Chapter 83

Villain Only Acting 083

Creative Inspiration (2)

Lee Seo-hyun was being groomed in the makeup room.

Two female stylists were applying foundation meticulously, down to the millimeter.

It's an era where dramas are filmed with 8K cameras and broadcast in 4K.

Even the most beautiful celebrities can't avoid the humiliation of their bare faces being exposed, so the foundation must be applied even more carefully.

If the shooting drags on, they have to reapply the makeup every two to three hours, but it's a natural part of being a professional actress.

“Done.”

Only then did Lee Seo-hyun let out a sigh of relief and smile, praising them.

“You must have worked hard. Every time I see this, it feels like you're not just applying makeup but building a whole new skin.”

“Nowadays, if you don't do this, no one can survive in front of the camera.”

“Why do we even have pores on our faces? They should start to degenerate by now.”

After finishing her part, Lee Seo-hyun stood up and quietly observed Jung Seo-hoon, who was six years younger but a prodigious newcomer.

When she first received the casting offer, she was worried.

‘At 21, he’s just a kid. I have to act as his wife?’

If they were both in their thirties, it wouldn't have been a burden.

But the other party was a very young newcomer.

Thus, the six-year age gap would be more noticeable, and she might end up looking older.

Even though she was still in her late twenties, which is quite young for an actress.

“Seo-hyun. It’s a historical drama with Kim Sang-hee. This is definitely going to work. The production budget is a whopping 800 billion won.”

Despite her reservations, Lee Seo-hyun eventually accepted the casting.

At the first meeting, Jung Seo-hoon was even more handsome than she expected and didn't seem young at all, which surprised her.

It wasn't that he looked old.

A closer look revealed many youthful features.

But his deep voice, somewhat decadent gaze, and the calm demeanor that exuded a scholarly air made him seem older than her.

“Hey, Oppa. Remember that thing earlier...”

After finishing a scene, Lee Seo-hyun complimented him with a relaxed smile to hide her heartbeat.

“The makeup is always so impressive. How do you manage to age so convincingly? It’s really natural.”

“I heard the PD brought in a highly paid professional makeup team.”

“Of course, with such a solid production budget, these details really come to life. Right?”

“Drama, science, and capital are all bound by the same constraints.”

“Right. You were a college student, right?”

“Yes.”

In fact, Lee Seo-hyun knew every small detail about Jung Seo-hoon.

But she casually mentioned it as if she had overheard it, saying, “Was that the case?”

Now a blossoming actress at the peak of her career, she didn't want her feelings for the young newcomer to be noticed by others.

It was a matter of pride.

“Let’s go, Seo-hyun.”

“Yes.”

Lee Seo-hyun maintained a calm demeanor as she stood in front of the camera.

Jung Seo-hoon's rehearsal was clean and mature, as if he had been in the industry for 10 to 20 years.

Sometimes, she almost called him "senior" without thinking.

“Cut. Good.”

Before she knew it, today's joint scenes were all done.

She glanced over and saw the PD monitoring with satisfaction.

During the break, they sat side by side on folding chairs.

“Isn’t it hard to act while going to school? It’s not easy, I imagine.”

Lee Seo-hyun chose her words carefully from dozens of options.

She wanted to appear as if she was casually concerned about her colleague's schedule.

“It’s fine. I only go once or twice a week.”

“But that’s okay? There could be fairness issues with other students. It might come back to haunt you later. Be careful.”

After saying it, she worried it might seem too overly kind, but it was too late to take it back.

“The professors are said to evaluate him strictly according to master’s standards.”

“Does that solve the problem? He’s taking penalties, right?”

“I hope so.”

“But being evaluated at the master’s level must be a big disadvantage in terms of grades.”

“I have to bear it. I decided to chase two rabbits at once.”

Despite being younger than her little brother, he was so mature that she marveled.

This was why Lee Seo-hyun always used formal language with him, even though he was six years younger.

She didn't want to take on the role of an older sister in front of him.

‘I understand how Jung and Ji-hyun feel...’

Perhaps that was why they also used formal language and called him "Seo-hoon-ssi."

Suddenly, there was a commotion.

Lee Seo-hyun turned her head and was startled to see two middle-aged men being guided by an assistant director.

‘Do they look like... Jung Seo-hoon’s father?’

One of the middle-aged men looked strikingly like Jung Seo-hoon.

If you turned back the clock 10 years on his current aged makeup, he would look just like that.

The other man, with his full head of white hair, exuded a formidable presence.

“I’ll be right back. I have some guests.”

“Who are they? Family?”

“His father and mentor.”

“Oh, the biggest individual investor?”

“Yes.”

“But that man is his real father...”

Indeed, it was his real father, and Lee Seo-hyun silently groaned.

***

The atmosphere on set was as tense as a military base receiving an unexpected presidential visit.

Every staff member, from the lowest to the highest, was on their best behavior to avoid any noise.

The only one who moved freely was Jeong Su-yeon.

“Is that really your father, Su-yeon? Wow, he really looks like Seo-hoon.”

“Yes. He looks like my dad. I look like my mom.”

“Did your father ever act or something? The vibe is intense.”

“He taught. Maybe that’s why. The other man is an old friend of my father.”

“So you call him uncle?”

“I guess. When I was younger, I called him uncle, but now I call him professor. I don’t remember much, and it feels awkward since Seo-hoon became his mentee. He’s not really close to me.”

With a 300 billion won individual investor and the father of his prized student visiting, the atmosphere was tense.

Other actors on set also pretended to be indifferent but were listening intently.

Having a connection with a media mogul couldn’t hurt.

“What do you think, Dr. Jung? Any ideas?”

“Hmm. The gray matter is tingling, but nothing concrete is coming to mind...”

“Take your time. Since you’re here, you should get some inspiration.”

Jang Seung-won couldn’t help but ask.

“Do you expect to get any scientific inspiration from our set?”

“Yes. When you encounter an unfamiliar field, you often find unexpected breakthroughs.”

“Oh...”

“Creativity isn’t limited to art. In natural sciences, unique and imaginative ideas lead to new stages. I came here hoping for some small inspirations.”

Kim Sang-hee, who had quietly approached, was now listening intently.

“To be honest, I never imagined that the environmental variable stamp technology for improving optical communication efficiency would be used in a drama set.”

“Environmental variable... What’s that?”

“It’s one of the technologies used to create the micro LED wall here. It’s part of my patents.”

Kim Sang-hee was already typing furiously on her phone.

Jang Seung-won didn’t fully understand but grasped that the studio’s LED wall used some of Lee Sejong’s patents.

He couldn’t help but marvel.

“So, it turns out the production budget and even the shooting facilities were all influenced by the professor. The world is indeed interconnected.”

“Dr. Jung is researching something that I think could help with drama and film production. That’s why I brought him here.”

“Oh, really? Can I hear about it?”

“No, no, Dr. Lee. Why bring it up... We can’t talk about it yet due to confidentiality. Initially, it was related to the defense industry... No, no, nothing.”

The two scholars kept asking questions as they toured the set.

They made guesses and drew conclusions, sometimes suggesting unexpected directions that made Jang Seung-won reflect on his own work.

Meanwhile, Kim Sang-hee quietly followed, typing furiously on her phone, recording the inspirations that came to her as she observed the scholars.

“PD, we need to start shooting...”

“It seems we won’t start until they leave...”

“Maybe it’s better to just call it off and go for dinner or let everyone go home. It’s been over 30 minutes on standby.”

Jang Seung-won, who was usually sharp, was now a meek puppy, wagging his tail and rubbing his head, unable to look around.

Finally, the assistant director mustered the courage.

“Seo-hoon.”

“Yes, assistant director.”

“Everyone has been waiting for 30 minutes. While a break is good, it’s also disrupting the schedule. Someone needs to step up...”

“Should I tell them to leave?”

“No, no! I didn’t mean that!”

What a disaster.

The assistant director shook his head vigorously, denying it.

“I meant, if they’re going to get stuck like this, it might be better to call off the shooting for today and go for dinner or let everyone go home. The PD doesn’t need to worry about us and can focus on escorting them. Everyone would be happy.”

“True. They get absorbed and can’t be pulled away. It’s better if I tell them to leave.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They won’t be upset.”

“No, even if they’re not upset, it’s not right. They’re like gods to us. How can we...”

The assistant director shook his head.

It was ingrained in his DNA that he couldn’t ask investors to leave because they were busy.

“Can you pass a message to the PD? Everyone is hungry, so can we call it off for today and go for dinner? The PD will understand.”

“Alright. I’ll do it.”

Jung Seo-hoon naturally inserted himself between the PD, the writer, and the investors.

After a brief 30-second conversation, he returned to the assistant director, who was on edge.

“What did he say?”

“He said to call off the shooting for today and go for dinner. Those who want to go home can do so freely.”

“Yes! Yes! Did you hear that? Pack up the equipment!”

“Yes! Assistant director!”

“Seo-hoon! Thank you!”

Everyone shared their relief at being freed from the suffocating impromptu inspection.