Fortunately, the thing Su-a worried about didn’t happen.
“Did I scare you? I’m sorry. But looking at your reaction, I just couldn’t resist teasing you. I ended up pretending to sleep without even realizing it.”
Seo Yeon-joo burst out laughing as she spoke.
But Su-a felt something was off. It was such a subtle difference, but since Su-a cherished her usual interactions with Yeon-joo, she wasn’t blind to it.
Su-a thought.
“…You tried to quickly hide something behind you. What was it?”
Seo Yeon-joo had hurriedly hidden something behind her back but quickly decided not to dwell on it. After all, everyone has something they don’t want others to see.
At that moment, Seo Yeon-joo spoke.
“Su-a, did you prepare well for the acting?”
“Yeah. I’m pretty confident.”
“Good. Then I guess we can talk a bit more about acting.”
Seo Yeon-joo tapped a seat beside her, signaling for Su-a to sit down, which she did.
“Though this may seem a bit out of the blue, do you mind if I ask you something?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“Great. Su-a, what is method acting?”
Su-a quickly searched her mental dictionary for an answer. Was there one in there? Of course not. It was just her way of saying she’d heard it from Kim Yu-han.
Su-a repeated what she had heard from Kim Yu-han.
“Isn’t it a technique for immersing one’s thoughts and emotions completely into the character? Like becoming one with the character?”
“Correct. And you act like that Su-a.”
Yeon-joo looked deeply at Su-a.
“So Su-a, if the script read, ‘Lim Soo-hee finally faces her true self and becomes honest,’ how would you act that out?”
“Just act honestly, right?”
Su-a tilted her head, feeling puzzled.
At this moment, Su-a didn’t need to borrow the thoughts of the Su-a Association. Yeon-joo’s question seemed rather simple.
“Think of myself as Lim Soo-hee and then thoroughly follow the voice in her heart. I believe that following the voice in one’s heart is being honest.”
“How do you find and follow that voice?”
“….”
Su-a suddenly narrowed her eyes and looked at Yeon-joo. She still couldn’t grasp Yeon-joo’s intention. Was she teasing her? Joking around?
Why? Even between friends, there are times like that, right? Like, “Did you eat? What did you eat? Why did you eat?” — endless teasing. You’ve all experienced it, haven’t you?
“…No, it’s not that. Her attitude is really serious.”
But Su-a changed her mind. The Yeon-joo in front of her looked like she wasn’t joking around at all.
At this moment, something struck Su-a’s mind strongly.
“Hold on, could it be?”
The special promotion window that flashed through her mind reminded her.
“This work is still a 4th-grade level.”
However, Su-a didn’t yet know the reason for this. But she had a suspicion. Could there be a problem with Yeon-joo? Perhaps something else was affecting the project.
And now, looking at Yeon-joo’s face, it seemed accurate.
“….”
Su-a swallowed dryly.
Though unclear, Yeon-joo was very different from her usual self. Su-a was certain that she was carrying something heavy that could affect the project. If so…
‘Maybe my every answer could have an impact.’
With that thought in mind, her course of action was clear.
“Sister, I’ll think it over and let you know. Could you wait just a moment? I’ll definitely tell you by tonight.”
Seo Yeon-joo quietly stared at Su-a and simply smiled.
At that moment, Su-a was certain.
‘That’s right. This is right. This affects the grade!’
And it wasn’t just guesswork.
[Lies, Lies, Lies]
▶ Sufficient implemented elements.
▶ 4th-grade… 4th-grade… 4th-grade…
The grade displayed in the special promotion window began to flash uncontrollably, as if hinting that Su-a’s answer would be the decisive variable.
◈◈◈◈◈
Lunch finally ended.
‘Lies, Lies, Lies’ was set against the backdrop of the 1986 presidential administration. The current filming location was meticulously designed to reflect the Korean landscape of that time.
The filming resumed at a frantic pace.
The bald director with the prominent mustache, Park Mu-ryong, who reminded everyone of a samurai, grabbed the megaphone with determination.
“The requests weren’t reflected at all! Let’s do it again!”
Thanks to Park Mu-ryong’s strong leadership, the lighting team, sound team, and the camera team, among others, all began giving their all. Progress was swift and efficient.
However.
Not everyone around the ‘Lies, Lies, Lies’ filming site was working. There were also onlookers.
The filming director whispered to Park Mu-ryong.
“Director, everyone seems to have arrived.”
“Who?”
“Various personnel from the production company.”
“Oh.”
Park Mu-ryong finally looked around.
To be honest, it wasn’t a great sight. If a significant number of people are watching the scene like a fence, someone’s concentration might drop.
But Park Mu-ryong simply nodded.
“There’s nothing we can do. After all, didn’t Seung-hwan get controversial on SNS and get kicked out? Since an actor was replaced just before filming, they’re probably worried if everything will go smoothly.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“At least, luckily, it’s not a surveillance atmosphere.”
“Huh?”
“If Seung-hwan left and some random guy came in, the atmosphere would have been cold, but the personnel watching now don’t seem like that at all. Take a look.”
A moment later, the filming director nodded.
“That’s definitely true.”
“The new actor is Su-a, which is the reason. Though they might have some concerns, the expectation will outweigh those concerns since she overturned Korea with ‘Special Mobile Unit 808.’”
Park Mu-ryong’s words were accurate.
Initially, the entire set of staff was filled with worries, but now their expectations for Su-a were greater.
First, there was the doubt and expectation whether she was really as amazing as rumored. Second, there was the desire to build prior connections. Su-a’s network wasn’t just casual these days.
The filming continued thereafter.
“Okay! That’s enough for now!”
It was time for a brief pause. After dismissing the actors, Director Park gave instructions to the surrounding staff.
“Let’s clean the mansion thoroughly and continue. The cleaning staff will come in, and meanwhile, we’ll take a short break.”
In response to the staff’s call, a pre-hired cleaning company quickly moved into the mansion. They would clean the swimming pool, the hall where the party was held, and resume filming afterward.
“Hooh….”
Park Mu-ryong then chose to rest alone a bit further away, wiping the sweat off his bald head with a towel.
But he didn’t have much time to savor solitude.
Several people approached Park Mu-ryong. Of course, they were various stakeholders related to the ‘Lies, Lies, Lies’ production.
“Director Park Mu-ryong, could we have a moment to speak?”
“Ms. Su-a doesn’t seem to be here yet. Hasn’t she arrived?”
“Will she be here today?”
These were impatient people. Park Mu-ryong wanted to yell but restrained himself and began speaking.
“Ms. Su-a has already arrived on set, and the filming will definitely proceed. Unless you’re worried the result won’t come after completion, there’s no need to worry about the project finishing.”
Director Park’s strong conviction eased some faces of the stakeholders, but there were still some who weren’t reassured.
“Can Ms. Su-a really pull off a portrayal of a thug? I heard she wasn’t brought in through auditions. You haven’t seen her act as Lim Soo-hee either, have you Director?”
“I also find that worrying. Kim Yu-han put on male disguise and used special effects, but this time we’re going for a female thug. Will that work…?”
“I’m also worried how Ms. Su-a’s chemistry with Ms. Yeon-joo will go. This work stars Ms. Yeon-joo, and if Ms. Su-a overshadows her like a lead, the scenes might get awkward.”
Park Mu-ryong quietly crossed his arms.
He didn’t think much inside.
‘What a racket. Idiots.’
The greed of humans is endless, it seems, truly. When the news of Park replacing the vacant role with Su-a was first announced, they cheered, but now, they’re suddenly worrying if Su-a can deliver. It’s just jealousy.
‘Well, it’s not entirely incomprehensible.’
No matter how easy a task seems, things become more complicated when they’re linked to one’s livelihood. Those who visited today probably know that a major hiccup in this project will be devastating, so they’re anxious. Their fuss is understandable, but still…
Anyway, Park Mu-ryong deemed it all too much fuss.
At least because there was no better option than Su-a. If this fails despite all else, then so be it.
Finally, Park Mu-ryong spoke.
“I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry unnecessarily.”
Then someone agreed.
“Right. Director, you’re busy enough. Let’s not keep pressing you. If we can’t trust Ms. Su-a, who can we trust? She’s an overseas newcomer with enough potential, right?”
At that, everyone fell silent. They all realized this themselves. They were just trying to alleviate their unease by unnecessarily pestering Director Park.
Soon they began nodding.
“That’s true. I heard she’s from Japan, right? She might have experience playing yakuza or thugs there. There must be some reason she chose this role.”
“That’s right. She’s an overseas talent, but didn’t I hear that her major was actually in sound?”
“Sound?”
“She composes the background music for dramas herself.”
One after another, they began interjecting into the conversation.
“I’ve heard that too. But wasn’t she Japanese? Then where did she learn English? I thought she came from the U.S. Why would she end up here?”
“Hey, how could she have gone straight to Hollywood if she came from the U.S.? Why would she stop here?”
The falsehoods started flooding. Even Su-a might gasp at the stories.
“Enough.”
Director Park interrupted.
“Everyone, please leave. I need to meet with Ms. Su-a.”
◈◈◈◈◈
Afterward, Director Park Mu-ryong sought out Su-a.
“Ms. Su-a, may I talk to you for a moment?”
“Yes.”
Su-a was surprised nonetheless. Park Mu-ryong was using respectful language towards her.
Because of this, Su-a felt tense.
“Why has he come to speak with me?”
Park Mu-ryong exhaled deeply.
“Since the scope of what I’ve started is broad, the expectations and worries have been overwhelming. Furthermore, Ms. Su-a was urgently brought in after the original actress was ousted.”
“Ah, yeah.”
Su-a nodded in understanding.
“As the lead, can Yeon-joo shine properly? Does the image of a female thug ring true? There are various discussions, so I wanted to show you something.”
“What is it?”
“We’ve slightly altered the climax part.”
Su-a quickly skimmed it over with her eyes.
S # climax
Park Si-yeon (Seo Yeon-joo)’s increasingly unreasonable demands persist, and while unsure, Lim Soo-hee (Su-a) ultimately complies.
However, the demands eventually go too far. Lim Soo-hee prioritizes helping Park Si-yeon over obeying her organization’s orders, and eventually, the faction’s leader issues a directive for Soo-hee’s purge.
Even while being purged, Soo-hee continues helping Si-yeon, who only then suddenly regains clarity. Witnessing Soo-hee on the brink of death, Si-yeon finally confronts her true self and becomes honest.
Director Park Mu-ryong awkwardly cleared his throat.
“Perhaps you’re familiar with this, Ms. Su-a. I’ve heard you dealt with open-ended scripts for climactic scenes in ‘Special Mobile Unit 808,’ ultimately producing an amazing result which everyone witnessed.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Su-a nodded.
Right. That was how the climax went in ‘Special Mobile Unit 808.’
“Does it seem manageable? If it feels overambitious, we can revert to the original script safely. However, if you believe it’s feasible, I would like to take the challenge.”
“Hmm.”
Absolutely, the old one wouldn’t work. It was level 4.
At the same time, she understood Park Mu-ryong’s intent to challenge.
There’s no easier way to reassure everyone than presenting an impeccable climax. Simultaneously, achieving higher quality in the work would also enhance the chances of success.
“What about Senior Yeon-joo’s thoughts?”
“Yeon-joo has agreed.”
And at that moment…
“…”
Information scattered in Su-a’s mind began to align like puzzle pieces.
‘Senior Yeon-joo’s severe expression, the open-ended climax scene, the rating of this project…’
They collectively form a single clear picture.
At the same time, Su-a became certain. This must be the answer.
“…It’s possible. Let’s go with this.”
She spoke firmly.
Maybe, just maybe, she had a chance to see Seo Yeon-joo’s Yeoncheon-kyung performance.
Not impossible.
