Chapter 16

It is greedy to try to finish all filming in one take without even a single NG.

No matter how much time you practice, the practice environment is inevitably different from the actual filming environment.

“Cut, cut! Let’s shoot again~.”

So, there was no need to treat a minor stumble over lines as a serious fault.

Kim So-hyun herself knew well that blaming herself for the previous mistake wouldn’t be helpful.

However, the look of resignation she had seen in Ha Eun’s eyes just a moment ago.

Those empty eyes seemed to be saying just to let her die.

“Wow, was she originally like that?”

That unsettling feeling lingered in Kim So-hyun’s memory.

After all, none of the child actors Kim So-hyun had met until now had ever shown such lifeless eyes.

You could say it felt foreign.

Or perhaps, it felt like guilt.

No matter how you think about it, it was a dispirited performance that couldn’t possibly come from a child of that age who had given up everything.

At that moment, it seemed like they had stepped a few paces beyond the agreement that they were merely acting out the script.

Ha Eun, in front of the camera, seemed like a girl trapped in a deep abyss that even the human scum, Seo Do-yeon, wouldn’t dare to touch for some reason.

And that was more than enough to evoke hesitation in Kim So-hyun, who was a person first and foremost before being an actor.

“Okay, Jiji, try dying once today… Sorry. I’ll do it again.”

Not long after that, during the second and third takes, Kim So-hyun’s performance continued to falter.

It was only natural for Kwon Jong-hyuk, the director, to grow increasingly concerned over Kim So-hyun’s repeated NGs.

“…She’s been consumed.”

In scenes where actors coordinate with each other, it’s common for one side to be swayed by the other’s performance.

When child actors and adult actors shoot together, this swaying tends to happen more frequently.

However, that was a story limited to child actors who fall short in aspects like physique, acting ability, and vocal strength compared to adult actors.

It wasn’t common for adult actors to be overtaken by child actors’ performances, like what was happening now.

There were no screams or appeals to emotion.

They merely exchanged glances in silence.

Yet, with that distinctive atmosphere, Ha Eun quietly weighed down Kim So-hyun’s performance, ultimately seizing all control for herself.

To be clear, Ha Eun was acting exactly according to the script.

No, rather, she was portraying an even more Jiji-like character than what was described in the script.

The one delaying the shoot was Kim So-hyun, portraying Seo Do-yeon, rather than Ha Eun, a young girl like Jiji, who was supposed to be suppressing her with distorted emotions.

Kim So-hyun knew this better than anyone, and though she tried to revert her unsettled performance back to its original state, for some reason, as time passed, Ha Eun’s gloomy aura only intensified.

Consequently, the scenes that continued to be captured by the camera looked no different from the first take.

Kwon Jong-hyuk, seeing that, felt that continuing to shoot under these circumstances wouldn’t lead to any improvement.

“Okay, okay. Let’s take a short break. So-hyun, go relax for a bit.”

“Ah, okay….”

They decided to take a break for about 30 minutes before resuming filming.

After that, Kang Seon-woo, who had been watching the shoot beside Kwon Jong-hyuk, approached Ha Eun.

“Shall we have a little chat?”

“?”

Naturally, Ha Eun couldn’t guess why Kang Seon-woo had come over to her.

Especially since it was Kim So-hyun who had been stumbling over the lines, not Ha Eun.

However, there was no way she could ignore Kang Seon-woo.

“Director Kwon, I’m borrowing Ha Eun for a moment~.”

“…Don’t take too long.”

Somehow, she ended up heading off with Kang Seon-woo to a sort of lounge area.

Of course, Ju Jung-yun, her manager, was also with them.

But Ju Jung-yun, who was already quite tense, found it difficult to keep her composure in front of the great actor Kang Seon-woo.

She stood frozen like a statue, merely observing the scene of Ha Eun and Kang Seon-woo sitting at the same table.

Ha Eun also could not possibly say she wasn’t a bit nervous.

After all, the conversation brought on by someone like Kang Seon-woo, who was quite renowned, couldn’t be something trivial.

Thus, when the gazes of the two, each feeling varying levels of tension, turned toward Kang Seon-woo, it was actually Kang Seon-woo who seemed at a loss.

“Ha Eun, you’re an incredible actor. I think you were even more impressive than during the screen test.”

“…Thank you.”

He attempted a bit of ice-breaking with a slightly exaggerated compliment about Ha Eun’s acting.

Even so, the tense atmosphere didn’t really lift, and he eventually abandoned his futile flattery.

“Can you tell me what kind of person you think Jiji is?”

He got straight to the point and took the first step to ensure there wouldn’t be any more NGs.

Regardless, this movie was quite important to Kang Seon-woo as well.

In fact, if filming continued to be delayed like this, it wouldn’t just be troublesome for Kim So-hyun, whom Kang Seon-woo had recommended for Seo Do-yeon, but for him as well.

It was rather bad for the public image to see Kim So-hyun, who was cast thanks to Kang Seon-woo’s backing, repeatedly making mistakes.

“Well, the Jiji I think of is─”

After listening for about 10 minutes to Ha Eun’s thoughts on the character Jiji, Kang Seon-woo began to address how to adjust her performance.

“Um, Ha Eun, you’re interpreting it well. You are interpreting it well, but… from now on, it would be better to focus more on the situation than the character.”

“The situation…?”

“Yes, the situation. In this scene you’re shooting, it needs to highlight that Seo Do-yeon is a bad mother, right?”

Strictly speaking, it would usually be the adult actor’s performance that would be adjusted.

However, Kang Seon-woo thought that it would be more effective to adjust Ha Eun’s performance rather than refine Kim So-hyun’s performance, which had already been overshadowed by Ha Eun.

While he felt sorry for Kim So-hyun in a way.

Objectively, Ha Eun’s acting was of relatively higher quality.

If Ha Eun’s performance could be modified in a way that Kang Seon-woo intended, Kim So-hyun’s performance would also fit better.

In acting, whether a child actor or an adult actor, it’s generally more efficient for the one who can adapt to adjust for the other.

“Rather than showing Jiji’s misfortunes as they are, shift the focus toward inducing Seo Do-yeon’s irritation and anger. Do you understand what I mean?”

“…Yes.”

It was then that Ju Jung-yun, who had been standing like a stone until now, cautiously suggested that they should probably head back to the set.

But still, Kang Seon-woo felt he had conveyed everything he wanted to say to Ha Eun.

“That child will probably manage well enough on her own.”

He didn’t feel the need to confirm how Ha Eun’s performance would change.

Since she was an unusual kid who had left an impression during the screen test a few days ago, simply providing a new direction seemed more than enough.

“Director Kwon, Ha Eun is back~.”

Finally, they began filming the scene reflecting Jiji’s unfortunate family circumstances once again.

“Stop whining and get up. Where did you hide my money!!”

In that moment, Kim So-hyun’s voice transformed into something more powerful than before, bringing Seo Do-yeon’s emotions once again to a climax.

“…Does a debtor have money to hide?”

Ha Eun was supposed to remain silent, yet for the first time, she muttered a word that was not simply to herself.

It was a small voice that would be barely audible if one didn’t listen closely.

But mixed in with her blank gaze, which had held nothing but resignation, was a hint of anger.

A resentment directed toward a mother unworthy of being called such.

Ultimately, the slight curve of her lips that seemed to convey a subtle mocking of Seo Do-yeon.

“You, what did you just say… …Okay, Jiji, let’s see you die today!!”

Seo Do-yeon’s rage was perfectly elicited by her only target, the small and delicate Jiji.

It took roughly five seconds after the debut of Ha Eun’s ad-lib for Kwon Jong-hyuk, who had briefly been taken aback, to finally open his mouth.

“Cut!”

Naturally, no additional NG call was made.

Almost simultaneously, Kang Seon-woo gave a slight thumbs-up to Ha Eun.

Ha Eun, after meeting Kang Seon-woo’s gaze briefly in silence, headed toward a corner of the set with Ju Jung-yun, who brought strawberry milk shortly thereafter.

“More focus on the situation…”

However, perhaps because it was the first time Ha Eun had come to understand a different perspective from her previous view of acting, she felt a complicated mix of emotions that could not clearly be brushed aside as either good or bad.

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