I’ve Become a Genius Actor

Chapter 55:

This line is'

It was what Kiwoon had said when Jinhee first revealed her heartfelt emotions.

Won Heesu furrowed her brow as she gazed at Han Yooil.

"From the moment I first held your hand, I forgot everything."

Each word of Kiwoon resonated in her heart.

He reaches out to the first woman he ever loved, and the last woman he will ever love.

But as if he couldn't quite reach her, his fingers slowly curl.

It's a love that's almost painfully deep.

Won Heesu found herself holding her breath without realizing it.

The Kiwoon' that Yooil depicted was pure, so pure that it was almost heart-wrenching.

"So, please don't cry."

While he himself was shedding tears, he says that.

"Jinhee."

Han Yooil looked as if he wasn't sure if he was even worthy of calling out that name, as if it belonged to an angel.

Won Heesu slowly shook her head.

I shouldn't have asked.'

It was meant to be a playful tease, testing the young actor.

She hadn't expected him to express' it so well.

Won Heesu scrutinized Yooil's face with sharp eyes.

It was the same face that had entered the room initially.

But after seeing his performance, it felt as if she was facing a different person.

However, Won Heesu was an experienced director and could maintain her composure even when taken aback.

She leaned back in her chair and asked casually.

"Did you practice?"

"Yes."

The answer came back simple and straightforward.

Won Heesu chuckled softly.

"How?"

""

Yooil wiped away the tears he hadn't managed to dry yet and looked directly at Won Heesu.

It was a gaze with no hint of deceit.

"At first, the role of Kiwoon was difficult. I didn't want to approach it just as a young man confessing his love to a married woman'."

"Then?"

"So I practiced by acting as Jinhee' first."

Won Heesu's mouth fell open slightly.

He acted as Jinhee' by himself?

Because he couldn't understand his own role, so he started by acting out the opposite role?

It's possible. But'

This was the first time she'd seen someone actually pull it off.

"So, how was your version of Jinhee?"

"Jinhee was very lonely, and in pain. I thought that Kiwoon could become everything to Jinhee because of her lack, and that made it easier to approach the role."

Yooil continued.

"It made me think that Kiwoon wasn't just a person Jinhee loved' but a person she wanted to love'."

"!"

Won Heesu was visibly taken aback by Yooil's words.

The former is about loving another person, while the latter prioritizes one's own desires.

"Interesting. So you think Jinhee' didn't really love Kiwoon?"

"No, I believe she did. But the direction of her love was towards herself, like Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby'."

Jinhee loved the image of herself being in love with Kiwoon.

In that process, it was natural for Kiwoon to appear even more romantic and pure in Jinhee's eyes.

""

Won Heesu continued to throw a few more questions at Yooil. He responded smoothly, as if he had anticipated every conversation.

"Did you come here prepared for an interview? You're like a flowing stream, really."

Shaking her head, Won Heesu suddenly glanced at the clock.

It's already this late.'

Was it because the conversation was so engaging? She hadn't realized how much time had passed.

Won Heesu wet her lips with a look of regret.

"Thanks for coming today It was a pleasant conversation."

"I enjoyed it too. Thank you, Director."

Yooil, as cheerful as when he had first arrived, politely said his goodbyes and left the room. As soon as Yooil left, Won Heesu lit another cigarette.

The Chairman had good reason to be confident about him.'

The recent conversation made her smile involuntarily.

"That guy's cunning."

Watching Won Heesu chuckling and blowing smoke, the assistant director thought quietly,

It's decided.'

Their director seemed to have taken quite a liking to the actor they just met. The casting for the lead role seemed pretty much finalized.

* * *

3rd Goal Achievement Rate: 8.2%

It had risen by about 5% just by performing in front of the director.

Director Won Heesu received more impression than expected, which contributed to the achievement rate increase.

Really?'

She seemed just cool and composed.

Anyway, practicing Jinhee's role was helpful.'

This was the approach Brion had suggested to Yooil, who had struggled with the emotional line of Kiwoon.'

I will continue to provide you with various training methods, Mr. Yooil.

Yooil moved on with a mixed expression on his face.

As soon as he got into the car waiting in the parking lot, Min Woojin, who had been waiting, turned his head.

"Yooil."

His face was unusually worried.

When Yooil looked at Woojin with a puzzled face, Woojin quietly handed him his phone.

The phone screen was flooded with dozens of news articles.

[Exclusive] Actor J, arrested for drunk driving, was Ji Hoyeol

Ji Hoyeol I have nothing to say I'm sorry'

Actor Ji Hoyeol caught drunk driving Will TN's highly anticipated <The Smiling Magician> be canceled?

Oh no.'

<The Smiling Magician> was a fantasy drama starring Ji Hoyeol and Lee Jaeyoung, scheduled to air on TN next January, with a production budget of about 20 billion.

Yooil knew about it too. It was a work that had been heavily promoted with trailers since half a year before its broadcast.

Would you like to check the community reactions?

I think I know, but still.'

Brion immediately displayed the window.

As expected, the community reactions were heated.

Is this for real?

Drunk drivers should all go to jail

What a mess;;?

Return our Jaeyoung

I've been waiting for 2 years for this

What a disaster

Whether this was good or bad news for <The Missing Case of Saetbyeol High> remained to be seen.

* * *

Originally, <The Missing Case of Saetbyeol High> was scheduled to be uploaded to Newblix immediately after its broadcast on TN Channel.

It was fortunate to be scheduled for the first half of June. Even if the script was complete, there were many cases where the schedule was delayed for various reasons.

However,

"I'm sorry."

The producer who had directly planned <The Smiling Magician> was bowing deeply in the director's office.

Damn it.'

The director slammed his fist down loudly. He had already given a full vent, and there was nothing more to say.

<The Smiling Magician> had been publicized for several years as this year's most anticipated work.

And now, the lead actor had been caught drunk driving.

Did this bastard just crap all over and leave?'

Being handsome and decent at acting, he had been pampered from all sides. That had been the problem.

The director sent people away and called the planning team together.

What should we do about the messed-up schedule

Dont we have a few works currently in progress?

But they all say it's absolutely not possible. The post-production takes a long time

It just so happened that all the projects in progress required elaborately crafted CG for every episode.

Hamel Studio, responsible for the CG of most TN productions, had clearly stated that it was impossible to speed up the work due to their packed outsourcing schedule.

Driving me crazy, seriously.

Uhm, Director.

Receiving the sharp gaze of the director, the employee continued slowly.

How about that one Saetbyeol High?

?

Right.

When the plan was reviewed, it did have some CG, but apart from the latter part, there wasnt much.

It was said that the shooting for episodes 1 and 2 was already completed.

Wait a minute.

Could this be released within three months if done right?

The director, who was tapping a calculator in his head, soon reached a conclusion.

To push forward the airing of <The Missing Case of Saetbyeol High> by a whole five months.

I just contacted them, but how will we handle the post-production?

Get everyone on it, whether its internal or external staff, and make it work somehow!

Yes, understood!

* * *

Thats what happened.

Yooil nodded slowly to Director Yoo Jaeho's words.

Kim Suna and Park Younghyun sitting next to him were also nodding.

As expected.

It was one of the predicted scenarios that Brion had mentioned, where <The Missing Case of Saetbyeol High> would replace <The Smiling Magician>.

Huh It seems like the shooting schedule will become even tighter from now on.

Yoo Jaeho stretched like a bear just woken from sleep.

Oh, I swear Ill never do drama again.

However, there was a subtle confidence on Yoo Jaeho's face as he said this.

A look of confidence, as if he was sure of himself despite the tight schedule and being swayed by external factors.

It seems like TN is just using the drama as a stopgap measure

But Yoo Jaeho had more confidence in this drama than any other project he had participated in before.

That would hurt our pride too much, wouldnt it? Dont you think?

Yooil smiled.

Of course.

Yooil was just as confident as Yoo Jaeho.

Although they didnt say it out loud, it was clear from their eyes that Park Younghyun and Kim Suna felt the same.

* * *

Ah, I hate finals so much.

Lee Hyejin murmured wearily.

But thinking about Han Yooil, who was attending school and submitting assignments despite being busier than herself, she felt almost ashamed to complain.

An unexpected side effect when your idol is working too hard.

Lets take a short break.

A very short break should be fine.

Lee Hyejin picked up her phone and quickly scrolled through the community.

Thats when she came across some unexpected news.

-Saetbyeol High starts airing from January

What?!

Lee Hyejin read the details with wide eyes.

[Someone knock me out and wake me up in January]

Wow, seriously?

But isnt it too soon? Arent they still shooting?

Ji Hoyeol's small ball that he threw..

Ah

Reverent

It seems rushed, but I hope they take care of the quality

Seriously

Wow.

Lee Hyejin had also heard that the drama Ji Hoyeol was supposed to star in was indefinitely postponed.

She had no idea that <The Missing Case of Saetbyeol High> would take its place.

BlueChat was also abuzz. It seemed that while Lee Hyejin was drowning in her exam studies, new hot topics had emerged.

[@dbdlf_tkfkd: Wow, the poster is already out (picture) (picture)]

Insane.

Lee Hyejin clicked on the photo as if enchanted.

Three students in uniforms against the backdrop of a dark school.

Standing at the back was Kim Suna. With her long hair draped down, she was staring straight into the camera with a lovely face.

But why does it look so eerie?

Was it because of the pale face? Or maybe because of the strangely shining eyes.

Just looking at the poster, it felt like the characters were not going to be easygoing.

In front of her stood Park Younghyun. He appeared with short sports hair, slightly dark and healthy skin, and his monolid eyes wide open.

Park Younghyun seemed to be looking into the void with an anxious face.

Wow.

It was the first time. The first time Park Younghyun looked mature.

Has the child actor vibe finally worn off?

It was strange, considering she had seen this actor countless times, but only now did he seem to have grown.

And the student standing at the very front.

It was Han Yooil.

With scruffy hair and an unhealthy complexion.

He looked different from the Han Yooil she had seen before.

He looks like a hikikomori shut-in!

Of course, the face was still handsome.

Lee Hyejin, who was pleasantly examining the poster, suddenly noticed something strange.

But why is there an X mark on the window?

A dark red X mark painted on every window, as if it was done with paint.

It was a color that reminded her of blood.

Upon closer inspection, white statues could be faintly seen inside the windows. The eyes of the statues also had black X marks drawn on them.

What the!

Lee Hyejin felt her heart pounding.

This is going to be so exciting!

As a reference, Lee Hyejin had been a horror buff who devoured horror movies since elementary school.

She wasn't the only one excited by the poster.

Various communities started theorizing about the content of <The Missing Case of Saetbyeol High> based on the poster.

* * *

The production team of <The Missing Case of Saetbyeol High> was also diligently searching social media reactions.

Most of the comments were either totally off the mark or talking about something completely different. But occasionally, when a comment hit the nail on the head, playful messages would pop up in their group chat.

Writer Ki Juhyun: (Screenshot of a comment)

Writer Ki Juhyun: Who is this? Confess quickly.

Director Yoo Jaeho: That was too on point.. Did we make the poster too revealing..^^;;

Senior Park Younghyun: Wow

Senior Park Younghyun: (Shocked puppy emoticon)

Senior Kim Suna: (Smiling default emoticon)

And time flew by swiftly.

Before they knew it, the new year had dawned.