A few days passed and the day finally came.
Partly to thank PD Lee Woo-seok, I visited the set for the first time in a while.
The camera lights and the busy movement of the staff.
Air both familiar and unfamiliar seeped deep into my lungs.
'I still love this smell.'
At one side of the set, Jeong-ryul hyung was shooting an emotional scene.
I stepped back so as not to interfere and watched.
Jeong-ryul hyung's acting was clean.
No exaggerated gestures, no excess in the tone of his lines.
Not a single breath or look out of place.
'Of course... he isn't called a veteran for nothing.'
Admiration seeped onto my face.
The camera called "cut!", and in the moment the set caught its breath—
Jeong-ryul hyung let his intensely focused face relax and showed an easy smile.
Only then did the tension release.
Catching my own breath, I looked for PD Lee Woo-seok.
Spotting me from a distance, he wore a meaningful smile.
"Oh, film actor Cha Eun-yul! Did the countryside treat you well?"
At PD Lee Woo-seok's joking greeting, my steps stopped for a second.
That one phrase held more than simple gladness.
It was as good as saying he already knew I'd joined Director Na Han-seok's project.
'Film actor... it's still awkward.'
I smiled a little sheepishly and walked over to PD Lee Woo-seok.
My shoulders naturally straightened, but at the same time it felt like an unfamiliar weight was being set on them.
It was a title I'd wanted myself, and hearing it out loud somehow didn't feel familiar.
"PD-nim, I came to pay my respects. Thanks to you, a good connection came my way."
I bowed as I greeted him.
"What thanks to me, it's because you did well."
PD Lee Woo-seok made a show of waving it off with a laugh, but then his expression changed.
"But you know... I'm not sure I didn't make a mistake, introducing a fresh young rookie to a cold, mean director like that."
His tone was joking, but a strange sincerity was soaked into it.
I burst out laughing and shot back,
"What kind of person is he, exactly, that everyone shakes at the mention of him?"
PD Lee Woo-seok shook his head.
"Don't even ask. I learned under that hyung-nim. I thought I had a bit of a name in variety......"
PD Lee Woo-seok clenched a fist and continued.
"On set I was just a punching bag. He poured curses on me until my ears rang."
I asked, half joking and half serious,
"How on earth did you endure that?"
"I endured it... yeah, I endured it."
PD Lee Woo-seok narrowed his eyes for a moment as if recalling the old days, then snickered.
"Because there was a lot to learn."
In that instant, sincerity rather than mischief passed over his face.
Looking at his eyes, I could tell that wasn't simple reminiscence but a confession welling up from somewhere deep.
PD Lee Woo-seok clapped my shoulder and continued quietly.
"Eun-yul, working with that hyung-nim, you might get hurt. He really is cold."
PD Lee Woo-seok paused for a while and looked into my eyes.
"But listen... try to see past that cold surface to the intent hidden inside it. The moment you understand that man even a little, even the smallest bit, you'll be able to learn far more as an actor."
I steadied my breath and nodded.
I could feel that this wasn't simple advice, but sincerity welling up from experience he'd lived through in his own body.
"Maybe that hyung-nim......"
PD Lee Woo-seok let his words trail off and looked into the distance a moment.
A brief recollection and an unreadable aftertaste passed across his expression.
Then he turned his head back, looked straight into my eyes, and said quietly,
"No, never mind. Go through it yourself. If it's you... you might get to see that hyung-nim's true face."
It was a meaningful thing to say.
I stopped short for a second. What on earth did he mean?
Whether he was simply talking about the director's difficulty, or hinting at something more than that, I couldn't tell.
A silence ran for a moment, and then he laughed it off as if none of it had happened.
"All right, I should get going. Make sure you watch it live, all right? I'll be hurt if you don't."
At the sudden joke, a laugh broke out of me without meaning to.
A man who moves freely between seriousness and lightness. A closing worthy of a PD who came from variety, of course.
He waved and walked off, and I watched his back and muttered internally,
'See his true face... what on earth does that mean?'
***
The day finally came.
My first comeback work, the first episode of The Temperature of a Meal, began airing.
The moment I sat in front of the monitor, my heart beat quickly for no reason. The tension carried all the way to my fingertips.
'So this... is finally starting.'
The screen came on, and as soon as the opening music played, the story ran through the lead being reassigned to the provinces.
It's a tragic scene for the protagonist, but as befits a variety PD it was unpacked lightly and entertainingly.
Then came the female lead devouring food in front of a table piled with dishes.
My mouth watered without my meaning it to.
'Ah... that looks good.'
My stomach responded reflexively, but a line surfaced in my head immediately.
'Build your body. Not thick.'
Director Na Han-seok's message.
That one phrase rose like a pressure settling over my head.
I barely managed to set my phone down and focus on the screen.
Comic acting and situations ran on.
Small gestures, absurd line readings, and rhythmic music and editing on top.
They were scenes that made the viewer smile.
But the reality soaked in behind the laughter was bitter.
A character who takes what comfort she can in eating, and the weary weight steeped into her daily life.
From a distance, comedy; up close, tragedy.
They were scenes that fit that saying exactly, scenes many young people would find themselves in.
And then at last the character I'd played, Yoo Dae-yeong, appeared.
In the first episode he was blunt and coldly set.
An expressionless face, a sharp gaze.
But within it, small gaps showed, like cracks running through.
The image of Yoo Dae-yeong gradually brightening as he collided with various people ahead was drawn vividly in front of me.
'Right, it starts now. Grow well.'
I quietly sent encouragement to myself, and to the Yoo Dae-yeong on screen.
When the first episode ended and the monitor went quiet, my body sank as if the tension had let go.
One thought brushed through my head.
'It feels like eating a good home-cooked meal......'
There was no aggressive seasoning. There were no explosive incidents.
But a flavor that seeps in softly and fills the heart solidly.
That was exactly the power The Temperature of a Meal had.
'As expected of a PD Lee Woo-seok project.'
His strength, drawing the temperature of daily life and the stories of the people around you calmly but deeply, came through strongly from the first episode.
I steadied my breath slowly in front of the monitor and sent my thanks internally.
'To all the actors, and all the staff... thank you sincerely.'
I searched for live reactions right away.
Talk about The Temperature of a Meal had already started going up on social media and the communities.
- Warmer than I expected.
- I like it, that's a drama tone you don't see much these days.
- It's funny but sad, that's me.
Most of the reactions were positive.
- The quality seems good for a vitamin drink commercial?
- Mystery win for the vitamin drink advertiser
"Haha... honestly......"
A dry laugh slipped out of me.
Before the broadcast, the commercial I'd shot by chance came up again.
'Either way, that commercial is how I got this far.'
It was bitter and somehow strange at the same time.
"So I'll be remembered as an actor and not an ad model, I need to show it more clearly in the next project."
It was a little embarrassing, and at the same time it made me want to do better.
When I turned on my phone, messages had poured in.
[Mom: Eun-yul! It's so good to see you on TV. We all watched together with the neighbors. Everyone says you did well!]
[Ha-yul: Oppa, you were less awkward than I expected. Ah, but here's a screenshot lol]
The message had captured the exact moment I was blinking.
"This kid......"
Yoo Dae-yeong, who was supposed to be serious, looked ridiculous, and a laugh escaped me.
My family's support always gave me strength and held my heart steady.
Just then, my phone buzzed.
The screen read [Ji-ho hyung].
"Hello?"
"Hey, Eun-yul. Did you watch the drama?"
"Of course."
"Yeah, the response is pretty good. The CEO watched it himself, and he seemed satisfied."
My heart jumped for a second.
The CEO had worried about the PPL character right to the end when I joined this drama.
The concern that 'won't he end up with nothing but an ad image.'
It felt like just yesterday that those words were ringing in my ears......
"Really? That's a relief......"
"Yeah. He said it doesn't feel like an advertisement at all. That it blended right into the story."
Those words echoed in my head for a while.
It felt like the anxiety about never escaping the ad image had lifted in a single stroke.
Hyung's voice continued.
"And the schedule for 'The Temperature of a Meal' changed a bit."
"How so?"
"The final shoot got moved up a little."
"Huh? Why?"
After a short silence, hyung explained calmly.
"I talked with PD Lee Woo-seok. You're going into the action school soon, right? Once you build your body, the line of your face will definitely change. He's finishing your portion early so the gap between the early episodes and the last cuts doesn't get too big."
I lost my words briefly.
It was heavy enough that the fingers gripping my phone tingled.
This wasn't simple scheduling.
He'd shown consideration first, for my sake, so the drama's overall tone wouldn't collapse.
'...The PD is genuinely pushing for me.'
Hyung's voice came down warm again.
"The final schedule will come out soon. Take care of your condition. Let's close this drama cleanly."
"...Yes. I want to do well to the end. I should repay that consideration with acting."
A silence ran for a while, and then hyung laughed and said,
"You brat, you've become a real actor. All right, rest well today."
Even after hanging up, I sat still for a while.
One side of my chest was strangely hot, and heavy.
Receiving someone's consideration and trust as the actor Cha Eun-yul.
That weight came at me as an even greater responsibility.
***
The final shooting day for 'The Temperature of a Meal' arrived.
The site was busy from morning. Most of the lead actors' major scenes were already wrapped, and today's schedule was my portion and a few supporting scenes.
I looked over the script once more and drew a deep breath.
'So this is the last one. The part was small since I'm supporting, but it's my first comeback work......'
The set was already a familiar scene.
The scenes I'd shoot today were Yoo Dae-yeong standing expressionless beside the lead, or delivering a short line.
No scenes of exploding emotion, no lines that turn the story.
Literally scenes that support the protagonist.
'Right. Because I'm a supporting actor.'
But that didn't mean I could take it lightly.
For a whole world like a drama to keep turning, someone has to hold the counterweight from beside it.
You become the background so the protagonist can shine, and you hold up their lines so they don't drift off into emptiness.
'What I'm doing right now isn't just standing there. It's being a support beam.'
A brief look, a single nod, and the protagonist's emotional line can come through more clearly.
Which is why my small role couldn't be called small at all.
When the cameras rolled I became Yoo Dae-yeong again.
Blunt, cold. But keeping the subtle grain inside it alive.
"Cut! Okay."
The shoot ended quickly.
But watching the protagonist's line come through with more force inside the monitor, I could tell.
'Ah, it's needed. This position.'
A staff member came over, said good work, and carried the equipment away.
There was no dazzling applause, no big announcement.
Just the brief encouragement of staff nodding as they passed.
And yet strangely, my chest filled up heavy.
'It's fine being a supporting actor. No, there are things you can learn precisely because you're supporting.'
Having to stand in someone's shadow might be a process of preparing to give off your own light someday.
I steadied my breath and looked around the set one last time.
The protagonist and the staff laughing together, lighting brushing over the cameras.
'This spot where I stood was unmistakably a piece this drama needed.'
I bowed as I gave my final greeting.
"Thank you all for your hard work."
It was a short line, but to me every scene and every moment remained as meaning.
As I did a lap of the set giving my final greetings and headed out, the youngest of the lighting team, the one who used to joke about being "Cha Eun-yul fan number one," threw both hands up.
"Actor! You worked so hard. Could I... could I take one photo with you?"
The area stirred slightly. I smiled and nodded.
"Of course. Where should I stand?"
When the kid hurriedly held up his phone, the script supervisor who'd been watching the monitor came running over.
"Me too, me too!"
When the three of us stood together for a selfie, this time a makeup staffer came over.
"One moment, let me fix the shine a little......"
"No, you didn't have to go this far......"
"See? I told you the actor is popular among the staff."
Click.
"Thank you."
"We're the grateful ones. Actor Cha always looks out for us."
It was a short but warm thing to say. I bowed deeply.
I received a polaroid and carefully put it in my wallet.
Today, there were this many faces that remembered where I stood.
Being a supporting actor is fine.
No, moments like these stack up and become the strength to hold up a bigger scene someday.
The air of a set still busy even after the cameras shut off.
The laughter of sweat-soaked staff, hands tidying up in front of the monitor......
The warm shoot of The Temperature of a Meal came to a close like this.
The regret was brief. A new stage was waiting soon.
Now, Director Na Han-seok's set.
They say it's a cold and merciless place.
And inside that coldness, what kind of face will I survive with?