By Zephyria 
“Jung-on.”
Lee A-gon opened his mouth.
“The problem isn’t me, it’s you. It’s your heart that can’t trust me. You always say you can’t trust me. You’re anxious that I might love you because of your ability. No matter how much I say I love you, you don’t believe it. Don’t you understand? You created your own hell.”
“What do you know!”
Seo Ji-hoon shouted.
“Do you know the despair I felt when I realized that even my parents wouldn’t love me unless I used my ability? And what about when I realized that the only friend I believed understood me was also by my side because of my ability!”
“……”
“When I took away my ability, they looked at me with unfamiliar eyes. They never showed me the same love as before. Do you know how hurtful that is?”
“That’s normal. No one in the world can give you the kind of love you want. No matter how much you love someone, you sometimes hate them and sometimes dislike them. You’re demanding the impossible.”
“Forget it. I can’t talk to you.”
Jung-on turned his back and walked away. When Myung-eum grabbed Jung-on, the two struggled. Three cameras followed the movements of the characters.
“You want to break up with me that much?”
“Yes, I want to break up.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because none of your words are reaching me right now.”
Myung-eum took Jung-on’s hand and gently pressed it against his heart.
“If you’re sincere, why aren’t your words moving my heart?”
“……”
Jung-on’s, Seo Ji-hoon’s, eyes trembled. Myung-eum, Lee A-gon, stared intently into those eyes. As if they could see Jung-on’s frightened soul within.
At that crucial moment, a dudududu sound came from somewhere. Seo Ji-hoon and Lee A-gon, who had been deeply immersed in their emotions, blinked at the same time.
“What is that sound?”
Director Im awkwardly stood up. Dudududu, dudududu, the loud noise of a drill piercing the ground continued without stopping.
“Young-shik. You said this was a quiet neighborhood.”
Writer Choi looked at the art director. The art director said, “I’ll go check it out!” and jumped up and ran in the direction of the sound.
A little later, the art director returned with a dark expression and reported.
“They’re starting night construction.”
“At this hour?”
“Yes. Road construction can only be done at night so as not to interfere with traffic. They’re going to be working from now until five in the morning.”
Groans flowed from all directions.
“Then what do we do?”
“Should we move somewhere else?”
“What about what we’ve filmed so far?”
Changing the background meant scrapping the scenes that had been filmed earlier.
“Instead of that, why don’t we ask them to be quiet for just an hour? We’re almost done, it’s too bad to leave like this.”
Writer Choi suggested. It was natural. The filming schedule was already tight. Camera rental fees, lens rental fees, shoulder grip rental fees, walkie-talkie rental fees, car rental fees, etc., were flowing out every hour.
“Director. Go and persuade them.”
At Writer Choi’s words, Director Im widened his eyes and pointed at himself with his index finger, saying, “Me?”
“Then the director has to go. Go and ask the workers to be quiet for just one hour.”
“But I’m not good with words, so I’ll lose if I fight with the workers.”
“Even if you lose, go and fight and come back defeated.”
“Why are you telling me to go when I’m going to lose anyway?”
“Oh, really.”
Writer Choi slapped Director Im on the back. Director Im wriggled like an eel sprinkled with salt.
“Ouch, ouch, Hae-young, you can just go.”
“Have you ever seen construction workers listen to a woman? Go quickly. Go. Oh, go already!”
Writer Choi Hae-young drove out Director Im, as if chasing out a disobedient husband. Director Im headed to the construction site with a tearful face.
About 15 minutes later, Director Im returned. His mouth was sticking out a foot.
“The construction supervisor said it costs a million won to lose an hour, and told me to get lost if I wasn’t going to give them that money. Hehe, Hae-young, I was scared.”
Writer Choi pushed away Director Im, who was clinging to her, and sighed deeply. She looked up at the sky for a moment, then neatly organized her thoughts. It wasn’t a commercial film by a master, but a modest independent film shoot, so there was no way they would postpone it for an hour. She had been trying to be stubborn knowing that from the start.
“It can’t be helped. Let’s withdraw.”
“Then what about what we’ve filmed so far?”
“We’re throwing it away, what else.”
Outcries erupted among the staff. Some suggested that since the streets of Seoul were all similar, they should move to another place and piece it together, but Writer Choi neatly ignored them.
“Even if we don’t have any money, let’s not make movies like that. Who knows? Our movie might win a big award at an overseas film festival. If even one of the judges feels that the background is strange at that time, we’re screwed.”
Writer Choi took the lead and neatly put the equipment into the aluminum case. Only then did the staff start packing up the equipment.
“There’s no guarantee that our movie won’t become the second Mother’s Comfort, is there? So let’s work hard while we’re doing it.”
At those words, Hae-jun, who was loading luggage into the trunk of the car, flinched. Mother’s Comfort was the title of a short film he and his seniors had made in high school.
“Ah, that movie. It’s the dream and hope of independent films.”
“What are the kids who filmed that doing now?”
“I don’t know. I heard they went to college, so they’re probably studying at school now.”
“I guess so.”
No, I’m here. I’m here, carrying luggage with you guys. Hae-jun silently put the last of the luggage into the trunk.
“Where do we go now?”
The art director asked after all the luggage was loaded. The staff all wore blank expressions.
There were plenty of streets, but finding a spot where an apartment building wouldn’t be caught in a full shot, where the street was clean and pretty, and where the moon was visible, all at the same time, was impossible on the spot.
“Let’s go to my place.”
The writer, Choi, flipped a page of the shooting schedule.
“It’s a scene we’re supposed to shoot tomorrow, but let’s move it up to today. It’s a night scene, so we can shoot it now.”
“Okay, then.”
The director agreed. The crew headed to Choi’s place in a haphazard manner.
That day’s filming didn’t go smoothly until the end. Seo Ji-hoon, who was supposed to be filming a breakup scene but ended up shooting a scene from their sweet dating days, kept making mistakes.
The staff was exhausted as the filming was already delayed and the NGs continued. Even the director couldn’t give proper direction and rambled on until the sun came up.
“The sun’s up. What do we do?”
Even with the curtains drawn, they couldn’t block the hazy morning sun. They hadn’t prepared because they thought the filming would be over in two hours.
“Shouldn’t we buy something to cover the windows?”
“Then shall we go to a stationery store?”
Hae-jun suggested, and the art director agreed. The two immediately put on their shoes and ran out. There was no time. It would be a disaster if the shooting schedule for the fourth session was pushed back.
The two headed to a stationery store in the neighborhood. But it was early in the morning, and it wasn’t open yet.
“What do we do now?”
“How about we go near a school? It might be open there.”
The two ran to nearby schools. They went to high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools. But none of the stationery stores were open.
“There’s a senior citizen center 30 minutes away. Do you think there might be a stationery store there?”
The art director asked, checking the map.
“A senior citizen center is a school, so maybe there is?”
It made sense. The two took a taxi to the senior citizen center.
There was a stationery store open in front of the senior citizen center they found. They were so grateful that the store was open, but when they asked why it was open at this hour, they were told that old people don’t sleep much.
“No, even if old people don’t sleep much, there’s a set time for school.”
Hae-jun retorted, and the owner, an old woman, got angry.
“What does that have to do with me? I’m an old person, so I don’t sleep. Me.”
“Ah……”
The owner was an old woman. She just didn’t sleep much.
Without saying another word, the two diligently gathered foam boards. By the time they returned to the filming location with them, an hour had passed, and the sun had fully risen, making the surroundings bright. The director, seeing the foam boards, rolled up his sleeves.
“Cut it.”
“Slice it.”
“Stick it.”
All the staff rushed in and stuck foam boards on all the windows. When they drew the curtains over them, the sunlight was completely blocked.
10 a.m. The long third session of filming ended. And the fourth session immediately followed.
“My name is Yoo Seon-ah.”
At 3 p.m., the actress who played Jung-on’s girlfriend appeared. She said she was a bit nervous because it was her first time in an independent film, having been urgently cast.
“Isn’t she too green?”
Director Lim whispered closely to the writer, Choi. Choi also whispered closely to Director Lim.
“Do you have an alternative? Just be glad we found a usable actress.”
It was an actress they had found by asking around because the actress who was supposed to play the girlfriend suddenly refused to film. Hae-jun, feeling awkward, approached the nervous actress and tried to ease her tension with words of praise.
“Hello? Haha, you look very young. How old are you?”
“Seventeen.”
Fifteen years old. The actress counted on her fingers.
She doesn’t just look young, she’s a real kid! Hae-jun was shocked and stuck close to the writer, Choi.
“Writer? How can you bring a minor?”
“It’s okay. It’s okay. She’s really good at acting.”
“Still, seventeen…”
Hae-jun was troubled. Seo Ji-hoon, who had to act as a lover with that young child, was also troubled. Lee A-gon wasn’t troubled. He had been bothered since earlier that his brother, who had disappeared with the art director while he was distracted for a moment, had returned after a whole hour.
“I’m going to check later.”
“Okay.”
“Later, I’m definitely going to check. When it’s just the two of you.”
“Okay, geez.”
Ugh, annoying. Hae-jun casually pushed away Lee A-gon, who kept clinging to him, with his foot.