Chapter 295
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 295
“Wait a second! Let’s check the blocking before we start filming!”
PD Jeong watched the set through a heavy sigh. Dead after Hope was already being called DAH for short, garnering massive public anticipation.
Today was the day they were scheduled to film the first scene for ‘Kim Woo-ho’—a character designed to drive the plot’s buzz and immersion in the early to mid-stages before making a heroic exit.
Please, just blend in.
During the script reading, Seo Ho-yun had performed with all the charisma of someone reading a textbook. PD Jeong had zero expectations. He only hoped he could somehow salvage the performance through editing.
As he clicked his tongue and reviewed the upcoming sequence, the assistant director beside him whispered, “Huh… what’s up with Min Ji-heon?”
“Hmm?”
“His expression is a bit…”
But when PD Jeong looked up, there was only the usual Min Ji-heon—smiling brightly and looking perfectly gentle.
“…Mr. Seo Ho-yun, I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes, me too.”
Standing before him was Seo Ho-yun, returning the greeting.
They were from the same agency, so they seemed to know each other.
Well, I guess that’s why they did the package deal.
Seeing Seo Ho-yun looking surprisingly plausible in his ‘Kim Woo-ho’ costume only made PD Jeong feel more conflicted. In his opinion, Kim Woo-ho was the most difficult role to play in Dead after Hope.
He seems honest but is actually sly; he doesn’t hesitate to use people or act cruelly for his own benefit, yet he shows flashes of humanity. He is a man of firm standards who ruthlessly cuts down anyone who crosses his line.
A deeply multifaceted, three-dimensional character.
Despite the weight of the role and the importance of the setting, he didn't have many lines. He had to convey emotions and situations to the audience solely through facial expressions, gaze, and gestures. PD Jeong didn’t believe Seo Ho-yun was capable of that.
No, more than that, his acting… it just didn’t leave an impression. It was blurry, so to speak.
“Ready!”
The actors took their places on the set, and the slate clapped. PD Jeong held the script in one hand, his eyes fixed on the actors' movements.
[The protagonist, Min Han-jun, who fled from Apgujeong and joined a new group of survivors, prepares to head out for food supplies. He suggests to the group that they ask for cooperation from Kim Woo-ho, a former national archer.]
[Min Han-jun: (Cautiously) Um… what if we take Kim Woo-ho with us? He’s strong and physically fit.]
At this, the group of survivors scowls, looking reluctant. According to the setting, they had repeatedly tried to recruit Kim Woo-ho, but he had always rejected them with a lukewarm attitude.
[Survivor 3: That bastard is a lost cause. National athlete? My ass.
Survivor 4: No, do you know how hard it is to win two gold medals? You can count the number of Korean archers who’ve done it on one hand.
Survivor 3: Hey, what do you expect? They say his arm is shot. The bow is probably just for show.
Survivor 4: Maybe try bringing up his younger brother. It was a famous story. He had a brother who was training for the national team with him. They say Kim Woo-ho doted on him. For some reason, they got separated, and it looks like he’s been looking for him.
Survivor 3: Hey, we’re all about to die. Do you think that guy would even blink? He’s the kind of guy who wouldn’t care if his brother died right in front of him.]
[Min Han-jun realizes that the brother from the first group of survivors he encountered is Kim Woo-ho’s.]
[Min Han-jun: No, I saw his brother, and they seemed to care about each other quite a bit…
Survivor 3: Huh? You met him?]
The camera focus shifts and zooms out.
The screen catches Kim Woo-ho, sitting slumped against a pillar a short distance away from the talking group.
The gaze is crucial here.
PD Jeong leaned forward slightly.
Expressing all of one's emotions through the eyes alone was difficult even for veteran actors. Those who could do it were already at the top of the world, showered with every accolade imaginable.
In that moment, as Seo Ho-yun slowly raised his head—
“…….”
He looked incredibly cold.
“Bullshit…”
His gaze alone conveyed his desire to flip everything over and sew shut the mouths of those bastards talking nonsense. Yet, a sliver of reason and self-reproach could be seen—the feeling that he had to endure it.
Because, in the end, he believed this whole mess happened because he hadn't taken proper care of his brother.
“……Cut!”
After stopping the shoot and finishing the monitoring, PD Jeong spoke with a subtle expression.
“…Um, let’s move straight to the next part.”
“Seo Ho-yun’s entrance was actually pretty good, wasn’t it?”
“I know, right? What was that?”
Hearing the staff’s whispers, PD Jeong let out a sigh.
Sure, anyone can look impressive if they glare well enough. There were still plenty of problems to worry about. Diction, acting rhythm, emotional resonance, and so on.
“Moving straight to the next scene!”
The assistant director, sensing PD Jeong’s mood, hurried the staff along to the next sequence.
[A situation where they are voting on who will go out for food supplies. Survivor 4 earnestly pleads with Kim Woo-ho for his cooperation.]
“Please! Kim Woo-ho, join us! You said you know this area well.”
Seo Ho-yun looked at the other person with languid eyes.
“Me?”
He asked back, a cigarette—unlit—clutched between his lips. His words slurred slightly as they escaped his mouth.
“Why should I?”
His face, etched with a sneer, made the viewers feel an instinctive surge of irritation.
What the?
PD Jeong’s expression faltered.
This was completely different from the acting Seo Ho-yun had shown during the script reading.
[Min Han-jun confronts the new group of survivors. Just as he is about to leave, feeling that the conversation is going nowhere, Survivor 3 suddenly starts acting strange. Startled, Min Han-jun is certain it’s a mutation and rushes outside, only to run into Kim Woo-ho in the hallway.
As he explains the situation to Kim Woo-ho, Survivor 3 begins to frame Min Han-jun as the infected one instead.]
“That guy is infected!”
As the opponent pointed a finger and made accusations, Min Ji-heon frowned. At PD Jeong’s signal, the camera turned toward Seo Ho-yun.
[Kim Woo-ho’s tautly drawn bowstring shifts toward Min Han-jun.]
While the supporting actors were buzzing with noise, only Seo Ho-yun remained calm. He simply held the string, under twenty kilograms of tension, perfectly still.
[Kim Woo-ho’s right hand, which had always trembled slightly since the accident, looked perfectly fine only when he held a bow.]
Hmm, his form isn't bad.
He must have practiced quite a bit.
Min Ji-heon faltered and took a step back.
“I… I-It’s not me!!”
He might actually shoot me.
Min Ji-heon’s eyes shook violently, as if that fear was etched into his bones. He stuttered, his body losing strength as he collapsed toward the floor.
The staff, unable to make a sound, covered their mouths in admiration of Min Ji-heon’s acting.
“It’s not me, it’s that guy! Can’t you see his eyes are bloodshot right now?!”
Then, the supporting actor playing Survivor 3 shouted, “Kim Woo-ho! You’re going to believe a mutant’s words? Fuck!”
“Hey!”
“You said you’re looking for your brother!!”
Without a change in expression, Seo Ho-yun merely shifted his gaze to look at the supporting actor.
[Survivor 3 spins a web of lies, twisting the information Min Han-jun had given him to his advantage.]
“I saw him. He was wandering around outside until recently. Maybe because of the archery, but he was a crack shot with a bow, just like you.”
“…….”
“Do what I say, and I’ll tell you where he went.”
[Kim Woo-ho still doesn't lower the bow aimed at Min Han-jun.]
“Is that so?”
PD Jeong unconsciously gripped his script tighter. It was finally time for Kim Woo-ho’s first real line.
“There’s one thing I want to ask.”
A calm, low-mid-range voice resonated through the set.
“Was my brother… of any help?”
“……Pardon?”
“His skills must have been terrible.”
It seemed like an out-of-place question. The actors' attention focused on Seo Ho-yun.
“……H-Help.”
Then—
“…He wasn't helpful.”
The answer came not from the supporting actor Seo Ho-yun was looking at, but from Min Ji-heon. A fact unknown to the survivors who arrived at the camp late, known only to Min Han-jun, who had actually witnessed Kim Woo-ho and his brother.
“He was injured. His arm…”
From the beginning of the drama, Kim Woo-ho’s brother had been described as having an injured arm.
Upon hearing those words, the corner of Seo Ho-yun’s… no, Kim Woo-ho’s mouth twitched upward.
“Right. He fell off his bike like an idiot a few weeks ago.”
“…….”
“So? Of course he couldn't use a bow.”
Muttering softly, Seo Ho-yun unstrung the bow and turned his head to the side.
[In that split second, Survivor 3 undergoes a sudden mutation. Seeing the infected lunging at Kim Woo-ho, Min Han-jun tries to stop it in horror.]
“Gasp! Watch out—!”
Thwack!!
Min Ji-heon reached out hurriedly, but Seo Ho-yun was faster. Striking down with the bow he held, Seo Ho-yun wiped the blood that splattered onto his face with the back of his hand.
“Then, who would the liar be in this situation?”
Min Ji-heon, who had frozen in shock, blinked several times in bewilderment.
“……No, you have a bow, why didn't you shoot…?”
The droplets of blood looked exceptionally red against his pale skin.
Lowering the bow with one hand to shake it off, Seo Ho-yun let out a smirk. It was a mixture of the pleasure of finally getting the information he wanted and a hint of irritation.
“Hey.”
PD Jeong was so absorbed in Seo Ho-yun’s acting that he didn't realize he had crumpled his script.
PD Jeong was certain. This would be the scene.
“Arrows are expensive.”
The moment the former national archer, Kim Woo-ho, would be perfectly etched into the viewers' minds.
*
“Good work, everyone~.”
Ha, seriously. This drama is a piece of work.
I had kept a smile on my face and acted like it was no big deal, but this setting was damn uncomfortable and unpleasant. A role where I lose my brother and go looking for him?
In a way, it was just a typical tear-jerker role, but given my situation, I kept getting over-immersed.
“Great job today!”
“Ho-yun, you were the best today!! Seriously cool!!”
“Ahaha.”
“You were like a total psychopath, it was great!!”
“……That’s a compliment, right?”
Even though there weren't many NGs, the filming lasted until late.
Leaving the manager behind to get the future schedule from the assistant director, I walked toward the parking garage and checked the system window that popped up.
[Quest Complete!]
[Start the first filming of ‘Dead after Hope’!]
[You have successfully completed the first filming.]
[10,000 points have been awarded.]
Kim Woo-ho didn't have many appearances. He was a character inserted to create dramatic scenes in the early to mid-stages. From now on, his remaining scenes could be counted on ten fingers.
I need to hook Min Ji-heon in the meantime.
As I was entering the underground parking lot, wondering when to throw the bait—
Slam!
The emergency exit door flew open, and Min Ji-heon appeared. He was breathing heavily, as if he had been running.
“Huff, huff…”
“Hello.”
Wow, thanks for coming to me on your own. Seeing him burst in without any patience, he was definitely a pure-blooded Korean.
“Mr. Min Ji-heon, are you going somewhere? Good work today. See you next time.”
I pretended to know nothing and tried to walk past him. But Min Ji-heon grabbed my arm and blocked my path.
“What are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don't play coy. We both know what’s going on.”
This guy, he’s even dropped the formalities now. He’s being quite direct.
I shook off Min Ji-heon’s hand and wiped the spot where he’d grabbed me on my pants.
“You see a few things, don't you?”
Pretending to know things based on the stories Min Ji-heon had let slip was easier than stealing candy from a baby. This was such a great setup for a scam.
“And you’ve probably never seen a type like me before. There are black masses floating all around you, aren't there?”
Min Ji-heon’s gaze slowly swept over me.
“……So you already know to some extent?”
“Of course.”
“And? My ability won't be a flaw for me. Besides, there’s no one I can trust anyway.”
“Unfortunately, well, that’s true.”
“…How on earth do you know about me?”
I grinned and said, “That’ll be 500 won if you’re curious.”
“…….”
After a moment of silence, Min Ji-heon started fumbling through his pockets when I held out my hand.
“I’m joking. 500 won seems too cheap. Hmm… let’s do this.”
“…What?”
He gave me a look full of distrust.
“When the viewership hits 18 percent, let’s talk again. I’ll tell you what you’re curious about then.”
And you’ll tell me what I’m curious about.
Min Ji-heon’s eyes widened slightly, perhaps because it was a condition he hadn't expected.
“……18 percent?”
“Yeah. Eight-fucking-teen percent.”
Since this all came out of your head anyway.
I started to walk away again, then stopped and added quietly to Min Ji-heon, “Oh, by the way. Mr. Min Ji-heon, you know roughly how old I am, right? That I’m at least not the age of this body.”
“……So?”
“So.”
Seeing the flustered Min Ji-heon, I pulled my lips into a smirk.
“From now on, make sure you use formal language with me, Ji-heon.”