← An unknown actor, the audience's reaction began to show.The filming set was more run-down than expected.
The walls of the old apartment set had peeling paint, and the lighting stands were wrapped in tape to keep them at fixed angles. It was immediately clear that this was a drama with an extremely limited budget. Junho had seen dozens of sets like this. It was always the same smell. Curry, dust, and despair.
"Actor Lee Junho!"
The assistant director shouted. Junho raised his hand. He had already changed into his costume. A gray hoodie and black pants. It was an extra's outfit.
"Yes."
"We're starting the first shoot in five minutes. Scene 3-2, you're playing a convenience store part-timer. It's the scene where you hand a caffeinated drink to the main character, so you only need one line: 'Here you go.'"
'Here you go.'
Junho repeated the sentence. Inside his mouth.
"Please deliver it flatly without any emotional expression. Just like someone doing their job."
The assistant director was already looking for the next actor. He had nothing more to say to Junho.
He stood behind the convenience store counter and waited. The main actress was a woman in her mid-thirties. He didn't know her name, but he'd seen her face before. A face that appeared frequently as a supporting actress in dramas. She didn't look at Junho. Like during the screen test, Junho was just background.
"Standby."
"Rolling."
"Action."
The main actress entered the convenience store. She looked tired. She approached the counter. Junho handed her the drink he was already holding.
"Here you go."
His voice was small. It had no emotion. Whether that was the problem, he had no way of knowing.
The actress took the drink. She handed over money. Junho accepted it.
"Thanks."
The actress said. Junho nodded.
"Cut!"
The director lowered his hand.
"Good. Let's try once more. This time, a bit more naturally."
Naturally. That word felt strange to Junho. What did it mean to be natural? If his face wasn't natural, if his body wasn't natural, if his heart wasn't natural, what else could he make natural?
"Again."
"Standby."
"Rolling."
"Action."
Second take. Junho repeated the same movements. He handed over the drink, delivered his line, and took the money. This time he tried to smile. But he could feel that the smile was awkward.
"Cut!"
"That's fine. Let's do it once more."
Third. Fourth. Fifth. Junho repeated the same scene until the director was satisfied. Each time slightly different. But the result was the same. There was always a subtle disappointment on the director's face.
"Good. Let's move on to the next scene."
The director finally said. Junho stepped down from the counter. His fingertips were trembling. Or at least it felt that way.
The next scene was at a café. Junho sat in the café background with another extra actor. This time there was no dialogue. He was just background. While the main character and supporting actress talked, he had to be drinking coffee. Naturally.
The coffee was cold. Junho picked up the cup and set it down. Picked it up and set it down. He repeated this.
"Good."
The director said with a satisfied voice. Background wasn't important. What mattered was the expressions of the main character and supporting actress.
Filming continued until 5 p.m. Junho appeared in six scenes. Five were background, and one was 'Here you go.' That was his day.
When he came out of the bathroom after removing his makeup, a PD was standing in the hallway.
It took Junho one second to recognize him. It was Oh Taeyang. He was one of the famous PDs at the broadcasting station. Junho had seen him a few times. At industry events, or on the news. His face was fairly well-known.
"Actor Lee Junho?"
Oh Taeyang asked. Junho nodded.
"Yes."
"Ah, right. I saw you at the screen test. You got cast in this project too."
The PD smiled. There was something in that smile that Junho couldn't understand. Curiosity. Or something more.
"My name is Oh Taeyang. If you have some time, could we meet briefly at a nearby coffee shop?"
Junho paused for a moment. The fact that a PD was interested in him felt unfamiliar. It was a PD's job to be interested in rookie actors, but Junho was no longer a rookie. Ten years had passed. He was just a drifting actor.
"Yes. That sounds good."
Junho answered.
---
The coffee shop was five minutes away from the filming location. Oh Taeyang sat across from Junho. He didn't drink coffee. He just looked at Junho.
"I see rookie actors often. I've been working in this industry for over ten years. Most of them have energy at first. Ambition too. But as time passes, that energy disappears. Despair is what remains instead."
Oh Taeyang spoke. Junho looked at his face. The curiosity was still there.
"When I look at you, I can see that despair. But at the same time, there's something different. What could it be?"
Junho had nothing to say in response.
"I watched what you did on set today. It was ordinary. You were background, you had no lines. But watching you made me uncomfortable."
Uncomfortable. That word bounced off Junho.
"It looked like you were calculating something. Like you were analyzing everything."
Oh Taeyang leaned forward. His eyes were serious.
"Is there something special about you?"
Junho slowly drank his coffee. The coffee was cold. But he drank it. It was a way to buy time. A way to avoid answering.
"There's nothing special."
Junho said.
"I just want to be an actor."
Oh Taeyang smiled. There was no belief in that smile.
"I see. Then could I ask just one more thing?"
"Yes."
"Why do you want to be an actor?"
That was a question Junho received multiple times a day. Han Jieun had asked it, the director had asked it, and he had asked himself. But the answer was different each time. Or there was no answer.
Junho drank his coffee. This time he answered.
"I don't know."
Oh Taeyang burst out laughing. It was a genuine laugh.
"Good. That answer seems honest. I have a project that needs you. It's a bigger production. Are you interested?"
Junho looked at him.
"What are the conditions?"
"Nothing special really. I just want to see you. What you do."
Oh Taeyang handed his business card to Junho.
Junho took it.
The filming set was gray.
The entire set was decorated to look like an old café, though it was unclear whether the lack of lighting was intentional or simply how it had been designed. Junho stood behind the counter. His character name was 'Café Employee.' He had three lines of dialogue.
"I'll take your order."
"Yes, that's correct."
"Thank you."
It was only three lines, but Junho had already repeated them dozens of times. In front of the mirror last night. In the bathroom this morning. And continuously for the past hour since arriving at the set.
Oh Taeyang's business card was in his hotel bag. Junho had seen it last night. And again this morning. He'd looked at it three times. Four times. By the end, he was tracing the letters with his fingers as he looked.
'Are you perhaps interested?'
Junho couldn't tell if he was interested or not. But he did feel that this might be his last chance. If nothing changed in this project either.
The director's voice rang out.
"Are you ready?"
Junho nodded.
The camera began to move. The actress opened the café door and walked in. She was a famous newcomer. She'd already appeared a couple of times as a supporting actress in dramas. Her eyes were sharp and clear. Junho saw that. And he realized his own eyes were duller than hers.
'Naturally.'
The director's previous feedback came to mind.
Junho rearranged his breathing. He tried to relax the tension in his shoulders. He tried to loosen the expression on his face. But the more he tried, the more awkward it became. It felt like everyone could see that he wasn't actually standing behind the counter, but rather acting the part.
The actress approached the counter.
"I'll take your order."
Junho spoke. His voice was cold. Like a real part-time worker. Or was that the problem? Junho had never worked at a café before. So he didn't know what a part-time worker's voice actually sounded like. He was simply imitating what he thought was a 'natural café employee's voice.'
The actress opened the menu.
"One Americano, iced, please."
"Yes, that's correct."
Junho spoke. This time he tried to be a bit softer. But something was still wrong. It felt like he wasn't the one speaking, but rather someone was speaking through his mouth.
The director raised his hand.
"Cut."
Junho's body stiffened.
"Again. This time... more naturally."
'Naturally.'
That word was like a stone crushing Junho. He didn't understand what it meant to be natural, yet it kept being demanded of him. Like everything else.
Second take. Third take. Fourth take.
Each time the director called "Cut." Each time he gave the same feedback. The actress remained perfect. Her movements were natural, her voice was vivid, her eyes always sharp. Junho saw it. He kept seeing it. And he kept feeling the difference between her and himself.
On the fifth take, Junho gave up on something.
Just don't think about anything. Just speak. Just stand.
"I'll take your order."
But that was the moment.
His vision flashed.
A faint but distinct light. It was as if someone was writing letters on a transparent glass pane right in front of his eyes.
Junho looked up in surprise.
There was nothing there.
But the sensation continued. Something was invading his field of vision. It felt like it wasn't actually existing, but rather being printed directly into his brain.
And they were numbers.
Junho blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.
The numbers didn't disappear.
**[Empathy: 12%]**
**[Tension: 34%]**
**[Immersion: 8%]**
Junho's breathing quickened.
"Cut!"
The director's voice came, but Junho didn't hear it. All his attention was focused on those numbers. What were they? Where did they come from?
The actress looked at him. It was because Junho's face had gone pale.
"Are you okay?"
Junho looked up.
"Yes... yes, I'm fine."
But he wasn't fine at all. The numbers continued to float. And there were more of them now.
**[Empathy: 12%]**
**[Tension: 37%]**
**[Immersion: 9%]**
**[Favorability: 24%]**
**[Trust: 31%]**
Trust? Favorability? What did these mean?
The director approached.
"What's the problem?"
"Oh, no. Just a moment..."
Junho closed his eyes. It became dark. The numbers disappeared with it.
He was confused. Junho opened his eyes again.
The numbers returned.
As if they had always been there, only invisible when he closed his eyes.
"Are you alright? Should we continue?"
The director's voice sounded distant. Like he was underwater.
Junho nodded.
"Yes... yes, let's continue."
The actress came back in. She approached the counter.
This time something was different.
When Junho spoke, the numbers moved.
**[Empathy: 12% → 18%]**
**[Tension: 37% → 28%]**
**[Immersion: 9% → 14%]**
Junho stopped.
They... had changed.
The director raised his hand.
"Cut... something's different? Keep doing that."
Junho didn't know what 'that' was. But the numbers knew. As if they were the eyes of someone evaluating his acting.
After that, things accelerated.
With each take, Junho watched the numbers. And he moved in the direction they went up. When he softened his voice a bit more, empathy went up. When he put more emotion in his eyes, immersion went up. When he relaxed his shoulders more, trust went up.
As if they were precisely instructing him on what to do.
On the ninth take, the director spoke again.
"Good. This will do."
Looking at the numbers, Junho saw that all indicators had reached above 60%.
The actress nodded too. This time it was different from before. Before, there had been a hint of confusion in her expression. Now there wasn't. Now what was there was recognition.
When filming ended and the set became quiet, Junho realized one thing.
He still didn't know what those numbers were.
But he knew they wouldn't disappear.
Even if Junho closed his eyes, as long as they were open, they were always there.
As if his eyes had now been made to see something different.