Life, Once Again

After Story 241

-Are you worried?

“If I am to be honest, yes. People cannot be perfect, just like how there is no baseball player who hits perfect home runs every time and no pitcher who always throws three strikeouts. Even the most discerning men are bound to slip. I do not expect your filmography to be perfect. Your acting may be perfect, but the elements that make up your career can have one or two imperfections.”

People were made up of their successes and failures. There was bound to be a path downhill if there was an uphill, and the opposite was true. The movie that Haneul participated in as a minor character did not receive good evaluations nor did it see economic success. While Haneul’s acting was flawless, a movie was not made up of one person’s act.

That one slip put a flaw in Haneul’s filmography. However, no one would give her a low assessment just because of that. That was a variable that no individual could control.

Maru would also one day shoot a piece that the masses would turn their back on. A work that had no commercial or artistic value.

That was fate. It was something that all actors experienced.

However, Na Baekhoon did not want Maru’s filmography to slip up here. If he shot with a director who had proven his skills alongside the best possible production crew and still did not see success, then sure. He would understand that.

But a film with a nameless student director and a bunch of new actors that they recruited through an audition? That was no different from asking for failure.

“I appreciate your challenging mindset. I also know that I am in no position to give you advice. However, as a fan, as someone who roots for your actions more than anyone else, I can’t help but feel worried.”

-It’s not just you, director. I’m sure many other people think the same thing. I understand that. I also appreciate that you’re worried about me.

“Does… does president Lee know about this as well?”

-Yes. He does.

“Well, I guessed so. That person encourages actors to do what they want wholeheartedly as long as it does not cause any problems socially.”

-The president isn’t just letting me do this out of his respect for the freedom of choice of the actor.

There was something aside from just a form of respect? Baekhoon asked back what that was about.

-The president saw the potential in this work. To be precise, he saw the potential in the director. He even went as far as to say that he’d like to invest personally if the budget is insufficient.

“President Lee said that? He brought up that he’s willing to invest his own money?”

Now that was a surprise. What kind of person was president Lee Junmin? He was someone who would be very cautious when using the word ‘investment,’ especially when it came to his own money. He was so notorious for it that as soon as rumors spread around that president Lee had personally invested in something, cash would flow in like crazy.

The fact that he brought up investment for a mere student director and not even a commercial film was very significant.

“That raises my expectations a lot. Mr. Maru. If it’s okay with you, may I have a look at the indie film that you shot before?”

-If it’s that, I’ll send you a URL for the cloud drive. You can download it from there.

“I guess I must go home quickly then. I’ll talk to you again once I watch it.”

Baekhoon drove the car home. He was originally planning to visit the gallery, but right now, watching the film took priority. Having arrived home, he went to the URL that Maru told him. When he inputted the download password, the name of the file appeared on the screen.

“So this is it.”

The film that took the grand prize of the Short Film Festival. This was the identity of the indie film. This was something that happened before he got to know Maru, so he put it in one corner of his heart without watching it.

So it turned out that Maru was working together with the director he worked with four years ago. Baekhoon calmed down his agitation and poured some wine into a glass. Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

He closed the curtains, pulled down a screen, and turned on the beam projector. Although the video wasn’t that high definition, it wasn’t to the point of being unwatchable.

He watched the film while sipping some wine.

The film had one other face that he was delighted to see. It was Han Haneul.

The dead lover, a man looking at illusions, and a man eventually falling in love with that illusion.

The story was very far from mainstream. At the same time, the message it conveyed was clear as well. While the composition of the screen was rather weak, that was a matter of money.

The angle of the camera, the background, the lines, the change in time… all these elements, which required thinking instead of money, displayed the charm of the film in full bore.

It was hard to believe that a student who hadn’t studied anything about film properly had shot this work. It was no surprise that they managed to win the grand prize of the Short Film Festival, which hadn’t happened for years.

Baekhoon searched on the internet. After the film that Maru was in, the grand prize of the Short Film Festival remained unawarded ever since. This film was the only one that managed to gain the honor of winning that prize in the past 7 years.

He changed his opinion. This was no longer a reckless challenge, but a challenge with potential. Both Maru and the director must have become a lot more proficient over the course of time.

This time, there was even some investment. The quality would definitely go up compared to what they submitted for the Short Film Festival.

“But still…”

It could be a one-hit-wonder. The skills displayed through the film for the Short Film Festival may be a product of chance. How skilled would that young director be? That was still a mystery. The movie scene was a place where even veteran directors would fail miserably after a huge success. Would they be able to create something good this time too?

Baekhoon watched the screen that had blacked out for a while before picking up his phone.

“Mr. Maru. I’ve watched the film. I now also know why you wish to work with him.”

-And yet you still sound uneasy.

“I know it’s strange for someone of my caliber to express my dissatisfaction in something that even president Lee showed interest in, but I still have a doubt in a corner of my heart. With that being the case, can I go watch the shoot once? If it’s possible, I’d like to talk to the director too. Of course, I will not go empty-handed.”

-I welcome you anytime. I’ll tell director Lee about it as well.

“When’s the nearest shoot?”

-It’ll start in two days in the morning.

“Then I’ll see you then. Please tell me the location of the shoot.”

Baekhoon called for a delivery buffet business after getting the address.

“President Choi, it’s been a long time. I’m calling you since you did such a wonderful job during our last meeting. But the time is a little short this time. It’ll be the day after tomorrow. Do you think you can do it? There shouldn’t be that many people. Also, I hope you can make them into lunch boxes.”

* * *

Getting out of the car, Baekhoon walked down the narrow street. He could see a shop bustling with people amongst a row of stores that were out for rent. There were lights, reflectors, as well as various shooting equipment.

“We’ll do that again!”

When someone shouted, the people walking in the street changed directions. A member of the staff who was holding back the onlookers approached Baekhoon.

“I’m sorry. We’re currently doing a shoot right now. We would appreciate it if you could go around to the left.”

“Yes, of course. Good work on a hot day like this.”

Baekhoon locked his hands behind his back and quietly appreciated the shoot.

He saw Maru behind the monitor that the director was sitting in front of. He was sitting in a daze on a chair in front of his store.

Baekhoon couldn’t begin to grasp what the character was like. What kind of story was being created in an unpopulated place like this?

A man and a woman in school uniform walked by and looked at Maru before entering the store. Maru stood up, welcoming them with a greeting. However, he did not look delighted that he had customers.

Baekhoon moved a little to look through the glass window. He could see books lined up inside. It was a rather small independent bookstore.

One wall was cleanly lined up with tiles, while the other side still had the rough concrete exposed.

The man and the woman in uniform started going through the books lined up under the pretty lighting. They took selfies with the books in the background and also took photos of each other.

All the while, Maru kept watching them with a fatigued expression.

“Cut!”

“It’s a cut.”

The young director stood up and went inside the store. Baekhoon watched as the director talked to Maru. After displaying an act himself while walking around the store, he returned to his seat. The way he made requests to the actors was rather decent. Baekhoon thought Maru would be the one leading everything, but the shoot was happening more normally than he had thought.

“What’s that?”

“I think they’re shooting a drama here. Or is it a movie?”

Even though this was a dead commercial area, there were still people passing by. People started flocking around the shooting location.

“That’s Han Maru. Are they shooting the second season of Case Number 0 here?”

Someone who recognized Maru took out their phone. Someone from the staff quickly came over and stopped them, but it was no use. There were numerous people taking photos from a distance.

In an era where even little kids used social media, rumors would soon spread around.

Right now, it was easier to control the onlookers because there were not many people here, but once people started flocking, proceeding with the shoot would become difficult.

Movie production companies didn’t create movie sets in unpopulated places for nothing. Just one or two people walking by in front of the camera would screw up the whole atmosphere at a set.

“Okay.”

“It’s an okay.”

“Good work today.”

The staff, who were working under the sun, went to the shade. Only a few people remained behind to look after the equipment.

Baekhoon slowly walked towards the store. When someone from the staff blocked his way, he smiled and pointed behind that person.

“You’re here.” Maru came out to meet him.

“The weather is steaming. It must be difficult to shoot.”

“The AC is on inside the store so it’s bearable. Did you arrive just now?”

“No. I came here a little earlier and have been watching since then. I was trying to guess what it was about, but nothing came to my mind.”

“It’d be strange if you found out from that scene alone. Come here. I’ll introduce you to the director.”

Baekhoon followed Maru. The production crew was sitting together in the bookstore. Everyone was looking at the air conditioner.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Maru-hyung. I’m Lee Yoonseok.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Na Baekhoon.”

He had a look at Yoonseok’s face as they shook hands. While he had heard that this young man had finished his military service, he could still see the youth on his face. This film was designed almost entirely by someone like him, huh?

“Let’s eat for now. I’m sure all of you must be tired.”

Baekhoon left the store and looked at the end of the street. He could see a white truck entering the street. He expected this much from president Choi’s business, which was famous for being punctual.

After saying hello to the employee who got out of the truck, he opened the cargo. Chilled storage boxes were laid out on the floor one by one. Looking at the contents inside the box, Maru came over and spoke,

“Director, please visit us a lot more in the future.”

“You’re happier to see the lunch boxes than me, aren’t you?”

The members of the staff inside the store came out while wondering what it was about. Baekhoon picked up one of the lunch boxes and gave it to a member of the staff in front of him. This fellow had been standing under the scorching sun holding a boom mic.

When that person went back with the lunch box, he could hear him exclaim loudly in admiration.

“Today’s lunch was brought to us by director Na Baekhoon over here. Everyone, please give him a round of applause.”

When Maru said so, people raised their hands above their heads and started applauding.

“Have a good meal and please create something good. If you need more, you can take more. There’s plenty for everyone.”

Baekhoon also picked up one of the boxes before going inside the store. Maru and Yoonseok sat next to him.

Yoonseok opened the lunch box. After looking around for a while, he spoke carefully,

“This looks really expensive. With a bit of exaggeration, the shrimp tempura is about the size of my forearm.”

“People must feel full to create something good, don’t you think? If it helps make the final film better, I can do this much every single day.”

“No, that’s too much for me. If I eat something expensive like this every day, I’ll run out of any hungry spirit I have.”

Yoonseok stared at him while holding his chopsticks. Please start eating so I can start mine: he seemed to say with his stare.

Baekhoon opened the lid of the lunch box and spoke,

“Let’s talk in more detail as we eat, but before that, can I have a look at the script? If you’re worried about security, I can write up an oath for you.”

“You don’t have to. You can look at it.”

Yoonseok brought a script and gave it to him. Baekhoon spoke to the two people,

“Please start eating, both of you. I’ll start eating once I’m done reading. Actually, I want to read this more than I want to eat, so I can’t hold back.”

Baekhoon read the script rapidly. First of all, he liked the scenery and the vivid lines that the script created. The content also contained a clear message like the previous work.

“The story… is good,” Baekhoon said as he put down the script.

If a director with a decent name value displayed this script, then actors with fame would all make a call wanting to participate.

“Do you understand a little about why I want to do this work and why I want to work with this director?” Maru asked with a smile.

Baekhoon nodded without hesitation. While writing and film were different fields, the writing itself was very good. Even if the film was made normally, it would do above average.

“I now have a lot of questions about director Lee,” Baekhoon said as he looked at Yoonseok.

“M-me?”

“Let’s eat first. There’s plenty of time.”