BTA 13

chapter 13

 Postpartum Care Center (3)

My lines were hastily scribbled by hand onto the original script.

I spent the entire time getting my makeup done, quietly muttering those few lines to myself and memorizing them.

They weren’t difficult lines, but they didn’t roll off my tongue naturally, which made me worried.

Can I really do this?

Soon, the female staff member finished my makeup, put her tools back into her pouch, and said,

“Actor, your makeup is finished!”

I quickly bowed my head.

“Thank you. You worked hard. By the way, I’m not an actor.”

“Huh? Then what are you?”

“…It just kind of happened.”

The female employee smiled and said,

“But you really look like an actor.”

“Me?”

“Yes. I do makeup for actors several times a day, so I know the type. You look like a handsome actor who’d be really good at playing sly, easygoing characters. I mean that you have a charming face.”

“Is that so? Haha.”

I looked at myself in the mirror.

I wasn’t sure whether I actually looked like an actor, but my features did seem more pronounced than before.

It felt strangely unfamiliar.

I’d never once worn makeup in my entire life.

Only then did it finally start to sink in.

I’m really going to act.

An assistant director named Gu Myeong-cheol, who had been waiting behind me while I was getting my makeup done, gestured toward me.

“Actor, let’s go change into your costume.”

“Oh, yes! I’ll go.”

There were sets prepared throughout the large building.

And the sets had practically everything.

There was a makeup room, a costume room, a cafeteria, and even clean, comfortable resting areas for the actors.

When I arrived at the costume room with the assistant director, a female member of the costume team approached us with a puzzled expression.

“Myeong-cheol, why are you back again? Is there a problem?”

“Well…”

The assistant director whispered something to her.

The woman soon nodded.

“Ohhh~ We do have something. Actor? What size are you?”

I quickly answered.

“I’m 178 centimeters tall and weigh 73 kilograms!”

“Haha? I mean your clothing size, not your body measurements.”

“Oh. I’m a large on top, and I can wear anywhere from a 30 to 32 on the bottom.”

“Oh, perfect. We happen to have a uniform set in that size. We prepared some larger sizes as spares in case there was a bigger female actress.”

The female employee soon brought out a purple uniform set with the words Premium Postpartum Care Center written on it.

I quickly went into the changing room, changed, and came back out.

The assistant director approached me and quietly said,

“Actor, it suits you well.”

“…Thank you.”

I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to be happy about that.

Or whether I was allowed to just feel embarrassed.

The clothes seemed to fit perfectly, but I couldn’t bring myself to look in the mirror.

I followed the assistant director back upstairs to the set.

The moment we arrived in front of the set and opened the door, I heard a familiar baby’s cry.

“Waaaahhh~! Kyaaaahhh~!”

“Maengkkong~ Auntie is sorry! Please stop crying. I made a mistake. Please!”

I saw Ahn Hee-soo struggling helplessly as she held Maengkkong in her arms.

I’d somehow ended up coming to the filming set and acting, but I couldn’t forget my actual job.

I was a temporary babysitter, and I had a duty to take care of Maengkkong.

I quickly approached Ahn Hee-soo and held out my hands.

“Hee-soo, I’ll hold Maengkkong.”

“Oh my? Who are you?”

“Stop joking around and give the baby to me.”

“Wahahahahaha!”

I took Maengkkong into my arms and checked the BabyTime app.

“Oh dear, it’s Maengkkong’s feeding time. Hee-soo, please hold Maengkkong for a moment. I need to make the formula.”

“Yes, sir!”

Maengkkong’s feeding intervals were still short, so the baby was being fed 140 milliliters every three hours.

I took out the thermos and formula packet I’d prepared in advance and started making the formula.

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish—

The bottle had to be shaken with just the right amount of force so that the formula would dissolve properly.

If you shook it up and down, it would create too many bubbles, so it was better to swirl it around. If you shook it incorrectly, too much air could form inside the bottle and cause the baby to suffer from stomach discomfort.

The optimal water temperature for dissolving formula and making it comfortable for a baby to drink was between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius.

It varied depending on the formula, but the special anti-colic formula Maengkkong was drinking was a French product that dissolved well at 43 degrees.

After checking that the formula had dissolved properly, I took Maengkkong back into my arms.

“Waaaahhh~!!!”

“Maengkkong~ Let’s have some milk~”

“Wiiiiaaah~ Gulp!”

Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack—

The crying stopped, but tears were still streaming down both of Maengkkong’s cheeks.

The baby must have been extremely hungry.

Earlier, Maengkkong’s feeding time had been awkwardly timed, so I’d fed the other babies first.

Smack, smack, smack, smack—

“Aw~ You’re eating so well~ Maengkkong, slowly~ Slowly~ That’s right.”

When a baby’s mouth seals properly around the nipple, the lips form what’s commonly called a “fish lip” shape.

That shape was a sign that the baby was drinking the formula properly.

As I gazed fondly at Maengkkong, I heard Ahn Hee-soo’s voice from beside me.

“Teacher. What’s with the uniform? It suits you so well! I was seriously shocked when I saw you earlier. I thought you were someone else.”

“That’s right. I am someone else. Actor Lee Hyeok-chan.”

“Wahahaha! Good, good~ That’s exactly the attitude I like!”

“After living my whole life without ever having makeup done, I’m experiencing all sorts of things thanks to you, Hee-soo.”

Soon, the staff members who had been waiting nearby began gathering one by one.

They were probably curious about the face of Maengkkong, who had somehow landed a major role among all the babies.

“Wow~ The baby is so pretty!”

“Come over here and look at this baby. That face is just… wow.”

“She’s practically an angel.”

“I’ve never seen such a pretty baby before.”

Everyone was complimenting Maengkkong’s appearance, and for some reason, I felt proud.

At the same time, however, I gradually began to worry.

I asked one of the staff members who had been admiring Maengkkong.

“Is the waiting time for filming usually this long?”

“Pretty much. We often have overnight shoots, too.”

“Hmm. Wouldn’t that be hard on the babies?”

“Don’t worry. They’re filming the adult actors’ scenes downstairs first. It’ll be over soon. The babies’ scenes will start at 2 p.m.”

Fortunately, the set had excellent heating and air conditioning, and it was well stocked with baby supplies just like a real postpartum care center, so it wasn’t much different from staying at home.

After Maengkkong finished feeding, I prepared to burp the baby.

Just then, Ahn Hee-soo came running over and shouted,

“Maengkkong’s Burping~ Show!!”

“Good grief.”

Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat, pat—

“Buuuurp!”

It was the biggest burp I’d ever heard Maengkkong make.

As soon as they heard it, the staff members nearby gave Maengkkong a standing ovation.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—

“Wow~ What an incredible burp.”

“Hahaha, so cute.”

“Teacher, you’re really good with babies.”

Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat, pat—

“Burp.”

“Wahahahaha!”

“Ah~ This is too funny.”

After I got Maengkkong to burp properly, including the smaller follow-up burps, I walked around the set while gently bouncing the baby in my arms.

Then I saw a door opening in the distance.

Click, creak—

Soon, the actors came rushing in along with the director.

Director Yoo Seong-jae clapped his hands briskly and called out,

“All right~ Let’s start filming~!”

From that moment on, my heart began pounding uncontrollably fast.

I went to the postpartum care center set with the filming crew and took turns calming down the crying babies.

“Rock-a-bye~ Rock-a-bye~ Oh my goodness, you startled me! Haha.”

“Waaaahhh~”

All the preparations for filming were complete.

The babies’ actual parents had all moved outside the camera’s view.

The set was arranged in a tiered, staircase-like structure.

Each level had luxurious cushions laid out, and female actresses playing mothers were waiting on those cushions while holding babies in their arms.

Actress Lee Young-im approached me with a kind smile and asked,

“Excuse me, have you memorized your lines?”

“Phew. I’ve memorized all of them.”

“Difficult?”

“Not really, but I’m a little overwhelmed. I suddenly ended up here.”

“Don’t worry. I’m here, aren’t I? Haha. Acting is all about stories of people living their lives. Some characters are bound to be flustered and overwhelmed.”

“Thank you so much for saying that.”

I was still nervous, but thanks to Actress Lee Young-im, I managed to calm down.

After that, Lee Young-im and the other actors also gave me detailed advice about the setting.

“The premise is that this care center costs tens of millions of won. Who would come to a place like that? Wealthy parents, of course. We’re employees who provide services tailored to their needs. We need to be professional while remaining friendly. And we need to carry ourselves with confidence.”

“Thank you so much.”

It had been only a short conversation, but I could immediately tell how much the actors had studied for this one scene.

The more I talked with them, the more respect I felt for them.

But because of that, I became even more intimidated.

It felt like I was the only one taking part in the shoot without having properly prepared.

Just then, Director Yoo Seong-jae, who had been giving instructions here and there, approached me.

“Hyeok-chan! Have you memorized all your lines?”

“Yes, I’ve memorized them all!”

Suddenly, Ahn Hee-soo appeared and interrupted.

“Director, our rookie actor is super smart! He goes to Jungang University!”

I shook my head in exasperation.

“Oh, come on, Hee-soo. I already told the director everything. That I’m not an actor.”

“You did? He found out? Hmm. What should we do now?”

Director Yoo Seong-jae chuckled.

“Even if you aren’t, you’re still going to do it. Hee-soo threatened me earlier, saying she’d refuse to let her nephew film if I didn’t. Hahaha. But putting that aside, I thought it would be fun, so I decided to do it. I got permission from the other actors as well.”

“Oh~ That’s great, then! Haha.”

“They were all happy to agree. And the role Hyeok-chan is playing isn’t all that different from what he normally does for a living, so it’s possible.”

I bowed my head.

“Thank you. I’ll do my best not to cause any trouble.”

“Hyeok-chan, just relax and do it comfortably. Your role isn’t very significant, so even if you stumble a little, we can cover for you. Don’t be nervous.”

I don’t even remember what else I talked about with the director after that.

I returned to the actors and wandered around while waiting, but as time passed, I felt increasingly helpless.

It was like standing at the edge of a bungee-jumping platform.

The closer it got to filming time, the harder my heart pounded.

I was standing with my head bowed, quietly muttering my lines, when I heard Ahn Hee-soo’s voice from in front of me.

“Teacher. Why are you so worried? Don’t tell me you’re nervous?”

“I’m not really the type to get nervous…. Phew. I’m trembling.”

“Haha! A little nervousness is good. But if you shake too much, it’ll all show up on camera, so try taking some deep breaths. Like this. Innnn~ and ouuuuut~”

I followed her and took a deep breath.

But my nervousness didn’t ease even a little.

No, perhaps it wasn’t nervousness so much as the fear that I’d ruin the shoot for everyone else.

Ahn Hee-soo blinked her big eyes and asked,

“Teacher. You remember when we practiced eating the apple last time, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Do you remember what you told me then?”

I tilted my head.

“Hmm. I think I said that I was just eating an apple?”

“That’s right. Acting is all the same. So from now on, all you have to do is stand in front of those cameras and—”

Ahn Hee-soo grinned.

“Eat an apple.”

The moment I heard those words, I felt strangely at ease.

I nodded and smiled.

“Yes. I’ll go eat it deliciously.”

After stretching once, I walked toward where the actors were gathered.