Chapter 212: Add On
『What is it? Can't you see my future?』
『No!』
『Is that so?』
『Th-that's right. I can't see anything.』
Jin Gong-Ju quickly scanned the sweating Miso back and forth. The scene was so intense it seemed to strain the nerves in their hands, far beyond what you'd expect from child actors.
That's when Jin Gong-Ju suddenly began to wear a deep smile with her eyes sharply narrowed and her lips curled up.
『But why are you trembling so much?』
Miso swallowed hard at Jin Gong-Ju's cold expression and chilling question.
At that moment, I could clearly see that Jin Gong-Ju's acting had also improved.
'She's pretty good,' I observed silently.
Perhaps because of Miso, Jin Gong-Ju's potential as an actor had suddenly blossomed.
That was when the trembling Miso pursed her lips and slowly raised her hand.
'Huh? This wasn’t in the script, was it?' I thought.
Fear slowly faded from Miso's face and was soon replaced by a poignant sorrow. Taken aback by Miso's unexpected move, Jin Gong-Ju stepped back.
But the unfazed Miso took another step forward and gently caressed Jin Gong-Ju's cheek with her right hand.
『Don't give up... You mustn’t give up. Understand, Eun-So?』
Miso embodied the young shaman Cheongmyung and perfectly followed Cheongmyung's emotional line. Thanks to this, she effortlessly matched her co-actor’s performance with ad-libbed acting.
'Miso's acting is truly impressive,' I remarked inwardly.
Miso swallowed her tears while delicately expressing the intricate emotions of a young shaman unable to change the future.
Jin Gong-Ju stared blankly at Miso's quivering shoulders for a while and finally snapped back to reality. She bit her lip hard and removed Miso's hand from her cheek.
『You. Don't you dare tell anyone what you saw. Do you understand? Or I won't let you off!』
The delicate emotional acting between Miso and Jin Gong-Ju left the staff on set simply staring in awe.
***
"Cut! Okay! Wow~ Even the adult actors would be nervous if they were here to watch!" Kim Sung-Woon praised them as he called out 'cut'.
At that moment, Jin Gong-Ju collapsed to the floor. She had unknowingly exerted herself beyond her limits as she was completely drawn into Miso's performance.
Seeing this, the staff began to applaud.
"Miso, you're the best!"
"Whew~ Gong-Ju was amazing!"
"Great job, everyone!"
Neither the audience nor the on-site staff usually had high expectations for child actors, because it was hardly reasonable to expect children, who scarcely understood themselves, to grasp and depict someone else's life.
However, Miso's performance dramatically changed the situation.
"Wow. This drama is going to be legendary."
"Why state the obvious?"
Everyone nodded at someone's comment, and I felt the same way. Miso's acting was so compelling that it even threw her fellow child actors into disarray.
Amidst the cheers, Miso approached Jin Gong-Ju who was sitting on the floor, and offered her hand. The dazed Jin Gong-Ju took Miso's hand and stood up. Then she looked around, coming back to her senses.
At that moment, a burst of cheers erupted from the staff.
"Great job, kids!"
Miso and Jin Gong-Ju held hands and thanked the staff. "Thank you so much!!"
Miso finished greeting the staff as I had taught her.
But at that moment, Jin Gong-Ju pursed her lips and whispered something in Miso's ear.
"What are they talking about?" I muttered.
Jung Sang-Bong also wondered and tilted his head. "I'm not sure. They weren’t this close initially..."
Miso also whispered something back to Jin Gong-Ju, and then went on to greet other children.
After wrapping up the shooting, Miso ran over to me. "Uncle Yoon-Ho~!!"
"Don't run. You might hurt yourself," I cautioned her.
Miso in her colorful hanbok flounced over. She then ran into my arms with both arms wide open.
"Oof. Make sure you don't hurt yourself while running like that," I said as I grabbed her.
Miso smiled. "I won't get hurt because I'm the fastest runner!"
I straightened Miso's disheveled hair while showering her with praise. I wanted to carry her on my shoulders and boast around the neighborhood, but there were too many onlookers to do so.
"Miso. You acted really well today," I said with a smile.
"Really?"
"Yes. You were the best among the child actors today. You did great, Miso!"
A bright smile spread across Miso's face. "He he. Thank you."
"But Miso, what were you and Gong-Ju talking about earlier?" I asked.
Miso hesitated to answer.
"Why? Is it a secret?" I remarked.
After a long moment of hesitation, Miso eventually nodded.
"I see. I won't ask anymore then," I replied.
But Miso glanced furtively at Jung Sang-Bong.
'Wait a minute. Does that mean she'll only tell me?' I wondered.
"Sang-Bong, can you bring a bottle of water for Miso? She seems thirsty from acting," I said to Jung Sang-Bong who was still looking puzzled.
"Oh, yes, Mr. Jung," said Jung Sang-Bong who then hurried off to the car.
Only then did the relieved Miso finally begin to speak up.
"Gong-Ju asked me to be her real friend," Miso shared.
For a moment, I wondered if I had heard her correctly. "Really?"
Miso nodded.
I burst into a wry laugh seeing Miso's cheerfully smiling face.
It seemed like one of the links in Jin So-Mi and Jin Gong-Ju's chain of discord was finally breaking. Miso's existence seemed to have changed not only Jin Gong-Ju's fate but also her personality.
"So? How did you respond to Gong-Ju?"
Miso replied, "I said I would love to. We fought before and I was angry, but we still need to get along. My teacher at the kindergarten also told us to be friends!"
Suddenly, Miso looked like the reincarnation of Mother Teresa or Buddha in my eyes.
"But can you forgive her even after she said such awful things to your mom?" I asked.
Miso nodded. "Yes. Mom said to forgive her too. She said that Gong-Ju is still young so there's a chance for her to be reformed."
"Reform? You understand what that means?" I asked with a surprised look.
"Yes! I've been studying a lot lately," exclaimed Miso.
Miso boasted about how much she had been studying in preparation for school. That's when it dawned on me that it would be time for Miso to start school in a few months
Time had flown since my return.
I nodded. "Yes. It's definitely better to get along with everyone if possible."
"Yes!" Miso cheered.
Of course, how Jin Gong-Ju might change as she grew up was unknown. But that was a worry for another time. For now, I decided to just watch and support her. After all, helping Miso fulfill her intentions was part of my role as her talent agent.
"Alright. Then shall we go look at some school entrance gifts for you, Miso?" I asked.
"Really?" Miso asked with sparkles in her eyes.
"Yes. I will buy you everything you want," I replied with a smile.
"Yay! I'm so excited!" Miso exclaimed while jumping up and down.
While Miso was bouncing around with joy, Jung Sang-Bong came back with a water bottle and Miso's favorite fruit drink.
That's when Kim Sung-Woon came over with a doll to celebrate the successful shoot. It was a Powertuff Girls character doll that Miso loved.
"The shoot went smoothly thanks to you, Miso. Thank you!"
Miso smiled happily. "Wow! It’s Powertuff Blow! I already have Bubble Tea and Butter C at home. Now if I get Blitz and Bunny G, they will all be together and get along!"
Miso's innocent response made Kim Sung-Woon fluster.
"Oh, i-is that so? Blitz and Bunny what? What's the name?" Kim Sung-Woon asked in confusion.
"Bunny G!" Miso exclaimed.
"Yes, that. Should I buy you those too?" Kim Sung-Woon scratched his head and replied.
Miso’s face lit up instantly. "Really? Thank you! Mr. Kim!"
Miso held her favorite Powertuff Girl character doll and bounced around as if she could fly, saying she hadn't even imagined such a gift.
Kim Sung-Woon would now have to buy two more dolls, but his expression was only joyful as Miso rewarded him with a smile as if she owned the world.
Kim Sung-Woon belatedly regained his composure and showed confidence in the drama's success.
"I'm sure Miso's performance will likely help boost the initial ratings, Mr. Jung," Kim Sung-Woon said confidently.
"It's all thanks to your guidance, Mr. Kim. Editing must be a lot of work for you," I replied.
Kim Sung-Woon chuckled. "Ha ha ha. Not at all. Editing is no problem with such good material."
The atmosphere lightened up as both of us boosted each other's spirits.
Then, as if I had been waiting for the moment, I brought up Yang Chi-Sung and Park Ye-Eun as requested by Bang Sang-Yung of Actor Division 1.
"Mr. Kim, if it's okay with you, may I recommend a few actors? They are really talented."
Kim Sung-Woon tilted his head. "What is it? Do you have another actor as exceptional as Miss Jung Yoo-Jin?"
"It’s not that, but they are talents that the company has been training and they’ve been struggling lately," I explained.
"Ha ha ha. It seems like you owe me a drink then," Kim Sung-Woon said with a smirk.
Kim Sung-Woon was amenable even knowing it was a solicitation.
I quickly presented their profiles. Both actors had the potential to grow into fine supporting roles, so I had no hesitations about introducing them.
Kim Sung-Woon carefully examined the profile photos and wore a look of satisfaction.
He remarked, "Both have unique appearances which is good. If Team Lead Jung recommends them, their acting must be solid."
I nodded. "Of course. I am confident in their acting. You can hold me to that."
"Ha ha. Why would you stake your neck on this? Anyway, they’d fit the roles of the villain and victim in episodes 3 and 4. But I’m worried about Ms. Lee. If she opposes..." Kim Sung-Woon said hesitantly.
"Don’t worry. I’ll speak to Ms. Lee about it," I assured him.
Kim Sung-Woon smiled. "Speaking of which, Ms. Lee is unusually generous with you, Team Lead Jung. If there's persuasion to be done, it would be great if you could handle it. Let's help each other, alright?"
At that moment, a cold sweat ran down my back.
'Is he planning to push the tough requests onto me?' I wondered.
"Ha ha ha. Well, that’s a bit..." I stuttered.
"Come on. We should help each other out, right? Ha ha ha," chuckled Kim Sung-Woon.
But for Kim Sung-Woon, it was certainly worth all the effort.
After all, his path ahead promised only success.
***
After the child actors' shoot, I took Yoo-Jin and Miso to Lee Ji-Yeon's house as she had invited us to celebrate Miso's debut.
When we arrived, Kim Soll-Ip and Kim Soo-Hee were also there.
"Hello!"
When Miso, still dressed in the hanbok she wore on set, walked into the house, everyone began to cheer.
Lee Ji-Yeon greeted Miso with a warmth we hadn't seen from her before. "I got a call from PD Kim earlier. I heard your acting was amazing today, Miso."
Miso twisted her body all around in a shy manner. "He he. I just did what I normally do..."
Lee Ji-Yeon made a bewildered face. "You speak such daunting words so casually. I guess it's true what they say—actors are born, not made. Seems like there's something special about that family."
Kim Soll-Ip nodded in agreement with Lee Ji-Yeon’s comment.
A moment later, the food Lee Ji-Yeon ordered from Hwaryong arrived.
When I was surprised to see that a popular and high-quality restaurant Hwaryong offered delivery, Lee Ji-Yeon shook her head.
"I've been using a third-party delivery service for a while, and now they just deliver directly. They said they're grateful because I order so often," Lee Ji-Yeon clarified.
In other words, she was the only exception since she was a valued regular customer.
Then Kim Soll-Ip started nagging. "Ms. Lee, you’ve been eating Chinese food almost every day recently, haven’t you? If you don't change your eating habits, you'll end up in the hospital. And you need to manage your weight!"
"Shut up~! You nag the moment you see me! I'm still slim!" Lee Ji-Yeon retorted.
Lee Ji-Yeon, not wanting to hear it, covered her ears and began unwrapping the food from Hwaryong.
While we were eating, I cautiously brought up the topic of involving Yang Chi-Sung and Park Ye-Eun in her project.
Lee Ji-Yeon wore a puzzled expression while sprinkling lemon juice on the fried chicken in hot and sour soy sauce.
"Did the company ask you to?" Lee Ji-Yeon asked.
I answered Lee Ji-Yeon honestly since I knew Lee Ji-Yeon preferred people being straightforward whether she liked the idea or not.
"Yes, they specifically requested it and it was hard to say no," I answered.
Seeing Lee Ji-Yeon staring at me, I quickly bowed my head.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Lee. I know how careful you are about selecting people for your projects and I regret having to ask you this. Please feel free to decline if it makes you uncomfortable," I apologized.
At that moment, Lee Ji-Yeon grinned and said something completely unexpected. "Why are you looking unconfident, unlike your usual self? I’m not blaming you. I find it admirable."
I was puzzled. 'Admirable? Me?'
I couldn’t quite grasp what she meant and asked her to clarify.
"What do you mean by that...?" I asked with a puzzled look.
Lee Ji-Yeon grinned and began to explain her reasoning.
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