The Light That Cannot Be Hidden

It wasn’t just Park Myungjin who watched the review by Nugulnaegul. The moment the video dropped, the actors, including Sunwoo, immediately tuned in to see what was said. And they were left in awe.

“They’re really something else, aren’t they?”

Hyeseong clicked his tongue in admiration. He already knew that Nugulnaegul possessed such sharp analytical skills that people often wondered if they were a professional critic working in the industry. But seeing them dissect Room, it felt as if they understood the work even better than the people who had actually made it. Minhee muttered, looking dazed.

“It makes me reflect on myself. Even while acting in it, I don’t think I contemplated Room as deeply as this person did.”

“Well, to be fair, that’s not really something you can just force through contemplation.”

“Still… it’s a bit of a shame.”

“Don’t be like that. Didn’t Nugulnaegul say the actors did a great job, too?”

Hyeseong shrugged his shoulders. Just as he said, Nugulnaegul had specifically pointed out the actors:

Among them, the person Nugulnaegul focused on most was Sunwoo.

It wasn’t an earth-shattering praise. It was more of a comment that he had done well in an important and difficult role.

But when Sunwoo heard those words, he felt a sudden lump in his throat. He had heard plenty of praise calling him "amazing" or a "genius," but he had never once been comforted by someone acknowledging how hard it must have been. And only then did Sunwoo realize it anew.

'I guess I was under more pressure than I thought.'

Sunwoo knew how vital the character of "Kim Sunwoo" was to Room. If he failed to act properly, it wouldn’t just be his own failure. To put it slightly dramatically, it could have ruined the entire production. He couldn't be a burden. That obsession had always been with him. Yes, even until now.

That must be why. That’s why the voice of Nugulnaegul, recognizing his struggle, felt so comforting.

'That’s why I have to do even better from now on.'

Sunwoo steeled his heart. Nugulnaegul had predicted that the upcoming fourth episode would be where the real story of Room began. And after checking the script for Episode 4, he realized that prediction was spot on.

“…I really didn’t expect this kind of content.”

Sunwoo peered into the script.

The beginning of Episode 4 continues directly from the previous chaos. What was impressive was the emotional line Kim Sunwoo displayed toward Seo Jinwook. Rather than hatred… it was more like pity, or perhaps disappointment. An emotional line that emphasized a sense of sorrow.

'I felt it in the last episode, too.'

Kim Sunwoo does ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not hate Seo Jinwook. Even if the connection was short, he must have grown fond of Yoo Jieun, yet he shows no hatred toward the person who killed her. This is clearly an alien reaction. But for that very reason, he thought it was very "Kim Sunwoo-like."

'Because it’s not just Yoo Jieun who shines in Kim Sunwoo’s eyes.'

Park Moonhyun, Nam Minhee, Jung Hyeseong… and even Seo Jinwook—they are all just dazzling people to Kim Sunwoo. Their desperate struggle to live was something Kim Sunwoo clearly lacked. Just the fact that they could be sincere about their own lives made them people he could admire.

If there was anyone who didn’t sparkle in Kim Sunwoo’s eyes, it would have been…

'Probably just Justin.'

It couldn’t be helped. Justin was alive, but he wasn’t truly living. A pitiful life, addicted to drugs, unable to even look back at the life he was given. Perhaps he was the only one in this place more pathetic than Kim Sunwoo.

In that sense, it was a bit of a shame that Justin was eliminated so early. If Justin had stayed alive, there would have been so many more stories to tell about Kim Sunwoo’s perspective on him. For some reason, Sunwoo felt certain of that. He felt that Ryu, too, would be quite disappointed about it.

But now wasn’t the time to think about such things. Sunwoo continued reading the script.

The others begin to corner Seo Jinwook.

It was Bang Hyungbin who mediated the situation, which looked like it would erupt into bloodshed at any moment.

When he read this part, the thrill Sunwoo felt was hard to put into words. He hadn’t felt this same thrill even when Yoo Jieun or Park Moonhyun had died. It couldn’t be helped. Even though he wasn’t watching a performance, but simply reading words on a page… an impossibly dazzling light was radiating from Bang Hyungbin.

'…Beautiful.'

For a moment, he was even envious of Bang Hyungbin. What would it feel like to act out a character with such a color? But he didn’t need to be too envious. Sunwoo, too, could act as Kim Sunwoo, who held that very Bang Hyungbin in his eyes. The more Bang Hyungbin shone, the more Kim Sunwoo, watching him, would shine as well.

He was curious about what came next, but unfortunately, the script he received ended at this part.

'…Live together, huh.'

Are they planning an escape? Thinking about the future of the story, that seemed likely. Sunwoo focused on preparing the given script. In reality, there was almost no spare time. He had to memorize his lines, refine his emotional beats, and undergo basic makeup before filming.

You might ask, why bother with makeup when they’re trapped in a room without cosmetics? Precisely because of that, the makeup process took even longer. They had to express the way a person slowly becomes haggard as time passes in this place. And Sunwoo, in particular, was a subject the makeup team ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠found quite difficult to handle. Song Yugyeong of the makeup team let out a sigh.

“You just won’t get scruffy, will you?”

“……Isn’t this scruffy enough?”

Sunwoo tilted his head, looking in the mirror. The makeup he had received was roughly as follows:

1. Applying foundation half a tone darker than his skin tone.

2. Painting dark circles under his eyes and creating redness around the eye rims.

3. Intentionally blurring the contours of his face by not using concealer.

4. Removing the lip color.

5. Styling his hair to look intentionally matted and flat.

In fact, at this point, most ordinary people would be called a wreck. However,

“Sunwoo, you basically have bright skin and such great complexion.”

Usually, that would be a strength. But not in a situation where he had to portray exhaustion.

“It’s like your skin reflects light so well that the vitality just keeps showing through. Even under the foundation, the redness of your skin is more noticeable.”

Of course, there were countermeasures. They would create the dark circles first, then cover them with foundation. They would tone down the redness in areas where his complexion showed, and intentionally create uneven, blotchy colors on the bridge of his nose—that would make even a healthy person look like a wreck.

But even after doing all that,

“The problem is this light in your eyes.”

Yugyeong crossed her arms and stared into Sunwoo’s eyes with a troubled look. They were starlit eyes. A soft light that began to haunt you the longer you looked at it. But perhaps because of that, once you looked, you couldn’t pull your gaze away.

No matter how haggard the makeup was, the moment those eyes sparkled, it felt like all the makeup lost its meaning. For the makeup team, it was a headache in more ways than one.

But Sunwoo shrugged nonchalantly.

“It’s okay. Kim Sunwoo is a character whose eyes are supposed to shine anyway.”

“But is it okay for the person themselves to shine because of that light?”

“Yes. It’ll be fine.”

“Hmm…”

Yugyeong tilted her head. Wasn’t Kim Sunwoo a dark character? She didn’t know. From here on out, it was the actor’s domain. As the makeup team, all they could do was remove the complexion, as mentioned before.

'He’s such a strange kid.'

Yugyeong clicked her tongue inwardly while watching Sunwoo. She had been doing this job for over ten years. She had seen countless actors, but an actor who gave off such a special feeling was truly rare. It was just a vague feeling, really. That this kid would become a star someday.

There was no logical basis for it. It was just an intuition developed from working in this industry for a long time.

Even she, a member of the makeup team, felt it. It went without saying for the directing staff who were actually filming. Whenever the topic of Sunwoo came up, they all spoke with one voice.

“Sunwoo is really unique.”

“Right? It’s surprisingly hard to find an actor with that kind of aura.”

“For one, I don’t know what kind of kid he is. He’s good at greeting people, so he seems to have good social skills… but then again, he’s too quiet to be called ‘lively.’”

“But it’s not that he’s quiet because he’s introverted, is it? Isn’t it more like… he’s so full of thoughts that he doesn’t have the time to chatter?”

“That’s the vibe. That’s why he doesn’t say a single word before going into a scene.”

The conclusion of all those words was simple. Sunwoo was a genius.

Thanks to that, at some point, the staff often found themselves just watching Sunwoo’s acting without a second thought. It felt as if Kim Sunwoo from Room had come to life.

At least the old Kim Sunwoo had a dull, dead character, but nowadays… no matter how heavily they applied the scruffy makeup, his eyes just kept sparkling more and more…

“…Doesn’t he look even more handsome?”

“Hmm, maybe he’s more captivating than before.”

“His acting seems to keep improving, too.”

“There’s a bit of that, isn’t there?”

Naturally, the filming and lighting teams were the most sensitive to those changes. Since they always had to keep a close eye on the actors’ appearances, they couldn’t help but notice even the slightest change. And the fact that there were the most sensitive people meant there were also those who were less sensitive. The sound director was a prime example.

“What changed so much?”

The sound director tilted his head. To his eyes, everything still looked the same. Honestly, he felt that the other staff members were overreacting. Watching the sound director, the cinematographer let out a sigh.

“Hyung. You didn’t watch the drama this time either, did you?”

“Ahem, you know. I don’t watch the finished product.”

The sound director coughed awkwardly. He was the type who avoided watching the works he had worked on if he could help it. If he watched the final cut, he would only see the parts he had messed up, which only caused him unnecessary stress. His job was to maintain the quality of the on-site recording above a certain level. As such, he couldn’t pay much attention to the actors’ acting. To be precise, he didn’t have the time to worry about such things. He was busy enough just checking the sound.

Watching such a sound director, the cinematographer shook his head.

“No, you’ll see the acting when you’re mixing the audio in the session, won’t you?”

“I’m busy balancing the audio. If I try to watch the acting there, I can’t get any work done.”

“Fine. Then, just for today, watch that kid act properly.”

“Hmm… but I have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to check the sound?”

“Oh, come on! The kids are checking everything anyway. How much is there to worry about in an indoor shoot? Just watch the acting and think about it.”

“…Alright.”

The sound director nodded with a sour expression. The wait wasn’t long. Today’s shoot started with Sunwoo’s part.

“…What? Who are you?”

Jinwook spoke first. Watching Jinwook, the sound director nodded inwardly. A good voice. It wasn’t that it was a beautiful voice. It was a voice that was sharp, with clear edges that stuck in your ears the moment you heard it. The actors from Cheongsong definitely had their vocalization well-trained. Not only was their delivery precise, but they were also adept at pressing emotions into their voices. If anything, Sunwoo was the one among them who lacked the skill to handle his voice.

'Vocalization is eventually mastered by the amount of time you pour into it.'

In that sense, it couldn’t be helped. Sunwoo boasted the shortest career among them. It was impressive that he showed this level of vocalization with that much experience… but as a sound director, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. Perhaps that was why he felt a sense of repulsion toward the "Kim Sunwoo genius theory." Kim Sunwoo, evaluated solely by his voice, wasn’t that great of an actor. Of course, he conveyed emotions well, but… the technical aspect was lacking.

And so,

“Did you… did you really have to kill her?”

When he heard that voice, as if soaked in water… damp and sorrowful,

“You didn’t have to… you didn’t have to do that. Why, for God’s sake, why…!”

When he saw that face, colored with grief and sorrow, as if it would crumble at any moment, the sound director couldn’t help but shut his mouth for a moment. It was his first time listening to Sunwoo’s acting with such focus. He had always only cared about the sound. But seeing it like this,

'My breath…'

It was stifled. It felt as if a heavy stone had dropped onto his chest. He could feel it. The cold emotion Kim Sunwoo was feeling was being transmitted to him without any filter.

'Was he a kid who could do this kind of acting…?'

The sound director’s expression turned strange. It wasn’t that the sound director hadn’t watched the finished products from the beginning. There was a time when watching the acting of the actors whose voices he had captured was his joy. But at some point, he had started to get tired of it all. It couldn’t be helped. No matter how special a job is, if you repeat it every day, you eventually get sick of it. It was a kind of burnout.

However, a thought suddenly occurred to him. Had he been turning his gaze away from what he needed to see under the excuse of burnout?

In the work he was creating, the actors were shining like that.

The sound director clenched his fists without realizing it. The cinematographer, who had been glancing at those fists, asked with a smirk.

“How is it?”

“……I can see why you say that.”

“What?”

The cinematographer’s lips curled upward. The sound director let out a sigh. How should he put it? He felt frustrated for no reason. It felt like he had lost. But it couldn’t be helped.

“It feels like… he shines much brighter than when I first saw him.”

He had to admit what needed admitting.

“He’s sparkling.”