Seoul Dragon - Chapter 87

"Um, then about the appearance fee..."

"Ah, I'm a civil servant, you see. You don't need to pay me. And isn't cameo appearance usually done without payment anyway?"

"Ah, right... No, it differs case by case. Some people who appear as cameos receive appearance fees, and some don't."

"I see... Anyway, I'm a civil servant, so I'd be in big trouble if I received money."

At my words, the director nodded.

"Really, thank you in many ways."

"...Thank you."

Knowing that I didn't need to appear as a cameo but was doing so anyway, Taehoon thanked me.

"What, when else would I get to appear on screen if not at a time like this? You owe me one now."

"...That's separate from coming today, right?"

"Obviously."

"Ah, fine."

There's no need to say embarrassing things. We've known each other for quite a while now.

I know he's grateful, and I know he's not the type to keep his mouth shut later.

Also, he's the type who can't live with owing debts.

I wonder if there will be an occasion to use him later... if there's such an opportunity, I plan to work him very happily.

Now then, it's time to discuss the appearance.

I asked the director.

"By any chance, which scene should I appear in?"

"Ah, I just thought that through. There's a scene in the script where the protagonist meets a dragon. Originally we were thinking of replacing that part with CG... I think you could appear in that part."

Then the director's eyes lit up.

Wait, there's a scene meeting a dragon?

But... is there a place here where I can transform into my true form?

"Um, then I think I'll need to return to my true form, is there a place where I can bring out my true form?"

"Of course there is."

"That's a relief."

As long as there's a place to bring out my true form... filming shouldn't be too difficult.

But still, there is one biggest problem.

"But, will it really be okay? If it's a role with dialogue, I think there will be a lot of NGs because of me. The only acting I've ever done in my life was at an elementary school talent show..."

"It's fine. When you're personally appearing, we can't express dissatisfaction with that."

...That might be fine for the director, but the staff might find it a bit unpleasant.

But what was surprising was that usually when situations arise where many NGs are expected, the staff and actors' expressions harden... but people were looking at me with bright smiles, as if they found it interesting.

Somehow, they seemed to be enjoying it.

Well, it's not a common occurrence.

If they got to see a dragon filming a movie in reality without CG, anyone would have to show interest.

Especially Ju Sohyeon was looking at me with sparkling eyes.

"Then, when does filming start? Could you give me a script if you have one?"

"Ah, here it is."

I received the script and opened it. Memorizing the script wasn't particularly difficult.

I just need to glance through it once and I memorize it immediately.

But still, the problem is how to act this out.

...There's more content than I expected.

For something called a simple cameo, it had more weight than expected.

I'd say it's a role that gives power to the protagonist in exchange for a price.

After the protagonist suffers a humiliating defeat to the main villain Hyeonhwa, the protagonist realizes she can't defeat Hyeonhwa as she is and wonders how to defeat Hyeonhwa.

The rumor that the protagonist Lee Yul heard then was... a rumor about a dragon.

It was a rumor that if you meet a dragon and pay a price, you can gain tremendous power.

Thus, I would be acting opposite Ju Sohyeon.

The fortunate thing is that, as drama scripts usually are, action directions are written.

From the content of the directions, I could roughly understand what kind of character the dragon is.

Lofty yet arrogant, but an existence that likes observing humans.

An existence that feels everything is trivial, yet looks at Yul with interesting eyes as she burns herself and dedicates everything to revenge.

In other words, an existence that looks down at Yul from a transcendent perspective.

Just from that fact alone, I could understand what kind of acting I should perform.

It's not like I've ever done acting in earnest.

But still... naturally, I could understand how to do it, how to handle dialogue, and how to handle gaze.

I checked the script and confirmed the character.

Now, only the acting remains.

It was quite a fresh feeling.

When would I ever get to experience something like this?

I felt this when I appeared on variety shows before too, but somehow, after becoming a dragon, my craving for novelty seems much stronger than before.

Seeing how frequently I act out of interest, it might be because that's the original dragon's personality.

Well, it's not a bad thing.

Rather, I'm happy to be able to feel things I couldn't feel before.

Anyway, it's time to start preparing.

Since filming in dragon form would have location constraints, I first quickly put on clothes the production team prepared.

It felt like... immortal robes or something like that.

It was the same type of clothing that Yul wore.

Quite stylish.

You can definitely tell they put thought into various things. I put on the clothes without hesitation.

In that moment, I felt that I too had become part of this filming set.

The sentiment was brief. It was time to start filming.

I should do well... but, how should I put it.

Still, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be.

Taehoon looked at Seohyun with slightly anxious eyes.

'...Will she be able to act well?'

Even Taehoon, despite being quite decent for someone who learned acting at an academy for a month, inevitably had flaws without knowing it.

Didn't the director say so at the audition?

While the shortcomings were noticeable, he picked Taehoon thinking that the spark was more important.

But what about Seohyun acting for the first time today?

Probably mistakes would be quite frequent.

Taehoon felt like he was more nervous for no reason.

He wasn't even this nervous when acting at the audition.

However, Taehoon's worry was just unfounded concern.

From the moment Seohyun began acting, everyone's gaze had no choice but to be drawn to Seohyun as if being sucked in.

"That bastard is cheating again."

Such an impression just had to burst out naturally.

What is acting?

In the end, it means directly becoming that character yourself.

Actually, I don't really know what acting is.

That's natural. What would I know?

But, at least when immersed in a character.

I could judge whether my actions fit the atmosphere of the drama or not.

The character I'm playing is someone who watches Yul burn her life.

The sound of the clapperboard clapping was heard.

At the same time, I felt the air surrounding us change.

Moreover, I felt that the person in front of me also became Yul, not Ju Sohyeon.

Somehow, I felt an indescribable force.

It seemed like there was a vengeful spirit in front of me, not the person who was smiling brightly just moments ago.

Yul, or more precisely, the character for Yul means "to shine."

She could truly be called a vengeful spirit burning her life.

And the dragon's name is Hyeon.

Hyeon as in the string of a bow.

A dragon born from the gathering of the world's dark aspects.

The pitch-dark existence interestingly watches the being who burns herself to brighten the world.

The current scene could be said to be where the dragon who shared power with Yul interestingly watches her handle that power.

The price for Hyeon giving power to Yul is Yul's lifespan.

Her life ends the moment she kills Hyeonhwa. She could truly be called a moth to the flame.

I was the one to start the conversation.

I sat on a rock, gazed into the distance, and muttered.

"How is it? Are you satisfied with the power I gave you?"

In that moment, I had to become Hyeon, not Seohyun.

An existence that looks down on others while also watching them with interest.

And that wasn't particularly difficult.

The dragon I once saw in a dream was also ultimately a sublime existence.

I had also indirectly experienced what perspective such an existence views the world with.

Perhaps that's why. More comfortably than expected, I could become Hyeon.

What's so special about immersion? As long as you don't break the tension of the drama, it's sufficient.

In the first place, what they want from me isn't professional-level acting.

Just acting that's not awkward. That was enough to satisfy.

"...This much is sufficient."

"I see. So you think you can defeat Hyeonhwa with this?"

"Do you know her?"

"How could I not know what happens in my domain? She is a ferocious human. Look, this scar."

Hyeon raised her arm. Yul's eyes widened greatly seeing Hyeon's arm.

A fairly large wound was carved into her arm.

"Hyeonhwa is strong. Her craving for power led her to become a non-human existence. She's not fundamentally very different from me."

"It doesn't matter. Instead, let me ask just one thing."

"What, there's no need to think about what you'd ask. What you'd be interested in is who won... isn't it?"

At Hyeon's answer, Yul nodded. Hyeon smiled slyly.

"Of course I won. The reason she deliberately wears grandiose clothing that doesn't expose her body is to hide the scars I gave her."

That answer was sufficient. Since Hyeon was stronger than Hyeonhwa, if she gained power from someone stronger than Hyeonhwa, she should be able to defeat Hyeonhwa.

But Hyeon ridiculed such thoughts from Yul.

"You have shallow thoughts. Since I'm stronger than Hyeonhwa, you who received my power might be stronger than Hyeonhwa... such thoughts."

"Then, it means I'm still insufficient."

"Why ask something so obvious? You have merely gained the qualification to challenge Hyeonhwa."

"...That's sufficient."

"No, it's not sufficient. So I'll personally train you. You should look forward to it."

"...Why go that far?"

"Why? There's nothing more unsightly than someone who received my power losing to an enemy who was defeated by me. That kind of thing isn't very interesting. Above all... I just think it would be fun to watch you suffer."

Hyeon smiled like a mischievous child who discovered an interesting toy.