Well, yeah. Letâs say he was teaching acting through ad-libs. But shouldnât he at least give some hint? Besides, this was my first project, and I didnât even have many scenes.
Is this what they meant by having fun?
But whatâs even crazier was that the director didnât stop him. Rather, it seemed like he had no intention of stopping, judging by his tightly clenched hands gripping the script, as if this situation was thrilling.
Ah, I havenât heard that Min Jiheon does a lot of ad-libs, this damn kidâŠ
Although my anger was rising, I didnât want to run away with the excuse that I was a rookie, had few scenes, lacked experience, or because I was an idol.
I exchanged glances with Min Jiheon⊠No, Min Seungtae.
He had completely taken off the mask he wore to act nice in front of everyone else. He shot a terrifying glare, like a cold-blooded character who didnât care about anything except Yu Jeonghwa.
âI thought you were a smarter person. You know that Iâm the son of the head of Seonghu Trading. Is there a reason for you to get involved in someone elseâs business and be bothered by it? You donât seem to have that kind of sense of justice.â
He cornered me and yet provided a hint.
Just be me.
The hint just makes me even angrierâŠ
But Iâd take what I can get. I scanned him without panicking.
âWell, I guess I donât have that much to say.â
Since the protagonist was supposed to be the same age as I, I just needed to reply with something that sounded like me.
As I countered his lines, the staff members, who thought I would mess up, showed surprised expressions.
âBut just watching you do that to someone else, itâs a bit⊠ridiculous.â
âWhat is?â
Min Seungtae tilted his head and put one hand in his pocket. He tried to assert dominance, looking down at me like he did to everyone else in the show except for the protagonist.
âWhatâs so ridiculous?â
âHmm, since you donât know, instead of asking me, wouldnât it be better to reflect on your own?â
As I smirked and countered his lines, a slight hint of guilt flashed across Min Seungtaeâs eyes.
âDiscovering that your close friend of over ten years is actually the son of your enemy. But pretending not to know? Itâs not even a movie. In reality, they would just cut ties.â
ââŠâ
âMaybe you should think about it if you havenât thrown your conscience in the trash.â
Not sure if I touched a nerve, Min Seungtae slowly wiped his mouth and frowned. He didnât seem to be in a good mood.
âRight, thatâs⊠true, sunbae.â
âIâm glad you still have at least a gram of conscience left.â
As I said that, Min Seungtae raised his eyes.
âBut itâs not your business, sunbae. Youâre a total stranger.â
This was how it started. Sparks were flying in this verbal fight. Min Seungtae struck a blow.
âIâd appreciate it if you didnât butt in.â
ââŠâ
Butt in.
I stared at him for a moment.
What would I have done if I were still the PD? Would I have stayed quiet after hearing such nonsense from a stranger? Would I have kept quiet just because he was a chaebol?
I slowly fiddled with the lighter, placed it on the railing, and took a deep breath to calm myself down. Then I looked at Min Seungtae and smiled sarcastically.
âWhoa, Seungtae~.â
ââŠ!!â
Staying quiet?
No way.
I was famous for being straightforward.
âLet me explain since you donât seem to understand⊠Letâs slowly think about whoâs at a bigger disadvantage here, okay?â
One of the staff membersâ mouth dropped open, shocked by my lines. After all, there was no such setting as speaking informally in the character. But my mouth was already babbling.
âIs it me, who was working overtime and drinking coffee at the broadcasting station? Or is you, whoâs losing sleep at night, worried about being caught by Yu Jeonghwa?â
âWhat?â
Min Seungtae was at a loss for words. In the drama, Yu Jeonghwa was an absolute presence to him. No matter how tough Min Seungtae was, he had no choice but to lose once the name âYu Jeonghwaâ was mentioned.
âI already have a ton of work, so shouldnât I take care of my teamâs slaves? Why do you have to piss people off with your attitudeâŠâ
ââŠâ
âI understand. Iâm leaving now.â
That should be enough. The ad-lib was getting too long, so I thought editing and cutting it at that point would be okay. Just as I was about to leaveâŠ
âWait!â
He urgently grabbed me. His shaking gaze seemed to admit that his character, Min Seungtae, had already lost.
âI thought you were just someone who only cared about themselves⊠But I guess that was just my prejudice. What do you want?â
ââŠReally? Youâll do it?â
âYes, if thereâs something you want.â
I pulled my arm away from his hand and answered concisely while brushing off my sleeve.
ââŠA steady salary, a generous bonus, good work-life balance, a boss who doesnât steal my credit.â
âWhat kind of nonsense is that?â
âIs it like some legendary creature or something?â
I sighed.
âTaking care of my responsibilities and those of my subordinates. Thatâs what I want.â
âHaâŠâ
âŠHm?
While speaking his lines, Min Seungtae furrowed his brows, and it felt strangely uncomfortable. Though it was slightly different from before⊠this wasnât Min Seungtae, just Min Jiheon.
Despite his momentarily wavering eyes, Min Jiheon delivered his lines naturally enough to avoid an NG.
âSo, youâll keep it safe? Will it work if I just change PD Lee Jeonghunâs boss?â
âAnnoying chaebols. If youâre going to change something, change the director.â
ââŠThat wonât be easy.â
âCanât you even do that?â
He looked a bit amused, as ifâŠ
Being swayed by my acting?
âIs there anything else you want? Something more manageable as the price for your silenceâŠâ
âSomething you can do?â
Anyway, I had to deliver the final line.
I lightly tapped his shoulder as if dusting off some dirt. Min Jiheon stepped back a few steps, looking uncomfortable, and I spoke clearly,
âCut. It. Out.â
ââŠâ
âIâm leaving.â
As I walked out of the camera angle, the PD shouted excitedly.
âCut!â
Damn that Min JiheonâŠ
My energy was drained. Even if Lee Jeonghun looked just like me, dealing with unexpected situations while keeping my nerves taut in front of the camera was exhausting.
PD Yu was so excited that he blurted out.
âCr⊠Cr⊠Crazy! You two are crazy!!â
ââŠâ
Alright, I admit that Min Jiheon was utterly insane.
But I wished heâd left me out of it.
âItâs amazing! Wow, how do you both ad-lib so well? The banter was fantasticâŠ! The relationship between Min Seungtae and Lee Jeonghun was clearly shown! We donât even need to reshoot.â
ââŠWow, so we did it in one take?â
âThatâs right, Jiheon! Your character really came through this time. Iâll have to show this to Writer Kim again. Not just Min Jiheon but Seo Hoyun was amazing too! Really~ I almost missed out on such a treasure!â
âThank you for your kind words.â
While maintaining an awkward smile and dealing with the reactions around me, it still felt like something was off. Despite being surrounded by praise and feeling like I should be happyâŠ
What is it?
It wouldnât have mattered if it was just ad-libbing, but it felt like I had missed somethingâŠ
The excited PD went away to monitor the scene again, and the hairdresser fixed Min Jiheonâs hair. Our eyes met.
Min JiheonâŠ
âHehâŠâ
He couldnât help but burst into laughter as our eyes met.
âSeo Hoyun, you ad-libbed really well just now. Pffhahaha!â
ââŠ!â
âIs there a reason for you to get involved in someone elseâs business and be bothered by it? You donât seem to have that kind of sense of justice.â
âI thought you were just someone who only cared about themselves⊠But I guess that was just my prejudice.â
âWhat do you want?â
Suddenly, the lines Min Jiheon had said earlier flashed through my mind.
Ah! Darn it!
That⊠That wasnât a line.
That brat knew Iâd usually stay quiet if he asked me those questions privately, so he purposely threw ad-libs at me on set!
How was as a person, what kind of thought process I have, and how I would react in such a situation!
He just threw those ad-libs out of curiosity right in front of the camera!
I opened my mouth wide in anger.
âWow⊠that fucâ!â
âAhaha, haha, ah, seriously.â
I quickly closed my mouth, barely stopping myself from cursing out loud. Min Jiheon, quick-witted as he was, noticed this too and gave up on holding back his laughter, clutching his stomach and roaring with laughter.
Feeling defeated, I had no choice but to stand there and wait for him to calm downâŠ
âAhaha⊠Seo Hoyun, your personality is really funny⊠How have you lived like this? Do you even talk like this to chaebols?â
Min Jiheon laughed so hard he wiped away a tear.
âAh, itâs so fun these days. Itâs excitingâŠâ
ââŠâ
âLetâs all have fun on set today~! Letâs do our best!â
âOh my, yes!â
Min Jiheon moved on to the next shoot, and the staff members enjoyed their day, saying, âMin Dajung was so sweet today.â
Min Dajeong can go freeze to death. In the entertainment industry full of crazy people, that brat was undoubtedly a lunatic.
He said he wouldnât play around while acting!
No, it was my fault for believing him!
I fell for that snakeâs trick once again. I glared at the direction where Min Jiheon disappeared, fumingâŠ
***
Whether Min Jiheon enjoyed teasing Seo Hoyun or not, the idol Seo Hoyun really lived a diligent life.
Thanks to Lee Jihyeon working like a madman and was now practically one with the energy supplement, The Dawnâs exclusive content poured out in droves.
[Seong Jiwon OST Making Film]
[Kang Ichae, Come to My Room Right Now. Producing Behind CAM]
[The Dawnâs Human Theater Documentary (Feat. the Most Sane Seonghyeon)]
[Seonghyeon and Dajunâs Haphazard Macaron Making Feat. Disgusted Jiwon]
[Heart-pounding The Dawn High School Student Council Election]
And so, Noeulâs fans had fan content, BTS photos, and V-Lives to look forward to whenever they opened their eyes.
Among them, the fan content was particularly eye-catching.
[Ahă ă ă ă ă When Seo Hoyun made his student council president promise, he said he would give half the class hamburgers (The End)
âWow, Seong Jiwon really is a tiger when it comes to practiceă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ]
And so, the student council election content received quite a good response, and Jihyeon, wanting to reuse the fan songs theyâd made, came up with a new fan content plan.
It was a mix of the 1980s American high school concept, Will You Go to Prom With Me?
However, the setting was Korea.
There was no way The Dawn knew about American high school life with red plastic cups, active club activities, and heart-pounding proms.
âAlright! Listen up!â
Jeong Dajun, wearing glasses, banged on the blackboard.
âHereâs what the test will be about! Okay? Everyone, write it down!â