A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 69

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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 69

The studio was dim and quiet.

There were no staff members, and the only equipment prepared were two cameras for full shots and close-ups.

There wasn’t even proper lighting.

Even Luhan, who had no acting experience, could tell this wasn’t a normal filming set.

So Luhan’s first words were questioning.

“Director, what am I doing today?”

Sim Seon-hui, who was moving behind the camera, perked up her ears.

In fact, she didn’t know what plan Dohyeon-u had either.

She only knew they would practice acting while minimizing watching eyes.

The role given to Sim Seon-hui was to film Luhan’s acting to look as ‘anxious’ as possible.

There were many methods.

She could use Dutch angles that disrupted the screen’s horizontal balance, or eliminate the space in the direction the character was looking.

Irregular close-ups, abnormally large head room above the head, snorri cam or dead space…

Technically, it wasn’t difficult at all.

She just didn’t understand why such things were being requested.

Then Dohyeon-u’s gentle voice was heard.

“It’s nothing special, just want to practice a bit.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been…”

“No. It’s not because there’s a problem with your acting, Luhan. You’re doing well enough. I just want to match the tone because there are some disappointing parts in character interpretation.”

“Ah, yes. What should I do?”

“Luhan, you haven’t seen much of your own acting, right?”

Luhan nodded at Dohyeon-u’s question.

“Before filming started, I practiced by recording videos, but surprisingly there hasn’t been a chance once I came to the set.”

“Right. Once the okay sign comes out, we move on to the next scene.”

“Yes.”

“Director Sim Seon-hui will film you acting. That will appear on that monitor over there.”

Luhan looked up at the monitor that wasn’t turned on yet.

“You want me to check my acting while watching that?”

“Yes. I don’t know much about idols, but you look in mirrors when practicing choreography too, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Think of it as similar. You’re doing well, Luhan, so you don’t need to feel pressured. All other actors go through this period too.”

“Ah, yes.”

It was somewhat different from the ‘Dohyeon-u directing’ that Sim Seon-hui had vaguely imagined.

She had heard he pushed Kim Ra-un hard, so she expected the same this time, but it was completely different.

Rather, he was incredibly gentle.

Thanks to that, Luhan’s face had also relaxed.

“Senior Oh Yeong-hui will come in a bit too. We can practice together then.”

Oh Yeong-hui was the actress who played Pi Do-seon’s mother in the work.

“Ah, yes. I’m a bit sorry that you’re doing this even though it’s not a filming day…”

“You don’t need to think like that. Senior Oh Yeong-hui lives right nearby. She said she’d come for a short walk.”

“Ah, really?”

“Yes. Shall we really start now?”

That’s how the practice began.

Sim Seon-hui was surprised by two things while filming the practice scene.

One was Dohyeon-u’s skill.

She knew he was from an acting background and that his acting skills were decent.

About 70% of the staff on Caught at Fingertips had filmed Accomplice, and they all said Dohyeon-u had guided the actors’ performances.

But being good at directing and being good at acting were very different, so she had imagined a moderate level…

‘He’s incredibly good?’

He acted various roles as Luhan’s scene partner, and the level was no joke.

When acting as a teenage pro gamer, he really seemed like a teenager, and when acting as Han Guk-yeong or Park Seong-hwa, he suddenly seemed like an adult.

He even read the stage directions well.

Should she feel sorry that such an actor didn’t succeed in acting?

Or should she applaud that he found his calling as a CE thanks to his failure?

While watching the situation with such questions, Luhan’s acting gradually began to impress her.

In other words, the second thing that surprised Sim Seon-hui was Luhan’s acting.

‘He’s much better?’

Sim Seon-hui, who had been exclusively filming supporting character storylines, had seen Luhan’s acting more than Director Im Un-jae.

So she thought Im Un-jae’s criticism was unfair and that Dohyeon-u agreeing with it was strange…

Luhan’s talent was much greater than she had guessed.

Moreover, there was something she realized belatedly.

Luhan was someone who immersed himself better when there were no other people’s gazes.

It was a bit strange.

Usually, the reason for using idols was that they were trained to stand in front of cameras and endure pressure.

‘Well, idols are people too.’

When Sim Seon-hui was thinking such thoughts, she felt Luhan’s immersion reach its peak.

He had perfectly assimilated into Pi Do-seon.

‘That’s it.’

This alone made creating today’s opportunity worthwhile.

This experience would be a great asset to Luhan.

Actors who had experienced perfect immersion even once had completely different acting low points.

‘Did he know this would happen? How on earth did he know?’

It was when Sim Seon-hui was looking at Dohyeon-u with such thoughts.

A sudden change appeared in Luhan, who was sitting in the center of the studio.

It was when actress Oh Yeong-hui appeared.

* * *

Pi Do-seon was a high school student who had lived his entire life under the control of his education-obsessed mother.

His schedule from waking up to bedtime was set, and he attended five different academies.

But his grades were only mid-to-upper level, and he had no outstanding talents.

His mother, who wasn’t satisfied with this, continued to pressure Pi Do-seon.

Pi Do-seon, who was getting exhausted during such times, accidentally encountered a game called TOOL.

And for the first time, he discovered his own worth.

Someone might say it was just a game, but for Pi Do-seon, it was a huge change.

It was the moment he first discovered something he wanted to give his all to tackle.

So he devoted himself to the game.

As his ranking in the game rose, his real-life grades fell.

Finally, when his mother caught him secretly skipping academy to play games…

Pi Do-seon made a decision.

Just imagining rebelling against his mother made his body tremble, but he couldn’t back down here.

He couldn’t go back into the fence where his mother had driven stakes.

So Pi Do-seon raised his banner for the first time in his life.

“I want to become a pro gamer.”

He was afraid.

He was scared.

But there was also a strange excitement.

This is the first moment I take responsibility for my life.

This is the beginning of living as myself.

Even if he incurred his mother’s anger and was kicked out of the house, he was confident he could gladly endure even that pain.

But….

Pi Do-seon’s mother opened her mouth with a chillingly bright smile.

“Right, your studies were a bit ambiguous, weren’t they?”

“…!”

“These days, being a pro gamer is also a good profession. Should we start looking into academies first?”

Even his first rebellion in life was nothing more than something controllable to his mother.

* * *

This is the starting point of Pi Do-seon’s narrative.

Even after becoming a pro gamer, he couldn’t escape his mother’s control.

He had to prioritize his mother’s words over the coach’s, and even his in-game content had to be approved by his mother.

To Pi Do-seon’s mother, Seongwha Empire wasn’t important.

What mattered was simply proving that Pi Do-seon was merchandise that could transfer to other teams.

As a result, Pi Do-seon was treated as a pro gamer with legendary talent but no courage.

The final piece to complete Seongwha Empire, but a seed that would never bloom.

The conflict exploded when Sa Mo-yeon made contact with Pi Do-seon’s mother.

Sa Mo-yeon presented a way for Pi Do-seon to escape from Seongwha Empire, which was going to disappear anyway, and Pi Do-seon’s mother accepted it.

Regardless of Pi Do-seon’s will.

But at the last moment, Pi Do-seon breaks free from his mother’s control and carves his own path.

This was exactly the point where Luhan felt the difficulty of acting.

At first, I thought it was just because it was a difficult scene.

Exploding emotions that have been compressed and condensed all at once is something even veteran actors struggle with.

But as I watched, I realized that wasn’t the problem.

Luhan is an idol.

Outsiders mention Eum Seong-hyeon’s case when discussing my choice of Luhan, but that’s disrespectful to both of them.

Eum Seong-hyeon was someone who completely failed as an idol and gained nothing, possessing an empty self.

In contrast, Luhan is a popular idol loved by many.

How many moments must he have killed his true self, ‘Kim Si-woo,’ to reach that position?

Enduring even when it was hard, swallowing his anger, keeping his mouth shut even when he wanted to express himself.

Why?

Because he didn’t want to disappoint the agency that raised him, the colleagues who shared hardships with him, and the fans who gave him excessive love.

This feeling connects with Pi Do-seon.

Because it’s essentially the same as Pi Do-seon’s desire not to disappoint his mother.

It’s not that those who support Luhan are wrong, but that the pressure he carries within himself is similar.

Luhan instinctively felt this point and couldn’t properly act Pi Do-seon’s emotional line.

To act Pi Do-seon, he needed to bring out Kim Si-woo, but he had lived as Luhan for too long while keeping Kim Si-woo buried.

So….

“So? You’re staying with Seongwha Empire? What about all the effort Mom put in for you until now!”

Under Oh Yeong-hui’s pressure, he couldn’t easily open his mouth.

If it were on set, he would have just recited the lines written in the script.

But sitting in the dark studio, watching his own face transmitted on the monitor, he couldn’t help but know what honest acting was.

“Speak! Say it! Say you’ll listen to Mom!”

Oh Yeong-hui stepped away from the script and pressured Luhan with ad-libs.

This was already an agreed-upon part.

“Pi Do-seon! Won’t you answer?!”

She would pursue an answer to the very end.

Luhan’s breathing gradually became rougher, and his eyes turned toward the past.

I don’t know what he was thinking.

But I knew what would follow.

Luhan, who had been gradually crumbling, lifted his head and stared at Oh Yeong-hui.

Even though it wasn’t a crying face, tears streamed down from his eyes.

“…I’m sorry, Mom.”

But his eyes were filled with conviction.

“Either retire, or lift the trophy with this team.”

The look in Pi Do-seon’s eyes that I had seen in the script.

“Now there are only those two options.”

That was exactly it.

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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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