Chapter 6: Lessons from the Past

There is no guaranteed method that acting well means filming a drama well.  

It is not uncommon for a veteran theater actor, who moves the audience with brilliant acting on stage, to become stiff and colorless in front of the camera or lose their unique style entirely.  

Conversely, it is also common for young actors who have solidly built their filmography since their supporting roles to take on the theater world and face criticism.  

Depending on the environment in which one has acted, the optimal place to showcase acting ability differs, and resolving this requires countless efforts and research.  

When I first filmed the drama  under the name Lee Junghyuk, I had no understanding of acting like this at all.  

At that time, Seo Jiwon was probably only familiar with acting as an idol.  

Idols perform expressions, movements, and vocal sounds on stage to please fans.  

While such skills can make them top-class idols, it takes a long time for those acting skills to be absorbed into drama acting.  

No, a good writer and a good script would precisely understand these points, add more detailed emotional lines to the script, and explain them in an easy-to-understand way.  

“I was really lacking.”  

That was the thought I had while revising the scripts for the remaining episodes.  

Ironically, while writing the follow-up scripts for , I felt my lack as a writer more than ever before.  

What kind of acting is required, why these lines and emotions appear here.  

Looking at the answer sheet already, and writing the script by expanding on it as much as possible, I realized how unkind and insufficient my previous scripts had been.  

It was a belated realization that came only when the two dramas were about to fall apart.    

What embarrassed me the most were the harsh words I had said to Seo Jiwon at that time.  

Looking back slowly after returning home, I remembered the excuses I had made, unknowingly speaking carelessly, expecting the actors to perform perfectly even though I had written a terrible script.  

I hadn’t even suggested what might be the correct kind of acting.  

I only criticized that the acting was awkward or lacking without any clear answers.  

It was understandable why Seo Jiwon, then a rookie actress, was so intimidated that she trembled whenever she saw me.  

“How can I get Seo Jiwon to work on  with me?”  

The chance of successful casting was slim for various reasons.  

Of course, there was no real penalty for failure like the initial absence, so there was no loss in trying.  

But it was disappointing to give up without even tasting the sweet reward from GotFlix.  

Above all, it was essential to cast Seo Jiwon since only then could ’s next episodes be aired with viewing rights secured.  

At that moment, my phone rang with a buzzing vibration.  

“Yes, Representative Hong?”  

“Writer, how is the script writing going?”  

“Well, there’s an answer sheet… *ahem*, anyway, it’s going well.”  

“Oh, I’m glad to hear the revisions are going smoothly, Writer~”  

“What did you call about?”  

“Ah, I have something to tell you. Writer, perhaps…”  

After receiving Hong Joohee’s call, I quickly packed my belongings and headed straight to Seoul.  

A quiet residential neighborhood in Jungsan-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul.  

I arrived at the pre-notified address and got out of the car.  

Since it was my first time in this neighborhood, I looked around curiously, and from not far away, I heard Hong Joohee’s voice.  

“This way, Writer.”  

Hong Joohee was waiting to greet me, dressed in a neat pale yellow shirt tucked into a tight navy skirt that reached her knees.  

After exchanging formal greetings, I surveyed the entire building where Hong Joohee had been standing.  

There was a convenience store and a dry cleaner nearby, and a police station close by, making it a safe and quiet residential area.  

It was a newly built five-story villa.  

“This building is really nice.”  

“The owner is my uncle on my mother’s side, so I got it at a cheap monthly rent without a deposit.”  

“Heh, well, no matter what…”  

“We’ve mostly finished organizing. You just need to unpack what you need.”  

The interior of the studio I followed Hong Joohee into was cleaner and more comfortable than I had expected.  

The lighting was good, and the space was satisfactory.  

It was more than enough for me to write alone without any assistant writers, and even if I hired one or two assistants, there was more than enough room.  

Considering the location, size, and condition of the property, the lease deposit would easily be 200 to 300 million KRW if it were on a jeonse contract.  

Even with no deposit and a monthly rent, the rent must be at least one million KRW per month.  

“Aren’t you pushing it too far?”  

“Of course, it’s a stretch. Please understand that our studio has put its life on the line for your work.”  

“Ha ha… ha… I’ll do my best.”  

I felt a slight pang of conscience.  

Hong Joohee’s A.C. Studio was a small-scale production company barely deserving the title of mid-sized.  

Though Hong Joohee’s personal skills might have solved investments, industry contacts, and recruitment, securing this studio was probably done purely with A.C. Studio’s precious capital.  

The studio was in excellent condition to just blindly accept the explanation that it was cheap because of her uncle.  

Of course, there was some basis for preparing this studio.  

Clause 8, Article 3 of the contract states:  

- The lessor shall be responsible for creating a working environment that enables the lessee to work smoothly.  

However, I never requested a studio first.  

Still, Representative Hong Joohee willingly took the initiative and quickly secured the studio for me.  

I could see her intention in her candid stare:  

Don’t play around in Sangju; just write your heart out under my watch wherever you are.  

Probably something like that.  

“Don’t worry about the script; I’ve already written nearly six episodes.”  

“Wow, Writer, you really write fast? Or did you prepare them beforehand?”  

“Let’s say it’s similar.”  

We sat at the kitchen island table in the built-in pantry and discussed the script for a while.  

How the production schedule would proceed, who they were considering for director candidates, and so on.  

Among those, the most important was casting the lead actors.  

“How about Seo Jiwon for the female lead?”  

“You mean Seo Jiwon, the former idol from Miss Dolz?”  

“Yes, I think Seo Jiwon is the most suitable for the female lead in .”  

“Hmm, Seo Jiwon, huh…”  

Hong Joohee was concerned because Seo Jiwon had yet to prove herself as a lead actress.  

I would have agreed with that before, but now...  

“No, after watching her roles in web dramas, I’m confident. Seo Jiwon is essential for this role.”  

“Understood. Coincidentally, I have contacts at Jeus Entertainment, where Seo Jiwon is signed, so getting in touch shouldn’t be difficult.”  

The studio didn’t take long to settle into.  

I hadn’t brought much personal stuff since before.  

Unlike when I lived in Lotte Tower and had loads of furniture, I now preferred minimal interiors, with only necessary desks and chairs.  

Besides, it felt a bit awkward to ask the agency to spend more on interior decorations.  

After quickly organizing my belongings, I went straight outside without continuing script work.  

For now, solving the pressing problem was the priority.  

“I tried contacting Jeus Entertainment...”  

Seo Jiwon herself is adamantly opposed. Is there any particular reason?  

Through Hong Joohee, I sent an official casting request, but Seo Jiwon’s stance toward me remained unchanged.  

If neither side could make it, there was only one method left.  

I pulled out the business card of Seo Jiwon’s manager, which I had obtained after pleading at a restaurant last time.  

Mujoo, Gyeonggi Province.  

Over a hundred people busily moved around a location that looked like a university hospital.  

Though it appeared to be a hospital from the outside, it was actually a large-scale drama set filming the popular 085 medical series “Wise Hospital Life.”  

The drama depicts daily events within a university hospital.  

More than 20 lead and supporting actors, along with dozens of extras playing patients, were involved in this massive production site.  

Seo Jiwon was playing a nurse in the trauma center.  

The “Wise” series, including Wise Hospital Life, Wise University Life, and Wise High School Life, was a popular national drama series that had been running for over ten years.  

The series’ popularity was largely due to the solid acting skills required of all lead, supporting, and extra actors.  

For that reason, even securing a supporting role meant the actor’s skills were acknowledged in the industry.  

At that time, Seo Jiwon, playing a young nurse in her third year at the trauma center, was nervously reviewing her short lines repeatedly just before her shooting schedule.  

Seeing her, Woo Manager, concerned, suggested she take a break.  

“Your scene is coming up soon. Why not stop reading the script and rest a bit? You haven’t even gotten a good night’s sleep for days.”  

“No, doing this at least makes me a little less anxious.”  

Her habit of becoming tense in front of the camera made her practice hundreds or thousands of times just to perform at an average level.  

Just then, focused on imprinting the lines in her body to act more naturally, a light knock sounded, followed by a cheerful male voice.  

“Seo Jiwon? May I come in?”  

“Yes, senior. Please do!”  

Park Hyeongjun, one of the main supporting actors in the Wise series playing the trauma center director, had come cheerfully to Seo Jiwon’s waiting room.  

Since he was rarely seen outside of shooting, Seo Jiwon stood up immediately and bowed at a 90-degree angle to greet him.  

“This is for you. Thanks, Jiwon.”  

“Huh? What is it?”  

Park Hyeongjun showed her a coffee and a lunchbox, playfully shrugging his shoulders.  

“A fan of yours sent these. Not just the actors but even the staff all enjoyed it, you know? Food is precious on these sets.”  

Because the company pre-approves all gifts from fans for management purposes, Seo Jiwon was definitely aware of the gift.  

Looking at Woo Manager with a puzzled expression as if to ask what it meant, Woo Manager cheerfully greeted Park Hyeongjun and waved.  

“Oh, this is all thanks to the actors and staff making such an enjoyable drama.”  

“Hahaha, thanks for saying that. By the way, there’s a small after-party with the senior actors after today’s shoot. You should come too, Jiwon.”  

“Am I really welcome there?”  

“Hey, there’s no place you can’t come to. We’re all like neighbors here.”  

“Okay, I’ll definitely come. Thank you, senior.”  

A bright smile spread across Seo Jiwon’s face.  

She seemed very happy to be invited by the seniors she wanted to get closer to but had always been hesitant to join due to lack of invitations.  

After Park Hyeongjun left the waiting room, Seo Jiwon looked at Woo Manager and prompted a conversation.  

“Was there a supporter I didn’t know about? A fan really sent these, right?”  

Usually, gifts sent by fan clubs had fan club stickers, so they were recognizable at a glance.  

Seeing no stickers, it seemed a genuine individual fan had sent them.  

Just sending coffee and lunchboxes to such a large set must have cost at least two million KRW.  

The lunchbox Park Hyeongjun showed was neatly packed by a high-end Japanese restaurant, evidently a costly gift.  

Such an expensive gift package probably cost several million KRW. Whoever the sender was, it was only natural to express gratitude wholeheartedly.  

“It’s a bit ambiguous to call it from a fan.”  

“If they’re not a fan, then what is ambiguous about it? Is that person still around here? If so, I’ll go out and thank them myself.”  

Unexpectedly, Woo Manager mentioned a name.  

“Writer Lee Junghyuk sent it.”