Chapter 287
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 287
Chapter Title: First Shoot, First Meeting
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Before the shoot began.
The actors gathered behind Producer Gong Heechan, where the monitor was. Writer Yoo Cheonga also took her place, her face alight with excitement.
“This is my first time seeing Seojun act in person! Hyung. He's good, right?”
At Kang Taeyoung's question, Jung Boram, Producer Gong Heechan, and Writer Yoo Cheonga all perked up their ears. Seeing their reactions, Park Dohun smiled gently and spoke.
“Much better than at the script reading. You can look forward to it.”
Park Dohun's confident assurance inflated their expectations several times over.
Everyone's eyes sparkled as they stared at the monitor.
Assistant directors Kim Danbi and Choi Hyunwoo, along with some of the staff, craned their necks to get a glimpse of the monitor. Only the staff members who had to stay at their posts watched the gathering crowd with regretful expressions.
“Ready, action!”
Producer Gong Heechan's voice rang out, and everyone turned their eyes to the screen.
It was raining.
Seojun slowed the speed at which he raised his umbrella, but to the onlookers, it felt even slower. The yellow umbrella rising gradually, raindrops that seemed visible one by one, his figure slowly being revealed. It was breathtakingly tense, but no one could look away.
When Seojun finally revealed his face with a bright smile, it was as if radiant flowers had bloomed only around him, even though the lighting and the set hadn't changed at all.
A silence fell.
Across the glass, inside the bus, Yoon Hyein and the cinematographer saw Seojun's face.
And through the cinematographer's camera, Producer Gong Heechan, Writer Yoo Cheonga, and the actors watched on the monitor. The staff members who had craned their necks to see Seojun's first performance.
Everyone huddled around the small monitor held their breath without exception. The female staff, in particular, didn't even blink. The time it took to blink felt like a waste.
As if all other sounds in the world had vanished, only the patter of raindrops hitting the ground could be heard.
The staff who were too far from the monitor to see Seojun's acting were bewildered by the sudden silence. Water continued to spray from the water truck. They thought it was about time to hear the call for "cut," but they kept quiet, wondering if the silence was part of Producer Gong Heechan's direction.
An Daho, holding a towel to give to Seojun, couldn't help but smile at the strange atmosphere on set.
Park Dohun, the one most accustomed to Seojun's acting, was the first to come to his senses.
‘Is there any genre Seojun can't do…?’
He marveled inwardly and tapped Producer Gong Heechan on the shoulder.
“!! Cu-Cut!!”
Startled by the sudden tap while he was lost in the scene, Producer Gong Heechan reflexively yelled "cut." To be honest, he wasn't even sure what he was shouting. The sound of his own voice brought him back, and he quickly added the rest.
“Okay!”
At the "okay" sign, Yoo Sungjin, who had been smiling brightly, blinked a few times and transformed back into Lee Seojun. He then looked at Yoon Hyein and the cinematographer on the other side of the bus window, smiling and nodding.
“My goodness…”
Yoon Hyein and the cinematographer, who had been mesmerized, marveled once again at the sight of him. The transformation on Seojun's face from ‘Yoo Sungjin’ to ‘Lee Seojun’ was clearly visible.
Just moments ago, he had been a boy full of love who made Yoon Hyein's heart flutter, making her forget her age. But in less than a second, that boy had vanished like a mirage. The change was so incredible it was shocking.
It was like seeing a true phantom of one's first love.
Yoon Hyein's and the cinematographer's gazes followed Seojun as he took a towel from his manager and wiped away the water droplets that had splashed on him despite the umbrella.
“…I thought I was well aware of Seojun's on-and-off switch… but even with the same smile, the feeling is so different.”
“Are all young actors like that these days? I think this is the first time I've been shocked during a shoot.”
Yoon Hyein quickly shook her head at the cinematographer's words.
“It's Lee Seojun. Lee Seojun.”
At the call of "okay," time began to flow again. The people watching the monitor also came to their senses one by one. Writer Yoo Cheonga covered her mouth with her hands.
“Good heavens… This is why Writer So wanted to work with Seojun.”
There stood a boy who was more ‘Yoo Sungjin’ than the ‘Yoo Sungjin’ Writer Yoo Cheonga had imagined.
Producer Gong Heechan nodded repeatedly in agreement. After Seojun's casting was confirmed, he had watched his previous works and thought he had a good grasp of the actor Lee Seojun's skills, but it seemed that wasn't nearly enough.
Watching the footage again, Producer Gong Heechan fell deep in thought.
Writer Yoo Cheonga, sitting next to him, also couldn't take her eyes off the monitor. As if she had found her muse, all sorts of ideas came to mind. She couldn't use them for this project, but they could be the start of her next one, so she quickly jotted them down in her notebook.
“I think this would be great for the teaser.”
At Producer Gong Heechan's words, Writer Yoo Cheonga's hand, which had been taking notes, stopped. Her eyes widened, and she opened and closed her mouth before finally managing to speak.
“…The ratings for the first episode are going to be insane.”
* * *
Assistant Director Kim Danbi, sitting next to Producer Gong Heechan and watching Seojun review the footage on the monitor, continued to marvel before blurting out a comment.
“My first love was in elementary school, but I don't know why I'm suddenly picturing Seojun. Even with the rose-tinted glasses of memory, he wasn't that handsome…”
Was it nostalgia, or was her memory being manipulated?
Choi Hyunwoo nodded at Kim Danbi's serious contemplation.
“That scene was definitely shocking. Even as a guy, I was taken aback by his visuals. And this is without any background music or editing…”
There was no telling what the final screen would look like once they put their minds to editing it.
“I know, right. It'll be insane once they add music and effects.”
If that happened, it would only be a matter of time before Lee Seojun, the Nation's Grand Prince, became the Nation's First Love.
Just then, the conversation about the teaser reached Kim Danbi and Choi Hyunwoo's ears. Choi Hyunwoo let out a groan at Producer Gong Heechan's formidable suggestion.
“It'll probably start airing at least two weeks before… It's going to cause an uproar. Well, at least we won't have to worry about the ratings.”
The two assistant directors, who only ever thought about ratings, chuckled, giving no thought to the viewers who would be replaying the same clip for two weeks straight.
And so, Seojun's first shoot for 'Spring Has Returned' came to an end.
* * *
Seojun's next shoot was indoors, on a classroom set.
Seojun entered with An Daho and was greeting the staff when he noticed a group of extras gathered a short distance from the set, so as not to interfere with preparations. He stopped in his tracks without realizing it. Seeing Seojun blinking repeatedly, An Daho grinned.
“What is…”
Seojun let out a groan at the sight of the extras.
Seeing Seojun's baffled expression, the extras greeted him with playful faces.
“Hey!”
“We're here!”
“Hi, Seojun!”
“…Why are you all here?”
Kim Jookyung, Han Jiho, Kang Jaehan, Yang Joohee, and other kids were all huddled together. They were friends who, just a month ago, had attended the same middle school and, in another month, would be attending the same high school.
“Yeoul Arts Middle School reunion!”
Yang Joohee, who was about to nod in agreement with Han Jiho, quickly added.
“Not that, we came to film.”
The kids burst into laughter at Han Jiho and Yang Joohee's words. Seojun, who had been staring in disbelief, soon broke into a smile as well.
Seojun took a seat next to the kids.
“But really, what's going on?”
Jookyung answered Seojun's question.
“Our agencies contacted us about an extra role. It's vacation, and Mirinae Arts High is more accommodating for activities than Yeoul Arts Middle, so we said yes.”
Everyone nodded at Jookyung's words, each adding a comment.
“Plus, even if it's only four episodes, it's on a major network.”
“You have to work hard to get your face out there so you can get the next project.”
True.
If the setting was a school, they would need student extras. That naturally meant they needed child actors, and among the current child actors, the most talented were the golden generation from Yeoul Arts Middle School.
In fact, it would be stranger if his friends *weren't* at a shoot that needed child actors.
As Seojun nodded, Jaehan said with a smile.
“But then we saw in the articles that you were in it, Seojun. So we asked our managers to keep it a secret.”
“We wanted to surprise you.”
At his friends' cheerful words, Seojun looked behind him. Seeing An Daho's mischievous face, Seojun couldn't help but laugh.
“Yeah. I was really surprised.”
While Seojun was happily chatting with his friends, the child actress for the female lead, Jung Boram, arrived. Seojun spotted her just as she was entering the set and called out to her.
“This is Jung Boram, the child actress for the female lead. She's also starting at Mirinae Arts High with us. And these are my friends from Yeoul Arts Middle. They're all going to Mirinae Arts High too.”
At Seojun's introduction, Jung Boram and the friends all smiled and greeted each other. They were all good kids, so they quickly became friends.
“Well, we're going to get ready for the shoot.”
After chatting with their friends for a bit, Seojun and Jung Boram began to prepare for filming. By the time they had changed into their school uniforms and had their makeup done, the set preparations were also nearly complete.
“We'll begin filming!”
Assistant Director Choi Hyunwoo's voice echoed through the set. The kids, already in their uniforms, entered the set and sat in the seats the assistant director had assigned them.
“This feels like we're really at school.”
“Except for all the cameras on the side.”
The kids laughed at Jookyung's comment. Thanks to the child actors who laughed at every little thing, the set was filled with energy. At Kim Danbi's announcement that all preparations were complete, Producer Gong Heechan raised his voice.
“Ready, action!”
The class president of Year 2, Class 1, Kim Seoyeon, was talking with her friends.
“I can't believe it's already winter… We're going to be seniors!”
“I hate college exams.”
Thinking of their own imminent future, Yang Joohee and Kim Jookyung delivered their lines with heartfelt sincerity, making the other kids chuckle inwardly. Seeing this, the staff, Producer Gong Heechan, and Writer Yoo Cheonga marveled, thinking that this was the golden generation, indeed.
Just then, the classroom's front door opened, and the homeroom teacher walked in.
At the teacher's appearance, the chattering students fell silent. The teacher looked around the quieted classroom and spoke.
“We have a new transfer student in our class today.”
At the teacher's words, the students' eyes widened, and they began whispering to the person sitting next to them.
“Huh? But we're about to be seniors?”
“I guess some people still transfer at this time.”
“Well, it's better than transferring when you're already a senior.”
Nodding at Yang Joohee's words, Kim Seoyeon had a premonition as she kept making eye contact with the teacher. As class president, it seemed likely she would be asked to look after the new student.
‘I hope they're nice.’
With eyes full of curiosity, Kim Seoyeon and the other students looked toward the front door.
Jung Boram, playing Kim Seoyeon, was amazed by the other kids acting in the same classroom. Though the lines were from the script, they all delivered them so naturally, as if they were their own words. It really felt like being in a real school. Of course, Producer Gong Heechan, Writer Yoo Cheonga, and the staff who were watching felt the same way.
“Alright, Sungjin. Come on in.”
At the teacher's words, the classroom's front door opened.
Ooh.
Gasps of admiration escaped from the students.
A perfectly fitting school uniform, neatly styled hair, and a height taller than his peers were enough to elicit admiration. He was handsome, too… but his expression was stiff. Seeing the cold look on the transfer student's face, Kim Seoyeon tilted her head.
‘Is he nervous?’
After all, transferring schools was a burden in many ways. You had to make new friends and catch up with the curriculum. Plus, final exams were just around the corner. Kim Seoyeon, feeling she could fully understand the new student's situation, resolved to be nice to him.
Kim Seoyeon's thoughts were written all over her face, and the camera captured Jung Boram's performance perfectly.
The transfer student, with a hardened face, briefly scanned the classroom before opening his mouth.
“Hello. I'm Yoo Sungjin. I came from America.”
Whoa. Awesome.
Murmurs erupted from all over. They knew he had transferred from somewhere else, but they never imagined it was America. The students' eyes sparkled. Handsome and from America—he was bound to capture everyone's attention at once.
“Alright, Sungjin will… Seoyeon.”
“Yes.”
At the teacher's call, the class president, Kim Seoyeon, raised her hand.
The transfer student, Yoo Sungjin, who had been looking around the classroom as if unfamiliar with it after coming from America, turned his gaze toward Kim Seoyeon, who was sitting by the window.
The eyes of the transfer student from America, Yoo Sungjin, and the class president, Kim Seoyeon, met.
It was their first meeting.
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