Taming Lee Se-rin (1)
I had done something that even I found absurd. By any reasonable standard, I was basically a lunatic.
Still, I had no choice. I had to stop Lee Se-rin from freezing up on stage.
Besides, this wasn’t just about repaying a favor. My goal was to prevent the Masterpiece Theater stage from collapsing so I could catch the eye of genius variety PD Kang Min-ju.
If this works out, I’ll have plenty of uses for her.
My ultimate goal in this second life, both as an actor and in my previous existence, was to become a Ten-Million Actor. To accelerate a goal that would normally take decades, I had come up with the idea of an independent film.
There’s nothing better than a movie for an actor to make a name for himself.
I already had a few directors in mind. The conditions were simple: someone whose name wasn’t yet big, who struggled to cast actors, but who would later explode with a hit independent film. In other words, a director I could buy low.
Several names came to mind. If possible, Director Baek Hyeon-jin would be the absolute best.
The genius director Baek Hyeon-jin, who had burst onto the scene like a comet in 2015. He had earned the title of genius with nothing but his masterful use of lighting.
The problem is that he hasn’t debuted yet, so I have no idea where he is or what he’s doing right now.
Even if I managed to recruit him, who would agree to join an independent film starring a complete unknown actor and an unknown director?
It would be better if we had at least one actor with a real name attached.
And that’s where Lee Se-rin came in. I would cure her stage fright, then use that debt of gratitude as leverage to lure her into the independent film. In short, this was my hostage situation.
I swallowed a dozen bowls of kimchi soup in my mind and looked at the woman standing before me.
“What are you nodding to yourself about?”
“A rosy future.”
At my answer, Lee Se-rin asked in a tone that made it clear she had no intention of getting swept up in my nonsense.
“You’re pretty shameless with your lies.”
Her voice was full of wariness and venom. That was understandable. A total rookie whose name she hadn’t even known at the audition had suddenly pulled this crazy stunt.
It’s only natural for her to be suspicious.
Now that I thought about it, it was actually a little scary.
But if I was going to back down here, I never should have started. I smiled and nodded.
“Lying is just another form of acting for an actor, isn’t it?”
Those were the words of Runna, the highest authority in the Actor Gallery.
“Really? Then why don’t you say that exact thing to the director?”
Lee Se-rin turned away as if to leave.
“…!”
It took me 0.2 seconds to drop into a full dogeza. That was how long it took for me to fall to my knees before her, rubbing my palms together desperately.
“I’m sorry! I was rude! Great Actress Lee Se-rin, this is truly important, so please, just hear me out once!”
At my lightning-fast dogeza, Lee Se-rin let out a sigh as if she were thoroughly fed up.
“You must be used to banging your head on the floor. It’s pathetic, so get up.”
She glanced at the time on her phone and spoke.
“I’ll give you one minute. I hate wasting time, so keep it short.”
Cold. It hurt! But the bait had been taken.
She was acting like she was incredibly busy, but that was fine. I knew that at this point in her career, Lee Se-rin had no schedule. Having memorized most of the release dates and filming periods for films and dramas since the early 2000s, I was certain of it.
“You don’t have any other schedule right now anyway. One minute is too short. Let’s compromise at five.”
“What?”
Lee Se-rin’s eyes narrowed. At the same time, her suspicion deepened.
“Are you… a pervert?! A stalker? How do you know my schedule?”
She took a step back.
“Don’t tell me the reason you made me wait until the staff were gone was…!”
I held up my palm toward Lee Se-rin, who was flooring the accelerator on her wild delusions.
“Stop the misunderstanding! I just happened to hear that there weren’t any casting offers. You saw me getting along with the staff, didn’t you?”
Even after my explanation, she continued to stare at me with eyes full of suspicion. Her cold gaze pierced me as she asked,
“So what exactly do you want to say? If you’re just going to waste my time with something pointless, I’m leaving.”
“It’s not pointless at all. In fact, it’s extremely important.”
It was the very first step toward my goal of drawing ten million viewers. On top of that, I would repay a favor, create a debt, and take a hostage.
Alright. This was the critical moment. My last chance to persuade Lee Se-rin, one that would never come again. I couldn’t miss it.
How should I convince her?!
I wasn’t sure if it was rude to say this, but after watching the way the gallery users roasted Princess, I had realized something.
Lee Se-rin and Princess were cut from the same cloth.
They both had immense pride and self-respect when it came to acting, and they shared the common trait of being particularly sensitive to being scratched in just the right way.
In other words, to persuade Lee Se-rin…
I should probably come at her a little harder.
In professional terms, I needed to scratch her.
With a calm smile, I opened my mouth.
“I’m going to stop you from ruining that stage.”
“What?”
Lee Se-rin’s face froze for a moment. She looked utterly dumbfounded.
Don’t get scared. I have to keep talking. I need to grab her attention here, beat her down, and tie her up.
“Lee Se-rin. To an actress like you, this might be just one of many productions, but for me, it’s not.”
“What are you…”
“For me, this is the starting point my entire acting career is riding on.”
At my words, the expressionless mask Lee Se-rin had been wearing finally cracked into a slight frown.
“Ha. You really believe you can out-act me? Can you take responsibility for those words?”
I answered her question with absolute confidence.
“Yes. You’re definitely going to give the worst performance of your life on the actual broadcast. Far worse than the acting of someone you’re looking down on like me.”
Lee Se-rin’s voice rose sharply.
“You must be saying that because you’re relying on that one performance you showed at the audition. I’ve been in dozens of productions since I was a child actor. You think you’re in any position to give me acting advice?”
The audition performance?
The point she latched onto was different from what I expected. But whatever.
With a serene face, I cut her off firmly.
“Really? Then how about a bet? Let’s do one rehearsal together.”
At my suggestion, Lee Se-rin nodded.
“Fine. I’ll do it right now.”
Her tone was venomous, as if she would break my nose on the spot and show me exactly how great she was.
“And after this, don’t bother me anymore.”
Facing Lee Se-rin, who looked like she wanted to kill me, I pointed toward the stage and answered.
“No, not here. On the stage.”
I had successfully scratched the pride of the extremely prideful Lee Se-rin.
Lee Se-rin stepped up to the center of the stage.
“It doesn’t matter what scene. Do the one you’re most confident in.”
Without hesitation, she began to act. It was the scene from Act Two where she desperately clung to Min-woo.
As expected of Lee Se-rin.
Her emotional immersion happened in an instant.
Time to add some seasoning.
I smiled and called out.
“Imagine the stage is packed with an audience. Imagine countless people are all watching your performance.”
“Is this direction?”
Lee Se-rin glared at me for a moment, but I simply smiled back.
“I’m trying to make it feel more realistic.”
“……”
At my words, she began acting again, as if to prove a point.
This is the decisive move.
According to the Actor Gallery user known as the Psychiatrist Actor, I needed to make her as aware as possible that this was a stage. There were many possible triggers for stage fright.
And from what I had observed, Lee Se-rin’s trigger was…
The audience.
I turned on my phone to play the sound of a murmuring crowd.
“Looks like a lot of people showed up.”
Lee Se-rin’s performance began to waver.
It wasn’t obvious, but from up close, I could tell. From the tips of her fingers to her breathing, everything was unstable.
She’s hiding it pretty well.
When her acting reached its climax, I lightly pressed the button on the remote control in my pocket.
—Flash.
Weak lights turned on above the stage. They were so faint they couldn’t even compare to the intense burst from the rehearsal earlier.
I can’t have her collapsing from shock again.
For a moment, Lee Se-rin’s body stiffened.
Just as I expected.
“…!”
Her breathing grew ragged again, and her pupils trembled.
I couldn’t stop here. I had to push all the way through.
“Keep going.”
At my words, she tried to continue acting as if nothing was wrong, but…
It won’t work.
Her concentration had already been completely shattered.
“…I’m not feeling well. Let’s stop here.”
“Yeah, that’s enough.”
In the end, Lee Se-rin was the one who stopped first. She looked at me with an icy expression.
“Are you satisfied now? I don’t know why you’re doing this, but…”
I cut her off.
“You’re scared of the stage, aren’t you?”
For a brief second, her eyes wavered.
“Scared of the stage? Me?”
Her arrogant tone seemed to say, The child actress who became famous at a young age and has appeared in dozens of dramas, CFs, and films?
But on this one point, I was right. No, even if I was wrong, the users of the Actor Gallery were never wrong.
If she wouldn’t admit it, I would just have to make her admit it.
I played back the video I had secretly recorded of her performance just now.
“When did you—!”
“Watch carefully.”
At my firm voice, Lee Se-rin reluctantly began watching the footage.
“Your breathing is rough, your vocal tone is unstable, and your eye movements are all over the place. It looks very different from your usual self, doesn’t it?”
I dug into even the tiny symptoms she might not have been aware of herself, one by one.
At my words, Lee Se-rin fell silent.
Wait, did I scratch her too hard? I thought I might not have scratched enough, but was this the opposite effect?!
When I looked at her, Lee Se-rin was standing there, frozen as if she had received a massive shock.
In a trembling voice, she answered.
“It’s because of my condition.”
“Are you scared of the stage? Or of standing in front of people?”
Lee Se-rin frowned repeatedly. She had been hit where it hurt.
“That’s for me to handle. Mind your own business.”
“Sorry, but I can’t fail at this.”
I blocked her path as she tried to leave.
“I told you. My life is on the line with this play. Your problem is my problem too.”
“It’s just that my condition isn’t good.”
“I’ll help you.”
“What would you even know…”
“I do know. I know very well. I know an absolute expert on the subject.”
I was talking about the incredible specialists in the Actor Gallery.
“I’ll help you overcome it. I’m the type who keeps my promises.”
Lee Se-rin answered in a cold voice.
“You?”
Her voice was cold, but I definitely saw it. The moment I said I could help her overcome it, her eyes wavered for just a second.
“Let’s say that’s true. So what? Why would I trust you and follow you?”
Good. She’s almost there.
Now it was time for my final card. The ultimate hand I had prepared. The returnee-from-the-future trump card. It was my turn to use it too.
I let out a sigh as if I didn’t particularly care.
“Well, whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter.”
“What?”
Ignoring the flustered Lee Se-rin, I raised my index finger and smiled.
“Instead, even if you don’t believe my words, I’ll give you one reason you have no choice but to listen.”
The reason Lee Se-rin would have no choice but to accept my proposal. The massive entertainment industry scandal that would occur in the second half of 2012.
I was going to reveal it right here.