A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Genius Director Who Dominates OTT

Episode 10

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Idols live in trainee society for as short as 3 years, or as long as over 10 years.

Because of this, while their bodies grow, their minds often don’t develop into normal adults.

And this isn’t even the end of it.

After trainee life ends and they debut, another 7-year period of group activities begins.

But what if, from trainee days through group activities, they were at the bottom of the food chain and always the weaker party in power relationships?

It might have been less problematic if they had been popular.

Just like military hazing is worse in rear units than frontline ones, bullying others also requires energy to do.

However, Agent Secret wasn’t popular and had to spend most of their time cooped up in their dorm.

Then Tune, the apex predator of the group’s food chain, started gaining recognition and became the group’s savior.

I could see the picture even from just this small glimpse.

In some ways, it’s more terrible than school violence or domestic abuse.

Home, school, workplace.

The group Agent Secret was a space that combined all of those for Eum Seong-hyeon.

In the end, I couldn’t hold back in the waiting room.

“Please stop that.”

They called it a waiting room, but it was more like a storage closet, and since there was no stylist, the members were doing each other’s makeup…

This was going too far.

The way the members touched Eum Seong-hyeon while doing his makeup was clearly bullying.

Especially what they did with the curling iron made me frown and then feel angry.

Of course, no physical violence was committed in front of me.

But just because there’s no physical violence doesn’t mean it’s not violence.

However, I regretted speaking up.

“Ah, sorry. We’re just guys living together in a dorm, so we don’t really know the limits, you know? We get scolded by our manager hyung all the time but still act like this.”

“Hey, Eum Seong-hyeon. You know he thinks it’s real.”

“This guy needs to act, you know?”

The situation passed by so naturally, but Eum Seong-hyeon’s face darkened.

What bothered me was that there wasn’t even any change of expression in that darkness.

After that unpleasant event ended, we returned to Bangbae-dong.

Originally, I was supposed to return the car and meet Jo Seong-chan, but I just parked it roughly in front of the company and left a text.

I gave the car keys to Tune, the leader.

“Eum Seong-hyeon. Could you talk with me for a moment?”

In this kind of situation, they might have flinched, but the members were calm.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Manager hyung, aren’t you too handsome?”

“If we make it big later and get on a program with managers, I’ll contact you.”

It wasn’t acting.

They instinctively knew that nothing would happen.

“He won’t work because he has no social skills.”

“If there’s trouble among the kids, it’s always Seong-hyeon.”

Jo Seong-chan’s voice echoed bitterly in my mind.

I’ve never really thought of myself as an adult…

But someone in their early thirties is more of an adult than someone in their mid-twenties, right?

As an adult, I couldn’t stand this.

Silence lingered in the space where only the two of us remained, and Eum Seong-hyeon was the first to break it.

“You’re the person I saw at the cafe, right?”

“Yes.”

“You must be a YouTuber.”

His reaction was so calm.

I thought he’d be angry about me interfering and complicating things.

Looking at his composed eyes, two thoughts crossed my mind.

It’s pitiful.

And…

Let me properly confirm this once.

“There was a person named Hyeon-tae. Small, skinny, couldn’t fight well. But he had some desire for honor, so he was the type who stuck around bullies while getting picked on?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Then an incident happens. Hyeon-tae gets into an argument with a transfer student. What do you think Hyeon-tae was thinking? That his classmates would take his side over the outsider. That even though the bullies subtly looked down on him, they’d still be closer to him.”

Eum Seong-hyeon was puzzled at first, but gradually got drawn into my story.

Now I know for certain.

Why I saw Eum Seong-hyeon in the script.

Power dynamics among friends.

A very old stigma that would never change.

Someone’s jokes pass by like violence disguised as pranks, and someone’s pranks splash all over like dirty water from wringing out rags.

But after a long time, the humiliation disappears and only rationalization remains.

Just like Hyeon-tae.

That was Eum Seong-hyeon’s reality.

Hyeon-tae chose to become a police officer to escape from those feelings.

What about Eum Seong-hyeon?

“…The moment they arrive at the Mountain Lodge. A murder occurs. Jeong-hun is killed by someone he knows.”

“Murder? Did Hyeon-tae kill him?”

“What do you think you would do if you were Hyeon-tae? Do you think you would have killed him?”

Eum Seong-hyeon received my question and stood there thinking for a long time.

Then he slowly shook his head.

“No. It’s not Hyeon-tae.”

“Why?”

His following answer gave me chills.

“If he committed such an extreme act as murder… Hyeon-tae would no longer be able to romanticize his past.”

Hyeon-tae was standing right there.

“He’d have to admit that he was weak.”

The one I had seen in the script.

* * *

I brought Eum Seong-hyeon to my house without warning.

No matter how I thought about it, sending him back to the dorm today didn’t seem like something an adult should do.

I was planning to overcome the final hurdle of casting.

Acting ability.

“Would you like to read this?”

Since I had explained the whole situation on the taxi ride over, Eum Seong-hyeon accepted the script without much protest.

But his face didn’t look very confident.

“Do you think I have talent for acting?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to check.”

“…I understand.”

“You haven’t eaten, right?”

Normally I would have ordered delivery food, but somehow that didn’t seem right.

Ah, I finally understand Go Team Leader’s feelings.

Now I understand why Go Team Leader used to nag me while going through my delivery app list.

I went to a nearby mart and quickly did some shopping.

In the meantime, Eum Seong-hyeon had just put down the Part 2 script, and Part 3 was where the real backstory began.

I was curious about what reaction he’d show while reading the script, but I had to cook first.

“I’m watching.”

As I was almost finished making the kimchi stew and doing the final taste test.

“Ugh!”

Startled by the sudden sound, I turned around to see Eum Seong-hyeon running to the bathroom and retching.

“Seong-hyeon!”

Even as he gripped the toilet bowl with bloodshot eyes and trembling hands, his voice came out clearly.

“You know like a ghost.”

“What?”

“When you live in the same space, you pick up on things like a ghost.”

“Pick up on what?”

“What the other person’s weakness is.”

I hesitated about whether I should ask this question, then asked anyway.

“What’s your weakness, Seong-hyeon?”

“Ah, this kid can’t go back home.”

Eum Seong-hyeon suddenly stood up, washed his face with cold water, then looked straight at me.

“I want to do this.”

“Let’s eat first.”

“Can’t I try acting first?”

“…”

I hesitated slightly before speaking.

“To be honest, no matter how much of an acting genius someone is, it’s impossible to achieve polish in one go.”

“Polish?”

“You know, polished? Like, looking technically excellent?”

“Ah, yes.”

“What I want is your raw, unfiltered self. Not acting, but using Hyeon-tae’s role to scream at those people who have neglected you… who have treated you that way.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“I’ll play the other role. Act 3, Scene 32.”

Each character has parts designated as ‘audition parts.’

Core script sections that must be mastered to perfectly portray that character.

For Hyeon-tae, that’s Act 3, Scene 32.

Just as we were about to start acting, Eum Seong-hyeon hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Director, this script never reveals the characters’ surnames even once, does it?”

“Right. It’s all Hyeon-tae, Jeong-hun, Su-cheol, Yeong-su, like that.”

“At first I thought it was because they drop surnames when they’re close… but that’s not it, is it?”

“What do you think it is?”

“Because if they used surnames, it would look to others like they’re not close.”

“You see it as performative friendship?”

“No. Not that, but I got the feeling that it’s a friendship where it’s important for others to see them as close.”

I wasn’t looking in a mirror, but I think there might be a smile playing at the corners of my mouth.

“Shall we give it a try?”

And so we acted out Act 3, Scenes 32 through 38.

Scenes 32 through 35 are insert scenes featuring high school Hyeon-tae.

Scenes 36 through 38 are present-time scenes.

In actual drama terms, it’s about 9 minutes of content.

We spent 3 hours acting out those 9 minutes.

At first because I wasn’t satisfied.

Then because Eum Seong-hyeon wasn’t satisfied.

When the moment finally came that we were both satisfied, I made up my mind.

Yes, let’s give it a shot.

Let’s take on this challenge with gusto.

I want a perfect work, and I need Eum Seong-hyeon for that.

Everything else is just secondary.

Everyone’s going to say we’re crazy anyway, so there’s no reason not to be confident about it.

It was the moment I made that firm decision.

“…Who’s that guy?”

Seong Tae was standing there blankly at the front door.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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