Chapter 138:
Chapter 138
“Are you driving today, hyung?”
“Uh, Myungjin is on standby at the company. Juyeong is working on something.”
“Still? That’s crazy.”
He must have stayed up all night since he wasn’t at the dorm since yesterday. Ian folded the script that was spread out.
Kim Juyeong practically lived in the studio after Lee Juhyuk took him there. He only came out of the studio when it was time for dance practice.
“How is Juyeong doing these days?”
“He seems to be enjoying it. He looks tired though.”
At first, he complained that he didn’t understand why Juhyuk hyung made him do this, but soon his complaints disappeared and were replaced by ambition.
“That’s good.”
If he showed talent, he could also do well as a DJ. Park Dongsoo sighed in relief. He was not just their manager, but a supportive older brother who cheered for their self-improvement activities.
The members of Awi would not stay at BHL Entertainment forever like other idols. When their popularity faded after reaching their peak and their seven-year contract expired, they would turn their eyes to individual activities. Park Dongsoo hoped that they would have many options to choose from, not just leave like Kim Young-hyun did.
Of course, this was Park Dongsoo’s own thought. The members of Awi were already thinking, ‘When we get old, let’s gather our fans and do a dinner show together.’
“We’re almost there.”
“Wow, I’m nervous.”
Ian rubbed his hands together. It was his first drama shooting in a long time. He got out of the van and looked around the set. It was his first time on a historical drama set.
‘Heebin Jang’ was a 24-episode long drama, divided into two parts. Ian played Kim Chuntaek, who played an important role in Queen Inhyeon’s restoration. He had a lot of shooting scenes.
“Hello. Oh?”
On his way to greet the director, he ran into an extra wearing a hanbok. Ian bowed his waist habitually and greeted him, then pretended to know him when he saw a blue dot shining on the extra’s head.
“Where did I see you before? Dangso-deut?”
The extra swallowed his breath.
“Huh, how did you know?”
“I have my ways.”
Ian winked. Jin’s ability applied not only to fans but also to people in the same industry.
“Can I ask for a picture later?”
“I’ll do it for you after the shooting, do you know where the director is?”
“Over there.”
“Thank you. Come by when we have a break.”
He guessed right with Dangso-deut. The extra jumped up and down in his place. Seeing him happy made Ian feel better too.
“Hello, director.”
“Long time no see. Did you practice a lot? It’s not easy to do your first historical drama.”
“I practiced a lot, but I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
Historical dramas were harder to act than modern dramas. But if you were good enough, you could stand out more. Director Park gave Ian a deep smile at his confident eyes.
Ian followed the staff’s guidance and changed his clothes and headed to the powder room. There was already another actor there who was dabbing powder on his face.
“Hello, noona.”
“Hi Ian. You look good in hanbok too.”
Muso-ri Choi, actress Park Jiyeon who played Suk-bin greeted Ian warmly. Ian wore a dark indigo durumagi and held a hat and a fan in his hand.
“How do you feel about your first historical drama shooting?”
“I’m so nervous I could die.”
Ian spread his fan and covered his face. His hand that spread the fan moved gracefully unlike his crying voice.
‘He didn’t seem to have anything to worry about at the reading.’
Park Jiyeon chuckled inwardly. Ian showed an impressive performance at the reading that made his idol background irrelevant.
“Noona, can I dance with this fan until you finish your makeup?”
“Oh my, calm down.”
Ian moved his body without caring as if he was doing modern dance. Park Jiyeon laughed out loud. He was elegant even when using his body, these kids these days had so many skills.
The camera shutter sounded incessantly. There was no way they wouldn’t take behind-the-scenes photos of them.
After Park Jiyeon finished her hair and makeup, Ian followed her to the set with her. Writer Yoon Misook was sitting next to the director.
“Hello, writer-nim.”
“Come on in. You have a good atmosphere.”
Yoon Misook got up quickly and welcomed Park Jiyeon and Ian. Park Jiyeon in a hanbok and a chignon and Ian in a hat with fancy decorations stood side by side.
“Is that so? Noona, do you want to work together on the next project?”
“Sure, I’d love that. Then are we going to be a couple?”
Park Jiyeon laughed out loud at Ian’s playful tone. The actors of ‘Heebin Jang’ had no pretense. They were all good-natured actors who were cast by Writer Yoon Misook after careful consideration.
Park Jiyeon wore a wide skirt and went into the set first for the scene where she would sit on the seat.
“How are you feeling, Ian? Can you do the ‘mixing’ acting?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Alright, let’s start filming.”
Ian, who had glanced at the director’s script, sat across from Park Ji-yeon. He carefully sat down, spreading his cloak behind him. His graceful movement drew a gasp from the staff.
At the director’s cue, Park Ji-yeon’s eyes changed. They were filled with longing and sorrow. Ian smiled faintly at the corner of his mouth. In this scene, only his lips and chin were shown, not his whole face.
“Why don’t we take a walk in the garden since the weather is nice?”
“No, mama. I came to check on your well-being, but I should take my leave now.”
Ian, Kim Chun-taek, sipped his tea slowly, as if he was reluctant to leave the concubine. She licked her lips.
“When will you come again?”
“I will visit you soon.”
He knew how she felt about him. He turned away without hesitation. She couldn’t take her eyes off his back as he opened the door and left. She clenched her skirt. He was a hard man to catch. Desire flickered in her eyes.
As he left the concubine’s residence and headed out of the palace, someone grabbed him.
“Baek-woo (Kim Chun-taek’s courtesy name). What brings you to the palace?”
“Daegam, how have you been?”
He bowed his head.
“I came to see mama.”
“Don’t come to the palace too often. You know what kind of rumors are going around, don’t you?”
“Yes, Daegam. I will keep that in mind.”
There were whispers that Kim Chun-taek and the concubine Choi were having an affair. The Daegam shook his head slightly as he watched Kim Chun-taek leave the palace.
Kim Chun-taek paused and looked at the sky as he passed the palace gate. The camera that had been focusing on Ian’s lips moved slowly up from his feet. He folded his fan and looked into the distance, then stared at the camera. His face was full of ambition.
“My lord.”
His servant approached him and whispered softly. Ian raised one eyebrow.
“Did Jang Hee-jae divorce his wife?”
“Yes.”
He tapped his palm with his folded fan, as if he had found something interesting. His eyes sparkled.
“I should meet him.”
***
Kim So-ah was browsing the market stalls when she glanced at her servant who was rolling her feet impatiently.
“Stay still. You’re so restless.”
“Mistress, are you just going to stay like this?”
“I have to stay still. What can I do?”
She answered calmly, but she was boiling inside. How dare he divorce me and bring in a new woman? She clenched her hairpin so hard that it lost its color. A man’s hand suddenly reached out and grabbed a red hairpin.
“This suits you better, madam.”
Kim So-ah startled and backed away. The man, Kim Chun-taek, smiled darkly at her.
She narrowed her eyes at his face. He was a handsome man with fine clothes and fair skin.
“Nice to meet you, madam. I am…”
“I know who you are.”
“You know me?”
“Your reputation precedes you in the streets.”
Kim Chun-taek was a man who had captivated many women with his beautiful appearance. He was the center of attention among the ladies in the city. Kim So-ah had heard of his fame too.
‘They say he’s also good at writing.’
Seeing him in person, she had to admit that he was irresistible. But she didn’t like his eyes that seemed to hide something. She ignored him and walked away.
“Let’s go.”
“Mistress…”
Her servant blushed and glanced at Kim Chun-taek before following Kim So-ah.
‘Look at that?’
Her servant kept looking back at him, but Kim So-ah was different. Kim Chun-taek’s strange gaze never left her back. He followed her with the red hairpin in his hand. His servant scowled and paid for the hairpin instead.
“Did you hear that Master Jang brought in a new wife? Do you know anything about it, madam?”
He twirled the hairpin in his hand as he followed her. Kim So-ah frowned.
“…It seems like you know who I am, so why don’t you tell me your true intentions?”
“I heard that Master Jang divorced you because of his new wife… How do you feel about that? We could be useful to each other.”
“Don’t you mean you could benefit from me?”
“That can be discussed in depth, don’t you think?”
He emphasized ‘in depth’ with a vague meaning. Kim So-ah sighed.
“If you have something in mind, come to Dohwa-won.”
Dohwa-won, the name of a famous brothel in the city. Kim So-ah grimaced and Kim Chun-taek smiled slyly.
She ignored his words and turned her back to go home. He watched her leave and smirked as he walked in the opposite direction.
“She’s easy to use.”
That was Kim Chun-taek’s first impression of Kim So-ah.
“What a vulgar guy.”
But if I use him well… Kim Soa smirked. The camera captured their faces as they walked away in different directions.
“Cut! Good job!”
The director’s cut sign rang out and the actors who played Ian and Kim Soa, Go Hyemin, went to the monitor next to the director. The staff filmed the actors who watched their performance with serious expressions.
“Yoon writer’s drama is so easy. Everyone acts well so it ends quickly.”
“Choi Ian had amazing chemistry with Park Jiyeon earlier, but he’s also good with Go Hyemin.”
“They really suit each other… Sometimes there are actors like that. Actors who have good chemistry with anyone.”
The staff who were watching them from afar whispered.
“Okay, let’s shoot the next scene.”
The staff moved busily at the director’s okay sign. Thanks to the preparation time for the next scene, the actors had a short break.
“Excuse me…”
“Right. We agreed to take a picture together, right?”
The extra actor who met him earlier cautiously handed him his phone. Ian switched the phone to selfie mode and stretched out his long arm to stick close to the extra actor.
“I’ll take a good picture of you. This is the idol angle.”
He didn’t take just one picture without any care. Ian took five pictures in a row and returned the phone. The extra actor bowed deeply.
“Thank you!”
“Our group is coming back soon, so please listen to our repackaged album a lot.”
“Oh, of course.”
Ian bowed just like the extra actor. The extra actor made a fuss.
The other extra actors who heard the noise gathered around Ian.
“Um… Can I take a picture with you too?”
“Yes, can you give me your phone?”
“Thank you!”
“I once took a picture with some fans and when I looked at the gallery later, there was a picture of me with them. It turned out that they didn’t use their phones but mine. It was really absurd.”
The people who gathered around Ian laughed at his rapid-fire speech. Ian didn’t show any annoyance and took pictures and signed for each person.
“Thank you.”
One of the extra actors who took a picture and got a signature from Ian didn’t stay there and left without hesitation. A familiar voice, Ian turned his head and looked at him.
‘That person…’
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