The Face Genius Actor

Episode 011

The three of us moved to our seats and began our meal by drinking bottled beer.

As we drank the refreshingly cold beer with frost on the bottle and watched the assorted beef tripe grilling, our mood naturally improved.

However, my older brother seemed displeased about something, frowning.

“Should we mix in some soju?”

My father nodded without hesitation at my brother’s question.

I was worried about what the problem might be, but it was just about whether to mix soju into the beer.

“Yes, let’s do that. It’s a bit bland. Is that okay with you too, youngest son?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

There was no reason to refuse.

In fact, I was regretting not having started with a somaek (beer and soju mix) for my first drink.

As I agreed, my brother carefully began mixing the somaek.

My brother shone more when mixing somaek than when walking on the runway.

Meanwhile, my father nodded as he picked up and ate some grilled heart that was done first.

“There’s no off-smell, and it’s clean-tasting. You found a good place.”

“One of the advertising directors I know who enjoys drinking recommended this place.”

“He’s a man of culture. Tell him to come visit our chicken restaurant sometime.”

“Yes, I will.”

My father’s chicken restaurant was quite a famous eatery even in Mangwon-dong.

As someone who developed his own recipe and built up the business, he took pride in his food.

I was also one of those who thought my father’s cooking was the most delicious.

That’s why when we occasionally ate out like this, we chose menu items that weren’t easily available at home.

In that sense, coming to this tripe restaurant today was the best choice.

Not just me, but both my father and brother looked very happy.

After a few rounds of somaek in this pleasant mood, I asked my brother:

“So, are you very busy these days? It seems like I keep seeing your face here and there.”

When I brought it up, my brother nodded nonchalantly.

“It’s just increased enough to not be boring.”

He said it like this, but in reality, it wasn’t just a matter of getting busier.

My brother was rising to the ranks of a famous model, recognizable enough to the general public.

It was natural, given that he was active in almost every field where models were needed.

It was clear that he would soon aim for an overseas expansion.

But my brother didn’t seem to care much about this fact.

His nonchalant attitude was proof of that.

Even my father, knowing that my brother was doing quite well, didn’t show any exaggerated expressions or gestures.

“Looks like you’re doing well. That’s our eldest son for you.”

He just added this one comment while giving a thumbs up.

Maybe it was because I was there beside them.

My father had always been like this.

A person who always tried to consider his children’s feelings so that neither of his sons would feel jealous or envious.

Thanks to that, I was able to pursue my dreams without wavering, even with such a successful older brother.

It was the same for my brother too, albeit in a slightly different way.

At first, he suggested I become a model to help me in any way he could.

But once he realized I was seriously pursuing the path of an actor, he stopped bringing it up and silently supported me.

Even when things weren’t going as well as expected for me, he only asked about my well-being without mentioning anything related to acting.

‘They were both looking out for me in their own ways.’

I felt this fact more clearly now than before.

And because of that, I didn’t want to worry them anymore.

That’s why I smiled brightly as I explained my current situation.

There was nothing to hold back, especially since the content was positive.

Just then, my father asked with perfect timing.

“How was it for the youngest son this morning?”

“Things went well. The level test results weren’t bad either. The director there seemed to think well of me and suggested considering a minor role in a drama scheduled to air in a few months.”

Both of their expressions brightened considerably upon hearing my answer.

It was as if they had been waiting for me to deliver good news.

“As expected. Our youngest son is doing well too.”

“That’s great.”

I waved off their praise.

“Nothing’s confirmed yet, it’s just at the consideration stage for now. More importantly, it depends on whether the production team wants me.”

But both of them had expressions suggesting they believed there would be no problem at all if it were me.

There wasn’t even a hint of doubt, making me feel like I could definitely secure the minor role.

It wasn’t impossible with the help of the Method Mask, but after talking with them, I felt even more confident.

At the same time, a desire to do an excellent job with this work blossomed within me.

The dinner for the three of us continued for a long time in a warm and cheerful atmosphere.

* * *

After that day.

I devoted all my time to practicing the script for “Arrest.”

Since “Arrest” was a work I had already finished analyzing, the practice wasn’t difficult.

As soon as I put on the Method Mask, a somewhat realistic world of “Arrest” was implemented.

But this level of realism wasn’t satisfactory enough.

So, in between practice sessions, I conducted additional analysis of the work.

Surprisingly, the more I did this, the more vividly I could implement the world within “Arrest.”

Naturally, this couldn’t help but be of great assistance to my practice.

I immersed myself in practice with the mindset of engraving the role of high school student Hwang In-seop into my bones.

Seo Myung-hee didn’t hold back her praise as she observed my improving acting skills day by day.

“How can your improvement be so clearly visible day by day? It’s amazing!”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“But I think the acting you did earlier was better than just now? It seems like the rebellious gaze wasn’t quite right.”

“Is that so?”

“You should do it like this… Something like this feeling?”

“Ah, I see what you mean. I’ll practice it again.”

Along with the praise, Seo Myung-hee immediately corrected my acting on the spot.

She would either demonstrate herself or choose the best expression among various options.

I would remember this and then go home to practice repeatedly until the problem areas looked natural.

I spared no effort to be able to make the same expression no matter who, when, or where asked me to act out the same scene.

After a few days passed like this, Seo Myung-hee nodded with satisfaction and suggested we shoot and send the first audition video.

For me, it was a proposal I had no reason to refuse.

Although it was a short period, I trusted Seo Myung-hee’s words as I was satisfied with the teaching method.

‘Suggesting to send the first audition video must mean my acting is somewhat okay, right?’

With this thought, I shot the first audition video with the help of the academy.

And before 24 hours had even passed, I received a response from the “Arrest” production team.

Seo Myung-hee relayed the production team’s response over the phone.

“They say there’s no need for a complicated second face-to-face audition, they’ll cast Si-joon as the high school student Hwang In-seop. Isn’t that great?”

To think they would cast without even having a second face-to-face audition.

It seemed like Seo Myung-hee had played a big role in between this time as well.

I easily grasped this fact and expressed my gratitude.

“Thank you. Things went smoothly thanks to your efforts, teacher.”

“No need for thanks. It was all possible because of Si-joon’s good acting. We’ve arranged to meet the writer and director next week, so let’s save the first greetings for then.”

From what I heard, it was a meeting with Han Mi-rae, the female lead of “Arrest”.

This way, it seemed like we could have a first meeting without any pressure.

“Yes, I’ll greet them then as planned.”

The following week.

As promised, I was able to meet with writer Jung Su-min.

Sitting next to writer Jung Su-min was “Director Kang Han-sung”, the director of “Arrest”.

The conversation mainly revolved around Seo Myung-hee and writer Jung Su-min, who had a close relationship.

Han Mi-rae and Director Kang Han-sung occasionally added to the conversation.

As it wasn’t a place for a minor role actor to casually join in, I politely greeted them and then quietly listened to the four people’s conversation.

But that doesn’t mean there were no results.

In the middle of the conversation, I received pleasant compliments from writer Jung Su-min and Director Kang Han-sung.

“He’s much more handsome than he looked on screen!”

“That’s right. I wonder if he might even be comparable to actor Kim Jung-min who’s playing the adult Hwang In-seop role?”

Writer Jung Su-min and Director Kang Han-sung said these things in turn.

However, Director Kang Han-sung’s latter comment was a bit concerning.

If there really was a comparison, it could cause problems with the plausibility of “Arrest”.

But that worry was unfounded.

Writer Jung Su-min responded to Director Kang Han-sung’s words as if to say, “What are you talking about?”

“So what if there’s a bit of comparison? As long as he’s handsome, that’s all that matters. It would be good if this became an issue.”

Director Kang Han-sung quickly nodded and agreed with writer Jung Su-min’s opinion.

“That’s true. After all, actor Kim Jung-min is also quite good-looking. There won’t be any problems.”

Looking at the situation, I could roughly understand the atmosphere.

As with other dramas, it seemed that writer Jung Su-min had a strong influence in “Arrest” as well.

Originally, in movies, the director’s power was strong, while in dramas, the writer’s power was strong.

This was why when you think of movies, the director’s name comes to mind first, and for dramas, it’s the writer’s name.

As I was thinking this, I quickly bowed my head before missing the timing.

“Thank you for viewing me favorably.”

Writer Jung Su-min and Director Kang Han-sung responded to my greeting with pleasant smiles.

And that was the only situation where I conversed with the two of them.

* * *

After that brief meeting with writer Jung Su-min and Director Kang Han-sung.

Finally, the main filming for “Arrest” began.

After a two-hour bus ride to Yongin City’s Cheon-an District, I could see the set of “Arrest”.

On the set of “Arrest”, which was decorated to look like a real school, numerous people were busily moving about.

Having arrived at the scene without a manager, I first took off my hat and mask.

This was because I needed to greet the staff first.

“Hello, nice to meet you. I’m rookie actor Lee Si-joon.”

I went around greeting everyone I met without exception.

The reactions were varied.

Some people screamed “Kyaa! He’s so handsome!” as soon as they saw my face.

Others stared blankly at my face for a while before belatedly saying, “Ah, yes…” and greeting me.

But from my perspective, it was all good.

Just being on the filming set like this was enough to elevate my mood.

It was natural, as it was a sense of being on set that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

The drama set definitely had a different feel compared to a theater set.

Not only was the camera setup different, but the method of setup was different as well.

I felt good because most people received my greetings kindly.

However, not everyone on set received my greetings pleasantly.

There’s always at least one person who shows a prickly reaction on set, and that person is usually an actor.

The person in front of me was no exception.

“You’re showing your rookie colors big time. Are you alone on set? Why are you so noisy?”

I stared straight at the face of the male actor who immediately got angry as soon as I greeted him.

‘An Myung-hyun.’

This actor, who was playing the high school version of the male lead, ‘Shin Han-jae’.

He was the only risk factor in the otherwise brilliantly successful “Arrest”.