Hobbyist VTuber

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Until Jin Gang-sik opened the warehouse door, Kim Ji-a was just trembling in the corner of the storage room.

Ever since she was kidnapped by strangers a few days ago, her mental state had already reached its limit.

Confined in a dark warehouse, she was just waiting for the day she would be killed.

She never imagined that Jin Gang-sik, who shared not a drop of blood with her, would come to rescue her.

Therefore, there was a need to explain Ha-eun’s acting when she opened the warehouse door by herself before Jin Gang-sik even got there.

From the perspective of the footage captured on camera, it was a flawless and touching scene, but it was an ad-lib that could easily break the film’s flow if not handled correctly.

For the sake of smoother editing of the footage, Director Kwon Jong-hyuk needed to understand Ha-eun’s ad-lib.

“So, Ha-eun. Convince me. Why did Kim Ji-a open the door and come out on her own?”

The emotions that Ha-eun wanted to convey as Kim Ji-a were certainly received by Director Kwon Jong-hyuk.

Confusion stemming from the sight of men sprawled chaotically around, having fainted from Jin Gang-sik’s intervention.

Realizing she had been rescued by Jin Gang-sik, she showed the first and only hint of a childlike sorrow.

Though it was a bit different from the process Director Kwon Jong-hyuk intended, ultimately, nothing felt out of place.

However, he couldn’t precisely grasp the intention behind Ha-eun acting so differently from the script, as she had always been so faithful to it.

After seating Ha-eun right next to the director’s chair, he asked her to briefly explain her acting about the scene they had just filmed.

Eventually, Ha-eun found herself facing not only Director Kwon Jong-hyuk but also various filming staff, including the perfectly synchronized Kang Seon-woo, despite the improvised nature of the ad-lib.

It would be a blatant lie to say that the gazes solely focused on Ha-eun were not at all burdensome.

However, she didn’t feel she acted poorly.

“I thought this way would better express the tension.”

“Tension… you say?”

“Yes, tension.”

Ha-eun began to explain to Director Kwon Jong-hyuk her intentions for what she intended to convey through the camera.

“Staying inside the warehouse would have felt safer than going outside. Kim Ji-a wouldn’t know what was happening out there.”

“Well, that’s true. All Kim Ji-a could know is someone was fighting outside.”

As Ha-eun said, the chances of Kim Ji-a safely making it outside the warehouse were very low.

Getting the courage to step outside was already a difficult task.

“But if she stays locked inside the warehouse, she will eventually die. If nothing is done, nothing will change.”

“Are you saying that Kim Ji-a made her last desperate attempt without caring about her chances of survival?”

“Yes.”

It could be called an adventure in good terms.

Or a gamble in bad.

As is often the reality, the odds are generally stacked more in favor of failure than success.

With human trafficking gangs rampant outside the warehouse, the probability of Kim Ji-a escaping safely was literally abysmal.

However, when those dismal odds miraculously became true, people feel catharsis.

“Surely, Kim Ji-a would have felt a sense of tension. Yet, somehow, if she managed to step outside the warehouse and miraculously run into Uncle Jin Gang-sik…”

“…the dramatic atmosphere of the scene would be highlighted even more?”

“Um, perhaps that’s not untrue?”

Anyway, in the end, it’s a movie that ends with a happy ending.

The more dramatic the atmosphere, the better.

Most importantly, this scene can be considered the highlight of the neighbor uncle’s character.

It’s the pivotal scene in the movie where Kim Ji-a, having lived an unfortunate life, is saved by Jin Gang-sik, who shares not a drop of blood with her.

Ha-eun believed that facing the risk and stepping outside to confront Jin Gang-sik would better represent the image of ‘salvation’ than simply being rescued while curled up in the relatively safe warehouse.

Thus, instead of emphasizing Kim Ji-a’s fear of impending death, she focused more on the situation of Kim Ji-a being ‘saved.’

At the same time, she did not exclude the fear stemming from Kim Ji-a’s dangerous situation, displaying it towards Jin Gang-sik, leading him to place her into his arms, which was the safest place.

In this way, Ha-eun’s acting was no longer limited to just adjusting her own performance.

She was now altering the overall atmosphere of the filming scene to her own tastes, alongside the actors sharing the same scene.

A thoughtful expression briefly crossed Director Kwon Jong-hyuk’s face as he observed Ha-eun’s actions.

“Ha-eun’s thoughts, I understand well.”

Soon, Ha-eun was faced with a returned, lukewarm expression from Director Kwon Jong-hyuk.

However, the words that soon followed from his poker face were:

“Then, let’s film one more scene.”

“…Huh?”

“Why are you so shocked? You convinced me, and so, you should take responsibility for convincing me.”

It was the kind of statement that could hardly be considered lukewarm.

“The part where Ha-eun comes out of the warehouse wasn’t captured on camera. We’re going to film again from the scene inside the warehouse until she steps outside.”

Consequently, there was no choice but to head back into the cold warehouse once more.

Unlike before when she was alone, this time a cameraman accompanied her.

Thus, starting from the tense expression of Kim Ji-a peering out through the narrow gap in the door to see what lay outside the warehouse, she ultimately decided to brave the dangerous outside before turning the doorknob with her trembling hand.

“Cut! That’s a wrap~.”

After that, Ha-eun headed back towards Director Kwon Jong-hyuk.

She silently gazed at the reordered video of the scenes they had filmed that day.

“Ah, uncle… I missed you…”

Seeing her own trembling face on the screen felt uniquely different.

Regardless, it was a little embarrassing, but it seemed her emotions came through well.

“Is there a scene you want to reshoot?”

“…No. None.”

Shaking her head at Director Kwon Jong-hyuk’s question about whether there was a scene she wasn’t satisfied with, it was because every detail had been the best she could do.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes, well. Thank you, Ha-eun.”

Strictly speaking, there were still several scenes left for Ha-eun to shoot.

It was simply a sense of achievement she felt because she had satisfactorily completed the scene she’d worked the hardest on.

For the first time, she felt she had accomplished something.

And it was a feeling she was experiencing for the first time.

‘…Oh, wait. Didn’t I just… smile?’

For a brief moment, she showed a purely genuine smile rather than one for acting.

Seeing Ha-eun from afar, Joo Jeong-yun looked at her with a soft smile that was momentarily difficult to believe.

*

“Time really flies. It’s already June.”

“Indeed.”

It was around the time when all of the filming for the neighbor uncle had finished and the editing process was nearly at its conclusion.

As the release date for the neighbor uncle drew closer, a meeting was held today to discuss the film’s success.

The trailer, summarizing the highlights of the movie, had already aired several times on TV.

The reactions circulating on the Internet were fairly positive.

However, they knew that other forms of promotion, such as a press conference, were also necessary.

“First of all, it’s a must for the director and actor Kang Seon-woo to attend. The other attendee should definitely be Ha-eun, right?”

“Having Ha-eun attend will certainly be the best choice. However, she’s still a child. I’m not sure if she can answer the reporters’ questions properly…”

The promotional team from the distribution company “Make Future” pondered over and over, selecting the attendees for the press conference.

It was after this that alternative candidates to replace Ha-eun were mentioned.

“It might be better if either Kim So-hyun or Jung Kwang-hyun attended instead. They’re both supporting roles, but their character traits are solid.”

“Um, but Ha-eun is the lead. It would be odd not to show her face at all.”

“If she stammers, it could have the opposite effect. We need to be as cautious as possible.”

As a result, no conclusions were reached today either.

Eventually, they contacted Director Kwon Jong-hyuk for his opinion.

[What strange dilemmas are you facing? Of course, the leads should attend the press conference.]

“But director, as for Kang Seon-woo, that’s understandable, but Ha-eun is only seven…”

[Ha-eun’s age is not a problem at all. I would like the press conference to be held with me and the leads.]

For some reason, he emphasized Ha-eun’s attendance at the press conference somewhat excessively and resolutely.

So ultimately, they reluctantly decided to suppress their uneasy feelings deep inside and have Ha-eun attend the press conference.

However, about two weeks later, on the day they first met for the press conference rehearsal…

“I tried to balance my performance so I don’t look too pitiful, nor too assertive.”

“Oh, I see. Indeed, those aspects certainly came through well in the trailer.”

I felt like I had been hit on the back of the head by her vocabulary and tone, which were utterly unlike those of a kindergarten student.

It served as a reminder of what I and others in her age group were likely doing at that time.

Yet for Ha-eun, since she was simply articulating her thoughts, her focus was solely on the fact that soon she would step forward as a proper child actor in front of everyone.