The Face Genius Actor

Episode 122

Si-joon suddenly requesting 15 minutes.

Jean-Drulot Meyère didn’t understand why Si-joon was doing this all of a sudden, but he nodded without much thought.

After all, 15 minutes would quickly pass while getting makeup done.

“15 minutes is no big deal. While you’re getting makeup…”

But Jean-Drulot Meyère had to close his mouth when he met Si-joon’s gaze.

Just from the look in his eyes, he could realize that what Si-joon wanted wasn’t simply time for makeup.

Above all, Si-joon’s gaze.

Jean-Drulot Meyère knew this gaze well.

Si-joon’s gaze was similar to when he acted as Kang Tae-nam in the movie “I’m Not a Villain”.

Jean-Drulot Meyère thought to himself.

‘I’m seeing this gaze in reality too…’

When he first met Si-joon.

Jean-Drulot Meyère was sincere when he repeatedly said how handsome he was.

Honestly, he was surprised.

He didn’t think there could be someone as handsome as Si-hwan in the world.

But that was all; unlike others, he didn’t think Si-joon was more handsome than Si-hwan.

Jean-Drulot Meyère also thought that Si-joon had a face more popularly preferred than Si-hwan.

But the face he preferred as a fashion designer was Si-hwan’s.

He thought Si-hwan’s unique decadent beauty matched his clothes better.

Yet, the reason Jean-Drulot Meyère proposed modeling to Si-joon was that there was no other suitable option.

Originally, the three types of outfits Si-joon was supposed to wear today were created with Si-hwan in mind.

But when Si-hwan left Paris to pursue his acting dream, the three outfits lost their owner, and although they managed to recruit another model with difficulty, he dropped out midway.

The model felt burdened after learning that Si-hwan was the original owner of these outfits.

That’s how significant Si-hwan’s share was as a model at Louis Vuitton.

So, the three types of outfits that lost their place.

Now, only Si-joon could pull them off somewhat like Si-hwan.

With this thought, Jean-Drulot Meyère flew straight to Saint-Étienne.

And Si-joon was indeed the only person who could give off Si-hwan’s vibe, as Jean-Drulot Meyère had expected.

He could realize this at first glance.

So Jean-Drulot Meyère proposed modeling to Si-joon.

And since he had flown all the way to Saint-Étienne, he decided to watch the movie that Si-joon had written the screenplay for and starred in.

He had been exhausted from filling the void left by the previous chief designer, so he wanted to take a break like this even for a day.

Some might ask how watching a movie could be a break, but for Jean-Drulot Meyère, there was no sweeter way to rest.

As mentioned earlier, Jean-Drulot Meyère was a huge movie buff.

So the next day.

Jean-Drulot Meyère couldn’t help but be surprised when he first saw “I’m Not a Villain” in the theater.

“I’m Not a Villain” was truly an amazing movie.

The actors’ performances, the theme of the movie, and the beautiful composition of shots were in perfect harmony.

He tried to recall if there had been any art film of this caliber among those he had seen in his life, but he couldn’t think of many.

With difficulty, a few works came to mind, but they were no more than five, and all were masterpieces that had left their mark in the film industry.

There might be differing opinions depending on the person, but for Jean-Drulot Meyère, this movie was that excellent.

Moreover, this movie had techniques of deeply contemplating human inner workings mixed in between thriller compositions.

And this was a strength that differentiated it from existing art films.

Especially masterful was the natural editing of scenes where hallucinations and auditory hallucinations were mixed in here and there.

Not to mention the final scene where Kang Tae-nam is portrayed as if he were the killer of Yoon Se-rang.

‘Excellent… Let’s watch it just one more time before leaving.’

With this thought, Jean-Drulot Meyère watched the movie four times in a row.

In the process, he had to change his thoughts about Si-joon.

‘This person is not simply a substitute for Si-hwan.’

Although the image might be slightly different from what he had in mind as a model, Si-joon had a presence as strong as Si-hwan’s.

The more Jean-Drulot Meyère confirmed the depth of the movie, the more he had to acknowledge this fact.

‘It’s a shame. If I had anticipated this meeting, I wouldn’t have prepared this work in Si-hwan’s style.’

While Jean-Drulot Meyère sincerely felt regret, he did his best to become close to Si-joon.

It wasn’t because he expected Si-joon to become a great person in the future.

In Jean-Drulot Meyère’s standards, Si-joon was already a great person, so he couldn’t help but act that way instinctively.

Especially from the perspective of a movie buff, he was a great screenplay writer to be fervently admired.

Time passed like that and today came, and even while showing Si-joon the three types of outfits, Jean-Drulot Meyère kept feeling regret inside.

Because he knew that with this work, Si-joon had no choice but to imitate Si-hwan.

Of course, with Si-joon’s acting skills, he could substitute for Si-hwan almost 100%.

And except for a few experts, no one would notice that fact.

But as a fashion designer, he couldn’t help feeling regretful.

‘But to have such a gaze…’

Jean-Drulot Meyère was inwardly flustered as he once again met Si-joon’s intense gaze.

And he felt anticipation rising from a corner of his heart.

Si-joon with Kang Tae-nam’s gaze had shown overwhelming acting skills in “I’m Not a Villain” after all.

‘Could this person have a decadent beauty that I haven’t discovered? No. It can’t be. Let’s not expect too much.’

Jean-Drulot Meyère thought this, trying hard to suppress his expectations to avoid disappointment.

Then he opened his mouth towards Si-joon.

“15 minutes… Alright. Then let’s move to the studio and take a short break before the shoot.”

“Thank you.”

So Jean-Drulot Meyère moved to the studio with Si-joon and tensed up while waiting for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, Sean Connelly, the photographer in charge of today’s shoot, approached Jean-Drulot Meyère.

“Oh! Jean-Drulot!”

“Sean. You’re here?”

“Yeah. I heard you found a good model?”

“Yes. It’s Si-hwan’s younger brother.”

“Si-hwan’s brother? Really? Good heavens. I’ll finally see that face.”

“Did you also hear praise about his brother separately from Si-hwan?”

“Don’t even mention it. That guy. He went on and on praising his brother so enthusiastically, I was amazed.”

“I wonder why that usually quiet guy becomes like that only when talking about his brother.”

“But thanks to that, everyone at Louis Vuitton easily became friends with Si-hwan.”

“That’s true.”

The Louis Vuitton staff, who are particularly sensitive to aesthetics, made constant efforts to befriend Si-hwan.

Even when they thought they shouldn’t bother speaking to him, they found themselves striking up conversations just by looking at Si-hwan’s face.

However, no one could easily become close to Si-hwan.

This was because he was even more taciturn than people thought.

Then one day, someone discovered that Si-hwan would easily engage in conversation if they started talking about his brother.

Using this method, most Louis Vuitton staff were able to become friends with Si-hwan.

It was a dramatic change, and naturally, curiosity about Si-joon grew.

They kept wondering who this Si-joon was, who could melt Si-hwan’s cold heart in an instant.

That’s why so many people gathered at the fashion house this morning.

‘And for some reason, the younger brother seemed unaware that his older brother had been doing this.’

Noticing this fact, Jean-Drulot Meyère glossed over the situation by saying he had told the employees about Si-joon.

He had unconsciously protected Si-hwan.

‘Hmm… Did I really protect Si-hwan? I’m not sure.’

Thinking this, Jean-Drulot Meyère opened his mouth towards Sean Connelly.

“Anyway, when the brother comes out later, don’t pretend to know him and just focus on the shoot.”

“Why?”

“Just do it. It seems that’s what Si-hwan wants.”

“Really? Well, alright.”

Sean Connelly was a renowned photographer in the fashion industry, but when Si-hwan’s name was mentioned, he just nodded without much comment.

From his perspective too, he didn’t want to risk ruining his hard-earned friendship with Si-hwan over a careless word.

As the wait continued,

Finally, Si-joon appeared, and Jean-Drulot Meyère couldn’t help but be shocked.

‘Impossible!’

He realized that Si-joon was going to approach the shoot in a completely different way from Si-hwan.

* * *

For 15 minutes, I was able to have separate practice time.

Making an excuse that I needed to think for a moment, I settled in a waiting room and started practicing, hiding the Method Mask behind a massage mask.

Yeo Kyung-chan, Song Jin-ah, and the interpreter quietly closed the door and left without disturbing me.

The practice that began like this.

The Method Mask unfolded a new world as I had thought.

Everything was different from the previous practice I had done to imitate my brother’s decadent beauty.

Not only the makeup but also the way of styling the outfits was different.

Even the hairstyle had changed to something more sporty.

‘I was worried about the overall tone, but…’

It wasn’t bad at all, rather, I really liked it.

‘Good. This will do.’

15 minutes later.

When all the practice was finished, Song Jin-ah entered the waiting room and started styling in earnest.

Originally, this process should have been led by Louis Vuitton’s stylist.

But before starting practice, I had asked Jean-Drulot Meyère to leave this part to me.

Jean-Drulot Meyère seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding.

“Alright. Let’s do it as Si-joon wants.”

So Song Jin-ah moved her hands busily and completed the styling as I wanted.

As expected, Song Jin-ah’s skills were excellent.

She perfectly styled me exactly as I had seen in the Method Mask.

“Actor? How is it?”

Song Jin-ah asked me in a slightly nervous voice.

She seemed to have never thought that she would be in charge of my styling instead of Louis Vuitton’s stylist.

I smiled to ease Song Jin-ah’s tension.

“It’s perfect. Now all that’s left is for me to do my best in the shoot.”

With that, I left the waiting room and boldly walked towards the center of the studio.

Then a person who looked like the photographer gave a light bow.

Although there was a hint of surprise in the photographer’s eyes at my styling, I ignored it and lightly nodded back.

Then, turning my head, I saw Jean-Drulot Meyère standing with a stiff expression.

‘Is he perhaps not pleased?’

But since he hadn’t made any objections yet, I stood in front of the camera and started the shoot.

What I had decided to accomplish today after much deliberation.

It was to show myself, not my brother.

And the ‘me’ I had in mind was…

‘A person who pushes forward with their beliefs.’

To show this, I took a step closer to the camera.

Simultaneously, Jean-Drulot Meyère and the photographer’s eyes lit up.