The day after tug-of-war practice, it was time for acting class. "The character of a piece begins with the voice." Then, Jo Won-ho let us hear a few more voices in addition to the class-like tone he always used. The voice of a person who seemed about to collapse from hunger at any moment. An agitated voice that sounded like someone was about to run out and do something. A voice that was cold, calm, and expressed quiet anger, etc. Among them, there was also the character's voice tone when he appeared in the movie, so the kids focused on it and said, "Ohh."
"You have to be able to change your voice depending on the mood and situation of each piece. Not artificially like a skit, but naturally, as if you were melting into the character." Today, Jo Won-ho was explaining various interpretations and diction of the character.
'That's right. Actor Kim Sung-woon said that he changed his handwriting for each character. He said that each personality would have a different handwriting style.' For a bold personality, use a pointed, fluttering handwriting. For an introverted personality, use a small, rounded cursive font. A hearty and loud laugher, even with large and ugly handwriting. When researching a character, it was essential to check even the smallest details.
While Han Do-jae continued to play the male lead in romantic comedies, he would often think about how he could play a different kind of chaebol. Of course, I had many regrets because I was so busy with my schedule that I couldn't think properly.
"'Diction' cannot be seen as a standard for measuring acting ability or measuring the depth of expression. However, good actors have this as a basic quality." These were words that touched my heart deeply. Not all great actors have good diction, but there is no actor who has been called a great actor who has poor diction. Besides, accurate diction and breathing technique were what Han Do-jae needed most right now. I listened intently to the classes that followed and took constant notes.
After a class that lasted over an hour, Jo Won-ho looked around the classroom. "Okay, so today we have a new mission for the first step of this diction. First, let's pair up."
Now, the familiar teachers were telling us to pair up. I wasn't sure what kind of practice to make him do, so I was thinking of doing it with Woo Ji-ho, but Choi Ah-hyun, who was sitting in front of me, turned around and asked. "Dojae. Do you want to do it with me?"
"Huh? Okay." Since there was no particular reason not to do it, I nodded my head coolly. Yesterday, we practiced together and even had dinner together. That's why the four of us, who were grouped together, sat together for today's acting class.
"What? Then me?"
"Do it with me."
"Uh, well. Okay…." When Woo Ji-ho, who was planning to pair up with Han Do-jae, shouted in embarrassment, Yoon Se-ri, who was sitting next to Choi Ah-hyun, blurted out. Woo Ji-ho accidentally paired up with Yoon Se-ri again. Some of the boys who had been secretly glancing at Yoon Se-ri glared at Woo Ji-ho.
'What crime did I commit?' No one knew the feelings of Woo Ji-ho, who was sighing deeply next to him.
For some reason, Choi Ah-hyun, who was so excited, smiled brightly and said. "I'm paired up with Dojae again. I think we'll do well."
"Please take care of me too." Choi Ah-hyun looked at me with a very trusting look, perhaps because she was impressed by the tug-of-war practice yesterday. Han Do-jae passed it off without a hitch and waited for Jo Won-ho's explanation.
"I'll explain the situation first. If there's anything you don't know, listen to the explanation and ask questions." All the students who had paired up answered, "Yes."
"Well, the characters are a salesman and a picky, rich customer. If you can sell just one item to this customer, you will become the sales leader of the month. The goal of this play is to make this customer buy something." The children were buzzing with anticipation at the hands-on training that sounded fun just to hear.
"Step." Jo Won-ho smiled meaningfully and looked at the children as he explained the core of this class. "The ambassador unifies it as 'The soy sauce factory manager is Manager Kang, and the soybean paste factory manager is Manager Gong.'"
"Yes?" The kids were confused by the practice method they had never heard of before and started muttering.
"Teacher! It's over!"
"The soy sauce factory manager is… What should I do? I'm already out of luck."
Jo Won-ho, who smiled happily while looking at the children who were very flustered, presented the last condition. "If your pronunciation is slurred or you stutter, you're out. If you act in a way that makes the audience not know what scene you're in, you're out. Do you understand?"
"Yes…."
"Okay, now practice with your partner for 5 minutes. Go ahead!" Jo Won-ho's powerful voice could be heard all the way to the back of the classroom. With the word "practice," the kids started practicing with their partners as if every second was precious.
"Who will be our salesman?"
"I want to be a salesman."
"So I'm a rich customer? Okay!" Choi Ah-hyun and Han Do-jae shared their roles without much difficulty. Choi Ah-hyun, who was assigned to handle a wealthy client, thought about it for a while and then came up with a character she had in mind. "Are you the type who has a lot of money and vanity, but is also picky?"
"I don't think the character is difficult. I think the main point is that you just have to say the same lines."
"In what sense?"
"The ambassador is a soy sauce factory, but I think it would be better to think about what kind of meaning I want to put into those words in advance."
"Hmm… I think I know. What you mean." Choi Ah-hyun nodded while listening to Han Do-jae's words. The two continued their discussion on what lines to spit out in the 'Soy Sauce Factory Manager'. Then, they briefly and roughly agreed on how long the conversation would last and who would start.
After five minutes, Jo Won-ho got up again and stood in front of the classroom. "Okay, give me five minutes." Jo Won-ho smiled and drew the children's attention. With such a short preparation time, the children all looked back with regret.
"Okay, then who should we start with…." Jo Won-ho, who was looking around the classroom like a hyena hunting for prey, discovered Han Do-jae and Choi Ah-hyun. "Handojae. Choi Ahyeon. Should we try first?"
Han Do-jae held his breath as he looked at Jo Won-ho, whose eyes were shining as if he was having fun. Just by looking at him, it seemed like he was going to see how much his breathing had increased. Next to her, Choi Ah-hyun took a deep breath, as if she had not expected that she would be the first to do so.
"Yes!"
"Yes." Choi Ah-hyun and Han Do-jae stepped forward.
"Who is the salesman?"
"Me."
"Handojae. Are you a salesman?"
"Yes." The kids collectively booed at Han Do-jae's answer.
"Honestly, with that face, I could sell 100 jade plates."
"Teacher. Seriously, that's a scam. Exaggerated." Jo Won-ho looked at the kids as if he was dumbfounded at their joking remark that how could he not open his wallet when he was doing business with that face?
"Look at the smoke. The smoke, you guys." Choi Ah-hyun was busy holding back her laughter after hearing the children's boos.
"Okay, shall we begin?"
""Yes."" As soon as the two sat down facing each other, the children became quiet. Han Do-jae quickly assumed the lively expression of a salesman. Not to be outdone, Choi Ah-hyun also crossed her arms and immediately transformed into a sharp and prickly expression. And then he blurted out his first line in a sharp tone.
"The soy sauce factory manager-" Choi Ah-hyun pointed to an imaginary object about halfway between the two people with her chin. I thought it would be funny for the kids since it was their first time on stage and they were not used to practicing. However, I didn't have time to laugh because I was so focused on Choi Ah-hyun's diction that it was more accurate than I thought.
'You're doing so well in front of the kids.' Han Do-jae, looking at Choi Ah-hyun like that, thought back to yesterday's practice.
"Okay, then let's film a feedback video."
"Okay." Filming Yeon-yeong and her students practicing was as natural as breathing. Because there is no feedback more effective than recording practice and watching it again to give feedback on each other's acting and on each other's acting. As I was setting up the camera for this, Choi Ah-hyun, who had always had a bright expression, stopped. Choi Ah-hyun's expression darkened as she felt cold sweat running down her back. Woo Ji-ho and Yoon Se-ri were busy helping Han Do-jae set up the camera without any problems. Meanwhile, Choi Ah-hyun was standing alone in a daze.
"What are you doing?" When Yoon Se-ri saw Choi Ah-hyun, she saw her standing awkwardly with a stiff expression.
"Hey, you're taking pictures with a camera?"
"...." Choi Ah-hyun's voice trembled slightly. Because he was curious, Han Do-jae also glanced at Yoon Se-ri and Choi Ah-hyun. And then I realized it right away.
'That's….' Since there were often people like that on drama sets, I could immediately tell what kind of reaction that was. 'Camera fright.' The body was stiff, the gaze was awkward, and both hands were clasped together tightly. Yoon Se-ri also noticed Choi Ah-hyun's condition and didn't say anything. While working as an idol, Yoon Se-ri also saw people like that. When I glanced at the silent Yoon Se-ri, my eyes met with Yoon Se-ri's, who happened to turn her head this way.
'Surely… Yoon Se-ri isn't there either.' The two people turned their heads again without saying anything. And Han Do-jae spoke while naturally fiddling with the camera. "But this camera… I think it's broken."
At those words, Choi Ah-hyun's face immediately brightened. Yoon Se-ri and Han Do-jae were convinced that Choi Ah-hyun had camera fright after seeing her like that.
"Why is the school equipment so shabby? Then it won't work today." Yoon Se-ri, who had just realized the hidden meaning behind Han Do-jae's words, added to the conversation.
"There's nothing I can do. I'll have to do it next time." Taking advantage of the momentum, Han Do-jae quickly folded up the camera stand and muttered. Since it was the position it was, I decided to let it pass naturally and ask him first.
"Can't you just use your phone camera?"
"You can do it next time, why bother doing that? Save space." Woo Ji-ho, who didn't notice anything, tilted his head. Han Do-jae naturally moved on to filming.
"…I see. I have a lot of storage space." Woo Ji-ho was confused by his friend's unexpected consideration.
'Is that why you didn't debut?' Han Do-jae thought as he watched Choi Ah-hyun faithfully fulfilling her role as a rich customer. Playing the role of a prickly yet noble middle-aged woman. A tone and voice that pretended to be elegant to match. Looking at the chin, facial expressions, and hand gestures, you could see that the character's interpretation was well captured. 'A noblewoman who is rough, rich, vain, uneducated, and tries to hide it.' Even though he only spoke lines from a soy sauce factory, the character was clearly visible. Now that I think about it, this internship was a class that could also help with pantomime.
"The soy sauce factory manager is… the liver factory manager…!" However, the one thing that never got buried among the rich customers was the salesman. No, rather, it stood out even more. Han Do-jae was able to freely change his emotions and was good at staying by Choi Ah-hyun's side. He portrayed the earnestness and desperation, and even the sly side of a salesman, naturally. Jo Won-ho also looked at Han Do-jae with an interested expression. Acting where the lines are set, but you have to think about the meaning of the lines and say them out loud. So I was thinking about the lines in my head and spitting them out.
"The soybean paste factory manager is the public factory manager…." (Hey, ma'am. It's hot today. Let's go inside and talk.)
"The soy sauce factory manager!" (I told you so!) Choi Ah-hyun also thought about her lines and acted according to Han Do-jae's advice that she had heard in advance. The tiki-taka between the two continued naturally and without interruption.
"The soy sauce factory manager…." (Just listen to it once…) Everyone was absorbed in the two people's acting.
'A little slower.' However, the limit came sooner than expected. The problem was my mouth muscles, which were not yet well trained. Han Do-jae slowed down the tempo because he felt like his pronunciation would get tangled soon.
'Oh, my tongue really won't listen to me. Just hold on a little longer.' Even without that, my diction and breathing were still lacking, so my pronunciation was becoming more and more tangled. Fortunately, this effort to pronounce the words diligently was conveyed as the salesman's earnestness.
"The manager of the soybean paste factory…." (If you give me just this one chance) Han Do-jae took a quick breath through his nose. With the decision that this won't work, let's just break it off.
"He is the factory manager." (I will never forget this favor) Han Do-jae, who felt a sense of crisis, showed Sailorman's urgent and desperate determination, and expressed it as if he had cut it off to emphasize the following lines.
Han Do-jae looked at Jo Won-ho, wondering if he finally finished safely. Then, my eyes met with Jo Won-ho's, who was staring intently at me. Jo Won-ho was smiling faintly.
'Handojae. I wonder if he knows what he's doing now, or if he doesn't know what he's doing... .'