Chapter 339
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 339
Chapter Title: Four Emotions
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Staring blankly for a moment at Lee Seojun's arrival, Kim Sangmi nudged the frozen Yoon Jeongwon with her arm. Finally snapping back to her senses, Yoon Jeongwon spoke.
“Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Yoon Jeongwon, the head of Noeul Studio. I’ll be handling the shoot today, and this is photographer Kim Sangmi, who will be assisting.”
Yoon Jeongwon also introduced the junior staff member and the guide who had come with Seojun.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Yoon Jeongwon gave them a tour of the studio.
“We’ll be shooting over here. It’s a white background for now, but we can change the color right away.”
Where Yoon Jeongwon pointed, a single wooden chair sat alone, surrounded by a pristine, spotless white backdrop. Large, unlit studio lights and reflectors were all aimed toward the chair.
Seojun turned his head to look at the opposite side and saw a camera. It was different from the ones he saw on film or drama sets—he didn't know the specific model, but it resembled the cameras that reporters or fans carried.
There was a set, and there were lights.
And a camera.
Similar to a film set, yet different, the photo studio began to pique Seojun’s interest.
“We’ll take the ID photo first, then the profile pictures. The people from Cocoa Entertainment are in the waiting room. We’ll be getting ready for the shoot, so please come right over once your makeup is done.”
“Okay.”
At Yoon Jeongwon’s words, Seojun and An Daho followed the junior staff member to the waiting room. Meanwhile, the guide returned to the lobby, and Kim Sangmi and Yoon Jeongwon began preparing for the shoot.
“I thought I was going to die from nervousness!”
“Me too.”
* * *
The moment he opened the door to the waiting room, Seojun broke into a wide smile at the sight of familiar faces.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Seojun!”
Two staff members from Team 2 and two stylists were in the waiting room.
While the Team 2 staff spoke with An Daho, the stylists quickly sat Seojun down in a chair. A vast array of cosmetics was laid out before him. The other stylist began to work on Seojun’s hair.
“It’s been a while, Seojun.”
“It really has.”
The two stylists usually worked with ‘White,’ but they occasionally worked with Seojun when he had schedules other than filming. The last time they’d met was last year, so it had indeed been a long time.
“Nuna, they said we’re doing the ID photo first.”
“I know. That’s why I’m not going to do heavy makeup.”
“I’ll just touch up your hair a bit.”
“Please make me look cool.”
At Seojun’s words, the two stylists smiled warmly and set their hands in motion.
As a soft brush swept across his face, Seojun gently closed his eyes.
* * *
Once preparations were complete, Seojun stepped out of the waiting room, and the studio came into view.
The set had completely transformed from when he had first entered the waiting room. The previously off lighting equipment was now ablaze. Under the bright lights, the shadow of the lone wooden chair on the stark white floor was sharply defined.
“You’re here, sir!”
At the junior staff member’s voice, Yoon Jeongwon and Kim Sangmi, who were checking the camera angle, turned their gazes to Seojun. Yoon Jeongwon observed the now more composed Seojun for a moment before speaking.
“If you’re ready, please have a seat in the chair.”
“Okay.”
Seojun, dressed in a crisp white shirt, sat down on the prepared chair.
He straightened his back and directed his gaze toward the camera.
Yoon Jeongwon looked through the camera.
Seojun’s image was reflected in the lens.
His neatly styled black hair shimmered under the lights, and the white shirt acted like a reflector, making his face shine even brighter.
“Sangmi! The right!”
At Yoon Jeongwon’s instruction, Kim Sangmi expertly adjusted the position of the right light slightly. The shadow that had darkened Seojun’s face vanished.
“Look straight ahead. Chin down a little. Yes. Keep your eyes on the camera. Turn your head slightly to the left. Yes, yes. Hold still. I’m shooting.”
Click. Click.
The sound of the camera shutter echoed through the quiet studio.
On a large monitor connected to the camera, the photos of Seojun appeared instantly, flashing by in quick succession. Kim Sangmi, the studio staff, the Team 2 members, and even the stylists watched the photos with interest.
“...I don’t think this will need any retouching.”
Even though it was an unedited ID photo, it had a strange charm.
It wasn't the glittering actor Lee Seojun they usually saw on television, but a slightly softer version. After only seeing him in dynamic videos, the static image of him in a photograph felt refreshingly different.
“Did they turn out well?”
Having finished his ID photo shoot, Seojun walked over to the monitor, his face slightly flushed.
Until now, whenever he needed an ID photo, he had just gone to a photo shop near his house. He had never taken one in a place like a professional ‘studio,’ so he was a little nervous.
“It came out great.”
“We could move straight to the profile pictures, right?”
Seojun beamed as An Daho and a Team 2 staff member gave him a thumbs-up.
* * *
They had arranged to receive the most urgent photos, the ID pictures, today.
While the junior staff member edited Seojun’s photo to the correct ID size, Seojun and Yoon Jeongwon began the profile picture shoot.
“You know the concept for the profile photos, right?”
“Yes.”
Seojun nodded at Yoon Jeongwon’s words.
The concept for Seojun’s first profile photoshoot was the four emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
Joy. Anger. Sorrow. Delight.
They were the simplest yet most frequently used emotional expressions.
“We’ll start with joy. We’ll begin shooting as soon as your makeup is ready.”
A short while later.
Seojun appeared on set wearing a white sweater.
His hairstyle wasn’t drastically different from the ID photo, but it had a slightly more curled feel. With his bangs down, Seojun sat on the chair placed on set. A table was set in front of it.
“We’ll start with a bust shot. Feel free to use the table as well. If you don’t need it, we can move it. Alright, let’s begin shooting.”
He had been waiting for the detailed, movement-by-movement direction he’d received during the ID photo shoot, but then he heard Yoon Jeongwon’s voice.
“Please freely express your own interpretation of joy.”
Seojun’s eyes widened at her words.
An Daho and the Team 2 staff smiled with satisfaction.
The reason Team 2 chose Yoon Jeongwon was the freedom she gave her models.
Yoon Jeongwon’s method of giving models creative liberty—understanding and discussing their ideas and expressions rather than imposing the photographer’s own vision—was exactly what Team 2 had been looking for.
‘It took a little while for the ID photo, but…’
On second thought, since ‘ID photos’ have set standards, it made sense that she had given such detailed instructions.
Blinking for a moment at Yoon Jeongwon’s words, Seojun nodded.
“Yes, I understand.”
He had looked up various photos in preparation for the profile shoot and found many similarities to acting. Unlike acting, which expresses emotions through dialogue and movement, photography was about capturing and condensing that emotion into a single frame.
[(Immortal) Pine Flower Pollen - Intermediate has been activated.]
[(Immortal) Pine Flower Pollen - Intermediate]
Pollen from the immortal pine flowers cultivated by celestial beings.
Enhances the emotions of living creatures.
‘Joy.’
A gentle smile settled on Seojun’s face.
Joy shone in his clear, dark eyes, which curved into crescents. The corners of his mouth gently lifted.
A pure, warm happiness radiated from Seojun. It was a joy so overwhelming that it made even the onlookers’ hearts swell, bringing smiles to their faces.
Click—
Yoon Jeongwon’s finger, which had paused for a moment at the sight of Seojun’s expression, began to move rapidly.
She had thought some guidance might be necessary since this was his first profile shoot, but that seemed to have been a needless worry.
“Excellent!”
Watching the subtle changes in Seojun’s expression through the camera lens, Yoon Jeongwon, for the first time, felt a pang of regret for choosing photography over videography. She wanted to capture this smile exactly as it was.
‘I have to capture as much of it as I can.’
Click. Click.
Click. Click. Click.
Seojun rested his elbows on the table and brought his hands together as if in prayer, covering his mouth. He then recalled the happiest moment among the many he had experienced.
That moment of joy that brought him to tears.
‘When I received my first award.’
They say that when you’re truly happy, tears are what come out.
A glistening tear formed at the corner of his gently closed eye. And next to his prayer-like hands, the corners of Seojun’s mouth curved softly upward.
Even without dialogue or context, it was clear just how joyous Seojun was in that moment.
Click.
Click.
In the studio, which had fallen silent as even Yoon Jeongwon held her breath, only the sound of the shutter echoed.
* * *
After the first session ended, Seojun headed to the waiting room to prepare for the second.
Yoon Jeongwon, Kim Sangmi, An Daho, and the Team 2 staff gathered around the monitor to review Seojun’s photos from the beginning.
“He could be a model.”
The guide and the junior staff member, who were so curious about Seojun’s photoshoot that they had gotten Yoon Jeongwon’s permission to lock the studio door and come inside, watched the photos with their hands over their mouths, looking as if they were about to cry. Tears welled up naturally at the sight of the actor’s radiant presence in every shot.
I want them! The photos!
“I don’t know. For a model, the actor stands out too much. No, it’s not just that he stands out; he completely devours the frame. His face and eyes steal all the attention, to the point where you don’t even notice the clothes.”
“Hmm. That’s true.”
The background, the props, the clothes—all of it was rendered invisible by Seojun’s smile and gaze.
Kim Sangmi nodded in agreement with Yoon Jeongwon.
“Manager, they’re all A-cuts. It’s going to be hard to choose.”
“I know, right?”
An Daho and the Team 2 staff couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces as they said this.
“Excuse me, manager.”
Yoon Jeongwon, who had been looking at the photos on the monitor in thought, called out to An Daho.
“Yes?”
“Would it be alright if we added a black-and-white version of the profile photos?”
* * *
Seojun’s profile shoot went smoothly.
Unwilling to miss a single shot, Yoon Jeongwon’s finger busily pressed the shutter. Photographer Kim Sangmi couldn’t resist her itching fingers either and picked up a camera herself starting from the third concept, sorrow (哀).
“I wanted to get a side profile shot anyway!”
They decided that Yoon Jeongwon would shoot from the front, and Kim Sangmi from the right.
They quickly set up another backdrop opposite Kim Sangmi and resumed shooting. Having known each other for a long time, the two worked in perfect sync.
Click. Click.
With each shutter sound, the number of photos grew, and the eyes of An Daho and the Team 2 staff darted about. Every shot was so perfect that it was becoming harder to choose which ones to release.
“We will now begin the final shoot.”
The final shoot was for anger (怒).
The studio backdrop changed to gray.
Seojun, wearing a black turtleneck that came up to his chin, stood before it.
His hairstyle was now quite different from the beginning. The hair that had lightly covered his forehead was swept back, revealing his clean brow. His makeup was also a bit heavier than before.
That alone completely changed his image.
Yoon Jeongwon and Kim Sangmi were inwardly amazed at Lee Seojun’s ability to embody concepts.
Given Seojun’s bright demeanor since he had entered the studio, they had wondered if portraying anger would be difficult, but it was a baseless concern.
‘…Come to think of it, Jin Natra was a villain.’
Recalling the terrifying aura he had exuded, they realized their worries were truly unfounded.
“We’ll start with a bust shot. Let me know if you need any props.”
Yoon Jeongwon and Kim Sangmi raised their cameras.
Even with two cameras on him, Seojun focused on his task.
Unlike acting, which required modulating emotions as they progressed, a photoshoot captured a single moment. With each movement, Seojun fully imbued the enhanced emotion from [(Immortal) Pine Flower Pollen].
‘Anger.’
Seojun, who had been looking down, slowly raised his head.
It was a simple gesture of lifting his head, yet a heavy silence descended upon the studio, as if something weighty had settled in the air. Everyone was captivated, unable to look away from Seojun’s movements.
Click. Click.
Yoon Jeongwon’s fingers moved rapidly, not wanting to miss a single moment of Seojun’s motion. Kim Sangmi also captured the scene from his right side.
Finally, Seojun lifted his head completely and looked straight ahead, his eyes meeting the lens of Yoon Jeongwon’s camera.
…!
For a moment, Yoon Jeongwon’s hand froze as her eyes met Seojun’s.
His face was expressionless, merely staring, yet goosebumps prickled her skin. His jet-black pupils flickered like flames. Even though she knew his anger wasn't directed at her, his intense gaze sent a chill down her spine.
Yoon Jeongwon didn’t even realize she had been holding her breath.
It was only for a moment.
Click. Click.
The sound of Kim Sangmi’s shutter snapped Yoon Jeongwon back to her senses, and she began to move her finger again.