Chapter 4: Breaking the Mold

‘…Cheon Ian.’

With his fox-like, striking appearance, he burst onto the entertainment scene like a comet. Someone who gradually became a great actor while building his filmography. One of the actors I wanted to learn acting from.

That’s why, eager to learn his expressive gaze, I participated as an extra in every drama Cheon Ian starred in, studying at his feet. I applied for extra roles in dramas just to observe him closely.

From watching him, I realized Cheon Ian’s acting wasn’t innate talent. He was simply a diligent actor.

How did I know? I once saw him with a script nearby. It was so worn from use, it looked like a rag, ready to tear with the slightest touch.

“…How did you know that?” he asked.

“It’s well-known.”

“…It is?”

“Yeah, it is.”

Anyway, seeing Yeom Hae-jin after so long felt deeply nostalgic.

“No, no, that’s not it. Bada, listen closely,” she said.

Her advice was to listen to Cheon Ian. That’s how I could break into the entertainment world with a solid start.

“I heard you’re still auditioning for extra roles. No, that’s not what I meant!”

Yeom Hae-jin grabbed my hands tightly.

“Bada, if I don’t make this work, I’m done.”

“Huh?”

For some reason, she hesitated, her lips twitching as if reluctant to explain.

“You don’t have to tell me why.”

I had secrets I couldn’t share with her either.

“What?”

“If I do well, that’s all that matters, right?”

Yeom Hae-jin nodded slowly.

There must be a reason we’re connected in this life. If I do well, maybe she can achieve her dreams too.

“Trust me.”

“Hey, you’ve always been good at acting.”

“Me?”

“If you weren’t, would I have picked you as the lead for Hee-jae back then? I went around telling everyone how great your acting was. And you completely forgot that.”

“…Uh, yeah.”

“I knew you would.”

Following Yeom Hae-jin, I greeted the director of The Life of a Prosecutor and Cheon Ian sunbae-nim.

“Hello, Cheon Ian sunbae-nim. I’m Im Bada, playing Jo Arin in The Life of a Prosecutor.”

“Oh, hi. I’m Cheon Ian.”

He looked slightly flustered. Early arrivals are rare, after all.

“You’re here early,” I said.

“Yeah, I came early to rehearse with my co-star.”

Being labeled as polite and serious about acting would be advantageous. Cheon Ian seemed pleased to meet someone like him.

“Perfect,” he said, his voice brimming with excitement, happy to rehearse together.

“There’s a part I’d like to go over with you, Im Bada-ssi.”

“Sure, which part?”

The scene he showed was:

[#14. Past Courtroom Scene. Jo Arin glares at the defense attorney.]

It was the moment Jo Arin’s sister is labeled a murderer.

An important scene where Jo Arin catches Lee Geom-il’s eye, but far too short for rehearsal.

Puzzled, I looked at him, and he gave an awkward smile before speaking.

“I wish I’d talked to my co-star beforehand.”

“It couldn’t be helped.”

“Thanks for understanding. Anyway, after discussing with the director, Jo Arin is glaring at the defense, right?”

“Yes.”

“She has no way to express her anger, right?”

He handed me a pen.

“I’d like you to grip this tightly and express that anger.”

Jo Arin didn’t seem like a character who’d stay passive.

“Sunbae-nim, what if, when the defense is speaking, I throw the pen?”

His face lit up, like he’d caught a big fish, and he pressed his finger on the script.

The scene where the defense criticizes Jo Arin for not knowing sign language.

“That’ll work here. And…”

He continued reading the script.

[#17. D. Past Hallway. Jo Arin rushes toward Lee Geom-il exiting the courtroom and grabs his arm.

Jo Arin: (Hitting her chest)

Jo Arin pulls out her late sister’s diary from her pocket and hands it to Lee Geom-il.

Lee Geom-il: “Is this… a diary?”

Jo Arin: (Nods)

Lee Geom-il: “Thank you.”

Jo Arin’s gaze shifts past Lee Geom-il’s shoulder to Lee Sang-cheol’s defense team, and she lets out a scream. Lee Geom-il follows her gaze, staring intently at Lee Sang-cheol.]

It seemed Cheon Ian wanted to take Jo Arin’s emotional outburst in a different direction.

In fact, Jo Arin doesn’t appear after this.

“This part,” he said.

“Yes?”

“I’d like you to hit me.”

Hit him? He wanted her to express her pent-up anger toward Lee Sang-cheol, unable to approach him, through a punch.

‘It’s simple enough.’

I was fine with it. His suggestion made sense to me. And I couldn’t exactly refuse when he was asking me to hit him.

“Where should I hit you?”

“Here, my left arm.”

I clenched my fist and struck his left arm precisely.

“Like this?”

“Yes, perfect. You can hit hard. Don’t go easy.”

“Got it.”

If he wanted, I could hit hard. But I was curious—why was he so fixated on Jo Arin’s role?

‘If it’s Cheon Ian, couldn’t he just do it casually?’

“Sunbae-nim, can I ask something?”

His eyes sparkled at my question.

“What is it?”

“Why are you putting so much effort into fine-tuning Jo Arin’s role?”

“I want to bring Jo Arin to life. She’s one of Lee Geom-il’s important people.”

The most crucial scene and character in episode 7.

If this line is added, Jo Arin’s role will truly shine in the drama.

And it’ll definitely leave an impression on the audience.

Having been to many drama sets as an extra, I had a gut feeling that rehearsing this scene together would be a mistake.

‘If Jo Arin’s role is that important…’

“Sunbae-nim, I know it’s a big ask, but could you grant me a favor?” I said.

“What is it?” Cheon Ian asked.

“I’d like to shoot without rehearsing together.”

Instantly, Cheon Ian’s expression darkened.

“Im Bada-ssi, you might not know since it’s your first time on a drama set, but this scene relies heavily on our chemistry…”

I didn’t hear the rest. I was too focused on figuring out how to convince him.

When he finished speaking, Cheon Ian closed his mouth, waiting for my response.

“This is a past scene where Lee Geom-il and Jo Arin meet for the first time. Their perspectives are misaligned—Arin doesn’t trust prosecutors, and Lee Geom-il barely notices her. If our chemistry is too polished, it might not look good on screen.”

An awkward atmosphere, a clashing vibe. That’s the tension I sensed between Lee Geom-il and Jo Arin.

Jo Arin’s character carried a backstory where her parents’ accident was wrongly pinned as a crime by a prosecutor.

For her, who harbored negative feelings toward prosecutors, giving Lee Geom-il her sister’s diary was like betting everything on a gamble.

It’s a scene that demands a lot of emotional intensity.

But if we exhaust that emotion rehearsing beforehand, would we still deliver a good performance during the actual shoot?

Of course, rejecting a famous actor’s request to rehearse was a gamble for me too.

Hiding my nervousness, I looked at him.

“What do you think, sunbae-nim?”

“Hmm.”

Cheon Ian pondered for a while, seemingly convinced that rehearsing was better.

“Alright,” he said.

I clenched and unclenched my fist, elated. But Cheon Ian glanced at Director Han Jun-hyuk.

“But if the director disapproves, I’d like us to rehearse again.”

“Thank you for understanding me,” I said.

“No, I’m the one who’s surprised.”

Huh? Why?

Cheon Ian rolled up the script and smiled.

“It’s rare to meet a passionate rookie actor who pays this much attention to a small role and the scene’s atmosphere. It feels good.”

“Thank you for seeing it positively.”

“No problem. I might have complaints, but since it’s a junior’s suggestion, I have to accept it.”

Some might see a rookie’s suggestion as presumptuous, but Cheon Ian took it well.

What a relief.

I bowed deeply to him.

“I’m counting on you. We’ve got two hours until the shoot.”

I’d need to memorize lines diligently. I went to a corner of the studio to review the lines Cheon Ian suggested.

Thankfully, I’d already memorized the existing lines. Though it was painfully inefficient for the time I had.

The problem was the added lines. I had to memorize them and write in a small notebook.

“How could my sister… be a mur… murderer…”

It was easier to read than in my past life, but memorizing still took a long time.

“Ugh… I keep forgetting.”

Frustrated, I muttered to myself, and a system window popped up.

[Current Debuff Effects

Regression’s Karma: Stats are lowered from their original state. Can be undone with points.

Eraser in My Mind: Memorizing lines takes additional time. [See More]]

‘What? There’s a second one?’

I clicked “See More” absentmindedly.

[Per Line: 1 Hour.

Due to Regression’s Karma, memorizing each line, regardless of length, takes 1 hour.]

This is insane.

One hour per line? I slapped my cheeks to snap myself out of it.

“Let’s do this.”

Two hours left.

‘What was Jo Arin feeling?’

The situation where the prosecutors she’d hated since childhood became her savior.

★★★

Cheon Ian, wearing a bored expression, tapped the floor aimlessly.

“Ian, stop it,” Director Han Jun-hyuk said.

“We’d get a better scene if we rehearsed.”

“You rehearsal maniac.”

The director shook his head at Cheon Ian, the so-called “rehearsal maniac.” But what surprised him more was the rookie, Im Bada.

Convincing that rehearsal maniac? And using the entire two-hour wait time? He’d thought she’d come in and rehearse with the maniac.

Or maybe she spent two hours because she couldn’t do it?

“Actor Im Bada has arrived,” the assistant director announced.

The director sat down, waiting for Im Bada, who was playing Jo Arin. She hurried in, greeting the staff.

“Hello, I’m rookie actor Im Bada. I look forward to working with you today!”

‘Wow, she’s bold.’

He’d thought her spirit would be crushed.

“Hello, Director.”

“Hey, I’m looking forward to your acting today.”

“I’ll live up to your expectations.”

A rookie who didn’t even tremble.

Her demeanor made Director Han Jun-hyuk think she was a bit arrogant.

“I prefer actors who act well over arrogant ones.”

“Yes, thank you.”

‘Thank you?’

Did she understand what he meant by “thank you”? From her face, it seemed like confidence, not arrogance.

Rookies like her usually end up used once and forgotten. He just hoped her acting wouldn’t ruin the shoot.

“I’ll get ready!”

The actors entered the studio and took their places.

“…Alright, let’s hope today’s shoot goes smoothly without injuries.”

As he said this, he glanced at Im Bada on the monitor.

“…Hmm?”

Director Han Jun-hyuk couldn’t take his eyes off her, already immersed in Jo Arin’s character.

Her eyes had changed.

“Director?”

“We’re going in. Ready!”

Action!