Chapter 650. Healing (5)
Choi Yeon-Ha quickly changed her expression.
'Alright. Time to get back to work.'
Although the bust-up had already happened, it wasn't Choi Yeon-Ha's style to thoughtlessly create a problem. As for a quarrel based on uncontrollable emotions, it was her duty to fix the situation to the best of her abilities.
She might pretend everything was fine and dandy in front of Han Eun-Sol, but Choi Yeon-Ha wasn't an airhead. She knew she had created a tough spot for herself. Of course, she'd still respond the same even if she traveled back in time!
Even then, it behooved her to resolve this situation as amicably as possible. Since she lost her cool and raised her voice, it was now her turn to lower her head and apologize.
“Good day to you, director,” Choi Yeon-Ha gently pushed aside her makeup artist and got up, then smartly bowed at the director.
His sharp glare burrowed deep into her face. “So? How are you feeling now? Better?”
“Yes.”
The director frowned deeply at Choi Yeon-Ha's straightforward reply. It seemed he didn't like her answer. Of course, none of her potential replies would've been to his liking, anyway. Just the sight of her breathing in front of him would have irritated him, after all!
“Is that right? Then, why did you raise all that fuss yesterday when you could've gotten over it this quickly?”
“My apologies,” said Choi Yeon-Ha. She didn't bother to offer any other explanations or excuses.
Even if she had perfectly-valid reasons, there were times when not saying those out loud was the right thing to do. Now was one such time. Haphazardly arguing her case could only rub the director the wrong way.
“So? It looks like you're willing to work today, then?” The director scowled back at Choi Yeon-Ha.
“Yes. Of course.”
The director still didn't seem impressed or happy. Even then, Choi Yeon-Ha wasn't really worried.
'It's too late to replace me.'
The production had already finished filming two-thirds of the show. And the scenes featuring Choi Yeon-Ha numbered well more than a mere handful. If the director fired her now, he'd have to reshoot all those scenes. That could potentially push back the end of filming to next year. However, with Choi Yeon-Ha staying on, the filming would only have to continue on for maybe another month or so. In that case, would the director be crazy enough to throw everything in a trash can and start filming from scratch?
That didn't mean she'd remain haughty in front of the director, though!
'You think this is my first time going through crap like this?'
Choi Yeon-Ha figuratively lived on a film set since her early teens. In terms of years spent in front of a camera, she was probably more experienced than most average middle-aged actors. With such a rich work history, it was only obvious that she'd have experienced trouble with various directors over the years.
The creative types that crafted works of art according to their vision had this peculiar aspect to their personalities that separated them from an average Joe on the street. Matching their pace and humoring their whims would never be an easy task for anyone.
Obviously, Choi Yeon-Ha didn't start her career as an influential player in the industry. Once upon a time, she was a nobody suffering through many infuriating and tear-inducing events. However, invaluable experiences from those days were helping her out now.
Rather than giving off the air of Choi Yeon-Ha reflecting on her actions, she must clearly convey her intentions of respecting the director's authority on the set and not violating his rights.
Choi Yeon-Ha bowed her head slightly. “My apologies, director. I'll work hard and make it up to you.”
“Tsk...” The director tutted loudly at Choi Yeon-Ha's submissive response. “We'll see... How hard you will actually work, that is.”
Kang Jin-Ho silently observed this exchange before whispering a question to Han Eun-Sol next to him. “Did something happen between the two?”
Han Eun-Sol sighed softly. “Well... Noona's temper got the better of her yesterday. And she raised a bit of a ruckus afterward.”
“...”
“Something like that happens all the time, but the problem this time is that we're not in South Korea. And that director is not some random nobody, either...”
Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head at that explanation. “Really? Then, why is she so submissive?”
“An actor can't just be good at acting to last in this industry, you see? And filming will drive people to the edge of sanity through stress alone. For instance, a few things going wrong during filming means the schedule will get pushed back to who knows when. Even if you want to do a good job, you don't have a choice but to sit tight for long stretches of time if the scenes being filmed don't involve you. Waiting for your scene while trying to get into your character's emotional state can get really tough, you know... So, everyone's tottering on a knife edge. It's a hard job being an actor if you don't know how to get along with your surroundings.”
“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. For some reason, it felt like he got to witness a side of Choi Yeon-Ha he previously hadn't noticed. 'No, wait. Maybe that's not correct either?'
When he thought about it, didn't Choi Yeon-Ha usually change her style to match the situation? As an example, the way she behaved in Kang Jin-Ho's company was noticeably different from when she was hanging out with Seongsim's children.
“In that case... Has this situation been resolved?” Kang Jin-Ho curiously asked.
“Not sure yet,” said Han Eun-Sol, then shrugged his shoulders. “If a director has made up his mind to screw his actors over, there are literally endless ways to do that. Practically every director has a bit of temper in them. And they are all experts in taming his actors just the way they want, you know? So, we can only sit back and observe how this director will respond.”
“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded again while frowning slightly. 'They are shooting a TV show, so how can a director possibly screw over Miss Yeon-Ha?'
He got his answer soon enough.
***
“Cut!” The director's sharp yell echoed loudly in the air. “That is not it, goddamn it! Do it more intensely!”
Choi Yeon-Ha's co-star lowered her head a little. “I'll try, director.”
“Stop messing up this scene, okay?! Do it properly!”
“My apologies.”
The director addressed Choi Yeon-Ha next. “I'm really sorry about this, Miss Choi Yeon-Ha, but can we do another take?”
“...Yes, we can.” Choi Yeon-Ha nodded, but her lips were pale blue from the cold despite the balmy weather.
Han Eun-Sol slightly bit down on his lip while watching this spectacle unfold. “That son of a b*tch...!”
He told Kang Jin-Ho earlier that directors had endless ways to screw their actors over. Even then, he didn't expect this damn director to be this petty toward Choi Yeon-Ha!
“Come on! We're doing it again! Again!”
Just as the director finished yelling at the crew, Choi Yeon-Ha hurriedly dashed toward the temporary fitting room with makeup artists in tow. A short while later, she emerged outside after changing into a fresh, dry costume and a new tiara. Meanwhile, crew members came outside the fitting room with hair dryers to dry the wet costume.
“Come on, come on! To your spots! Stop making mistakes again! Throw the water with more intensity! Got that?”
“Yes, director!”
“To your spots, and... Action!”
The co-star stood before Choi Yeon-Ha and made an angry, driven face before... lifting a jar full of cold water and dumping its contents on top of her.
SPLAAAASH!
The cold water soaked Choi Yeon-Ha from top to bottom. And she looked up at the water-dumping woman while making a devastated face.
“Cut! Cuuuut!” The director angrily threw the script on the ground before shooting up to his feet. “Listen, you!”
“Yes, director!” The co-star grimly looked back at the director.
“Don't you goddamn understand what 'more intensely' means?! Have you gone deaf?!”
“I'm sorry, director...”
“You are supposed to cock your arms back like this! Before throwing the water! You dumping the bloody water like that can't make the scene come alive! Don't you get that?!”
“...I'll try, director.”
The director vented his anger at the co-star before sighing grandly. He then addressed Choi Yeon-Ha. “I'm sorry, but we'll have to do another take.”
“...It's fine,” said Choi Yeon-Ha, but she still bit down hard on her lip. 'You son of a b*tch...'
How crafty was this? If the director had chosen to criticize Choi Yeon-Ha's acting and got angry, others would've thought he was abusing his powers for petty reasons. Avoiding gossip would've been impossible in that case. However, he was making a point of criticizing Choi Yeon-Ha's scene co-star instead!
Several factors were at play in this scene. The first of those factors was the prop to chuck the water at Choi Yeon-Ha. It was supposed to be a teacup, but it got switched to a large jar at the last minute. And Choi Yeon-Ha's co-star, an elderly actor playing the role of the empress, would obviously struggle to lift up such a heavy jar filled with water. No wonder the scene kept failing... At least, according to the director's insistence!
The director had created a situation where perfection couldn't be achieved, then demanded his actor to give him perfection. Unfortunately, to the eyes of a casual observer, this spectacle looked like a perfectionist director doing his absolute hardest to film the perfect scene.
Of course, Choi Yeon-Ha was at the receiving end of all this.
'Huh. I guess my body's recovered a lot...?'
If this crap happened yesterday, Choi Yeon-Ha would've passed out on the spot. Also, where did that lunatic even find this water from? Despite the balmy weather, she was practically freezing to death here!
Although her costume was constantly being changed, she didn't get any chance to change her underwear because of all the back-to-back reshooting. The only dry clothes she could swap out to was the voluminous palace robe. The underclothes were completely soaked to the point where water was dripping from them.
Choi Yeon-Ha sharply turned her head to stare at the director, but he returned a content smile back at her. “I'm grateful for your passion and dedication. You're certainly making it easier for us to film this scene. Let's do our best for a bit more, okay? This is a pivotal scene, after all!”
“Of course. Let us,” Choi Yeon-Ha muttered, then clenched her teeth.
She knew the director was messing with her. However, she also knew she simply had no choice but to endure as it involved filming. If she failed to do so and quit, this film shoot would really be ruined for good. Everyone would criticize her for it, and that son of a b*tch would no doubt exploit the media to indirectly belittle the work ethics of South Korean actors!
“Let me go and change the costume,” said Choi Yeon-Ha, then headed to the fitting room. On her way there, though... She couldn't help but glance briefly in Kang Jin-Ho's direction. 'I shouldn't have brought him along...'
She didn't want to show him this side of her. It was true that she wanted him to appreciate how dedicated she was to her work, but him pitying her for it wasn't in her calculations.
Good thing Kang Jin-Ho's face was covered in a mask and sunglasses; Choi Yeon-Ha didn't have the confidence to look straight into his eyes. She ducked her head and entered the fitting room.
Kang Jin-Ho silently observed this development before asking Han Eun-Sol again. “To clarify, Miss Yeon-Ha did something wrong, yes?”
“...Yes, technically.”
“And that is why she's like that?”
“Yes.”
“In that case... There is one other thing I want to ask you about.”
“Y-yes?” Han Eun-Sol subtly sat upright. He realized Kang Jin-Ho sounded cold and moody just then. 'Why am I suddenly getting chills?'
For some reason he couldn't understand, Han Eun-Sol felt this creepy chill run down his spine.
Kang Jin-Ho asked in a still voice. “Is this the fitting punishment for yesterday's event?”
Han Eun-Sol sighed deeply. “No, it's too much. Way too much, I'd say. Even I didn't expect it to get this bad.”
Just how many times had Choi Yeon-Ha been splashed with water today? The filming of this scene commenced around noon, but it was already near the sunset. In other words, she was getting water-tortured for the entirety of today's afternoon!
'Although it's not gonna harm her health...'
What a relief that they were in the middle of Summer! If this crap happened in Winter, things would've been even worse. That was that, but what about Choi Yeon-Ha's feelings? What were they supposed to do about this humiliation?
“...That goddamn son of a b*tch!” Han Eun-Sol gnashed his teeth in the director's direction. As he glared at the hateful director, Choi Yeon-Ha finished changing into the new costume and emerged from the fitting room.
The director yelled at the actor playing the empress. “Do it right this time, okay! You understand?!”
“Yes, director!”
“Okay, one more time! Action!”
To no one's surprise, Choi Yeon-Ha received another round of cold water dumped on her face. However, that wasn't all this time.
THUD!
The large jar slipped out of the co-star's hands and landed on the ground near Choi Yeon-Ha's foot. If it had fallen at a slightly different angle, they would've been dealing with a serious accident by now instead!
Even so, Choi Yeon-Ha didn't panic and break out of character. As if this situation was a part of the script, she flinched and gasped in shock, then stared in devastation at the empress. Her acting looked so natural and realistic. Everyone watching was impressed by what she was able to pull off... With the sole exception of one person, that was.
“CUUUUT!” The director yelled in annoyance while standing up. “How could you drop that?! You could've caused a problem here!”
“I'm sorry, director.”
“Fine! One more time! We're doing this again!”
That was when the assistant director realized things had gotten out of hand and decided to step in. “Director, listen. Don't you think that was a great take?”
The director glanced at his assistant. “Say what? Are you the director now?”
“...Of course not. You are. But, uh, look. It's already sunset. We should start wrapping it up if you want to continue tomorrow.”
“Oh, really?” The director smirked, then shouted at Choi Yeon-Ha next. “Miss Choi Yeon-Ha!”
“Yes?” She glanced back at him.
“Looks like the sun is about to set. I've been told we can't continue today.”
“I see. Nothing we can do about it, then...” Choi Yeon-Ha sighed in relief under her breath. Although they would have to resume filming this scene again tomorrow, at least it'd have to stop for today. She was about to reach her limit, after all.
“So, I had an idea about that, and...” The director suddenly smirked, his expression unreadable. “Since the time of day doesn't matter in this scene, I want to change the setting to the evening and keep filming. Now that I've thought about it, the evening setting will suit the scene even better. How about it?”
“...!” Choi Yeon-Ha bit her lip and glared at the director.
“Didn't you say you'll work hard today?” The director snarkily muttered at her.
'Fine! Let's see who will win in the end!' Choi Yeon-Ha clenched her fists, then nodded back at the director. “Very well. Let's continue.”
“That's what I'm talking about. That's our Choi Yeon-Ha!” The director guffawed loudly before settling down. The clear and naked dissatisfaction filled the expressions of all the crew members, but not a single person dared to complain to the director.
However, there was someone here who wasn't a crew member and didn't have to answer to the director.
Han Eun-Sol sensed the person next to him standing up.
“Eh?”
Even before Han Eun-Sol could reach out and stop him, Kang Jin-Ho had already swiftly reached his destination.
“W-wait a sec...!”
Kang Jin-Ho reached the director's location in the proverbial blink of an eye, then pulled his mask and sunglasses off before staring straight at the director. “Excuse me. You and I need to have a chat.”
The director raised his head to find out who spoke that fluent Chinese to him.
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