The Face Genius Actor

Episode 058

‘So big, so cute.’

This was a famous expression recently applied to large dogs.

But this expression didn’t simply arise because large dogs are cute.

It could be said that it emerged to dilute the potentially threatening image of large dogs to people.

Large dogs have long had a reliable image.

This was natural considering that most large dog breeds were specialized for hunting.

However, this tendency wasn’t suitable for increasingly sophisticated urban living.

So the expression ‘So big, so cute’ appeared.

A sentence proving that large dogs could also sufficiently fulfill their role as pets.

This was needed, and the expression ‘So big, so cute’ drew cheers from people.

It was because large dogs, thought to be only big and dependable, showed the unexpected charm of cuteness.

I wanted to portray Han Ji-hoon as a character with this kind of unexpected charm.

This was also why I summarized Han Ji-hoon with the term ‘large dog’.

Fortunately, while playing the role of Kim Won-young, I became accustomed to acting out a character’s cuteness.

Han Ji-hoon was different from Kim Won-young, but this was a problem that could be somewhat resolved with the Method Mask.

But dependability was different.

If it was originally a dependable character, it might be another story.

It was impossible to show a cute character being dependable through acting alone.

So I decided to resolve this issue physically.

Jung Su-jin, the writer, seemed to think the same, as there were unusually many shower scenes for Han Ji-hoon in “Let’s Live Together, Princess”.

‘Three months until the first filming… I’m not sure if there’s enough time, but I need to build my body somehow.’

So I asked Yeo Kyung-chan to find me a trainer, and fortunately, Yeo Kyung-chan quickly found a famous trainer.

“I heard this person has managed the bodies of not only celebrities but also athletes.”

“Athletes?”

“Yes. Apparently, they’ve worked with professional baseball and basketball players.”

“Ah, I see what kind of person it is.”

So I moved to the gym while talking with Yeo Kyung-chan, and finally met the trainer.

“Hello, I’m…”

The trainer started to bow normally in greeting but then had a blank expression.

After a while, they regained composure and finished the greeting.

“…Kyung Min-hyuk.”

“Yes, hello. I’m Lee Si-joon.”

“First, let’s do a quick InBody check and then I’ll help you with a consultation. Please come this way.”

So we did the InBody measurement and also checked some simple questionnaire items.

There was a section to write the goal, so I wrote that I wanted to build my body to match the character in the work.

I also didn’t forget to mention that the drama’s genre was romantic comedy.

A little while later.

The consultation began in earnest, and what I heard from the trainer was unexpected.

“Um… At this level, you don’t really need separate exercise, do you?”

I was taken aback by the trainer’s response.

“Pardon?”

But the trainer’s thoughts were firm.

It was the same after taking off my top and doing an eye-body measurement.

“It’s sufficient. Your body looks just right.”

“Do I really not need to exercise?”

To my question, the trainer nodded seriously and answered.

“Yes. If you were going to enter a competition or play a National Intelligence Service role in an action drama, you might need to build up your body more, but I don’t think that’s necessary now.”

“But I feel like I need to be a bit bulkier to portray my role… And lately, my body feels a bit stiff, and I think my body shape doesn’t fit either.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted an image like a big, dependable, but cute large dog?”

“Yes, that’s right. Is it possible to build such a body in a short time?”

“As I said, I don’t think you need exercise for that. Your innate body balance is too good, and your body is very beautiful, probably from consistent exercise.”

“Ah…”

“Even your posture is very straight and correct. The stiffness you feel is probably because you haven’t been sleeping much lately. Are you tired?”

The trainer said this while massaging the tense muscles around my shoulders, and I nodded.

“Yes, a bit. I’ve been practicing late into the night, so my sleep time has decreased.”

“I see. Anyway, your body doesn’t particularly need exercise. If you really want to exercise, we could proceed in a direction of cutting fat without losing muscle. That would make you look even better.”

They said this trainer was highly credible and famous.

They expressed their opinion very honestly.

It made me wonder if it would be difficult to do business this way.

But because of this, there was a trustworthy aspect, and I found myself nodding.

It seemed like I could trust this person and continue exercising with them.

“Then please help me exercise in that direction.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. If it can make me look even a little better, I’d like to try.”

“Alright. But before we start exercising, can I take one picture?”

“Pardon?”

“It’s the first time I’ve met someone so handsome… I’d like to brag about it somewhere…”

“Ah, of course.”

At my answer, the trainer grinned and started taking pictures.

After taking pictures for a while, they looked at their phone and tilted their head.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m surprised. Was I always this ugly…”

“……”

“If it’s okay with you, could I take one more picture? A solo shot of you where our gym logo is visible.”

“You’re not going to be in it?”

“No. I think I look too much like a squid. This is a first for me too. A muscular squid, huh.”

The trainer, who called himself a ‘muscular squid’, only started the exercise after taking one more solo shot of me.

* * *

Because the character analysis problem was smoothly resolved, acting practice gained momentum.

Since there was still quite some time until the first shooting began, it seemed like I could practice without pushing myself too hard.

Although I still couldn’t find the reason why “Let’s Live Together, Princess” hadn’t performed well, I didn’t worry about it too much.

After all, I had joined this project based on the script.

While I was practicing,

The issue of And You magazine featuring me on the cover and in a special article was published.

The response to And You wasn’t bad.

I had been worried that And You’s sales might drop because I participated in the special feature.

But contrary to my concerns, sales unexpectedly increased.

Celia called me and excitedly shared the news.

-Everyone’s going crazy saying the cover is great this time! Even the bookstore staff seems to know how handsome you are, they put our magazine in the most visible spot on the display! Wherever I go, I only see your face!

I felt pleased because I could sense the sincerity in Celia’s voice.

“I’m really glad, everyone worked hard doing difficult shoots in Guam. Is Im Seung-yeon happy too?”

-I just talked to her, but she seemed nonchalant. Rather, she was blaming herself, saying is this all the results they got working with you? She said she felt her skills were lacking.

“There’s no way that’s true. The writer faithfully captured even aspects of me that I hadn’t noticed. Please tell her not to blame herself too much.”

-As expected… Our actor with a kind heart too. Ah, and not just the cover, but the response to the special feature is good too. Especially the reaction to NM, which we were able to introduce thanks to you, is hot.

Indeed, yesterday I received screenshots of social media posts from Yeo Kyung-chan.

They showed interest in NM along with the photos I took in Guam.

I was happy that it seemed I had achieved more than I had expected.

Fortunately, it seemed that And You also evaluated this work positively.

-I hope we can work together again sometime, Actor Lee.

“I hope so too. If you ever need a last-minute replacement again, please let me know. I’ll participate as the sixth man.”

-No, we can’t be so rude again. Next time, we’ll definitely make a formal proposal! See you next time!

And so the call with Celia ended.

A few days later, the music video for “Straight Sun” was released.

As befitting the title track of Cindy’s new album, the popularity of “Straight Sun” was tremendous.

It recorded 7 million views on YouTube just one day after the music was released.

At this rate, it could reach 50 million views in a few weeks.

Perhaps pleased with the results, Cindy also contacted me.

-Si-joon, did you see the music video views? It’s a hit.

“Yes, I saw. The song is so good that word of mouth is definitely spreading quickly. It’s still number one on the music charts, right?”

-How could we achieve these results just because the song is good? It’s all thanks to you appearing in the music video.

“I’d like to proudly say it’s because of me too, but in good conscience, I can’t. Anyone can see this is a result created by your popularity, senior.”

-I keep telling you it’s thanks to you. There’s a frenzy in every community saying our chemistry is good. At this rate, could “Let’s Live Together, Princess” be a big hit too?

“It’s entirely possible. When is the casting news coming out? The timing doesn’t seem bad right now.”

-I heard they were considering releasing an article. Since you’re okay with it too, I should quickly contact the production company and tell them to do so.

“I’ll call the production company too. Writer Jung Su-jin and Director Yoo Sung-hyo will be pleased too, right?”

-They both really liked you after meeting you. They said the casting seems really well done. They were completely excited, saying you’re so handsome it’s dizzying and diligent on top of that.

“To live up to their expectations, I should prepare well for the script reading before the production press conference. By the way, senior… This is how I analyzed Han Ji-hoon this time…”

After that, Cindy and I talked about the drama for quite a while.

Through working with Lee Joo-yeon, I realized that exchanging opinions like this is helpful on set too.

After ending the call, I recalled meeting Writer Jung Su-jin and Director Yoo Sung-hyo recently.

As Cindy said, the atmosphere that day was definitely not bad.

I observed the two closely in case they might be the cause of “Let’s Live Together, Princess”‘s failure, but I couldn’t find anything unusual.

Rather, both of them were more professional than I had thought.

Writer Jung Su-jin and Director Yoo Sung-hyo both had solid careers.

In Jung Su-jin’s case, while she hadn’t had any massive hits, she was a veteran who had aired three moderately successful works.

Director Yoo Sung-hyo had also directed quite a few works.

He even had a film that drew 8 million viewers.

After having a long conversation about the work that day, I could confirm that objective indicators were not just about experience.

‘If there’s no problem with the writer and director either, then where exactly did the situation worsen?’

After pondering for a long time, I finally recalled something.