Chapter 8: The Time Difference of the Curtain Call
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“Excuse me, how many scenes does Lady Macbeth have left?”
In the darkness, Lee Sung-kyung lowered her voice and asked the person next to her.
“The scene just now was her exit. Now it’s just the Macbeths going mad.”
Lee Sung-kyung glanced down at her phone: 8:32 PM.
At least she saw his curtain call; it wasn’t a wasted trip.
...
The taxi’s taillights blurred into red dots in the rain.
The driver chewed nicotine gum as he eyed the rearview mirror. “Why come out after only ten minutes inside?”
“I watched the whole thing.”
“Wow, even Shakespeare would have to give you a thumbs-up.”
Lee Sung-kyung tossed her soaked baseball cap onto the backseat.
“I have a 10:30 flight. Please drive faster.”
The car splashed through a puddle, and she sneezed, leaning forward onto the front seat.
The driver caught sight of her reddened nose and quietly turned up the heater.
Inside the Sunrise Theater.
On stage, after Macbeth was stabbed by Macduff’s sword, the two-hour play Macbeth came to its finale.
Applause echoed from the orchestra seats up to the ceiling as the entire cast took their bows.
Jiang Jae-hoon’s waist was squeezed tight by his corset belt; his vision darkened as he bowed.
When he stood, his gaze swept over the family seats—two empty spots like a pair of gaping missing teeth.
They still hadn’t come after all...
A wave of inexplicable disappointment welled in his heart.
Hwang Jae-woo tugged at his sleeve and looked up. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
“I’m portraying a noblewoman’s sense of shattered despair.”
“What’s that?”
“You’ll understand when you grow up.”
As Jiang Jae-hoon rubbed the child’s head and turned away, he caught sight of Kim Dae-won wildly signaling “call me” with his hands from the third row.
—the bank employee had long since vanished.
Backstage.
Jiang Jae-hoon had just taken off the corset that left red marks when Kim Mi-hye knocked at the door.
“Jae-hoon, you’re going to do an interview with SBS.”
“Me?”
Jiang Jae-hoon pointed at himself in surprise. Usually, interviews after a show were for lead actors or directors, never a minor supporting role like his.
“This is a list of possible questions from the reporter. Memorize the standard answers.”
“Uh, okay!”
If he still didn’t get the hint, there was no point in continuing this career.
He hurriedly took the notebook and began cramming the answers.
“...”
“Jiang Jae-hoon, please look at the camera!”
The SBS reporter pressed the microphone just below his collarbone. Instinctively, Jiang Jae-hoon tilted the mic upward by fifteen degrees.
—This was the “small-face trick” Lee Sung-kyung had taught him.
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“Could you tell us how you overcame the psychological barrier of playing a female role?”
“The beauty of art transcends gender boundaries. The moment I put on the costume, gender is just an outer shell; the character’s struggles, love, and vulnerability are universal.”
Jiang Jae-hoon’s perfect answer made the reporter raise an eyebrow slightly.
The director immediately added a note in red on the prompt card—[Dig deeper! Don’t let him read from a script!]
The reporter decisively switched to a prepared gossip question.
“Some viewers commented on the official website that your Lady Macbeth is like ‘Hyun Bin in a skirt from The Secret Garden.’ What do you think about that?”
“Uh...”
As expected, Jiang Jae-hoon froze outside the standard Q&A, his eyes involuntarily seeking Kim Mi-hye.
After receiving ample prompting, he finally replied:
“It’s a great honor to be compared to senior Hyun Bin. Of course, I still have a long way to go in both acting and appearance.”
The reporter noticed the live chat’s heat surpassing ten thousand and continued:
“Many viewers left comments during the livestream, curious about what kind of roles you want to try in the future?”
“I’m not picky about roles—I’d even consider narrating an animal documentary—”
“Ahem!”
Kim Mi-hye coughed off-camera.
He immediately straightened up and added:
“Of course, I’ll follow the company’s arrangements.”
“...”
Inside Incheon Airport.
Lee Sung-kyung wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, the light from her phone screen casting shadows on her trembling eyelashes.
On the livestream, Jiang Jae-hoon was bowing ninety degrees toward the camera.
“...I’d even narrate an animal documentary—”
“Pft.”
She quickly covered her mouth and scrolled through the comments:
[So adorably naive!]
[This guy really takes any role...]
“Sung-kyung, have some ginger tea,” her assistant handed her a paper cup.
She shook her head, pulling the blanket up to her nose, and huskily asked:
“Is the theme for Paris Vogue settled?”
“Yes.”
The assistant suddenly pointed at the screen. “Isn’t that your roommate?”
“We’re not close.”
The legal officer chimed in:
“There’s nothing in the contract forbidding friendships.”
“It’s just a shared apartment.”
Before the legal officer could say more, Lee Sung-kyung had already swiped away the livestream.
Her finger hovered briefly over the screenshot button before locking the screen and stowing the phone in her bag.
Outside the window, rain lashed against the wing.
Lee Sung-kyung drifted into a drowsy sleep amid the roar of takeoff.
Her palm still clenched the boarding pass, its crumpled corner shaped like lips hesitating to speak.
...
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The next morning.
Jiang Jae-hoon had just stepped into SEM Company when the receptionist handed him a stack of newspapers.
“Jae-hoon, congratulations!”
He took the papers—the entertainment section of the Seoul Daily screamed its headline:
[Rookie actor breaks through by playing a cross-gender role? Newcomer Jiang Jae-hoon sparks buzz with Macbeth]
The accompanying photo showed him in a wig and women's costume at the curtain call, stage lights forming droplets of highlight on the lace collar.
Jiang Jae-hoon stared at the bottom right corner of the page—the news about him, a supporting actor, occupying a quarter of the page.
It seemed the premiere of Macbeth had drawn more attention than expected.
He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the article, then opened Kakao Talk to his pinned contact:
[I made the entertainment headlines!]
The cursor hovered over the send button for two seconds before he pressed it.
“Jae-hoon!”
“Hm?”
Looking up, he saw the receptionist tapping the desk with a pen. “The company president wants to see you.”
“Coming!”
He pocketed the warm phone, grabbed the newspaper, and headed to Kim Mi-hye’s office.
Just as he opened the door, Hwang Jae-woo’s tearful childish voice reached his ears:
“I’m never acting again! They all call me Snot Bubble Prince!”
The child lay sprawled on the carpet, throwing a tantrum, while Kim Mi-hye leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window with her arms crossed.
The spotlight from the successful premiere of Macbeth was undeniably intense.
Hwang Jae-woo, the son of Best Actor Hwang Jung-min, was making his first public appearance.
Even media coverage of his daily interactions with his father was highly talked about.
Yet, the media fixated on his stage performance—voice cracks and snot bubbles.
The child’s fragile ego was quickly shattered by the teasing from company insiders.
This explained the scene Jiang Jae-hoon had just witnessed.
He scratched his head, gathered his thoughts, then crouched in front of Hwang Jae-woo.
“The media are fools. They don’t understand that snot bubbles prove you’re a natural actor.”
“Lies!”
Jiang Jae-hoon pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from his face.
“You cried so hard yesterday you made snot bubbles and saved the scene. The director praised your improvisation.”
“I don’t believe it!”
“When your dad cried in International Market, his snot bubbles were three times bigger than yours.”
“Really?”
“The director even gave it a close-up shot. Ask your mom if you don’t believe me.”
Hwang Jae-woo stared at Jiang Jae-hoon for a moment, then suddenly said:
“Then I’m going to make snot bubbles my secret weapon!”
“Talk is cheap,” Jiang Jae-hoon shook the rehearsal room pass. “Wanna go practice now?”
At that, Hwang Jae-woo scrambled off the floor, grabbed Jiang Jae-hoon’s finger, and dashed outside.
Jiang Jae-hoon staggered, pulling out his phone—the news screenshot he sent to Lee Sung-kyung still showed as unread.