[The One With a Thousand Faces is watching you.]
He felt the gaze of the acting gods.
Over a dozen cameras were trained on Han Seongtae, and every pair of eyes on set was fixed on him.
Han Seongtae exhaled a deep sigh under their stares.
Inhale. Exhale.
With each breath, the atmosphere surrounding him gradually shifted.
Not Han Seongtae, but Ji Yeonwoo.
“Wow…”
“Is that really a rookie?”
“The vibe is no joke.”
Voices of admiration drifted over from beyond the set, but Han Seongtae paid them no mind.
He immersed himself in his role and gazed into that world.
Just as he finally achieved complete focus.
“Yena.”
Han Seongtae began his performance in earnest.
He gazed at the one person before him.
The reincarnation of the century-old plant, the nine-tailed fox woman, Yoo Yena.
Ji Yeonwoo couldn’t bring himself to approach her, lingering at a distance.
“I’ve always been by your side. Why… why aren’t you mine?”
Because Yoo Yena instinctively rejected him.
The gumiho, Baek Yeon, harbored a strong desire that no other being should come near her.
Ordinary yokai or ghosts wouldn’t care about such things.
“I… I can’t come near you unless you look at me.”
Ji Yeonwoo was Yoo Yena’s guardian spirit.
Therefore, he had no choice but to do as she wished.
If Yoo Yena didn’t want it, ultimately, he had no choice but to watch over her from afar.
“You’re being deceived. That bastard doesn’t like you; he’s after your body.”
That was why Ji Yeonwoo’s expression when looking at her was always dark.
Even knowing the gumiho was beside her, he couldn’t drive it away.
He knew that if he did, she would be sad.
Ji Yeonwoo wished for her happiness.
Even if nothing ever went according to his own will.
If she could be happy, that was enough.
“Woof woof, you better guard your master well.”
“That little demon talks too much. If you don’t want that long snout of yours to get chopped off, you’d better shut it.”
Ji Yeonwoo bared his teeth at Baek Yeon’s mocking expression directed at him.
Behind his growling form, the vague outline of a massive Korean Jindo dog emerged.
As his power unleashed, the space around him warped, cracks beginning to form in the floor.
Such was the nature of a mountain god’s power.
Revealing his strength inevitably affected his surroundings.
“Damn…!”
Baek Yeon recoiled in shock at the sight.
Even a nine-tailed fox possessing power rivaling a mountain god couldn’t act freely in front of Ji Yeonwoo, known to wield the greatest power among mountain gods.
Baek Yeon, terrified, reached out his hand.
A pure white aura formed on his hand, barely managing to block Ji Yeonwoo’s power.
“You plan to kill us all?”
Tsk.
Seeing Baek Yeon shouting loudly, Ji Yeonwoo clicked his tongue and withdrew his power.
He wanted to kill them all right then and there.
‘What’s so great about that worthless Yena anyway?’
Instead of killing Baek Yeon, he tripped him, sending him tumbling.
“You’d be wise not to provoke me. Unless you want to see me lose my temper.”
“…You crazy bastard.”
“What did you say?”
“Fine. Fine. I won’t touch you, okay?”
Ji Yeonwoo glanced at Baek Yeon, who was muttering under his breath, then turned his head away.
His face twisted in an instant as he scanned the direction where Yoo Yena was.
“How dare you…!”
In the brief moment he looked away, he saw the demons gathering, targeting her.
Ghosts drawn by the scent of the century plant, coveting its power.
Ji Yeonwoo’s body was enveloped in a pure white aura, then vanished, leaving only an afterimage.
CRASH!
One demon was caught in his hand, its head shattered, vanishing on the spot.
“You worthless dogs, how dare you crawl in here!”
His roar became a dog’s howl, shattering the demons’ eardrums.
“Ugh!”
Even Baek Yeon beside him staggered, covering both ears.
Unconcerned by his state, Ji Yeonwoo moved swiftly.
Despite his howling, he seized the heads of the monsters coveting the century-old plant and crushed them.
The more monsters he captured, the more his form shifted into that of a colossal dog.
After biting and shattering every monster’s head, he returned to human form and looked at Yena.
“Ah, where’d you go? You’re back now. I’ve been waiting.”
Yoo Yena was looking at him, smiling brightly.
At that smile, Ji Yeonwoo shuddered involuntarily.
Was she finally looking at him?
“Yeon, I missed you.”
But the moment he realized she wasn’t looking at him.
“Ah…”
He sighed and turned his head away.
Baek Yeon was running towards her with an infuriatingly cheerful smile, right beside Ji Yeonwoo.
Watching him embrace her, Ji Yeonwoo clenched his fists tightly.
“Ha…”
But only for a moment.
Ji Yeonwoo looked down at his own appearance and could only smile bitterly.
Unlike Baek Yeon, dressed stylishly, Ji Yeonwoo’s appearance after slaying the monsters was utterly pitiful.
Monster blood dripped from his mouth, and his clothes were a plain white.
It was a stark contrast to Baek Yeon, who always dressed in various outfits.
“…Probably, you’ll never look at me again.”
Watching her back as she walked affectionately with Baek Yeon, Ji Yeonwoo murmured softly.
Seeing her fail to recognize him filled him with sadness and loneliness.
“Hahaha. So I told the chief…!”
“Good for you. Holding it in just makes it harder.”
Ji Yeonwoo’s expression darkened as he watched them converse cheerfully.
Then, with a strange expression, he watched them and raised a hand to brush his face.
“Yeah. If that’s your happiness… then I’m fine with it.”
It didn’t matter if she didn’t recognize him.
If she could be happy, he could let go of his own satisfaction.
[The Actor of Eternal Youth touches your face.]
[The One With a Thousand Faces touches the corners of your mouth.]
He looked profoundly sad.
“Wow…”
Watching Han Seongtae’s performance, Park Yeeun couldn’t hide her admiration.
It was too brilliant an acting performance—something she couldn’t have imagined.
‘…There’s no way someone capable of acting like that got in through connections.’
At first, she couldn’t help but view the news of Han Seongtae joining the project with skepticism.
He wasn’t a famous actor, nor was he someone known for solid acting skills.
He was an actor who hadn’t done many projects and hadn’t yet earned recognition for his acting ability.
At least, that’s how he appeared to her.
Until she saw Han Seongtae’s acting with her own eyes.
“What’s up with his acting?”
“Didn’t they say he was a parachute hire? For a parachute hire, he’s acting way too well.”
“Exactly. That gaze… wow… I thought Kim Mucheol senior was a great actor. But this guy is just insane.”
She heard other actors whispering excitedly beside her.
People marveling at Han Seongtae’s performance.
Park Yeeun could fully understand their feelings.
Han Seongtae’s acting was beyond anything she had imagined.
“He’s good, right? Actor Kim Mucheol had really high hopes for him.”
“Yeah, Director Hwang saw Seongtae’s acting in person and came back saying we absolutely had to bring him on. It was the first time he’d ever said something like that.”
When did it happen?
The staff talked about Han Seongtae.
Listening to them, Park Yeeun squeezed her eyes shut.
She had thought Han Seongtae was a parachute hire and couldn’t act.
Park Yeeun hadn’t seen his acting.
But that was ultimately prejudice.
Just because he joined midway didn’t mean he couldn’t act.
‘The problem was me all along.’
Watching Han Seongtae, she let out a sigh without realizing it.
It seemed she had been jealous because a newcomer had gotten a significant role.
That’s why her judgment clouded and she showed her worst side.
“His acting… is really good.”
“Oh, really?”
“Well, yeah. The director and Senior Kim aren’t the kind of people who would just bring in anyone.”
The people who had gossiped with her quickly changed their tune.
They too had realized.
That Han Seongtae was a talented actor for whom the term “parachute hire” held no meaning.
And that he would become a very important person in ‘Baeknyeoncho’.
‘I’m sorry. I made a pointless misunderstanding.’
Park Yeeun let out a deep sigh.
Earlier, she thought she’d overheard them gossiping.
She couldn’t figure out how to apologize.
Would he even want to talk to her in the first place?
Her expression darkened slightly as she looked at Han Seongtae.
After filming ended.
His focus broken, Han Seongtae exhaled heavily and started walking.
[The One With a Thousand Faces says it was great acting and looks at you with satisfaction.]
[The Founder of Jeet Kune Do says the action was decent and nods approvingly.]
Seeing the messages from the gods, Han Seongtae immediately checked the monitor.
On the screen, he could see himself acting.
‘Not bad.’
Even to his own eyes, it was a pretty good scene.
“Good work.”
“Seongtae, you really act well. I held my breath watching you!”
“We’ll start filming in 10 minutes. Rest a little until then.”
Hwang Gyeol and the staff approached Han Seongtae, praising his performance and speaking to him warmly.
Han Seongtae nodded at their words and moved on.
Perhaps because he’d been so immersed in the role, Han Seongtae felt utterly exhausted now that the scene was over.
He needed to rest even a little to focus properly for the next shoot.
“Seongtae, you worked hard.”
“Ah, Mucheol hyung. You worked hard too.”
“Yeah. Hey, but your acting seems to have improved? You must’ve practiced hard.”
“You went to the trouble of calling me in, so I couldn’t show a bad performance, right?”
“You’re such a good kid. That’s why I can’t hate you, you know?”
At Kim Mucheol’s words, Han Seongtae burst out laughing.
“Ah, they’re having a dinner party after all filming wraps up later. You’re going?”
“Um… Yeah, I guess I should.”
“Okay, then I should head to the party too.”
At that, Han Seongtae shrugged his shoulders and turned his gaze back to the script.
How long had it been since he started practicing the lines for the next scene?
Han Seongtae suddenly felt a gaze and looked up, realizing Park Yeeun was watching him.
‘Does she want to say something?’
Even after their eyes met, she didn’t look away. Han Seongtae tilted his head in puzzlement.
Should he speak first?
Just as Han Seongtae was about to stand up.
“…”
After locking eyes for a long moment, Park Yeeun turned and vanished the instant he rose.
“…What was that?”
Her inexplicable behavior left Han Seongtae feeling bewildered.
“We’re moving on to the next shoot!”
The staff’s voice reached his ears.
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