Pen and Paper Translations

“Good work today. Your acting was good.”

“Yes. You too, Mom.”

At my calling her “Mom,” Kang Sujeong paused for a moment, then nodded and turned away.

That was about the extent of Kang Sujeong’s greeting.

Not lacking, but nothing beyond that.

Strangely, it kept feeling like there was a wall standing between us.

“Thank you for your hard work, thank you.”

After exchanging goodbyes with the staff she passed, Kang Sujeong quickly left the set.

The large apartment where Wooju’s family lived before the reassignment to a provincial hospital.

This location would never appear in the drama again.

Everyone who had lived here would scatter, and that was the starting point of the drama.

Because of that, they said the team had only rented the Mapo-gu apartment for a few days.

So they had to capture as many scenes as possible in one day.

As if to prove it, the supporting actor playing Kang Wooju’s biological father dropped by briefly to shoot a couple of scenes and left.

Filming so many scenes with multiple takes, it had grown dark outside before we knew it.

There had been an unusually large number of crying scenes today, so the corners of my eyes were red.

“Siwoo, you were so good today.”

“You’d better put some ice on your eyes when you get home, huh? Hard work, crying like that.”

Seeing me shed tears freely without eye drops, the staff didn’t hold back on praise.

Grinning broadly, I bowed and left the set with my uncle.

Sniff. “Siwoo, did you buckle your seatbelt?”

“Mmm. Uncle, your eyes are red.”

I was the one who cried, so why were his eyes so puffy?

Climbing into the driver’s seat and buckling up, my uncle’s eyes were bloodshot.

As soon as I started acting, he had clapped a hand over his mouth and streamed tears.

He even grabbed me and lamented how pitiful Wooju was.

Still, for a former aspiring actor, my uncle really has a rich sensitivity.

“It’s because your acting felt so real, okay.”

“Hee-hee. Then I’m glad.”

My uncle gently turned the wheel.

Since we hadn’t decided what to do about a car yet, he had brought Mom’s car today.

“Siwoo, how was filming today? Was it okay working with Actor Kang Sujeong? Nothing uncomfortable?”

“Mmm? It was fine.”

What would there be to be uncomfortable about.

Maybe because she practically lived with the script right up until shooting, she didn’t miss lines, and she hit her marks exactly, so the acting went smoothly.

“Why? Did something look off to you, Uncle?”

I asked, wondering if I’d missed something.

At a red light, my uncle stopped the car and shook his head.

“No, no. It was fine. If anything had been off, the PD would’ve said something.”

“Then?”

“Mm… Remember how I told you I did a lot of part-time work on drama sets before?”

“Mmm.”

“This isn’t my first time seeing Kang Sujeong. I saw her a few times on other projects where I went out as an extra.”

Come to think of it, my uncle has a quietly good way with people, an easygoing personality, and he’s done a lot.

So he knew a fair bit.

Since this kind of info is awkward to ask just anyone, I listened, eyes shining.

“But she has that same attitude on every project. She’s stand-offish even with the male lead playing opposite her. It got to where we would joke among ourselves that a scandal with Kang Sujeong would never, ever happen.”

“Really?”

Judging by how she acted today, it was easy enough to believe.

“Yeah. Even after shooting a romantic scene she ends it just like today with a businesslike ‘thank you for your hard work.’ She doesn’t chat with anyone during breaks either. She acts well, but she’s hard to approach. And you had a lot of two-person scenes with her today. I wondered if it might have been uncomfortable.”

“Mmm. I didn’t especially feel uncomfortable.”

Well, I did try to strike up a bit of talk and got brushed off, but still.

Even so, when it came to acting, our rhythm matched surprisingly well.

Especially the scene where the mother, Han Ji-hye, collapses decisively—it clicked perfectly as if we’d rehearsed it together multiple times.

I started to think maybe Kang Sujeong’s acting ability was even greater than I thought.

“But it’s not like she didn’t do her job today, either. It’s awkward to criticize, right? The production team is careful too, since it’s not like there’s ‘trouble between actors.’”

“Hm.”

“Maybe that’s what people call individualism. Must be an American style.”

My uncle muttered that Hollywood’s probably like that.

I don’t know about America, but Britain wasn’t like that.

Back then we would practically itch to chatter with the other actors at every break.

At the Oscar Troupe, if I so much as started to get quiet, the actors would swarm over and start talking to me.

At first it was noisy and only annoying, but that time later became so precious to me.

Thinking of the past for a moment, I sank into sentimentality.

My uncle must have thought I’d fallen asleep, because before I knew it he’d gone quiet.

“Uncle.”

“Huh? Oh, you didn’t fall asleep, Siwoo? Get some rest. You’ve still got a ways before we’re home.”

“But the acting was good. Right?”

Talking about Kang Sujeong, my uncle looked momentarily surprised, then nodded vigorously.

“Haha, that’s right. You two were amazing. You really felt like mother and son.”

“That sentence is banned in front of Mom.”

“Ah, right. Absolutely banned.”

“Mmm.”

After warning my uncle firmly, I fell into thought.

Even so, I don’t think she’s just a cold person.

When we hugged and cried, I felt the sadness transmit intact.

Thinking of that, she definitely didn’t seem like someone merely blunt and cool.

“Sigh.”

“Huh? What is it, Siwoo? Feeling stifled?”

“Mmm, I’m okay. It’s nothing.”

It was only our first day filming.

We’d only been together a single day.

Whether that perfect rhythm was luck or not—we’d have to wait and see.

---

Ssshhhh—

“Woooow.”

“Ah, Siwoo. Is this your first time seeing the ocean in person?”

“Mmm!”

July had begun, and the weather grew even hotter.

I’d thought England was humid, but Korea, after living here a few years, is no slouch either.

Every summer, I’d wilt so much that my father, after much deliberation a few years ago, bought us an air conditioner.

Korea’s sea, which I’d only ever seen on TV.

England is an island nation too, but Battenberg Castle was in the inland region near London, so chances to go see the sea were truly rare.

In this life too, because Dad runs a fried chicken shop and it’s hard to close for long, this was my first time at the seaside.

I’d heard it’s bigger than a lake but seeing such a vast body of water for the first time, I watched the rolling waves with sparkling eyes.

“Siwoo, shall we go dip our feet and play a bit?”

Maybe my uncle got excited too. He asked, all keyed up.

Mom had, of course, packed extra socks and towels.

Honestly… do they think I’m a little kid?

“Let’s go quickly while the food’s getting ready.”

“Mmm, should we?”

I didn’t particularly want to go, but since Uncle pestered me, I’d go along.

“Wah!”

“Super cold, huh, Siwoo!”

“Ptui! Ugh, salty!”

“Haha, seawater is supposed to be salty.”

Who doesn’t know that!

Don’t splash my face!

With an indignant face, I launched a fierce counterattack on my uncle.

Not that it did much. My hands are small.

After happily splashing around with Uncle, I put my sandals on and sat at an outdoor table in front of the lodging.

Today, the crew who needed to install equipment, Director Cha Il-nam, Moon Heeseong, the lead actor Choi Taewoo and Kang Sujeong plus Nam Yeonsu and the supporting actors—all came down together.

“Haha, Siwoo already went for a romp, huh.”

“Mmm! It was fun.”

Coming back with my pants damp to the hem, the staff spoke to me fondly.

Since Team Cactus had so many members, they said they’d rented an entire pension near the beach.

The annex for me and my uncle was right next to Moon Heeseong’s annex.

“Yeonsu, aren’t you going to play at the beach?”

“Ah, I… maybe later. We’ll see.”

“A very big-brotherly answer.”

The staff each told Nam Yeonsu he was very mature.

Today, too, Nam Yeonsu sat quietly, smiling shyly.

The table was piled high with super-sweet corn the staff had bought in advance.

“If you’re hungry, go ahead and eat the corn first. The flounder-and-mugwort soup is being prepared now.”

At a staffer’s words, everyone cheered.

“What a luxury! How harshly are you planning to work us tomorrow?”

“Nah, nothing like that. We’re just trying to nourish our actors a bit.”

Nibbling off the sweet corn, I swung my legs.

Hmm, they said you can eat it raw. It turns out it’s true.

Still, it’s tastier warm, so I should ask Uncle to grill some later.

“Wow, there’s sashimi too. Siwoo, try some sashimi, not just corn.”

Choi Taewoo, the drama’s male lead, had gotten fairly friendly with me after meeting a few times in meetings.

Seeing me only eating corn, maybe he thought I was just picking.

I was waiting for the soup so I could eat them together, so how would he know that?

Shaking my head, I held out the corn.

“Phew, I’m eating my appetizer right now.”

“What? A tiny thing like you even knows the word ‘appetizer’?”

Laughing in disbelief at my words, Choi Taewoo grinned.

Beside him, Moon Heeseong said delightedly, smiling with satisfaction.

“Isn’t Siwoo incredibly smart?”

“Seriously. Wow, how do you raise a kid like Siwoo?”

While the two admired me, I spoke seriously.

“Just watch TV. Everything’s on there.”

“Wahaha, I want to tell my big brother that. Oh, my older brother just had a new baby. The baby is so cute. Want to see?”

“Yes, please show me.”

With his characteristic patter, having gotten pretty friendly with Moon Heeseong as well, Choi Taewoo began noisily showing off photos of his niece/nephew.

My ears were starting to hurt, so I quietly shifted over to the next seat.

At that table sat Nam Yeonsu, sipping water quietly.

“What are you doing?”

As the older one, I took the initiative to speak first.

All the other bit-part actors were adults, so among the kids it was just me and Nam Yeonsu.

With no one to talk to, Nam Yeonsu just blinked blankly.

“Huh? Oh, hi, Siwoo.”

“We already saw each other earlier. Don’t you want corn?”

“Ah, yeah. I don’t really like it.”

“Really? It’s good. Did you watch Go Only Halfway yesterday? It was on TV.”

“No, I’ve only heard the title. Isn’t it violent? We’re not really allowed to watch much TV at home.”

Violent? It’s not a restricted film—just a few cars explode and a bike or two goes flying, that’s all.

Shaking my head, I said,

“Mmm, it’s fine. It’s just an action movie.”

“…Doesn’t it air late?”

“Ten o’clock? So I went straight to sleep after.”

I’d been waiting for that movie for days, so even Mom couldn’t stop me.

Instead, she told me to brush my teeth first, so I hurried and brushed, then watched it.

“I see. You must really like TV, Siwoo.”

“Mmm. Yesterday I watched The Vixen and the Fox and then watched the movie too.”

“Ah… that one. Doesn’t Actor Lee Young-jae appear in it?”

“Right! Do you watch that drama? Wasn’t it so good yesterday?”

Finally, a topic we can both talk about!

Excited, I was about to talk about the birth-secret revealed yesterday.

But Nam Yeonsu smiled awkwardly and shook his head.

“Mm, no, I don’t watch it. I only know it because I passed the studio where they were filming when I went to the broadcast station once.”

“Wow… Then what do you watch on TV?”

“I hardly watch TV. Sometimes English programs?”

“Then how do you study acting?”

A kid who’s on TV all the time doesn’t watch TV?

I was shocked and asked.

“My dad practices with me. And I go to an academy twice a week. What kind of academy do you go to, Siwoo?”

“I don’t go to any academy. I watch TV.”

How could we be so different.

For an actor, is there any hobby happier than watching dramas and movies?

I was about to ask what makes Nam Yeonsu happy.

At that moment, his eyes, which had been darting around awkwardly, lit up as if he’d found something good.

“I see. Um, Siwoo, do you like sashimi? If you dip it in chojang instead of soy sauce, it’s tasty.”

“…Chojang is spicy.”

“I thought so at first too, but it’s edible. It’s sweet.”

“Chojang is sweet?”

It’s that red?

When I looked at him suspiciously, Nam Yeonsu laughed, dipped a slice of sashimi deep in chojang, and held it up to my mouth himself.

“It’s good. Try it.”

…A new assassination attempt?

First day in Sokcho.

I faced the greatest crisis yet.