Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity
Chapter 130
“Reshoot?”
I received a call from Jin-bae hyung the next morning, just as I was about to have breakfast.
My ears perked up at the word “reshoot.”
It seemed like the call would take a while, so Jin-bae hyung stood up and told me to go ahead and eat.
When he came back, his face was beaming.
“Actor! We’ve scheduled a reshoot for ‘Dog’s Leash’ tomorrow!”
“Really?”
I couldn’t hide my joy and grinned widely.
I hesitated for a moment after laughing, but well, it was only Jin-bae hyung anyway.
“Why so suddenly?”
“The writer reviewed the footage from yesterday and suggested a slight change in direction. Your scenes remain the same.”
So what exactly had changed?
Jin-bae hyung briefly explained what he had heard over the phone.
“So, the actor playing Lee Jan-hyuk, Seol Seung-jun, will appear earlier?”
“Yes, that’s correct. After seeing the footage from yesterday, the main writer was so impressed that they decided to introduce Lee Jan-hyuk’s character at this point.”
‘Dog’s Leash’ was a drama where a teenage delinquent, Han Seung-min, was discovered by a man in his forties, Lee Jan-hyuk, and they formed a team.
The script’s planning intent was to highlight the ‘bromance’ between the two characters, so they constantly clashed and got entangled with each other.
The story was also about Han Seung-min, who had been wandering without belonging to any group, forming a sense of belonging with Lee Jan-hyuk and growing from it.
The chemistry between the main actors was crucial, and I heard that there had been months of discussion on who would play Lee Jan-hyuk.
The role was taken by Seol Seung-jun, an actor with 26 years of experience.
“You’ve watched all the works Seol Seung-jun has appeared in, haven’t you? You must be looking forward to tomorrow!”
“Yeah, well…”
Jin-bae hyung looked more excited than I was.
I couldn’t deny it, so I smiled awkwardly.
‘I didn’t expect to actually see him.’
There are many actors who are really good at acting.
And among them, Seol Seung-jun stood out as an exceptionally talented actor.
The first time I saw his acting, I was captivated and watched all of his works.
Hearing that Seol Seung-jun would appear in ‘Dog’s Leash’ made me even more eager for the role of Han Seung-min.
‘Then I might get to see him act up close tomorrow.’
Feeling more excited than I had anticipated, I took a short breath.
Just then, I got a call from Sung Lee-jun.
Is he going to talk about something trivial again?
―Yeon-jae…! Did you hear that Seol Seung-jun will be coming tomorrow?
Apparently not.
“Yeah. I heard this morning.”
―Your shoot is at 2 PM tomorrow, right? If it’s okay, could you come in the morning?
“Alright. Is something wrong?”
His voice over the phone sounded more serious than usual.
―It’s nothing major… Have you ever met Seol Seung-jun in person?
“No. This will be my first time. But I’ve watched all his works.”
―All of them? Even his debut work?
“Yes.”
Sung Lee-jun paused for a moment, then asked if I was a fan of Seol Seung-jun.
Well, am I?
I thought of the starlight I saw at fan meetings. By that standard, definitely not.
I hesitated about what to say, then just said I was looking forward to meeting him tomorrow.
―…I see.
“Hyung, it’s nothing serious, right?”
―Well… I’ll tell you tomorrow.
After hesitating for a long time, Sung Lee-jun finally hung up the phone.
* * *
The next day, Sung Lee-jun was still acting strange when I met him on set.
He stammered through his greetings and kept zoning out.
“Hyung.”
“……”
“Lee-jun hyung.”
“Oh, oh?”
What on earth was he thinking about?
Even after calling him several times, he couldn’t snap out of it, so I had to grab his hand and lightly shake it.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“No…”
I watched him avoid my gaze hesitantly.
Since he had asked me to come in the morning, I thought he had a favor to ask, but it wasn’t that either.
He just seemed restless, constantly looking around.
‘What’s going on with him?’
Although it was frustrating, I just held back, thinking of the mist. He would tell me when he was ready.
Just then.
“Actor Seol Seung-jun has arrived! Everyone, please greet him!”
“Oh~ Our star actor is here!”
There was a commotion at the entrance of the set, and Seol Seung-jun appeared in the crowd.
Despite being close to fifty, his tall stature was striking.
‘I should go greet him.’
As I slowly stood up, Sung Lee-jun urgently pulled me up with a pale face.
“Y-Yeon-jae. Hurry and go greet the senior.”
“Huh?”
“Quickly!”
Sung Lee-jun whispered and strongly pushed my back.
I rushed over, and the staff surrounding Seol Seung-jun quickly made way as if they had been waiting for me.
Everyone’s eyes turned to me as I suddenly appeared. Including Seol Seung-jun’s.
“……”
Time seemed to slow down, like in slow motion.
His face looked the same as on screen, but strangely different.
His skin tone was much redder, and his eyes were cloudy.
As he took a step closer to me, I faintly smelled alcohol.
‘No way.’
Before I could deeply consider the suspicion that arose in my mind, Seol Seung-jun spoke first.
“First time seeing your face, huh?”
A smile spread across his lips, revealing stubbly blue whiskers.
The bloodshot eyes were oddly disturbing, but I thought I’d greet him first.
As I bowed my head, I noticed the expression of a nearby staff member.
‘Fear.’
The emotion was clearly displayed.
Fear? My mind quickly processed the puzzling situation.
Already half-bowed, all I could see were the feet of the person in front of me.
Before I could think any further, my mouth moved.
As if by survival instinct.
“…Hello! Senior! I’m Lee Yeon-jae. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
Just as I was about to straighten up from a short bow, I forced my head down.
With my waist bent at a 90-degree angle, I greeted him loudly.
‘Is this right?’
It was an impulsive act prompted by a fleeting thought.
All I could see was the dirty floor of the set. The surroundings were filled with silence.
“……”
I still couldn’t grasp the situation, and my mind was in turmoil.
But my tense muscles were telling me, ‘It’s not time to lift your head yet.’
As a few more seconds of silence passed, a hearty laugh came from above.
“Haha! It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a polite young man. Lift your head! Why are you being so formal? I’m not that scary~!”
With a rough pat on the shoulder, I straightened up.
As I lifted my head, I quickly glanced at the staff without making it obvious.
Her face now showed relief instead of fear.
“What did you say your name was? Lee Young-jae?”
“It’s Lee Yeon-jae! Please feel free to speak comfortably, senior!”
“You’ve got a good personality. It’s been a while since I’ve liked a junior this much.”
My mind was working fast.
I began to piece together the puzzle pieces I had gathered.
‘So that’s how it is.’
For now, it was clear what I had to do in this situation.
I would figure out the details later, but first, I had to finish this conversation.
“I’m a huge fan of yours, senior. Just meeting you like this makes me incredibly happy, and it’s such an honor to be able to act with you on the same set!”
Imitating Noh Bi-hyuk’s easygoing smile, I raised my voice.
It was my voice, but it felt loud. I couldn’t even remember the last time I spoke at this volume.
As the distance closed, the smell of alcohol became more pronounced.
If I let my guard down, I might grimace, so I kept a bright smile on my face.
It didn’t seem like a wasted effort, as his face brightened even more.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen such a nice junior. You were my fan, huh? No wonder~! I’ll give you an autograph later.”
“Thank you!”
After some more insignificant chatter, Seol Seung-jun finally walked away.
The assistant director quickly followed him.
“You know the drill, right? He’ll be in the waiting room, so make sure no one goes in. Just knock when we’re ready to shoot.”
“Of course. We can’t disturb our star actor while he’s getting into character. I’ll stand guard at the door, so just let us know when you’re ready!”
Seol Seung-jun didn’t respond to the assistant director’s cheerful words and closed the door.
Bang!
As the waiting room door slammed shut, the tense atmosphere loosened all at once.
“…Damn it, really.”
The assistant director muttered a small curse in front of the waiting room.
I silently watched as the other staff collectively sighed.
“Yeon-jae… are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
I replied to Sung Lee-jun as I carefully loosened my throat.
The sudden loud greeting had made my throat sting.
I looked at Sung Lee-jun, who was staring at me with concern.
“Was the thing you were hesitant to talk about since yesterday related to the senior?”
“Yeah.”
Seeing his dejected face, I swallowed a sigh.
“It wasn’t that you didn’t have time to tell me. Was there a reason you couldn’t?”
“Well…”
I didn’t think he intended to make things difficult for me.
It wasn’t because he was stuttering and struggling.
He’s an actor too, so how could I believe that?
‘If that was his intention, he wouldn’t have pushed me so hard earlier.’
Even just glancing at the current atmosphere, I could guess.
What would have happened if I hadn’t greeted him ‘properly’?
If Sung Lee-jun hadn’t pushed me so forcefully, I wouldn’t have picked up on it in time.
But it would have been much better if he had told me in advance.
“I’m sorry. I really wanted to tell you…”
Sung Lee-jun’s slow speech was frustrating today, but I waited patiently.
After all, he did help me.
“Did it feel uncomfortable to talk about a senior behind their back? I would have felt awkward too. I understand.”
“No, it’s not that!”
Sung Lee-jun shook his head hastily.
“I just… didn’t want to be that kind of person.”
“What kind of person?”
“The kind of person who talks about others behind their back. Now I know that it might not be true…”
Sung Lee-jun’s pale eyes looked at me as he spoke.
“Senior might have some uncomfortable aspects, but it could be different for you. I didn’t want to speak hastily.”
“……”
“But when I saw him coming in, his steps were unsteady… It looked like he drank again today, so I immediately told you to greet him. He’s much more sensitive on the days he drinks…”
Today too? So, it’s not the first time he’s come to the set after drinking.
I was dumbfounded. I barely managed to stop myself from clicking my tongue.
I gently patted Sung Lee-jun’s shoulders, which seemed to have shrunk.
“Thanks for the help. Did you greet him properly the first time?”
“…No.”
Sung Lee-jun smiled bitterly.
Even if I were just an extra, we’d have many scenes to shoot together throughout the drama.
As my expression hardened, Sung Lee-jun waved his hand, saying it was fine.
“But he doesn’t hit me. The main PD likes me, so he knows that—”
“Hits?!”
“Y-Yeon-jae, lower your voice…”
What did I just hear? My head hurt.
I clenched my fists tightly, resisting the urge to tear at my well-styled hair.
“You mean he doesn’t hit you, but he does hit others?”
“…”
Sung Lee-jun nodded slightly.
I was so dumbfounded that I could barely breathe. This…
‘He’s completely insane.’