Chapter 6: Rehearsing the Play
“Hello, ma’am!”
Upon arriving at the theater troupe, Kang Jae-hoon immediately went to find Kim Mi-hye to report in.
“Oh, it’s Jae-hoon...”
Kim Mi-hye looked up at his voice, her face breaking into a warm smile.
SEM Company was originally founded in 2002 as a studio by Hwang Jung-min and Kim Mi-hye together. It wasn’t until 2010 that it became independent and transitioned into a small talent agency.
Besides managing Hwang Jung-min’s entertainment affairs, Kim Mi-hye also ventured into producing musicals and plays.
SEM Company was divided into the acting department and the theater department.
Besides Hwang Jung-min, Kang Jae-hoon was the only other signed artist in the acting department.
“You’ve gotten quite tanned, but it suits you—makes you look more manly.”
“Hehe~”
Kang Jae-hoon scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly.
“Alright, go greet the seniors in the theater troupe, then start rehearsing according to the director’s instructions.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
...
Kang Jae-hoon pushed open the rehearsal room door, and five pairs of eyes immediately shot down from above the Macbeth script.
Seeing this, he bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle:
“Hello, seniors! I’m Kang Jae-hoon, playing Lady Macduff in a breeches role!”
“Lady Macduff?”
The actor playing Macduff approached him with interest, circling around to examine him:
“With your build... do you really think you can fit into the corset costume?”
Kang Jae-hoon suddenly looked up: “Senior, did you just speak the seventh style of insults from Jeollanam-do?”
“...”
Five minutes later.
Kang Jae-hoon crouched on a prop box practicing frog jumps, crying out in a Jeollanam-do accent:
“Macbeth killed my whole family, boohoo—”
“Knees together! A noblewoman’s sorrow is graceful!”
Passing by, Kim Mi-hye casually placed a plastic crown on his head: “Don’t fall—there’s only one of these in the prop department.”
The rehearsal room clock pointed to eleven-thirty.
Kang Jae-hoon pulled out his phone and secretly jotted down in his notes—
When seniors in the theater troupe ask if you can fit into a corset:
Wrong answer: Pull out Kim Dae-won’s “Dialect Insult Manual” and translate on the spot.
Correct answer: Show off your chiseled abs.
“Lady Macduff, why are you staring at your crotch?”
“Uh—”
Kang Jae-hoon jolted upright and said, “I’m... uh, ordering fried chicken for the seniors...”
“Oh, I want honey mustard flavor—”
The only female actor in the play (playing Lady Macbeth) appeared out of nowhere.
“Garlic leaf flavor.”
“Original flavor.”
“Sweet and spicy, plus five boxes of pickled radish.”
“...”
Kang Jae-hoon’s thumb twitched on the payment screen.
His phone balance lingered right between the cost for 15 and 16 servings—the pay for “Ode to My Father” wouldn’t be released until filming wrapped.
When the fried chicken arrived,
The actress playing Lady Macbeth poked his waist with the rolled-up script:
“A noblewoman walks as if carrying a bowl of boiling water!”
The “Complete Works of Shakespeare” book slipped down onto his nose, and the A4 script paper tucked between his knees had been soaked through with sweat like pickled vegetables.
“Se-senior, I…”
“Silence! A noblewoman’s grace is in her silence!”
Suddenly, the Lady Macbeth actress shoved an iced Americano into his hand:
“Now imagine this is the poison for Macbeth, and curl your knuckles like they were caught in a door!”
The sound of ice clinking mixed with the aroma of coffee. Kang Jae-hoon’s pinky twitched as he raised it, only to hear the Macduff actor burst into laughter behind him:
“Lady Macduff’s hand trembles like Parkinson’s!”
“Aish…”
As the cup tilted, Kang Jae-hoon instinctively clamped his knees together to save the moment, but the iced coffee splashed precisely onto his crotch.
The dark brown liquid snaked down his khaki pants like an irregular peninsula map.
Silence fell for three seconds.
“Art!”
The Macbeth actor suddenly applauded: “This is a tangible expression of Lady Macduff’s tragic fate!”
“Tangible my foot!”
Kim Mi-hye’s angry roar exploded: “Park Kwang-soo! Take him to my dressing room for a spare pair of pants!”
...
As Kang Jae-hoon staggered toward the dressing room clutching his soaking wet waistband, he bumped into a little boy sucking on a lollipop.
“Big brother, did you pee your pants?”
The boy tilted his head, staring at the coffee stain on his crotch.
“This is art!”
Kang Jae-hoon hurriedly pulled off the spare trousers to cover himself: “Whose child are you?”
“Macduff’s son.”
Isn’t that my son?
He was pondering when the boy suddenly called out in a babyish voice:
“Mommy!”
Kang Jae-hoon turned toward the voice.
The boy was clutching Kim Mi-hye’s thigh, pointing at himself:
“Mom! This big brother is so old but still wets his pants!”
“...”
Three o’clock in the afternoon.
Kang Jae-hoon was forced to maintain the noblewoman’s posture using his toned abs.
The true young master of SEM Company—Hwang Jung-woo, son of Hwang Jung-min—was tugging at the lace on Kang Jae-hoon's costume with his chubby little hands.
“Big brother, why are you wearing a skirt?”
The whole room was stifling laughter as Kang Jae-hoon squatted down to look him in the eye:
“Because I’m playing a brave mommy.”
“But my mommy doesn’t have a beard.”
Kang Jae-hoon’s mouth twitched slightly, then a light bulb went off. He covered his chin and feigned shock:
“Oh my! Lady Macduff has a beard! Oh my God, this must be a witch’s curse!”
Hwang Jung-woo’s eyes immediately widened: “Will you die then?”
“Yes.”
Kang Jae-hoon dropped to his knees dramatically, sticking out his tongue. “So you have to keep this a secret—”
“Okay!” Hwang Jung-woo covered his mouth and nodded vigorously. “Pinkie swear!”
...
Eight o’clock at night.
A full day of rehearsals ended.
Hwang Jung-woo was pressed against the car window, waving at Kang Jae-hoon:
“Mommy—remember to make me seaweed rice rolls tomorrow—”
Kang Jae-hoon: “......”
Kim Mi-hye grabbed her son’s collar and pulled him back into his seat: “Your real mom is right here!”
“Jae-hoon.”
“Ma’am, I’m here.”
“You’re great at soothing kids. From tomorrow, nap time for Jung-woo is your responsibility.”
“Ma’am, I’ve never taken care of kids before...”
“Get used to it early. What if you have to play a doting dad someday?”
Kim Mi-hye’s words cut off Kang Jae-hoon’s refusal immediately.
“U-understood. See you tomorrow, ma’am.”
“Mm, see you tomorrow.”
Only after the car’s taillights disappeared from view did Kang Jae-hoon let out a long, weary sigh.
When he took the subway back to his apartment, he looked up to see the familiar warm yellow light glowing from his window.
“Seong-gyeong, I’m home!”
As soon as he entered, Kang Jae-hoon caught sight of the empty pot on the coffee table. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
The groceries he had sworn to buy that morning before heading to the theater troupe now lay buried in his notes, mocking him.
“I’m going to the convenience store right now!”
“Stop.”
Lee Seong-gyeong called after him, got up, and opened the fridge.
The lower shelf was mysteriously stacked with luncheon meat, Nongshim ramen, and other groceries.
Kang Jae-hoon’s “dumping ground” had been organized into a military supply depot, even the spicy sauce bottles arranged by color code.
“Wow, Seong-gyeong, you actually bought—”
“Shut up. The sales clerk forced me to.”
As the pot began to boil,
Kang Jae-hoon stealthily reached for the fish cake in her bowl with his chopsticks, only to be tapped on the hand with a soup spoon, leaving a red mark.
“Eat your rice cake.”
“Seong-gyeong, your eyeshadow looks like it’s been kissed by the sunset...”
“If you won’t shut up, I’ll pickle your tongue.”
After pushing the fish cake into his bowl, Lee Seong-gyeong stood and dimmed the ceiling light.
Because that way, Kang Jae-hoon couldn’t see the faint pink flush on her ear tips caused by the steam.