular idol singer with considerable fame, they couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that he was rattled so easily.
Moreover, it raised concerns about potential issues during the upcoming scenes.
Of course, this was the result of him facing a 'gang-up' from the auras of three great actors at once,
but the three of them were unaware of that detail.
Thus, viewing this split-second moment as a definite NG from the start,
they waited for the director's cut signal.
But...
'! Whoa!'
'Huh?'
'!! Wha... what?'
In that instant, a massive aura suddenly began to emanate.
It pushed back their presences all at once,
causing the three to forget they were even filming and turn their heads toward it.
There stood
her—calm-faced, silently gazing straight ahead without a single line of dialogue.
Chae Soo-jeong... no, Literature Club Vice President Choi Soo-jin,
scattering a serene light from her violet eyes as she looked at Chan-su,
instantly seized control of the room's atmosphere with just her gaze. In a quiet voice, she spoke.
"You're here?"
"...! Y-Yeah."
That single exchange marked the turning point. Park Chan-su's presence suddenly sharpened vividly.
In the room's atmosphere, now reduced to just the two of them,
Chan-su, who had faltered briefly, seamlessly continued his performance.
There were a few awkward moments along the way, but considering the setup where Chan-su's character has a crush on Soo-jin,
a little editing could easily make it feel natural and consistent.
Meanwhile,
watching the scene unfold in silence, the three whose presences had been utterly snuffed out couldn't help but feel considerable surprise.
'Whoaaa... As expected... Teacher's aura... It's different from Queen Dowager, but this one's something else entirely...'
'Her energy during soccer was already intense, but acting takes it to another level?'
Separate from the surprise, Ha Yu-ra and Yeo Hyo-min were purely admiring the moment.
Yeo Hyo-min had already gotten a preview shot during the soccer match,
while Ha Yu-ra found a strange ecstasy in being completely overwhelmed by Chae Soo-jeong like this.
However,
unlike those two, there was one more victim present.
The award recipient himself, a man with considerable pride in his field—
Lee Sung-min found himself frozen, mouth agape, gripped by shock.
'No way... No way it's this intense...'
He had already known her aura was extraordinary from the drama.
The charisma she showed as the Queen Dowager had given even him chills.
But experiencing it up close like this, not through a screen,
Lee Sung-min finally grasped it clearly.
Just how terrifyingly powerful Chae Soo-jeong's aura truly was.
Of course, in this scene, only she and Chan-su had lines,
giving her a clear advantage in setting the mood.
Even accounting for that, though...
Could he really beat her in a direct acting clash?
Honestly... he couldn't confidently claim victory.
That was Lee Sung-min's cold, self-assessed evaluation.
Her aura had the edge.
His acting skills held a slight superiority,
but since he hadn't seen the full extent of hers yet, it was hard to say for sure.
And—
This will be fun. Way more than I thought...
This realization stirred in Lee Sung-min a sensation he hadn't felt in ages—
what could be called 'competitive spirit.'
For him, acting was life itself, his truest passion and hobby.
Acting with a skilled performer brought immense joy on its own.
Especially since, after his award win, he rarely encountered worthy opponents.
So, the appearance of someone who could draw out his full potential filled him with deep anticipation.
All the more so, given how often their characters clashed in the script.
*
"Didn't you say you had soccer today? How long are you gonna keep this up?"
"Soccer my ass... Who cares about that ball game? Can't you see we're getting crushed by two houses right now?"
"No... You're on the soccer team."
Yeo Hyo-min glared fiercely at the Go board.
Watching her—in the script, named 'An Hyo-min'—
Ha Yu-ra, playing the Literature Club President 'Hwang Yu-ri,' wore an exasperated expression.
"You sure you're okay with this? No need to go see that senior today?"
"Senior's not coming today."
"...So that's why. Take this."
"Ah, wait—not there!"
Thankfully, after a slight hiccup at the start, the shoot proceeded without major issues.
Everyone was a pro, to begin with, and a strangely motivated atmosphere kept things flowing smoothly.
It even prompted requests to dial back the intensity a bit, given the slice-of-life tone.
With that scene wrapped without a single NG, the cast took a breather.
That's when someone approached me as I sat resting.
"Um..."
"Yes?"
Park Chan-su spoke with a hesitant stutter.
He followed up in a voice laced with sincerity.
"Thank you for earlier. Thanks to you, I was able to keep going."
"No big deal. I just livened up the mood a little so it wouldn't derail the shoot."
"Still... thank you. Truth be told, I was pretty nervous. The people around me are all such heavy hitters..."
"Hehe, yeah, more so than the last project, right? Honestly, I'm still pretty shocked myself. How did things end up like this...?"
Chan-su expressed his gratitude.
I replied with a light laugh.
At the start of shooting, the others seemed to be pressuring him too much, so I lent a hand.
This was partly to keep the shoot on track,
but more deeply...
I felt a strange sense of kinship with the man before me.
In my past life, Park Chan-su had undoubtedly achieved great success as a singer.
Yet he crumbled without ever fully blooming in acting.
If it were just that, I might not have cared.
Everyone has their own path; he simply found what suited him.
But even so...
Having worked in this industry and even acted alongside him, I could see it.
The way he kept challenging himself as an actor despite knowing his limitations.
What others might have seen as a mere side gig was, in truth, deep sincerity toward acting for Park Chan-su.
Ultimately unable to overcome the wall of reality, he had to give up on acting—
that image reminded me of my own past collapse.
Of course, knowing this didn't mean
I could change Park Chan-su's future now.
But at the very least, I sincerely hoped he wouldn't suffer too much from his passion outpacing his talent...
That he wouldn't taste the pain I'd endured.
That's what I thought...
"If you ever need any help later, just say the word. I already felt like you helped me a lot in the last project too, so I'd love to repay the favor sometime."
"Haha, no need. Favor? Come on...!"
In that moment, a thought flashed through my mind.
Looking back now, tied to my past-life memories, there was one way this 'singer' before me could assist.
It was...
"Um... Chan-su. If you're serious, then maybe..."
"Yes? What is it...?"
My suddenly serious tone made Chan-su's face flush a bit.
Gazing at him, I brought up one idea with considerable enthusiasm.
It was...