LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 101
In the end, I couldn’t clarify things with Kang Ha-na.
To be precise, I did find her outside, but she was in the middle of filming, so I couldn’t approach her.
More importantly… she truly is the lead, huh?
The shy demeanor from earlier has evaporated, and now she’s completely embodying a confident woman.
Watching her act on set, I can see why she’s the talk of the town.
She’s younger than Moon Chang-sik and has become a hot topic as a rookie actress with the looks and talent.
Well, it’s clear she’s beautiful and a good actress.
Right now, she’s filming a scene with Moon Chang-sik, and she really does shine.
Yes, the two of them look good together, so I shouldn’t jump to unnecessary conclusions.
Closing my eyes, I recalled the articles I had just seen.
[Actress Kang Ha-na names her colleague and senior actor Moon Chang-sik as her role model.]
[Are they just friends? Or maybe more?]
[Regarding dating rumors, Moon Chang-sik’s side comments, “They are just friends.”]
Even a quick search returns articles like these, and with that response I witnessed earlier…
It’s likely that Kang Ha-na has at least some feelings for Moon Chang-sik.
So I have to clear up this misunderstanding… It’s rude to him, and I don’t want to be misunderstood like that either.
That’s why, as I stood with my arms crossed near the filming location to clear up any confusion, I couldn’t help but attract a lot of attention.
“…Who are you?”
“Oh, this is because of the director…”
“But wow…”
“Is she an idol or something?”
Most of the looks were ones of admiration or envy, but at times I felt stinging glares as well.
Mainly from other actresses, especially those with ambiguous roles that aren’t leads.
Those people might think of me as a parachute picked solely for my looks, right?
To be honest, that’s not entirely untrue.
Well, I had thought just a little about this before coming.
Fortunately, those are the minority. The majority are sending me friendly gazes.
Anyway, as I watched the filming unfold, the sense of reality was definitely different when seeing it right in front of me.
So this is how the performances of the actors on TV actually unfold.
Although there were more NG (no good) moments than I expected, the overall atmosphere was cheerful.
Everyone seemed to smile and say it was fine.
With such an atmosphere, I felt I could easily act as well, and before I knew it, filming wrapped up.
Afterward, from a distance, the two actors who had finished their scenes spotted me and reacted differently.
Kang Ha-na flinched, seemingly caught off guard, while Moon Chang-sik looked surprised to see me.
“Why are you here?”
“Oh, I…”
As he walked closer, I hesitated to speak to Kang Ha-na standing next to him.
Is it rude for me to suddenly say, “Oh, I have no relationship with Mr. Moon Chang-sik; we’re just friends, don’t get the wrong idea,” with the person in question right next to me?
And it’s not certain that Kang Ha-na is misunderstanding anything either.
It might be better to carefully mention it when the two are alone…
For now, I awkwardly smiled and said,
“Ahahaha, the director told me to check the atmosphere.”
“You don’t really listen, do you?”
“In moments like this, one must.”
“Really? So what do you think of the atmosphere?”
Hmm… it’s not great to be having a conversation with just Kang Ha-na here… but I answered the question anyway.
“It was good.”
“Right? Everyone is really excited since we’re just starting filming.”
It did seem that way. The filming location looked neat and nice since they had just set it all up.
It felt like newly moved into a cheerful environment.
“Anyway, it’s a break now, so you should head back inside. You’ll be filming soon, and I’ll get to see your acting one last time.”
“Uh, then thank you.”
I don’t know. For now, I should focus on my tasks.
After all, isn’t Kang Ha-na unsure herself?
If I don’t see her after today, the misunderstanding will naturally dissolve.
Just as I was about to head back to the waiting room, which was really a tent…
“Uh, um…”
Kang Ha-na, who had been hesitating next to Moon Chang-sik, finally spoke up.
“Can I also see your acting…?”
She spoke with a firm resolve, and her tight-lipped expression was striking.
How could I possibly refuse such a look?
Plus, having someone who can guide me in acting would definitely benefit me, especially someone who is already recognized publicly.
“I’d love that. It’s an honor.”
“Really?!”
Was she really surprised I agreed so easily?
Kang Ha-na’s face broke into a bright smile.
As I felt the urge to smile back at her beautiful grin…
“No, hold on. You have another scene coming up, shouldn’t you practice a bit more…?”
Moon Chang-sik casually interrupted, and Kang Ha-na’s expression immediately darkened again.
Does this guy have no tact…?
I can’t let a girl (older than me) be disappointed like this.
Pinching.
I quickly pinched Moon Chang-sik’s side.
“Following the director’s words, ahem…”
Caught off guard, he momentarily frowned and stopped speaking, and at that very moment, I jumped in.
“Could you just take a moment to see some acting before you go? Please?”
Kang Ha-na looked up at me with sparkling eyes as if I had just rescued her.
“Yes, yes!”
Was this enough to clear up some misunderstanding?
Anyway, we returned to the tent where I had been before, the three of us.
“Shall we give it a try?”
As soon as we entered the tent, Moon Chang-sik dragged the nearby chairs over to sit, probably to act as my partner.
But having Kang Ha-na watching made it a bit nerve-wracking… No, way more people would be watching soon anyway.
“I’ll… just stand over here.”
Once she entered, Kang Ha-na also chose to stand to the side, watching me.
For some reason, she resembled a camera, which made me chuckle, but I held back my laughter as I prepared to embody the character I had practiced so hard for.
This is a recording studio… Moon Chang-sik is an insufferable producer before my eyes…
Since singing in this soundproof tent would attract too much attention, I skipped that part and dove into the role I had been assigned.
“Alright, let’s start.”
In that small tent, I focused on my role, acting according to the script I had memorized and practiced.
“…How was it?”
Right after finishing the act, I looked at the reactions of the surrounding actors.
First, Moon Chang-sik…
“Good, great. You could stand in front of the camera without any issues now!”
He gave me a satisfied smile and clapped, and Kang Ha-na…
“Uh… you did well…”
She seemed a bit surprised that I acted better than she expected.
Seeing her reaction filled me with an unmatched sense of satisfaction.
So, they think I’m not seriously lacking in anything?
That’s good enough for me.
At least it doesn’t seem like I’ll be repeating NGs and ruining the mood.
With a slightly relieved heart, I plopped down onto the empty chair.
“You must have practiced a lot. You’ve become less awkward.”
As I sat down, Moon Chang-sik, who had been playing my acting partner, stood up and offered me a paper cup.
“Ahaha, is it obvious I practiced? Then I’m relieved.”
“Yes, you’ve improved a lot.”
“Right! You really seemed like Han Hye-jin.”
Oh… even Kang Ha-na is praising me like that.
Han Hye-jin is the name of the character I’m playing.
It’s a minor role, but I was curious why it had a name; maybe it would be mentioned on TV later.
As I relaxed my mind and sipped from the paper cup of water, Moon Chang-sik stood up.
“Let’s do it one more time?”
“Right now?”
“We don’t have much time. I’ll point out the awkward parts from before.”
Sigh, yeah… I didn’t expect this to be over quickly either.
It’s actually better to receive more feedback on my acting.
Without saying much, I got back up and repeated the acting.
By the way, trying to continue the same act for so long is tiring.
It feels like a video on repeat.
But the more I did it, the more problems were fixed, and the two actors pointed out aspects I had never considered.
“Isn’t your walk a bit too humble for a top star?”
“Yeah?”
“You could be a bit more assertive.”
“Oh. Got it.”
Especially since Kang Ha-na has played many female roles, her feedback on detailed aspects that Moon Chang-sik hadn’t covered proved very helpful.
The continuous feedback and acting practice from both actors lasted until just before filming began, and as the thought of starting the actual shoot crept up, I desperately tried to push aside the rising nervousness as we headed to the filming location.
“Just do what we practiced recently. You did really well.”
Upon arriving at the filming location, Kang Ha-na, who had managed to ease up a bit thanks to the earlier practice, came over to cheer me on.
“…Thank you.”
Well, I’m quite flattered to receive support like this.
Just then, breathing deeply and waiting to watch the filming ahead, my turn finally arrived.
“Alright, Soo-hyun, you’re up.”
With those words, I stepped forward and stood in front of a set that was better prepared than the one I had seen at the broadcasting station, realizing that we were about to film.
I scanned around at the cameras and lights surrounding me.
I have to perform here?
Wait, why are there so many cameras when it’s just a trivial scene?
Despite that, I wasn’t worried.
I practiced a lot and received recognition…
After a moment of clearing my throat and controlling my mindset,
I am a star… a cocky, high-self-esteem celebrity, Han Hye-jin…
Right now, I’m in a recording studio.
I’m here collaborating with a washed-up producer to do some recording.
As I controlled my mindset and opened my eyes again…
Kim Soo-hyun and Miro were nowhere to be found.
Only the arrogant star, Han Hye-jin, remained.