Two days before the film shoot.
Han Seongtae received a call from Jeong Dusik.
—Would it be okay if I tag along for the film shoot?
The sudden request was more than enough to throw Seongtae off.
It’s not at all unusual for a manager to accompany an actor on a job, but—
‘He must have other actors to look after. Is this really fine?’
Jung Dusik was a busy man with many clients besides Han Seongtae, so it felt odd that he’d come along for something nonessential.
Maybe it felt stranger because, in his past life, he always went everywhere alone.
“I’d be grateful if you came, hyung. I’ll check with Minseok.”
—Okay. Ah, and I already got permission for Harin, so no need to contact her.
“Oh, right.”
Seo Harin was with PAN Entertainment.
Even as a trainee, she couldn’t move around freely without the company’s approval.
Same for Han Seongtae.
Ordinarily he wouldn’t have been able to jump into a film or musical this easily, but—
‘Being a rookie and a student covered a lot.’
Given his position, the agency’s management of him was fairly loose.
As long as he got permission, he could do it.
“I’ll ask Minseok and get back to you right away.”
—Got it. Call me later.
“Will do.”
After hanging up, Seongtae let out a light breath and immediately called Kim Minseok.
A few rings, and—
—Hello?
Minseok’s voice came through.
“Hey. What are you up to?”
—Me? Sorting props we’ll use on the shoot. You?
“I was practicing until just now.”
From the sound of it, Minseok was hefting something heavy on the other end.
—So what’s up? Something wrong?
“No, nothing like that. You know the manager hyung my agency assigned me to?”
—What’s his name again, Manager Jung Dusik?
“Yeah, he said he wants to come along during the film shoot, so I called to get your take.”
All final decisions about the film rested with Kim Minseok.
Bringing someone without his okay was out of the question.
—No reason he can’t. Isn’t he busy, though? You said he barely has time to show his face because he’s looking after other actors.
“That’s what I thought, too. Guess he can make time this round.”
—Tell him to come. He’s your agency manager. He’s more than welcome.
“Thanks.”
Minseok chuckled.
The familiar sound put a small smile on Seongtae’s lips as well.
“Thanks for the ride!”
Minseok’s booming voice rode the country breeze in every direction.
It was so strong that Seongtae, standing right beside him, felt like he’d been blasted.
As Seongtae cupped his buzzing ears, Jung Dusik nodded and spoke.
“Are you moving the gear right away?”
“Yes, I need to set up the camera in advance.”
“Understood. I’ll give you a hand.”
“You really don’t have to… Thank you!”
Minseok bowed deep to Dusik.
Watching, Dusik sidled up to Seongtae and murmured,
“Your friend’s a character.”
At that, Seongtae chuckled and nodded.
He’d felt it for a long time. Minseok had a real knack for people.
“Minseok-ssi, this looks like a camera bag. Where should I take it?”
“Hand it to me. I’ll set it up now.”
“Minseok, where do I put this box?”
“What’s in it?”
“Looks like clothes.”
“Props box. Leave it on the floor in the main room.”
Even though it was a 10-minute short and they were shooting at a single location, there was a surprising amount of gear.
With five boxes of props alone, you could tell how much effort Minseok had put into prep.
“You’ve got a ton of lights. Did you buy all these?”
“Some I bought, some I got from Miso noona. All the clothes are from her. She calls it ‘sponsorship,’ and hey, I’m glad to save money.”
“I’ll have to send Miso noona a thank-you later.”
When students shoot shorts, there’s basically no budget, so props tend to be bare-bones.
Clothes especially are hard to prepare unless you source from places like Dongmyo Market.
‘Even for Miso noona, this seems like a lot.’
Seeing how many outfits were in the boxes, Seongtae couldn’t help but worry Miso had overextended herself.
“Seongtae, what’s the film called? I don’t think I’ve heard the title yet.”
“Oh, that… Hang on. Minseok, you decide on a title?”
Up to now they’d been calling it “Survive the Serial Killer,” but that was only a working title.
Time to give it a proper name.
“Day.”
“Huh?”
“Day. As in, Day.”
When asked, Minseok answered right away.
“Day” as a title.
‘That’s good.’
Seongtae thought it was quite a solid choice.
“Survive the Serial Killer” felt too on-the-nose.
“He says it’s Day.”
“Good name.”
The chatter paused, and the four of them busied themselves unloading the car.
Only after everything was moved and the car parked did they get a breather.
“Harin-ssi, great work.”
“Ah, thanks. I was thirsty anyway, so it’s perfect.”
Taking the paper cup Seongtae handed her, Harin smiled.
Seated beside her, he sipped his own water and looked ahead.
Minseok was setting up the camera, with Dusik chatting him up at his side.
When had they gotten so friendly?
Watching the two laugh and talk, Seongtae let out a faint snort.
“Seongtae, try changing into costume. Harin-ssi, you can change in that room there.”
“Got it.”
“Okay, I’ll change and be right out.”
Seongtae and Harin each grabbed their clothes and went into the master and the small room.
In Seongtae’s hands: Choi Deok-su’s outfit.
[‘The One Who Defined an Era’ sighs at your all-black getup.]
[‘The One of a Thousand Faces’ smiles faintly, saying the look calls someone to mind.]
What he put on was black from torso to toe.
A deep black that wouldn’t show any stain.
The only thing not black was the pure white mask he’d wear on his face.
Expressionless, the mask looked like an unbroken version of the Phantom of the Opera’s mask.
“Seeing it like this, it really is creepy.”
A white-masked intruder out in the countryside.
Catching his reflection in the mirror, Seongtae gave a wry laugh.
“Wow… seen like this, the intimidation factor is no joke.”
“In the sticks, folks would be lucky not to faint if they saw you.”
Minseok and Dusik let out little exclamations as Seongtae emerged from the room.
“Here, hold this too.”
When Seongtae hoisted the hammer onto his shoulder, Minseok clapped in admiration.
Seongtae laughed and took a seat.
After a bit, Harin opened the door and stepped out.
She wore black dolphin shorts, a fresh white tee, a blue striped shirt over it, and non-prescription horn-rimmed glasses.
Put-together yet casual, she wore it perfectly, without any dissonance.
“How is it?”
“Looks good. Really suits you.”
At his words, Harin’s lips lifted slightly.
[‘The One Who Defined an Era’ licks their lips, saying they’d love to dress Harin up properly.]
Leaving the floating messages in his periphery, Seongtae moved into position for the shoot.
“Seems like we’re all set. Ready to roll?”
At Minseok’s question, both Seongtae and Harin nodded.
With hammer in hand, Seongtae took his mark.
Minseok followed with the camera.
[‘The One of a Thousand Faces’ is watching you.]
The camera rolled.
Arms folded, Jung Dusik watched Seongtae.
He still remembered the Seongtae he’d seen on stage back in the play.
Would he be able to feel that shock again?
“Walk in slow. Drag the hammer along the ground. Yeah, nice.”
Minseok picked the spots and added light from the rigs he’d brought to the darkening surroundings.
Lit at the center, the way Seongtae walked had something eerie to it.
‘The atmosphere is fantastic.’
It wasn’t just the outfit causing that feeling.
There was an atmosphere Seongtae himself conjured.
The heavy exhale, the unhurried steps, the slightly tilted head.
Deliberate choices stacking into a grim mood.
“Okay. Ready… action!”
Minseok cued him.
At the call, Seongtae dragged the hammer along the ground and dipped his torso slightly.
“Haa…”
Dusik couldn’t help letting out a gasp.
What was this sensation?
He was looking at Han Seongtae, and yet it felt like he was seeing someone else.
Screee—
The hammer scraped along the ground.
At the sound, Dusik looked down at his own arms.
The hairs were standing on end.
Step, step.
Seongtae walked toward the house.
Neither slow nor fast.
Leisurely but the eyes he turned on the house gleamed with menace.
Whir—
Minseok was capturing all of it in the frame.
‘Not bad at all.’
As he’d met many actors, Dusik had also met many directors.
Watching them had given him an eye for directors as well, and by that eye, Minseok was someone to keep an eye on.
From how he filmed to how he maintained focus…
Raw, but far better than the average student.
It’s the same for Seo Harin.
It was her first time acting.
Facing off against Seongtae, she was better than expected.
Like someone who had finally found the clothes that fit.
Hard to believe she had never done any acting.
But that didn’t mean she had no shortcomings.
Compared to veterans, Harin’s acting had plenty of gaps, and that was normal.
Pulling off flawless acting the very first time is next to impossible.
‘Han Seongtae… what on earth is he?’
All the more reason for the confusion on Dusik’s face as he watched Seongtae.
He, too, didn’t have much on his résumé yet.
Counting the play, this was his fourth time acting.
And yet he was overwhelming everyone on set.
“A monster.”
Watching him approach the door and shake the hammer, Dusik let out a disbelieving laugh.
Possessed by the role, the perfection of Seongtae’s performance wasn’t that of a rookie.
It was proof that choosing him had been the right call.
As he watched the shoot, the corner of Jung Dusik’s mouth lifted.
Leave a Reply