Today, it was time to film the scene where Seongnyeong Daegun and Chongnyeong Daegun were playing with bows and arrows. To ensure the two princes wouldn't get hurt, and to treat them quickly if they did, the physician Heo Yuseon was on standby.
While waiting for the set to be prepared, Park Do-hoon and Seo Jun sat in chairs, waiting. It felt good to be outside after filming only on the set. The weather had warmed up, and the sun was pleasantly warm. Seo Jun hummed a tune and rummaged through his bag.
"Brother, do you want to eat this?"
Seo Jun took a snack from his bag and offered it to Park Do-hoon. It was chocolate his parents had made together. The clumsily wrapped chocolate was taken by Park Do-hoon.
"Thanks."
"Hehe."
Seo Jun also unwrapped one and put it in his mouth. The sweet chocolate made him feel even better. Park Do-hoon also smiled.
Somehow, it seemed that Park Do-hoon's tension had eased a bit.
'No, maybe it's more like he's feeling more relaxed.'
Seo Jun glanced at Park Do-hoon. Usually, he was so focused on the script that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings, but when they were together, even if it was just for a moment, he had a chance to catch his breath.
While watching Do-hoon's brother's filming, Seo Jun thought that his brother seemed to be a perfectionist. He wasn't as meticulous as Evan Block, who calculated every eyebrow, but Seo Jun thought that he might become like that as he got older.
'The similarities are there, but the differences are more important.'
Evan Block was confident. He was confident that his calculated acting was perfect. Even when reviewing the footage after acting, he would look for ways to improve, but he never thought his acting was wrong.
It might not be wrong, but it's different. Seo Jun just nodded and moved on when Evan Block explained it enthusiastically.
But now, he seemed to understand.
Park Do-hoon's brief moment of relaxation was gone. He flipped through the script. Unlike Evan Block's script, which was black with various action instructions, Park Do-hoon's script was covered with sticky notes and marks from various colored pens.
Park Do-hoon read through the script for today's scene, looking anxious.
Park Do-hoon lacked confidence. Even after giving a great performance, he couldn't acknowledge it. Even when everyone said it was fine, he tried hard to find the "wrong part." Then he would correct it and act again. The re-shot scenes were good.
'The process and the result are the same as Evan's, but they're so different.'
Park Do-hoon's belief in his acting was weak. He was different from the confident Evan Block. He was always anxious, reading the script, acting, and then sighing. It was as if he was being chased by something.
"Brother Do-hoon, you act well."
"Really?"
If it were Director Ryan, Swallow, or Evan Block, they might have given some great advice and encouragement.
No matter how much he thought about it, Seo Jun couldn't come up with any advice to give Park Do-hoon. His many past lives didn't help much with such delicate concerns. He had lived too much by instinct.
'Besides, Jong-ho Uncle and Jiseok Brother must have given him a lot of advice already.'
So, whenever Seo Jun met Park Do-hoon, he praised him, saying he did well. Praise can make even a whale dance.
Today's filming was good in this way and that way, and when a shower of praise poured down, Park Do-hoon's anxious face would relax a bit.
Sighing, Park Do-hoon spoke.
"I'm a former child actor."
"Is that so?"
While Seo Jun nodded, Lee Jiseok, who had quietly approached to surprise the two actors, was startled and looked at Park Do-hoon.
"Many people can't recognize me because my face has changed a lot since I was young. But if you look closely, you can still see it."
Park Do-hoon, who had eaten the chocolate Seo Jun gave him, continued.
"When I was young, I played a young role named Jeong-woo. It was a historical drama."
"Oh, I know. I saw it."
"Because there were no other young actors my age, or because the other actors couldn't act, or because the character Jeong-woo fit me so well. There were many reasons, but I did really well. But after that, I didn't do well in the roles I took."
Lee Jiseok interjected in the conversation between the two actors.
"That's just what you think. Do-hoon did well. It's hard for a child with no acting experience to play a completely different character. Considering that, he did very well. ...The problem is that the movie flopped."
Seo Jun shook his head when he heard the movie title. He hadn't seen it. Park Do-hoon laughed quietly at Lee Jiseok's words. Many people had worked hard for him.
"The actors and director in the movie received a lot of, well, bad comments. I was one of them. After that, I developed an obsession. To be more perfect, to fit better. I started to analyze the character in detail and pay attention to every detail, from my fingertips to my toes."
Kim Jong-ho, who had acted with Park Do-hoon, didn't just watch him fall. He introduced him to many actors and gave him many experiences. Lee Jiseok also met Park Do-hoon through Kim Jong-ho's introduction.
Park Do-hoon's acting was impressive. Seo Jun remembered the solemn appearance of King Sejong during the coronation ceremony.
He thought of King Sejong at the funeral. It was so fitting that Choi Min-sung PD and So Eun-jin writer sent him a love call.
Park Do-hoon held the script in one hand and still looked anxious. But once filming started, he seemed fine, as if nothing had happened.
But was he really fine?
Lee Jiseok's face was also troubled, as if he had the same thoughts as Seo Jun. It was truly a pity that he didn't recognize his own acting, which everyone acknowledged.
"I've never told this story to anyone else. For some reason, I feel at ease with Seo Jun."
Seo Jun felt a sense of responsibility at Park Do-hoon's words. He felt like he should take care of his brother, who was over ten years older. Why?
"Let's start filming!"
Filming began without time to think.
The staff left the set, and Seo Jun took a deep breath, tapping the wall twice with his fingers.
[(Pro) The Young Lion King's Dignity is activated.]
* * *
As filming in the inner court continued, Seo Jun's praise poured out. For a while, Park Do-hoon gained confidence from Seo Jun's praise, but then he had doubts.
If he was praised too much, he started to think in a skewed way. Was he really being praised because he did well, or was it a lie for his sake?
Today, after school, Seo Jun, who had come to watch, waved his hand. Park Do-hoon also waved back.
A month had passed since filming in the inner court began. During that time, the usually gruff Do-hoon brother started to wave back. Seo Jun smiled brightly, realizing the difference.
Seeing Seo Jun's bright smile, he thought even more. Would Seo Jun still praise him if he didn't act well? Park Do-hoon, acting like a teenager, went into the filming with a skewed mindset.
"Cut! NG!"
At Choi PD's voice, everyone moved. An NG once wasn't a big deal. Everyone prepared for a retake without much thought. As Park Do-hoon came out of the set, Choi Min-sung PD casually said,
"Um, Mr. Do-hoon, can you be a bit more natural? It was a bit exaggerated just now."
"Ah, yes, I understand."
While everyone didn't pay much attention, Park Do-hoon was suddenly alert. He mentally screamed and did a dry wash. He wasn't a child causing accidents to get attention from his parents, but he had done it.
Seo Jun's gaze from behind was burning. He wanted to ignore it, but his feet moved toward Seo Jun on their own.
Seo Jun was pondering. Should he always praise an actor with a difficult past? But the previous filming was really, really bad. It was clear that Do-hoon brother hadn't done it properly.
"..."
Silence fell between the two. Seo Jun was torn between praising and not praising, and Park Do-hoon was anxious. Why, why was he so restless waiting for the words of a ten-year-old?
"Do-hoon brother."
"Yeah?"
"Do the next filming properly."
"...I understand. Sorry."
"You don't need to apologize to me. The crew is the one working hard. If it was a mistake, it would be different, but just now, it was intentional, right?"
There was nothing to say, as it was true. Feeling intimidated by Seo Jun's words, Park Do-hoon re-filmed and got an OK on the first try. He decided to treat the crew to a meal.
"The second one was good."
Seo Jun, eating the pork belly cooked by Park Do-hoon, spoke. Despite the continuous praise, Park Do-hoon smiled. As Ahn Da-ho was temporarily away, only Seo Jun and Park Do-hoon were at their table.
Seo Jun realized that the praise he had given Park Do-hoon all this time wasn't a lie. Seo Jun had really praised him because he did well.
Only then did Park Do-hoon open up about the story he had hidden for three weeks. Seo Jun, who was listening, was surprised and looked at Park Do-hoon.
"Have you been watching it all this time?"
"Yeah. I asked Choi PD to see if there was anything to learn from it. I'm being careful not to leak it."
Park Do-hoon took out a phone from deep in his bag. Inside was the video of the first meeting between Seongnyeong Daegun and Heo Yuseon. It was a video that had been filmed three weeks ago.
"At first, I only felt self-blame, wondering why I couldn't act like that. But as I watched, my heart eased. It felt like a support."
"Support?"
"Yeah. I realized only now, but back then, I couldn't hear anyone's words. Not even Uncle Jong-ho's or Brother Jiseok's. Even when they said I was great, it didn't feel sincere. I only thought I needed to try harder and do better."
Seo Jun listened to Park Do-hoon's words. Feeling Seo Jun's attitude, Park Do-hoon continued to speak more comfortably.
"But as I kept watching the video, I started to find support in the Seongnyeong Daegun in the video. Just by seeing him smile, I unconsciously opened up about my worries. It was a strange feeling. When Seo Jun was filming, I sometimes felt the same way and felt at ease."
Seo Jun had also wondered why he felt a vague sense of responsibility toward Park Do-hoon. Hmm. Now he understood. Why he felt a faint sense of responsibility whenever he saw Do-hoon brother.
'It's because of his ability.'
It was due to the influence of [(Pro) The Young Lion King's Dignity]. While ordinary people might only feel the dignity of a prince as Seo Jun intended, it had a greater effect on Park Do-hoon, whose heart was already weak.
'Besides, Do-hoon brother, being a perfectionist, must have watched it many times.'
"How often did you watch it?"
"Seo Jun's acting was so cool. I really wanted to learn from it,"
Park Do-hoon, looking embarrassed, gave his reason first and then answered.
"Whenever I had time."
"Wow."
In other words, Park Do-hoon had become a member of the group Seo Jun led.
As a member of the group, Park Do-hoon leaned on Seo Jun, and as the king of the group, Seo Jun had the responsibility to take care of such a Park Do-hoon.
'I never thought [(Pro) The Young Lion King's Dignity] would have such an effect.'
It wasn't even written in the notification window.
It seemed to be the result of a series of coincidences. How could someone with a weak heart keep watching Seo Jun's videos and keep hearing Seo Jun's praise?
"That was the beginning."
A weak heart needed someone to lean on. Park Do-hoon hadn't found such a person, so he had pushed himself even harder.
Then, [(Pro) The Young Lion King's Dignity] had a significant impact on Park Do-hoon. Just as people seek a god when something unknown happens, Park Do-hoon unconsciously leaned on Seongnyeong Daegun, overwhelmed by his dignity.
The continuous praise from Seo Jun, who met Park Do-hoon every time, also played a big role. Just as a child values praise from their parents the most, there's nothing more encouraging than praise from someone you lean on.
Seo Jun's praise was like rain on Park Do-hoon's dry heart. Thanks to that rain, Park Do-hoon found some ease, and his acting improved. With improved acting, Park Do-hoon found a bit of confidence.
"Now, I can hear what Uncle Jong-ho and Brother Jiseok say."
Of course, he was still anxious. But he could see hope. He was starting to understand what it meant to believe in his own acting.
Seo Jun smiled brightly at Park Do-hoon's more relaxed face.
"That's great!"
"I think so too."
The 'Young Lion King's Group' created by Seo Jun and Park Do-hoon wouldn't last long.
Because when Park Do-hoon's mental strength grew, he would naturally be free from the effect of the dignity he felt from Seo Jun.
"I really appreciate it, Seo Jun."
Park Do-hoon would never forget the child who came to his set and praised him for weeks. Seo Jun smiled brightly at Park Do-hoon's sincerity.
[(Pro) The Young Lion King's Dignity is transforming.]
The roaring lion pattern on the back of his hand shimmered.
[(Pro) The Young Lion King's Dignity - Low Rank]
You have ascended to the throne of the Lion King at a young age.
To lead the group, only your dignity has increased among many abilities.
Condition met: You can create a group. (1/1)
The group's abilities increase.
Conditions: Weak mental strength, over 30 meetings, over 10 praises