T/N: Removing dashes in names, might flow better.
All the scenes Han Seongtae needed to film were finished.
There was no reason for him to stay on set any longer, but—
“Ah, you really don’t have to help with this.”
“Mr. Seongtae, we’re fine. We’ll feel bad if you do.”
Han didn’t leave the set.
“It’s alright. Put me to work.”
“You must be exhausted from today’s shoot. Shouldn’t you rest?”
“I’m okay. It’s just moving a few things.”
He carried equipment with the crew and looked for whatever else he could help with.
Maybe, in a way, it was simply reluctance to let go.
Even though his part was done, he wanted to stay on set a little longer.
[‘The Man of a Thousand Faces’ clicks his tongue softly at you.]
[‘He Who Defined His Era’ says looking at you brings back old memories.]
As they watched him, the gods of acting spoke up.
Glancing at their messages, Han let out a small laugh and lifted a box full of camera props.
“This goes over there, right?”
“Yes! I’ll help you. That’s probably heavy.”
“It’s alright. I can carry it myself.”
“Wow… you’re really strong. And earlier, the way you were driving was amazing.”
A staffer stared in admiration at the box cradled in Han’s arms.
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ smiles with satisfaction, saying this much is only natural if you train.]
Han was the one being praised, but the god of acting looked even happier.
Leaving the messages behind, Han kept helping the crew.
“We’ll hold a long bust shot.”
Nam Seokdae’s booming voice filled the set.
Drawn by the heat the actors were putting out, Han’s gaze kept drifting back to the stage.
“Mr. Seongtae?”
“Ah, yes. I’m coming.”
Watching the actors’ performances, Han moved at once at a staffer’s call.
As he followed them, his steps were heavy with reluctance.
‘If only I could watch a little longer.’
He was lingering partly out of attachment but mostly because there was so much to learn.
Jo Seokjeong and Lee Minseong’s acting.
Their performances were, in themselves, like study guides.
[‘He Who Found Laughter in Tragedy’ marvels that they know how to show feeling.]
[‘The Man of a Thousand Faces’ says there’s a lot to learn there, and tells you to observe their acting closely.]
Han agreed with the gods.
‘So you can convey such delicate emotion with just the movement of an eyebrow.’
Things he wouldn’t have understood before, he could now clearly see.
Since joining with the gods of acting, everything Han saw and felt had changed.
“Seongtae, you’re really putting in the work. Here’s water.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Taking the bottle from Jung Dusik, Han smiled.
“Not too tired?”
“A little, but I’m managing.”
Jung chuckled at Han’s answer.
At his pleased smile, Han scratched his cheek.
“Oh, looks like they wrapped that scene. Shall we head out too?”
Lifting his head at Jung’s words, Han saw people bowing to each other.
As the cameras were being put away and the crew bustled about, Han got up from his brief rest and moved to help.
“Huh, what’s this? You haven’t left yet?”
He turned at the voice, close at hand, and saw Jo Seokjeong speaking to him.
“I was going to leave once everything here was finished.”
“Today was your last shoot, right?”
“Yes.”
“Makes me think of the old days. When I first started, I stuck to the set too.”
Jo spoke as he glanced around Han.
The prop box in Han’s hands, the crew hurrying past.
“Are you moving this?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s do it together.”
Just like that, Jo grabbed one of the loads Han was carrying and set off.
Han hesitated a moment, then followed at his side.
“Are you free later?”
“Later… ah, yes. I’m free.”
“Then come to the team dinner with us.”
“Team dinner?”
Han tilted his head.
Was it okay for a bit player like him to just join that kind of thing?
“Director, Mr. Seongtae can come to the dinner, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
Nam nodded with a smile, saying he’d be in favor especially if it was Han.
No one else seemed opposed either.
‘This is a first.’
How many times had he, a poor actor in his past life, been invited to a wrap dinner?
And by a lead actor, no less?
Across both his past and present lives, this was the first time.
So he froze a moment, unsure how to respond.
[‘He Who Defined His Era’ says just do what you want.]
[‘He Who Lives and Dies by Speed’ gives you a push, saying there’s no reason to hesitate.]
At the gods’ messages, Han gave a small, helpless laugh.
Right, there was no reason to hesitate.
He looked over the messages and slowly opened his mouth.
“Boss, two more orders of samgyeopsal (pork belly)!”
Inside the restaurant, the Race Start crew’s voices rang out.
Placing orders and chatting among themselves, they looked downright close-knit.
‘What am I doing here?’
Han blinked, glancing around.
When they’d said he could join the dinner, he’d only thought he’d get a nice free meal.
In his past life, he wasn’t the kind of person who got called to team dinners.
“How is it? Tasty?”
“Yes, it’s good.”
“Mr. Seongtae, you really worked hard today. I had no idea you could drive like that.”
Jo spoke up, and beside him Nam laughed and chimed in.
Maybe because they were drinking, they were chattier and speaking in a higher register than usual.
“I’m thrilled we got so many great shots. Even the people from Daehyeon were blown away by your driving.”
“I’m glad they saw it kindly.”
“But seriously, are you sure you’ve never done pro driving? It’s hard to do that without training.”
At their words, Han smiled awkwardly.
He had practiced hard, sure, but he hadn’t expected praise like this from others.
“What are you doing, not eating?”
“Mr. Seongtae, you didn’t eat beforehand, did you? You’re barely touching anything.”
It was the stares that made it hard to eat properly.
Seeing their concern, Han shook his head and set his chopsticks to work.
“No, I’m eating. It’s great.”
“Good to hear.”
That ended his exchange with Jo.
Leaving the seemingly thoughtful Jo for the moment, others struck up conversation with Han.
“Mr. Seongtae, now that your shooting’s done, what’s next on your schedule?”
“I’m planning to keep going to school.”
“School… ah, right. You’re a college student, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I’m a sophomore now.”
At that, Nam let out a small sound of admiration.
“From your acting, you seem like someone with over ten years in the industry. Tremendous talent. Isn’t that right, Mr. Minseong?”
“Yeah. I’m looking forward to his future.”
Face flushed, Nam spoke, and Lee Minseong, sipping his drink, nodded.
When Han met his eyes, he saw the corners of Minseong’s mouth lift just slightly.
“If you keep at it like this, I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up working on something together down the line.”
Murmuring that, Lee Minseong stood and headed over to where the other actors sat.
“Seongtae, want to step out for some air?”
“Ah, sure, hyung. Let’s go.”
“Alright, let’s.”
Jo slung an arm over Han’s shoulder as they rose.
Han couldn’t help but smile.
A star like Jo Seokjeong approaching him so warmly, it felt surreal.
If he hadn’t turned back time, when would he ever have experienced this?
“The air’s nice. This is why I like walking around at night. Shall we stroll a bit?”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
“Good. Now that the weather’s warming up, I ought to go fishing one of these days. Hey, Seongtae, you got any hobbies?”
“I… not yet.”
Up to now, he hadn’t taken his eyes off acting for anything else.
[‘He Who Lives and Dies by Speed’ mutters that there are a lot of cars with a nice feel.]
[‘He Who Defined His Era’ wants a closer look at the cardigan that person up ahead is wearing.]
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ wonders if there’s a gym around here.]
But as time went on, it felt like he might start picking up a hobby or two.
“If you don’t have one, you don’t have one. What’s with ‘not yet’?”
“Hahaha.”
“You said you’re staying in school. Then how are you going to handle projects?”
“I’ll keep doing them. I’ll look around for what’s out there.”
At Han’s answer, a gentle smile curved Jo’s lips, apparently pleased.
“Yeah, work hard. From the way you act, it seems like you practice a lot.”
“I did put in the work to do well. But you’re the amazing one, hyung. You have no idea how impressed I was by your ad-lib in scene 82.”
“You caught that too?”
“Of course. There’s so much to learn from watching.”
“You… the more I see, the more I like you.”
Pat, pat.
Jo’s hand tapped Han’s shoulder.
It didn’t hurt.
“Ah, right. Make some time later. There’s a meetup where actors get together. Come with me.”
“Would it be okay for me to go to something like that?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? It’s not like we’re some cartel. It’s just people who get along. If I recommend you, nobody will object. You’ll come, right?”
“For me, getting an invitation would be something to be grateful for.”
Grateful didn’t even begin to cover it.
If there was a gathering like that, he’d be a fool not to go, no matter the cost.
Jo Seokjeong alone was a widely admired actor.
And a meeting he attended would surely be full of other big names.
‘Missing this chance would be idiotic.’
Hearing Jo’s offer, Han clenched his fist.
“Don’t overthink it. Just consider it building your network a little. You’ll end up meeting these people once you start working anyway. Better to break the ice ahead of time.”
Han nodded right away.
Each of Jo’s words landed heavily for him.
It felt like recognition as an actor.
Unlike his past life, this time everything was different.
“I’ll be there for sure.”
At Han’s reply, Jo chuckled.
Their laughter spread softly into the night sky.
On the way to campus.
With the breeze noticeably cooler, college students in their own clothes wandered about.
“Man… seriously. Doesn’t time go way too fast? How is it already the new term when I barely did anything?”
“The new term started a while ago.”
“It’s just a saying. Ah, when’s the next vacation?”
“If you want that so much, just take a leave of absence.”
At Han’s words, Kim Minseok shook his head.
Han couldn’t help a chuckle at the sight.
“Oh, right. I found a place to shoot the film. Let’s go check it out later.”
“Where?”
“My grandma’s house.”
“Ah…”
Han had been there once before.
A tiny village with mountains on all sides and only a handful of buildings.
So rural that, until a few years ago, it didn’t even show up on maps.
As a filming location for Minseok’s movie, it was more than sufficient.
“Sounds good.”
“You said it. No backing out when we go.”
“I won’t.”
Han grinned and gave Minseok’s shoulder a light tap.
Minseok nodded, saying he trusted him.
“What are you doing after class? Let’s grab a bite.”
“I’m going to train.”
“Wow, you never get tired, do you? You go every day. Missing a day won’t kill you.”
“As if I could.”
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ says you must not skip a single day of training.]
With a watchdog like that, there was no skipping workouts.
Watching him, Minseok shook his head.
Quick reminder of the characters:
- Nam Seokdae – Director of Race Start
- Jo Seokjeong – Lead actor on Race Start
- Lee Minseong – Lead actor on Race Start
- Jung Dusik – Han’s manager
- Kim Minseok – Han’s close friend and aspiring filmmaker
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