The Acting Genius Appears Suddenly

Chapter 8

Bong Seong-hwa adjusted his backpack snugly and turned to leave.

Left behind on set were the manager called Deputy Jeong and CEO Cha inside the two-dimensional screen.

And along with them, a luxury foreign car worth about 150 million won.

Whatever their feelings might have been, it wasn’t something for others to care about.

“Let’s finish cleaning up and head off.” “Yes!” “Organize those cables well. It takes forever to untangle them.” “Understood.”

Under Park Sang-hyun’s leadership, the set was cleared, and one by one, people left for the day.

Before long, not a single member of the staff remained.

Deputy Jeong switched the speakerphone call to a regular call.

“Should I tail him or something, CEO?” —Forget it. I heard doing that kind of thing nowadays gets exposed online. “You’re right. It is that kind of era.” -I’ll try to reach out to him separately, so Deputy Jeong, just take Woo-joo and head off. “Understood. I’ll leave the vehicle here for now and head home.”

Afterward, Deputy Jeong got into the van and left.

And CEO Cha Yun-jin, who had been on the phone with Deputy Jeong until just now—

She hung up the phone in Department Head Kim Seong-yoon’s office.

“……My. You are truly incredible, CEO Cha.” “My goodness. Why are you peeking at someone else working, Professor?” “Wasn’t it you who worked in my office, CEO?” “Well, it’s because the work was urgent.”

Kim Seong-yoon was looking at CEO Cha Yun-jin with eyes filled with wonder and shock.

Today wasn’t the first time he had met her, but today was the day they sat together for the longest time.

Thanks to that, he came to witness with his own eyes the working style of CEO Cha Yun-jin, which was widely rumored in the industry.

“You’re going to be successful, CEO.” “I’m already successful?” “Even more than now.” “Then all that’s left is becoming a conglomerate head.” “Yes. You’ll probably do that too.” “Thanks for the kind words.”

Cha Yun-jin said so and took a sip of the coffee Professor Kim Seong-yoon had prepared for her.

The two who were bickering over the appearance of a rookie actor belonging to Cha Entertainment in Cutting Edge (尖端) were nowhere to be found.

There was only one reason.

“Actor Bong Seong-hwa’s mask… even through the quality of this outdated phone, it’s the real deal.” “Yes. It seems so.”

It was because of Bong Seong-hwa.

Before watching Bong Seong-hwa’s acting video, the two had made a deal.

A deal that if the substitute actor’s acting was better, she would give up her persistence about the Cha Entertainment actor’s appearance and leave.

From Kim Seong-yoon’s perspective as well, he accepted it judging that it would help Park Sang-hyun’s work.

But lo and behold.

When they opened the lid, there was a monster.

What they saw was a cut where the character Park Hyeong-won displayed a subtle chilliness toward the character Lee Song-won.

Professor Kim Seong-yoon knew that the cut was a difficult one, so he found it strange that only 2 takes were uploaded.

Because if it were the Park Sang-hyun he knew, at least 20 takes should have been uploaded.

However, as soon as he saw the first take and the second take, he was convinced.

That Bong Seong-hwa’s acting didn’t need to be viewed across multiple takes.

He was an acting monster.

Even in the eyes of Kim Seong-yoon and Cha Yun-jin, who had seen countless performances by prominent actors.

Kim Seong-yoon remembered the silence that circulated in the office after the short screening ended.

It was the sign of some huge hit, and admiration for an overwhelming talent.

“Actor Bong Seong-hwa doesn’t just have a good mask. He has an aura. An aura that only comes out of kids who have truly reached the absolute peak exists in an unknown actor who has nothing.” “You can see that even through a video call?” “If I couldn’t even see that, I shouldn’t be doing this job.” “Haha….” “Isn’t it because you couldn’t see that that you retired, Professor?” “Hey… your words are going too far.” “Ah, I’m sorry.”

Until she tried to push her agency’s actor into Cutting Edge (尖端), Cha Yun-jin took on the stance of bowing and scraping at least for appearance’s sake, but once there was no need for that, her true self came out.

Since it was already concluded that Bong Seong-hwa had to star in it.

“You’re planning to bring Actor Bong Seong-hwa to Cha Entertainment too, right?”

Rather, Cha Yun-jin was in a state where she had made up her mind to swallow Bong Seong-hwa whole.

“Why ask when you saw it? Even while I was cleaning up Woo-joo’s mess, I only looked at Actor Bong.” “But… he seemed to have a lot of pride?” “Is it a day or two that we see geniuses having pride? If he doesn’t push back that much, it’s rather no fun.”

Cha Yun-jin acted as if she was not flustered by this situation at all.

One philosophy she held:

Crazy people are good at art.

Art done by people who aren’t crazy is just boring.

It was a somewhat radical and extreme thought, but she had built up Cha Entertainment from the absolute bottom with this single intuition.

“Director Park Sang-hyun’s Cutting Edge (尖端) shoot continues until this week, right?” “It will probably end around early next week.” “Then, as a field trip, and to encourage the juniors, I’ll drop by the set once in the middle.” “…With what scheme…” “What scheme? I won’t come empty-handed and will bring plenty of food for the kids to eat, so don’t worry.”

She was somewhat unreasonable, but she couldn’t be stopped either.

Because someone coming to the set was actually an area that couldn’t be restrained.

Especially if it wasn’t a studio shoot but an external location shoot.

“…Just make sure no problems arise.” “I’m still active. Don’t worry.”

Afterward, CEO Cha Yun-jin left. Professor Kim Seong-yoon’s office quickly became quiet.

“…A storm-like woman.”

Even though he fled here because he hated the noisy entertainment industry. A human who was like the entertainment industry itself came and made a mess before leaving.

The wind blew. The wind that tapped Bong Seong-hwa’s hair left flitting away without any lingering regret.

The sunset of dusk hung as the background.

Bong Seong-hwa. No, Park Hyeong-won turned around and looked at that sunset for a long time.

Then he walked again. Beyond the sunset background. Between the concrete buildings.

Between line and line.

The round sun occupied the exact center of the camera grid lines.

The world of concrete lined up in all directions tilted toward Park Hyeong-won.

Everything burned red, and between it, the human was merely becoming a single pitiful dot.

However, even if he grew smaller. Even if he grew pitiful.

Park Hyeong-won kept walking deeper, further, toward the setting sun.

A handful of shape that did not disappear even if it shook.

That tiny, small dot was standing up proudly in front of the world.

“…Cut.”

Director Park Sang-hyun’s cut sign came out.

“…Okay.”

He muttered in a small voice, so others couldn’t hear it.

“Okay! Okaaay!”

Soon, he sprang up from his seat and shouted.

That it was an okay.

The last cut of the Cutting Edge (尖端) shoot. The last take. It was the true last one with ‘Final’ ‘Final’ ‘Final’ written on the slate.

“Shooting is over! Everyone worked hard!” “Hooo!” “Thank you for your hard work!” “It’s overrr!” “Gyaaah!”

It was a shoot with many twists and turns.

In the middle, the script was modified drastically. The lead actor was changed. And due to additional scenes like today, extra locations were even created.

However, all those processes were connected surprisingly smoothly, and results beyond imagination poured out day after day.

It was a difficult shoot. They were not easy tasks.

However, no one on set expressed dissatisfaction.

Because all of them were inside a sensation they were feeling for the first time. Inside that sensation that they were crafting the completion of something incredible with their own hands.

It was a very valuable experience for the juniors who participated as second and third staff members, and it would become an incomparably precious career for the head staff members of this work.

And for the director of this work, Park Sang-hyun, it was an amazing operation as well.

Even though he hadn’t entered editing yet, he felt as if he had seen the finished version of the work.

And that finished version was a work more overwhelming than any work Park Sang-hyun had made so far.

Although he planned it aiming for Montage…

‘Now it’s a waste to stop at just that level.’

He was looking beyond that. Preferably overseas rather than domestic. To the highest place even overseas.

He felt like he had to do at least that much to call Bong Seong-hwa without feeling ashamed in his next work.

“Actor! You went through a lot! Truly everything up to the last cut was so perfect!” “Is that so? That’s a relief.” “Did you have any parts you wanted to fix, Actor?” “I was satisfied too. Especially today, the weather was really nice.” “Ah, that’s right. Heaven helped us too.”

Park Sang-hyun and Bong Seong-hwa stood side by side and looked at the sunset.

Magic hour.

A time when whatever you film becomes art.

However, just because you held a camera didn’t mean you could find this kind of time every day.

It was a small gift bestowed by God on the final shoot of Cutting Edge (尖端).

“Do you have any plans for your next work, Actor?”

Park Sang-hyun asked the question feeling ambivalence.

While hoping he didn’t have a next work set, he also didn’t want such an actor to sit idle and rest.

“No. Nothing in particular is set.” “Auditions too?” “For now, I didn’t look separately to focus on Cutting Edge (尖端).” “Gasp….”

He could afford to act a bit arrogant when he acted this well.

Park Sang-hyun was moved, feeling his sincerity toward the work.

“Especially, I liked that the ending changed.” “The ending?” “It felt like sincerity was contained in it. Director’s real sincerity.” “…Was that so?” “To my eyes, it looked like that.” “Then that must be right.”

Through this work, Park Sang-hyun broke through the small shell that was wrapping around himself.

The wall of arrogance and complacency. At the same time, he broke the wall of impatience and busyness.

It felt like returning to the essence of film again.

“If you don’t have a next work set, Actor… should I look into a few for you?”

Although it was regrettable to share this actor with other directors, he couldn’t let him rot either.

Bong Seong-hwa was an actor who would catch the eyes of other directors and become famous anytime even if he blocked him.

If so, he wanted to give even a small amount of help.

Before hearing Bong Seong-hwa’s answer—

“Hello, everyone~!” “…?” “Eh?” “What’s that?” “Uh, uh?”

A van entered the film set. And from there, a unfamiliar yet familiar face abruptly appeared.

“Uh, uh? CEO Cha Yun-jin?” “Heck, no way!” “It’s really CEO Cha Yun-jin.”

CEO Cha Yun-jin, who had appeared in two dimensions a week ago to calm down Kang Woo-joo’s tantrum. Today, she appeared in real life.

“Hello everyone, haha. Glad to meet you. Everyone is working hard late into the night. It’s nothing else, but I felt bothered thinking our actor left after showing only such a bad side last time, so I came back.”

It was an excuse that had another scheme behind it no matter who looked at it, but what could they do?

Scheme or no scheme, she was a giant in the industry who appeared with a smiling face.

The students couldn’t help but lose their minds.

Especially students who were preparing to be actors but didn’t have a proper debut work yet hovered in front of her somehow.

Cha Yun-jin gave kind eye greetings even to those students while moving without delay toward her target.

Was that target Bong Seong-hwa, who was standing on one side talking with Park Sang-hyun?

Surprisingly, it wasn’t.

Her target was an unexpected figure…

“You’re Assistant Director Lee Yu-jun, right?” “Ah, yes. That’s right.” “This is a restaurant I reserved on my way here. It’s a Hanwoo beef place nearby, so go there and have a company dinner to your heart’s content with the staff members. You can move together using our side’s vehicles too.” “…Pardon?” “This is my card, go eat as much as you want. It’s alright.”

Assistant Director Lee Yu-jun of Cutting Edge (尖端) had a dumbfounded expression at the wealthy person’s credit card suddenly thrust into his hand.

While she was buttering up the assistant director. The person heading toward Bong Seong-hwa was someone else.

A sports car that followed behind the van.

A stylish man in his late 30s who got out of that vehicle.

“You’re that actor CEO Cha talked so much about until her mouth went dry, right?” “…?” “…D-Director Ban?” “Ah, Sang-hyun. Good to see you. Seeing you again after the award ceremony back then.”

A figure who pulled the attention of more staff members than Cha Yun-jin, perhaps.

“The mask is decent. Want to talk with me a bit? Well, if you have acting videos, you can bring them along.”

His identity was Director Ban Ji-woong.

An overwhelming filmography among directors in their 30s currently, a director who was like a storm in the South Korean film industry.

The strongest card Cha Yun-jin prepared to reel in Bong Seong-hwa.

When it came to work, she didn’t poke around tentatively.

She only ever pulled out the strongest move she had prepared.

“Who are you?” “…?”

It was just that it was her first time meeting a human on whom that didn’t work.