Aura of a Genius Actor

"Have you ever ridden on a plane?"

{What would be the point of riding a plane? I'm much faster.}

"Right..."

Behind the partition, beer was disappearing into thin air.

Miho was enthusiastically drinking the complimentary beer offered in business class.

"Is it good?"

{Not bad.}

Miho gulped down a can [N O V E L I G H T] of beer before sneakily stashing another one in the overhead compartment as Yoomyeong handed it over.

Zzz—

Yoomyeong fell asleep as soon as he finished his meal, exhausted from months of filming. He had thought he would be too excited to sleep on his first international trip, but he didn't wake up until the landing announcement.

Krrrum—

Startled by the loud vibration, he sat upright and realized they had arrived at the airport in China.

"Wow..."

His first impression was that the airport smelled different from Korea. Yoomyeong's eyes darted around at the foreign-language signs, but there was no time to explore.

The schedule was too tight to allow any sightseeing.

After boarding a chartered bus and driving for several hours, they arrived on the outskirts of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province.

The main filming location was a Ming Dynasty set near Hangzhou.

"Thank you for coming."

Director Son, who had arrived earlier, greeted them warmly. Then everyone quickly joined in unloading the luggage. Yoomyeong helped with the setup despite the protests. Once things settled down, he stood by the lobby window. The hotel, popular among filming crews, offered a distant view of the vast set.

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

"Yes... the scale is on another level."

"Everything is bigger in China. It's almost as though building things grandly is their specialty. Imagine the awe and overwhelming pressure someone from Goryeo would feel upon arriving in Ming for the first time, and yet overcoming it all through sheer human dignity to earn recognition."

"That's the feeling we wanted to capture, which is why we insisted on filming here despite the production company's objections."

"Haha."

Yoomyeong laughed at Director Son's candid words.

"Get some rest for now. We have a meeting with the actor playing Zhu Yuanzhang tonight. It's only a short five-day shoot, but it'll be good to greet your fellow actor."

"Yes, Director."

Yoomyeong went up to his room and lay down on the bed, but he couldn't fall asleep because of his excitement over his first overseas location shoot.

In search of an actor capable of portraying those traits, Director Son had personally visited China during pre-production to hold auditions.

Luo Derong.

He was a veteran actor in his fifties who had once enjoyed immense popularity and was now known for his dependable supporting roles. He was also a familiar face to Yoomyeong.

Director Son, accompanied by Lee Geun-chan, Min Gyeong-Guk, Shin Yoomyeong, and an interpreter, met him.

"Welcome, Mr. Luo Derong."

[Hello.] (*Chinese dialogue is indicated in brackets.)

"Please meet our actors. Mr. Shin Yoomyeong is playing Lee Bang-won, Mr. Min Gyeong-Guk is playing Jeong Do-jeon, and Mr. Lee Geun-chan is playing Lee Saek."

"Nice to meet you."

"[Nice to meet you.]"

Luo Derong greeted them in awkward Korean, prompting laughter and relaxing the atmosphere.

"[Has the lead actor not arrived yet?]"

"Yes, he has another schedule and will arrive early tomorrow morning."

"[Is that so? The lead actor arrives on the same day? Tsk.]"

He clicked his tongue subtly, his tone carrying faint disapproval. Despite his friendly smile, he continued making vaguely irritating remarks, enough to make them wish the interpreter was mistranslating.

"[I was very impressed by your film that won at the Berlin Film Festival, Director Son. I respect you.]"

"Haha, you've seen it?"

"[Yes. The tightly woven story, as well as the texture and beauty of the cinematography, were truly impressive.]"

"Thank you."

"[But isn't this project somewhat experimental?]"

"What?"

There he went again.

"[There aren't any particularly famous actors. The lead, Mr. Yoon, doesn't have much filmography yet, and the co-lead, Mr. Shin, is a rookie actor. There are some well-known supporting actors, but the leads are... Is this a strategy of using fresh faces for the film?]"

Though he spoke indirectly, the implication was obvious: he was dissatisfied with the cast.

Director Son's eyebrows twitched, and Min Gyeong-Guk's face reddened.

Whether or not he noticed the mood, Luo Derong added another comment.

"[I was really looking forward to working with Director Son, but to think this isn't a stage for professionals... that's a little disappointing, haha. Regardless, I'll do my best as an actor.]"

Yoon Hansung, who had become a star about five years ago after a long period of obscurity, had no famous works in China. The remarks were a clear jab at both him and Yoomyeong, who was still a rookie actor. freёwebnovel.com

Yoomyeong felt anger rise within him. He had endured disrespect and belittlement during his years of obscurity, but this was different because it involved Hansung.

Hansung's long years of frustration, his efforts to overcome them, his humility, and his passion for mastering a new style of acting at an age when his technique was already mature—no one had the right to say he wasn't a professional.

Before Yoomyeong could speak, Min Gyeong-Guk beat him to it.

"Just because you're ignorant doesn't give you the right to belittle other people. Your narrow-mindedness is showing. Have you seen ? Or ?"

Both films had been highly praised for showcasing Yoon Hansung's talent. was also directed by Director Son.

"You say you respect Director Son, but you haven't even watched all of his films. And isn't it hypocritical to belittle the lead actors he personally chose? Does that mean you think your own acting, since you were chosen by him as well, is mediocre too?"

"Actor Min—"

Director Son made a show of intervening, but he didn't stop the interpreter from translating Gyeong-Guk's words.

It seemed he was upset as well.

Luo Derong's face reddened after hearing the translation.

"[Aren't your words too harsh?]"

"Me? I'm being incredibly calm and rational right now. What I said was the bare minimum."

Sparks flew between them.

Then Director Son finally stepped in to mediate with a wry smile.

"Mr. Luo Derong, actors are nothing without their acting and their pride. Actor Min spoke impulsively, but he had a point. The actors here are the best I've carefully selected for this project, both in terms of acting ability and passion. They're among the best actors in any project I've ever worked on."

"[Hmm, I see.]"

He calmed down and responded indifferently.

"Well, you'll understand once you act with them."

"[We'll see. I look forward to it.]"

The director wore a meaningful smile.

It was an interesting situation. Though angered by Luo Derong's remarks, Yoomyeong couldn't help but see a parallel to the film's plot, where Jeong Mong-ju stood against the arrogance and territoriality of a great nation in order to prove his worth.

With the director's intervention, the actors could argue no further and stood up.

Seeing the fiery looks in Gyeong-Guk and Yoomyeong's eyes, Director Son sensed that tomorrow's shoot would be more passionate than ever.

He hoped the incident would also reach Yoon Hansung and inspire him to silence Luo Derong through his acting.

However, Hansung looked terribly gaunt when he arrived the following morning.

Yoomyeong was alarmed by Hansung's deathly pale complexion.

It had been about a week since he last saw him.

Toward the end of filming at the Mungyeong set, Director Son had suddenly moved up all the scenes involving Jeong Mong-ju for some reason, leaving the final shoots without him.

Yoomyeong had asked Hansung whether he had some important schedule, but Hansung hadn't answered.

Is he so sick that he couldn't even tell me? Is it something serious?

Seeing Yoomyeong turn pale as he waited for an answer, Hansung smiled and shook his head.

"No, it's not that..."

"Then what? Hyung, you look terrible. You should be in a hospital, not filming overseas."

"It's not that. I'm just hungry."

"What??"

What did he mean? Yoomyeong was stunned.

"I haven't eaten for days."

"Why? What happened? How could you let yourself get to this state?"

"Jeong Mong-ju starved for thirteen days."

Yoomyeong held his breath at Hansung's words.

Despite the dark circles beneath his eyes, Hansung's eyes burned intensely as he spoke with Jeong Mong-ju's expression.

"I couldn't do thirteen days because of the shooting schedule, but this is my sixth day fasting. Hopefully it'll work."

Yoomyeong was shaken by that intense gaze.

There was no need to mention Luo Derong's comments.

This actor would undoubtedly astonish him.