Chapter 17
Daeun looked at Hajeong with a dazed expression.
After parking in front of the drama set, Hajeong turned to Daeun with a thoroughly proud face and said, “Other variety shows might be iffy, but this is a ratings-guaranteed show hosted by the Nation’s MC! We can’t miss this. The recording is tomorrow evening; I’ll adjust your schedule.”
“Okay. Got it. Thanks.”
She was nervous because she didn’t know what she would say or do there right now, but she figured she’d just go and do her best, as always.
In her previous life, she had often watched <Talk Go>. What episodes were around this time? She didn’t think Noh Hyeyoung had appeared on this show.
Daeun tried to recall her past life but found nothing useful. Back then, she was critically ill, hovering between life and death.
As Hajeong got out of the car, she said, “And I’m not just saying this because I’m your manager, but your acting in <The Secret Letter> was truly impressive. You, as an actress, are going to go far, so far.”
Once the initial filming for <Surely, It’s Us> was mostly wrapped up, she would film the CFs that had been put on hold and also make occasional appearances on variety shows for drama promotion.
With her commitments increasing one by one, Daeun felt that this was just the beginning.
“Please take good care of me, Hajeong unnie.”
“Likewise, Actress-nim!”
Though it still felt a little awkward, the two, who had grown considerably closer, faced each other and smiled.
Kim Bora, an office worker who had just watched <The Secret Letter> at the cinema, plopped down on a bench near the ticket box. The overwhelming emotions she felt still hadn’t subsided.
Had a rare weekend ever felt so meaningful before?
Dramas and movies set during the Japanese colonial period had a unique sentimentality of that era, but this time, thanks to the actors’ performances in <The Secret Letter>, it truly felt like she had lived through that time herself.
Amidst the lingering impact, she remembered the face of the young Lee Sun she had seen at the beginning of the film.
Her acting was so good.
She seems to be a rookie; what’s her name? I should look her up.
“Did you watch <Talk Go> yesterday?”
“On YouTube? Yeah, I did.”
“The <The Secret Letter> cast was on. Especially Kang Daeun, she was so cute. How can a person be that lovable?”
“Where did they find a child actor like that? She has a similar vibe to Lee Juran.”
As Bora reached for her phone, she overheard the conversation of the college students sitting behind her.
Lee Juran’s child actor role? Lee Juran was the lead actress in <The Secret Letter>, which she had just seen.
She vaguely remembered seeing an article on a portal site during the week with a title like ‘The Birth of the Second Lee Juran’. Could it be…?
Bora took her phone out of her bag, opened YouTube, and searched for <Talk Go>. The thumbnail of the video uploaded just yesterday showed the cast of <The Secret Letter>.
“So her name is Kang Daeun.”
Her acting was so realistic that at first, she felt utterly drawn into the film.
But seeing her in casual clothes here was different. Looking at the video’s runtime, it was a bit long to just sit outside and watch. A full 50 minutes.
Should I check the comments first?
There were many comments about the movie, about actors Kim Bohee and Kwon Mingu, but there were also a surprising number of comments directed at the rookie actress Kang Daeun.
└ She looks just like a fresh first love type. I hope she does a refreshing romance drama!
└ Her acting is so good it doesn’t match her real self and her character. I can’t believe she’s the model for that Lemon C ad.
└└ What? That vitamin drink? I just looked it up, and it’s really her. I only realized it was the same person after staring for a while.
└└ Her vibe keeps changing so much. Is this what they call a face with a thousand expressions? I’m looking forward to this actress!
└ 25:38 This part is so funny. Kim Bohee and Kwon Mingu’s first impression of Kang Daeun lololol
Oh, what is this? I can’t resist this.
Bora took out her earphones, put them in, and clicked on that timeline.
The familiar laughter of the Nation’s MC, Yoo Hongseok, rang in her ears.
[Aha-ha! The flower in her hair, I get it, I get it. Ah, aigoo, my stomach!]
“Right? When I first saw her in the waiting room, she was so bright and sunny. She was just so excited to be on set.”
Actor Kim Bohee shook her head excitedly and continued.
[I thought, how can someone so scatterbrained-hellere- act? We were so behind schedule because we couldn’t find someone for that role. I thought, if she can’t act, just watch me, I’ll grab her. Don’t stop me. But then, what do you know?]
[Ah, she did well. I missed seeing her so much. I waited just for the release to watch it? Wow. The immersion from the very beginning! Ugh-. She was so good, Daeun-ssi.]
Yoo Hongseok, who had been holding his stomach from laughter, raised his thumb in praise of Daeun.
Daeun, sitting at the end, didn’t know what to do with her flushed cheeks. Seemingly conscious of her red face, she kept cooling it with the back of her hand and expressed her gratitude for the kind words.
“Aigoo, so pretty, so pretty.”
Without even realizing she was in a public place, Bora inadvertently voiced her admiration out loud.
When Kim Bohee, as if finding her cute, poked Daeun’s arm with her elbow, Daeun smiled shyly and made eye contact with Kim Bohee.
Kwon Mingu, who had been nodding seriously beside them, spoke up.
[From what I saw, she wasn’t scatterbrained; it seemed like she had already gotten used to the filming.]
At the word ‘scatterbrained-hellere’, Yoo Hongseok burst out laughing again. It was even funnier because Kwon Mingu said it so seriously.
[She was totally mind-blowing.]
Following ‘scatterbrained’ with ‘mind-blowing’? Daeun, who had barely calmed down, gulped and her cheeks turned red once again.
Kwon Mingu, having gathered everyone’s attention, took a sip of coffee to wet his throat.
Yoo Hongseok urged him, asking if now was the time for coffee, and Kim Bohee expressed curiosity, saying it was her first time hearing this story.
Finally, after wetting his throat, Kwon Mingu opened his mouth.
[No, but she didn’t seem like a rookie? When filming, she knew exactly how to position herself within the frame, her angles and movement were incredible. You can’t know about camera angles unless you’re a veteran.]
When young Lee Sun arrives at the base camp to hand over her parents’ letters and the independence funds amounting to their entire fortune, even though they did close-ups and changed camera angles multiple times for different perspectives…
Kwon Mingu clicked his tongue, explaining that in every take, she was positioned perfectly without a single misstep.
[And the gaze.]
[Ooh- That’s it, right? When young Lee Sun declared she would follow in her parents’ footsteps!]
Yoo Hongseok pointed out that fantastic scene where Lee Sun, who had lost her parents to a Japanese policeman after defiantly asking if independence would put food on the table even though she knew the state of the nation, her empty, barren gaze solidifying as if she had found her path. Kwon Mingu nodded and continued.
[I got goosebumps on the back of my neck while acting opposite her. That was only the second time I’ve had that experience.]
[Daeun-ssi is your second? Then who was the first?]
[Senior actor Park Yoonsik.]
[Whoaa-! Daeun-ssi, you did well!]
Yoo Hongseok jumped up and enthusiastically patted Daeun’s shoulders.
Park Yoonsik was a 77-year-old veteran actor with over 50 years of acting experience and a staggering 100 works to his name.
His awards were too numerous to count, and he was an actor beloved and trusted by the public, regardless of age or gender.
To hear that she was being compared to such a senior… Daeun’s face was now beyond red; it looked like it might explode.
[I’m not sure if I’m worthy of such words.]
This is the joy of watching rookies. The joy of watching rookies! This is what a rookie should be.
A rookie who is flustered by praise and shy. Moreover, she acts so well—the basics of an actress—that even her nervousness looks adorable.
Although she was compared to the great Park Yoonsik, Bora, who had just seen <The Secret Letter>, had also gotten goosebumps during that very scene from Daeun’s acting, so she couldn’t disagree with Kwon Mingu’s opinion.
“I wonder what her next project will be. I hope she’s active a lot.”
Bora left a comment expressing her feelings and then searched for Kang Daeun’s profile.
“What, next month?”
A leading role in a TV drama!
After noting the first air date of <Surely, It’s Us>, Bora searched to see if she had other works or which school she graduated from.
She really needed to head home soon. Oblivious to the discomfort of the hard cinema lobby bench, she was busy searching for the rookie actress Kang Daeun.
Amidst her busy schedule, Daeun had arrived in New York.
It was for the filming at the New York mansion for <Surely, It’s Us>.
She never thought she’d actually come to New York.
“……”
In front of the mansion serving as the filming location, Daeun looked around.
After getting a brief breath of fresh air, Daeun entered the mansion.
“Okay, let’s do a quick run-through.”
Cameras and lights were being set up throughout the mansion’s interior, and Director Shin wanted to run through the scene with Daeun and Hyeyoung, who were already in hair, makeup, and costume.
They had to film all the events taking place in this mansion, including the scene from the audition, within ten days.
“Here, I’d like Nari to be a bit harsher to us,” Director Shin muttered, lost in thought.
Daeun, who had been pondering, cautiously suggested, “Then, how about we try it like this?”
Director Shin, who had been listening quietly to Daeun’s suggestion, said, “Let’s try it first.”
It wasn’t a definitive ‘this is it’ method, but at his words suggesting they try this and that, Daeun and Hyeyoung nodded.
“Lights on, audio. Uh, yeah. Okay. Camera rolling.”
Director Shin moved out of the frame, and Daeun and Hyeyoung took their respective positions.
