028 Lee Ji-ah!

"Why is your script different from ours?"

"Let's look at it together, then."

Han Ji-hyun, Kim Hyun-soo, and the others huddled around. It was clear that the kids were incredibly curious about the plot developments. The opening was, after all, quite shocking. Especially for Jo Soo-min, who played 'Min Seol-ah'—she was written out of the story right at the start. What else was there to do?

After everyone finished reading the parts that weren't in their own scripts, they fell into a stunned, collective silence.

Huh? Who exactly died?

They were all bewildered, unable to process it for a moment, so Yoon Woon-hwi had to remind them, "Let's focus on the earlier parts for now. We can wait for the screenwriter to explain the rest."

It was June; they wouldn't be filming those later scenes until the end of the year. Yoon Woon-hwi had just received the full script for the entire series. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the plot felt tighter and more dense. It seemed the production team hadn't even decided how many seasons they would film yet. After all, both the director and the screenwriter were famous for starting strong and finishing weak; if this project dragged on for too long, it would be a grueling test for everyone on set.

Before long, the three lead actresses arrived at the conference room, as if they had coordinated their timing. Yoon Woon-hwi greeted them as he followed the crowd, until Lee Ji-ah walked in. She seemed to be looking for someone, and her eyes landed on Yoon Woon-hwi amidst the group of girls.

Lee Ji-ah paused, caught off guard.

"You must be Woon-hwi, right?"

"Hello, sunbae-nim."

"If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me."

Lee Ji-ah smiled gently, with the affection of an elder toward a junior. This left Yoon Woon-hwi completely baffled. He was certain he didn't know Lee Ji-ah at all, and he was sure she had no connection to his family—or at least, his branch of it.

"Did you know our mom before this?" Han Ji-hyun asked like a curious child. Yoon Woon-hwi had noticed that although she was the oldest among the 'Penthouse kids,' she was also the most volatile. She was communicating naturally through the lens of their character relationships; Lee Ji-ah’s character, 'Shim Su-ryeon,' was their mother.

"Our father is very cruel, so Mom should be very kind," Han Ji-hyun remarked with a melancholy tone.

Such immersive method acting—Yoon Woon-hwi didn't think he could do that.

"A mother is a mother; of course she would be good to her children." Yoon Woon-hwi didn't have a mother, so he held a beautiful, idealized filter for all mothers. Even though he wasn't speaking as his character, he went along with Han Ji-hyun's sentiment.

Lee Ji-ah, who was sitting in front of them, couldn't help but turn around and tease, "My twin children, Mom loves you both the most~"

"Wow! Mom! Oh, oh!" Han Ji-hyun, surprisingly lively, stood up and hugged Lee Ji-ah, who patted her back with 'affection.'

A picture of maternal kindness and filial piety. Yoon Woon-hwi remained silent. He caught the eye of the male actor sitting nearby, who played their father, 'Joo Seok-hoon.' The man simply spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.

Once everyone arrived, the script reading began. Cameras were already rolling, as parts of this would be edited into behind-the-scenes footage.

Director Joo stood up to speak: "I am Joo Dong-min, the director of *The Penthouse*. Let’s all work hard together. Thank you!"

Why did Director Joo seem so introverted? He was so brief.

"I am Lee Ji-ah, who plays Shim Su-ryeon."

The actors introduced themselves one by one. The main adult cast sat at the long table in the center, while the 'kids' were moved by the staff to the back. The friendly female PD sat with them as well.

"Joo Seok-hoon, played by Yoon Woon-hwi."

When the adult actors finished, Yoon Woon-hwi took the lead for the kids' group, and everyone applauded politely. There wasn't much time for small talk; once the formal introductions were over, they dove straight into the material.

Aside from the footage for the behind-the-scenes clips, the entire morning was spent reading lines, incorporating tone, expression, and eye contact to bring their characters to life. Because there were two directors, the conference room was split between the adult group and the kids' group, with whichever director was closer handling the coordination when the scenes overlapped.

They only needed to finish the first four episodes today, but that wasn't something they could complete in just a morning. Yoon Woon-hwi noticed that regardless of their acting skills, the adult cast performed with great natural ease. The child actors in the kids' group, however, seemed a bit dull. Especially in contrast to Han Ji-hyun, the newcomer, the others seemed... reserved? Or perhaps it was just that Han Ji-hyun’s performance was more intense, and she knew how to use her eyes well.

The child actors had entered the entertainment industry early, and for them, acting had become a weary routine. At around twenty years old, they had already been working for seven or eight years, or even longer. Newcomer Han Ji-hyun, by contrast, had more passion.

This wouldn't do; everyone needed to wake up. Yoon Woon-hwi silently cranked up his intensity, gradually leaning toward Han Ji-hyun’s style of performance.

The girls' eyes immediately locked onto him, as if to say, "Big brother, don't do this."

They couldn't say anything to Han Ji-hyun, who was the oldest, but Yoon Woon-hwi—who was close to their age, only a year or two older, and the only boy in the group—was a prime target for them to act cute and try to pull him into their lazy pace.

*Come on, come on, let’s slack off together!*

Yoon Woon-hwi followed their lead. The production schedule for the series was quite generous; the station generally kept to a "shoot-as-you-air" rhythm, unlike OTT dramas that filmed everything before release. So, only Han Ji-hyun was left putting in the effort. She was a recent college graduate, after all, and had plenty of drive.

During a break, Yoon Woon-hwi gently reminded her, "Perhaps you should save some of that energy for the actual filming."

"It's fine, I know. I'm just used to this way of working from my school days."

Han Ji-hyun wasn't stupid. She clearly saw how the child actors were forming little cliques. It was understandable; they would get closer eventually. As the oldest, she felt she should take the initiative. As far as the show went, there was no real conflict among the girls. They were all supporting roles, and nobody knew how much screen time they would actually get in the final edit, though the script was packed for everyone. The only character who appeared in every single episode was 'Joo Seok-hoon,' played by Yoon Woon-hwi.

"Oh? Are my children whispering here?" Lee Ji-ah walked past them and spoke with a smile. She was a mature woman, looking elegant even in a simple T-shirt, yet her expression held a touch of innocent cuteness. That was the power of aesthetic medicine.

"Sunbae-nim!"

"Woon-hwi, don't be so formal. I was classmates with one of your cousins at art school."

Lee Ji-ah expressed her goodwill, but Yoon Woon-hwi was blank for a few seconds.

*Which cousin is she talking about???*

He guessed she was referring to the Yoon family members who had immigrated to the United States, but there were so many of them. His branch of the family, the Taoqi branch of the Haepyeong Yoon clan, had produced over a hundred successful individuals in various fields just within the peninsula. Even Yoon Woon-hwi didn't know them all; seeing them once a year was rare enough, let alone those who had moved abroad decades ago.

"Oh, really? What a coincidence. I'll have to ask you to take good care of me, Sunbae-nim." Even though he didn't know who she meant, he offered a polite, hollow response.

Lee Ji-ah realized her attempt at a connection had fallen flat, and she sensed that his momentary blankness was his most genuine reaction. But that was fine; as long as they were on good terms, having a reason to get to know each other was enough. As a descendant of a former great landowner, Lee Ji-ah knew his background, so she said her greetings and left.

"Are you going to eat lunch together later?" Han Ji-hyun invited him, but Yoon Woon-hwi declined directly: "I really have something to do; I’ll be a bit late for the afternoon reading."