An hour and a half of non-stop script reading had even the adult actors feeling exhausted.
It was because, given the genre and the gravely serious atmosphere around the table, everyone was acting in a state of tension.
Normally in such situations, the director would step in, break it up, and lighten the mood, but the first-time director just checked the atmosphere without intervening.
“Suhyeon, good work.”
“Noona, you’ve worked hard too.”
“You look really tired. It must have been tough.”
Only after the cameras were turned off did the actors lean back in their chairs and sat comfortably.
Especially Suhyeon and Taebin, who had expended a lot of emotion, slumped next to each other.
“I must have lost at least a kilogram…”
“Did you gain weight, noona?”
“Uh, what? How did you know?”
“You think about losing weight all the time, just like my mom.”
“…As you approach thirty, your metabolism…”
“You are pretty as you are, noona.”
Suhyeon grinned, cutting off Taebin’s attempt at an excuse.
If an adult man had said such a thing, she would have thought of it as just part of the job, but Suhyeon was only five years old.
She took Suhyeon’s words as pure compliment, and her smile grew.
“Aigoo, our Suhyeon really knows how to melt a woman’s heart with words. He’s going to be dangerous when he grows up.”
“Hehe.”
“Your mom must feel full even without eating, right?”
“If she doesn’t eat, she has no energy. She needs to sleep then.”
Suhyeon often exchanged words with Taebin, giving simple and quirky answers befitting a child.
And when a certain level of closeness had developed, he finally broached the subject he’d been curious about.
“Noona, you were a voice actor, right? I got really scared listening to your voice earlier.”
“Oh, is that so? I might have been overshadowed by the rookies, but I took center stage when I was in my prime.”
“How can I become like you, noona?”
Suhyeon’s eyes sparkled.
He received vocal training both during his time as an idol and as he made the transition to acting, which significantly improved his diction and vocal projection.
But there was something in the emotion carried by Taebin’s voice that Suhyeon lacked.
Most wouldn’t share their secrets with an older competitor, but since I’m only five!
Suhyeon shamelessly boasted about being five while brazenly pushing forward.
Adults would hardly see a child as competition.
Rather, because they were young, they would feel the need to set a good example and teach the child something.
Maybe it’s because I’ve become younger, but learning has become faster…
After reverting to the age of five, Suhyeon realized that the reason children could learn one thing and know ten was because of their youth.
His memory and comprehension had improved to the point where he felt like a genius.
The synergy was tremendous when an adult’s mind met a young brain.
“Are you interested in voice acting? Should I teach you? It’s better to search for multiple teachers since you can pick up bad habits from just one, but I can help with the basics.”
“Are you not busy, noona?”
“Being with you is healing! Plus, I feel like there’s a reward in teaching you.”
Even though Taebin had left the voice acting industry for acting due to various circumstances, she still loved it.
She was also lenient on non-voice acting recordings, happily helping fellow entertainers when asked.
“Since we’re on the topic, shall we discuss when’s a good time? I have a regular schedule, so let’s exclude Wednesday….”
Empowered by Taebin’s proactive attitude, Suhyeon, somewhat bewildered, agreed to a schedule and then excused himself to the bathroom under the guise of needing a break.
He was supposed to see everyone again for dinner, but for the time being, he wanted to distance himself from Taebin who had gone into high tension mode.
The moment we started talking about her interests, she really didn’t stop… very dizzying…
Could it be because of her good diction?
Even her idle chatter stuck in his head instead of going in one ear and out the other, causing information overload.
To cool his slightly feverish face, he quickly moved his short legs toward the bathroom.
“Hey, you. Stop right there.”
If not for the interruption, he would have leisurely cooled down and gone to see Sangil.
“Hello. Was your name Jihee?”
“It’s Jiyoon!”
Jiyoon screamed with a face turned bright red.
She seemed furious as she was breathing heavily.
“Ah, right. Nam Jiyoon.”
Hearing her name, Suhyeon nodded lightly.
He had been confused by the many names he’d been introduced to, but he remembered Jiyoon.
There had only been two kids today, and from their first meeting until now, she had made her hostility clear.
She’s a child with a lot of anger.
Suhyeon quietly stared at Jiyoon.
Her upturned eye corners suggested a feisty personality, yet the round eyes and chubby cheeks just made her look adorable.
The childish twin-tails hairstyle added to her cuteness.
At that age, they’re all just cute.
With a heart grown more generous, he watched the prickly little girl.
Though he didn’t know what she intended to say, he wanted to clear up any misunderstandings since they were shooting together.
Of course, Suhyeon’s kindness didn’t reach Jiyoon.
“You think you have it all just because you’re pretty and cry well! If you weren’t a boy, you would probably not be the lead, right!?”
Jiyoon spat out the words she wanted to say without any filter.
She was busy belittling Suhyeon’s strengths, insisting he had landed the lead role only because of his gender.
“Ah, thanks for the compliment. It’s a bit embarrassing to be praised for my looks even if you dislike them.”
Suhyeon retorted smoothly.
Even when he shouted that he was five, his mentality was that of a twenty-five-year-old.
He was too old to be hurt by the jealous words thrown by such a small child.
“I’m four years older than you! Stop talking back when you haven’t even been to kindergarten!”
“Yep, noona. But we are both minors in the eyes of the law. It’s all the same.”
“Mi-minors in the eyes of the law? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s about crime… I mean, it just means you’re young.”
“I’m not young!”
Suhyeon teased the flustered Jiyoon like a mischievous uncle, enjoying her reaction.
Any words he said were met with her fiery retorts, a different flavor from talking to Seora.
Seeing this makes me realize Seora was really mature for a child… No, maybe more somber.
Encountering a child around the same age made Suhyeon think Seora was not childlike at all.
Silent and composed if not spoken to, she reminded him of someone.
Feels familiar… Who was it…?
“Hey! Are you ignoring me? Shit. How long do you think you’ll be the lead? My mom said leads like you could be replaced any time!”
As he was lost in thought without responding, Jiyoon, feeling ignored, huffed for breath.
Her face was flushed red as if the heat had risen to her head.
The theme is child abuse, so there’s no chance the lead will change. She really is spoiled.
Instead of teasing Jiyoon further, Suhyeon clicked his tongue and thought about her mother.
He wondered what kind of hopes a parent could instill to cause such misunderstandings and hatred towards others.
“Even so, I’m the lead until then. Let’s get along, Jiyeon-ah.”
“It’s Jiyoon! And why don’t you call me noona!”
“Yep. Jihyo-noona.”
“Shit… Shit. Youuuu!”
“Actor Suhyeon… We should be heading to the dinner location now.”
Just as Jiyoon was about to scream in rage, Sangil appeared from around the corner and called out to Suhyeon.
Startled by the sudden appearance of an adult, Jiyoon quickly pretended to be demure, fixing her hair.
“Right. Sangil-hyung! I had fun today with Jiyoon-noona. See you later.”
“Wha, what? You…”
“Let’s go, hyung.”
Without giving Jiyoon a chance to retaliate, Suhyeon left the scene.
She was a fun conversation partner to some extent, but it could be troublesome if the teasing made her cry.
“Did you get confessed to?”
“Sangil-hyung, that’s not the kind of talk you’d expect in that atmosphere.”
“There’s a lot surprisingly, isn’t there? Romance full of sparks.”
“There are plenty of cases, you know. Fiery romances.”
“My employer is quite precocious, you see.”
“Stop teasing me.”
Suhyeon and Sangil bickered as they headed to the dinner location.
He hoped the dinner would pass quietly and smoothly.
***
“Suhyeon, aren’t you sleeping? It’s already 8 o’clock.”
“Just a bit more practice…”
“I’m worried our son is working too hard.”
“I’ll read it once more and go to sleep.”
“If you drink too much water at night, you’ll have to pee. Don’t forget to go to the bathroom before bed.”
“Okay.”
As soon as Jiyeon left, Suhyeon hastily closed the door and pulled out the cell phone he had hidden under the blankets.
It was secretly purchased under his manager Sangil’s name, so getting caught would be troublesome.
It’s strange for a five-year-old to be so adept at using a cell phone.
Having previously swiped Hochan’s phone, he knew that if caught, he might face various misunderstandings.
Suhyeon, except when acting, tried to show a childlike appearance in front of his parents, wishing to remain just a slightly intelligent five-year-old.
First, let’s turn on the video…
Suhyeon activated the camera on his phone and fixed it on the desk.
The children’s desk made of plastic barely reached his waist, but with a toy box on it, it was the perfect height for sitting.
The screen presence is perfect again today.
Just the sight of it was thrilling, and always offered something new—was it not his own face?
He once again resolved to maintain this appearance for life and pushed the floating screen to the corner.
Self-love was good, but practice came first.
“The baby bear lived happily with Papa Bear and Mama Bear… happily…”
Suhyeon imagined the baby bear with its parents.
The director hadn’t created a separate story for the “Baby Bear Story” that “Jang Yeonwu” was always reading.
He believed that the true expression could only be captured on camera if it was a fairy tale imagined by a child actor, not a happy story tailored to adults’ frame.
Although it was an unexpected decision for someone who had completed the entire script, the production went smoothly since they were sufficiently warned during the contract negotiation and through regular meetings.
Suhyeon recited the envious and happy family story that “Jang Yeonwu” might have imagined.
“Mother Bear always told Baby Bear, ‘I love you’… just like my mom used to.”
Stroking a blank notebook, Suhyeon acted out the “Jang Yeonwu” he had envisioned.
He twisted a passing mother and child scene into his own past with his mother, playing a child who believed his mother would one day embrace him warmly.
The scene was lonely and dark, so Suhyeon deliberately spoke the “Baby Bear Story” in a cheerful voice to mask it.
“Not bad.”
After he was done acting, Suhyeon checked his phone and smiled.
The quality was worse than what he had been watching live, but the video was quite good.
I’ll match the scenes that need a partner during tomorrow’s rehearsal…
Having already memorized the lines, the details could be adjusted with the other actor.
After reviewing the footage, Suhyeon checked his schedule for tomorrow again and dove into bed.
He was excited for the shoot happening in a few hours.
