Chapter 76:
Yooil, lying on the floor, looked up at Kim Suna's face. It wasn't the best situation. Kim Suna's usually fair skin was turning pale as if it were a blank sheet of paper.
This is problematic.'
Yooil tried to keep his face as calm as possible while looking at Kim Suna. She still had a pale face, but soon collected herself and composed her expression.
Before Kim Suna could ask if he was okay, Han Yooil decided to take the initiative.
"I was just resting, senior."
"I saw you fall."
Yooil responded without changing his expression.
"I got a cramp in my leg."
Kim Suna looked at Yooil with narrowed eyes, clearly skeptical of his words.
Yooil sighed lightly.
It was clear to him that his response was not convincing.
I don't know.'
Yooil slightly turned his head and took a deep breath.
As he spoke, his breathing unintentionally started to get rough.
"Are you really okay?"
Yooil closed his mouth and barely nodded in response to Kim Suna's question.
You need to stabilize, Yooil.
I know.'
Kim Suna still looked at Yooil with concern.
"I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me."
At that, Kim Suna's gaze became even more puzzled.
Taking deep breaths gradually eased his churning stomach. Yooil, who barely managed to sit up, slowly opened his mouth.
"Did you come to practice?"
Kim Suna nodded vaguely. It was then that Yooil noticed she was holding something in her hand.
"Actually, I heard you were practicing here."
Kim Suna placed a takeaway cup and a sandwich at the entrance of the practice room.
Yooil muttered a word of thanks and thought to himself,
I'll have to be more careful from now on.'
As soon as Kim Suna left, Yooil lay down on the floor again.
He resolved never to practice Background Immersion' in the practice room again.
* * *
The very next day.
On the set of <Jinhee>, the assistant director, sitting next to Director Won Heesu, was checking every small element of the caf set, waiting for the call time.
"Actors, please stand by~!"
As the actors in the waiting room took their places, the shooting soon began.
The scene to be filmed today was where the two characters met again in the caf, having a conversation filled with complex emotions.
"Camera roll-"
"Action!"
With that command, the two actors became Kiwoon and Jinhee.
Kiwoon, staring intently at Jinhee, starts the conversation.
"Ms. Jinhee."
Jinhee, biting her lips, slowly continues.
"It seems like a bad game is becoming popular among young people these days."
"What are you-"
"Is it fun to charm a married woman? Does it suit your taste?"
The assistant director, watching Seo Hyunju's Jinhee,' quietly swallowed.
She was well aware of Seo Hyunju's acting skills. However, with every shoot, the assistant director was newly amazed.
This is incredible.'
The balance of calmness and anxiety in her expressions and gestures, and even the old-fashioned Seoul dialect of the 1980s.
With every shoot, she increasingly became Jinhee.'
I see why the director initially thought of her as the first choice.'
The assistant director quietly marveled and fixed her gaze on the monitor.
"Do I look like an easy person to you? You're mistaken. I'm not someone to be taken lightly."
Yooil slowly opened his mouth in response to Jinhee's words, and his reply was unexpected.
"If you tell me to leave, I will."
!'
A cold tone flowed from his mouth, so icy it felt like it could burn.
Kiwoon slowly lifted his head.
"But"
His firm gaze was directed at Jinhee.
"Why do I hear something different in what Ms. Jinhee is saying?"
It was a challenging look, completely different from the submissive and affectionate demeanor Kiwoon' had shown until now.
The assistant director, who was watching the monitor with the director, inadvertently took a breath.
It was as if he himself had become Jinhee, and his heart felt a sharp sting.
What's this?'
The assistant director looked at Han Yooil with a surprised face.
Of course, he had seen him act in the same studio a few days ago, so he knew. Yooil was fundamentally a good actor.
That look in his eyes isn't in the script.'
If his memory served him correctly, he hadn't shown such a gaze even during the script reading.
But, surprisingly, it suited the scene.
Ah, this is waking me up'
In fact, <Jinhee> could feel monotonous, even boring, due to its tranquility.
This was because most scenes progressed through dialogue, and the characters were not varied.
Instead of sensational visuals, the movie relied solely on acting and direction.
The assistant director hadn't even hoped that <Jinhee> would exceed a million views. It wasn't a film made with commercial intent from the start.
But
Maybe this will work?'
If the main actors continue to perform this well.
"Cut!"
Director Won Heesu was also satisfied. Director Won looked at Yooil with a smile lifting the corners of her mouth.
"Hey, what's going on? You've really hit your stride today."
She continued with her characteristic playful smile.
Seo Hyunju also quietly approached Yooil during the break.
"You seem much more comfortable today."
Thanks to the good results from the first scene, the shooting proceeded in a warmer atmosphere than usual.
Meanwhile, Yooil also felt it.
It's definitely different.'
It was a different feeling from the acting he had done in the studio before.
The 1980s caf he had observed through Background Immersion,' and the moment he met and acted with Jinhee in it. It was just a short experience, but still an unforgettable sensation.
The only regret was that it had been too brief.
If only he could do it for a longer time, might he achieve a different result?
This is not a training you can do every day.
Brion, reading Yooil's thoughts, spoke as if to warn him.
I can do it three times a week.'
Instead of replying to his words, Brion chose silence.
* * *
"Thank you for your work!"
After the shooting ended, the staff brightly responded to Yooil's greetings.
"By the way, Yooil! I'm really enjoying that Wandering Theater Troupe!"
"Right. I'm totally looking forward to episode 3!"
Yooil smiled at the words of the production team staff.
"I'm glad you find it entertaining."
"You've seen it too, right?"
"Ah, of course, he must have!"
Yooil gave an ambiguous smile.
"Don't tell me you haven't watched it yet?"
"Haha."
Of course, Han Yooil had yet to watch the broadcasted version. However, thanks to Jin Hayoung and his colleagues continuously sending him television screenshots and various memes created after the broadcast, he was aware of how the shooting had been portrayed.
In the midst of staff members insisting that he should watch it immediately, Seo Hyunju quietly joined in.
"It's interesting, the Wandering Theater Troupe."
"!"
"And your acting was good."
Overwhelmed by sudden embarrassment, Yooil scratched his head.
"Look, the actor is getting shy!"
"What's going on~"
The staff, excited about not having a shoot the next day, each started to chip in with their comments.
"Rest well, and I'll see you at the next shoot."
"Right, you too, actor!"
"By the way, what are you doing tomorrow, actor?"
Yooil answered gently.
"I'm going to school."
* * *
Yooil took the subway to school for the first time in a while. Thanks to his hat and mask, nobody recognized him.
A few minutes' walk from the subway station brought him to the main gate.
It's been quite a while since I've been to a lecture hall.'
All the orientations for the lectures had ended, and the real classes were about to start.
The lecture Yooil was attending today was Introduction to Screenplay Writing.' As soon as he entered the lecture hall, the eyes of about twenty students were fixed on Yooil.
He bowed to the students and then sat at the back of the room.
Soon, the lecture began.
"A feature screenplay can be divided into three acts, and it consists of a total of eight sequences."
The projector turned on, and a chart appeared on the screen.
"Writing a screenplay, especially a feature-length screenplay, is like building a structure. You have to stack the pillars correctly. And that pillar is the structure."
The professor pointed at the chart on the screen and continued speaking.
"In Act 1, you need to explain the situation of the protagonist and present the central problem of the story. You have to show an incident that entangles the character in the story and arouse curiosity about how the protagonist can solve the problem."
Yooil, intrigued, started jotting down notes on what appeared on the screen.
Interesting.'
He had never formally learned about playwriting, but he had occasionally thought about writing something new, so he had been eager to attend this lecture.
"So, in this lecture, we aim to write up to the first act of a feature screenplay."
As the students answered in unison, the professor smiled and looked around the lecture hall.
"Well, that's it for today's lecture, but"
As students started to pack their bags here and there, the professor raised his hand to stop them. Then, he looked around and asked,
"I'll ask just one question before we finish. What makes a good screenplay?"
Someone raised their hand.
"An interesting screenplay?"
"Interest, that's an answer."
"A structurally solid screenplay!"
"Yes, that could be it too."
The professor nodded and then looked straight at Yooil and asked,
"How about Han Yooil? From the perspective of someone who actually reads and performs screenplays?"
Oohs and laughter erupted among the students.
Ah.'
Feeling his face heat up, Yooil slowly opened his mouth.
"At least for me, a good screenplay seems to be one that makes you think I want to act this out' even as you're reading it."
"Hmm"
After hearing Yooil's answer, the professor nodded with a smile.
"That's an important point. In a nutshell, it requires a hook.' So, what kind of screenplay makes an actor want to act' in it?"
The professor glanced at the students with a smile and then spoke.
"We'll continue from there next time. You all did well today."
The students, who were looking at the professor with anticipation, slowly started to rise from their seats with a hint of disappointment.
"Excuse me, I'm really sorry to ask, but can I take just one picture with you?"
"Oh, me too"
After a brief photo session, Yooil finally managed to leave the lecture hall.
Maybe it's because it's been a while since I attended a lecture in person.'
He found the lecture satisfying, even though the idea of writing part of a feature screenplay was a bit daunting.
Yooil left the campus feeling a mix of anticipation and concern.
* * *
That evening, the university's community boards were flooded with posts from people who had spotted Han Yooil.
- OMG
[Spotted Han Yooil today]
Seriously?!!?!?!
Where? Share your location, please
I saw him attending a lecture at Ilchun Hall
I wish I could attend the same lecture
Yooil He wouldn't attend a lecture at the engineering school just for fun, would he?
Nah, he wouldn't
Is it true that Han Yooil was there?
[Right now]
Can I still see him if I go to the university now?
He's already left
(Photo)
Wanted to get an autograph but couldn't even speak to him
The vibe is crazy
Isn't he getting more handsome as time goes by?
"That's enough."
Yooil said with an embarrassed face, and the translucent window vanished instantly.
He stretched briefly and then stood in the living room.
Shall we start now?
Yooil nodded and slowly closed his eyes. Brion's calm voice filled the room.
Initiating Background Immersion' for Scene 53.
* * *
Yooil engaged in Background Immersion' training more than three times a week. There were about five instances where he nearly fainted in front of Min Woojin, but fortunately, he managed to get through without being noticed.
Thanks to that, the shooting of <Jinhee> proceeded smoothly without major NGs (No Goods).
Time flew swiftly, and before they knew it, the last day of shooting for <Jinhee> had arrived.
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