“Why, why is my parents’ life worth less than a scratch on the lady’s skin!!”
There were no mistakes in the lines.
He naturally recited the sentences he had memorized countless times without stuttering even once.
“Lady! Please!!”
The desperate emotions of the young Park Ju-ho were expressed without any problems.
The gloomy emotions that Kim Min-seong had practiced many times in the past for today were captured by the cameras in a somewhat more prominent form.
What was facing him were the background actors playing Park Ju-ho’s two parents.
Aside from the fact that the faces of the real parents were superimposed over those actors for greater immersion, there was no difference from practice.
Yes, clearly, the eye handling directed toward the young Kim Jeong-hyun.
The poor struggles of Park Ju-ho trying to withstand the strong hands of the servants attempting to separate him from Kim Jeong-hyun.
Even the despairing expressions directed toward the beaten-down Park Ju-ho’s parents were all there.
“Ah, aah…!!”
It wasn’t that different from the practice sessions at the acting academy.
-Beeeee───!
Why was it so noisy in his ears?
‘…Uh…?’
Everything around him was buzzing, making it impossible to hear anything properly.
The dizziness that had been felt for some time.
Every time he looked at the lifeless expressions of Park Ju-ho’s parents, who were slumped on the ground, something in his chest tightened painfully.
The faces of the real parents, which had been imagined for a more immersive performance as the young Park Ju-ho, wouldn’t come off.
Kim Min-seong must have known that this was still just a shoot.
He must have also known that the scenes unfolding in front of him were all part of the performance, not reality.
Yet, his rationality was gradually losing its function.
The emotions he had summoned to portray the young Park Ju-ho began to make Kim Min-seong’s breathing more and more rapid.
As his vision slowly began to blur, the last thing he faced was the figure of Director Kwon Jae-hyuk shouting “Cut!” from beyond.
Finally aware that the take had ended, Kim Min-seong hurriedly moved to a secluded place.
If he were to get caught in sudden discomfort, it would surely affect the shoot.
In the worst-case scenario, the role of the young Park Ju-ho could be assigned to another child actor for health reasons.
Above all, the words that had been swirling in his mind since earlier.
The heavy advice of his mother, insisting he must successfully complete his first debut as an actor.
‘If you do well this time, you can keep acting in the future. Even if you’re a little nervous, bear with it and act courageously.’
Made him hide his own self.
Showing signs of a sudden downturn in his condition to others could certainly have a negative impact on his future as an actor.
Kim Min-seong had to be the child actor who brilliantly portrayed the young Park Ju-ho from the beginning to the end of the shoot for The Sunshine.
Under no circumstances could he show any sign of being inexperienced.
After that, as he continued to walk toward a deserted area, he reached a tile-roofed set.
It was only after confirming that no one was around by looking around that he finally sat down and let out the suppressed moans.
“Ugh, hhh….”
Even though he was just sitting still, the world began to spin.
The sound of his heart, which had already been pounding violently, showed no signs of calming.
The images of his parents dying under the fierce beating wouldn’t leave his mind.
Even though he knew that the fierce sticks were simply props that were not painful in reality, he couldn’t help but fall into delusion.
Tears fell from the strange sensations he was experiencing for the first time in his life.
Even though he tried to calm his heart by clenching his teeth, he couldn’t get the cogwheels of his rationality, which had already stopped, moving again.
How long had it been?
Hadn’t they already finished preparing for the next scene?
Wasn’t it time to return to the set?
Worries that couldn’t be calmed only intensified his anxiety.
He couldn’t even properly think about what to do next.
Perhaps that was why.
“…Close your eyes. Breathe slowly.”
At the calm voice that had been echoing for some time, he inadvertently lifted his now excessively blurred gaze.
Almost simultaneously, a delicate hand began to slowly cover Kim Min-seong’s eyes.
“Don’t worry about anything. You don’t have to care about anything…”
In the completely darkened world, only the calm voice existed.
From that point on, the voice continued to think and decide for Kim Min-seong.
Ultimately, he entrusted everything to the voice that came without thinking.
The fingers that had been intertwined before he even realized it.
The warmth of the hand that firmly yet gently held the trembling hands of Kim Min-seong brought forth a small measure of comfort.
Only after the rhythm of his breathing began to slow down did the hand detach.
The dark world gradually began to regain its original light.
However, his sense of reality still felt absent.
That was to be expected.
“It’s going to be okay. For sure.”
The person speaking in front of Kim Min-seong was Kim Jeong-hyun.
And it was Kim Jeong-hyun, not a child like Kim Min-seong, but one who looked like a ‘lady.’
As soft hands gently dried Kim Min-seong’s tears, he found himself at a loss for words.
The quiet eyes that had been staring unblinkingly at Kim Min-seong’s eyes seemed to convey a kind of permission.
“It’s okay to be okay.”
Tears rose again at the sight of someone watching over him calmly instead of being disappointed or angry with him.
Though he had many questions he wanted to ask and things he wanted to say, he lowered his gaze.
The difference from just before was that the tear welling in Kim Min-seong’s eyes was a tear of relief.
Because of that one difference, he was able to gradually shake off what had been consuming him until just a while ago.
It was only after what felt like a long time had passed that a careful question about whether he was struggling alone reached his ears.
In response to Ha Eun’s question, which added that he didn’t have to answer if he didn’t want to, Kim Min-seong said.
“If my mom saw, she’d worry. I think I shouldn’t cry in front of others….”
He began to open up about the reason he had chosen to bear it alone, albeit in a whisper.
Afterward, Ha Eun’s mouth remained closed until Kim Min-seong finished speaking.
And so, after Kim Min-seong had said everything he wanted to say, the voice that began to sound again only asked two questions.
“I personally hope you go home and rest right now. Don’t you want to go home?”
“…Yes. There are still scenes that need to be shot.”
“Then, is it really… okay to go back like this?”
“Yes.”
And so, the moment Ha Eun realized that Kim Min-seong’s resolve was firm.
After a brief silence, Ha Eun, who had been pondering, gave her first and last ‘instruction’ to her junior.
“When you’re struggling, don’t run away to a place where no one is, go to the closest adult. Absolutely.”
“But I might get scolded….”
“No one is going to scold you for this. It’s not something worth being reprimanded for in the first place. Who would scold a child for struggling…?”
The calm voice that had been steady momentarily choked, was it just an illusion?
Faced with Ha Eun’s shadowed face for the first time, Kim Min-seong hastily nodded, agreeing to do as she said.
It was only after that that Ha Eun, who had been bending down facing Kim Min-seong, stood up.
In the end, Kim Min-seong felt a little awkward with the hand Ha Eun extended and finally took her hand once again.
Thus, he walked back along the path he had come alone, now with Ha Eun.
Eventually, they returned to the set where preparations for filming were in full swing.
“Please, please save me, My Lady. If I go back to that house, I will die…!”
They finished the shoot of the scene where young Park Ju-ho hides in a missionary’s house to escape the oppression he faced.
Fortunately, unlike the first filming, there were no rapid declines in his condition.
It was after that they locked eyes while still remaining in the set, with Ha Eun watching Kim Min-seong’s acting.
Soon after, Ha Eun approached Kim Min-seong again.
“…Good work.”
For a brief moment, she patted Kim Min-seong’s shoulder while handing him a small pack of banana milk.
Immediately after, without realizing it, Kim Min-seong expressed his gratitude upon receiving the banana milk that Ha Eun had handed him.
And.
“Is it okay if I watch your acting, senior? My acting academy teacher said that just watching you would be educational…”
Just as Ha Eun had watched Kim Min-seong’s performance, he too wanted to watch her act.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Ha Eun nodded and replied that it was fine.
Not long after, Ha Eun’s first filming finally began.
The scene capturing what kind of person Kim Jeong-hyun, the heroine of The Sunshine, was started rolling.
However, for Kim Min-seong.
“Ah, oh lady. If the master finds out you’re reading books written by foreigners, there will be a terrible reprimand!”
“Is there any difference between the learning of the Westerners and that of the Joseon people? If a person is learning from another person, how could it be such a fuss?”
He observed Ha Eun, who played the role of Kim Jeong-hyun’s nurse, casting a soft gaze.
He dreamed that one day, he would be able to act just like the performance that Ha Eun was doing on the other side.
