This Life is Splendid

Episode 8

Do-yoon said to Da-eun while making plans to visit Representative Bae separately.

“Actor Da-eun, this is the script for .”

“yes!”

Da-eun, who had looked exhausted, sparkled when she heard the word script. An actor with such ambition would quickly reach the top if only the path was opened up a little.

Director Moon was too old-fashioned. He said that it was like giving and receiving bribes, and that it was impossible to rise to fame based on skill alone.

While the car was stopped at a traffic light, Do-yoon mustered up his courage to contact Representative Bae.

When he almost reached Da-eun’s house, Do-yoon received a reply from CEO Bae telling him to come to the company. After dropping Da-eun off at her house, he excitedly turned the steering wheel.

* * *

The filming schedule for was set sooner than expected.

As it turned out, was already in the middle of filming, and since they didn’t have an actor they liked as the child of Lee Joo-ran, they left that scene alone.

“Did you install the lights here? Hurry up and do it!”

Da-eun’s heart pounded in the bustling atmosphere of the filming set. Of course, she was excited about filming the CF, but acting in sync with the other actor felt different.

Last time I was filming a CF, my image on the monitor was pale. I was so embarrassed that I almost cried because my face had no burn marks.

Da-eun, who took a quick breath, found Director Sa Mi-hyeon talking to the assistant director in front of the camera and approached her, greeting the surrounding staff.

“Hello! This is Kang Da-eun.”

As Da-eun walked around, bowing, the staff smiled and greeted her.

“Maybe it’s because you’re a newbie, but you’re definitely full of energy. It’s nice to see you.”

Director Sa looked at her gently. It seemed like he was paying attention to her as a junior at school.

“I already told the costume team, so get your clothes, change into them, get your makeup done, and then come out right away.”

“all right.”

When Da-eun answered brightly, Director Sa motioned to a nearby staff member to guide her to the waiting room.

“I will call the makeup team in 10 minutes.”

“yes.”

As soon as the staff left the waiting room, Do-yoon came in with the costume. The costume team staff who came in with him helped him put on the hanbok, which was the school uniform at the time. It was simple, but it was different from modern clothing, so it would have been difficult to put on alone.

“Can I start putting on makeup?”

As soon as Da-eun came out wearing the hanbok, the makeup team arrived.

Before returning, I thought I had a good understanding of the atmosphere on set while working as a stuntwoman, but it felt different.

As I sat in the waiting room chair with the mirror in front of me, I saw several people coming and going.

Seeing actors dressed in Japanese police uniforms sitting here and there, holding scripts, it seemed like it was a space shared with other extras.

In the past, I would change clothes in the bathroom and wait at the back of the set, whether it was cold or hot, but now I’m happy to be occupying this corner, so I laughed.

* * *

Meanwhile, actress Kim Bo-hee, who plays Lee Sun’s mother, who was watching Da-eun from the waiting room doorway, clicked her tongue as if she was displeased and passed by. Bo-hee went outside and looked for director Sa Mi-hyeon at the filming set.

“Director, is this okay?”

“Oh, actor Kim is here.”

Director Sa, who was looking at the storyboard, looked back with a faint smile. Although he looked listless, Kim Bo-hee knew how meticulously Director Sa worked and how good he was at directing.

So I never thought I would bring such a sunflower. I was looking forward to it!

“Your eyes are so clear. Ugh.”

The atmosphere is exactly like when Lee Joo-ran was a child, but I don’t think she’ll be able to act. I guess I just liked the filming set and it seemed like she was acting like crazy.

“Trust me, Mr. Kim.”

Kim Bo-hee nodded with a short sigh at Director Sa’s words. She said she auditioned, but it wasn’t very appealing.

You don’t even have any experience in acting. Even if you don’t have a lead role, you need to have some experience, even if it’s just a supporting role, to be able to read the flow of the scene quickly.

We should be starting post-production soon, but we haven’t filmed the first half of the movie yet, so everyone is anxious. Director Sa says he doesn’t have an actor that he likes, so the filming schedule keeps getting pushed back, huh?

Bohee shook her head and opened the script.

Even though I was a supporting actor, I had a busy schedule, and since I was rushing to do something else, it wasn’t easy to immerse myself in it.

In , Bo-hee’s role was to die early on. It’s been a few months since we filmed the parts without the child actor because we couldn’t find a child actor, so I didn’t realize how much time I had spent immersing myself in the past few days.

But the other person seems to be a jerk. I won’t stay still. Just do it roughly. Whether Director Sa tells you to or not, catch one kid, today.

Bohee repeated her lines, letting out a bubbling sigh.

“Let’s start filming.”

In the meantime, Da-eun, who had finished her makeup, came out and was looking at the storyboard with Director Sa. Bo-hee, who had calmed down and immersed herself in the role, entered the camera angle.

“Hello, senior.”

“Oh, okay.”

As Da-eun greeted her with a smile, Bo-hee nodded her head and checked the route. This was after trying it out once as a rehearsal.

“Are you ready?”

Director Sa waited for Bo-hee and Da-eun behind the camera. Bo-hee and Da-eun nodded from their respective seats within the frame.

“cue.”

⁂

Bo-hee’s expression changed to an urgent one along with Director Sa’s signature and she recited her lines. She picked up various things and packed her bundle.

“Seon-ah, listen to me carefully.”

Bo-hee looks at Da-eun while saying Lee-seon’s name.

Look at this? The facial expressions are pretty good.

The look on her face, gripping the hem of her skirt with both hands and terrified, and the way her eyes flinched and glanced around as if worried about her father being beaten by the Japanese police outside felt real.

Maybe that’s why. Bo-hee felt like she could hear the sound of the beating in the fingerprints.

Bo-hee swallowed hard and handed over the small bundle, then grabbed Da-eun’s shoulder tightly and quickly muttered.

“You must go over the hill three times to the east, to the fifth village, and deliver the message directly to the owner of the three-story inn.”

A gunshot rang out as a sound effect, and the two people looked toward the store at the same time and then stared at each other.

“Never, ever get caught.”

Da-eun’s face, frozen in fear, then distorted, is mixed with tears.

“Oh, Mom. Mom.”

“Go, hurry!”

If her husband had died, the police would have come out to track down the family who had escaped through the back door. There was no time.

Bohee whispered urgently and pushed Da-eun away.

He was a smart and agile child. He was given the task of delivering things in place of his parents, so he would surely survive.

As Da-eun stumbled away, Bo-hee closed the door and locked it.

“Yeah. How was your daughter?”

The policeman, whose eyes had been wide open as if he had been waiting, grabbed Bo-hee by the collar and chuckled.

“You punk! You’ll never get through!”

She was a small, delicate woman who stood in the doorway, but she couldn’t hold off the police officers who were wielding guns for long.

All I can do is pray that their momentary carelessness caused my daughter to run away.

Taang-.

Another gunshot rings out. The police officers who stepped on the fallen Bo-hee walk around tightly, looking around at the closed windows and laughing.

“How far will the young woman go if she runs away? Catch her!”

As the man who appeared to be the leader shouted, the police officers all ran at once.

⁂

“Cut!”

With the sound, Bo-hee looked for Da-eun, who had run far away with renewed eyes.

“Mommy, is that a thing?”

There are many actors who are good at acting. However, there are only a handful of actors who can make their co-stars immerse themselves in the role. In Bo-hee’s opinion, Kang Da-eun was one of the latter.

Bo-hee said as she watched Da-eun running from afar to monitor the situation.

“Director Sa, you brought him here really well?”

Then, he poked Director Sa’s side with his lips twitching as if he was about to smile. Director Sa raised the corners of his lips as if he had told him to trust him.

“During the audition, I felt like I got hit by Da-eun. Even the historical background was incorporated into the acting.”

Bohee nodded vigorously. After that, filming went smoothly.

* * *

Joo-hyuk stared blankly at Da-eun moving around on the editing room monitor.

Since the first film Da-eun was shooting after returning was , Joo-hyuk joined the staff under director Sa Mi-hyeon.

“As expected, you have to be on the scene to survive.”

He muttered without realizing it and closed his eyes tightly.

She went back in time twice. If we look at the results, she can no longer remember parts of her life. Even the feelings she shared with Joo-hyuk.

It was definitely the ending I wanted, but it was funny how I felt disappointed.

I guess I had a vague expectation that you would remember me even if I erased her entire second life.

“How are you? Are you tired?”

I didn’t even notice Director Sami Hyun coming in because I was thinking about the past. Joo Hyuk, who had been tilting his head back, slowly nodded and opened his eyes. Director Sa smiled and said.

“Are you saying things are going well, or are you tired? Or both?”

“It means things are going well.”

“Aren’t you tired?”

“That’s it, always.”

Director Sa clicked his tongue at Joo-hyuk’s indifferent answer and returned the edited version. Last week, Da-eun finished filming the first half.

In the film, she was supposed to have less than 10 minutes of screen time.

Joo-hyuk edited the film to highlight Da-eun’s strengths as much as possible. Of course, it had to create synergy when watching the entire film.

Director Sa, who was looking over the rough cut, rebuked him.

“If Yoon Joo-hyuk couldn’t edit, no one would have used it.”

“I’ve heard that a lot.”

Director Sa said that he was the type to be respectful with his mouth but condescending with his eyes.

Joohyuk’s lips twisted.