Chapter 7

“Uh...!”

At that moment, the boy's earnest gaze fell upon Jeong Sooho.

“A-ah, sir... Are you hurt? ...Can you speak? Where does it hurt?”

Jeong Sooho tightly shut his mouth as he looked at Han Yuiil, who was examining him with worried eyes.

Soon it would be his turn.

“Hey, are you really alive...? I saw you move... I definitely saw you...”

“Hey, brat. Be quiet.”

Jeong Sooho spoke in an irritated tone. Despite the unfriendly response, the boy remained cheerful.

“I was worried you might be dead.”

“...Worried? About ‘me’?”

If Han Yuiil's vampire was in a state where all emotions were erased, Jeong Sooho's vampire had a twisted sense of humor.

As the two conversed, Seo Mihye's face gradually became flushed.

‘This is amazing.’

The reading was beyond her imagination. Seo Mihye even felt as if she were on stage rather than in a meeting room, thanks to the excellent chemistry between the two. At that moment, Jeong Sooho bared his teeth in a chilling, deathly smile.

So Jin also watched the two with bated breath.

The characters were more vivid than what she had written. Han Yuiil and Jeong Sooho were already delivering performances that went beyond the script.

The boy spoke calmly and composedly.

“It's too cold and dark here... That's why I was worried.”

“Is that so?”

Now fully immersed, Jeong Sooho turned his head to meet Han Yuiil's eyes. He asked the boy, who was calmly and insolently expressing concern for him.

“What are you, to worry about me?”

The boy looked at Jeong Sooho with clear eyes.

The boy slowly opened his mouth.

“I would worry about anyone the same way.”

“Why?”

“...Because I'm human.”

Innocent and harmless eyes gazed at the immortal being, as if seeing through him.

“Sir... Are you human?”

Since becoming an adult, Jeong Sooho had never thought his acting was lacking.

He had never failed to be top of his class at the best art school in South Korea, had been on stage since his student days, and had never heard anything but praise.

However, the moment he saw Han Yuiil's eyes, Jeong Sooho had to admit it.

He really was an incredibly talented actor.

For the first time since his debut, Jeong Sooho felt a sense of crisis.

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First Shooting

A small pub near the school.

Sitting at a corner table with his group, Yuiil glanced around at the noisy neighboring tables, filled with students in various designs of pajamas.

It seemed the semester was almost over, and everyone looked happy.

“Han Yuiil, how did your final exams go?”

To Kim Jinwoo's question, Yuiil nodded casually in response.

“Well, just okay.”

【'Just okay' is not accurate. Based on the midterms, finals, and assignment scores, Han Yuiil's expected GPA for this semester is 4.2, and the major GPA is...】

While Yuiil was half-listening to Bwin, two people sitting across from him spoke in turn.

“Wow, I think this is the first time I'm having dinner with Han Yuiil.”

“Me too.”

These two were Hwang Riwoo and Kang Hana.

Both were classmates who had taken the same major as Han Yuiil this semester. They had greeted each other before but had never met separately.

In fact, Yuiil had never gone to a café with anyone from school except for team projects.

‘I was worried it might be awkward, but it's actually pretty good.’

Kim Jinwoo had always been interested in theater and film, and Hwang Riwoo and Kang Hana were passionate about writing, often attending creative writing classes together. With similar interests, their conversation was enjoyable.

“Did you see the new film by director Hwang Inhyo this time?”

“Of course! I saw it three times in the cinema.”

“I bought the script too.”

“Man, how does he create such stories from such cliché material?”

“I'm so envious... If I had that talent, it would be great. I'm already worried about what I'll do for a living after graduation...”

“I'm going to keep writing.”

Hwang Riwoo shrugged and said to Kim Jinwoo.

“Kang Hana and I are starting a screenplay study group next month. Do you want to join?”

“...I'm going to the military soon.”

“Ah.”

Kim Jinwoo's face darkened as he took a swig of beer.

Kang Hana, trying to shift her gaze from him, asked Yuiil.

“What about you? What are you going to do after graduation?”

“I...”

Han Yuiil paused for a moment.

‘After graduation... What should I do?’

Until a few months ago, he would have answered, “I'm going to prepare for the civil service exam.” But a lot had changed since then.

“You should just act. You did a play and a film during this break, right?”

Kim Jinwoo's casual comment made Kang Hana and Hwang Riwoo's eyes widen.

“Film?”

“You did a play and a film?!”

Encouraged by their reaction, Kim Jinwoo quickly started to get excited.

“Man, everyone's doing great! The first actor from the Korean Literature Department of Wolmyeong University!”

“Who's the film with?”

“Where's the play?”

“It's just been cast... We haven't even started filming yet. The play starts early next year.”

“Wow... I saw you act, and you were really good.”

“You were really natural.”

“But that's impressive. Shouldn't we get your autograph in advance?”

Hwang Riwoo, with a serious face, extended a napkin.

“Sign here for me.”

Yuiil's phone rang at that moment. Seeing the sender, Han Yuiil was a bit surprised.

– Senior Jeong Sooho: Is this Han Yuiil?

– Yes, it is.

The reply came within a few seconds.

– Senior Jeong Sooho: Are you busy this week? ^^

– Senior Jeong Sooho: I thought we could meet briefly and talk.

When Jeong Sooho asked for his number after the reading, Han Yuiil didn't expect him to contact him separately.

‘...Why does he want to meet?’

Despite his curiosity, Han Yuiil's hands quickly typed out a polite response.

“Jeong Sooho...?”

Kim Jinwoo, who had been tilting his head at Yuiil's phone, frowned.

“Jeong... Sooho? Why does that name sound familiar?”

Kang Hana blinked and muttered.

“The Jeong Sooho I know is an actor...”

“It must be him.”

Kang Hana gasped at Han Yuiil's response.

“Who is he?”

“...Riwoo, remember the play we saw last month?”

“Yeah.”

“He was the lead.”

“Oh.”

Kim Jinwoo's small eyes widened instantly.

“Wait... You mean, you... are in the play...!”

“Yeah. I'm acting with Senior Jeong Sooho.”

Kang Hana, quickly searching the internet, found an article and showed her phone.

– Casting for Play ‘From the Bottom’... Theater Idol Jeong Sooho Makes a Comeback

Kang Hana read the article aloud, somewhat embarrassed.

“...What. Yuiil's part is just a line.”

“Isn't this an article from Jeong Sooho's agency?”

“Oh! That makes sense.”

While her friends were huddled around the article, Bwin spoke without hesitation.

【The meeting place with Mr. Jeong Sooho should be ‘**Dong Starry Cafe’.】

‘Why... No, I understand.’

Yuiil quietly replied to the text. He felt a slight headache.

*

“What kind of acting school do you go to?”

In the darkest corner of the Starry Cafe, Jeong Sooho, wearing a black cap, immediately asked this question upon confirming Yuiil's face.

“...What?”

“Sit down first. Let's order drinks.”

After Yuiil ordered a drink and sat down, Jeong Sooho leaned forward.

“Which acting school do you go to?”

【That's an unexpected question.】

Yuiil silently agreed with Bwin.

“I don't go to any.”

“But you're not in the acting department. So you don't go to any acting school?”

“Um, no.”

“...You don't even have a teacher for lessons?”

Of course, he has a chip from the future in his head... But even if he said that, no one would believe him.

“No.”

“Then, how did you act like that? That emotional depth... Did you discuss it with the director?”

“No. When I auditioned, the director asked me, and I just explained the character's state and emotions as I imagined them.”

‘...Is that really all?’

Jeong Sooho looked at Yuiil with a doubtful expression.

After the reading a few days ago, Jeong Sooho couldn't sleep easily. Han Yuiil's lines kept echoing in his ears.

Jeong Sooho didn't have a grand reason for meeting Han Yuiil today. He just wanted to find out who had taught Han Yuiil to act.

‘But that's all... Just natural talent?’

Jeong Sooho looked at Han Yuiil with a disbelieving face.

He hadn't noticed from a distance, but up close, Yuiil had a good-looking face.

Not exactly double eyelids, but appropriately large eyes, and well-proportioned features. He wasn't blandly plain. Most importantly, he was tall and had a good figure.

‘Damn... He's perfect. So annoying.’

It felt unfair that someone who looked this good without proper management was also naturally talented at acting.

“...Yuiil, are you going to be an actor for a long time?”

【Yes.】

Han Yuiil ignored Bwin's voice and spoke.

“I'll think carefully about what path to take...”

“You, Yuiil.”

“You can speak more casually, Senior.”

“...Okay. I will.”

If Han Yuiil was really a genius who could act like that on his own...

Jeong Sooho's eyes sparkled as he leaned even further forward.

“I'm good at reading people. From the first time I saw you, I liked you.”

‘...?’

Yuiil tilted his head in confusion.

“Thank you.”

“I wanted to get to know you better, so I asked to meet. If you have any questions or feel uncomfortable, please let me know...”

Seeing Yuiil's bewildered expression, Jeong Sooho smiled.

“Call me hyung.”

He was good at reading people, especially actors. His talent was so good that even the agency president sought his advice. He knew who would succeed and who wouldn't.

This affected his self-objectification. The reason he rejected supporting roles in dramas and films and focused on theater and musicals was because he knew he shone more on stage.

And now, he realized that Han Yuiil was an unscratched lottery ticket.

‘Let's get along, lottery ticket.’

Of course, Han Yuiil was completely unaware of his thoughts.

*

Finally, the end of the semester arrived at Wolmyeong University.

However, Yuiil remained as busy as during the semester. He had to memorize the film script while balancing theater rehearsals and part-time jobs.

And now, Han Yuiil was standing on a film set.

Although he loved films, this was his first time stepping into a film set. Yuiil watched the busy staff running around. They looked tired, checking microphones, cameras, and character movements.

A seasoned voice came from behind Yuiil.

“Hello?”

Turning his head, Yuiil saw a middle-aged actor with a kind face.

His name was Park Junki, an actor who occasionally appeared in dramas as a supporting or minor character.

“Hello, nice to meet you.”

“Are you the one playing ‘Yuiil’?”

He smiled deeply and extended his hand.

In this film, the unique point was that the actors' names, except for their surnames, were used as their characters' names.

“Yes, I'm Han Yuiil.”

“Nice to meet you, I'm Park Junki~”

With a relaxed attitude, Park Junki shook hands and then glanced at the script in Yuiil's hand.

“Oh, what script...”

Yuiil's script was worn out, the cover almost falling off.

“I have a bad memory, so...”

Yuiil smiled awkwardly in response. As Park Junki praised him, the assistant director approached.

“Actors, please gather over here for a moment?”

Two actors, who had just arrived, were standing next to the assistant director. Both looked younger than their actual ages.

“Nice to meet you, I'm Min Sohee.”

“I'm Lee Jongsoon.”

The actors in this film had all been active for a long time but had never played leading roles.

After a brief greeting, the assistant director began to explain the shooting schedule and movements to the four actors.

The film starts with people from a suicide community deciding to visit the last restaurant on their bucket list.

Today's scene was the first visit to a restaurant by the people they met in the suicide community.

Chronologically, they should have filmed the first offline meeting, but due to location issues, they often had to shoot scenes out of order.

Today's shooting was no different. Although it was their first time meeting face-to-face, they had to act as if they had spent a day together.

However, Yuiil was confident.

Thanks to the training with the AI, who had tormented him in various ways.

【...I'll set it to ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode.】

“Let's start the shoot!”

Soon, the red light on the camera turned on.

Director Yoo Jae-ho, who was looking at the monitor, was intrigued.

‘If he can do what he did in the audition, it will be great.’

...And soon, Yoo Jae-ho could clearly see that his choice was right.

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For the Last Restaurant (1)

Joonki, Yuiil, Sohee, and Jongsoon enter an upscale restaurant, looking awkward as they head to their seats.]

Director Yoo Jae-ho, who had been reading the script, looked ahead once all preparations were complete.

“Standby! ...Sound!”

“Speed.”

“Camera!”

“Roll!”

After the sound and camera directors responded,

“21 take 1, scene 1!”

The sound of the clapperboard followed.

“Action!”

Yoo Jae-ho now fixed his gaze on the monitor.

This was his first time shooting with real actors, not animation, so he was quite nervous. He took a small breath and focused on the monitor.

Soon, the monitor showed various characters of different ages entering the hotel restaurant, looking too awkward to be a family and too strained to be friends.

An antique yet clean high-end Chinese restaurant. It wasn't very crowded, being a weekday evening.

The first to appear were the dissatisfied faces of Joonki and Yuiil. Jongsoon, who followed behind, had no expression.

Sohee, who entered first, made exaggerated gestures while carefully observing the others.

“Man, this is so noisy, so noisy!”

Joonki, clicking his tongue, muttered as he sat down.

“What's the point of coming to a hotel restaurant when it's not even a buffet...”