Episode 7) #2. Is Being Handsome Everything?
[41 people have been captivated by your bare face!]
[Skill experience increases.]
[Dazzling Bare Face (Lv. 7) experience increases by 0.7%.]
Yeonho was startled by the status window that suddenly appeared.
To think they’d like him at first sight based solely on his face!
The furtive glances and the outright stares were burdensome, but not entirely unwelcome.
“This face is far from ordinary. And you’re telling me he doesn’t have an agency yet?”
Director Ju asked Sin Juwon about Yeonho’s background.
“He doesn’t. He only started acting after entering high school. He’s quite inexperienced, too.”
As if something had just occurred to him, Sin Juwon suddenly turned his gaze toward Yeonho.
“Do Yeonho! I’m talking about you. Are you planning on going around to agencies for auditions soon?”
“Ah… maybe?”
Yeonho realized anew that he hadn’t even thought about joining an agency or anything like that. During his ugly days, it was something he could never have imagined, so it had never been part of his life plans.
‘Now I can actually go to agency auditions and stuff!’
The thought suddenly flashed through his mind that, now that his looks had improved, he should be more proactive and broaden his scope of activity.
“Sin Juwon, why are you only bringing a kid like this here now? Did you have him locked away somewhere and only decide to bring him out today?”
“Oh, you must really like him?”
“He’s perfect for the Hwarang role. A beautiful boy. I’m going to shoot you up close on screen.”
Embarrassed by the expression “beautiful boy,” Yeonho scratched his cheek.
“Hey, but you’re really handsome. It’s like your face is glowing. You’ve got that refined air about you, like a rich family’s son. How tall are you?”
“I’m 175.”
“Age?”
“I’m seventeen.”
“Kid, eat more. You might still grow taller at seventeen.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What a real shame. If I had known you earlier, I would’ve trained you hard and at least given you a supporting role.”
Were those words flowing from Director Ju’s mouth mere bravado? But looking at those stern eyes, it didn’t seem like empty boasting at all. Yeonho couldn’t help but be surprised.
“It’s a pity. If you had become handsome just a month earlier, I would’ve introduced you right away.”
Unlike Teacher Sin, who was making a joke, Director Ju Hyeon-guk’s eyes remained serious.
“Damn it, both of you, go get your makeup done already!”
Grumbling, Ju Hyeon-guk turned sharply on his heel.
Yeonho followed Teacher Sin onto a bus, which turned out to be the makeup room.
“Oh my, you’re so handsome.”
A woman exclaimed in admiration, and Yeonho smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.
“Thank you.”
“Student, sit here. I’ll do your makeup.”
The young lady even applied lotion with her own hands. Since this was Yeonho’s first time ever getting makeup done, he had never even dreamed there was such a process. After that, something sticky was applied to his face.
When a brush-like tool swept across his cheek, it tickled so much he felt like he would sneeze.
“Your skin is so good that it doesn’t need much work. Where do you get it managed?”
“Managed? Uh, I don’t really go anywhere for that.”
“Really? There are people who pour all their money into it and still can’t get skin like this, driving themselves crazy.”
Giggling, she finished the makeup.
“Now we’ll do your hair.”
Since Yeonho was appearing as a Hwarang, he had to wear a long wig. Putting on a wig that came down long past his shoulders, he felt almost as if he had become a girl? Something like a headband was tied around his forehead, too. He was properly becoming a Hwarang.
“Done. Now you need to go change clothes.”
Teacher Sin was still getting his makeup done, so Yeonho stood awkwardly inside the bus.
“Do Yeonho, you go ahead and get changed first.”
Teacher Sin, who was playing the role of Park Ye-gyeom, was also appearing in the movie, so Yeonho figured he just had to stick close to him.
“Where do I go to change clothes?”
“The bus right next door.”
In the end, he boarded the other bus alone.
“Wow!”
Colorful garments caught his eye. He was immediately struck by the impression that each and every piece of clothing must be incredibly expensive.
Just then, a lady’s gaze flew toward him.
“Are you perhaps playing the role of Park Gyeong-hwi? Or Kim Yo?”
Yeonho waved his hand in the air.
“No. I’m just an extra. A Hwarang.”
“Excuse me? A…n extra, you say?”
To think a guy that handsome was just an extra.
“This is a serious waste of visuals,” she said.
When Yeonho got off the bus, he had already become a person from the Silla era.
The Hwarang costume in hues of light green and light pink mixed together—it didn’t feel real that he was wearing something so refreshing. The long hair falling down like a girl’s was also unbearably awkward.
“E-excuse me. I’m a Hwarang extra. What should I do now?”
He grabbed a staff member running around busily and asked, and the person pointed to a spot with their finger.
“Wait over there where the Hwarang are gathered.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Hwarang around his age were gathered sitting in the shade of a large old tree. Yeonho showed his awkwardness plainly as he walked over and sat down stiffly. He could feel the gazes of the Hwarang flying toward him all at once.
“Which agency are you from?”
“I think you came to the wrong place. This is where the extras are.”
Yeonho could only laugh awkwardly.
“I’m an extra too.”
“Huh?”
“Whoa, your visuals are insane. I totally thought you were the child actor for Park Gyeong-hwi.”
“The child actor for Park Gyeong-hwi? Honestly, I don’t even know the title of this movie. I don’t know anything about the plot.”
A high schooler kindly explained.
“The 52nd king of Silla was King Hyogong, and this movie is set during that time. Kim Yo, who plays King Hyogong, is the main character, and the role of Park Gyeong-hwi is the supporting male lead, or so I heard. Park Gyeong-hwi also appears as a Hwarang. Today the child actor for Park Gyeong-hwi is coming to film. We’ll be shooting together. It’s a scene depicting Park Gyeong-hwi’s boyhood.”
“Ah, I see. Thank you.”
The title of this historical film was *Master of the Wind and Moon*. It was said to be a romantic historical drama where two men confronted each other over a woman.
‘Wow, the lead in a movie like this… I’m jealous, the people who get to be leads.’
For some reason, he liked the story. It seemed to have a lot of cool action, too.
Since he didn’t have any lines, he pieced together the film through various conversations with the Hwarang around him. But then, Director Ju’s roar filled the set filming lot.
“Do you know how much that outfit costs! That’s a fifty-million-won outfit!”
Inside the set densely packed with houses, he couldn’t see well because it was far, but the booming voice was clear as day.
“Prove it! Prove that you’re an actor worth wearing fifty million!”
Those words pierced Yeonho’s heart. An actor worth wearing a fifty-million-won outfit.
‘I want to become that too. That kind of actor.’
Yeonho’s eyes suddenly sparkled.
“Whew, the Director is so full of fighting spirit.”
“We’ll probably start filming in about three hours too.”
Just then, an assistant director passed by the Hwarang. Running like an arrow, he only stopped in front of Director Ju.
“We’ve got a big problem!”
“What?”
“The child actor for Park Gyeong-hwi got into a car accident on the way here.”
“What? Is he okay?”
“Yes, fortunately it’s not a serious injury. It looks like minor abrasions, but he needs to get checked at the hospital to be sure.”
“That’s a relief.”
However, Ju Hyeon-guk’s eyes held worry. Every time the filming schedule was delayed, the production costs soared.
“Damn it.”
In that moment, the thought that flashed through Director Ju’s mind was…
“Wait, stop filming.”
He strode over and stood before the Hwarang. The one receiving his gaze among the dozens of Hwarang was—
“Your name is Do Yeonho, right? Yeonho, let’s have you take the role of young Park Gyeong-hwi.”
At the sudden suggestion, Yeonho’s eyes went blank. Teacher Sin, who had been waiting nearby, was no less surprised. Now transformed into a Jingol aristocrat, he walked toward the Director.
“Hyung! How can you decide something like this so impulsively?”
“Man, there’s such a thing as instinct on set. As the person in charge right now, I’ve reached the most reasonable conclusion.”
An explosive voice poured out. Yeonho stood right up and pointed at himself.
“Me? Me, that role…”
Yeonho’s face, blinking his eyes, was colored with bewilderment. Yet that very expression was inspiration itself to Director Ju.
“Yes! That’s exactly it! That gaze! This is exactly what I want to capture on screen. A fatal visual. The bewilderment dwelling within eyes soaked in melancholy. This is it.”
“Hyung, you’re still high on visuals,” Sin Juwon said.
Ju Hyeon-guk was a director who, despite his tough exterior, insisted on the beauty of delicate directing. He was especially renowned for capturing the beauty of actors with outstanding looks.
The film currently being shot, *Master of the Wind and Moon*, was also a visual historical drama. The director’s goal was to make a spectacular visual historical romance film that combined historical accuracy and imagination.
It was because he knew the director’s tendencies and the movie’s intentions that Sin Juwon had brought Yeonho along. His own grand design was that with Yeonho’s quick immersion, concentration, and looks, he would receive due recognition from Ju Hyeon-guk.
But even so, having him suddenly take the role of young Park Gyeong-hwi seemed unreasonable.
“Hyung, it’s too much. Weren’t we filming all of the child actor’s scenes today?”
“Yeah, we’re shooting those scenes in three hours.”
“Memorizing lines, movements, camera angles… how is this kid supposed to do all that in three hours? This is Yeonho’s first shoot ever.”
“Assistant director, bring the script.”
At Director Ju’s order, the FD urgently ran to fetch the script. Snatching it, the Director abruptly pressed it against Yeonho’s chest.
“U-uh…!”
“You don’t have many lines. You aren’t some idiot fool who can’t even memorize a few lines, are you?”
“Well, that won’t be difficult, but…”
“You’ll only be in the movie for about three to five minutes. I don’t expect a hundred percent from a kid who showed up suddenly. That’s impossible anyway. You just need to be ready with twenty. I’ll fill in the remaining eighty. Just think hard about how to do the facial acting. I’ll mainly be doing close-ups, zooming in on your face. Got it?”
Yeonho’s mouth was half open, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
But Yeonho had a hunch. That opportunity was at hand. That the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity Teacher Sin had spoken of had fallen right into his lap this very moment. He wasn’t prepared, but at times like this, he needed the mindset to make it work no matter what!
“Thank you, Director!”
“Good. In this industry, seizing opportunities is also a skill. If you’re not worth using, I’ll cut you loose, so do well. Let’s make something great.”
“Yes!”
His heart pounded as if it would burst.