I Returned as a High School Girl

Chapter 121: A Scary Senior (2)

“You want me to leave it to you, Ra-Eun?” Director Yoon asked.

“Yes,” Kang Ra-Eun answered.

Her eyes reflected a slight annoyance. There were a few things that she hated, and one of them was someone wasting her time. Hence, Ra-Eun did not like actors who frequently caused NG cuts.

Obviously, no actor wanted to cause NG cuts; if the cuts were caused by a sudden honk of a car horn or equipment malfunction, they had to be acknowledged as something that couldn’t have been helped. However, Ra-Eun could not understand someone causing NG cuts because they needed time to adjust to the camera. All they needed to do was to display their full potential as soon as the cameras started rolling, like she had mentioned earlier.

‘It’s not like he’s playing a character who’s purposefully hiding his abilities.’

If something could be done, it was best to give it one’s best from the beginning; that was best for oneself, the staff members, and Ra-Eun.

Director Yoon fell into deep thought after Ra-Eun’s assertion, but not for long. He nodded.

“Okay. I’ll leave it to you, Ra-Eun.”

Ra-Eun smiled widely.

“You can trust me.”

***

The shoot was momentarily halted. As Hwang Seung-Beom had immersed himself into simulation training in his head while staring at the script, his manager and stylist came up to him. His manager placed their hands on his shoulders and massaged them.

“You’re doing the best you can, so don’t be too nervous, Seung-Beom.”

“Yeah, Seung-Beom. I’m sure the staff members will be blown away by your performance once you get in the zone, so try to relax. Okay?”

Seung-Beom’s stylist fixed the position of the mini fan so that it would blow on his face. As Ra-Eun watched the manager and stylist from a distance, she thought...

‘They’re babying him.’

Seung-Beom’s agency was not that big. Not just that, they did not have many talents that could be raised into stars. Hence, they had no choice but to place their hopes on Seung-Beom. He had the face, height, and everything that was necessary to become a popular actor. He could also display exceptional acting performance as soon as he was properly immersed into his role, so they absolutely needed to raise him.

‘But babying him like that will only have the opposite effect.’

If Ra-Eun had to choose, she preferred teaching her juniors the spartan way. Back when she was in the army, she used to be called the ‘Mad Dog of the Second Platoon’ because she would devour anyone who crossed her like a mad dog. She was feared by her subordinates, squadmates, and even a few of her superiors.

The Mad Dog slowly walked toward the little lamb, Hwang Seung-Beom.

“Mr. Hwang.”

Seung-Beom quickly got up from his seat.

“Yes, sunbae?”

.

“Could we talk privately for a second?”

“Talk...?”

“I asked the director to give us twenty minutes, so you don’t need to be conscious of the staff members.”

There was likely no junior brave enough to refuse when their senior was going this far for them. Seung-Beom agreed and followed her. Meanwhile, his manager and stylist were thinking that Ra-Eun had asked the director for some time to give Seung-Beom some helpful advice.

“Miss Kang is so kind.”

“I couldn’t agree more. I didn’t expect her to be so caring toward her juniors.”

They were thinking that her heart was just as beautiful as her looks, but they couldn’t have been more wrong.

***

Ra-Eun forcibly slammed the waiting room door shut, and even locked it so that no one could come in. Seung-Beom could not understand why she was doing such things.

“S-Sunbae? Why did you...”

“Mr. Hwang. You’re younger than me, aren’t you?” Ra-Eun asked.

“Pardon? Oh, yes!”

From what she remembered, Seung-Beom was a year younger than her, the same age difference between her and Seo Yi-Jun.

“And you haven’t completed your military service yet, right?”

“Yes... that’s correct.”

“Then do you mind if I speak casually to you?”

Seung-Beom nodded dumbfoundedly.

“Thanks,” Ra-Eun expressed.

She sat down, put one leg over the other, and glared at Seung-Beom. Her face exuded such an overpowering aura that most people usually tried not to meet her eyes when she glared at them like this. Almost no one had a proper war of nerves against Ra-Eun so far.

She asked, “You said you were camera-shy, right?”

“It’s not exactly because I’m shy, but...” Seung-Beom slurred.

“But what?”

“Umm... I only feel at ease once I get used to the atmosphere around the set. I only feel like I can act well once I get in a comfortable mood, I think. That’s why I’ve been causing so many NG cuts. I’m so sorry.”

Everyone else who had listened to Seung-Beom’s circumstances until now had said that they understood how he felt with warm eyes. They treated him like a sensitive but very talented actor who needed to be treated with care. However, everyone was equal before Ra-Eun.

“Are you here to screw around, Seung-Beom?”

“...Pardon?”

“Pardon, my ass. You think it’s okay to waste the staff members’ time just to get in the right mood?”

Ra-Eun had made a complete 180; she had looked like a senior who was about to gently give him some kind advice like everyone else, but she couldn’t be further from the word gentle.

Feeling the heavy air in the waiting room, Seung-Beom pulled himself together and shook his head.

“N-No! That wasn’t my intention in the slightest...”

“How dare you shout at me? Down.”

“D-Down?”

“Yeah. Sit down.”

Seung-Beom did as Ra-Eun said for now and crouched down.

“Up.”

“S-Sunbae?”

“Down.”

Seung-Beom was made to continue the cycle of sitting down and standing up. The waiting room had suddenly become an army base. Ra-Eun had actually been an assistant instructor for guerilla training a few times during her service, so she was very proficient in grilling people.

On the other hand, Seung-Beom, who had zero army experience, could not help but be confused by Ra-Eun’s change in manner of speech.

“Do you seriously have to cause that many NG cuts for you to bring out your true skill? Tell me,” Ra-Eun said.

“That’s what I’ve been doing until now...”

“Then change the way you do things from now on.”

“I’m not sure if I can.”

Seung-Beom was on the verge of tears, but such an act would not make Ra-Eun sympathize with him.

“If you’re not sure, then just do it. Don’t say that you can’t when you haven’t even tried. Nothing is impossible in this world. If you can’t do it, keep doing it until you can.”

“U-Until I can?”

“Yeah.”

“But...”

Glare!

Seung-Beom’s shoulders flinched as Ra-Eun narrowed her eyes again.

“Y-Yes, ma’am! I’ll do it!”

“Louder!”

“Yes, ma’am!!!”

One would think they were in a drill ground if they didn’t know any better.

***

The two of them came back to the set. Director Yoon and the staff members tilted their heads in confusion because Seung-Beom was full of morale unlike before.

“Are you okay, Seung-Beom?”

“Yes! I’m perfectly fine!”

Ra-Eun had not given Seung-Beom a single tip on how to act better during the last twenty minutes. She had simply grilled and threatened him for twenty minutes straight. Ra-Eun was no ordinary woman; Seung-Beom couldn’t help but be filled with discipline as his highly strong-minded senior was blatantly pressuring him.

Ra-Eun lightly patted Seung-Beom’s back twice.

“Let’s do our best. Okay, Seung-Beom?”

“Yes, I understand!”

Ra-Eun was smiling as beautifully as an angel, but Seung-Beom knew that the horns and wings of the devil were hiding underneath. One of the most surefire ways to fortify a laid-back individual’s spirit was through fear. She had also trained her subordinates this way back when she was the leader of a security team. Her training methods always had the best effects.

‘Especially so for naive people like Seung-Beom.’

That was why Ra-Eun had asked Director Yoon for twenty whole minutes.

The two of them stood in front of the camera again.

“...”

Before the staff member clapped the slate, Ra-Eun pressured Seung-Beom with her eyes.

‘You’d better do well.’

Seung-Beom gulped and lightly nodded.

“Ready, action!”

He recited his line as if he had been waiting for it.

“J-Ju-Tae! I-I like you! This time... I’m not lying!”

It felt far more realistic than back when they were going through the script together. Not only was he louder, he had accurately enunciated the line so that everyone could clearly hear what he had said.

The faces of Director Yoon and the other staff members were dyed in surprise.

‘He’s this good already?’

‘I thought it’d take thirty more minutes.’

‘What in the world happened...?’

Expressions of marvel seeped out from all over the set. They had never expected Seung-Beom to acclimate to the set’s environment so quickly. His manager and stylist, who knew him far better than the other staff members, were far more surprised. They had wondered for a long time about how to get Seung-Beom to bring out his true abilities in a short period of time, but Ra-Eun had already accomplished it.

“Okay, cut!” Director Yoon praised Ra-Eun and Seung-Beom’s performance with a thumbs-up. “That was great. And Seung-Beom.”

“Yes!” Seung-Beom exclaimed despite the cameras not rolling.

The director smiled brightly in great satisfaction with Seung-Beom’s response.

“I’ll be counting on you to be like this in the next shoot as well.”

“Yes, Director!”

This was what Ra-Eun’s grilling could do to people.

***

Ra-Eun was able to finish the shoot early as always thanks to her grilling Seung-Beom. She always strived to finish the shoot and go home as early as possible. She got in the car and sank into her seat in satisfaction. Seeing that, Shin Yu-Bin shared what she had heard on set with Ra-Eun.

“Seung-Beom’s manager wanted me to ask you something.”

“Ask me what?”

“About how to instantly get him into the zone. They had half-given up because they couldn’t no matter what they did, but you made it happen instantly! They were so surprised.”

It was understandable. Ra-Eun explained how as simply as she could.

“Sometimes, the stick is more helpful than the carrot.”

Having understood despite the short response, Yu-Bin laughed awkwardly.

“That’s so like you.”

It was truly a Ra-Eun-like approach.