Possessed 10 Million Actors - Chapter 132:

When everyone had forgotten even to breathe, there was one man who displayed discomfort.

“Um…”

Yeo Jaeyoon scrutinized the faces of Jinseok and Yeo Hyemin on the screen with an unpleasant expression. The two-shot of the two was flawless, without any flaws.

“Good…”

Yeo Hyemin said. A short sentence, but it emitted a natural admiration.

However, the moment Yeo Jaeyoon heard that first word, he lowered his head.

“Wrong. That’s not the feeling I intended.”

At this moment, Yeo Hyemin’s acting did not capture the complex emotions he wanted.

Certainly, when someone you like confesses to you, feeling happy is natural. However, the emotion Yeo Jaeyoon wanted at this moment was not ‘joy’ but ‘bewilderment.’

“NG!”

Due to the emotion that flashed in Yeo Hyemin’s brief moment, the immersion in the acting, which had been so natural like flowing water until now, was shattered.

Because the joyous emotion was more intense, a mechanical reaction came out, as if he knew about the confession in advance.

In fact, this level of mistake was forgivable. Jinseok’s emotional line was good, and Yeo Hyemin’s reaction was not overly exaggerated.

However, the moment Yeo Jaeyoon took the megaphone, he was not a ‘father’ but a ‘director.’ Even if she was his daughter, if she showed acting contrary to his intention, he needed to cut it decisively.

“Ms. Yeo Hyemin, in that line, you should feel happy, but the feeling of bewilderment should be stronger. It’s a sudden confession.”

Yeo Jaeyoon confidently spoke and put on his headset again.

Most, or practically all, couldn’t understand his explanation, but Yeo Jaeyoon didn’t care.

“Let’s go again.”

It was true that the director’s intention and Yeo Hyemin’s acting were different, and considering the importance of the scene, even a small mistake shouldn’t be allowed.

‘This is a decision without any personal bias, necessary for the sake of the work.’

At that moment when Yeo Jaeyoon was persuading himself about the justification of shouting NG.

“Haha, it’s okay. People can make mistakes.”

Jinseok, who comforted Yeo Hyemin, who didn’t know what to do because of her mistake, was seen smiling. Seeing that, Yeo Hyemin continuously bowed her head and showed something she had written on the script. Jinseok, looking at Yeo Hyemin’s handwritten note, smiled kindly and said,

“I was a bit lacking too. It worked out well. So, don’t feel too sorry.”

Hearing those words, Yeo Jaeyoon came to his senses in an instant, as if someone had thrown cold water on him.

‘…Wait. So, do I have to watch that guy, no, actor Kang Jinseok confessing to Hyemin again? And do I have to watch Hyemin saying she likes him again?’

It seemed like a massive misjudgment had led to a colossal mistake.

***

“…Cut.”

With Director Yeo’s feeble voice, the shoot came to an end.

Was my acting not good? Until now, after finishing a scene, I would receive reactions like ‘Wow! That was fantastic!’ or ‘Hey! That’s it!’ – enthusiastic responses. However, this time, the reactions from the staff were unusually tepid.

“But seriously! Isn’t it just too cool?” or “Get a grip; you won’t get married even in your next life!” – somewhat ticklish compliments.

The staff’s reactions weren’t bad.

‘Well, for now, I got the okay sign, so it should be fine, right…?’

I tilted my head slightly and glanced at Hyemin. Her face was still as gloomy as before.

She looked quite cold.

“You’ve been through a lot. Your hair is wet, and your clothes are thin, so you must be cold.”

Hyemin nodded, indicating that she was fine. Thanks to her nod, the water on her hair splashed onto her face.

“Ugh…”

As the cold water splashed on my face, I unintentionally made a sound of discomfort and closed my eyes. Then, Hyemin, surprised by the sudden noise, flinched.

“Haha, it’s okay.”

Even though I said it was fine, Hyemin continued to be visibly uncomfortable.

“…Hyemin, you should go home, change your clothes, and Kang Jinseok, start preparing for the next shoot.”

At that moment, beyond the back of my head, a gloomy voice could be heard. When I turned around, Director Yeo, who seemed to have aged ten years compared to before the shoot, was staring at me with squinted eyes.

Maybe it was because of my mood, but it felt like a dark mist was rising only around Director Yeo.

“Ah… Yes, Director.”

Because Director Yeo’s atmosphere was unusual, I said I understood while glancing around. To me, Director Yeo seemed to have a lot to say, but without saying anything, he turned to the staff.

“Well then, I’ll go in and get ready first.”

Politely greeting, I went inside. Inside the mansion, the staff were already installing cameras, lights, and microphones.

The next scene to be filmed was ‘The swindler who can’t give up on Hyemin negotiating with the chairman.’ In this scene, the swindler had to honestly express his feelings to the chairman and persuade him. Of course, convincing the chairman, who viewed the swindler as nothing more than a bug, was by no means an easy task.

Even the audience who had watched the movie so far knew this, so depending on how the swindler persuaded the chairman, the evaluation of the movie could change.

‘How did Kim Faith persuade the chairman?’

The key to this shoot was how well the swindler could persuade the chairman and the audience.

While pondering over the script for a moment, someone across from me was waving their hand. I glanced over, and it was Park Jinmo waving at me.

He was too far away for me to recognize who it was, but as he approached, I could see that it was Park Jinmo, wearing a thick, long padded coat.

“Ah, senior. You’re here first. I didn’t know. I apologize.”

“Apologize for what? It’s only natural not to know when you’ve been holed up inside because of the cold. Ah, it’s cold. But is Kang Jinseok okay? Wearing such thin clothes?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Youth is truly a good thing. By the way, Kang Jinseok, did you ever swim in the sea during the dead of winter when you were young?”

Despite wearing a padded jacket that seemed suitable for climbing Everest, Park Jinmo shivered as if he were freezing.

After exchanging various small talk for a while, I decided to ask what I had been curious about since before the shoot.

“Um… But, Senior.”

“Hmm?”

“Did something happen to Director Yeo Jaeyoon today? Since before the shoot, he seemed in a bad mood…”

“Director Yeo? Well, I didn’t feel anything like that… Ah!”

Park Jinmo suddenly realized something and raised his voice. Then, looking at me with an inexplicable smile, he said, “Maybe Kang Jinseok won’t understand at all. It’s the feeling of having to smile while watching a thief raid your house right in front of you.”

“The feeling only a father with a daughter could have?”

“Well, if I were to express it, it’s like laughing while a thief robs your house right in front of you.”

“…”

“I know it well. When my daughter brought her boyfriend home to say they were getting married, it was that feeling. If I were 10 years younger, that guy wouldn’t have been able to walk out the door.”

At first, I didn’t quite understand what he was saying, but with his following words, I could grasp the meaning.

It must be a joke.

“Haha, no way. It’s just acting.”

With a light laugh as if to say it couldn’t be true, Park Jinmo looked at me, then patted my shoulder and said, “Well, your acting was so good that you don’t need to worry. The preparations for the shoot seem almost complete. Let’s get ready. I’ll be waiting in the second-floor study.”

Before I could respond, Park Jinmo headed quickly toward Yeo Jaeyoon’s house. Looking around, he was right; the preparations were almost finished.

“Scene 109, start shooting!”

—

“Just acting….”

Recalling the conversation with Jinseok a while ago, I watched Jinseok shoot through the window. Right now, Jinseok was slowly walking home, basking in the fading sunlight.

“But why? Why does that figure seem so impressive to me?”

It was like the appearance of a warrior facing a decisive battle. Footsteps filled with tension and fear, yet with a determination that had to lead to victory.

“Maybe I would have been like that too.”

40 years ago, when Park Jinmo was an unknown actor, he visited his wife’s house to seek approval for their marriage.

Now, with much wealth and fame, he had nothing back then, so all he could present was his feelings towards his wife.

Jinseok seemed to perfectly replicate the helplessness and strength he felt at that moment.

‘Is that really just acting?’

As Jinseok approached the house, Park Jinmo felt an inexplicable tension. It was a similar emotion to when his daughter brought a boyfriend home.

However, whether it was because of the overlap between himself and Jinseok 40 years ago, the emotions were subtly different and much more complicated.

“Sigh…”

Park Jinmo let out a light sigh, closing his eyes. Even the simple act of walking seemed to be portrayed with such sincerity by the junior actor, making him reconsider how to act against such a genuine performance.

He couldn’t just act with a feeling of ‘No, don’t do it, go back.’ That wouldn’t be appropriate for a junior actor to present such acting, and it would be impolite since he didn’t want to do it.

‘Like how the master showed it to me 40 years ago.’

Though it was too long ago to remember clearly, his body retained the feeling from that time.

As he recalled the old memory, a knock was heard. A regular knock, but it conveyed a polite determination.

Reacting to the sound, the staff, who were holding cameras and microphones, were observing the scene with bated breath.

“Come in.”

A soft click.

The door opened, and Jinseok entered. As expected, and as hoped for, he had a resolute expression.

Jinseok approached him at a pace neither fast nor slow. His footsteps were model-like, with no discernible tremor, as if it reflected Jinseok’s determination.

“What’s going on—”

“Give me your daughter.”

Park Jinmo recalled the emotions from 40 years ago, similar to what the master felt and what he felt ten years ago.

“You want my daughter… Are you out of your mind?”

“No. It seems crazy.”

“Crazy?”

“Yes. Even I think it’s crazy. If I were in my right mind, I wouldn’t do something like this.”

Park Jinmo raised an eyebrow. The atmosphere from Jinseok was unsettling.

Even when Jinseok approached from outside, he felt it, but now Jinseok seemed truly determined. As if he wouldn’t back down until he got the answer he wanted.

Glaring at Jinseok with an intimidating gaze, Park Jinmo pointed to the chair at the center of the study.

“Sit. It seems like this conversation will take a while.”

However, Jinseok showed no movement. Seeing this, Park Jinmo spoke again.

“Haven’t you heard? I said sit.”

“I heard. But I don’t think there’s a need to sit. I didn’t come here for a long conversation, I’m just standing.”

Jinseok took another step towards Park Jinmo and continued.

“The compensation for this request. Do you happen to remember?”