Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Dreaming (2)
Even during difficult maneuvers, his expression remained placid, his movements so calm they seemed almost inhuman.
Park Si-hwan provided covering fire, assisting Chunbaek. The camera skillfully captured the tense situation without becoming chaotic, alternating between the spectacular action sequences of Yu Yeon-seo and Jin Su-ho.
‘Nice directing.’
Yu Yeon-seo propped an elbow on the armrest and cupped his chin.
“Yeon-seo, you filmed that in one take, didn’t you?”
“Incredible.”
The writer Jeong Da-hee’s office at JSENM was quite spacious, comfortably accommodating the main actors and other staff members.
Jeong Da-hee’s eyes sparkled as she remained glued to the screen. She couldn’t hear anything else. The character she had only ever imagined, born from her fingertips, was now alive and breathing.
“How are you so good at that? Do chaebols learn martial arts as kids or something?”
“It’s because I filmed an action movie last year.”
“Oh, right. The one where you play a special forces soldier? When is it coming out?”
“I’m not sure. Probably after this drama finishes airing.”
Yu Yeon-seo answered nonchalantly before focusing on the drama again.
In truth, Chunbaek’s action style in ‘Dreaming’ incorporated Yu Yeon-seo’s own suggestions.
Since Kang Jin-hu couldn’t feel pain, he often employed a strategy of giving up flesh to take the bone, which seemed fitting for Chunbaek, whose damaged data could simply be restored.
Thanks to that, the acting was easy. He just had to do what he’d done in the past.
‘He looks perfectly fine in scenes like that…’
He looked far too healthy for someone with an illness that made him cough up blood. Jin Su-ho glanced at the back of Yu Yeon-seo’s head before turning his attention back to the screen.
After neutralizing all the defense mechanisms, Park Si-hwan and Chunbaek walked down the hallway of the Memory Room.
“Let’s go.”
The longer they stayed, the greater the effect on their real-world bodies. Moreover, the Chairman’s mother was elderly, so it was best to wake her as quickly as possible.
“By the way, what’s with your appearance? A mere digital fragment…”
“That I’m handsome? I am aware.”
Park Si-hwan scowled at the shameless remark delivered with a completely straight face.
“I was designed by blending the features of handsome idols, actors, and models to suit my own preferences.”
“And here I thought you were made to Dr. Ju-hui’s tastes.”
“Are you fond of Dr. Yang Ju-hui?”
Park Si-hwan’s expression turned peculiar at Chunbaek’s direct question.
“Aha.”
“Don’t say another word.”
“Understood.”
Chunbaek blinked his right eye. It was less a wink and more a habit of closing only his right eye when he blinked.
In any case, it looked like a wink to Park Si-hwan, who sighed.
At the end of the Memory Room’s hallway was a large door that led to the ‘Utopia’ server.
“Aren’t you going to look for more memory clues?”
“No need.”
‘Utopia’ shows users the environment they desire. If they want to see a happy memory from the past, it creates a world based on their memories. If they want to go to a world that seems to exist only in fantasy novels, it creates a suitable environment for that.
And from within that world, it sends signals to the client’s brainwaves to heal their ailing physical body. Dementia, however, was still beyond the limits of their technology…
“Master, what kind of utopia do you think will appear for the client?”
From the few memories they’d examined, the Chairman’s mother seemed to cherish her family deeply. In her youth, she was devoted to her parents and siblings, and after marrying, to her husband and child.
“It’s obvious. A happy, harmonious environment with her family.”
Park Si-hwan scoffed and threw open the door to ‘Utopia’. Chunbaek tilted his head, looking surprised.
“…Well, you were roughly right about the happy and harmonious environment part.”
“Huh…”
It was the middle of a nightclub straight out of the 70s and 80s.
The variety of time periods. This was why Yu Yeon-seo had chosen ‘Dreaming.’
While telling the story of Park Si-hwan, who appeared bright on the outside but was dark within, the drama also featured the personal stories of each client he brought back to reality.
Each client’s episode, filled with laughter and touching moments, along with fantasy environments and diverse time periods, had the charm to evoke nostalgia in people of that era.
“Her utopia is… rebellion…?”
“That’s highly probable.”
As they passed through the door, Park Si-hwan’s and Chunbaek’s clothes changed. They were now in retro outfits—vibrant, primary-colored shirts and pants, with scarves tied around their necks.
Chunbaek inspected his own body, then looked at Park Si-hwan’s outfit and blinked his right eye.
“It suits you well.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“I am not.”
The production team had deliberately dressed Park Si-hwan in a ridiculous outfit while giving Chunbaek a relatively tame one. The contrast made Park Si-hwan frown.
“Find her.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Like an owl, Chunbaek’s body remained perfectly still as only his head moved. A special effect was added to his eyes, making it look as if he were analyzing something.
“She’s over there.”
Park Si-hwan followed Chunbaek’s finger and saw the younger version of the Chairman’s mother dancing excitedly.
“As a dementia patient, she might not realize this world is inside ‘Utopia’.”
“Probably. How should we get her out of here…”
In response to Park Si-hwan’s musing, Chunbaek spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“How else? You have to woo her, Master.”
“What?”
Chunbaek looked at Park Si-hwan with his characteristic deadpan expression. His pale skin and silver hair complemented each other well.
“It seems the client is dreaming of a little rebellion. And isn’t romantic love an indispensable part of rebellion?”
“Where did you learn that from?”
“That’s what they said on a certain ‘G’ site.”
“That’s wrong. Delete it.”
A hasty approach meant there would be no second chance. Perhaps he should send Chunbaek in first to gauge her personality.
“You go first.”
“As a mere digital fragment, I am very inept at interacting with the opposite sex. I will be found out immediately.”
Was a mere digital fragment capable of pouting? If he could feel this level of emotion, seducing someone shouldn’t be a problem.
Park Si-hwan let out a small sigh and rolled up his sleeves.
“I’ll go. You keep an eye out for any defense mechanisms.”
“Yes, I understand.”
With Chunbaek on standby behind him, Park Si-hwan did his best to get friendly with the younger version of the Chairman’s mother. Their interactions were framed by warm, vibrant cinematography.
Once they had gotten somewhat close, they left the nightclub and walked down a dark street.
“Huh? What’s with those people?”
“What? Where…”
The people from the nightclub began to file out one by one, approaching Park Si-hwan and the Chairman’s mother. Their movements were strange. Almost like soldiers… Park Si-hwan’s expression sharpened instantly.
(Warning: Defense mechanism activated.)
Chunbaek, who had appeared behind Park Si-hwan at some point, spoke as he loaded his gun.
“Shall I debug them?”
“Not now. We can’t let her get hurt.”
Park Si-hwan looked at the Chairman’s mother. Since it was the client’s own defense mechanism, it wouldn’t attack her, but she could get caught in the crossfire if she was too close.
“Then what should we do? Please give the order.”
“For now… run!”
With those words, the screen froze. The drama’s OST began to play, and the sponsors’ logos flashed by briefly.
“And not just because it’s our drama… it turned out pretty well, right?”
“It really did. The director worked his magic.”
“That’s because the script is great.”
“And isn’t the sound design killer?”
The people who had been holding their breath, engrossed in the drama, began to exclaim in admiration one by one, then broke into applause.
“The reactions on the community sites are really good too.”
“Yumi, you’ve been on your phone this whole time. Is that what you were looking at?”
“It’s fun.”
Jo Yu-mi, who played Yang Ju-hui, grabbed the person next to her and showed them her phone screen.
“Everyone’s only talking about Su-ho and Yeon-seo. There’s not a single comment about me!”
“Here! Here’s one.”
“Where… ‘Jo Yu-mi looks like a squid next to them.’ What is this!”
The people listening laughed heartily.
-From this day forward, I’m claiming Chunbaek as my own.
-Hey, is it normal for me to find Yu Yeon-seo cute?
└Totally normal, I do too.
-Whirr.. click.. Hello, Master.. Whirr.. click.. Hello, Master.. Whirr.. click.. Hello, Master.. Whirr.. click.. Hello, Master..
-LMAO, his deadpan face while telling him to ‘woo her’ is killing me haha.
-But has Yu Yeon-seo been taking acting lessons lately? His physical acting has improved.
└FR
└His action scenes are pretty good. Looking forward to White Tiger.
-How good is Dreaming that it’s taking over the whole category?
‘Dreaming’ Premiere: Jin Su-ho and Yu Yeon-seo Showcase Incredible Chemistry
Yu Yeon-seo, Different From Before... ‘Dreaming’ Captures Comedy, Action, and Heart in a Dream-like Fantasy
‘Dreaming’: Jin Su-ho and Yu Yeon-seo’s Thrilling First Encounter
‘Not bad.’
Yu Yeon-seo turned off the screen and stood up. He didn’t care about ratings, but seeing the final product of his work made him want to go home and review the script again.
His portrayal of Chunbaek owed much to his observations of Beta and the androids of 2207, so he felt he had hardly put in any effort himself. He couldn’t keep relying on past experiences like this…
“Writer Jeong, are you crying?”
Director Lee Su-ji handed Jeong Da-hee a tissue.
“No! I’m just a little…”
Jeong Da-hee sniffled, trying to hold back her tears. Everyone was laughing, and here she was, overcome with emotion after just the first episode…
But those who knew what Jeong Da-hee had been through simply smiled warmly.
“It feels like a waste to end the night here… Director Lee, we’re good for tomorrow’s shoot, right? Should we get a late-night snack? My treat.”
“Yes, sounds great!”
“I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Everyone cheered at Lee Seon-ja’s suggestion. But Yu Yeon-seo shattered the cheerful atmosphere with his quiet voice.
“Huh…?”
“Yeon-seo, you’re not staying for the after-party?”
“No, I’m a bit tired.”
The atmosphere on the ‘Dreaming’ set was good. He couldn’t understand why they were all so kind to him even after he’d yelled and stormed off, but he supposed they were just inherently good-natured people.
Yu Yeon-seo opened the door to the office. Just then, a delivery person came inside and placed a bag on the table.
“Delivery.”
“This is the chicken, right?”
The delivery person glanced curiously at the celebrities gathered in the office before quickly leaving to handle their next delivery.
“Huh?”
“Don’t tell me Yeon-seo…?”
“Enjoy the after-party without me.”
Yu Yeon-seo spoke in his characteristically languid voice before stepping out of the office. A loud cheer erupted behind him. It was actually something Im Seung-hyeon had arranged; all he had done was foot the bill.
“Hey, Lee Tae-gyeom. I’m coming down.”
Yu Yeon-seo erased the smile that had unknowingly appeared on his lips and picked up his phone to make a short call.
As he was waiting for the elevator, someone else came out of the office.
“Yeon-seo.”
It was Jin Su-ho. He was holding his belongings, so it seemed he, like Yu Yeon-seo, was also leaving early.
“Not staying for the late-night snack?”
“No, I’m a bit tired too. I don’t really eat late, so…”
Yu Yeon-seo glanced at Jin Su-ho. Part of the reason he wanted to go home and review the script was that he’d been spurred on by Jin Su-ho’s performance.
In the cool scenes, Park Si-hwan’s movements were calculated, as if considering the camera angles, while in the comedic scenes, he held nothing back. His vocalization and pronunciation were so clear that every word felt like it was being driven into your ears.
“Is it okay for both lead actors to leave?”
“Ms. Lee is there, so it should be fine.”
Jin Su-ho offered a kind smile. Having heard from Lee Seon-ja why Yu Yeon-seo had been so angry that day on set, Jin Su-ho didn’t get easily irritated by his prickly demeanor.
“About the hospital…”
“They said nothing was wrong.”
Yu Yeon-seo cut Jin Su-ho off, lying without a change in his expression.
“Does, uh, that happen often?”
“No. It was just that one time. I’ll be going now.”
Yu Yeon-seo stepped into the even-numbered elevator and left without a second glance. Left alone in the hallway, Jin Su-ho stroked his chin, lost in thought.
‘And yet… he looked far too used to it.’