The Face Genius Actor

Episode 052

Cindy was a star among stars, considered an icon of South Korea.

Debuting solo at a young age and working as a panelist on gaming broadcasts, she experienced various ups and downs.

She made a name for herself as a singer-songwriter and became a unique case of rising to stardom by challenging acting and leaving behind impressive works.

Her music releases consistently topped charts, and every acting challenge left its mark.

She could be described as someone deserving of praise and lacking in superlatives.

‘Working with such a Cindy…’

It was hard to believe.

Hiding my surprised feelings, I first checked on the concept.

“What’s the concept of the music video?”

-They say it’s lovers whispering love. The lyrics of the new title track “Straight Sun” seem to have that feel.

Kim Bo-mi went on to explain the detailed concept of the music video.

It wasn’t difficult to understand the explanation as she sent a document summarizing the concept via message.

I could listen to Kim Bo-mi’s additional explanation while looking at the message.

‘If it were a drama, it would almost feel like a romantic comedy… Certainly Cindy’s best genre.’

Cindy could be called a master of romantic comedy.

She had appeared in many such works and achieved good results each time.

It could be said that almost any male actor would want to appear in a romantic comedy drama with Cindy.

I had also thought it would be nice to work with Cindy.

Her capabilities in the romantic comedy genre were that impressive.

That’s why I was curious about appearing in the music video.

Being able to act in a romantic comedy with Cindy, even indirectly, was definitely an advantage.

It would have been better if I could appear as her counterpart in a full drama.

But I hadn’t yet secured that level of recognition.

I was just barely being mentioned as a second or third choice for main male lead roles.

I wasn’t even being offered protagonist roles in movies.

‘Considering everything, it’s definitely a good opportunity.’

But Kim Bo-mi, seemingly unaware of my thoughts, analyzed the situation objectively.

-As it’s Cindy’s music video, it will generate quite a buzz. It’s also meaningful to make your name known this way. So I’d like you to consider appearing if possible, but…

“But?”

-If the situation doesn’t allow it, it’s okay to decline. Since your recognition has increased sufficiently, it might be more beneficial to film one more commercial in the same time.

Kim Bo-mi was right.

My name had become quite well-known through “I Will Cast Love,” to the point where I didn’t necessarily need to appear in Cindy’s music video.

If I hadn’t yet appeared in “I Will Cast Love,” it would have been right to actively consider appearing in the music video.

But now, there was no particular reason to do so.

Moreover, no matter how high the appearance fee for the music video, it couldn’t exceed the modeling fee for a commercial.

So there was no need to be greedy and appear in the music video.

‘But…’

I had no intention of missing this opportunity.

I was greedy to act in a romantic comedy with Cindy, but.

Decisively, I had another reason why I absolutely had to appear in this music video.

“No. I will appear in the music video.”

-Really?

“Yes. Why? Is it surprising that I’m accepting the offer to appear?”

-A bit. I thought you would naturally reject the offer to appear. Usually, actors tend to prioritize their main projects.

“That’s right. Normally, I would have declined to appear in a music video and focused on finding a new project. But I can’t refuse this offer.”

Hearing my answer, Kim Bo-mi was silent for a moment.

She seemed unable to understand why I was so actively wanting to appear in Cindy’s music video.

Sure enough, a question came back from Kim Bo-mi.

-If it’s not too presumptuous, may I ask why you so strongly want to appear in this music video?

I smiled, though Kim Bo-mi couldn’t see it, then answered.

“My father is a fan of Cindy.”

* * *

Clatter.

The chopsticks in my father’s hand fell to the living room floor.

I quietly looked at my father’s blank expression, then bent down to pick up the chopsticks.

My father still couldn’t open his mouth, as if he couldn’t believe it.

After a long while, my father’s expression brightened.

“Wow! Son! That’s great! You really got to film a music video with our Cindy?”

“Our Cindy…. Yes. I received the offer yesterday and confirmed the casting.”

“I heard about the new album, but to think my son would appear in our Cindy’s music video!”

“Father. Could you please use ‘our’ before my title too?”

“Ah. Did I forget? Right. So, did our son receive our Cindy’s new song in advance?”

“It seems that’s how normal music video shoots proceed, but…”

“Me too! Let me listen too! I’ll keep it a secret from others, just me. Okay?”

“Cindy’s shoots are different from the usual. They only convey the music video concept without giving the song in advance.”

“Ah… Is it because of the leak of the new song before its release last time?… Then you’ll hear the new song on the day of filming?”

“It seems so. By the way, Father. You know much more about Cindy than I thought?”

“I don’t know that much. You know Mr. Kim from Mangwon Real Estate? He went to Cindy’s concert last week. Seems he was successful in getting tickets.”

“Uncle Kim who likes makgeolli did ticket booking…?”

“Ah, and you know Mr. Hwang from the butcher shop in the market? He secretly set aside his allowance and bought 30 copies of the last album.”

“Album? You mean CDs? Why would he buy 30 copies to give to whom?”

“To go to Cindy’s fan signing event, which is done by lottery, you need to buy at least 30 copies to be safe. The competition is fierce.”

“Ah, I see.”

I was confused listening to my father’s story.

How did Mangwon-dong become a holy site for Cindy’s fan club?

“Don’t people of your age usually prefer trot singer Kang Sun-ja over Cindy?”

“What are you talking about? Kang Sun-ja is liked by elders older than us. Everyone around me is only about our Cindy. Without exception.”

I was at a loss for words.

It wasn’t strange for my father to like a celebrity.

But seeing him like Cindy this passionately somehow made me feel odd.

It felt like I shouldn’t hear any more of this for my father’s sake.

That’s how it felt.

At that moment, my father’s expression suddenly turned serious.

“But son.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Until when are you going to call our Cindy just ‘Cindy’?”

“…Have I been calling her that?”

“Yes. You have. Your father doesn’t mind how you call our Cindy, but others might.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. After all, our Cindy is older than you and your senior in the entertainment industry. You might receive unfavorable attention.”

“I see. I’ll call her Senior Cindy from now on.”

“Good. That’s how it should be. By the way, on the day of the music video shoot, should I pack some side dishes for our Cindy…”

I knew it was right to add ‘senior’ after Cindy’s name.

But somehow, seeing my father’s behavior, I couldn’t do it.

It felt like I had lost my father somehow.

I briefly wondered if it was right to appear in the music video for my father’s sake.

* * *

A few days later.

I arrived at the music video shooting location.

As always, I went around the set with Yeo Kyung-chan, greeting the staff.

In the meantime, I talked with the music video director in charge of today’s shoot.

“Hello, Director. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Wow… You’re really impressive in person. I’m glad to meet you too. Let’s have a good shoot today.”

“I’ll do my best. But I haven’t heard Senior Cindy’s new song yet.”

“Ah, right. My mistake. Please let Actor Lee Si-joon listen to ‘Straight Sun’.”

So I received a tablet PC through the on-site staff.

“The new song by Cindy is saved here. We’d appreciate it if you could listen to the music only on the tablet PC without file transfer.”

Cindy’s agency was certainly thorough in these aspects.

As my father explained a few days ago, there had been an incident in the past where a new song was leaked online due to an employee’s mistake.

So I had to prepare for today’s shoot without hearing the completed new song.

I received the concept, lyrics, and scene-by-scene storyboard, but it felt insufficient.

After all, music is only complete when you hear it with your ears.

So I started practicing without being able to fully analyze the music video for “Straight Sun”.

Naturally, the practice using the Method Mask was unsatisfactory.

It wasn’t bad for grasping the overall feel, but I couldn’t be sure if I could act well with just that.

I was still terribly uncoordinated after all.

‘Can I do well?’

As I was losing confidence and feeling anxious like this.

Fortunately, I came up with one clever idea.

And I had arrived at the site a bit early to implement it.

Checking the “Straight Sun” file saved on the tablet PC, I asked the on-site staff.

“I’d like to comfortably enjoy Senior Cindy’s new song. Would it be okay to take the tablet PC to the standby vehicle?”

The on-site staff nodded readily as if it was natural.

“Yes, of course. You can use it comfortably anywhere around the shooting location. We’ve installed security programs so that the file can’t be transferred even if you lose the tablet PC.”

“I see. Thank you for your answer. Then I’ll see you in a bit.”

So I returned to the standby vehicle with Yeo Kyung-chan, carrying the tablet PC.

Then I started listening to Cindy’s new song in earnest.

After listening to the song about ten times.

Song Jin-ah spoke up, nodding her head.

“The song is really good.”

I was also quite surprised listening to Cindy’s new song.

It was so different from what I had imagined based on the concept, lyrics, and scene-by-scene storyboard.

It was a moment where I could realize anew that I had no talent for music.

“You’re right. Listening to the song, it feels different from what I thought.”

“Shall we listen one more time?”

I thought for a moment and shook my head.

By now, I was somewhat familiar with the song.

“Please just play it on repeat as background music. I’d like to listen while resting.”

“Alright. Then I’ll put the song on repeat over here.”

Song Jin-ah pressed the repeat button and closed her mouth as if not to disturb me.

I watched her do this, then picked up the massage mask I had set aside.

That’s right.

This massage mask was the clever idea I had come up with.

For the next 2 hours.

I planned to practice acting with the Method Mask hidden inside this.