Delinquent Acting
"No way..."
It was a hard-earned day off after ages. Jun-ho stared at the sight before him, his face all puffy. The sudden visit was shocking enough, but what the hell was with that getup?
"What do you think?"
"Think of what? You look like a total bum."
Moo-young had thrown open every button on his school uniform, wearing it like he was strutting down a fashion runway. Was it just the rags? Why the hell had he slathered his hair with so much wax?
"Don't I look like a delinquent?"
"You look like a total nerd."
"What? That's not good."
Moo-young slumped into the chair in defeat. According to the info Bora had given him, his role was the "friend of the school bully who's head over heels for the heroine and follows her around."
"Figure something out quick. You get the vibe, right?"
"What am I supposed to do? I was a good student. Not a model one, but still."
"Weird. Weren't you a delinquent?"
"You're crazy. What makes you say that?"
"You love girls. You always skipped evening self-study and got dragged to the teacher by your sideburns. Pranks in class were basic—you caused all sorts of accidents. Wasn't it you who smashed the principal's flowerpots like dominoes?"
Jun-ho blinked as Jun-ho rattled off his rap sheet. Forgotten memories came flooding back fresh and green. Sure, he'd had some fun times. But wasn't that just cute mischief? Any lively high schooler could pull that off.
"Dude, real delinquents are different. Crime's baked right into them."
"Oh ho. So the second sub-lead's a criminal."
"In dramas, it's to flesh out the character. Rough charm! Rebel! It's total cliché gold. You don't watch romance dramas?"
"Nah. Cop shows and stuff are more fun."
Jun-ho's face screamed total incomprehension. Delinquents? Why?
Jun-ho stretched out his arms, shaking off the last of his sleep.
"Plus, there are some clean-cut guys among the bullies. Park Sun-gu from class 3? Bet he was smart too."
"...He was a bully?"
"Yeah. Good enough."
Of course you'd say that. No street smarts, no interest—what would you know? Jun-ho waved him off dismissively and pointed to the bathroom.
"Go wash your hair. That's not how you use wax. Fix your clothes too. You punk. Guess big bro's gotta style you up again, huh?"
"Yessir. That's exactly what I wanted. Mind driving me to the station while you're at it?"
Go Kyung-min couldn't make it because of Tae-seok's shoot. No helping it with a last-minute gig. Moo-young had grabbed his uniform from the dorms and headed straight to Jun-ho's place.
"Meeting Bora?"
"Obviously."
"Roger that. Consider it done."
Moo-young pondered as he washed his hair.
'Image.' 'Minor role.' It was more background than character. Nice if there were lines, but it'd probably just be "Friend 1" with no name.
'Can I pull this off?'
Whoosh—the water poured down. He was worried. So far, every role had full lines, names, backstories—like breathing, living people. He'd done short bits on "themes" at the academy, but performing in front of a camera? First time.
"C'mere. I'll dry your hair."
"Can't I just rub it with a towel?"
"Delinquents love primping. It's not makeup—what else you gonna fix? Hair. Clothes. Shoes. That's what matters. Your feet the same size as mine?"
Moo-young nodded as he handed his head over to Jun-ho.
"Be grateful you got a friend like me."
Jun-ho was getting honed sharp in the trend-sensitive fashion world. He was already picky about that stuff, and he had the latest styles nailed.
"Perfect—your hair's brown already. Nice. Big bro here's gonna turn Ha Moo-young into a real delinquent."
"Whoa, no need to go full-on."
"Hey, hold still."
Jun-ho shook the blow dryer like he was telling him to shut up. Warm air billowed gently, tousling the brown curls softly.
"Delinquents come in types. You think spiked bats and bikes? That's low-tier trash. Know what the worst kind is?"
"What?"
"The ones with everything. Rich, smart—but rotten personality. Untouchable."
* * *
Yeouido MBV broadcasting station lobby.
Bora stood with arms crossed, scanning around. She was still in her cafe uniform from the shoot.
"Bora!"
Two familiar guys stood out in the crowd. Well, heads, anyway—they were both tall, sticking up like sore thumbs.
"Hey hey!"
"Why're you so late?"
Bora eyed Moo-young up and down slowly. She'd worried he'd show up weird for the delinquent role.
But he looked sharp. Uniform perfectly fitted, latest sneakers and bag.
'More rich kid than thug.'
"Jun-ho got lost. He doesn't trust GPS."
"Hey, I came here before—it was blocked then. I'm dying here, for real. And lost? Don't say that to me—"
"Shut it. Done talking. Let's go up. Get your visitor passes."
Bora shoved their backs, urging them on. Had to badge in like office workers to reach the elevators.
"You were shooting?"
"Got an hour break. Main leads are filming duo scenes now. PD might make us wait, or hand us off to the AD."
"Which is better?"
"Waiting."
While Moo-young and Bora chatted, Jun-ho kept stealing glances at her. She looked even prettier after so long. He casually dredged up a memory.
"The lead was Daryeong, right?"
Bora punched his nose. She hadn't gone full meltdown like before—still tired and gross, but bearable enough to work with.
Bora warned Jun-ho. "Don't pull any crap."
"What? You think I'm some punk? I'm a working man. Worry more about Ha Moo-young's mouth. No filter—or the hole's too damn big."
What'd I do? Moo-young shot Jun-ho a sour glare.
Ding—the elevator doors opened, and Bora led the way. The long hallway was straight out of media shows—pure broadcasting station vibes.
"Next schedule for the shoot team?"
"Hey! Who left props like this? Clear 'em fast."
"Sorry."
Unknown gear, props, staff bags littered both sides. Bora opened a door, revealing the set.
"Whoa."
Unlike Moo-young, who'd seen it once at Hanbam Pochah, Jun-ho was amazed how one door changed worlds.
A middle-aged guy sat at the viewfinder. The PD?
"AD-nim. Where's the PD?"
AD it was. Assistant director.
"Huh? Oh, downstairs quick. Who's this?"
"Ha Moo-young, the guy I mentioned. Moo-young, this is Park Sang-il AD-nim."
"Hello. I'm Ha Moo-young."
"Uh, yeah. Nice to meet ya."
A perfect 90-degree bow. The AD leaned back in his chair, scanning Moo-young arrogantly. His massive gut rose like Namsan Mountain.
"Got some looks, at least."
What the—
What's with the mouth? Moo-young's eyes went wide as he glanced at Bora, but she just blinked like ignore him.
Rude. Really rude and crude.
"But not what I heard. Supposed to be free-spirited. You're cookie-cutter. The type who goes elementary to high school smooth, graduates college no sweat. Friend hookup? Wow. Rookies already pushing and pulling. Impressive. Real impressive."
He snorted and sniffed, all cocky.
What was it? Like a real delinquent was right here.
Jun-ho stepped back to watch. He'd heard broadcasting was tough, but the intimidation game was no joke.
"Moo-young's image is what the PD said. I just said he acts well."
Bora corrected him, and the AD tsked openly, face sour.
Now it clicked. 'Waiting's better' meant PD over this guy's personality.
Maybe from the hot lights and gear, he was sweating bullets nonstop.
"Bora. You make my blood boil."
"Sorry if I offended."
"Nah. No harm. Wasn't malicious, right? Or was it?"
She just smiled awkwardly. With friends here, this wasn't flying.
Jun-ho jumped in, drawing Park Sang-il's eyes.
"Hello, AD-nim."
"And who's this?"
"Im Jun-ho from BornToRi MD. Bora and Moo-young modeled for our company SNS. Honored to meet you."
And a business card. Park Sang-il paused at the polished manners from a fresh twenty-something.
"Ah, BornToRi? Y'all are hot lately. Everyone on TV's wearing it."
"Haha, thanks. No sponsorship here yet?"
Oh? For real? Moo-young's eyes went huge at Jun-ho.
When did that happen? Blink, and suddenly everyone's in it.
They shared a silent exchange.
"From what I know? Hit me up sometime."
"Anytime there's a chance! Haha!"
"We'll wait then."
Bora grabbed her friends' arms, trying to pull them from Park Sang-il. No good coming from proximity. Human to human.
"Uh? No, why?"
"When PD comes—"
"I'm right here, sitting pretty? Meet with me. PD'll take time. Ha Moo-young-ssi. That's fine, right? Not holding out for PD status?"
Moo-young smiled at the question. "Of course."
"Ha. Still, no matter how I look, it's not the image. Too innocent. Tremble tremble!"
Pity mixed with blatant dismissal. Weird way of talking. First time seeing that style.
'Research material?'
Director said it: store everything around you. It'll nourish your acting later.
Thinking that way, the annoying guy turned objective.
"So, how about it? Show us that acting Bora bragged about? How good are ya?"
Park Sang-il crossed his legs smugly. Passing staff glanced over. Too open—couldn't not hear or see.
"Here?"
"Yeah? Why not? Hate it? This is the set soon. You'll act in front of these folks when shooting starts. Can't handle that? Nah, she's no good. Lacks basics."
Hm. Taunts like that, huh.
Moo-young nodded eagerly, like he'd learned something profound. Data piling up.
Whoa— I can nail this! Delinquent acting!
Live the character's life. No character? Make one. Copy a real one. Borrow their life.
Perfect.
"Not gonna?"
"No, I'm good. Just worried it'd bother AD-nim. Starting now. Nice working with you."
Moo-young dragged over a nearby chair and sat facing the AD. Backrest forward.
Everyone pretended busy, but eyes and ears were locked on them.
"Me? Do what?"
Three eye-catchers just standing there—now this.
Moo-young just grinned without a word.
"...?"
Like spotting a fun new toy. His eyes turned dangerous. Still smiling, but sharpening knives inside. That vibe.
"Haha. What's this guy's deal?"
Just staring. Piercing, unrelenting.
Park Sang-il laughed awkwardly, looking away. Couldn't meet eyes for some reason. Felt overpowered.
"Whoa—"
Moo-young propped his chin on the forward backrest, murmuring in wonder. His damp smile chilled.
"The piglet's splitting?"