I Will Live As An Actor - Chapter 90

I’ll Live as an Actor Episode 90

It would be a lie if I said it didn’t appeal to me. How could a cat just pass by when there is such delicious raw fish on the street? Isn’t Yeonsangun (燕山君) a famous figure not only among historians but also among the general public? It is a role that one cannot help but be drawn to as an actor.

He is a famous PD who lets out his inner anger and now pays close attention to my reactions. The reason top actors avoid historical dramas is because, to put it bluntly, they are not good value for money. Compared to the high intensity of filming and the number of feature-length appearances, the fee is relatively as high as a salt farm.

‘It’s a historical drama.’

In fact, I have a special affection for historical dramas more than other actors. In my past life, when I was playing minor roles, I wanted to appear in a historical drama more than any other drama. There is no particular reason for this.

This is because most films are produced as feature-length films, so the frequency of appearances is high, even in small roles. I used that opportunity to get to know broadcasting station officials, so it is no exaggeration to say that my broadcasting career was all based on historical dramas. but.

“Producer Yu, I have the biggest problem.”

Once again, public and private life must be clear. No matter how much you covet a role, you shouldn’t jump into it hastily. Even if it’s an outstanding character, isn’t it impossible without a script to support it?

“If it’s a historical drama, there are more than one or two things that need to be investigated, starting with historical research. If you rush to hire a writer and create a script like you are tinkering with, you will end up with a work that is not as good as the original. If that happens, even the script will be as obvious as fire… ”

If a movie is centered around directing, a drama is where the writer’s capabilities are put to great use. Because the narrative that unfolds within a limited frame must unfold, no matter how good the directing skills are, if the script is not good, it can easily collapse like a sand castle.

Most dramas that are referred to as Yongdusami have this problem. Since it is an environment where pre-production is not possible like a movie, this is something that naturally happens due to the urgent shooting schedule and the burden of short scripts.

“Moreover, since the current period is such that it will be difficult to recruit writers. There are only a few historical drama writers.”

June is also the busiest time for writers. This is because famous writers have already picked up the pen through popular dramas airing in the first half of the year, and it is already time to complete the first draft of the script to write works scheduled to air in the second half of the year. In short, famous writers are already sold out during a time when there is no gap between writers.

“If that’s the problem, don’t worry. I knew it would be like that, so I’ve already chosen one person. A writer who has good writing skills, good ideas, and is famous for not having side scripts. I don’t know about historical dramas, but the mini-series side isn’t already making a fuss to hire me. If I mess with it once, the viewership ratings will go up. “Because it explodes. Even if you work with an incompetent director, if you manage to make it work with your writing skills, you’ll be called the drama world’s best writer.”

“There’s still someone like that left?”

“The writer is on sabbatical right now, so no one wants to see him. So, I’m lucky.”

“I don’t want to meet anyone. How are you going to persuade me?”

There is a joke in dramas that there is a star writer above a star actor. That’s why dramas place more importance on the writer’s ability than directing, so the writers’ strength is strong. In particular, the wages and treatment of people called king writers are no less than that of any top actor. This becomes more true as times change.

As domestic dramas sell their copyrights overseas and create the Korean Wave, it often happens that big writers choose actors. Writer Hwang Soo-kyung of SBC Broadcasting Station is in a similar situation. In the UK, too, when he appeared in the drama ‘Youth’, he was once referred to as ‘Hwang Soo-kyung’s man’ in an article.

A famous producer hints and takes something out of his bag.

“Read this.”

It’s an old novel. It seems like it’s been about ten years.

“Actually, I said I would take on the role of a historical drama after seeing that work. It was an alternate history novel about Yeonsangun that a college student wrote ten years ago, and I really liked it. The publisher had already gone bankrupt, so they had a hard time finding the original author. But Under the Lamp. “I found out that it was dark and it turned out that he was a broadcasting station writer. The author I had pointed out was the original author.”

Who the hell is this?

* * *

“Eunsuk, please grab some thick beef from that kitchen cupboard.”

There is a saying that shrimp caught in the month of May will not be handed over even to one’s mother-in-law. The flesh is full and the color is red, making it look like a flower has bloomed. When Onewol shrimp are caught and salted with sea salt, it is called Ojeot Yukjeot depending on the season, and it is the best for making kimchi.

“Mom, let’s buy some kimchi and eat it too. Why are we going through the trouble of making salted shrimp? If we live in an apartment and do this a lot, we’ll get complaints about the smell. The fishy smell will spread all the way to the next building.”

“Mom, look at this thorn. Living in Seoul, I don’t even bother to eat anything other than the meat sauce I make when I’m feeling tired. My taste buds are full. What if it smells like cargo? It’s all a corner of the house built for people to live in, so if you don’t like smells like this, just leave the temple. “You have to go in and live there. I have so many people to give it to, but I’ll put as much harm on anyone’s nose as snot. Seonwoo’s next door also asks for a small portion of salted pork. Don’t you know that your mother is the president of the apartment women’s association?”

“I really can’t live. I thought I would live a little quietly when I said I would come to Seoul. In my hometown, my father moved the house, but now my mother is the president of the women’s association.”

“Okay, stop nagging, grab your rubber gloves and sit next to me. If you don’t do it now, it will get bad. If you do this, how much money will it cost?”

Writer Choi Eun-sook has no choice but to wear red rubber gloves on both hands. Eunsuk Choi was originally from Yeongdo. Both my parents were sea people, and my father was also a fisherman. My father is old and no longer has the energy to ride a boat.

Since they were often hospitalized for long periods of time at a university hospital in Seoul, the couple was moved to Seoul out of concern for their health. My mother asks gently while making salted pork.

“Are you meeting any men?”

“I’m not interested in men, so give up your vain hopes early. Now is the time to focus only on your work.”

“Really, Uyallakano. I don’t know if Ikada will die of old age as an old maid. After all, she is a famous writer at the broadcasting station, so the only customers who come to her every time to give her cards are old people.”

“Ugh, I shouldn’t say anything.”

Eunsook Choi is a mid-career writer who has been working for 9 years. Didn’t you hit the jackpot with your debut film ‘August Man’ four years ago? From then on, everything he touched continued to be a huge hit, and he was called the king of viewership ratings in daily newspapers. It was then.

Ding dong.

At the sudden sound of the doorbell, my mother stands up, adjusting her pants. Still, she doesn’t forget to say a word to Eunsuk Choi, who is making the salted pork.

“After pressing the buy and sell button, no one pours it on like a small amount of rice water. Nona puts it in. By the way, delivery service is available on Sundays as well.”

“Mom, what did you order from home shopping again?”

“Soon, the summer child will be happy to see whether the sandals are pretty. Hoho.”

“Hey, hey, my daughter at home is unemployed and only my mom is selling it.”

“You say you don’t like writing and you hate me, so you tell me to meet a man and get married, Ankana. I heard you have a partner for straw sandals, but where did my daughter’s partner go?”

“Oh, Mom! My ears hurt. My ears hurt.”

“I can’t help but feel bad when I see gray hair growing on your head. Yes, yes, let’s get out now.”

Eunsuk Choi shakes her head. In fact, even though he says things like that, he doesn’t know his mother’s feelings. They may be worried that their only daughter will be left alone as they grow older. At that moment, my mother’s exaggerated voice is heard through the front door.

‘Are we co-workers?’

Starting with

‘Oh my, how precious is this!’

Even the exclamation “ The voice is full of excitement from start to finish. Eunsuk Choi sticks her head out, wondering who on earth is visiting. At that moment, the eyes of writer Choi, wearing skinny pants and rubber gloves, and the famous producer, who is handing a fruit basket to his mother, meet.

* * *

“There isn’t much prepared. Even if you came a few days ago, there was still some marinated ribs left.”

Contrary to what they say, what is on the table is a sumptuous feast. These are the meals that writer Choi Eun-sook’s mother prepared after a month when she said she had not eaten lunch. The famous producer waves his hands and looks at the food.

From stir-fried cuttlefish to grilled sea bass and sea cucumber, also known as the ginseng of the sea. It is truly a feast of foods prepared by the seaside dragon king.

“No, it’s such a sumptuous feast. It’s so overwhelming that I don’t know what to do.”

“There is no need for that. If you are my daughter’s colleague, you are like a son to me. By the way, did you get married?”

“No, I’m still single…”

“Mom!”

“Okay, Kasuna. If you run out of food, please let me know right away. I’ve cooked plenty of rice, so don’t worry and eat as much as you want. I guess I’ll go dry or fold some laundry on the veranda over there.”

The mother pricked up her ears as she headed toward the veranda. Choi Eun-sook sighs inwardly as she looks at her mother like that, then looks at the famous producer sitting across from her. He eats without knowing whether he knows how he feels or not. The sight is so blessed that it looks like someone who has starved for several days.

“I guess the side dishes in the cafeteria these days aren’t that cool.”

“Don’t say anything. Is the nutritionist this time incompetent, or have the ladies changed? And I’m so sad that the food stamps have gone up by another 500 won while talking about the finances of the broadcasting station. But it’s really delicious. Your mother’s cooking skills are really great.”

“Eat a lot and leave. Anyway, why did you come all the way here? You didn’t come to offer me your next project, did you?”

“Of course, you have to be aware of Writer Choi’s intuition.”

Eunsuk Choi shakes her head. This year has already been decided as a sabbatical year. The number of works he has worked on over the past four years alone exceeds five. It could truly be said to be the result of running without stopping.

Moreover, since each of the works he worked on was a successive success, it was truly like a goose laying golden eggs for the broadcasting station. As proof, didn’t you visit not only MBC but also SBC’s drama director? But Yumyeong elaborates as if he doesn’t care.

“I’ve decided to take on a historical drama this time. Have you already heard the rumor?”

“Did you really decide to take it on? You really have a lot of guts. I knew PD Yu as a sharp-minded person, but why did he say he would take on a project that even mid-level producers turned down so much? I heard rumors that the writing team has already been replaced several times, and he said he couldn’t do it. “How bad must the broadcasting station be that the writers are divided like that?”

“I know you already quit before I took over the job. It was better because I had another project in mind.”

“What are you writing the script for now?”

“No, I’m trying to make a drama out of a historical novel I liked a long time ago.”

“A novel?”

It was when Choi Eun-sook looked puzzled and lifted a glass of water to quench her thirst.

“It’s an alternative history novel about Yeonsangun. I read it a long time ago and it was interesting. Since there were only 6 short months left until the crank-in anyway, I tried to find the original author. But the publisher went bankrupt and the original author only published that one work. It was said that it was very difficult to find because it disappeared without a sound.

At that moment, Eunsook Choi’s pupils shake violently as if an earthquake had occurred.

“I heard that not all of the first printed editions were sold? But I am the reader who bought two copies of it. One for collection and one for reading. Anyway, I found out if this was a revelation from God or fate, and it turns out that the original writer is also the writer of the current broadcast and drama. What was your pen name at that time? Maybe.”

“Wait a minute.” Eun-sook

Choi tried to interrupt, but it was already too late.

“It was Choi Gang-gondu, wasn’t it, Writer Choi?”

And then she coughed as if there was a lump in her throat.

* * *

It was the night of the old moon. Just as the moonlight on the crock pot warms his heart, many thoughts are going through England’s mind:

“It’s my values as an actor.”

Actors are always fighting against their past selves. Some may say it is art, while others say it is a chronic illness close to mental illness. The pressure to surpass my past self is constricting my entire body. In that sense, the character of Yeonsangun could not but be an attractive role. It was then.

“England, what are you so worried about?”

Actor Ahn Joong-hyun, who had already come next to me, asked gently.

“Ah, Uncle. Just make a sign and come closer. I heard he gets a surprise every once in a while.”

“Why should a guy who is so tall be surprised? Now that I see him, he’s doing this to get me to notice. It’s the same for you and me, both of you, staying at your brother’s house.”

“I don’t always get drunk like my uncle. Even now, I see it. It smells like alcohol. Did you come here after having a drink somewhere? Grandfather is also sleeping, so why did you come here at this late hour?”

“I came to see you, our youngest. Come to work.”

Ahn Jung-hyun plays with England’s head by placing it between his armpits. Then, England is not to be outdone and tickles Ahn Jung-hyun’s side. After the two have been joking around for a while, England takes a deep breath and asks.

“Uncle, have you ever been afraid of a role as an actor?”

“I’m afraid. There are times when I’m afraid.”

“really?”

“When the script is so bad that it doesn’t stick in my mouth, or when I don’t like the female lead and can’t really focus. Or when the food cart is poor, I get scared and think, ‘I’m just acting in this hot sun just so I can eat this.’ .”

“Oh, don’t play around.”

Ahn Jung-hyun stops laughing and shows a serious expression.

“If you’re not afraid, there are bound to be limitations, whether it’s learning or anything else. A role you really like appears, but the agency seems to reject it because the fee is too high. Then again, you can’t arbitrarily lower the actor’s salary. And everyone It’s the same when working on a project that I’m opposed to. What if the project fails because of my stubbornness? And when I feel like the role is difficult, I worry about whether I can pull it off well. From the moment the two words linger in my head and when I say my lines, “It’s unnatural.”

“….”

“But it’s useless to worry about such things. As time goes by, you’ll realize that it was a pointless worry. You should know this when you’re young. Even if everyone around you tries to stop you, go out like a maverick and you’ll learn roles and fairy tales. “It’s a job you have to have. The more you think about it, the more likely it is that there will be noise in your acting.”

This is advice that makes you realize something. Until now, England had been watching the agency without even knowing it. This does not mean that CEO Kim Seong-hwan is paying attention.

As Confessions of a Priest exceeded 5 million and the number of viewers soared every day, I was obsessed with the idea of maintaining the ever-increasing price tag. These are values that are far from the promise to live as an actor. I tried to say thank you, but my uncle was already dozing off. Looking at that scene, England looks at the old novel in his hand for a moment. This is a novel given to me by a famous producer.

‘I thought I would survive through arithmetic.’

The title sounds reasonable.

“What a writer’s name.”

It’s the strongest gondyu.

I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t strange. Just looking at the pen name gives off a childish feeling. But the genre is also history. To be precise, it is a virtual history, or alternative history novel. England looks over the page, half worried and half excited. However, unlike the childish pen name, it catches attention from the first sentence.

-A secret history not recorded in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.

So much so that I couldn’t even hear the snoring of Ahn Jung-hyun, who was dozing off right next to me.

-This novel unfolds the life of Lee Yong, the legitimate son of the deposed Biyun clan, widely known as Yeonsangun, and his twin, Lee Gyeol, who is not known to the public. Which of the two was the tyrant portrayed in history?