The actors’ contracts progressed much faster than expected.
Nam Hyun-ho, who I thought would be the hardest to secure, was the first to sign his contract, and the rest of the supporting cast also agreed to work with us without much issue.
Things were proceeding smoothly according to our Plan A, just as we hoped.
I thought scheduling might become a problem since it wasn’t set yet, but the process was surprisingly smooth.
It seems everyone judged that given the scale of the production and with Heavenly Yuah as the lead actress, it would definitely secure a broadcast slot.
There is an interesting twist though, regarding the contracts.
The drama production company Phoenix and the investor Heavenly Financial gave the main actors a choice between a contract with a high base fee or one with numerous bonus clauses.
Apparently, most of the actors chose the contract with more bonus clauses.
While I’m almost certain this project will succeed, I can’t figure out why these people would sign such a contract.
It seems everyone has confidence in themselves. It was, in a way, an invigorating change of pace.
“Hello! I’m Yang Miju.”
And in the end, the president sent the kid to us.
It seems he wanted the child to gain some experience. He probably thought that no matter how smart the kid seems, being young and enduring the tough filming process would eventually lead to them giving up.
Actually, it’s a reasonable assumption.
Even if the world has improved, drama filming locations are inevitably demanding, with most children crying and heading home midway.
Of course, our precocious kid’s desire for money is on an entirely different level compared to other children…
“This is beyond knowing.”
It may take some time to see what happens.
“Mi-ju will be staying with Yuli.”
“That sounds good.”
In any case, this young one, newly residing with Flame Entertainment, will live with Yang Yuli.
The office apartment prepared by Flame Entertainment is spacious enough for two people. And since Yang Yuli and the child were close friends when they were at the facility, this is the best arrangement for looking after the kid.
In the end, is Yang Yuli taking on the role of a mother to the kid?
“Ah, sister, please clean up your life a bit. We have vacuums and everything, so why is it like this?”
“Ugh, you’re nagging me again?”
“You’ll stop nagging if you stop living like this. Is this a place for humans to live?”
From the atmosphere, it seems like the roles are reversed.
Well, writers tend to be like that.
Actually, anyone who makes a living off creativity generally has a loose screw or two.
If the kid tightens the screws from the side, Yang Yuli’s living environment might improve from its current state, which resembles a pigsty.
I don’t know how long the kid has been living here, but they are already in this state already.
“Come to think of it, Heavenly Demon also couldn’t manage cleanliness… Could it be?”
No, no. Another occupational disease almost came out.
It’s probably best not to think about that here.
Even if it wasn’t me, Heavenly Yuah has more assistants than can be counted on one hand.
That side feels like a Pandora’s box best left unopened, so I decided to ignore it.
“…Oh, how cute.”
“A child actor?”
“Indeed…”
A girl around the age of 7 (Characteristic: extremely cute) joining Flame Entertainment was quite the sensational change for the employees.
From observing the gazes of the employees as the child passes by, it appears this child really is adorable on the outside.
Though inside, they’re pretty jaded from capitalism.
“What….”
“So cute….”
While the employees are fascinating, the really big fans are the guards.
These people couldn’t take their eyes off this doll-like child who bounces around.
Even though East Asians look younger, this child looks younger than their peers, so the guards probably see them as around 4-5 years old.
Additionally, this kid knows how to charm people and easily clings to those who they think will be kind to them.
The child even went as far as hugging and rubbing against the chests of the twenty-something female guards who enjoy cute things, causing pandemonium as everyone said how adorable it was.
Even Selly (an owner of a very desirable body, also known as the poolside topless girl) had her chest…
“What are you looking at like that, uncle?”
“Not, just… Ah, why ‘uncle’ all of a sudden? You used to call me a handsome older brother?”
“Now we’re family, right? Isn’t that what family members call each other?”
“That’s… well, just call me however you like.”
Indeed, this kid is not to be underestimated. At first, they were calling me “handsome older brother” with affection, but now the title has been downgraded to “uncle.”
Though from my position, being called “grandpa” would be more appropriate, so I don’t have much of a complaint. However, I was speechless when the kid mentioned family members using such titles.
What is this child eating that allows them to function this way?
“Since time is short, we should assign a teacher.”
“Yes, right? Child actors are selected through auditions.”
“Even though it’s a short-term contract, as they’ve agreed to contract with Flame, passing the audition is mandatory. It’s a matter of dignity.”
The junior role for Wolhee would be selected through a closed audition.
Since the role is unique and it’s a junior role, there aren’t too many candidates, but the audition will include just the right junior actors, making it not easy to pass.
For a kid who hasn’t actually done real acting and only lived life as acting, extra training is definitely required.
“By any chance, will Mi-ju have Yu-a?”
“That’s not possible. I have my own schedule too. We have brought in a highly competent teacher from the outside. It’s excessive for someone who just needs to look after Mi-ju.”
“…Is that so?”
Is it possible to hire a teacher from the outside?
Then why did I have Heavenly Yuah teach me directly?
Of course, for me, the acting practice with Heavenly Yuah was quite enjoyable, but it didn’t have to be that way.
Maybe they gave me special attention because I’m Flame’s first contracted actor?
“What are you looking at like that? You have the same schedule, Si-woo.”
“That… that’s right.”
“Surely you haven’t forgotten, have you?”
Heavenly Yuah, whose words suggested she had extended her goodwill in helping me with my acting, had a comment that reminded me of something I had momentarily forgotten.
The schedule she mentioned was one that I also needed to attend.
It was none other than the action rehearsals for this drama.
“So when does it start?”
“Today.”
“Ah, right.”
“Surely you haven’t forgotten?”
“No, I haven’t forgotten.”
“Yes, you have.”
“Ah… Well, that’s true.”
Frankly, I had forgotten.
I assumed either Team Leader Seo or Nam Cheol-i (my manager) would inform me when the time came.
And actually, there are just too many things to keep track of recently.
Out of nowhere, the kid was admitted to Flame, and Wolhee’s identity still hasn’t even been revealed.
My mind’s been all over the place lately.
Even though I momentarily forgot, it doesn’t mean this schedule isn’t important.
With most of the actors’ roles determined, it was time to schedule a separate session for those performers whose roles involved action scenes.
Of course, action is one of the things I’m most confident in, but acting is never something you can do without a partner.
Especially in action, syncing with others is crucial. The more advanced the acting, the more important the rhythm. So I needed to focus on practicing.
Otherwise, someone might get hurt. Not me, but the other person.
“By the way, we’ll also see Nam Hyun-ho during the action rehearsals.”
“Ah, right. Nam Seok-ju. There’s also a lot of action here in his role.”
In this drama, the three actors who would perform the most action scenes are me, Heavenly Yuah, and Nam Hyun-ho.
These three characters are almost exclusively responsible for combat scenes, so there’s a lot to practice.
So if actors are gathered for action rehearsals, Nam Hyun-ho would naturally be included.
Nam Hyun-ho. One of the more open-minded among those stuck in Orthodoxy.
Even though his ending wasn’t too great, I remember him as a person of considerable integrity, regardless of the criticisms of his Jade-Faced Foolish Sword technique.
“By the way, what kind of actor is Nam Hyun-ho?”
“Nam Hyun-ho? Hmm… I heard he’s a very passionate actor when it comes to acting.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Didn’t he play a loan shark in his debut work?”
“Ah, in the drama ‘Fiery Sword’? That’s right.”
“Nam Hyun-ho actually worked as a day laborer to prepare for that role.”
“…As a day laborer? For real?”
“Yes, it was later revealed as a story of his experience while preparing for that role.”
Curious to know the kind of actor modern-day Nam Hyun-ho is, I asked Heavenly Yuah. Her response was quite shocking.
I learned that Nam Hyun-ho, who had supported a previous drama as a supporting actor, had gone as far as actually experiencing being a loan shark to better understand his role.
What, even for good acting? Could someone really go that far?
Of course, I’ve had similar experiences.
To disguise myself in functional roles like an evil swordsman, hermit, craftsman, gambler, or boatman, I’ve practiced skills firsthand in real-life situations.
But my situation was literally a matter of life and death, whereas this man did it just for acting.
Would he sniff drugs if given the role of a drug addict? It seems his mind is not entirely there.
“Exactly, this is it. A lunatic in this business. I never thought such a person really existed.”
It seems I have one more person to watch out for.
A crazy person.
I thought knowing the third son of the Changcheon Group wouldn’t be a terrible connection, but no matter how good the background, I need to avoid lunatics.
Yeah, this guy’s really not sane.
I decided that I should avoid him as best as I can while climbing aboard the van for the action practice.
