Life, Once Again!

After Story 102

When they left the high-rise building area of Busan’s eastern district, they saw slate roofs around. This place was ‘Chookdae Maeul.’

They walked farther inside as they observed the paintings and writing that nameless street artists had left behind on the old walls. A crow flew underneath a leaning lamp post.

They walked past ‘Woomyung Building’ which looked like it had been at least three years since it was last used. People could be seen in the distance.

“Hey! Don’t step on the lines! Manage the cables properly and put the people in order.”

Preparations for the shoot were underway. Maru and Youngjae walked over to where the staff had gathered. When they told them that they were minor actors, they were directed to a building with a blue roof.

“If you wait around there, we’ll call for you. Please don’t go too far out, and if you want to smoke, please go to the alleys.”

There seemed to be some locals around, taking peeps at them from time to time. Maru put his hands in his pocket and walked over to the house with a blue roof. People of various ages gathered around. They seemed to be minor actors.

“It’s still quite cold, huh,” Maru said, jumping around on the spot.

The first day of Spring was already past them according to the calendar, but there was no sign of Spring at all.

“It’ll become warmer by May and hot by June,” Youngjae replied, blowing warm air into his hands.

Last night, he and Youngjae had a long talk. Youngjae was mostly doing the asking, while he did the responding. Youngjae seemed to have taken a liking to the short historical skit he showed off, as he kept persistently asking how to set the vocal tone and facial expressions.

“Perhaps today and tomorrow might be my last opportunity to act with you, Mr. Maru.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“In my opinion, you’ll rise really fast. You’re not someone who will stay a minor actor for a long time. The acting you showed me last night made me think a lot. I thought that luck was a factor when getting a role, but looking at you, it made me think that maybe, skills can overpower luck.”

“You never know what will happen. You might become successful before I do.”

“I’ll feel great if that happens, but it probably won’t happen. I have a good hunch when it comes to things like this. That’s why I’m going to try harder. I’ll have to clench my teeth if I don’t want to get suppressed by your aura.”

“I can’t exactly stay still after hearing what you just said. I guess I’m going to have to try my very best as well.”

They saw onlookers in the distance take out their phones and raise them above their heads. The production crew told them to refrain from taking any photos or videos, but it didn’t work at all. Maru tiptoed and looked at the place where the onlookers were looking.

The main actor was here: Ahn Baeho. He was 39 years old and had been a supporting actor until last year. This was supposedly his first appearance as a lead actor.

Maru had looked up the two films that the director Song Daejin and Ahn Baeho had worked together on. By watching them, he tried to grasp what kind of aesthetics the director pursued and how he placed various actors in a scene.

“Scammers, please gather.”

A man, who told everyone to just call him “Mr. Nam Joon” called for the scammers. Maru and Youngjae took off their thick padded jackets and followed Nam Joon. When they stopped, they found the director shouting, as though there was some problem. In front of the director was a man in his mid-twenties, who seemed to be the new recruit of the production team. It was a very common scene on a shooting set.

“And he said he wants to learn,” the director grumbled as he walked over to the lead actor.

The man in his twenties, who kept bowing, immediately followed after the director.

“He’s on the more docile side as a director,” Youngjae said.

Maru nodded. He had seen numerous actors who would move their hands, not mouth, first.

He recalled one such young member of the crew who would say that he would kill the director if it was the last thing he did, probably because of the alcohol talking. In fact, there was more than one such youngster.

“Still, I guess we’re rather lucky to shoot after waiting just an hour.”

Maru lightly jogged on the spot so that he didn’t become stiff. The director gestured to Nam Joon after talking with the lead actors. They followed Nam Joon with the director.

“I remember you now that I see your face,” director Song said while looking at him.

“There’s not many lines. You just have to walk over with Baeho from over there, and when Baeho says ‘let’s get some food’ while looking at the restaurant,” director Song grabbed Youngjae by the shoulder, “you say ‘President, what will you be eating?’ to him.”

Youngjae responded yes. Director Song’s hand was now placed on Maru’s shoulder.

“While you say ‘being called president makes you look dandy’ to him.”

They checked the movement lines with director Song. They were to walk about one step behind Ahn Baeho.

“Here, Baeho, you look that way and say your line.”

When director Song demonstrated, Ahn Baeho followed suit. As they were a pair that had worked together on multiple occasions, their chemistry was pretty good.

After the final rehearsal, director Song headed over to the monitor.

“Please take good care of me,” said Ahn Baeho with a smile.

The lights turned on and the camera on a rail came right in front of them. There was also a boom mic above their heads.

After the okay call from the recording engineer and the camera director, the man who was being scolded by the director stood in front of the camera with the slate.

“Scene 4-3, take 1.”

Along with a snap, the man left the camera angle. About two seconds later, director Song shouted action.

Ahn Baeho moved first. As director Song told them beforehand, Maru followed a step behind.

Ahn Baeho, who walked arrogantly, stopped in front of a gukbap restaurant.

“Let’s get some food.”

Youngjae followed up with his own line. Maru then followed him up so that the audio didn’t overlap.

“Cut, keep.”

“It’s a keeper,” the crew said in unison.

The actions were just like the rehearsal, but the director didn’t seem to like it and requested a reshoot. There weren’t any specific instructions either. They went back the way they came and stood in the starting position.

“Take 2.”

Slate, then action. They repeated the same act as before. If a minor actor stood out too much or did something wrong, the director would stop it immediately. The fact that there was no specific word about anything probably meant that he was dissatisfied with the lead actor or the background. There was also the possibility that he was getting multiple cuts just in case. It was a form of shooting unimaginable if they were still using film cameras.

Director Song came over. He walked with Ahn Baeho and gave him some additional instructions. He didn’t say anything to Maru or Youngjae.

“Take 3.”

The lead actor jerked his shoulders a little more than before. This time, the director seemed to have taken a liking to it as he said ‘okay’.

Ahn Baeho’s manager rushed over and put a jacket on him. Maru and Youngjae glanced at each other before leaving the place. They put on their jackets before waiting again.

“It reminds me of the old times. I first played a minor role in a film four years ago. I thought I didn’t have a single line and just had to walk around doing nothing like a background actor, but the director suddenly gave me a role that picks a fight with the main character,” Youngjae said as he crossed his arms.

“You must’ve been very nervous.”

“Don’t get me started. The joy only lasted an instant, and what waited for me was hell. Back then, we were still using film cameras, right? It was a time where we didn’t even use slates because it would waste a precious roll of film, but a minor actor caused seven NGs in a row, so the director was fuming. I got all sorts of insults back then, and it still makes me shiver to this day.”

“I heard that it shows up in your dream if that happens to you, right? Apparently, it’s as scary as going back to the military.”

“It’s on the same level. The director is cursing me, and the dozens of staff members frown at me. If I couldn’t collect myself back then, I would probably have quit already. I would definitely not do something hellish like that.”

“But you didn’t. Well done. If you stopped there, it would’ve been more iffy. It always keeps coming back later to haunt you, making you think that maybe you were running away, not quitting.”

Hearing that, Youngjae nodded in reminiscence and asked, “You know, your acting is one thing, but I think you have a way with your words too, Mr. Maru. But are you saying that from experience? It feels like that to me.”

“I don’t have enough of a career to experience something like that. It’s something I picked up from people around me. People told me various things because it gets boring quickly while waiting.”

“Well, I guess you can only chat if you want to stave off the boredom.”

The shoot continued for three hours in the same location. After shooting the scene where they entered the gukbap restaurant, they spent time waiting.

They looked at actor Ahn acting with a supporting actor. He was explaining something passionately after having gathered people. It was probably some groundwork for scamming.

“I wonder what the movie is about,” Youngjae said as he looked at the shoot.

“Me too. Looking at the attire, it’s not set in history.”

“I heard them mentioning illegal estate agents. Maybe it’s about real estate scams?”

“There was a movie about the stock market a while ago, so real estate sounds plausible.”

“Apparently, the main character succeeds in a real estate scam, so maybe the main character leads a comfy life.”

“Yeah. I wonder if it’ll end with him living in an apartment in Gangnam somewhere?”

“I wonder when we would be able to live in a place like that.”

“Shouldn’t it be possible in this life at least?”

“That’s quite an optimistic view you have there, Mr. Maru. I’ll see if I can do it in the next life. I sometimes look at the price tag even though I’ll never be able to buy one. I get about 150 thousand won for appearing in a drama for one episode, but the land over there is increasing by the tens of millions.”

“Then you just have to become an actor who receives hundreds of millions.”

“Do you think I can become one?”

“They say you should have big dreams. If even your dream is small, what fun do you have in living life? Even if you get teased for being delusional, don’t you think having a big dream is better than having a tiny one?”

The camera was being taken down and packed up. They were going to move locations.

Nam Joon approached them and said that they were going to appear in the next scene.

“Today’s a lucky day.”

They were doing two scenes in one day, and the waiting time was less than three hours.

They saw the camera equipment going into the building on the opposite side of the gukbap restaurant. That seemed to be the hideout of the scammers.

Maru and Youngjae followed Nam Joon. They had their makeup fixed before going into the office. A makeup artist exuding a frosty air gestured to them that the work was done with a nod.

“How long am I going to keep working on background people?”

He heard the makeup artist’s whisper. No, it felt like she was intending for him to listen.

Maru smiled at the makeup artist. She seemed to have some shame left as she looked away with an awkward expression.

“Background people, huh.”

Youngjae also smiled bitterly as though he heard it. Wherever it was, the bottom of the rung people received subpar treatment.

“I’m Baek Youngjae.”

“I’m Han Maru.”

They greeted the senior actors who came up to the office. Some responded in kind, while some just nodded.

In the office were four crooked metal desks. Director Song had him and Youngjae sit down at the desk in the corner.

Actor Ahn was placed in the middle of the camera, while the supporting actors were seated on either side.

“You push the whiteboard in, and you write with the board marker, okay?”

Maru remembered director Song’s instructions and returned to his seat. He also roughly measured how many steps he had to take. He felt like it would be better to walk at a constant pace.

There was no detailed explanation, so he just had to act without standing out.

“Oh, and you there, come here.”

Director Song pointed at Maru.

Maru joined the row of actors around the director. The director gave him a script.

“You gave me a good feeling during the audition. That’s why I’m going to give you a line. You can do it, right?”

There was only one possible response:

“I’ll do anything.”

“Good.”

Director Song stood in front of the whiteboard.

“Stand here for the time being.”