Superstar Who Eats Everything

Episode 15_

Reading

“Brother. Nice to see you here too.”

“It’s been a while.”

The extras who had gathered in the smoking area right below the reading room greeted each other warmly. The unknown actors were all acquainted with each other because they had been on the same filming set.

“Did you hear that? If you look good here, you might be cast in Jang Soo Kyung’s weekend drama this time.”

“Hey, just be polite. If you’re at the level of Jang Soo-kyung, you can just pick an actor out of the shopping cart and pay for it.”

“It’s true. My friend is an assistant writer for Jang Soo-kyung. They’re looking for a fresh face, not someone who’s too well-known.”

The other actors who had been smoking cigarettes and pretending not to notice his words also perked up their ears. This time, they had to stand out.

“But, our lead actor is that guy?”

“who?”

“Why, it’s the ‘child actor who lost his job’ who was briefly a hot topic on the internet.”

“Oh, that kid.”

[Mind] achieved the highest viewership ratings of the series as soon as it aired.

This is because the drama gradually gained popularity through word of mouth due to the reveal of Park Yoo-won’s past in the drama, the immersive directing, and the writer’s possessed writing skills.

There were also dramas in the same time slot that didn’t do well.

-Mind jam?

-I couldn’t help but laugh because people around me kept talking about mind, but it’s funny

-I started Mind, but is the child actor good?

-Who is Mind Sapae?

Thanks to word of mouth, the number of people watching the drama belatedly increased, and naturally, Yeo Woo-jun’s presence still hasn’t faded.

-Mind Villain is boring

When I first came out as Sapae, I was really immersed and it was no joke.

└Aren’t the villains in episodes 5 and 6 a bit strong?

└Honestly, it doesn’t seem to have as much impact as the Sapaeah Station

-I think the reason Mind’s early viewer ratings were high was because of the role of Sapae.

Compared to other villains who are in a similar position, his presence is too weak

└I also started running after watching the Sapae Station clip ㅋㅋ

└I’m looking forward to the future. Doesn’t the baby appear in other works?

└I know you’re good at acting, but aren’t you beating up other actors too much?

I thought this would be a one-time thing and soon be buried by another topic. But this was a phenomenon that even Yeo Woo-jun had not expected.

“Me, really. If I were that young and looked like that, there would have been trouble a long time ago.”

“Brother. Jealousy is ugly.”

“Why? You used to criticize idols too.”

“Is it the same for a child actor and an idol?”

Contrary to the lofty ideal of becoming famous, if you live a long life of obscurity, your emotions will naturally fester.

Enough to harbor ugly feelings of jealousy towards a mere eight-year-old child.

“I admit that he’s pretty good at acting. But I think the director did all that. I heard that Director Mind came over from the film industry and is a good director.”

“I see.”

Even if someone directed me well, I don’t think I could act like that. The youngest supporting actor happened to spot Yeo Woo-jun and Ko Seung-geon getting out of the car.

‘Wow, it’s not just a manager, it’s a director-level person following you around?’

I’m jealous. You’re young, have natural looks, and can even receive care from a big agency.

Even with just one minor role, he has the star power to be labeled a ‘loser child actor’ for the whole year.

“But isn’t the real thing better?”

It was shocking when I saw it on screen, but how can it get any more handsome here? The world is really unfair.

While the youngest supporting actor was lamenting, Yeo-Jun was half-absorbed in the child’s body and was looking at the large reading room with his mouth wide open.

“wow.”

During Park Sung-hyun’s time, he didn’t offer short plays to his management team. Short plays didn’t pay that well for points.

But it wasn’t something to be laughed at. The reading room was spacious and comfortable, there were quite a few cameras filming the making of the film, and there were also famous actors.

‘Everyone is nervous.’

When you look at the actors’ tense faces, you can see how important this drama is. Yeo Woo-jun broke the silence.

“hello!”

The child’s lively voice caught everyone’s attention. Everyone smiled and waved at the adorable child.

Yeo-Jun found his seat by bowing to each of them.

‘It feels real to be the lead role.’

A long rectangular desk and chair. In the middle were the director’s and writer’s seats, and opposite the director was a paper nameplate with Yeo-Jun’s name written on it.

“Hello. You’re Woojun.”

As Yeo-Jun took his seat, the actor who would appear as Researcher B diagonally across from him greeted him with a happy face.

It was the youngest extra actor who had discovered Yeo-Jun Yoo in the smoking area a little while ago.

“Is this your first time reading?”

“yes.”

“Really? Didn’t you try it during ‘Mind’ too?”

“Yes. Because I went in in a hurry.”

Some people see script readings as just a formality, but they are an important opportunity to receive advice and make revisions to the cast from the writer and director before filming.

You skipped that and did it right on the spot? That acting?

“Hello. Oh my, you are my son.”

“hello.”

The youngest extra actor’s doubts didn’t last long, as all the cast members arrived and took their seats.

Before we get into the actual reading, there was an introduction of the production team. After the introduction of the director, original author, and writer, it was the lead actor’s turn.

“Hello. I am Yeo Woo-jun, the actor who plays AI-8415 and Kang Ye-jun.”

When Yeo-Jun Yoo introduced himself, there was an eruption of applause and cheers as he was the youngest person in the room.

After the introduction, the reading began right away. Assistant director Lee Dong-hyun read the passage.

“An ordinary family home. Mom is busy in the kitchen preparing dinner, and a boy is rolling a toy car around.”

People’s eyes were drawn to the young lead actor. [AI-8415] begins with a long narration by Yeo-Jun.

“The boy looks at the camera.”

What kind of interpretation will the rumored ‘child actor’ show? And, will that young child be able to handle the first few minutes on his own?

Yeo-Jun straightened his upper body and looked into the empty space.

“Humans are strange.”

Like a robot.

He only said one word, but several people were startled and looked at Yeo-Jun.

‘what?’

It was nothing special. But it felt so out of place that I felt like the hairs on my ears were standing on end.

“Humans have created many assistant robots for their own convenience. Robots have been deployed in various industries and areas of life, and humans have enjoyed their convenience without lifting a finger.”

The other actors also rubbed their arms gently and stared at Yeo Woo-jun. What is it? Why do I feel so uncomfortable?

At this point, the actress playing the role of ‘Mom’ opened her mouth.

“Yejun, did you wash your hands?”

“yes!”

Yeo-Jun, who briefly returned to the form of a robot acting like a human, looked at the making camera again. There was no life in his eyes.

“Anyway, humans have created humanoid robots that are similar to themselves, and have adopted them as family members. They have even created models that have pet functions. Our robots not only enrich the lives of humans by doing the work that humans have to do, but have also become toys for humans.”

Even though it was a long line, there was no hesitation. Even people who were nervous and had their heads buried in their scripts began to raise their heads little by little.

Yeo-Jun Yeo made eye contact with the director and writer across from him, then looked back at the camera filming the making-of video.

“Humanoids don’t need emotions. But I was created for a different purpose than other general-purpose entities, and half of my memory consists of emotions learned by engineers.”

They weren’t surprised that Yeo-jun was still covering the script.

It was quite common for actors to come and recite their lines sweetly.

“Although there are fragments of the emotions planted by the developer in my memory, I am still lacking in understanding humans.”

“… … .”

“The most incomprehensible emotion is ‘love.’”

Rather, it was because the sight of Yeo-Jun reciting the lines felt so ‘unfamiliar’.

It was definitely a child who had been smiling brightly and greeting people just a few minutes ago, but now he seemed like someone who didn’t belong in this space.

Strangely, I felt psychologically repulsed. What is it? Why?

“Humans form relationships because they love, give birth to beings that contain their genetic information because they love, give up because they love, and even kill the object of their love because they love too much.”

Let’s try it out. Yeo-jun waves his hand in the air. The assistant director belatedly recites the text.

“The boy drops his glass of water. His mother runs over and grabs his hand.”

“Yejun! What happened? Are you hurt?”

“A mother who only looks at the boy, not even feeling sorry for the broken water glass. And a machine human who looks at such a being.”

Even as the actress playing the mother was urgently spitting out her lines, Yeo-Jun Yeo didn’t move an inch. Then she stared at the making-of camera again.

“You stupid human. I’m not your real son.”

The VJ’s hand holding the camera trembled slightly. His eyes met with Yeo-jun’s through the lens, and he felt awkward and wanted to turn his head away. Is this what they call the uncanny valley effect?

“I am codenamed AI-8415. The name given to me by the human in front of me is Kang Ye-jun.”

In order to effectively portray a robot, Yeo-Jun practiced moving only his mouth without moving his facial muscles.

He had a talent for sound, so naturally, there was no emotion in the voice he let out.

The body is in a floating posture. Of course, you have to breathe, but I studied how to hold my breath without making it obvious.

I had to keep it constant while spitting out long lines.

‘It was quite a struggle.’

In order to effectively use this technique, Yeo-Jun never left the practice room. Even after experiencing N regressions, he never slacked off in his efforts.

The practice was so effective that everyone on the scene was staring at Yeo Woo-jun in a daze.

“I am a humanoid robot created for the purpose of human emotional stability.”

It seemed beyond the level of someone simply imitating a machine, that something truly non-human was before my eyes.

After the introductory scene ends, we move on to the next scene.

Everyone forgot to turn the pages of their script and just stared at Yeo Joon.

“Just a moment, Yejun.”

Director Choi Eun-young raised her hand to interrupt the flow. In fact, she did it on purpose. Otherwise, everyone would have just lost their minds.

She inadvertently called the character’s name instead of the actor’s real name, but no one noticed.

“Why did you act like that?”

“I thought that if we do it this way at first, the part where AI-8415 awakens emotions will be more effective later on. And… … .”

In some ways, it is an answer that goes beyond the realm of directing. It may be an answer that the director may find unpleasant, but at least Eunyoung Choi liked the answer.

She didn’t prefer actors who just played their roles like machines and that was it.

I liked actors who knew the overall flow of the play, understood the directing aspects, and used that knowledge in their acting.

“and?”

“I thought that since they cast me after seeing me in ‘Mind,’ they might have liked the part they saw there. That is, the non-human part. I thought that if I studied it a little more, I could do it. The image of a perfect machine that people usually imagine.”

It is said that the child’s appearance, which was more demonic than human, as seen in [Mind] was also intentional.

‘You’re good at talking. Did your agency teach you how to do that?’

Choi Eun-young glanced at Ko Seung-geon, who was sitting behind Yeo Woo-jun.

Well, even if you teach it, it’s not easy to express it like that. When I met eyes with the mechanical Kang Ye-jun a little while ago, I thought I was really out of breath.

“Did I do something wrong? Was it weird?”

“No, no! It’s because you’re too good.”

Even while trying to appease the watchful Fox Jun, he couldn’t help but raise the corners of his mouth. The original author sitting next to him also had a satisfied expression.

“I’m sorry for hanging up. Let’s start again.”

.

.

.

“… … So the boy opens the door. He pauses for a moment at the unexpected scenery, but soon gathers his courage and steps out of the fence one step at a time.”

“Phew… … .”

As the last fingerprint was finished, everyone let out a sigh.

Because the young lead actor led the flow of the play, everyone was able to immerse themselves more into their roles and pour out their emotions.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

The reading is over, but there’s still work to be done. There are still promotional photos to be taken and a few short interviews to be done.

The production team watched the back of Yeo-Jun Yoo as he entered a small conference room to do a making-of interview.

With a look of wonder, pure admiration, and a hint of fear.