“Huh?”
At Jung Inha’s words, Myungwoo widened his eyes.
“Teach you… acting?”
“Yeah.”
“Why me? Yoohee sunbae is here, and Siho sunbae too…”
He was good at acting himself, but with those two already having solid filmographies, there was no reason for her to ask Myungwoo, who had less experience than Jung Inha.
“B-but, oppa, you’ve been active as a child actor around the same time as me. I think I’d have more to learn from you!”
Jung Inha shouted, her face flushing red as if she were nervous.
Myungwoo nodded in understanding at her words.
Well, acting has trends too.
Even if not in the basics or advanced aspects of acting itself, it would be hard to find an actor who matched her trends and was skilled.
Plus, being similar in age would make it easier to share those things.
“Sure, fine.”
Myungwoo thought that and nodded.
Jung Inha’s tense expression brightened up, and she smiled widely.
“Really? Great! Thanks, oppa!”
Seeing her truly delighted expression, Myungwoo also smiled faintly.
“I’ll teach you from time to time when I have a chance.”
“Yeah! I’m free for a while, so call me whenever it’s convenient for you, oppa!”
Watching Myungwoo and Inha like that, Jeon Siho and Lee Yoohee whispered to each other.
“That looks like…”
“Yeah. It seems like both of them. But Myungwoo doesn’t seem to notice at all.”
“Hehe, that’s even better. It seems like it’ll be fun.”
“You too.”
Jeon Siho smiled as if he couldn’t stop her, looking at Lee Yoohee whose eyes were sparkling.
Jo Seungha glanced at the two with an unreadable expression.
***
By the time the game ended, the sun had already set quite a while ago, so it was time for Jung Inha to go home.
“Oppa, bye! Sunbaenims, take care! Jo Seungha, you too, bye. Managers, take care too.”
Jung Inha greeted everyone with a bright face for once.
“Yeah, Inha, take care! Next time, definitely play games with me!”
“Haha, take care, Inha.”
“Bye, Inha.”
“Bye.”
The remaining actors and managers each said a word of farewell.
With that, Jung Inha left in the car driven by one of Jo Seungha’s security personnel, along with her manager.
“Alright! Shall we keep playing?”
“But first, put the little ones to bed.”
“Hmm, yeah. It’s about bedtime for Myungwoo and Seungha.”
“The sun’s already set, after all.”
At Jeon Siho and Lee Yoohee’s words, Myungwoo laughed haha.
Good grief, coming here to play and going to bed before ten o’clock.
Well, his body was still at that age. He was eleven, after all.
“Come on, Myungwoo, and Seungha. Shall we go in and sleep?”
Jeon Siho smiled and led the two to a room on one side.
“Haha, okay.”
“Ah, but it’s a shame…”
Unlike Myungwoo, who was still eleven and had memories of his past life, Jo Seungha, who was now at an age where he wanted to stay up longer, whined.
“Hey, you’re both still growing, right? How important is height for male actors? You need to sleep well to grow tall.”
That was true too.
A tall height was a huge merit for male actors.
If he was going to continue acting, taller was better. Myungwoo thought that and nodded.
Jo Seungha also grumbled at the mention of height but went into the room.
“Have fun, everyone.”
Now that the kids were out, it was time for the adults to start drinking.
Myungwoo glanced at the manager carefully moving the alcohol bottles from behind and smiled.
Still nine years left until I can drink.
In his past life, Myungwoo had been quite the drinker.
There were many days when he endured the hardships of actor life by drinking.
To enjoy that alcohol, he still had nine years left.
Just thinking about that distant time, Myungwoo let out a small sigh.
“Should I turn off the light, hyung?”
“Yeah, sure.”
With that, the door closed, and Myungwoo turned off the light.
Darkness filled the room, and Myungwoo groped his way onto the bed and lay down.
“Good night, hyung.”
“Hey.”
Instead of a good night, Jo Seungha called him in response.
Myungwoo tilted his head inwardly at the sudden call and replied.
“Yes?”
“Acting, can you teach me too?”
“Yes?”
Myungwoo whipped his head around to look at him at Jo Seungha’s words.
“Acting, teach me along with Jung Inha.”
“But hyung, I’m already…”
“Not just occasionally pointing things out, teach me properly. Like what you promised Jung Inha.”
At Jo Seungha’s words, Myungwoo closed his mouth.
This guy, now he’s setting aside his pride to make a request like this.
He even knew Jo Seungha had more experience than him.
Had he really changed the guy? Somehow, it felt profound.
“Okay. I’ll teach you from time to time too, hyung.”
“Good.”
Jo Seungha replied in an excited voice.
“It’s a promise. Then good night.”
“Yes, you too, hyung.”
As if that was his only goal, Jo Seungha turned his back abruptly.
Myungwoo looked at him for a moment, then lay back staring at the ceiling.
Well, what can I say…
Both of them asking him directly to teach them acting.
Somehow, it felt like his acting skills were being recognized.
Myungwoo fell asleep in a light mood.
***
The next morning, Myungwoo woke up early and got up.
Jo Seungha was still deeply asleep beside him.
Myungwoo carefully muffled his footsteps and went outside.
“Oh, Myungwoo! You’re up?”
And he met Lee Yoohee with a fresh face.
Right, she’s a heavy drinker.
Come to think of it, Lee Yoohee was known among actors as a heavy drinker.
Even Myungwoo in his past life, who enjoyed drinking and could hold his liquor, couldn’t beat her.
“Good morning.”
Myungwoo bowed in greeting, looking curiously at Lee Yoohee, who must have drunk late into the night but was alone looking fine with barely any smell of alcohol.
“What about the others?”
“They’re all still sleeping.”
Well, unlike Lee Yoohee, it would be hard for them to be fine after keeping up with her.
Myungwoo smiled inwardly and opened his mouth.
“It seems like we’re the only ones up, shall we have breakfast?”
“Oh, good! I guess I need to show off my skills again?”
At Myungwoo’s words, Lee Yoohee excitedly ran into the kitchen.
Myungwoo looked at her and chuckled.
She was always such a bright person.
That’s a good thing. To be consistent like that even after becoming a top actor at her age.
People like that were really rare in the world.
In his past life and this one, she was someone he was glad to have befriended.
Myungwoo thought that and quietly sat at the table.
“Alright! Cooking done!”
Soon after, Lee Yoohee’s simple cooking was finished, and a delicious smell filled the kitchen.
“Wow, doenjang jjigae?”
“Yeah. I made it light. The ingredients weren’t quite enough, so it might be a bit lacking.”
Lee Yoohee muttered with a regretful expression.
Myungwoo took a spoonful of the stew, tasted it, and raised his thumb in admiration.
“Lacking? It’s really delicious.”
“Ahaha, really? Great!”
Lee Yoohee smiled brightly at Myungwoo’s praise.
As the two were eating breakfast, the people who woke up started stumbling out one by one.
“Yoohee, good morning… Myungwoo too, hello…”
The first to appear was Lee Yoohee’s manager.
“You’re here? You woke up earlier than I thought?”
“You’re fine as always, Yoohee… Amazing, really…”
“Ahaha, what.”
Next to appear was Jeon Siho. He sat next to Lee Yoohee, holding his head.
“Ugh, my head…”
“You okay, Siho?”
“Yeah, I’m fine… You’re fine today too, Yoohee.”
“Haha, yep.”
The others who gathered after that all looked like zombies except for Lee Yoohee.
Jeon Siho, who had to take care of himself, looked somewhat okay, but the rest seemed to have upset stomachs.
Myungwoo quietly ate his rice and glanced at Lee Yoohee.
Scary, scary.
All these people are down, but Lee Yoohee alone is fine?
She really wasn’t an ordinary person.
Myungwoo thought that and nodded.
By the time the adults were all up, Jo Seungha also came out rubbing his eyes.
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Seungha, hi! Sleep well?”
Only Lee Yoohee cheerfully returned his greeting, while the others nodded half-asleep or waved their hands.
Myungwoo shook his head at the sight of them.
When I turn twenty, will I still lose to Lee Yoohee who’s in her forties?
Somehow, that prediction seemed likely, and Myungwoo scratched his head.
***
The weekend passed, and Monday came, the filming day for <The World Turned Upside Down in an Instant> again.
“Good morning!”
Myungwoo arrived at the set early as always and went around greeting people.
“Haha, hello, Myungwoo.”
“Myungwoo, good morning!”
The atmosphere had changed 180 degrees from when Myungwoo first went around greeting on set.
Everyone welcomed Myungwoo, who was diligent and good at acting, with smiling faces.
“Good morning, sunbaenim.”
“…Hello.”
He was already at the set.
Myungwoo greeted him with a smile too, and Yoo Seunghyeon returned the greeting.
Hmm?
But there was an unfamiliar woman standing next to Yoo Seunghyeon.
She turned her sparkling eyes toward Myungwoo.
“Oh my, hello! You’re that Kang Myungwoo who’s rumored to be great at acting lately?”
“Yes, ah, haha, I’m Kang Myungwoo, that’s right.”
“Oh, just as I heard, so humble too!”
The woman smiled widely at Myungwoo’s answer and grabbed his hand, shaking it vigorously.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Oh Wooyeon, joining the shoot starting today! I’m 14!”
“Ah, nice to meet you. Oh Wooyeon sunbaenim.”
“Hey, no need for the stiff sunbaenim! Just call me noona!”
“Haha, okay, Wooyeon noona.”
“Do you know what role I’m playing? It’s a small part, so maybe not?”
“Ah, of course I do. Aren’t you the girl who gets rescued in the crisis this time?”
“Oh my, that’s right. Did you memorize the whole script? As expected~”
“Haha…”
Myungwoo made an awkward expression at the flowing praise.
Oh Wooyeon was a fairly popular female child actress.
If Jung Inha was famous for young child roles, Oh Wooyeon was known for teenage roles.
He’d heard she was very bright, but seeing her in person, her energy was beyond imagination.
Myungwoo glanced at Yoo Seunghyeon while talking with Oh Wooyeon.
He looks totally drained.
Yoo Seunghyeon was a bit slumped, unlike usual.
Well, with Yoo Seunghyeon’s personality, handling Oh Wooyeon would be tough.
“But you looked so handsome on screen, and in real life, it’s no joke! I watched all of your <Black and White Mask> and <Alley Childhood Friends>!”
“Ah, really? Haha, thank you.”
“Your acting was really good? I’m totally looking forward to today! To act with that Kang Myungwoo!”
“Haha, you’re too kind.”
“Too kind? Your acting is rumored to be amazing! You even won the rookie award last year!”
Myungwoo maintained a smiling expression as he responded to Oh Wooyeon’s words.
Somehow, he felt like his energy was being drained too.
From Myungwoo’s perspective, with a mental age in his sixties, handling a middle school girl’s liveliness was incredibly difficult.
Ah, when is Yoohee coming?
They seemed like they’d get along great. He wanted her to arrive soon so he could pass her off.
As if responding to Myungwoo’s hope, Lee Yoohee’s car came from afar, and the still energetic Lee Yoohee got out with Jeon Siho.
“Oh, Wooyeon!”
“Yoohee sunbae!”
The two seemed to know each other already. As Lee Yoohee got out, Oh Wooyeon ran toward her with sparkling eyes.
And including Jeon Siho, the three started chatting amiably.
Myungwoo, watching Oh Wooyeon finally detach, let out a small sigh and turned to Yoo Seunghyeon.
“You must have had a hard time.”
“Ugh.”
He could have denied it even as a formality, but since he affirmed, it must have been really tough.
“But are you close with Wooyeon noona?”
“We’re debut mates.”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, their debut years were the same.
Myungwoo nodded, searching his memory.
“She’s really energetic.”
“Yeah.”
Looking at the person who was more than just energetic, Myungwoo and Yoo Seunghyeon wore ambiguous expressions.
Just then, Oh Wooyeon was giggling and clapping.
It was truly tremendous energy.
Myungwoo quietly chatted with Yoo Seunghyeon to pass the time until Director Jo Jaesik arrived.
“Alright, let’s start today’s shoot enjoyably!”
Soon after, Director Jo Jaesik arrived, and filming began.