The Play's Set Design
In the matches that followed, Jae-yun of N-Boys lumbered around for a bit before he was finally subbed out. With their defensive balance shattered, the N-Boys side was driven onto the back foot and eventually conceded the clinching goal.
"We actually won…"
The Axis members cheered as they climbed onto the makeshift podium the production crew had thrown together on the spot.
"Hyung, thank you so much."
"Don't mention it. It was fun getting to play again after so long."
"You were limping a little after that tackle earlier. Are you okay?"
At Dong-ha's question, Yeon-woo flashed a grin.
"Yeah. Feels great, actually."
"Sorry?"
"I mean, I'm perfectly fine."
Jae-won, who had scored an own goal earlier that day, dipped his head in a polite bow.
"Yeon-woo hyung. We'll head off to our next event, then."
While the futsal had been underway outside, the girl groups had been competing in rhythmic gymnastics indoors. Now the idols who had taken part in the futsal had to head into the indoor arena for the next event.
"Sure. Don't get hurt. Let's all grab a meal together sometime."
"Ohhh, for real?"
"Of course."
With that, the outdoor matches wrapped up, and the other idol team members filed into the indoor arena.
Kim Hang-gon, the PD directing the whole production, approached Yeon-woo.
"Actor Ryu. I heard from the staff there was an incident during the match. Are you all right?"
"Ah, it was nothing. I wasn't hurt at all. If anything, it might make for some dramatic footage if you air it."
"Ohhh, is that so? I'll have to review the footage once we wrap today's shoot."
Yeon-woo offered a light smile at Kim Hang-gon's words.
"By the way, do we need to clear this outdoor pitch right away? I was thinking of having a meal with the fans up in the stands. We'll clean up thoroughly afterward."
"No problem at all. We've rented the whole place for the day, so use it however you like."
"That's a relief. PD-nim, if we ever end up working on a variety show together, I look forward to seeing you again. Thank you for taking such good care of us today."
When Yeon-woo bowed in greeting, Kim Hang-gon's mouth fell open in a dazed grin.
From Kim Hang-gon's perspective, simply building a connection with Ryu Yeon-woo was an enormous windfall. Yeon-woo was the kind of star whose image had barely been consumed by the broadcast industry yet—even a phone-in appearance, never mind an actual guest spot, was practically a guaranteed ratings boost for that episode.
The moment he finished speaking with the PD, Yeon-woo headed straight for the stands where the Woo's fans had gathered.
"Yeah, Min-su hyung. The weather's not as cold as I expected, so let's just eat outside. Could you bring what we prepared?"
He called Kim Min-su and asked him to bring the lunch boxes they had prepared. Before long, Min-su arrived with the LN Entertainment security staff, hauling large boxes full of meals.
"Everyone. The weather's nice—want to eat together right here?"
As Yeon-woo settled into a seat in the middle of the stands, the fans' eyes lit up.
"Together?!"
"Yeah. I'm not doing any of the other events anyway, so I figured I'd have a meal with all of you like we're on a picnic, then head home."
"Woooow."
"Ahhh, taking the day off was the right call. I can die happy…"
As Kim Min-su and the staff handed out lunch boxes ordered from a well-known family restaurant, Yeon-woo, already seated among the fans, spoke up.
"Min-su hyung and the security team should eat with us too."
"We're fine eating separately."
"Come on, why? If you eat with us, the security team won't even need to stand guard separately."
"…Ah. W-well, if you put it that way…"
Kim Min-su—who had walked the elite path of boys' middle school, boys' high school, military service, and engineering college—awkwardly found a seat among the mostly twenty-something female fans.
Yeon-woo plopped down right in the middle of them and chatted freely as they ate together.
Of course, given how diverse Yeon-woo's fanbase was, today's attendees weren't only women.
"Hyung! I've watched Master Plan ten times, for real!"
At the words of a boy who looked like a middle schooler, Yeon-woo asked,
"What's your name? Did you come alone?"
"Ju-hyeong. My mom's waiting in the parking lot."
Hearing the fan's name, Yeon-woo smiled as someone came to mind.
Do all the Ju-hyeongs tend to love movies?
"Same name as a friend of mine. Anyway, filming ran pretty long—your mom must've had a hard time waiting alone in the car. Min-su hyung. We've got extra lunch boxes, right?"
They had prepared plenty to begin with, so Kim Min-su checked the remaining stock and nodded.
"Yes, we do."
At Min-su's answer, Yeon-woo looked at the young fan.
"Call your mom and tell her to come in and eat with us. Filming's over now, so you can enter the outdoor pitch without a spectator ticket. If anyone tries to stop her, hand me the phone."
"For real?! Okay!"
The boy fan Ju-hyeong nodded and excitedly called his mother.
Meanwhile, fans of the other idols, filing into the indoor arena under staff guidance, watched the scene through the green chain-link fence and burned with envy.
"…Whoa. That's insane."
"His personality is so chill."
"He's an A-list actor now, and the fact that he even showed up for the Arts & Physical Education Festival out of loyalty is wild enough."
"Right? Honestly, both the celebrities and the fans grind themselves into the ground all day on these shows."
Meanwhile, the other Ju-hyeong—not the boy fan, but the aspiring playwright—was deep in thought over the stage design for the play.
He had sat in every corner of the small theater, considering the problem from every angle, and the conclusion he and his friends had finally reached was simple.
"Ah, I have no idea. When were we ever supposed to have done something like this?"
"Let's just wait until Yeon-woo or Yu-han gets here."
At Jun-su's suggestion, everyone nodded.
"Wait for what?"
The voice from behind made them jump.
"Ah, damn. You scared me. Do you have to walk around without making a sound?"
"When did you get here, Yeon-woo?"
Out of habit, Yeon-woo had muffled his footsteps on the way down, opening and closing the door without a sound, slipping in like a ghost.
Hmm. This one's so ingrained it just won't change.
Scratching the back of his head, Yeon-woo answered his friends.
"I had a variety shoot today. Just finished and came straight over."
"Ahh. That futsal thing you mentioned last time?"
When Yeon-woo nodded, Ju-hyeong asked,
"How'd it go? Did you do well?"
Jun-su and Seong-sik answered at the same time.
"Of course he did."
"When it comes to sports, he finds a way to win."
At that, Yeon-woo replied with a faintly wronged look.
"'Finds a way'? You make it sound like I cheat or something."
"Your tactics and strategy basically are cheating."
Yeon-woo shrugged as if to say what are you talking about and changed the subject.
"Anyway, what is it you don't know? You said you were waiting for Yu-han or me."
"Ah, the stage setup. We have to make it look like a ship, right?"
The play Ju-hyeong had written this time was a thriller-noir-mystery.
But given the inherent limits of theater—where everything had to be resolved on a single confined stage—they couldn't freely change the background location. And since they were a small amateur troupe, those limits stood out even more sharply.
That was why they had settled on a murder aboard a ship. If the story unfolded in the isolated space of a vessel, there would be no need for scene changes.
Having organized his thoughts, Yeon-woo nodded and spoke.
"I've been thinking about that part ever since we went to the States, and I've got an idea."
"Oh, of course you do! What is it?"
"What if we did it like a bathroom?"
"Huh? A bathroom?"
At the unexpected suggestion, his friends tilted their heads.
They were supposed to dress the stage like a ship—what did a bathroom have to do with anything?
Figuring it would be faster to show than explain, Yeon-woo climbed up onto the stage.
"Guys, go grab seats."
At his words, his friends sat down in the audience. Yeon-woo walked to the far right edge of the stage.
"At the start, we only hit the right side of the stage—where I'm standing now—with a spotlight. Keep the rest of the stage relatively dark so it doesn't draw the eye."
Clap-clap.
Yeon-woo clapped twice, and his expression shifted into someone else's entirely.
"The ship is departing. Anyone who hasn't boarded yet?"
Then he spun in place and, this time in a frantic rush, raised his hand.
"Me! Please wait just a moment!"
"Yes, yes—ticket, please."
"I ran here in such a hurry I couldn't buy a ticket. Please, just let me on this once. I'll pay double the fare in cash right now. Please?"
"Ah, we really shouldn't. It's against regulations."
Watching Yeon-woo keep switching positions and trading lines with himself, his friends realized he was performing the opening of the play as a one-man double act.
"Triple! I'll pay triple—can't you do something?"
"Well… fine, I suppose. Climb aboard. We're casting off immediately, so don't stand around on deck—head straight down the stairs into the cabin."
"Understood."
Then Yeon-woo looked at his friends and spoke.
"So Jin Yu-han boards as the last passenger, and then we black out."
He walked back to center stage and spread both arms.
"Right here in the middle of the stage, we set up partitions like the stalls in a public restroom—one for each person who boarded—and hang a door on each."
His friends nodded, finally understanding.
"Oh! So the audience will immediately recognize it as the cabins!"
At Seong-sik's words, Ju-hyeong the writer shook his head.
"It's more than that. Once an actor closes the cabin door and exits out the back, they can immediately switch into a crew role."
In a small theater with so few members, everyone had to play multiple parts—not only as characters but as stagehands managing the set. When you weren't in a scene, you had to scramble off to work the lights or cue the sound.
Normally, during a blackout, practiced hands would swiftly swap out the set pieces. But none of them were seasoned theater people. They had been fretting over how to manage it—yet with this method, even beginner members could handle it without trouble.
"Exactly. And Teacher Jeong Cheol-min said he'd send over two theater actors from the small theater he runs. We'll start working in sync with them going forward."
Jeong Cheol-min's own theater was closed for leak repairs anyway, so manpower wouldn't be an issue.
"Then what about your room and Yu-han's?"
At Kim Ju-hyeong's question, Yeon-woo walked forward to the front of the stage.
In this play, two people never left the stage and kept performing the entire time: the leads, Yeon-woo and Jin Yu-han.
Coming all the way to the very edge of the stage, right in front of the audience seats, Yeon-woo pointed to either side.
"On the left, my cabin. On the right, Yu-han's—facing each other. No doors, no walls. Just a small bed and a locker so the insides are completely visible."
Kim Ju-hyeong nodded at Yeon-woo's answer.
"So the audience will see a whole row of cabin doors stretching out behind your and Yu-han's rooms."
"Right. The script has a lot of scenes where Yu-han and I go into our rooms and deliver monologues."
In his friends' eyes, the finished set seemed to take shape.
"If we set it up like that, Yeon-woo's and Yu-han's rooms are at the front of the stage, and behind them the cabin doors run stall after stall—so it's perfectly symmetrical around the center."
Hearing Woo Seong-sik, Yeon-woo looked over at Kim Ju-hyeong.
"Come to think of it, Writer Kim Ju-hyeong. Have you decided on a title for our play?"
"Yeah. Coincidentally, it fits a symmetrical set perfectly. This play is called Mirror."
Hearing the title, Yeon-woo glanced around the small theater.
The seats were still empty, but somehow he could already feel the heat of an audience's gaze.
"Hmm, Mirror… It suits it rather well."