Chapter 48: Bets and Bonds

Ryu Byeol blinked her big eyes.

“…What, what kind of way?”

“The script, I mean. The script.”

“Ah, the script? I learned it from my parents when I was young, so just watch what I do and analyze it yourself.”

I thought she would refuse outright. But Ryu Byeol nodded more readily than expected and handed over her script.

As soon as I received it and flipped through the pages, words densely filling the margins caught my eye. Glancing through, I saw character analyses in blue, intonation in red, and lines highlighted with fluorescent markers.

“Thanks for showing me.”

“You’ve already seen it all?”

“Yeah, I’m fast with this kind of stuff.”

Im Hoon diligently tried to recall the contents he had just seen, so they wouldn’t fly away. His hands were itching to apply it to his own script.

“I think I’ll be good at acting now.”

“…You’re crazy.”

“Yeah.”

Since I’m crazy, one more thing.

“Let’s make a bet.”

“A bet? What kind of bet?”

It was a sudden, spur-of-the-moment suggestion, so there wasn’t really any substance to it.

“An acting bet.”

“…That’s bull. I’m better than you. There’s no merit in it for me.”

“Then how about this?”

Something Ryu Byeol and I both wanted.

“Whoever gets praised by Teacher Im first for acting well.”

“What?”

This would have merit, right?

“What do you say? You said you’re better than me.”

Ryu Byeol pondered for a while, then covered her mouth with the script and nodded.

“But what does the winner get?”

“……Hmm.”

They weren’t exactly short on money, so betting money wasn’t an option. What about a reward that could crush their pride instead?

“You have to call me ‘Senior’ until this drama ends. Use honorifics without fail. Absolute obedience.”

“For once, that’s a decent suggestion?”

“I’m originally this kind of person.”

“Someone who comes to their senses once a year, huh.”

Im Hoon didn’t even scoff. He was going to win anyway.

“You can only say that now anyway. Go ahead. Do whatever you want.”

And so, a bet that only Im Bada didn’t know about began.

★★★

‘….Why are my ears itching?’

Could those two be talking about me? They might be.

They might be, but… Usually, Im Hoon and Ryu Byeol would start fighting as soon as they made eye contact.

‘Wait a minute?’

At the unexpected sight, I narrowed my eyes and observed them.

“What is this?”

They were suddenly exchanging scripts and seemed to have become rapidly close. Whether they were coordinating their acting or teaching, Ryu Byeol was mimicking Im Hoon’s gestures one by one, as if picking at them.

They’re giving each other acting feedback in a normal way?

‘….Did they suddenly get possessed or something?’

As my bewilderment grew, a voice calling me reached my ears.

“Bada.”

“Senior Tae Jinhwa!”

It’s Senior Tae Jinhwa! I jumped up from my seat and ran to him.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t have filming today?”

“Yes! I don’t.”

“Did you come to hang out?”

“No. I came to see you, Senior.”

“Don’t lie.”

Was it obvious that I was lying? I scratched my cheek with my finger.

“Senior Cheon Ian sent a snack truck to the set in my name.”

“Ah, so that’s what it was. He suddenly boasted to me that he was sending a snack truck, so I had to see it. I wondered what it was.”

“He boasted?”

“Yeah. But looking at it.”

Senior Tae Jinhwa shook his head, looking at the snack truck decorated with Cheon Ian’s face.

“It seems like he just sent the snack truck to promote himself.”

“That’s right.”

“…Seriously, I told him not to do this.”

…If you tell him not to, he’ll do it even more.

“But it seems like filming isn’t done yet? Did I come early?”

“…Ah, well.”

I was about to open my mouth to explain the situation when.

“We’re done now. Director.”

“Director, we’re done.”

Ryu Byeol and Im Hoon’s faces were sparkling, as if the rehearsal had gone satisfactorily.

“Really? You guys coordinated your acting?”

When Yeom Haejin asked again, Ryu Byeol smiled brightly.

“Of course!”

She was very confident.

Since we could be a hindrance to the staff, Tae Jinhwa and I moved as far back as possible.

“Bada, what’s done?”

“Ryu Byeol and Im Hoon coordinated their acting.”

“Ah…. So that’s why filming was delayed?”

“Yes. A little….”

Judging from Senior’s interested face, he seemed curious about what kind of acting the two would show.

“We’ll start filming!”

Yeom Haejin’s booming voice echoed. The two of them also returned to their original positions and took a deep breath.

“Ready!”

Her signal went off.

“Action…!”

Filming began.

‘Huh?’

Im Hoon’s eyes changed in an instant.

I alternated between watching the monitor and the scene, scrutinizing his acting.

Natural gait, smooth gestures, and natural expressions.

And.

“Kim Sohyun..?”

The stable breathing that flowed out was telling of a definite change.

The moment Kim Sohyun, looking around, confirmed Lee Young’s royal robe, she quickly lowered her head.

“Greetings…?”

But she didn’t know the etiquette of the Joseon Dynasty, so her bow was stiff. I guess that’s how she’s expressing the awkwardness of a modern person.

‘Perfect character analysis….’

A lovable, cute, but assertive child. Different from the dead Kim Sohyun. And the emotional density was just right.

‘…Definitely, since Im Hoon has gotten better, the frame is much more stable.’

Lee Young frowned, looking at Kim Sohyun who was glancing up at him.

“Greetings……?”

How much did they bicker and fix each other to get this much improvement?

The only slight disappointment is.

‘The character still seems a bit floaty.’

Well, if they could perfectly create a character in 40 minutes, they’d be geniuses.

“Ah…. Was that not the feeling? I don’t remember since I came back from the dead.”

Ryu Byeol subtly suppressed Lee Young’s character, which was about to drift, by adding cheerfulness to her tone.

Finally, the camera pulled back, capturing the green-filled background and the two of them on the screen.

The moment the scenery of the historical drama and the harmony of the beautiful hanbok came together, Yeom Haejin took off her headset.

“Cut…!”

Yeom Haejin quickly clapped her hands.

“What happened to you two in that short time? Huh?”

Yeom Haejin couldn’t hide her happy expression and kept smiling.

“Because I did well.”

“Because I did well.”

Even while bickering until the end, Ryu Byeol and Im Hoon looked at each other and smiled.

“The two of them are starting to get along.”

Senior Tae Jinhwa nodded as if satisfied.

‘I should go home too.’

Watching the two of them act made my body tingle. I want to go home quickly, look at the script, and practice.

I was going to watch Senior Tae Jinhwa’s filming too, but I couldn’t. I greeted Senior, who was memorizing his lines again next to me.

“Senior.”

“Oh? Bada. Are you leaving?”

“Yes. I’m going home now.”

“Watch me film and have dinner with me.”

“D-Dinner?”

Dinner with Senior Tae Jinhwa. It was a tempting choice, but….

I suppressed the rising disappointment and took a deep breath.

“I’m really grateful, but I want to go home and practice acting right now.”

“Since my junior is going to practice, I can’t hold you back. This is really.”

I smiled at Senior, who shook his head as if he couldn’t help it.

“I’ll be going now. Senior.”

“Okay. Go home safely. Let’s have dinner later.”

“Yes!”

Senior’s dinner invitation was really precious, but… The time to memorize lines was more precious to me now.

‘I feel a bit determined….

I was about to turn around to go to the parking lot when.

“Hey, you!”

“Oh…! You.”

Suddenly, Ryu Byeol and Im Hoon ran towards me.

“Hey!”

“Im Bada!”

Ah, my ears are going to fall off. As expected, actors are actors. The resonance of their voices is so loud that my ears feel like they’re going to burst. I covered my ears with my hands and frowned.

“Why? What’s wrong….”

The two of them, who had run up to me, blinked rapidly.

“Don’t you think some words are needed?”

“Huh?”

What words? Feedback, maybe? Since Ryu Byeol is here, it wouldn’t be acting feedback.

‘Praise?’

I told them to coordinate their acting. Maybe it’s time for praise this time.

“The two of you had good acting chemistry.”

At the praise I threw out, the two of them started to stiffen.

‘Oh, is that not it?’

I praised them with sincerity.

“It was really good acting chemistry.”

This time, I even gave them a thumbs up, but all I got back was a sigh from both of them.

‘What….’

Is that not it either? Did I seem too forced?

“Okay.”

If that’s not the answer.

“Im Hoon.”

“Huh?”

“Why were you acting like that at first?”

I have no choice but to give feedback.

“Huh? Huh?”

“No, earlier. Why were you spacing out? Your expression was gloomy too. I wondered if something was wrong.”

Im Hoon rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward expression.

“…Ah, my acting was getting confusing. So I couldn’t get my bearings.”

“So that’s why?”

“Yeah…. But why am I telling you this?”

Im Hoon frowned, nodding reflexively. It didn’t seem like he was trying to get acting feedback….

By the way, one person is missing?

Im Hoon also realized Ryu Byeol’s absence and looked around.

“…What? Where did Ryu Byeol go?”

“I wonder.”

At my nonchalant answer, Im Hoon’s face turned red.

“Hey, Ryu Byeol!”

Watching him run off to find Ryu Byeol made me chuckle.

‘…I’m jealous.’

Having an acting partner meant that you could give and receive feedback.

I was reminded of the times when I had to practice alone every time. A past that no longer exists, when I took on roles where it was difficult

to even talk to the lead actor for long, let alone have a partner.

‘…This time will be different.’

It has to be different.

I watched Im Hoon, who had found Ryu Byeol, pouring out words, and then turned around.

★★★

As soon as I got home, I memorized the lines with Time Travel. I didn’t even eat dinner, I just memorized the lines. Now, I should eat something.

“Escape from Time Travel.”

I escaped from Time Travel.

[Skill deactivated.

Please get enough rest for 24 hours to reset your fatigue.]

As soon as I got out of the transparent wall, my phone rang.

[Yeom Haejin: I’ve heavily revised episode 3. Actor-nim^^]

Heavily revised?

As soon as I asked what she meant, Yeom Haejin replied as if she had been waiting.

[Yeom Haejin: Recently, the writer saw the rough cut of episode 1 and said that she thought Yeonwoo had come back when she saw your acting~!]

[Me: That’s the best compliment.]

[Yeom Haejin: So work hard and do your best in your acting! (Sycophantic emoticon)]

After <Youngyoung> writer-nim saw the rough cut of episode 1, she revised the contents of episode 3. In a way, it was a grand message, but….

“Ha….”

To put it differently, it meant that the amount I had to memorize had increased.

[Me: Tell her I said thank you. ]

I just finished memorizing episode 3…. I have to memorize it again.

[40:01:02]

The system kindly notified me to take a rest. I know that.

Something hot flowed down from my nose.

“Ah.”

Another nosebleed.

‘…Was I too focused on memorizing the lines?’

[Your body will break down if you don’t rest. ]

The system even sent a warning in red letters as I pulled out a tissue and blocked my nose.

“I know….”

I know. I just don’t want to be left behind. I’m subtly getting competitive because I’m working with an actor who’s the same age as me.

“Ah….”

After dealing with the nosebleed, I got a headache this time. It was a phenomenon that occurred because I didn’t rest, so I humbly put a headache pill in my mouth. I sighed and lay down on the sofa.

“Should I raise it now?”

Since I’m resting, I should raise the stats that I couldn’t because I didn’t have time.

“Status window.”

[Im Bada]

Appearance A+ ▲

Acting S▲

Over-immersion B▲

Vocalization C+▲

Talent F▲

Sociability C▲

There are 3 points I can raise. Since actors need a face, let’s finish Appearance and Acting.

“Is Acting finished if I raise it one more time?”

[The final stage of the stat is S+.]

S+ is the end. Then I chose Acting and Appearance. I felt like I had to finish something to feel good.

[Im Bada]

Appearance S+ [0]

Acting S+ [0]

But there are numbers next to Appearance and Acting S+, what are those?

‘Does that mean it’s not the end?’

It seemed like there was something more.

It means that the acting skills I honed for 12 years in my previous life have returned.

Let’s put Acting aside for now.

“My face.”

Appearance has changed to S-class. The moment I turned on the camera on my phone to check my face.

“…Huh?”

I stared intently at my face in the screen.