Chapter 33 : I’m a Living Actor (33)

Of course, it was a completely different atmosphere from the filming set of .

I was fully aware and had expected that things would be different this time.

‘But this kind of vibe is a bit unexpected.’ I had thought it wouldn’t be all that bad, or even if the shoot ended, the staff would still look down on Yuchae Min as usual.

From the script reading, it was clear that most of the staff didn’t have a good impression of casting Yuchae Min, an actor known for his bad acting.

“…….”

Honestly, I didn’t care much about that.

The perceptions of the staff and the director could be changed eventually.

If it succeeded, I would earn a lot of points; if it failed… well, that was unfortunate.

This current atmosphere was a little surprising, but I could just think of it as a part of the process where perceptions were shifting.

The real problem was the inexplicable discomfort growing inside me.

It felt like chewing gum stuck to the sole of my shoe. I soon realized the cause. At the moment I was monitoring the footage we had just filmed.

‘I could have done better.’ Why was I only able to do this much?

The acting I saw on the screen was worse than when I practiced alone. The difference was slight, but that didn’t change the fact that I failed to deliver my best during the actual shoot.

This wasn’t about whether I was satisfied with my acting or not. ‘Why?’ I swear it had never happened before.

There had been many moments when I wasn’t satisfied with my best and finest acting, but this time, the acting wasn’t even my best and finest… Even when filming , I hadn’t felt this way.

‘I’m not a rookie actor who can’t shoot properly because of nerves…’ Suddenly, a thought popped into my head, and I froze for a moment.

‘Nervous?’ Me? On the filming set? I couldn’t believe it.

Sure, I might get nervous from time to time, but once the filming started, I shouldn’t be affected by those feelings.

That’s how I had acted until now. But… why? “Bongsik is doing well, you know?”

The words pierced my ears, and I turned my head sharply. Senior Kim Eun Hye was looking at me with a proud expression.

‘Doing well?’ Her gaze, expression, and tone all made it clear that she genuinely meant it.

Senior Kim Eun Hye was sincerely happy and praising my acting.

‘To me, it’s my acting, but to them, it’s the bad actor Yuchae Min’s performance.’ If you judged by the acting Yuchae Min had done before, I had definitely improved.

Much more than when filming . “Ahem, hem!” Director Lee Seung Hun cleared his throat with a displeased face.

Senior Kim Eun Hye looked at him and winked with a smile.

“Why, director? Not so good?”

“Hmm?”

“But if it wasn’t good, you wouldn’t have given the okay sign, right~?”

Director Lee Seung Hun waved his hand in response instead of answering.

“Next, let’s move on to the next scene!”

His reaction clearly showed he was embarrassed.

Even Director Lee Seung Hun must have thought my acting wasn’t that bad.

It should have been a moment to feel pleased with the progress, but strangely, I felt empty inside.

‘No, don’t waste your energy on this.’ It was just one scene. And there was no need to nail it perfectly from the start.

My acting skills were limited, and even if these limits were completely removed… ‘This isn’t my acting. It’s Yuchae Min’s acting.’

All I had to do was do just enough to get some recognition. Just enough to complete the final quest. Then I just had to buy the resignation right.

‘Yeah. That’s all.’

I steadied myself and shook off the unnecessary discomfort.

***

The nagging discomfort I thought I could easily forget continued to follow me afterward. Every time I saw my performance falling short of my practice, the discomfort grew stronger.

And eventually, it caught me.

“Why did you, why that, that…” ‘Damn.’ I stammered my lines.

Since Jung Bongsik’s character stammered a little, I tried to make it seem like part of the act, but it was useless.

“Cut! NG!”

Director Lee Seung Hun was quicker than anyone to notice.

The atmosphere on set instantly grew cold.

Most of the staff, who had been watching my filming with strange looks as usual, sneered as if they had been waiting for this moment.

“Yuchae Min, is this a joke? Are you not going to act properly?”

Director Lee Seung Hun snapped sharply.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Is saying sorry enough? Maybe it was until now, but here’s different, huh?!”

“…….”

“I’m not expecting you to be good. I didn’t cast you because you’re a good actor. But if you can’t do well, you shouldn’t be making mistakes, right?”

That was the first NG.

The first NG I had made out of quite a few shoots so far.

“…I’m sorry. I won’t make the same mistake again.”

“Hah…! Did you hear that? He said he won’t make the same mistake again.”

A faint laugh spread among the staff at Director Lee Seung Hun’s words.

“Is that possible? Are you giving me empty promises now?”

“No, I’m sorry.”

This was a kind of venting.

Director Lee Seung Hun had never liked Yuchae Min from the start, and after casting him, he didn’t even try to hide it.

I knew he had been waiting for a moment like this.

‘It’s not the first or second time I’ve been through this.’ It had happened countless times when I was just shaking off my child actor image, still a somewhat immature actor.

Some situations had been even worse than with Director Lee Seung Hun. Honestly, he was quite mild for not swearing.

“I truly apologize for causing trouble during the shoot.”

I had to say this. Director Lee Seung Hun went on with more complaints.

It seemed endless until Senior Kim Eun Hye, who was filming with me, stepped in. When she did, Director Lee Seung Hun said to take a break and left the set.

‘…No more NGs from now on, huh.’

It was obvious, but even the slightest mistake wasn’t tolerated here.

At times like this, it was best to quietly read the script somewhere noticeable.

If I left the spot carelessly, it would only cause misunderstandings that I was running away because I was upset after being scolded.

As I was about to move to a suitable place, someone tapped my shoulder.

It was Senior Kim Eun Hye.

“Senior…?” Our eyes met, and she smiled softly.

“You’re doing well.”

“…….”

“No need to get discouraged. Got it?”

It really was okay. I was used to this kind of thing.

And I knew I hadn’t made a big mistake. I had already set a goal to minimize mistakes and shake off this damn discomfort as much as possible.

“Well…”

I cleared my throat lightly and spoke again.

“…Thank you.”

I quickly changed my words, afraid even ‘It’s okay’ might sound arrogant.

Senior Kim Eun Hye smiled as if she understood everything, then patted my back firmly.

‘…Really okay.’

I felt a bit embarrassed. I must have unnecessarily worried the senior over something trivial.

Mumbling as if to excuse myself, I hurried off.

***

Kim Eun Hye stood with her arms crossed, watching Yuchae Min’s receding figure.

Her large, deeply creased eyes held a strange light.

“Unni, what’s wrong?”

Her manager, who had been watching the situation, asked.

Kim Eun Hye shrugged and smiled faintly.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“Come on—it’s not nothing.”

The manager spoke as someone who had worked with Kim Eun Hye for a long time. Honestly, there was also a strong curiosity.

Kim Eun Hye’s behavior just now was somewhat unexpected from the manager’s perspective. Kim Eun Hye.

A dazzling high-teen star in the ‘80s, she had made a name for herself in the entertainment industry.

Now, she was considered one of the top ten actors in South Korea.

Elegant, proud, graceful—there were many words to describe Kim Eun Hye.

The public often said it was as if she was born with these qualities, but those close to her knew how hard she worked to earn them.

Having been active in the entertainment industry from a young age for a long time, she aimed to maintain a good atmosphere on set as much as possible.

Approaching juniors who found her intimidating was part of that.

However, that didn’t mean she easily opened up to everyone or was unconditionally kind. Kim Eun Hye was quite cautious and observed those around her carefully once filming started.

So, she wasn’t the type to encourage a junior just because they got scolded by the director, even if it was only the second time she had seen them since the script reading. ‘He didn’t seem that upset.’

From the manager’s perspective, it was just a common occurrence on set.

Yuchae Min seemed familiar with these situations too. Instead of answering, Kim Eun Hye looked at the manager once and simply smiled.

“Ah, why would I?”

The manager softly protested but didn’t press further. Still, the curious gaze remained.

Finding that cute, Kim Eun Hye eventually laughed, shaking her shoulders lightly.

“No, it’s just kind of interesting.”

“Interesting… what do you mean?”

It was a puzzling answer.

The manager, looking toward the direction Yuchae Min had disappeared, tilted their head.

‘He was definitely an interesting face.’

Working in the entertainment industry, I had become used to good-looking faces.

There weren’t many whose appearance made you gasp immediately.

Though Yuchae Min was famous for his looks, honestly, I had been skeptical about how impressive they really were.

However, seeing him in person on set was beyond the rumors.

The rumor that he was cast mainly because of his looks suddenly made sense.

‘Unni probably didn’t mean it like that.’

The manager waited quietly for Kim Eun Hye’s reply.

“How about you? What did you think of that guy’s acting?”

Instead of an answer, a question came back.

“Acting? Hmm…”

The manager rubbed their chin thoughtfully.

They hadn’t paid much attention to Yuchae Min’s acting. Their primary concern was always the actor they managed, Kim Eun Hye. But there were moments when their gaze inevitably drifted to Yuchae Min while acting alongside Kim Eun Hye.

“He was cute… I guess? If you’re asking about acting skills, I don’t think he’s at the level where people call him a bad actor. So, it’s unexpected?”

Kim Eun Hye smiled softly, eyes closing in a gentle smile.

“Exactly. Cute, right?”

“Yeah. Cute…”

The manager agreed without thinking but suddenly realized something.

Usually, acting is highlighted when an actor’s performance is overwhelmingly good.

Because of that, when an actor fully becomes their character, it’s often hard to tell if they’re good or not.

But just now, the manager had said Yuchae Min’s acting was cute.

At least during filming, he didn’t feel like Yuchae Min but rather like Jung Bongsik from the movie.