NOVEL WEB Chapter 19
Ding ding ding ding ding.
My legs are shaking.
Shiver shiver shiver shiver shiver.
My body is vibrating endlessly.
‘What in the world did I just see?’
The author of “Hydream,” Lee Minha, was covered in goosebumps.
Honestly, if it were up to me, I’d want to run straight to the shooting site and tackle Kim Donghu right now.
“Kim Donghu!”
I asked for a performance, and he just plopped Lee Jae-yi right there.
“Thank you so much, Director.”
Lee Minha finally managed to utter each word while calming her trembling heart.
“Excuse me?”
“…I mean, thank you for letting me meet actor Kim Donghu like this.”
Good thing we met at the lowest point.
Imagine meeting that actor in another project.
‘Wouldn’t I just go insane?’
I should have met him first!
I could have made him act with a much cooler script!
The one who saved me from losing sleep over these thoughts was none other than the beret-wearing PD, Kim Youngmo.
“Haha, this isn’t thanks to me.”
It’s all thanks to actor Kim Donghu who showed up for the audition.
Kim Youngmo genuinely believed that.
The performance he just showed wasn’t acting.
It was as if he brought an entirely different person’s life to the stage.
‘They say it’s super tough for child actors to act with such emotion at that young age.’
Because being young means they can tap into their emotions more.
But the boundary between reality and acting can blur, sometimes driving them crazy.
That’s why child actors can cry so easily.
It’s a tricky principle that makes it hard to break free.
‘But he doesn’t seem affected at all.’
Despite delivering an emotionally rich performance, Kim Donghu was completely fine.
Without a hint of inner turmoil, Kim Youngmo, who had seen countless young actors, could tell.
That’s emotional control even seasoned actors find challenging.
Stepping closer, unable to hold back, Kim Youngmo asked Kim Donghu.
“Hey, Donghu, where did you learn to act?”
How could he pull off such a performance?
But the answer that came back was ridiculous.
“No, I haven’t learned separately.”
“S-Self-taught?”
“Yes.”
Hearing that exchange, Jang Geonho, who was taking care of Kim Donghu next to him, furrowed his brows.
‘Is he seriously self-taught?’
It had been a playful exchange during the script reading, but right now, the vibe was different.
Could it be true? He found himself nodding in agreement, thinking.
‘It must be possible because he’s self-taught.’
Not learned at an academy, from an agency, or with an agent.
This was a case of reaping the rewards after countless trials and errors alone.
The fact that he achieved this at just fourteen was unbelievable.
But with the results right in front of him, he couldn’t deny it.
There was no way out.
On the other hand, there was worry.
While it’s nice for the actors, PD, and writers to see someone perform well…
“Newbies are gonna drop like flies.”
Having debuted as a newbie like Kim Donghu, the pressure from the proportions of main and supporting roles would hit the kids hard.
Honestly, they probably realized it the first time they clashed.
That things could get weird.
That if they didn’t struggle from the get-go, they might fail.
And Jang Geonho’s assumptions were spot on.
“…What was I doing at 14?”
“What?”
“Just thinking, looking at that kid, I wondered what I was up to. I think I was buying Apollo snacks at the stationery store.”
Jin Su-hyuk, who played the lead character Song Cheolsu in HyeoDream, chuckled helplessly.
“When they said we picked a fourteen-year-old at the public audition, I thought it would be a joke. How good could they really be?”
But isn’t this a bit too much?
“Honestly, that was an NG situation; we didn’t even get one line in. But why did we just let it slide?”
“…Because it felt natural.”
“Right, that’s it.”
A glance.
Jin Su-hyuk stared at the scene he just filmed, looping on repeat.
There he was, frozen into silence by Lee Jae-yi’s presence.
Instead of rebutting, looking at the floor like a mouse in front of a cat felt like the natural direction.
Of course, it wasn’t intentional.
He just naturally got stomped on.
Thud.
His fists clenched tightly.
This was an issue his pride as an actor couldn’t accept.
‘Kim Donghu.’
I will definitely catch up to you.
Jin Su-hyuk wasn’t the only one thinking that.
Everyone, swallowed up by Lee Jae-yi, or rather Kim Donghu’s performance, vowed the same.
From the first filming set, an unexpected drive was blazing.
“Our Donghu has become a total catalyst, huh?”
Kim Yu-ryun, witnessing it, smiled with satisfaction.
With the tyrant whipping them, the minnows at the bottom flailed to survive.
In a way, it was the natural order of the ecosystem.
+++++
After the successful completion of the first day’s shoot.
Thanks to the advantage of being fourteen, I could head straight home without joining the dinner.
“Tough day, huh?”
Both the acting and the filming set were nonstop tension.
Even just standing still drained my energy.
If I hadn’t been consistently exercising, I might have collapsed by now.
“Son, you had filming today.”
As soon as I got home, Dad warmed up some galbijjim as if waiting for me.
“I should’ve picked you up, sorry.”
“It’s okay, Dad, you’ve been busy lately.”
“Still, I’m sorry.”
Dad had been having a busy time lately.
I was having a lovely day.
Life, as it turns out, is like a game of whack-a-mole; solve one problem, and another pops up.
Just when my mom’s cancer treatment costs vanished into thin air, bam! Visa issues took their place.
Mom’s health was definitely improving, and it was true she got a clean bill of health, but it wasn’t a 100% fix.
Dad wanted Mom to stay in the U.S. for a long time for her treatment.
Proving that required a pretty complicated visa extension process.
“Don’t worry too much.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
“Hehe, I’ll eat well.”
After giving Dad a friendly pat on the back, I dove right into the reheated galbi jjim.
While enjoying my meal, I checked the calendar hanging on the wall.
“Five years left, huh?”
How could I ever forget the moment I lost my parents in an accident?
If I can just get through that day, I can keep feeling this happiness.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Just as I was lost in thought, a series of KakaoTalk messages flooded in.
> “Was today your first shoot? Did you do well???”
> “Honestly, seeing actors or idols doesn’t do much for me, right?”
> “I’m definitely the prettiest, aren’t I?”
Of course, the star was Su-Jin.
It’s funny how she’s still such a kid in all this.
<"I don’t know, not so sure." As soon as I sent that, another message came in within a second. > “What? What do you mean? Want to die?”
> “I’m the prettiest — duh.”
> “It’s just the screen; I look way better in person.”
<"Sure, let’s go with that." Knowing Su-Jin's personality, I immediately waved the white flag. "By the way..." I glanced back at the calendar and recalled my schedule. To be precise, my role as Lee Jae-yi wasn't exactly a lead or supporting one. Turns out, my screen time was less than I expected. My character had significance but didn’t show up often, which is a bummer since antagonists in youth dramas don’t get much love. "The PD said they'd let me know about the next shoot." Guess I’ll just have to wait. +++++ Meanwhile… "Our film is almost coming together." "Yeah, the studio production is nearly done, and we've secured all the location sponsorships." "So, we just need to shoot now?" Ugh. The guy who said that stretched contentedly, looking relieved. From securing investments to selecting distributors and casting actors— Making a movie involves way more effort than actually filming it. Even though he complained, he couldn’t help but smile. "Director Kang, so you’re going in right now, correct?" "But, but you know, Director Park..." At that moment, Director Kang, sporting a beard like Guan Yu, made the guy—Studio Geum-gang’s representative, Park Geum-gang—nervously twitch his lips. "Again, again, why? Is there something else to add?" The tone was so fed up that it felt like a chore. This was already the tenth time movie settings had been added this way. But it wasn't completely unreasonable, because when you listen, the quality of the film is so high that you can’t help but give in. It was such a strange request. "...We have a film, you know? We need to show the horrors of war." "Right." Director Kang seemed like he wasn’t new to such requests either. Naturally, he stood up from his chair and headed toward the whiteboard. Tap. With the clear sound of the whiteboard marker cap popping off, Director Kang's request presentation began. "No matter how fictional this story is, it ultimately shows some tragedy of the Korean War! That's the kind of film we’re making." "I know, I know, Director." Of course, I know too well; I've heard this explanation enough times for it to stick in my ears. So I knew what was coming next. "The horrific battle of Baekma Mountain! The countless times the ownership of the hill changed hands, right? That's the story!" "Exactly, exactly! There's even a name for it, Icarus Hill." "Yeah! It's an anagram of Korea, right? Such a brutal battle." Tap, tap, tap. As Director Kang spoke, his hands moved busily. The result of those moving hands boldly inscribed one word. [Student Soldier]
“If we just had the role of a student soldier, that would be perfect.”
“There are already young actors, aren’t there?”
“But, um… they’re a bit too old. What I want are some fresh-faced ones, you know?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’d like them to be around middle school age.”
But I really hope they can act well.
Hearing those last words, representative Park felt his heart tighten, wanting to burst out.
‘Does he think a good actor just drops from the sky?’
He wanted to say something but held back.
Because the script for this film was just too good.
No matter how you think about it, it was bound to succeed.
Glancing.
Representative Park looked at the title of the film written in the corner of the whiteboard.
[Endless Frontlines]
Thinking about finding a middle school actor suitable for depicting this horrific war,
he felt apprehensive about the road ahead.