Author: SUNJAE
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Acting for the Cut — Lecture 4
Don’t Blink A long time ago, there was a young man I cast in a leading role after seeing his face exactly once. This was before we selected actors through auditions — back when I was such an unknown director that it felt awkward even to call people in to read for me. No casting…
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Epi 01: PLUTO. Part 26 — Three Decoys
Mika, as if disbelieving, examined her own hands, her own legs, her own body — then, startled, hurriedly covered her chest with both hands. “Aah! What is this?! Give me something to put on!” Dr. Jang turned his head away with a disinterested air, as if such things were beneath his concern. From Mika’s perspective,…
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Epi 01: PLUTO. Part 25 — The New Body
Leo’s Blackcar Y pulled out of Tera Motors Factory No. 2 and merged onto the Skyway, headed for Seongbuk-dong. Six minutes to Dr. Jang’s grand mansion. But the moment the Blackcar Y appeared on the road, police drones immediately began their pursuit. Whirrr— whirrrr— Twelve patrol-type pursuit drones. Their rear LIDAR immediately identified the Blackcar…
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She Became a Star: Xu Xiyuan
On June 17, 2026, Chinese-language media including Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily carried news that a distant asteroid finally had a name. The Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature under the International Astronomical Union (IAU) had confirmed the official designation of asteroid No. 208663 as “Xu Xiyuan.” That name belongs to the Taiwanese actress who…
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Acting for the Cut — Lecture 3
The Finger on the Scene Before Winter, 2013. Four in the morning. I opened my eyes to go to set — though, in truth, my eyes had been open all night. Not a minute of sleep. I was frightened. I had no idea how I was supposed to direct anything, and the dark in front…
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What It Means to Buy Samsung Stock
On June 5, 2026, Samsung Electronics announced its “Together with the People, Gratitude Festival.” For four weeks, from June 8 to July 5, every customer who purchases a Samsung product will receive Onuri vouchers — government-issued local commerce certificates — worth 20% of their purchase price. Uniformed public servants including soldiers, police officers, firefighters, and…
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Acting for the Cut — Lesson 2. Excess Is Not a Flaw. It Is a Frequency
“Don’t overdo it.” “That was too exaggerated.” “You’re over the top. Way over the top.” Every actor hears this at some point. You gave everything you had, and that is the response you get. The confidence drops, the posture tightens. And beneath the embarrassment, a worse thought: I must have done something wrong. The Korean…
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Epi 01: PLUTO. Part 24 — HOMO DEUS
Pluto’s red eyes, which had been tracking steadily, went still — brightening and dimming in a slow, rhythmic blink. It seemed as though his life was running out. “That’s right. That’s exactly it. But you are not the culprit. Because it was not your free will — it was a hidden command buried inside you…
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Acting for the Cut — Lesson 1. The Era When One Second Tells You Everything
The brief sounded manageable. Five episodes, fifteen minutes each, for a YouTube drama platform — eighty minutes of total content including a teaser. The premise had real teeth: a twenty-something intern and a fifty-something intern competing for the last permanent position at a single company. Generational friction, office politics, the particular anxiety of precarious employment…
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I Used to Love Starbucks
On the morning of May 18, 2026, a small promotional poster appeared on Starbucks Korea’s official app and online store. It was advertising the Tank tumbler series as part of a “Buddy Week” event — and stamped across that poster, targeting May 18th specifically, was the phrase “Tank Day.” Below it, one more line: “Bang…