Chapter 8

One month had passed.

The scorching heat of summer had reached its peak. During this time, I earned some living expenses and completely replaced Yuna’s worn-out clothes with new ones, filling her wardrobe to the brim.

Of course, I didn’t forget to buy her new shoes this time.

“Yuna, which outfit do you want to wear?”

I spread out the clothes I bought yesterday on the floor and gave Yuna the choice.

The reason I did this was because…

Capturing Yuna’s various looks and uploading them to her personal star profile on my phone has become a new hobby.

Although the response wasn’t huge yet… well, I didn’t start this to become famous anyway.

I watched as Yuna carefully made her choice.

“Hmm, Yuna likes this one the most!”

In Yuna’s tiny hand was a pale yellow dress.

*Click Click*

I didn’t miss the fleeting moment and captured her innocent smile on my phone.

“But, Appa.”

“Yeah?”

“Where are we going today?”

“Oh… Today, we’re going to meet the scary director we saw last time.”

Last night, I received a sudden text from Director Lee Hansol while I was taking a shower.

‘Come to the office tomorrow at the scheduled time. There’s good news.’ Did he also mention to come early if possible?

After quickly changing into some clothes, I assessed my appearance in front of the mirror.

For some reason, I felt like I needed to look tidy today.

So, I chose a white shirt that matched well with black trousers.

This should look neat enough, right?

“Appa… help.”

“Huh? What are you doing right now?”

Yuna was struggling to put her hand through the opening for her head.

It seemed like she was trying to dress herself alone. I chuckled softly.

“You should wait for help.”

“But… I wanted to get dressed quickly.”

I immediately helped Yuna take off her clothes and slowly helped her put on the new ones.

“How did Appa say to do it when he helps you?”

“Raise your hands!”

“Haha. Our Yuna is so smart, huh?”

I dressed her properly and captured her image again on my phone.

“Appa! How do I look?”

Turning around in place with a wide smile, she looked so adorable that it made me laugh involuntarily.

‘As expected, whatever she wears suits her well.’

The emotions I feel when I see Yuna recently are quite different from what I felt back then.

At that time, I thought of her as a poor child experiencing similar pain to my past life.

But now…

“Appa, I’m ready. Let’s go quickly.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

***

Yu Seol-hwa arrived early at the meeting room and sat down, waiting for everyone.

‘…Why did they call us here?’

The director called yesterday.

He said there was something important to discuss, so he requested the attendance of all cast members without fail.

“I hope it’s not bad news…”

*Thud*

Suddenly, the large door burst open, and someone entered the meeting room.

*Step. Step.*

It was Yoon Mijeong, who played the role of the protagonist’s mother.

Despite being over fifty,

Her consistent self-care made her look remarkably young for her age. She could easily pass for ten years younger, if not more.

“You’re here early?”

“I just arrived. Unnie, do you know why the director called us?”

“Hmm, not sure?”

Yoon Mijeong took a seat next to Yu Seol-hwa among the many available seats.

One by one, others entered the meeting room, filling up the empty seats.

“How have you been?”

“Ahaha! Of course, good. I heard you’ve been exercising lately, senior. Looks like you’ve lost a lot of weight?”

“Does it look like that to you too? Ahaha!”

As they exchanged various conversations, they eagerly awaited Director Lee Hansol’s arrival.

Glancing over everyone, Yu Seol-hwa leaned closer to Yoon Mijeong, who was sitting next to her, and spoke softly, “It’s been a while since we’ve gathered like this.”

At Yu Seol-hwa’s words, Yoon Mijeong shrugged and replied, “That’s true. Is it the first time since the script reading?”

“Oh! Right. Unnie, I found a promising rookie this time. Can I recommend them to our Mikhail Entertainment?”

“Accepting rookies is a bit tricky… You know the CEO’s personality.”

The CEO of Mikhail Entertainment didn’t hesitate to kick out anyone without talent.

That’s how much he valued talent and skill in any entertainer.

In response to her words, Yu Seol-hwa replied with a confident smile, “You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Huh?”

“Actually…”

Yu Seol-hwa quietly spilled the beans about what happened on set, making sure no one else could hear.

Yoon Mijeong’s expression changed slightly at that.

“Is that true?”

“Isn’t it impressive?”

An active actress being drawn to a mere rookie? Yoon Mijeong couldn’t believe those words at all.

“Hmm…”

“Can I recommend it to the CEO?”

Yoon Mijeong nodded.

“I’ll personally assess it.”

Yoon Mijeong’s influence was strong enough to make such a statement, even though she wasn’t the CEO.

Since she was the actor the CEO valued the most.

At the mention of assessing, Yu Seol-hwa’s eyes widened.

“What? Then we’re late!”

“If that rookie really acts as well as active actors….”

Yoon Mijeong raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll talk to the CEO.”

*Slide*

Right then, the conference room door opened.

Finally, Director Lee Hansol entered the conference room.

“Is everyone here? Then let’s get straight to the point.”

***

In front of the conference room on the 5th floor, where we finally arrived.

I sent the employee who guided us here and nervously swallowed dry saliva.

Is it okay to go in now?

I could faintly hear the familiar voice of the director from inside the conference room.@@novelbin@@

And the voices of other people.

“Appa, aren’t we going in?”

“We have to go in…”

I confidently grasped the door handle and walked inside. Everyone stopped talking and stared at us.

Director Lee Hansol and famous actors.

And Yu Seol-hwa and Kang Min-woo were also there.

“Oh? Jun-seo, why are you here?”

When everyone was silent,

Yu Seol-hwa was the first to speak.

I respectfully bowed and answered Yu Seol-hwa’s question.

“I came after receiving a call from the director.”

Then everyone’s gaze immediately turned to the director.

“You came? Take a seat for now. I was just about to distribute the revised script.”

“…Yes?”

“Why aren’t you sitting down quickly?”

“I understand.”

I quickly took a seat in an empty chair and placed Yuna on my lap.

“I’m sure you all have an idea.”

The room fell silent at the serious tone of his words.

Ignoring the atmosphere, Director Lee Hansol continued speaking.

“This time, we’ve increased the importance of actor Lee Jun-seo and his daughter by slightly changing the script. Please introduce yourselves.”

Is this the good news?

I swiftly grasped the situation, stood up hastily, and raised my voice.

“I’m Lee Jun-seo, and I’ll be playing the role of a gangster this time. Although I’m a newcomer, please take care of me in the future.”

“Please take care!”

When Yuna also bowed her head along with me, positive reactions emerged from those around us.

“Let’s do well, junior.”

“If Director Lee likes you, it means you’ve got talent, right? We’re counting on you.”

“Let’s do it together.”

But one person.

With a burdened expression, a young man raised his hand and spoke, glaring at me.

“Is this really okay?”

The cheerful atmosphere quickly deflated.

Despite the tense mood, he continued to speak,

“Just because of one person, you’re changing the script we’ve been using? Then what about all the time we’ve spent memorizing and practicing?”

His words hit home.

Just because they added a minor role like me, the whole script changed. It must feel like a waste of time for everyone who practiced until now.

Still…

I wanted to seize this opportunity.

The director’s expression, which had been contemplative, changed somewhat.

“Hmm, that makes sense. Actor Lee Jun-seo.”

“Yes?”

“Please unfold the script I just handed out from the beginning. Can you show us a bit of your acting from scene 13?”

“…I can do that.”

“Appa can do it!”

With Yuna’s response, a smile spread across the director’s face for the first time.

“How long will it take to memorize?”

After scanning the part the director mentioned and glancing at the man who was eyeing me, I answered.

“10 minutes should be enough.”

This wasn’t an empty boast.

Since my lines were short, memorizing them was quick. I could prove myself right away.

But I needed a bit of time because I had to understand what my character had experienced. People’s emotions change more easily than expected, after all.

The same goes for characters in a story.

“Are you sure 10 minutes will be enough?”

I nodded in response to the director’s question.

Then I carefully went through the events from scene 1, focusing on the incident.

‘It seems there’s an incident where the character is chased by the police in an alley and gets hurt by falling.’

And with the help of the female lead…

Are they getting a little closer?

There were many other differences from the story I knew.

‘He wants to thank her for hiding him, but it’s not easy to say. So he lingers around her shop.’

The character’s personality was quite interesting.

I glanced at the director discreetly.

‘This isn’t the level of good news!’

This was a supporting character.

‘But why does he keep lingering around the female lead and not say anything?’

It’s definitely not because he likes the female lead… I discovered a major plot inconsistency that arose from increasing my role.

Should I point this out?

This was very delicate.

I once suffered the consequences of speaking out about vague settings in my past life.

Ten minutes had passed imperceptibly.

The director tapped on the table and spoke up.

“Actor Lee Jun-seo. Are you ready?”

“Yes, I am.”

Scene 13 began in the middle of a park.

When Yu Seol-hwa suddenly encountered Yuna, an idea striked her.

“Actor Yu Seol-hwa, let’s get started.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Actor Lee Jun-seo, help your daughter get into character.”

I nodded quietly.

In the story, Yuna’s character was named Kim So-ah, while mine was Kim Young-seok.

Originally nameless as a minor character, I acquired a name when promoted to a supporting role.

Yu Seol-hwa covered her mouth and cleared her throat softly before beginning her performance.

“Huh? That kid is…”

With Yu Seol-hwa’s line, the calm narration began to flow.

Approaching So-ah cautiously, she tiptoed closer.

“Just wait a moment… Gotcha!”

As expected.

Just hearing her voice, the scene painted itself vividly in my mind.

‘Now it’s Yuna’s cue to deliver her line.’

I whispered softly into Yuna’s ear.

“Just say, ‘Strange unnie.'”

“Strange unnie?”

I’m not sure why she responded with a question… but Yu Seol-hwa didn’t falter and continued with her lines.

“Should this unnie buy you a cotton candy?”

In sitcoms, even in situations like this, it had to evoke laughter. That’s why the stage direction mentioned Yu Seol-hwa approaching with a bizarre expression.

‘Now, is it my turn to appear?’

I glanced at the young man with a piercing gaze. Pay attention, because I’ll definitely show you. I’ll prove that I deserve to be here.

This time, to make it feel more realistic, I took a deep breath and spoke up.

“What are you doing to my daughter?”

I inserted the feeling of poking around excessively into the lines.

This was a sitcom after all.

There was no need to take it too seriously.

‘The reactions are as expected.’

There were sighs of admiration from everyone.

The response was quite good.

Yu Seol-hwa continued with her lines.

“N-no. It’s just that…”

Her voice stuttered heavily, conveying a lot of fear.

“You can’t speak properly…!”

*Poke poke*

While focusing on my acting, Yuna, who was sitting on my lap, poked my waist.

“Appa! Appa! Yuna needs to go to the bathroom…”

Ah…

We haven’t even started yet…