Pacemaker
"Lee Yeonjae."
"Yeah?"
"...Seriously, why on earth did you call me here?"
He was asking a question he already knew the answer to.
I glared at Noh Bihyuk as I wiped the sweat streaming down my jaw. "Why do you think I called you — hah — I called you to help me."
"Help you with what? You've already got the whole choreography down. No, wait, and why are you... good at this? Isn't this a bit much? I know the world's unfair, but this is crossing a line."
Bihyuk grumbled on, his face twisted in indignation.
Ignoring him, I turned off the music looping on repeat and picked up my water bottle. The intense choreography had left me breathless.
I ended up having to dance for a commercial shoot — can you help me?
What...? Who's dancing?
Since no amount of explaining over the phone seemed to get through to him, I'd dragged the kid over right as his own practice ended.
The moment he'd climbed into the car with a baffled expression and pieced together the situation, he'd burst out laughing. At first he'd pounded the car seat in hysterics, and by the end he was actually crying from laughing so hard.
I'd gritted my teeth and borne it, because I didn't want to deal with him — but when we got to the studio and he started cracking up again the second I struck my opening pose, I finally smacked him hard on the back.
Even while getting hit, he'd kept smirking — but as I began to dance, his expression had slowly hardened.
I'd swallowed my embarrassment, gone through the whole routine for him, and this was the reaction I got.
"Watching me, did anything feel lacking?"
"Wait... are you showing off right now? Is that why you dragged me out here in the dead of night — you wanted a compliment?"
"I'm asking seriously, Bihyuk."
He'd been muttering through a pouting mouth, but when I asked again, he paused. He thought hard for a long moment, then made a face like he wasn't sure.
"I don't know... honestly, watching you, you seem better than me, and I've been practicing for half a year. It's kind of giving me an existential crisis."
"Don't say nonsense. I'm talking about your expression. The expression."
"Expression? Ah... well, I guess your face was a bit stiff."
I simply couldn't immerse myself in the premise of Kim Hoyun dancing, so instead of acting, I'd just danced as myself. The planning document had described the character as "a teenager properly enjoying his youth."
That was clearly not who I was, no matter who looked at me.
At first I'd tried to wear the expression Kim Hoyun made when he got excited, but the more I practiced, the more it felt like the face was moving separately from the choreography.
So I'd come to a decision. I would simply act as someone who danced.
"Wait... so you want to act as me?"
"Yeah."
I wiped my sweat as I looked at his blank, dumbfounded face.
I'd already gotten permission regarding the choreography leak as well.
One week remained until the commercial shoot. With Goodbye, My Summer filming starting up again in ten days, I could afford to focus solely on the commercial for about a week.
Once this scene is done, this drama's shoot will be over too.
The days were passing frighteningly fast.
I'd drifted off into a daze without realizing it, and Bihyuk's voice pulled me back. "So what am I supposed to do?"
"Don't pay attention to me. Just practice like you always do. It doesn't even have to be this song. I just want to see what kind of expression you make when you dance."
"Aha. So you're going to copy the face I make when I dance?"
It wasn't quite that simple a concept, but explaining it would only drag things out, so I gave a vague nod.
Bihyuk watched the video three or four more times, then slowly began copying the moves one by one. Apparently it wasn't awkward having me watch, because he locked in almost immediately.
Existential crisis, my ass.
Even to me, someone who knew nothing about dance, Bihyuk was clearly a good dancer.
Every time those long limbs sliced cleanly through the air, the beat split apart with startling precision.
Since this was a sneaker commercial, the choreography featured a lot of dynamic footwork, and after only a few run-throughs he was stepping through it like he'd known it for years.
"This — hah — who choreographed this? It's really good."
"Can't tell you that yet."
"But I — hah — couldn't worry about expressions, you know. I was too busy learning the choreography."
I handed him a water bottle and told him not to worry about it, watching as he scrunched up his face.
Just seeing those fully focused eyes was help enough.
It was a different kind of gaze from the one I wore when I focused so I wouldn't make a mistake. These were eyes that were, quite literally, alive — eyes that looked like it would kill him, he was enjoying dancing this well so much.
For the five days that followed, I practiced alongside Bihyuk.
His expression changed every single time he ran through the choreography he'd mastered.
Sometimes he flaunted his flair like an idol standing on stage; other times he scrunched his brows up like a delinquent and moved his body even harder.
It genuinely commanded my respect, the way he never once got self-conscious no matter how intently I stared.
"Whew... I've run out of expressions to make. That's all I've got."
"Yeah. That's plenty. Really, thank you."
"Did it help?"
"Enormously."
When I'd first started dancing, I'd been gasping for air; now, no matter how many times I ran it back to back, it barely made my breathing quicken.
Only now did I understand why Bihyuk seemed to shed weight every time I saw him.
Watching him sweep his sweat-soaked hair back, I asked, "Are you free tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow? Why? Isn't tomorrow the day you shoot the commercial?"
"Yeah. If you're okay with it, come with me."
Bihyuk, who'd been flapping his t-shirt to cool off, froze mid-motion.
Since I couldn't pay him for his help, I'd racked my brain over what I could do for him instead, and this was what I'd come up with. Getting a preview of a filming set before his debut surely wasn't a bad thing.
I'd expected him to be thrilled, but after a long hesitation, he shook his head. "Nah. I'm good."
"Why? Do you have somewhere else to be?"
"It's your job, isn't it? That's not a place for me to go goofing around. I might get in the way."
First time I'd ever heard him use that serious a voice.
"Then don't get in the way."
"..."
"If you're worried, you don't have to. I've already cleared it with everyone. I told them I'm bringing my pacemaker (the term for a runner who sets the pace in a race or competition)."
"What?"
His good eyebrow shot straight up, his voice flat with disbelief. He laughed like he couldn't believe his ears, and a moment later nodded slightly, saying fine.
Since I'd said everything I needed to say, the remaining time had to go entirely to practice. I wiped off my sweat and restarted the music right away.
The drums climbing gradually into the beat had grown so familiar I was sick of them.
"Yeonjae, hi there! Been practicing hard?"
"Hello, Teacher."
The moment I arrived at the set, I ran into the choreographer.
"Hm? That's a familiar face next to you... why is it familiar?"
"He's my friend. He's also a trainee at WB Entertainment."
"I'm Bihyuk! We said a quick hello in front of the building once, but it was so brief you probably don't remember."
"Ah, Bihyuk... so the friend Yeonjae mentioned was one of our trainees?"
When Bihyuk drew a sharp breath the instant he spotted the choreographer, I'd wondered what was wrong with him — it turned out they were both under the same agency.
Bihyuk beamed, his voice pitched a notch higher than usual. "You were the one who choreographed this? No wonder~ It's honestly mind-blowing!"
"Oh my... hahaha! That tone of yours — now I remember! You little rascal. My choreography was that mind-blowing, huh?"
The atmosphere warmed up in no time.
Glad I brought him along.
Getting to bring this kid had required me to sign a memorandum about compensation for damages in case of any information leaks.
While I waited for him to concentrate intently on bonding with the choreographer, Team Leader Choi, whom I'd met at the earlier meeting, came over.
"It's been a while, Actor-nim."
"Hello. I didn't know you'd be coming today too, Team Leader Choi."
"I don't usually come to sets in person, but this commercial is something our company is enormously excited about internally, so, haha. I heard you've been practicing very hard. Thank you so much."
His parting remark — that if anything piqued my curiosity, I could contact him directly anytime — slid past almost like a joke. What stuck with me was the way he moved effortlessly between the professional line and the friendly one.
There was something I'd been wanting to ask anyway.
"When I perform, I tend to immerse myself fairly deeply. I'm planning to act while I dance later too."
"Ah. Yes, yes."
"So rather than cutting several times in the middle, I think it would go more smoothly if we do a one-take (shooting an entire sequence in a single continuous cut). Would it be rude of me to bring that up with the director?"
"Don't worry. I'll mention it. He's a seasoned veteran, so he'll accommodate you. I've already told them in advance that this is your first commercial shoot, so there's no need to be nervous."
Is telling people not to worry a habit for this guy?
Still, I was glad he'd handle the coordination.
After greeting the director and staff politely, I stepped into the trailer that had been set aside as our waiting room.
"Wow... is a filming set always this chaotic? There are so many people."
I laughed at Bihyuk, who was shaking his head as if overwhelmed. "If you debut, you'll have to stand in front of far bigger crowds than this. What are you going to do, getting like this already?"
Says the guy who was actually nervous too. The truth was, my mouth had gone dry at the sight of them.
There were far, far more people than I'd expected.
Above all, the atmosphere on set was markedly different from a drama or film shoot. People in business suits — whether industry insiders or not — outnumbered the staff in casual clothes.
Thinking about dancing in front of all those people made my throat parched.
"Actor-nim, would you like some water?"
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
I'd just taken a sip of the water Manager Ahn Jinbae handed me when a crowd of people suddenly flooded in — the wardrobe, makeup, and hair teams.
This commercial would be unveiling four new sneaker colors, and every time I changed shoes, everything from my clothes to my hair was scheduled to change as well.
In other words, there would be no time to slack off.
Between hurriedly changing into the first outfit and listening to the shoot briefing, a frantic hour flew by.
And thanks to that, my nerves had settled.
"Let's have a good shoot today. It's scorching out, so we'll take as many breaks as we can in between. Still, if it gets too much, tell me right away. If you push yourself and collapse, that just makes everything more of a headache. Got it?"
"Yes. Thank you."
The camera director was a man with a rough, scruffy beard.
Perhaps because of my young age, I could see him making an effort to keep his tone as gentle as possible.
The first request came in: they wanted me to dance the routine from start to finish so they could map out the overall camera movement.
"Playing the music now!"
Under the blazing sun, I stood alone in the empty lot.
Behind the cameras that hadn't started rolling yet stood dozens of people, and I did my best to ignore them as I danced along to the music.
Since the purpose was blocking, I didn't perform — I just moved.
When I finished the last move and came to a stop, the camera director walked straight over.
"First, we'll shoot a one-take along the path you just moved. But the concept is so dynamic that editing alone won't cover it. Fair warning — we may go back in and re-shoot sections piece by piece."
"Yes, that's fine."
"Then let's start filming."
The director returned to his position, and I settled into my stance.
I just have to dance as Noh Bihyuk now.
What I had to do wouldn't change. Only the spirit with which I approached it would.
As always, I closed my eyes to summon Bihyuk to mind — then realized there was no need, and turned my gaze instead.
Toward the two eyes watching me quietly from beside Manager Ahn Jinbae.
I knew the moment those eyes lit up bright.
And now it was my turn to make that happen.
"Ready, action!"