I Will Live As An Actor Chapter 39

I will live as an actor Episode 39

The warm spring sun shines everywhere. The same goes for the young man who occupied the rooftop. He uses the screenplay as an eyepatch to cover his face, but it cannot hide his tall body. The long arms and legs stand out particularly well, and the school uniform with ironing along the seam feels fresh. At that moment, a shadow was drawn over the young man.

“Jang Young-guk!”

The young man gently lifts his eye patch (script). The class president’s mouth sticks out. He must have wandered around the campus looking for the young man. At that moment, the young man naturally raises his upper body. If you’re not careful, isn’t this a place where your underwear will be visible? The girl busily arranges the hem of her skirt fluttering in the spring breeze.

“Are you laughing now? Freshmen and seniors are making a fuss just to see you! They even came to the classroom during lunch time. It’s not even a zoo cage, and they were looking in from outside the classroom so much that I almost made a fuss while eating lunch!”

“There is no fire extinguishing agent, so I should at least pat you on the back.”

“That’s enough to be sly! Is that article true?”

The class president also looks curious. Wasn’t that also why the front pages of entertainment news were filled with British faces? At the point when the drama programming was completed, it would no longer be possible to silence reporters. Because of this, the mass media became a hot topic, starting with who Hwang Soo-kyung’s man is and even her past filmography.

“I heard that Seo Min-hye was cast as the female lead! The school is in an uproar right now because of that. Even in the teacher’s office, they said all the teachers only talk about is you. Are you really the male lead and the female lead is Seo Min-hye?”

Hwang Soo-kyung is a popular writer regardless of gender. However, among them, the unique, heart-tickling line was enough to make many women’s hearts tremble. Moreover, there is a lot of talk about why they cast a teenager who is currently called the best as the female lead. I wonder if the male protagonist is too lacking.

“Is it true that Hwang Soo-kyung’s new man is you?”

“no.”

Writing is a series of imaginations that occur in a lacking reality. The more the writing is in line with the author’s writerly tendencies and values, the more compelling it is. Writer Hwang Soo-kyung’s screenplay ‘Youth’ was like that. Even passages and small lines of dialogue contain meaning. That’s why the young man shakes his head. Because he is the main character of the script, not Hwang Soo-kyung’s man.

“You’re kidding me!”

The young man smiles indifferently. The smile of a young man stretching out carries the same mood as a forsythia flower in full bloom. As the bell rings through the campus, students in the playground under the rooftop retrieve their balls with sad faces. The class leader shouts to the back of the young man who is walking away.

“I told you not to laugh like that!”

* * *

Just as ants are attracted to sweet fruit, the reporters waiting for the script reading are very busy. Actors and reporters have an inevitable shared fate. Because it was a reporter who reported good stories that others did not know, and because it was a reporter who exaggerated personal matters.

“Who is Jang Young-guk?”

“Didn’t you see August Man three years ago? There was a mini-series that was a huge hit on KBC. I appeared as a child actor in it. At the time, I was the youngest person to win the Best New Actor Award, so there was an uproar. I didn’t know what Reporter Yang was doing at that time.”

“I was in charge of current affairs three years ago, so I couldn’t have known.”

There are many different types of reporters. There are reporters who travel around current events and social scenes to provide in-depth on-site reporting, but there are also those who stay in the entertainment industry and cover various incidents and accidents of public figures. In a way, it’s a similar story.

Only the subject is different, but the fact that we are covering the story remains the same. However, the difference is that it is based on facts. Rather than writing a narrative with a pen and ink, sometimes you even predict the future like a fortune teller predicting the future.

“Isn’t Hwang Soo-kyung going to have a better time starting with this work?”

“If Reporter Yang’s work is going to be ruined, then all the writers currently working in broadcasting should pack up.”

“No, but that’s not true. Isn’t this a case of miscasting? If you cast Seo Min-hye, of course the male lead should be of a similar level. She is now called a blue chip in broadcasting circles. If she only filmed dramas, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But I heard that Jang Yeong-guk has never appeared in dramas other than as a child?”

“He was still quite famous in Chungmuro, but he appeared as a cameo in director Baek Jang-hoon’s work. His nickname is 10 Million Cameos. 10 Million Cameos!”

“What’s the difference between a cameo and a main character? If I’m called 10 million for appearing for only five minutes, then all the minor roles that appeared there are called 10 million in small roles?”

Reporter Yang is already making a dent. Like a wandering hyena, it has the tendency to rush at any object it can bite. At that time, a middle-aged reporter appeared, wiping the bridge of his nose as if a lion appeared from the bushes.

“Reporter Yang, if you’re going to be so rude, then you should be sorry. Why did you follow me to the script reading room?”

“Sir, I’m not like that…”

“That’s not true. If you moved from current affairs to entertainment, you should work harder. Are you just going to write nonsense articles like before?”

He is a middle-aged reporter who enjoys fame and respect among broadcast reporters. He has been in the entertainment industry for a long time and has witnessed numerous accidents. Even if they are in the same field, someone becomes a war reporter and another writes trash. An article containing only the truth. Kwak Myung-hwan is a person with a deep sense of duty as a reporter.

“I went to KBC to report on what kind of actor Jang Young-guk is. A famous producer there said that the fact that there is a lot of talk about Hwang Soo-kyung’s work in the media doesn’t seem funny to me. I wonder if the rumor that Hwang is above writer Wang is going around at SBC for no reason. “I chose him because I had that much confidence, and in my opinion, I still want an actor named Jang Young-guk. I heard that you only know how long and short it is, right?”

Reporter Yang purses his lips.

“I haven’t even opened the lid of the banquet pot yet, so don’t complain that it doesn’t taste good. Other reporters want to come here, but one truck prevents them from coming. So everyone, keep that in mind.”

Seeing this, Kwak Myung-hwan walks toward the script reading room and elaborates.

“Even if we can’t be first-rate, let’s not be third-rate.”

* * *

In the past, the script reading room looked peaceful. Didn’t everyone put a cigarette in their mouth and spit out the smoke while going through the lines? But the current script reading was a different situation. It was the same just looking at the actors. Even though not all of them are going out for filming in the morning, they seem to have put a lot of effort into their makeup.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Hwang Soo-kyung, the writer in charge of writing this drama ‘Youth’!”

A young man and a familiar figure stand up and sing. After the production department, including the producer and writer, finished greetings, the actors continued. The star, called Seo Min-hye, literally smiles like a star and bows her head deeply. On the other hand, a young man dressed plainly greets me in an innocent manner, as if he were just out of town. Even as they exchange greetings, there is tension between the actors.

‘It’s already a battle of wits.’

The young man knows. I heard you appeared in a work like Past Life. Seo Min-hye is an actress who goes well with the word easy-going. However, contrary to that, she also knows how to shake men’s hearts. Of course, I didn’t even see him face to face in my last life.

By the time the actors had finished saying their greetings and the reporters had found their seats and were sitting down. Scripts are distributed. When I received the script with the drama’s title ‘Youth’ written on it, I felt that filming had really come close. Eventually, the assistant director (AD) stands up and shouts. With a booming voice, like a slapstick sound.

“Let’s start with scene number 37, the basketball court scene!”

Script reading does not follow the order of the script. Sometimes reading is done in reverse order. This is because not only are there many characters, but it is difficult to explain the fundamentals of each character. Especially in a situation like today where there are reporters, there is a need to show highlights.

The script reading room quickly transforms into a basketball court.

“Hey Do-jin! What time is it and are you still playing basketball? Even now, you’re the only one on the basketball court.”

Like a cold that comes with the spring breeze, a fever blooms in the basketball court. It is no exaggeration to say that Seo Min-hye is leading the excitement at the script reading session. It’s not the usual script reading, but each and every sentence filled with emotion resonates powerfully.

“I heard you got first place in this midterm exam. You selfish bastard. It’s hard for other kids to get first place even though they are working hard, so you act like you’re losing. You’re lucky. I heard you got confessed to today too? You’re as pretty as Yoon Hee-soo. You have a good personality. The kids say they like you. “Seeing as there are so many people and you’re not dating anyone, do you really have that kind of taste?”

A basketball that has lost its owner is rolling around.

“Does it matter?”

Just like a drop of water falling on a calm lake, a single word causes a stir. Contrary to first impressions, the voice is cold and dry. Seo Min-hye carefully raised her head.

“No or no. Why are you talking so scary? You can’t even joke like this between friends!”

Each and every line spoken in panic is filled with emotion. There is a strange, unknown tension in the basketball court.

“friend?”

Hwayangyeonhwa (花樣年華) Some people say that school years are the most beautiful time in life. But not for the young man. It is an extremely painful and cold season. Just as I hoped that even if others did not know about the fever called love, only you would know. In the fast-paced script reading room, no one is willing to swallow their saliva. The reporters watch the confrontation between Seo Min-hye and the young man with their eyes wide open.

“That’s funny.”

The corners of his mouth are smiling, but his calf-like eyes are cold. It is distant and cold, as if looking into a dark alley. The next line made Seo Min-hye feel as if her breath had stopped.

“Do you still feel like I’m just a friend?”

Even though the script reading is coming to an end, the reporters have no intention of leaving.

I want to leave in writing the emotions I felt at the script reading. The reporters’ hand movements became faster, and Seo Min-hye also looked at the other side, unable to hide her surprise. He was a tall young man with a simple smile, but I could see the coldness hidden in his calf-like eyes. As soon as I met that gaze, didn’t I feel a chill that felt like it was going to close my lungs at any moment?

‘That’s awesome.’

Reporter Kwak Myeong-hwan swallows his admiration at the sight. And I had a hunch. Writer Hwang Soo-kyung’s next work will once again cause a syndrome in Korea. At the center of it all will definitely be Jang Young-guk.