小火星

The water truck that was present at the scene of the ‘drug dealer’ seemed to be endlessly spraying water as if it had broken down.

– patpatpat!

Aside from the noise of the heavy rain, no voices of people at the scene were heard. It was strange. The voices weren’t just drowned out by the loud rain. Despite there being easily over 60 people gathered, not a single one of them uttered a word.

“……”

“……”

The supporting actor, who had barely managed to ask a question to everyone looked around. Soon, he realized.

Ah- none of them are in a position to answer my question.

Main and supporting actors, staff, production and distribution company representatives, and so on. All of them kept their mouths shut, merely staring in one direction. Their gaze was fixed on the spot where the newcomer actor, who appeared for a brief cameo, had passed through the shooting zone.

Their expressions were all similar.

Dilated pupils, slightly open mouths, furrowed brows, and slightly flaring nostrils. It was the kind of expression one would have after being struck from behind, and it seemed like they had been hit hard.

After what felt like several tens of seconds.

-Swish.

The first ones to move among the frozen crowd were the actors.

‘…He’s good. No, but how can he be that good? He only glanced at the script briefly, right? How can he act as if he had been rehearsing it for over a month?’

The actors began to process what they had seen, trying to recall what had just taken place.

‘It was his first scene upon arrival, and a revised one at that. I get that there were no mistakes, but how could he delve into it with such depth without any emotional buildup. Why did it feel so genuine?’

Even though they had seen it with their own eyes, they couldn’t easily digest it. A feeling of disbelief welled up in their hearts.

‘To be honest… I thought that since he’s a newbie, he would give off an amateurish vibe. But I can’t find any flaw except for the surprising factor. Can he already exhibit such a profound performance? Just three weeks after getting the script?’

There were many seasoned actors on the set of ‘drug dealer’. And thus, they felt even more baffled. It went beyond their understanding.

Neither admiration nor astonishment came out.

The actors were each trying to comprehend the monstrous performance they just witnessed. None of them spoke to one another.

‘His acting quality is that of a seasoned actor. It’s baffling why he was just a stand-in. The problem is, there’s nothing rookie-like about his acting, technique, or impact.’

Knowing that asking would yield no answers, the actors silently pondered.

On the other hand,

“…Wow.”

Unlike the silent actors, the executives from the production and distribution companies slowly began to come to their senses.

“That scene just now was legendary.”

They began to mutter amongst themselves.

“It was the revised script he acted on, right?”

“Yes. He executed it perfectly without missing a beat from the storyboard.”

“And what about the quality of his portrayal of the character ‘Lee Sang-man’? Woah – it’s really shocking.”

Given that both the production and distribution had been stressed about the ‘Lee Sang-man’ issue, the twist now was more intense than ever.

“The tone, facial expressions, mood, and habits of ‘Lee Sang-man’ seem like they’ve been directly taken out from the script. How… How is that the performance of a newcomer?”

At this point, one of the production company executives said solemnly, crossing his arms,

“The moment ‘Lee Sang-man’ appears on the big screen, he’ll surely captivate all the viewers. If he’s at that level.”

On the other hand,

Kang Woojin, who was still standing, having encounter the massive camera.

“……”

It had been several minutes since Woojin looked at the treacherous stairs. Slowly, doubts began to form in his mind.

‘Did I make a mistake?’

The set was too quiet. According to the continuity, the scene should have ended by now. There should have been either an OK or NG called by now. But there was complete silence.

‘No, I didn’t make a mistake. I was nervous with all the people around, but I’m sure I was in the right position. Then my acting must have been near perfect. I don’t know, let’s just wait and see.’

Woojin chose to wait, maintaining a poker face. It felt slightly chilly due to the increased humidity, it was bearable.

‘More importantly, I’m a bit worried about that extra actor from earlier. Is his throat okay?’

As Woojin was thinking about the extra actor who shoved the cigarette into his throat, the middle-aged man standing next to him was looking at Woojin in slight disbelief.

‘This guy, he’s really insane.’

It was Lim Sang-ho, the main cinematographer. The one who had observed Woojin’s performance from the beginning to the end at the closest range. From the moment Woojin stepped out of the car as ‘Lee Sang-man’, Lim Sang-ho had felt a sense of strangeness.

‘His acting was killer, but more than that, adapting without any prep time and completing it in one take up to this point?’

Kang Woojin was incredibly smooth. Even though it was his first time at this vast set with the staff and actors, he didn’t feel out of place at all. His adaptability was as if he had been here from the beginning.

‘Does he not feel any pressure? As a rookie? Especially when production and distribution companies have all come rushing in?’

Was this even possible? There hadn’t been an actor like him in Lim Sang-ho’s past.

Lim Sang-ho was a cinematographer with 20 years of experience.

To Lim Sang-ho, Kang Woojin seemed quite otherworldly. And his calmness? There were hundreds of eyes on him, all watching critically, yet Woojin was absolutely nonchalant. He delivered his intense acting without a hint of nervousness.

‘No, he even looks too relaxed.’

Suddenly, the nonchalant Woojin slightly shivered as he looked up the stairs. He discreetly rubbed his arm. Soon after, Lim Sang-ho narrowed his eyes.

‘Could it be… Is he capturing the emotions for the next drug injection scene? No, he’s already immersed. He’s visualizing it.’

Kang Woojin secretly grumbled as he sneaked a glance up the stairs.

‘Damn it. Did they turn on a fan upstairs? It’s freezing. I think I’ll catch a cold. How long do I have to wait?’

Then, at that moment.

“………And, Cut!!”

Finally, a shout came from outside the building through a megaphone. It was Director Kim Do-hee’s signal. Thanks to that, Woojin calmly turned around, and his eyes met the cinematographer’s. Lim Sang-ho spoke first.

“Did you capture the emotion and tone for the next scene properly?”

A stern Woojin sneered inwardly.

‘What’s this small-eyed old man talking about?’

Was it some professional signal? Woojin decided not to think too much about it.

“Yes, roughly.”

“Haha. No wonder the staff from Hanryang praised you so much. I’m quite close with the art director from Hanryang, so I asked about you. He said that when filming with you, everyone would be too busy watching you. As if the character jumped out of the script into reality.”

“Is that so?”

“I thought it was an exaggeration, but it seems not.”

The cinematographer paused, letting out a small chuckle.

“Woojin, you’re an actor who could have been exaggerated tenfold more, and it still would’ve been fitting.”

Caught off guard by the sudden praise, Woojin didn’t know how to react. Just then, Director Kim Do-hee, with thinning hair, rushed into the building.

“Woojin!”

She grabbed Woojin’s hand, leading a few assistant directors and staff. Surprised, Woojin tried to maintain his composure. After all, he had to stay in character.

“What’s wrong?”

“Shi… I mean, sorry. I got so excited I almost swore. My god, Woojin, you nailed it! I saw it, but I still can’t believe it?! How did you do it? You hardly looked at the script.”

What did I do? I just went with the flow. But he couldn’t say that out loud. So, Woojin answered with modest bravado.

“I just followed the script.”

“Haha, But it’s unbelievable that you just followed it perfectly.”

Director Kim Do-hee was already over the moon. She had forgotten about the actor Oh Jun-woo, who had been replaced due to the accident.

‘It’s a godsend. For the first time in my directorial career, I was moved by an actor’s performance.’

She had seen ‘Kim Ryu-jin’ and ‘Park Dae-ri’ countless times for research. But the ‘Lee Sang-man’ that Woojin portrayed had no trace of them.

The Lee Sang-man that Director Kim Do-hee envisioned was right in front of her.

It wasn’t something common or seen before. It was a fresh yet familiar portrayal of Lee Sang-man. Looking at the composed Kang Woojin, Director Kim Do-hee was genuinely moved, even if that emotion stemmed from a misunderstanding.

‘A hardworking genius? Despite his busy schedule, he thoroughly analyzed my script and Lee Sang-man. Otherwise, this level of detail wouldn’t have been possible.’

She felt the only way to repay him was to give him another shot.

“Woojin, let’s do the same scene again. Just now, it was according to the storyboard. This time, we’ll dim the lights a bit and focus more on the frontal camera angle.”

“Understood.”

This calm monster had drawn out the ‘ideal’ scene, so she was determined to capture the ‘Lee Sang-man’ character even more realistically. Director Kim Do-hee ran outside, shouting towards the water truck.

“Make the rain much heavier!”

Simultaneously, the cinematographer also patted Kang Woojin’s shoulder, promising,

“If the shot isn’t perfect, it’s on me. Trust me. I’ll get the best shot.”

The crew’s morale seemed to rise on its own.

“Please do.”

There was no reason to refuse since they said they would shoot it well. Ah, but if the passion increases, will we end up leaving work late? Kang Woojin, feeling a strange emotion, stepped outside the building. The supporting actors and the staff were already in full swing preparing for the reshoot.

Among them, the supporting actors and extras murmured as they saw Woojin.

“His acting is phenomenal.”

“I saw him up close, and his gaze was just… wow – Honestly, Oh Jun-woo couldn’t have done it like that.”

“Shh, the staff can hear. But Kang Woojin isn’t popular for no reason. His acting is superb.”

Regardless of the whispers, Kang Woojin approached an extra who was being ‘beaten up’ in the scene.

“Excuse me-”

The extra was drenched, with makeup depicting clear injuries on his face. He flinched when he saw Woojin.

“Yes?!”

“Are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“I was wondering if your throat was okay or if you felt any discomfort.”

“Ah… No! I’m fine!”

“I’m sorry, I’ll try to make it quick without any NGs.”

“It’s okay! Don’t worry about it.”

“No, I should be concerned.”

Kang Woojin softly muttered, briefly greeting the extras, then walked towards the parked cars. Following him, the extra actors, who were watching Woojin’s retreating figure, said,

“I thought he’d be a bit cold, but was it just me or was he just now kind and cool?”

One by one, they began to admire Kang Woojin.

“He’s not just a great actor, but also a great person.”

A few minutes later.

The preparations for the reshoot of the same scene were completed. The scene setup was no different from before.

“What do you think? Will this second take be different?”

“With that quality, if something new is added, it’ll be insane.”

“Do you think we’ll go without any NGs this time?”

“Who knows.”

Over 60 spectators were still there. Not a single person had left. The actors sat even closer to the set, the staff clustered around Director Kim Do-hee, and the production executives and distributors did the same. The cohesion of the circular boundary enveloping the shooting zone was tight.

Watching this from a distance, Choe Sung-gun, with a peculiar expression, chuckled.

“Is this a zoo or what?”

Han Ye-jung, with her coordinator book in hand, chimed in,

“It’s understandable. Woojin didn’t even flinch in his expression, even when faced with sudden changes received on set. I get why those professional actors are fascinated, seriously.”

However, Choe Sung-gun, with his arms crossed, was focused on something else.

“Everyone seems entranced by that, but what astonishes me is the perfection of ‘Lee Sang-man’. Amidst such a hectic schedule, when did he… manage to perfect it?”

A level of perfection that no one on set could complain about.

“Moreover, Woojin is not just thinking about that ‘Drug Dealer’ role right now.”

“Ah.”

Choe Sung-gun recalled Kang Woojin after the shoot for ‘Profiler Hanryang’ had ended.

“Back then, he was already working on the character from the ‘Island of the Missing’, and including that, up to the recent Japanese project. He’s currently juggling at least five projects.”

This was a fact unknown to anyone outside Kang Woojin’s team.

“If they knew this, those dozens of people there would be shocked, for sure.”

Director Kim Do-hee raised her loudspeaker then.

“Water truck!! Okay, Roll Cameras!! Action!”

The reshoot began. Soon, Kang Woojin got out of the sedan. Or to be exact, Lee Sang-man did. This Lee Sang-man in comparison was in no way lacking than the initial Lee Sang-man.

“Come closer. I’m getting wet.”

Yet It wasn’t exactly the same. It was even clearer and more vivid. The soft yet stern atmosphere, the detailed movement of scratching one’s forearm, and the soft gaze captured by the camera.

Only by staying true to the original Lee Sang-man, an even more profound Lee Sang-man is born.

“Hyung! Please spare me! I must have been out of my mind! Please, Hyung!”

Repeated readings (experiences) and retakes are merely processes to breathe life into Lee Sang-man. Soon, despite the pouring rain, the heat of the shooting zone intensified.

“Say ‘ah.\'”

“….Yes?”

“Say ‘ah.’ Open your mouth.”

Lee Sang-man, who was crouching, grabbed the subordinate’s hair, who was getting drenched in the rain. At that moment, as he tried to put a wet cigarette into the man’s mouth,

-Swoosh.

Due to the subordinate’s wet hair, Lee Sang-man’s hand slipped. In an instant, Kang Woojin realized his mistake.

‘Oh.’

The subordinate’s short hair was one reason. The pouring rain also played its part. This caused the crouching Kang Woojin to lose his balance.

-Thud.

Due to the force exerted, Woojin embraced the soaking wet underling. It seemed very natural. This scene wasn’t in the script. Nor was the comforting embrace of the subordinate.

‘Huh?’

Kang Woojin, who was holding the underling, thought,

‘Oh- shit.’

He paused for a moment. At that time, Director Kim Do-hee, who was monitoring the acting, flinched.

“…He hugged him?”

The expressions of the main and supporting actors were unanimously serious.

‘Was that an ad-lib¹? A rookie in his first scene?’

‘It was an ad-lib.’

‘Ad-lib. Did he come up with that?’

And this time.

At the major film company MV Films, two figures, already deeply infected with the misunderstandings, sat facing each other. No one else was in sight.

Director Kwon Ki-taek, with a warm smile, and

“I look forward to working with you, I have high expectations.”

The top actor, Ryu Jung-min, who had a baby perm.

“Thank you, Director.”

It was the moment Ryu Jung-min, who looked slightly cute with his baby perm, was finally confirmed for the ‘Island of the Missing.’ However, the determination in his eyes was real. Seeing such a Ryu Jung-min, Director Kwon Ki-taek smiled slightly.

“By the way, we didn’t provide all the actors with the full cast information, but I told you. Woojin was the first to join.”

Ryu Jung-min nodded calmly.

“Yes, Director.”

“Well, there might be some awkwardness, right? The situation with Hanryang, for example. Going on back-to-back projects together can be burdensome, even if they’re short. Are you really okay with that? I hope you’re not forcing yourself.”

Ryu Jung-min exhaled softly and immediately replied.

“No, to be honest, I’m not okay.”

*****