WeTried Translations
Translator: uglyidol
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became a Top Star by Only Playing Villains ◈
Chapter 9: An Actor Worthy of Respect
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“This concludes the table read. Great work, everyone.”
“Great work!”
After the table read, which had lasted several hours, the actors all rose to applaud.
But I could only sit limply on the sofa, completely drained.
‘My head... My head, ugh...’
After giving everything I had in S#123, I felt pleasure on an entirely different level from before.
That was why my head hurt.
Too much pleasure was poison, after all.
It felt like I’d spent twenty-four hours straight watching nothing but YouTube Shorts.
The dopamine flooding through my body made me feel weak and heavy-headed.
‘So this is the side effect...’
I should probably avoid giving one hundred percent while playing villain roles from now on.
As I slumped on the sofa, Shin Ah-gyeong looked at me with worried eyes.
“Are you okay, Hansol? I’m sorry. This happened because of me...”
“N-no...! It’s not your fault, sunbae! I’m fine...!”
Shin Ah-gyeong seemed to feel sorry that I had ended up like this because of her.
But this was by no means her fault.
I’d also been curious about what would happen if I gave my all while playing a villain.
‘The quality of the emotions really was different.’
In S#123, I had freely unleashed the evil nature I carried inside.
As a result, my emotions became sharper, and my acting became far more vivid.
‘I should act like this during climaxes from now on.’
There had been some aftereffects, but I had gained a lot through S#123.
Whether or not she knew what I was thinking, Shin Ah-gyeong looked at me with a resolute expression.
“Watching your acting earlier made me realize something, Hansol. I still have a lot to improve.”
“...Ah.”
“So before filming begins, I’ll practice thoroughly and come to the set next time with greater confidence.”
A voice interrupted Shin Ah-gyeong’s declaration.
“I think that’s what I should be saying.”
“...In-hwan sunbae.”
It was Jeong In-hwan, the male lead of The Last Clue.
“Honestly, watching you and Ah-gyeong act made me feel a little ashamed. I may be the protagonist too, but compared to the two of you, I feel like I’m falling far behind.”
Jeong In-hwan was a male actor renowned for his acting ability in the South Korean film industry, with two ten-million-viewer films in his filmography alone.
Yet at today’s table read, he had kept his performance restrained.
That was normal for a table read, of course, but it seemed today had made Jeong In-hwan feel that his acting was lacking.
“At the actual shoot, I won’t hold you back or fall behind. So please take care of me.”
Swish.
Jeong In-hwan extended a hand to me.
One of South Korea’s top actors had offered me a handshake first.
It went beyond a simple greeting. It meant that he acknowledged me.
“Yes, sunbae. I’ll work even harder to prepare before filming.”
“Haha, you’re going to work even harder than you already have? That’s scary.”
And those two weren’t the only ones to acknowledge me.
“Um...”
The actors who had finished the reading hesitated, watching each other’s reactions before approaching me one by one.
“Hansol, your performance today was really impressive.”
Among them were actors who had looked uncomfortable when they first met me.
“...And I’m sorry. Honestly, when we first saw you, we didn’t believe in you. We even thought you didn’t suit the role.”
“We were narrow-minded. We’re truly sorry...”
I could see both respect and regret in their eyes.
“It’s okay! Really! I probably would’ve felt the same way. I look kind of... ordinary, after all.”
“Well... Yes, honestly, that’s true.”
...Hmm. They weren’t even going to deny it out of politeness.
It was sad, but true.
I looked far too plain and unremarkable to suit a role like Kim Minu based on looks alone.
An actor’s career could soar or collapse over a single project, so they had no choice but to be sensitive.
As a fellow actor, I understood how they felt. I generously forgave them and bowed deeply.
“My looks may be ordinary, but I want to become an actor who can still help the production. I spent the last two years as an unknown, and this project is practically my first chance to make a name for myself. Please take good care of me during filming, sunbaes.”
“Ah...”
As I bowed, Shin Ah-gyeong and Jeong In-hwan smiled faintly, while the other actors looked flustered before bowing back.
“Please take good care of us as well.”
After that, the actors spoke with me much more comfortably.
Some even asked for my number, saying they wanted to get closer.
“Hehe. You’re scary when you act, Hansol, but you’re so innocent normally.”
“I heard you went to an acting academy. Which one did you attend?”
“Hansol, let’s grab drinks together next time. Let’s exchange numbers!”
In the blink of an eye, the other actors gathered around me like clouds.
By the end of the table read, the expressions people wore as they looked at me had changed completely from before.
* * *
Watching the actors build rapport around Lee Hansol, director-producer Park Yeong-won smiled.
“Now it finally feels like a team.”
Actors were often little more than business associates.
They were people who had happened to gather for the same production for their own interests and gains.
But when actors began building genuine personal relationships that went beyond business...
Their teamwork came alive, and their chemistry improved.
The actors who had initially disliked Lee Hansol gradually recognized his skill, respected him, and began gathering around him.
Lee Hansol had become the seasoning that connected the cast of The Last Clue.
“Thanks to Hansol, we’ve benefited in so many ways.”
Both on and off screen, Lee Hansol had become a great source of strength for The Last Clue.
It was only natural that director-producer Park would grow fond of him.
But someone else thought even more highly of Lee Hansol.
“Haah...”
“Writer Kim, are you still not over it?”
“...No. Hansol’s acting is still lingering in my mind.”
Kim Seonmi, the writer of The Last Clue, had worn that dazed expression ever since S#123.
Lee Hansol’s acting in S#123 had gone beyond impressive. It had been utterly enthralling.
“Director-producer, should we revise the script? Kim Minu gets sentenced to death, goes to prison, breaks out, and comes back to find the protagonists?”
“Haha, what is he, Shin Chang-won?”
“Yes. There have actually been several prison escapes, so audiences might find it reasonably believable...”
“...Wait, you weren’t joking?”
She was so captivated that she seriously suggested making Kim Minu escape from prison and return.
Kim Minu was the main villain during the first half of The Last Clue, and he was not supposed to appear once Part Two began.
“Absolutely not. How could a prison escape possibly be plausible in twenty-first-century South Korea? Besides, there’s a separate main villain for the second half. Bringing Kim Minu back would tangle up the story.”
“Logically, you’re right, but... Haah, it’s just such a shame. The character is so good, and Hansol is such an incredible actor...”
Director-producer Park nodded at her regretful words.
From what they had seen so far, Kim Minu’s presence in The Last Clue was overwhelming.
Once Part Two began and Kim Minu was gone, the drama’s atmosphere would become dull in an instant.
‘If we’re not careful, people might say it starts strong and ends weak...’
What a problem. An actor being too good at acting could be a worry too.
Just as Director Park gave a hollow laugh...
“Hello, Director!”
“...And you are?”
A huge man strode toward director-producer Park with a bright greeting.
“I’m Kim Seongsu, management team lead at D&P Entertainment! I’m here to look after our actor Lee Hansol today!”
“Oh! You’re from Hansol’s agency!”
Director-producer Park, who had initially been wary, immediately relaxed upon hearing that he was from Lee Hansol’s agency.
More than that, D&P Entertainment was a company with influence that could never be ignored in the entertainment industry.
“But what do you need from me, Team Lead Kim?”
“It’s about that.”
Bzzzt.
Kim Seongsu pointed at the camera filming the table read.
“Is that camera recording?”
“Yes. The behind-the-scenes team was filming because we might later make a making-of video or teaser. We received the actors’ consent beforehand, of course. Is there a problem?”
“A problem? Not at all. It’s just...”
Kim Seongsu smiled warmly.
“Could I get a copy of today’s table-read footage?”
“...Pardon?”
Why did he want the table-read footage?
Park Yeong-won tilted their head.
* * *
The president’s office at D&P Entertainment.
The place was filled with an austere, chilly atmosphere, until a boisterous voice suddenly rang out.
“Hyung!!!”
“That bastard...”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Park Dong-pyeong, president of D&P Entertainment, gritted his teeth at the enormous footsteps echoing down the hallway.
“Hyung!!!”
“...Hyung?”
“Ah, no, not hyung. President, sir...!”
Kim Seongsu had joined Park Dong-pyeong’s team as its youngest road manager back when Park Dong-pyeong still worked in the field.
The close relationship that began then had lasted for more than a decade.
“Hey, punk. Didn’t I tell you to call me President at the company?”
“S-sorry, President...! Hehe. I have something to show you.”
“Something to show me?”
What Kim Seongsu handed President Park was the footage from The Last Clue table read.
After watching Lee Hansol act in the video, President Park let out a short exclamation.
“...Huh.”
“This performance is amazing too, right? Hahaha! We had a precious gem like this at our company?!”
Instead of answering, President Park took out his phone and showed him another video.
“President, this is...?”
“Director Noh Jeong-hyeon of Savage Blood sent it to me.”
The video was the elevator scene where Hansol performed opposite the ten-million-viewer actor Jo Gyeong-sik.
Kim Seongsu could only gape at the unbelievable action scene.
“...Wait, Hansol definitely said he went there to film as an extra?”
“It looks like Director Noh noticed him while he was working as an extra. Director Noh praised Hansol a great deal.”
Director Noh had been so serious about the elevator scene that the climax of a film still in production had been separately edited into a version for personal viewing.
The director had even personally thanked President Park, saying Lee Hansol had helped them get a great scene.
‘Lee Hansol...’
Hansol might not know it, but he had always been a promising prospect the company had watched closely.
His acting had been outstanding ever since his academy days.
His only weakness was that his looks were too plain, so he lacked a distinctive image that would make him stand out.
But now...
‘It seems he has finally found his own character.’
Lee Hansol’s talent, already supported by his acting ability, was blooming with the addition of villain roles.
The audition for The Last Clue, the table read, and the elevator scene in Savage Blood.
Lee Hansol had surprised President Park three times already.
Soon, he would reveal his presence to the world and astonish the public.
“...How long is Hansol’s contract? What’s his revenue split?”
“It’s a five-year contract with a four-to-six split. Two years have passed, so he has three left.”
The reason D&P Entertainment could sign long-term contracts with top-tier actors was simple.
They gave actors treatment worthy of their abilities.
A five-year contract with a four-to-six split.
That was standard for a rookie actor, but it was no longer appropriate for Lee Hansol.
‘I should start by adjusting his revenue split. That way, he’ll think favorably of D&P next time too. Ah, and not just that...’
Swish.
President Park’s gaze landed on a stack of papers.
It was the script for Hyde, a play called the strongest force in South Korea’s theater world.
The popular play Hyde was looking for a new rising star after its marquee actors retired one after another.
The qualities required to lead Hyde were overwhelming charisma, enough to command the audience and dominate the stage.
In President Park’s eyes, Lee Hansol was an actor who possessed that kind of charisma.
‘Connecting our actors with good productions is another part of the company’s job.’
President Park smiled as he spoke to Kim Seongsu.
“Once filming for The Last Clue is mostly finished, arrange a dinner. I have a big gift to give Hansol.”
“A big gift? Ah, yes. Understood.”
President Park intended to give Lee Hansol a great gift.
A wonderful gift that would let him fully unleash his natural acting ability.
Footnotes:
Shin Chang-won is a notorious South Korean prison escapee, referenced here as a joke about an implausible escape plot.
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