The Haunted Monster Actor - Chapter 19
Only Krnovel
Episode 19
The human face is made up of a total of 42 muscles.
Although skilled actors can freely control even the most minute muscles of the face, there are still body parts that are difficult to control.
It’s the pupil.
The pupil is an unconscious response organ in humans and belongs to the autonomic sympathetic nervous system, which does not receive direct commands from the brain.
Therefore, someone who habitually observes people’s eyes like Maeng Jong-ho cannot help but know.
‘The eyes of Lee Ji-woon and Kim Hyun-soo are of completely different people.’
This wasn’t simply a matter of immersing oneself in a character through acting.
Maeng Jong-ho’s mind was filled with confusion as he faced Kim Hyun-soo.
It was a similar feeling I had when I saw the two photographs taken by photographer Gina.
No other thoughts occurred to me.
‘I want to take a picture.’
I just had a pure desire to take a picture of that person.
Maeng Jong-ho found himself feeling curious about the actor in front of him.
“Director?”
Only when Jiyoon called did Maeng Jongho come back to his senses.
‘What am I thinking right now?’
Maeng Jong-ho laughed inwardly.
Those eyes that make you want to point your camera at them the moment you see them.
Anyway, I don’t know for sure, but it was clear that he was an actor with something.
“Hello, director. My name is Woo Ji-yoon, the representative of Piorum.”
“I am actor Kim Hyun-soo. I ask for your help in the future.”
“I am Maeng Jong-ho, the director.”
After the brief greetings, Woo Ji-yoon got straight to the point.
“As I told you before, we met today to discuss casting our actor Kim Hyun-soo as the lead actor.”
“In that regard, I’m sorry, but may I ask you a question first?”
“… … ?”
“How did actor Kim Hyun-soo find out about this work?”
Woo Ji-yoon smiled inwardly after hearing Maeng Jong-ho’s question.
‘You said you were against casting, but it looks like you’ve already taken an interest in our actor Kim.’
Of course, Woo Ji-yoon had already heard that Director Maeng Jong-ho had a negative stance on casting.
So, she, as the representative, came to the meeting place to negotiate in person.
‘Let’s see how our actor Kim will react to the director’s sudden interest.’
Woo Ji-yoon quietly stepped back with a meaningful smile.
Now is not the time to come forward.
“I didn’t expect to be contacted first by an actor. It’s a movie that’s not even known yet. I know it’s embarrassing to say this myself, but I’m not a famous director either.”
Maeng Jong-ho’s story continued.
“I’m not being sarcastic, but I really appreciate that you’d like to appear in a low-budget film for an unknown slacker like me… … .”
Maeng Jong-ho’s eyes filled with pure curiosity turned towards Kim Hyun-soo.
“Why is that? Honestly, this isn’t a book worth buying (*).”
Maeng Jong-ho’s words were blunt, and Hyun-soo listened to him quietly.
Hyunsoo continued to think to himself after hearing his direct question.
In fact, the reason I chose “Torso on the Blue” was not only because of the dream.
“As the director said, it may not be a story that will make money, but… … .”
“… … ?”
“It was a memorable story.”
Basically, Hyun-soo is an actor.
And any actor has a desire to participate in a good work.
The lines scattered throughout the gentle narrative of “Torso on the Blue” had something that moved people’s hearts.
Maeng Jong-ho’s eyes became even more serious after hearing Hyun-soo’s words.
“That’s a memorable story. It’s nice to hear, but I need a more specific reason.”
In short, he was telling me to give him a reason why I should use him in my film.
It was clear that Maeng Jong-ho had been ordered by the production company to talk to actor Kim Hyun-soo in the best possible way, but at this moment, such things were not on his mind.
There is only one thing on Maeng Jong-ho’s mind.
There is only the ‘completion’ of the work.
“For specific reasons.”
Hyunsoo met Maeng Jongho’s eyes.
Maeng Jong-ho’s eyes resemble a tsunami.
The gaze that seemed ready to devour anything to complete the work and the calm eyes like a lake of suspension that contained something unknown began to intertwine in the air.
I never once received that kind of look from a director when I was an unknown actor, but I can still tell.
The young director in front of you wants this now.
He is longing for something for himself.
In this situation, what should the actor hand over to the director?
There is no need for any specific reasons or explanations.
There’s only one thing to show you.
It’s acting.
“… … Seol-ah.”
The actor began answering the director’s questions.
* * *
New Number 97. A winter and spring beach with melted busts rolling around.
In the early spring sea breeze that is colder than winter, Geon-hoo and Yuseol are once again facing their end.
This time, Yoo Seol holds Geon-hoo in her arms as if she will never let him go no matter what happens.
“The shape of Geonhu, made of snow and ice, is melting.”
Geon-hoo hugged Yuseol’s back as if he was breaking it.
“Seol-ah.”
“… … .”
“Seol-ah.”
“… … .”
When Yuseol’s name is called a second time, her arms holding Gunhoo fall down.
I don’t intend to let you go.
Just like the time when I called his name three times, I let it go because I was afraid it would disappear forever.
“So, you’re leaving me again this time?”
“… … .”
“If it was going to be like this… … why did you come back? Why me… … .”
He came back and hugged me again.
Geon-hoo’s vision as he looks at the sobbing Yuseol begins to gradually blur.
I’m not crying.
Now that spring has arrived, his existence made of snow and ice has begun to melt again.
“I had to come.”
So this time, I want to completely melt by your side.
“You have to go.”
The emotions in Hyunsoo’s eyes at this moment.
It was something that Maeng Jong-ho had never drawn into that scene.
Maeng Jong-ho couldn’t even guess what his eyes were seeing.
One reason is that… … .
‘It’s a ‘dot’ that I can’t draw.’
Unreachable because incomprehensible.
Hyunsoo’s eyes were showing the reason why Yooseol couldn’t reach Gunhoo.
After watching Hyun-soo’s demonstration consisting of only five lines, Maeng Jong-ho remained silent for a while.
When Maeng Jong-ho finally opened his mouth again, his gaze was directed at Woo Ji-yoon.
“I really want to have actor Kim Hyun-soo… appear in my movie.”
It was a very polite tone, clearly different from before.
* * *
After Hyun-soo’s acting demonstration, Maeng Jong-ho started talking about the movie as if he had become a different person.
“What kind of interpretation can you make to achieve the same performance as before?”
Hyunsoo looked momentarily embarrassed at Maeng Jongho’s question.
‘Interpretation.’
The acting that was just shown was not acting that was done by analyzing the script or understanding the character’s emotions.
I just read the script and showed the emotions that Lee Jun-hyuk felt.
‘Lee Jun-hyuk.’
Previously, Hyun-soo investigated the sinking of the Seohae Danbiho, an accident he had seen in his dream.
Of course, in the process, I was also able to find information about Lee Jun-hyeok, the main character of my dreams.
Lee Jun-hyuk.
Age 32.
I am a former SSU deep sea diver with the rank of sergeant.
He was on vacation at the time, but he realized that it was a disaster and voluntarily participated in rescuing civilians.
After rescuing a total of 10 passengers, he went missing (presumed dead) during the 11th rescue operation.
The military determined that the death was not unusual in that it did not occur during the course of a mission, but rather in response to a national disaster.
He was awarded a national medal and decoration, and was declared a martyr.
In a word, he was… …a great hero.
This is all Hyunsoo knows.
Just in case, I looked into the name he called me in the dream, ‘Hayoung’, but I couldn’t find any information.
“Actor Kim Hyun-soo?”
At Maeng Jong-ho’s call, Hyun-soo stopped his thoughts and opened his mouth.
“To be honest, I don’t know what kind of emotions I had while acting. I just focused on the emotions that came to me while reading the script.”
Maeng Jong-ho’s eyes lit up after hearing the answer.
“Is it not analysis but sensation… … .”
Just as Maeng Jong-ho was about to lose himself in thought with a meaningful expression on his face, this time Hyun-soo asked him a question.
“I have a question too.”
“Go ahead.”
“How did you get started with this movie?”
After hearing Hyun-soo’s question, he immediately started searching for something in the pile of manuscripts spread out on the table.
“Do you know anything about the ‘Seohae Danbiho Sinking Incident’?”
“To be honest, I had never heard of it before I saw the synopsis.”
Jongho nodded.
“It happened quite a while ago, so it’s understandable that you wouldn’t have known. As you know, this movie is based on that incident. No, to be more precise… … .”
Maeng Jong-ho, who was talking, held something out towards Hyun-soo.
What he handed me was a photograph.
“It started with the loss of one person.”
Standing blankly against the backdrop of the sea is a white stone statue.
The stone statue was a sculpture in the shape of a human being.
“As soon as I learned the story behind the statue, I knew.”
“… … ?”
“I think I have to make this… into a movie.”
Maeng Jong-ho continued to talk for a long time about the story behind the statue.
And soon enough, Hyunsoo also found out.
Just like Maeng Jong-ho… … .
‘I have to act out the story contained in that statue.’
The statue resembled someone who appeared in Hyun-soo’s dream.
* * *
After taking a shower and lying down in bed, Hyunsoo took out the photo that Maeng Jongho had shown him earlier.
‘Is it really Lee Jun-hyuk?’
I thought back to the conversation we had at the meeting earlier.
‘I cannot reveal the person’s name because he does not want to be identified, but this statue is the work of a sculptor who misses the deceased who passed away in the accident at the time.’
Even though more than thirty years have passed since the accident, the wounds of loss have not healed.
The statue depicts a figure missing the person who has passed away.
Jongho wanted to make the statue into a film, and it took a long time to convince the owner of the statue.
‘Is the owner of the statue… the same person as the woman named ‘Ha-young’ who appears in Lee Jun-hyeok’s dream?’
Maybe, maybe not.
Maybe it’s someone else’s story that has nothing to do with Lee Jun-hyuk.
As he continued to look at the photo with various thoughts in his mind, Hyunsoo felt Lee Junhyeok’s emotions surge inside him once again.
“I guess I won’t be able to fall asleep easily today either.”
Hyunsoo got up from bed, turned on the light on the nightstand, and took out the script for “Torso on the Blue.”
A script that is closer to being finished than the original manuscript that Woo Ji-yoon brought, after going through Director Maeng Jong-ho’s revision work.
“… … Seol-ah.”
It’s the same as Jang Gi-chun’s time.
When I think of the scene in which it appears and the ‘Yuseol’ described in the fingerprint, I strangely feel ‘Lee Jun-hyeok’s’ emotions calming down.
Fragments of dreams are beginning to take hold in the world of Torso on the Blue.
Hyunsoo continued practicing his acting until late at night, and then fell asleep.
On the beach in my dream, it snowed for a short while.
―――
*Book: A slang term often used in the film industry to refer to a screenplay.
Continued in the next episode 
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