Chapter 139:
Chapter 139
‘Why does his voice sound so familiar?’
Ian stared at his back. Park Dongsoo pushed through the crowd of people who were surrounding Ian.
“I’ll take him away now. Ian, let’s rest a bit.”
“Okay.”
The people looked disappointed, but they couldn’t hold him back any longer and stepped aside. Ian followed Park Dongsoo and kept looking back.
“What’s wrong? Did you see someone you know?”
It felt somehow familiar… Ian shook his head at Park Dongsoo’s question.
“…Maybe not? I must have mistaken him for someone else.”
***
The filming lasted all day long. Ian filmed his scenes whenever he appeared and spent the rest of the time watching the other actors’ performances without a break.
“Ian, you still have a long way to go until your next scene. Why don’t you go inside and rest?”
“No, thank you. This is the only chance I have to see the senior actors’ acting. I have to learn from them.”
“Then… just a moment.”
The young actors who had finished their scenes and went inside the van didn’t come out again, but when they saw Ian’s diligent attitude, they couldn’t help but feel favorable towards him. The filming staff brought a folding chair and placed it near Ian.
The sun set, and it was time to film the scene where Kim Chuntaek and Kim Soa held hands at the art gallery. Ian changed into a different outfit and sat on the upper seat.
‘That extra actor…’
There was also the extra actor he had seen earlier, playing the role of a scholar who enjoyed nightlife with Kim Chuntaek.
‘Who does he look like…?’
Ian was lost in thought when he was awakened by the cue sign. He straightened his posture and started acting.
Kim Soa had been in a daze ever since she met Kim Chuntaek at the market. She put on a cloak over her head and left the house. She headed towards the art gallery without bringing any servants with her.
A courtesan who was standing near the door looked at Kim Soa with a hardened expression.
“What brings you to the art gallery, miss?”
“I came to see a man named Kim Chuntaek.”
Oh, I see. The courtesan frowned and gave her a disdainful look.
“You can’t see him.”
“Why not?”
“There are too many people like you around him.”
Kim Soa didn’t panic and chuckled. Kim Chuntaek must have played a prank on her. She lifted her chin and stared at the courtesan’s face.
“Do you know what a red fox is?”
“Please come this way.”
The courtesan quickly changed her attitude. Kim Soa avoided the eyes of the gentlemen who were leaving the art gallery and tightened her cloak.
The scene changed, and Kim Chuntaek was quietly drinking in between the noisy scholars and courtesans.
The courtesan who had guided Kim Soa placed her in front of the door and hurried to Kim Chuntaek.
“Everyone, please step aside.”
Kim Chuntaek smirked when he heard that the person he was waiting for had arrived. The scholars and courtesans got up from their seats and went outside.
Kim Soa silently looked at the messy scene with liquor bottles and walked towards Kim Chuntaek who was sitting on the upper seat.
“Please sit down.”
Kim Chuntaek gestured with his hand. Kim Soa sat on the cushion prepared for her across from him. The gisaeng who had guided her cautiously approached and poured wine into the empty cup and retreated.
“So, have you thought about it?”
“…I have.”
Kim Soa lowered her eyes without paying attention to the wine cup. What business would Kim Chuntaek, who belonged to a different faction, have with her? He must have wanted to plot a scheme to harm Jang Heejae.
“What can you offer me?”
She lifted her head and stared into Kim Chuntaek’s eyes. His eyes sparkled as they met hers.
“I offer you a chance for revenge. Against Jang Heejae, the nobleman who ousted your family and took everything from you.”
“…”
“All you have to do is tell me what Jang Heejae is doing.”
“What if I refuse your offer and betray you?”
“No, you won’t do that.”
Ian lifted his wine cup and drank slowly. His gaze was fixed on Kim Soa’s face, and his half-open eyes had a captivating look. Kim Soa turned her head slightly to avoid his sticky gaze.
“Isn’t it true that you have no other way out without me?”
“That’s…”
Kim Soa bit her lower lip in silence. She clenched her fists.
“You can’t do anything without me either. Who else would know what my husband is doing if not me?”
Kim Soa felt a surge of pride as she ignored Kim Chuntaek’s gaze. She fiddled with the wine cup in front of her with her fingers.
“I know, but you will never know.”
She smiled seductively and looked at Kim Chuntaek. He also looked back at her without avoiding her eyes.
The director who was watching them from behind the camera held back his laughter. It was more than he had imagined when he wrote the script.
“But… fine. We want the same thing.”
“…”
“I’ll join you in your game.”
“Good. I’ll come to see you later.”
Kim Chuntaek handed Kim Soa a red tassel he had bought at the market. Kim Soa reluctantly took it and turned her back without hesitation.
“She won’t be easy to win over…”
He watched the empty spot where she had left with a meaningful smile.
“Cut!”
The atmosphere that had been tense with their fight was gone and Ian smiled brightly.
“Ian, you’re good at this. We can go home early.”
“Right?”
Ian and Go Hyemin looked at each other and laughed foolishly. The filming at the painting studio was the last one of the day. They were both in a good mood after the smooth shooting without any mistakes.
“Stop making people fall for you. I almost did.”
Go Hyemin hit Ian’s shoulder lightly as he went to check the monitor.
“What are you talking about, sis? You were no joke either.”
Go Hyemin looked like a different person from the one who had been smiling seductively just before. She acted like a tomboy. Ian and Go Hyemin stood next to Yoon, the writer.
There were four monitors for filming. They could watch their footage from different angles.
“Here, Hyemin’s part where she bites her lip, and Ian’s part where he looks great.”
“The director of photography really did a good job.”
Kim Chuntaek looked like a scoundrel on the screen, but somehow he had a presence. He balanced the contradictory lightness and heaviness very well. Director Park looked at Writer Yoon with a satisfied expression.
“I’m fine with it, how about you, Writer?”
“I think it’s fine too. It’s exactly the feeling I had in mind.”
“Okay, let’s wrap it up today.”
At Director Park’s words, the assistant director announced loudly that the shooting was over. The staffs’ faces brightened.
Yoon Misook and Park Pyohyun’s production company was famous for ensuring enough rest time for the staff and actors. The director’s philosophy was ‘If you shoot as if you’re being chased, the result will be bad, so you need to have enough spare time.’
“Good job, everyone!”
Writer Yoon was different from Writer Jung, the queen of script revisions, who was famous for writing and sending the script in advance. Director Park wasted less time thanks to his detailed storyboard and efficient shooting schedule.
Writer Yoon, the drama queen, attracted good actors with her reputation. The actors’ performances were flawless, and most of the scenes with NGs were caused by the extras’ mistakes.
“Ian, you did well.”
“How was I, hyung?”
“You were amazing. When this airs, you’ll have a lot of fans, right? We should get more pre-orders for our next album.”
Park Dongsoo joked that even a man would fall for him. Ian, who changed his clothes and wiped off his makeup lightly, looked at him sharply after taking a sip of the water bottle he handed him.
“So, you didn’t really fall for him, right?”
“No, don’t say such nonsense. It’s just a figure of speech.”
“Well, you have a girlfriend anyway.”
“What… what, hey!”
Ian dropped a bomb on Park Dongsoo and walked ahead quickly.
‘The CEO seemed to know already…’
Ian hummed a tune. He knew that Park Dongsoo and Director Seo Suryeon were secretly dating through Jin. He had a feeling from the pink pouch.
‘I wonder if I can eat noodles next year? What song should I sing for the congratulatory song?’
As Park Dongsoo chased after Ian in a hurry, Ian approached the extras who were waiting for the shuttle bus.
“Good job, everyone.”
Just then, an extra who was uploading a picture with Ian on MyStagram jumped up.
“Huh? You were in the same scene as me, what’s your name?”
“I… Han Yebin.”
“Will you come to the next shooting too? See you then.”
Han Yebin smiled brightly. She was an aspiring actress who participated in many shooting sites as an extra, but Ian was the first supporting actor who cared for each extra. She thought he would be rude because he was a handsome idol star, but it was just a prejudice.
Ian turned back as he headed to the van. He pointed at an extra who was smoking a cigarette far away.
“What’s the name of the extra you were with earlier?”
“That oppa? Lee Sae-min.”
“I see… He looks like someone I know, but his name is different. See you at the next shooting then.”
Ian turned his back and smiled bitterly. Park Dongsoo was waiting for him with the van door open. He would have liked to tease him about his complicated expression as usual, but Ian had no room to care.
“Sigh…”
Lee Sae-min? Lee Sae-min?
[Exclusive] ‘Diamond’ Ji-won voluntarily leaves group amid school violence controversy.
‘I almost didn’t recognize him.’
[Who is that?]
‘You had a lot of work done on your face, Ji-won.’
[School bully Ji-won? Is that him?]
Ian nodded. He felt a familiar vibe from the face, even though it had undergone plastic surgery. The original features were still there, and the voice was very similar to someone he remembered.
He changed his name from Ji-won Lee to Se-min Lee. Ian’s expression hardened.
‘Come to think of it, I got a call from Ji-won after the final episode of P.A. I ignored it, though.’
In his previous life, he knew that Ji-won had never returned to the entertainment industry after the bullying scandal. He recalled how Ji-won had occasionally contacted Kim Yong-min, who had continued his career in showbiz.
‘That’s the unwelcome contact that Tae-woo mentioned.’
When Tae-woo became a successful trot singer, the guy who had never contacted him before shamelessly called him. He must have thought that he could also make a comeback after seeing Tae-woo start his second life.
Ian knew Ji-won well enough to know that he was capable of that. He was lazy, rude, and did not work hard, but he had an unfounded confidence that he was a talented person.
‘He didn’t even do half of what Tae-woo did.’
Ian clicked his tongue. Park Dong-soo noticed Ian’s sour mood.
‘Did you know he was an actor? Did he do that in the future too?’
[How would I know every news about the Diamond flop group? I knew about Kim Yong-min because he was 12th in P.A… But I’ve never heard of the name Se-min Lee before?]
‘What?’
Ian turned on his phone and searched for Se-min Lee. Had the future changed since he came back to the past and lived as Choi Ian?
‘There are too many variables…’
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