A Genius Actor Appears Out of Nowhere - chapter 6

“Cut!”

Bong Seong-hwa’s acting ended. Park Sang-hyun’s cut sign dropped. Whether it was an OK, an NG, or a keep, his verdict on this take was needed.

The first take. The first shoot. The first performance.

It was a situation riddled entirely with the modifier ‘first’—and yet…

“OK!”

An OK was given. On the very first attempt, no less.

However, no one disputed Park Sang-hyun’s choice.

Assistant Director Lee Yu-jun in particular stared at the set like someone who had seen a ghost.

‘How can… how can someone act like that…?’

Lee Yu-jun was someone who hadn’t been sure if it was worth Park Sang-hyun going as far as changing the scenario to capture this actor.

He had even thought that perhaps Park Sang-hyun had made a wrong choice out of panic from the lead actor’s unexpected drop-out.

Yet after just the first take, Lee Yu-jun had no choice but to admit it.

‘There wasn’t a single place that needed touching up.’

This cut needed to be chilling. Park Hyeong-won’s inferiority complex and confusion, which subtly seeped in, had to be thoroughly infused.

Yet to project all those complex emotions, his lines were far too short and limited.

Thus, solely through his gaze, his breathing, a fleeting facial expression, and the atmosphere…

He had to convey those complex layers of emotion that lines alone could not fully express.

Because of that, everyone had considered this cut to be of the absolute worst difficulty among the cuts to be filmed today.

At least 20 takes. Maybe they would even reach 50 takes for this single cut alone.

And yet, an OK came out after a single take—and from Park Sang-hyun, who was crazy about details, no less. It was truly a performance with nothing to fix.

“…Did it just end in a single take?” “I mean… it really was a performance worthy of it…” “No, that person… what does he do?”

The commotion among the staff grew louder and louder.

These were students who had watched the acting of university classmates, juniors, and seniors endlessly over the past four years.

It was a cut that captivated all those film majors at once.

“…Insane…”

And above all, Choi Yeong-sik, who was Bong Seong-hwa’s acting partner, was experiencing the greatest confusion.

He had believed that he acted the best. He had firmly believed that there was no one among his peers who could overwhelm him.

“…What are you? I mean, uh, Hyung? What… what are you?”

Since he judged that he couldn’t win, Choi Yeong-sik immediately tried to approach him by calling him ‘Hyung’. However, because his internal confusion had not yet been fully patched up, a slight awkwardness remained in the form of address.

Yet regardless of what others said, Bong Seong-hwa was quietly reviewing his own acting in his mind.

“I’m sorry. I have some thinking to do. Just a moment, please.” “…”

After briefly checking Choi Yeong-sik’s question, he soon turned his head and looked at Park Sang-hyun.

“Director. Could we do just one more take?” “…?” “…!” “Huh? Why? No, I loved it so much I got goosebumps just now?” “I feel like it hasn’t been fully expressed yet.” “It hasn’t been fully expressed?” “Yes.”

What was left unexpressed? In the director’s eyes, everything had been fully expressed.

If he was unlucky, he might have been called arrogant, but Park Sang-hyun was delighted instead.

“Then let’s go for one more take! The actor must have a plan!” “!” “…What did I just hear?” “Wow…”

Park Sang-hyun respected Bong Seong-hwa’s opinion and proceeded with the filming again.

Normally, it was a situation where Park Sang-hyun should have yelled to establish discipline.

Indeed, that rumor was true. Park Sang-hyun was polite to those who were good at film. It was just that because no one was good, he was rude to everyone.

Afterward, Bong Seong-hwa’s second performance began.

And as for why he had wanted a second take, everyone present had no choice but to realize it.

The emotions became clearer. The color of the cut became more defined. They had thought even the first take was perfect, but compared to the second take, it was clumsy.

What was excessive was smoothly refined. What was lacking was perfectly supplemented.

Everyone on set was merely thrown into a massive question of why such an actor had suddenly appeared.

The faculty research building of Donghan University.

Toward that place, where there was the least foot traffic among the university buildings, a woman was walking.

A glamorous outfit that made it obvious at a single glance she was an entertainment industry insider.

The place where she stopped afterward was the office of Professor Kim Seong-yun, the head of the Film Department.

She pulled out a hand mirror to tidy her appearance for a moment, then knocked on the door of the department head’s office.

“Yes. Who is it?” “It’s me. CEO Cha.” “Who?” “CEO Cha Yun-jin of Cha Entertainment.”

Cha Entertainment. It was a talent agency large enough to be counted on one hand among domestic actor agencies.

The CEO and founder of that place: Cha Yun-jin. She had come to this place.

The reason was single-minded.

“I came to talk a bit regarding our Woo-joo, Professor.”

Because of Kang Woo-joo, the agency actor who was detained in a holding cell today over a drug use incident.

“Oh dear. I see. Come in for now.”

Soon, the door of the professor’s office opened, and Cha Yun-jin stepped inside.

Donghan University Film Department Head Kim Seong-yun’s office hadn’t changed for several years.

Posters of movies he had produced during his active years were hung up. A photograph taken with his classmates during his time attending Donghan University was hung up. Other than that, there were only wall-to-wall books related to film.

Without extravagant tastes, nor a high aesthetic eye, it was a plain and tedious space.

“Hello, CEO. It’s been a while.”

Cha Yun-jin looked at the middle-aged man in front of her.

A man with slightly receding hair and wrinkles around his eyes. A man in his mid-fifties with a faint impression that could be seen anywhere.

“Sit over here, CEO. Shall I get you a cup of coffee?” “No. I’m fine.”

Cha Yun-jin offered an apology right away without any beat-around-the-bush talk.

“First, I apologize that the set came to a halt due to our actor’s drug use incident.” “Oh dear. No, it’s not something you should apologize for, CEO.” “Failing to care for our agency actor is indeed our fault. I am sincerely sorry.” “Though really, rather than apologizing to me, you should apologize to our students…”

Kim Seong-yun’s words were right. While he had suffered almost no damage from this matter, his student Park Sang-hyun and his staff members had suffered severe damage.

“You’re right, Professor. I plan to apologize to Director Park Sang-hyun as well. But for Director Park, it seems a realistic alternative is needed more than an apology.”

At that moment, Kim Seong-yun felt it. This person hadn’t come purely to offer an apology.

“Since our Woo-joo caused trouble and made a mess of the set, Director Park must be deeply disheartened. But as the saying goes, a blessing in disguise, we have a promising friend currently preparing in our company, so I thought it would be good to introduce him.” “Ah…”

They said she was a woman who worked like a monster, and it truly was a monster-like pivot.

To calculate slipping another actor of theirs into the spot left vacant because their actor caused trouble and bailed.

Thick-skinned was thick-skinned, but that decisiveness was truly extraordinary.

“You don’t need to be concerned to that extent, CEO. Sang-hyun might have a headache, but he’ll be navigating it well…” “I heard from Woo-joo that Director Park Sang-hyun’s current work seems likely to win the Grand Prize at Montage. When I read the scenario myself, it was at a level Director Park aimed for and wrote. I thought he really might win it. Plus, he’s such a talented director.” “…When did you even…” “You know that if the lead actor bails and you roughly fill it with any random person, you won’t even win an award you were meant to win, right? Next to the director, the most important thing in a movie is the actor.”

Kim Seong-yun briefly thought that next to the director came the staff, but he didn’t utter it out loud.

In any case, her reason for visiting this place was clear.

No matter how much of a student-level short film it was, if it was a work worthy of winning the Montage Grand Prize, the story was somewhat different.

Though it might be unfamiliar to the general public, it was a track record that drew quite a bit of attention in the film and entertainment industries.

To Kang Woo-joo, it would have been a great opportunity to further solidify his image as a talented actor, and if it were a rookie actor other than Kang Woo-joo, it was a tailor-made showcase to make an impression on the industry.

CEO Cha Yun-jin had come here in person because she didn’t want to give that good opportunity to someone else.

“This graduation work of Director Park Sang-hyun. Please delay the filming by just three days. We will cover all the losses that occur during that time. Three days later, we will have our rookie actor memorize 100% of the scenario and place him on set. His acting is similar to Woo-joo’s, and his mask is a bit better.”

Saying so, she laid down a single actor profile. Name: Choi Si-yun. Just looking at the single photo embedded on the profile cover, it was a mask where one could feel Cha Entertainment was trying to push him with full force.

“This will be a good opportunity for Director Park Sang-hyun as well. Honestly, other than the kids from our company, all the other kids are so-so. If you’re going to use someone, it’s right to use kids from a proven place.”

Kim Seong-yun, who was quietly listening to CEO Cha Yun-jin’s story, smiled awkwardly. In truth, he should have spoken earlier, but because CEO Cha Yun-jin carried the conversation forward so quickly, he missed the timing to speak: that all these things she was proposing had already become meaningless.

“Well, what should we do about this?” “Oh, what do you mean? You can just let the kids rest for three days.” “Our kids—especially our Sang-hyun—he’s an impatient friend.” “Even if he’s impatient, it’s only been a single day?” “And yet, in just that single day, he’s already found an actor. Haha…”

Hearing those words, Cha Yun-jin’s expression soured rapidly. However, she quickly changed her complexion and spoke affably again.

“Then… we’ll even calculate and pay for all the footage shot so far… so let’s turn it back to square one.” “Turn all the shot footage back to square one?” “The Montage Grand Prize—you need to win it, don’t you? Isn’t that right? Donghan University hasn’t produced a star director in quite a while. At this rate, losing the reputation of a prestigious school will happen in an instant.”

These words sounded like they could also mean that they themselves could manipulate the Montage Grand Prize.

Hearing stories like this made Professor Kim Seong-yun feel like he had returned to the active industry after a long time.

However, the reason he had entered as a professor in his fifties, while still fully capable of working, was precisely because he didn’t want to see this kind of spectacle.

“That will be difficult. It’s the kids’ work; how can we order them around?” “It’s something they’ll experience as a daily occurrence once they go out into the field anyway, so it’s fine to experience it in advance.” “At least while they’re at the learning stage, I don’t want to make them experience such things.” “No, even if he found a new actor, there’s no way he acts better than our kids. Don’t think of it simply as a deal; please think of it as a right choice for the students, Professor.”

Cha Yun-jin didn’t step back an inch. He had known she was a person of this personality, but she was becoming increasingly difficult to control.

As Kim Seong-yun substituted an answer with silence, Cha Yun-jin opened her mouth once more.

“Professor, let’s do it like this instead.” “Do what how?” “If that actor really acts better than our actor Choi Si-yun, then I will cleanly give up and return.” “…In the first place, there’s nothing to give up or not. I told you the actor has already been replaced.” “But an actor who acts better and has more potential is standing by, isn’t he? If the actor Director Park Sang-hyun brought is an actor worse than Actor Choi Si-yun, isn’t that a bad thing for Director Park Sang-hyun too, who will be responsible for Donghan University’s honor in the future? It’s a matter of the work’s quality dropping.” “…” “Am I not right, Professor?”

Listening to it, it wasn’t entirely wrong words. Despite his rudeness, Park Sang-hyun was a student Kim Seong-yun cherished. Because it had been a long time since he had seen such brilliant talent. He didn’t want the work that served as such a child’s first outing to be buried in an acting controversy.

“Then… shall we first take a look at the replacement actor’s performance?” “Shall we go to the set?” “Students these days don’t work in such an old-fashioned way either. What era is it now?”

Kim Seong-yun caught Cha Yun-jin, who was about to stand up.

“We also back up the footage to the cloud from time to time, just like on professional sets.”

The graduation works produced within Donghan University were set to be uploaded to a high-capacity cloud provided by Donghan University.

Including all the intermediate shooting backups along the way.

“The Cutting Edge team… Ah, here it is.”

The two brought over a laptop and checked the intermediate backup of the Cutting Edge (尖端) team.

“Here it is. Actor Bong Seong-hwa’s footage.” “…His mask is… good.” “Shall we watch?”