Free Web NovelThe director flipped open the script.
#23. Police Station (Day)
Cheol-jin reviews crime scene photos showing the murder weapon.
Close-up of the photo in the documents.
A stone of a strangely familiar shape. He looks frustrated, unable to recall where he’s seen it.
Trainee Officer: “Hello.”
The youthful trainee officer greets everyone brightly.
Passing documents to a clerk, the trainee notices the papers Cheol-jin is reading.
Trainee Officer: “Oh?”
Cheol-jin silently turns his head.
Trainee Officer: “Are you studying Korean history, Team Leader? ” (with a look of recognition)
Cheol-jin: “What?”
Trainee Officer: “Isn’t that the photo you’re looking at a chipped stone tool?”
Cheol-jin: “Chipped stone tool...?”
Trainee Officer: “You know the tools used in the Paleolithic era. The ones primitive people used in prehistoric times....”
Cheol-jin shows no reaction.
Embarrassed, the trainee walks off-screen.
Cheol-jin opens his laptop and searches “chipped stone tool.”
Immediately the same shape of stone appears on his screen as in his documents.
He took his eyes off the script and watched the rehearsal.
The rehearsal was happening exactly as written.
Lee Kang-jin as the lead reads papers with a dry expression, and the youthful trainee officer passes by and makes a knowing remark.
But the director noticed small details.
“Sukyung.”
The officer politely hands over documents and salutes with rank.
A somewhat relaxed stride.
When explaining the Paleolithic era, he mimics swinging the stone tool and laughs brightly.
The director sensed the actor’s attention to detail and grew curious and interested.
Above all, his acting was solid.
Non-actors in cameos usually overplay to show they’re cameos.
In a genre piece like GTV Slip, where seriousness is the base, Ji-ho’s natural performance won him over.
Neither too much nor too little.
“Well done!”
After rehearsal, Lee Kang-jin patted Wang Ji-ho on the back to encourage him.
True to his peacemaker role, his teasing lightened the atmosphere.
Staff who’d worried about multiple takes relaxed.
The NewBlack members playing petty criminals slapped their hands together and whispered excitedly among themselves.
“Director, what do you think? He’s good, right?”
“He prepared well.”
“Thank you!”
Ji-ho bowed, and the director voiced a question.
“By the way, I’m curious. Why did you use Sukyung when handing over the documents?”
“Oh.”
Ji-ho answered clearly.
“A senior in the same unit who served in the military told me that saluting with rank when handing something over adds realism. I looked it up, and the equivalent rank was Sukyung, which they say is often faked at that level.”
“The senior in the unit—is he the stern-looking guy over there?”
“No, the leader of the petty criminals.”
He meant Woo-ju.
When their eyes met, the petty criminals eating Lemon candy nearby stood and bowed.
The director swallowed a laugh.
Now Lee Kang-jin showed curiosity.
“But why Sergeant First Class? Because it’s the highest?”
“Um, since the script doesn’t specify, I set it arbitrarily. I heard that in extended service, you learn the internal dynamics of your unit. Since the protagonist is isolated at the station—everyone is excluding him—someone who still has a long service ahead would hesitate to approach him first. But someone about to be discharged might have the courage.”
“Oh.”
The director’s eyes lit up, and Lee Kang-jin looked at the idol member with interest.
“You analyzed the character?”
“Yes. With so few clues, I had to figure it out myself. I’m not sure if it fits, though.”
“How did you set it up?”
“A trainee preparing for the police civil service exam in his final year.”
“Preparing for civil service?”
“When the protagonist is looking at the photo, the script says he reacts ‘warmly,’ right? At first I thought maybe he’s into history, but that felt unnatural. Since the police exam subjects include history, I thought that might explain it.”
“Oh...”
A trainee about to enter society, studying for the police exam—that backstory fit. Both men nodded unconsciously.
When Assistant Director called Ji-ho back for blocking instructions, Lee Kang-jin spoke up.
“Director, doesn’t he seem extraordinary?”
“He does. At that age, unless you’ve acted since childhood, you rarely have that level of analysis. How old is he again?”
“He’s in second year of high school, and this is his first drama acting.”
“Interesting. With that skill and that mask, he could easily be a supporting actor.”
Though it was just rehearsal, Wang Ji-ho’s performance scored high in every aspect.
As a singer, he had solid vocal technique and breath control.
Clear line delivery and fitting facial expressions.
Plus the passion to analyze his extra role.
Meanwhile, their attention to this cameo actor wasn’t just because of his skill.
They didn’t want to waste his well-crafted character.
“How can we use him more?”
On paper he was just Extra 1, but seeing him live felt like a shame not to use him more.
His character setup was good.
His acting was strong—it seemed wasteful to use him for only one episode...
Watching NewBlack’s maknae giggle surrounded by members, the director’s mind buzzed with ideas.
After talking with the director, the maknae returned with a triumphant expression, like a proud sparrow.
“Hyungs...!”
“Success?”
I asked, and Ji-ho whispered excitedly.
“I finally spoke like an adult actor.”
“Amazing...!”
“You saw it, right?”
Nodding, we applauded in awe, and Junghyun patted his back in approval.
He’d practiced “Yes~” since morning to avoid seeming unserious, and it paid off.
Bi-ju popped a Lemon candy into the maknae’s mouth as we fussed.
“How was it? Did you enjoy acting?”
“Yes. I was totally immersed. Did I do well? I think I did.”
Ji-ho bounced around.
“I usually don’t share a table with petty criminals, but I did because you guys are my hyungs.”
We immediately protested.
“Ji-ho, don’t look down on petty criminals.”
“Hey, look at him abusing his power, wearing the cap.”
“Our premise is they ate tteokbokki and ran off without paying. They’re not just petty criminals.”
Building on Junghyun’s comment, I added:
“Also Junghyun’s assigned a year of penalty. Watch out.”
“Ji-ho, I’m short attendance days. Be careful.”
At our jests, the nearby background actor almost snorted.
“You idiots.”
Ri-hyuk sighed.
“Is that the best delinquency you can imagine?”
“When have you ever been delinquent yourself...?”
“Exactly. He insisted on obeying traffic lights when monsters chased him in the game.”
...
Trading barbs, we all laughed as his face reddened.
While Bi-ju fanned his heated cheeks, Ji-ho headed off.
“He’s calling me. I’ll go! See you later!”
We waved as he approached the assistant director.
Noticing, Bi-ju leaned to me and whispered.
“He seems less tense now, right?”
“Yeah, much better than before.”
To ease him before the real shoot, I’d teased him, and thankfully it worked.
Seeing our worried maknae now excited, shouting “Acting, acting!” put my mind at ease.
I smiled, playing with my uniform tie.
“He’s so happy, my heart’s full.”
“Me too, hyung.”
Just then. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Growl.
Our stomachs loudly protested, embarrassing us.
Junghyun rubbed his belly.
“Looks like it’s not mine.”
“We’ll soothe them soon.”
The background actor across chuckled.
As Lee Kang-jin and Ji-ho matched their marks, the director approached us with simple direction.
“When Ji-ho walks down the station corridor, he’ll glance at you. One of you should say ‘What are you looking at?’”
Our gazes all fell on one person.
“Oh, he decided who already. Just say that line and the rest is free improv. Other than a few lines, you’ll just murmur among yourselves.”
“Okay, got it.”
Seated in metal chairs, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) we made “fighting” poses for Ji-ho.
He returned a bright smile.
Meanwhile, I secretly smoothed my uniform lapel as we waited.
A comforting feel.
Feeling happy fingering my uniform, I sensed the juniors’ gazes.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat and changed the subject.
“Before we start, let’s check expressions. All of you lower your eyes slightly. Pull your chins in a bit.”
“Okay.”
“Keep your gaze forward. Tilt one cheek up, like—everyone look at Ri-hyuk. That’s the annoyed look.”
“Quiet.”
With delinquent expressions perfected, we waited for filming.
“Ready, action!”
At the director’s call, filming began.
Ji-ho started walking toward us.
“Let’s do well.”
“Let’s do our best.”
Though Ji-ho is the star today, we resolved to do our best too.
Before the camera hit us, Bi-ju turned to me.
“Hyung.”
“You can do it, Bi-ju.”
GTV Friday Drama Slip — Episode 1 “NewBlack Cameo Scene”
Police Station.
In the bustling station, the trainee officer walks with documents.
Four handsome youths in uniforms stand before the detective, raising their voices.
“No, it wasn’t expensive—we just ate one tteokbokki...!”
“It just tasted like capsaicin.”
“We really planned to come back with the money.”
They seem to want to look like delinquents, but it feels oddly petty.
Sure enough.
“Hey, hey!”
A blond student screeches and clings to the leader when the detective slams a file on the desk.
But the leader is just as scared.
Only the one who looks like the ringleader murmurs in thought. The detective asks him.
“You’re free on parole... why hang out with these guys?”
“I lost a year’s good conduct days.”
“Did you commit a crime?”
“I’m in the sports club, and my attendance days were short...”
Faced with such an innocent reason, the detective turned to the blond member.
“Your hair’s dyed yellow. Dissatisfied with society?”
“Um... No.”
Murmuring in Korean like a chick, the ringleader whispered, covering his mouth.
“He’s from LA.”
“That’s right.”
Startled, the trainee officer blinked at the nod, then asked a passing clerk.
“...Who are these guys?”
“They were caught skipping payment after ordering tteokbokki at an internet cafe.”
“....”
Judging them pathetic, the trainee officer frowned. A low-rank member glared back.
“What are you looking at? First time seeing criminals?”
“Don’t speak as if you’re not one. You’re petty criminals!”
Bang bang!
“I’m so scared.”
“Calm down, James.”
The blond student, terrified of “Korean police,” hunched over.
Behind them, serious but faintly funny lines continued.
“There are all sorts of weird people.”
Amid the commotion, the trainee officer shook his head.
It was the exit moment of the “Petty Criminals” scene-stealer in Episode 1 of GTV Slip.
After about an hour, our cameo scene ended.
“Thank you for your hard work!”
We thanked the encouraging staff.
The director especially praised Ji-ho’s acting and asked if he could film one or two more scenes if the schedule allowed.
Our maknae nearly let out a pterosaur cry, startling them.
“One, two, three!”
“Fighting!”
We took an SNS commemorative shot with key crew.
We also took selfies with staff who requested photos in advance.
Though time was tight, we made sure to depart warmly rather than dash off and seem arrogant.
“Here you go. Did I spell your father’s name right?”
“Yes. Thanks.”
Signing autographs for parents, this was the most common request.
As the next schedule loomed, Manager Minki declined on our behalf.
“Sorry, we need to go now. We have a recording in Yeouido right away...”
“Oh, I see. Just one more photo?”
“Sure, I’ll take it quickly.”
We orchestrated a pleasant departure.
Honestly, I wanted to accommodate everyone, but the shoot ran late and we had to head back to Seoul.
With fan service done, I put my arms around the juniors on the way to the parking lot.
“Let’s go, James.”
“Hyung...”
Bi-ju said with a sad face.
“I must have lost my mind. Won’t Min-jun get teased at school as James’s little brother?”
Seeing Bi-ju cover his face with both hands made me laugh.
Embarrassed, he groaned, and we all patted him. But when we said he’d be a charming cameo in the drama, he asked with sad eyes, “Really?”
“Of course. You all did great.”
“What about me?”
“You’re the best, maknae. Hey, Seo, give some commentary.”
Ri-hyuk said matter-of-factly.
“Personally I don’t want to admit it, but you delivered a performance most viewers would like.”
Top-grade praise.
When I gave a knowing shrug, Ji-ho ran over to Ri-hyuk.
“Ooh, our Ri-hyuk hyung!”
“Aah! Get him off me!”
In the warm atmosphere, we chatted about grabbing tornado potatoes at the rest area if traffic was clear as we got in the car.
“Hmm?”
Bi-ju looked at his phone and tilted his head. We, buckling seat belts, looked.
“What is it?”
“Min-jun sent a strange text.”
A strange text?
Junghyun narrowed his eyes asking “What is it?” and we all paid attention.
Bi-ju showed the message on his phone.
“They say we appeared in the school class this morning.”
“...?”
