You Were Really Serious About Acting After All
Chapter 37 Weekend drama The Three Sisters of Jang Pharmacy set. Part 1, scene 34—so right before Seo Eun-seong and Kim Na-yeon's first kiss scene.
“.....”
With PD Lee Han-bit and the staff holding their breath.
What are they doing sitting there staring at me?
Kim Na-yeon felt her nerves fray under the glares from the Siren members.
Their stares were so fierce and resentful that even the great Kim Na-yeon lost her focus.
Was that why? As she lunged fiercely toward Seo Eun-seong's lips, her concentration snapped in an instant.
Her body instinctively shrank under the Siren members' intense scrutiny.
In the end, right before her lips could touch his—in that split second—Kim Na-yeon reflexively turned her head ever so slightly.
“Ugh..”
Swish.
Instead of lips meeting lips, her soft lips barely grazed his sharp jawline and cheek.
From the camera angle, it looked like a perfect kiss. A classic illusion kiss scene had been pulled off.
“Huh..?”
Seo Eun-seong froze in confusion from the sudden jaw peck(?).
“Haa..”
Kim Na-yeon buried her face in his shoulder, trembling.
In the end, the five sisters-in-law's blockade had worked.
“Cut! Perfect!”
PD Lee Han-bit jumped up from her seat, clapping.
“Wow? Perfect! Eun-seong-ssi! Na-yeon-ssi!”
She pointed at the monitor, beaming with satisfaction.
“Na-yeon-ssi! That acting just now was chilling! Like she was about to go in for a hard kiss, but at the last second, that instinctive hesitation—wondering if he might not be her ex? And out of that fear, she turns her head just a bit? As expected of Na-yeon-ssi! The wistfulness and confusion of first love, all captured perfectly!”
Not knowing the real story, PD Lee Han-bit lavished praise on Kim Na-yeon's acting.
But.
PD-nim.. It wasn't hesitation.. I dodged 'cause I was scared.. My kiss just flew away like that..
Kim Na-yeon shed bloody tears inside.
On the other hand, the five sisters-in-law sitting behind the monitor were a different story. They suppressed cheers that nearly burst out, gripping each other's hands tight.
See? We blocked it!
Phew~ Felt like ten years got shaved off my life?
The Siren quintet high-fived with victorious smiles.
“Wow? Na-yeon noona? Your acting details are insane? I really thought you were going for a real kiss and got super scared. But that hesitation at the end.. Truly respectable. Learned a lot.”
It was Seo Eun-seong. The completely oblivious Seo Eun-seong flashed her a thumbs-up.
“Y.. Yeah.. Acting.. It was acting.. Learn lots, Eun-seong-ssi..”
Even with his praise, Kim Na-yeon had zero energy left.
At least it was a relief that, amid this fierce battle of nerves, Eun-seong stayed purely innocent as ever.
“Tired? Want me to grab you a coffee from the coffee truck?”
“No thanks. I'll rest a bit. Eun-seong-ssi.”
Kim Na-yeon turned away, savoring the bitter taste in her mouth.
It's not just today.
Still, she vowed(?) to try again another day.
“Great work! Taking a short break!”
With the assistant director's call, a brief rest period began.
“PD-nim!”
As the staff swapped out the set, Seo Eun-seong headed toward the monitor where PD Lee Han-bit and the directing team were huddled.
“Eun-seong-ssi? What's up?”
PD Lee Han-bit greeted him warmly.
“Nothing big. That scene we just shot—mind if I watch it once more?”
“Of course, Eun-seong-ssi. Come take a look.”
At her nod, the assistant director replayed the footage.
“.....”
Seo Eun-seong stood before the monitor, intently studying his own performance.
He meticulously checked the flicker in his eyes as Kim Na-yeon approached, his flustered expression, even the angle of his shoulders.
“Eun-seong-ssi. All done? Like it? Honestly, I was worried about your melodrama experience, but for a first shoot, you nailed it. Your acting's so stable?”
PD Lee Han-bit showered him with praise.
Despite jumping straight into the first kiss scene early on, Eun-seong hadn't flustered or called NG once.
But the man himself felt differently.
“Thank you, PD-nim.”
What was it..? His face didn't look satisfied.
“Eun-seong-ssi? Something not sitting right?”
PD Lee Han-bit picked up on it.
“Yeah, PD-nim. To me, when Na-yeon noona came in, my shoulders looked too stiff. Flustered is good, but.. from a bar part-timer's view, maybe some defensive hand move against a sudden drunk customer? Might've added something.”
He pointed at the screen, cautiously sharing his thoughts.
“Oh? That's a good point? Instead of just freezing in shock, a reflexive push.. Yeah, it'd make Seo-ah's sudden move even more dramatic.”
PD Lee Han-bit nodded in agreement.
“Right? PD-nim? I'm still green, so camera angles trip me up. For the next scene, should I aim my gaze a bit above the lens? What do you think, PD-nim?”
Eun-seong peppered not just the PD but the cinematographer and lighting director with questions, hashing out blocking.
“Ah? Like this?”
His usual goofy smile was nowhere to be seen. Only the earnest intensity of actor Seo Eun-seong, lost in the work.
And watching him from the back of the monitor room were five girls.
“.....”
Seo Ha-rin stood with arms crossed, staring at her brother's back as he seriously debated with the directors.
“Oppa..”
The oppa who wore an apron at home, nagging endlessly. The chubby, simple oppa who'd lurk outside her company to pick her up with tteokbokki.
That same oppa was now, in the middle of all these staff, seriously critiquing his own acting—pouring out real actor passion.
“Our oppa.. was really serious about acting after all..”
Seo Ha-rin murmured softly.
The jealous glares toward Kim Na-yeon were gone. In their place, a deep swell of affection for her brother.
“Yeah.. First time seeing Bear Doll pull that serious face.”
Choi Eun-jin nodded slowly.
“Eun-seong oppa.. looks so cool.”
Lee Ah-hyun quietly watched him too.
“That's why I said we shouldn't come to set? No guilty consciences?”
Kim Chae-yeon dropped a truth bomb.
“Uuung.. Feel bad for Eun-seong orabuni now..”
Gomin-ji regretted dragging herself to the set for the chaos(?). Though Ha-rin, Eun-jin, and Ah-hyun had caused more of it.
Anyway. All five Siren members were pro entertainers. They knew better than anyone how lonely and grueling it was to push past your limits in front of the camera.
“Sigh.. Guess we acted too childish.”
Seo Ha-rin let out a long breath.
“Oppa's out here grinding seriously on set.. And we just blinded by jealousy, barging in like idiots.. Probably just messed up the shoot.”
She watched her brother, kicking herself.
“Yeah. Eun-seong oppa looked like a total pro talking with the directors. We shouldn't get in the way.”
Lee Ah-hyun bowed her head in regret too.
“And honestly.”
Choi Eun-jin smirked, adding,
“No matter what tricks that vixen pulls, right? Our Bear Doll's an iron wall? Looks like he has zero interest in her? Least if he's serious about acting.”
“Eun-jin unnie, you're right. Oppa's a total iron wall. No need for us to stress.”
Seo Ha-rin finally shed her burden, smiling brightly.
“So no more messing with Seo Eun-seong-ssi from now on. Got it?”
Kim Chae-yeon relaxed at last.
“Let's go. Better head out first.”
At Ha-rin's cue, the Siren members quietly stood.
“Uuung.. Let's go home..”
Gomin-ji nodded along.
Meanwhile.
“Director-nim, thank you! I'll nail the next scene!”
Just finishing his review, Seo Eun-seong bowed and turned—spotting Ha-rin and the members slipping out of the set.
“Huh? Ha-rin-ah! You guys leaving already?”
He dashed over, panting.
“Why so soon? Wait a sec, we'll go together?”
He beamed innocently. Gone was the serious actor; back was the cozy polar bear vibe.
“We got the new album out, promotions in full swing? Music show tomorrow, gotta hit practice. Oppa.. you were really cool today?”
“Huh? You praising oppa outta nowhere?”
Eun-seong scratched his head, bashful.
“Cool, so I said cool.”
“Reaally?”
His top-idol sister's respect had him grinning ear to ear.
“Bear Doll! Good work! Eat every bit of that food truck and coffee truck we sent, yeah?”
Choi Eun-jin patted his shoulder—pure encouragement.
“Eun-seong oppa! Fighting!”
Lee Ah-hyun beamed with pride.
“Eun-seong orabuni~ Earn big, buy us kakao?”
The others waved one by one, cheering him on.
“Got it, got it. Drive safe, all of you?”
Seo Eun-seong waved back at his departing sisters.
“Herd in, herd out—what's that about?”
Turning back after seeing them off, he couldn't help chuckling.
His head felt totally scattered somehow.
“Grateful though.”
One thing was clear: his first-shoot nerves had vanished.
“Eun-seong-ssi! PD-nim's calling!”
Someone from the directing team hollered.
“Yes! Coming!”
Eun-seong clutched his script tight and bolted back to set.
To live up to his fans' expectations, he planned to pour everything into today.