CH31

The director looked at the blackboard. 

The periodic table written without hesitation was visible. 

It felt more like watching magic than acting, and the dazed mind woke up with the sound of sitting on a chair. 

"Cu-cut! The periodic table! Bring the periodic table right now!" 

The director didn't need to say it. 

The staff, who had already found the periodic table, immediately compared it. 

After a seemingly long wait, the staff who checked repeatedly concluded, "There is not a single mistake." 

"It looks accurate to us too." 

It was a surprise, but he memorized the entire periodic table. 

Amid the murmuring spreading across the set, the director approached Ian. 

"Can I know why you memorized it all? Did you check the script wrong?" 

"No. I memorized it because it seemed necessary. Writing up to 20 seems decent for an elementary student, but it doesn't feel like a genius, does it?" 

The writers didn't ask to memorize up to 20 because they didn't know. Of course, it's better if you memorize everything like now. 

'Perfect for hearing you're crazy from an actor.' 

Even if you memorize it while cursing, it'll be wrong one hundred out of one hundred times. It was absurd that a child actor, also juggling another drama shooting, would struggle with something even adult actors would find difficult. 

As if unaware of the astonished looks pouring from around, Ian asked while dusting the chalk powder off his hands, 

"Should we also shoot the insert?" 

"Ah, the insert." 

An insert is a scene inserted between other scenes. 

For example, adding a close-up of the protagonist's face with sweat dripping down during a running scene can create a sense of liveliness and clarity. 

"We should shoot it. It's planned anyway." 

But he wondered if it'd be used. The director recalled the full shot captured on video. 

The cheerful sound of chalk and the periodic table being filled in no time. 

If edited well, it could be a scene giving catharsis, so the editing team would likely keep it as much as possible. 

Watching the performance of writing the periodic table again without errors during the insert shoot, the director decided to take a short break. 

Seeing the child actors fidgeting, continuing the shoot seemed impossible. 

This thought was correct. 

"Wow, amazing! How did you memorize all that?! I think I couldn't even memorize ten." 

"How? Just memorized it hard." 

"Really? Just by working hard?!" 

Amid the piercing voice of Larry, kids gathered around Ian. 

As the mingled chattering noises were about to become unbearable, Larry playfully spoke to Daniel, who was standing apart. 

"Danny! The song you prepared became useless, huh?" 

"Song?" 

"Yeah! There's a song that makes it easy to memorize that. He said he'd tease and teach you if you couldn't memorize it. Even though it was only up to 20." 

Meeting eyes with Ian, Daniel blushed and got angry. 

"Wh-what! What about 20? I can memorize that much too. Should I memorize it?!" 

He boasted boldly, but his trembling eyes seemed to question if he had to memorize it. 

"No need? I'll just ask the showrunner to include a similar scene. How about memorizing a poem? Length doesn't matter, right?" 

"…Of course. It's possible." 

Why do you look like you're about to cry while saying it's possible? 

Ian inwardly clicked his tongue. 

Thinking that mentioning it to the showrunner would add to the scene was just childlike. 

Deciding to spare him the sleepless night, "But it probably won't happen. It doesn't fit your character, and there are limits to the airing time."

"Right?! Cough, that's too bad. I could have done just as well as you." 

Adding that last bit not to lose completely didn't annoy Ian; instead, he found teasing Daniel quite enjoyable. 

Someone tapped Ian's shoulder as he watched Daniel with interest. 

It was Dorothy. 

"You were amazing." 

"I just memorized it, that's all." 

"No, not that." 

Dorothy's gaze turned towards the staff members huddled together and chatting. 

"With just that scene, you've won over the staff's hearts in one go. They won't ignore what you say just because you're a kid, right?" 

Ian responded with a silent smile. 

Whether it was due to having been ignored before or being sensitive to the change in atmosphere, it was impressive. 

Among the child actors, only Dorothy noticed that this act of memorization had swiftly built trust, which should have been gradually established through repeated shootings. 

'Or maybe Daniel noticed too.' 

Given his attention-seeking nature, he might have instinctively felt it. 

"Let's start filming again!" 

As the commotion subsided somewhat, the director announced the start of the shooting. 

The subsequent filming went smoothly. 

From Eugene, who stands out due to his different personality, to Esther, who likes Eugene despite his indifferent response, and James, played by Daniel, who is jealous of them. 

Today's shoot revolved around this love triangle. 

Despite receiving indifferent reactions, Esther, who persistently expressed her affection, approached Eugene one day and whispered, "What should we do, Eugene? It seems like mom is secretly meeting with the consultant." 

"Are they having an affair?" 

"…Yes." 

Confused and looking for someone to confide in, Esther chose Eugene. 

Despite learning of this serious secret, Eugene responded without any sign of surprise. 

"First, we need to confirm if your suspicions are correct." 

"And after that? If it's true, what should we do?" 

"What do you want to do? Do you want to tell your father, or do you want to persuade your mother, or…" 

As Eugene's serpent-like cold eyes met hers, Esther felt goosebumps rise on her skin. 

She felt she shouldn't hear what was coming next, but before she could stop him, he continued. 

"Would you prefer if that man were dead?" 

Dorothy, who played Esther, took a deep breath at the line that delved dangerously like a devil transforming into a snake to tempt her. 

It felt like black footprints were stamped on the pure heart of a child. 

"Cut! Great job!" 

Following the director's shout, Dorothy let out a big sigh. 

For a moment, she was terrified to the point of feeling chills, yet the thought that having someone dead might be the best solution unexpectedly surged within her. 

Such a thought occurred to her just from acting. 

Was Ian's acting real? 

Perhaps he shares the same personality as Eugene. 

Dorothy, who had lowered her head in fear, saw a small hand stretched out to her. 

"What are you doing? The shoot's over, why aren't you getting up?" 

Holding the hand, Dorothy felt a warm sensation and uttered a short exclamation. 

Honestly, she didn't understand why the other child actors liked Ian. 

His good looks? 

In this industry, one sees plenty of attractive people. 

His popular song? 

Surely, that couldn't be the reason.

'Unless it was the song of Rai.' 

Not all child actors are childlike like Larry. 

Often, their early exposure to the professional environment matures them prematurely. 

Hence, it's unlikely they'd be captivated by a song meant for young children.

She kept wondering, but now she felt like she'd caught a glimpse of the reason. 

'A warm and reliable feeling.' 

Like a lighthouse that has guided numerous ships, the thought that it was okay to trust and rely on him suddenly surged within her. 

Dorothy, with a flushed face, pointed at Ian and exclaimed, 

"You!" 

"Yes?" 

"Even if you give up acting and choose a different profession later, never become a con artist, understand?!" 

Can being a con artist even be considered a profession? 

Although the question crossed his mind, Ian nodded agreeably. 

"Alright, I won't." 

"I'll be watching you even later on." 

Watching Dorothy turn and disappear, Ian shook his head. 

He really couldn't understand what elementary school kids were thinking. 

"Kids, it's time for your lesson. Come quickly!" 

A staff member's voice was heard. 

For child actors, making up for missed classes due to filming was essential, and the prospect of attending classes at a prestigious private school excited both the child actors and their guardians. 

Someone stood in front of Ian as he was about to head to the classroom. 

"Hello, do you recognize who I am?" 

Brown wavy hair and elegantly dressed, it was clear she had dressed with care. 

Ian knew who the woman was. 

"Daniel's mother?" 

"Right. You remember." 

It was impossible not to recognize her, always closely looking after Daniel, who was somewhat distant from the other child actors. 

Smiling as if relieved, the woman offered a packet of milk. 

"You must be thirsty. Have some. My child likes this milk too." 

"Why are you giving this to me?" 

Asking as if it was completely unexpected, the woman hesitated slightly and then smiled bitterly. 

"I hope you can be friends with our Danny. He might be jealous, but he's not as bad as he seems. Can you do that?" 

Nobody is without jealousy, and Daniel's behavior was within the bounds of being endearingly manageable. 

'It's not difficult, it's necessary.' 

Even if one acts well, if the actors don't gel well, the balance of the play falls apart. 

Having seen this scenario many times, Ian had no intention of letting Daniel remain an outsider. 

"Of course. Be friends…?!" 

The moment his hand touched the milk, his vision flashed. 

Ian remembered the day he fell into the safety net. 

Before he could wonder why this was happening again, the world he saw changed. 

Tears fell through the strands of his brown hair, and a cold, moist body lay beneath him. 

A crushed nose and a heart clenched in a dry hand. 

It was the end of a cocaine addict he had seen all too often while living as a homeless person. 

Only, the emaciated face of the corpse was familiar. 

It was Daniel. 

With this realization, his head whipped around, and a scream mixed with hatred poured out. 

"It's all your fault! If only you hadn't pushed Danny to the edge like this, this wouldn't have happened! You understand?! You killed him!" 

A middle-aged man stood frozen in sight, blurred by tears. 

A face resembling Daniel's, marked with guilt and emptiness. 

The moment he faced that face, the world turned upside down. 

"…Ian, Ian?! Are you okay?" 

"Ah, I'm fine. No problem at all." 

"You seem unwell. Should I talk to the staff and maybe go to the hospital?" 

Shaking his head to regain composure, he saw Daniel's mom, full of concern.

It was a voice so kind and full of concern that one might doubt it belonged to the same person who had just spoken in a voice filled with hatred.

"I'm okay. I just got distracted for a moment. I'll drink the milk well."

"It's a relief that you're okay, but just in case, you should tell your mom."

Ian agreed to the firm statement that seemed to brook no argument.

They would worry, but his mind wasn't in a state to reach that far.

Daniel, drugs, dad.

These three words tangled in his mind.

***

Ian knew well that he wasn't a superhero from a comic book, having returned to the past.

He wasn't a philanthropist to the extent of risking his life to prevent future tragedies.

He touched his face, where the burns had healed.

Ian clearly remembered the words he had spat out to Nick, who had said that many people gained courage through him, having overcome a great tragedy and succeeded as an actor.

'I didn't try to become someone's hope. I just wanted to be an actor.'

To Ian, whether others found hope in that process or not wasn't important.

Acting was his priority, as he had said.

So, there was no reason for him to try and prevent a horrible tragedy just because he had experienced it through the eyes of others.

It didn't matter if someone he barely knew would end up a drug addict and ruin their life; it wouldn't affect the Beverly Hills Moms show he was currently filming.

Jumping into something he wasn't even sure he could prevent wasn't like him.

'I think you met a good mom.'

Daniel's mom, who had been genuinely worried, overlapped with Chloe in his mind.

He wondered if Chloe would have been this sad if he had died in the same way.

With the thought, 'Let's do what we can,' Ian first turned on his computer.

Brown's Acting Class

He went to the site where the three children were enrolled and found out about Daniel's dad.

"Easton Brown."

A few significant filmographies appeared, but nothing special came out on the internet.

Wondering who to ask, Ian first contacted Ben.

-Easton Brown? I've heard of him, but I don't know much. Why are you asking?

"It's about something."

He figured a man might not know much about it.

Ian, pondering over who might know the inside story that others didn't, suddenly thought of someone.

"Do you have contact with Charlotte Underhill?"

-That party animal? I can contact her, but why?

She might be much more helpful than Ben, given her wide network from all the parties she attended.

"Just ask if she can give me a call."

-Well, I'm not sure if she'll contact a kid like you. She's busy living her life. But okay, got it.

Ben responded negatively but in less than five minutes.

-Hi, cute little friend. Long time no see?

The party animal had called.

TL/n -

You can read 

I'm an Actor (up to Chapter 70+)

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