From her start as a child actress, she built her footing one step at a time until the public began to call her “our big sister.”
The nation’s actress, Shin Je-hee.
A person who proved herself with inborn looks and solid acting skill.
Such a person was now standing in front of Han Seongtae.
Granted, it was not the Shin Je-hee of the “our big sister” era, but a much younger version.
‘I never imagined I’d see Shin Je-hee here.’
Han Seongtae’s face looked vaguely blank as he gazed at her.
Only for a moment.
“Hello, sunbae-nim. I’m Han Seongtae, newly joined!”
He bowed his head deeply and introduced himself.
Present-day Shin Je-hee might not yet possess the influence she would hold in the future, but even now her reputation was far beyond what Han could dare touch.
He had ample reason to leave a good impression.
“Yes, nice to meet you. You said your name is Han Seongtae?”
“Yes, sunbae-nim.”
“Which team are you with?”
“Actors Team 2.”
At his answer, Shin Je-hee said “Ah,” and nodded.
“So you’re a member of Team Lead Min’s people. What a pity. If you’d come to Team 1 it would’ve been nice. Our team lead is raising a fuss right now that we’re short of staff.”
Han halted for an instant at her words.
He had introduced himself as an actor.
Calling her “sunbae-nim” instead of “actor-nim” was already a way of stating he, too, was an actor.
“But lately they must hire by looks. You’re handsome. Bet you’ll be popular.”
“Thank you, sunbae-nim.”
Han wanted to make clear that he was an actor. He knew once an impression took hold it didn’t change easily, and he wanted to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
“You look like a rookie. What brings you here?”
“I’m—”
“Ah, an errand? That could be. If you’re Team 2, you’re probably running an errand for Du-sik-ssi.”
“That’s not—”
Shin Je-hee did not listen. She said what she wanted, wandered round the script library, picked out several scripts, and hugged them to her chest.
“I’m busy, so I’ll go on ahead. Work hard.”
“…Thank you.”
Han, having no choice but to give up explaining, bowed toward her as she left the script room.
[‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ mutters she’s a scatterbrained person.]
[‘One Who Defined His Era’ says perhaps she’s simply that busy, so you should understand.]
[‘Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ says people who don’t listen suffer from lack of exercise.]
The gods chattered while watching Shin Je-hee walk out.
Looking at the messages, Han let out a small laugh and turned away.
‘She must really be busy.’
He felt no offense that she hadn’t truly heard him. He just let it go and returned to examining scripts.
Since he would keep acting and they were in the same agency, surely they would meet again. He could explain then; it wouldn’t be too late.
[‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ says that to become a famous actor you must move diligently.]
[‘One Who Made Laughter From Tragedy’ cheers, saying you can do it.]
Still, a little pride did flare. He was a nobody now, but someday he would be an actor everyone recognized.
Carrying scripts, Shin Je-hee slowed her steps at a presence ahead.
Jeong Du-sik of Actors Team 2 was walking toward her.
“Ah, Actor Shin.”
Recognizing her, Du-sik smiled warmly and spoke.
“Feels like ages. Have you been well?”
“I’m always well. What about you, Du-sik-ssi?”
“Me? Oh… by the way, I’m enjoying your drama. As expected of you, Actor Shin. I kept marveling while watching.”
“Thank you for seeing it kindly.”
She smiled. Though they belonged to different teams, they sometimes passed and had become acquainted.
“Is filming going smoothly for you?”
“Team Lead Choi takes good care of me. Except for the occasional complaint about manpower shortages, no problems.”
“That’s good. Team 1 really does need more people. We’re looking to hire newcomers right now, too.”
She nodded, then halted at his mentioning new recruits. If Team 2 had a newcomer, wasn’t he running errands in the script room this very moment? But now another newcomer?
“Actor-nim, did you just come from the script room?”
“Yes, I dropped in a moment ago.”
Seeing the scripts in her arms, Du-sik’s expression turned curious.
“Already preparing for a new project?”
“Not quite. Just gathering references. The current shoot ends tomorrow, so I have to prepare in advance.”
“You’re so diligent. I should learn from that.”
She laughed; being acknowledged for effort always felt good.
“Everyone knows how hard you work, Du-sik-ssi. Aren’t you flattering me too much?”
“I’m just doing what I should. Oh right. If you were in the script room, you must’ve met Actor Han Seongtae.”
“…Actor Han Seongtae?”
“Yes, he signed with us today. He’s very good.”
Du-sik chatted excitedly; Shin Je-hee glanced toward the script room without meaning to.
She hadn’t thought of him as an actor at all. She had assumed he was a new manager for Team 2.
‘So that’s why he called me sunbae-nim.’
She should have realized when he addressed her that way, but she’d been too hectic to think.
“When you see his acting, you’ll know. He has a curious charm that keeps drawing your eyes.”
“If you say so, he must be quite talented.”
“I’m sure he’ll succeed though to reach your level still takes time.”
Du-sik belatedly added praise for her, but she barely heard.
Du-sik’s judgment of people was reputedly sharp; it was the first time she’d seen him praise someone so highly.
‘Han Seongtae…’
She hadn’t cared at first, yet now Shin Je-hee found herself intrigued by this Han Seongtae.
After Shin Je-hee left, Han pulled several scripts from the library.
Unproduced works, yet ones that had achieved respectable results later on.
He set them on a desk and pulled out a chair.
[‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ says it’s not good to rush your mind.]
[‘One Who Defined His Era’ says first you must find which roles you can portray.]
The scripts he’d chosen covered many genres: action, melodrama, thriller, horror…
Han picked up one script and examined it.
In the past, he had done many genres but always in small parts. He’d had supporting roles, yet lack of skill kept him from handling them well.
The present differed from that past when he took whatever came.
[‘One Who Made Laughter From Tragedy’ gazes quietly at you.]
With the gods beside him, his acting was growing. Hadn’t he felt it clearly when performing “Their Acting”? In War of Villains, he’d even heard praise from actors and Director Choi.
‘I can’t master every genre at once. I should start with what I can do right now, step by step.’
He had no delusion that he could act every genre immediately. Even if he excelled at action, he might fail at romance. He would properly tackle what he could first.
“Actor Han? Reading scripts, I see.”
Engrossed in the scripts, Han hadn’t noticed Jeong Du-sik enter.
“You’re here.”
“Yes. I hope I didn’t disturb your focus?”
Han shook his head. He could read scripts at home; today he only meant to sample the place.
Signing the contract had finished all he needed for the day.
“If you bumped into Actor Shin Je-hee earlier, she said she stopped by the library. Did you two speak?”
“Yes, I greeted her. But…”
“Was something wrong?”
“She seemed to think I was a manager, not an actor.”
“…Excuse me?”
The unexpected reply made Du-sik respond a beat late. Tilting his head, he looked at Han, who smiled awkwardly.
“I haven’t got a single real screen credit yet. Director Choi Ye-chan’s film hasn’t even opened.”
“Ah…”
“So I suppose it was hard for her to see me as an actor.”
Han fully understood Shin Je-hee’s reaction. Among agency actors, there were none without at least some work history. You entered the agency because you were an actor, not became an actor because you entered.
“I see.”
Du-sik seemed to understand.
“I’m all right. I’ll just work hard from here.”
“Exactly. If anyone can succeed quickly, it’s you.”
Du-sik nodded at once. Neither wanted a gloomy mood, and really nothing gloomy had happened.
“Since you signed, I can say this: our expectations for you are very high.”
“Heh-heh.”
“We’ll support you of course, but beyond that we plan to help you even more.”
Han’s awkward laugh paused at the earnest tone.
“It’s just my personal thought, but PAN Entertainment never skimps on supporting its actors. That’s all you need to know.”
Han already knew PAN took good care of its talent. That was part of why he’d come.
“Oh, about a manager too. There’s something to say. It looks like I’ll be assigned to you.”
“Really?”
“It’s not final, but the chance is strong. Take it lightly for now.”
“All right.”
Han laughed and nodded. Then he glanced at the scripts on the desk and opened his mouth.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
“Yes. I’d like to know if there’s any project I can appear in right now.”
At his words, Jeong Du-sik blinked.
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