Chapter 95: What Are You Two Doing Here?
TL: Aniea
“...Wowww.”
"...Are we really going to do it here?"
“...Kim Eun-ha CEO-nim definitely thinks big.”
Everyone who entered the theater let out exclamations of admiration. Kim Eun-ha had clearly said it was a “small theater,” but-
The stage at the front was large enough to host a concert. The audience seating extended up to the second floor, and even at a glance, the capacity easily seemed to exceed a thousand people.
“Is that where the choir will sit?”
“Seems like it.”
Tiered platforms were placed on both sides of the stage. In front of them stood a massive grand piano.
Anyone could see it was a space meant for a choir. Kim Kaelin was the first to step forward.
She scanned the stage from one end to the other and even pressed the keys of the piano to check the tuning.
“Hmm. It’s excellent.”
Kim Kaelin then lifted the corners of her lips in satisfaction. The stage setup was flawless enough to satisfy even her discerning eyes.
“My gosh. The back of the stage is a full screen? Was that originally installed?”
“I don’t think so. I searched the venue after asking CEO-nim about it last time, and in the photo I saw, it was just a plain wall.”
“...Then this was all newly installed?”
“...Most likely.”
Director Kang In-ho and writer Jung Ha-rin also chimed in while looking around the stage.
Not just the screen, but also the lighting and speakers installed on stage, just the auxiliary equipment alone would easily break into the hundreds of millions of won.
“Hundreds of millions!?”
“That’s a conservative estimate. Even the cost of a basic stage wall panel screen this size could easily have another zero added to it.”
“.......”
Everyone fell silent at Oh Dong-gyu’s comment, he was known for his interest in equipment. Just how much money had been poured into this one performance venue?
“...Didn’t we start this as a small event for kids becoming independent from the orphanage?”
“That went out the window the moment the broadcasting company got involved. Sure, the scale has gotten way bigger than we first imagined.”
“Judging by the state of the stage, this doesn’t look like a simple rental. Looks like they bought it outright. I think CEO-nim plans to use this stage long-term.”
“This stage?”
“Yes.”
Oh Dong-gyu, who had interjected, nodded with a calm expression. His eyes, scanning the various stage equipment, were filled with certainty.
“With remodeling on this scale, even for CEO-nim, this goes beyond a hobby. I think it’s an investment with long-term vision in mind.”
“Hmmm. True. Sometimes the tail ends up wagging the dog. Come to think of it, didn’t she recently acquire an entertainment agency too? Don’t tell me...?”
A realization seemed to dawn on Kang In-ho, and his eyes widened. Oh Dong-gyu nodded again and added an explanation.
“It’s exactly what you’re thinking. I believe she’s planning to run her own theater troupe and foster affiliated actors, while also introducing 2.5D theater to Korea.”
“Is that even possible? Unlike Japan, we don’t have a market where subculture is mainstream. Even secondary creations aren’t properly taking root yet.”
“Maybe she’s just looking ahead? The web novel and webtoon markets are steadily growing, and recently they’re even getting animated. It may be a little early, but it’s definitely worth investing in.”
Hmmm-
After hearing Oh Dong-gyu’s words, Director Kang In-ho let out a thoughtful hum. He looked around the stage with a new perspective, then scratched his head.
“...This is a heavy burden.”
“...It really is. In a way, we’re the ones introducing this performance venue for the first time to the public. If we mess this up, we won’t be able to handle the fallout.”
“I wasn’t planning to take it easy from the start, but since we’ve received so much from CEO-nim, we’ve got to make this a success no matter what.”
Mmm-
As the conversation continued, a sense of tension spread across the production crew’s faces. Soon, they began voicing their opinions while raising their cameras.
“Alright, let’s try to capture the energy of the venue as much as possible for the viewers! Writer Jung, if you’re not busy, help us out.”
“Don’t need to ask me twice. Just leave it to me!”
Rolling up her sleeves and striking an exaggerated pose was Jung Ha-rin. In response, Kang In-ho smiled lightly and continued with his instructions.
“Starting today, we'll be syncing together as part of the full rehearsal, so Dong-gyu, you join our side too and help steer the direction.”
“Got it.”
“Okay. Then everyone, set up the cameras and mics! The main performance is important, sure, but the documentary gets most of its footage from the practice scenes, so don’t miss a single one!”
“Yes!”
The production team responded energetically. Following Director Kang In-ho’s orders, they moved in perfect unison and completed the setup of the broadcast equipment.
“Where did Woo-ju go?”
“He’s probably behind the stage checking the background footage. He’ll likely have to reorganize the entire stage movement. Must be busy.”
“...Honestly, I don’t think it’s possible to complete all this in the time we have left. But somehow, I feel like that guy will pull it off.”
“Besides, this time Jun-woo is with him too.”
“Well, let’s trust them and leave it to them.”
What kind of performance would they show this time? A smile mixed with anticipation appeared on the faces of the production crew, including Kang In-ho.
***
“...It’s more complex than I thought.”
That was my first impression after checking the screen video. Since it was my first time syncing with screen footage, the images didn’t come vividly to mind.
Standing behind me watching the video together, Seo Jun-woo nodded with a serious expression.
“Same here. The screen is bigger than I expected, so we’ll probably have to widen the stage movements overall. Especially the scene where you and CEO-nim meet, Woo-ju, it’ll have to be revised.”
“Yeah. If it were just a simple background, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but this is already a tightly packed battle scene, and adding the video layer raises the difficulty exponentially.”
“I’m already at my limit.”
Seo Jun-woo raised both hands in the air, signaling surrender. The battle scene was notoriously difficult from the start.
‘...Only Seo Jun-woo could have kept up this far.’
Now they’re asking him to factor in the screen video, too? Even Seo Jun-woo couldn’t realistically handle that. I felt much the same.
“There’s no time to sync the actors’ performances to the video now. It’d be quicker to find a specialist who can play the video in real time to match the actors’ movements.”
“We’ll need the production team’s help for that. Ideally, the assistant director could handle it personally. I’ll talk to them.”
“In the meantime, I’ll rehearse with the kids. Maybe I’ll get a feel for it by practicing.”
“Leaving that to you.”
“Got it.”
Seo Jun-woo waved his hand in the air as he walked onto the stage. Despite how he seemed, the kids followed him surprisingly well, so it should be fine.
‘...Cheol-su and Han-na shouldn’t have much trouble either. As for the choir, as long as we adjust their positions and sync the timing of the video, it’ll work out. The real problem is our part.’
It was inevitable since Kim Eun-ha and I were in charge of most of the lead parts.
In times like this, practice was the best solution, but Kim Eun-ha was already pushing herself hard. I couldn’t burden her any further.
‘Let’s minimize the changes as much as possible.’
It would be better to edit the video instead. The lightsaber battle is flashy enough as it is, so even if we cut some CG, it wouldn’t be an issue.
Swish, swish-
Alternating between the directing storyboard and the video, I boldly marked unnecessary parts with an X.
‘Hmm. This part’s a bit ambiguous.’
Should I include it,
or cut it?
There were many parts I was unsure about.
Even when I swung my hand blade in the air for image training, I couldn't quite visualize it.
I didn’t want to put more pressure on Kim Eun-ha, but in cases like this, the only answer was to try it directly. The problem was, there were more scenes like this than expected.
"Phew.... At times like this, I wish there were two Kim Eun-has."
“You seem to be having a hard time?”
Startled by the sudden voice from behind, I turned my head, and there stood Kang Han-na in my field of vision.
Wearing a relaxed smile, unlike her usual self.
She was in her “Kim Eun-ha mode.”
“Practice?”
“Just finished. There’s not much I need to change even with the screen footage added. Oh, Cheol-su and the others are still practicing though.”
“Han-na, you’re amazing as always.”
“You flatter me.”
Hehe-
Kang Han-na, who had raised the corners of her lips with feigned confidence, suddenly leaned her head next to mine. She skimmed through the storyboard and video and then spoke.
“Are you adjusting the stage movement for the princess role?”
“Yeah. But it’s not as easy as I thought.”
“Want me to help?”
“Huh?”
When I looked at her, asking what she meant, Kang Han-na raised the corners of her mouth even more and lightly tapped her temple.
“I’ve memorized everything for now.”
“...You memorized all of it?”
“Yes. Of course, I can’t float around in the air like Eun-ha unnie does, but I think I can cover the other parts.”
“Hmm.”
I crossed my arms and paused for a moment in thought. Indeed. If it’s her, who can act as Kim Eun-ha to a frightening degree, then it might be possible.
Of course, imitating Kim Eun-ha and acting as “the princess played by Kim Eun-ha” are distinctly different things, but that’s something I’ll have to accept.
“Well then, shall I ask you for a favor?”
“Yes!”
Kang Han-na answered energetically.
She was a completely different person compared to how she was during the first audition, and it made me smile without realizing it. Shaking my head lightly, I got up from my seat.
.
.
.
The rehearsal went smoothly.
Kang Han-na gave a much better performance than I had anticipated. She was able to perfectly substitute for Kim Eun-ha in nearly every scene except the battle scenes.
Thanks to that, I got a clear idea of where and how things needed to be revised, and more than anything, Kang Han-na’s own suggestions were incredibly helpful.
“Oppa. I think we should speed up the video playback by about two seconds for this part. If we consider Eun-ha unnie’s average stride length of about 73 cm, isn’t it just a bit slow?”
“...Isn’t that too much detail?”
“Want me to tell you more?”
“Huh?”
Smirk-
Kang Han-na leaned forward with a mischievous smile at her lips. Her tone and movements mirrored Kim Eun-ha’s so closely it was uncanny.
“For example, I could tell you unnie’s favorite food, or the stuff she really dislikes. Even some of her more secret preferences... Ow!”
Kang Han-na rubbed her forehead as she stepped back, having been flicked on the head by me. She pouted her lips forward in protest.
“Cut it out. You’re not some possessed medium. If CEO-nim finds out you’re messing around like that, you might end up buried alive with no one ever knowing.”
“I know.”
“......?”
When I turned my head, I saw a slightly stiffened expression on her face. It wasn’t her acting as someone else, it was Kang Han-na’s own expression.
I see.
She knows that much.
It’s an astonishing talent, but... if she can immerse herself in another person to this level, then maybe, for her, it’s more of a curse than a gift.
Still, bringing it up would just make things uncomfortable for both of us. So I turned my head toward the monitor screen and continued speaking.
“That’s why you need to always be careful with what you say. You know better than anyone what kind of person Eun-ha is, right? In life, there are times when you have to pretend not to know even when you do.”
“You really are thoughtful.”
“I’d say this is pretty ordinary, though.”
“...Now I get why unnie likes you, oppa.”
“Hm? What was that?”
Kang Han-na had muttered it so quietly that I couldn’t catch the last part.
When I turned back with a silent question, she just shook her head with a soft smile on her face.
“Oppa, more importantly, aren’t we going to rehearse our next scene?”
“Oh. We don’t need to do that one.”
“Eh- but that’s the highlight of our play!”
“...Since when?”
“Since the beginning, of course! The scene where the princess and prince kiss is a long-standing tradition in fairy tales. Honestly, the whole play is basically a build-up to that kiss... Eek!”
In the middle of her speech, Kang Han-na suddenly let out a scream and stumbled backward. Her pupils were trembling.
At the same time, I felt a chill behind me. The classic cliche from horror movies. You must never turn around.
“What are you two doing here?”
But as if to mock my resolve, Kim Eun-ha’s icy voice rang out, instantly freezing the air in the room.
*****
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