Chapter 39:
"Director, Actor Hwang Yiwon has arrived!" announced a staff member, to which Director Gu Chanik nodded in acknowledgment. Alongside him, Son Jisoo adjusted his posture.
Soon after, Hwang Yiwon entered the room, his tall stature and long legs commanding attention as he stepped into the conference room. His high nose and deep-set eyes naturally drew gazes.
"!"
The epitome of self-care.
The original handsome actor.
The lavish adjectives instantly made sense, given his appearance. The rumors of his unchanged beauty since his debut were evidently not unfounded.
When Hwang Yiwon spoke, his deep voice filled the room.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Hwang Yiwon."
Just as Han Yooil was about to stand and greet him, Son Jisoo took the initiative.
"Nice to meet you, senior! I'm Son Jisoo!"
"Han Yooil. A pleasure to work with you, senior."
Hwang Yiwon quietly observed Son Jisoo and Han Yooil before accepting greetings from the others.
At the long table, everyone was positioned to face each other, with Director Gu Chanik sitting in a place where he could oversee everyone. Hwang Yiwon and Han Yooil sat closest to him, while Son Jisoo, Joo Heeyoung, and Kim Miso were seated alongside them.
Yooil, a bit surprised at the gentle demeanor of Son Jisoo, thought to himself how unexpectedly amiable he seemed.
Given his experience, he seems to be a skilled actor.
Yooil unfolded the script, seeing it for the first time since the initial reading with Director Gu Chanik.
"After the reading, feel free to take the scripts in front of you!"
"Yes!"
With a collective response from the actors, the reading began.
* * *
[S#4 Flower Shop (Daytime)
The door of the flower shop opens.
Sooil, a somewhat troublesome-looking young man, enters.
Hyukjin, who was cleaning indifferently, slowly raises his head.
Hyukjin: Are you looking for something?
Sooil: Are you hiring part-time workers here?
Hyukjin eyes Sooil, who hesitantly adds another comment.
Sooil: I came to apply for the part-time job.
Sooil becomes a bit anxious due to Hyukjin's silence.
Sooil: I know you dont usually hire, but listen, Ive worked at internet cafes, cafes Well, I can do anything as long as I get paid.
Hyukjin: We're not looking for part-timers.
Sooil: Eh?
Hyukjin: No need. For part-timers.
Sooil: Whaat?!]
The script continued for over a page.
Son Jisoo bit the inside of his cheek while reading the script.
No matter how I look at it, I'm a better fit.'
He was more masculine and good-looking than that pale guy, right? Above all, he was confident in his acting skills.
You never know. Things might change after the reading.'
Son Jisoo had devoured every rumor about Director Gu Chanik. It was true that Chanik didnt easily change his mind once it was made up, but that was only if his chosen option' was the best.
Hiding his smile, he looked at Han Yooil.
"Hyukjin slowly raises his head."
As the assistant director read the stage directions, Hwang Yiwon looked at Han Yooil with a dry gaze.
"Are you looking for something?"
The tone was firm but not hostile, with an almost soldier-like vibe. Above all, the fact that it was Hwang Yiwon delivering the lines made it most impactful. Son Jisoo watched him with unusually lively eyes.
Yeah. That's the level a male actor should reach.'
To Son Jisoo, Hwang Yiwon was somewhat of a role model. He secretly hoped to become an actor like Hwang Yiwon in 10 or 20 years.
It was then that Han Yooil spoke.
Huh?'
Son Jisoo thought for a moment he had seen wrongly. But no, something had changed in Han Yooil, who just moments ago sat with an ordinary face.
Sharp, cold, but somewhat immature.
He now had the face of a high school graduate, brash and young.
"Are you hiring part-timers here?"
His posture was slanted, his line delivered almost carelessly.
The top actor Hwang Yiwon' had transformed into Hyukjin from The Mysterious Garden', his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he scrutinized Sooil.
Slowly, yet piercingly.
Gulp.
Feeling the pressure of that gaze, Sooil swallowed hard. Still, his defiant expression didn't falter.
"I came here for the part-time job."
Hyukjin silently observed Sooil.
It was like a wolf eyeing a young puppy.
Feeling a bit intimidated by that intensity, Sooil continued, trying not to show it.
"I know you don't usually hire. I've worked at PC cafes, cafes Well, I can do anything as long as I get paid."
Finally, Hyukjin spoke.
"We're not looking for part-timers."
"What?"
The words hit Sooil like a bolt from the blue.
Hyukjin spoke firmly.
"No need. For part-timers."
"What?!"
Normally, Sooil tried desperately to hide his emotions, but in moments of surprise, his expressions were vividly revealed. His confusion and helplessness were palpable.
"Look, look at this."
Saying so, Sooil pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.
"See here. The ad for hiring part-timers! It says to come by July 13th."
Hyukjin's face remained unchanged as he glanced at the paper with dry eyes.
""
In reality, the paper Yooil pulled out was an old receipt from his pocket. But in the moment of acting, a new truth is born. The paper pulled out by Sooil becomes, undoubtedly, a worn job advertisement that had passed through many hands.
Hyukjin, having scrutinized the advertisement thoroughly, slowly raised his head.
"This is from last year."
"Really? You're not lying?"
Sooil, looking at Hyukjin again, realizes once more that he's not the kind to lie.
It was then.
A very brief, different expression flashed across Sooil's face.
"I understand. I'll leave."
Hyukjin, who had been observing Sooil's expression, slightly furrowed his eyebrows.
It's impossible to know exactly what stirred his heart. However, there was a feeling that he shouldn't let him go just like this.
Yes The feeling was similar to encountering a drenched stray dog in the rain.
Sooil, with a look of deep regret like a stray dog that has just lost its home, stood before Hyukjin. Unintentionally, Hyukjin found himself speaking.
"Come in from tomorrow."
"Really?"
Sooil, who was about to turn away with a sigh, looked back at Hyukjin with a skeptical face.
"Why?"
"Didn't you want to work?"
"That's right, but"
Sooil, knowing he wasn't an easy person to deal with, tilted his head slightly and continued.
"Why did you suddenly change your mind?"
Their eyes met.
The atmosphere grew so tense it almost felt suffocating.
"Huh."
Son Jisoo let out a breath without realizing it.
A moment of silence passed.
Sooil let out a chuckle.
"So I just come in from tomorrow?"
Hyukjin watched Sooil, who spoke playfully, with an exploring gaze. Still assessing Sooil.
But slowly, he nodded.
"See you tomorrow."
"Then."
Sooil nodded back and left.
Wow what was that?'
The assistant director's eyes widened as he blankly stared at Sooil leaving.
Why is he so good?'
It wasn't even a physical movement, but the acting was palpable.
It'd be a success if he can perform like that on set.'
When Director Gu Chanik first specifically mentioned Han Yooil, honestly, it was surprising. Given Chanik's character of not usually watching platform dramas like OTube or OTT, and not a director known for casting rising new actors.
Director you really had it all planned out.'
The assistant director was once again astonished by Gu Chanik's discernment and sneakily glanced at Chanik's tightly shut lips. However, Chanik was also surprised, not that it was apparent. He was quietly admiring.
In The Mysterious Garden', Sooil was a character teetering between boyhood and adulthood. Han Yooil layered another dimension onto this character.
A brash, impatient, and intolerant, yet somehow not entirely dislikeable kid'.
As a result, the Sooil that Han Yooil portrayed with his expressions and tone was even more faithful to the script than the script itself.
Smart kid.'
He concealed a barely visible smile and flipped to the next page of the script.
* * *
After the reading session, the actors with schedules left swiftly.
Only Son Jisoo and Han Yooil remained.
"Ah, actors. There's something I need to discuss regarding the shooting."
The assistant director held up an iPad, displaying several photos.
At first glance, it looked like a beautiful hill covered in pink flowers.
But on closer inspection, it resembled rice or reeds.
"Pink muhly, you all know it, right?"
Pink muhly?'
According to the current classification system of the planet, it belongs to the Poaceae family in the order Poales, a perennial grass that is native to the central United States and used for landscaping
Now that he thought about it, he seemed to have seen it once or twice in the news.
The assistant director continued with a bright face.
Weve been monitoring this location since the location hunting phase, and if we want to shoot here, we need to do it before September. So, we will stick to the original schedule for the other episodes, but well have to move up the shooting for episode 16. Its only a shooting day for the two of you, so it shouldnt take too long!
Understood.
Yes~
Based on the schedules of the cast, the shooting will likely take place within the next two weeks.
Yooil nodded slowly.
There was plenty of time to prepare.
Son Jisoo secretly smiled at Han Yooil's relaxed expression, his eyes cold enough to startle his manager.
I'll have to show what I'm made of.'
How he had brought down those high-nosed rookies in the past.
* * *
Ah.
How did it come to this?
The office worker stared blankly at the iPad in front, wondering where things had gone wrong.
It's all because of that play.
From the Ground'
If it weren't for that play, they wouldn't have sought out a show like Sing in High School'.
And certainly, they wouldn't have spent a precious holiday capturing drama scenes.
But ironically, that time didn't feel wasted at all.
"Ha Gihyeon"
The office worker groaned while looking at the captures of Sing in High School'.
Watching this drama, they realized once again that Han Yooil was an actor who could effortlessly take on roles other than peculiar ones like vampire' or boy', like a student.
Although the actor's younger age did prick at the office worker's conscience
"Honestly, it's criminal to act like this and expect people not to like it."
After convincing themselves with this strange logic, the office worker played the video again.
Just then, a notification popped up. It was from BlueChat.
The office worker had started using this SNS mainly to follow Han Yooil's fandom, but it turned out to be more fun than expected. The fact that there were others who passionately followed the same actor brought joy to the office worker.
They quickly navigated through their phone, and a BlueChat post that reshared an article appeared.
[@jinnnny (Photo) My actor is shooting a new project https://www.yshnews.star/1123]
The link led to a news piece stating that Han Yooil had been cast in Director Gu Chanik's new film, The Mysterious Garden'.
Another new project?
Though the office worker preferred watching Newblix at home over going to the cinema, they wished to see Han Yooil's work on the big screen.
I wish it would be released soon.
With a fluttering heart, the office worker replayed the teen drama they had watched over and over again.
It was indeed a sweet holiday.
Updat𝓮d from freew𝒆bnovel(.)com