Chapter 60
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: The Ad-Lib That Broke the Ice
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Cut! Let me check the monitor for a sec!
Cha Il-nam hurriedly called cut right after Han Sius line.
The staff who knew the script all stared in bewilderment, murmuring to each other.
Cha Il-nam, who had been staring holes into the monitor, called over Han Yuju sitting beside him.
Writer Han.
Yes. PD-nim.
Han Yuju had come down to Sokcho with them today.
With the rare full script completed all the way to the finale, she occasionally visited the set when she had time, chatting with the actors and monitoring alongside them.
Did you change it? The lines? Right before we shot just now. You didnt say a word to me about it yesterday.
It wasnt just Kang Sujung who was thrown off by Han Sius ad-lib.
He wondered what they might have discussed, but hed ask about that later.
He hadnt heard anything about it himself until the cut was called.
Thats why when Han Siu had clamped his mouth shut earlier, Cha Il-nam had agonized intensely too.
Was this an NG or not?
Han Siu wasnt the type to make such a rookie mistake.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and just as he was about to call NG!
Han Sius ad-lib exploded.
No.
No?
Yes. I really didnt. The only thing I said to Siu today was hello.
And he just comes out with that? A kid acting in front of a camera for the first time?
Cha Il-nam kept muttering in disbelief.
Han Yuju thought for a moment, then let out an Ah!
What, what?
Come to think of it, yesterday Siu asked me what if he had a line he wanted to say.
He asked that?
Yes. Seems like someone told him you cant just change the script in a drama.
So what did you tell him?
Cha Il-nam grilled her, suspecting she might have given some hint.
But Han Yuju, just as baffled as Cha Il-nam, only shook her head repeatedly.
I just said its okay depending on the situation. I thought he was casually asking after seeing the other actors ad-lib during shoots.
Thats really all?
Yes! I didnt say much. He didnt ask about todays lines either.
Jeez.
Cha Il-nam rewound Han Sius performance several times, utterly flabbergasted.
No matter how he thought about it he doubted a six-year-old could craft a scene like this.
Kang Sujungs reaction bursting at the perfect timing.
The follow-up ad-libs slotting in as if precisely calculated.
He figured hed have to call the two of them over and talk it out.
Just one more look, just one more
Hed already reviewed the same scene multiple times.
With no call coming from Cha Il-nam, the youngest in the directing team finally approached the monitor.
Director-nim, whats the plan? Are we going with this vibe for the next take?
Huh? Oh.
Seeing Cha Il-nam struggle for an answer, Han Yuju stepped in.
I love this. It flows so well into the next scene. Didnt it dig perfectly into Woojoos psychology in a way I never thought of?
The writer herself was persuading him.
To Han Yuju, who wrote the script herself, Han Siu was the actor of her dreams.
What writer would turn down an actor handling ad-libs like this on their own?
He hadnt created entirely new lines, but cleverly repurposed his moms own dialogue.
Cha Il-nam pondered her words a bit more, then squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.
Okay. Were going with these lines. Camera director-nim, come over here please.
Hed been on the fence, but the scene was perfection.
Cha Il-nam decided to grit his teeth and roll with Han Sius intent for this scene.
Howd you smile like that at the end? My heart dropped.
Thankfully, it got the okay.
Grinning ear to ear, I wiggled my legs in delight at things going as planned, when Kang Sujung chuckled and spoke first.
Oh ho.
Kang Sujung initiating conversation.
That was a first.
It was good, right?
Haha Siu, youre such a funny kid.
I flashed a grin back, and she burst into loud laughter, as if she couldnt help it.
The sound drew everyones attention on set.
Kang Sujung, who only ever gave faint business-like smiles and never laughed out loud unless it was acting.
Yet here she was, laughing heartily and chatting animatedly.
Not just memost people were stunned, eyes wide as they stared at her.
Among them was Choi Taewoo, gaping at us like his jaw might drop.
As her scene partner, he mustve been shocked to see this side of Kang Sujung, who always kept a rigid distance.
See actors connect through performance.
Kang Sujung asked with a faint smile.
Why the sudden ad-lib? No heads-up.
I wanted to talk to Mom.
What?
Her eyes rounded in surprise at the unexpected answer.
I could tell sunbaenim didnt want to chat, so I had to think it over.
Was it hard to talk to me?
A little? But now youre starting first.
I couldnt hold back my curiosity. What was that ad-lib about?
She asked again, clearly dying to know.
Shed taken the bait.
I grinned and said.
Ill tell you after the shoot, Mom.
The staff had already finished setting up the cameras and were waiting for us.
Sujung-ssi seems a bit hard to approach.
Everythings great, but communication feels off.
She always heard remarks like that at wrap parties.
It wasnt like she had some special circumstance.
Acting was fun, so that was enough.
She knew how others saw her, but shed never thought she needed to change.
Shed always been curt even before becoming an actress.
She handled things fine on her own and didnt feel the need for collaboration with others.
Minimal talk for making the work and the directors instructions sufficed.
Having acted that way from the start, preparing alone had become habit.
Even her manager, who road with her, didnt bother her beyond scheduled duties.
No deep talks needed with a manager clueless about acting.
But today, shed been utterly flustered by an unexpected ad-lib from her counterpart.
It wasnt her first time receiving one.
Was it because the partner was a young six-year-old child actor?
Or because shed thought it was a simple scene?
Either way, that ad-lib had genuinely shocked her.
For a fleeting moment, she wondered what if it was real surprisethen she wanted to know this young actors intentions.
Mistake or deliberate ad-lib?
But hearing hed hoped shed boldly strike up conversation left her dumbfounded.
It was an admission of intentionally tossing the ad-lib without warning.
Yet it didnt feel bad.
Not just because Cha Il-nam liked the changed lines, fortunately.
She knew it herself.
Facing Han Siu and acting, shed been flustered, but deep down, shed thought this flow was right.
Seven years old wasnt just a child.
Kids have eyes too, understanding everything.
They read adults moods and choose their words.
The Kang Woojoo that Han Siu created seemed to be reaching out to his mom, Han Jihye, in an environment where he couldnt stay naive.
From now on, were gonna eat together every single day, me and Mom.
Yeah, yeah. Woojoo. Lets do that. Lets eat together like this every day, you and Mom.
Rehearsing the changed lines multiple times let Kang Sujung finally portray Han Jihye truly getting to know her son.
Cut! Okay! Moving to the next location.
Cha Il-nams okay sign dropped, wrapping the meal scene.
Kang Sujung usually bolted to the next location right after, but not today.
She followed along beside Han Siu, who was heading out with his uncle.
You did it on purpose, right?
Hm?
That first ad-lib. You threw it without warning to fluster me, didnt you?
Shed sorted her thoughts during the shoot and realized it immediately.
Kang Sujung knew shed been played by this tiny six-year-old actor.
Proof: Han Siu smiled prettily without a hint of fluster at her pointed question.
She let out a hollow laugh.
Shed doubted it, but she really had been toyed with by this cheeky kid.
And the scene came out better, didnt it?
You calculated Id be flustered too?
It felt like itd capture it more realistically on camera. Sunbaenim hates pre-shoot chats. To play the Woojoo I envisioned, this seemed the only way.
Kang Sujung, now truly curious at the kids brazen reply, asked.
Endless solo speculation wouldnt quench it.
Shed lose focus on her own acting at this rate.
What kind of kid is the Kang Woojoo you think he is?
The Woojoo I interpret is prickly on the outside, but thats because hes got so many heavy thoughts for a kid. Overwhelmed by complex feelings too much for a child, he can only be prickly. In his head, theres only Mom. I thought changing your lines would show the audience that more effectively.
Kang Sujung, whod pored over the script endlessly, had never thought of it.
But hearing it, it made Kang Woojooand even Han Jihyefeel alive.
Kang Sujung nodded as if she got it.
Couldnt tell you sunbaenim beforehand, so I showed it through acting. Woojoos worry about Moms reaction.
Hmm, not trying to mess with me at all?
Of course not. You, sunbaenim? Me?
Han Siu widened his eyes innocently and shook his head.
Looking down at the little kid, Kang Sujung couldnt hold back and burst into loud laughter.
The sound startled everyone whod been eavesdropping on their chat, knowingly or not.
Especially her longtime manager, whose eyes nearly bulged in shock.
Guess Ill have to discuss a lot more with Siu before shoots from now on.
Right? Glad it made a good scene anyway.
Haha, yeah. I felt it while acting. This hits harder.
Wow, really?
Kang Sujung nodded readily.
Shed thought chit-chat with other actors was pointless, but this didnt feel bad.
Hold here for a bit, please!
They arrived at the next location, and the actors settled in the shade.
Hyeon-su ssi. Set a chair here for me too.
Yes? Oh, got it.
Ignoring the staff still glancing over in surprise, Kang Sujung asked for a chair next to Han Siu.
Her manager looked like he had plenty to say while setting it up, but she ignored him cleanly.
Uh, sunbaenim. Sit here?
Yeah. Still got questions.
At Han Sius puzzled query, Kang Sujung smiled brightly and opened her script.
Collaborating and communicating with someone when she didnt feel like it was still a huge hassle she hated.
Which was all the more reason to sit here.
Curiosity had taken root now, after all.