The first encounter between Kim Su-ha, played by Han Tae-geon, and the cadet soldier, portrayed by Kim Dong-hoo. Watching the scene, the other actors found their mouths going dry.

He was only fourteen.

It was clear he hadn’t lived through a war, but the look in his eyes was far from ordinary.

“Is he on his second life or something?”

When Director Kang explained why he wanted a cadet soldier in the scene, the actors wondered, How could a kid possibly portray that?

A boy who had lost his sister in the war and was bound to her final words. Living with a single thought—to survive.

It was impossible to convey both emptiness and longing at the same time. It wasn't something a child could express through experience alone.

And yet, there he was, doing it effortlessly.

“He’ll be a leading actor soon enough.”
“Absolutely.”

Ko Chang-sik and Seo Myeong-woo, who played pivotal supporting roles, were impressed in a different way.

“Presence isn’t something you can just develop.”
“Especially when you’re born with it.”

They had supported countless leads, earning the reputation of being “luxury supporting actors.” They knew.

A leading role is something you’re born into. It’s not just a matter of a good script or looks.

It’s about the ability to carry an entire story alone. The kind of presence that swallows everything when the camera focuses on you.

That’s the biggest factor in defining a lead.

“When this movie releases, it’s going to blow up.”
“Chungmuro is always thirsty for fresh faces.”

Actors with ticket power guarantee hits, but that also means their fees keep climbing.

You work together on a blockbuster and hit it big, but by the time you’re ready for the next project, the fees can become unaffordable. That’s why new leads are always welcome.

Moreover…

“Just imagine how much better he’ll look as he grows.”
“He’s so handsome, I can’t even claim my own son’s better looking.”

“Hey, now’s not the time to bring up things like that.”

Comparing anyone to someone who looks like that is pointless.

The two actors slowly watched as the absurdly handsome actor wrapped up his performance. He looked unbelievable, and he could act, too.

Where does someone like him even come from?

+++++

After the cadet soldier scene, the shoot wrapped up smoothly and quickly.

“Great job today.”
“No, it was possible because of the great script.”
“Ha, our Dong-hoo, I swear, how can you say such sweet things?”

Even if they were just words, I appreciated it.

Director Kang, already excited at the thought of editing the footage, stroked his fake Guan Yu beard as he saw me off.

I heard that the other actors were staying for a group retreat in Gangwon Province.

“Looks like I got out of it because I’m young.”

Finishing school was definitely a priority. I wasn’t sure about college, but I wanted to at least go through high school.

Besides...

Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz.

Dong-hoo, I’m sorry for the sudden message. I hope you’re staying warm in this cold weather. By the way, our Korean Arts High School pamphlet is out. I thought you might be interested, so I’m sending it to you. No need to feel any pressure; just read it at your leisure. If you have any questions about admissions, please don’t hesitate to ask me, Edward Park. I’ll be more than happy to answer. And if you get the chance, we’re having our alumni concert in February next year…

Now I had someone who seemed even more interested in my high school plans than my mom.

“I’ve never seen anyone more invested in my education than her.”

Usually, parents take care of these things, but here I was, being informed by the principal of Korea’s top arts high school.

Had he once suggested that I study piano seriously and become a maestro? I thought back on it and chuckled. He was a good man, and I found him amusing.

“Dong-hoo, good job today.”

As I smiled and headed toward the van, Seok-ho hyung opened the door, as if he’d been waiting.

“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me, that’s what I’m here for. What can I not do for our future building-owner Dong-hoo?”

With that, he loaded a stack of scripts onto the seat beside me as soon as I climbed into the car.

“What’s this?”
“Well, I was thinking, while what you’re doing now is impressive, your screen time is relatively short.”

You can leave a strong impact on the viewers, but it’s not like you’re carrying an entire story.

I nodded at his words. He wasn’t wrong.

But then again, I couldn’t just jump into a lead or major supporting role either. I was a rookie.

So Seok-ho hyung decided to change his approach.

“We should make an indie film!”
“An indie film?”
“Yeah, and I’ll invest in it to expand its scope.”

By making an indie film, you could lead the whole story yourself and even aim for film festival awards.

“Our target is the 2011 Best New Actor award at the film festival.”

The Best New Actor award—it’s arguably harder to get than a grand prize. You have to shine brighter than the flood of newcomers every year.

Seok-ho hyung said, spreading out a few scripts.

“So, I shortlisted a few good ones. There are about five.”
“You’ve already picked them out?”
“Uh, yeah.”

Then I noticed his face again, and it looked different. His eyes were hollow.

He looked like he could befriend a panda and skip rope with his dark circles. He must have gone through hundreds, if not thousands, of scripts that pour in every year.

“These five are what I consider A-grade. There are about twenty B-grade scripts as well. Just look them over, and if anything seems off, let me know.”

With that, Seok-ho hyung hurried over to the driver’s seat.

“He really went all out.”

I felt grateful, but a worry started to creep in.

“But I don’t have an eye for scripts.”

In the case of High Dream and Endless Frontline, I could gauge their success using information from my past life. But independent film scripts were a completely unknown territory.

“Why are you so quiet when I need you?”

Shouldn’t I get help with things like this? Just as I thought that…

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A series of messages from The Sims – The Real Life arrived.

–[One of the most important things for an actor is their career.]
–[Your career path also reflects how successful you’ve been as an actor.]
–[Imagine being able to pick only successful scripts out of the hundreds available.]
–[We have just what you need!]
–[Download the app Scripts Like No Other.]
–[You’ll be able to check the film’s success rating next to the script title.]

The flood of messages was clear.

“I can check success ratings?”

What could it mean to have a rating next to a script? I picked one up to find out.

<I Might Have Forgotten That Day, C>

Indeed, there was a rating next to the title.

“What’s a B rating like?”

Curious for more details, I immediately grabbed the Endless Frontline script.

<Endless Frontline, B (Rating Rising)>

“Rating rising?”

I was looking for objective information, but this made it more confusing.

“As far as I know, Endless Frontline wasn’t a massive hit.”

It was a fun movie, but it wasn’t a huge success. And now, its rating was rising. There was only one difference between the movie then and now.

Me.

This meant that my presence was having a significant impact on the movie’s rating.

“So, even if the rating is low, I can raise it as much as I want?”

Swish, swish.

I checked two more scripts, but their ratings were both C.

“It must be the limitations of indie films.”

I wished there was at least one B-grade script. Thinking that, I picked up the last one.

<Hero, B>

A simple title with the expected rating.

“I can’t expect too much from the start.”

Sure, it’d be great to debut in a billion-won blockbuster, but I preferred to build a solid foundation step by step.

“Successful people always have strong groundwork.”

In that sense, this script was excellent. Plus…

Swish.

<Hero, B (Rating Expected to Rise)>

As soon as I touched the script, it showed that the rating was expected to rise. There couldn’t be a more fitting script for me right now.

“Thank you, Seok-ho hyung.”

After silently thanking him for all his hard work,

“Let’s do this.”

I dove right into the script.

+++++

The first thing I stabbed to death was a stray dog that lunged at me.

Stray dogs always lurked in the quiet hillside villages. They couldn’t reach the apartments across the way, so they must have settled in the abandoned houses.

Those dogs were always a source of fear. I was the hero who killed one of them.

Or so I thought.

Drip, drip.

Blood dripped.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

The children ran away.

I thought I was the hero who defeated the villain, who had driven a knife through the stray dog with justice.

Then why did they look at me with such fear?

“Hey, why are you all running?”

I didn’t understand. Why? I was a hero.

A hero who killed the villain horrifically and finally won.

A hero.