What makes acting awkward?
Why does acting become awkward?

There are several reasons for this.

It can be due to overly dramatic or insufficient emotional expression,
awkward delivery of lines, gestures, facial expressions, or breathing,
misinterpretation of the character, leading to actions that don’t fit the context,
or even being overly conscious of the camera, among other factors.

A combination of these elements can lead to the label of "awkward acting" for an actor.

So, what does it take to act well?

Only one thing:

'Perfect character interpretation.'

If you simply become the character you are playing, everything falls into place.

You’re no longer acting as a person;
you become that person, so you don’t even notice the camera,
and everything becomes natural, without crossing any lines.

Perfect mastery.

Everyone on set felt a strange disconnect watching Kim Dong-hoo.
He should have just been acting, like everyone else on set.

Yet here he was, alone, truly embodying the role of a cadet soldier, practically devouring the camera.
There was nothing to say other than to offer praise.

'Meeting actor Kim Dong-hoo was a stroke of luck for me.'

Director Kang genuinely believed that, and he wasn’t the only one who felt this way.

"How can you act like that?"

Han Tae-gun, still looking at Kim Dong-hoo with teary eyes, asked him sincerely.

"Honestly, I knew Kim Dong-hoo was amazing from the first time he acted, but this is just..."

The fact that Kim Dong-hoo was young didn’t affect how Han Tae-gun spoke to him.
In fact, he almost felt like calling him "teacher" or "mentor."

He had just witnessed the pinnacle of acting right before his eyes,
especially that single tear that fell at the end.

It captured the despair of dying without achieving anything,
the longing for a sister, and the misery of dying in war at a young age,
all condensed into that single tear.

It was impossible not to be in awe.

"...I can’t even find the words right now. I’ll talk to you more after we finish shooting."

With that, Han Tae-gun got up to remove his makeup.

'I can still grow.'

Han Tae-gun felt a sense of exhaustion about being called a top star.
Sure, he admitted he was fairly good-looking and competent at acting, but
was he really worthy of the title "top"? That was something he questioned.

Looks are relative,
but acting ability is absolute.

How should he handle these two things?
He had wrestled with and studied this question relentlessly.

Now, he had his answer.

'I just need to study someone who’s better-looking and a better actor than me.'

He stopped in his tracks and looked back at Kim Dong-hoo.
Watching him finally get up slowly, he thought,

'I will definitely learn.'

His passion ignited,

'...Why is he looking at me like that?'

Kim Dong-hoo felt overwhelmed by Han Tae-gun’s intense gaze.

+++++

After finishing the filming, where they shot the climax with the cadet soldiers and received enthusiastic applause,
I, being 15, was able to head straight to the van thanks to my minor status.

'...I still can’t believe it.'

Sitting there, I fiddled with my phone contacts.
Han Tae-gun, Go Chang-shik, Seo Myung-woo, Director Kang Sang-hoon—
the phone numbers of all these famous people were saved in my phone.

No matter how much I looked at it, it didn’t feel real.

"Dong-hoo, you really did a great job today."

No matter how many times I see it, you’re truly unbelievable.
As always, I awkwardly smiled at Seok-ho hyung’s compliment and thanked him,
and he handed me a file just as he had been waiting for that moment.

"Dong-hoo, you’re getting a ton of ad offers."
"What?"

But, isn’t High Dream the only thing that’s been publicly released?
Already getting ads just from that?

"Yeah, right. You must know that. I mean, a guy like you wouldn’t be clueless about it."

I reacted with surprise, which Seok-ho hyung seemed to misinterpret.

"Wait, hyung, what do you mean?"
"There’s a ton of low-end ads we’re turning down, honestly. We’re not exactly strapped for cash, are we?"

You can go as high as you want, Dong-hoo.
There’s no need to associate with lowballers.

Seok-ho hyung continued speaking as he smoothly drove the van.

"So, we’re passing on most of them, but a school uniform brand came through with an offer for an exclusive modeling contract."

The file was labeled Brilliant.

"They’re one of the weaker brands right now."

He added that in order, the brands were Premier, I Love Club, School Kingdom, and then Brilliant.

"But when you look at the terms, they’re incredible. The exclusive model contract alone..."
"...?!"

Hearing the contract fee almost made me gasp.
This is money that would be going directly into my bank account?

And that wasn’t even all.

"They’re also giving substantial sales incentives, and there’s no hard obligation for things like attendance fees. Plus, there’s a nice bonus for any additional shoots."
"Sounds like a great deal."

I tried to stay calm,
and Seok-ho hyung explained why he chose this ad.

"School uniform ads are a measure of popularity among teens, so I think it’ll be great for raising your profile."

We can do other ads any time, but
you only get to do a school uniform ad while you’re at this age.

"And with the short one-year contract period, it’s flexible if your rate changes."

If you’re okay with it, I think setting up a meeting is a good idea.
I nodded without hesitation.

"Sounds good to me."

So, if this goes well, my face will be on display at a school uniform store?
Just imagining it was a little embarrassing, but,

'My parents are going to be so shocked when I tell them.'

I felt a wave of happiness.

"Oh, and High Dream has an additional shoot scheduled. Looks like they’re making a lot of edits to the script. It’s pretty urgent."
"When is it?"
"Next Wednesday. Is that okay?"
"Yes."

But why did they schedule it so quickly?

'Could they be changing more than just the ending?'

I wondered for a moment but let it go.
I had a vague feeling my role might increase,

'No way, right?'

The idea that a supporting role like mine could suddenly expand was ridiculous.

++++++

Recently, if you asked teenagers who enjoy dramas about their favorite day of the week, it would undoubtedly be Monday or Tuesday.

Why look forward to those days, even though they have to go to school after the weekend?

'Because High Dream airs then!'

With High Dream, Mondays were no longer dreadful.

After school, after tutoring,
after tutoring, at home,

High Dream, which melts away all the stress at home.
What could be more fun than that?

And considering last week’s episode, there was even more anticipation.

Lee Jae’s Moonlight Sonata performance!

How will the High Dream members overcome this?
And how much more handsome will Lee Jae be this time?

Those were the things to watch for.

In that sense, another avid viewer, 17-year-old Ji Eun-bi, sat excitedly in front of the TV, ready to be entertained.

Episode 7 began.
The plot itself was nothing special.

The High Dream members just came together, supported each other, practiced, and shot romantic comedy scenes.
It was predictable, but as they say, familiarity breeds enjoyment—it was fun.

But then...

"...Where’s Dong-hoo oppa?"

The main dish was missing.

That question lingered until the end of Episode 7,
and Ji Eun-bi almost lost her temper but managed to calm herself down.

"Yeah, he’ll be on tomorrow, right? It doesn’t make sense for him to be absent all week."

But, who said that?

Impossible things don’t exist in this world.
Just to prove that, Lee Jae didn’t appear in Episode 8 either.

There wasn’t even a mention,
not a hair of his was seen,
and there was no indication he would show up.

"Damn it!"

Ji Eun-bi forgot that the TV was in the living room,
and that her parents were eating fruit at the dining table, and swore.

"How could they not show our handsome Dong-hoo oppa after that perfect episode 6?!"

No sense? Are they joking? Are they out of their minds?
Are they trying to mess with the viewers?

Ji Eun-bi couldn’t take it anymore.
There was no worse betrayal than this.

She went straight to her computer and typed furiously.
Her vibrant keystrokes lit up the screen with posts like,

"How can they not show Lee Jae? Are you crazy, you @#$% idiots!"
"Do you think we watch High Dream for the band story? Are you guys nuts?"
"We came to see the handsome guy playing piano, and now we’re stuck watching these kids' clown show LOL."
"I just want to punch someone."
"You guys are hopeless. Just let the ratings drop already."
"I’ll teach you how to succeed, OK? 1. Get handsome Kim Dong-hoo. 2. Film him nonstop."
"This is easy stuff. Are you goldfish brains?"
"Looking for a group to demand more Lee Jae screen time (1/100)."
"(2/100)"
"(3/100)"

She was posting on the KBC viewer board.

++++++

At the same time, in the KBC president’s office,
the president was furious.

"Kim Cheol-do! You’ve lost your touch from all the praise you’ve been getting!"
"No, it’s just that Kim Dong-hoo’s character is only a supporting role..."

The target of his anger was Director Kim Cheol-do of the drama department.
Caught off guard while enjoying a sweet cherry pie, he struggled to make sense of the sudden storm.

"The viewer board is in an uproar, so who cares about supporting roles right now?"
"So, I scheduled the next shoot as quickly as possible. It’s set for tomorrow..."
"It would’ve been better to do things in advance! Why do we have to get cursed out first?"

How could we have known?
No one expected Kim Dong-hoo to be this handsome, talented, and popular.

'If we’d known, he would have been the main lead!'

Of course, Kim Cheol-do didn’t dare say that out loud.

"Even my wife said she’d have called for Lee Jae right away."

Well, Kim Dong-hoo has a schedule. You think scripts just appear out of thin air?
Take it up with Writer Lee Min-ha. You’re all smiles in front of her anyway.

Naturally, he kept these thoughts to himself.

"The articles are ripping us apart because Lee Jae wasn’t on. They’re saying our ratings are dipping to the same level as other Monday-Tuesday dramas!"
"That’s just..."
"Don’t you analyze High Dream viewers? Did you know our audience in their 30s and 40s grew after Lee Jae’s debut? We could’ve had amazing ratings this week!"

I’ll match the budget, the rates, anything, just get more screen time for Lee Jae.

"And!"

Thud.

The president casually placed a corporate card on the table.

"I don’t care if you eat and party all night. Just edit the extra footage quickly, live-edit if you have to!"

We need those ratings!
I trust you, Cheol-do, for real this time.
Let’s succeed together!

"If you have to drink whiskey while you work, go ahead! I won’t say a thing if you get the numbers up. Got it? Now get out!"

Kim Cheol-do dashed back to the drama department, relieved that the storm had passed.

"...I’m sorry."

Waiting there was PD Kim Young-mo, ready to chew him out for not maximizing the ratings despite the show’s popularity.
Kim Cheol-do apologized as he had no choice.

'...?'

Stealthily, Kim Young-mo glanced at Kim Cheol-do’s face.
But his expression seemed...

'Bright?'

Is he really someone who just got chewed out?
Right when those thoughts crossed his mind,

"Zuhahahahaha!!!"

Kim Cheol-do’s unique laughter echoed.

"The budget increase is approved! Prepare for the meeting."

We’re rewriting the High Dream story.

"Lee Jae will be the main lead."