Chapter 59: Give it to me, give it to me, give it to me, give it to me.

After Kim Sun-il entered the waiting room tent, about five staff members immediately began whispering.

“Is Sun-il entering? Sua is probably inside.”

“Could it be? Do they have something going on?”

“No, no. From his expression, he looked serious. And don’t you know Sua’s personality? Even Sun-il has quite the temperament. Despite working on so many projects, they’ve never had a dating rumor.”

“…So it’s not about romance, maybe they’re about to fight?”

There was a brief silence.

…A power struggle between Lee Sua and Kim Sun-il?

It was with pale faces that the staff realized. Honestly, none of them were confident they could control either of them.

If they had a big fight, the shoot would be completely ruined.

“Ah, that can’t be it!”

At that moment, one of them spoke confidently.

“Both Sun-il and Sua are total professionals. If they were the type to be swayed by emotions and ruin the project, they wouldn’t have made such excellent scenes in the first place. I think it’s for another reason.”

“Another reason?”

“Well, maybe they’re discussing the next ad-lib scene?”

“Of…!”

Finally, everyone seemed to understand the situation and relaxed, throwing admiration towards Sua and Sun-il.

“Both of them are insanely passionate. When filming, they give their best, and when the camera is off, they work together to research and perfect the next scene…”

“That’s why the scenes are great, and that’s why they’re professionals.”

“Professionals. I love that expression. Even though Sua is a newcomer, the word ‘newcomer’ just feels so awkward. She really feels like a pro.”

The conversation continued for quite some time after that.

Well, of course, it was just their thoughts.

Meanwhile, inside the waiting room tent.

“…What do you want me to do if you’re blocking the entrance like that?”

That was all the thought Lee Sua had as she looked up at Kim Sun-il.

She was so desperate to go back to the dorm and rest, but with his tall frame blocking the entrance, she couldn’t pass through.

It was then that Kim Sun-il nodded.

“So, you were thinking something similar.”

“Hmm?”

“Research is better done on-site, after all.”

“Ol….”

Without realizing it, Sua almost muttered ‘I agree.’

It was like an automatic expression of her usual passive acceptance. But sometimes, life is just too exhausting, and this was one of those moments for Sua.

Feeling very sleepy, she shook her head.

“…I’m just so sleepy, I’m going to sleep now.”

“You don’t need to be so guarded. Kim Yuhan and Lee Kang-cheol are rivals, but they’re also partners. With your skills, I don’t think you need to worry about others.”

“Just relax a bit more going forward.”

“Uh-huh….”

“And.”

Kim Sun-il handed Sua a can of coffee.

Afterwards, he lightly wiped his hands with hand sanitizer, and that’s when Sua remembered. That’s right, he had obsessive-compulsive disorder.

“I need to ask you something, Lee Sua.”

“Something you want to ask?”

Sua felt a little tense.

First, he approached her and even handed her a can of coffee.

This was not like Kim Sun-il. As expected, he must have wanted something.

However, the following words made Sua tilt her head in curiosity.

“Did I seem unhappy while acting?”

“Hmm?”

What kind of question was this?

It was an entirely unexpected question, but after a brief moment of thought, Sua nodded. It was true that Kim Sun-il did not seem happy.

Then, Kim Sun-il also nodded in response.

“…Right, if it’s your eyes, it must be accurate. I guess it wasn’t a completely unreasonable question.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.”

Sua slightly furrowed her brow.

Why ask a question and then not explain?

But soon, it became irrelevant. She was just too sleepy.

“By the way, Lee Sua, can I ask you one more thing?”

“What?”

“How can you expand your acting spectrum?”

Kim Sun-il asked with a serious expression.

“The truth is, I’ve been stuck in a certain type of role for a long time. But you, you’ve freely moved between Wi Ji-hye and Kim Yuhan. I’m curious about your secret. I’d really like to hear it.”

“…?”

Actually, this was a difficult question for Sua to answer. She was a special case who had grown with the help of perks, not someone who had built her acting skills from the ground up.

As Sua remained silent, Kim Sun-il must have thought his explanation was insufficient, so he added a few more words.

“What I mean is, the way you varied your performance with the script was impressive. It shows you’ve done a lot of research. I’m curious about what mindset you had that led you to see the way forward.”

“I…”

Sua hesitated for a moment before responding.

“I think it’s important to become one with the character.”

“Well, I pride myself on doing that too. No, I focus solely on that. I carefully move forward thinking about what the character must do.”

“No, no. That’s not it.”

Without realizing it, Sua shook her head.

This wasn’t a calculated action. It was instinct.

“You said you focused on what the character had to do, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve never thought like that. Instead, I thought about what the character would want to do. And from there, things just came to me naturally.”

And just after saying that,

“…Ah.”

Sua was suddenly taken aback by her own realization.

She had been so focused on thinking about Kim Sun-il’s question that she had unknowingly blurted out all her thoughts. Her sleepiness likely played a part in this too.

Realizing her mistake, Sua quickly tried to recover.

“No, well, that’s what I meant. Don’t worry about it.”

However, it was already too late.

Kim Sun-il seemed to have fallen into deep thought.

For Sua, it was a situation where sweat ran down her back.

She was someone who relied on perks to act, so she couldn’t help but question whether it was okay to discuss acting techniques with someone who truly took acting seriously.

“Just let it go in one ear and out the other. I already said it.”

As Sua quickly tried to back out of the conversation,

“…Not what I have to do, but what I want to do.”

Kim Sun-il nodded slowly, very slowly.

“I understand. Thank you.”

What he understood, and what he was thankful for, were still mysteries to Sua.

Late that night,

The Special Mobile Unit 808 had rented several rooms at a hotel near the movie studio. Many were already deeply asleep, exhausted from the day.

However, there were still some awake.

Lee Geum-sook, the writer, and PD Choi Heewon were among them.

The two of them were drinking canned beer while nibbling on dried snacks. They couldn’t drink too much—they still had work tomorrow.

In fact, it would have been better not to drink at all, but despite knowing that, they had decided to have a drink. For them, today had been such a satisfying day that they couldn’t bear not having a beer.

PD Choi Heewon spoke first.

“Now that I think about it, there weren’t any major NGs today. You know, the kind where everything gets blocked and nothing moves forward.”

“By the way, Sua didn’t have any NGs, did she?”

“There were a few retakes, but none of it was Sua’s fault. Sua was flawless, that’s what I mean.”

“Impressive. Really impressive…”

Lee Geum-sook said after finishing her beer.

“Sua! My Kim Yuhan! I really love you!”

Meanwhile, Kim Yi-seo visited Sua’s room.

“…?”

Kim Yi-seo tilted his head slightly.

This was because Sua was wearing pajamas.

Well, honestly, pajamas weren’t the issue. It was normal to wear pajamas. The real problem was the design.

Yes, more than anything, the design.

Sua’s pajamas had a cute Arctic fox character printed on them, spaced evenly across the fabric. What could it be—was she like a northern princess who collected the heads of Arctic foxes after hunting them?

It seemed like it would be fitting to paint its face…

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah.”

Only after Sua called out did Kim Yi-seo snap out of his thoughts.

Well, first, he had to get to the point.

The first-day schedule was completed perfectly. Today, I received envious looks everywhere I went. It’s no wonder, since Sua is our Mystic’s Sua.

“I admit it.”

“Rest well today, and I look forward to tomorrow.”

“That’s a good analogy.”

Sua mumbled without even realizing what kind of metaphor she was using.

She wasn’t thinking about anything in particular. Ah, the CEO seems excited.

Maybe they’re complimenting me. Yeah, yeah.

Then suddenly,

“CEO.”

“Yes, Sua. I’m listening.”

“What do you think of these pajamas?”

“Oh, pajamas? Pajamas, huh…”

Kim Yi-seo hesitated.

After a moment, she gave what she thought was the best answer and left.

Once alone, Sua’s expression became serious.

Kim Sun-il’s room.

There was a visitor here too, and surprisingly, it was Seo Yeon-ju.

Seo Yeon-ju was still lounging around, munching on potato chips.

“…Why are you eating here?”

“My room is too messy. I don’t like it.”

“What about my room?”

“You clean it, don’t you?”

Kim Sun-il considered throwing Seo Yeon-ju out the window but decided against it.

It would be troublesome if the street got dirty.

Instead, he sighed deeply and opened the script.

Seo Yeon-ju showed a hint of interest.

“What are you doing? At this late hour?”

“I have a few things to think about.”

Kim Sun-il answered briefly, and Seo Yeon-ju’s gaze returned to the TV that was still on.

After a while, Kim Sun-il spoke again.

“Seo Yeon-ju.”

“Why?”

“What do you want to do?”

“…Suddenly?”

“Do you live thinking about what you want to do?”

“Why are you asking that?”

Seo Yeon-ju looked at him as if he had asked a strange question, but Kim Sun-il continued talking.

And above all, his expression.

The Kim Sun-il she knew was the one who looked like that when he was serious.

“Sun-il, why are you asking something like that?”

“I was wondering if you live thinking about what you want to do, or if you live thinking about what you have to do.”

“Well… a little bit of both, I guess?”

“Half and half?”

For Kim Sun-il, that was an answer that made him think even more.

What do they think about, and with what mindset do they approach things?

Each person was different.

He himself only thought about what had to be done, Seo Yeon-ju thought about both, and Sua seemed to only think about what she wanted to do.

Kim Sun-il gradually felt a sense of approaching some truth.

“…Thinking about what you want to do, huh.”

He kept replaying those few words in his mind.

Endlessly.

The next day.

At the bustling set, where the special task force 808 was setting up equipment, the filming location was already heating up for another intense day.

PD Choi Heewon also arrived, steeling herself for the day ahead.

“Uh?”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

There was another unexpected visitor today.

“Director Go Tae-min?”

At that, Go Tae-min burst into laughter.

“I ended up coming today as well. The project looked so good.”

“Well, it’s an honor, but are you sure? You’re such a busy person with your new project and everything…”

“Still, I had to come. There’s something I really want to ask.”

“Go ahead. I’ll answer with all my heart. Or would you like to watch some scenes being filmed today? Park Do-hee is shooting a few scenes, I think it might be helpful for you.”

But immediately, PD Choi Heewon tilted her head. She could tell Go Tae-min wasn’t interested in Park Do-hee.

“Ah, maybe it’s not about Do-hee…?”

“Exactly.”

Go Tae-min nodded.

“Do-hee did a good job. I was surprised by how much her acting improved. But there’s someone else I’m more curious about.”

“Someone else you’re curious about…”

“Yes. The actor playing Kim Yuhan. I’m really curious about him.”

“I knew you’d ask.”

PD Choi Heewon laughed.

“Actually, I was waiting for you to ask.”

“Well, you can’t hide a monster like that. You should have told me earlier. Where on earth did he come from? Our casting staff didn’t know a thing.”

“Well, I’m not much different. Do you know the show ‘How I Became an Actor’?”

“Of course! It’s the survival audition show that discovers actors.”

“Yes, exactly. He was a participant there.”

“A participant? Could you tell me more?”

Go Tae-min’s eyes, which had been slightly squinting, suddenly brightened.

“Honestly, I don’t know too much. I just saw him longer than most people in the industry. But I’m not sure about his background…”

“That’s enough. Just tell me what you observed.”

“Well… if you insist…”

PD Choi Heewon crossed her arms and began the story.

“First, he started acting as a hobby and seemed to have dabbled in various other fields as well. What’s surprising is that he taught himself.”

As the story went on, Go Tae-min’s eyes grew wider and wider, until eventually they almost popped out of his head.

When people spread rumors, they always add something extra, especially when it’s a story they like, and in this case, compliments followed.

PD Choi Heewon was no exception. She cared a lot for Sua.

PD Choi Heewon passed on all of her misconceptions and everything she thought were the advantages of Sua to Director Go Tae-min.

“Impossible…”

A single phrase from Director Go Tae-min.

Of course, Sua had no idea about any of this.

Meanwhile, Sua, who had just arrived on set, witnessed a curious sight.

Whoosh—whoosh—

Seo Yeon-ju and Kim Yi-seo were tossing something into a large sack. Upon closer inspection, there was something they had in common.

Both of them were holding bundles of paper.

Sua peeked in and asked,

“What’s all this?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Sua.”

Kim Yi-seo spoke as she threw the paper bundles.

Seo Yeon-ju was throwing them with her long arms, while Kim Yi-seo, who was smaller in stature, struggled to throw each one. She looked like a little kid.

Kim Yi-seo added a few words.

“Don’t feel bad. It’s not that we’re not telling you, it’s just that none of this is important. We’re going to throw all of this away. We’ll handle the hard work.”

“…Why are you saying ‘we’? Just get the staff to do it later. Or you can do it yourself.”

Seo Yeon-ju muttered grumpily, but it was no use. Kim Yi-seo shook her head and looked at Seo Yeon-ju.

“This is all your stuff. Keep your conscience in check.”

All these bundles of paper were Seo Yeon-ju’s?

Sua became even more curious and asked,

“What’s all this about?”

“It’s the scripts.”

Seo Yeon-ju tossed one and explained.

She had been collecting all the scripts that had come in as proposals. Back then, she was excited about it. When she looked at the piles, it felt like her popularity was really real to her, and it boosted her self-esteem.

“Oh.”

Sua could relate to that feeling.

It was similar to collecting 99+ friend requests in a game. The sensation that so many people were looking for her was exhilarating, and in many ways, it satisfied her desire for recognition.

“Why are you throwing them away now?”

“They take up too much space. And back when I was a newcomer, it was fun collecting them, but now it just doesn’t feel exciting anymore.”

“I see, there are a lot of them. Were the scripts all bad?”

Some were bad, and some didn’t fit with my schedule. The content varied though. There were even singing roles and…

“Huh?”

Seo Yeon-ju suddenly tilted her head.

“Is that so? Now that I think about it, there really are a lot of music-related ones, huh? Why do these kinds of scripts always come to me?”

The answer came from Kim Yi-seo.

“It’s because Yeon-ju has a pure image. When she’s placed on stage, she seems like she’d sing beautifully like a nightingale. Elegantly.”

Sua thought for a moment.

She thought and thought again.

“Don’t throw these scripts away. Give them to me.”

“…?”

At this, both of them looked at Sua at the same time.

It was Seo Yeon-ju who broke the silence first.

“These are really old scripts, you know? Even if you like them now, they’re works that you can’t participate in anymore. Right, Director?”

“That’s right. Plus, it’s not just Korean scripts. Yeon-ju’s face is especially popular in China, so there are scripts in Chinese, Japanese, and all sorts of mixed languages.”

It was basically saying that they were as good as trash, and to not take an interest in them.

But Sua’s eyes sparkled instead.

“It’s fine. Give them to me.”

They’re not trash.

To Sua, all of these looked like treasures.