“Oh my! So adorable!”

A faint, innocent smile found its place on her face, which seemed to like children at all.

‘Ugh, but what’s this smell?’

As she approached, a strong perfume scent pricked my nose.

‘How much did she spray?’

Unable to scrunch my face openly in front of my senior, I maintained the best smile I could muster.

But…

Honest Yuna, with her small hands, covered her nose and scrunched up her face.

“Ugh, the smell…”

“Hahaha… Yuna, what are you saying? Don’t you like the smell of perfume?”

I signaled Yuna discreetly, hoping she’d catch on. Yet, Yuna answered honestly without lying.

“Appa, my nose hurts.”

Uh-oh.

This is really bad.

I glanced at the senior, feeling flustered.

She took her hand to her nose, sniffing the back of her hand.

“Oh, maybe it’s because of the strong perfume I got sponsored for this time? Unnie’s sorry.”

Hold on a moment. Unnie?

If she were an aunt, it might be understandable, but…

She didn’t seem older than me from my past life, so calling her ‘unnie’ wasn’t quite right.

She casually asked while keeping her distance from us.

“I’m Yu Seol-hwa. Do you know me, junior?”

“Of course, I do.”

She played the lead role in this sitcom.

Portraying the role of ‘Lee Juhyun.’

As I started to reveal what I knew about her previous works, my senior subtly chuckled and reached out her hand.

“Let’s do well this time.”

“Yes! I’ll do my best. Senior.”

After that, I made an effort to become more familiar with my senior and be a good conversation partner.

Even though I’m just a minor role, I might meet them again someday. It’s better to build connections now for the future.

Luckily, communication went smoothly, and now my senior started to speak comfortably.

“But why aren’t you speaking freely? I told you to earlier.”

“Haha. It’s just my habit.”

Having been active as a child actor in my past life, I got used to using honorifics with adults.

It’s a habit I couldn’t shake off even after becoming an adult. If they’re younger than me, I should feel comfortable speaking casually, but I can’t.

***

Today’s shoot was said to be short in advance. Perhaps that’s why there were noticeably fewer active actors and staff.

The lead actress I met earlier, Yu Seol-hwa.

And the supporting actor Kang Suho, whom I only exchanged greetings with because he arrived late.

Apart from them, there were no other actors.

‘It’s been a while since I received makeup.’

I was sitting in front of the dressing table, wearing the attire prepared by the coordinator, and receiving makeup.

‘Isn’t this a bit too much?’

Two artists, with serious expressions, began to tidy up my eyebrows, saying, “This is the last one.”

Their touch was so delicate that I was cautious about starting a conversation.

“Um…”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Can’t you just trim them briefly? You don’t have to be so serious about it.”

In response to my question, the woman helping with makeup smiled gently.

“You must be a newbie who doesn’t know much.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“The most important thing on your face is your eyebrows. Look in the mirror. Just one eyebrow can make a huge difference in your impression, right?”

As she said, my current appearance looked intimidating even when I stayed still.

‘As expected, professionals are different…’

In my past life, I only believed in exceptional acting skills and didn’t pay attention to makeup.

No matter how much I dressed up, my ordinary appearance remained the same, so I probably gave up from the beginning.

But the problem here is…

My current outfit.

A yellow shirt with a flower pattern, brown shorts, and a golden necklace to top it off.

If the me from my past life came out like this… It wouldn’t be strange at all if people pointed fingers and called me a fashion terrorist.

“How is it? Did Appa change?”

“…Yes” Yuna, who was staring at me with curiosity, asked with a playful grin.

“Appa, why do you put on makeup?”

I turned to look at Yuna sitting next to me.

“Because I need to look the scariest here. Am I scary, Yuna?”

When I leaned closer, Yuna immediately shook her head.

“You’re not scary at all, Appa.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Appa. I’m more scared of the big bad wolf that eats bad people.”

The woman who had just finished using makeup suddenly burst into laughter.

“Haha! Your daughter is really cute.”

“Is she?”

“Yes, even if you said she’s a child actor, I’d believe it. No, is she a child actor now?”

“Oh, I guess so.”

After finishing all the preparations, I headed to the place where Yuna and I were getting ready for filming.

“Yuna, what did Appa say he’s doing here?”

“Acting!”

The role I took on was that of a tough gang leader, ruling the territory. My role was to destroy the heroine’s food truck and disappear.

It wasn’t a bad image since there was also a setting where I would act like a fool in front of my daughter, which softened the character.

Still, because there were some intense actions and lines, I had to remind Yuna several times not to misunderstand.

“Yeah, acting. So, you must never learn what Appa does here.”

“Hehehe. Okay!”

“Just behave like you did last time. Can you do that?”

“I can, Appa!”

I gently ruffled Yuna’s hair at her satisfyingly sharp response.

And so, the practice began.

While Yu Seol-hwa was busy with makeup, I practiced alone.

How much time had passed?

“We’re about to start filming!”

The energetic voice of the staff echoed through the set.

“Alright, it’s about to begin.”

I followed the staff’s guidance and waited outside the camera’s view.

*Thump. Thump.*

My heart raced.

“Yuna, can you do it like we practiced?”

“Yes, Appa!”

Not long after, the director’s cue fell, and the set fell silent as if holding its breath.

That’s when it happened.

The person who spoke first wasn’t Yu Seol-hwa but an extra who was pouring drinks inside the food truck.

“Auntie! One bottle of soju here!”

Starting with his line, Yu Seol-hwa appeared and responded with annoyance mixed in her tone.

“I’m not an auntie yet! How many times do I have to say it!”

Her appearance was vastly different from the first impression.

She was the typical foul-mouthed auntie.

“Hehehe! Then how should I address you? Miss? Or, Ms. Juhyun?”

With the unexpected response from the regular customer, Yu Seol-hwa lifted a silver tray and gave a sly smile.

“Customer? Shall we go with that?”

“Hahaha. Just kidding. Just kidding.”

A situation where they unexpectedly fight.

Thanks to that, the light-hearted atmosphere typical of sitcoms was produced.

‘She really understands her character well.’

I admired Yu Seol-hwa’s acting skills.

Of course, she was not as good as when I was active as a professional…

After several repeated takes, I snapped back to attention with a tap on my shoulder from the staff.

Now it was my turn to appear.

I gave it my all, exaggerating my expressions to the extreme, knowing that all eyes would be on me.

Then, as familiar as it was nerve-wracking, I stepped into the camera frame with Yuna, trying to distract myself as much as possible.

The familiar atmosphere.

Countless gazes and pressure.

Even though it was just a short cameo, I couldn’t contain my joy at the thought of acting.

“Welcome…”

With Yu Seol-hwa’s trembling voice, I delivered my line, spitting out the words with conviction.

“Hey, who gave you permission to run a business here? Are you crazy?”

“Right. You need Appa’s permission!”

Because the lines had changed since the audition, Yuna’s lines had changed too.

Of course, Yuna’s vocabulary was not high, so it was decided that she should only repeat my lines a little.

Yuna was following along better than during practice.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“If you’re going to do business here, you have to pay. Isn’t that right?”

“Isn’t that right?”

Yuna, who echoed the same lines, put her hands on her hips and proudly extended her belly forward.

I’ve seen this scene many times during practice.

Fortunately, I managed to stifle my laughter, but Yu Seol-hwa, who wasn’t part of the practice, shook uncontrollably before bursting into laughter.

“Ahahaha!”

“Cut!”

Director Lee Hansol’s booming voice caused the camera emitting a red light to turn off.

“Seriously, why are you so cute?”

“Senior…”

“Ah, I’m sorry. Pft…”

Seeing Yuna’s bewildered expression, Yu Seol-hwa broke into laughter again.

Despite the NG from the very first scene, the reactions and expressions of the staff around them were not as bad as he had thought.

“Let’s take a short break and then go back in.”

No, wait a minute. Director?

We just started.

It was the moment when Director Lee Han-sol got up abruptly and turned his back. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Did I see it wrong?

I had never seen Director Lee Han-sol smile in my previous life either.

‘Surely not….’

Not long after, the director returned and the filming that had been stopped resumed.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“If you’re going to do business here, you have to pay. Isn’t that right?”

“Isn’t that right?”

Now, if we wanted to continue shooting from here without stopping, we had to hold back our laughter. Fortunately, this time Yu Seol-hwa delivered the line with a serious expression without laughing.

“If you keep this up, I’ll call the police.”

Approaching Yu Seol-hwa, who had taken out her phone, I gently nudged her shoulder, more of a friendly threat than a real one.

“The police? You mean the cops?”

As he spoke with one eye narrowed to look spiteful, Yuna once again took impulsive action.

“Appa, the police officers are scary…”

“What?”

“The police are scary.”

Yuna’s sincere words left me speechless.

Yu Seol-hwa was also in a similar state.

The two of us stared blankly at Yuna, whose eyebrows were furrowed.

A brief silence ensued.

I tried to gather my thoughts and imagined various scenarios in my head.

As an actor, I knew I had to keep acting until the camera stopped rolling.

It would be odd to leave already, and if I swept everything away in front of Yuna, it wouldn’t look good…

Director Lee Hansol hadn’t given any instructions yet. He just stared at me with sharp, piercing eyes.

That meant to keep going.

‘Well, let’s give it a shot.’

Feeling a bit bold, I decided to mix in some ad-lib.

‘With her acting skills, she’ll be able to keep up with my pace.’

With a reassuring look, I hugged Yuna tightly.

“It’s okay, my little daughter, my precious daughter. Appa will take care of all those scary police officers.”

What response would come from here?

With anticipation, I glanced at Yu Seol-hwa, who seemed lost in thought, wondering what line she would deliver next.

Then, unexpectedly, a voice came from an unexpected place.

“You shouldn’t scold them… Even though they’re scary, police officers are good people who catch bad guys.”

Yuna’s innocent words snapped Yu Seol-hwa back to attention, and she urgently opened her mouth.

“You! Why are you still here! I’ll really call the police!”

As expected, a seasoned actress was still an actress.

Even in her brief lines, her disbelief and inner fear were palpable, breaking away from the script completely.

I silently admired her skill in bringing everything to life, even when completely off-script.

But that admiration was short-lived.

“Boss! We’re here!”

“Still haven’t dealt with it?”

Two extras arrived just in time.

Watching their actions, they seemed lacking in some way, making me wonder if they were really gangsters.

There was no seriousness in their demeanor.

‘Alright. Just like in practice.’

It was my first time coordinating with them, but…

Sorry in advance, man.

I raised my head towards the man with a receding hairline. As I called him, he approached with a foolish smile.

“Boss, what’s going on?”

“I told you! Not to! Be late!”

*Smack! Smack!*

With each word, I slapped his bald head as hard as I could.

When a clear sound rang out, Yuna, who had been nestled in my arms, burst into laughter.

“Ahaha! That’s really funny!”

“I guess I’ll have to hit you more for my daughter’s sake.”

*Smack! Smack!*

“Ack! Stop hitting me! Boss! That’s why I’m losing hair!”

“Do you even have hair to lose? Huh?”

With laughter echoing, the director’s cue finally came.

‘…Are we finishing here?’

Originally, from this point, I was supposed to send Yuna out and cause a commotion.

Right. I should follow the director’s instructions.

The charm of sitcoms lies in their unpredictable flow.

I furiously pushed the extra’s shoulders, expressing my confusion.

“What are you doing! The police are here. Hurry up and get out!”

“Oh, okay!”

I hurriedly walked away from the camera. The extras following me stumbled clumsily, adding to the absurdity.

“What if you leave us behind!”

“Wait for me!”

Finally, the director’s voice signaled the end.

“Alright. We’re finishing with a full shot.”

And just like that, after two, three more takes of the same scene, the shoot ended quickly, with no mistakes from Yuna.

Perhaps because of that, a faint smile appeared on the director’s face.

“Now that Kang’s scene is next, let’s wrap up today’s shoot quickly.”

As the director’s command fell, the surrounding staff members began bustling around, moving the filming equipment and props in a flurry.

What? Is it already over?

The numerous eyes that were focused on me.

The pressure to not make mistakes.

It all disappeared.

After the shoot was over, there was a lingering sense of regret and emptiness in my chest.

“It’s already over…”

Even though there was still more to film the next day, I wanted to keep acting in front of everyone.

With a sense of regret, I tightly held Yuna’s small hand and gazed blankly at the set.

*Step. Step.*

“Actor. You’ve worked hard.”

At a familiar voice, I weakly turned my head.

Wearing a black suit unsuitable for the hot summer and a golden wristwatch on his left wrist, a middle-aged man was reaching out to me.

He was none other than Kang Suho, the senior I briefly exchanged greetings with in the morning.

His character’s name in the drama was Park Jinseok.

He portrayed an antagonist who hired thugs to demolish the food stalls in the redevelopment area.

Was it because of his dark attire? He exuded a dangerous atmosphere.