The Face Genius Actor

Episode 027

I never thought I’d meet writer Kim Hee-soo here.

Although I had received an offer to appear in “I Will Cast Love” from Director Kang Han-sung, I hadn’t yet met writer Kim Hee-soo.

I was still in the process of preparing for the audition.

‘And yet, to meet like this in advance…’

According to Director Kang Han-sung, writer Kim Hee-soo had brought up the casting first, strongly wanting me.

So he added that although the meeting would take the form of an audition, it would be just a formality.

He repeated this about ten times while drunk, so it was impossible to forget even if I wanted to.

But even as I agreed with Director Kang Han-sung’s words, I didn’t take the audition lightly.

Rather, as it would be my first meeting with writer Kim Hee-soo, whom I had always wanted to meet, I planned to prepare for the audition even more perfectly.

But to meet like this before that preparation was complete was bound to be surprising.

From my perspective, it was like encountering the final boss while I was still busy leveling up and farming for a raid.

As I was too flustered to say anything, Seo Myung-hee gathered herself first and started conversing with writer Kim Hee-soo.

The fortunate thing was that the two seemed to have some degree of acquaintance.

Certainly, if they weren’t acquainted at all, even writer Kim Hee-soo wouldn’t have recognized us.

“Oh my! Writer! What a surprise to see you here. I’m so shocked.”

“Me too. I never thought I’d see you two walking around so openly near the broadcasting station. I was uncertain even as I approached.”

Their relationship didn’t seem as close as that between Seo Myung-hee and writer Jung Su-min.

The fact that Seo Myung-hee wasn’t using informal speech was proof of this.

Of course, this wasn’t anything special.

Rather, the sister-like relationship between Seo Myung-hee and writer Jung Su-min was unusual.

As the two started talking, I could feel the gazes of those around us gradually gathering.

It wasn’t a good situation.

Seo Myung-hee must have felt those gazes too, as she hurriedly spoke to writer Kim Hee-soo.

“Instead of this… if you don’t have any other plans, how about we move somewhere else to talk?”

Writer Kim Hee-soo seemed to have noticed the situation too and nodded.

“That would be good. But is there anywhere to go nearby?”

“There’s an acting academy I run close by. You’ve never been there, right?”

“W Acting Academy! That’s the hot place these days, isn’t it? I’ve been wanting to visit. What a great opportunity today. Let’s move quickly.”

“Yes, Writer. I’ll lead the way. Si-joon, follow carefully.”

So the three of us, feigning calmness, made our way to W Acting Academy.

Fortunately, we left before too many gazes gathered, avoiding a difficult situation.

We breathed a sigh of relief only after passing the reception desk and entering an empty conference room.

Seeing this, writer Kim Hee-soo smiled awkwardly.

“Because of me… It seems like some trouble occurred. I’m sorry.”

Seo Myung-hee quickly waved her hands and responded to writer Kim Hee-soo’s words.

“No. Rather, it’s my fault for forcing an outdoor lesson without predicting this situation. I’m sorry, Si-joon.”

Knowing that Seo Myung-hee had conducted the outdoor lesson with good intentions, I quickly shook my head.

“No, it’s not. I was too confident and rushed ahead. I won’t act so rashly in the future. I’m sorry.”

With my apology, an awkward atmosphere filled the conference room.

Then, as our eyes met, the three of us burst into laughter.

It was a bit funny that we were all apologizing to each other.

“The atmosphere is strange.”

“Indeed. We’re all just apologizing and saying we did wrong.”

“If it’s like this, we might as well say none of us did anything wrong.”

As the mood lightened, I realized I hadn’t properly greeted writer Kim Hee-soo.

“Ah, I’m late with my greeting. I’m Lee Si-joon.”

“Ah! That’s right! We didn’t greet each other. Nice to meet you, actor Lee Si-joon. I’m Kim Hee-soo.”

“I was planning to say this when we met next week… Thank you so much for thinking well of me.”

As I said this and bowed my head, writer Kim Hee-soo showed a pleased smile.

“Your performance in ‘Arrest’ was impossible not to view favorably, wasn’t it? I’m the one who’s grateful that you accepted the offer. It might not have been appealing given the role doesn’t have much screen time.”

I quickly waved my hands and responded to writer Kim Hee-soo’s words.

“No, not at all. Even with just the script for part 1, I could tell how charming the third male lead role is. It’s an important role.”

Kim Hee-soo asked with a surprised expression, as if she hadn’t expected this at all.

“Oh my! You could feel that? Actually, ‘Kim Won-young’ plays an important role up until the latter part.”

“I haven’t grasped that far yet, but I could clearly tell that he’s much more charming than the mediocre male lead.”

“Wow! Director Kang Han-sung said that actor Lee Si-joon has an extraordinary eye. It seems that’s true. I didn’t expect such an evaluation of Kim Won-young just from reading the part 1 script.”

In truth, I could say this because I had watched “I Will Cast Love” all the way to the last episode.

But I didn’t bother to correct the situation.

To correct it, I would have to bring up the whole story about regression.

“Director Kang Han-sung must have said a lot of good things. Actually, I don’t have such an extraordinary eye. I just had that feeling.”

“Feeling…”

As writer Kim Hee-soo was pondering my answer, Seo Myung-hee interjected at the right moment.

“Actually, that’s the most important thing for an actor, and Si-joon always receives good feelings well.”

Hearing Seo Myung-hee’s words, writer Kim Hee-soo replied with a pleased smile.

“Maybe you’re fatefully intertwined with Kim Won-young? Some kind of attraction?”

Seo Myung-hee looked at me and redirected writer Kim Hee-soo’s question.

“How about that?”

After pondering for a moment, I nodded, not having anything else to say.

“I guess it could be like that.”

At this, writer Kim Hee-soo smiled brightly, as if genuinely pleased.

It seemed she really liked my response about feeling a fateful attraction.

Of course, I had only agreed with what Kim Hee-soo had said.

Then, as if something had occurred to her, Kim Hee-soo brought up a different topic.

“By the way, you were talking about an outdoor class earlier… May I ask what it was about?”

Kim Hee-soo looked at me and asked.

However, since it wasn’t something I could freely discuss, I looked towards Seo Myung-hee.

Seo Myung-hee smiled as if it was no big deal and answered.

“Ah. The class earlier was about handling line of sight, and about Si-joon’s habit…”

She then went on to explain the whole process of how the outdoor class came about.

Meanwhile, a staff member brought drinks for the three of us, and the conversation continued in a more relaxed atmosphere.

* * *

As she listened to Seo Myung-hee’s story, writer Kim Hee-soo nodded in agreement with a serious expression.

For some parts, she asked for more detailed explanations, as long as it wasn’t too intrusive.

It was a moment that showed how delicate and considerate Kim Hee-soo’s personality was.

On the other hand, watching her, I could understand how Kim Hee-soo’s dramas managed to maintain everyday life while not losing their humor.

Seo Myung-hee’s story then moved from the topic of line of sight to cameras that show devoted love.

Kim Hee-soo nodded vigorously, strongly agreeing with the story about cameras showing devoted love.

Then, as if deeply impressed, she remained lost in thought for a while before speaking.

“Cameras that show devoted love…”

Seo Myung-hee asked Kim Hee-soo, who was muttering to herself.

“It’s a bit of a cringy expression, isn’t it?”

Kim Hee-soo shook her head slightly and replied.

“No, I really like it. If I get the chance, I’d love to use that line in a drama.”

“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment that the story wasn’t boring.”

“It’s not just that. Seo Myung-hee-ssi’s story was incredibly impressive. It’s a moment that solves the mystery of how W Acting Academy produces such excellent talents.”

“It’s just that we’re lucky to have aspiring actors like Si-joon come to W Acting Academy. It’s not because of me.”

I, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, seized the opportunity to interject.

“No, that’s not true. After all, it’s your ability to pick and bring in good aspiring actors to W Acting Academy.”

Seo Myung-hee waved her hands as if embarrassed by my response.

But even while looking embarrassed, there was a hint of pride in her expression.

From that expression, I could tell how much fulfillment Seo Myung-hee felt in teaching others.

Writer Kim Hee-soo smiled as if pleased by the sight of us two.

Then, suddenly changing her expression, she brought up a different topic.

“Anyway, with this, there’s no need to meet Lee Si-joon-ssi next week.”

My heart sank when I heard Kim Hee-soo’s words.

I felt more anxious because the smile had disappeared from Kim Hee-soo’s face.

“What? Why? Don’t tell me…”

But fortunately, that wasn’t what Kim Hee-soo meant.

“Ah, no. It’s absolutely not because I don’t like Lee Si-joon-ssi. I meant to say that there’s no need for even the formality of an audition anymore.”

“The formality of an audition…”

“Actually, the reason I suggested that audition was because, like Seo Myung-hee-ssi, I wanted to tell Lee Si-joon-ssi that he was too conscious of the camera.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But you’re already taking high-level classes from an excellent teacher, so you won’t repeat the same mistake, right? Right, Seo Myung-hee-ssi?”

When Kim Hee-soo asked this, Seo Myung-hee answered without hesitation.

“Yes. Si-joon is not someone who repeats the same mistake. Even if he does, I’ll make sure to stop him.”

Satisfied with Seo Myung-hee’s answer, Kim Hee-soo immediately nodded happily.

“Then we can wrap this up now. Lee Si-joon-ssi.”

“Yes.”

“From now on, Lee Si-joon-ssi is Kim Won-young. I look forward to working with our Won-young.”

And with that, I confirmed my appearance in the drama “I Will Cast Love,” which would go on to surpass 15% in viewership ratings.