TMKG 10

Chapter 10. I Don’t Kill People (1)

They had filmed for two hours, but they had not gotten through even a single scene.

If it were simply a mistake, they could talk about the mistake, fix it, and move on, but right now, the actress’s acting ability itself was the problem.

As the scene dragged on, there was no way the atmosphere on set could be good.

The director, who wanted to capture the scene he wanted, was troubled in his own way, and the actress, who could not bring out what the director wanted, was frustrated in her own way.

On top of that, there was no telling the hardships of the staff.

Among them, the staff member in charge of production costs was fidgeting anxiously because of the increasing filming time. Even now, while filming was briefly halted, Team Leader Kim of Sun Planning was relaying the contents to the extras.

“As we told you in the notice, we’ll be leaving after only the basic time. So please focus a little more on the filming, and please be careful not to disturb the actors’ concentration.”

From what Myeongin had heard, it was originally scheduled for three hours. But looking at the atmosphere now, it did not seem like they would be able to finish filming within the remaining one hour.

As Myeongin was wondering about it, Chang-su approached.

“Myeongin, is it manageable?”

“Yes. It’s fun.”

“Don’t just stay crouched down. When filming stops, stretch a little and stuff.”

“I am. Mister, aren’t you bored?”

“This is what I did every day, you know.”

Chang-su shrugged, then looked around before bringing his face closer.

“I’ve been going around sets for quite a while, but this is the first time I’ve seen acting that bad. Even the way she says her lines is awkward. Her expression is even more awkward, so I can’t even watch it.”

“That can happen if she’s really nervous.”

“She’s only been nervous for two hours? This is the first time I’ve gotten goosebumps from someone saying lines. How is a kid like that an actress?”

“She must be good if she was cast as the lead of this drama, right? Maybe today is just a day when her condition isn’t good?”

Chang-su looked at Myeongin with a slightly blank expression, then soon smiled as if he found him admirable.

“When I’m with you, I feel like I’m a really bad person.”

“No. Where else would there be someone like you, Mister?”

“I’m saying it feels that way because you speak so prettily.”

At that moment, when they said filming was starting again, Myeongin hurriedly sat down in his place. But this time, filming proceeded in a completely different way from before.

If, until now, they had mainly filmed the actress sitting in the lecture hall, now they were filming the entire lecture hall.

The only thing that could be called acting was making a startled expression once, while looking at the lecture hall door as the staff instructed.

Then, a male actor appeared and acted alone without a counterpart before sitting down.

After that, the overall lecture hall filming continued with the male actor at the center, and then filming ended along with words that everyone had worked hard.

‘Uh…? What is this?’

At that moment, Chang-su thanked Team Leader Kim, who had come to guide them.

“Team Leader Kim, thank you.”

“What do you mean, thank you? By the way, if he’s going to keep doing part-time work, we can register him with our company.”

“Oh! Really… Ah, no. I’ll contact you personally. It may be a bother, but please help us out.”

“You can just tell me directly. When I post a notice, you can apply according to that.”

“That’s… because Myeongin doesn’t have a phone!”

“Yes? Who doesn’t have a phone these days…”

Even if Myeongin applied personally, there was no way he would be accepted. Because of that, Chang-su had no choice but to tell an absurd lie. But Team Leader Kim nodded as if she understood, then covered her mouth with her hand as if telling a secret and whispered.

“You said he wasn’t. But are there still companies that manage them like that these days?”

“What…?”

“Come on. He’s the friend you’re trying to raise, right, Director? He isn’t even an idol, and he hasn’t debuted either, but seeing how you’re already managing his phone, that guy must cause some trouble, huh? Well, if he’s going to debut, it’s better than living like a womanizer and getting caught up in gossip later.”

The lie was strangely working.

At the absurd misunderstanding, Chang-su could only smile awkwardly.

Team Leader Kim laughed, then lightly hit Myeongin on the back.

“You listen well to the director. Don’t go causing trouble for nothing. Everything you’re enduring now will become nourishment later. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“You answer well. See you again. You worked hard today.”

After Team Leader Kim left with a smile, Chang-su scratched his forehead, as if he felt sorry.

“I didn’t know what I should say…”

“It’s okay.”

“You were misunderstood because of me. Don’t you feel bad?”

“No? She said what I’m enduring now will become nourishment. That’s similar to what Mom told me, so there’s no way I’d feel bad.”

Myeongin grinned, then threw out a question as if there was something else he was more curious about.

“But is it right for it to end like this?”

“They’re probably trying to shoot everything separately. They’ll probably have only the actors act, then attach the parts with the extras separately.”

“Ah…”

“This is all production cost, after all. Once the basic time passes, they have to pay extra. Since that person in charge of production costs over there is trying to somehow match the production cost set for today, they have to film us first and send us away.”

“Ah! They have to worry about money too.”

“Of course! This is all money.”

Myeongin smiled as if he were happy to have learned one more thing.

“But can we stay longer?”

“Of course. I already told them.”

“Who?”

“You know the PD over there who helps with directing? I’ve worked with him a few times. So I got permission. Here, this.”

Chang-su hung a staff pass around his neck, then quietly whispered as if he had found something out.

“I heard this, but apparently that female lead from earlier is acting for the first time.”

“Wow, then if she was cast as the lead even though it’s her first time, she must usually be incredibly good.”

“Uh…? Uh… I guess so. Anyway, apparently she was originally an idol. They say she’s in a girl group. You don’t know her?”

That was an area where Myeongin was weak.

If he had been good at singing and dancing, he might have dreamed of becoming an idol who could easily receive love, but he was hopeless at singing and dancing. Because of that, it was a field he had naturally grown distant from.

“I see. If she’s both an idol and an actress, her talent must be incredible. That’s really cool.”

Chang-su, who had expected a reaction along the lines of, So that’s why she acted like that because she’s an idol, let out a hollow laugh. Because he spoke so prettily like this, Chang-su could not help but keep caring about him. Especially because he knew that this was sincere.

Just then, Chang-su’s phone rang.

After checking his phone screen, Chang-su hesitated with a slightly troubled face, then soon said to Myeongin.

“I’m going to go take this call for a bit, so don’t go too far… no. Go ahead and look around as much as you want.”

Since it was obvious that no one would care even if he went around alone, it was a useless worry.

“Okay. Go take your call.”

Myeongin quietly watched Chang-su disappear while answering the call.

Various emotions were contained in his eyes.

He had already somewhat realized that something was going on with Chang-su. However, he only thought it would be better to pretend not to know until Chang-su told him first.

After taking his eyes off the vanished Chang-su, Myeongin immediately began rummaging around the filming location.

He looked at the camera screen that had been left there alone while filming was on standby, and he also examined the props in the lecture hall next door.

There was not anything particular to see, but it was fun to look around here and there and learn how the filming set worked.

At that moment…

‘Huh?’

He heard someone crying.

At the same time, Myeongin froze solid.

‘She said I shouldn’t let ghosts cling to me…’

Huhuhuhu… Hic. Hic…

At the extremely sorrowful sound of a woman crying, Myeongin, completely tense, squeezed his eyes shut.

Then, feeling along the wall with his hand, he moved his feet to go toward the place where many people had been.

At that moment, a person’s voice mixed into the crying.

“I want to do well too… But it won’t work…”

It was not a ghost. Feeling relieved at the human voice, Myeongin opened his eyes again and looked toward the direction where the crying and voice had come from.

When he went to find where the sound was coming from, it was the women’s restroom at the end of the hallway.

“Ha-ryeong, stop crying. If you cry, how are you going to film?”

“I’m frustrated…”

“Phew. Are you not going to do it just because you’re frustrated? Are you going to say you can’t do it here? You’ve done well until now.”

“That’s why I’m frustrated too. I can’t get past even a single same scene, so I feel so sorry to everyone…”

As he listened, he could tell it was the female lead who they said was from a girl group. No matter how little presence he had, of course he had no intention of going inside the restroom.

Even while sitting in the bent part of the hallway, he could hear the conversation well enough.

Desperation, frustration, and an anxious voice. Since he had confirmed that it was a person, Myeongin was about to get up, but curiosity also rose in him, and perhaps because he wondered if there was some problem, his feet would not easily move.

“What am I really going to do…”

“What did your acting teacher say?”

“Only that I shouldn’t be nervous… That all rookies are originally like that…”

“She should come and watch you a bit! Did you contact your father by any chance? The director is your father’s junior, right?”

“I don’t want to do that… What kind of inconvenience would that be…”

“Okay. Anyway, then stop crying. Calm down first, then come out and run through it with me a bit.”

As he listened, it seemed the person called Ha-ryeong’s father also worked as a PD.

A little while later, Ha-ryeong and someone who seemed to be her manager came out of the restroom.

The two naturally did not recognize Myeongin, and Myeongin, as usual, trudged over and sat on the bench at the end of the lobby, watching the two of them.

The scene the two were practicing was not that long of a scene. While talking with a friend in the lecture hall, she had to be startled out of her wits at the male actor’s appearance. But she had to act as if she were trembling in fear while trying to hide that she was startled so that it would not be discovered.

Myeongin, who had seen the script, also knew what kind of content it was. It was a setting where the female protagonist, who had directly witnessed dogs and cats being killed in the countryside she had gone to play in during her childhood, still carried that trauma even now.

And the person who had been killing those animals was none other than the male protagonist. In other words, it was a setting where she met the male protagonist, who had created her trauma, in a university lecture hall.

Myeongin had only seen the script for Episode 1, but since there was no way they would make such a psychopath the male protagonist, he thought it was clearly a scene where she was misunderstanding him.

Of course, that was something that would be resolved later, and right now, the image of the female protagonist, who had misunderstood, trembling in fear was needed.

‘She’s good, though?’

However, Ha-ryeong’s current appearance did not look at all like acting that would cause endless NGs.

Since he was not a director, it was difficult for him to judge, but it did not feel greatly different from actors he had seen in dramas or movies who were praised for being good at acting.

Even now, though her counterpart was her manager, she was doing a very good job acting as if she were trembling in fear while trying not to let it show.

‘Her condition must have been bad for a bit.’

At this level, it seemed like she would do well even with a camera in front of her and no counterpart.

“Ha-ryeong. Just do it like this. You’re really doing so well.”

“I feel like I did it like this earlier too…”

“Uh… What did the director dislike so much that he keeps only saying it’s awkward?”

As Myeongin listened too, he became curious. To him, it looked like pretty good acting, so he wanted to hear the director’s words about which part was lacking. And just in time, he had the ability to find that out.

Well, even if he talked to him, he would not answer, but since filming was being delayed because of this problem, it was certain that he would be talking about this part.

Myeongin immediately set out to find the director, and he was able to find him at the smoking area outside the building.

Sure enough, he was mentioning that scene.

While listening to that conversation, he spotted Chang-su in the lobby, seemingly looking for him.

“Mister!”

Chang-su looked at the direction Myeongin had come from and frowned.

“Hey, you brat! Do you smoke?”

“I don’t. There was something I wanted to find out.”

Myeongin immediately explained the situation, and Chang-su asked back with a puzzled face.

“Why are you looking into that? Ah… That girl was pretty, though…”

“It’s not that. It would be good if she did well. Then she wouldn’t have to feel upset.”

Chang-su still had not fully gotten rid of his suspicion, but he continued speaking with an expression that said he would believe him.

“So, you’re saying Ha-ryeong’s acting started falling apart after the director told her not to be conscious of the camera.”

“Yes. I watched her practice, and she was good.”

“Aha. They said she’d been in a girl group for a long time, so I guess looking at the camera was the problem. On top of that, the director is Ha-ryeong’s father’s junior, so that’s why he’s continuing to film this. Well, suffering now is better than hearing that her acting is terrible. So eye-line was the problem.”

“It seems like because she unconsciously keeps trying not to meet the camera’s eye, she can’t immerse herself in the acting.”

“I see. Then the problem is immersion. Ah, that’s not something that gets solved just by telling her.”

While Chang-su smacked his lips as if it would be hard to solve, he saw Myeongin with his eyes opened especially wide and sparkling.

“Why?”

“I think I can help her immerse herself.”

“You? How?”

“By helping her immerse herself in a truly scared state. I think I can make her scared really well!”

“You… Ah! Like what you did to Go Miwu?”

Chang-su understood, but on the other hand, there was something he was worried about.

“You’re not her counterpart, though… would that work?”

“I just have to keep staying with you, Mister.”

“Hmm… To that extent? Is it okay to do that…? Nothing strange is going to happen to you, right? Since that was shown to you by the Grim Reaper, after all…”

Chang-su, who already knew the whole story from what Myeongin had told him, was a little worried.

At that moment, Myeongin grinned and continued speaking.

“It’s not something like possession. I can also practice acting with a real actor, and it might be helpful to you too, Mister.”

Chang-su tilted his head as if he did not understand.

“Helpful to me…?”