Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

First Filming (3)

"If you're lacking in acting ability as an actor, you can just make up for it with magic."

Concerned about her acting, Shin Ah-yeon heard such words from Park Jung-woo.

"You're clearly a mage, not an actress, so can't you just overcome it with your own abilities?"

"But even if I do something with magic......."

Certainly, it wasn't exactly wrong.

If one lacked acting skills, it was only reasonable to compensate with magic, which was her specialty.

The only issue was how to solve it using magic.

"Illusion magic, the 5th-circle spell, Illusion—it seems like that might work."

Illusion was a magic that could materialize the caster's imagination into reality.

The greater the scale, the more magic power it consumed, and it was mainly used to cloud an opponent's judgment or confuse them.

Although it was a fairly advanced magic as a 5th-circle spell, for Shin Ah-yeon, it was more than possible.

"Would I have an illusion, looking like me, act in my place? That might be difficult, though. Since it's not tangible, it would create a significant sense of alienation if it came into contact with other actors."

"How about just overlaying it on your face?"

"Just on my face?"

"There was someone on the other world who used magic like that."

This idea wasn't something Park Jung-woo had just come up with.

There was, in fact, a person who had used this very method.

The master of the Thieves' Guild, the notorious great thief rumored to be able to steal anything.

His specialty was disguising himself using illusion magic.

"For awkward voice acting, you can adjust it using Voice Changer, a 3rd-circle spell."

"Certainly....... But that would require dual casting, right?"

"Right. But that should be easy for you, shouldn't it?"

Dual casting—magically casting two spells simultaneously—was a rather advanced technique.

And for good reason, since it required processing two sets of calculations at once.

Park Jung-woo wasn't sure how many spells Shin Ah-yeon could cast at the same time, but he judged that dual casting should be easy for her.

"Of course, who do you think I am?"

Only then, recognizing the plausibility of Park Jung-woo's idea, Shin Ah-yeon checked the script and cast illusion magic on her face. She approached the mirror nearby, attempting to naturally touch the illusion cast like a mask over her face.

The illusion magic overlaying her face, while expressionless by default, changed little by little whenever Shin Ah-yeon manipulated it.

"But seeing it in person, the illusion is kind of creepy."

"Hey, whose face are you calling creepy?"

"It's just a figure of speech. Anyway, wouldn't it be better if your expression looks a bit more urgent at this moment?"

"Wouldn't that be too overdramatic? I think this much is fine."

"Let's try matching your voice separately, too."

It was less like acting and more like editing 3D video footage.

In other words, it was as if they were replacing Shin Ah-yeon's lacking acting with CG.

However, it was much faster than actual editing, since Shin Ah-yeon could easily make adjustments with her imagination. Thus, Park Jung-woo and Shin Ah-yeon were able to perfect the scene they were about to shoot by daybreak.

'How is this any different from just editing on a computer?'

After using it for filming, that thought suddenly occurred to him.

You could argue there was nothing wrong with a mage using magic, but there was a complicated feeling that was hard to explain.

Almost like cheating.

"I think I was mistaken. Shin Ah-yeon-ssi has more acting talent than I expected. I apologize for being rude before."

"I was impressed, too. If you hadn't carried on the performance at that moment, I would have called for a retake right away."

"......."

Cha Jae-seok and Yeon Kyung-ho, who played the protagonist, praised Shin Ah-yeon to no end over the shocking scene they'd just filmed.

Cha Jae-seok, who had acted curtly and condescendingly at their first meeting, even gave a thumbs-up in praise.

He was a picky young director, but he was generous with talented people.

Yeon Kyung-ho, on the other hand, simply admired Shin Ah-yeon's beautiful appearance and the acting skills that matched it.

"A-ah, it's not like I deserve so much praise. Compared to your performances, I'm still far behind. And honestly, this is just......."

"That's what makes it even more amazing. For someone who's not even an actor, you performed this well—this will be a huge inspiration to the other actors, too."

"...... Uh."

Cha Jae-seok stopped Shin Ah-yeon from making excuses with even bolder praise.

Thanks to that, she could feel the steely glares of some actors who already harbored ill feelings toward her.

'I'm screwed.'

Shin Ah-yeon's original plan was, at the right moment, to reveal the truth while modestly elevating the others: 'Honestly, I made up for my poor acting with magic. Of course, I can't even compare to you experienced actors.'

But to her, it felt too late to come clean in the current atmosphere.

***

"Ah, manager Park. Shin Ah-yeon-ssi was really great today, huh?"

"I just saw the footage too, and I'm so relieved it turned out well."

"Haha! If I knew she could act like this, I wish you'd told me sooner."

When they first met on set, he had been quite hostile, but upon seeing her performance, his attitude flipped instantly.

Park Jung-woo was again reminded that Cha Jae-seok was a director through and through.

"By the way....... May I ask you something?"

As he praised Shin Ah-yeon, Cha Jae-seok awkwardly asked Park Jung-woo a question.

"About the magic Shin Ah-yeon-ssi used...."

It was only a gentle segue, but Park Jung-woo immediately realized what he was getting at.

'He asked!'

After all, he had purposely told Shin Ah-yeon to appear using magic, knowing this reaction would come. It was highly likely that Director Cha Jae-seok hadn't considered Shin Ah-yeon's powers as a 'mage'.

In the first place, it was almost unheard of for an awakener to film movies, and Shin Ah-yeon was probably the first mage to do so, so Cha Jae-seok couldn't have seen it coming.

Cha Jae-seok must now have realized that Shin Ah-yeon was not just an "actor" but a 'mage'.

On top of that, considering the delicate magical control Shin Ah-yeon had just displayed, Cha Jae-seok's follow-up question was predictable.

"Would it be possible to know what kinds of magic she can use?"

There was expectation in Cha Jae-seok's eyes.

Depending on the types of magic Shin Ah-yeon could use, it could save costs on CG, so naturally, he had to ask.

"That's not difficult. To summarize simply......."

He briefly explained the types of magic Shin Ah-yeon could use.

Since Cha Jae-seok was interested in magic that could be used in filming, he selected and explained those that were most relevant.

'It would be perfect if we could use illusion magic on a larger scale.'

The downside of illusion magic was that its required magic power grew exponentially with scale.

If Shin Ah-yeon's mana hall recovered further and her magic power increased, it might be possible, but for now, overlaying it on herself was her practical limit.

If she reached about 8th-circle, she could probably change the entire surrounding landscape with it.

"C-can she really do all of that?"

"For another mage, it would be impossible, but for S-rank Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim, it's more than possible. Of course, as you saw earlier, she can control it very precisely and safely."

With modern magic being heavily focused on elemental spells, this would be impossible, but with circle magic, it was a different story.

It wasn't just simple attack magic. It was possible to change the terrain temporarily, change the weather temporarily, and so on.

The director, Cha Jae-seok, would know better than anyone what an advantage this would be in filming.

'Of course, if the terrain is destroyed, tidying up afterward is a hassle, too.'

And since there were real explosions, there was also the drawback of danger.

But it was all the more realistic, and since this was an unpopulated forest, as long as the actors and staff were careful, it was fine.

"M-manager Park, I have a small request...."

"Yes? A small request?"

Trying to get something for nothing, huh.

When Park Jung-woo replied sternly, Cha Jae-seok, awkward, averted his gaze and continued.

"If—um, I wonder if, if Shin Ah-yeon-ssi is okay with it, might we use her magic for the shoot......"

"Director."

At those words, he responded with a firm expression.

Perhaps thinking that was a refusal, Cha Jae-seok hurriedly waved his hand.

"W-wait! You should listen to the whole sentence! Of course, we'll make an additional contract."

"Ah, right? I misunderstood. Surely, an educated person like Director Cha Jae-seok wouldn't expect S-rank Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim to work for free, would you?"

When Park Jung-woo grinned and replied, beads of cold sweat appeared on Cha Jae-seok's forehead.

Perhaps he remembered their first meeting, as his complexion turned slightly pale.

"Ahem, ahem. Then if we add about this much to her pay......"

Cha Jae-seok wrote down a rough amount in his notebook and showed it.

Park Jung-woo couldn't help but frown slightly when he saw it.

"That's a bit too little, isn't it? I'd say a 1.5 times increase would be fair."

"That part can't be helped. If we do filming with this kind of magic, it'll cost extra for cleanup afterward."

As he said this, Cha Jae-seok pointed to the surroundings that Shin Ah-yeon's magic had just devastated.

Indeed, even for a set, if the forest was destroyed to this degree, it would cost money to restore.

"Ah-yeon."

At his call, Shin Ah-yeon, who was nearby, immediately raised her hand toward the sky.

Even though he hadn't explained, she immediately understood what he wanted.

"W-what is that?"

Then, as the nearby objects moved, the environment that had been devastated was restored in a flash.

The actors and staff were left agape by the mysterious scene.

No mage had ever shown the use of magic like this.

'This is only possible because it's circle magic.'

Even then, unless one had Shin Ah-yeon's level of magic control, circle magic users couldn't do this either.

"What do you think?"

As Park Jung-woo swept his gaze over the instantly restored surrounding and looked at Director Cha Jae-seok, he gave a wry smile and nodded.

"Indeed, what I offered isn't nearly enough."

As Cha Jae-seok admitted defeat, Park Jung-woo cheered internally.

No surprise, given how much more he could now demand.

'Now, what's the best way to squeeze more out of Director Cha Jae-seok?'

For example, he could ask for that 1.5x increased pay or try to get an additional benefit.

Now that the acting issue was resolved, he could even ask for a bigger role......

"Hmm?"

At that very moment, he sensed a strange gaze.

'This is.......'

It was the kind of subtle discord only someone sensitive to others' stares might notice.

Moreover, it was so brief as to be nearly an illusion for most people.

But Park Jung-woo didn't think so.

'It could be a mistake, but I'd better keep an eye out.'

If what he just felt wasn't a mistake.

Then an enemy must be hiding somewhere within this filming site.

***

"Hmm-hmm."

He tried hard to suppress his ever-widening grin as he looked at the amount deposited in his account.

Thanks to drawing up a supplemental contract with Director Cha Jae-seok, he'd extracted a considerable sign-on fee.

Of course, compared to the profits possible with Shin Ah-yeon's magic, it wasn't much.

Still, it was several hundred million won, plus he'd managed to negotiate for a slightly bigger role—definitely a huge gain.

"You look happy?"

Lee Soo-ah studied Park Jung-woo's face curiously.

She was currently sitting in the passenger seat of his car, on the way to a meeting.

It was about the "Appointment as Awakener Crime Prevention Ambassador."

"Yeah, a big bonus just came in."

Even putting aside the amount given to Shin Ah-yeon, the sum he secured via contract was substantial.

Sung-hwan had even put half the remaining amount into his account as a performance bonus.

'Two hundred million at once...'

He didn't return to work for the money, but a lot of money still made him happy.

He imagined saving up, buying a house in Seoul someday, sending his parents on a trip... it was a pleasant thought.

"Oh, right... Actually, I got the SuHunK prize money, too."

Perhaps his bonus story had reminded her, and Lee Soo-ah frowned.

The winner of SuHunK receives massive support from HSN.

Various appearances on variety shows, free Hunter gear or artifacts, and so on—the benefits were enormous.

'What I got Director Do to give us is above and beyond that.'

The two variety programs received in the bet and the ambassador post for Lee Soo-ah were all separate from SuHunK's rewards.

That was why he hadn't refused when asked about the ambassador opportunity for Lee Soo-ah.

'Shows can be negotiated with HSN separately anyway.'

Regardless, at the moment, being appointed ambassador just seemed more useful to him than the variety shows.

"Wasn't the SuHunK prize one billion?"

"Yeah. That's right."

The winner of SuHunK received a pure prize of one billion won, aside from any other benefits. No wonder there was so much talk about HSN's investment in the show.

'Hmm?'

But for someone who had just received one billion, Lee Soo-ah looked far gloomier than one would expect.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
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