Chapter 336
Chapter 336
The film production company summoned TeSTAR to the United States just ten days after they accepted the offer.
It seemed filming was already in full swing.
‘It looks like we were squeezed in while the schedule was already well underway.’
And yet, they offered a cameo?
I had thought this was a gesture of reconciliation and ambition, but I needed to keep other possibilities open.
‘It could be a trap to set us up for failure.’
I considered mentioning it so they could prepare themselves mentally, but there was no real need.
"Even for a single scene passing by, we don't know what the order will be, so we might have to wait for hours. There’s a reason they cleared our entire day."
"Ohh."
"Of course, the system in Hollywood might be different, but we’ll definitely be low on the priority list, so considering—"
This was because Bae Se-jin was already bombarding them with potential issues on-site.
Thanks to him, the relaxed atmosphere of "going for a movie cameo to refresh ourselves in the middle of the tour" completely vanished. Everyone looked as sharp as new recruits heading into a high-stakes meeting.
In the midst of that, Bae Se-jin tried to smooth things over belatedly.
"…But it could be good! Film acting definitely has its own charm!"
The effect was minimal.
"I suppose so."
"Whether we can perform it well is a separate issue, however."
"…I was an idol too! You can do it!"
"Since we are not the same person, it is difficult to generalize—"
"Right, right~ Let’s do our best!"
"…??"
Keun Se-jin cut Kim Rae-bin off and managed the atmosphere.
‘Good save.’
Bae Se-jin looked like he wanted to keep persuading them, but that was enough.
I spent my time on the plane reviewing the materials they sent for the OST.
Naturally, it was all in English.
‘I figured they wouldn't translate it for us. Time is tight, after all.’
The agency provided a summary translation, but the quality was poor. As soon as the label independence was finalized, I’d have to hire a full-time professional interpreter first.
Fortunately, Cha Yu-jin and Seon A-hyun had briefed everyone, so they were well-acquainted with the movie's plot.
To summarize:
[The story of a deliveryman who, after Earth is half-ruined, accidentally heads out into space through a naturally occurring warp gate and embarks on a dangerous yet exciting adventure!]
It only borrowed the sci-fi format; the actual style seemed to be a mix of a Western and a superhero movie.
‘And the space system in this ruined Earth story follows the world-building of the Ruin Factory game series.’
I checked the terms I’d seen a few times while monitoring Section 127 and the titles that appeared in the new game.
‘It’s a bit confusing since it’s in English….’
"I-If you need an explanation for the words, I can tell you…."
"That would be great."
"Mhm!"
I pieced the structure together while listening to Seon A-hyun’s explanation from the seat next to mine.
I also double-checked what our roles as cameos would be.
‘Hmm… so they want us to pay homage to the starting characters of the game we collaborated with before.’
It seemed we would appear briefly in a battle scene.
There wasn't much to prepare. There was only one line of dialogue.
Since the film company had bought the rights to the world-building, there were no copyright issues, so I expected as much. Because it was a scenario I had anticipated, I could easily sort out the pros and cons in my head.
"…Hmm."
And then, I made a prediction.
‘If we’re not careful, we’ll become a laughingstock.’
The interpretation and intervention were far too one-dimensional. I was also worried about the makeup.
‘There are no Northeast Asians among the main characters.’
Even if all seven of us appeared at once in that setting, it would be difficult to make a good impact, yet it was a position where it would be hard to avoid a sense of incongruity.
"Hrrrrm."
"M-Moon-dae?"
"Ah, I was just looking at the script."
I set aside the documents regarding our appearance and picked up the script summary again.
My brain was spinning at full speed.
It was twelve hours before our arrival in the US.
*
And finally, we arrived in the United States.
We entered and moved quietly, keeping it private. Fortunately, T1 hadn't started counting their chickens and doing media play yet, so nothing major happened.
After that, the first place we went… was straight to the movie set.
Interesting.
"Uh… aren't we doing the OST meeting first?"
"They said they couldn't change the filming schedule. Apparently, the schedule is split down to the hour."
Indeed, regardless of the scale, the set was running quietly and smoothly, handled by people who knew exactly what they were doing.
"……."
"…I thought it would be more hectic."
Even Bae Se-jin seemed a bit taken aback. The person assigned as our guide for a moment smiled and spoke in Korean.
"This kind of professional specialization is a unique advantage of Hollywood."
"Ah, yes."
After hearing a few explanations and greeting the assistant director… we just started waiting in the trailer.
"……."
"Hmm."
By this point, everyone seemed to have caught on to the atmosphere, and bitter smiles were exchanged among the members.
"We’re being neglected."
"Seems so."
They were taking decent care of us with blankets and food, but they hadn't even started our makeup yet.
It seemed only our managers and staff were running around frantically.
‘Is it going as expected?’
It seemed we weren't being properly checked in. This was the kind of "extra" treatment we hadn't received in Korea since becoming top-tier. This was also interesting.
"The managers are going to have a hard time~"
"Communication must not be going well. Should I go out for a bit?"
While I was listening to a few of the guys talk and making my own plans, Cha Yu-jin, sitting next to me, poked my side.
"…?"
What is it?
When I looked at him, he muttered grumpily.
"This isn't normal!"
"Then?"
"It’s bad behavior."
Cha Yu-jin then only moved his lips to speak.
‘Pretend not to hear.’
"…!"
[It’s a pretty classic tactic.]
Oh… so.
‘Are they intentionally ignoring our staff as if it’s an accident?’
This was crossing the line of being "interesting."
I crossed my arms.
"Your reasoning?"
[In Hollywood, the actor is basically king. But look at this treatment. They’re treating us like extras or props, not actors at all.]
"……."
That sounds plausible.
I saw how much they cared about the time schedule earlier; since we don't have special clauses in our contract and we set aside plenty of time, they must think it’s okay to mistreat us this much.
"Why? Yu-jin, what’s wrong?"
"Hmm."
Cha Yu-jin shrugged and looked at me. What, do you want me to translate?
I briefly stated the reality.
"He thinks these people are planning to push us back until the very, very last minute before letting us film."
"…Ah."
"Sigh."
Whether they guessed it from the atmosphere or not, everyone started by sighing.
Ryu Cheong-woo gave a bitter smile.
"It’s just like Bae Se-jin said."
"…No. I was talking based on my experience filming in Korea, but here… the situation looks different."
Bae Se-jin continued with a hardened expression.
"If they’re doing this on purpose… it’s bullying."
And Kim Rae-bin was horrified.
"…! Is this that 'racism'?"
Exactly. That’s it.
"Well, we were squeezed in at the last minute… and being foreigners, our race and level of recognition probably played a part."
When a job suddenly pops up after the schedule is already set, how they treat you usually depends on your power.
And in their eyes, we don't seem to have much power.
"……."
I cracked my neck and checked the others.
No one was furious.
Then again, it’s not like we hadn't received this kind of treatment before we sold a million copies.
"Reminds me of Idol Inc."
"Wow, you're right."
Crucially, most experiences were milder than that debut program.
True to guys who had fought through a battlefield even before debuting, they were calm. I shrugged.
"Since we have a meeting in the evening anyway, should we suggest doing the meeting first and then talking again?"
I asked the one who brought it up.
"What do you think?"
[If we pull out now, they’ll just say we refused because the schedule shifted and we couldn't film, and it’ll end as a breach of contract.]
"I-I see."
"Yes!"
Seon A-hyun was convinced immediately. That meant the two who had lived abroad had reached the same conclusion.
"Hrrrrm."
"Ah, this is tricky."
Aside from being annoyed, as people who loved their work, they were showing an allergic reaction to a potential cancellation.
"What do you think, Moon-dae?"
As for me.
I crossed my arms.
"I… don't think it matters if we breach the contract."
"…!"
"It’s not like I’m dying to do a cameo."
I looked at the stiff-faced Bae Se-jin.
"Hyung would be very disappointed if the Hollywood debut fell through, but…"
"Hey!"
Bae Se-jin flared up. The atmosphere lightened for a moment, but he soon became calm.
"Even so, I don't want to film in this kind of situation. It’s not just my name on the line; it’s the group’s name."
"Hyung…."
Reactions automatically burst from the guys who knew that he had been secretly excited while offering advice over the past few days.
"Right. It’s too small a role for Se-jin to appear in anyway."
"That’s not it!"
I chuckled.
"I was joking. Actually, I don't think it’ll go as far as a breach of contract."
"…?"
"Why, why?"
"Because they won't be able to give up on the OST."
"They’ll probably act quite friendly at the evening meeting to avoid ruining that too."
"…!"
If they heard the final version and still wanted to pull out, those guys would be idiots.
Even if the on-site staff and the OST staff were completely specialized and separate, and the treatment here was like this, the OST managers could never play games now.
They’d already been bitten once…
"Kim Rae-bin made it so well, after all."
Regardless of what political games I played with the description, it worked because the final product was actually good.
"Ohh…."
"As expected of Rae-bin, he’s a genius."
"That is excessive praise. I will continue to strive."
Right. Breathe while you talk. The atmosphere was settled like that. In fact, the conclusion had already been reached.
Keun Se-jin shrugged.
"Then… are we leaving?"
The members looked at each other a few times, and soon even Seon A-hyun nodded.
"Let’s go."
"OK~"
At that moment, as if he had been waiting, Cha Yu-jin kicked open the trailer door and walked out.
"…!?"
I ignored the people looking back to see what was happening.
"Let’s find the manager first."
"Yes."
And we blocked them by saying we would talk again after the meeting, truly taking the company staff and leaving the set.
The staff only made a show of trying to stop us before following us out.
‘They must have suffered quite a bit.’
"If push comes to shove, let’s say we’ll claim damages because the mental shock caused problems with our tour schedule."
"Good."
Thanks to that, everyone’s fighting spirit had risen.
Even Bae Se-jin was huffing as we entered the hotel.
"We don't need to endure that kind of… rudeness. Right?"
"Of course."
Furthermore.
Actually, from the moment we were first guided to the set, I had planned to persuade them to drag things out and skip the filming until the meeting.
‘Instead, they helped me.’
I shrugged.
The plan was proceeding smoothly on its own before I even executed it.
‘Thanks for the hazing.’
And so, we ditched the cameo filming on the first day.
It was the first time in TeSTAR’s history that they had skipped a scheduled event.
*
And that night, at the meeting.
Surprisingly, the Executive Producer of the film production appeared.
‘That’s rare.’
To think the top-level executive would show up for just an OST session.
"Shouldn't the director… be the one coming?"
"They say the director’s authority isn't that big around here. You saw how everything is specialized, right?"
"I see."
It was a relief the interpreter didn't translate our whispering.
After a brief exchange of conventional greetings and introductions with the staff dispatched from T1.
The interpreter carefully relayed the producer’s words.
"He’s asking if there was a problem with the filming and why you didn't film."
Ah, is that why the producer came out?
It seemed a report went into T1 after we left the set, and something happened between the higher-ups again.
I nodded.
"It’s because we waited indefinitely without any explanation. The trailer was cold, and we can't risk damaging our throats and being unable to tour."
If I used English here, my vocabulary would be limited, and it would feel like I was catering to them. I had no intention of doing that.
When the interpreter translated this, the producer nodded as if he understood.
And this is what he said.
"Um… he says he’s very sorry that things turned out this way, but it’s almost impossible to reschedule the filming, and he wishes you had respected their time a bit more…."
"…!"
Look at him.
Bae Se-jin flared up first.
"No, it’s not that we—"
"Hyung, hyung, wait."
Right. It seemed he mistakenly thought we were taking out our anger on the cameo filming because we were pissed about being played with a few keywords during the request.
Just as the atmosphere was turning icy.
Suddenly, a torrent of polite English broke out.
[Waiting indefinitely without any instructions is by no means a normal situation. Furthermore, the words of our staff were not properly conveyed to the assistant director. Shouldn't respect be a mutual relationship?]
"…!"
Seon A-hyun had spat out a long string of English.
His face was pale, but his gaze was firm.
And it was a situation that hadn't been agreed upon with anyone.
Keun Se-jin was impressed.
‘A-hyun must be really pissed.’
‘Seems so.’
I kept my mouth shut. The producer looked a bit flustered, but he didn't seem angry at Seon A-hyun’s words.
On the contrary, it seemed his brain had finally started working toward a proper understanding of the situation.
And after a moment, the interpreter spoke again.
"He says there seems to have been a mutual misunderstanding. He says the set will also respect your time more."
"…Yes."
Seon A-hyun fell silent. He didn't look entirely satisfied, but I lightly patted his back.
‘Well done.’
This was enough to set the mood. Seon A-hyun gave a faint smile.
And I spoke again.
"Then, shall we try rescheduling the cameo filming for a different scene on another day?"
"…!"
I’ll strip them for everything they’re worth while pretending to compromise.