By Zephyria 
“Give the torches to the tall ones and have them lead the way.”
At the filming director’s command, the supervisor had Lee A-gon and Park Hae-jun hold torches. Even being next to the warm Lee A-gon couldn’t completely block the cold seeping through the folds of their clothes.
When holding the torch, a moan of relief escaped involuntarily. Warmth spread quickly through his hands. It felt like he would survive because of the heat.
“Lee A-gon, you must be warm too… Huh?”
Looking to the side, he saw Lee A-gon crying, tears falling steadily.
Park Hae-jun was so bewildered that he stared blankly for a while before asking, “Are you crying?”
Why on earth?
“Hyung, I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for this time?”
“I’m really sorry for making you suffer. Because I’m inadequate, you’re suffering in the cold.”
Lee A-gon pressed the sleeve of his garment against his eyes to wipe them. Wearing a topknot, white rubber shoes, and a white hanbok while crying, he looked pitifully beautiful.
“What if I don’t succeed? What if I just make our baby suffer after it’s born? What should I do?”
Well. That probably won’t happen. Since no baby will be born, after all.
Unable to say this, Park Hae-jun just listened silently.
“When the baby is born, it will cost a lot of money. Since m-milk might not come from your breasts, formula will be expensive too. What can I do when I’m such an incompetent breadwinner…”
Tears as large and lustrous as pearls from a broken necklace fell heavily. His shoulders heaved dramatically as he cried so sorrowfully.
What on earth is he?
Park Hae-jun thought to himself. He knows that milk doesn’t come from a man’s body, so why doesn’t he know that a man’s body can’t bear children?
“My, you look so young, but you’re already a father?”
Just then, an elderly woman who had been listening nearby spoke to Lee A-gon.
Lee A-gon replied dejectedly, “No, not yet. But soon.”
“A young bachelor with so many hardships. Are you out here earning money to buy tasty things for your wife?”
“Yesss…”
What do you mean ‘yesss’? Park Hae-jun crossed his arms.
“How sweet. He’s a good father.”
Another middle-aged woman joined the conversation. In an instant, people gathered around Lee A-gon, praising him and offering well-wishes to the young man who had become a father at such a young age.
“How old are you? Twenty? My goodness, a child having a child.”
“What about both sets of parents? Isn’t anyone helping you?”
“Be honest. You got into trouble, didn’t you?”
“What does it matter? If a man sows his seed, it’s only natural that he takes responsibility.”
Grandmothers, grandfathers, middle-aged women, middle-aged men.
Attention poured onto the young man who had come out to earn money at the age of twenty to become a father without help from either family. Listening to this, Park Hae-jun felt himself breaking into a cold sweat.
“So, what does your wife want to eat? During pregnancy, you should let her eat whatever she wants. That way, she won’t harbor any resentment.” The grandmother who had first spoken asked.
Then Lee A-gon lifted his head and looked for Park Hae-jun. When their eyes met, Park Hae-jun hastily tried to stop Lee A-gon, sensing what was about to happen.
“Hey, wait—”
“Hyung, what would you like to eat?”
But it was too late. Lee A-gon had already asked Park Hae-jun this question first.
Instantly, everything went quiet. Park Hae-jun froze too.
When no answer came, Lee A-gon tilted his head and asked again, “Hyung, isn’t there anything you want to eat?”
“Oh my, oh my.”
After a moment of tense silence, one of the middle-aged women burst out laughing and hit Lee A-gon’s arm.
“Young father, they told you to ask what your wife wants to eat, why are you looking at your brother?”
“You should be asking your pregnant wife what she wants to eat.”
“The young groom seems slow to understand.”
Giggles spread around. Lee A-gon tried to open his mouth with an expression suggesting he had much to say. Park Hae-jun urgently raised his hand.
Don’t! That’s not it. Please!
“We’re moving locations!”
Just then, a staff member with a walkie-talkie appeared and signaled for the men holding torches to follow.
Saved.
Park Hae-jun, feeling like he’d aged ten years, hurriedly followed the staff member. When Lee A-gon had turned to him and asked what he wanted to eat, he had truly felt a chill in his heart.
“Hyung, your face is pale. Are you okay?”
“You little—”
About to curse, Park Hae-jun bit his tongue and held back. Stay calm. He’s just innocent, that’s all. I just need to explain it to him. But if I tell him everything, he’ll lose his motivation to act, so I should tell him with a grain of salt.
“Lee A-gon, we don’t have a baby yet. Don’t go around saying such things to people.”
“We don’t know for sure if there is one or not yet.”
“There isn’t one yet. I’m certain.”
There isn’t one now, there won’t be one in the future, and there will never be one. That was for sure.
“Just in case.” Lee A-gon answered in a slightly dejected voice.
Park Hae-jun comforted the guy with a disapproving face, “If I feel even the slightest hint of it, I’ll tell you first.”
Only then did Lee A-gon’s face brighten again. He responded with a “yesss” and happily came to stand next to Park Hae-jun.
Sorry, but that day would never come.
It was Lee A-gon who was strange for believing that a man could get pregnant in the first place.
He felt a bit sorry for Lee A-gon who still hadn’t realized this. Park Hae-jun roughly ruffled Lee A-gon’s hair.
“It took more than an hour to choreograph the movement of about forty people to make them appear more numerous. Filming a little here, a little there, and after several takes, a long waiting period followed during which the extras huddled together to escape the cold and chat.
“Baby daddy, next time you come, do this.”
An extra with a bushy beard discreetly removed his sock. Inside was a sneaker. He had been wearing straw sandals over socks that concealed sneakers.
“If you get cast as a merchant or refugee, bring a bundle. Pack it full of food and hand warmers. It’ll be fine since it looks like a prop.”
The middle-aged woman who had laughed while patting Lee A-gon’s back opened her bundle. Inside were actual hand warmers and snacks.
“Is being an actor your dream, baby daddy?”
“You’ll need to earn a lot of money before the baby is born. This job doesn’t pay well for the time invested.”
“Is this your first time acting? How is it?”
Lee A-gon was at the center of the conversation. Shy and introverted, he answered awkwardly before eventually burying his face against Park Hae-jun’s back.
“My goodness, the baby daddy really depends on his big brother.”
“Earlier he asked his brother what he wanted to eat instead of asking his wife.”
Laughter spread again. Park Hae-jun changed the subject before the conversation could continue.
“He’s an actor. He even had leading roles as a child actor.”
“In what?”
“You probably won’t know it. It was an old drama called ‘Dawn’s First Light’…”
“‘Dawn’s First Light’? Really?”
Before Park Hae-jun could finish, the bushy-bearded man shouted loudly, “You were the lead child actor there? The one who goes to study in America and becomes successful?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The murmuring grew louder. Among the middle-aged and elderly who were the main audience of “Dawn’s First Light,” the drama was still talked about.
“Wow, our actor, let’s shake hands.”
“You acted so well in that drama.”
“What’s your name? Give me an autograph.”
As the commotion grew, the supervisor appeared. When he barked at them to be quiet because they were mixing with the audio, people explained.
“There’s a former child actor here. He was the lead in ‘Dawn’s First Light.'”
“You know ‘Dawn’s First Light,’ right supervisor?”
“That little child has grown up so much.”
Adults are particularly proud when they see children all grown up. As they each commented about Lee A-gon, the supervisor looked at him too.
“You used to be a child actor? Come here.”
The supervisor beckoned with his hand. Park Hae-jun jabbed Lee A-gon in the side when he didn’t move. Only then did Lee A-gon stand up reluctantly.
The supervisor looked Lee A-gon up and down and said, “We’ll use you for an image role, so go change clothes, get new makeup, and come back.”
An image role? Park Hae-jun jumped up, holding Lee A-gon’s hand.
The supervisor who had been giving instructions looked at Park Hae-jun and asked, “What? Why are you standing up?”
“I’m his manager.”
“Manager? His?”
Park Hae-jun nodded. The supervisor laughed.
“First time I’ve seen an extra with a manager. I don’t care if you follow, but I’m not giving you a role.”
“That’s fine.”
Park Hae-jun followed quickly behind the supervisor, holding Lee A-gon’s hand.
The topknot disappeared, and a traditional hat and overcoat were provided. He also received new makeup. Now Lee A-gon looked like a proper young nobleman.
“Do you know what an image bit part is?” Park Hae-jun asked Lee A-gon while the staff set up the filming equipment.
Lee A-gon nodded. “I know. It’s not a supporting role, but not just a bit part either.”
“Yes, you understand well.”
An image bit part referred to a role between supporting actor and bit player. They would be filmed in the same frame as the lead and supporting actors and had to act in scenes that moved the story forward, so not just anyone was assigned these roles. Usually, there was no dialogue, and they were asked to perform scenes that consumed emotional energy.
The directing they typically received went something like this: ‘I, facing the body of my son who died under suspicious circumstances, stroke my son’s face with trembling hands and wail. I don’t say a word, but just by looking at me, people can tell that I am uneducated and have suffered many injustices.’