Peninsula: From a supporting actor to the best actor in Chungmuro

Chapter 40 Dumbbell Wall Dong 2.0
The chirping of cicadas tore cracks in the steaming heat wave, and the glass door of the convenience store dinged every five minutes.

Kang Jae-hoon curled up in the dappled shadow cast by the parasol, scratching the calico cat's chin with his fingertips.

The cell phone in my pocket suddenly buzzed and vibrated.

"I got two new jobs for you."

Jin Dayuan's voice came over the noise of traffic.

Jiang Zaixun stopped petting the cat and asked, "What?"

"Dubbing for the Jeju Island Culture and Tourism Bureau's promotional video, 800 million won after tax."

"Where's the other one?"

"The dubbing of the new League of Legends hero is not expensive but it brings wide exposure."

"No acting appointments?"

The calico cat suddenly hugged Jiang Zaixun's wrist and bit it.

He subconsciously pulled the cat's tail, then hurriedly rubbed it and apologized.

"Your current prefix is ​​Vocal Monster, not Monster New Actor. You'll have an audition tomorrow afternoon, and the lines will be sent to your email."

The freezer in the convenience store was buzzing, and Jiang Zaixun belatedly let out an "Ah".

After hanging up the phone, he held the cat under his armpits and raised it to his eyes:
"Being a voice actor is at least better than being a bit player, right?"

The calico cat swung its tail and hit his forehead, making a purring sound like a motorcycle engine.

He tilted his head and rubbed the cat's ears:

"I'll buy you Royal Cat Food when I make money."

"Meow--"

The next day at seven o'clock.

When Kang Jae-hoon woke up, the outline of Lucian's background story was spread out next to his pillow.

The horn of Jin Dayuan's nanny car pierced through the mist, startling the flock of sparrows under the eaves of the convenience store.

The glass curtain wall of Riot Games Studios reflected the glaring sunlight, and the hero stand at the front desk was faded by the sun.

The revolving door sensor beeped, and the receptionist glanced at him twice as she checked his identity.

The guide swipes the security gate:

"Mr. Jiang, please go to the third recording studio in Area B."

"Ok."

Two voice actors were already sitting in the recording studio. The man in the bucket hat was practicing with bubbling sounds:
"The shadow will eventually succumb to the light—"

The assistant director opened the soundproof door of recording room No. 3, and the Korean and English bilingual scripts were neatly stacked on the music stand.

"Try the basic lines first."

"Ok."

Jiang Zaixun stood in front of the pop filter and glanced at the first line on the music stand:
"Everyone will die one day—"

He deliberately lowered his Adam's apple, making his voice strike a delicate balance between magnetism and hoarseness:
“And some people just need a little help.”

The PD pressed the call button, and a voice came from the headset: "The breath control of the ending is very good. Next, try the monologue of the background story."

Jiang Zaixun turned the page of the script sheet on the music stand, paused for a moment, and spoke slowly:
"The first shot was for the years we lost—"

He slowed down his speech, letting the word "missed" linger between his teeth, his Adam's apple trembling slightly with the ending tone:
"The second shot...is for our irrevocable love."

"Please express the lines of skill R with three different emotions."

"Ok."

The granular feeling brought by the vibration of Kang Jae-hoon's Adam's apple caused the monitor speakers to shake up dust.

The first time was as cold as a death sentence, the second time was like the madness of a gambler placing a bet, and the third time the ending tone suddenly choked - when he loosened his tie and finished roaring "For Senna", the voice actor wearing a fisherman's hat silently put away the script in his hand.

"Try the interactive Easter egg with Senna again."

"..."

Jin Dayuan put out his third cigarette in the waiting area and watched the man in the fisherman's hat carrying his bag towards the elevator.

Before the automatic door closed, he heard the other party curse in Busan dialect: "Shit, monster."

The audition process went surprisingly smoothly.

The dubbing work was completed at 5:30 pm.

When the confidentiality agreement was signed, the sunset had already dyed the floor-to-ceiling windows amber.

As Jin Dayuan backed out of the garage, he kept muttering, "I'm flying to Jeju Island tomorrow morning. I've sent you the script by email. You have to memorize it tonight."

"understood."

...When Lee Sung-kyung was carrying her gym bag home, Kang Jae-hoon was stuffing toiletries into the compartment of her suitcase.

"Escape?"

"Ah—Bible, you're back."

When Kang Jae-hoon looked up, he met her gaze as she was scanning the luggage.

"I'm going to Jeju Island on a two-day business trip to do voiceover for a tourism promotion."

Lee Sung-kyung used her toes to open her shirt, which was folded into a pickle shape:

"Where's the sunscreen?"

“This time it’s an indoor recording.”

"The last time we filmed 'International Market', we also said it was in the studio."

Lee Sung-kyung suddenly scoffed: "As a result, the auntie downstairs asked if you were from Africa."

"..."

Jiang Zaixun stared at her round and smooth toes for a long time, and then said inexplicably: "The Bible——"

"explain."

"If you lick your lips," he pointed at the corner of his mouth, "you'll be poisoned to death, right?"

Li Jingcheng's pupils suddenly contracted into cat-like vertical lines, and the strap of the gym bag left red marks on her palms.

Jiang Zaixun belatedly remembered the dumbbell threat that night. His desire to survive was awakened and he tripped over the suitcase when he tried to catch up with her.

"wait wait wait!"

The only response he got was the loud bang of the master bedroom door hitting the wall.

When Lee Sung-kyung appeared again, she was holding a purple dumbbell in each hand - it was the birthday gift he gave her.

"Bible, this is 2.5 kilograms-"

"Shut up."

The tight leg lines made by the yoga pants gave off a very oppressive feeling as Lee Sung Kyung approached.

"Boom!"

The dumbbell brushed against Jiang Jae-hoon's earlobe and hit the wall, shaking the clock hands so much that he experienced the second dumbbell wall-bang in his life.

"Actually, the color of the dumbbells really matches your yoga pants."

"Jiang, Jae, Hoon."

His eyes were glued to her forearm muscles, which were tense from exertion.

"I mean, the Bible is also very interesting when you are angry."

"..."

Li Shengjing's breathing stopped for a moment when the word "good-looking" came out.

She bit down hard enough on the soft flesh inside her mouth to leave a half-moon-shaped tooth mark. She tasted rust on her tongue before she realized she had broken the skin. The realization made a faint red spread behind her ear, though fortunately it was not visible under the warm light.

"Grumpy."

Lee Sung Kyung suddenly stuffed the dumbbells into Kang Jae-hoon's arms and turned around so much that a lavender-scented wind blew.

His eyes followed the arc of her hair. She tugged at the bathroom cabinet with a sound like a Husky tearing down a house, and the plastic drawers squeaked as they rolled on the rollers.

Jiang Jae-hoon couldn't help but shrink his neck when he heard the noise.

"What time is the flight?"

Her questions were mixed with the sound of rummaging, as if she was interrogating a criminal suspect.

"Gimpo Airport Terminal 2 at 8:10—"

The sound of breaking air cut off his voice, and Jiang Zaixun hurriedly caught the sunscreen rolling towards him.

"expired."

The bathroom door slammed against the frame, and her blurry outline was reflected in the frosted glass.

Kang Jae-hoon unscrewed the lid of the sunscreen and the tin seal was intact.

He scanned the barcode on the bottle to see the production date - it had just left the factory two weeks ago.

The shower started up in the bathroom, and steam rose over the frosted glass.

He was squatting down to pack his suitcase when his movements suddenly froze. Belatedly, he shouted towards the bathroom:
"In fact, the Bible—"

The roar of the pressurized showerhead completely drowned out the rest of the sentence.

Li Shengjing's shadow blurred into a swaying spot of light on the glass, and it was hard to tell whether it was steam or her shaking head.

(End of this chapter)