Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 85

Crank In (1)

085. Crank In (1)

2022.01.24.

[Once it’s released, everyone will take back those words, right? They won’t be able to spout such nonsense again.] Kwon Seong-hyun said that, but proper acting is the priority to make that happen. This industry is quite ruthless to those who don’t stay true to their profession. ‘One must be faithful to their work.’ That’s how I was taught and how I grew up. Moreover, it’s about extending my own lifespan, so I have no intention of doing it half-heartedly. “I’m worried. You’re still so gaunt…”
“It’s just how I look.”
“I’ve been holding your hand the whole time.”
“That’s because I have no choice due to the energy [referring to Kwon Seong-hyun’s divine power].”
It’s a side effect of being hit by a counterattack while dispelling a curse, nothing else. The speed at which my magical power is filling up is slower than I thought, even with such a vivid battery right next to me. “I think I made a mistake. I should have just kept you to myself. No, that’s not right. Angel-nim [term of endearment] shines most beautifully when everyone looks up to you… Haa. Why have you suddenly changed so subtly?” Except for when he says cheesy things like ‘Angel-nim,’ Kwon Seong-hyun is a pretty decent auxiliary battery—no, a teacher. Perhaps because he is a person with divine powers, he seems to have noticed quite quickly that the ability’s effect has been amplified. Well, there’s no way I can answer him, so I’m pretending not to know. “You’re taking your health supplements regularly, right?”
[I’m watching over that, so don’t worry, Actor-nim!]
“I’m trusting you, Dongja-ssi. You have to make sure he takes his red ginseng properly. Got it?”
[I’m watching with the eyes of a hawk at all times!]
A chubby sparrow, far from a hawk, said spiritedly. [Actor-nim, take care of yourself too. You’re having a hard time taking care of Yeon-woo. Your magical power is being drained in real-time.]
“I’m so glad I can help with my own body. Yeon-woo would have been in trouble if it were someone else, right?”
[Our Actor-nim has such a big heart.]
The sparrow, with its puffed-up feathers and plump body, nodded. “I need to get better before the script reading… Maybe we should postpone the filming…”
“Don’t say ridiculous things.” Isn’t an actor supposed to be good at acting? As for the external aspects, as long as you meet the basics. Come to think of it, even my mother, Madam Kang, has never worried about me this much. Yeon-woo let Kwon Seong-hyun’s worries go in one ear and focused on the video. There isn’t much time left. And a few days later… “To all the officials and actors who have joined us today, welcome.” Before the official crank-in [start of filming], a script reading was held.
***
The first script reading went very smoothly. Unlike when we filmed the drama, there were no serious holes. That’s how Yeon-woo saw it. “Is he really a rookie? The way he delivers his lines is extraordinary. I guess I was worried for nothing.” The very people who saw Yeon-woo as the ‘hole’ had completely erased that notion after seeing the leads focus on their acting so naturally. “I honestly thought he was a parachute hire [someone hired due to connections]. But he’s not.” The actress playing the female lead, Yeon Do-hee, said. “I never thought I’d feel butterflies at my age.”
“It seems like my senior is looking favorably upon me.”
“I’m not just saying that. Personally, I have very high expectations for this project. If this project does well, I think I can solidify my position.” Yeon Do-hee is a fairly well-known actress, but she’s slightly short of being a top-tier star. If Min Ye-rin is a top-tier actress that no one can deny, Yeon Do-hee is considered to be slightly less than that. In fact, her public recognition is no less than Min Ye-rin, but the problem was that the movies she starred in flopped one after another. “But this feels really good. This movie, I think it’s going to be a hit. Did you see the director’s face?” Yeon Do-hee asked. The director’s face, of course, I saw it. And the memory of being surprised also came to mind. ‘When I first saw him at the pre-meeting, I thought I had come to the wrong place…’
The genre of this movie is romance. But the person who came out was… ‘A bear?!’
A huge bulk. A height that seemed a head taller. And what about the size of the hands he was modestly gathering? A man who looked like a ‘bear’ at first glance greeted me. [Hel…lo…]
[…?]
A voice that crept in compared to his size. The assistant director who came with him translated instead. [He says he’s glad to meet you. Ah. Director Ji is a bit shy. We ask for your understanding.]
[…?] Even that bear is shy. ‘…Shouldn’t a movie director be good at communicating…?’ I wondered, but I managed to finish the meeting safely anyway, although the assistant director did most of the talking rather than Director Ji himself. “Speaking of Director Ji, I honestly don’t know…” At those words, Yeon Do-hee burst into a refreshing laugh. “Well, you have to know Director Ji for a long time to see it. That’s a very bright face for him! I know because I know Director Ji personally.”
“…Is that so?” It’s hard to believe, but if an acquaintance says so, I guess it is. “Anyway, let’s do well, us.”
“Yes. I’ll work hard.”
“Don’t work too hard, though. I’d be too embarrassed if the male lead looks prettier than the female lead. Director Ji seems to like it a lot, though.” [Truth]
A notification window pops up above Yeon Do-hee’s smiling head. ‘…I know the director likes it, but is everything else true too?’ Due to the nature of intention detection, such a notification would not appear if there was even a slight deviation in the other person’s intention. “Do you go to a skincare clinic separately?”
“No, I don’t have anything like that…”
“Oh my goodness. Is it because you’re still young? How can your skin look so soft? Not a single pore mark. No stubble either.” It feels awkward when Yeon Do-hee, who looks like she’s the same age as me, says that. “I naturally have less body hair… Thank you for seeing it favorably…?” I hope she sees it favorably, right? When Yeon-woo’s words subtly rose at the end, Yeon Do-hee burst into laughter once again. “Was I too much for a first meeting? I’m sorry. You’re just like my younger sibling. My youngest sibling is the same age as Yeon-woo-ssi. Ah, Director Ji is calling me. Go quickly.” Among the bustling people, the assistant director was stretching out his hand and waving it largely. “Director-nim. Did you call me?”
“Are you free today…”
“He’s asking if Yeon-woo-ssi is free today.” The assistant director asked abruptly as I approached. “Yes?”
“A video…”
“He wants to film a video once.”
“It is possible, but…”
“Inspiration… earlier…”
“It seems like Director Ji has been inspired since earlier. He’s been fiddling with the camera.” Looking to the side while listening to the assistant director’s kind translation, Director Ji, who had already put his shyness far away and was holding a camera in his hand, was looking at Yeon-woo with shining eyes. “Pretty…”
“Of course, editing to enhance the visual beauty is a given, and if we adjust the angle a bit more, I feel like we can get a much cooler and prettier picture. He says he feels it right now. He says it’s better to film quickly before he loses this feeling.” The gaze with an unknown, bizarre heat flashing in his eyes is quite unusual. ‘…I don’t know what it is, but it’s better to do it.’ There’s no need to pour cold water on the director’s passion, who oversees everything from the movie’s script to directing to editing. However, while proceeding with the unexpected image filming, Yeon-woo thought, perhaps his choice didn’t end with just not pouring cold water, but perhaps he poured oil on it. *** In fact, there were signs of it from the beginning. [Yu, Eureka…!]
When Yeon-woo, who arrived at the conference room quite early, went to say hello, the bear-like man caused a commotion and ran outside. […?] Yeon-woo, who was left alone, could only be bewildered. Eureka? Isn’t that what an old foreign mathematician shouted when he discovered something? The bear, that is, Director Ji, soon returned with his translator. [Ugh. Director-nim. Why did someone who was dying become so energetic? It looks like there’s madness in his eyes…?] [Quickly, the feeling is different from last time…]
[Okay. Okay. Yeon-woo-ssi, he says the feeling is different from when he saw you last time, too?]
[Feeling?] [Definitely…]
[He says it’s definitely changed. He says it’s not the feeling he got from the drama and the pictorial?]
Was it not enough to just obediently accept all the good things that Kwon Seong-hyun brought? [Is it really that strange? I’ve lost a little weight, but I’ll gain it back quickly…]
[No!]
Yeon-woo’s words were cut off by Director Ji’s firm shout. The assistant director next to him also had a surprised look on his face. […Yes?]
[Absolutely! No… no way!]
Director Ji’s pupils, which suddenly came closer, shone brightly. [Very perfect…]
[…?]
[The jawline is a little sharper… the eyes are also a little deeper… the atmosphere too…]
[He says the atmosphere has also become more profound. He’s curious about what you’ve been doing.]
I was just kidnapped by a businessman’s family, dispelled a curse, got hit by a counterattack, and vomited blood. [Looking at me too much is difficult…]
[Is it not good?]
There’s no way that’s true. There’s no way it could be strange with the abilities I got from the European noblewoman. [He says he really likes your eyes because they’ve become deeper. But he’s shy, so it’s better not to look at him anymore.]
He’s getting so hot next to me that he looks like he’s about to explode soon. The assistant director added. [Is the old you like regular coffee, and the current you like TOP coffee [a brand of premium coffee] ?]
[…?]
[It means he likes you very much.]
I ended up receiving a lot of praise without realizing it. ‘Well, his face does look like it’s about to explode.’ If the previous Director Ji was just a bear, the current one seems to be a brown bear. Anyway, it’s good if there’s no problem. That was before the script reading… ‘I didn’t know that would continue now…’ Yeon-woo sighed softly and stared at the camera that was moving around, capturing everything from head to toe. “Crazy, crazy…” I didn’t really do anything. “Walk a little…”
“Stop there for a second… head this way…” The director, who is shy with actors, even gave instructions through the assistant director. You get used to strange things if you keep experiencing them. I even talk to ghosts, so a living person being a little strange doesn’t even count as strange. “Would you like to walk a little?”
“Stop there, turn your head this way for a second, and make eye contact.”
“Pretend there’s someone next to you and lean on them once.” I just walked, stopped, and moved as I was told, but Director Ji’s excitement continued. Especially when he recited a few lines, Director Ji, “Heu-heup…”
“…Director-nim?” He burst into tears. “Oh my. Our director. You must be really happy.”
“Yes…?”
“Yeon-woo-ssi, please understand. Our director… it was really hard to bring this movie this far. You can see it, right? The way he looks. Well, his heart is as soft and tender as tofu, but the image is what you see first, and if you look at the way our director looks, it says it all. Anyway, if you think about how a romance by such a huge, fierce-looking man? And an open ending at that, was rejected everywhere because it wasn’t mainstream… Aigoo. I think I would cry too. He did so well to keep enduring, ignoring, and pushing forward. Director-nim, stop crying. Yeon-woo-ssi will be surprised and run away.”
“Then… no way…” Director Ji, who was silently shedding tears, covered his eyes with his large hands. ‘…I hope the movie is okay.’ Seeing Director Ji’s reaction, I was relieved that the newly acquired abilities seemed to be working quite well. It’s more extreme than I thought, so I’m worried, though. “I’m only saying this now, but the director said this. He said he had a feeling the moment he first saw Yeon-woo-ssi in the drama. ‘Ah. I must use that person as the main character.’ But that’s really the first time our director has ever done that.”
“Is that so?”
“Once he gets into work, he’s a little better, but if it’s the adjustment stage, as you know, he’s a fragile person…” Fragile… That’s a word that doesn’t suit Director Ji at all. “You’re saying he saw me in the role of the Grim Reaper?”
“Isn’t it amazing? Choosing a romance male lead after seeing a Grim Reaper. I don’t know about anything else, but our director is really good at seeing people. I’ve been suffering ever since…”
“Stop saying that…” Director Ji stopped the assistant director with a red face. Kwon Seong-hyun first pointed to this script and clearly recommended it as a work by a solid director that would broaden Yeon-woo’s acting world and recognition. Taking on various roles and building various images is definitely important. That’s why I accepted it, but later I heard an explanation that he had targeted Yeon-woo and deliberately put in an offer. “The director praised you so much that I was curious too? Your facial expressions are good, your pronunciation and diction are good, and above all, the presence that draws people in is the best, but he said there was one very, very, very slightly disappointing thing.”
“What was that?”
“A tingling feeling, should I say?”