NOVEL NEXT Chapter 59
“Why are you here?”
As much as I wanted to ask that right away, I couldn’t.
This was an experience where I was living through a script’s character.
I can’t arbitrarily control things or anything like that.
So, contrary to my shocked heart,
“I’m watching you because I like you.”
The straightforward tone just popped out.
“…How could you say such things carelessly?”
Su-Jin, with a scolding expression, looked really pretty.
Especially because of the historical drama filming, her hanbok suited her elegantly.
Even while feeling shy, it seemed like she wanted to say something.
You could see the slight redness of her cheeks from her baby fat still not completely gone.
Is the tingling in my fingertips just a feeling, or is it my heart?
To be honest, without any procedure,
I wanted to get intoxicated by you—
‘No, wait, what am I even saying?’
Judging that the situation was getting weird,
I quickly snapped out of the immersion.
“…What the heck is going on?”
This had never happened before.
How can a character from the script take the face of a real person?
That question was a fleeting thought.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
A message from [Sims – The Real Life] quickly arrived to provide answers.
-[The current script is deemed a romance, not just a simple story.]
-[For deeper immersion, the role is now replaced with a real-life person, not a fictional character.]
-[A function has been added for this replacement; if you don’t want this feature, please turn off ‘Romance Mode’.]
-[The method to turn it off is the same as immersion and can be toggled ON/OFF at any time.]
“…Why would you do something like this without saying a word?”
Of course, everything so far had gone on without communication, but this time was different.
‘Turn off Romance Mode.’
This was the most tangible ability I’d gained so far.
The good news is that even with the face change, I couldn’t do anything outside the script’s written actions.
‘…Wait, why did I think that was good? Why am I even thinking like this?’
Thoughts I had never properly considered,
The body of a fifteen-year-old boy going through puberty began to react seriously.
They say it’s the age where you’re very interested in sexual things.
A period when secondary sexual characteristics become active.
It’s funny to say, but for the first time, I started to ‘consciously’ notice the opposite sex.
Having been discriminated against for my unattractive appearance,
I’d obviously never even had a romantic relationship in my past life.
Naturally, this became a habit in this life as well,
And I hadn’t cared at all.
But the current situation made me realize I could naturally have a romance.
Escaping from the feelings of inferiority and the complexes from my past life.
Breaking free from inferiority complex and self-doubt.
Just a trivial trigger.
Thump thump thump.
‘Am I crazy? Why is my body like this?’
My heart was going wild.
As it happened, moments I’d ignored until now flashed in my mind.
The classroom in winter when I reunited with Su-Jin,
that moment when Jae-rin suddenly burst out of the waiting room and sweetly called my name,
that time when Ye-rim was so startled she lost control and wet herself.
‘Why is my mind only going to these thoughts?’
Suddenly, the intense first encounters with the girls around me came rushing back.
But amidst this confusion, there was one clear thing.
‘I can’t focus on the script today.’
Right now, I just wanted to take a deep breath and sleep.
+++++
[The Swordsman Baek Dong-su] started off strong and was seeing a steady rise in ratings daily.
At the center of it was, of course, the dazzling action of Kim Donghu.
“Did he come out of some special forces? He’s flying around for real!”
“I think Kim Donghu hasn’t used a stunt from the start, right?”
“Is he fearless at that young age, or does he really have confidence?”
“It must be confidence; he’s obviously in a different world by himself.”
To put it metaphorically, while kids were just starting to walk, he was preparing for a marathon.
Even if Jawan didn’t want to express that he was superior for his age,
the Jawan played by Kim Donghu was outstanding compared to anyone else.
Especially when performing swordsmanship, it was breathtaking.
“Seriously, he acts like he learned real sword fighting.”
“At that level, it must be true; he doesn’t lag behind even compared to Cha Min-sik!”
“It’s not just acting a genius; it’s like a real genius wielding a sword.”
“A story of a face genius acting as a sword genius, it’s pure art!”
The rating for Episode 3 reached a whopping 20%.
Not just a momentary spike, but an average rating of 20%.
With the situation being this way, the drama department head Jeong Dosun wore a calm smile.
“Looks like the brutal struggle of the Monday-Tuesday dramas is coming to an end.”
“I will stand in the Monday-Tuesday drama.”
It seemed he was determined to carry on the momentum of Jeong Dosun’s calm chant.
Episode 4’s rating skyrocketed to 22%.
Backing that up, Episode 5’s rating jumped to 24%.
The ratings felt like kids’ play at this point.
At that moment, when it felt as if it would soon breach the 30% wall,
an unexpected variable blocked the path of [The Swordsman Baek Dong-su].
“Episode 6 rating, 22%…?”
Suddenly, the ratings dropped.
By a whole 2%.
“What’s the problem?”
“Uh, we’re still trying to figure it out quickly.”
“Hey, don’t investigate among yourselves.”
That’s the theory of the loser… Start by gauging public opinion; there lies the answer.
“Let’s gauge public opinion first; there’s the answer.”
Under Director Jeong Dosun’s command, the reason for the falling ratings quickly became clear.
In a way, it’s a very simple story.
If the ratings drop, there could only be one possible reason.
“Is it because Kim Donghu’s screen time has ended?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
It’s an anxiety that had only been thought about.
But I didn’t think it would be a major issue.
‘It’s only natural, isn’t it?’
Once the child actor’s story ends, the adult’s tale begins.
That natural flow was a clichéd pattern that has repeated in dramas for ages.
But,
‘I had overlooked one thing.’
There was one thing Director Jeong didn’t anticipate,
and that was Kim Donghu’s looks.
He doesn’t just end at being handsome.
No, he’s practically the personification of “handsome” itself, Kim Donghu.
Could there possibly be someone who could inherit that appearance?
Of course, there wasn’t.
Kim Donghu’s looks are beyond such standards.
Moreover, his skill in swordsmanship contributed to that.
While looks are one thing, his swordsmanship should have improved even more than when he was a child.
But the shortcoming in that area is what’s being discussed.
“What on earth is this?”
Director Jeong let out a rare chuckle, bewildered.
And this wasn’t just meaningful data for SKS Broadcasting; it was also relevant elsewhere.
“Oh… are you saying Kim Donghu is irreplaceable?”
“Y-yes?”
“Never mind that. You should rest. Haven’t you been sleep-deprived these past few days?”
“Th-thank you! Director!”
To MNC, which was about to film an eclipse, a sense of urgency,
“Was Kim Donghu hiding this much power?”
“You are indeed irreplaceable.”
“How can a child actor have this kind of strength?”
The community was suddenly reminded of just how much fun Kim Donghu provided,
Finally,
“So, if we have a decent script, can we make it happen?”
“What do you mean?”
“A story starring Kim Donghu as the lead.”
“…That’s not something that can be decided easily.”
With expectations of what kind of impact would come if he were the lead,
Kim Donghu, who provided everyone with a new perspective, was currently…
“…Isn’t it not a bad idea to switch on the romance mode once?”
But wait, if Su-Jin is appearing, it means she’s going to pass the audition.
Am I spoiling myself here?
“What is this? It’s really driving me crazy!”
I still couldn’t easily shake off thoughts of the romance mode.
++++++
Time flew to September.
It was that time when dramas for the second half of the year were beginning to gear up for release.
“Yay!”
Kim Su-jin couldn’t hide her excited heart and immediately screamed.
“Yikes, I almost dropped a ear!”
“Sorry, sorry! But I just can’t help it, it’s so good!”
“Is it really that great to act with Dong-hu?”
“W-Who says it’s that great?! I just like filming historical dramas, okay!”
Watching her daughter’s face turn as red as a tomato, Kim Yu-ryun chuckled.
Knowing the reason why her daughter prepared harder than usual for the audition, she observed Su-jin sneaking glances at her while typing to someone on KakaoTalk.
“Then why not just call him outright? Isn’t that easier?”
“What? Call at this hour? That’ll just burden Dong-hu!”
“You’ve been in touch with Dong-hu?”
“Oh come on, Mom!”
Kim Su-jin shouted and dashed straight into her room.
“But if you’re already acting like this, how are you going to act together later?”
Unlike her worried words, Kim Yu-ryun still had a grin as she unfolded the script for Eclipse.
A script demanding deep love performances from child actors with a considerable level of difficulty.
If perfectly executed, it was a story that seemed destined to be a blockbuster.
The problem was that her daughter couldn’t do the ‘love acting.’
‘My daughter is already in a first love scenario.’
To have to act in ‘love’ for Kim Dong-hu’s role?
How could that possibly be easy?
In reality, Kim Yu-ryun’s concerns became real.
Thump thump.
‘What should I do? I can’t even look him in the eye.’
The day of filming for Eclipse arrived.
Kim Su-jin faced a disaster where she couldn’t even look at Kim Dong-hu’s face properly.
Thump thump thump.
Her oblivious heart felt like it was racing towards Dong-hu.
Please stop thumping!
In that moment, Kim Su-jin resented her heart for being too honest with her feelings.
But what she actually resented the most was…
“Su-jin, are you sick? Your cheeks are super red.”
It was Kim Dong-hu, coming forward and blabbering without a clue.
Kim Dong-hu!
‘Don’t just casually talk to me like that!’
Of course, Su-jin didn’t have the courage to voice this out loud.