Chapter 58: Wait a moment, I have something to discuss with you.

“I want to take it off just once.”

A comment from director Go Tae-min, who was observing Sua.

The staff member standing beside him nodded.

“Indeed.”

“Sigh, that’s not what I meant, Inseok.”

“Yes? Ah, I didn’t mean anything bad.”

As director Go Tae-min glanced at him, the man flushed and cleared his throat. He was the PD in charge of directing Go Tae-min’s new project, Crescendo from Tomorrow.

Director Go Tae-min only clicked his tongue and didn’t reprimand him.

Sua’s body was naturally impressive even to him.

When one sees such a harmonious proportion, they can’t help but be captivated. It’s not just the PD beside him who’s entranced. The people around her must feel similarly.

A body that forcibly steals attention. That was Sua’s body.

“…So, what do you mean by that?”

“Well…”

Director Go Tae-min continued as if it was obvious.

“I want to see what’s beneath the surface, the layers hidden by the makeup. Aren’t you curious about what’s inside? I’m sure there’s a monster inside. A monster we’ve never seen before.”

“A monster… Hmm, I see…”

The PD nodded quietly. It was a sign of agreement.

Director Go Tae-min then observed Sua’s acting closely. The scene with Kim Sun-il, the scene with Park Do-hee, and even when she wasn’t acting, what she did in her free time. He watched it all.

“Her skills are already exceptional. The fact that she went to the audition wasn’t that attractive. She could easily pick up projects that bend towards her. Her talent is that high.”

Seo Jae-woo, who was once Kim Jun-ki’s right hand, had said that the actress who could fit perfectly into Kim Jun-ki’s work was none other than the newcomer.

Director Go Tae-min now understood why Seo Jae-woo had spoken so confidently.

Sua’s talent was remarkable.

But he still didn’t fully understand who Sua was.

“But if she’s a newcomer, it wouldn’t be easy to ignore Kim Jun-ki’s name back then, right? Was she scared and rejected it? Or was it just not satisfying enough? Which one is it?”

But soon, he found the answer.

The image of Sua’s face from when he first saw her came to mind.

The face that had been stiff in front of the 808 Headquarters.

“She was probably nervous and stiff back then, but looking at it now, I don’t think so. I think she was just focused. She must have already been preparing Kim Yuhan by then.”

At that moment, Director Go Tae-min nudged the shoulders of those nearby. He had no choice but to do so; the production team for Crescendo from Tomorrow was all stunned.

“What do you think about Kim Yuhan’s role?”

One of them immediately spoke up.

“It’s fascinating.”

A simple response, but it was the right expression.

“I can only say it’s fascinating. The way she turned an incomplete character with a different gender into something of her own is impressive. Just think about how much research she must have done.”

“That’s right. I know the 808 script a bit, and she skillfully avoided any potential plot holes. Her androgynous voice is subtly charming.”

The production team of Crescendo from Tomorrow started to join the conversation one by one, but no one actually made eye contact. Everyone was just staring at Sua, their mouths moving but not really talking.

“From the reactions around, I think that scene was improvised. How did a newcomer pull that off? And her partner was the notoriously difficult Kim Sun-il. She must have had a very strong sense of confidence in herself.”

“Okay, I admit it. But hold on a second.”

It was then.

Someone spoke with a tone of disbelief.

He was the staff member in charge of casting for Crescendo from Tomorrow. He had collected the audition videos on his tablet and had been reporting them to Director Go Tae-min daily.

He continued speaking.

“By any chance, has anyone here seen the face of that newcomer actor? I’m really seeing them for the first time.”

“We haven’t either…”

Everyone shook their heads. It meant they had never seen her before.

“I’ve scouted through all kinds of newcomers, yet why have I never seen her? With that striking appearance and exceptional acting skills… Why didn’t I know about her? What did I miss?”

“I know you’ve worked hard. Don’t blame yourself.”

Director Go Tae-min reassured the casting staff, patting them on the back.

He knew better than anyone that this staff member had been running around tirelessly for Crescendo from Tomorrow. This person had even searched for talent in musicals and plays.

“Comets usually fall suddenly. You can ask Lee Geum-sook or PD Choi Heewon for more details later. Let’s see… And…”

Director Go Tae-min wiped his chin thoughtfully.

“Park Do-hee. The real reason we’re here is because of Park Do-hee. What did you think of the performance she showed today?”

“Do-hee? She did incredibly well. Her skills have improved so much. She wasn’t this good when she auditioned for us.”

“The term ‘improved’ doesn’t quite fit.”

There was an air of mystery in Director Go Tae-min’s voice.

“Yeah. It’s not just improvement. She’s leveled up.”

“…Leveled up?”

A compliment and admiration for Park Do-hee.

However, even amidst this conversation, the topic of casting Park Do-hee as the lead in Go Tae-min’s new project was never brought up.

Everyone knew that.

There was someone else who deserved even more praise right now.

“That’s right. It’s not just Do-hee. Kim Sun-il is the same. The Kim Sun-il I know never thought about variation in his roles, but now, he’s executing everything flawlessly. What’s the cause? It’s obviously Kim Yuhan.”

And of course, the one who was the reason for all this was the actor playing Kim Yuhan.

“Yeah, I had a vague feeling too.”

The PD in charge of direction agreed.

“At first glance, it looks like they’re walking in sync, but if you look closely, it’s different. When Kim Yuhan takes a step forward, Lee Kang-cheol quickly follows. It should actually be the opposite. Kim Yuhan is the newcomer.”

“That’s true. This industry really isn’t favorable to newcomers.”

It’s a tough industry for newcomers to take the lead. Directors, staff, fellow actors… no one has a lower position than the newcomer. Their influence is naturally weak.

But Lee Sua was different.

She took the lead without hesitation and without difficulty.

As if she had always done so.

“I don’t know what happened during the practice shoot, but it seems like she already has immense trust. It’s unbelievable. A newcomer getting to act freely with the atmosphere supporting her like that.”

Everyone found it difficult to respond quickly. Although they understood it with their heads, it was a fact that was too hard to accept.

The casting staff member broke the silence after a while.

“So, what you’re saying is that this actor not only completed an unfinished role but also had the effect of encouraging the people around her?”

“That’s right. The overall quality of the work has improved greatly.”

Go Tae-min rubbed his rough chin.

“…I want to try that in my work too. I wonder how it would go.”

As he muttered that, the Crescendo from Tomorrow production team started whispering among themselves.

“Director, we need to go now. I just saw Go Tae-min over there. They’re starting to gossip a lot.”

“It looks like they’re preparing to greet you, so let’s go slowly.”

Director Go Tae-min immediately stood up.

While it was nice to have people come and greet him because of his reputation, this was the special forces 808’s filming site. If the attention turned toward him, it would cause a huge disturbance.

“It’s a shame to leave like this, though.”

Even as he walked away, Go Tae-min occasionally glanced back.

“The emotional range is so delicate. Compared to ordinary people, these delicate friends express music so well in many ways.”

He swallowed the immense regret.

The first day of filming for Special Operations Unit 808 had ended.

“Hey! You didn’t pack the cameras!”

But the set was still noisy, busy with packing up the equipment. These pieces of equipment couldn’t just be left lying around. They had to be folded and unfolded every day, so their work was exhausting.

“We didn’t forget it! There’s just so much to move first! We’ll pack it up one by one, so don’t worry!”

“We’ll start with the sound team! The equipment is really sensitive!”

“Let’s stay focused till the end! We have to finish cleaning up! The filming isn’t fully done yet! We still have to work tomorrow!”

Every day, the equipment had to be set up and packed away again.

It was undeniably grueling labor.

However, no one showed any signs of reluctance. Instead, there were smiles on many faces.

The reason was simple.

“Today’s filming was really worthwhile, right?”

“I didn’t even realize the time passing. To see this with my own eyes…”

“How are the viewers going to wait for each episode?”

“Exactly! I’m dying to know how the viewers will react!”

The scenes captured by the cameras today were incredibly good.

To them, it felt unbearably good, but they couldn’t help but wonder how the viewers would react.

Eventually, one of the crew members couldn’t hold back and shouted out.

“Ah! When is the first airing day? I’m dying to know!”

Meanwhile.

“Ah, this is tough.”

Lee Sua looked like a drenched Arctic fox.

An Arctic fox getting caught in the rain? Well, Lee Sua didn’t even know if that was possible! Regardless, she was incredibly tired at that moment.

She was, in fact, imagining herself as a drenched fox.

“Ugh…”

Lee Sua pressed her eyelids tightly with her fingers.

“Well, my skills have improved somehow, but my stamina just can’t keep up. I’m so tired. I really need to exercise.”

Mock shoots or short film shoots—those were at a completely different level of difficulty. After filming one scene, it was straight into the next, and the next after that… there was no time to rest.

Lee Sua suddenly thought of something.

“Endure the weight of the crown, Arctic fox.”

…Is this the weight of being a lead?

Honestly, Lee Sua hadn’t given much thought to being a lead.

A lead? Isn’t it just a bit better than being a supporting role?

But after experiencing it physically, she realized it was not like that.

Being a lead meant carrying a huge weight. The amount of footage alone was overwhelming, and everything from start to finish seemed to be all on Lee Sua.

“I’m so sleepy… I’m so tired… I want to die… No, I don’t want to die…”

Just when Lee Sua was about to head back to the dorm.

Whoosh—

The entrance of the waiting room tent was pushed open.

And unexpectedly, someone appeared.

“Lee Sua.”

Kim Sun-il.

“I need to talk to you for a moment.”

He had come to find Lee Sua, his expression very serious.