Chapter 508
***
Whatneededtobefilmednowwasthescenewheretheybecametrappedinsideatinyutilityroomwithinthewarehouse.fcourse,becausetheshoothadtobesetupfromvariousangles,theactualspacewasmuchlargerthanwhatappearedonscreen.
satbetweenthemetalshelvesoneithersideofmeandcheckedtheangles.
“Yeoreum,movealittlefartherforward.”
“ere?”
“Wouldn’titbebetterifyouleanedbackjustalittle?fyousitlikethis,thefloor’shardandyourback’sgonnahurt....”
Seoden,sittingbehindme,spokequietly.thoughtforamomentbeforeshakingmyhead.
“fyousuddenlygottrappedinadarkplacewiththeguyyousecretlylike,howcouldyoucomfortablyleanagainsthim?’lljustkeepmybackstiff.”
hatwasthekindofpostureyou’donlyseeafterdatingforatleastthreemonths.DirectorByeonJuhwanoddedatmywords.
“AndYeoreum,tiltyourheadback.”
Moodwasthemostimportantthinginakissscene.
fbothpeoplewerestiff,viewerswouldlaugh.fitcrossedthelinetoomuch,they’dchangethechannel.
Sincewewerebeingcalledakiddiecouple,ithadtofeelappropriatelyawkwardandcute.hiswasascenemeanttoshowthatyouthful,ticklishexcitementpeoplehadforgotten.
“But...thehands...whatdowedowiththehands?”
Seodenasked.
amPyeonghwaslightlyturnedaroundtomeetJeonSegye’seyes,thentheirlipsgraduallydrewcloser.heflowwasnatural,butthepositioningwasdifficult.
Bothofushadtokisswhilesittingdown,andbecauseitwasawarehouse,therewasn’tmuchscenerywecouldpullintotheshot.
ntheend,allthatwouldreallybevisiblewasSeoden’sfaceandmine,ourbacks,sideprofiles,andmaybeourhands.
Becausetherewasnothingelsearoundus,theimmersiondoubledinstead.heaudience’sattentionwouldfocusentirelyonthetwoofus.
“Shouldwejustgowithsomethingsimple?thinkcoveringbothcheekswouldlookbest.”
“henwhataboutyou,Yeoreum?”
“’llholdontothecoat.ikethis.”
SinceitwasamPyeonghwa’sfirstkiss,thoughtitwouldbebettertokeepgrippingSeoden’scoat—theoneweweresharinglikeablanket—toproperlyshowhernervousness.
“ryputtingyourhandupfirst,den-ah.”
AtDirectorByeon’swords,Seodenquicklyrubbedhishandstogether.
“Whatareyoudoing?”
“’mworriedmypalmsmightbecold.oldon.”
Aftermassagingeventhetipsofhisfingersandblowingwarmbreathontothem,Seodenfinallyheldmycheeks.
“fusebothhands,yourfacegetscoveredtoomuchbymyleftarm.”
“Shouldonehandsupportthebackofmyneckinstead?Butmyfaceabsolutelycannotgetcovered.”
“Calmdown,Yeoreum.Butthenit’lllooktooexperienced.”
ogetherwithDirectorByeon,grabbedSeoden’sleftarmandadjusteditbackandforth.
BackwhenfilmedthekissscenewithMyeongJeha,myshyandadorablesideprofilegothiddenbehindhisbacksomuchthatitbarelyshowed.
’ddonesomuchmethodactingtoo.ButeveryoneonlyadmiredhowexperiencedMyeongJehalooked,andgotovershadowed.
‘hatcan’thappenagain.’
adjustedtheangleofSeoden’sarm.tmust’velookeddecentbecauseDirectorByeonnodded.
“Keepyoureyesonherlikethat,andloweryourhead,den-ah.”
“-likethis?”
“ower.More.”
“-tohere?”
Maybebecauseitwashisfirstkissscene,Seodenwasmorenervousthaneverbefore.
Whenwetoldhimtolowerhishead,heraisedhisshouldersinstead,creatingtheillusionthathe’dloweredit.
“Absolutelynot!”
firmlypresseddownonSeoden’sshoulders.
“fyoudothis,thekissscenewon’tlookprettyatall.Myfacegetshiddentoo!”
“Sorry....”
“Youhavetopullyourshoulderbladesbackslightlylikethisforittolooknice.”
hiswasmysecondpublickissscene.fthisturnedintocomparisonmemeswithShimJuhwan’smusicvideo,it’dallbeover.
“Seethis?fyourneckstiffensup,thecameracatchesallofit.Youneedtomovenaturally.ikeYeoreumsaid,pullyourshoulderbladesback.”
DirectorByeonputthefootagewe’djustfilmedtemporarilyuponthemonitor.JudgingbyhowredSeoden’searswere,immersionitselfwasfine.Buttheangleswereadisaster....
“Mr.MyeongJehasaiditwashisfirstkissscenetoo,buthewasreally,reallygood....”
Seodenmutteredinconfusion.
Apparentlyhe’dsecretlybeenthinkingofMyeongJehaashiskiss-scenerival.
‘otatall.’
e’dcompletelyfallenforMyeongJehaactinginnocentinthebehind-the-scenescamandpretendingitwashisfirsttime.
‘hatmanisthemostveteranveteranthereis.’
Butcouldn’texactlysaythatoutloud....
“den-ah.Don’tworry.”
“Director....”
“You’renotonlylosinginkissscenes.WhyareyouevencomparingyourselftoMyeongJeha?”
DirectorByeon’scoldlyaccuratewordsmadeSeodenlowerhishead.
“Justassumewe’rethrowingawayafewscenesatfirstandrelax.Sometimesitgetsbetteroncetheatmosphereloosensup.”
“...uh?”
Seodenjoltedinshock.couldfeelhisentirebodytremblingbehindmelikethere’dbeenanearthquake.
“Youjustkeepkissinguntilwegetanokay.”
***
helightingdirectorcheckedthelights.
“owerthebrightnessalittle.”
hebaselightingneededtocreateacoldsenseofisolation.
Beyondthewarehouse,heavyrainpoureddownviolently,andinsidethecold,freezingwarehouse,thetwocharacterswereexposingtheirwoundstoeachother.Morethanever,thesceneneededtofeelchilly.
Afilterwasaddedtothelightingangledatforty-fivedegrees,creatingadarkeratmosphere.Shadowsstretchedlongbesidethetwoseatedfigures.
Akeylightwasaddedneartheirkneesastheyfacedeachother.
hesoftlightingrisingdiagonallyupwardmadetheirfaceslookgentleandclear.
“Alright,ready—.”
herewasstillacertaindistancebetweenthetwotrappedinsidethedarkenclosedroom.tfeltasthoughaninvisiblelinestillfaintlyexistedbetweenthem.
Butifeitheronegatheredjustalittlecourage—
twasthekindoflinethatcouldbecrossedinstantly.
“Action.”
WrappedtogetherbeneathJeonSegye’scoat,amPyeonghwabecameworriedwhensheheardhimcoughingsoftly.heutilityroomwastoocrampedforthetwoofthemtoevensitsidebyside.
heyhadnochoicebuttositbecausetheycouldn’tstandaroundwaitingforhelpforever,buteventhen,aslightdistancestillremainedbetweenthem.
“Representative.et’ssharethistogether.”
“t’sfine.”
“Butifyoucatchacold....”
“don’tcatchcolds—ah-C!”
“....”
AtJeonSegye’ssneeze,amPyeonghwasilentlymovedcloserbyaboutahandspan.
osharethelargecoatthatfeltalmostlikeablanket,shehadtopresscloseenoughthatitfeltasifshewereinhisarms.
hump.hump.hump.
herewasnoaddedsoundeffectonset.Butsomehow,everyonefeltliketheycouldheartheheartbeatofthetwocharacters.
“Feelsalittlebetternow,right?”
AtamPyeonghwa’swords,JeonSegyefrozeandcouldn’tanswer.
hankfully,he’dleftthewatchhealwaysworechargingonhisdesk.isheartbeatwasatthelevelwheresomeonemight’vecalled119.
“....”
“....”
hetwosatsilentlyforamoment.
nefocusedonthescentofperfumecomingfromthemanbehindher.heotherstaredatthesmallshouldersofthewomaninfrontofhim.
amPyeonghwaspokefirst.
“Whenwaslittle,reallyhatedrainydays.”
Afterquietlylisteningtotherain,shesuddenlyspokeasthoughrememberingsomething.
“Why?”
“Myparentsdiedearly,somygrandmotherraisedme.Sinceshehadtoworktomakemoney,endedupdoingallthehousework.”
amPyeonghwasmiledfaintly,asthoughembarrassed.
“Doyouknowhowclothesneverdryproperlyduringmonsoonseasonifthehousedoesn’tventilatewell?”
“....”
“Myschoolwasfarfromhome,somyclotheswouldgetsoakedonthewaythereandback...buttheclothesathomewouldn’tdryeither.hadnochoicebuttoweardampclothes,andthekidsittingnexttomemovedtheirdeskaway.”
amPyeonghwaquietlyrevisitedthepast.
“thinkthat’swhenitstarted.maginingtheclotheswantedtowear.hinkingaboutsoft,fluffytexturesmademefeelalittlelessmiserable.”
“....”
“Maybethat’swhyendedupgettingajobinDongdaemun.Becausethereweresomanyclothesthere.Withoutevenrealizingit.”
JeonSegyequietlylistenedtoherwords.
“Cometothinkofit,’mreallywearingthosekindsofclothesnow.hekindsusedtoonlyimagineinmyhead.”
AftersilentlylisteningtoamPyeonghwa’svoice,JeonSegyealsospoke.
“haterainydaystoo.”
“Why,Representative?”
“trainedthedaywasborn.”
isvoicecarriedasighunlikebefore.heendofhisloweredvoicecrackedslightly.
“Myfatherwenttoherinstead.egotacallsayingmysecondolderbrotherwassick.heysaidmymothersufferedthroughadifficultlaborthatday.wentyhoursofcontractions.Alone.”
twasaconfessionfilledwithpain.isroughvoicesoundedasthoughhewerediggingintoawoundthatstillhadn’thealed.
“Afterthat,itrainedeverysingleyearonmybirthdaytoo.Withoutfail.Wheneverthatdaycame,mymotherwouldgohalfinsaneandcryeveryday.Maybethat’swhy...whenhearrain,itsoundsmixedtogetherwithcrying.”
JeonSegyequietlycontinued.
“Youknow&usedtobecalledSeongunroupbeforetheychangedthename,right?”
“Yeah....”
“SomyoriginalnamewasalmostgoingtobeUju.BecausetheywantedmetoembraceSeongun.thinkmymotherstilllivesinthosedays.nmybirthdayshecriesandsays,‘Uju-ah,whatshouldwedo?Yourfatherwillstillloveyou.t’lldefinitelyhappen....’Shekeepsforgettingmycurrentname.guessifcan’tembraceSeongun,’mcompletelyuseless.”
Severaltimes,JeonSegyecouldn’tcontinuespeakingproperly.
“hisyear’sreallyadisaster.otinheritingthegroupandnotbeingloved...nownotonlymymotherbuttheentireworldknowsit.”
JeonSegyelaughedwhilesayinghisownnamelikeajoke.
amPyeonghwacouldn’tseehisfacebecausehewasturnedaway,butshecouldtellhewastryingtopretendhewasfine.
“gotcaughtbeingpathetic.”
AtJeonSegye’swords,amPyeonghwaturnedaround.
Asherupperbodytwisted,JeonSegye’schest—previouslynottouchingher—brushedagainstthethinfabricofherblouse.
heirbodytemperaturesgraduallybecamealike.
“You’renotpathetic,Representative.”
“Whatpartofmeisn’t?”
“Attheveryleast,youremployeesandbelieveinyou.Andyou’reagoodpersontoo....”
amPyeonghwa’stransparent,cleareyeslookeddirectlyatJeonSegye.
helightingdirectorstaredatanYeoreum’sfaceandthoughtaboutthedifferencebetweenfilmandtelevision.
herewasauniquecolorpalettedramascouldneverfullyreplicatenomatterhowhardtheytried.oamountofpost-processingcouldrecreatethedepthcreatedonset.
Filmsoftenshotonlytwoorthreescenesaday.helightingteamspenthoursadjustingeverythingaccordingtotheangleofthesunandevencarefullyshapingtheshadowsonactors’faces.
hedarkshadowsuniquetofilmsdeepenedimmersion.
alfofafacesinkingintoshadow.Backlightingheighteningtheaudience’stension.
Andindramas,theactor’sfaceitselfwastheproduct.Aboveallelse,theactorhadtolookgoodfromeveryangle.
ButanYeoreum—
“You’renotsomeoneunlovedeither.”
amPyeonghwastaredatJeonSegyewithunwaveringeyesthatneveroncebrokefocus.
Andsomehow,shecrossedtheboundarybetweendramaandfilm,changingtheairitself.tfeltasthoughallthelightinthespacehadgatheredinsidehereyesandbegunsparkling.
venthoughtheangleswerenolongerthesameaswhenthelightshadfirstbeeninstalled.venthoughthecamerapositionchangedagainandagainwhileanYeoreumandthelightingstayedwheretheywere.
hatoverwhelmingimmersionuniquetofacingamassivecinemascreen.
Actingthatmadeviewersfeelnotasthoughtheyweremerelywatchingthecharacters,butunderstandingthem.
hatwaswhatanYeoreumwasdoingrightnow.
“....”
Slowly,thetwopressedtheirlipstogether.
Accordingtotheflowofthescript,everyoneshouldhavefeltaflutteringexcitementfromtheemotionalkissscene.
ButanYeoreum’seyes,hervoice,amPyeonghwa’sentireexpressionasshelookedatJeonSegye—
Madetheviewersfeeltendernessinstead.
ikeamovie.
ikeascenefromamasterpiecediscussedendlesslyforgenerations.
***
“kay!”
AtDirectorByeon’ssignal,slowlypulledmylipsaway.
Cometothinkofit,Seoden’slefthand—whichwasoriginallysupposedtostayrestingonhisthigh—hadendedupcoveringthebackofmyhand.
‘...Uh....’
lookedupatthesparklinglightaboveSeoden’shead.
<BeyondtheFrame>D+
Seodenhadgrownstronger.
iseyeslookedasthoughhewerefinallyabouttotrulybecomeJeonSegyefromnowon.