Chapter 337
Chapter 337
Let’s look at the details of TeSTAR’s existing movie cameo again.
‘It’s a perfect setup for an homage or a parody.’
Looking at the general script, it seemed like they were planning to have quite a few game characters make brief appearances, not just us.
‘If I had to guess, it’s probably right before the climax in the latter half of the movie.’
But what would happen if we suddenly popped up as "game characters" when we weren't professional actors, nor were we CG?
At best, it would be a lukewarm break-even. If it was even slightly awkward, it would become a cringeworthy moment of silence.
‘Go any further than that, and we’d become the laughingstock of the internet.’
It made sense that the director or the crew on-site wouldn't be thrilled. This was clearly a choice made by the production company as a business-to-business deal.
And the producer sitting in front of us right now was the head of the working-level staff, positioned exactly between the production company and the creative crew.
He had authority, but he was also in a position to empathize with the situation on set.
Furthermore, we had already secured the moral high ground. The man was ready to listen.
‘Seon A-hyun set the mood well.’
Since all things being equal, people prefer the better option, he would likely accept an idea if it seemed decent.
So, I slowly opened my mouth.
First, the carrot.
“We have no intention of disrupting the filming schedule. In fact, it’s impossible anyway because of our tour schedule.”
We’re busy too, man.
When the translation was delivered, the producer nodded quite seriously. I continued.
“So, how about we add something simple, just enough for people to recognize TeSTAR? Our contract does need to be fulfilled, after all.”
The translator relayed the producer’s words.
“He says they’ll check for the most similar scenes possible and try to secure a slot in the schedule.”
He jumped on it the moment he thought we were backing down.
I expected as much, but I couldn't let it stay like that.
I smiled inwardly.
There was no way I was appearing in a battle scene with that god-awful cosplay vibe.
We were going to appear with a different image.
“It’ll be uncomfortable for everyone if we try too hard to fit it in, so you can make it more convenient for yourselves.”
I was leading him.
I recalled the scenes I had noted while looking at the script summary on the plane.
Then, I picked one.
“How about a scene like this instead?”
As soon as I had returned to the hotel, I had questioned our staff members who had been eating humble pie while wandering around the set.
I asked if they had heard the crew mention anything regarding the scenes I had picked out.
And I had caught one.
That was this scene.
The final plan that fit the schedule perfectly.
I pushed the corresponding page of the summary toward the producer.
“It’s more fun for singers to play the role of singers. Since we’re singers, a large-scale battle scene might look awkward.”
A cut that allowed us to hit and run with almost no impact on the filming schedule, while simultaneously serving our image.
This was the one.
“There’s nothing special you need to do for us. It’ll just be a single line and some background music, so it should be easy for you to use.”
The producer listened to the translator. I glanced around slightly.
Since this was something we had already agreed upon at the hotel, no one showed any particular agitation.
However, Cha Yu-jin, who was sitting closer to the producer, playfully raised an eyebrow. It seemed he had overheard something.
‘Oh.’
Cha Yu-jin grinned. He probably had a rough idea of what was being said.
A moment later.
“He says he’d like to hear more details.”
It was effectively a green light.
‘There we go.’
I shrugged my shoulders.
And three days later, in the afternoon, the cameo filming proceeded as scheduled.
A late winter morning.
As is always the case on Hollywood sets, the workers knew exactly what they had to do.
Even if what awaited them was nothing but low pay, poor treatment, and a series of tasks they didn't want to do, it didn't change anything. If it were purely for a living, they would have gone to law school, not here.
The same went for the assistant, who was essentially the legs of the production team. As the youngest of the PAs, she barely managed to hear the briefing while checking the coffee on set.
“There are additional people?”
Even for a short cameo appearance, it was rare for someone to be added so suddenly on the day of filming.
To her question of who that "exception" was, a teammate gave a short answer.
“K-pop stars.”
“Ah.”
They were the foreigners who had walked off the set a few days ago.
She didn't know how much recognition they had in their own country, but even though she knew what K-pop was, they were a band she had never heard of.
‘VTIC? That’s the only K-pop boy band name I know.’
Thinking of her younger sister who was obsessed with K-pop, she frowned slightly but soon smoothed it out.
“Joan was definitely rude, though.”
The attitude the assistant director and half of the production team had taken back then was indeed too much.
It was the kind of thing they would do to an unknown actor. Whether it was okay to do that just because someone was unknown was a different discussion, though.
“Still, walking out like that… they’ve got some nerve.”
The teammate’s words were sarcastic.
If they were so thin-skinned that they had to leave the trailer over that, they should give up on succeeding in Hollywood.
‘It’s going to be a rough day.’
She briefly estimated how much this band, which had stormed off the set in a single day, would mess up her day, and eventually sighed.
“Is filming being extended?”
“Thirty minutes.”
“Uh… I better pray Steve doesn't kill someone.”
“Pray that it ends quickly instead.”
The small talk ended quickly. She received a call and began running around the set again.
Thanks to the director’s decision to minimize CG and pour money into the sets, the environment and effects were extremely realistic.
In this movie series, where actors often had to perform in nothing but green bodysuits, it was a rare, good environment for acting.
‘But… what on earth are they going to film here?’
This scene was from the early part of the movie, showing the vast scope of the world-building, where the protagonist, newly arrived at a space station, enters a bar and meets an ally.
There was no place for K-pop stars in weird outfits to fit in.
‘Well, Joan, the assistant director, probably knows.’
Her job was just to manage the trivial matters on the filming site. She suppressed a sigh and moved a desk.
And it was the moment she tried to pick up a stack of chairs.
Her foot slipped.
“Whoa!”
She had misstepped.
‘Oh my god!’
The assistant instinctively closed her eyes, but she didn't collapse onto the floor with the chairs.
Instead, someone snatched the chairs she was holding.
“Are you okay?”
“…! A-Ah… yes.”
“Geez, why are you carrying so much? I can see people over there just slacking off.”
It was a vibrant, relaxed voice.
‘Who is this?’
Feeling momentarily puzzled, she picked herself up from her crouched position.
Then, she was surprised.
“Everyone has their own assigned tasks, so…!”
“Well, I guess that’s true.”
When she looked up, more than ten people were standing in front of her. All of them were Asian, and most were male.
And the man who had helped her with her load, a tall boy, gave a wide grin.
“My task is the cameo. Nice to meet you. We’re TeSTAR.”
“Hello!”
The boys of similar age greeting her from behind were quite polite. They all had good skin and features, though some were almost too pretty in her eyes.
‘But they have a good attitude.’
The concern she had felt a few minutes ago vanished like a joke.
“Hello. Yes. Thank you.”
She almost blurted out something like, “Your English is very good,” but swallowed it and gave a normal response.
As if noticing that, a boy with pinkish hair in the back spoke up with a peculiar look in his eyes.
“This guy is from here. California.”
“Ah, I see.”
Come to think of it, he had an accent that anyone would recognize as being from this state, which was why she had been even more surprised when she looked up.
She took another look at the boy who had helped her.
He had a good build, a relaxed demeanor, and the kind of aura typical of someone successful.
“You can call me Eugene.”
“Um, I see.”
“I guess we won't have to eat those 'delicious' sandwiches in the trailer today, right?”
That way of speaking… he was definitely from California. Blurring a negative comment with a positive tone. She forced a smile for now.
“Maybe. I’ll take you to Joan… the assistant director, right away.”
“Thanks!”
As she walked to hand them over to the assistant director, she heard a foreign language from behind.
[Wow, Eugene, your talking is on point.]
[I know!]
She didn't know what it meant, but the tone was bright. They didn't seem to be in a bad mood.
‘Did they increase their cameo screen time or something?’
What was certain was that the assistant director’s attitude had also changed. Joan suddenly began treating them with an excessively polite manner.
‘What is going on?’
Regardless, they quickly took over the set before the lead actors for today’s shoot arrived.
She also moved quickly.
First, snacks and drinks.
“Where should I bring these once you’re finished?”
Instead of their staff, the pink-haired boy glanced back at her and raised his hand as he gave a short answer.
Raised it?
“Thank you. Up there.”
“…?”
She followed his hand with her eyes.
The boy continued in a stiff tone.
“We’re going to perform.”
Oh my god.
Where his hand was pointing… was a corner of the bar, a place built for the sake of detail.
The bar’s small stage.
They had come to play the role of background performance extras in this scene!
It was absurdly modest.
‘Why… why are they doing this?’
Even with makeup, it was a question whether they would even suit this crazy set atmosphere.
In the meantime, filming preparations proceeded steadily, and after a camera test, the boys truly stood on the back stage of the bar.
‘They’ll probably just dub the sound later anyway, so they just need to pretend.’
They adjusted the microphones, and one even actually sat down at a keyboard. One boy even asked about the usage of a bizarre space instrument.
And the moment the actual filming began in the quiet set, without much expectation.
Vrrrrm—
The bar set dimmed, and amidst the flashing disco balls and neon lights.
—Black hole
A rich sound echoed from a microphone that wasn't meant for singing.
“…!”
An incredible vocal color formed harmonies as the accompaniment poured out like lasers or starlight.
But it wasn't elegant. A sound with a texture like haphazardly drawn crayons popped out.
An addictive song with a fast beat that suited a kitsch space opera. And a band singing with a quite rebellious attitude on the narrow stage.
—Let me swallow it
All of it blended incredibly well into the atmosphere of the bizarre bar, which faithfully boasted the facets of a sci-fi back alley.
A talent for seizing the moment.
“…….”
She felt she could emotionally understand why that boy had left his home state to go to a distant country.
‘It would be hard to turn down a team like that.’
It was a staggering thought, considering the fact that they weren't originally formed as a team but were just a temporary group tied together as survival show winners.
Anyway, the OST performance, rearranged into just two minutes, left not only her but quite a few workers in a daze.
During the building parts and the climax, some staff members even found themselves swaying slightly while watching.
Thud.
“Thank you.”
Even the relaxed way they greeted everyone after finishing added to their status. It was the posture of truly popular celebrities.
‘…It was surprisingly great.’
Furthermore, they didn't look at the camera until the very end, as if it weren't there. It was a posture skillfully prepared for a movie.
That was why it was even more regrettable.
‘It’s all going to be edited out anyway…!’
The probability of this performance surviving in the movie was zero. It was too sudden and an external element.
At best, this was filmed as a candidate to be released as behind-the-scenes footage!
For some reason, she felt that fact was utterly unfair.
She could see why they had chosen this as their cameo scene, but it was a pity they had made a mistake because they didn't know much about this field.
“Phew.”
However, it was a wasted worry.
The parties involved weren't even harboring such expectations in the first place.
What they were aiming for wasn't simply for this performance to look cool and be included in the movie.
It was the connection with what they were going to film next.
“Hmm.”
“We’re not filming the performance anymore, right?”
“Looking at the atmosphere, it seems so.”
Park Moon-dae, having stepped away from the microphone, spoke to Bae Se-jin among the members waiting for the next cut.
“Hyung, now show them the acting skills of a former genius child actor.”
“Good luck!”
“You don't need to feel pressured, but please know that you have our deep belief and trust!”
And as if the days of reacting with things like, “It’s only one line, what are you talking about camera presence for?” were a thing of the past, Bae Se-jin nodded seriously.
“…I got it!”
“Ooh!”
‘He’s immersed.’
Park Moon-dae judged Bae Se-jin’s state.
Refusing the water offered by a staff member, Bae Se-jin simply adjusted his gown costume with calm eyes.
And a short while later, the "real" cameo filming proceeded after the lead actors joined.
“…!”
The youngest assistant completely understood on-site why the K-pop band had chosen this.
At the same time, she was swept up in confusion.
‘That person… why is he in a boy band?’
Two months later.
The first internal blind screening of the movie’s rough cut was held, and TeSTAR’s edited footage was not reduced even after the feedback from this screening.
However, rumors began to spread, and speculative articles started appearing in Korea as well.
[“The Worldview of a Korean Game” Limestone’s New Movie… Will K-pop Idols Appear?]
It was the moment right before a match was dropped onto bone-dry kindling.