Momentum (3)
The rainy season had begun, and a steady drizzle had been falling since morning.
Today was the first script reading for director Mo Yeon-hee’s new film.
The first-floor lobby of production company ‘M’ was bustling with employees and various industry figures.
Kang Tae-san stepped out of the Carnival driven by Min Jin-cheol, adjusting the oversized black mask that covered half his face, and asked toward the driver’s seat.
“Hyung, you’ll wait here, right? I don’t think it’d be a problem if you came inside with me.”
“Uh, no thanks. Being around too many people kinda drains my energy. Call me when it’s over. I’ll find a good restaurant nearby for lunch.”
Seeing Min Jin-cheol flash a solid thumbs-up eased his tension.
“Got it. See you later then.”
With a somewhat lighter heart, Tae-san entered the Escontentri building.
While receiving his visitor pass at the information desk and heading to the conference room on the second floor, Tae-san mentally recalled the lines for the scenes he would read today.
One of the biggest headaches since starting his acting career had been memorizing scripts.
For that, acting skill didn’t matter at all—pure memorization ability was key.
Up until now, he’d mostly taken minor roles, so there hadn’t been an overwhelming amount of dialogue to memorize.
Even when he was the lead in the one-act drama, there were many action scenes, keeping the total lines low.
But after landing the supporting role of Gong Geon-ah in this film, the script Tae-san received exceeded 200 pages.
It was more than a typical novel.
For Tae-san, who had quit school because he couldn’t even properly memorize a textbook under 100 pages, just reading that much text was torture.
Even then,
‘The best way to build fundamentals is to memorize the entire script. The more you memorize the whole story, the deeper your understanding of the role will become.’
Because of his acting coach Gu Yang-man’s threat, he had been at a loss about how to memorize such a massive script.
‘It’s really amazing.’
When he closed his eyes, it was as if every page of the script was laid out clearly, like photographs.
‘So the photographic memory method is actually possible. This is insane.’
It was an ability he had gained after cleaning the home of Lee Jae-woon, a former engineering student turned programmer at a large corporation, to understand the role in Romance Campus.
Just like how he acquired cooking skills after cleaning a housewife’s home, Tae-san could now absorb not only the memories but also the abilities of the people he cleaned for.
Thanks to Lee Jae-woon’s memorization technique, which allowed him to recall focused content as vividly as if photographed, Tae-san had been able to memorize the entire script in just one day.
‘I won’t forget any lines, so I just need to stay focused.’
Tae-san let out a light sigh and opened the door to the conference room.
Staff members who had arrived earlier were bustling about.
It was noticeable that there was a particularly high proportion of young female staff.
As Moon, the team manager, had said, this team, known as the Mo Yeon-hee squad, was famous for having many female members.
“Oh, Tae-san. You’re early.”
Director Mo Yeon-hee greeted him with a warm smile.
She was already seated, carefully reviewing the script.
“Hello, Director!”
“You’re full of energy this morning. Go have a seat.”
Tae-san bowed politely and found his assigned seat.
[Gong Geon-ah / Actor Kang Tae-san]
Just as he sat down and was about to open the script, the conference room door opened again.
The reaction from the people was much more lively than when Tae-san had arrived.
“Oh my, our Si-on is here.”
“Director, how have you been? Oh? Min-jeong and Hye-min are here too. Good morning!”
Tae-san couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the man entering with a cheerful, energetic voice.
‘That person… Yoon Si-on?’
Top star Yoon Si-on.
He was twenty-nine this year—not exactly young anymore.
He was one of the ten actors in Korea who had reached top-star status.
Eun Chae-won had also reached top-star level in her twenties.
But that was possible because her acting career spanned nearly twenty years.
Yoon Si-on, however, was a genius actor who reached top-star status just five years after debuting.
‘Compared to what I thought…’
But the Yoon Si-on he actually faced was far from what Tae-san had imagined.
‘He looks way too ordinary?’
Of course, Tae-san wasn’t one to judge appearances, but Yoon Si-on’s looks were so plain that it made him wonder if he was really a top-star actor.
He had an ambiguous build—neither fat nor thin—and a height that was neither tall nor short.
His proportions didn’t seem particularly good either.
Still, dressed in stylish clothes coordinated like a proper actor, he gave off a somewhat plain and unassuming vibe.
‘That guy is a top star on the same level as Eun Chae-won?’
Yet, regardless of his looks, before even sitting down, Yoon Si-on was surrounded by female staff members.
He greeted them with casual physical contact, like patting shoulders or clapping hands.
“So-hee, you moved last week, right? Did you finish unpacking? Must’ve been tough.”
“Ji-yeon, you went to see your dad at the hospital. Is he okay?”
Surprisingly, he knew not only each staff member’s name but also their personal circumstances in detail.
His personality made it clear he was a top star, but he wasn’t exactly the type Tae-san found likable.
“Actress Eun Chae-won has arrived.”
When the door opened and Eun Chae-won entered, the previously noisy room seemed to quiet down instantly.
She wore a clean T-shirt with the logo printed on it, jeans, and a blue baseball cap pulled low over her head.
It was a simple outfit, but her proportions and the aura she exuded were distinctly different.
“Hello, Director.”
“Yeah. Chae-won, you’re here. Come on in.”
As she greeted and removed her cap, her long hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall.
Her face was bare, without a trace of makeup, yet her skin was flawless and translucent like porcelain.
Her elegantly straight nose, red lips, and those characteristically deep, expressive eyes.
Yes, this was the kind of manipulated beauty one would expect from a top star.
With Eun Chae-won’s arrival, all the lead actors took their seats.
Director Mo Yeon-hee announced the start of the reading in a calm voice.
“Alright, let’s begin. We’ll start lightly from scene 1.”
As the reading began, the atmosphere in the conference room changed instantly.
What surprised Tae-san the most was Eun Chae-won.
The sharp and strong image of detective Han Soo-ji from The Detective was nowhere to be seen.
She had become Jang Yi-hyeon, an ordinary twenty-something graduate student torn between love and her future.
The supporting actress and Eun Chae-won exchanged lines in a rapid back-and-forth.
The scene was a bathroom talk between friends who had just come from a college group blind date.
“Yi-hyeon, who do you like? I like the second guy from the left. He’s got a great body and double eyelids—exactly my type.”
“Well, I don’t really have anyone in mind yet?”
“Come on, don’t be like that. Be more proactive. Why come all the way here just to do that?”
“That’s why I said I didn’t want to come. I…”
It was a pause in the script where she seemed lost in thought, imagining someone’s face.
The subtle tremor in her voice, the breathing that conveyed emotion even in brief moments, and the slight shift in her gaze as if she were truly looking at herself in a mirror.
Tae-san found himself holding his breath without realizing it.
It was astonishing how she could transform so completely to match the character.
Before, he had just thought she was good, but after learning the basics from Gu Yang-man, he couldn’t help but admire every detail of her acting.
‘That’s… what an actor is.’
For the first time, he truly grasped the essence of Eun Chae-won as a top-star actress.
Next was Yoon Si-on’s turn.
Tae-san watched him with mixed feelings.
“Jang Yi-hyeon. You came home late again last night, didn’t you? Your mom asked me if you were with me.”
“Just… I was hanging out with the guys.”
“I heard everything. You went on a group blind date? How was it?”
“They begged me to come, so I just went to fill the spot.”
“So. Was there anyone you liked?”
For a moment, Tae-san rubbed his eyes, wondering if what he was seeing was real.
Yoon Si-on’s previously plain face had completely transformed into someone else.
His ordinary eyes deepened, and even his once blunt nose appeared sharper, giving him a harmonious and gentle impression.
Yoon Si-on was acting “handsome.”
Everyone participating in the reading smiled contentedly at his performance of handsomeness.
The female staff members already looked completely captivated by his acting.
Tae-san was at a loss for words.
He had never seen acting like this before.
But.
‘Still, his charm and presence seem more overwhelming from Eun Chae-won?’
He still felt that compared to Eun Chae-won, it fell slightly short.
Eventually, it was Tae-san’s turn.
Since he had matched breaths with Eun Chae-won once before, he wasn’t nervous, but after witnessing her acting up close today, he couldn’t help but feel tense.
“Huh? You take this class too?”
“Who…?”
“We bumped into each other on the stairs. Us.”
“Ah…”
“I’m Gong Geon-ah from the Computer Science department. I felt like I didn’t greet you properly last time.”
“Oh. That ‘noona’ from back then? Fancy meeting you here. But why would a Computer Science major take a psychology class?”
“Because I don’t understand people’s psychology well. I wanted to learn.”
“You’re an interesting person.”
Thanks to memorizing the entire script, his acting flowed smoothly without any hitches.
But even to himself, Tae-san felt that his acting was lacking compared to Eun Chae-won’s.
Ignorance is bliss.
Back then, he had been able to immerse himself in the crazy guy role without feeling intimidated.
But now, right after seeing Eun Chae-won’s top-star caliber, he seemed somewhat subdued.
‘Kang Tae-san is definitely outmatched in a battle of presence against top stars.’
Director Mo Yeon-hee noticed this immediately.
‘This is something time will solve. I’ll have to watch and see. Whether he can grow further and rise to lead roles…’
There were plenty of actors who showed promise with the fresh energy of newcomers.
For Kang Tae-san, who had now become a blue-chip talent, the key was what experiences he would gain from facing truly big stages.
From Mo Yeon-hee’s perspective, watching Kang Tae-san grow in real-time and seeing how far he could go was one of the charms of this project.
“Good. Let’s take a short break and then continue.”
The reading paused, and break time was given.
The actors and staff began gathering in small groups to chat.
Yoon Si-on headed straight to the production company’s lounge, where he was surrounded by female employees, chatting happily.
Tae-san watched the scene curiously and grabbed a coffee from the vending machine in the hallway.
Just then, he overheard a conversation between male staff members nearby.
“Yoon Si-on is still the same. Look at how popular he is with the ladies.”
“He’s always been like that. His dad is the famous soccer player Yoon Tae-pung. That guy was known for his flashy private life during his playing days. Genes like that don’t just disappear.”
“Yeah, I still remember the shock when I saw the article about Yoon Tae-pung marrying national actress Cha Mi-kyung.”
Only then could Tae-san vaguely guess Yoon Si-on’s background.
His environment from birth was worlds apart from his own.
To think such an enormous background was hidden behind that ordinary appearance.
It made some sense why he seemed so confident and relaxed.
At that moment, Eun Chae-won approached Tae-san.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
She had returned to her usual calm and quiet self, no longer the Jang Yi-hyeon from the reading.
“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking that top stars are really top stars.”
“Now of all times?”
“Ahem. Let’s forget about the past.”
Who was Kang Tae-san?
Wasn’t he the guy who didn’t even recognize Eun Chae-won and made a fuss over the price of a vending machine coffee?
Seeing Eun Chae-won’s incredulous expression as she stared at him, Tae-san scratched his head.
“But Yoon Si-on sunbae seems like an interesting type. I thought he might be similar to Jung Seung-il sunbae, but he’s different somehow.”
Tae-san spoke honestly.
“When I first saw him, I thought he looked more ordinary than expected, but during the reading, it felt like some kind of optical illusion where he suddenly looked handsome.”
Eun Chae-won glanced toward the lounge where his gaze was directed, then continued in her characteristically unreadable, neutral expression.
“It’s fascinating. In this industry, there’s only one person like Yoon Si-on.”
At Tae-san’s innocent question, Eun Chae-won fell into thought for a moment.
“Do you know what separates top stars from just lead actors?”
“Well… popularity or box office power?”
“That’s part of it, but it’s a bit different. In my opinion, a true top star has a unique weapon that no one else can replace. Without that, you can’t reach the top. Today’s reading probably didn’t fully showcase Yoon Si-on’s true abilities.”
“Well, it was just a reading today. I’ll have to learn a lot by watching him often from now on.”
She leaned against the window next to the vending machine and looked out at the raindrops on the glass.
“Hmm, I wonder if you can learn from him.”
“There’s a saying that learning has no end, so why wouldn’t I be able to?”
“You’re overconfident.”
“Be honest. Was my acting bad?”
“You act well too, Tae-san. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t have asked you for character analysis.”
“Just tell me one thing—good or bad.”
Eun Chae-won turned her gaze toward Tae-san.
‘The most fascinating person is himself.’
Usually, he seemed like a penny-pinching fool.
On set, he was like a madman completely immersed in his role.
And at times like this, he seemed like an innocent rookie who knew nothing about acting.
Maybe that was why Eun Chae-won found herself talking more than usual when she was with Tae-san.
“Watch Yoon Si-on’s acting more closely on set than during the reading.”
Eun Chae-won pondered for a moment before speaking with a serious look in her eyes.
“Yoon Si-on’s weapon truly shines when he’s in front of the camera.”