Chapter 169: Field Work (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 169: Field Work (3)
Jeong Seong-bin narrowly passed the cutoff. Half of Choi Je-ho’s octopuses were barely in one piece, but he managed to get a passing grade through sheer volume.
And as for me, who had put on a hellish shoveling show by reviving memories from my active-duty days…
“Eighteen, nineteen… twenty!”
“Wait, I-wol, you should consider a career change.”
…I was advised to switch professions. The captain’s eyes were sparkling. I’ll consider it once I retire, sir.
“What’s the penalty?” Choi Je-ho asked as he gathered the octopuses scattered across the deck.
Seeing him tidy up without even being asked, it was obvious the rascal wanted to take his unsellable octopuses and turn them into nakji-tangtangi for himself.
While I was busy seeing through Choi Je-ho’s murky schemes, the PD pointed toward a black mid-sized car parked in the lot.
“If you drive about forty minutes from here, there’s a place called Muan. There are mudflats there, too.”
“Are we catching octopuses again…?”
“Oh, it’s no fun if you catch the same thing twice.”
The PD let out a boisterous laugh and waved off Park Ju-woo’s concern.
I wasn’t sure what he meant by "the same thing." Even if we caught the same octopuses, the ones Je-ho caught only seemed to have four legs.
“The specialty of that mudflat is something else.”
“Don’t tell me…”
Jeong Seong-bin flinched. It seemed one of the ‘101 Creatures Living in the Mudflat’ he had been prattling on about in the car to Mokpo had crossed his mind.
Sad premonitions are never wrong.
“Yes, you’ll be catching cockles!”
“Whoo…!”
Lee Cheong-hyeon and Kang Gi-yeon’s cheers were hollow. Both of their faces had turned the color of dirt.
And so, the first octopuses caught by Spark and six idols smelling of the sea returned to land.
To carry out the penalty, we had to wait for the tide to go out again.
Even considering the extra filming time on land and the travel time to Muan, it meant there would be a gap of about four hours.
Thanks to the Challenge.Living team borrowing a container used by the local workers for resting, we were able to catch some shut-eye until the tide was right.
‘Since they have minor celebrities with them, they probably can’t push for a marathon shoot after making us work through the night.’
Perhaps to guarantee our right to rest, there were no cameras installed inside the container. Thanks to that, the Spark brats were able to melt away the fatigue of the overnight shoot.
Starting with Park Ju-woo, who fell asleep the moment his head hit the floor, the boys huddled together and drifted off.
Finding a spot in the remaining space and pulling a floral-patterned blanket over myself, I was reminded of the time we went to the countryside to film self-produced content.
But the sentimental reminiscence was short-lived.
The power of the heated floor was formidable. I became one with the floor and fell into a morning slumber I never expected to have.
It wasn't long before I opened my eyes. It was a bit noisy outside the container.
When I stepped out, the camera directors were pulling out the equipment they had packed away.
“I-wol, why are you up already?”
The writer, who was passing by, struck up a conversation. I didn't want to be rude by saying the noise woke me up, so I didn't elaborate.
“Are the kids leaving soon?”
“Not right this second, maybe in ten minutes? A staff member is going to go wake them up.”
I looked once at the production crew getting ready, and once at the rascals behind me, who I couldn't tell were sleeping or unconscious.
Even if their legs were two meters long, they were still high schoolers. Not only had they pulled an all-nighter traveling from Seoul to Jeonnam, but they had also spent hours shoveling in the mudflat immediately after getting off a boat. It was undoubtedly back-breaking labor.
And now they had to be sent back out onto the mudflats on mudflat sleds until they each dug up a hundred cockles.
I had no choice. If I let them go like this, I would be a heartless adult who grew up without a shred of conscience or basic moral education.
“Writer, is it possible to have a… Black Knight or something?”
“Why? You want to go, I-wol?”
“Yes, I want to let the kids sleep a bit more. They’re still in their growing phase.”
Whether she was moved by our friendship(?) or not, the writer readily gave her permission.
There were three "children" who had to go on the penalty. I could only replace one.
Which meant…
“Choi Je-ho, wake up.”
“…Why?”
“Let’s go catch cockles.”
…I had to drag this guy along to save at least the two youngest.
Choi Je-ho woke up with a deep scowl. He rubbed his face vigorously with both hands as if washing it.
“Instead of the kids?”
“Yeah.”
“Sigh…”
He hung his head and let out a deep sigh.
Then, he stood up unsteadily and picked up the jacket he had tossed on the floor.
Well, what can you do? We’re the adults of this team. Let’s just think of it as an effort to build a mature society.
While Choi Je-ho and I were exchanging secret tactical signals, Park Ju-woo woke up as well.
He was destined to go anyway, but if Je-ho and I negotiated to catch 150 cockles each, he might have been able to rest.
“Ju-woo, you want to go catch cockles?”
“…Are you guys going, hyungs?”
“Yeah. I think Gi-yeon and Cheong-hyeon need to sleep. If you’re too tired, Je-ho and I can just catch 300.”
“No, I’m going too. Let’s go together.”
“Does my opinion not matter?”
And so, a new three-man party was formed. One person seemed to be lodging a complaint, but I didn't listen. We set off on the long journey to dig for cockles.
Nothing particularly special happened after that. Aside from the fact that Park Ju-woo was exceptionally good at riding the mudflat sled, or that Choi Je-ho tried to shake the mud off a basket full of cockles and ended up splattering mud and cockles everywhere?
Still, the cockle-catching mission ended smoothly. Upon our return, we even received tearless hugs from the younger members who found out about the situation later. It was a productive shoot in many ways.
There are schedules that become as familiar as variety shows, and then there are those that don't.
The drama script reading was the latter. Since I had never watched a drama in my life, I had spent the last few days watching all sorts of famous dramas, behind-the-scenes videos, drama communities, and scripts until my eyes were sore. Today was the first day I would actually step onto that field.
When I entered the designated meeting room, two rows of long tables were arranged facing each other, just like I had seen in videos of script readings.
A staff member was placing nameplates at each seat.
“Mr. I-wol, you’re here already?”
“Hello! Luckily, there wasn't any traffic.”
After checking the seating chart, I gathered the nameplates that were supposed to go on one line.
“Oh, just leave those. I’ll set them out in a second. Your seat is…”
“It’s fine. I just need to follow the chart, right?”
“I should have had this all done before the actors arrived, oh dear…”
“It’s because my idol habits haven't quite worn off yet. I’m trying my best to be liked wherever I go.”
As I chatted and helped tidy up the meeting room, people began to trickle in.
Once the director and writer I had met at the audition, along with the other actors, all entered, the large meeting room was packed.
My role was to not stand out among these people.
To not cause any NGs and to not stick out with "foot acting."
My first challenge in acting wasn't exactly smooth sailing.
“Who on earth conducts performance evaluations like this?!”
“If you have a problem with it, Mr. Gu-an, you can change it. By taking the top spot in sales.”
Even though I had taken a crash course at an academy, everyone gathered here was a veteran with at least several, and as many as ten or more, years of experience. Even to my non-expert ears, I could feel the difference in their vocalization.
In that case, what should I use to blend in with these people?
The answer was one: ‘Naturalness.’
Just like when I worked at Hanpyeong Industry. Like I was an object rather than a person.
Like a third party behind a partition that people aren't even sure is there or not.
“Is the new team leader out of his mind? Doesn't that violate labor laws?”
“Hasn't it been a long time since our company placed itself above the law?”
While others were delivering their lines, I made sure not to overstep.
That’s how it should have been…
“But still. Don't you think it's strange too, Mr. Yeong-hwan?”
A problem arose. Ms. Ha Seo-myeong, who played the female lead ‘Seon Gu-an,’ suddenly threw an ad-lib at me.
The eyes of everyone who had been following the script with their eyes all turned toward me.
I had seen rumors that Ms. Ha Seo-myeong was famous for ad-libbing a lot, but I didn't expect her to do it during a script reading. Especially toward someone like me, whose acting level was close to zero.
“Well, for starters, I think I can kiss going home on time goodbye for a while.”
I replied, infusing just a tiny bit of the despair I had felt on the day Department Head Nam was promoted. Seeing the next line connect successfully, I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
And for the remainder of the time, I prayed fervently that I wouldn't have many scenes with Ms. Ha Seo-myeong.
When the cameras were rolling before the reading, everyone exchanged formal introductions. It felt like everyone took turns saying, ‘I am so-and-so playing the role of so-and-so, please look after me!’ and then bowing while everyone clapped.
Conversely, after the reading ended, the atmosphere was more about genuine greetings. Handshakes were offered, and names were exchanged.
There was someone who reached out to me before I could even finish tidying up my script. It was Ms. Ha Seo-myeong.
“Mr. I-wol! I surprised you earlier, didn't I? I keep telling myself I need to fix this habit, but I just can't. I’m Ha Seo-myeong!”
“Not at all, senior! I was just amazed to see you acting in person. I have a lot to learn!”
“Oh my, even if it’s empty praise, it sounds good!”
It’s not empty praise. I was truly startled. My heart is the size of a bean, so please save the ad-libs for the more experienced seniors.
I also had a chance to talk with the writer after a long time. She said she had extensively revised the terminology in the script after looking at my data collection. No wonder the first episode had changed quite a bit.
“Looking at you, I think you would have done well even if you had studied something like business administration, I-wol!”
She didn't hold back on the compliments. The lectures I had attended for four years flashed before my eyes like a kaleidoscope.
I hoped the drama filming would start soon.
And I hoped that once all the work was finished smoothly, I would receive Proficiency as a reward for completing the 12-episode shoot.