Forest of Crime (2)
Whoa. This is seriously cool.
That was Ara's first impression.
The set built for filming a movie or drama looked far more real than she had expected.
And just as Ara was busy taking in the set, other people were busy taking in her.
Whoa, who is that? I've never seen her before.
She's insanely pretty.
The junior staff, in particular, couldn't seem to tear their eyes away.
"Cast members, please gather in the plaza!"
While she was still wandering around the set, the assistant director's shout carried over from a distance.
December, cold enough that every breath turned white.
The sky had only just begun to brighten.
"Alright, everyone! Good morning!"
Ha Il-gwon greeted them with bright energy.
"I'm Ha Il-gwon, overall director for this production of Forest of Crime. It's good to see you all again."
Clap—clap—clap—clap—
Buoyed by the applause from cast and crew, he pressed on.
"First off, as previously announced, we'll be doing overnight shoots from today through the day after tomorrow. Honestly, the schedule is pretty tight."
That much was true — the broadcast was only about a month away, and this was only the first day of filming.
"There's a barbecue party planned for the evening, but night shoots may keep going right through. Of course, that mostly depends on how many NGs we rack up, right?"
Ha ha ha ha.
"Our goal for this shoot is Episode One. We're going straight into filming with no rehearsals."
"Director."
Lee Min-hyeok raised his hand.
"Yes. Go ahead."
Given the official setting, Ha Il-gwon answered with formal courtesy.
"Are you sure about that? Going in with no rehearsals?"
Everyone was thinking the same thing.
"I know what you're worried about. Honestly, calling it 'no rehearsals' is a bit of a stretch. Instant feedback will happen right there on set. It's not like we're shooting on film anymore — you press a button and that's basically a rehearsal, isn't it? I trust our actors. And the other directors, of course."
Under the gaze of everyone gathered in the plaza, Ha Il-gwon continued.
"And this also takes the nature of the drama into account. A crime scene. A grimy, worn-out office. Those places need to feel a little chaotic. So we're going raw, no rehearsals. Understood?"
The cast nodded as if that made sense.
"Alright then, get yourselves ready. We start shooting at eight-thirty. Dismissed for now!"
With that, everyone began drifting back to their stations.
That was when Lee Seo-jun walked over to Ara.
"I won't go easy on you this time."
"Excuse me?"
What is this guy suddenly walking up and saying?
"Looking forward to working with you these next three days."
"Huh? Oh… sure…?"
Ara took the hand he offered, still half-dazed.
"What? Why are you shaking hands with Ara?"
Yu Ha-yeong came over to the two of them.
"None of your business."
"How is it none of my business? Ara's with our agency too. Anyone sniffing around our junior needs to be cut off in advance, don't you think?"
"What? Ara-ssi joined YW?"
"Yep."
"That's a shame. It would've been nicer if she'd come to our company. Oh well."
"Ara, come here. That guy's got Cool Syndrome. It's contagious."
Yu Ha-yeong grabbed Ara's arm and pulled her over.
"Don't put weird frames on me, Yu Ha-yeong."
"Bleh."
The two of them looked so much like close friends that it was almost pleasant to watch.
"You two get along really well."
The words slipped out of Ara's mouth before she could stop them.
A sharp jolt—
A crackling glare—
The moment they heard that, both of them turned on Ara with murder in their eyes.
Oh my god.
In that instant, Ara realized something.
Killing someone with a look alone might actually be possible.
"Ara. There are things you're allowed to say and things you're not. What you just said is one of the things you're not."
"She's right, Ara-ssi. Being friends with that is a serious insult to me."
Ara barely had time to hide her shock.
"What? Hey, what did you just say? Say it again."
"That. Thing."
"Oh-ho. Feeling like a lively little dance today, Detective?"
"I have no reason to waste time playing with you."
Round two was about to begin.
"Ha-yeong! Ara! What are you doing — hurry up!"
Unfortunately, their rematch was cut short by Nam Tae-woo's call from across the way.
"Hmph! Let's go, Ara!"
"I'll see you later, then."
As the two of them pulled apart, the curtain fell on their little war, and the people who had been quietly watching from the sidelines drifted off to their own work with a faint sense of disappointment.
After all, a fight and a fire were the two most entertaining spectacles in the world.
Of course, everyone around them knew the two hadn't actually been fighting.
Are they close, or do they hate each other?
If she had to pick, it leaned toward close.
"Alright, we need to get ready too. Ha-yeong, go see your coordinator."
"Okay. See you later, Ara!"
"Yes."
Yu Ha-yeong headed to her station.
Which happened to be right next door.
"Hi, Ara."
"?"
If you were going to be right here, why say 'see you later'?
"Ara, get your makeup done first and change into your clothes."
"Okay."
Ara changed into the clothes Jang Min-a handed her and sat down for makeup.
"Here. Coffee."
Nam Tae-woo held out a steaming americano.
"Thank you."
"All done!"
Jang Min-a finished the last of Ara's hair, completing the Lee Eun-ju look.
"Stand up and turn around for me."
Ara rose from the chair and twisted this way and that, studying her reflection in the mirror.
Whoa.
She was reminded all over again just how incredible a professional's hands could be.
"Wow. I barely did anything and the model is just broken. It's unfair."
The other managers and coordinators nearby were thinking the same thing.
Plain jeans. A plain white shirt.
Over that, a stylist's apron of the kind hairdressers wore.
And her hair — long and loose, half-tied so the elastic didn't show, arranged to bring out a particular kind of pure, clean innocence.
"Wow…… Ara, you're seriously gorgeous……"
Yu Ha-yeong drifted over, openly admiring.
Whoa!
Yu Ha-yeong's side was no less impressive.
To play Lee Ji-yeong, she had tucked her long hair into a net.
And the uniform suited her far better than expected.
"You look amazing too, unnie."
Ara meant every word.
She really was stunning.
"Hehe. Thanks."
Just a little strange as a person, that was all.
Knock knock—
"You two ready?"
Nam Tae-woo opened the door as he called in.
"Oh! Ha-yeong! That uniform looks incredible on you!"
The first thing that caught his eye was Yu Ha-yeong.
Even to him, the uniformed look was fresh — and it suited her ridiculously well.
And then there was Ara.
"Hhk—!"
"Oppa, what do you think? Isn't Ara gorgeous?"
Jang Min-a asked the stunned Nam Tae-woo, but—
"……"
"Huh? Is this thing broken?"
He had lost the ability to speak.
Ara understood.
Even if she had still been a man, her current look was pure enough to pull that exact reaction out of someone.
Why does being the one wearing this face make me feel absolutely nothing?
She knew she was pretty — she really did — but the moment it became her own body, all the thrill of it had simply evaporated.
That didn't mean she was oblivious to how other people saw her.
Should I mess with him a little?
Ara walked over to Nam Tae-woo.
"Manager-nim, are you okay?"
She had said she would tease him, but thinking about it, they had barely ever held a real conversation.
Just the usual empty check-ins.
Hey! Goddess!
The effect, however, was devastating.
"Ah……"
Something that sat on the fuzzy border between a breath and a word slipped out of Nam Tae-woo's mouth.
"Ah?"
"I worship you……"
A sudden, heartfelt act of devotion.
Pfft—
Everyone nearby burst out laughing.
Oh come on, not this guy again.
In the end, she was the one who got teased.
"Standby!!!"
Eight-thirty.
The assistant director's shout rang out.
Having become Lee Eun-ju, Ara took her script and headed to the set.
Of course, her turn hadn't come yet.
She was only there to watch the seniors work — with a rookie's mindset.
No point getting myself noticed for the wrong reasons.
Though, in a different sense, she was already being noticed plenty.
Whoa.
Look at her. Look.
Yeah, I see her.
I heard she's the one playing Lee Eun-ju?
That psychopath serial killer? Are you kidding? With that face?
Right? I can't even picture it. And it's not like they cast her on looks alone — the people producing this are huge names.
But even if they did cast her on looks alone, wouldn't you still accept it?
Hahaha, fair enough. She's ridiculously pretty.
Managers and stylists from the various agencies were talking about Ara, but none of it reached her ears.
People bustled into place, settling into their positions.
Overall director Ha Il-gwon took the ready signal from the assistant director.
"S#1. Action!!!"
At last, the first take began.
"Team leader. Have a cup of this."
Through a haze of smoke, Lee Hyeon-woo held out a mixed coffee to Choi Jin-cheol.
"Hey, you idiot. You don't know coffee and cigarettes make your mouth reek like shit? Damn it!"
"I know. But you're the one who told me to grab one, team leader. By the way — how many times is this already?"
At Lee Hyeon-woo's words, Choi Jin-cheol's face twisted with irritation in an instant.
"Third time. Fuck."
"What's the point of all this? This one really seemed like a total psycho."
"Kid, if I knew that, huh? I'd already have the bastard. Did you look into what I asked?"
"Yes. From what we've checked so far, this victim has zero connection to the previous two. And at the scene — no fingerprints, no hair, nothing that could serve as a lead."
"CCTV."
Lee Hyeon-woo shook his head.
Choi Jin-cheol pulled another cigarette from his coat and stuck it between his lips.
Hoo—
"Fuck."
He exhaled a thick cloud of smoke and spat the curse into it.
"Okay! Cut! Good!!"
This was nothing like her cameo.
Back then she had already been in character, already part of the scene.
There had been no room to consciously watch anyone else's acting.
For the first time, Ara was watching other people perform up close.
And not just anyone — actors whose craft the public already recognized.
They're seriously incredible.
It was chaotic.
Messy.
Cameras everywhere, pointed right at them, the pressure almost tangible.
A completely different weight from the table read.
And yet they sank into their characters as if none of it existed, and kept going.
Real acting — full of physical presence, nothing like the words-only performance of a reading.
Ara found herself realizing, all over again, just how remarkable actors were.
"We'll go straight into the next one!"
"Yu Ha-yeong-ssi, get on standby."
"Yes."
Yu Ha-yeong finished preparing to go in.
"S#2. Action!!"
The moment it started, Yu Ha-yeong burst onto the set.
"Hello, team leader."
She had already become Lee Ji-yeong.
"Right. Results?"
"Cause of death is shock from excessive blood loss. Marks all over the body indicate prolonged torture. Same perpetrator as before — no question."
She reported the findings from the National Forensic Service materials to Choi Jin-cheol.
"Figured as much."
"Let me see that too."
"Here."
Lee Hyeon-woo handed the materials to Lee Ji-yeong.
"Wow. This guy is a real freak."
"So be careful. I'm in the control room, so I'm fine — but you're the one who has to catch him out in the field."
"Oh? Are you worried about me? How sweet."
Lee Hyeon-woo ruffled Lee Ji-yeong's hair as if he might mess it up completely.
"Worried? Please. Just saying be careful."
Lee Ji-yeong smoothed her hair back into place.
A newly added detail.
Lee Ji-yeong had a crush on Lee Hyeon-woo.
Whoa.
It was fascinating.
They looked so close it was hard to believe these were the same two people who had been sniping at each other minutes ago.
Is this that whole show-window couple thing?
Watching the shoot was far more fun — and far more immersive — than she had expected.
Of course, one reason for that was that the actors were so good not a single NG had dropped yet.
"Lee Eun-ju! Gil Ara-ssi, please get ready!"
Time rolled on, and at last it was Ara's turn.
Lee Eun-ju appeared across a total of four episodes.
And outside of Episode Four, her screen time was extremely short.
Roughly the length of her cameo in the film Train to Ulsan?
Three minutes. Five at the absolute most.
So she was confident she wouldn't NG.
The lines were short, and she trusted the master-class actors around her.
Ara took her place on the set dressed up like a hair salon.
Alright.
Sensory Sharing: Lee Eun-ju
The trait was already active.
All she had to do now was deliver the lines.
"Action!!"
Filming began, and Lee Hyeon-woo — energy drink in hand — stepped into the salon.
"Hello……"
And the moment he saw Lee Eun-ju, the rest of the greeting died in his throat.
"Cut!! Seo-jun, we're going again."
The first NG of the day.