I Will Live As An Actor

Chapter 105

“Let’s take a ten-minute break!”

PD Yoo Myung-han stood up from his seat. It was rare to have a break time like this from the first shoot. 

The atmosphere of the staff also became uneasy.

The mood of the remaining shooting depended on how the first scene went. 

AD Kim Young-min also came with a worried look on his face. 

PD Yoo Myung-han narrowed his eyes and asked him, “Did you go to a photo studio or something? Why are you so gloomy? Cheer up, the actors are much more sensitive than we think. If the directors are like that too, it will show in their acting. Learn from the cinematographer. He’s still smiling in this situation. That’s the experience that comes from years of work.”

“Well, the cinematographer is naturally a good-natured person.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve never seen Kim sunbae get angry. He’s a ruthless person when he loses his temper. He’s still like that, joking around with the assistant directors. Do you think he’s shooting the same scene ten times?”

AD Kim Young-min finally noticed the atmosphere of the shooting site. 

The faces of the other staff may be full of worry, but only two people. 

PD Yoo Myung-han and cinematographer Kim Deuk-yoong had no trace of anxiety on their faces. 

And Actor Park Sang-cheol, who caused this whole incident, was sitting with a dejected expression.

“Sunbae, is Actor Park okay?”

“He’s not okay. I tried to fix the unnaturalness on the screen by giving him acting directions, but he didn’t listen. And this is Actor Park’s first drama shooting. Of course he’s under pressure, and he’s made so many NGs, so his mental burden must have doubled.”

“Should I go and comfort him now?”

“Don’t do that, it will only backfire if the directors go and say something to him. He must have scratched his pride already.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Don’t worry, the relief pitcher will be on the mound soon.”

Relief pitcher?

What did that mean?

Soon enough, as PD Yoo Myung-han said, someone approached Actor Park Sang-cheol, who was sitting alone. 

It was none other than Actor Jang Young-guk.

PD Yoo Myung-han smiled faintly as he watched him. 

He was like that years ago. 

A person who always showed unbelievable miracles on the shooting site. 

He was like that when he had to stop shooting because of the merchants’ pressure at Jagalchi Market.

-Come on, be generous! Since when have Busan people been so stingy?

He still remembered the voice of the young boy with a grape-sized voice. 

PD Yoo Myung-han and Cinematographer Kim Deuk-yoong felt a strange relief because of Young-guk’s presence. 

Somehow, they felt like things would work out if Young-guk stepped in.

“Park sunbae.”

Actors who had been on the stage always made mistakes. I myself was like that in my past life. 

When they acted in front of a close audience, they were always confident and exaggerated. 

They had to make their acting clear to the distant audience, so they didn’t realize how exaggerated they were.

This was not something that could be fixed overnight. 

Especially if the other person had been active on the stage for more than ten years, the chances are high that it was engraved deep in their bones. 

I snatched the script that Park Sang-cheol was reading.

“What are you doing!”

It was a situation that could be seen as rude. But I knew that I had no other choice. 

I thought of the past when I couldn’t adapt to the drama scene and used my last resort.

***

“Cut!”

As if to announce that the shooting was over, PD Yoo Myung-han’s face was full of smiles. 

The other staff were the same. 

They only had a short break time, but the shooting that followed was so smooth that it could be called non-stop.

“Director Yoo, we have a dinner tonight, right? Let’s drink until our noses are crooked for the first time in a long time!”

“Kim sunbae, why do you always emphasize that it’s been a long time when you drink like that every time? Please restrain yourself today. We have a shooting tomorrow, and it’s the first day of the lead actor. What if you shake your hand holding the camera after drinking?”

“What did you say? Director Yoo, that’s too much. I’m not old enough to have a stroke. Right, Young-guk?”

Actor Park Sang-cheol admired the young actor who was joking with the director. 

He had planned to review the script again during the short break. But then a hand snatched the script book from him.

-Sunbae, why are you so arrogant?

He was angry at first.

What?

He had made a name for himself in the drama scene, but did he have to be so rude? But then he realized what Young-guk was saying.

-Sunbae, you’re treating this drama shoot like a play. You didn’t mess up your lines, so why are you looking at the script again? The viewers only see the actors in the frame, not outside of it. This is not a play. And yet, you’re putting too much force into your acting. It’s good to show a great performance from the first shoot. But this is your first time acting in a drama, right? Relax your shoulders and drop the stubbornness you had on the stage. Look at the other actors, who are acting with their eyes on fire even when they’re not on camera. We still have several scenes to shoot today.

Then he understood something. Why PD Yoo Myung-han kept giving him NGs. He was wrong to be complacent that he could captivate the audience with one performance.

After all, he was a veteran who had been through thick and thin on the stage, but he had less experience than an extra in the drama scene. 

He didn’t know the difference and was too eager. 

That was the problem.

After the first shoot.

“Ow, it hurts.”

The extras who had beard makeup were removing their beards after the shoot. But the makeup glue stuck to their chin and nose beards wouldn’t come off easily.

And because it was winter, the makeup glue froze and the extras who finished the morning shoot were all in pain. 

The makeup team had limited staff, so they couldn’t remove the makeup for the extras. That was when it happened.

“Everyone, gather around for a moment!”

Young-guk appeared with a large kettle of warm water at the place where the extras were gathered.

And then Manager Lee Bong-chun handed out metal bowls as if he had been waiting. 

The extras took the metal bowls with wide eyes. Then Young-guk approached the people who took the metal bowls and poured warm water from the kettle.

“Soak your chin and cheeks in the warm water for a minute. And then it will come off easily. Don’t try to peel it off in a hurry. Just wait a little and peel it off like an eggshell. Then you can get rid of the glue too.”

Someone followed Young-guk’s words and soaked their nose and chin beards in the warm water. 

And soon, the beards that didn’t seem to come off easily fell off like a lie. The other extras hurriedly followed suit.

The water that Young-guk brought was not ordinary warm water. It had a small amount of olive oil added to it, which made the strong makeup glue come off easily.

“When you take off your wig, don’t pull it off right away. Gently massage the sides with your hands and loosen it. Then take it off. If you do it recklessly because your head hurts, you might end up cutting your hair with scissors.”

They might think I was scaring them too much for just taking off a wig, but this was all wisdom from my past experience. 

In the case of extras, there was at least an extra leader, but the people who did the extras were freelancers.

They had no manager or agency. 

They just moved according to the FD’s instructions on the set. No one gave them any proper help. 

The makeup and shooting teams were too busy to cover the main actors.

“Hey, I told you just before. Don’t pull it off right away, it’s harder. Look. Geez, how are you going to untangle it if it’s already like this? I’ll do it for you, just stay still for a moment.”

I got along well with the extras. I had also prayed to be in the frame for a scene while being an extra, so I felt sorry for them.

“Huh.”

Actor Park Sang-cheol sighed as he watched the scene.

“He’s amazing, right?”

PD Yoo Myung-han came up to Park Sang-cheol and asked. It was surprising. Stars usually lived up to their names.

In extreme cases, they would refuse to eat lunch with the extras or stay in the car if they didn’t like the schedule. 

In that sense, Young-guk’s appearance was devoid of any arrogance as a lead actor.

“Just before, the head of the makeup team went to him and asked. Isn’t this your first historical drama, Mr. Jang? I felt the same way. How did he know such methods? Just look at how he takes care of the extras. That’s something that most actors can’t imitate.”

“Director Yoo, you said you filmed with Mr. Jang before, right? Was he like that then?”

“He hasn’t changed. I was even more surprised back then. A little kid with a buzz cut that belonged on a waistband came with a bundle of boiled sweet potatoes at dawn, telling the extras not to starve, and made honey water in a kettle for the filming crew who were hungry. How amazing is that?”

Hearing PD Yoo Myung-han’s words, Actor Park Sang-cheol realized that he had misunderstood Actor Jang Young-guk. Didn’t he snort when he saw the phrase ‘a signal flare announcing the birth of a great actor’? But at the filming site, he was rather so humble that the praise from the media seemed insufficient.

Who would think that he was a teenager who hadn’t even become an adult yet? 

The way he roamed around the filming site was like a veteran actor in a drama.

***

“Just give me one move.”

Director Baek Jang-hoon and Actor Ahn Jung-hyun were sitting face to face, playing Go. In the sharp battle of moves, the white stones finally captured the big dragon and secured the victory. The wrinkles on Director Baek Jang-hoon’s face, who had picked up the black stones, deepened. If this went on, he would be in a desperate situation. Not to mention that this was a game with a bet.

“Hey, Hyung. This is not a construction site, where can you back off? Do you think I want to drink the ginseng liquor you brewed twenty years ago? I’ve been losing to you by two houses every time, so you can imagine how competitive I am. How about it? My improved skills.”

“Where did you get private tutoring?”

Actor Ahn Jung-hyun smiled victoriously. 

There was a famous saying by a Go master. 

One house was the ground, two houses were the sky. He had worked hard to bridge that gap.

He had improved his skills by getting private lessons from a professional player. Maybe that was why, even in the midst of a fierce fight on the Go board, Ahn Jung-hyun’s mouth was relaxed.

“By the way, did you hear that Young-guk is playing the role of a king this time?”

“Of course, I did.”

“That guy. I played a king for the first time in a historical drama after more than ten years of acting, but he’s already playing a king role. You know they don’t usually give king roles to rookies in historical dramas.”

“Jung-hyun, what king did you play?”

“It was Prince Suyang, remember? Because of the role, I had to go hunting every time and ride a horse, and I got all kinds of pains while filming. By the way, you’re wasting time. Do you want me to shout resign? Where did the Go player go?”

“Ahem.”

It was when Director Baek Jang-hoon’s cheeks were flushed.

“Grandpa, have dinner.”

Young-guk came to find the two men. 

They had been there for so long that even though it was dinner time, they didn’t show any signs of coming out of the study. 

The stew that the housekeeper had boiled was about to turn into a hot pot.

“Are you playing Go?”

I looked at the Go board and narrowed my eyes. 

Actor Ahn Jung-hyun raised his hand as if to tell him not to interfere and showed his leisure.

“Young-guk, you’ll have to wait a bit. I’ve already won the game, but your grandpa won’t admit it. You can’t eat. Oh, Hyung, it’s true that you get more stubborn as you get older. Hahaha.”

“Ahem.”

Director Baek Jang-hoon just coughed in vain. At that moment, I looked down at the Go board and read the intricate battle of moves. Actor Ahn Jung-hyun showed a curious expression at that sight.

“Young-guk, can you play Go too?”

“A little.”

“Really? Then why don’t you sit down and finish the game instead of your grandpa? Your grandpa seems to have gone somewhere while playing Go. He’s been coughing for ten minutes without playing. By the way, Hyung, you’ll have to take out the twenty-year-old ginseng liquor as a drink today.”

My eyes widened at the mention of the twenty-year-old ginseng liquor. 

I knew very well that it was a liquor that my grandfather cherished.

He never drank that liquor, even though he enjoyed it every time.

It was a special brew he had saved for when his favorite baseball team won the championship. 

That was when I sat next to Grandpa and added, “Can I really play for you? Are you okay with that, Grandpa?”

“Huh?”

“Wow, I see now. Hyung-nim and Young-guk are teaming up against me. Fine. I’ll be generous and let Young-guk be your substitute. But Young-guk, if you lose, you have to grant me one wish later.”

“Then if I win, you have to grant me one wish too. Tomorrow is my first scene, so if you lose, you have to be my reading partner all night. How about that?”

“Okay!”

Director Baek Jang-hoon tried to stop them, but he saw Young-guk’s expression and tilted his head. 

Young-guk, who was usually modest, looked like he was begging for a chance. Only Actor Ahn Jung-hyun, who didn’t see that, was smiling leisurely.

“Then I’ll play from now on.”

Who in the world could practice with a national actor as their script-reading partner? 

It was an opportunity I couldn’t miss. I focused on the board and smiled faintly. 

Actor Ahn Jung-hyun probably didn’t know. my pastime in his previous life was Go, just like golf.

****

“How do you feel on your first day of shooting as the lead?”

It was the first day of filming the drama. I felt both excited and nervous. 

PD Yoo Myung-han also seemed to sense my feelings and briefly chatted with me before leaving the waiting room. 

My reflection in the mirror filled the room in the dragon robe. 

Soon, I heard the assistant director’s voice announcing the standby.

“Scene number 11, the transformed Yeonsan-gun (Yansan-gun)―!”

The drama started with a glimpse of the future. It showed why Yeonsan-gun became a tyrant.

In Sajeongjeon, the hall of thinking and governing, the ministers stood on both sides. 

The affairs of state were handled by listing various matters that occurred in the eight provinces of Joseon. However, Yeonsan-gun, who was sitting on the throne, still had no change in his expression.

“Your Majesty, is there a problem with your body?”

Eunuch Kim Cheo-seon asked cautiously. Yeonsan-gun just nodded slightly as an answer. His cold eyes swept over the ministers’ heads. 

Whenever Yeonsan-gun’s sharp gaze touched them, the officials swallowed their saliva unknowingly.

‘Good emotion.’

PD Yoo Myung-han, holding the megaphone, raised two fingers. He meant to go for two scenes at once. 

He decided there was no need to cut the tape by stopping the current atmosphere. 

The actors were also unfazed, as they had already heard the cue.

However, Yeonsan-gun’s expression on the throne was so scary that it was hard to tell whether he was acting or really angry.

‘It would be good for the trailer.’

The person sitting on the throne right now was not Yeonsan-gun Yi-yung. 

He was the twin brother abandoned by the royal family, and the only brother of the king, Yi-gyeol. But none of the court ministers knew this fact. That was when it happened.

“Seon-wang thought too lightly of you.”

Yeonsan-gun Yi-gyeol opened his mouth. 

It was unclear whether he meant Seong-jong or his own brother Yi-yung by Seon-wang. 

The only thing in common was his reproach towards the ministers.

“You thought you would follow me if I treated you kindly. But as time went by, your ambitions only grew deeper and eventually, last night, an unidentified assassin broke into Gangnyeongjeon. There must be someone who paid him to kill me in this place.”

The word assassin made the ministers’ faces show surprise. Who could dare to step into the king’s bedroom so recklessly?

Eunuch Kim Cheo-seon was also surprised. He didn’t know anything about it. 

However, seeing the disguised appearance of the guards and the secret agents who accompanied Yeonsan-gun, they seemed to have known it already.

“Your Majesty, let me find that assassin…”

“Stop!”

Yeonsan-gun Yi-gyeol raised his hand. 

The ministers felt their hearts still pounding from the series of events that had happened. 

That was when it happened.

Yeonsan-gun Yi-gyeol got up from the throne and walked towards the ministers who stood on both sides. 

Every time he stepped down from the throne, the red dragon robe fluttered like a grim smile.

“There is someone here who wants to kill me. But you all had a party last night without knowing that fact, didn’t you?”

“Your Majesty, please kill us!”

That was the moment.

“Fine, if that’s what the ministers want, I’ll gladly oblige.”

Suddenly, Yeonsan-gun Yi-gyeol pulled out his sword from the scabbard of his casual clothes. 

The faces of the court ministers were full of panic and surprise. 

No one had ever drawn a sword in the audience hall since the founding of Joseon. 

Everyone bowed their heads at Yeonsan-gun’s glaring eyes. Then, it happened.

Swoosh.

The sound of a blade cut through the air and the ministers looked up. 

They couldn’t close their mouths at the sight. Someone looked like they were about to faint. 

The king had made a long scar on his own palm.

“This blood that flows today is also your past mistakes. Isn’t this what happened because I, as the lord, failed to look after my subjects?”

Kim Cheo-seon, the eunuch, and the court ministers didn’t know what to do with the fear and horror that filled their mouths. 

They never dreamed that the king would scar his own body.

“Look carefully.”

The blood drops dripped down the dragon robe and stained the floor of the audience hall. It was his vow for his brother Yi-yung, who died in his place. 

Yeonsan-gun Yi-gyeol scanned the crowd with his burning eyes.

‘This blood that flows from my body.’

For Yi-yung, who gave up the throne and died for his kin.

‘Someday, I will cover the capital.’

‘Yi-gyeol, becoming Yeonsan-gun.’