Chapter 13….A Thousand Faces (1)
The director—no, the spellbound director—seemed to have ordered a transformation.
“Then… does this mean we’re going to do that scene from last time at the brothel exactly like this…?”
“This is the flower garden!”
“Oh!”
“Uh-huh?”
I felt a swell of pride as the two of them exclaimed. It was nothing extraordinary, really.
“Shall we try a few other expressions?”
“Uh…”
Suddenly? Asking me to freestyle after just memorizing the lines—does that make sense? Just then, Gamdong threw in a prompt from the side:
“Someone’s stealing the pork belly!”
“Kyaaah!”
How dare they! Steal mine? That makes me angry!
“Whoa!”
“Gah!”
“Pretend you only got one out of two buns!”
“Hey! Who do you think I am?”
“Huh?”
“Yikes!”
Thanks, Gamdong. Their exclamations stuck to my possessed acting like glue. Maybe this really could work.
Director Kim Hyun-chul let out a bitter laugh.
“This is different.”
“You’re better than I expected.”
“Choi, didn’t you notice just now?”
“Eh?”
“Come over here.”
He called writer Choi Mi-seon over to the monitor.
“What now?”
“Look.”
Kim preferred showing rather than telling. The monitor replayed my recent performance. My face was made up as a beggar for the upcoming shoot. I had only altered my acting to match the situation.
“Oh?”
“Can you see it?”
“The same face can really change the whole vibe?”
“This kid knows how to use their facial muscles.”
“Facial mu… Ah!”
One of an actor’s core skills is knowing how to use their facial muscles freely. Some actors deliver lines well but their expressions feel awkward. That’s usually because they don’t know how to work their facial muscles properly. Having expressive features means knowing how to move every muscle at will.
“And the face is handsome, yet nothing jumps out, right?”
“That’s an advantage too.”
“Exactly. The canvas is clean, so the mood can change completely depending on makeup.”
“So…?”
“Maybe it’s possible to achieve what you want, Choi.”
They both looked at Woosoo-han with sparkling eyes.
“Feels like the vibe is good, right?”
“Seems so?”
Gamdong seemed to be thinking along the same lines. Their quiet whispering somehow inspired hope.
“All thanks to my possessed acting, right?”
“Possessed?”
“Oh! Gamdong’s catching on too.”
“Ah… even that spreads, huh.”
That’s how these dad jokes worm their way in. At that moment, they both approached.
“First, have you memorized the lines we sent you?”
“Yes!”
“Good to hear.”
Time was tight, but I had plenty to spare, so it wasn’t difficult. And as I always say, I’m smart. Prejudices about beggars should be thrown away—especially you, Gamdong. There’s mistrust in your eyes.
“Today’s performance is important. If it fits the role well, the footage will be used; if not, you’ll just be a minor character.”
Director Kim spoke gently, as if urging me to seize this opportunity.
“I’ll grab the chance!”
“Good. Joe, this one doesn’t have a manager, so keep an eye on them. Okay?”
“Don’t worry!”
“Good.”
Then writer Choi arrived.
“Do well, okay? If it works out, this could be the highlight of the drama.”
“Yes! I’ll give it my all, knowing my livelihood depends on it.”
“Hoho, interesting metaphor.”
No, it’s not a metaphor. It’s a promise with everything on the line… my survival included.
“Hmm, what’s gotten into Choi Mi-seon?”
The lead, Kim Da-seong, tilted his head in curiosity. Choi was known for not giving side scripts. Yet suddenly, additional lines had arrived.
“More screen time is good, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
Manager Park Yu-cheon’s words made Da-seong nod, but his expression was still curious. Smiling faintly, Park continued:
“This was a role that was removed, remember?”
“Oh! The one Woo-chan wanted?”
“Yes.”
It was a role that a rookie actor in the same agency had been eyeing, so it quickly came to mind. But then he tilted his head in confusion.
“You’re really bringing it back? Weren’t the conditions tricky?”
“Well, they must have seen potential. I heard the beggar role actor changed makeup a bit and completely changed the face, so they thought, ‘This is it.’”
“Acting skill matters too, right?”
“So, depending on today, it may just be inserted in a scene, or if it works well, they’ll keep it going.”
Da-seong still tilted his head, puzzled.
“The role requires that the actor’s face isn’t recognizable even if they act well, and you found someone who fits that? Ridiculous.”
“You’ll see.”
Park chuckled, as if he too had similar doubts. Da-seong, intrigued, stood up.
“Well… we’ll see.”
“Standby!”
“Yes! Let’s go, Da-seong.”
“Let’s see what kind of kid this is.”
“Okay, let’s go! Action!”
At the director’s cue, Da-seong pulled coins from his sleeve and tossed them.
Clink.
“Sir, thank you!”
The beggar bobbed in gratitude. Da-seong nodded slightly and moved on.
“Yes.”
“Sir…”
“Hm?”
“This fell.”
The beggar picked up the scented pouch he had intentionally dropped earlier and handed it to him. Folded inside was a note positioned so the camera could catch it.
“Cut! That’s a wrap!”
The busy crew moved around as Da-seong looked at the beggar—no, the actor—bowing respectfully. He nodded slightly to manager Park and returned to his position.
“Not bad.”
“Yeah… not bad.”
Yet Da-seong still seemed unsettled.
“Why? Something off?”
“No, they did well.”
Afternoon filming began. Da-seong moved around the set, buying items and asking questions for the scene, which was a full investigation sequence. He questioned an informant.
“Last night, apparently there was some commotion where the messengers gather behind there.”
“Hm, really?”
“Yes.”
“Got it.”
Then came a woodcutter carrying logs.
“While cutting wood, I heard rumors. A tiger appeared on the path up the back mountain… but recently, the military captured the tiger, so why the rumors? Seems like a warning not to wander around…”
“Understood.”
As with most dramas, the shots were brief and short. But even seemingly meaningless lines would later be edited into a coherent investigation sequence. Da-seong caught Director Kim’s sparkling eyes and smiled.
“What’s that?”
The eye contact was strange enough to make him tilt his head.
“Oh, I look like a secret agent!”
Wearing a mask, I posed dramatically. Holding the sword at my waist, I even made a serious expression.
[Not exactly like that.]
“Fine. I’m not swinging it anyway.”
[Still, to give a secret agent vibe…]
“To give it?”
[I want to act too.]
“Go. Before exorcising completely.”
It was the ghost we met last time. Before, it had a sword through its chest; now an arrow through its head. Seeing it speak like that, it looked like a Halloween costume.
[Just a suggestion. If you hold the sheath with one hand and keep it close, it’ll look better.]
“Hmm, okay, let’s try that.”
[Yes! Looks great!]
“Really?”
Even ghosts have their practical tips. Huh, Gamdong? Why so pale? Ah… you saw me talking to empty air and stepped back. I had to reassure him.
“Gamdong, it’s friendly. Only five years dead.”
Sob.
Hmm, still not convinced?
“Enough! Stop explaining everything!”
“Yeah.”
“It’s good, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Seeing Gamdong cautiously check with a still-white face, I decided it was safest to just say it’s good.
“We’ll rehearse.”
“But… isn’t the mask hiding the face too much? Shouldn’t you be handsome?”
“We’ll use a mask for this scene; we don’t know how it’ll be used later.”
“Did I do well so far?”
“Hmm, decent.”
Gamdong nodded, easing my mind. But these clothes… too tight. Only short-legged people must’ve worn these. Every large movement pinched the pants painfully. Even as a beggar used to scraps, starving my butt…
“Oh! That expression is good! Your interpretation?”
“Eh?”
“Good. Let’s use that expression. I wondered what the masked vibe should be, and you prepared well.”
“Yes, sir!”
“We’ll rehearse once and start shooting immediately, so let’s stay like this!”
Hmm… do I have to keep feeding my pants like this? Maybe I should wear a thong next time… Gamdong’s female friend lives downstairs; maybe I can borrow one. Rehearsal began, oblivious to my concerns.
“Ready? Let’s go! Action!”
At the cue, I stepped from the shadows, bowed slightly to the lead, and spoke. Following the director’s order, I tensed my lower body, naturally wrinkling my brow.
“We confirmed additional traces of the enemy in Chomakgol.”
“I see. Good work. But we can’t report this way again; we need a new method.”
“I’ll find a way.”
I nodded with my reply.
“Tell Officer Park I’m satisfied.”
“Yes.”
“Then be careful not to get noticed by them.”
Bowing once more, I performed the silent exorcism in the shadows.
“Cut!”
This is it.
The main filming finished smoothly. After a night-long shoot, Kim Da-seong approached Director Kim to ask:
“Uh… was that masked kid playing the beggar?”
“Yes.”
“The vibe is different. With a mask, couldn’t the role just stay?”
A simple curiosity. Director Kim chuckled.
“Why? Because of the mask?”
“Yes. They won’t recognize them anyway…”
“What about the coin seller?”
“Eh?”
“The woodcutter?”
“All minor roles were fine today.”
Da-seong was puzzled why minor roles mattered. Director Kim always checked details, but this seemed excessive.
“That all?”
“What else is there?”
He pointed to Woosoo-han, who was maskless.
“Why this kid…?”
“All I just mentioned? That’s them.”
Da-seong finally understood and nodded.
“Ah… yes? What did you say?”
