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Broadcast, track production, acting.

Somehow, it’s not just a side job; I’ve ended up with three jobs.

As a result, there’s a lot more to do, and therefore, a lot more to organize.

“Let’s see….”

Lying on my bed, I opened the notes app on my phone and started to sort out what was on my mind.

I received the final version. I commissioned the track.

Now all that’s left is to upload the final version and… do I have to promote it?

Realistically, the tasks for the Miro Family are almost coming to an end.

After all, once I finish one more track and commission a music video, the project will essentially be done.

However…

“Ugh… what should I do?”

Roll, roll.

I rolled back and forth, trying to think.

Now that there’s only one track left to handle, it’s a huge dilemma.

Who should I entrust the track to?

How about Lee Kang-jun, who is half way out from the Miro Family?

Or Jeong-hoon, who’s been super excited since his recent hit, even though summer vacation hasn’t started yet?

Loa and Harbin… if I give them this, they’d probably collapse from work, so absolutely not.

Honestly, if we’re talking about a short-term performance, Rain would be the answer.

That junior has been incredibly quick at producing tracks, and honestly, the quality is nearly top-notch.

But I feel like the result is thanks to her ‘strong motivation’… and it seems a bit excessive to ask Rain again after she’s already put in so much effort.

“Haah…”

I closed my eyes and kept pondering in bed, but nothing came to mind.

I really don’t know.

More importantly, everyone’s made a track now, so I want to gather the Miro Family and have a get-together.

Hmm, I wonder if Lee Kang-jun can make it?

He seems pretty busy from what I’ve seen on YouTube lately.

Well, if he doesn’t come, it would be a shame.

Having that thought in mind, I casually left a little hint about the get-together in the group chat and shut my phone.

We can think about the remaining track during the get-together or have a group meeting.

Thus, the tasks for the Miro Family wrapped up, and next…

I sprung up from the bed and headed to my desk.

On the desk were stacks of printed papers I’d asked Manager Kim to handle, and I carefully gathered them.

This is none other than the official script for the drama.

I have work to do, but first, memorizing this is my priority.

Once the casting is somewhat settled, they’ll do a read-through… and I even got a homework assignment to interpret the characters in the script my way.

Honestly, I’m not too worried about that part.

After all, I made a rough interpretation since I received a simple script for the test initially.

My role of ‘Sera’ is interpreted as that of a very unlucky Han Hye-jin, who has turned bitter from insecurity and anxiety due to not having achieved anything.

A pitiful character that doesn’t know how to utilize what they have, driven by anxiety and impatience, leading their personality to the forefront.

Naturally, that makes for a frustrating character… but that was the case when they were a protagonist.

If I’m the villain, it’s a whole different story.

This pitifulness becomes a gap that the underdog protagonists could exploit.

I’m playing a role that bothers the protagonist throughout the story with my pathetic actions, only to get delightfully punished in the latter half.

With the script in hand, I headed to the living room.

Though this thing feels a bit heavy.

As expected, it’s a whole different level from the scripts for supporting or minor roles.

This heaviness felt like the weight of responsibility for the work resting on my shoulders.

I definitely need to devote even more effort to practice.

But isn’t it a bit difficult to practice alone in my room?

So, I called someone in the morning to help me out.

“So, you’re going to be in a drama?”

“Oh, this is the script.”

“Wow.”

It’s Hyejeong right away.

Today, I’ve specially invited her over to help me read through the script.

“It’s been a while, and you’re my script shuttle now.”

“It’s nice to see your face, isn’t it?”

Truthfully, asking her for help is only half sincere; I called her over to catch up since it’s been a while.

“By the way, you’re really going to shoot a drama? Is it a broadcast?”

“Once filming starts, I’ll have to do it here and there.”

But honestly, it’s been a long time since I last saw her.

Before I went back to my family home, I feel like I hardly saw anyone except for Hyejeong, but since returning, we’ve been living at a bit of a distance.

Even though we occasionally contact each other, there hasn’t been a reason to meet up, so this is the first time seeing her face in months.

“Is all of this the script?”

“There’s a lot, right?”

“Wow… when am I supposed to memorize all of this?”

Hyejeong gasped for a moment, looking at the thickness of the script.

“I’m good at memorizing.”

“Huh? Is that so? I thought you were better at cramming.”

… If only you had studied steadily instead of cramming, you’d be much better.

That gene doesn’t just disappear.

“Anyway, all the counterpart roles are coming out, right? Just follow this, and don’t tell anyone what you read from the script.”

There’s a confidentiality agreement, and if it leaks, it would be disastrous.

I only called Hyejeong because I trust her.

“Sure, but this feels like being an actor.”

“Think of it as if there’s a camera.”

In reality, it’s just a practice of reading the script for the read-through, sitting across from each other in the living room, but as long as it feels right, that’s good enough.

“Shall we start?”

“Right, we’re starting from the part where Sera appears in the department store, right?”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Sera makes her first appearance in a department store.

Decked out in luxury goods, looking down on the store staff as she speaks.

“How much is this?”

As I immersed myself in Sera while reading the script, Hyejeong looked at me.

“What are you doing? Say your lines.”

“Oh, sorry, reading the script made me feel like a real actor.”

“Are there fake actors?”

Now that I’m playing a big role, I didn’t deny that I’m an actor.

It wouldn’t be right to say otherwise, even in a side job.

Though it is still just a side gig.

“Are we going again?”

Thus, we started practicing the first appearance scene again.

In the early part of the scene, Sera only has the department store employees to talk to, so Hyejeong just needs to spit out some formal responses.

The important part is what comes next.

The next scene involves talking to another male villain who’s also a chaebol.

By narrative structure, the two are engaged.

“Oh… a villain couple? Who is it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Huh?”

“It’s still undecided.”

There’s a role but no casting has been set yet.

Since they’re only formally engaged, and there’s practically no romance scene, it doesn’t hold much significance.

It’s more like a partner that harasses the protagonists.

“Oh… that guy Moon Chang-sik is also in this, right? What role is he playing?”

“Where do you think? The main protagonist.”

He’s the main hero of this story.

The heroine is Han Ye-eun, whom I saw last time.

“Wow, Chang-sik, I’m so looking forward to this drama.”

“Right, but you’re getting spoiled right now?”

“… Ugh.”

“Don’t worry; the mid-to-late script isn’t ready yet.”

“What? Isn’t this the end of it?”

“It hasn’t been written yet, apparently?”

This isn’t new since the script exists, but it hasn’t been finished up to the last episode yet.

I didn’t know, but it turns out dramas are often like this.

The drama I participated in with Lady Soo-yeon was an OTT original drama that received solid foreign backing and the schedule was laid-back, so we started filming with a complete script.

However, public broadcaster dramas like this one are tight on schedules, so there are cases where they begin with just a rough synopsis and the scripts for the start and middle.

Occasionally, rookie drama writers fail to complete the final episode and run into problems during filming, but thankfully, the writer for this project is a veteran, so I don’t need to worry.

“It’s not easy in the entertainment industry.”

After listening to my explanation, Hyejeong said, and I nodded in agreement.

People have fantasies about the entertainment industry, but experiencing it firsthand, I see that it’s just another workplace.

The glamorous actors are no different from ordinary folks, and initial plans for filming are never followed, so everything is shaky.

Still, since there’s some humanity to it, I think it’s relatively okay.

“Shall we continue?”

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

Anyway, the next scene involves a conversation with the villain role.

It was amusing how Hyejeong tried to imitate a male voice, lowering her tone, but I held back my laughter as we read the script.

Since this is the early part of the drama, there are many lines that try to sound significant and mysterious.

In reality, it’s often people who have nothing but money and connections, but in modern society, that’s the most powerful thing.

In a world where having a million bucks is scarier than being a jack-of-all-trades.

Anyway, the conversation between the villains wrapped up, and the next part is finally the scene where the heroes meet.

“Now the male lead and female lead are coming in.”

“Right.”

“You said the heroine is played by Han Ye-eun? How is she? Is she pretty in real life?”

“Hmmm.”

At Hyejeong’s inquiry, I remembered what I had seen of Han Ye-eun last time.

“Isn’t she pretty? She has a bit of a doe-eyed look.”

She seems like a nice person and has that gentle vibe that everyone loves.

“Doe-eyed, huh… that’s the opposite of you.”

“Is that so? Am I a bit more of a cat than a doe?”

“Sure? You look like you’d claw someone if you’re serious.”

As she made the hand gestures, it was evident she had a knack for expressions.

“Alright, now read the female lead’s part.”

“Wow, I’m even playing the female lead now.”

“Only sitting and reading, though.”

“Hey, it’s still something.”

Despite looking a bit deflated by my comment, Hyejeong opened the script with a hint of excitement.

Yes, the good-hearted doe-eyed role.

Wouldn’t every girl love to play such a role?

Of course…

“This lowly thing.”

“Oh yes, miss…”

The character in the drama faces harsh beatings in the early part.

“Are you making that face? Are you perhaps feeling bad?”

“Oh, no, that’s not it…”

“Is the commoner talking back?”

“Th-that’s not…”

“What do you mean it’s not? Speak properly; you’ve been going on since earlier…”

The content of the script has Sera, meeting the miss, continuously pushing with disdain and contempt.

In response to her disdainful lines, Hyejeong managed to withstand it, but eventually threw the script down.

“Wow, Sera is such a jerk!”

“Right? Hehe.”

“You act well. It’s infuriating to listen to!”

After taking a lot of disrespect, Hyejeong seemed to fan herself as though getting heated but suddenly paused.

“… Wait a minute, you called me out just to do this, didn’t you?”

… Did she catch on?

Truthfully, I had a little desire to hand the script to someone else and see them get teased.

Hyejeong would definitely catch on to that expression.

“Whoa, you’re right!”

“Oh-ho, you should call me Lady Sera!”

“You, you witch!”

“You witch? You miserable thing!”

“Alright! I’ll show you taste of the commoner’s spear!”

“Oh, oh no, stay back!”

And so, our practice continued until evening.

It’s definitely noticeable that having someone to practice with improves my skills compared to practicing alone.

“Invite me again; this is fun.”

Hyejeong initially started off fiery, but as we continued, she seemed to genuinely enjoy it.

Well, it was fun.

Both of us had never done anything like this before, so it felt refreshing.

“If I get stuck, I’ll call you.”

“Sure, how about dinner?”

“Do as you please.”

Practice continued even after that day.

Not just with Hyejeong, but Bok-sil, Mrs. Jang, and Manager Kim were all recruited for focused practice away from broadcasting…

Time flowed by.

“Did you arrive?”

“Yes.”

“Have you practiced?”

“Don’t be surprised.”

The long-awaited day for the script read-through had come.

 

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