“Yeah. Let’s try it once.”
A request from an actor asking whether it would be okay to proceed with filming using ad libs.
If an actor who did not even have the skill came making a request like this, he might have thought it was brazen beyond belief.
But because it was not anyone else, and it was Han Siwoo saying it, Cha Ilnam told them to try it once.
The shoot schedule was already generous, and there was no need to be chased by the script.
After filming with Kang Sujeong, the entire directing team of The Cactus Flower has Bloomed had come to love Han Siwoo’s ad libs.
The ad lib he showed this morning was good too, so there was no reason not to allow it.
Of course, Nam Yeonsu, dragged along by Han Siwoo, looked pale, but the two of them whispered about something and then nodded.
It seemed they had reached some kind of understanding between themselves.
And for Nam Yeonsu to suggest ad libs…
Even if he came together with Han Siwoo and said it, it was not something he had seen in their previous work together, that the kid would come first and make a suggestion like this.
Honestly, he could not help but be curious.
Cha Ilnam was one of the people watching with satisfaction as Han Siwoo completely changed the set and took the lead.
If he were doing whatever he wanted and acting like a mess, he would dislike it, but every time they filmed, he liked the result, so there was absolutely no reason to view it negatively.
But…
“Hm…”
Cha Ilnam fell into thinking about whether he had taken it too lightly.
Once filming started, there was no problem with Han Siwoo.
The only thing was, Nam Yeonsu’s expression visible on the screen showed no sign at all of loosening.
“Was it still too soon?”
“Huh? Director, what did you say?”
“Ah, no. Nothing.”
At the junior assistant director’s question, Cha Ilnam quickly shook his head and said it was nothing.
At that, the assistant director shifted his gaze to the two and whispered softly in a worried tone.
No matter who looked, Nam Yeonsu’s expression right now did not look like he could properly keep the acting going.
“…Should we call an NG and take a break once?”
“Mm, wait. Let’s leave it to Siwoo just a little more.”
Cha Ilnam, who hesitated for a moment at the assistant director’s suggestion, for once shook his head.
At that, the assistant director and the surrounding staff were slightly surprised.
“Uh… okay.”
Not other veteran actors, but leaving this situation to Han Siwoo, who was filming a drama for the first time in his life?
On top of that, Han Siwoo was six years younger than Nam Yeonsu.
Only six years old!
No matter how much they themselves acknowledged Han Siwoo, the trust Cha Ilnam was showing that small child right now was truly surprising.
With Nam Yeonsu’s expression that stiff, they thought he would call him over and give him some advice or something, but it was a strange thing.
But the person with full responsibility here was Cha Ilnam.
The assistant director nodded without saying anything more at Cha Ilnam’s decision and looked around the set.
“B, but…! Keh, ahem. I’m sorry. I’ll do it just one more time.”
“Yeah. Yeonsu, let’s go a little calmly.”
Already the third line mistake.
He was not the kind of kid to do that, but Nam Yeonsu’s frequent mistakes increased more than in the morning.
‘As expected, is it impossible without the script.’
When Nam Yeonsu came to him, led by Han Siwoo’s hand, Cha Ilnam immediately noticed that there was no “script” in the child’s hand.
Others might not know, but Cha Ilnam knew how much Nam Yeonsu clung to the script.
Officially, it was kept quiet and not disclosed, but Cha Ilnam knew what kind of person Nam Yeonsu’s father was.
He belonged to a different agency, but he too was a PD at the broadcasting station.
And a PD with quite a bit of influence.
Nam Yeonsu’s father, one of the most powerful people, who had gone through educational programming and variety shows and now tightly held the drama department, was a man with enormous ambition and greed.
Nam Yeonsu had never shown it directly, but Cha Ilnam also knew how much his father interfered in that wrinkled script he always carried around.
From what he had heard, he sometimes sent him to acting academies, and he also personally coached his son’s acting.
Nam Yeonsu, who debuted at an even younger age than now, being called a genius must be because all of that harsh process existed.
Some people had the opinion that Nam Yeonsu was too pitiful, but most people were happy about Nam Yeonsu’s existence.
The appearance of the genius child actor everyone had been waiting for, who did not cause trouble and acted well.
Without anyone saying it outright, everyone welcomed Nam Yeonsu’s existence.
Most people did not know Nam Yeonsu’s circumstances well, but even those who did reacted that it was fine because Nam Yeonsu himself liked acting too.
Cha Ilnam also thought that if the kid liked it, it was not a problem.
But for him to get that shaken just because the script went missing.
Only now did the thought come that maybe that was a bit dangerous.
‘For now, I have no choice but to leave it to Siwoo once.’
He did not know where the script went, but seeing Han Siwoo bring up “ad libs” first, it seemed that kid had noticed something too.
‘He really is a smart one.’
With a hollow laugh, Cha Ilnam thought that once this shoot ended, he should at least call Kim Sangcheol.
Just what kind of kid did you find?
Han Siwoo watched Nam Yeonsu stumble over his lines again and again.
And then, right before the next take began, he suddenly plopped down onto the sandy beach.
At that action of his that was not in the script, Nam Yeonsu looked slightly startled.
Cha Ilnam, thinking now is the moment, quickly called out the cue.
“Cue!”
Wooju speaks to Ji Haeseong as if he is annoyed.
After an action not in the script, what follows is naturally a line not in the script as well.
“Ah, then hyung should do that one instead of this.”
“…You say it like you are really making a concession.”
At that tone, Ji Haeseong looked at his younger brother as if he could not believe it.
As if he had been waiting for those words, Wooju shrugged and answered.
“Then how about hyung makes a concession? You are hyung.”
“You only call me hyung at times like this, Kang Wooju.”
That ‘hyung, hyung’.
When he is told to do it, he absolutely will not, but when he is at a disadvantage like this, he goes ‘hyung, hyung’.
Ji Haeseong spoke with a sulky voice to the younger brother who was hard to handle.
Then Wooju smiled brightly again, pointed at his own face, and shouted.
“He’s getting mad. He’s getting mad. Hyung, are you mad?”
“I-I’m not mad, when was I ever mad!”
Even though they are not here at this spot, according to the script, the parents would be sitting nearby.
At Wooju shouting as if to make sure they heard, Ji Haeseong was startled and lowered his voice.
Shh, shh.
Ji Haeseong glares at his younger brother as if telling him to be quiet.
Wooju, looking at that face, giggles and laughs like he likes it.
Ji Haeseong, who once again got cleanly played by his younger brother, ends up laughing along too, as if he feels empty.
“…Cut!”
Startled at Cha Ilnam’s cut, Nam Yeonsu turned and looked toward the main monitor.
There was Cha Ilnam, wearing a satisfied smile as he looked this way.
‘Uh, uh…? I, I… just now!’
Nam Yeonsu, unable to tell what expression he had made just now, fidgeted with his cheek with a confused face.
Even he could feel it.
That until just now, his face had been stiffly hardened in an awful way.
The more he repeated to himself that it could not be like this, the more he could not properly spit out even the lines he had memorized.
But then suddenly, Han Siwoo did an action that was not in the script.
A scene where they had to show the brothers’ natural play time.
And they also had to show the two of them gradually growing closer.
Pulled along by Han Siwoo’s unexpected behavior, he completed that scene without even realizing it.
Thinking if it was really okay, Nam Yeonsu stole a nervous glance at Cha Ilnam.
Cha Ilnam, who silently went into monitoring, did not say anything after that.
What do I do? He was stamping his feet internally, when Han Siwoo, who had brushed the sand off his backside with a pat and stood up, spoke to him.
“Yeonsu hyung.”
“Huh?”
“Hyung, just now you were really natural.”
“…Really?”
If so, that was a relief.
If only Cha Ilnam thought so too, that would be a relief.
To Nam Yeonsu, frozen as if waiting for a death sentence in fear, Han Siwoo said lightly.
“Yeah, how was it just now? Was it fun?”
“…”
Was it fun?
Nam Yeonsu stiffened like someone who had heard something he was not supposed to hear.
It was not “you did well” or “you didn’t do it well.”
Han Siwoo was asking whether the acting he just did was fun.
At those words, Nam Yeonsu quietly thought about it.
Fun, fun…
When Han Siwoo suddenly plopped down on the sand and ad libbed, he had been seized by fear.
What is he trying to do?
Even veteran actors said they would discuss it before exchanging ad libs, but this kid did not even do that, so he felt resentful too.
But what was his expression in the middle like?
Clearly, it felt like he blurted things out because he did not want to lose.
Like Ji Haeseong, who really does not want to lose to Kang Wooju.
Then without realizing it, his speech sped up, and it felt like he got heated too.
His voice… seemed like it got a little louder, too.
Like when he played around and joked with other kids during break time at school.
Like playing.
Nam Yeonsu suddenly came to his senses.
And, slowly, he answered Han Siwoo, who was grinning at him.
“Yeah…. It was really fun.”
“Haa.”
After the long shoot ended, Nam Yeonsu returned to his spot and caught his breath.
The moment Nam Yeonsu sat down, Nam Yeonsu’s manager quickly handed the kid a cold bottle of water.
“Yeonsu, your condition is good today, huh? Everything you acted today, every part of it was good.”
“Really?”
In the sweltering weather, being under the lights made sweat bead up.
The manager fanned the kid diligently and spoke in high spirits.
“Of course. I’m going to tell your father how well Yeonsu did today…. Ah, um. No. Haha.”
Speaking quickly, the manager trailed off as if he realized it too late.
Usually, if he talked about his father to Nam Yeonsu, his condition would get worse, so during filming he almost never brought it up, but he had made a mistake.
It was because what Nam Yeonsu showed today was so encouraging.
But Nam Yeonsu’s reaction, after drinking the cold water down, was unexpected.
Normally, when his dad came up, he would go quiet, but today, his eyes sparkled as he spoke.
“No. Today you really, really have to tell my dad that I did really, really well.”
“Huh?! Y-yeah! Of course. Don’t worry, Yeonsu.”
Even while startled, the manager repeated that of course he would do that.
After getting a firm answer, Nam Yeonsu seemed delighted as he leaned back comfortably in his chair.
Normally, he would immediately start looking for his script, but strangely, today he did not.
‘Huh, wait a second…. Where did Yeonsu’s script go?’
With a strange feeling, the manager was about to look around.
Looks like I need to step in again.
“Uncle.”
“Huh? What’s wrong. Hot? Want me to turn on the fan?”
My uncle, who was rustling beside me as he organized our things, lifted his head and asked.
Carefully watching Nam Yeonsu and his manager’s movements, I spoke quickly.
“No, Uncle, are you close with Yeonsu hyung’s manager?”
“Uh, well. We’ve gotten close lately, yeah.”
As expected.
At times like this, my uncle’s friendliness is really helpful.
It is hard to find someone on set he is not friendly with.
“Then for a bit, take that person somewhere else. I have something to say to Yeonsu hyung.”
“What?”
Maybe because it was unexpected, my uncle’s eyes widened.
Come on.
We are out of time.
I patted my uncle’s back and said,
“Hurry! Go buy some ice cream or something.”
“Uh, uh. Okay. Hey, hey. Seonghu!”
At my words, my uncle seemed to notice something at last and hurriedly called Nam Yeonsu’s manager.
The manager, who had been rummaging through Nam Yeonsu’s things, lifted his head at my uncle’s call.
Whew, that was close.
I succeeded in drawing the manager’s attention elsewhere.
Of course, Nam Yeonsu’s torn script is in our car, though.
Once my uncle left with the manager, I naturally sat down next to Nam Yeonsu and spoke to him with a mischievous grin.
“See, it works if you do it.”
Leave a Reply