눈치 | Nunchi - Lee Dong-wook

zéro

MADELEINE TUCKS A STRAND OF HAIR BEHIND HER EAR. The interviewer sits in the chair across her, and the cool white studio lights are unnatural and unpleasant to the eyes— it's distracting and too bright.

"Madeleine? Are you ready?" The woman asks— what's her name again? Andrea?

"Yes, I am. Sorry, got a little distracted," Madeleine laughs, and she relaxes in the fancy director's chair.

"Okay, we're rolling in three, two... one!"

Madeleine grins at the camera. "Hello, I'm Madeleine Deniaud from Blackheath, cast as Caiomhe Gillespie, and I'm here to do a Wired Autocomplete Interview."

She would rather be at home, honestly. The interview seems to be fun, but this isn't the only commitment she has for today— a photoshoot for later.

"Is Madeleine Deniaud... French?" She pauses, flicking the glossy paper to the ground. "Yes, I am part French. My surname is French, actually."

"Is Madeleine Deniaud... single?" She huffs out a laugh, and she tries not to sound annoyed. "A little personal, don't you think? But, yes, I am quite single right now."

"Is Madeleine Deniaud dating Tim Hiddleston?" She sounds surprised, an amused smile appearing on her face. "No, he's just a close friend of mine. I really hope there's none of these 'dating' questions, after."

She looks into the camera again, and tries not to squint at the blinding lights. They're too bright for her sensitive eyes. "Is Madeleine Deniaud married? Heavens, no! Like I said, no man, no woman, no nothing— no pets, even."

"Does Madeleine Deniaud sing? Yes, I do, but only for friends and family. Sorry." She shrugs, allowing herself to relax.

Honestly, she doesn't like talking about her private life to such an extent. Maybe a hint, a photo or two— but nothing is outright like a google search.

"How many languages does Madeleine Deniaud speak? I speak English, French, Korean, and German. Some conversational Russian, thanks to my grandmother."

She shivers, the cold making her skin crawl. Though she's not as relaxed as she'd like to be, she allows herself to sink into the chair a little bit more. Though there are rather personal questions, she can answer them in a polite manner, thankfully. But, truth be told, it really does come with the job.

Image and reputation is everything when you're in the film industry. After all, no one wants to watch a film with a snappish actress. And besides, her parents raised her right, first as a well-mannered child, and she carried herself as an elegant, poised woman should. There's no need to be so affronted now— she can save it for later at home.

"Does Madeleine Deniaud answer fan mail? Yes, certainly! Just make sure to leave a return stamp and address— you can also tag me on Twitter or on Instagram at @msmdeniaud!"

Why, it's flattering to think that there are people willing to write to her. Her fame wasn't this big before— it's not newfound, but it's really exploded ever since Blackheath had it's teasers out.

She's been acting for quite a while, just a little over nine years. A few lead roles, multiple supporting roles and fan-favorites in big television shows and movie, a brief theatre stint— even as child actress in Korea, she didn't have it too bad. And yet, there was a decent chance that she could be truly recognized globally— a BAFTA or even an Oscar thanks to Blackheath.

"Does Madeleine Deniaud really play the piano? I'm afraid not— the lessons really saved me, you know," she laughs, and she sets down the board and gets a new one handed to her.

"Madeleine Deniaud ethnicity? That's rather poor grammar, don't you think?" she jokes, but she continues. "Well, my father is French-British, and my mother is Korean. So, yes, French, British and Korean."

"Madeleine Deniaud Korean," she pauses, wincing at the grammar. "I am Korean, I speak fluent Korean— French and Korean are my native languages."

Not a lot of people expect her to be that much Korean when she tells them. Maybe one of her parents could be half, but not her— she definitely didn't seem like it. She's been mistakes for someone from the Mediterranean, and not frequently mistaken as Asian— maybe the faint, almost hidden gleam of golden tan under the pallor of her skin could hint at it, but it's still a shock to most.

"Madeleine Deniaud K-drama."

She hesitated before continuing. Her manager and her secretary, Abella, had told her to answer this with regard to her past only— besides, there was no K-drama in her future.

Right...?

"I used to be a child actress in Korea. Only for a short while, but if you look through my filmography, you'll probably find it from '94-'97. After, it's my acting career here from 2005 and onwards," Madeleine pauses. Her eyes flicker to Abella, who's watching the interview carefully.

Well, it's now or never.

Madeleine charmingly smiles at the camera. "And I am interested in playing a lead in a K-drama, hence my upcoming trip to Korea in early May."

The look of shock on Abella's face was almost funny, until a thunderous expression was directed straight at her. Oh, she's so fucked.

"What is Madeleine Deniaud's birthday? April 19, 1992. That makes me 28 in April, and 27 as of this interview. Next question!"

And the interview went on. More questions, another solid five minutes, and it was wrapped up. Madeleine did enjoy it, but at the moment, she remembers Abella's glare and hiss at her after, more than the interview itself.

"Are you out of your mind! You can't act in bloody Korea! You never told me about this!" Abella snapped, glowering at her. Madeleine winced but she said, "Well, I thought about it right then and there. I want to work in Korea. Besides, why wouldn't they get me? I'm an international star, at this point."

"I know! That's exactly why!"

"Would you care to elaborate?" Madeleine said, her tone becoming sharp.

"Firstly, you've got so many opportunities here! Don't you know how many other directors would kill to get you? Second, early May!? That's absurd! It's late March, and we're still up to the neck in photoshoots and interviews! Why, you've even got a speaker's conference to attend!"

Madeleine raised a brow in challenge. "And we can finish all of it by May. You can try me."

Abella sighed harshly, and Madeleine couldn't help but feel ridiculously annoyed. "It's not just you that's affected by this. There's no need to be so selfish."

"I am not being selfish. We can finish it by May, and that is final!" Madeleine hisses, anger bubbling up in her chest. How could Abella call her selfish? She wanted something, and she's going to get it— besides, at the end of the day, whether they sink or rise, they do it together.

Abella had stomped off, and Madeleine ground her jaw tightly, annoyance boiling her blood.

Why, Madeleine's worked hard to get to where she is now. She deserves to have what she wants: Korea. She's going to get there, and get the role she wants. It's no secret that she's an ambitious woman— it's entirely true.

_____

no dong-wook yet, sorry!
pretty short, but it's more of a prologue/background/context to the plot itself :)) i'm hoping you'll stay to see where madeleine will end up in the next couple of chapters, and who she'll meet ;))

stay tuned.
- sloane