We practiced a bit more for a short period.
However, Ara’s acting did not change dramatically.
“Let’s go ahead and start filming…”
The director said awkwardly.
Neither I nor anyone else expected Ara’s acting skills to suddenly improve, so we just silently nodded in agreement.
“Alright, alright! Let’s get started! Everyone, standby!”
Still, it was fortunate that we spent an hour planning the movements with Ara and rehearsing with Kim Hye-na in advance.
Signs that the filming was about to start appeared, and Ara stood in a corner of the street as her role required.
I was slightly worried about her wide-open eyes, but she soon spotted me on the other side and smiled brightly.
“Action!”
The director’s signal dropped, and the camera started rolling.
The first scene was Kim Hye-na and Kim Kang-woo sitting on a mat at Hangang Park, chatting amicably.
Soon, Kim Kang-woo left to get the food he ordered, and Kim Hye-na also left for a moment.
“Glug.”
This is where Ara entered.
Ara appeared awkwardly, holding the hand of a boy younger than herself.
They were supposed to be siblings.
‘Good, good.’
Ara moved according to the planned movements.
Then, the boy holding Ara’s hand suddenly ran towards the mat that Kim Hye-na and Kim Kang-woo had set up.
There were pre-prepared foods on the mat, and the scene involved the boy picking up and eating the food.
‘Ara is supposed to lie that she ate the food instead of her brother here.’
The setting was that she was covering for her younger brother.
Normally, the scene would continue with Kim Hye-na and Kim Kang-woo noticing the lie and finding it cute…
Munch!
“Huh?”
Ara, along with the boy playing her brother, was eating the food.
Everyone was surprised by the unscripted situation, but the filming director signaled to keep going.
Ara’s eating scene was being captured in close-up.
The way she ate so heartily and deliciously was making me hungry.
“What? What are you guys doing?”
Ara’s brief eating show was followed by Kim Kang-woo’s entrance, holding the ordered food in both hands.
He acted startled while the boy playing Ara’s brother hid behind her in fear.
“What? What happened?”
Kim Hye-na soon followed.
Ara, now being questioned by the two, spoke with her cheeks puffed up.
“I. Ate. All. Of. It.”
“Huh?”
“My. Brother. Did. Not. Eat. It.”
Ara’s lines were delivered stiffly, like a robot, making her lie even more apparent.
Her poor acting actually suited the scene.
Kim Kang-woo and Kim Hye-na burst into laughter at the siblings with sauce all over their faces.
It was genuine laughter.
“I’m sorry.”
“You must have been hungry. Where are your parents?”
Ara shook her head.
The scene at Hangang Park ended with Kim Kang-woo and Kim Hye-na looking for the siblings’ mother.
“Cut!”
“Huh?”
The filming ended.
Ended?
As I came to my senses and looked around, everyone else had the same bewildered expression.
“Finished in one take?”
“It turned out much better than we feared. The fact that she can’t act actually fits the role perfectly…”
The staff murmured among themselves, and soon the filming director burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha! Good, good! Very good!”
Yoo Hyun-joo, the writer, also nodded with a satisfied smile on her lips.
“She really brought out the cuteness. This is good!”
“Revising the script was a stroke of genius. Since the acting required an obviously awkward lie, Ara’s poor acting actually fit even better.”
If she acted well, it would have actually been a minus.
In this situation, our Ara splendidly performed an awkward and stiff role.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!”
Ara ran over with little steps as soon as the filming ended.
She soon threw herself into my arms with her small frame.
“Well done, Ara.”
“Did I do well? Did I do well!”
“Yes. You did very well.”
I wiped off the sauce and crumbs still on her mouth as I praised her. Ara’s beaming expression was cute.
“I want to see it!”
“Sure. Shall we ask the director?”
Just then, the assistant director approached us and suggested we monitor the scene together.
When we went towards the camera, we saw the actors already gathered.
“Wow.”
Soon, the vivid scenes appeared on the screen.
Since it hadn’t gone through editing yet, the raw atmosphere was still alive.
“Look at her eating the food.”
“It turned out so cute. Good thing they didn’t stop the filming.”
“Yeah, it actually worked out better. It makes her look more innocent.”
“By the way, her skin is glowing. How is her skin so good?”
Unexpected praise came for Ara’s impromptu eating scene. Ara tilted her head and asked,
“Is it about eating food?”
“Did Ara think she was supposed to eat?”
“It was written in the script!”
We confirmed to Ara, who insisted on checking the script again. Seeing the part where the younger brother was supposed to eat, Ara froze.
“It wasn’t me who was supposed to eat…”
She looked shocked. It seemed she had mistakenly thought her character was supposed to eat. Even Ara, who seemed perfect, made cute mistakes.
“It actually turned out great, Ara.”
Seon-ah tried to console her. Since everyone’s attention was focused on Ara’s scene, everyone around applauded.
“You were so cute, Ara!”
“This is much better. To improvise like this on your first acting job, Ara will grow up to be a great actress!”
Her ears, which had drooped while listening to the praise, gradually perked up.
“Ahem!”
Watching the now-proud Ara, everyone burst into laughter.
As we continued monitoring, half feeling amazed and half excited that this would soon be on TV, we sensed some commotion in the parking lot.
“Oh, I’m late. I should have come earlier.”
“Huh? So-yeon? Guild Master?”
People we didn’t expect had arrived.
Thanks to them, everyone else was in an uproar.
“Ara Hongryeon?!”
“It’s Han Seok-jun the Guild Master and Jeong So-yeon.”
“Wow.”
The reaction I had shown when I saw Kim Kang-woo and Kim Hye-na was now being shown by the filming crew.
Even the actors, the filming director, and writer Yoo Hyun-joo all had surprised expressions.
Next to them was Kim Tae-yang, smiling, seemingly having brought them.
“Oh! Jeong So-yeon! Han Seok-jun!”
“Ara! Is the filming already over?”
Jeong So-yeon lifted Ara up as she ran over to greet her.
“Yes! It was perfect!”
“Oh, really?”
“…Well, I made a little mistake, but it was okay,” Ara confessed in a small voice.
Jeong So-yeon rubbed her face against Ara’s, making her giggle, and the sound of Ara’s laughter filled the set as I approached them.
“I didn’t expect you two to come, what a surprise.”
“We rushed over to see Ara’s debut in the entertainment industry, but we were late. We heard about it from Mr. Tae-yang.”
“Oh.”
Although I had told them about the contract with Iron Blood Entertainment, I hadn’t mentioned when the filming would take place. It seemed Kim Tae-yang had informed them and brought them here.
Feeling both a bit apologetic and grateful that they had come all the way to watch, I awkwardly smiled as the filming director approached.
“Mr. Kyu-seong, are these people…?”
“Oh, this is my boss.”
“Boss?”
The director seemed confused, thinking I was joking.
“He is my guild master.”
“Whoa! Mr. Kyu-seong, are you also a member of Ara Hongryeon?”
Had I never mentioned it? I guess it wasn’t something that had come up in conversation.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Han Seok-jun.”
“Oh, yes, yes. I’m Jung Tae-gyu. I never imagined Mr. Kyu-seong was a member of Ara Hongryeon.”
Even though I mentioned being a member, the director seemed amazed that the guild master had come all the way here.
The reactions of the other people were similar, and the director courteously showed the recently filmed scene to the guild master and Jeong So-yeon.
“Hahaha.”
Jeong So-yeon laughed as she watched Ara’s scene.
Then, she hugged Ara again.
“How can you be so cute, Ara!”
“Hehe.”
The guild master also smiled satisfactorily and nodded.
“It was filmed very cutely. I hope the drama becomes a hit.”
“Oh, thank you for the kind words.”
Finally, Kim Tae-yang also smiled contentedly and patted my shoulder.
“Our choice was indeed correct. Please take care of the advertising matter as well.”
“Haha. Yes, thank you.”
With the warm atmosphere continuing, we had some time for small talk since the filming ended early.
“Wow, Ara eats a lot.”
“Thanks to that, I’m considering starting a new channel called Ara’s Mukbang.”
“That’s a great idea! Start it right away!”
Before we knew it, Seon-ah and Ara were surrounded by Kim Hye-na, Kim Kang-woo, and Yoo Hyun-joo, actively chatting.
The initial tension was nowhere to be seen.
“I’m so glad it ended safely. We’ll have to wait to see the results, though.”
“I’m sure it will turn out well.”
I was talking with Han Seok-jun, Kim Tae-yang, and the filming director, Jung Tae-gyu.
“Guild master, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you have any connections in the arts?”
“The arts? You can talk to me about that.”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head, and the guild master smiled awkwardly.
“My hobby is collecting artworks. It’s almost my only hobby.”
“Oh!”
I hadn’t expected to meet someone involved in this area.
Of course, I wasn’t sure if he was an expert, but if collecting artworks was his hobby, he must be quite knowledgeable.
‘Moreover, he’s the guild master of Ara Hongryeon.’
I guessed his wealth was enormous.
Given his status, he would likely be a semi-expert in this field.
“I also know someone. If you want, I can introduce them to you, Mr. Kyu-seong,” Director Jung Tae-gyu added.
It seemed like everyone in this industry knew each other through one connection or another.
“Actually, I acquired some items that I’d like to show you…”
I took out a sculpture and a ring made by Mammon from Bokkeum, which I had slung over my shoulder.
The sculpture was of a thinking Gorgol.
‘It looks profound every time I see it.’
It was a hand-sized piece, with the creature sitting with its chin on its hand, almost like a human.
Moreover, it wasn’t just made of stone but a type of ore.
Other gemstones, not Arastones, were scattered, enhancing the piece.
Though not bad, it seemed a bit ambiguous to someone like me, who wasn’t versed in art.
“What’s this…?”
“What do you think, Guild Master?”
Was it my imagination? The guild master’s pupils seemed to dilate.
“Kyu-seong.”
“Yes.”
“Where did you get this piece?”
“Uh… from my house?”
“Is it for sale?”
I was slightly surprised by the guild master’s uncharacteristically enthusiastic response, but I nodded.
“I have permission to sell everything except for the ring.”
“Do you mean there are more pieces?!”
Han Seok-jun’s jaw dropped in shock.
Cliche Novel 