By Zephyria 
The kitchen of Lee Sol and Lee San’s house.
Director Jeong Joon-hee, Yoon Joo-ho, and Song Hyun-soo were in serious discussion, preparing for a rehearsal before filming.
“Father will be here, lying down about here.”
Director Jeong lay down on the floor himself to mark the position. He lay on his back, facing the ceiling, not on his stomach.
“Hyun-soo-ssi, you know from the script, but Kang-i didn’t attack from behind.”
The director suddenly stood up and mimicked Baek Kang attacking Lee Sol and Lee San’s father.
“He stabbed him in the abdomen, like this.”
“Yes…”
Song Hyun-soo nodded, glancing at Yoon Joo-ho, who stood opposite him.
While Song Hyun-soo was not filming, Yoon Joo-ho had already finished filming the scene where he murdered the siblings’ father. Today’s scene was the one immediately following that in terms of time, so Yoon Joo-ho was already in makeup, with blood splattered and smeared as in the final scene.
The previous day, the siblings had been severely beaten by their father again, and Lee San’s face was bruised and swollen from special effects makeup, as he had stood up to protect his older sister.
Even though he knew it was makeup, his heart pounded heavily and his vision blurred every time the sight of him covered in red liquid came into view. Perhaps it might even help him act in this scene…
“The person fell backward with a thud due to the recoil of pulling the knife out forcefully.”
After explaining the situation, Director Jeong then pointed towards the back door of the kitchen, addressing Song Hyun-soo.
“San-i will come in from over there, and Kang-i will be standing with his back to us like this.”
Yoon Joo-ho held the prop knife and adjusted his position.
Director Jeong stepped aside and said to Song Hyun-soo.
“Shall we try a light run-through?”
Lee San returned home from school and entered through the back kitchen door, touching his swollen cheek.
“Ah! Aish… That hurts. That old man, he hadn’t hit my face in a while…”
Then, he spotted Baek Kang’s back standing alone in his kitchen and his expression immediately brightened.
“Huh? Hyung!”
Baek Kang’s eyes flickered with unease as he recognized the voice.
His neck turned stiffly, like a machine long deprived of oil, creaking as it rotated.
Thud.
Lee San dropped his bag upon seeing Baek Kang’s hands, the knife gripped in them, and the abundant red blood pooling and dripping from it, along with the spatters on his face.
“H-Hyung… What is this? This is all blood!”
Lee San approached Baek Kang without hesitation.
He hadn’t yet discovered the victim, his father, lying on the floor. All he saw was Baek Kang, covered in the victim’s blood.
Lee San grabbed a kitchen towel and wiped Baek Kang’s face with trembling hands. His own face looked like he was about to burst into tears.
Baek Kang gripped Lee San’s shoulders tightly.
“Lee San, look at me. Listen carefully. You weren’t here.”
“There’s blood all over your hands right now… Whose blood is all this…”
Only then did Lee San’s thoughts expand. If Baek Kang was holding a knife and covered in blood, there must be someone somewhere who had been sprayed with it.
This time, Lee San’s neck turned with a creak.
And he discovered his father lying on the floor, bleeding out, the blood staining the wooden floor black.
“Dad… That’s, that’s our Dad…”
Lee San stepped back, avoiding the blood flowing to his feet.
“H-Hyung, did you do it? Did you do this?”
Baek Kang snatched the towel from Lee San’s hand. He then wiped the blood off Lee San’s hands cleanly and continued speaking in a cold, rapid voice.
“Lee San, you need to leave right now. Get a fishing rod from the storage shed, slip out the back way, and go to the beach. You got hit by that man last night and didn’t want to run into him, so you didn’t even come inside the house. You just took your fishing rod and went to the sea. Understand?”
“Hyung… Are you… going to jail?”
To reassure the sobbing Lee San, Baek Kang even managed a smile.
“When that man was drunk, he used to go fishing with me for hours. You remember where, right? Stay there, and I’ll be there soon.”
Lee San shook his head.
“Hyung… Come with me. Let’s run away together.”
“No. They’ll figure out it was me soon enough anyway.”
“Then, you’re going to jail? No, absolutely not!”
“Lee San!”
Baek Kang yelled, shaking Lee San’s shoulders, which were shaking his head frantically.
“Sani, look at me. It’ll be quick.”
The script called for Lee San to sob, but since this was a light rehearsal to check blocking and dialogue synchronization, neither of them was sticking strictly to the script. Even so, their emotions were already running high.
“I’ll go to jail and pay for my crimes. Then we can stay together. Without any worries. The three of us.”
Baek Kang ran a blood-soaked hand over his face.
“So please, just do as I say for now. Pack your bag, take the fishing rod, and go to the sea. You understand me, right? Huh, Lee San?”
With a face streaked with tears, Lee San nodded. He glanced down once more at his father, who was still bleeding, and then ran out of the kitchen.
“This is good! Let’s proceed with the main shoot like this?”
Director Jeong looked satisfied, but Song Hyun-soo approached him hesitantly, watching his expression. Although Director Jeong had told him he could voice his opinions freely anytime, it wasn’t easy for an unknown rookie, covered in fake blood, to speak up to the director.
“Director, um, for the main shoot.”
“Hmm.”
“Would it be alright if I slightly modified Sani’s lines?”
“In what way?”
“I was thinking, what if his obsession with Kang-i was emphasized more?”
“He’s already more scared of Kang-i going to jail than his own father being murdered. More than that?”
Director Jeong looked surprised. But Song Hyun-soo was confident.
“Somehow, I feel like Sani would be like that.”
Song Hyun-soo glanced at Yoon Joo-ho over Director Jeong’s shoulder. Yoon Joo-ho was also looking at Song Hyun-soo. Not hiding it. Not glancing. Straightforwardly and honestly.
“Well, there’s no reason why not. Try to let the emotions flow naturally. The audience can only immerse themselves if the actor understands the character.”
“Thank you, Director!”
Director Jeong patted Song Hyun-soo on the back as he bowed deeply, then glanced at his watch and surveyed the set, looking at the two actors alternately.
“Alright, let’s start shooting in 10 minutes.”
As soon as Director Jeong received a report from the assistant director and started walking towards the monitor room, Yoon Joo-ho cautiously spoke to him.
“Did you… not like my acting?”
“Huh? N-No! It’s not like that. It’s just that I wanted Sani to be more like Sani…”
Yesterday, the two of them had slept for five straight hours. Then they made kimchi pot rice and ate it all up together. Yoon Joo-ho, who had always been a picky eater, ate more than ever.
And then, they packed their bags together and drove down to Myung Hae-ri in Yoon Joo-ho’s new Escalade.
Just like then.
Like that time they drove through the deep night to Myung Hae-ri together for the first time.
They didn’t say much to each other. Neither about Yoon Joo-ho’s parents nor about future plans.
They were simply acutely aware of each other in the adjacent seat, so much so that their skin felt it. Like two people who had just started dating.
Yoon Joo-ho, who was driving himself instead of asking Director Bang or another manager, looked particularly nervous. When their hands brushed, he apologized excessively, and he constantly checked if the indoor temperature was too hot or cold, if the music volume was okay, or if it would be better to just turn the music off.
Undoubtedly, it was the behavior of a man trying to make a good impression on someone he liked. For now, that seemed to be enough.
Even after meeting at the shoot today, Yoon Joo-ho remained cautious. However, he didn’t try to hide that he was aware of Song Hyun-soo and wanted his attention.
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been standing by the sink, approached Song Hyun-soo, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Today… after the shoot…”
“Yes?”
Just then, Yoon Joo-ho’s manager rushed over with his phone in hand, looking urgent.
“Hyung, I need to discuss something about the schedule. Can we talk for a moment?”
“Uh… Sure, why not.”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been glancing at Song Hyun-soo with a look of regret, gnawed on his lip and left the set with his manager.
The sweet tension that had enveloped the surroundings seemed to melt away with his departure. They had already been lovers, had done everything and seen everything. Yet, this tension could arise again.
Hoo. Song Hyun-soo scratched behind his ear, feeling a strange ticklish sensation, and let out a long sigh. Then, he slipped out the back door to avoid getting in the way of the shooting preparations. In the small backyard designated as the smoking area, he lit a cigarette and pulled out his phone.
The number ‘7,000+’ for new notifications was displayed on the SNS app. Ever since Yoon Joo-ho followed him, his followers, comments, and likes had been updating tremendously every time he looked at his phone. This was actually a significant decrease compared to the beginning.
Ugh.
Shivering at the numbers, which he still couldn’t get used to and found even frightening, Song Hyun-soo opened the message app.
Scrolling down, Song Hyun-soo found the message window with Jeong Seong-won.