The Haunted Monster Actor - Chapter 23



Only Krnovel

Episode 23

Just as stars emit light just by existing, there are people who shine even when they just stand still.

The public calls such people stars.

There are also some actors.

An actor who has the presence to completely dominate the scene just by entering the square frame.

As soon as they saw the transcript, all the actors in the theater had the same thought.

‘She has the potential to be a star.’

Perhaps this is natural for her, as she was an idol.

Ultimately, film is an audiovisual art.

The power of mise-en-scène, which brings out the actor’s appearance and atmosphere, cannot be ignored.

Several actors who had similar thoughts to Woo Ji-yoon nodded their heads inwardly at the director’s decision.

‘He is the undisputed star of this film.’

Jeon Eui-seo was an actor with the ‘talent’ to play the lead role in a movie with just her natural visuals.

“Uh… … Am I too late?”

Did he instinctively know that all eyes in the room were focused on him?

He greeted everyone with a smile that seemed like it would draw everyone in just by looking at them.

“I’m Jeon Yi-seo, who has been cast as Yoo-seol! From now on, I will arrive at the filming set faster than anyone else! Please take care of me!”

Seo Yeo-ok smiled inwardly as she looked at Seori, who was sitting next to her with a confident greeting.

Even though all eyes in the room, including the director, actors, and staff, were on him, he didn’t utter a single tremble.

An aura that naturally emanates from one’s very existence.

‘… … Then that’s right. It’s not like Director Maeng would pick a lead actor so carelessly.’

Seo Yeo-ok’s gaze turned to Hyun-soo, another main character.

‘If this happens, you’ll have a hard time, right?’

Perhaps it was because he felt a sense of crisis, but after Jeon I-seo appeared, Hyun-soo’s eyes would not leave the script on the table.

Seo Yeo-ok also got to see Kim Hyun-soo’s acting through ‘My Secret Romance’.

‘A beast-like creature, crouching down.’

Romance movies are all about the delicate and detailed portrayal of emotions through static directing.

Hyunsoo’s rough emotional line that seems like it will raise its head at any moment can easily be seen as sloppy acting if not careful.

‘In that case, actor Kim Hyun-soo, who has relatively ordinary visuals… ‘

You will be consumed by the overwhelming talent sitting next to you, leaving no trace behind.

‘Wouldn’t it be fun to watch this?’

Seo Yeo-ok, who had finished thinking, smiled and greeted the microphone placed in front of her.

“This is Seo Yeo-ok. Let’s do well together from now on.”

“Yes, please take good care of us too, teacher!”

With Seo Yeo-ok’s greeting, the atmosphere at the scene naturally flowed into an introduction before the reading.

“This is Bae Geum-sik. I have good memories of working with Director Maeng on several projects. This time, I will try my best to follow in his footsteps.”

“Hello, I’m Julie, a friend of Yuseol… .”

“Hello, I’m a friend of the same name, who plays the role of Jeong-sik… … .”

“The role of the pension owner… … .”

So the six supporting actors finished greeting each other.

“Hello, I am Kim Hyun-soo, who has been cast as Lee Geon-hu. I will do my best not to cause trouble to the production.”

“I am Maeng Jong-ho, the director. I ask for your help so that I can produce a good piece.”

Clap clap clap clap!

After greetings from Hyun-soo and Maeng Jong-ho, the full-scale script reading began.

“Then shall we get started right away? I’ll quickly flip through the text.”

Clang, clang—

As soon as Maeng Jong-ho finished speaking, the actors and the staff lined up in the back seats all began to flip through the scripts that had been distributed.

Although it was a script he had read every single day, Hyunsoo became even more nervous for some reason.

I feel sorry for Maeng Jong-ho, but it is not because of the burden of reading the script.

‘… … I can’t even make eye contact properly.’

In fact, the reason I’ve been fixating my eyes on the script since earlier is because I had a hard time even daring to look Seori in the face.

The psychological damage(?) that comes from seeing your favorite person from your military days right in front of you.

‘I guess that means not just anyone can become an idol.’

Even though many years had passed, she was still a dazzlingly bright girl.

‘… … I guess I shouldn’t ask you to sign it later.’

Looking at Hyun-soo with a blank expression, Maeng Jong-ho burst into laughter and said.

“Haha, our actor Kim seems to have already caught up with the emotions. It seems like he’ll do it properly, so in that sense, I’ll read the entire book up to the new number 84.”

“Director, again?”

“Whew, it’s going to be tough. What can I do? If the director tells me to go, I have to go.”

The director begins to quickly read through the main text, accompanied by the groans of several experienced senior actors.

The film begins with a scene of Yuseol running along the beach with two friends.

The female protagonist, Jeon Yi-seo, started off with her first line.

“The sea… is so nice!”

Lee Seo, who looks at the sea spread out before her eyes and lets out a refreshing tone with sparkling eyes.

‘Not bad.’

Since Yuseol has a bright and lively personality, her unrefined acting fits the character without being awkward.

I had been prepared for this before we even met, but her presence was even greater than I had expected.

If a drama that requires long breaths is the art of the script, then a movie is truly the art of directing.

Since the length is relatively short, the director’s elaborate directing is applied to each scene.

What kind of scene will be created if her aura and director Maeng Jong-ho’s unique visual beauty are combined?

‘It’s impossible to achieve balance with just average acting skills.’

The script reading was conducted in a soft atmosphere overall, with Jeon I-seo’s bright and refreshing lines continuing.

Among them, Hyun-soo also began to immerse himself in the character of ‘Lee Geon-hoo’ that he had been interpreting and creating.

“Why do you come to the sea in the cold winter? I’ve heated up the room, so come in.”

“It’s even better than it looks in the pictures. It was a good decision to come here, wasn’t it?”

“It’s still as pretty here as ever.”

Script reading is the process of checking character interpretation and acting tone as well as understanding the overall flow of the work before starting full-scale filming.

Because it is only a ‘reading’, it does not contain the same sincere emotions as when filming the actual filming.

But that alone is enough.

‘It helps a lot with immersion.’

Before he knew it, Hyun-soo’s unwavering gaze was directed at Jeon I-seo.

Looking at ‘Yuseol’.

‘Geon-hoo… … No, why did ‘I’ appear next to you again?’

Feeling guilty about your own existence that has been wasted?

Or is it simply a longing to see you again?

In his dream, Lee Jun-hyeok dives into the sea in the middle of winter, his whole body gets wet and he freezes.

He sank and never returned to her side again.

Only the cold that seemed to tear his whole body apart remained by his side.

I wonder if Gunhoo, whose body is made of snow and ice, also feels that cold.

My body, which has become so infinitely cold… … .

‘I wonder if I can bring warmth back to you.’

I don’t know.

Just at this moment I… … .

‘I just can’t stand seeing you suffer.’

Yuseol stretches out her hand towards the statue, her eyes filled with disbelief.

As soon as her body temperature touched the cold frozen figure.

“… … Seol-ah.”

The moment Geon-hoo called Yoo-seol’s name.

The air at the script reading site began to freeze in an instant.

* * *

“Mr. Lee Seo, what are you doing?”

“……yes?”

“I have to give my speech. It’s Seo Lee’s turn, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. Sorry!”

Jeon I-seo, who had been blankly staring, hurriedly picks up the script and begins to read it.

Even while reading, Lee Seo’s mind was in confusion for a while.

‘What the hell just happened?’

I just called your name.

It wasn’t that I had any strong emotions, I just said the two letters of my name calmly.

That’s all… … .

‘Why is my heart pounding like this?’

It was as if Gun-hoo from the script appeared before my eyes and actually called Yoo-seol… … Jeon Yi-seo.

Lee Seo swallowed his churning stomach and continued his lines.

“Really, Gunhoo… … ? Oh, I see. I fell asleep while drinking? This is a dream, right?”

Geon-hoo opened his mouth again towards Yuseol, who was looking confused.

“You don’t dream much.”

“……huh?”

“What kind of dream is that of a person who immediately falls over after just a few drinks? And I told you not to drink too much when I can’t pick you up.”

He hasn’t changed one bit since 10 years ago.

Geon-hoo gently hugged Yuseol’s trembling shoulders and whispered.

“I missed you. I missed you, so I stopped by for a bit.”

And now all the actors in the theater also shared Jeon Yi-seo’s confusion.

‘I feel like I’m being sucked in.’

Just listening to Hyun-soo’s ‘line’, the image of Gun-hoo and Yoo-seol reuniting in front of the frozen seashore comes to mind.

Yes, that’s right.

That young male actor was now drawing the entire audience into a scene from “Torso on the Blue” with just one line.

It was from that time that the atmosphere of the script reading changed 180 degrees.

“What kind of a freezing beach is this in this bitter cold winter! Don’t you know that going out to the sea after drinking at night is suicidal? Don’t these guys know how scary the winter night sea is… …!”

“Huh? Flash grenades? How many monsters can eat them? Let’s see… … There aren’t many flash grenades left. What? You want them all? Why… … What’s the reason?”

“Seol-ah! Not there, but here. This is better. Let’s do it here. This is where we’ll end our trip.”

The actors begin to perform passionately, as if they are facing a camera with its lights turned on in front of them.

The same was true for director Maeng Jong-ho.

He used to just nod his head with an indifferent expression while listening to the actors’ readings, but now he continued to give feedback with a sharp expression to suit the changed atmosphere.

“Well, I would like you to give it a little more accent there.”

“Teacher, very good. Just a little bit more plainly.”

“This new atmosphere isn’t it… … Let’s try again.”

“Okay. I think this is what you prepared, senior. Let’s continue.”

“I wish Yuseol would suppress her emotions a bit more. It’s like she’s tired of expressing her sadness.”

In this way, the director and actors refined the work in a serious yet intense atmosphere.

Gyeong-sik, a staff member from the production department who was sitting in the corner, held his breath in case he heard the sound of someone turning the pages of a script.

‘A reading scene with this kind of atmosphere… … It really happened.’

The script reading scene had a battlefield-like atmosphere that I had only heard about from my seniors.

In the past, script readings were not simply a gathering where directors and actors would greet each other, exchange greetings, and then agree on a beat.

He said that he often saw intense atmospheres in reading scenes like this, and although it is not common, there were even cases where actors were replaced between readings.

‘Kyungsik, do you know exactly when the script reading site becomes a battlefield?’

Kyungsik’s gaze turned to the person who created this situation.

‘The answer is simple. It’s when there’s an absurd monster in between.’

Seo Yeo-ok was wrong.

Kim Hyun-soo was never one to be eaten.

‘Not a wild beast… … .’

On the contrary, Jeon I-seo, no… … can swallow up all the other actors.

‘It’s a beast.’

Continued in the next episode