Chapter 52: The Weight of a New Role

‘Phew~ It’s done.’

Thanks to the first episode turning out more exciting than expected, Jaehoon felt the burden and worries he’d been carrying melt away.

Watching the drama, the memories of tough filming days vanished like snow, leaving only the joyful and happy moments.

It was a fierce addiction.

“Director, isn’t the preview just too good?”

“Episode 2 will be even better.”

Yongseok exuded even more confidence in his work.

“With an ending like that, how could anyone not watch episode 2?”

“Nowadays, you can tell if a drama’s a hit by episode 4. That’s why I put in extra effort early on.”

The two discussed the first episode, recent drama trends, and competing shows in the same time slot.

“Genre dramas have definitely increased. Your next project with Sungho is a genre piece too, right?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“I never imagined you’d join a Sungho project.”

Jaehoon landing Jungwoo’s role was a hot topic in the industry.

It was rare for Jaehoon, who gets scripts first pick, to take on a role someone else passed on.

“It just happened.”

“You gotta do a Sungho project if you get the chance.”

“Right?”

“Sungho’s action scenes are no joke, so you better brace yourself.”

“I’m already clocking in at action school every day.”

“Who’re you filming with?”

Jaehoon listed the confirmed cast, and Yongseok listened while sipping his drink.

“Man, he’s scooping up all the great actors.”

“Hahaha.”

Jaehoon burst out laughing at Yongseok’s grumbling tone.

“What’s so funny? I’m serious. So, when does filming start?”

“Soon. It was supposed to start already, but we pushed it back a bit for our drama’s promo schedule.”

As the two were deep in conversation, Hyeonjae’s voice cut through.

“No way~ I’ll get in trouble again!”

Surrounded by heavy drinkers as usual, he was adamantly refusing this time, catching their attention.

“What’s up with him?”

“Heard his agency put a drinking ban on him after the reading party story.”

“Haha, that’s funny. Sip~ But doesn’t that kid have a weird knack for drawing people in?”

Yongseok had noticed it since the first wrap party.

Even shy or indifferent people seemed to warm up to Hyeonjae.

“He’s got that likable face.”

“True, with those droopy eyes, he’s got a friendly vibe.”

In fact, Jaehoon had thought of Hyeonjae when he read the child role script for The Forest Painted by Clouds.

Few actors his age could perform like Hyeonjae, and Jaehoon was curious about how he’d grow, wanting to give him a shot.

That’s why he’d considered mentioning the project to Hyeonjae several times today but ultimately held back.

His face is too gentle.

But for a thriller, his face was just too kind.

The aura from his visuals was crucial, and those gentle eyes didn’t exude the right vibe.

“He’d be a hit in an older-younger romance drama.”

“That’d suit him well. What about me?”

“Do whatever you want. Why ask me?”

As Jaehoon was half-jokingly wondering if he should shamelessly play a seventeen-year-old, he saw an unexpected side of Hyeonjae.

“Stop right there.”

The sharpness and coldness in Hyeonjae’s eyes were so striking, it was hard to believe they came from that face.

Gongjun, too drunk to notice, didn’t see it, but Jaehoon did clearly.

That’s the look.

And in that moment, he was certain.

“Wanna audition?”

If Hyeonjae could bring that look to the drama, it’d be a guaranteed hit.

As I watched the taxi drive away, Jaehoon approached and threw me off with his words.

“Huh?”

Was this why he kept looking at me all day?

“Wanna audition?”

It was a sudden offer, but there was no reason to refuse.

If Jaehoon was recommending it, it had to be at least a solid project.

“I’d be grateful for any role you think I’m fit for!”

“Great, I’ll tell them to contact your agency.”

“Can I ask what the role is?”

My gut told me Jaehoon had been debating whether to bring this up.

If it was a typical role, he wouldn’t have hesitated this much.

“It’s my younger version…”

“Your younger version? I’m totally in!”

Jaehoon’s younger self? No need to think twice.

“Alright, I’ll make sure they send the script to your agency.”

“Yes!”

But in my excitement over playing Jaehoon’s younger self, I forgot something crucial.

This drama was an action… and a thriller.

“The script’s so good, so good!”

A few days later, the production sent the script, and Hyungkyu was ecstatic from the first read.

“It’s that good?”

“I wondered why Jaehoon took Jungwoo’s spot, and now I get it.”

That impressive?

I settled in at the office and started reading the script Hyungkyu handed me.

As he said, the script’s atmosphere and characters felt vivid just from reading.

It’s captivating.

But as I got to the crucial part—my role as the younger version—something felt off.

“Boss, about this part.”

“Yeah, what?”

“Why’s the protagonist acting like this?”

Just moments ago, he was timid and hiding, but suddenly he’s mercilessly killing people—what’s going on?

“He’s been suppressing his nature, and it finally explodes.”

“His nature?”

I hadn’t gotten that far in the script yet.

“It comes up later, but the protagonist is a psychopath.”

“What?”

A psychopath?

I’d seen psychopaths in movies and dramas as material, but seeing it and acting it were different.

And more importantly…

I’m a dog.

Unlike humans, dogs can’t have psychopathic tendencies.

They say everyone has some degree of psychopathic traits, but that didn’t apply to me at all.

“Psycho… path?”

“Dude, you have to do this. This scene is gonna blow up.”

Hyungkyu pointed to a scene, already acting like I’d landed the role.

How do you even act like a psychopath?

Sure, I could understand emotions like hatred, jealousy, envy, anger, or greed for a criminal role, but this was different.

Normally, I’d shout “GO!” without hesitation, but a psychopathic trait that doesn’t exist in dogs was an unexpected hurdle.

“Do I… have to do it?”

I cautiously asked, but Hyungkyu’s gleaming eyes made me cower and lower my head.

“Psychopath acting is tough, sure. But you can do it! No, even if you can’t, you have to!”

“When’s the audition?”

“You’ve got plenty of time. One week.”

A week is plenty… this guy.

“I believe in you.”

Hyungkyu patted my shoulder twice with his thick hand and went to his desk to shuffle papers.

“Alright, I’ll give it a shot.”

It was Jaehoon’s recommendation, and the script was too good to pass up without trying, so I accepted.

“Good attitude. You’ve got filming tonight too, right? Good luck.”

“Yeah.”

Leaving the office for the set, I kept rereading the script.

No emotions while killing people? Can psychopaths even live normally?

I couldn’t wrap my head around what psychopaths think.

“You’ll get motion sickness reading in the car…”

“Sigh, my head hurts.”

I didn’t know if it was from reading in a moving car or the psychopath role, but my head was throbbing.

“What’s… the script about?”

“It’s from Jaehoon hyung, but it’s a psychopath role, and it’s so hard.”

“Psychopath?”

“Yeah, humans have all kinds of personalities…”

I accidentally said “humans” and glanced at Hayoon, but luckily, he didn’t seem to care.

“It’s a tough role.”

“Right? Haa—”

A sigh of worry slipped out.

For the next week, I researched how to act like a psychopath.

“They’re complete lunatics.”

From articles and books, psychopaths were, in a word, crazy.

How do people like this exist?

And what angered me more was that these people even killed helpless animals without care.

They deserved to be bitten so hard they wouldn’t even scream.

While lying in bed, fuming over their actions in a book, a message popped up.

[Hyeonjae, I found these. They might help ^^]

[Photo.]

[Photo.]

[Link]

Only one person I knew used that rare smiley emoticon.

[Hyuuung~ Thank you so much (heart dog emoji) You’re the best! ♡]

[No biggie, it’s what a manager does. Fighting!]

It was Hayoon.

Despite his old-school taste for his age, he’d seen me struggling and sent interviews and clips of actors who played psychopaths.

Hmm… Should I go for the textbook approach?

Luckily, there were common traits in psychopath acting: emotionless tone, unfocused eyes, shadowed face, and unhesitating actions.

If I could nail those, I might pull it off.

“Alright, let’s do this. You got this, Jung Hyeonjae.”

And then the big day arrived.

Sungho, the director of The Forest Painted by Clouds, wasn’t thrilled about the audition he was about to see.

“Can’t you just do it?”

The child role was tough but crucial, and he didn’t want an inexperienced actor ruining key scenes.

“Me playing a seventeen-year-old would be a stretch. Plus, casting someone else could add more twist.”

“That’s true, but…”

Jaehoon was right—another actor could maximize the twist.

But if they couldn’t act, no amount of directing would save it.

“Let’s see him first. If you don’t like him, I’ll do it.”

“Fine. But who is this guy you’re pushing so hard for?”

Jaehoon rarely recommended anyone unless they were close, so recommending a rookie fresh off debut piqued Sungho’s curiosity, even if he wasn’t excited about the audition.

“You’ll probably be satisfied.”

Jaehoon’s strong confidence made Sungho even more curious about who it was.

As his curiosity peaked, a knock came at the meeting room door, and a tall man walked in.

“Hello, I’m Jung Hyeonjae.”

A new face, but so clean and harmless-looking that Sungho was momentarily thrown off.

This guy’s supposed to play a psychopath?

If he pulled it off, it’d be a hit, but those eyes that looked ready to giggle dropped his expectations to the floor.

“Come on in.”

“Hyeonjae, sit here.”

Jaehoon naturally pointed to the seat in front of him, and Hyeonjae bowed before sitting.

Up close, his dark eyes stood out even more.

Looks like he wouldn’t even litter on the street.

With 20 years as a director, Sungho could guess an actor’s performance just from their vibe.

“You got the script beforehand, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then show us your best scene.”

At Sungho’s words, Hyeonjae nodded, pulled the script from his bag, and prepared to read.

After clearing his throat, he began.