Chapter 31 : Heart-pounding action film (4)

Child
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

“…Cut!”

The final shoot of <HeroHeart>.

Hye-won collapsed onto the floor, completely drained after finishing the last scene.

This shoot was truly hell for Hye-won.

It wasn’t just the tight schedule—it was the demanding action scenes that made it unbearable.

It wasn’t her first time doing action. In fact, she was quite experienced.

However, to meet the heightened standards due to Siyeon, Hye-won had to train like crazy even during the filming period.

“Whew. Okay. Good work, everyone.”

Clap clap clap clap clap.

Director Bong Joon-young’s OK sign marked the end.

The entire crew clapped in unison, signaling the conclusion of everything.

Even though he gave the OK sign, Bong Joon-young’s expression still showed dissatisfaction.

It was a look that said, “This is the best we can do.”

After all, Hye-won couldn’t completely match Siyeon. This was the best they could achieve.

Hye-won avoided Bong Joon-young’s gaze as she stepped off-camera to rest.

Throughout the shoot, the atmosphere between the two was tense.

Objectively, Hye-won’s action performance wasn’t bad. Her acting was perfect, too.

She just couldn’t measure up to Siyeon.

After countless NG signs, their relationship grew awkward.

“You did great, noona.”

“Ha… That was such a grueling shoot. I’m never doing a project with Siyeon again.”

Hye-won had known about Siyeon’s talent since long ago.

After all, she had been watching her since Siyeon was a kindergartener.

But she never imagined it would be this overwhelming.

For most good actors, you’d usually want to work on the same project with them.

But in Siyeon’s case, her skill was so overwhelming that the idea of working together became undesirable.

It felt as though her own performance might be overshadowed by Siyeon’s brilliance, a fear that even stirred anxiety within her.

“Thank goodness there weren’t any scenes where we were captured in the same frame… Haaaa…”

Hye-won gulped down her coffee.

If they had shared the same frame, the skill difference would have been glaringly obvious.

Apparently, even the actors filming the last episodes of <The Heirs> were feeling similar.

In their effort to not be consumed by Siyeon’s acting, those elite graduates of prestigious performing arts schools were practicing to the point of bleeding.

And, of course, the scariest thing about Siyeon was her age.

The fact that a mere 14-year-old child could deliver such acting.

The sense of being devoured by it felt like standing before a massive beast.

But what was even more surprising was that Siyeon’s acting wasn’t raw.

Typically, talented actors display a rough, raw energy in their early performances.

Only after that talent meets experience does it become the refined brilliance of a true genius.

But Siyeon had no such rawness.

Her acting was “complete” from the very beginning.

It’s when talent and effort come together that a genius is born.

And Siyeon had already reached the realm of genius.

Her action scenes, especially, were extraordinary—probably due to her background as a martial arts prodigy.

“I’ll head out now~ Good work, everyone.”

Being the last day of filming, there would likely be a simple wrap party.

However, Hye-won quickly left the set.

She simply didn’t have the energy for it today.

There would be proper celebrations later during the press screening or premiere.

She would meet Siyeon again then.

“Chaeyoung~ Are you home?”

Tap tap tap…

When Hye-won returned home, Chaeyoung was sitting in front of the computer, not having gone out.

Chaeyoung had grown even more downhearted after hearing that the actor cast in her place was Siyeon.

“You’ve been on the internet again? I told you to stop.”

“But…”

Chaeyoung had been following updates on Siyeon’s work in <The Heirs>.

The show was enjoying top ratings and unprecedented popularity.

Siyeon, in particular, was receiving rave reactions, with some even suggesting the main character should end up with riel instead.

“Did Siyeon do well in the movie? She’ll probably get even more popular when it comes out, right?”

“……”

Hearing about Siyeon’s involvement in <HeroHeart> had left Chaeyoung in this state.

She was troubled by the fact that she hadn’t seized the opportunity, while her best friend was becoming famous.

It was a natural human emotion. Hye-won didn’t plan to scold her daughter.

Especially since Chaeyoung was at an age where emotions were so sensitive.

Her best friend had taken the opportunity that was right in front of her, and now that friend was shining brilliantly.

It was difficult to hide her jealousy and regret while offering congratulations.

Purely celebrating someone else’s happiness and sharing in it isn’t easy.

Sometimes, it’s harder when it’s someone close to you.

Even more so when that person has something you almost had.

The internal conflict between wanting to celebrate a friend and feeling the pain of jealousy and loss caused deep anguish.

The bigger the success of this movie, the more painful it would be for Chaeyoung.

“Siyeon has always been into martial arts and stuff. It’s no wonder she’s good at action. It’s okay, sweetie. Once your leg recovers, we’ll look for another role.”

“Yeah… Ugh… Haa…”

Maybe I should order some chicken.

It was Chaeyoung’s favorite food and might help improve her mood.

Plus, after the grueling shoot, Hye-won herself was craving it, too.

[Title: Honestly, Kim Tak and Cha Eun-seo don’t really match.]

Honestly, shouldn’t Uriel and Kim Tak end up together? Uriel feels more like the main character.

Likes: 16 Dislikes: 7

ᄂUriel was getting criticized when bullying Cha Eun-seo, but now everyone is rooting for her when Kim Tak rejects her. This is insane.

ᄂKim Siyeon’s acting is on another level. She’s playing a villain, but when she acts out the heartbreak of losing her fiancé, it’s so moving.

ᄂWhy didn’t they just cast Siyeon as the main character from the start? This is so confusing.

ᄂBiggest mistake of writer Kang Eung-sook’s career.

ᄂBut we don’t know yet. riel’s backstory came out last episode, and her screen time is increasing. They might end up together in the end.

ᄂExactly. That’s why I’ve switched to Team riel.

ᄂActually, the person Kim Tak marries in the future is Uriel.

ᄂNo way. They’ve been setting it up as Cha Eun-seo all along.

[Title: Only three weeks left until the finale of The Heirs.]
[Title: Siyeon gallery created LOL.]
[Title: The Heirs’ Kim Siyeon…………]

“Hmmm…”

Kang Eung-sook took off her glasses after browsing various communities, viewer boards, and portal site articles for a long time.

Her eyes hurt from staring at the screen too long.

She ran her hands over her face and leaned back against the chair.

Kang Eung-sook was currently deep in thought.

She was a writer who usually didn’t pay much attention to viewer reactions.

However, for some reason, she kept checking the reactions of viewers and those around her for this particular work.

Initially, she didn’t care much, as usual.

But as time went on, she grew increasingly curious.

This curiosity ultimately meant one thing:

As the filming progressed and episodes aired, dissatisfaction with the drama began to arise.

And Kang Eung-sook knew exactly why.

“The last episodes will be wrapped up soon.”

It was because of Kim Siyeon, who played the role of Uriel.

Her flawless performance kept shaking Kang Eung-sook’s convictions.

The more Kang Eung-sook monitored the drama, the more her eyes were drawn only to Uriel.

It was no surprise that viewers were saying things like, “Isn’t the real protagonist actually Siyeon?”

Even Kang Eung-sook couldn’t help but gradually increase Uriel’s screen time.

And now, she was even toying with the crazy idea of changing the ending to pair Uriel with the male lead, Kim Tak.

“…Should I just go for it?”

The final episode hadn’t been filmed yet.

If she made edits to the script right now and sent it over, the ending could still be changed.

But could she handle the fallout from doing so?

Dropping the actor who was chosen as the main lead?

Suddenly shifting gears to make a 14-year-old child the protagonist in her very first project?

Viewers might be split in their reactions, but the filming crew and actors would surely have major complaints.

Everyone was raising their profiles through this drama. If she poured cold water over all of that, even Kang Eung-sook would face backlash.

Logically—or rather, obviously—this idea made no sense. And yet…!

“Ah, oh no…!”

Her hands—her hands were moving on their own!

Before she knew it, Kang Eung-sook had opened the final episode script file and was typing on her keyboard.

She couldn’t stop herself.

The inspiration that had built up from Siyeon’s acting was bursting out of her.

Her hands moved on their own, rewriting the Uriel-centered ending she had secretly been envisioning all along.

She couldn’t stop it.

Wanting to write a better story was like a destiny for writers.

The script was being rewritten…!!

“Ah… haah… ah…!”

In less than an hour, the final script had been completely revised.

This was proof of how much she had been thinking about this storyline.

Still, nothing was irreversible yet.

Even though she had written it, the filming would proceed with the original script unless she sent the revised version to the director.

But she wanted to send it!

She wanted to see a story where riel was the main character!

That desire surged within her, and Kang Eung-sook could no longer hold back.

“…If that’s the case,”

But she managed to regain her composure just in time.

Such a sudden script change was a monumental decision.

It seemed better to consult with the director first.

“Actually, I’ve been hearing a lot of similar reactions from people around me. They want Uriel to end up with Kim Tak. But…”

“Then Siha would probably struggle with it, right?”

“But I think Siha would understand. She has a good personality and is quite close to Siyeon. Plus, she’s already acknowledged Siyeon’s talent.”

“Hmm…”

The director seemed receptive to the idea.

This meant the production team’s thoughts aligned with those of the writer.

“…Let’s do it.”

“What?”

“Our job is to create a good drama, isn’t it? I think this script revision is a good idea.”

“…Really?”

It’s not like there hasn’t been precedent for this in history.

And the revised script wasn’t completely dismissive of the original protagonist, either.

“Send me the file. I’ll distribute the script.”

“…Understood.”

In the end, the decision was made by the main director, Kang Shin-yul.

Kang Eung-sook sent over the revised script.

“I’m going for it…!”

Well, script revisions weren’t exactly a rare occurrence.

Surely, the actors would understand. After all, that was part of their job.

That’s what Kang Eung-sook told herself as she let go of her worries.

Now, all she had to do was wait for the revised final episode to air.

A few days later, Siyeon called.