Chapter 206: Typical expression.

The day after the script was completed, Kyler met with Natalie.

"So I'm playing As's older sister?"

"That's right, Natalie. You knew from a very young age that something about your younger brother was different."

Natalie's character was Olivia Predator.

As's older sister and his longtime supporter.

As's parents adopted a second child, As, and only a few days later realized that something was deeply strange about him.

A child who could not properly smile or cry, who only stared blankly at the world as if he might swallow it whole. His parents were unsettled by him.

Just as they were preparing to give him up, their first adopted child, Olivia, who was already ten years old at the time, desperately protected her younger brother.

She insisted that she would take care of him herself.

"Was As unable to 'mimic' back then because he was too young?"

"Rather than that, I think he simply didn't have enough data to mimic other babies and protect himself. Once he began meeting other children, he changed into someone completely normal. But his parents still felt uncomfortable around their son, and his sister helped him hide the fact that As was 'mimicking.'"

These parts of his past would not appear on screen one by one.

However, a director naturally carried the backstories of the major characters in his mind, and knowing those details allowed actors to deliver performances with greater subtlety and depth.

Natalie continued taking notes as she asked.

"Does Olivia know that As is an alien?"

"No. She only knows that he is 'different from ordinary people' and interprets it as a psychological issue. In order to protect As, she tries to hide his abnormal traits as much as possible."

She tapped her temple lightly with her pen.

To As, humans existed in only two categories.

Hetty and non Hetty.

And among the countless people who were fascinated by As, Olivia was the one who loved him the most and was the one whose love was least likely to be returned.

"The most human human."

"Exactly."

"From the audience's perspective, she needs to appear extremely human, but also not beautiful in the conventional sense."

"She's the opposite of Hetty. But I think there's its own kind of beauty in those very human qualities."

"I'll have to do well."

"It's a role I couldn't entrust to an actor who lacked skill."

Natalie nodded.

After the casting discussion ended, as she gathered her things to leave, Kyler casually asked her a question.

"Natalie, you've known Shin Yu Myeong... for quite a long time, haven't you?"

"Yes. I was one of the judges from the auditions onward."

"Hmm... Actually, Yu Myeong made some suggestions regarding the camera work, so I copied his script for reference. But... first of all, I was surprised by the state of the script itself—"

Kyler gently pushed the copy he had been holding toward her.

Natalie read through it and clicked her tongue in amazement.

"I knew about it, but he's truly an incredible workaholic. Character analysis, directing ideas... There isn't a single empty space. His improvisation skills are excellent too, so he really shouldn't need to prepare this much..."

"I thought the opposite. If someone who is already that good at improvisation prepares this thoroughly, how good will he become?"

Natalie thought quietly for a moment before nodding.

"You're right. Thinking about it, this is the first time I've seen him play a role that he prepared so meticulously. Is it possible for him to become even better from here?"

"We'll have to see. But what I'm curious about is... actually, this note."

On the final page of the opening section,

the empty spaces around the dialogue were filled with dense notes just like the rest of the script.

But when they looked closely at the spot Kyler pointed to, they noticed a sentence faintly visible beneath the other layers of writing, as if it had been written much earlier.

Typic expression is needed! (*A typical expression is needed.)

"What does this... mean? A typical expression?"

"...I don't know. He's not someone who gives a typical performance..."

The two of them looked at each other, unable to find an answer.

 When Yu Myeong arrived at the rehearsal room, he heard the quiet sound of a piano.

Ding— dang—

Until the song ended, Yu Myeong closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, focusing on the piano.

They said music was about carrying one's existence and sending it outward.

Perhaps that was why Erchi's playing seemed to lack presence if one did not deliberately listen closely, as though it might simply drift past unnoticed.

But as Yu Myeong continued following the melody that seemed about to disappear, chasing after its fading tail, he felt a slight shiver.

A sound that was difficult to hear, but incredibly beautiful if one tried to listen.

Ding—

Only after the song ended did Yu Myeong open the door and enter the rehearsal room.

At the piano positioned with the large window behind it, "Hetty" lifted her head, and their eyes met.

That was how it felt.

Hetty.

"When did you get here? You should have come in."

"The song sounded good. You're very good at playing. Didn't you say you majored in piano?"

"A long time ago."

She answered with a smile.

"I was always a quiet child who never stood out. So I wanted to act, but I thought it didn't suit someone like me. Even so, I couldn't let go of my desire to express myself, so I started learning piano. I didn't know when I was a beginner. I learned that music also needs someone with charm to truly hold people's ears."

Holding someone's eyes and holding someone's ears.

Both were equally difficult.

Yu Myeong felt a little sorry that she considered herself "unattractive," but he let that part pass and asked something else.

"Then why did you start acting again...?"

"About five years ago, I became seriously ill. They said my chances of surviving were very low."

"...Are you okay now?"

"Yes. After nearly dying and coming back, I thought, 'I'm probably not going to become hugely successful with piano anyway, so I should live while doing what I want.'"

Erchi's way of speaking was remarkably calm.

She seemed introverted, but unexpectedly, whenever she spoke about something, she did not hesitate.

She had also been the same when they first met, suddenly stepping forward and approaching him.

Yu Myeong remembered how people at the orphanage had described him as "introverted."

In truth, his personality itself had not changed between his first life and his current one.

If that was the case, perhaps Erchi's personality was also being distorted because of her low presence.

In many ways, she's really similar to me...

"Still, it's amazing that it ended up being useful for this role... I'm really glad I learned piano."

"Want to play together?"

"You know how to play piano?"

"In Korea, piano lessons and taekwondo lessons are basically standard courses when you're young. I've forgotten most of it, but I remember a few things. Flohwalzer, how about it?"

Flohwalzer (*The Flea Waltz).

A piece commonly known in Korea as "Cat Dance" or "Cat Waltz."

Erchi gave up half of the piano bench.

Before starting the song, Yu Myeong added one thing.

"How about I play like As, and Erchi plays like Hetty?"

Erchi thought carefully about that request, then gave a small nod.

And the two began playing.

E flat, D flat (G flat), G flat, G flat, G flat, E flat, D flat (G flat), G flat, G flat, G flat...

E flat, D flat, D sharp, D, E flat, D flat, D sharp, B flat, A, G sharp, A, B flat, A, G sharp...

Erchi's main melody jumped across the keys like an unpredictable cat, freely breaking the rhythm and playing however it wanted.

Meanwhile, As's accompaniment, maintaining perfect timing, grew louder and heavier, chasing after the cat as if it intended to devour it.

The melody that had seemed like dissonance at first

gradually began to recognize and match the other...

E flat, D flat (D flat), F, F, E flat, D flat (D flat), F, F...

G sharp, B, C sharp, G sharp, B, C sharp, G sharp, B, C sharp, D sharp, F sharp, F sharp, F sharp...

By the end,

the cat had curled up safely in the arms of a massive beast, purring as it fell asleep.

Haah—

After the song ended, the two faced each other and exchanged glances for a long time.

This was their As and Hetty.

 The first day of filming.

When Yu Myeong arrived at the set, a massive constructed set was already standing, complete with hallways, classrooms, and a music room.

"They built this in three weeks...?"

"Since it's a set, they probably just put up temporary walls and made the exterior convincing, but still, it's impressive. Looks like America isn't any different from Korea. If you throw enough money at something, there's nothing you can't do."

Since it was the first day, Yu Seok accompanied Yu Myeong and went around greeting people.

Yu Myeong immediately headed to the building being used as the production headquarters for costumes and makeup.

The first thirty minutes of costume preparation from the wardrobe team consisted of a striped Oxford shirt, a khaki tie and matching trousers, a cable knit sweater (*a sweater with rope-like twisted patterns), and a seersucker suit jacket.

It was the typical uniform design of an American private high school.

"Wow, it really suits you."

"Really? I'm a little old to be wearing a school uniform..."

"No, not at all! Asians already tend to look younger, and Shin Yu Myeong's skin makes you look even younger. The uniform doesn't feel awkward at all."

A few days earlier, Yu Myeong had dyed his hair.

With his golden brown hair styled elegantly and the uniform completed, he looked like he had stepped straight out of an illustration of a preppy style.

A school uniform. It's been a long time.

Yu Myeong endured the slight unfamiliarity and moved his arms and legs.

Looking at himself reflected in the mirror, he immersed himself in the identity created by golden brown hair and jet black eyes.

As... Predator.

The role of As was more difficult than any role Yu Myeong had taken on before.

He had spent his entire life—

No, both of his lives—

living to understand and empathize with others.

Acting was, by nature, the act of temporarily erasing oneself and immersing oneself in another person's thoughts and emotions.

And it was something Yu Myeong genuinely enjoyed and excelled at.

But...

As is different.

He had to deliberately avoid doing the thing he was most familiar with.

He had played roles like psychopaths who could not empathize with others before.

But this was something even more fundamental.

The emotions of an entirely different existence that could not understand humanity itself.

And yet, because he was skilled at "mimicking," he could create expressions identical to humans—expressions even more natural than those of humans.

How could he make viewers accept him intellectually as the most natural human being, while emotionally feeling an inexplicable thread of unease...?

After finishing his makeup, Yu Myeong entered the set.

"Since it's the first day, we're only filming scenes one and two today. They're all solo scenes for Shin Yu Myeong."

"Yes, Director."

They said a filming set resembled the personality of its director.

Despite the enormous number of staff members, the overall atmosphere was calm.

"Alright, standby for Scene 1~~"

Filming began.

 Scene 1.

As walking down a hallway.

The scene was filmed twice, once for alter A and once for alter B.

"You just need to walk from here to the marked line over there."

"Got it!"

Extras were positioned throughout the hallway.

The male and female students, all wearing the same uniforms, each received movement paths and short lines from the acting director.

"Action."

At the director's brief command, the set instantly fell silent.

The REC lights on the cameras turned red.

The main camera followed As's profile along rails installed outside the set.

Two cameras filmed the hallway from opposite sides of the open studio, one capturing As's face and the other capturing the faces of the students facing him.

A secondary camera followed directly behind As.

Step.

Step.

With one earbud in and the other hanging over his shoulder, As's movements as he walked down the hallway were strangely lively.

The effortless, refreshing body movement characteristic of naturally superior people.

A clean line with all unnecessary motions removed.

Similar to other people, yet subtly different.

Even walking alone drew attention.

"As, how about a game of basketball later?"

At one extra's words, his face turned slightly more until he was looking directly forward.

Then the corners of his mouth lifted brightly.

"Sure!"

At that moment, Kyler unconsciously moved his toes.

He was incredibly charming.

But...

What is it? This sense of familiarity...

He continued walking forward while humming softly.

"Hey, As. I have a birthday party this weekend. Will you come?"

"I'll try to make time."

No need for a blushing effect...

After confirming that the female extra's face had genuinely turned red,

Kyler looked back at Yu Myeong's face.

No...

He saw him slightly raise one corner of his lips, creating a charming smile.

That expression...!

A typical expression, as if it had been drawn.

Kyler realized.

As's expressions were as if every expression that people considered "attractive in this situation" had been combined and averaged into one.

A typical expression that felt like something he had seen somewhere before.