CHAPTER 87: ‘SO MANY WAYS TO...’

WONYOUNG accepted his new role.

He had no reason to turn it down when both Summer and Jameson wanted him to be the male lead of the music video.

Director Jin Gangseok said it should be fine if all parties agreed.

It seems like Director Jin liked my attitude during the audition, so he accepted Summer and Jameson’s request. But Director Jin also told me that he’d fire me on the spot if he didn’t like my acting.

Fair enough.

Anyway, after accepting the new role, the hair and makeup artists started retouching Wonyoung’s face.

There wasn’t much change since Jameson’s previous role was also a zombie.

He had to change his top from a tattered black hoodie to a tattered bright red one, though.

It’s to match Summer-ssi’s red hair. Plus, all zombies wear dark clothes. So, the pop of color would stand out.

"Oppa, I’m done with my ’transformation’~"

Summer, who entered Wonyoung’s dressing room, had just finished her makeup.

Now she really looks like the female lead of an apocalypse movie.

Her beautiful red hair was now a mess, and her flawless skin was decorated with cuts and bruises— all thanks to the power of makeup.

Plus, Summer’s short white wedding dress was dirty and tattered as well.

Lastly, the soloist wore dirty red sneakers to complete her ’doomed bride’ look.

"I’m done as well," Wonyoung said, smiling. "I can’t wait for the shooting to start."

"Are you excited for our kissing scene, Oppa?"

"No, not at all," Wonyoung said in a firm but apologetic tone. "But I’m excited to work with you, Summer-ssi."

Summer laughed softly as if she were amused. "Okay, I give up now. You’re clearly not interested in me."

"Uhm, Summer-ssi. I know I may sound arrogant by asking this. But, surely. You didn’t ask the director to make me the lead actor just to flirt with me, did you?"

"No, of course not."

Whew.

"Wonyoung Oppa, I wrote the song. And I also created the storyboard that I pitched to Director Jin," Summer said, smiling. "As you may already know, Director Jin is a movie doctor known for his hit zombie apocalypse film. That’s why I convinced him to direct my music video. This isn’t his field of expertise, but he accepted my pitch because my music video is like a 3-minute short film."

Right, that was what made Summer’s music video very interesting.

"In short, I care about my music video more than you think I do, Wonyoung Oppa," Summer said cheerfully. "I wouldn’t change the lead actor just to flirt with you."

"I see," Wonyoung said, now slightly embarrassed. "I’m sorry for misunderstanding."

"No, don’t apologize, Oppa. I gave you a reason to think that way by acting the way I did."

"Then may I know why you suddenly wanted me to be your male lead?"

Summer’s face instantly beamed. "Oh. It’s because you totally look like the zombie boyfriend I envisioned when I was making the storyboard."

"Oh. But Jameson-ssi and I have different types of visuals."

"I’m not talking about the visuals, but the vibes. The zombie boyfriend I envisioned has innocent vibes despite being a ’monster.’ Actually, we held an audition for the lead role. Nobody passed. That’s why I convinced Jameson to take the role, even though he doesn’t like attention."

Ah.

That’s why Jameson-ssi gave up his role immediately.

"Jameson and I are childhood friends, so we have a natural chemistry with each other. Director Jin liked that aspect," Summer said, patting Wonyoung’s shoulder. "So, we have to work hard to surpass the chemistry that I had with Jameson."

Wonyoung smiled and nodded. "Don’t worry, Summer-ssi— I’m good at acting in love."

***

"COACH, are we going to play another game?"

Kwon Taeyoo smiled and nodded. "Yes, kids. We’re going to play a game called ’So Many Ways To...’"

"Coach, that’s a weird name!"

"I-It is..."

"And it’s mouthful!"

"What does it mean?"

Kwon Taeyoo smiled at the children’s cute complaints.

However, he couldn’t help but notice that An Baekya didn’t give much reaction.

It’s as if Baekya already knows what the game is.

"The game that we will play will spark our creativity while illustrating the infinite possibilities we could make out of the same scenario," Kwon Taeyoo explained as simply as possible for the kids to understand. "I’ll choose an everyday situation, then each of you will perform that situation in different ways."

As expected, the kids still looked confused.

Kwon Taeyoo smiled because it was cute how the kids furrowed their brows.

Again, except for An Baekya.

"Kids, what will you do if you got lost in the mall?"

Park Soojin raised her hand and gave her answer immediately: "I’ll go to the guard and ask for help!"

"I-I’ll cry," Kim Bora said shyly. "Then I’ll wait for the adults to notice me..."

"I’ll go to the lost and found desk," Jang Aecha answered calmly. "Then I’ll ask them to make an announcement and look for my parents."

"I’ve memorized my parents’ phone numbers," An Baekya answered calmly. "I’ll borrow an adult’s phone and call them."

"It won’t happen to me!" Park Soojung claimed, putting his hands on his hips while making an arrogant face. "I won’t get lost because I always hold my mommy’s hand!"

Aigoo.

Kwon Taeyoo chuckled because of Park Soojung’s funny answer.

This kid will definitely cry and panic once he gets lost.

Anyway...

"You see, kids? All of you have different reactions to the same scenario," Kwon Taeyoo said. "I’ll give you another scenario. This time, I want you to act how you’d react."

The kids all answered at the same time.

"Yes, Coach!"

"Your friend broke your doll on purpose because you didn’t want to share it with them," Kwon Taeyoo said. "How would you react?"

Park Soojung volunteered to go first.

This kid is always full of energy.

"Why did you break my toy?!"

Oho.

Kwon Taeyoo was impressed when Park Soojung expressed his anger with all his body.

So, that’s the emotion he chose.

And Park Soojung was doing a great job at showing it.

The kid’s voice was loud and clear, his furrowed brows and frown made him look really upset. Moreover, the acting became even more convincing when Park Soojung began stomping his feet on the floor while confronting his friend.

Of course, the kid was talking to no one.

However, everyone watching Park Soojung could imagine him confronting a friend that didn’t even exist there.

That was how good the kid’s acting was.

If Kwon Taeyoo had to nitpick, then...

Big movements are good for stage plays, but they’re not encouraged on TV.

He jotted it down in his notebook.

"Good job, Soojung-ah," Kwon Taeyoo said. "Who wants to go next?"

He decided to watch all the kids’ performances first before giving his feedback.

Jang Aecha raised her hand. "Me, Coach."

"Alright. You may start now, Aecha-ya."

Jang Aecha, the calmest kid in the class, suddenly let out a shriek.

Everyone— including Kwon Taeyoo— was surprised.

I think this is the loudest I’ve heard Aecha-ya...

That was impressive.

You can see an actor’s range when they act so differently from their everyday self.

"Why did you do that?" Jang Aecha then grabbed something in the air with her little hands. The kid was acting alone, but she was so good at it that everyone could imagine her shaking her ’invisible’ friend’s collar. "Have you lost your mind?! What? You’re sorry? Hah! I’ll only accept your apology if you let me flick your forehead 100x!"

Pfft.

So, Aecha-ya chose to have a confrontational attitude for this scenario.

It was fun seeing Jang Aecha, who was usually reserved, act hysterically.

"Very well, Aecha-ya," Kwon Taeyoo said, acting calm so he would stay neutral. "Next."

Kim Bora raised her shaking hand.

Ah, it’s our little shy Bora’s turn.

"I-It’s okay, Sora-ya. I understand that you did that because you were u-upset. B-But please don’t do that again."

Oho?

So, Kim Bora decided to act like a benevolent friend while forcing herself to smile.

Kwon Taeyoo was slightly disappointed.

That’s weak acting since that’s how she usually acts.

However, he was quickly proven wrong.

When Kim Bora turned around as if turning her back on her friend— but facing Kwon Taeyoon and the class— the kid’s expression suddenly changed.

Kim Bora’s smile disappeared, and her expression turned cold.

Then tears rolled down her cheeks while her lips quivered— all the while clenching her trembling hands.

Ah, she’s angry.

Kim Bora was crying, but her silent anger could be felt through her tears.

"You did really well, Bora-ya," Kwon Taeyoo said, impressed. He couldn’t wait to give his feedback to the kids later. "Next."

It was Park Soojin who volunteered this time.

And the kid did something slightly different from the other children.

"This isn’t right, Ahjumma," Park Soojin said cheekily while crossing her arms over her chest. "Yes, I can forgive your son. But, no, an apology isn’t enough."

Kwon Taeyoo smiled wildly.

Now that’s what I call creativity! The other kids confronted their friend. But Soojin-ah confronted her friend’s mother.

That was exactly the point of the activity.

"Ahjumma should pay for my broken toy."

Bravo!

Kwon Taeyoo had to hold himself back from clapping.

I have to stay neutral until the end.

"Excellent job, Soojin-ah," Kwon Taeyoo said, smiling. "And, now, for the finale..."

Everyone in the room turned to An Baekya.

I’m curious to know what this child will do.

"An Baekya, you may start now."

"Yes, Coach."

An Baekya stood still for a moment.

But his face was already working hard.

By that, Kwon Taeyoo meant An Baekya looked like he was listening to an ’invisible’ friend.

However, that level of acting was something only adults could notice.

Naturally, the kids looked confused.

"Have you heard about the ’golden rule’ that goes like this: ’Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you?’"

After dropping that chilling line, An Baekya smiled.

It was a cold smile that promised revenge.

Kwon Taeyoo felt a shiver down his spine.

How can An Baekya execute such strong emotions at his tender age?

***

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