"I'm in Tokyo, and this is some kind of movie star comeback system?!"

Chapter 110 Losing Temper

Yoichi Miura, with an ice pack on his face, kept his eyes glued to the set, not wanting to miss a single detail.

His lips couldn't help but curl upwards.

He finally realized his mistake. He genuinely disliked this guy.

Upon meeting him, I immediately sensed that he was pretentious, dressed in a glamorous manner, and didn't seem like a down-to-earth actor at all.

Does being good-looking guarantee success?

So why has he remained relatively unknown despite struggling in the industry for so many years?

Sakamoto Yu is doing well; he received so much attention right from his debut.

How many works does he have that allow him to collaborate with top stars like Akina Nakamori?

Looking at the approaching director Sakamoto, Yoichi Miura waited expectantly for the next scene.

Sakamoto Yu came to the director's side. He looked up and found that the screenwriter had arrived at some point and was standing next to him.

The other person frowned when they saw Sakamoto Yu, and seemed to be in a bad mood.

When Ikuno Jiro saw Sakamoto Yu, his expression softened, and he was not as tense as when he was facing Miura Yoichi.

He took a deep breath and said with a hint of helplessness, "Sakamoto-san, you can't smoke?"

"Sorry, I can fix it." Sakamoto Yu pursed his lips, his mouth still lingering with the strong smell of smoke.

Upon hearing this, Ikuno Jiro didn't say much. Sakamoto Yu's acting skills were fine, but the fact that he couldn't smoke wasn't something that could be solved simply by good acting skills.

He could only nod and decide to let him try again.

Sakamoto Yu thanked him and went back onto the set.

After the assistant director yelled "Action," Sakamoto Yu performed according to the original script.

When it was his turn to smoke, he prepared himself mentally, took a puff, carefully controlled his expression, and exhaled a straight column of smoke.

Jiro Ikuno looked at the monitor screen and shook his head.

In the footage, Sakamoto Yu's face is flushed, and he looks like he's in a lot of pain.

After yelling "Cut!" again, Ikuno Jiro called over Sakamoto Yu, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "How about this, delete the smoking scene. Anyway, the smoking scene doesn't affect the plot or the character's personality."

To expedite production or resolve actors' technical issues, directors may cut non-critical shots. As long as it doesn't affect the main plot or character logic, it's not a big problem.

However, upon hearing this, screenwriter Masao Yajima's expression immediately changed.

He looked at Ikuno Jiro in disbelief, then rushed to Ikuno Jiro's side, waving his hands repeatedly: "This absolutely cannot be deleted!"

"Ikuno-san, this character is positioned as an urban elite. The detail of him smoking was to show how he is busy with work and relaxes by smoking."

"Wouldn't it be the same if we just drank alcohol?" Ikuno Jiro said dismissively.

Yoichi Miura had already delayed things, so we have to catch up now.

Masao Yajima did not accept the director's suggestions.

He shook his head. "Drinking won't do, it's too inappropriate. Smoking is a way to relax and be reserved when you're alone, but drinking will only make you seem unrestrained and carefree, which doesn't fit the character's introverted and restrained elite image."

Masao Yajima crossed his arms, his attitude very resolute.

In the heat of the argument, when he caught a glimpse of Sakamoto Yu standing silently to the side, a flash of displeasure crossed his eyes.

Masao Yajima snorted and pointed at Yu Sakamoto, harshly rebuking him: "As an actor, if you can't even overcome this kind of problem, what kind of acting are you doing?!"

After this rebuke, the set fell silent instantly.

The atmosphere, which had just eased, became tense again.

Hitomi Ono, who was some distance away, felt a pang of anxiety, her heart filled with worry.

Akina Nakamori stood inside the set, looking at it with a furrowed brow.

The staff, stagehands, and lighting technicians all focused their attention on Sakamoto Yu.

In the corner, Yoichi Miura, with an ice pack on his face, took in the whole scene, his eyes revealing undisguised pleasure.

Under the gaze of everyone, Sakamoto Yu's face was tense, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

He bowed slightly to Ikuno Jiro and Yajima Masao, "Could you give me five minutes? I promise I can do it in one go."

His voice was steady and his attitude was impeccable.

Jiro Ikuno frowned slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly nodded, tacitly agreeing to give him a chance.

Masao Yajima's expression remained grim. He crossed his arms and scrutinized Yajima with a look of disbelief, clearly not believing he could pull it off.

Sakamoto Yu turned and walked towards a corner of the set, which was the staff's designated smoking area.

He took out the cigarettes he had just received, lit one, and took one out.

His cheeks were slightly sunken as he took a deep drag, and the cigarette butt suddenly glowed with a piercing red light.

"hiss"

Thick smoke rushed into his lungs, and a burning, stinging sensation seared his throat and chest. He frowned, stubbornly enduring the choking sensation.

Under the stimulation of nicotine, Sakamoto Yu felt an instant boost of energy.

As the pleasure reached its peak, a wave of dizziness and lightheadedness suddenly swept over his mind, and the nausea he had felt earlier surged back up.

"call"

He suppressed the nausea in his throat and slowly exhaled, a wisp of solid white smoke escaping from his lips.

My chest still felt hot and stuffy, and every breath was accompanied by a dull, sluggish pain.

He did not back down, forcing himself to adapt to the thick, choking smoke, repeatedly adjusting his breathing, and silently practicing the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation.

One cigarette after another, Sakamoto Yu kept pushing his limits of patience.

After some time, several fresh cigarette butts had accumulated in the ashtray where staff members extinguished their cigarettes.

Outside the film set, the production crew has entered a rare standstill, and everything has been reset.

Masao Yajima remained expressionless. Every now and then, he would glance in the direction Sakamoto Yu had left, and then look at the director's expression.

Jiro Ikuno stared at the storyboard without saying a word.

Akina Nakamori came to Hitomi Ono's side, and the two women were talking about something.

Yoichi Miura stood in the corner, the ice pack already placed aside.

He looked around and felt that the atmosphere on set was just right; it was time for him to make his appearance.

Just as he was about to stand up, he saw a tall figure emerge from the corner.

Sakamoto Yu looked somewhat tired, but otherwise showed no other abnormalities.

Yoichi Miura paused, stopped walking, sighed in dissatisfaction, looked at Director Yu Sakamoto, and could only reluctantly sit back down.

"Director, I'm ready."

As Sakamoto Yu approached, Ikuno Jiro smelled smoke. He froze, then looked up.

Sakamoto Yu had a stern face, with a hint of fatigue in his eyes, and his overall demeanor was not much different from before.

Masao Yajima covered his nose and subconsciously took a few steps to the side.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

Jiro Ikuno nodded and gave the assistant director a look.

The assistant director immediately understood and began to call out to the various departments.

Sakamoto Yu, Asano Jiro, and Yajima Masao bowed slightly and calmly walked into the set.

Akina Nakamori took her position, her eyes fixed on Yu Sakamoto with concern, and asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"

Sakamoto Yu smiled slightly and nodded.

The assistant director, staring at the set, shouted, "Actors, take your positions! 3, 2, 1, Action!"

Filming resumed.

Following the script, Akina Nakamori delivered her lines and then pushed the cigarette case toward him.

Sakamoto Yu naturally took it and pulled out one.

The camera cuts to a man with long, slender fingers holding a cigarette between his lips, a lighter in his other hand clicking, his head tilted slightly closer, his brows furrowed.

"hiss--"

The sound of burning tobacco filled the air.

Sakamoto Yu's cheeks sunken as he took a deep breath, his Adam's apple bobbing.

The thick smoke swirled in his lungs, but he didn't spit it out immediately. He paused for two seconds before slowly and deliberately exhaling.

In the footage, Sakamoto Yu's movements are fluid and his demeanor precise, perfectly capturing the restrained yet relaxed state of an elite smoking when alone.

The smoke rings dispersed, blurring the expression in his eyes.

Behind the monitor, Jiro Ikuno's tense lips relaxed slightly, and he nodded gently. His eyes flickered as he looked at Masao Yajima beside him.

Faced with Sakamoto Yu's clean and crisp performance, Yajima Masao's expression became complicated.

His eyes still held a scrutinizing gaze, and he stubbornly refused to show any satisfaction.

He just stared silently at the film set, his expression not exactly gentle, and he refused to say anything.

In the corner, Yoichi Miura let out a heavy sigh.

He looked around.

Every staff member showed admiration after seeing Sakamoto Yu's outstanding performance.

Film sets in the 80s generally retained a strong "craftsman" spirit, and people would have a sense of responsibility when they saw an actor's dedication to a role.

It was clearly visible that after the director yelled "Cut!", several veteran lighting and camera crew members quietly said to Sakamoto Yu, "Thank you for your hard work."

With the previous comparison already made, it won't be long before the entire crew knows about the stark contrast between the two.