The Script Reading and the Killer's First Line
In the quiet atmosphere, the actors were in the middle of a script reading.
I glanced at their faces, but I couldn't tell who was who.
I should go home and study again...
The problem was that I didn't know their names either.
Everyone was wearing a name tag with a character name from the work pinned to their chest.
Instead of their real names, they were the names of characters from the drama.
I too had a name tag pinned to my chest with 'Choi Dooshik' written on it.
On my opposite side, the female actress sat with her head bowed, diligently reading the script.
I didn't know her real name.
I wanted to exchange a quick greeting, but since the director had been sticking close to me since earlier, marking me with a close-up, it was impossible.
The name on the tag was Ahn Hyemi.
In the drama, she appears as the first female victim of Choi Dooshik.
The character I have to kill cruelly in the body of 'Choi Dooshik'.
Thinking that, my heart grew heavy.
After all, it's just acting, but still...
Lee Yuri, who had been reading the script with her head bowed, lifted her head slightly and looked at me.
Thanks to that, our eyes met.
With a faint smile on her lips, she bowed her head slightly toward me and smiled.
I quickly lowered my head and gave a light bow.
We didn't exchange direct conversation, but we greeted each other.
At that moment, the director, who had been leaning half his body on my shoulder, tapped my script with his finger.
"Idol Man."
"Yes?"
"This line isn't great?"
The director's finger was pressing on the first line of Choi Dooshik.
"Ahn Hyemi: Why are you doing this to me! Please, save me!"
"Choi Dooshik: Save me...? (with a faint smile on his lips)"
"I think it's okay..."
"Hmm, no. It would be better if the line had more impact..."
"......"
"Idol Man."
"Yes?"
"If you were really Choi Dooshik, wouldn't you say something like that in the first line?"
"......"
"It's nighttime, raining, and the ground is bad, so it's hard to run. Then wouldn't you get irritated?"
At that moment, the scenes from the dream I had flashed through my mind.
The director held a ballpoint pen in his hand and scratched out one line of Choi Dooshik's line on my script.
He wrote small letters in the erased spot.
"Choi Dooshik: You damn girl. Why are you running away and causing trouble..."
"How is it?"
"......"
"Doesn't it feel better? The human side of living as a psychopathic Choi Dooshik hiding his emotions."
"B-but is it okay to swear?"
The director laughed as if my question was ridiculous.
"It's not a terrestrial channel, it's OTT, so this level is fine."
"Ah..."
The director's expression became serious again as he added an explanation.
"It's raining, the weather is humid, you're tired from running so you sweat a lot... and you're irritated like crazy... you find prey and immediately make a joyful expression. That expression feeling the sense of accomplishment from hard effort. Do you know what I mean?"
"......"
I nodded slightly.
"Got it?"
"Yes..."
"Wow, you understood right after I said it like that. As expected, the universe's star actor Idol Man..."
The director seemed to know roughly what feeling he wanted.
"Try this line later."
"Yes."
"I just want to see the feeling, so don't be nervous and relax."
It would be really comfortable if the director would just step aside a bit.
At that moment, the footsteps of the supporting director, who had been moving busily with the script in hand, stopped behind my back.
My turn had come.
"Next is... Let's go to the first scene of episode 1. Seo Jinwoo, Lee Yuri."
The name of the female actress sitting opposite me was called.
Her name was Yuri.
The supporting director started reading the script with the book in hand.
"Episode 1 first scene. Dark night. Rainy alley. Dooshik is running desperately to chase and kill Hyemi. Hyemi falls in the dead-end alley."
The supporting director's voice from behind my back disappeared like acting.
The first line of dialogue came out from the mouth of the actress sitting opposite, Lee Yuri.
"Why are you doing this to me! Please, save me!"
Just as I was about to say my line after Ahn Hyemi's line.
The director pressed my hand firmly and stood up from his seat.
"How about we do this scene directly? Yuri, are you okay?"
"Yes. Director."
Lee Yuri actress secretly stood up and walked to the empty space in the center of the meeting room.
The director patted my back, and only then did I jump up and quickly run over.
Lee Yuri placed the script she was holding on the floor and sat down with a thud.
And she looked at the supporting director with a small nod.
The supporting director read the script again and narrated.
"Then let's start over. Episode 1 first scene. Dark night. Rainy alley. Dooshik is running desperately to chase and kill Hyemi. Hyemi falls in the dead-end alley."
Lee Yuri actress looked up at me with a frightened expression and her eyes trembled.
"Why are you doing this to me! Please, save me!"
I didn't say the line right away, but took a deep breath.
To fully capture the feeling the director mentioned.
I frowned slightly and let out a rough breath.
"Ha, you damn girl. Why are you running away and causing trouble..."
Though the tone was full of irritation, the expression was soaked in joy with sparkling eyes.
But, was my acting not good?
Suddenly the atmosphere became cold.
Lee Yuri actress also looked at me silently with a puzzled expression.
"......"
I had to say the next line, but Lee Yuri's expression was frozen stiff.
Would this be an NG?
At that time, the director came over and explained instead.
"Ah, Choi Dooshik line. I just modified it."
"Ah..."
"Yuri. How does the feeling change with the line changed?"
"Uh... It gave me goosebumps."
"Right? This is much better, isn't it?"
"Yes..."
The director patted my shoulder with a satisfied expression and muttered in a small voice.
"As expected, Idol Man. You don't disappoint expectations."
"......"
***
My part ended in less than 5 minutes.
5 minutes? It didn't even take 3 minutes.
Saying lines doesn't take even 1 minute.
At least, by taking some action, it took about 3 minutes.
After the reading ended, the on-site staff approached and handed me a small piece of paper.
A schedule with the first filming date written on it.
Looking at the date, it was exactly a week later.
"Director. Then I'll go now..."
"Yeah. Go."
He was very cool.
"Just... can I go?"
"Yeah. Isn't it done?"
"Yes."
"Then go. Go home. Bye."
"......"
After greeting the director, I came out of the meeting room.
At the door, Hayoung, who had been waiting, greeted me.
"Oh, oppa... It's over!?"
"Yeah."
"Wow, it ended much faster than I thought..."
"......"
I wanted to do more, but my part ended there.
At that moment, a voice came from behind my back.
"Excuse me..."
I quickly turned my head.
It was Lee Yuri, the one I had just breathed with.
She smiled shyly and bowed her head in greeting.
"Hello. Sorry for the late introduction... I was distracted earlier..."
I quickly bowed my waist and greeted politely.
"Hello."
"My name is Lee Yuri."
"Ah, yes. I know."
"Is your name...?"
"Ah! My name is Seo Jinwoo."
"How old are you?"
"Ah, I'm 20 this year."
"Ah... You're really young. Since I'm older than Jinwoo, I'm noona. Can I speak casually?"
"Ah, yes. Of course. Speak casually."
Lee Yuri hesitated for a moment, then laughed and answered.
"Then... Jinwoo."
"Yes. Noona."
"Please take care during the next filming."
"Yes. Please take care too."
Yeah, this is normal.
We should have greeted first and then acted.
"Then are we going home?"
"Ah, yes. Since it's all over, we should go..."
Taking the elevator with Lee Yuri naturally, we came out of the building together.
"What did you come in?"
"Um... bus."
"Ah, really? Where's your house? I can give you a ride."
"Really? Ah, no. It's okay."
"I see. Then..."
"Yes. Then take care, noona."
Just as I was about to turn after greeting.
"Oh, Jinwoo."
"Yes?"
"Can you give me your number? Since we'll be breathing together in the future... I think it would be convenient to know each other's contact info."
"Ah... yes."
Lee Yuri noona took my number on her phone.
"Thank you, Jinwoo. Bye. Goodbye."
"Yes. Take care."
Noona waved her hand kindly as she saw me off.
Starting acting, a first-time colleague.
She seems like a really kind and good person.
When I was looking up at the sky with a pleasant expression.
A familiar voice came from behind.
"Thank you~ Jinwoo~ Bye~ Annyeong~"
"......"
I turned my head.
Hayoung was sticking out her lips and mocking me.
"Jinwoo~ Can you give me your number?"
"...What are you doing. Stop."
"Oppa, that noona seems to like oppa?"
"What nonsense..."
"Eh? She was openly showing it... Didn't you know? Wow..."
"It's not like that. It's just the co-star actress I'm acting with."
"But why ask for the number?"
Actually, I was a bit like that too.
"Now we're colleagues at the same workplace."
"Eek? I'm oppa's colleague. We're at the same company..."
Yeah, now that I hear it, it seems so.
"I swear... When we meet next time, she'll definitely invite you to eat together?"
"......"
"I told you. Since oppa's face is good... popular with noonas... I dare to predict, messages will come within 10 minutes. 100%..."
At that moment.
Drruuk-
The phone in my pants pocket vibrated violently.
"See? I told you."
"...It's not Lee Yuri noona."
"Check."
Checking, it was really Lee Yuri noona's message.
"How was it? Oppa, will you believe my words now?"
"...I'm hungry, let's go eat lunch."
"Eh!? Awesome! I'll eat well!"
***
With Hayoung, I went to a nearby naengmyeon restaurant.
Seated, waiting for the food to come.
Suddenly, Hayoung frowned deeply.
"Idiot..."
"Why?"
"I should have ordered water naengmyeon instead of cold naengmyeon..."
"Then swap with me."
"Really? Is oppa okay with cold naengmyeon?"
"What's the difference..."
"Eek? The difference between cold naengmyeon and water naengmyeon is huge... Oppa, are you not eating sweet and sour pork?"
"I don't know..."
I couldn't remember when I last ate sweet and sour pork.
What's certain is that in the last 5 years, I haven't eaten sweet and sour pork.
"But what about your school?"
"Me? Since I passed the trainee selection... I'm considering dropping out."
"Is that okay?"
The most regrettable thing in my short life was dropping out without thinking.
Thanks to that, I have almost no friends.
There were a few friends I made in middle school, but it's been too long since I didn't contact them.
Now contacting them feels a bit awkward.
If I contact them and ask if I debuted, I have nothing to say.
"Just take the civil service exam and go to university later."
"That's not it, I need to make friends."
"Um... that's true... but I can't enter as a trainee after graduating high school."
"That's right."
"Just... I have to think of it as changing my dream. People can't have everything. What can I do..."
I had the same feeling.
"Yeah. Since you have skill, you'll do well."
"Oppa, if I become a successful singer later, I'll treat you properly. I'll pay back 100 times what I ate from you today."
"Yeah. But where do you sleep?"
Since the members aren't all gathered yet.
It said it would take some time to book a place to stay.
"A hotel near the company. The boss booked it."
"But isn't it weird for a girl alone to stay in a hotel?"
"Why? It's much better than a jjimjilbang."
"Yeah, if you're comfortable... I'm worried though."
"Oppa, don't worry. I'm not a rice cake. I've learned taekwondo and hapkido since I was little, so I can beat any guy in one-on-one."
"......"
It was ridiculous, really.
"Eh? If you don't believe, want to spar under Yacha Rules?"
"Don't talk nonsense, eat naengmyeon."
"Yes!"