160: Chapter 160 Every artist has their unique value.

"Because you are worth it." Song Tianhao spoke. His voice was not loud, his tone was calm, even lacking any inflection, just like stating a simple fact.

Yet these few words fell into Shin Se-kyung's ears with the weight of a thousand jin, making her freeze instantly. Her heart felt as if it had been gently squeezed by an invisible hand, then suddenly released, surging with an indescribable warmth.

Worth it? She was worth... what?

Song Tianhao didn't seem to feel that his words were anything special. He lowered his head to continue fiddling with the camera, then continued from his previous words, using that calm tone:

"Every artist I sign has their own unique value in my eyes. Your value doesn't just lie in how well you can act, or how high the box office or ratings you achieve."

He raised his head, his gaze locking onto her again. That gaze was calm and sharp, as if it could pierce through her surface anxiety and see into a deeper place.

"It lies more in the fact that you are willing to challenge a fear you have accumulated for over a decade for just a few scenes in a movie that aren't even the most important. Not perfunctorily, not using a stunt double, but really jumping into the water to face it, even if you are trembling with fear."

He paused, his tone remaining steady, "This kind of resilience, this kind of responsible attitude towards yourself and your work, is far more precious than any so-called talent or inspiration."

"I am patient because I am investing," he concluded, his fingers gently tapping the orange camera casing in his hand, making a crisp sound. "Investing in a precious potential that I am optimistic about. And you, Shin Se-kyung, you have proven that your potential is not just in acting."

After he finished speaking, he aimed the camera lens at her again, his tone returning to his usual instructional manner: "Come on, rested enough? No need for the kickboard, try Swimming a short distance, and I'll record it for you to see. Seeing your own progress with your own eyes will be more convincing than any words."

Shin Se-kyung was still immersed in the huge impact and shock brought by those words, her brain buzzing. "Because you are worth it," "precious potential," "investing"... these words circled and collided in her mind.

She looked at Song Tianhao. The expression on his face still hadn't changed, as if that nearly straightforward affirmation just now was merely an objective conclusion based on his rational judgment.

Yet it was precisely this calm, even slightly business-like affirmation that made her heart race and her blood run hot more than any flowery praise. It wasn't a compliment on her appearance, nor an award for her existing achievements, but an almost cruel yet incredibly precise recognition of her inner qualities as a person.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found her throat tight, unable to make a sound. In the end, she just nodded hard and heavily, her eyes feeling a bit hot, but she forced it down.

Can't cry. She told herself. What the President appreciates is your "resilience," not your tears.

She took a deep breath, turned around, and faced the pool. No longer needing the kickboard, no longer needing the support of the pool wall. She closed her eyes, recalling the feeling of floating last night, recalling the movement essentials he had just instructed, recalling him saying "Because you are worth it."

Then, she took a deep breath, leaned forward, her arms parted the water, and her legs kicked out according to the rhythm in her memory.

The movements were still very raw, the speed was slow, and the posture couldn't be called graceful. Even halfway through, because her breathing technique wasn't skilled, she choked on a little water and began to cough in a sorry state, her hands and feet also a bit flustered.

Song Tianhao, who had been standing by the pool, silently filming with the camera, almost immediately put down the camera, took a few steps into the water, and came to her side. He didn't blame her, but just reached out and gently patted her back, his movements as natural as if he had done it countless times.

"Slow down, no rush." His voice was right by her ear, strangely soothing the discomfort and panic of her choking on water. "Adjust your breathing, try again. You have already done very well."

Shin Se-kyung coughed until tears came out, but hearing his words, her heart strangely settled down. She wiped her face and turned to look at his face, which was inches away. Water droplets dripped from his jaw, and there was no impatience in his eyes, only calm encouragement.

"Mm!" She nodded hard, sniffled, turned around again, and plunged into the water.

This time, she swam a longer distance. Although still clumsy, at least she was truly relying on her own strength to move forward in the water.

When she finally grabbed the opposite pool wall and turned back while panting, she saw Song Tianhao still standing where she had started. He was holding that camera, the lens pointed at her.

The sunlight shone from behind him, gilding his body with a dazzling halo. She couldn't see his expression clearly, but Shin Se-kyung could feel that he was looking at her.

She waved at him, a big, cloudless smile appearing on her face, brighter than all the sunlight on the pool surface at this moment.

The morning lesson ended. Shin Se-kyung was so tired she was almost exhausted, but her spirit was exceptionally excited. Song Tianhao took a tablet out of a waterproof bag, connected it to the camera, and played back the footage just filmed for her to see.

In the footage, her movements at the beginning were still very stiff, and the way she looked when choking on water was indeed a bit funny. But when she tried the second time, although slow and with non-standard posture, that stance of trying hard to stretch her limbs and attempting to conquer the water flow had a clumsy yet moving power.

Song Tianhao paused the screen at a moment when she was stretching her arms, his finger tapping the screen: "Look here, the angle of your arms opening is much more standard than yesterday, and your body can basically maintain a straight line. At this time yesterday, you couldn't achieve this degree of extension."

His voice was objective, but heard in Shin Se-kyung's ears, it made her happier than any praise. She looked at herself struggling on the screen and couldn't help but laugh, her laughter crisp, carrying a full sense of accomplishment.

"Save it well." Song Tianhao sent that video clip to her phone via Bluetooth. "When your movie is finished, when you can truly swim back and forth in the pool freely, look back at this recording, and you will clearly see how far you have really come."

Shin Se-kyung held her phone tightly, as if holding some precious treasure, and nodded hard: "Mm! Thank you, President!"

Just at this moment, the phone placed on the lounge chair nearby vibrated, the screen lit up, showing the caller was "Director Lee Chang-dong."

Song Tianhao's attention had been entirely on teaching and recording just now, and he hadn't heard it at all. He picked up the phone, saw the missed call, made a gesture to Shin Se-kyung to wait a moment, and walked to the side to answer the call.

"Tianhao, didn't I disturb you?" Director Lee Chang-dong's hearty voice came from the receiver, the background sound a bit noisy, as if he were on a film set.

"No, Director Lee, just finished. Anything up?" Song Tianhao walked to the shade of a tree on the other side of the pool, avoiding some of the water noise.

"It's like this, over here at 'dark light,' Son Ye-jin and Han Hyo-joo have an emotional confrontation scene. We've shot a few takes, but I always feel it's missing that little something, the heat isn't right. You have a sharp eye and a good grasp of character psychology, could you find some time to come to the set to help take a look and give some advice?"

Director Lee Chang-dong didn't stand on ceremony either, stating his purpose directly, "By the way, the director of that movie Shin Se-kyung is in, 'My Girlfriend is a Ghost,' Director Kang Hyeong-cheol, happens to be visiting my set today, and we were chatting about casting."

"Didn't you say you wanted her to meet the director in advance and get familiar? This is just the right opportunity. Do you want to bring her over?"

Song Tianhao listened, his gaze crossing the sparkling water surface, looking at Shin Se-kyung who was holding her phone and repeatedly watching that Swimming video, with a silly smile on the corners of her mouth.

"Okay." He almost didn't hesitate, "Send me the address, we'll come over this afternoon."

After hanging up the phone, he walked back to the poolside. Shin Se-kyung had already put away her phone and was drying her hair with a large towel. Seeing him return, she looked up at him with bright, sparkling eyes, her face still carrying an unfaded flush of excitement.

"Tidy up, I'll take you to a place this afternoon," Song Tianhao said.

"Eh? Where to?" Shin Se-kyung asked curiously.

"Director Lee Chang-dong's film set." Song Tianhao said while picking up his own towel, "He is shooting a new movie and has some problems he wants me to go take a look at."

He looked at her, "By the way, the director of your new movie, Director Kang Hyeong-cheol, happens to be visiting that side too. I'll take you to meet him, make an introduction in advance, and also let you see how a real film set 'polishes' a good scene."

Shin Se-kyung's eyes widened instantly, filled with surprise and disbelief: "Really? Go meet Director Kang Hyeong-cheol? And also get to watch Director Lee Chang-dong filming?"

For an actor at her level, being able to observe the work of two famous directors up close was simply a learning opportunity she couldn't ask for more.

"Mm." Song Tianhao nodded. Seeing the undisguised excitement on her face, the corners of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly, "So, hurry up, go take a shower and change your clothes. We'll leave after lunch."

"Yes! Thank you, President!" Shin Se-kyung almost jumped up, grabbed her towel and hurried towards the Villa, ran two steps and then stopped, turned back, looked at him with bright eyes, and said it again solemnly, "Really, thank you very, very much, President!"

Watching her energetic back disappear behind the glass door, Song Tianhao finally withdrew his gaze. He picked up his phone, the screen still showing the call record with Director Lee Chang-dong. He glanced at the pool again, the sunlight jumping on the water surface, as if the splashes and laughter from the teaching just now still remained.

Immediately, as if remembering something, he looked towards the direction of the Villa. That girl was just here a moment ago, rejoicing and jumping for joy because of a small bit of progress, her eyes clean and bright like the sky at this moment.

He pondered for a moment, put away his phone, and also walked towards the Villa.

Shin Se-kyung took a shower at the fastest speed, dried her hair, and changed into the clothes she had arrived in. When she returned to the living room feeling refreshed, Song Tianhao had also changed into a simple shirt and trousers, and was sitting on the sofa watching something on a tablet.

"President, I'm ready." She walked over, her tone still carrying the undispersed excitement.

Song Tianhao raised his head, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment. Washed of fatigue and pool water, her clean face looked exceptionally fresh and bright under the daylight filtering in from outside the window, the light in her eyes was that kind of pure anticipation for the things she was about to encounter that she longed for.

"Mm." He closed the tablet, stood up, "Let's go, we'll eat something simple outside for lunch, and then go directly to the film set."

The two left the Villa and got into the car. The car drove out of the quiet residential area and merged into the afternoon traffic of Seoul.

Shin Se-kyung looked at the streetscape outside the window. Besides the excitement, a faint, lingering reluctance that even she herself hadn't clearly realized quietly swept through her heart. Leaving that Villa where there were only the two of them, leaving that sun-drenched pool, leaving this focused, patiently guided, undistracted time...

"You know the password to the Villa." In the driver's seat, Song Tianhao looked straight ahead, suddenly speaking, his voice coming over steadily.

Shin Se-kyung froze for a moment, and turned to look at him.

Song Tianhao was still looking at the road ahead, his tone as ordinary as if he were talking about today's weather: "The Swimming lessons can continue at any time. You still need to practice. That place," he paused, turned his head, looked at her, his gaze calm, "is also one of your 'practice grounds'."

Shin Se-kyung's heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by these words, and was immediately wrapped in a warm, comfortable warmth. That faint sense of loss instantly dissipated without a trace, replaced by a strange sense of peace and belonging.

"Mm!" She nodded hard, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents, her voice crisp and certain, "I know, President!"