Chapter 10: That’s Not How You Throw It (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10: That’s Not How You Throw It (1)
Writer Jung Yoon-ah had no intention of letting the PD’s tyranny slide.
PD Jang, I didn’t think you were this kind of person. I’m disappointed. Look at him doing whatever it takes to make Yoon Se-rang stand out.
A two-shot of Yoon Se-rang and Lee Yu-jin?
It would undoubtedly be immortalized as Yoon Se-rang’s "humiliation shot" and circulate forever.
The harmonious arrangement of Yu-jin's features was perfect, but her skin—fair and porcelain as if coated in eternal snow—was absolutely insane.
No matter how much tone-up cream, foundation, or powder one layered on, all light would fade before Lee Yu-jin’s natural skin.
Even Yoon Se-rang, who was tired of hearing how pale she was, would look swarthy standing next to Lee Yu-jin.
So you’re going to put a mask on her? That’s how you’re going to appease Yoon Se-rang? I don’t think so.
“PD-nim, look at Yu-jin’s face. What do you see?”
“Uh, she’s pretty? Pale?”
“In my eyes, I see narrative logic.”
“Log... logic?”
“Even if she spits out garbage lines, the audience will swallow them like honey because of her face. You’re telling me you’re going to keep a face with that much narrative logic behind a mask, showing only her eyes for the entire broadcast?”
Writer Jung Yoon-ah had worked with Jang Hyun-soo on several projects and was close to him personally.
Because of that, she could pour out her ambitions like rapid-fire without hesitation.
“Shall we try it? Should I change all her lines to things that don’t fit a masked warrior at all? Then what will you do? Are you going to ignore the script and fill the show with directing errors?”
A drama is ultimately the writer’s game of scripts.
A PD can discuss the direction, but the authority to turn the wheel and set the course belongs entirely to the writer.
“Writer Jung, the mask wasn’t my idea. It was Lee Yu-jin’s condition.”
“What? What did you say?”
“She hates revealing her face so much that I practically begged her, asking if she’d do it if she could wear a mask. That’s how I finally got her to agree.”
“PD-nim? Now you’re even pinning ridiculous lies on a rookie actress?”
Dumbfounded, she turned to Lee Yu-jin.
However, Yu-jin’s awkward smile and slight shrug were gestures confirming the PD’s words.
Jung Yoon-ah asked with a desperate heart, hoping it wasn't true.
“Yu-jin, it’s not true, right? The PD is just framing you, isn't he?”
“Everything he said is correct.”
“...Are you really planning to wear a mask until the very end?”
“Wouldn’t that make me look more like a taciturn warrior focused on protection?”
“I can’t believe this...”
Jung Yoon-ah staggered, clutching her chest.
She looked like someone facing the apocalypse under a collapsing sky.
Jang Hyun-soo quietly patted her shoulder as if he understood her pain perfectly.
“Writer Jung, do you think I want to put a mask on that face?”
*
“You know who I am, right?”
Yoon Se-rang crossed her arms and extended a hand with a haughty expression.
The image of her running away without even being able to say hello was still so vivid that it was hard to adjust to this prickly attitude.
“Yes, Actress Yoon Se-rang. You’re an actress I personally like.”
“You like me?”
“Yes, you were my favorite among all actresses. I decided to join this project because I didn’t want to miss the chance to work with you.”
“What’s this? That sounds like a lie.”
It was, of course, a lie meant to grease the wheels of social interaction, but Yoon Se-rang seemed pleased, taking it as the truth.
“Well, since you’re going to be my bodyguard warrior, let’s get along.”
“Yes, I look forward to working with you. I’m a rookie, so I don’t know much.”
Leaving a word of encouragement, Yoon Se-rang walked out of the container with light, graceful steps.
My mom and I also said our goodbyes to the PD and writer and left.
As soon as we got into the car in the parking lot, Mom’s eyes sharpened as she snapped at me.
“Lee Yu-jin, who told you to do something so dangerous?”
“I was afraid the kids would get hurt...”
“What about me if my own child gets seriously hurt trying to save someone else’s kid she doesn't even know?”
“I was confident I wouldn't get hurt at all. I knew I could just nudge it away with the soles of my shoes. You know I have good reflexes, Mom.”
Mom’s gaze softened just a fraction.
“Really? You weren't taking a risk?”
“Not at all. My own body is the most important thing to me, too. I was confident I could just kick it away without getting a single scratch. I simulated the whole thing in my head before I ran.”
“Mmm... Yu-jin, still, promise me. Helping others is good, but if there’s any risk of you getting hurt, absolutely do not step in.”
“I understand.”
“Especially your face! If it looks like your face might get even a tiny scratch, you have to avoid it at all costs! Got it?”
“Yes, I got it.”
I thought I’d get scolded a lot more, but she let it go relatively easily.
As the car started moving, Mom giggled.
“Did you see that? Did you see her? Actress Yoon Se-rang. She was all worried about not being able to stand in a two-shot with you, but the moment you said you’d wear a mask, she shut her mouth and her face lit up.”
“Did she? I didn't notice that far.”
“She looked like she was ready to flip the whole table and walk out rather than be caught in a two-shot with you without your mask. I saw it all clearly.”
“Oh, come on. With how much the penalty fee is, would that even be possible? If anyone was going to drop out, it would be me.”
If I dropped out like that, I’d get to keep Eonnyeoni’s Hairpin without any further obligations, which would be a total win.
The 32 million won appearance fee would be a bit of a waste, but it’s not like there’s anything big I want to spend money on anyway.
“But really, how do they manage the set equipment for it to be like this on the first day? If this isn't resolved, I’ll have to reconsider. I’ll have to see how PD Jang handles this.”
“The child actors' mothers were furious, too.”
It took a little over an hour to get home.
“Noona! Noona!”
My younger brother ran out into the living room, making a huge fuss.
He looked like he was about to tackle me in a hug, so I sidestepped him and lightly pushed his back, tripping him.
“Don’t come at me, it’s gross.”
“You’ve become so cold. Do you know how much I missed you while I was queuing for games alone all day? How can a mid-laner not get a single person and only get feeder worms?”
Fortunately, it seemed my brother had no idea that Mom and I had been to the filming set today.
Mom followed me into my room.
“How long are you going to keep this a secret from your dad and Yu-seok?”
“Probably... until the end?”
“You’re not going to tell them at all?”
“If they find out naturally, there’s nothing I can do, but I want to keep it from Yu-seok as much as possible.”
“Well, I understand. Yu-seok would probably pester you to death to let him be your manager.”
“I just want to avoid the headache.”
Sitting across from me, Mom studied my face more intently than usual.
“Truly, my daughter, you were shining even next to a top star actress. Putting you side-by-side made Yoon Se-rang look like a regular person.”
“Oh, it wasn't that much. Actress Yoon Se-rang is very pretty, too.”
The male ego inside me admired Yoon Se-rang quite a bit. Of course, I wasn't particularly a fan of hers.
Living as a woman when my mind is a man’s is already exhausting enough day-to-day.
“Yu-jin, but since you’ve decided to be an actress, shouldn't you get professional skin care?”
“I don’t know. It feels like a waste of time and money.”
“Still, you should at least look into a celebrity-only shop so you can get professional makeup done.”
Just then, a text came from Jang Ji-hye.
[Jang Ji-hye]: Don’t look into any makeup or styling stuff.
[Jang Ji-hye]: I’ll do it for you.
[Me]: You?
[Jang Ji-hye]: Yeah. I’ll take care of the clothes, makeup, and hair, so you just focus on showering well.
[Jang Ji-hye]: My dad gave his permission, so just trust me and leave it to me.
“Mom, Ji-hye says she’ll help me with all the styling.”
“Oh my, really? As expected of PD Jang, he raised his daughter well. You must bring her over to the house sometime.”
[Jang Ji-hye]: So I need to know your body measurements. Give them to me as detailed and precisely as possible.
“Mom, she wants my body measurements.”
“Give it here. I know them better than you do.”
The only things I really knew were my height and underwear size.
In contrast, Mom always knew everything down to the thickness of my ankles and all ten fingers.
Why is she writing so much?
I felt a strange sense of shame, as if my entire body was being analyzed at a nano-level for Jang Ji-hye...
Mom handed the phone back, and the tone of Jang Ji-hye’s texts was subtle.
[Jang Ji-hye]: I can’t believe it.
[Jang Ji-hye]: You absolutely didn't look like those sizes.
[Jang Ji-hye]: You’ve been wearing sports bras every day, haven't you?
She poured out dozens of lines on her own, so I just read them without knowing how to respond.
[Jang Ji-hye]: Oh, by the way, it looks like Monday afternoon will be your first shoot.
[Jang Ji-hye]: I’m going to spend all day tomorrow getting your styling ready.
[Me]: Thanks.
As we texted, the thought suddenly occurred to me: when did we become this natural with each other?
*
Monday.
School was the same as usual.
Other kids didn't dare approach Lee Yu-jin, and the teachers twisted themselves into knots trying to explain the lessons so she could understand them as easily as possible.
Jang Ji-hye didn't go to the cafeteria and ate a packed lunch with Lee Yu-jin.
“But Yu-jin, why do you only eat bananas for lunch? Why not a lunchbox?”
“It’s hard for my mom to pack a lunch every morning. Bananas are easy to pack and easy to throw away when I’m done.”
On the way home, Lee Yu-jin’s mother arrived in her car to pick up the two high school girls.
The mother quickly helped load the large suitcase Jang Ji-hye was struggling to pull into the trunk.
“Nice to meet you. You must be Ji-hye, my daughter’s friend.”
“Yes, Mother. Hello.”
Even though she had heard that they ‘didn't look alike at all, to the point of looking like strangers,’ Jang Ji-hye couldn't help but flinch slightly.
How does it feel to be ordinary yourself but give birth to the most beautiful daughter in the world?
She got the answer immediately from the right rear seat.
The mother’s eyes, as she looked at Lee Yu-jin, were dripping with love like honey.
To an outsider, it looked as if she were treating a daughter who had just returned fully recovered after a very long illness.
Jang Ji-hye thought of her own mother.
Her mother’s gaze was fundamentally kind, but usually in a low-power affection mode.
However, Lee Yu-jin’s mother seemed to maintain an overclocked affection mode at all times, even though they lived together every day.
Love was burning brightly in her eyes.
It’s like a common peasant is so happy she could die because she gave birth to an imperial princess... Oh my, what kind of weird thoughts am I having?
Jang Ji-hye fanned her flushed face with her hands.
*
Jang Hyun-soo and Writer Jung Yoon-ah were waiting for Lee Yu-jin to emerge after finishing her costume and makeup.
“A bodyguard warrior in a flashy Palace Ceremonial Dress instead of Martial Attire? Does this fit the narrative logic?”
“It’s a disguise to hide the fact that she’s a bodyguard. That way, she can protect the princess more effectively.”
Lee Yu-jin’s outfit had been changed due to the revised script.
The setting was that she wore a flashy Palace Ceremonial Dress—though not as much as the princess—and hid a sword inside her voluminous skirt.
The two child actors were laughing and chatting in front of the camera, capturing the cute innocence of a young couple on film.
“Cut.”
“Good job, everyone.”
“Good job.”
The two child actors, having finished their acting, approached the camera with their guardians for monitoring.
At that moment, Jang Hyun-soo saw child actor Jang Dong-hyun’s eyes widen as he looked behind them.
As if by agreement, a heavy silence settled over the area.
Turning his head, Jang Hyun-soo saw Lee Yu-jin, who looked awkward and unsure of where to put her gaze.
She looked elegant, draped in a colorful silk skirt with her thick, straight hair flowing long over one shoulder.
The longsword she held, leaning diagonally against her other shoulder, created a perfect, natural harmony.
Her cheeks and eyes were lightly touched with pale pink, and her eyelashes were long and neat.
Her lips were shyly closed, and her large eyes seemed embarrassed by the attention.
Faced with a professional visual that Jang Ji-hye had styled with absolute determination, Jang Hyun-soo was momentarily dazed, losing his soul.
Should I just go with a double female lead system?
“Is... is it strange? A lot...?”
“No, not at all. It really suits you. You are the maid-warrior Yeon Si-ho herself!”
He had thought her plain, unadorned face in daily life was of a different species.
But her fully styled appearance was beyond words; even 'marvelous' felt insufficient.
“I really hope you live your whole life as an actress, Yu-jin.”