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Chapter 9
“Cut!”
At PD Gu Sumin’s shout, Do Je-hyun snapped out of it. The director approached with a bright grin.
“Je-hyun, that last take felt great! And Sua, your facial expressions were excellent!”
PD Gu spared no praise, saying there was nothing to fix.
But Do Je-hyun looked bewildered.
That last moment — the expression freezing when he saw the child — that wasn’t Go Soo-hyuk’s reaction, it was his own.
It wasn’t the character that got startled — it was the actor.
How could a kid make that kind of face…?
That kind of emotion — the deep sorrow of losing something precious — is difficult even for seasoned adult actors. It’s the kind of feeling that ripens only after years of experience.
And yet, that child actor who was now being showered with praise from PD Gu had just performed that flawlessly.
She was with her mom earlier, right?
Could it be that she’d lost someone close — a father, maybe a grandparent — and was drawing from that pain?
Even if that were the case, it was still remarkable.
But Do Je-hyun found something even more impressive about Lee Sua.
“Shouldn’t we also film a version where Min-seo cries? Even if she cries, I don’t think it’ll break the emotional flow.”
“Hmm, no, I like it better this way. The fact that she doesn’t cry even when her mom’s hurt — that’ll make viewers more curious. They’ll wonder what kind of story Min-seo has.”
It was hard to believe that the same child who’d acted with such deep emotion just a moment ago now looked perfectly fine.
She even smiled brightly at the behind-the-scenes camera filming her.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of lingering sadness — no heavy air that usually comes from drawing real pain into a performance.
That left only two possibilities.
Either she’s a natural who can slip in and out of deep emotion instantly — or… every bit of that emotion was completely calculated.
Either way, Lee Sua was a genius.
A chill ran down Do Je-hyun’s spine, and then he burst out laughing.
“Sua, PD-nim! Let’s shoot it once more!”
When your co-actor gives a performance that good and you fail to fully respond — that’s not something you can just let go as a professional.
It was both a problem and an opportunity.
Do Je-hyun’s heart raced at the thought of seeing that performance again.
Whether it’s a drama or a movie, a scene is rarely shot just once.
Even without bloopers, you need multiple takes for different angles and emotional nuances.
“Cut! Okay!”
It had been nearly twenty years since I’d last acted on camera, but thankfully, I didn’t mess up.
Director Gu Sumin barely gave me any direction, letting me act freely.
There weren’t even many lines to exchange, and my scene partner, Do Je-hyun, didn’t give me any particular feedback either.
“Little teacher, would you do me the honor of watching this pupil’s acting? Should I show more trembling emotion when our eyes meet?”
“Uh, are you talking to me? Shouldn’t you be asking PD-nim that?”
What kind of situation is this? And what’s with that nickname?
I asked again, puzzled, and PD Gu burst out laughing.
“Looks like Je-hyun’s become a total Sua fan! Sua, that’s just his habit — he always tries to learn something from good actors.”
Still, I’m just a child actor making my debut. What an unprejudiced guy.
I rolled my eyes playfully and gave him a grin with a thumbs-up.
“Disciple-sunbae’s acting is awesome!”
I couldn’t really critique him anyway, so I just joked it off.
Besides, the making-of camera had been glued to me all this time — I couldn’t risk any bad rumors.
Funny enough, Do Je-hyun looked disappointed.
“I’m not awesome yet… there’s always room for improvement…”
“Oh, come on, Je-hyun! Sua’s only ten years old! Don’t put too much pressure on her.”
Gu Sumin wasn’t exactly one to talk, but he had a point.
Not that I really am just ten — but still, it was getting awkward.
And someone else chimed in to agree.
“Je-hyun, it’s good that you’re so dedicated, but don’t go putting pressure on someone that young.”
“Ah! Sunbae!”
“You’re here, Ms. Ki!”
At the husky voice, both Do Je-hyun and PD Gu turned around.
A calm, middle-aged woman approached, exuding an easy confidence.
I recognized her immediately.
Ki Sung-hee? What’s a movie actress like her doing here?
Ki Sung-hee was a veteran known for her natural, convincing performances.
She could blend into any role as if born to play it, but her acting style didn’t quite match the tone of TV dramas — so she’d built her career in film.
Even digging through my pre-regression memories, I couldn’t recall seeing her in a drama.
But my confusion cleared quickly when PD Gu rushed over and grabbed her hand.
“Thank you so much for coming! I should’ve gone out to meet you…”
“No need for that. PD Cho guided me well.”
“Still, I really appreciate it. You agreed to do this cameo on such short notice.”
Ki Sung-hee’s latest movie — a female-led comedic crime film — was about to premiere. This cameo must’ve been part of the promotion.
So this is a change from before I regressed.
To get someone like Ki Sung-hee — PD Gu really knows how to make things happen.
Do Je-hyun hurried up to shake her hand.
“Sunbae-nim, I look forward to working with you today.”
“But we don’t even have a scene together. The person I should be saying that to is someone else.”
When Ki Sung-hee looked in my direction, I quickly bowed ninety degrees.
“Hello, sunbae-nim! I’m rookie actress Lee Sua! It’s an honor to work with you!”
“My, such a clear and confident kid. Nice to meet you too.”
After the introductions, I went to fix my makeup for the next scene.
Before leaving, I glanced quietly at PD Gu — who only grinned like a fox.
The next scene I’d shoot was where Min-seo is questioned by the police.
And Ki Sung-hee’s cameo role was as a detective from her movie.
You didn’t tell me about a cameo?
And not just anyone — Ki Sung-hee, who’s famously strict about acting?
Does he trust me that much?
Well, I did prepare thoroughly.
After scolding Do Je-hyun earlier, now he’s the one giving me pressure.
“Sua, are you that excited to act with Ki Sung-hee sunbae? You’re really fearless, huh?”
Oops.
At Mom’s comment, I quickly managed my expression — I hadn’t even realized I was smiling.
Can’t be helped.
Even before regression, I never got to act alongside someone like Ki Sung-hee.
Honestly, it’s going to be fun.
Dressed up to match her role as the lead from Detective Yang, Reporting for Duty!, Ki Sung-hee listened carefully to PD Gu’s direction.
“You’re not officially in charge, but since Detective Yang is the closest cop nearby, you’re temporarily stepping in. You’ll appear without explanation, interrogate Min-seo briefly, then hand her over to the assigned officer.”
“So Detective Yang only knows about the hit-and-run, not that Min-seo was silenced?”
“Right. If Detective Yang knew that, she wouldn’t just let it slide — that’s not her character.”
Writer Cho Ga-young, who’d been standing nearby, spoke shyly, and Ki Sung-hee smiled warmly.
She’d only received part of the script, but PD Gu had explained the general context.
Even without a scene with the main protagonist, she could tell this was an episode they’d put a lot of care into.
Though it was odd that the key emotional character in the episode was a child…
“You saw how Je-hyun was practically falling over himself for Sua, right? She’s really something. Only ten years old, but she commands respect. You’ll be surprised when you see her act.”
“It was thanks to her performance that we could deepen the episode’s emotional tone. She brings a gravity you wouldn’t expect from her age.”
Hearing both the PD and the writer praise the kid in unison, Ki Sung-hee chuckled lightly and playfully smacked PD Gu’s arm.
“Don’t say that stuff in front of her — you’ll make her self-conscious.”
“She’s really different, though. You can shove a camera right up in her face, and she doesn’t even blink!”
At that point, even Ki Sung-hee began to feel a bit excited.
If her young co-star performed well, it would help with publicity, too.
Female-led films often have a harder time in the market.
If this one failed, it could make it harder for similar projects to get made again.
That weight had been pressing on her throughout the movie shoot, and even during promotion, but she didn’t let it show.
It was an emotion that would only hinder her performance.
“Cut! Okay!”
The scene of Detective Yang rushing down the hospital corridor, searching for the hit-and-run victim’s daughter, wrapped up quickly.
Next was the scene where she finds Min-seo sitting outside the operating room.
“Let’s do our best, sunbae-nim.”
The pretty little actress smiled shyly at her. She looked genuinely happy to be acting — a sign of real passion, which was always a good thing.
This drama was bound to make a splash.
With a face like that — if she cried beautifully on screen — everyone’s eyes would be drawn to her.
I hope there’s something I can teach her.
If she kept enjoying acting like this and continued working steadily, there’d be nothing more gratifying.
“Standby—action!”
After all, gaining a talented colleague is always something to welcome.
