By Zephyria Yoon Joo-ho, standing right beside him, turned to Song Hyun-soo. Song Hyun-soo looked up at him. Yoon Joo-ho raised his eyebrows with an expression that seemed to be holding back a laugh. He took a breath and said with an air of inevitability, speaking smoothly,
“If the director says it’s necessary, then we’ll do it.”
Yoon Joo-ho’s thumb, which had been massaging his neck, lightly brushed against his earlobe for a moment. Song Hyun-soo almost let out a scream.
No one on set paid any mind to a male actor massaging another male actor’s neck, let alone brushing his earlobe. Even if they had seen it, they wouldn’t have thought it meant anything. Yet, Song Hyun-soo felt his heart constrict, unable to even look at Yoon Joo-ho.
After pressing down on his neck a couple more times with force, his hand withdrew, and Song Hyun-soo instinctively shivered, feeling a sudden chill on his exposed neck. He hadn’t noticed the cold when the warmth was there, but it felt colder now that it was gone.
Director Jeong Joon-hee looked at the two men standing side-by-side with a serious expression.
“I’m not joking. For a closeness beyond that of brothers to naturally emanate on screen, acting alone won’t suffice. It needs to be real.”
As the director continued to express his concern, Yoon Joo-ho now put his arm around Song Hyun-soo’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Director. From now on, I’ll keep Hyun-soo-ssi by my side at all times.”
“Ah, yes! I’ll follow sunbae-nim around and get closer too.”
Though he didn’t know how much closer they could get, Song Hyun-soo had no choice but to shout enthusiastically along with Yoon Joo-ho.
“If you’re that worried, why don’t we share a room at the accommodation?”
The surrounding staff, taking Yoon Joo-ho’s words as a complete joke, burst into light laughter. Yoon Joo-ho himself, however, looked as if he didn’t know why they were laughing.
“What about me, Director? Why aren’t you telling me and Yoon sunbae to get closer? We’re supposed to be lovers.”
Shin Hyo-jin asked with a puzzled expression.
“Male and female actors tend to start dating quickly.”
“Then isn’t that even better for playing lovers?”
“Are relationships between men and women always good? On days they fight, it’s obvious on screen, which interferes with filming. And if they happen to break up during filming, that’s a disaster of epic proportions.”
Director Jeong Joon-hee shook his head firmly, as if he had learned from hard experience, and added,
“Besides, a bit of distance between Sol-i and Kang-i makes their affection more poignant. Even in flashback scenes where they were close, there’s a sense of them being careful and cherishing each other.”
Shin Hyo-jin nodded, as if she understood.
“Alright, before the first cut, let’s take a commemorative photo.”
At the assistant director’s words, holding a large DSLR camera, the actors all took off their jumpers and handed them to their managers. Then, they gathered in front of the dining table and lined up.
“Director, aren’t you taking one with us?”
To the assistant director’s question, Director Jeong Joon-hee quietly shook his head.
“I’m good. Just take one of those three.”
Lee Sol and Lee San stood close together, and Baek Kang held his fingers up behind Lee San’s head to form a V. Director Jeong Joon-hee, standing behind the assistant director holding the camera, watched them on screen with a smile.
“It’s not a photo of the actors, it’s Sol-i, Sani, and Kang-i.”
The director turned his gaze from the camera’s LCD screen to the three people in front of him.
“The actors seem ready. Shall we do a rehearsal then?”
The waiting makeup team quickly approached and made swift adjustments. Since it was a recorded rehearsal, everything was done as if it were the actual shoot.
“We’ll be using the blackmagic, but it’s just a rehearsal, so don’t be nervous. If you stumble over lines, we’ll just keep going until the end of the scene.”
At Director Jeong’s words, all the staff retreated behind the cameras. The heaters that had been warming the space were all turned off.
Hoo.
Song Hyun-soo lightly shook his wrists and took a deep breath. His eyes met Yoon Joo-ho’s. He knew Yoon Joo-ho had been looking his way, which was why their eyes met. To reassure the worried-looking Yoon Joo-ho, Song Hyun-soo flashed a wide smile.
The actors took their seats. As soon as they saw each other’s faces sitting at the dining table, they inexplicably started smiling. It wasn’t a smile to break the ice. It was a joyful smile that naturally emerged from looking at the faces of precious people they were reunited with after a long time. The fact that Yoon Joo-ho and Shin Hyo-jin had become Baek Kang and Lee Sol, respectively, felt palpable. Song Hyun-soo’s arm lightly goosebumped under his sweater. At that moment, he felt a premonition that the filming would go well.
Like Sani, Song Hyun-soo settled into a relaxed, loose posture. He leaned back against the chair, propped his feet up on the seat, and bent his knees.
“Everyone, please be quiet now. We’ll prepare.”
At the assistant director’s call, the set fell silent.
The black mirror began recording.
“Rolling.”
“Speed.”
The sound team, confirming that the camera had started shooting, announced that the microphones were also active.
“Scene number 77, cut 1, take 1.”
The youngest member of the production staff stepped forward, clapped the slate, and retreated. All preparations were complete.
“Two, three. Action.”
With Director Jeong Joon-hee’s calm call, Song Hyun-soo picked up a beer can and delivered his first line.
“Ah, right, that! Do you remember that?”
“What are you going to talk about this time?”
Baek Kang lightly chided Lee San at his excited fuss. A fond smile, like one looking at something beloved, overflowed on Baek Kang’s face as he looked at Lee San.
“When you and noona tried to go to Seoul without me!”
“That was years ago, why are you still talking about it?”
“I’m still hurt when I think about it?”
“Anyone who heard would think we ran away to Seoul just the two of us.”
“It was practically running away! You were planning to play for three nights and four days.”
Lee San, pouting as he spoke about something from over ten years ago as if it were yesterday.
“Sigh, and in the end, we went all the way to the train station and came back to pick you up.”
Baek Kang lightly pinched Lee San’s lips, and Lee Sol watched the two of them.
As if the eight-year gap didn’t exist, the three of them seemed, at first glance, perfectly harmonious.
The warm, orange light from the dining table illuminated everyone’s faces, and smiles never left their lips. However, if one looked closely, they could discern that this harmony was, in fact, largely a show put on by Lee San alone.
“Still, I can’t forgive you. How could you even think of abandoning me?”
“Sometimes, we just want to go on a date by ourselves. Sani, you were just too oblivious. Right, Sol-i?”
Baek Kang’s gaze, which was so casual when looking at Lee San, became cautious when directed at Lee Sol.
“Uh… uh?”
Lee Sol, who had been fiddling with her beer can and sitting blankly, asked back with an awkward smile.
“I mean Sani. He always followed us around too much. Whether we went to the movies or sat in the back of the bus, he always had to be in the middle. He couldn’t stand seeing you and me sit next to each other.”
Leaning his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his hand, Baek Kang lightly placed his hand on Lee San’s head and ruffled his hair. Just as ‘Yoon Joo-ho’ had done to ‘Song Hyun-soo.’ It was an unscripted action.
“Look, even now. He’s sitting next to me.”
Lee Sol, sitting opposite, smiled faintly and looked at her brother.
“Sani was a bit like that. But he was cute.”
“Well, he was cute.”
As Baek Kang readily admitted, even while sighing, Lee San puffed out his chin and acted arrogant.
“I was famous in Myeonghaeri for being cute since I was a baby.”
“That’s right. You were cute, like a puppy yipping and following us around.”
Seeing Lee San pounce on him at the mention of ‘puppy,’ Baek Kang burst into laughter again.
Baek Kang, who had returned to Myeonghaeri after 8 years.
After 8 years, the dining table, which had only held two people, now faced three.
Everything had safely returned to how it was. No, it had become even more perfect now that their devil of a father was gone. — That evening, the happiness close to perfection that Lee San must have felt overflowed within Song Hyun-soo as well.
Like Lee San, who wanted to be happy forever in Myeonghaeri with Baek Kang and Lee Sol, Song Hyun-soo wished for the experience of acting and breathing with Yoon Joo-ho to continue.
After finishing their acting for the scene, the three remained seated, waiting for the director’s signal. Director Jeong Joon-hee, who had been watching the monitor intently, said in a quiet voice,
“Keep all the cuts as they are.”
The three at the dining table looked at each other and smiled as if by agreement. Yoon Joo-ho let out a sigh and placed his hand on Song Hyun-soo’s head. No longer as Baek Kang, but as Yoon Joo-ho. Without even realizing it, the tension had completely vanished.
■■■
Blackmagic: Blackmagic Video Assist. A camera used on film sets primarily for monitoring and reference recording, not the main camera. In some cases, it can be used for the final edit and appear in the film.
In Korean film sets, simple rehearsals are usually conducted without cameras, but sometimes recorded rehearsals are performed.