The Genius Actor Who Lives Twice - Chapter 20

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 20

A moment ago, I’d thought it strange when the youngest member of the Makeup Team left with a bag, but it looks like she’s fled the scene.
If we don’t finish makeup on schedule, shooting won’t be possible, so I should help her out.
I offered to help her, but her expression remained clouded.

“Ki Jun, I appreciate you trying to help. But….”

Of course she wouldn’t find me trustworthy.
The gap between a professional and an amateur is vast.
She probably assumed I’d only done makeup once or twice during school plays.
Worse, theatrical makeup and media makeup are completely different disciplines.
And if I just did everyday makeup, the lights would wash it out—her expressions wouldn’t read on camera at all.

“Makeup is harder than it looks. And you know what scene we’re shooting today.”

We had to film the scene of someone adrift at sea for days—unwashed, unfed.
We’d have to capture the salt crusted on skin too.
I picked up the Pad the Makeup Team had laid out as a reference example.
On the screen was a man’s face—sun-scorched skin, cracked lips, salt crust dried and matted across his features.

“Can you tell who this is?”

I deliberately held the Pad up next to my own face.
The Makeup Team leader’s eyes darted rapidly between the screen and me.

“Is this…… Ki Jun?”

During the audition, I’d made Haneul’s costume myself and done my own makeup as well.
Director Choi Il Hyung had taken several photos of my makeup then as reference material.
I hadn’t expected the Makeup Team to actually use those photos, but here we were.

“Well….”

While she hesitated, I moved quickly.

“The base should be mostly matte, toned down, and we keep the skin texture visible—minimal primer application to minimize pore filling.”

I demonstrated by applying cosmetics to my own face as I spoke.

“Foundation-wise, go sheer to medium coverage rather than full coverage….”

The Makeup Team leader stared at me blankly for a moment, then seemed to snap back to awareness as she realized time was running out.

“Okay, I understand. I’ll trust you.”

After saying that, the Makeup Team leader moved on to do makeup for the other actors.
I continued working on my own makeup while looking in the mirror.
Once the facial makeup was done, I used hair gel, glycerin set to one side, and saltwater solution to create the look of hair steeped in salt—matted and unwashed.
It had been a while since I’d done this.
The strands clumped together as though they hadn’t seen a comb in days.
At first it looked unnatural.
But as time passed and it set, a natural texture emerged—the look of hair soaked in seawater, dried and crusted by the sun again and again.
That finished all the makeup.

“I’m done with makeup!”

I flashed a bright, proud smile at the Makeup Team leader once my makeup was complete.

“…Don’t smile.”

I needed to see what he looked like when he wasn’t smiling—the melancholy required by the role.

“Yes.”

I wiped the smile from my face.
Then, the way I would when performing as Haneul in front of the camera, I let my breathing deepen and heavy, sculpting my eyes into something defiant.
The head of the Makeup Team studied me for a few seconds, glancing this way and that, before he spoke.

“That’s… quite good. Have you worked in the Makeup Team for a long time?”

It looked like I might need to offer a lengthy explanation.

“Yes, I’ll just go help the other actors with their makeup then!”

I made a vague excuse and slipped away.
With that, I headed toward the Tent where the supporting actors were waiting.

Inside the Tent, I began applying makeup to each actor one by one, consulting their concept art.
And as I’d anticipated, there was one more person there.

“You’re going to… do my makeup?”

It was Choi Byung Chul.
Well, it was a shoot, so there was no getting around it.

“Yes, the Makeup Team is short-staffed, so I’ve been asked to help.”

Choi Byung Chul never quite lost that suspicious expression.

“I… last time during the entrance exam, I….”
“Lift your head.”

I cut him off and began dabbing his face with foundation on a sponge, tapping steadily.
Tap-tap-tap.

“Mmph-mmph. Muh-uh!”
“You’re supposed to stay still while I’m doing your makeup. How can I work if you’re talking?”
“Mm-but ‘at’s mm-that’s—”
“It hurts a bit, doesn’t it? I need to press the makeup in so it adheres properly to the skin.”

At my words, Choi Byung Chul’s expression turned aggrieved and he let out a sigh.

* * *

“Okay! Is everything ready?”
“Yes! The camera department is all set!”
“Lighting too!”
“Sound is good!”

Just as I was about to nod in satisfaction at those words.
Director Choi Il Hyung sensed something amiss and asked.

“What about Makeup?”

After a brief silence, the assistant director replied.

“The Makeup Team is running a little behind. But they’re finishing up now and should be here any moment.”
“Okay, so that’s done on your end too.”

Director Choi Il Hyung glanced at the Conti for today’s shoot and continued.

“Let’s go ahead as planned—Ki Jun’s scene first.”
“Director! I’m here!”

Ki Jun waved his hand in greeting to Director Choi Il Hyung.

“Ah, Ki Jun—welcome. I heard Makeup ran a bit late today?”
“Yes, so I went and helped them out!”

Seeing that bright, beaming smile, Director Choi Il Hyung nearly let it slide.

“Wait—helped with what?”
“Makeup. The Makeup Team was short-handed, so I pitched in.”

At Ki Jun’s words, Director Choi Il Hyung looked at the supporting actors around him.
If the makeup had been botched, they’d have to reshoot next time.

‘…But they look fine, don’t they?’

Their faces were ready to roll camera on immediately—no issues at all.

“Did good, right?”
“Ah, yeah. Yes. You did well.”

Director Choi Il Hyung caught the assistant director’s eye, and the assistant director whispered to him.

“The Makeup Team’s junior bolted, so they were short-staffed—we almost couldn’t shoot. But Ki Jun helped out, and they got everything done on time, apparently.”

Director Choi Il Hyung furrowed his brow.
His expression said, ‘Did I just hear that right?’

“Did good, right?”

Ki Jun put the director’s mind at ease with that characteristic, bashful laugh of his.

“Yeah, you did great!”

He reached to ruffle the kid’s hair but stopped—couldn’t ruin all that careful styling.
Now that he thought about it, the boy looked noticeably leaner than before.

“You’re not pushing yourself too hard? Your face is half its normal size.”
“The Haneul character seems like a lean type, so I lost some weight. I’m still fasting, actually.”

He was indeed much better suited to the Haneul role now—his frame had changed.
Ki Jun’s body was optimized for acting.
Quick to gain, quick to lose—a body that worked.

“I won’t tell you it was unnecessary, then. You’ve worked hard.”

Director Choi Il Hyung patted Ki Jun on the back and brought out the Conti.
Not long after, Lee Hyun Jin also came over.

“Ki Jun, you stop here and deliver your lines.”

On the Sea, conversation flowed among the three men.

“Director, would it work if I come up to around here?”
“Yes. I’d be grateful if you’d do that.”

After speaking with Lee Hyun Jin, Director Choi Il Hyung announced to the full crew.

“Today’s shoot will be a Long Take Filming.”
“The Conti had us doing Bust Shots with you alternating dialogue, but it looks like that’s changed?”

Conti.
Another script that broke down each shot to be filmed that day into fine detail.

“Right, that changed in the director’s meeting earlier. We’re going Long Take, but we’ll also be shooting Bust Shots simultaneously.”

Director Choi Il Hyung showed his revised Conti to both actors.

A-1) Full Shot showing both ends of the boat and the Sea. Park Sang Jin enters from one side.

Full Shot means the entire boat is visible. The scene begins this way.

B-1) Camera moves in toward Park Sang Jin. Up to Bust Shot of Park Sang Jin.

b-1) As Park Sang Jin moves toward the middle of the boat, Camera follows.

This Conti was the shared script for both actors and crew.
Director Choi Il Hyung circled b-1.

“When Ki Jun appears here, another Camera will pick it up.”

On set, while an actor performs a scene, multiple cameras shoot from different angles simultaneously.
Shooting one cut with a single camera would take far too long.

“One Full Shot camera, then one each for Bust Shots of you and Ki Jun that continue unbroken. Three cameras total.”

An inexperienced director shoots with only one camera.
With multiple cameras rolling, equipment or crew risk appearing in frame.
But shooting with only one camera means the actors must perform the same scene dozens of times.
So the more skilled the director, the more cameras they deploy in a single pass.
To save both budget and time.

“We’ll go right up to just before the hitting scene.”
“Ah, then you shoot it again from different angles after that?”
“Yeah. Then after the wound Makeup and blood in his mouth, we’ll shoot once more.”

After running several Technical Rehearsals as Director Choi Il Hyung directed.

“I think we’re ready to roll?”

Director Choi Il Hyung spoke, believing they’d reached sufficient readiness.
To add trembling realism, Director Choi Il Hyung held the Camera by hand himself.

“All right, rolling! Everyone quiet, please!”

The Assistant Director, who’d been running the shoot continuously up to that point, called out in a hoarse voice.

“Here we go!”

The Assistant Director raised the Clapperboard.

“Standby…. Ready, Action!”

“You son of a bitch!”

Thud.
Park Sang Jin’s fist drove in with perfect precision.

It didn’t actually make contact, but Ki Jun, playing Haneul, snapped his head back right on cue.
Haneul staggered backward a few steps from the blow, following the choreography.
Soft thump.
Something fell naturally from Haneul’s grasp. Park Sang Jin snatched it up.

The wallet Park Sang Jin had secretly stolen—the very one Haneul had lifted from him.

“…So it was you? You’re the bastard who swiped my wallet?”

His tone turned rougher still.
Park Sang Jin strode forward with vicious fists, and Haneul crumpled to the ground—then Park Sang Jin’s merciless blows continued, filling the frame.

“You think I’m a joke? Huh?”

Veins bulged savagely in Park Sang Jin’s neck.

“Am I such a fool that some maggot like you can disrespect me?”

Bloodshot eyes, teeth clenched, fists swinging without mercy.
As Haneul took the blows, he found himself seeing his own father in Park Sang Jin’s face.

‘Is my brother… just taking it too?’

The thought crashed through his mind like a sudden break in a dam.
In that instant, the damp fear that had possessed the boy evaporated from Haneul’s eyes like a lie.
The dull gaze sharpened into something vicious, and at last the fury of a trapped beast—blood-red and seething—rose to the surface.

“Because of you… because of a thief’s bastard…”

Before Park Sang Jin could finish speaking, Haneul shoved him hard with both hands.
From Haneul’s eyes poured a chilling, bone-deep killing intent born of guilt.
The overwhelming power of that gaze, cutting through the lens itself, made even the crew pause—hands trembling on the camera.
In that frozen silence, with everyone holding their breath, the camera still traced the contours of Haneul’s face.
Where, exactly, did this cruel incarnation of Haneul end?
In that stillness, every person on set yearned to witness what this eerily captivating performance would reveal next.

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