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Extra.

“No, I said no!”

The assistant director raises his voice. The reason for his anger was simple. The extra in front of him was making an unreasonable demand.

“If the line is cut, just accept it. Do you think you’re the only extra who wants to appear? We keep calling you because you act somewhat well. Do you think you’re some main character?”

Other staff members deliberately pretend not to notice and pass by. Extras are just as essential as the main actors on set.

Commonly known as extras or minor roles. Occasionally, there were extras affiliated with agencies, but most were freelancers, similar to day laborers.

“This guy, does he have any sense? Pack your stuff and go back immediately. This is what happens when the PD pampers you for doing well.”

That’s why the assistant director was responsible for resolving any noise created by extras.

From the PD’s perspective, it was preferable to avoid trouble, so he usually turned a blind eye. The extra scolded by the assistant director looked dejected.

At that moment.

“What’s the matter?”

A sudden voice made the assistant director turn his head quickly. His irritated expression soon softened.

“Jang, Jang-ssi! It’s nothing!”

“Nothing? I heard it from afar and thought there was a fight. And why does this person look like that?”

“Ah, well…”

The assistant director licked his dry lips but eventually confessed under Youngguk’s gaze.

The situation was simple. Most extras don’t have lines. However, sometimes there are exceptions. This was one of those cases.

An extra noticed by PD Kim Woo-hyung had been given a chance to speak lines, but the script did not include those lines.

“Why did you decide that?”

“Huh?”

“Did you check whether the lines were really cut or if they just weren’t written in due to time constraints? You said PD Kim came up with the idea on the spot, right?”

“I thought it was natural they were cut because they weren’t in the script.”

“You didn’t ask PD Kim, did you?”

The assistant director ended up nodding.

In reality, it was rare for extras to communicate directly with the PD on set. Usually, the FD or AD would relay the PD’s instructions to the assistant director, who then instructed the extras.

“Or is it about the pay?”

The assistant director’s face turned red, hitting the nail on the head. Extras’ pay is generally similar.

However, if they have lines, their pay changes. Youngguk had seen this happen often in the past. The broadcasting station would surely have paid the assistant director the extra fee for the speaking extra.

‘I got ripped off a lot in the past too.’

In his previous life, he had also roamed around as an extra. He could not ignore the reason why the assistant director was yelling at the extra.

If the extra stayed quiet, he could pocket the money, but if the extra questioned it, the broadcasting station might demand the extra fee back.

It was essentially crushing the dreams of an extra for a few tens of thousands of won.

“Are you Han Songmi?”

Youngguk looked at the crying extra without saying anything else to the assistant director.

The extra, surprised that Youngguk knew her name, nodded with wide eyes.

The assistant director’s face turned pale at the following words.

“Let’s go see PD Kim together.”


PD Kim Woo-hyung scratched his head.

“You know, if you step in like this.”

“I know. It makes the atmosphere weird.”

Because Youngguk had taken the extra to see Kim Woo-hyung, there was a subtle tension on set.

But Youngguk couldn’t help it. In his past life, he also roamed around as an extra.

“Still, I couldn’t let it slide. Among extras, there are people who just come out as a side job, but there are also many who genuinely dream of becoming actors.”

“Anyone would think you also climbed up from being an extra.”

“By the way, PD, how about changing the assistant director? If you overlook it once, they’ll mess around twice. The assistant director is the one closest to the extras, crushing their dreams shouldn’t be allowed. And that person acted well earlier.”

“How do you know, Youngguk?”

“When I practice my lines on set, that person is the most focused. Shouldn’t we give such a person a chance at least once?”

Eventually, the assistant director approached the two. It was a signal that the standby preparations were complete.

Looking at Youngguk’s receding figure, Kim Woo-hyung felt a certain aura of a great actor.

“Scene number 47, Lost Lee Soo—!”

The filming location was a busy department store. The camera was capturing Lee Soo (Youngguk) wandering around the department store.

Even though he had visited the department store with Han Myojeong (Yeonsu) before, he couldn’t figure out where he was.

“Myojeong must be worried.”

The reason he came to the department store without telling Myojeong was simple. He wanted to repay her. She always gave him food and took care of him.

In his heart, he wanted to bring her the pearl from a giant clam sleeping underwater, but he couldn’t return to the Dragon Palace as he hadn’t found the rabbit’s liver yet.

“There it is!”

Lee Soo walked towards a visible store. As soon as he entered the luxury jewelry shop, the employee (Han Songmi) smiled brightly and approached him.

“Sir, is there something you’re looking for?”

“I’m looking for something very flashy and bright.”

“Something flashy and bright…?”

Although it was a vague answer, the employee didn’t mind. After all, the man in front of her had an appearance that could rival a celebrity’s and was decked out in luxury items.

She was sure he must be a big spender. The employee brought out a number of luxury jewelry necklaces. Each one was expensive.

“Are you buying this for your girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend? What’s that?”

“Oh, for your wife…?”

Lee Soo looked confused. Naturally, he hadn’t fully adapted to human language yet.

The employee was momentarily taken aback by his expression but then began to professionally explain the features of each necklace and the types of gemstones used.

“I’ll take this one!”

“As expected, sir! You have an excellent eye!”

The necklace Lee Soo chose was the most expensive one among the products the employee had brought out.

The employee naturally brought out a calculator and explained the price. Of course, since it was a luxury store, she added that there was no cash discount.

At that moment, Lee Soo tilted his head and asked.

“Can’t I use this?”

Lee Soo took out some items he had prepared in his pocket. They were currencies used in the Dragon Palace. The employee looked at the colorful shells on the table and frowned.

She wondered if he was joking with her, but his expression was extremely serious.

“Hmm, is this not enough? Do I need more?”

The employee looked at the colorful shells coming out of Lee Soo’s pocket and thought.

‘Is this guy crazy…?’


Cinematographer Park Sungjin made a strange expression. When he first took on the role of cinematographer for ‘Mermaid Prince,’ he was more disappointed than excited.

It was because the director was a rookie PD. It was his debut work, and the writer was also a rookie from the entertainment department.

“What? Jang Youngguk is playing the lead?”

At first, he thought he had misheard. It was hard to believe that Jang Youngguk would appear in a debut work by a rookie PD.

But as time passed, he realized his choice wasn’t wrong.

“Is there really such a thing as talent?”

Park Sungjin had spent 20 years in the broadcasting industry, experiencing many ups and downs. In the cinematography field, there were few veterans with more experience than him.

Through those years, he believed there was no such thing as an innate ‘genius’ in the broadcasting station. But.

“No matter how you look at it, this doesn’t seem like a debut work.”

Of course, during his AD days, the rookie PD might have assisted senior PDs on set.

However, the roles of an assistant and the main director are fundamentally different. Understanding the movements and direction behind the camera, the quality of natural and artificial light…

Kim Woo-hyung didn’t miss these subtle details. Of course, he wasn’t perfect in every aspect. But there was someone who filled those gaps. That was.

“Jang Youngguk, this guy is the real deal.”

Actor Jang Youngguk had a surprisingly high understanding of directing for someone his age. Although he had heard about it, he didn’t expect it to be this much.

On set, he occasionally gave advice to Kim Woo-hyung, like a veteran with much experience.

Moreover, he was adept at solving issues that arose among extras.

There’s a saying that, although class systems disappeared after the Joseon Dynasty, they still exist on set.

There was an invisible wall between lead actors and extras.

But Youngguk seemed to cross that wall effortlessly and got along well with the extras.

“It’s fascinating.”

“Director, what’s so fascinating?”

“Whoa…!”

Cinematographer Park Sungjin was stroking his chin and mumbling when Youngguk, who had approached unnoticed, was right in front of him.

“You startled me, Jang-ssi. Make some noise when you walk.”

“Oh, I greeted you several times, but you didn’t hear me. You seemed lost in thought staring into the distance. What were you thinking so deeply about? A woman, perhaps…”

“No, nothing like that…!”

“Director, you need to get married soon. At this rate, you won’t just be a bachelor but an old man. Should I set you up with someone? The owner of the hair salon I often go to in Seoul…”

“This guy, really!”

When Park Sungjin raised his voice, Youngguk waved his hand and ran away.

How did it come to this? Park Sungjin was quite famous for his charisma on set.

Not only actors but even PDs found it hard to talk to him, to the point where there were rumors in the broadcasting station that he was cold-blooded.

But for some reason, no one in this drama shoot seemed to be afraid of him. From the new PD who talked back to him, to the young actor who teased him.

But somehow, he didn’t dislike it.


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