Chapter 10 : I am a living actor (10)

Maybe if it was just the image, I could have understood. 

It would have been a little disappointing.

However, I don’t think I would have spent the past two months with this feeling of unresolved questions, like I do now.

The people at the agency were just as disappointed as if it was their own issue, so I didn’t bring it up, but the person who found the final casting decision the hardest to accept was Seo Sangwoo—himself.

“It was Yoo Chaemin, right?”

After hearing that result, he immediately checked Yoo Chaemin’s acting.

Honestly, it was terrible. It was disappointing.

How could he be acting in the same production as this person? 

And he’s even the lead role?

That question kept swirling in his head.

The lead role had been offered to him first, which made things even more complicated.

“Well, there must be a reason for it.”

He tried to play it cool on the outside. 

When people from the agency brought it up, he even tried to stop them.

After all, he hadn’t even debuted yet, and Yoo Chaemin was more senior than him.

On the inside, he thought it was only polite to act that way towards a senior, even though he wasn’t too thrilled about it.

“But I guess we’ll never know.”

A few days before the shoot, Seo Sangwoo started to seriously think about how he should approach Yoo Chaemin, whom he would be filming with.

In fact, this had been on his mind for quite some time. 

To be precise, it had been since the script reading.

The script reading took place right after the casting was confirmed. 

It had already been over a month, but it still felt as fresh as if it was yesterday.

Seo Sangwoo recalled Yoo Chaemin from the script reading. 

When he first saw him, he was surprised by his unexpectedly strong presence.

He could understand why the industry sometimes said people like him were cast reluctantly because of their looks.

But that was about it.

Once the script reading started, Yoo Chaemin’s acting was just… mediocre.

Watching his shocking performance firsthand was harder than he had expected.

It seemed like there was a slight improvement, but it was still terrible acting.

He didn’t think his acting would improve much in just two months. 

Although, through the group chat for the drama, it seemed like he was preparing hard.

But what if he was still as terrible as Seo Sangwoo had seen? 

What should he do?

“That would be an insult to acting.”

How could someone who couldn’t act possibly become an actor?

In this day and age, that could happen, but Seo Sangwoo just couldn’t understand it.

An actor who couldn’t act wasn’t an actor, they were just a celebrity, a star. 

And to be stagnant in terms of skill for years?

“Do I really need to acknowledge such a person as my senior?”

That was an immature thought that Seo Sangwoo could have because he was good-looking and had some talent in acting.

He didn’t know that even if you worked hard, the results might not come. 

Or that you might end up in an environment where you couldn’t even put in proper effort.

“But if he really can’t act, I’d probably get angry.”

Ah, maybe I’m taking this too seriously.

Seo Sangwoo, who had unconsciously furrowed his brows, stretched his arms.

“Well… if he really can’t, I could always help him out.”

Whether or not he accepts it would be up to Yoo Chaemin’s ability.

Anyway, the most important thing was that the drama needed to succeed. 

To do that, they’d have to point out each other’s shortcomings and fix them.

“Ah~ I hope we arrive soon!”

Seo Sangwoo hummed a little tune, completely unaware of what would unfold next.

***

The school was a place he hadn’t been to in a long time, especially wearing a school uniform.

“Especially high school… it’s been so long.”

The filming was supposed to take place in two schools.

The school scenes would be filmed in a high school, and the exterior scenes in a university.

This was the high school for the first filming. 

It was located in a rural area, and recently, it had been remodeled.

Maybe that’s why, it looked more stylish than the high school he remembered.

Of course, it made sense to choose a good location for filming, but still…

“But… I guess a school is still a school.”

Long hallways, classrooms lined up in rows, classroom signs placed at regular intervals. 

There were sinks and water dispensers in one corner of the hall.

He didn’t have any particularly good memories of high school, but it still felt strange.

“This is what it’s like to tour a filming set.”

He had tried to get a bit more familiar with the location, but unexpectedly, he found himself thinking about things.

Now that he was here, it hit him that when he was alive, he didn’t even think about touring the set.

Back then, he was too focused on delivering the perfect performance for the day, and he didn’t have time for anything else.

He moved his steps again after pausing for a moment. 

He passed through a deserted hallway and entered the bustling set where staff and crew were moving around.

“Ah, Director! How are you! Do you remember me? I’m Im Seokgu from BS Entertainment!”

“Oh, yes, yes…”

“Ah…”

The first thing he saw when he arrived was his manager desperately introducing himself to Director Choi Younghwan.

The director looked visibly awkward, but his manager seemed completely oblivious.

“How does someone with such poor awareness manage entertainment work?”

His manager was always desperate to make an impression on the people in charge, but never succeeded.

He had once complained to him that he wasn’t cut out for this kind of work.

But now, he didn’t understand why he was doing it so poorly and yet had such big ambitions.

“Well, at least today, he’s distracted by handing out his business cards.”

He hoped it would stay like this and not return to the way things had been during the past two months.

Now, he had secured the lead role, not just the usual supporting male role. 

This seemed to have triggered something in his manager.

Last time, when there were no schedules, his manager had disappeared without notice. 

But now, after the casting was confirmed, he would show up uninvited and talk endlessly.

“Oh, Yoo Chaemin. You’ve gotten cocky, huh? Are you excited because you got the lead role in a drama after so long? Well, let’s see. You’ll get torn apart when it airs. People will say this and that about you after the casting announcement.”

“You should understand your place. 

You’re nothing. 

If you hadn’t been cast by me after seeing your good looks, you’d be in an even worse situation now. 

You wouldn’t even be able to pay for your grandma’s medical bills. 

Wow, imagining that… it almost makes me piss myself.”

“You should be thankful, right? So, do a better job. Don’t waste company money and handle things yourself. Just like you got this lead role.”

He had recorded all of it.

Still, his having secured the lead role was encouraging, and the company had provided additional staff for him this time.

He had even received makeup at a shop before moving.

“We’re about to start shooting now!”

A staff member’s voice echoed down the hallway. 

Since I had already come out early while checking out the set, I headed straight toward Director Choi Younghwan. 

My manager had disappeared from sight, likely off handing out business cards to others.

“Ah, Jihwa, you’re here?”

Before I could greet him, Director Choi recognized me and called out. 

His tone was noticeably warmer than before, and I almost smiled without realizing it. 

I quickly corrected myself and gave a polite bow.

“Hello, Director. Have you been well?” 

“Oh, you know, just the usual. That dye job suits you even better than I imagined.” 

“Ah, really? Thank you.” 

“Seriously, with that deep brown color, you’re a dead ringer. It’s like Jihwa from the webtoon came to life.” 

“Wow… Thank you.”

A bit of small talk—just right. 

Not bad at all. It felt like the two months of conversations we’d had about filming and acting had paid off.

Though of course, I’ll still need to show some real improvement in my acting to complete the picture.

If I show up with the same old mediocre acting, it’ll all be for nothing. 

I’ll just look flashy on the outside and be all talk.

Being diligent matters, but here, skill is everything.

“I’m looking forward to working with you today.” 

“Same here. But looks like you’re starting off with a scene with Hyuk, huh?” 

“…Haha, yeah, looks like it.”

Just then, a deep voice boomed down the hallway.

“Hello! I’m Lee Hyuk! Hyuk, here! Hello!”

Startled by the sheer volume, I flinched instinctively.

A deep, solid voice and good projection. 

I didn’t even need to see the face to know who it was.

Seo Sangwoo, the actor.

A rookie actor making his debut through Please Protect My Sub Male Lead!

He had solid fundamentals. 

I think they said he was currently attending Heukseok University’s theater department?

Heukseok University’s acting program was known as one of the top schools in the country. 

Reputable, with many graduates and students active in the industry.

He’d apparently pursued acting a bit later in life and prepped for the entrance exams on his own, which made his strong fundamentals even more impressive.

He’s tall, has strong features—handsome too.

One of those “promising” actors, as people say.

If things had gone differently, he might have been cast as the lead, Yoon Jihwa, instead of the sub-lead, Lee Hyuk.

Just then, I felt a presence confidently approaching. 

I lifted my head to find a warmly smiling face in front of me.

Seo Sangwoo gave a slight bow and held out his hand.

“Hello! It’s been a while! We’ve chatted a few times in the group chat!”

“Ah… yes! It has been a while.”

When I carefully accepted the handshake, he eagerly grabbed my hand and shook it up and down.

Ugh…

It was already exhausting.

Seo Sangwoo was, how should I put it… kind of like a puppy.

Whether it was just his natural personality or not, he’d naturally become the center of conversation during the script reading and even in the group chat.

Most of what I knew about him—despite being a debutant—was from the group chat.

Since the shooting schedule had been tight, there hadn’t been much chance for the cast to get to know each other, but he really helped lighten the mood there.

Honestly, it was impressive enough to make me admire him a bit.

Even if I were reborn and woke up in someone else’s body again, I don’t think I could do what Seo Sangwoo does.

“I’m really looking forward to today’s shoot, sunbae-nim!” “Oh, not at all. I’m the one who should be saying that.”

Warm and easygoing, I tried to speak as much like the real Yoo Chaemin as possible.

Even if I couldn’t mimic him perfectly, I had to give off a similar vibe.

If people started saying I seemed like a different person, that would be a problem…

“Yes! I’m really, really excited for today’s shoot!”

“Eh? Ah, yeah. Me too.”

It looked like he was genuinely looking forward to his first shoot.

Seeing Seo Sangwoo’s eyes curve into wide crescents, I felt a strange sensation in my chest.

It was the look of someone who truly loved acting, who truly enjoyed it—anyone could see that.