Chapter 3: Just a Different Species (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 3: Just a Different Species (1)
PD Jang Hyun-soo.
He had a habit of wandering aimlessly whenever his work hit a wall.
He didn't care that he looked like a mess from being cooped up in his studio; he simply let his feet lead the way, watching people as he went.
“The sun is hot. The wind is cold. The weather is just right.”
He had walked quite a distance before he knew it.
He figured he’d have to take public transport to get back.
Plumping himself down on a bench, he felt the breeze and scanned the passersby.
“How is it that out of all those actresses, not a single one has a face that fits the character image?”
This was his current headache.
Casting for the lead and supporting roles of his current project was mostly finished, but one supporting role remained vacant.
It wasn't a major part, but no actress was willing to take it.
The role was a female bodyguard warrior for the female lead.
The problem was that the actress set to play the lead was Yoon Se-rang, considered one of the most beautiful stars in her twenties.
Actresses of a certain caliber avoided roles that required frequent two-shots with Yoon Se-rang.
To make matters worse, Yoon Se-rang’s character was of noble birth, while the female warrior had to wear a rugged, plain robe.
On the other hand, the actresses who were willing to apply didn't meet Jang Hyun-soo’s standards in terms of either visuals or acting ability.
His phone buzzed.
[Supporting Actor Kim]: PD-nim, Lee Ye-na’s side finally turned us down.
[Supporting Actor Kim]: I think the pressure of being in two-shots with Yoon Se-rang until the end of the drama was too much for her. Should we look for someone a bit lower in rank?
[Me]: Dammit. Do that for now, but I’ll try talking to Lee Ye-na one more time.
[Supporting Actor Kim]: I don’t think it’ll work. It’s probably better to back off now. Their response was pretty sharp.
[Me]: That bad? Alright.
He clicked off his phone and clicked his tongue.
“Actresses these days have no grit. No grit at all. I mean, is a drama all about the face? Is that it? They should have the ambition to crush the lead with their acting and steal the show, no matter who they’re standing next to…”
He trailed off.
In the distance, a woman was trudging toward him.
Strangely, it felt as if no one else existed around her.
In a street filled with noise and footsteps, she possessed a noble presence, as if she occupied a space all her own.
As the distance closed, Jang Hyun-soo’s heart began to race.
Like a boy falling in love for the first time, his heart pounded and his breath grew shallow.
As she passed right in front of him, her face left a sharp, lasting scar on his psyche in that fleeting moment.
Wow, why is she so beautiful?
He had seen enough star actresses to be sick of them.
Right now, his phone contained the contact information of dozens of A-list actresses.
Beautiful women were something he encountered as naturally as the air he breathed.
And yet, it had been a very long time since he had looked at someone and felt such pure, unadulterated admiration.
If he hadn't run into this woman, he might never have experienced this feeling again for the rest of his life.
An idol trainee? An aspiring actress? No, either way, she belongs in this industry!
He was certain.
With that face and those proportions, there was no way she was just an ordinary civilian.
He bolted upright and chased after the woman with the long, straight black hair who was walking at a leisurely pace.
“Could I talk to you for a moment? I promise I’m not a suspicious or weird person.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m really not a weirdo, so please just give my business card to your manager. I’m begging you!”
Jang Hyun-soo read the weary emotion of “Again?” in the woman’s eyes.
It meant this was a daily occurrence for her.
Heh, you’ll be surprised once you search my name.
Whether she gave it to her agency or searched it herself, she would have no choice but to contact him eventually.
She’s tall, too. Maybe early 170s? She’d be perfect standing next to Yoon Se-rang as a bodyguard warrior.
It was hard to take his eyes off her face.
Even he, who was used to all sorts of beauty thanks to his long career in broadcasting, felt his heart fluttering.
He wanted to get a closer look at her face, but to leave a strong impression, he turned away coolly.
Suppressing the urge to look back, he walked a good distance away.
Finally, when she was out of sight, he pulled out his phone and called Assistant Director Kim.
“Hey! Stop making calls and put everything on hold! I found the perfect face!”
Jang Hyun-soo had a great imagination.
He was excellent at mental simulations—visualizing what an actor would look like once they were in costume, holding props, and standing before a camera.
In his mind, a perfect camera shot of Lee Yu-jin as the female bodyguard warrior was already taking shape.
“Dramas… are all about the face, after all.”
The only thing he failed to predict was that the business card he’d handed over would end up in a street trash can in less than a minute.
*
On my way home, I was hit with five more confession barrage attacks from random guys.
I don’t know how ‘real girls’ handle this tedious, repetitive event.
This is how I handle it.
“Um, excuse me, you’re exactly my type. I’m sorry, but could I get your number?”
“No. I have two kids.”
“Ahaha, you’re funny.”
“I really have two kids.”
I give them the blunt notice and keep walking.
Most are filtered out there, but occasionally, a persistent one appears.
“I’m not a weird person. How about we just meet up for a quick coffee sometime and get to know each other?”
“Sigh. Hold your phone out. I’ll put it in.”
When the guy’s face brightens and he holds out his phone with the dial screen open, I carefully tap the screen, making sure my fingers don't actually touch his.
[0, 1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
Thinking I’m done, the man quickly checks the number, and his face contorts in bewilderment.
He looks at me as if I’ve committed some great sin, so I calmly respond, equally baffled.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I mean, come on. If someone works up the courage because they like you…”
“Are you… talking back to me right now?”
“What?”
“Who’s the one who kept following me even after I said no because I have two kids?”
“…Ah, I’m sorry.”
He apologizes, face red with shame, and runs away.
See? If he had just left when I first said ‘No,’ it would have been better for both of us.
My irritation levels are rising.
I’m clearly the victim here, so I don’t know why they act like they’re the ones who got hurt.
Every time a guy hits on me, I feel like my neural cords are being ripped out.
Didn't they say the world is so dangerous these days that there’s a trend of never talking to strangers and keeping your distance? Was that all fake news?
I once tried to observe other women in a crowded area to see how they handled it.
Instead, I was the one getting bombarded with so many advances that I had to retreat before I could even collect any data.
“I’m home.”
“Oh, my daughter! Did the root touch-up go well? Let me see. Mm-hmm, it looks seamless.”
As soon as I got home, Mom checked the top of my head.
“Whose genes did our daughter inherit to have such thick yet fine hair? Hmm? Hmm?”
“Yours, Mom.”
Neither Mom nor Dad ever use the expression ‘You look like me.’
They mostly use the expression ‘Whose genes did you inherit?’
‘We have a conscience, too. Insisting you look like us would be nothing but an insult to your face, Yu-jin.’
My parents had their own philosophy.
“Noona!”
“Ugh, what now?”
Just hearing the word ‘Noona’ gives me the creeps now.
He was definitely cute when he was little; I have no idea when he turned into such a hideous baby orangutan.
My younger brother was kneeling in front of me, acting all solemn and reverent.
“This is the final season before your evolution into a high school girl. Please, I beg of you, open an SNS account. I, your manager Lee Yu-seok, will manage it thoroughly day and night and grow it into an influencer account with over a million followers within six months.”
“You want to die? I told you I hate taking pictures and showing myself to others.”
“Then at least debut as a pro-gamer! A gorgeous high school girl pro-gamer! It’ll definitely be a hit! Before Sang-hyun’s final contract period ends, if you become the new comet to succeed him, we can rake in money and fame!”
“You do it then. You got scouted to be a pro-gamer too.”
“My skills aren't even good enough to make the top eight in an international tournament!”
Ugh, so noisy.
The reason this brat keeps pestering me is because of the dream he drew up all on his own.
「I’m going to become a talented manager and make you a star, Noona!」
「Sure, sure. Give it your best shot.」
When we were kids, I thought he was just talking, so I played along.
But he was serious.
「Why study? Why invest? Why learn a trade? I have a solid roadmap where I live a life of leisure with a high salary as your manager after making you a star!」
「Are you saying you’re going to mooch off me?」
「It’s good for you to have a servant to do the dirty work, too. We’re blood-related, so there’s no risk of betrayal, and it’s safe. Think of how useful I’ll be!」
They say siblings close in age either have a terrible relationship or are completely indifferent to each other.
But we are neither.
I want to be indifferent, but this brat never takes his eyes off me, constantly looking for an opening.
“Lee Yu-seok! Your sister said she’s not interested, so stop trying to egg her on!”
“Mom! If Noona really puts her mind to it… (omitted) Her face is such a waste that I wake up in the middle of the night… (omitted) I’m doing this purely for her own good…!”
“It’s because of family members like you that celebrities suffer and get depressed! Get a grip!”
“Ack! I’m serious! I’ll be happy just living off the golden flakes Noona leaves behind! You can at least let me do that!”
Whether it’s telling me to audition, open an SNS account, or debut as a pro-gamer, the motive behind his antics is truly absurd.
“Mom! Making Noona into a one-person corporation is more realistic than getting a job at a major company!”
“Why, you little…!”
I shut my bedroom door and put on my headset.
No matter how much I think about it, it’s not him.
He has the same face as that little sailor who cried while rowing behind me, but he’s definitely not a reincarnation.
*
The day of the high school entrance ceremony.
PD Jang Hyun-soo was driving toward the school with a haggard face.
In the passenger seat, his daughter Jang Ji-hye—who was the most beautiful girl in the world to him—was incessantly tapping away at her smartphone.
“Dad, when am I going to be in one of your dramas?”
“In one of my dramas? What are you talking about?”
“You’re a successful drama PD. As your daughter, I should at least be able to poke my head in for a supporting role.”
“With that face?”
“They say a child is a mirror of their parents. Doesn't it hurt your feelings to say that while looking in a mirror?”
“How about writing instead of acting? I think you’d be good at churning out some snappy scripts, Ji-hye.”
“Ugh. My friends tease me all the time! They ask how I haven't even been an extra once!”
“Earning someone else’s money isn't easy, kiddo.”
To Jang Hyun-soo the man, his daughter was very pretty.
But to Jang Hyun-soo the PD, his daughter was someone he could maybe cast as an extra in a corner where she wouldn't be noticed if an investor forced her on him.
She wasn't ugly.
Objectively, she had a pretty face.
But being halfway pretty is often a curse…
He had seen it many times.
Aspiring actors who lived in a happy delusion that they were incredibly beautiful, only to crumble the moment they encountered the ‘real deal.’
In severe cases, it ruined their entire lives.
I can’t let that happen to my Ji-hye.
“Oh, Dad. I’ll walk from here. No stopping or parking near the school.”
“Alright. Make lots of good friends.”
“Then you should have sent me to an arts high school!”
“You’d wither away there. No.”
The freshmen were already standing in the indoor auditorium.
Jang Ji-hye found her class and stood in line.
“Hi? I’m Jang Ji-hye.”
“Hi. I’m Kim I-seo. Nice to meet you.”
She freely introduced herself to her new classmates. The noisy entrance ceremony passed with speeches, advice, and teacher introductions.
Jang Ji-hye entered her assigned classroom with her friends.
“Huh? Someone’s sleeping.”
“Oh my god. Did she skip the entrance ceremony and just come straight to the classroom to sleep? She’s got guts.”
“Is she a delinquent?”
“Are there still kids who play delinquent these days?”
“If you skip the entrance ceremony and sleep in a corner seat, isn't that a delinquent?”
“There weren't any delinquents at my middle school…”
The freshmen whispered as if they were looking at a rare species from a myth.
Jang Ji-hye braced herself.
I should set an example. I’ll take control of the classroom atmosphere right from the start.
Jang Ji-hye marched toward the female student who was slumped over, sleeping in the very back seat by the window.
Even though she was just slumped there, her proportions looked lean and graceful.
Jang Ji-hye gently shook her shoulder.
“Hey, wake up. Wake up. The teacher’s coming soon.”
“…Ah, is the entrance ceremony over already?”
Yawning, Lee Yu-jin sat up and ran a hand through her messy hair.
The moment their eyes met.
Jang Ji-hye accidentally dropped the hand mirror she always carried.
The words her father had once said came back to her like a curse.
‘There are some actors for whom words like “pretty” or “goddess” feel awkward. They’re just… a different species.’
Suddenly, tears began to well up.
It wasn't because she was moved by Lee Yu-jin’s face.
It was because imagining how her father must have viewed her whenever she begged him to let her debut made her feel so ashamed she wanted to jump out a window.