The first scene I was scheduled to shoot with that guy turned out to be a mundane daily-life scene marking Nam So-a’s first appearance.
After being forcibly recruited into Half Blood, Nam Baek-soo, who had been enduring all sorts of hardships while being dragged around by Yuna, finally made it back home after a long time.
Coincidentally, he ended up face-to-face with his younger sister, Nam So-a, who happened to be on vacation at the time.
There wasn’t much to the scene itself.
It featured Nam So-a, a powerful detective, lounging around like a jellyfish drifting lazily, and Nam Baek-soo, observing her, sighing as if she were pitiful.
And then there was Nam Baek-soo’s retaliatory barrage of nagging towards his sister, a typical exchange that could be expected between the two siblings.
Of course, Nam So-a was already suspicious of Nam Baek-soo’s habit of wandering around in the night, though Half Blood wouldn’t make contact with her until much later.
The moment this scene was being filmed was also when the final “Jangsanbeom Route” that I had been awaiting would trigger.
This character, Nam So-a, can be thought of as someone who occasionally shows up to freshen up the atmosphere or provides support to Nam Baek-soo during the final battle.
In truth, there were some concerns while filming this scene.
If it wasn’t supposed to be anything special, then it was indeed not much of a scene, but for that very reason, it was also a scene that was rather difficult to properly act out.
Scenes that call for laughing or crying with some emotional weight are one thing, but portraying something that appears ordinary and mundane is, in fact, harder to act naturally.
It wouldn’t be an issue for those with extensive acting experience, but for beginners, achieving a sense of naturalness is no easy feat.
So when it turned out that the first scene was this kind of a setup, I grew slightly apprehensive.
-“Haaam~ What is it? Were you out?”
-“…And what about you? Why are you here at this hour?”
-“Off-duty, off-duty~ Hooray~ Off-duty~”
-“Sigh, go ahead and rest, rest.”
The moment the scene began, I was jolted.
The synchronization with the character was even better than I had imagined.
Whether it was scratching her belly through her rumpled pajamas,
Or using her toes to control the remote control while lying down,
Her portrayal was too realistic to miss—she was clearly embodying someone who had completely let loose.
In fact, it wasn’t acting at all—it was just her usual behavior at home.
-“What? Hey, you’re not out there causing trouble again, are you? Like the voice phishing you did before.”
-“Guarding the city’s peace? What peace are you talking about? The best way for someone like you to guard world peace is by being locked up!”
-“Don’t you dare get caught by the police station again. Seriously, if you do!”
-“That’s when you’ll really die… No, just you will die. Got it?!”
Moreover, her impeccable ability to put down her brother was nothing short of masterful.
I guess if she’s good at something, then she’s good at everything like this too.
“Wow. That’s insanely realistic.”
“It’s like she’s researched her character a lot. You know, if you overwork for a week and finally get home after a long time, most people would end up just like her.”
“Could she really behave like this normally…?”
“Haha, what? Pentaring? Pentaring’s Hayoung. That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? I can’t even imagine it.”
“True…”
“And look at that, too. My sister at home acts exactly like that. Wow, it’s bringing back PTSD just from watching.”
“Does she really act like that in reality? Normally when she’s home, like with actor Baek Siu…”
“Nah, it’s impossible. The Baek siblings are famous for being close. This is all acting, definitely acting.”
“If that’s true, then she’s probably doing better than expected?”
This guy was just acting normally as he usually did, yet the staff didn’t think that way at all.
It seemed like the persona behind her idol image, someone who meticulously manages herself, left a strong impression.
Even a PMC official appeared satisfied with her performance, nodding with a bright smile, suggesting that even to company insiders, she hadn’t exposed her true self entirely.
Moreover, for some reason, it was rumored that the relationship between her and me was friendly.
Even my surprise visit and impromptu support during her live broadcasts had been misinterpreted as the playful antics of friendly siblings.
Somewhere inside me, a small child was screaming.
Reveal the true nature of this detestable performer immediately!
-“Ah, just what I experienced. Wow, goosebumps…”
-“Is that so?”
-“Yes, she’s the same at home. I bet you gave quite a few directions to explain this.”
-“Ah, director Nam usually…”
-“‘Director’ Nam? Come on…”
-“Hmm, well. That’s right.”
-“Isn’t that… Acting? I wouldn’t have guessed such a demon-like younger sister existed.”
Among those present, it seemed that only someone like Nam Hyun-ho, who also apparently has such an individual, could empathize.
We exchanged a glance, silently saying, “You too?”
Nam Hyun-ho also comes across as incredibly professional outside, but at home, he’s nothing more than a grumpy and lazy one.
This woman and that woman alike let themselves go significantly at home, huh?
As much as I’d like to expose the truth that this performance isn’t acting but real life at that moment,
There wouldn’t be much to gain, and I’m sure not many would believe it anyway, so I just kept my mouth shut.
“Nevertheless, what’s true is true.”
Regardless, the fact that she could put in such unflinching ‘dirty’ performances without reservation deserves praise.
She was showing her commitment to the project without concerning herself with her idol image.
Considering that she’s playing a character that matches her perfectly, one could say she’s just lucky in this regard.
Or perhaps, if it weren’t for this kind of character, she wouldn’t have even approached acting in the first place?
Given how she is, recognizing her subject seems to be something she understands.
“That’s your younger sister, huh? If she’s an idol, she’s got it down, it appears.”
“I noticed it during the test, too. She seems to digest the script well.”
“An idol who can also act well isn’t really all that strange these days.”
All the actors gathered here today are seasoned performers with significant acting experience.
They all know that naturally portraying such a straightforward scene isn’t an easy feat.
Hence, most considered her performance to be sufficient for the moment.
“I have to admit, it was better than expected.”
It seems like the issue of acting skills won’t cause any problems for the production.
*
After two days of filming with her at the site,
A phone call came from home.
It wasn’t something serious, but it was somewhat perplexing.
“What… shall we do with this?”
“…”
“Isn’t it impossible to return this?”
“That could be a bit challenging.”
“…”
“Phew… What a world we live in.”
Apparently, a gift from the S&M in the USA was sent to our house.
The latest Shine phones—no fewer than a hundred of them.
Remember when I met the Demon Queen? I mentioned that if she wanted to give a gift, sending a few Shine phones would be fine.
And it turns out our Demon Queen was magnanimous and sent 100 units all at once.
How much is 100 phones worth?
At least several thousand, right?
For my dad, who’s an ordinary citizen, this is like some strange event.
“Since you’ve already received them, why not distribute them among your acquaintances?”
“Ah, good idea. If returning isn’t an option, I guess we’ll have to do that. Never thought I’d encounter a situation like this.”
“…”
“…”
“Indeed, life throws all sorts of surprises, doesn’t it? Oh, by the way, remember the holiday gift last time? There were two sets of Hanwoo beef, right? Heavenly Yuah and Moon Suyeon, both from the same agency as you, weren’t they?”
“…”
“Hmm, they did! Including handwritten letters. Really thoughtful and caring girls, aren’t they?”
That holiday was Seollal (Korean New Year), wasn’t it?
That was around the time the drama had just ended and we were preparing for a fan event, wasn’t it?
They had been up to such mischief without even telling me. Both of them?
The effort these ladies were putting in behind the scenes was somewhat refreshing.
“Hmm, we’ll put the gift issue aside. I assume you didn’t call just for that?”
“Um? Ah, well… Hmm, sort of. Actually…”
“It’s about Hayoung, isn’t it?”
“Ah, I was hearing some negative things and started to worry. Is our daughter doing well?”
“Of course. Don’t worry. It’s temporary. There’s no big issue.”
“Ah, since that’s the case, I can believe my son. But Hayoung, even though she looks fine on the outside, she is rather delicate, isn’t she? Please take care of her well.”
“…”
“…”
“Ah, well, I’ll try in my own way.”
Suddenly, gifts arrived?
Of course, it’s understandable why Dad would be perplexed.
But Dad’s not the kind of person who would talk at length about such things.
Frankly speaking, Dad can easily distribute 100 phones within a day.
Just giving them to his acquaintances would take care of that instantly. That’s how good his social network is.
Still, since the conversation continued, I suspected there was some hidden meaning.
Naturally, our Dad, who has great trust in her, wouldn’t show such concern without a reason.
And that reason was none other than…
“Pentaring Hayoung. Code Number: 7 joins our movie!”
The official announcement had begun regarding our dear underachiever joining our movie.
In this case, there were quite a few negative reviews.
If things are common, then they are common.
Lion from Nuclear, Eun from Ashbloom, and Tae-kyu from Haifinch all faced a lot of talk when they first started acting.
So this is the usual criticism that arises when a career-less idol takes on a significant role from the start?
Creating controversy before anything has even happened is a norm in this industry…
In this project, however, because I was the lead, the criticism was a bit harsher.
Turning the situation into some kind of fictional story at the back is another journalist’s special trait.
A parent’s heart naturally worries.
Of course, he’d worry too, especially someone like our Dad.
But he has absolutely no reason to worry because someone like our underachiever wouldn’t possibly be bothered by such trivial things…
“Ah! Do something about this. I’m going crazy!”
… Really? Isn’t she even worried about this?
“No way you’re being stressed out because of the recent articles or community reactions, are you?”
“What are you talking about? Why would such trivial online rants bother me?”
“Not… worried?”
“I’m the kind of person people criticize no matter what I do, so why waste my energy caring what people say? Life is too hard to give attention to that.”
Yes, that’s correct.
Dad, your daughter isn’t someone who gets easily affected.
Neither me nor that sister resemble you, but rather our mother.
“Then what is it?”
“Uh, it’s Heavenly Yuah and Luna.”
“…”
“Huh? What about them?”
“Both of them keep trying to shove something into my sleeve. What is it anyway? Could it be some high-class harassment or initiation ritual?”
“…”
“Come on, does such stuff even exist?”
The reason our underachiever was throwing a tantrum and being difficult is because of something else.
Namely, she was completely unprepared for how warmly Heavenly Yuah and Moon Suyeon were approaching her.
Could this be? ‘If you want to catch a deer, shoot first’ kind of thing?
Considering they even sent festival gifts separately to our house, it seems like that might be the case.
“But why her as the target?”
It wouldn’t help at all, no matter how you look at it.
Anyway, these girls, they really have a way of stumbling into things.
