Chapter 22 : Breaking Through the Floor: Low Kick (2)

“Yaaaaaah! Let go, you bastards!”

A mysterious troublemaker being dragged away by the staff.

“…Is that person Director Kim Byung-soo?”

Jung Soo-jin, who had just filmed a scene with her, muttered next to Siyeon.

“Do you know him?”

“Yeah, yeah. He directed Unstoppable Low Kick before. I once appeared in a sitcom that he directed. He’s a great director, in many ways. I heard he’s working on a sequel now, Through the Floor Low Kick…”

“…Why is someone like him being dragged away like that?”

Siyeon knew about the Low Kick series.

It was a sitcom that aired on weekdays in the evening, and Siyeon often watched it with her father.

If you’re just looking for pure entertainment, nothing could beat it.

‘It seemed like he was running towards me.’

For some reason, it felt like he was heading straight for her, but he didn’t seem like a dangerous person, so Siyeon ignored it and took a break.

On the other hand, Kim Byung-soo resisted and stayed on set until the end.

“Director!”

It was none other than Yuna who approached Kim Byung-soo.

Kim Byung-soo’s previous work, Unstoppable Low Kick, was the one that made Yuna known.

Naturally, Yuna was close to Kim Byung-soo.

“He’s the director of the Low Kick series. I’ll talk to him.”

Yuna’s intervention caused the staff to release Kim Byung-soo.

“Director, what brings you here? I thought you were filming Through the Floor Low Kick right now?”

“Ah, Yuna-ssi! You’re in this drama too. Actually, the thing is…”

Kim Byung-soo explained his situation to Yuna.

After hearing his story, Yuna chuckled.

Even if a cameo had canceled, crashing another network’s set was too much.

Well, this kind of personality is probably why he ended up in cable television.

“By the way, could you talk to them for me, Yuna-ssi? It’s urgent. I don’t even know which agency they’re from because it’s my first time seeing their face.”

“Who are you talking about?”

Kim Byung-soo had seen an actress while passing by and stopped.

Yuna looked around at the actresses on set.

There was Jung Soo-jin, an idol-turned-actress, Park Siha, the female lead, and Siyeon.

“Could it be…?”

“That actress over there. She looks sharp.”

Kim Byung-soo pointed his finger at Siyeon.

Yuna couldn’t continue the conversation.

If it had been any other actress, she could’ve at least spoken up, but Siyeon…

The atmosphere between Yuna and Siyeon had been tense ever since the final reading.

Naturally, there was no way she could ask such a favor.

“Yuna-ssi, could you just talk to her for a moment? Just a quick chat, or maybe a phone number?”

“That… that’s…”

Normally, such a request would be easy for an actress to grant, but Yuna and Siyeon were in the middle of a cold war.

As a senior actress, Yuna couldn’t explain to Kim Byung-soo what had happened with Siyeon.

Right now, Yuna’s image was that of a senior actress who had harassed a junior by taking her role.

She couldn’t risk revealing such facts to another network’s director and tarnish her reputation.

But she also couldn’t find a valid reason to refuse.

“She seems to be on a break now. Yuna-ssi, just once! Please!”

Kim Byung-soo had done her a favor.

It would be hard to ignore his request.

“Okay, okay. I’ll call her over.”

Yuna squeezed her eyes shut and replied.

“Right, I just need to call her over.”

Yuna calmed her nerves and approached Siyeon.

“Si-Siyeon? There’s someone looking for you.”

When Yuna spoke to Siyeon, Park Siha, who was standing next to her, glared at her.

Yuna felt wronged.

“Yes, I’ll go.”

Siyeon avoided Yuna’s gaze and walked towards Director Kim Byung-soo.

It was her turn to shoot, so Yuna went into the filming area.

“Ah, ah! Siyeon-ssi? I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Ah, yes. I heard you’re the director of the Low Kick series.”

“Ah, you know that. Actually, I wanted to ask you for a cameo.”

Siyeon thought, “Is this how casting works?”

Seeing him dragged out earlier, it seemed abnormal.

Jung Soo-jin, who had followed behind, spoke up.

“Director Kim can be a bit reckless. I was suddenly cast in his previous work too.”

“Ah… I see.”

“We need a young and pretty cameo, and when we saw your appearance, we thought, ‘This is it!’ Would you consider joining us?”

“By ‘joining,’ are you referring to Through the Floor Low Kick?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

Kim Byung-soo looked at Siyeon with an intense gaze.

Siyeon thought for a moment before answering.

“Alright.”

Although she was a little hesitant, she knew her parents loved the Low Kick series, so appearing wouldn’t be a bad idea.

And more than anything, sitcoms aired soon after filming, so it wouldn’t take long for her to be on TV.

The Heirs aired in the fourth quarter.

Siyeon wanted to understand how being known as an actress would affect her.

That way, she could plan her future life in the entertainment industry.

“Really? I didn’t expect such a quick acceptance… Of course, I’m fine with it. But do you need to consult with your agency?”

“I don’t have an agency, so it doesn’t matter. But I’m in middle school, is that okay?”

“Middle school?”

“Siyeon is quite mature for her age.”

Kim Byung-soo hesitated for a moment but then made up his mind and spoke up.

Now wasn’t the time to be picky.

He had seen her talent earlier, so it seemed fine.

“That’s fine. Please, I’m counting on you!”

“Yes. I’ll appear.”

“It’ll be a great experience, Siyeon. Do well.”

“Yes.”

Siyeon nodded, receiving encouragement from Jung Soo-jin.

Acting itself wasn’t difficult; she just needed to skip school.

“But what role will the cameo be?”

Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t asked about the role before accepting.

Siyeon assumed it would be something comedic, as Through the Floor Low Kick was a sitcom focusing on comedy.

Nothing seemed to be an issue.

“Ah… about the role…”

Kim Byung-soo, who had been laughing heartily until now, suddenly looked uneasy.

Siyeon started to feel anxious.

“You can speak freely.”

“Well, the role is… a cunning fox who uses her looks to manipulate men and tries to take advantage of the main character, but gets caught by the female lead…”

“It’s a role where you get beaten up and chased out.”

“…What?”

“That’s right, a cunning fox who uses her looks to manipulate men, tries to take advantage of the male lead, but gets caught by the female lead and… gets beaten up and chased out.”

“…Gets beaten up and chased out?”

Siyeon felt a slight regret.

“Ugh, I’m so tired…”

“Yeah. But still, you somehow got a cameo.”

“Yes. But I heard you’re a minor?”

“A minor? Ugh… what’s the big deal, it’s not like it’s been one or two days. As long as you’re not a child actor.”

“I’m not a child actor, but I heard you’re 14?”

“…What? At that age, aren’t you almost a child actor? That’s a bit…”

At the set of Through the Floor Low Kick.

Due to the rushed schedule, the staff was preparing for the shoot overnight.

After finishing the previous episode’s filming, they were jumping straight into the next shoot.

“Alright, after this episode, we’ll have some free time, so let’s hang in there!”

Amidst it all, the voice of Director Kim Byung-soo, full of energy.

The staff shouted weakly, “Fighting!” and picked up the pace.

Despite being a sitcom on cable, the results were encouraging.

Thanks to that, their salaries had increased, and they received bonuses, so the staff did their best.

“Hello, hello.”

Then, the cameo actor for the day arrived.

It was a newcomer, Kim Siyeon, a middle school student.

“Wow, wow…?”

“How does someone look like that…”

“It feels like all the tiredness is melting away…”

“She’s a middle schooler? I want to go to middle school…”

As soon as Siyeon entered, the atmosphere on set completely changed.

Although it was early in the morning for filming, Siyeon’s face radiated.

Even without makeup, her skin glowed.

With a slender, graceful figure and elegant footsteps, she didn’t seem like a middle schooler at all.

“Hello, senior. I look forward to working with you.”

“Ah, ah… Yes. I look forward to working with you.”

The actor playing the male lead who gets tricked by Siyeon in this episode, Jihoo.

Half-asleep, Jihoo’s eyes snapped open.

Not only was she pretty for a middle schooler, but she had an unreal beauty.

And for some reason, she was wearing Chanel clothes, which were expensive for a middle schooler.

Yet, it looked completely natural on her.

“Ah, I just finished my previous shoot.”

“Ah, I heard you’re appearing in a drama by Writer Kang Eung-sook.”

A drama about the children of wealthy families in high school.

She was probably wearing luxury brands because of that role.

‘But did she just wear her shooting outfit here?’

Jihoo couldn’t imagine that Chanel was a sponsor.

“You can look at the script in between, so don’t be too nervous. Since it’s a sitcom, other actors also enter without memorizing their scripts, like you, Siyeon-ssi. There’s a lot of ad-libs.”

“Yes. I memorized the script.”

“…You memorized it? I only gave it to you yesterday.”

“Yes.”

Siyeon had probably filmed all day, but she had memorized it.

And it wasn’t like she had only a small part.

They were shooting all of Siyeon’s scenes today, spread over four episodes.

It was impossible to memorize that much in one day.

‘Well, it’ll be fine.’

Whether she had memorized it or not, it wasn’t crucial for a sitcom.

What mattered was quickly pulling out the fun scenes.

In the whirlwind of daily shoots, the Through the Floor Low Kick team had been working in a trance, getting everything done.

And the shoot began in a flash.

Siyeon was a bit surprised during the filming. The atmosphere was more cheerful than she had expected.

It seemed to be Director Kim Byung-soo’s influence.

“Alright, this is the last scene.”

Filming was completed by the next evening.

If measured by time, it took about a full day.

“Siyeon, are you okay? You must be tired since you started yesterday.”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Before the last shoot, Jihoo expressed concern for Siyeon.

Since all of Siyeon’s scenes were shot in one go, she hadn’t had a chance to rest and had been filming for hours.

Of course, Siyeon wasn’t tired at all.

In fact, it was the staff and actors who were worried about her that seemed strange to her.

‘I used to endure for a whole month without eating or sleeping, all for a mission.’

Now they were making a big fuss over one day.

“Alright, this one really should be done in one take. If there’s an NG, we’ll have to wipe all the kimchi off and start again.”

“It’s the last one! Let’s do it, Siyeon-ssi!”

The last scene was where Siyeon gets slapped with kimchi.

Siyeon, the cunning fox, is caught by Jeonghye, who was making kimchi, and gets slapped with a kimchi-filled hand.

Jeonghye, as the female lead, was supposed to be romantically involved with Jihoo.

‘But who came up with this scene?’

Who would slap someone with kimchi?

But considering Through the Floor Low Kick was such a mess, Siyeon just accepted it.

“Thank you, senior.”

“No, I should be thanking you. It’s better to finish this in one go, so be mentally prepared.”

“Yes. I don’t mind, so hit me with all you’ve got. Really.”

It’s not easy to slap someone in the face with kimchi.

Jeonghye, playing the opposite role, found it just as difficult. However, she had to summon all her hatred for Siyeon to make the scene believable.

Filled with genuine anger, Jeonghye was ready to slap Siyeon with kimchi.

“Alright, cue!”

The acting begins.

Siyeon comes out of Jihoo’s room with a pleasant expression.

In Siyeon’s pocket is an envelope of money she took from Jihoo.

“Jeonghye-ssi, are you making kimchi? It looks delicious.”

Siyeon, knowing that Jeonghye liked Jihoo, teases her and taps her on the shoulder.

Jeonghye, who had been making kimchi, shakes slightly.

“Well, I’ll be going now. Oh, and Jihoo… he’s… like that. Good luck?”

Siyeon reveals her true nature.

She mocks Jeonghye.

“Wait a moment, Siyeon-ssi.”

Jeonghye, who had been kneading the kimchi, calls out to Siyeon.

“…Yes?”

“Why don’t you taste the kimchi before you go?”

“Oh, haha. Alright.”

Jeonghye, trying to hide her emotions, picks up a cabbage soaked in seasoning.

Siyeon approaches, looking at Jeonghye as if she’s laughing at her.

“But Siyeon-ssi, I heard you visit the court often.”

“…Yes?”

“I guess you’ve scammed a lot of people, huh?”

“What’s it to you…”

“Seems like you’ve always gotten away with it so far,”

Jeonghye, now holding a cabbage full of kimchi, lifts her head.

With trembling eyes, she glares at Siyeon.

“This time, you’re going to jail, you sly fox!”

Whoo- bang-!

“Uwoooaaargh?!”

Siyeon collapses on the floor after being hit with the kimchi.

As she tries to remove the kimchi from her head, the seasoning stains her clothes.

“Aaaahhhh! My eyes! The salted shrimp went in my eyes!”

“What… what’s happening?!”

Siyeon, performing with all her might, struggles on the floor, unable to see due to the seasoning in her eyes.

The more she struggled, the more satisfying it was for the audience to watch as the scammer Siyeon received her comeuppance.

Then Jihoo rushed in.

“What’s going on? What are you doing, Jeonghye-ssi?!”

“Jihoo-ssi, look at this. This person, she’s a scammer!”

Jeonghye presents the prepared evidence to Jihoo.

It showed photos of Siyeon with other men, along with a criminal record.

“What is this… Siyeon-ssi, is this who you really are?”

“Wait, wait, Jihoo-ssi, that’s not what happened…”

Siyeon, with swollen eyes, gets up.

Jihoo, with a look of despair, shouts.

“Get out, you scammer!”

“Okay! Cut!”

“Are you okay? Siyeon, are you alright?”

As soon as the “OK” sign was given, people rushed to Siyeon.

“I’m fine. Did it turn out well, Director?”

“Perfect! What a great performance!”

“Phew… Thank goodness. I’ll go wash up.”

The shoot was smoothly wrapped up.

Siyeon, covered in kimchi, left the set, looking like a photo spread.

Two weeks later, the episode featuring Siyeon’s cameo aired.