Three Autographs, Please
"Cut! Okay! Wow... that was perfect! Great work, everyone!"
The call of cut snapped my mind back into place, as if someone had flipped a switch.
"Ah..."
I turned my head, and the assistant director was already coming toward me, clapping.
"Jinwoo, your acting is insane! Did you actually used to be an idol?"
I ducked my head in a quick, deep bow.
"Ah... thank you."
"Wow... now I finally get why the director was so sure about you. I judged you on looks alone. I'm sorry."
"Oh, no, not at all."
This was the same man who had been first to raise his voice at the table read, questioning why anyone would cast me as Choi Dooshik. Earning his recognition with my acting left a strange, warm feeling in my chest.
So this is what it feels like to act in front of a camera...
I hadn't flubbed any lines or made any major mistakes, but there was still plenty I wasn't happy with.
I should have checked my blocking more carefully beforehand...
If I'd mapped out my marks properly, the whole thing would have gone a lot smoother. It was my first shoot, and I'd been a nervous wreck, fumbling around like a lost kid. Still, this wasn't the actual production. Next time, I'd be more thorough.
Lee Yuri, who had been lying "dead" on the ground, slowly opened her eyes. The moment they met mine, she jolted like she'd been shocked.
"Hwah...!"
I quickly reached a hand down toward her.
"Noona, it's over."
"Oh, really?"
Only then did Lee Yuri take my hand and pull herself up, glancing around as if to make sure the world was still there.
"That must have been hard, noona. You did great."
She let out a long, shaky breath of relief. The tension drained from her face, and for the first time she broke into a wide, bright smile.
"Whew... Ah, Jinwoo. I really thought I was going to die. I was so scared... Why do you act that vicious?"
"Your crying was even more convincing, noona."
"I was so terrified the tears just came out on their own?"
"Huh? Haha."
I scratched the back of my head, sheepish, and that was when the director came up behind us, clapping as he walked.
"Man, you two have insane chemistry! Did you rehearse this separately?"
Yuri noona lit up at the praise, beaming as she answered like she was showing off.
"Nope. All we did was read the script together yesterday. Right? This is the first time we've actually acted it out."
I smiled and gave a small nod.
"No kidding? Your chemistry is a work of art..."
"Yuri noona is just that good..."
"That's not true. Jinwoo was way better."
The director wore a thoroughly pleased smile as he clapped me on the shoulder.
"Hey, Idol Man."
"Yes, Director."
"What are you doing after this?"
"After this... I'll probably just head straight home."
That clearly wasn't the answer he wanted. He shook his head.
"No, I mean after this project wraps. You're not going back to the idol world, are you?"
Ah. Now I understood the question.
"Ah... no, sir. I plan to keep acting from here on out."
"Oh, really? Good. That's the right call. With acting like yours, why grind yourself down as an idol?"
The compliment made me inexplicably shy.
"Thank you for saying that..."
"Being an idol singer doesn't even pay that well for the work you put in. You've got to kick money back to the company, split it with the members. Am I wrong?"
"No, you're right."
The director pointed off into the distance. At the end of his finger, Hwang Mina was standing there, loosening up.
"See Hwang over there?"
"Yes."
"You know what she makes per episode?"
"No, I don't."
"Six figures. Six figures an episode."
My eyes nearly popped out of my head.
"And considering how hot she is right now, even that's a steal."
"......"
"You want to be a huge actor like that too, Idol Man?"
I nodded on reflex.
"Yes..."
"Then... want to do my next project with me?"
"Sorry? Your next project..."
"I'm writing a film screenplay right now."
"Ah..."
"You just promise me you'll do it, Idol Man, and I'll give you a great part."
My eyes flew wide at the sudden offer.
"Really!?"
"Hey now, I'm Kim Seongtae. You think I'd feed a rookie actor a line?"
I bowed my head deeply toward him.
"Thank you!"
"Whoa!? Careful. Put the knife down. You're gonna stab me."
"Ah! I'm so sorry."
"These days the props are so good they don't look like props at all..."
I gently set the bloodstained kitchen knife I'd been clutching down on the ground.
"That handsome face of yours is covered in blood. What are we going to do with you."
"I'm fine. I'll wipe it off in a bit. But Director... this was my first time acting in front of a camera, so I felt a little stiff... was it okay?"
I asked hoping for even a scrap of feedback.
"If it hadn't been okay, you'd have been drowning in retakes. This is your first time in the industry, Idol Man, so you don't know me yet."
"Sir?"
"Ask the senior actors at your company sometime. Ask them what kind of man Director Kim Seongtae is. Heh."
I'd love to. The problem is, I'm the only actor at the company.
The teaser shoot with Choi Dooshik and Ahn Hyemi wrapped, and the set grew busy again as everyone prepped for the next scene.
Lead actress Hwang Mina slipped off the coat she'd been wearing and rolled her ankle in slow circles, stretching. As she worked the joint loose, her eyes swept the set as if she were looking for someone.
What time is it even supposed to be...
Her stylist came over and set a pair of sneakers on the floor.
"Unnie, put these on."
"In-hye. Don't tell me Youngjin still isn't here?"
"No. He said he's running late because of traffic... he's on his way now. Sounds like he's coming straight from another schedule."
"Ugh, what, does he think the rest of us are just sitting around..."
Hwang Mina and Yoo Youngjin were both playing detectives — righteous, all-or-nothing hot-blooded cops who would throw their bodies on the line to catch a killer. It wasn't her first time in a detective role, so the part itself wasn't hard. The real headache was the running. There was so much running. Every episode, she had to sprint like a maniac after that damn culprit.
Today's shoot, which would also be used for the promo, was another chase scene with Yoo Youngjin. She'd wanted to walk the blocking with him and get their chemistry locked in ahead of time, but he still hadn't shown — apparently some other schedule had him tied up.
Hwang Mina grumbled to herself and scanned the set again. That was when a familiar back entered her field of view.
The very person whose acting had just given her goosebumps more times than she could count. Choi Dooshik. No — Seo Jinwoo.
She'd been deeply impressed watching him at the audition, and today had been no different. It really hadn't been a fluke.
Hwang Mina started toward him, careful. On any other day, it would have been simple. Hey, junior. One crooked finger, one word, and rookie actors came running like they'd been shot out of a cannon. That was how it was supposed to work.
And yet, for some reason, her mouth wouldn't open when it came to Seo Jinwoo. There was an aura around him that a rookie had no business possessing — something you didn't dare approach. She had the distinct feeling that if she called his name wrong, he'd come sprinting over and put that kitchen knife in her. While he'd been acting, the killing intent had been thick enough to taste.
"......"
Hwang Mina stopped dead, wearing an expression of pure disbelief.
Am I seriously chickening out right now...? Because of that kid? Me? Hwang Mina?
Even she had to admit how ridiculous that was. She'd been acting for over twenty years, ever since she was a child star. She'd stood shoulder to shoulder with legendary seniors from a young age and appeared in countless productions. Through every hardship, she'd fought, proven herself, and finally claimed the title of a must-watch genius actress.
Four films as a lead that had each drawn ten million tickets. Three Grand Prize Daesangs, won impossibly young. And that Hwang Mina was getting cold feet, cowed by a rookie's presence.
She didn't want to admit it, but her feet wouldn't move. The director's words from their conversation a moment ago drifted back.
She hadn't entirely believed it. The level was too absurd for a first-time actor. And if it really was his first time acting... she might have to hand the "genius actor" title over to that junior.
No. It would be ripped out of her hands.
"...Guess I'll have to put him in his place."
That was what she said. The truth was, Hwang Mina had never once lectured a junior. She didn't have it in her. She was the opposite type — the kind who, once she got close to someone, bought them meals, bought them drinks, slipped them pocket money, and looked after them. When she saw a junior with real talent and a promising future, she gushed with praise.
But if she praised this junior, she was half-convinced he'd call her insolent and put a knife in her.
Don't flinch...
Her frozen feet started moving again. She walked toward Seo Jinwoo, slowly.
He greeted people just fine, from what I saw...
He'd been the first to arrive on set, waiting, and she'd watched him go up to the staff and bow with impeccable manners.
And that face of his looks so gentle...
He was crouched on the ground, fussing with something, completely absorbed. Hwang Mina came up behind him and called out, quietly.
"Junior...?"
He shot to his feet and whipped his head around.
For a split second, Hwang Mina's eyes nearly left her skull.
"......"
Seo Jinwoo. No. Choi Dooshik.
It was the same bone-chilling figure who had just slaughtered Ahn Hyemi without mercy. His face was painted in blood, and a kitchen knife hung from one hand. Meeting him this close, it felt like her heart had stopped.
Hwang Mina took a small step back at the sight of the knife, blood still dripping from the blade.
"Ah..."
That was when Choi Dooshik, his blood-smeared face twisted into a wicked smile, started walking toward her. The knife was still in his hand.
"Senior..."
"......"
She swallowed hard, her face drained with fear. She knew — of course she knew — that nothing like that was actually going to happen. But standing in front of him, the terror had short-circuited her brain.
"Senior. I, um, have a favor to ask..."
"W-what is it. What kind of favor..."
His next line wrote itself inside her head.
"You showed up here alone without even a manager? Pretty bold."
"I've been wanting to put a knife in you, Senior..."
"I'm not a fan of that tattoo. Let me erase it for you right now."
"......"
She had been absolutely certain that was what he was about to say.
"I... I'm sorry, but. Could I maybe get one autograph?"
"What...?"
"Ah! Two, actually. No, wait, three..."
"......"
"Sorry to bother you..."
"Hah..."
Hwang Mina stared at her junior's face like she couldn't believe what she was looking at. The longer she looked, though, the more she started to adjust. His face was streaked with blood, sure, but the features underneath were gentle.
Which, honestly, made it worse. He didn't have the face of a violent criminal. Not even close. That innocent face, doing that kind of brutal acting like it was nothing...
That was what made him terrifying.
"My autograph...?"
"Yes..."
"Why do you need three? What, you planning to flip them online?"
"N-no. One for my mom, one for a regular at the salon. And then Hayoung... she's a trainee at my company, like a little sister. She said she's a fan of yours..."
Hwang Mina gave a small nod.
"Ah. So that's why three...?"
"Yes..."
"So that means you're not a fan of mine, then?"
"Ah..."