And Because I Was So Hungry...
“Sunbae, thank you. I feel a lot less tense now.”
“No problem at all. See you on set. Fighting!”
Kim Na-yeon clenched her fist and saw me off.
“Just follow me.”
I trailed the assistant director to the dressing room.
“Eun-seong! We’ve been waiting for you!”
“Oh? You’re all here?”
The female staff members I’d greeted in the waiting room earlier were all there.
“We’ll make you look amazing!”
“Thanks. I’ll leave it in your hands.”
Looking around, I saw the female staff fully prepped and ready.
“Before makeup, let’s loosen you up with a hot towel. Close your eyes?”
“This is a massager—it’ll relax your shoulders.”
And they even threw in some VIP service just for me.
“Eun-seong... you’re really popular, huh...”
The assistant director who’d escorted me whispered enviously, trailing off.
And then... the pros got to work, and it was on another level.
The hair designer slicked my hair back neatly with pomade.
The makeup artist evened out my skin tone.
Finally, I slipped into the all-black suit the wardrobe team had prepared.
“Whoa...? Is that me?”
Even I stared blankly at my reflection in the mirror.
The suit fit like it was custom-made. Broad shoulders, tapered waist, long legs. The black fabric accentuated my physique perfectly.
With my hair swept back, my sharp forehead and brows stood out, erasing my usual soft image and replacing it with the vibe of a cool city guy.
“Wow... Eun-seong, you could be a model. No—better than one!”
“You look so hot! Seriously!”
The female staff chimed in with praise.
That’s when it happened.
“Eun-seong, want some coffee...”
The dressing room door opened, and Kim Na-yeon stepped in.
She caught sight of me, all prepped for filming, and froze, speechless.
“.....”
Kim Na-yeon’s eyes turned to hearts.
She knew guys in suits were sexy, but this was straight-up foul play.
Swallowing hard, she approached.
“All set? Let’s go. Together.”
She sidled up next to me naturally.
The assistant director, back from a quick set visit, walked in and blinked at the sight of us together.
“Huh? Na-yeon? What are you doing here?”
“Oh, nothing much. I was just giving my hoobae some acting tips. Came to help him relax.”
Kim Na-yeon brushed it off smoothly.
The assistant director tilted his head but backed down under her confident vibe.
“Let’s go, Eun-seong.”
Kim Na-yeon took the lead.
I followed her to the set.
The set was buzzing with pre-shoot prep.
Director Choi Do-hyun sat at the monitor, barking orders.
“Alright! Check lights! Extras, get in position!”
That’s when we arrived.
“Director, hi. I’m here.”
Clack, clack.
The moment I stepped onto the set in my black suit, the murmurs died down.
“Whoa...? That aura is insane...”
“No way—isn’t he too handsome?”
All eyes locked on me.
The flashy Macau-inspired set meshed perfectly with my all-black suit. Just standing there, I looked like a noir film poster.
Even Director Choi Do-hyun jumped up from his seat when he saw me.
“Oh! You’re here!”
He nodded, looking pleased.
“Perfect. Just perfect. The look alone completes the shot.”
He clapped my shoulder encouragingly.
“Right? Director? This is Eun-seong. Doesn’t he look like a real actor?”
Kim Na-yeon crossed her arms beside me, beaming proudly—like she’d discovered me herself.
“Alright! Let’s shoot! Eun-seong, you ready?”
“Yes. Ready.”
I swallowed my nerves and replied.
Finally, my first take.
The scene was a narrow back alley in the set. Red neon lights glowed on the damp floor, thick smog hanging in the air.
“Don’t overthink it, Eun-seong.”
Director Choi Do-hyun explained through his megaphone.
“You’re the heroine’s shadow, protecting her. From the end of that alley to here. Just walk slowly. Stay alert to your surroundings, but subtle. Give it a lonely, melancholic vibe.”
“Got it.”
I took my mark.
The camera rail ran right beside me.
“.....”
Dozens of eyes watched me.
My heart pounded like it might burst, but I closed my eyes and steadied my breath.
Loneliness... and melancholy...
I recalled Professor Kang Min-cheol’s class.
Nepal’s snowy mountains. Walking alone across endless snowfields.
The hunger, the cold, the desperate longing to go home.
“Ready!”
I didn’t know when it started. The staff froze in place.
“Action!”
At the slate clap, I opened my eyes.
And started walking.
“.....”
Clack, clack.
My shoe heels echoed down the alley.
I didn’t act. I just walked.
Exactly like trekking Nepal with a 30kg pack. Heavy but steady, exhausted yet unyielding.
“.....”
My gaze drifted into the void.
Red neon swept across my face. My shadow stretched long.
“Hmm?”
Director Choi Do-hyun’s eyes widened at the monitor.
Seo Eun-seong on screen. Just walking, yet dominating the frame.
That gait carried an indescribable weight. Like an invisible burden on his back—or a man who’d sacrificed everything for something worth protecting.
The extras and fake signs came alive as I passed. My somber aura enveloped the whole space.
What is this...? Can an actor himself become a mise-en-scène?
The director shivered.
It was an aura no rookie should have.
Creating narrative with no lines, just steps.
Like Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro—the legends of noir.
The realm of true geniuses.
So cool... even his walk is sexy...
Kim Na-yeon watched from behind the monitor, breathless. Her eyes were heart-eyed.
She was already head over heels for Seo Eun-seong.
Meanwhile.
Is this far enough?
I reached the mark where the director would call cut.
And then...
“.....”
I slowly lifted my head and stared into the camera.
Deep darkness in those doe-like eyes.
“Cut! Okay!”
Director Choi Do-hyun’s shout rang out.
“Great! Perfect! Spot on!”
His praise unleashed staff applause.
“Whew...”
Only then did my tension ease, legs wobbling.
Honestly, I’d been so nervous I wasn’t even sure if I’d acted properly.
“Eun-seong, what were you thinking while you walked?”
The director rushed over and grabbed my hand.
“Huh?”
“That look in your eyes... that walk... It wasn’t calculated. What on earth were you thinking to pull off that vibe?”
He asked seriously.
I scratched my head and answered honestly.
“Oh... uh... I was thinking about climbing mountains in Nepal.”
“Mountains...?”
“Yeah. My backpack was so heavy my shoulders felt like they’d snap. And I was so hungry... I just recalled that feeling of trudging along.”
“You were... hungry... again?”
The director stared blankly at my answer.
Just hunger and a heavy pack?
It matched the story Professor Kang had mentioned last time.
That was it?
But soon, he nodded in awe.
“As expected... you’re a genius.”
“Me...? Really...?”
“It’s not head games—it’s pulling from sensations your body remembers. Instinct. That’s true method acting.”
He seemed to peg me as an “instinctive genius.”
I was just hungry, though?
I wondered when this misunderstanding would clear up, but I didn’t bother correcting it.
It was praise, after all.
“Assistant director! Call writer Park!”
The director suddenly yelled.
“Huh? Why the writer?”
“We need to revise the script. Increase Eun-seong’s scenes.”
“Suddenly?”
“Wasting a gem like this on a walk-on is criminal. Add dialogue. Action scenes too! More with the heroine!”
Murmurs rippled through the set.
A rookie—on his first shoot day—getting more lines? Unheard of.
Especially from perfectionist Choi Do-hyun.
“Oh! Awesome!”
Kim Na-yeon grabbed my arm, thrilled.
“More scenes with you? I’m all for it. I’ll help even more.”
Her eyes gleamed.
This rookie, Seo Eun-seong... his looks weren’t the only scam.
Maybe he really was a genius, like the director said.
The thought of discovering him raw thrilled her.
“Ah, yeah. Thanks, sunbae.”
I stood there, dazed.
More screen time.
In a Choi Do-hyun film.
Ha-rin will love this.
My little sister’s face popped into my head first.
I was already excited to brag when I got home.