The Perfect Form
Inside the baseball stadium rented out entirely for the day’s drama shoot, Kang Tae-san stood on the mound wearing a slightly old-fashioned white uniform. The number 18, the ace’s number, was boldly printed on his back, and the name stitched beneath it read Won Do-jin—the lead role of this drama.
“All right, is everyone ready?”
Director Mo Yeon-hee’s voice flowed through the speakers.
“Tae-san, this is your first scene appearing as the pitcher. Don’t force it. Just throw naturally, without any pressure.”
“Got it.”
Tae-san adjusted the brim of his baseball cap and nodded. Standing in front of cameras was second nature by now, but playing an athlete still made him a little nervous.
As he planted his left foot and drew his right leg back into his wind-up, a few staff members quietly murmured among themselves.
“His form looks pretty good, doesn’t it?”
Director Mo Yeon-hee tilted her head toward the monitor.
“…The line looks solid. What do you think?”
Beside her stood the assistant director, a former high-school baseball player who had been offering advice on the baseball scenes. He nodded, eyebrows raised.
“Yeah. Was Actor Kang a player too? The way he steps onto the mound feels like someone who’s actually thrown before.”
“No, he said he’s never done any sports and this is his first time playing baseball.”
Mo Yeon-hee gave a satisfied nod and signaled for the take.
“Scene twelve, take one—action!”
Kang Tae-san gripped the ball. In an instant, the angle from his elbow to his shoulder loosened smoothly. Even during the wind-up, his axis never wavered. The ball released from his fingertips sliced through the air and smacked straight into the catcher’s mitt.
“Strike!”
The supporting actor playing catcher lowered his mitt in surprise.
“Whoa, holy crap!”
The assistant director, watching the monitor, immediately recognized that this wasn’t an ordinary civilian’s throw. The speed was nowhere near a real player’s, of course, but the movement and the control that landed it right in the mitt made it clear he had thrown for a long time.
“You’re telling me he was never a player?”
“I was shocked too when I saw him warming up before the shoot.”
“Man… is he just naturally gifted, or…?”
“He must’ve prepared that thoroughly.”
They called for another take to capture the pitching from multiple angles. Tae-san rolled his shoulder once, nodded, took a short breath, and reset his stance.
Thwack!
The cinematographer holding the camera let out a small exclamation.
“Whoa, his form didn’t break at all. It came out almost identical to the last one. Editing’s gonna be a breeze.”
The assistant director turned to the director.
“Should we shoot a few more?”
“No. This is plenty. The eyes, the pitching form… it feels more realistic than when we did Yoon Si-on’s scenes, and the emotion came through well too.”
Once the cut was called, Tae-san wiped his sweat and took a sip of water. Sunlight glinted off the lines of muscle along his forearm. Watching him, Director Mo Yeon-hee thought to herself,
His arms look decent enough. I wonder if he’s been working on his body.
The next scene was set not on the mound but inside the players’ dugout. Icing an overheated shoulder joint and muscles was a common recovery routine for pitchers after games. Because the bandage had to go directly on the skin, removing his top was unavoidable.
Until now, none of Tae-san’s limited filmography had included a shirtless scene. The director had asked him to build his physique as much as possible, but with Yoon Si-on’s sudden departure and Tae-san stepping in at the last minute, there simply hadn’t been enough time. Mo Yeon-hee knew that too.
The on-set stylists approached him carefully.
“If you take your shirt off, we’ll wrap the bandage right away.”
Having to undress in front of everyone on set was a sensitive matter for anyone. But contrary to expectations—
“Yes, ma’am!”
Tae-san stripped off his shirt in one smooth motion, as casually as if he were in his own room. His body, hidden beneath the fabric, was suddenly on full display.
“……!”
The stylists standing right in front of him exchanged glances without meaning to.
Wow. He’s really gifted.
They already knew his skin was good—they’d seen it every time they did his makeup—but they hadn’t expected his shoulders, back, lats, and abs to be this flawless too. Most idols or actors with short careers only managed their visible skin, but maintaining the rest of the body required long-term care. On top of that, his arms, chest, and abs were toned with just the right amount of muscle. It wasn’t the body of a long-time athlete, but with a little makeup the contours would stand out sharply, like a model’s.
Realizing they were staring, Tae-san cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Um, please take care of the makeup.”
“Oh? Yes! Of course.”
“Your body is so well-built… I mean, it came out so nicely… I mean, it looks great, so we’ll do our best.”
The stylists’ faces were completely smitten, their minds blank from the combination of his handsome face and equally impressive physique.
He must work out seriously on top of everything else. Actors really are different.
Contrary to their dazed fantasies, Tae-san had never trained properly. He had never played any ball sports, nor had he ever gone to a gym. After his body began to heal, he had simply cycled through every kind of part-time job imaginable—hauling and scrubbing heavy stone griddles hundreds of times a day, carrying fifty-kilogram sacks of flour and rice, even doing construction work and parcel packaging. The practical, battle-hardened muscles he now carried were the result of years of nonstop twelve-hour labor.
Well, it’s not bad at all. Who knew all that odd jobs would come in handy like this?
Once the icing and body makeup were applied, Tae-san’s presence grew almost inhumanly strong.
“All right, is Jang Lee-hyun on standby?”
At Director Mo Yeon-hee’s voice through the speakers, Eun Chae-won, who had been preparing in the waiting room, stepped forward. Unlike the other supporting actors in training-wear baseball uniforms, she wore an ordinary school uniform. Even though she was already in her mid-twenties, the uniform suited her better than anyone. The moment she stood in front of the camera wearing it, she had already become the high-school character Jang Lee-hyun completely.
“Chae-won, if you’re ready, shall we go?”
“……Yes.”
With Eun Chae-won’s brief reply, the scene began from the outer edge of the baseball field. A group of supporting actresses playing female students brushed past her.
“Hey, hurry up. I heard baseball practice is over.”
“Do you know where Do-jin sunbae is?”
“Of course. I already mapped out his route and got his entire training schedule. This way!”
The juniors, carrying armfuls of gifts for Do-jin after practice, were sneaking toward the back gate of the stadium. Watching them, Jang Lee-hyun stood with one hand on her hip and her arms crossed, speaking in a bored tone.
“Hey, first-years over there. Stop.”
The juniors flinched at her cold voice. Jang Lee-hyun walked closer, clicked her tongue, and looked them up and down. The chilly aura unique to Eun Chae-won had vanished; in its place stood a rough-and-tumble tomboy radiating presence on camera.
“The coaches are already camped out at the back gate. Didn’t you hear they’re giving penalty points to anyone who sneaks in and disrupts practice?”
“R-really? Then what do we do? I spent all day yesterday making these for Do-jin sunbae…”
“Let’s see. What is it?”
Inside the envelope the junior cautiously held out were cookies and various breads that smelled sweet and savory. Jang Lee-hyun pulled out a large chocolate muffin and marveled.
“Whoa, you made this yourself?”
“Yes. I heard Do-jin oppa likes bread.”
“He does go crazy for bread. Fine. I’ll deliver it for you, seeing how much effort you put in.”
“Huh? You will, sunbae?”
One of the girls beside her elbowed the confused junior and whispered,
“Don’t you know her? Third-year Jang Lee-hyun sunbae. She’s really close with Do-jin sunbae.”
“If they’re that close… are they dating?”
Jang Lee-hyun dug at her ear and answered in the same bored voice.
“You first-years have way too much imagination. Do-jin and I are just friends. Friends.”
“How can you stay just friends with a guy who’s that handsome and good at sports?”
Jang Lee-hyun flicked the earwax off her fingertip. The juniors flinched and stepped back.
“He and I are ball-buddies. To me, Won Do-jin isn’t a guy—he’s just a ball.”
“S-sunbae, even so, that’s a bit…”
“A bit what?”
“Vulgar.”
“What’s vulgar about calling a ball-buddy a ball-buddy?”
“Ah, fine, just please stop saying that.”
In the end, the girls entrusted the bag of bread meant for Do-jin to Jang Lee-hyun. Once they were gone, she sat on a nearby bench without even entering the stadium and tore open the bag on her own.
“Hey, Jang Lee-hyun. What are you doing over there?”
Scene sixteen. Won Do-jin, shoulder iced, appeared clutching his shoulder. He walked over to Jang Lee-hyun on the bench and smacked the back of her head with a loud thwack!
Because it was an important scene where Tae-san, playing Won Do-jin, had to hit his senior’s head cleanly and boldly, Director Mo Yeon-hee watched the monitor closely.
If he hesitates even a little, we’ll have to retake it, and it might make things awkward between them…
But—
Thwack!!!
The worry was unfounded. Tae-san swung without the slightest hesitation, as if swatting a mosquito off a wall. Years of experience smacking his orphanage peers on the back of the head came in handy here.
“Hey! You little—do you want to die, Won Do-jin?”
“What are you doing here alone?”
“Can’t you see? Eating bread.”
“Why are you always stuffing your face whenever I see you? Did you swallow a pig?”
“Whether I swallowed a pig or a cow is none of your business. Mind your own path.”
“Give me one too. I just finished practice and I’m starving.”
He plopped down naturally beside her and snatched the bag. While rummaging inside, he suddenly spotted a pink envelope. After reading the letter, Do-jin’s expression remained indifferent.
“Hey, why are you eating the gift that was meant for me?”
“Honestly, every girl in this school must have something wrong with their eyes. What’s so great about a guy like this?”
“They say everyone’s normal except you.”
“What does the letter say? Are they asking you on a date? ‘Oppa, the moment I first met you, my head started pounding and I caught some weird disease—’ like that?”
“Ugh, seriously. Can’t you talk like a girl for once?”
“Yeah, if you want pretty words, go listen to the girls who like you. So, are you going to reply?”
“No. I’m not interested. I don’t have time either.”
Jang Lee-hyun took a huge bite of bread and studied Do-jin’s face from every angle.
“You really have no manners. Is this what they call being full of yourself?”
“Whatever. What are you doing tonight?”
“Why? Got nothing planned?”
“They said I can go home early once the icing comes off. Let’s go watch a movie for once.”
“Let’s watch In the Mood for Love. Eun-jin said it was super racy when she saw it last week.”
“Ugh.”
The bench scene ended with the two of them sitting side by side, not even looking at each other, each staring in a different direction.
“Cut!”
Director Mo Yeon-hee’s satisfied voice rang through the megaphone.
“That was great. We can use everything we just shot. Both of you were excellent.”
At the same time, the staff, who had been holding back their laughter while watching the scene, burst out laughing all at once. Only then did the two actors return from being Won Do-jin and Jang Lee-hyun to Kang Tae-san and Eun Chae-won.
Top star Eun Chae-won had played countless roles, but Tae-san’s acting hadn’t been overshadowed in the slightest. How to put it…
“Were those two always this close?”
“I don’t know. Neither of them talks much.”
The staff whispered among themselves, amazed by the incredible chemistry the pair had shown. Perhaps some of Jang Lee-hyun’s emotions still lingered. Eun Chae-won found herself smiling unconsciously as she watched Kang Tae-san getting his makeup touched up.
It felt so natural that for a moment they really seemed like old friends.
Having grown up as an actress since childhood, Eun Chae-won had never experienced an ordinary school life or ordinary school friends. Yet right now she felt something close to what having a long-time friend might feel like.
Tae-san felt the same.
After actually acting it out like this, I think I finally understand how Noona Yeon-joo and Jin-cheol hyung became a couple.
The distance between him and Eun Chae-won, which had always felt closer than most but never quite like true closeness, suddenly seemed much warmer. Maybe Min Jin-cheol and Baek Yeon-joo had discovered affection from exactly this kind of deep friendship and taken their relationship further.
Director Mo Yeon-hee noticed the two of them stealing glances at each other and quietly called the assistant director over.
“You said you were filming a making-of, right?”
“Yes. I was planning to capture anything usable.”
“Let them know we’re filming the making-of. Whenever Actor Kang Tae-san and Actor Eun Chae-won are together, keep the camera rolling.”
A hunch told the veteran director that the chemistry between these two would create unexpected buzz for her new project.