Chapter 53
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: First Meeting Script Reading
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Next up, lets do a read-through of Uju and Haeseongs first meeting scene.
My turn had finally come.
The opening scene featured Ji Haeseong, played by Nam Yeonsu, and Kang Uju, played by me, crossing paths for the first time.
You two ready?
At Director Cha Il-nams words, Nam Yeonsu and I nodded in turn.
I shifted in my seat for no particular reason.
Action!
At the signal Director Cha Il-nam called out before every scene read-through, Nam Yeonsu started with her line first.
Oh, hi. You must be Uju. Im Ji Haeseong.
Yeah.
Im eight years old, and youre seven, right, Uju? So Im your big brother, and Ill take good care of you.
Yeah.
In the story, Kang Ujus mom, Han Jihye, and Ji Haeseongs dad, Ji Hyunwoo, dreamed of remarriage.
Once they decided to heal each others wounds and start fresh, they grew concerned about the children each brought along.
Today was meant to be an arranged meeting for the kids before the remarriage talks got serious...
But Ujus expression looked especially sour.
Haeseong hesitated at his sullen little brothers reaction but soon pressed on stubbornly, trying to connect with his new sibling.
Um, have you tried this, Uju? Its all the rage at school these days... Oh, wait, you wouldnt know about school yet, right? Do you go to kindergarten?
Yeah, kindergarten.
Freshly enrolled in elementary school, Haeseong excitedly shared school stories with his soon-to-be little brother.
I see. Youre the little brother, so you might not know what schools like yet... This is...
Not that fun.
Haeseong was eagerly explaining a game popular among his school friends when Uju cut him off with a curt retort.
Huh? W-well, lets play it together anyway. Now that Im your big brother, Dad says I have to look after you
Hey.
Haeseong, whod watched his dad struggle all those years, believed his fathers brightened face lately was all thanks to Ujus mom, Han Jihye.
Sure, it stung sometimes, like Dad was forgetting his late mom, but seeing his always-weary father smile more meant even more to Haeseong.
Thats why hed prepared all sorts of things to be a good big brother, just like Dad asked...
He never imagined getting a hey from someone younger.
Stunned, Haeseong gaped for a moment before managing a reply.
Huh?
Uju snorted at Haeseongs dazed response and shot back coldly.
Are you an idiot? How could you be my big brother? Im already pissed off, so dont pull that older brother crap just cause youre a year ahead. I dont have a brother like you. Im an only child. Mom and Dads one and only son!
Uju!
Han Jihye (Kang Sujeong), seated at a distance, jumped in startled at the outburst.
Uju clamped his mouth shut at his moms appearance.
Tch.
You cant talk to your big brother like that! Now, apologize to him.
But the word big brother set Uju off again.
I dont have a big brother. I never had one like that!
Uju. Hold on. Just a sec.
Ji Hyunwoo (Choi Taewoo), whod been watching silently amid Ujus tirade, stepped in to calm the boy.
But the moment had already spiraled beyond repair.
Haeseongs face paled, and he quietly shut his mouth.
Cut! Ah, our child actors were fantastic. Noour leads!
Director Cha Il-nam beamed as he praised us both.
I gulped down some water from the bottle Mom had stuck a straw in for me.
Not bad for a first read-through. But satisfaction was the enemy.
With hours more lines ahead, I had to stay ahead of any thirst.
Wow, that back-and-forth tempo is no joke.
That wasnt just script reading level. Director, we could film the kids right now.
Look, Ive got goosebumps on my arms.
Why are you two so intense? The whole conference room froze over because of you.
The staff, whod been holding their breath watching us, chimed in with praise after Director Cha Il-nams lead.
Hm, right on cue.
I smiled brightly at them while sipping my water, basking in the compliments on our acting.
The theater folks were so used to my performances by now that this fresh reaction felt novel after ages.
We could go with Siu and Yeonsu as dual leads!
Choi Taewoo, playing Ji Hyunwoo, seemed genuinely shocked and hyped us up big time.
He went on about how our acting would overshadow everyone elses.
How intimidating it felt trying to jump into our dialogue exchanges.
He laid it on thick.
His warm, easygoing way of speaking made him a pro at boosting young actors spirits.
.
Beside him, Kang Sujeongwhod just synced lines with himsat quietly flipping through her script.
As if the kids acting had nothing to do with hers.
Pfft, Taewoos overdoing it again.
No, Director. I was seriously impressed. You felt it too, right?
Choi Taewoo placed a hand on his chest, insisting this time it was real as he joked around.
Director Cha Il-nam, clearly pleased by the words, gave us both thumbs up.
True that. I knew you were good, but this was a surprise. First time syncing up, and you nailed it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Shy Nam Yeonsu seemed pretty awkward receiving the praise.
Whys that?
Her acting was as skilled as the rumors suggested.
She mustve heard tons of compliments everywhere, so this was unexpected.
I eyed Nam Yeonsu curiously when Han Yuju joined in.
You both captured your characters emotions perfectly. Keep it up just like that. It was spot on.
Yes, Writer!
Its cause the scripts so good, Writer.
Oh? The scripts great, huh?
Looks like Nam Yeonsu was pretty savvy at networking too.
She flashed that eight-year-old smile while delivering an answer way beyond her years.
Did they teach stuff like that in special classes these days?
Like Seong Jihoon, she might attend some acting academy.
Id felt it when I first entered the room too.
Watching her greet the other actors, something felt off.
She was only eight, yet unlike me, she hadnt come with her mom.
Anyway, Han Yujus reaction meant my character analysis was on point. Lucky.
With confirmation secured, I settled back more relaxed to watch the read-through.
The next scene didnt feature mejust Nam Yeonsu as Ji Haeseong.
Im fine, Dad. Go have fun.
Huh?
Something felt off.
I tilted my head at the line.
For some reason, Nam Yeonsus poised conference room greetings overlapped oddly with the Ji Haeseong she was playing now.
Had Han Yuju brilliantly pegged the real Nam Yeonsu and woven her straight into the character?
Unlikely.
Han Yuju mainly wrote short one-act dramas, not long-form series, so the odds of her knowing Nam Yeonsu beforehand were slim.
I watched Nam Yeonsu closely as she consistently played the upright, good kid.
Ji Haeseong, whod grown up too fast to ease his grief-stricken dads worries at such a young age.
Was it just my imagination that she resembled him?
Even outside the read-through, it was like she never dropped the act.
I shrugged, narrowing my eyes at her.
Her acting wasnt bad by any means.
No immediate trouble, so Id observe a bit more.
Drama production involved way more steps than Id imagined.
Beyond script reads, there were sponsorship meetings and all sorts.
Time flew, and half of May was gone before I knew it.
A rare day with no meetings.
With the weather warming into a bright spring day, our family headed out for an excursion.
Id nagged Dad after hearing about the spring flower festival at Happyland in Yongin.
Dad, I wanna go there and play before I get super busy. With you and Mom. My signing bonus came in! Mom said so!
Dad laughed and agreed to my bold declaration.
Thanks to that, Uncle and the part-timers were minding the chicken shop today.
This season, Happylands massive logo popped up constantly on TVimpossible to miss.
Even watching on TV felt chaotic, but stepping inside Happyland was next level.
First off, tickets were pricier than expected.
Dads chicken shop was doing well now, but...
One ticket per personhow many chickens was that...?
Good thing the bonus hit.
Crowds everywhere, noise everywhere once we entered.
I whipped my head around, mesmerized by the blaring rides.
I was just staring in awe, but Mom thought I wanted to ride them.
She grabbed my hand, dragging me to the carousel, bumper cars, you name it.
Im not a little kidwhys she so into this?
Grudgingly climbing onto the rocking horse...
Wooow!
I ended up bouncing with excitement, totally thrilled.
And Moms camcorder caught every bit of it.
Who knew this could be so fun!
A whole new world.
After riding everything a six-year-old could handle, we headed to the spring flower festival plaza.
More people than flowers, but who cared.
Holding Mom and Dads hands through the flower field... This was one of the happiest moments of this life, no doubt.
Back in the Battenberg castle days, surrounded by grand gardens, Id never realized flower fields were such treasures.
Breathing in the fresh floral scents after so long purified my soul.
Even as Noah, Id adored fragrant thingsfresh flowers, perfumes.
Never dreamed Id get a chance like this.
Nagging Dad to come was the best call.
Mmm, yummy.
Try this too, Siu.
After a long photo session in the flower field, we plopped down on a nearby bench to rest our tired legs.
It had a parasol shading from the strong sun.
We decided to dig into the bento wed lovingly packed.
Starving by then, I scarfed down kimbap and snapped up whatever Mom and Dad fed me.
Worth the early-morning prep.
Honey, isnt this egg roll too salty...?
Huh? Why?
We spread out the colorful bento and ate heartily.
Then Dads face twisted after biting into the egg roll.
Oh nomy special egg roll got that reaction!
I seasoned it!
More like I botched the salt, but still.
Mom had rolled it so pretty.
...Oh, yeah? Siu, its super tasty.
Yeah! Then Dad eats it all.
I shoved the egg roll toward Dad like Id been waiting.
Then I chomped Moms sandwich.
Dad finished it with a glum, duped look.
You shouldve seen it. Siu was the absolute best at the script reading.
Really? Too bad. Dad needs to see our Siu shine.
Mid-bento, talk shifted to my script reading.
Moderately full, I popped cherry tomatoes and piped up eagerly.
The other actors are amazing too. I say this, they hit back with that, and last time Haeseongs uncle...
I gave Dad a blow-by-blow of the read-through, knowing he was dying to hear.
My vivid recounting hooked himhe listened intently.
Then, having forced down the last of the egg roll, Dad suddenly shot up.
Ugh... Ill grab some drinks.
Me too! Me too! Lets see if they got penguin drinks.
I bolted after Dad.
Clutching his hand tight, we hunted for the vending machines.
Pondering drink choices in front of the row...
Hey, wait! Your kids adorable. Mind if we chat a sec?
Someone approached us with a beaming smile.
Ever thought about being a celebrity?
Whats this guy on? Some Daehakro idol.