Chapter 284
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 284
Chapter Title: The First Script Reading
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From 0-Years-Old Superstar Chapter 284
“Hello!”
Assistant Director Choi Hyunwoo, who was just opening the conference room door to prepare for the script reading of ‘Spring Has Returned,’ turned around at the greeting.
“...?”
Surprised to see an actor who shouldn't be there at this hour, Choi Hyunwoo glanced at his watch, then back at the actor, then at his watch again.
“Uh... Actor Kang Taeyoung?”
Choi Hyunwoo stared blankly at a beaming Kang Taeyoung, who had arrived a full hour before the scheduled time. Behind him, Joo Yongjin let out a low groan and pressed a hand to his forehead.
“You’re already here?”
“Yes. I didn’t have anything scheduled today. Ah, can I help? I just need to place one at each seat, right?”
Before he knew it, Kang Taeyoung had taken some of the scripts Choi Hyunwoo was holding and started placing them at each seat. A startled Choi Hyunwoo hurried after him.
“It’s okay! I can do it!”
“Come on. It’ll be faster if we do it together. And one water bottle each, right?”
“No, you really don’t have to...”
As Kang Taeyoung began placing water bottles at each seat, Choi Hyunwoo shot an anxious look at his manager, Joo Yongjin.
It wasn't a big deal for Kang Taeyoung to help an assistant director, but if his superiors saw this, the AD would be the one in an awkward position. Joo Yongjin spoke up.
“Taeyoung. You’re making him uncomfortable.”
“...I’m sorry. I’ll just help with this last bit!”
Choi Hyunwoo chuckled softly as Kang Taeyoung quickly placed the remaining water bottles he was holding on the table.
“Thank you for your help.”
He felt relieved that the actor he would be working with seemed like a good person. He had seen too many actors whose public image was a far cry from their actual personality.
With Kang Taeyoung’s help, the scripts and water bottles were set out. Now, it was time to put up the nameplates. Choi Hyunwoo folded the A4 sheets with printed names into triangles and placed them at each seat.
[PD Gong Heechan]
[Writer Yoo Cheongah]
As the two names were placed at the head of the table, Kang Taeyoung’s eyes sparkled. This time, he followed closely behind Choi Hyunwoo. The nameplates for Park Dohun and Yoon Hyein were placed facing each other.
“Where’s my seat?”
“Over here. Next to Actor Park Dohun.”
He was just about to place Kang Taeyoung’s nameplate.
Beneath Kang Taeyoung’s nameplate was a paper with Seojun’s name written on it. Unable to hide his excitement, Kang Taeyoung watched Choi Hyunwoo fold Lee Seojun’s nameplate into a triangle.
Kang Taeyoung grinned brightly as he saw Choi Hyunwoo about to place Seojun’s nameplate next to his. Choi Hyunwoo, busy with the nameplates, didn’t see it, but Joo Yongjin saw it clearly.
*Is that the look of a successful fan?*
Just as Joo Yongjin was thinking he hoped the actor wouldn’t burst into tears when the real Lee Seojun showed up, the conference room door opened.
Assistant Director Kim Danbi, startled to see Kang Taeyoung and his manager already there, blinked in surprise.
“Oh, Actor Kang Taeyoung? You’re here early!”
“Ah, yes.”
Kang Taeyoung scratched his cheek.
Last night, he had been too excited to sleep properly, like a child before a field trip. He felt like he had been awake all night. Even after getting ready and waiting all morning, time seemed to crawl, so he had just come early.
Even he could tell how ridiculously excited he was.
Choi Hyunwoo tilted his head and asked Kim Danbi.
“What’s up?”
“They want Actor Lee Seojun’s seat to be across from Actor Park Dohun and Actor Kang Taeyoung.”
At Kim Danbi’s reply, Choi Hyunwoo tilted his head again.
“Change the seating? Why?”
“Something about it helping with the acting? Anyway, that’s the request. Senior Gong said it was fine.”
“Okay. Got it.”
Since the PD in charge had approved it, Choi Hyunwoo nodded and reached for Seojun’s nameplate. The nameplate, which had been next to Kang Taeyoung’s seat, was lifted back up in Choi Hyunwoo’s hand.
Stunned into a daze by Kim Danbi’s words, which felt like a bolt from the blue, Kang Taeyoung could only mouth silently at the retreating nameplate. Joo Yongjin smiled wryly at the sight of the crestfallen actor.
‘Since Actor Lee Seojun himself requested to be placed opposite Taeyoung, it’ll be hard to change it back.’
Seojun’s nameplate was placed next to the child actress for the female lead, Jung Boram. Choi Hyunwoo secured the nameplate with clear tape.
At the sight, Kang Taeyoung’s shoulders slumped. His hopes of sitting next to Seojun and chatting with him before the script reading began had all turned to dust.
Joo Yongjin shook his head at the sight of Kang Taeyoung, who looked completely dejected, as if his soul had left his body.
***
At the sound of the door opening, Kang Taeyoung, who had been looking at his script, shot his head up. The staff member who had just entered took a couple of steps back at the actor’s intense reaction.
“Is, is the air conditioner temperature okay?”
“...Yes.”
Kang Taeyoung, quickly masking his disappointment, nodded. The staff member left, and the door opened again.
Kang Taeyoung reflexively looked up, only to see staff members carrying in sponsored drinks. His shoulders slumped.
This repeated several times.
With each staff member who came and went, Kang Taeyoung’s mood sank lower and lower. Joo Yongjin, who had been watching the whole time, sighed. It didn’t seem like Actor Lee Seojun would appear no matter how long he waited.
“See. I told you we came too early.”
“I guess so...”
At the sound of the door opening again, Kang Taeyoung didn't react as quickly as before, but he still lifted his head out of reflex.
It was Lee Seojun.
“It’s Seojun!!”
Kang Taeyoung shot up from his seat and exclaimed. Joo Yongjin pressed a hand to his forehead.
Seeing Seojun’s eyes widen, Kang Taeyoung darted his gaze toward Joo Yongjin.
*Wait... did I just say that out loud?*
“...Hello?”
Startled by Kang Taeyoung’s vehement reaction, Seojun greeted him a beat later.
“Oh, uh. Nice to meet you... Actor Lee Seojun...”
He had gotten so used to calling him ‘Seojun’ while watching his works and being a fan that it had slipped out. Seojun burst out laughing at the flustered Kang Taeyoung, who belatedly switched to formal speech.
“You can speak comfortably with me.”
“...Can I?”
Seojun and An Daho couldn’t help but smile at Kang Taeyoung’s genuinely delighted expression. They felt like they knew exactly what he was thinking just by looking at his face.
“You should call me Hyung, Seojun!”
“Okay. Taeyoung Hyung.”
“...!”
Being called ‘Hyung’ by Seojun, Kang Taeyoung’s face lit up brighter than ever. The ecstatic actor then guided Seojun to his seat as if it were his own home.
“Sit here. Do you want this water? I brought some yuzu tea, would you like some? How’s the temperature? Are you cold?”
Blinking a few times at the barrage of questions, Seojun smiled warmly.
“Thank you. I’d love some. The temperature is perfect. Taeyoung Hyung.”
“Really? I’ll get you the yuzu tea right away. It’s homemade from my family, and it’s really delicious.”
Kang Taeyoung quickly retrieved a thermos from the bag next to Joo Yongjin and poured yuzu tea for Seojun and the two managers.
Joo Yongjin tilted his head as he accepted the paper cup of yuzu tea. He thought all of Kang Taeyoung’s attention was on Seojun, but it seemed he still had the presence of mind to take care of the managers.
Just as Kang Taeyoung had said, the yuzu tea was delicious.
As Seojun was sipping the warm, pleasant tea with a satisfied expression, a bag of snacks appeared in front of him. The ever-restless Kang Taeyoung, with sparkling eyes, carefully pushed the snack bag towards Seojun.
“Seojun, want some of this too? It’s really good.”
*What if he doesn’t like it?*
His nervousness was so apparent that Seojun couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yes. Thank you.”
At Seojun’s words, Kang Taeyoung beamed and continued to pull things out of his bag. Snacks, bread, drinks. Seojun’s eyes widened at the endless supply of food.
“There’s more in the car, want some more?”
Kang Taeyoung looked ready to sprint to the parking lot and bring more if Seojun said yes. Seojun burst into laughter. He thought he understood what Lee Jiseok had meant by his ‘puppy-like’ personality.
“This is more than enough. You should have some too, Taeyoung Hyung.”
“Should I? This one’s my favorite, it’s delicious. I have other flavors at home. I’ll bring them when we’re filming. Oh, can I come watch when you’re filming?”
While Seojun and An Daho were slowly getting used to Kang Taeyoung, Joo Yongjin was satisfied that his actor was acting more normal than he had expected.
He was much calmer than a few days ago when he had been rambling on and on about Seojun.
If Kang Taeyoung knew what Joo Yongjin was thinking, he would have been mortified, asking how he could say such a thing in front of him.
***
Seojun and Kang Taeyoung, who were laughing and chatting, turned their heads at the sound of the door opening.
It was Jung Boram, the child actress for the female lead, but she looked completely exhausted for some reason. The man following her, presumably her manager, also seemed drained.
“Phew...”
She had heard there would be reporters, but she never imagined they would want to interview her, not just Hollywood star Lee Seojun or the wildly popular Kang Taeyoung.
Recalling the reporters with their gleaming eyes, Jung Boram and her manager sighed and were about to enter the conference room when they spotted the two actors already seated and took a startled step back. They had tried to come early, but they never dreamed other actors would already be here.
And Lee Seojun and Kang Taeyoung, of all people!
“Ah, hello. I’m Jung Boram, playing the younger version of the female lead!”
At her cheerful greeting, Seojun and Kang Taeyoung smiled and greeted her back.
Starting with Jung Boram, the cast of ‘Spring Has Returned’ began to arrive one by one.
They all looked tired from being swarmed by reporters on their way into the broadcast station, but their expressions were happy. They had expected the drama to be a hot topic, but this was beyond their imagination.
“This is all thanks to Actor Lee Seojun.”
“I know, right? I never thought we’d get interviewed too... Oh? An article is already up.”
The entertainment news section was filled with articles about the ‘Spring Has Returned’ script reading.
There were interviews with not only Lee Seojun, Yoon Hyein, and Jung Boram, but with every actor participating in today’s reading.
“Looks like our articles are getting quite a few views too!”
“I guess Actor Kang Taeyoung and Actor Park Dohun aren’t here yet. Ugh. Actor Lee Seojun must be inside, right? I’m such a huge fan...!”
The other actors, secretly agreeing with the sentiment, opened the conference room door with faces full of anticipation. The room was already bustling, as it seemed most of the cast had arrived. The newly entered actors’ gazes turned to the front.
As expected, Lee Seojun, Yoon Hyein, and Jung Boram were there... and Kang Taeyoung?
Everyone wore puzzled expressions at the sight of an actor they hadn’t expected to see.
Seeing this, Joo Yongjin, sitting in the manager’s section, let out a sigh. They had arrived so early that they had completely missed the reporters.
‘It seems like Taeyoung will be the only one without an article... I wonder if the reporters will still be here when we leave?’
Unaware of his manager’s concerns, Kang Taeyoung had already exchanged phone numbers with Seojun and was smiling with the happiest expression on his face.
***
“Oh my, I’m the last one. I’m sorry for being late.”
The owner of the last empty seat, actor Park Dohun, walked into the conference room with a smile. PD Gong Heechan, who had come to the room earlier than planned after hearing the actors were arriving early, shook his head.
“Not at all. There are still 15 minutes left. Everyone else just happened to arrive early as if they’d planned it. You’re not late, Actor Park.”
Everyone burst into laughter at PD Gong Heechan’s joke. It was true; while one or two might have been late or on time, everyone had arrived well ahead of schedule as if by agreement.
Seojun waved at Park Dohun as he took his seat. Park Dohun smiled and waved back.
“Well then, since everyone is here, let’s start the script reading, even though it’s a bit early. We will also begin filming from this moment.”
A round of applause erupted at PD Gong Heechan’s words.
Simultaneously, lights on the installed cameras turned on. A few were focused on the actors, one on the entire room, and another on PD Gong Heechan.
PD Gong Heechan stood up with a broad smile.
“Welcome, everyone. I am Gong Heechan, the director of ‘Spring Has Returned.’ Although this is the first project I’m directing, I am confident it will be the most memorable drama of my life. I look forward to working with all of you.”
After PD Gong Heechan sat down, writer Yoo Cheongah, who was sitting next to him, stood up. A camera panned to focus on her.
“Hello. I am Yoo Cheongah, the writer of ‘Spring Has Returned.’ This is also my first work, but I promise to have the script perfectly written before filming begins, so please don’t worry and give it your all!”
After the introductions from the PD and writer, the actors also stood up and gave brief greetings.
“Alright, let’s begin with the first scene of episode one.”
The drama began with a loud shout.
The scene started with the female lead, Kim Seoyeon’s, boss yelling at her, while she simply stood with her head bowed. The only sounds in the quiet conference room were the sharp voice of the boss and the subdued voice of Yoon Hyein, playing Kim Seoyeon.
Assistant Director Kim Danbi read the scene descriptions, and the actors delivered their lines.
As expected, they were a carefully selected cast. PD Gong Heechan and writer Yoo Cheongah watched with pleased expressions as the actors performed skillfully on their own.
It was a typical script reading, with everyone focused on their scripts, acting as if they were on a real set.
Park Dohun, playing the role of the male lead A, Lee Hyunseong, opened his mouth.
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Lee Hyunseong.”
The rigid voice of the stern-faced Lee Hyunseong continued with his lines.
***
The camera director filming the script reading, specifically Lee Seojun, tilted his head.
Unlike the other actors who were looking at their scripts, Lee Seojun’s gaze was fixed on Park Dohun as he delivered his lines.
‘But right now...’
The camera director’s gaze shifted from Seojun’s face to Park Dohun’s, then back from Park Dohun’s face to Seojun’s.
‘Is he mimicking him?’
Even though it was just a script reading, Seojun was copying the expressions of Park Dohun, who was already deep in character.