Life, Once Again!

Chapter 798. Sequence 7

“A professor I know is in Daegu, and there are zero residents for GS^[1] this year as well.”

“Weren’t there zero people last year as well?”

“There weren’t. I don’t think there were any the year before that either. I heard that the professors are taking turns doing night watches. At this rate, it looks like they’re going to have to get people from other cities.”

“Cardiothoracic surgery is pretty hard after all. But there are quite a few people applying for specialists in this hospital, right?”

“Senior Park, senior Choi, senior Kim, doctor Sooran, doctor Woongjin. That’s five people off the top of my head. That’s quite a lot.”

“I guess if you’re going to be sick, you’ll have to be sick in Seoul too, huh.”

“The land here isn’t expensive for nothing. Right, I heard you were moving? Did you find a good place to rent?”

“I did. I could barely get that with my intern salary. I told the landlord I’d only be staying for a year, and he ended up ripping another 50,000 won for rent.”

“It’s not like you’re going to be going home from the break room anyway, so why did you even bother? Not only that, don’t you have to go to Boryeong^[2] in two months?”

“Still, there’s nothing better than going home and having a good sleep once a week or even once every four days if you’re lucky.”

Heewon, who was smiling in satisfaction while sitting on a chair, pointed at the entrance with his chin. The script said ‘looking at’, but Yoonseo did not mind and followed along. In actuality, a free character like Heewon was more suited to pointing with his chin rather than looking.

“Interns have it good. You have enough time to chit chat.”

The disdainful gaze was scornful. Senior Yoo, who played the role of a resident, must have learned how to piss people off in the worst ways. In reality, he was a really kind actor, but whenever he was in a shoot, he was so good at acting that it made her wonder if he actually had split personalities.

“How many times did you stab the patient with a preset syringe that cause the patient to end up screaming? If you have time to fool around, I’d be grabbing each other’s arteries.”

“I’m sorry, senior,” Yoonseo replied.

The role she was playing was an intern doctor who couldn’t care less about charity and self-sacrifice. As the character she was playing was hung up on receiving good treatment from others, she acted cute with a hint of cunningness.

“And why aren’t you replying?”

Senior Yoo glared at Heewon. She found his eyes so curious for looking like they were about to pop out at any moment.

“Because I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Oh, that’s your attitude?”

“I get that you hate me, senior, so just stop. You don’t want to waste your energy either, do you? I was just born with this nature, and I can’t fawn over people, so please just understand.”

Senior Yoo’s lips curled upwards, and the part below his eyes shook a little. Yoonseo intently watched senior Yoo’s acting. Although she was confident in her facial expression acting, she would probably find it hard to look as natural as senior Yoo. Though, if it was just about smiling, she had the confidence not to lose out to him. The amount of smiling practice that idols did was probably on par with stewardesses.

“Hey, are you going to keep behaving like that in front of your senior?”

“Yes. I think I am going to keep behaving like that in front of my seniors. The only time I fawn over others for no reason is when I collect blood from granny Chunhwa over there. That granny is really stubborn. If I don’t beg, she won’t let me put a needle in her, so I don’t have a choice but to fawn over her.”

“Hey, you!”

“Senior, I’ll be off first because I have a wound to dress. If you have anything more to tell me, please do it through text.”

Heewon jutted out his head like a turtle before slowly heading towards the door. Senior Yoo turned around abruptly to the point that his doctor gown fluttered, but Heewon twisted his body and escaped like a slippery eel. The way he said ‘I’m off’ while peeping from outside the door made him look just as scornful as senior Yoo. Although this was the case with all good actors, Heewon’s acts felt very realistic. He looked like he had become a real doctor instead of just acting as one.

Yoonseo slowly stood up and neatened out senior Yoo’s disheveled gown. She spoke as she straightened his collars,

“Senior, don’t get too angry with him. You know that’s just how he is. It’ll be your loss if you get angry.”

“How can you two colleagues be so different? I will never let someone who looks down on his seniors like that into the doctor’s office.”

“I’ll tell him off later. Don’t worry about it too much.”

Senior Yoo left, saying that he was fed up. Yoonseo chuckled after seeing him leave. It was her signature ‘kitty smile’. It was something that her fans titled for her, and they said that she looked cute yet rather precocious. She showed it to the director before, and she said that it would be good if she could use it when she was in character. She hoped that the smile she practiced in front of a mirror countless times would work.

“Okay. That was good, let’s do that again after we switch the camera angle.”

She gathered her slightly shaky lips together and shivered. Fortunately, there was no NG. She was so worried after hearing that her smile looked stiff in the previous cut. She felt good that she wasn’t wasting people’s time. She stretched her neck from side to side. Perhaps it was because this was her first drama, but she felt like she would spasm if she didn’t stretch out her neck and shoulder muscles every break. Her body wasn’t able to bring out its fullest potential in a foreign environment even after all that harsh choreography training.

“Director, wasn’t I strange?”

“Why? Do you want to look strange?” Jayeon replied as she crossed her arms.

“There’s no way that’s true.”

“Then why did you ask such a useless question? Acting is about confidence. You have to have the confidence that no one else but you can do your role. Especially if you’re a lead actor.”

“If it’s doing performances, I have the confidence that I’m the best, but this is a place I’ve never experienced before. I keep wondering if I’m doing okay, and I feel anxious.”

“You’re anxious about useless things. It was you who confidently declared to me that you can do anything during the get-together, wasn’t it?”

“That was because I was drunk back then and did it in a fit of anger.”

“Then bring back that fit of anger. You’re doing plenty well right now. I can’t imagine that this is your first time acting.”

“You aren’t complimenting me just to relieve me, are you?”

“Was it obvious?”

“Director, I’m really gonna cry.”

Jayeon patted her on the shoulders, telling her that there was nothing to worry about. Her hand gestures were just as hearty as her voice. It even hurt to the point that it made her wince. Yoonseo rubbed her own shoulders, which had become hot due to Jayeon’s hand, as she spoke,

“I’ll leave everything to you then, okay? You’re the one who brought me here, so you have to take responsibility until the end.”

“As long as you can do the basics, then sure. The writer seems to have taken a liking to you too, so practice acting just as much as you practiced dancing. Then, you’ll be able to leave behind a good impression as the actress Yoonseo.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

When she saluted, Jayeon also greeted back in military fashion. When she first heard about Jayeon and about how she had become the first female producer of the YBS drama department, which was known to be a taboo area for women, Yoonseo imagined a burly woman who would be able to wrestle with a sturdily-built man. This was why she was pretty surprised when she met her for real. Jayeon had such a slender body to the point that Yoonseo thought that she was a former idol. Not only that, she had gotten married as well. Yoonseo felt nervous when greeting her as she heard rumors that Jayeon’s personality was like a volcano, but she soon realized that the volcano didn’t erupt at just any time. After a few meetings, they had a get-together, and Yoonseo ended up falling for the female producer who managed to make a place for herself in her harsh work environment. She looked at her with respect for another person. She even secretly made Jayeon her role model.

“Just relax. Once the first episode goes on air, there will be many people talking about you on the internet. You know how things work around here. You were a popular idol after all.”

“I won’t be shaken because of a few harsh comments.”

“That’s the attitude. A cut I said okay to has no problems. It satisfied me after all.”

That was a reassuring answer. While the camera setting changed, Yoonseo sat down on a chair and took a break.

“We would’ve been in big trouble if we were shooting outside. Apparently, it’s 31 degrees out there,” Heewon said as he sat down next to her.

This man, who drooped down whenever the camera turned off, didn’t fail to meet her expectations and looked like he was melting on top of the chair. Yoonseo was surprised every single time when Heewon talked about himself because she didn’t know how lazy humans could become. Without his little brother Haewon, he would probably be able to laze around in his home for a whole year. For food, he could order deliveries, and for necessary items, he could use the internet.

“I’m really curious. How did you even study acting? You’re so lazy about everything.”

“I do things when I set my mind to it.”

“Lies. Tell me honestly. Haewon was watching you from the side, wasn’t he?”

“You know me too well.”

Heewon closed his eyes. This guy would probably start snoring if let alone for a minute. She wondered how many people in South Korea knew of his personality. From an interview she read before, it said that Heewon was rarely at home because he liked traveling. That interview filled with lies was probably something that his company ordered him to say in order to manage his image.

“Stop drooping down and have a look at my lines.”

“You were pretty good though. I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“I’m just worried. The director said I’m okay, but I keep finding myself lacking if I look at other people. I do have confidence, but confidence and skill aren’t related to each other. Since I’m doing it, I want to do it well. I don’t want to lose out to others.”

“You’re full of competitive spirit. Well, I guess that’s how you managed to endure such a harsh schedule. I was freaked out when I heard what you had to say about the lives that idols live. How can a human live like that? Ten hours of practice a day and practically no sleep? I would never be able to do it.”

“You can do it if you set your mind to it. Okay then, sit up and have a look at me. Look after your friend.”

Yoonseo grabbed Heewon by the shoulder and shook him. Heewon, who was half lying down on the top of his chair, groaned and sat up.

“I tell you this every time, but I won’t be of any help to you. I tried teaching you last time, and you didn’t understand me.”

“It’d be weird to understand something like that. How am I supposed to understand green something and yellow something? Can’t you just teach me ordinarily?”

“That’s the only thing I can tell you. That’s just how they look in my eyes, and that’s how I feel. I can’t describe green as being red, can I?”

“You’re really spiteful. I feel like that time when my singing teacher scolded me saying ‘you have to pull out your voice like this’, but I didn’t get it at all. I feel the same right now.”

“I can’t exactly teach anyone either. It’s not something I can teach either.”

“Fine, you’re a genius, okay? Good for you.”

“To me, you are even more amazing. It amazes me how the human body can move like that. If you look at it this way, it’s the same thing. You would probably understand how I feel if you try to teach me dancing, you know? Why can’t this guy understand such a simple thing? – that’s what you’d think.”

“I think I can relate.”

“If you really want someone to teach you, then ask him.”

“Him? Who?”

Heewon slowly raised a finger. There were men wearing white gowns inside the break room where the camera was being set up. They were minor actors for intern doctors.

“Which one?”

“The one who’s sitting down reading a script. He’s someone who acts in the complete opposite way to me. He even told me that he would sometimes let his instincts take over but fundamentally does everything based on calculation. If it’s about teaching, he’s a hundred times better than me.”

“Really?”

Yoonseo blinked and watched the man reading the script.

[1] General surgery

[2] About 140km away from Seoul