Chapter 8

**Obsessed with Acting. Episode 8**

Inside a van parked in the parking lot.

Cha Minhyuk is shoving a rice roll into his mouth.

"Drink your beverage while you eat. You'll get indigestion if you eat too quickly."

The coordinator offered a drink, but Cha Minhyuk waved his hand.

"Never mind. But seriously, isn't it infuriating? The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Who uses so much effort at the first reading? It's just to see how things flow overall.

He's trying so hard, like a newbie who's desperate to stand out... showing off. What do you think, hyung? Come on, say something."

Cha Minhyuk pressed the manager, who was sitting in the driver's seat, feeling frustrated after losing the lead in the first reading.

"Actor Jin? Well, he did a good job. It flowed naturally, like water..."

The manager didn't catch the hint at first.

"What? Are you saying I wasn't natural?"

Cha Minhyuk exploded.

"No, no. You were the most natural, of course. Actor Jin, for a first-timer, he did pretty well..."

"Big brother, you can't match his skills."

The coordinator joined in to calm Cha Minhyuk down. Cha Minhyuk would keep pushing them until he heard what he wanted to hear. The manager tried to reason with him.

"Besides, Actor Jin has only done one movie. He has plenty of free time... what else would he do? Just practice like crazy. You have ads, fan meet-and-greets, radio shows, variety shows... you're so busy. You don't even have time to spare."

Cha Minhyuk snatched the drink from the coordinator and gulped it down, then spat it out.

"Damn, there's rice in it."

The coordinator, now frozen, looked down.

"But... you seem a bit off."

The manager turned around and said.

"Why are you so worked up when no one said anything?"

Actually, Cha Minhyuk's reading wasn't bad. Except for the awkward dialect.

But for some reason, when Actor Jin was reading, a clear voice in his head scolded him:

"Can't you do any better? Did you only prepare this much? What kind of character analysis is this?"

He felt embarrassed and ashamed.

'This guy is really getting under my skin. A newbie... '

"Ah, that kid. A newbie should act like a newbie. Hyung, give me the script."

The manager looked at the coordinator with a puzzled expression. The coordinator was equally confused.

Cha Minhyuk, who had been increasingly lazy about acting and was showing signs of a diva attitude, was now practicing the script in the car...

"What's the big deal... just a small movie..."

Cha Minhyuk started reading each line carefully.

"Hyung, can you play the Gyeongsang dialect recording I made last time?"

"Sure, I got it."

The manager and coordinator were bewildered by Cha Minhyuk's sudden change in attitude.

***

Lunchtime, the pork soup restaurant was bustling with customers. Director Yeo Yunjin and PD Choi were venting their frustrations, barely managing to secure a seat.

"What can we do? We've been looking for weeks and can't find anyone. We've wasted so much time looking for a model."

"Does that even make sense? We need a model who is completely unknown to the public, exudes masculinity, and has a mysterious appearance that can captivate women. Where are we supposed to find such a person?"

Director Yeo Yunjin shook her head. The demanding conditions for the phone ad were giving her a headache.

If the appearance was right, the model was either already famous or the acting was too awkward.

Models with decent acting skills didn't have the look the advertiser wanted.

"Advertisers think they can just say anything and it will happen. Why don't they try bringing someone in themselves?"

PD Choi agreed.

But despite the complaints, they were equally anxious. The competition among companies to dominate the phone market was heating up, and the ad agencies were feeling the pressure.

"Just go and meet the advertiser, PD. Suggest making the product more mysterious. Everything else is ready, but we're just wasting time because we don't have a model... or how about that cyber singer, Adam? The CG designer mentioned him..."

"I tried, but it didn't work. They insist on using a real person... I've talked to acting schools, so let's keep looking."

"..."

Suddenly, Director Yeo fell silent. Her eyes were fixed on the TV showing a cable ad.

She seemed to have seen something in a local ad and was focusing intently on the screen.

'My instincts are never wrong. I definitely saw something.'

"Here's your pork soup. Be careful, it's hot."

"Let's eat. We need to fill our bellies to work."

"Stop!"

"Damn, you scared me."

Director Yeo suddenly shouted.

"Back, back, back."

She pointed at the TV and shouted.

"What's wrong?"

PD Choi asked, but Director Yeo didn't hear anything.

"Auntie, can you rewind this?"

"How do you rewind a TV?"

"Did you find something?"

PD Choi asked.

"I found it. I found it."

Director Yeo said, pulling her hair. PD Choi looked at the TV.

A local yoga studio ad was playing. Among the people doing yoga, the model they were looking for was sitting gracefully.

***

On the set.

The scene where 'Lee Jin-hong' rushes to save his friend, who has been beaten by a gang, in a fit of rage.

But when he arrives, the main character 'Choi Woo-seok' has already taken care of the gang and resolved the situation.

The shoot was delayed.

Unexpected rain had started pouring down.

Oh Hae-il approached Actor Jin and held an umbrella over him.

"Let me hold it. Give it to me."

"It's fine. This is what managers do. Actors should focus on their acting."

A few days after signing the contract, the payment for Actor Jin's role was deposited into his account. As soon as he saw it, he asked Oh Hae-il to manage his schedule.

Since then, Oh Hae-il has been checking Actor Jin's schedule, monitoring his condition, and ensuring he can focus solely on acting.

"Why does it take so long to shoot one scene? In movies, it goes by so quickly..."

"That's why it's hard. It looks glamorous on the outside."

"Ujin, wait a moment."

The assistant director called Actor Jin.

"Yes, Director."

"We were going to shoot when the rain stopped, but it doesn't seem to be stopping. The director said to go ahead. We'll start with your scene as soon as the setup is ready."

The assistant director opened the storyboard and explained the scene in detail.

The first scene shows 'Lee Jin-hong' riding a bicycle down the road.

"So, you'll ride from here to that corner at full speed. And when you turn the corner, a truck will pass by. Like this."

The assistant director flipped through the storyboard, explaining the scene where the truck drives in front of the bicycle.

"Give the audience the impression that you might collide, but narrowly avoid it and continue riding.

We'll shoot this in one take without cuts until you reach the corner. The camera will follow you from the side. The corner turn will be done by a stuntman, so you just need to stop at the stop line.

Got it?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good. Damn, why is it raining so suddenly? The ground is slippery. Be careful."

A moment later, Director Ryu Ji-wan checked the set again.

"Did you hear from the assistant director? If the rain stops and starts again, it won't match the next scene. So, we'll do it quickly. Just ride to the stop line and stop there."

"Yes, I understand."

Actor Jin stood at the starting point, checked the bicycle, and prepared to ride.

Meanwhile, Cha Minhyuk was practicing with the martial arts director on the side.

"Don't punch from above, punch from below. It looks more powerful that way."

Cha Minhyuk punched from below.

"No, we're not doing martial arts. We're fighting. That's for Hong Kong martial arts movies."

He was still not used to physical acting and was repeatedly corrected by the director.

"And your punch is too stiff."

Cha Minhyuk's frustration was boiling over.

'Damn. The martial arts team should handle this. I won't be responsible if I get hurt. It's annoying and frustrating.'

"Let's take a break."

Cha Minhyuk said grumpily to the martial arts director.

The manager quickly wrapped Cha Minhyuk in a blanket.

"Let's talk to the producer about removing this. Why bring an A-list actor and have him do stunts without a stunt double?"

While grumbling, Cha Minhyuk noticed Actor Jin preparing to ride.

Actor Jin checked his route again.

Ride the bicycle from in front of the store, accelerate onto the road, and stop at the stop line. It was a relatively simple route.

"Camera is ready. Let's go."

"Action!"

Actor Jin quickly ran to the bicycle, grabbed it, and pedaled hard.

The rain lashed his face, blending perfectly with 'Lee Jin-hong's' determination to save his friend.

The bicycle picked up speed, cutting through the rain. His leg muscles tensed, and his shoulders and back moved dynamically.

The camera followed Actor Jin, capturing the vivid image of 'Lee Jin-hong'.

As he approached the corner, the stop line and the truck came into view.

'I'm almost there.'

Actor Jin saw the stop line and pulled the brakes.

But at that moment,

the front wheel slipped on the rainwater, losing balance and falling over.

The bicycle skidded on the road and crashed into the truck, getting stuck in the rear wheel.

Director Ryu Ji-wan jumped up. The incident happened so quickly that all the crew members were frozen.

Only the camera kept rolling.

Just as Director Ryu was about to call "Cut,"

Actor Jin immediately got up and sprinted.

It was an instinctive reaction.

If 'Lee Jin-hong' were in this situation, he would have run through the rain to reach his friend, no matter what.

The director of photography didn't miss this moment, following Actor Jin with the lens until the end.

"Cut."

The director called "Cut" after Actor Jin, with a bleeding leg, had run for a while.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

The director of photography, who was closest, was the first to ask.

Actor Jin bent over, panting heavily, and nodded.

"Huff, huff, how... did it turn out? Huff."

Actor Jin asked if the shot was good.

"What, are you crazy? What were you thinking?"

Director Ryu Ji-wan ran over and shouted.

"I just... thought I had to run... to save my friend. Huff, huff."

Director Ryu ruffled Actor Jin's hair and laughed. The entire crew and cast cheered and clapped.

Cha Minhyuk's heart was pounding, unable to move.

'He's real. Actor Jin is a real actor.'

Cha Minhyuk turned around.

"Minhyuk! Where are you going?"

The manager asked, sticking close to Cha Minhyuk.

"Where am I going? I need to practice. Where's the martial arts director?"

Watching Actor Jin's performance, Cha Minhyuk felt motivated to work harder.

Beep, beep.

While Oh Hae-il was helping Actor Jin out, his phone rang. He usually used it for work and answered it carefully.

"Yes, this is Actor Jin's manager."

...

"What? ...Who? The CF director?"

The unexpected call made Oh Hae-il's voice rise.