LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 44
Sim Cheong-seok, the reason I know him is somewhat similar to Pyo Ji-woo.
The accident that was widely reported in the news.
I only saw his face in a small corner of the news, so I couldn’t recall instantly.
‘Perhaps the incident happened about a year ago.’
It was an accident that occurred during the drama filming.
A falling accident.
They say it was due to tripping on set and rolling down into a valley.
At first, it was known as a simple accident, but later it was revealed that it was caused by the bullying of a senior actor.
It was forced acting when the stuntman hadn’t arrived yet.
‘Bullying by an actor, huh.’
Honestly, it’s quite an issue in many ways.
I was lucky and never really experienced such bullying during my child actor days.
However, it seems that child actors are often in a position to be bullied by other actors or staff.
‘Lucky me.’
Anyway, unlike me, Sim Cheong-seok was not fortunate.
Not sure if he disliked coming from the theater scene or felt inferior to the talent that had rapidly moved into a major OTT drama.
Thanks to that, there were talks in the National Assembly about proposing a law against bullying in the acting industry.
“……Why are you looking at me like that? No, right?”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s like you’re looking at someone who’s about to die, you know.”
Sim Cheong-seok said with a very displeased expression.
Oh, did I unintentionally give him that look?
‘But why is his tone like that?’
Is it awkward for him to use honorifics with a child like me?
If he keeps talking like that, it feels like it’s going to cause a huge disruption in our conversation.
“You can speak comfortably. It’s okay.”
“Oh, really?”
As soon as I told him to drop the formalities, he cut them off like a knife.
I mean, it doesn’t bother me, but what should I say?
‘He knows I’m his senior, right?’
He definitely wasn’t the type of junior that seniors would like.
Not that I had any intention of flaunting my seniority, though.
…Seriously.
“More importantly, what you just saw didn’t have any special intentions behind it.”
“Hmm.”
He had a sharp impression, but his tone didn’t match that.
His speech was slow, and his movements weren’t particularly quick.
Definitely a good face for suffering if bullied.
“First, if you’re ready, let’s start.”
Sim Cheong-seok seemed to have lost interest in me and said that while looking around.
Currently, the characters for this play were gathered around a table.
Script reading.
Whether for a drama or a play, script reading is the foundation of all work involving scripts.
It’s not just about spouting lines and continuing acting but also reviewing pronunciation and sentences to fit oneself.
‘In the previous drama, I just breezed over it.’
Was it because I was a child actor?
While that thought crossed my mind, I felt that everyone held their scripts in different styles.
Scripts tailored to match each individual’s style.
Just for your information, mine was just the basic one.
Since I didn’t feel the need to tweak it, I was holding exactly what was given at first.
“Seo-yeon, it’s your first time reading a theater script, right?”
“Yes.”
As I was quietly examining the script, Lee Hye-jin, who plays Song Min-seo, spoke cautiously.
“The first reading usually takes quite a while. It might go late, but is that okay?”
“Yeah, I told my family in advance.”
And even if it wasn’t okay, it’s something I had to do.
Since I was late here, if I were to leave, my role would undoubtedly go with me.
“Then, as mentioned, let’s start with Seo-yeon and Cheong-seok first.”
I wondered why it was just us two, but thinking about it, it was only natural.
The other two actors had already established a rhythm during the premiere.
Since all the actors for our parts had been replaced, this was practically the real ‘first’ reading just for us.
‘But shouldn’t it have been Lee Hye-jin, who plays Song Min-seo, starting first?’
That thought crossed my mind, but I figured they probably wanted to confirm something.
I opened the script without any further thought.
It was the opening part of Act 2, where Baesung-hak meets Hong Jeong-hee for the first time.
*
“Then let’s begin.”
At Sim Cheong-seok’s words, everyone’s gaze fell on the two of us.
Sim Cheong-seok and Joo Seo-yeon.
Probably the two who would attract the most attention during this script reading.
‘A rising star of the theater company and a genius child actor.’
Both of them definitely had distinct characters.
Kim Cheong-woon glanced at Sim Cheong-seok.
To be honest, when Jo Do-yul recommended him, I thought, was he out of his mind?
He undoubtedly had talent, but he was like a wild horse.
A strong-willed actor with a clear natural color.
For Seo-yeon, who was doing this theater for the first time, he was quite an overwhelming figure.
Especially in script readings like this, if Seo-yeon couldn’t keep up with the rhythm, the one who would point it out repeatedly would be Sim Cheong-seok.
Indeed, among actors, there were those who avoided him precisely because of his personality.
“Ah! It’s Hong Jeong-hee. Nice to meet you. You’re a familiar face since you attend every performance, right?”
That was the first line exchanged between Baesung-hak and Hong Jeong-hee in the play.
As his sharp impression vanished, only the fresh-looking handsome guy remained.
Even without any facial expressions, his vocalization felt distinct.
“Ah, hello. I’m, um, Hong Jeong-hee.”
Seo-yeon too, wasn’t backing down.
As if showing how she beat Pyo Ji-woo in the audition, even with just voice acting, strong emotions were felt.
Her vocalization was of excellent level.
A brief gasp of admiration escaped the others’ mouths.
“Hmm.”
However, Sim Cheong-seok frowned disapprovingly.
“Isn’t she stuttering too much?”
It sounded like a sharp remark, almost like a jab.
For a simple actor, it would be dishearteningly cold.
Of course, that wasn’t his intention.
Just his tone was like that, it was a pure question.
“If she were good at speaking, she wouldn’t chatter to Song Min-seo like that.”
“This is different.”
“No, it’s correct. The script says ‘they speak while making eye contact’, but I think it’s better to avoid eye contact and tremble instead during this part.”
Yet Seo-yeon didn’t say a word back.
She had strong opinions on her character interpretation.
As a child actor, she had even repaired the script on her own, she was serious about character interpretation.
Even if… the reason was rather trivial.
Anyway, in response to Sim Cheong-seok’s criticism, Seo-yeon decided to do the same.
“Your acting is too refreshing.”
“……”
“It doesn’t quite match the character.”
At those words, Sim Cheong-seok’s eyebrows twitched.
Perhaps he didn’t expect to be critiqued on his acting.
“You need to keep this tone for the audience to understand well. You might not know well since you’re inexperienced.”
Oh, experience.
Seo-yeon maintained her expressionless face but slightly twisted her lips.
“Experience? When was your debut date, Mr. Sim Cheong-seok?”
“……Debut date?”
“Just so you know, mine was ten years ago.”
“…….”
“Who’s lacking experience here?”
It was not accepted that he might have taken a break or that it was his first time in theater.
That meant nothing to her.
‘My acting career is ten years.’
Seo-yeon puffed out her chest proudly.
“Let’s continue.”
“……Okay.”
His eyes narrowed as he glanced at Seo-yeon for a moment.
As if to say, ‘let’s see how well you can do.’
And that was what Seo-yeon wanted as well.
From then on, the script reading became quite intense.
Unlike before, it wasn’t a half-joking power struggle.
They discussed scene by scene, revising the script and moving forward.
In general, a script reading time takes two to three times the length of the play.
So typically, it’s around three to five hours long.
However, the time it ended was at twelve in the evening.
A whopping eight hours had passed.
“……I’m really sorry for being too heated.”
“No, no. You don’t need to worry about it, Seo-yeon.”
Naturally, the script reading wasn’t just between Seo-yeon and Sim Cheong-seok.
It took this long because of the other actors as well.
Of course, Seo-yeon and Sim Cheong-seok did take up the most time.
‘That kid is really something.’
Kim Cheong-woon thought as he discreetly observed Seo-yeon, being inwardly impressed.
Even though it was her first script reading, she seemed quite familiar.
No, she must have done something like this when filming dramas, so perhaps we should limit it to ‘theater.’
‘This is definitely something the production crew should pay attention to.’
In fact, even if Seo-yeon’s acting was slightly less than Pyo Ji-woo’s, she would still be cast.
The child actor from The Moon That Hid the Sun.
If her comeback after ten years was through theater, that would be some excellent PR.
The title of ‘comeback work’ is a premium that can only be held once.
Even though it’s theater and wouldn’t have the reach of a broadcast, compared to other plays, it’s like a tiger with wings.
‘And she certainly didn’t fall behind Sim Cheong-seok in the slightest.’
I was already looking forward to their full-scale performances.
Sim Cheong-seok was also an immensely talented actor.
*
There’s a variety show called [Looking Back at the Past!]
It re-enacts popular shows or dramas from the past.
It’s typically aimed at teenagers who are unfamiliar with that ‘past.’
There were times when they visited schools to recreate memorable scenes from old dramas.
There was even a case where students directly performed long-popular variety shows.
“In the past, it was a variety show segment; so this time, shall we do a drama? Or maybe both?”
“……”
“Why so quiet?”
Jung Min-jae, the PD in charge of the variety show, spoke to the rookie PD Park Jung-woo.
“I was just wondering how much time we have left until the end of the season.”
“……Uh.”
The previous ratings were around six percent.
Basically hanging by a thread.
If the ratings slip even a bit more, it would be curtains for them.
Living long would probably only last until this season.
“It was said that viewer-participation variety shows were popular…”
“Seems like it’s because the audience is students.”
“Ugh.”
Jung Min-jae exhaled a sigh.
Originally, the plan was to recreate past popular variety shows or dramas.
Thinking that showing it through the witty and vibrant displays of students would be entertaining.
When they tried it as a test run, the responses were good.
But what was the reality?
A mere six percent rating.
‘Well, it would be practically impossible to recreate it properly.’
If they at least had a theater club in a high school, it would be okay.
If they had none, it would literally be a festival of bad acting spanning twenty minutes.
But even that might be funny enough to maintain a six percent rating.
“Let’s get a guest.”
“A guest?”
“Having an actor present during the acting would probably spur some enthusiasm in the kids, right? And acting might become a bit more enjoyable too?”
For something said in a huff, it wasn’t a bad idea.
Using someone from the drama we’re recreating as a guest would fit quite nicely.
Jung Min-jae’s thoughts were quick.
“Actually, we should determine the actor before deciding on the drama, right? Do you know of any good actors that can appear on our show?”
“I do.”
At that moment, a staff member raised their hand.
It was a staff member who typically ate alone while everyone else ordered stir-fried pork for lunch.
“Hmmm, if you know, who…?”
“Park Jung-woo.”
“Excuse me?”
Jung Min-jae was momentarily stunned by the response from the rice soup staff.
Who did he just say?
“My dad’s friend’s son worked with Park Jung-woo before. So that’s how I found out.”
“Is this a person you can actually get in touch with? Just some acquaintance?”
“Yes, indeed. I was exchanging messages with him just the other day.”
As he said this, he showed the actual chat he had with Park Jung-woo.
‘Oh my gosh. Is this really happening?’
Park Jung-woo was currently one of the hottest actors.
He was twenty years old.
Having stepped out from under his father’s shadow, he was proudly independent.
That handsome face had garnered numerous older sister fans.
“Park Jung-woo, Park Jung-woo… If we can get him, then it sets the drama.”
“The drama that Park Jung-woo starred in that became a hit was ‘The Moon That Hid the Sun’, right?”
The visuals were perfect.
If this works, it might just be a lifesaving opportunity for the program.
“Does the school we’re visiting have a theater club?”
“Ah, yes. It’s quite famous too.”
“Perfect.”
Jung Min-jae beamed as he searched on his smartphone for the high school they were going to visit.
Yeonhwa High School.
The very high school where Seo-yeon and Lee Ji-yeon were currently enrolled.