Chapter 18
Chapter 18
The First Shoot
Do as you see fit.
Wherever Yu Yeon-seo went, Im Seung-hyeon followed like a buy-one-get-one-free deal. Lee Tae-gyeom, thrilled at the promise of beef, tagged along excitedly.
While Lee Tae-gyeom, stuffed with meat, quickly went to get the car, Yu Yeon-seo turned to look at Im Seung-hyeon.
“Mr. Im Seung-hyeon, I have a favor to ask.”
“Young Master, it’s not a favor, it’s an order.”
Yu Yeon-seo chuckled at his words. Despite the statement, there wasn’t a hint of flattery. It was probably sincere.
“Withdraw some money for me before tomorrow’s shoot.”
“Money… you say?”
“Yes. A lot of it. Fill a large bag.”
Though curious about the reason for such a request, Im Seung-hyeon said nothing. It was his job not to question whatever Yu Yeon-seo did.
“Oh, and one more thing. From now on, I want you to handle my overall management, Mr. Im Seung-hyeon.”
The truth was, Yu Yeon-seo found it bothersome. The only advantage of the year 2207 was that living as he was told required no complex thought.
But being a wealthy third-generation chaebol in 2018 came with a surprising number of things to worry about. Yu Yeon-seo envisioned a life where he did only what he wanted, leaving the important tasks to Im Seung-hyeon. It was a sweet deal, wasn’t it?
However, Im Seung-hyeon seemed quite pleased, regardless of how he interpreted the words.
“Young Master, are you sure it’s alright for me to handle everything?”
“Yes, do as you see fit. Unless I give you specific instructions.”
“What will you do if I embezzle the money or sell your information to another company?”
“Well, will you?”
Yu Yeon-seo prided himself on being a good judge of character. From his time in the hospital until now, Im Seung-hyeon had handled his tasks flawlessly and was quick-witted.
The fact that Yu Geon-min and Yu Eun-ho only contacted him after learning about his role in ‘White Tiger’ from the news meant that his recent activities hadn’t been accurately reported to the rest of the family.
He didn’t even report to close family. Yu Yeon-seo decided to trust Im Seung-hyeon, who seemed to be truly working for him.
‘If he betrays me, it just means my judgment of character was that poor.’
But it didn’t seem like Im Seung-hyeon would betray him. To build a relationship of trust, one had to show faith first. Yu Yeon-seo decided to willingly extend his hand.
“Yes, I understand. I will report any changes to you first, Young Master.”
Im Seung-hyeon replied with a grin. What was there to be so happy about when it meant more work? Yu Yeon-seo felt a bit awkward and turned away again. Just then, Lee Tae-gyeom pulled the car up in front of him.
“Hey! Get in!”
Lee Tae-gyeom rolled down the driver’s side window and waved cheerfully. He was in an excellent mood, having just eaten beef.
“He didn’t drink, did he?”
“No. It would be a huge problem if he drank when he had to drive.”
Does eating meat once really put him in such a good mood? If I feed him meat regularly, he’ll be on cloud nine.
“Tomorrow… I’ll pick you up around nine. Oh, right. You’re not going to the opening ritual, are you?”
“Opening ritual?”
What’s that? Yu Yeon-seo searched for the term on his phone. A ritual with food offerings to pray for something? Why would they do that on a film set?
“You don’t know because you’ve never done it? You know, the thing where they bow to a pig’s head. They bow to pray for the filming to go smoothly.”
“There’s something like that?”
“I hear it’s not as common these days… Hey, the money you gave the director after the meeting, wasn’t it for that?”
Lee Tae-gyeom was horrified. After the meeting with the main and supporting cast, Yu Yeon-seo had given the writer and director all the cash in his wallet, telling them to use it for whatever they needed.
“No? I just gave it to them to buy a meal or something.”
“Who gives that much money just to buy a meal?”
Did they misunderstand and think the money I gave them was for the ritual? Because the amount was too large? Yu Yeon-seo scratched the back of his head. He had synchronized the basic lifestyle manual for 2018 through Beta, so he knew the common sense basics, but with so much money, he thought in his own terms. It was the financial sense of someone born with a silver spoon, not an ordinary one.
“Anyway, they’re holding the ritual before the shoot. If you’re going, you need to be ready an hour earlier.”
“I guess I’ll check it out.”
“So I’ll pick you up at eight?”
“Sure.”
Lee Tae-gyeom parked the car in Yu Yeon-seo’s garage. He bickered with Yu Yeon-seo, but he was a diligent worker. Manager Park, seeing their seemingly good relationship, was also teaching him various things.
After Yu Yeon-seo went inside, Im Seung-hyeon and Lee Tae-gyeom were left in the garage, an awkward silence hanging between them for a long time.
“Mr. Tae-gyeom, are you leaving your car here?”
“Yes, I have something to do nearby.”
Lee Tae-gyeom scratched his head and glanced at Im Seung-hyeon. The man seemed extraordinary in some way. Always in a crisp suit, with a meaningful smile. An elite from Juseong Group and a punk manager—he thought they made an odd pair.
“So… Mr. Secretary, how old are you?”
“I’m thirty.”
“Oh, you’re older than me. Can I speak more casually?”
Im Seung-hyeon chuckled.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Then you can be casual with me too.”
“Yes, someday. I’ll give you a ride to your appointment.”
Was it just his imagination, or did trying to get closer only make the atmosphere more suffocating? Lee Tae-gyeom hesitated before getting into Im Seung-hyeon’s car.
“By the way, you’ve lasted quite a while. That guy, Yu Yeon-seo, goes through people like crazy.”
“Have you seen someone like me working for him before?”
“Yeah, a few times. The person was different every time I came.”
That was a chilling statement. Outwardly, Im Seung-hyeon turned the steering wheel calmly, but inwardly, he was breaking out in a cold sweat.
“So how did you end up working under Yu Yeon-seo anyway?”
“I volunteered.”
“Are you crazy? You volunteered to wait on that bastard?”
“‘That bastard’? To your employer?”
“Yep, my mistake.”
But he quickly relaxed. He knew that Yu Yeon-seo was distinctly different from before.
“You can just stop over there for me. See you tomorrow.”
“Get home safe.”
After Lee Tae-gyeom got out, Im Seung-hyeon didn’t drive off right away. Lost in thought, he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.
‘What does he see in me that makes him trust me with everything?’
The Juseong head family doted on Yu Yeon-seo, and Im Seung-hyeon was the first person to last this long under him. Changes regarding him were slowly beginning to appear.
Vice Chairman Yu Geon-min had apparently given special orders to the head of strategic planning to spare no support for Im Seung-hyeon, and Managing Director Yu Eun-ho had even suggested they have a meal together.
Even if he just continued to ‘wait on’ Yu Yeon-seo like this, his future would be bright.
But the simple fact that someone trusted him completely made Im Seung-hyeon feel quite….
‘Not bad.’
It felt good.
Arriving at the site of the pre-shoot ritual, Yu Yeon-seo was slightly disappointed.
“What, it’s not a real pig’s head.”
The ceremonial table featured a picture of a pig’s head displayed on a tablet. Apparently, it was hard to procure a real one since few people perform the ritual these days.
“I wanted to try something like this.”
“Me too. But I can’t believe Yu Yeon-seo actually came.”
“You think our pre-meeting strategy worked?”
“No way…”
Though it was an old custom, the rookie writer and director had been looking forward to this moment and had secretly hoped for the ritual.
One of the staff members recited a prayer for a safe and accident-free shoot. Then, the director, writer, and cinematographer bowed.
Next, it was time for the main and supporting actors to bow. Yu Yeon-seo stood beside Lee Han-gyeol, who had been talking to him a lot more since they ran into each other at the World Action School.
“Aren’t you going to bow?”
“Do I have to?”
“You don’t have to, but for someone like you, it would probably be good for the atmosphere if you did.”
True, it wouldn’t look good for the biggest investor and a supporting actor to hang back. Yu Yeon-seo awkwardly bowed along with the others. A behind-the-scenes camera quietly filmed them.
“White Tiger, fighting!”
“Let’s all do our best!”
After the ritual ended, applause broke out here and there, lifting the mood before the shoot.
Then, the actual filming began. Yu Yeon-seo changed into a prepared military uniform and had his makeup done.
Filming doesn’t happen in chronological order. Starting today, they would first shoot the monster extermination scene, which required CG work, on a pre-built set.
“Hojin, how’s Yu Yeon-seo?”
“What can I say?”
The cinematographer approached Director Park Ho-jin and whispered. They were close senior and junior colleagues, and the cinematographer had gladly accepted the offer to work on Director Park Ho-jin’s debut commercial film.
“He seemed alright, didn’t he?”
“Really?”
During the script reading after the pre-meeting, anyone who had worked with Yu Yeon-seo before was greatly surprised. His tone and pronunciation were much more stable than before.
[Is it true he’s taking acting lessons?]
[That’s Teacher Park Hyeon-jeong for you… To think she could make an actor out of him.]
They would have to see his actual performance on set to know for sure, but everyone was starting to see Yu Yeon-seo in a new light. He was originally so bad at acting that even a slight improvement made him look good.
The writer and director, who were working with Yu Yeon-seo for the first time, were delighted, thinking their earlier acting advice had worked.
‘This kid still has no idea.’
The cinematographer had filmed Yu Yeon-seo’s acting on the set of another project in the past.
‘He can’t act as it is, so a chroma key background shoot is going to take forever, isn’t it?’
Worse, the monster would be added later with CG, so all they had was a crudely drawn panel. The cinematographer sighed deeply, remembering how Yu Yeon-seo had delayed filming in the past.
“Huh?”
But there was something strange about Yu Yeon-seo’s aura.
After his makeup was done, Yu Yeon-seo spoke with the martial arts director, Park Seong-jin, then picked up a prop gun and took a stance.
“How is it?”
“It’s light.”
Holding the rifle, Yu Yeon-seo repeatedly aimed at the empty air and lowered the gun. With each repetition, his posture became more and more disciplined.
‘The guns are similar to the ones in 2207. That’s a relief.’
Beside him, Lee Han-gyeol tried to mimic his movements. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t replicate Yu Yeon-seo’s posture and scratched his head.
“Did you practice only this after getting out of the hospital?”
“I think I found my talent.”
“Actors! Over here, please!”
While Lee Han-gyeol and Yu Yeon-seo were playing around, aiming their guns with the stunt actors, a staff member called out loudly.
“This is the monster concept art.”
As expected from the large production budget, the concept art was detailed and high-quality. Still, with green screens everywhere, he wasn’t sure if he could get into character.
“Let’s do a quick blocking check and then we’ll start shooting.”
“Okay.”
Yu Yeon-seo and Lee Han-gyeol followed the staff to learn their blocking. They were playing the roles of SSU special forces members in the movie. Today, they were filming the monster extermination operation on the deck, a scene from the beginning of the film.
“Wow… You guys, can you get into character looking at that?”
Park Min-woo, who had finished his makeup, stood between Yu Yeon-seo and Lee Han-gyeol. Even for regular actors, CG shoots like this were difficult, but for a rookie with no experience, it was even more daunting.
“Honestly, it seems tough… but we have to try.”
“I’m not sure I can do it either. What about you, Yeon-seo?”
Park Min-woo had become more friendly and approachable now that things were better between Lee Han-gyeol and Yu Yeon-seo.
“Well…”
Yu Yeon-seo stared at the staff member holding the panel with a monster’s face drawn on it, then closed and opened his eyes. Before him was not a staff member holding a crude panel, but a grotesque creature from the year 2207, filling his entire vision.
“I think it’ll be easy.”