Chapter 7. If you're curious, you should show it.

Ryu Sung-woong.

An actor who had gained recognition for his acting skills by dominating both the stage and screen, and who later starred in two films that each attracted over ten million viewers, was not often referred to as a national actor.

In fact, it was almost nonexistent.

Some people even evaluated Ryu Sung-woong like this:

If his personality and acting skills were inversely proportional, he would have been the best actor in South Korea.

He didn't cause any accidents like Song Myung-hyun.

His personality was just terrible.

He had several conflicts with the production team and spouted foul language and showed disrespect to both seniors and juniors. Despite the poor performance of his works, his image on set was not good.

After starring in two films that each attracted over ten million viewers, his next three works failed at the box office, and Ryu Sung-woong quietly disappeared from the entertainment industry.

He didn't cause any accidents or have any personal issues, yet the ten-million-viewer actor was no longer seen on the screen.

His personality issues became publicly known, and his acting skills did not improve. By sticking to similar characters, he stagnated and naturally lost his position to other actors.

A rapid decline after a few years of success.

Fortunately, at this point, just before the start of filming for "I Am a Spy," Ryu Sung-woong is receiving attention as a supporting actor, not as a lead.

He won't become a lead actor until 2005, and his personality issues will start from then.

His personality didn't worsen after success.

He was always bad, but he only showed his true self to juniors who seemed easy to bully, while pretending to be a polite and respectful junior in front of seniors.

After becoming a lead actor and getting a big head, he no longer needed to put on a fake act.

Therefore, the possibility of the current Ryu Sung-woong directly revealing his dirty personality, as he did during his peak, is low.

"Look at these guys? Are you deaf? You're not answering when a senior speaks? Are you ignoring me now?"

If he starts a quarrel, it would be to this extent.

An Se-hyun judged that this level of quarrel could be tolerated to achieve a successful debut.

However, Kim Jin-mo's expression slightly stiffened.

Kim Jin-mo, who is known for always smiling and being called a "bodhisattva" by fans, is still a passionate 21-year-old young man.

The senior is only four years older.

He thought there was no reason to listen to foul language.

Just as Kim Jin-mo was about to say something to Ryu Sung-woong, An Se-hyun bowed and preempted him.

"No, sir. How could we ignore you? We were just embarrassed because we felt we were putting on airs in front of you. We'll work hard and not cause any trouble. No, we'll do our best."

Why did Ryu Sung-woong start a quarrel?

No matter how bad his personality, he wouldn't start a quarrel without a reason. He saw something to pick on.

The problem is that what he saw as a reason might seem unreasonable to others.

'He must be annoyed. He came early to score points with the seniors, but two juniors he didn't know were already there practicing.'

An Se-hyun guessed the reason for the quarrel and answered to appease Ryu Sung-woong.

He didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble.

Or was it different?

When he appeased him, Ryu Sung-woong smiled as if he had never started a quarrel.

"You're a reasonable guy. Yeah, yeah. Don't just work hard, do well. If you keep causing NGs and ruin the atmosphere on set, you'll be in trouble."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind. Sir, can we go to the bathroom for a moment?"

"Go ahead. Oh, and bring a pack of cigarettes when you come back."

"Understood."

An Se-hyun took Kim Jin-mo out of the meeting room.

He didn't forget to playfully tap Kim Jin-mo's buttocks as they left.

However, Kim Jin-mo's expression was still stiff.

His expression relaxed only after they bought cigarettes at a convenience store and came out.

"Phew. Thanks. I almost lost it if it weren't for you."

"Control yourself. Do you avoid shit because you're afraid of it or because it's dirty? He's just putting on airs in front of us. If he acts like that in front of the director and seniors, there'll be trouble."

"Right. You're right. I'll avoid shit as much as possible until filming ends. Anyway, I don't have many scenes with that guy."

"Are you going to lose it again?"

"No, I can control myself."

"Hehe. Alright then."

An Se-hyun sincerely hoped that.

He hoped there would be no conflict with Ryu Sung-woong until filming ends.

* * *

Fortunately, Ryu Sung-woong's behavior did not deviate from expectations.

As Director Kwak Sang-pil and senior actors began to appear in the meeting room, Ryu Sung-woong maintained a polite demeanor, showing the image he wanted to present as a lead actor before he officially became one.

Thanks to this, An Se-hyun and Kim Jin-mo did not have any particular issues with Ryu Sung-woong after buying him cigarettes.

Before the script reading.

"I am Song Kang-sik, playing the role of Lee Jang-hyuk, the second-in-command of the National Security Planning Agency. Thanks to the director's favor, I've been given a role beyond my capabilities. I'll work hard so we can have a good drink together after filming."

"I am Hwang Young-min, playing the role of Choi Chul-man, a North Korean agent. My future goal is to be Director Kwak's persona. Hahaha."

"Hey. The persona is Jung Su's position. Don't overstep."

"Oh, sir. Can't you take a joke?"

Starting with the leads, Song Kang-sik and Hwang Young-min, the actors introduced themselves. The well-known close friends, Song Kang-sik and Hwang Young-min, bickered even during their introductions.

An Se-hyun stood up sixth.

"Hello. I am An Se-hyun, a new actor playing the role of Lee Su-cheol, a North Korean agent."

"Hehe. So you're that crazy guy. Nice to meet you."

"I'm glad to work with you, sir."

Song Kang-sik smiled and offered a handshake to An Se-hyun.

An Se-hyun, however, was bewildered, not knowing why Song Kang-sik was glad to meet him.

Before the regression, he had a few drinking sessions with Song Kang-sik, but they weren't close. He only joined because Song Jung-su and Song Kang-sik were close, and they hadn't worked together on any projects after "I Am a Spy."

Moreover, this was their first meeting at this point.

It was natural for him to be bewildered.

"I heard you and that guy were serious during the audition. You two are close friends and live together, right? And you're both from the comedy world. I can't wait to see how great you'll be."

"It's an honor, sir. I'll work hard."

"Hehe. You're talking about honor and falling over. Think of me as an older brother, kid. I'm not old yet."

"Sir, do you still work out these days?"

"Baekdu Mountain, kid."

"Oh. Our sir is a patriot even in his private life~"

Song Kang-sik and Hwang Young-min showed a lot of interest in An Se-hyun and Kim Jin-mo. The source was the praise Director Kwak Sang-pil gave them during a drinking session.

At that moment.

An Se-hyun did not miss the change in Ryu Sung-woong's expression.

For a moment, Ryu Sung-woong glared at An Se-hyun with a stiff face. It was clear that he was not pleased that An Se-hyun and Kim Jin-mo were receiving attention from the two lead actors and Director Kwak Sang-pil, not him.

Before the regression, Kim Jin-mo and Ryu Sung-woong received attention from Song Kang-sik and Hwang Young-min, but in this life, An Se-hyun was taking the attention that should have gone to Ryu Sung-woong.

In fact, after filming started, Kim Jin-mo monopolized the attention.

Regardless, he inadvertently made Ryu Sung-woong angry before the script reading even began.

Thanks to this, An Se-hyun reaffirmed his decision.

'I need to avoid being alone with him.'

He decided to avoid being alone with Ryu Sung-woong.

After all the actors finished their introductions, Director Kwak Sang-pil looked at An Se-hyun and spoke.

"I've already mentioned this to actors Hwang Young-min and Song Kang-sik, but I'll be giving out a new script after the script reading. I've made minor adjustments to Lee Su-cheol's lines. There are no other changes."

An Se-hyun tilted his head.

He had not received any feedback from Director Kwak Sang-pil regarding his role during the audition, when he received the acceptance notice, or when he received the script.

Therefore, the line adjustments were unexpected.

'Did he like my improvisation?'

He said there were no other changes besides Lee Su-cheol's lines.

The only reason for changes to Lee Su-cheol's lines that came to mind was the improvisation during the audition.

Moreover, Director Kwak Sang-pil praised An Se-hyun and Kim Jin-mo during a drinking session with Song Kang-sik and Hwang Young-min. If he was impressed by the improvisation, it all made sense.

'Well, even one more line would be good.'

An Se-hyun wanted the role of Lee Su-cheol because, although it was the least significant supporting role, it had a clear impact.

More lines meant more significance.

Even one more word or sentence would be beneficial. It meant more screen time, which was always a plus.

"Let's start the script reading. Since it's the first day, we'll only go through a few key scenes with the main characters."

Six scenes were set for the first day's script reading.

Among them, only one scene included An Se-hyun's lines.

Scene 15, where the sanitation worker Lee Su-cheol reveals himself as the North Korean agent Lee Su-cheol in front of the suddenly arrived Hwang Si-guk, the same scene he showed during the audition instead of the free performance.

Coincidentally, Scene 15 was the first to be read.

An Se-hyun and Ryu Sung-woong had to act together in this scene.

Ryu Sung-woong smiled at An Se-hyun but his eyes were cold, as if daring him to show how well he could act.

'If you're curious, you should show it.'

An Se-hyun wanted to avoid conflict with Ryu Sung-woong because of his bad personality, not because he was afraid or lacked confidence in his acting.

Ryu Sung-woong was a good actor.

However, An Se-hyun, who had 20 years of acting experience and had regressed, did not think he would be outperformed by the current Ryu Sung-woong.

"Scene 15. Early morning. A narrow alley in Nagan-dong. The sanitation worker Lee Su-cheol exchanges greetings with the neighborhood people."

An Se-hyun opened the scene.

He slowly opened his eyes, having prepared himself mentally before starting to act.

"Good morning, sir. Hello, Maru? I don't have anything to give you, but do you want a sausage?"

At that moment, Director Kwak Sang-pil was momentarily startled.

'Has he gotten even better in the meantime?'

He noticed the changes in An Se-hyun over the past month.

An Se-hyun's acting during the audition was top-notch.

While Kim Jin-mo was a case of innate genius, An Se-hyun's performance was so mature that it was hard to believe he was only 21.

Especially, the improvisation during the designated performance was the reason the script was modified.

However.

"Fixing the roof? Yes, I'll do it for you at lunchtime."

"New wife! Good meat has arrived at the butcher's today! Don't forget to volunteer with your husband this weekend!"

How should one interpret the fact that he showed even more improvement in less than a month?

He delivered his lines as a monologue, even though he was supposed to interact with extras. The kindness in his voice made even the observers smile.

'His pronunciation and diction have clearly improved.'

Clear and distinct pronunciation and diction.

Essential elements for a successful actor.

A month ago, An Se-hyun's pronunciation and diction were appropriate for his age. They weren't bad, but they weren't good enough to earn extra points.

However, ...

In just a month, his pronunciation and diction improved to the point where it was worth giving extra points.

Moreover, even while reading the script with a blank expression, his face naturally moved.

He was instinctively moving his facial muscles.

This was only possible with skilled use of facial muscles and considerable acting experience.

He achieved this in less than a month.

What did he do? How much more will he improve by the time actual filming starts?

Director Kwak Sang-pil read the next line, feeling both curiosity and wonder.

"Lee Su-cheol, having finished his morning duties, returns home and takes out a knife hidden under his desk."

Click.

An Se-hyun moved his fingers.

A device he created for the character's personality change, a necessary procedure for Lee Su-cheol to become Lee Su-cheol.

"