Free Web Novel“Hello, Mr. Shin Yoomyeong—”
“Just a few words, please!!” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Praise for a Korean film from a renowned foreign director — even if it was partly tied to the marketing campaign for ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ — stirred national pride and sparked interest in both Ballerina High and its actor, Shin Yoomyeong.
Interview requests poured in.
Seeing it as beneficial publicity for both the film and the drama, the agency accepted several interviews, and articles with sensational headlines spread rapidly.
[Actor Shin Yoomyeong Receives International Recognition Before Domestic Fame. Praised by a Cannes Film Festival Programmer and Director Joel Schumacher.]
[Supporting Actor Overshadows the Lead? Exclusive Interview with ‘Showbiz Studies’ Star Shin Yoomyeong]
It was only natural that ‘Showbiz Studies’ saw its ratings soar again the following week. The film boosted the drama’s viewership far beyond Director Ki’s expectations.
Episode 3: 26.5%
Episode 4: 27.8%
During those episodes, Kim Hana took on a sudden minor role and began receiving private lessons from Kwon Do-jun’s acting coach, who had taken an interest in her. The sharp advice that caught the teacher’s attention had come from Bohyung.
Needless to say, Bohyung’s popularity surged once again.
[In-Depth Analysis of Yoon Bohyung’s Iconic Looks in ‘Showbiz Studies’ Episode 3]
[A Supporting Character Like No Other? Writer Yook Mi-young’s Bold Experiment]
[The Entertainment Industry Shaken by the Emergence of a Monster Rookie Actor]
Right before the premiere, Blue Film released another article.
[Ballerina High Invited to Seven International Film Festivals Worldwide]
In reality, the number of invitations exceeded ten if festivals with premiere or unreleased-film conditions were excluded.
Then, that weekend, Ballerina High was finally released.
Just as Yoomyeong had hoped, this time the drama helped drive the movie’s success.
Passionate filmgoers who had booked tickets early after hearing praise from the Cannes programmer and Director Joel Schumacher, viewers curious after hearing about ‘The Phantom of the Opera,’ and Shin Yoomyeong’s growing fanbase all contributed to near sold-out screenings.
Any regret over not waiting for the next Cannes Film Festival was more than compensated for.
The people who watched the film flooded the internet with rave reviews.
<Experts’ Reviews>
— A film where visual beauty and acting blend together flawlessly.
— A masterpiece that sharply explores the duality of humanity’s desire for art.
— I used to think ballet was an inhuman art form, but this film revealed the humanity hidden within it.
— I came for Bohyung and fell for the Phantom.
— I watched this at the Busan Film Festival and came back for a second viewing. It’s such a shame they didn’t wait and submit it to Cannes first.
— He’s like a diamond that was suddenly discovered out of nowhere. Where has this actor been hiding all this time?
— I’m a film student. The ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) ideal mise-en-scène I dreamed of was right here.
Naturally, once the film started making money, the number of theaters screening it increased.
Despite being a ‘passion project’ centered around the non-mainstream subject of ballet, the number of theaters gradually grew.
Shin Yoomyeong’s fresh image, proven acting ability, and box-office draw began making waves throughout the industry.
“Take a look at this list of luxury brands that want to sponsor your wardrobe.”
“Oppa, the company phone hasn’t stopped ringing. Everyone’s trying to book you.”
Of course, he was still viewed as a ‘rookie’ — a ‘sudden breakout star.’
The luxury sponsorship offers came because the character Yoon Bohyung perfectly suited luxury fashion, and most of the casting offers were still for supporting roles in commercials, films, and dramas.
Even so, the fact that projects were now coming to him under the name ‘Shin Yoomyeong’ still felt unfamiliar and unbelievable.
Sometimes Yoomyeong would pinch the back of his hand, wondering whether all of this was just a dream born from the longing of an actor who had remained obscure for fifteen years.
He was confident in his acting.
Logically, he knew he was an actor worth seeking out.
But unlike his mind, his heart still quietly asked whether he was truly needed as an actor.
And every time he answered himself, ‘Yes,’ a quiet thrill ran through him — one he was too embarrassed to share with anyone.
He looked down at the small figure curled up beside him, feeling overwhelming gratitude, faint regret, and a deep sense of indebtedness toward this mysterious being.
{Zzz...I want beer... kyung... zzz...}
The day before Christmas Eve, the filming set bustled as though it were any ordinary day.
Yoomyeong arrived thirty minutes before call time and greeted everyone loudly.
“Good morning!”
The producer smiled warmly at Yoomyeong, whose popularity was driving the ratings upward, while the senior actors praised his diligence.
But not everyone welcomed his success.
“Director, I have some concerns about this episode’s script...”
With an awkward smile, Lee Kyu-seong refused to film the script for episode 9.
PD Bang nervously bit his lower lip.
Episode 5 had already aired, and once tonight’s episode 6 finished broadcasting, they would only have two episodes left to shoot.
In other words, they were in crisis.
“Gyu-min comes across as a bad actor. You know how important the image of being a good actor is, right? Even if it’s fictional, portraying an actor as bad at acting is a problem.”
PD Bang Hak was speechless.
The script never explicitly stated that ‘Tak Gyu-min is a bad actor,’ but because Kwon Do-jun was portrayed as a top actor with a terrible personality, the implication was that the second male lead fell short in comparison.
Of course, if the acting had genuinely been awful, the PD could understand complaints about image damage.
But the script didn’t portray Tak Gyu-min as terrible at acting — only as someone overshadowed by Kwon Do-jun’s superior skill.
Was that really so difficult to understand?
And why was he suddenly raising objections now, right before filming, instead of when he first received the script?
A tense silence settled over the set.
From behind him, Eun-soo tugged lightly at Yoomyeong’s sleeve.
When he turned around, he saw her give a small nod.
It seemed she had something to say.
After moving to a secluded corner where no one could overhear them, Eun-soo finally spoke.
“I think half the reason Lee Kyu-seong is causing trouble is because of you, oppa.”
“Huh?”
Yoomyeong already had an idea of what she meant, but he pretended not to understand and asked her to explain.
“I used to work part-time at TW Entertainment before joining Good Enter, and I heard from the unnies there that Lee Kyu-seong has a terrible personality. Apparently, he’s extremely competitive with Baek Seunghyo.”
Yoomyeong nodded, unsurprised that Lee Kyu-seong’s personality hadn’t changed.
Lee Kyu-seong.
He was a star actor adored for his doll-like appearance, with a fanatical teenage fanbase behind him. His acting skills were also excellent, which made him highly sought after in the broadcasting industry. Still, if judged solely on acting ability, he wasn’t quite strong enough to lead a production yet.
“I heard he really liked the role of Kwon Do-jun when he first read the script for ‘Showbiz Studies.’”
That could never have worked.
No matter how generously one looked at it, the drama would have been a disaster if Lee Kyu-seong had played Kwon Do-jun. Not only did his image clash with the role, but his acting also lacked the weight needed to portray a ‘top actor,’ even in a fictional setting.
“Anyway, since Kwon Do-jun starts out looking rude, he probably thought he could turn things around with popularity or at least pull it off somehow. That’s probably why he confidently took the role... But now, not only is he not the lead, he’s getting completely overshadowed by a supporting character...”
Indeed.
Bohyung’s popularity had exceeded everyone’s expectations.
At first, Kyu-seong had probably found the character Yoon Bohyung somewhat irritating in the script, but before seeing Yoomyeong’s performance, he hadn’t paid much attention to him.
After all, Bohyung was only a supporting role.
“He’s demanding more screen time and stronger focus for his character. He can’t say that outright, so he’s using excuses instead~”
Yoomyeong recalled the scandal that would erupt around Lee Kyu-seong several years later.
After quitting, his former manager exposed him.
Recorded conversations were leaked, revealing Lee Kyu-seong’s foul language and ugly personality.
“Hey, I told you I didn’t want to do that. Just tell them I injured my leg tomorrow, okay? What, you’re coming to pick me up? Ha, this idiot doesn’t even know who pays his salary. I’m changing the passcode. Try coming over and see whether you get fired or not.”
“Listen, I’m not doing that skinship scene. Are you going to take responsibility if the fans leave? Idiot. I already did it in the last project. At least she was pretty. If sales drop, then they drop. Can’t you people have some standards?”
The casual contempt in his tone made it even more disturbing.
After that scandal, he was essentially buried by the entertainment industry.
He couldn’t tolerate anything going against his wishes and concealed that nature behind a seemingly friendly exterior.
His fans, who had stubbornly insisted until the very end that everything was fabricated, finally turned away after his confession and public apology.
“I’m sorry, PD-nim. Our actor is usually frail, and it seems he collapsed from stress.”
Lee Kyu-seong, who had stepped out supposedly to clear his head, ultimately left the set under a believable excuse.
For the first time, the PD openly cursed.
Suppressing the urge to throw everything away, PD Bang Hak began filming scenes that didn’t involve Lee Kyu-seong.
In the middle of all this, the director got on the phone with writer Yook Mi-young.
“Lee Kyu-seong? That crazy bastard...”
Yook Mi-young started cursing the moment she heard his name.
“I had a bad feeling about him from the beginning. His greetings were polite, but he seemed slippery. What do we do, PD-nim? Should we just kill Tak Gyu-min off in a car accident?”
Her fury unexpectedly helped restore the PD’s composure.
“We can’t let the broadcast collapse. If we adjust the script a little to soothe his ego, maybe he’ll come back acting pitifully heroic. Would that work?”
“You know the problem isn’t the scene itself, Director. He’s protesting because the supporting character is completely overshadowing him. Well then, he should just act better. Tak Gyu-min has plenty of charming lines that could easily win viewers over.”
That much was true.
The PD had suggested compromise only as a temporary measure because of the tight filming schedule. He knew it wasn’t a real solution.
“I’ll send you the opening of episode 10. Shoot it along with today’s scenes. I’ll come to the set myself and we’ll discuss the rest there.”
“Haa... Today’s scenes heavily involve Tak Gyu-min, and there’s also an important scene between him and Kwon Do-jun. On top of that, we’d have to adjust Seunghyo’s schedule too.”
“Then shoot Baek Seunghyo’s close-ups first. We can film the two-shots later. It’ll save time.”
“But then Baek Seunghyo would have to act without a scene partner.”
“Why? You’ve got that ‘monster rookie.’ Just put him in front of him and Baek Seunghyo will naturally rise to the challenge.”
PD Bang Hak slapped his knee as the idea hit him.
Even if he couldn’t memorize the lines immediately, simply reading from the script wasn’t difficult for him.
“Still, I think I should familiarize myself with the lines first.”
“Of course. We’ll film the other scenes first and leave the Do-jun and Gyu-min scenes for the end. You can go over the script in the meantime. To avoid confusion, we’ll also leave Bohyung’s scenes for later.”
“Okay, that works for me.”
Yoomyeong sat down in a corner and began reading Tak Gyu-min’s lines.
‘Acting badly...’
It was an interesting challenge.
Doing it convincingly might actually be harder than acting well.
Tak Gyu-min was the complete opposite of Kwon Do-jun.
At the press conference, Baek Seunghyo had said that playing Kwon Do-jun was difficult because he had to act well both as ‘Kwon Do-jun’ and as ‘the character Kwon Do-jun was playing.’
But Tak Gyu-min needed to act well as ‘Tak Gyu-min’ while deliberately acting poorly as ‘the character Tak Gyu-min was playing.’
Yoomyeong thought that role was much more difficult because it had to feel natural.
‘If he had leaned into that side of the role, he could’ve become even more popular...’
A convincing portrayal of a bad actor could have drawn even more attention.
Of course, that depended on one thing above all else: the actor’s actual skill.
‘Normally, I wouldn’t put this much effort into someone else’s role, but...’
Right now, Yoomyeong had no intention of holding back.
Even though the footage would never actually be used, he intended to perform so well that Lee Kyu-seong would feel embarrassed the moment he returned.
