Chapter 297
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 297
Lately, praise for one particular person could be heard echoing across the filming set.
"Where did Seo Ho-yun go? I wanted to give him this."
"The other day, Ho-yun helped me move the equipment...!"
"He’s seriously so kind and gentle. Don't you think Seo Ho-yun is just a truly virtuous person?"
Virtue?
Was that the same 'virtue' he knew? The one defined in the dictionary as 'being right, kind, and conforming to moral standards'?
When did the meaning of that word change so drastically?
'That’s impossible.'
Min Ji-heon shook his head and headed toward the waiting room.
He had lived a relatively ordinary life. His mother adored him, and his stepfather was a good man. He even had a lovely younger sibling.
That wasn't to say he hadn't faced any hardships due to his innate abilities, but thanks to them, he had learned how to go with the flow and handle situations with flexibility.
However, Seo Ho-yun had a knack for easily shattering the composure Ji-heon had spent years refining.
"Aigoo~"
"……."
"Has our Great Actor arrived?"
In a corner of the set, sitting on a folding chair and casually chewing on dried squid, was his clean-cut and handsome counterpart.
"……Hello."
Ji-heon’s face instinctively crumpled into a frown.
Though he quickly smoothed his expression, he couldn't help the lingering sense of unease Seo Ho-yun gave him. It was as if the man were a being precariously balanced on the thin line between life and death.
He certainly hadn't felt that way at first.
What was even more unsettling was that he seemed to be tilting, ever so slightly, toward the side of life.
"Have you eaten?"
"None of your business."
"Wow, this punk is something else. Where did your honorifics go?"
"……sir."
As Seo Ho-yun’s brow twitched ominously, Min Ji-heon took a subtle step back.
It didn't seem like he was possessed, but it felt incredibly slimy.
"Well then, I look forward to working with you today."
Min Ji-heon gave a cursory bow and hurried into the dressing room. Even as he changed into his costume, his thoughts remained fixed on Seo Ho-yun.
That was how much of a preoccupation Seo Ho-yun had become for him lately.
Come to think of it, the man's acting skills had also improved at a frightening pace.
If it had been raw and unrefined at first, he was now beginning to exude a more polished aura. Even Jeong PD had said, 'I can just trust Seo Ho-yun and go with it now.'
"We’re starting soon!"
[Min Han-jun and Kim Woo-ho eventually decide to stick together until they find Han-jun's younger brother.
However, because their personalities are polar opposites, they clash at every turn. Kim Woo-ho reacts with his usual indifference to Min Han-jun's suggestion that they take the survivors with them, leading to yet another argument.]
"No. They’re just dead weight."
"Do you really have no compassion, Kim Woo-ho? How is leaving them behind any different from us killing them? These people are injured…."
"If you care that much, go join a volunteer group."
"I have."
"Ah…… impressive."
Perhaps it was just a role that suited his personality perfectly.
The arrogant, reckless facets of 'Kim Woo-ho' reminded Ji-heon of the Seo Ho-yun he had spoken with in the underground parking lot.
"Wagh!"
[At that moment, Min Han-jun is grabbed by the ankle by an infected and falls.]
Thwack!
[Kim Woo-ho pulls Min Han-jun up by the arm and strikes the infected with his bow, speaking nonchalantly.]
"If I were really a heartless bastard, you’d already be rolling around on the pavement, Han-jun."
"……."
Min Ji-heon’s tightly shut lips trembled slightly.
Averting his gaze, he tried to put strength into his trembling legs, only to collapse again. He reached out as if pleading for help. But Seo Ho-yun ignored him and walked ahead.
"But, are you sure my brother is alive? Do you know where he went?"
"…Who knows. I haven't seen him since we got separated."
Stopping for a moment, he turned his head to look at Min Ji-heon. His expression was thick with pathetic disappointment.
"Is there anything you actually do know?"
"……."
For some reason, whenever lines like this came up, Min Ji-heon felt a genuine surge of emotion. He lowered his eyes as if suppressing his feelings.
"Cut!"
Simultaneously, Jeong PD’s voice rang out across the set.
While monitoring the scene they had just filmed, Min Ji-heon carefully observed Seo Ho-yun as he talked with Jeong PD.
"—And so. Seo Ho-yun, did you say you don't smoke? Your posture makes you look like a smoker. I think lighting up here would really bring out the mood…."
"……Ah."
Showing a rare sign of discomfort, Seo Ho-yun gave an awkward laugh and spoke.
"Director, even if you told me to fly around the set without wires, I’d try my best to make it happen…."
"You shouldn't fly without wires. It's dangerous."
"…But cigarettes are a bit…."
As an actor, cigarettes were often used to represent a character's personality or as an accessory, making them difficult to avoid entirely.
However, Seo Ho-yun seemed extremely averse to being associated with smoking, bristling like a cat that had touched water.
Though the director looked displeased, he wasn't a coercive person. In the end, Jeong PD respected Seo Ho-yun’s opinion and decided to create the cigarette smoke with CG.
"Then at least hold it in your mouth as naturally as possible."
"……Yes. I'm sorry."
Seo Ho-yun, stripped of his usual slyness, felt strangely unfamiliar.
The following shoot was a solo scene for Seo Ho-yun.
Min Ji-heon watched, script in hand.
[Kim Woo-ho speaks with someone who claims to have seen his brother, Kim Woo-hyeong, at Migeum Station. However, he receives news that the last time his brother was seen, he was fleeing from a horde of infected….]
Seo Ho-yun listened to the other person's words calmly.
"I see. Thanks for telling me."
Even then, there wasn't the slightest change in his expression. Even though he had just learned that his only family might be dead.
"…Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be? Everyone’s in a similar boat anyway."
[The other person, unsettled by Kim Woo-ho's reaction, glances at him warily before hurrying away. Kim Woo-ho lets out a deep sigh and fumbles through his pockets for a cigarette.]
"Ha……."
But all that came out was dust.
Seo Ho-yun ran a hand through his hair in frustration, his gaze landing on the corpse of an infected lying on the ground. He kicked the body over with his foot and rummaged through its clothes.
"Pathetic."
Only after a considerable amount of time did he manage to find a single, bent, and frayed cigarette. With slightly trembling fingertips, he lifted it to his lips.
Click, click.
An orange flame flickered from a grime-covered lighter. Seo Ho-yun inhaled deeply, his cheeks hollowing.
[Only when alone does Kim Woo-ho finally face his true inner feelings.]
He exhaled a cloud of colorless smoke into the air like a sigh. The camera captured the contrast between the clear sky and the dire situation Kim Woo-ho was in.
"…What a load of bullshit."
Emptiness, frustration, and fear.
The whirlwind of ashen emotions was conveyed vividly to everyone watching.
Beside the director, who was cutting the scene with nothing but admiration, Min Ji-heon felt certain.
'He used to smoke.'
The way he held the cigarette, the timing of his inhalation.
Those weren't details a non-smoker would know.
While Ji-heon scrutinized Seo Ho-yun with narrowed eyes, the next scene was quickly prepared.
[On the way to Migeum Station, all survivors except Min Han-jun and Kim Woo-ho eventually perish. Overwhelmed by the guilt of failing to save them from the endless swarm of infected, Min Han-jun bursts into tears.]
Seo Ho-yun, who had just buried an arrow in the center of an infected's forehead, strode over to Min Ji-heon and grabbed him by the collar.
"Are you crazy?!"
Seo Ho-yun’s voice was thick with rage.
"Are you that determined to die?"
Their faces were so close they were almost touching. Sorrow poured from Min Ji-heon’s eyes.
"A human being!"
The droplets clinging to his chin fell as his body trembled weakly.
"Fuck, a person is dying right in front of me! How can I just walk away?!"
Violent grief overflowed from Min Ji-heon’s lips.
"They were screaming for help!"
"Why can't you just walk away?!!"
As if shaking off water that had fallen on the back of his hand, Seo Ho-yun threw Min Ji-heon aside and gave him a chilling look.
"What, are you trying to save all six billion people on Earth?"
"Wha—what?"
"Hey, everyone! Look over here! We’ve got a regular saint in our midst!!"
"That’s not what I meant, you crazy bastard!!"
The tears that had gathered at the corners of Min Ji-heon’s eyes as he shouted spilled over and rolled down his cheeks. Seo Ho-yun let out a harsh snort.
"Hey. If you’d taken one more step, you’d be dead. You wouldn't have saved the person screaming for help, and you’d be dead too."
"……."
"And I might have been dragged down with you."
[As they argue, an infected lunges at them from behind.]
Instantly grabbing Min Ji-heon’s arm and pivoting, Seo Ho-yun swung his bow and crushed the infected's head. Stunned, Min Ji-heon stood frozen with his mouth agape.
"Min Han-jun. If you want to die, die alone."
[Kim Woo-ho, who was criticized for being selfish, was actually someone doing his absolute best within his own reach.]
Seo Ho-yun let go of Min Ji-heon and readjusted his grip on his bow. His attention was already fixed on another infected.
"But you’re doing all this because you want to live too, aren't you?"
Min Ji-heon slowly lowered his head.
"……Just like me."
At Seo Ho-yun’s words, added a beat late, Min Ji-heon’s shoulders shook. He wiped his face with his grimy sleeve and slowly stood up.
Seeing that Min Ji-heon had regained his resolve, Seo Ho-yun walked ahead, grumbling.
"Don't get swept up in your emotions. You realize we both almost died back there, right? Dumbass, seriously…."
"You said you could have been dragged into it too. Then that makes three of us."
"Whatever."
Kim Woo-ho turned back, one eyebrow arched.
"I would've ditched you and run, so I would've lived."
.
.
.
The grueling filming schedule continued.
'Surprisingly, nothing's happened.'
When Seo Ho-yun had mentioned the bracelet, he definitely seemed to have an ulterior motive.
But despite that, he was focusing faithfully on his acting. He hadn't tried to probe Ji-heon further.
Min Ji-heon habitually touched his bare wrist. He couldn't wear the bracelet during filming.
"Sunbae-nim~~."
Just then,
"Ugh!"
Someone grabbed his shoulder firmly.
It was Lee Kang-seok, who was filming another drama on the neighboring set.
"……Ahaha, haha. Hello, Lee Kang-seok-ssi."
Min Ji-heon quickly put on his public mask.
He found Lee Kang-seok uncomfortable. His worship of Ji-heon as if he were some kind of deity was one thing, but the way he carelessly manipulated everyone else was also quite off-putting.
"Sunbae-nim, is your filming already over for today? I wanted to see you act…."
"Haha……."
As he tried to slip away with an awkward smile, he saw Seo Ho-yun standing a short distance away, arms crossed, watching the situation like he was observing a fire across a river.
"Ah, it's Seo Ho-yun-ssi?"
Lee Kang-seok muttered, turning his head to follow Ji-heon’s gaze. Seo Ho-yun flicked the cigarette he’d been holding for the scene accurately into a trash can and strolled over.
"Wow, I had my doubts, but you actually came."
"……Pardon?"
"It’s been a while."
Then, he let out a sinister smirk.
He looked exactly like—
"I’ve been waiting for you."
—a quintessential villain from a children's show.