Gentle Visual Acting Genius Chapter 3 - 2 minutes 19 seconds

#2 minutes 19 seconds

 

Acting as a villain is fun.

 

The moment his performance unfolded on set, the reactions from the immersed actors and the watching crew thrilled Woohyun.

 

Sometimes there was surprise, overwhelm, fear, or irritation.

 

The advantage of playing a villain is that it can elicit the fastest and most dramatic reactions compared to any other role.

 

After a long time away from such acting, the exhilarating feeling was even more enjoyable.

 

Since it was his first acting performance in a while, the thrilling feeling was even more enjoyable.

 

This also led to amusing thoughts.

 

How would viewers react to the chilling persona he presented with his gentle and precious visuals that seem like he couldn’t even squash a bug?

 

‘Ah, it’s a shame. I wish I had just a bit more screen time.’

 

While Woohyun was swallowing that disappointment, an unexpected voice interrupted.

 

“It’s really a shame that you only had one line. I think it would have been even more fun if you had a bit more screen time.”

 

Nam Juwon appeared suddenly.

 

His eyes, filled with interest and affection as he spoke to Woohyun, made Woohyun feel a thrill.

 

After the cut sign, he noticed the actor playing Geum Hojung staring at him with a twisted expression, but Woohyun ignored it and greeted Juwon instead.

 

“Thank you for the kind words, senior!”

 

“How could I not appreciate it? It was really fun. I never expected the character of Geum Hoyoung to be portrayed like this just from reading the script… It was very charming, hmm…”

 

“Ah, I’m Seon Woohyun, senior.”

 

“Haha, I’m sorry! I should have known beforehand. I came right over since this is your last cut, thinking you’d leave the set immediately. Anyway, I’m convinced that your performance will make my character more three-dimensional. I came to thank you. Thank you.”

 

As Nam Juwon extended his hand for a handshake, Woohyun felt a swell of pride as he shook hands with him. Juwon remained consistently well mannered both in this life and the past.

 

He remembered that in his previous life, he had played a minor role who picked a fight with Juwon’s character, Jung Yikwang, only to be humiliated and was left miserably.

 

Even back then, Nam Juwon had been kind.

 

He was the first to approach to ensure they synced up during a scene where a punch was thrown, and after filming, he had come over to say thanks for the hard work.

 

When thinking of an actor who had a perfect personal life and personality he had encountered in his ten years of acting, Nam Juwon would be the first name that came to mind.

 

‘But how did such an actor end up being labeled a box office failure? If I get the chance, I should tell him to avoid those projects he did in the past.’

 

“I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other more often, so should we exchange contact information?”

 

“I’d appreciate it! Here…”

 

As Woohyun entered his number into the phone that Juwon had offered, he saved it under ‘Rookie Seon Woohyun’ and, with his signature cool smile, gave Woo-hyun a pat on the shoulder before leaving the set.

 

‘As expected, he’s a great hyung. I hope we can work together again in the future.’

 

Feeling elated that he had made a solid impression on Nam Juwon, Woohyun left the set with a spring in his step while daydreaming.

 

He had already shown everything he had to show here, so all that was left was how charmingly it would be captured on air.

 

He had no worries about editing. After seeing his portrayal of Geum Hoyoung, no one would even think about cutting it.

 

It was the confidence of a veteran villain genius who had been in the industry for ten years.

 

***

 

A week had passed.

 

It felt long if you thought about it, and short if you didn’t.

 

For the team of <The Punisher: Vigilante>, it had been a busy and important week.

 

Today was the day the first teaser trailer for <The Punisher: Vigilante> would be released.

 

The same went for drama fans.

 

This was a significant drama as Nam Juwon was returning to television after two years of only filming movies.

 

Because the cast was so luxurious, there were more than a few fans waiting for news about this drama.

 

Given the luxurious cast, many fans were eagerly awaiting news about the drama.

 

One of those fans was Lee Jihye, a regular office worker and a die-hard Nam Juwon fan known as ‘Only Namju’.

 

When she heard the teaser would be released at midnight, she even set an alarm to be the first to see it before anyone else.

 

She had experienced firsthand that being an actor fangirl meant less buzz compared to idol fandom, and unless the actor was actively engaged in external activities, you often had to extract every bit of content. That’s why she knew well how grateful she should be for a drama that delivered new episodes twice a week.

 

So, when she found out Joo-won was starring in <The Punisher: Vigilante>, she practically shouted in the cafeteria.

 

“Please… please let it be good!”

 

Before she knew it, it was 11:59 PM.

 

She was so focused that she could hear the ticking of the wall clock in the living room, each second echoing in her ears.

 

As she anxiously awaited the time to pass, the clock finally struck midnight. With lightning-fast fingers, she clicked on OTBC’s YouTube channel.

 

At the top, one video stood out.

 

‘[OTBC Special] The Punisher: Vigilante Trailer’

 

“3 minutes and 47 seconds… Now that’s generous!”

 

Satisfied with the extremely generous length for a trailer, she immediately pressed play.

 

Endless skyscrapers loomed high.

 

Below, ordinary people went about their daily lives like hamsters on a wheel.

 

At the top of the skyscraper, powerful figures looked down on them with cold smirks.

 

And there, watching them from the shadows, stood one man: Jung Yikwang.

 

Images of villains living carefree lives flashed by, evading the law through money and power, contrasted with Jung Yikwang, a man who had lost everything and was left devastated by them.

 

Then came Yikwang, fueled by rage, vowing revenge.

 

“If I can’t judge you by the law… then I will punish you outside of it. You will never commit a crime again!”

 

“You’re so damn handsome.”

 

As she murmured this softly, captivated by Juwon’s image, she concentrated intently on the screen, ensuring she didn’t miss a single frame. The teaser showcased countless characters on Jung Yikwang’s hit list.

 

Then, it happened.

 

“Crazy… what’s that?”

 

Among all the characters flashing across the screen, one stood out so vividly that Lee Jihye unconsciously hit the pause button.

 

A young man in a white shirt elegantly eating food while making eye contact with Jung Yikwang.

 

If he were a victim, it might have been understandable, but this was a face that didn’t even remotely suggest he could be a villain, leaving Jihye to doubt and rewind the video.

 

However, it was clear that the characters currently being presented were indeed on Yikwang’s hit list.

 

Once for his looks, and again for the fact that he was a villain.

 

Lee Jihye stared blankly at an actor on the screen and mumbled, “A villain with that face? What is this, who is he? An actor I’ve never seen before? Is he an idol?”

 

After the teaser was released, more and more viewers like Lee Jihye began to share their curiosity.

 

Before long, the comments section was filled with enthusiastic viewers echoing similar reactions.

 

[Who’s the GodGi (갓(God) + 아기(Baby) = 갓기. It’s used when someone is so cute and young looking they are godly) guy at 2 minutes and 19 seconds? Does anyone know his info?]

 

[ㅁㅊ (Crazy) What’s with the 2 minute 19 second? I pressed pause without realizing it and stared at his face;; Is he really a villain with that face?]

 

[Oh, I’m getting dizzy, so someone please tell me about the 2 minutes and 19 seconds guy information quickly  ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

 

[Is he really a rookie? No, if he looks like that, he should be getting called a GodGi. Is he a trainee who’s newly debuting as an idol?]

 

The reaction was crazy until the trailer video had a mark indicating that 2 minutes 19 seconds was the ‘most replayed scene’, netizens who couldn’t come to their senses due to the unexpected attack on the face continued to leave comments.

 

***

 

The next day, Woohyun discovered the intense reactions his face had evoked in the <The Punisher: Vigilante> trailer.

 

After tirelessly searching audition sites for his next project the day before, he had finally fallen asleep out of exhaustion from not being able to find the project he was aiming for, only to wake up to the internet in an uproar.

 

“Using a single line from a minor role in the teaser…? I’m not even a villain. Maybe they just wanted to catch attention with my looks?”

 

It wasn’t uncommon for teasers to include actors for roles that insignificant or even to use them as bait or to avoid spoilers.

 

Regardless of the reason, Woo-hyun felt happy just from seeing his face appear in the teaser.

 

In his previous life, he hadn’t even been featured in a trailer; he had merely cheered when he saw his name flash by in the episode’s credits he appeared in.

 

In addition, seeing countless comments pointing out his face and buzzing with excitement made him feel a peculiar joy.

 

In the past, he’d only heard reactions like, “What if they really brought in a thug?” “I couldn’t help but lower my eyes after seeing that face,” or “Don’t smile carelessly; it’s scary.”

 

Feeling the power of a handsome face was a new experience, and he felt strangely full despite not having eaten.

 

He hoped that this wave of reactions would act as a small butterfly effect, gently stirring the winds of his career in the future.

 

But that good feeling was only temporary.

 

Woohyun soon fell back into deep thought.

 

To maintain the positive buzz around him, he couldn’t just sit still.

 

After all, his role in <The Punisher: Vigilante> was only a single scene in episode 3.

 

It was time for Woohyun to find his next project.

 

Since he didn’t have a proper agency yet, he had to actively pursue every casting and audition himself.

 

His expression was anything but bright as he scrolled through the audition sites.

 

“Is it still too early? It should be starting to get popular by now…”

 

TWhat Woo-hyun was looking for was a film titled <Fanatic> which had created a frenzy in his previous life that it even gave rise to the ‘Fanatic’ syndrome.

 

It was a mystery thriller crime film about a protagonist who joins a cult to rescue his lover who was held captive by the cult.

 

Except for the protagonist and a few helpers, the majority of the screen time was filled with villains.

 

Ten years later, who would have thought that all the actors who played villains in <Fanatic> would have grown into actors who are now trusted and watched by tens of millions of people, to the point that people would say that they would have to sell the production company to get all the actors back to play in the same film?

 

<Fanatic> was a perfect movie, from the casting to the content.

 

Woohyun craved that project deeply.

 

It was one of those works that I regretted not doing in my previous life. He often thought how interesting it would have been if he had been part of it in his previous life.

 

The protagonist’s story was merely a large road; the real highlight of the film was the parade of all the crazies and eccentric characters within the small society of the cult.

 

It could easily be called a masterpiece of villains.

 

Most of the luxury villains were renowned actors who began to receive the proper spotlight of their acting careers through the open auditions for this film.

 

“It should have started filming by now… Was it called <Finding You> or something like that?

 

He rummaged through all the audition postings looking for any keywords related to <Fanatic> but found nothing.

 

Then suddenly– 

 

Riiing!

 

“Huh?!”

 

His phone vibrated and startled him.

 

The caller’s name on the screen was none other than Nam Juwon.

 

Woohyun had never expected him to reach out first, so he was taken aback when he answered.

 

“Hello, senior!”

 

“Haha, hello, Woo-hyun! You’re surprised to get a call from me this morning, right? The reason I’m calling is that I have something to ask you. Is it a good time to talk?”

 

“Yes, of course!”

 

“Since our last shoot, have you booked any new projects or secured any auditions?”

 

“No, not yet…”

 

Woohyun’s somewhat bitter response prompted a positive reaction from Juwon.

 

“Oh, really? Would you be interested in auditioning for one? It’s called <Finding You>… I think you won’t regret it, regardless of the outcome.”

 

“Finding You?”

 

What were the odds that the title of the very project he had just been thinking about would come out of Nam Juwon’s mouth?

 

There wasn’t much time for contemplation. In fact, there was no need for it.

 

So this is how opportunities open up in this life!

 

Holding the phone, Woohyun silently cheered and replied, “When is it, and what should I prepare?”