Chapter 9

Super Rookie (1)

"How are you feeling? Are you very nervous?"

Manager Jeon Seong-hyun, who had parked the car in the parking lot, asked Dojun, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

Manager Jeon Seong-hyun was the head of the management department who had been with Team Leader Yeon Jung-a on the day Dojun visited 'Pine Tree Entertainment' for an audition.

Together with Team Leader Yeon Jung-a, he was known as the Midas touch in the acting industry, as almost all the major actors of 'Pine Tree Entertainment' had passed through his hands during their rookie days.

Currently, he managed top actors who participated in about one project a year, focusing more on training junior managers rather than on-site work. It had been a long time since he had jumped into the field.

When he offered to personally take on Dojun's road manager duties, given that there would be no other work for a while, the management department of 'Pine Tree Entertainment' was thrown into chaos.

"I'm trying not to be nervous... but I can't help it."

Dojun answered while lowering the mirror to adjust his clothes.

Manager Jeon Seong-hyun chuckled. It was an odd situation to tell someone not to be nervous.

Meeting renowned actors like Choi Min-cheol and Song Jung-ho in his debut work.

"Indeed. Your first shoot is such a big production... I'm getting nervous just being here. Maybe it's because I haven't been on set in a while."

Manager Jeon Seong-hyun joked and pulled out the car key.

"Let's get out. We need to greet everyone."

Dojun nodded and opened the car door.

As they stepped outside, a heat wave enveloped them, making them feel as if they were about to be baked. The heat was so intense that they wanted to run back into the car where the air conditioning was on.

"Man... I'm going to melt, melt."

Manager Jeon Seong-hyun sighed at the suffocating heat. He almost regretted offering to be the road manager.

Dojun was just as hot. He felt like he would start sweating just by standing still. Fanning himself, Dojun looked around the shooting location.

The shooting location was a university campus near Seoul. The vast sports field was covered in grass, and an impressive sculpture stood in the center.

Although it was summer break and the campus was empty, a few students had gathered out of curiosity as the crew set up cameras and lights.

Dojun was supposed to die by a knife from Song Jung-ho, who played a butcher, right in the middle of this peaceful campus.

The first shoot was the opening scene.

Director Park Chan-jong had decided to shoot the scenes in the order of the script, not chronologically. Since most of the shooting locations were sets, and the few outdoor scenes were all on the university campus, it was possible to shoot without worrying about the schedule.

"Given the weather, today's shoot won't be easy."

Manager Jeon Seong-hyun muttered to himself.

"Indeed. Everyone is already working hard."

Dojun nodded, watching the staff carry heavy shooting equipment.

"If you make a mistake, someone like Song senior will get really angry. He's also very sensitive to the heat."

The 'Song senior' Manager Jeon Seong-hyun was talking about was Song Jung-ho.

"......I should try to avoid any NGs as much as possible."

"Is that even possible for a first shoot? You said you don't have any practical experience besides theater."

It sounded more like he was trying to rile Dojun up rather than to worry. If it were another rookie, Manager Jeon Seong-hyun would have said nothing to ease the burden. But Dojun was different.

"I'll do my best."

As expected, Dojun calmly answered, just as Manager Jeon Seong-hyun had predicted.

Since the contract, Manager Jeon Seong-hyun had tried to meet Dojun as much as possible to get in sync with him.

By assigning a dedicated stylist and acting teacher to help with the preparation, Manager Jeon Seong-hyun realized once again that Dojun was a truly prepared talent.

Dojun never spared any effort, not even for the smallest preparation process. He was always deliberate in his choices and bold in his challenges.

And it was moments like these that Manager Jeon Seong-hyun realized Dojun was a truly prepared talent. The confidence that came from being perfectly prepared was evident.

"Hey, Kang Dojun. You're not nervous, right? You're not nervous at all, and you just want to act quickly. Be honest."

Manager Jeon Seong-hyun, who had read Dojun completely, raised his eyebrows. Dojun relaxed his shoulders as if admitting defeat.

If there was a moment when Dojun was most nervous and anxious, it was probably just before falling from the rooftop. Now, Dojun had nothing to fear and just wanted to move forward. He wanted to rise to the top, to the highest floor where Chairman Baek Jung-han was.

The time he had spent struggling and not giving up on acting would not be in vain. So, he wanted to act as soon as possible. He wanted to step out into the world.

"Yes."

Manager Jeon Seong-hyun smiled happily at Dojun's clear answer. Indeed, he was a remarkable person.

"I want to act with Song Jung-ho senior as soon as possible."

At that moment, another van arrived in the parking lot. It was the van carrying Song Jung-ho.

"You're not a gentleman, Song senior!"

Manager Jeon Seong-hyun quickly called out to Song Jung-ho.

Song Jung-ho was dressed in black, as if to absorb all the light. His face seemed darker, as if he had deliberately tanned it.

"Who's this? Isn't it Manager Jeon?"

"What kind of greeting is that? We saw each other just the other day."

"It's just that it feels new to see you on set. Didn't you just hand me over to the juniors, saying it was time to pass the baton?"

"Whatever... This is my new actor. Say hello, Dojun. He's a narrow-minded senior."

Dojun, who had been listening to their conversation quietly, lit up.

"Hello, senior! I'm Kang Dojun, playing the role of the professor's son this time."

Dojun bowed and introduced himself. Song Jung-ho, who had been standing next to Manager Jeon Seong-hyun, seemed uninterested but his eyes briefly sharpened.

He had already heard that Dojun was good-looking from Director Park Chan-jong and Manager Jeon Seong-hyun. Indeed, from the moment they met, he thought, "These young people are really good-looking these days."

However, when he heard Dojun's voice, he was surprised. Even in casual conversation, his pronunciation was precise, and his diction showed a solid foundation.

"This is the guy. Nice to meet you. I'm Song Jung-ho."

Song Jung-ho extended his thick, rough hand.

"Indeed, he has a different presence."

Dojun, who was not short, was still dwarfed by Song Jung-ho's 185cm tall frame. Not only his size but also the charisma he exuded was overwhelming. The deep voice when he said, "I'm Song Jung-ho," felt almost like a performance.

"Please take care of me, senior."

"Today, you'll understand why I wanted to come back to the set."

Manager Jeon Seong-hyun added. Song Jung-ho nodded after sizing up Dojun.

"Let's see what you've got."

***

Just before the shoot, Director Park Chan-jong called Dojun and Song Jung-ho to explain the shooting process.

"The movement will be like this... and we won't do a separate acting rehearsal."

Dojun listened intently to Director Park Chan-jong. Receiving direction from Director Park Chan-jong was an honor in itself.

"A stranger approaches. Something happens very suddenly. I want to capture that feeling."

Dojun had already received a lot of advice through one-on-one reading sessions. The guidance from the acting coach was different from this.

Indeed, there was a slight difference between what an actor thought about a role and what a director thought.

Through the reading, Dojun could better grasp who Director Park Chan-jong wanted the "professor's son" to be and what kind of performance was expected.

Dojun nodded, and Director Park Chan-jong looked at Song Jung-ho.

"Are you ready?"

There was no need for a separate answer; just looking at Song Jung-ho's face showed he was ready. Song Jung-ho had transformed completely from just a few minutes ago.

His aura was dark and intimidating, and his eyes, deeply immersed in the role, burned with intensity. It felt as if he could kill someone at any moment.

"Pay attention to the eye contact as we discussed last time."

"Yes, Director."

Director Park Chan-jong sat down and signaled the staff to stand by. Even his usually gentle eyes now had a hint of madness.

Previously, Dojun had learned about the set by following his seniors' shoots, driven by his passion for acting. But this set was filled with professionals of the highest caliber.

The cinematographer, the lighting director, and every staff member were top-notch experts. There was so much to learn from Director Park Chan-jong, Song Jung-ho, and the staff. Dojun watched the staff move quickly and accurately in their positions.

'But I'm not here to learn right now.'

It was time for Dojun to step into his role.

"Let's go!"

The shoot began immediately. Dojun moved to his designated position.

In a deserted part of the campus.

Dojun, wearing a high-quality brand long-sleeved shirt and slacks, is the only son of a family of professors.

As he walked through the students with a normal stride, his steps gradually slowed, and his expression became more somber.

A man in black appeared from behind the building. It was Song Jung-ho, the butcher, wearing a cap that obscured his face.

However, Dojun easily flinched.

"Who... are you?"

Dojun asked casually but cautiously, but received no answer.

"..."

Song Jung-ho, with a fierce look in his eyes, quickly drew a knife from his pocket. Of course, it was a prop that wasn't actually sharp.

Song Jung-ho stabbed the knife precisely into the area where Dojun's blood bag was. A pained groan escaped Dojun's lips.

Caught off guard by the sudden event, Dojun looked bewildered, while Song Jung-ho stood as if nothing had happened. Their eyes met in an instant.

"..."

"..."

The moment Dojun's eyes filled with pain, resentment, and anger, he clutched his stomach and fell to the ground, his face pale.

As Dojun fell, a dark red liquid began to flow onto the asphalt. He slowly closed his eyes.

"NG!"

Director Park Chan-jong, who had been staring at the camera, shouted "NG."

Dojun opened his eyes. Having closed them, he didn't know why the NG was called.

'I was told to handle the eye contact well when closing my eyes. Was this not it...? I'll know better when I check the camera.'

Dojun got up from his position. The sticky fake blood, made with syrup, was already all over his hands. Since the NG was called after the blood had already flowed, he needed to wash his hands and change his clothes.

'I shouldn't get an NG twice. Song Jung-ho senior's acting is truly remarkable. It felt like I was really in pain... It was chilling.'

Dojun thought as he walked toward the camera.

"Jung-ho, what was the problem?"

Dojun, who had naturally assumed the NG was due to his eye contact, quickly blinked at the unexpected question from Director Park Chan-jong.

Song Jung-ho stood there, seemingly rooted to the spot. His sharp gaze was fixed on Dojun.

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