Chapter 14

Villain Only Acting 014

Is this guy the real culprit? (2)

A perfectly executed performance exudes an aura that can influence those around it.

Even those with somewhat clumsy acting skills can be swept up by this aura and deliver better performances than usual.

An actor who reaches such a realm at a young age becomes a top star, and an actor who matures with age is respected as a veteran.

An acting that illuminates and leads like the sun.

Cha Dojin could not accept this.

It’s impossible for a complete novice, who has never acted before, to possess such talent.

After all the hard work and effort he put in to get where he is.

For someone to have such talent that can easily surpass all that.

He couldn’t find any trace of Jung Seohoon in his opponent.

He had already become Jin Wook.

A soldier who was unjustly sued after being found guilty of murdering his comrades and receiving a dishonorable discharge.

But what was that faint sneer that seemed to disrupt the sense of injustice?

Cha Dojin thought it was more than just a coincidence.

A performer who can deliver such a stable performance wouldn’t deliberately add an incongruous stain.

Especially one that’s so subtle, you might not notice it unless you focus intently.

If it wasn’t a mistake in the performance, there was only one answer.

‘This is the real culprit.’

‘Go Jeman’ hid his trembling heart.

According to the script, he had merely decided to take on the case of a pitiful former private.

It brought back old memories, made him reflect on his lost初心, and also helped him escape the ennui of the Gangnam madams.

But during the long divorce proceedings, the初心 he had once discarded in his legal robes began to boil up again.

- I was in Iran.

- Oh, you even worked far away.

- We were attacked at least once a month. There was a fatal accident every six months, whether it was friendly fire or the enemy.

- Wow, I’d go crazy if I had to serve there. Why did you go so far?

- I volunteered for the money. 30,000 won is better than 100 won per hour, right?

- What about the deaths of your comrades?

- Our unit was wiped out during combat. I was the only survivor. Or so I thought.

- So there was another survivor.

- That person framed me.

- How did the other survivor appear?

- The follow-up search team found him. At first, they thought he was dead. Everyone thought he was dead, but he woke up after a few months.

- Did you, Mr. Jin Wook, not know that this person was alive all along?

- Yes, I was immediately evacuated upon my return and received a dishonorable discharge within a week.

Cha Dojin was already immersed in the scene.

A sense of unity he had never felt before stretched his soul and made his veins swell.

With each step, he sank deeper into the mud, but the sensation that enveloped his skin was so pleasant that he kept walking.

He was intoxicated by that pleasant scent.

He wanted to remain in this state forever.

Cha Dojin didn’t want to admit that his opponent was leading him.

He wanted to believe that this unity was solely the result of his own effort and immersion.

But his eyes were honest.

He was busy trying to capture the faint dissonance that ‘Jin Wook’ occasionally showed and read the meaning behind it.

His breathing was becoming slightly rough, but it was well disguised, even to a high-performance microphone.

And finally...

- I’ll help you. I’ll take this case.

“Cut!”

As soon as Song Jeongwoo shouted “cut,” the air in the studio, which had been held in place, rushed into his lungs.

At the same time, the air in the law office, which had filled his lungs, rushed out, and Cha Dojin’s pupils shook violently.

‘Ah...’

An indescribable sense of regret filled his chest.

Until just a moment ago, he wasn’t just acting as Go Jeman; he had become Go Jeman.

He had moved and breathed in sync with the intangible aura that Jin Wook emitted.

It felt as if, for that moment, this wasn’t a filming set but a real divorce law office in Seocho District.

Now, only a hazy dream remained.

***

- Kuuuuuuu...

A drawn-out sound, like an echo from a distant horizon, was heard.

The sorrowful expression of his superior, who had believed in and helped him until the end, gradually peeled away from above Cha Dojin.

The cold, iron scenery of the prison cell faded, and the many cameras that had been erased began to reappear.

It seemed like the sorrowful voice of his superior, who had conveyed his final words before the trial, was echoing.

‘Private, never give up. Everyone believes in your innocence.’

What had happened to him after shooting the company commander who had led him and his comrades to certain death?

While trying to recall, the scenery quickly returned to the original filming set.

The sounds of many people, which had been blocked, suddenly returned to his senses, making him dizzy.

He wanted to see the kind and face of his superior, who had supported him, just a little more...

“You did well. Really well.”

PD Song Jeongwoo, slightly flushed, patted his shoulder approvingly.

“I don’t ask for much. Just keep it like this, with the same intensity you showed today. If you do, I’ll make you a star actor.”

“PD, I’m a bit disappointed. What about me?”

“Ah, you, Mr. Cha Dojin, are already a top star. What more can I do? Shouldn’t you be the one to make me a top PD by the collar?”

The manager hurried over and handed Cha Dojin a water bottle.

Feeling his back drenched in sweat, Cha Dojin smiled bitterly.

He had put too much effort into the first meeting scene, which wasn’t supposed to be significant.

The manager was slightly impressed.

“Dojin, I really saw it again. I thought it would be a smooth scene, but you really put your heart into it.”

“There’s no such thing as a smooth scene. Every scene, every part, every stage is equally important from the moment the camera turns on to the moment it turns off.”

“Still, you two have great chemistry. It’s heartbreaking that you’ll have to part ways in just two episodes.”

“Are you really going to separate us in just two episodes, PD?”

Song Jeongwoo shrugged.

“What can I do? I just follow the script.”

“So, will the script keep asking for that kind of chemistry later on, PD?”

“...”

Song Jeongwoo hesitated slightly and looked around.

The other actors and staff had the expected reactions.

Cha Dojin was putting too much effort into the early scenes, the momentum was good, and they wondered how much better he would be in the crucial scenes later.

The first meeting between Go Jeman and Jin Wook is a seemingly insignificant scene.

But in reality, it means that Jin Wook is confessing his future crimes to Go Jeman, who is like a bamboo forest.

“Um, let’s take a break and review the footage.”

“Yes, I’d like to see how it turned out.”

Cha Dojin glanced at Jung Seohoon.

He had already completely removed the mask of Jin Wook and was back to his usual expression.

His immersion was so thorough that it felt almost hateful, and his return to normal was just as complete.

As the two actors and the PD watched the scene together, writer Kim Sanghee also peeked in to observe.

“Dojin, the breathing you took at this part was a bit too long, but overall it wasn’t bad, so we’ll keep it. Why did you act that way?”

“I don’t know why I did that either.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just... When Jin Wook says he killed them, I got goosebumps from those three words. His face, or rather, Seohoon’s face, was particularly close-up at that point. But there was a strange sense of dissonance that was barely visible...”

“Why?”

Song Jeongwoo asked very cautiously.

The twist that Jin Wook is the main villain is a source to boost ratings, so it must be kept secret until the actual script is released.

Song Jeongwoo and Kim Sanghee were that serious about the ratings.

‘Could it be...’

“Go Jeman would have thought this. ‘This guy is the real culprit, just pretending to be wronged right now.’”

“...”

“...”

The PD and the writer, who had inserted her head like a camel in the desert, were speechless for a moment.

Song Jeongwoo, with an awkward expression, said:

“That’s not the case. If it were such an important setting, why would I hide it from the actors?”

“You’re good at that. If I don’t know it yet, keeping it hidden until the script comes out will help you get the scene you want.”

“PD, we need to revise the script. How about a one-hour break?”

“Ah, Kim, please don’t, please!”

“It won’t take long. I need to highlight this point. Dojin, I saw it again. You’re an incredible actor.”

Cha Dojin’s face lit up, and he looked around, lowering his voice.

“Writer, is Jin Wook really the culprit?”

“No.”

“Why not? It already seems so obvious.”

“Still, no.”

Jin Wook himself (1)