Chapter 19

Villain Only Acting 019

No one asked if you were alive (1)

They say the world changes when you wake up.

As soon as she opened her eyes in the morning, Jeong So-yeon confidently thrust a tablet screen in front of her.

"Look, open your eyes wide. This is the outcry of the pitiful souls who are obsessed with the 'Sergeant Jeong Syndrome.'"

"Sergeant Jeong? My character is Lee Jin-wook."

"Calling you 'Sergeant Lee' is because they couldn't think of anything else, so they just used your real name. Right now, there's a huge fuss between the female and male fans."

"Why the male fans?"

"'Why the male fans?' Do you not know that middle-aged men can be more sensitive than girls? You wouldn't know. Uncle fans don't just cheer for girl groups. Isn't your dad's favorite group a boy band?"

"Really?"

"It's a secret from Mom and Dad. Anyway."

Jeong So-yeon, looking very excited, showed her a briefing of the reactions on SNS, communities, and bulletin boards.

"The audience's reaction is intense. Everyone is in an uproar about who this actor Lee Jin-wook is. They're asking where such a face came from."

"My acting must have been good, then."

"Well, it wasn't terrible. At least you didn't mess up the emotional scenes."

It's a sign of a strong sibling bond that she can't give a good compliment to his face.

Jeong So-yeon made Jeong Se-hoon look at the praise responses that were forcibly scrapped.

'......'

It felt strange.

People he didn't know, who didn't even know his face, name, or gender, were all praising him.

He didn't feel like he had done anything that great, but the excessive praise made him feel awkward.

He had just relieved his thirst for a place he couldn't go in front of the camera.

And people were praising it as a divine talent.

To hide his discomfort, he spoke curtly.

"My acting wasn't bad, I guess."

"Yeah, your eyes are a bit off, but if you close one eye, it's still passable."

"Are there no insults? Usually, when your name becomes known, insults follow, right?"

"Why wouldn't there be? There are. But I've saved them separately in a PDF. If you ever want to sue, let me know. But it's better not to for now. You'll get the public's support when you're recognized as a top star, not just fans."

"Fans and the public are different?"

"They are."

Jeong So-yeon laughed as if he should have known.

"The public is everyone, and fans are a part of them. Even if you're revered in the fandom, you can't become a big star without the public's recognition. Look at Senior Im Min-soo. His fan cafe isn't very active, but most people know him."

"Got it. Leave it there. I'll check it later."

"Just in case, no SNS for now. Make your Instagram private as soon as possible."

"What's Instagram?"

"......"

"Just kidding. You wouldn't know. I don't have an Instagram account."

"Damn. You scared me. What about Facebook? Twitter? YouTube?"

"I don't have any. Nothing at all."

"Clean and simple. It'll be easier to manage."

"Ah, I have a blog, though."

"What? Let's check it out. I need to take a look."

Jeong Se-hoon connected to the blog on the tablet.

Jeong So-yeon's expression turned as if she had been hit by a torpedo when she saw the complex electronic symbol equations on the blog's homepage.

Her expression completely sank after just three minutes of browsing.

It was a typical academic blog of an engineering student.

"This can just be left alone."

***

Today, his mother took the car.

As soon as Jeong Se-hoon got out of the taxi at the studio, he could feel the subtle gazes from the street.

A different kind of gaze from before.

'Isn't that person...?'

'Yeah, it looks like him. He looks so much like him.'

'Should I go talk to him? Ask for an autograph?'

'But what if it's not him?'

'Ah, I don't know.'

The sensitive soldier's senses caught the whispers of the college girls.

Just as the girls were hesitantly approaching, Jeong Se-hoon naturally turned his back.

"Hey, over there...!"

Pretending not to hear the timid voice, he quickly moved in the opposite direction.

He hurriedly entered a noticeable clothing store.

"Welcome... Oh?"

The female employee's eyes widened and her pupils dilated.

Before she could cover her mouth, Jeong Se-hoon grabbed a pair of sunglasses and a cap and held them out.

"It's urgent. Please check me out."

"Um, are you...?"

"I'm in a hurry. Please hurry."

Perhaps because he was a bit anxious, the soldier's aura mixed in without him realizing it.

The female employee's face turned pale, and Jeong Se-hoon suddenly remembered Jeong So-yeon's words.

-From now on, really manage your reputation well. If you slip up early, it'll be tough for a long time.

After returning from the battlefield, Jeong Se-hoon practiced a social smile in front of the mirror.

"Are you feeling unwell? You don't look good."

"Ah! No, I'm fine! I'm fine!"

The female employee, who had flinched, quickly recovered.

Her eyes lost focus, and her lips relaxed and slightly parted.

"Um, are you Sergeant Jeong, no, no, Private Lee Jin-wook? From the drama 'Illegal'! The one that just started!"

"Yes, that's right. I'm here for some business nearby. Can you check me out?"

"Oh my, look at me! I'll do it right away!"

The female employee, trembling slightly, hurriedly tried to package the items.

"I'm just going to wear them, so just check me out."

"Ah! Yes, I understand!"

After the transaction, the female employee, blushing, mustered the courage to ask.

"Um, sorry, but could I have an autograph...?"

"Do you have a pen?"

"Here, here!"

After signing and taking a selfie, Jeong Se-hoon left the store, recalling the PD and writer's playful words from the dinner two days ago.

-You'll feel like today was the last day you could eat out comfortably.

***

When Jeong Se-hoon reappeared at the filming site, the actors and staff whispered in surprise.

"Isn't that the actor playing Lee Jin-wook? What was his name...?"

"Jeong Se-hoon."

"Oh, right. But in the script, he dies in Episode 2. Why is he back on set?"

Experienced staff explained proudly.

"Why not? The reaction in Episode 1 was good. They added flashback scenes hastily to increase his screen time and build his character's narrative."

"Continuing to use a dead character in flashbacks? That means...?"

Some actors' expressions soured.

'The running time is limited.'

If someone's lines increase, it means someone else's lines decrease.

'Even so, reviving a dead character through flashbacks is a bit much, isn't it?'

Actors who weren't the lead naturally had to be wary of Jeong Se-hoon.

'Writer Kim Sang-hee doesn't usually revive dead characters just because of good reactions... but...'

'Maybe he's gone crazy over ratings... it could happen...'

'Damn. What kind of show is this?'

***

"Tomorrow, there's an additional shoot for Episode 4. You're the only one who should see this."

After the shoot, Cha Do-jin glanced at the new one-page script handed to him by the staff and chuckled.

It was a scene not in the other actors' scripts.

"Dojin, why are you laughing?"

"See, I told you. I said Lee Jin-wook wouldn't die so easily. Look. It's not a flashback. He's back in Episode 4."

"What? Really reviving him? Isn't this going too far?"

The manager's expression also soured.

After the first episode aired, he had checked the audience reaction.

The response to Cha Do-jin was mostly "better than expected."

A person who usually performs at 100% had delivered 110%.

Cha Do-jin had lived up to his name.

But Jeong Se-hoon had caused an unexpectedly large stir, disproportionate to his name.

The manager tried to dismiss it sarcastically.

"It's just a new face, so it's fresh for now. If this goes into long-term shooting, he'll get tired and his acting will fall apart. Would the writer and director take that risk?"

"So? Are you going to complain?"

"Hey, man. If the drama goes off the rails, it's not just someone else's problem. It's your problem, our problem."

Cha Do-jin chuckled.

"Going off the rails?"

He recalled the moments when he had to match his breathing with Jeong Se-hoon.

At first, he had looked down on him during the initial readings and on set.

But the moment the camera started rolling, his attitude changed.

Admitting it was frustrating, but at least in playing Lee Jin-wook, Jeong Se-hoon's acting was better than his.

'If I had played Lee Jin-wook, I don't think I could have done as well as him.'

While acting, he found himself struggling to keep up with Jeong Se-hoon's rhythm.