Chapter 66: Filming All by Myself
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 66: Filming All by Myself
The staff had said it clearly.
They said they had brought in the most talented camera director in the country.
‘That person is my uncle? Really? This isn’t some surprise hidden-camera making-of film, is it?’
There was a reason he had the same expensive camera as PD Jang Hyun-soo. I had assumed he’d borrowed it from somewhere.
‘Right. If Uncle had borrowed it too, he wouldn’t have been able to lend it to my brother for so long.’
I glanced at my younger brother, who was lugging Uncle’s camera around to film the making-of footage.
“Uncle, why aren’t you using that camera?”
“Oh, that’s not for movie shoots; it’s just my daily camera. I use it to keep my touch sharp.”
“...Didn’t you say that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars?”
“It’s used on active sets sometimes, but for me, it’s just a daily.”
In that moment, Uncle looked incredibly radiant.
‘I knew it from the moment he casually dropped three million won just for a single camera test.’
Suddenly, Uncle stepped back a few paces, framed a shot with his fingers, and observed me in my full plate mail.
“Oh, the shot looks good. Uncle’s going to capture you looking very, very cool. Look forward to it.”
“...I want to go home now. I don’t want to be in this anymore.”
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
“It’s embarrassing to have a relative filming me.”
It was true that I wanted to go home out of embarrassment, but of course, saying I didn’t want to be in it was a joke—the kind you can only make with family.
‘Is this the weight of a contract? Dammit, if I’d known Uncle was coming, I would’ve asked them to hire someone else.’
The thought of acting all serious and intense in front of my uncle...
Wow, my face is already burning. I want to scream.
*
My makeup wasn't finished yet.
In this project, I was appearing as a silver-haired Heretic Inquisitor, so naturally, I had to have my hair color coated.
The silver hair hadn't grown out enough yet.
And the person who appeared for the hair styling was...
“Dwayne Jo?”
“It has been a long time, our Actor. You have become a superstar in the short time since we last met.”
It was Dwayne Jo, the 6-foot-6 Korean-American makeup artist.
He was the one who had applied the temporary silver coating to my black-dyed hair during Quarter 1 of Hwan’s Torch.
I was incredibly surprised to see him, but Dwayne Jo remained very calm.
“As soon as I received the proposal, I knew the subject I would be styling was you. Silver hair coating, the location being Korea... it was practically giving away the answer, was it not?”
“Ahaha... It’s good to see you. Really.”
“To be honest, I was hoping you would contact me for this project, but I am simply happy to see you like this.”
“I’m sorry. I’m a bit slow and I forget things often. Oh! I still have your business card!”
“As I mentioned before, please contact me whenever you need my assistance with makeup.”
First, Dwayne Jo washed my hair to remove the black coating.
In the mirror, silver hair that had grown out more than a hand’s span was now visible.
‘My hair grows way too fast.’
Dwayne Jo perfectly transformed the black-dyed sections into silver, just like last time. It was amazing how there was no color difference at all from the roots.
“If you need a black hair coating agent for daily use, shall I give you the one I use? It is an eco-friendly formula, so it will not affect the health of your scalp or hair at all.”
“I’d appreciate that. By the way, what you did just now looks completely natural.”
“I will send it to you periodically through your agency from now on.”
He was as kind and professional as ever.
As I met his eyes in the mirror while he wore a gentle smile, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘He likes me so much, so why hasn't he ever asked for an autograph or a photo? Is it because of his professional mindset?’
“Um... I’m going to ask a question that might sound like incredibly embarrassing narcissism, but can you promise me that even if I’m wrong, you won’t laugh and will just move on chicly and coolly?”
“Ask me anything.”
“Do you... ah, this is really embarrassing... do you not really need my autograph? You never asked, so...”
Ugh, asking something like this felt so vain and humiliating.
It wasn't actually narcissism; I just felt bad in case he wanted to ask but was holding back because of his professional spirit.
“Of course I want one. Very desperately.”
“Should... should I give you one?”
“It would be an honor.”
“Should I... take a photo with you too?”
In the mirror, I saw it.
A single tear rolled down from the corner of Dwayne Jo’s eye.
“My daughter... will be very pleased. Though I, too, am very happy and joyful.”
“You... you have a daughter?”
“She is a devoted fan of yours. My heart felt like it was tearing apart as I had to leave her behind while she was crying and screaming, having sensed where I was going.”
So, I gave him three autographs.
One for him, one for his daughter, and one for emergency storage.
I also took a photo with him while dressed as the silver-haired Heretic Inquisitor in full plate mail.
“I will show the photo to my daughter when the drama is released. I will deliver the autograph then as well.”
“Didn't you say your daughter already sensed it?”
“That is the nature of a non-disclosure agreement. My daughter is quick-witted and figured it out, but I never admitted it until the very end. Fortunately, my daughter has not yet realized you are appearing in Game of Sins.”
Apparently, his daughter only knew that "I called her father for personal business."
It seemed she suspected something because there was no other reason for Dwayne Jo to be in Korea at this time.
“Noona! You’re the best! You look so cool! Can you make a face? Something chic.”
“You want me to look annoyed? Like this?”
“Oh, nice! Nice!”
“Just take it quickly so we can go.”
“I have to leave as much material as possible for the Lee Yu-jin Archives! Who knows when you’ll wear medieval armor again!”
“You’re such a pain.”
I played along with my brother’s antics half-heartedly before leaving the dressing room.
*
The moment Lee Yu-jin emerged after finishing her makeup, all the staff members held their breath in unison.
‘Wow...’
‘They don’t call her an elf for nothing.’
‘Her aura is insane.’
Silver full plate mail.
She tucked her helmet under her left arm and held a heavy mace in her right hand.
Her cold, deep eyes exuded a mysterious atmosphere that seemed to draw one in.
As the helmet was slowly lowered, hiding her porcelain face, the staff couldn't help but let out sighs of regret.
Chris, who was acting as the director for the Korean filming unit, gave the cue sign.
The knight, fully armed in plate armor, began to walk slowly.
Multiple cameras ran along rails, and others mounted on cranes followed her movements from all directions.
The way she dragged the massive mace as if exhausted exuded an ambiguity that made it hard to tell if she was a man or a woman.
Her subtle limp made her look as if she were submerged in some profound sorrow.
The knight came to a halt before a giant cross situated in the square. After staring up at it for a long time, she began to strip off her armor with rough, tearing movements.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The metal armor fell onto the hard pebbles.
The blood-stained black priest’s robes she wore underneath were finally revealed.
The moment she removed her helmet, her long silver hair spilled out like a shimmering wave in the sunlight, revealing a dazzlingly beautiful face with a sorrowful, cold expression.
The staff, watching with bated breath, almost cried out in admiration but barely managed to keep from ruining the take.
The Doctrine Inquisitor, now stripped of her armor, slowly knelt and dropped her head.
Her left hand still gripped a silver cross tightly, as if she refused to let go.
“Quaeso, fidem meam ex hoc aspero examine eripe.”
(I beseech you, deliver my faith from this harsh trial.)
The elegant Classical Latin pronunciation struck their ears with piercing clarity.
Watching this, Priest Montanus unconsciously gripped his own silver cross.
Until the cut sign was given, no one breathed, their eyes fixed on her as if pinned.
Chris, who had been staring into the monitor as if possessed, snapped to his senses when he caught Lee Guk-shin’s gaze and finally shouted, “Cut!”
Lee Yu-jin stood up nonchalantly, as if she had never been acting out such sorrow.
Chris spoke up, intoxicated with excitement.
“Perfect! You embodied a heretic inquisitor drowned in despair. Incredible, simply incredible!”
Lee Guk-shin also gave a big thumbs up.
“You did great! You did really well, Yu-jin!”
“...Thank you.”
“Huh? You did great, so why do you sound like that?”
“...Just because.”
*
While walking toward the cross, my chest felt so tight I could hardly breathe, and I almost stumbled.
‘Why is this so tight?’
I understood that the full plate mail was designed this way so viewers couldn't tell if the character was male or female.
But my chest was so compressed I couldn't breathe.
I thought a retake would be called because I stumbled slightly, but it passed on the first try?
Chris suggested monitoring the footage, but I shook my head desperately.
“Chris, your satisfaction is my satisfaction. There’s no need to check. That is an actor’s trust in their director.”
In truth, I just didn't have the confidence to look at my own acting while face-to-face with my uncle.
Thinking about how Uncle would be looking at me through the camera made me feel like my face was being bored into.
It was a relief I’d been wearing a helmet.
Then, Uncle said with a smirk, “If you’re doing this because you’re embarrassed of me, you don’t have to. This is my job.”
“It’s not that.”
“An actor should check their own performance. Self-feedback is important.”
“Ugh...”
I was forced to monitor the footage. Because of Uncle, I felt like my skin was crawling more than usual, but I also felt a strange sense of wonder hearing how my Latin sounded.
‘Wow, but I really can’t get used to seeing Uncle like this.’
Sitting in front of a large monitor, checking the views from multiple cameras and giving instructions to the crew with just a hand gesture...
He looked like a seasoned battlefield commander; he didn't seem like my uncle at all.
He seemed like a completely different person who just happened to have the same face as my uncle who drives a beat-up SUV.
I was stealing a glance at him when our eyes met, and he suddenly grinned.
Embarrassed because his expression said he knew exactly what I was thinking, I hurried back to Jang Ji-hye.
“Yu-jin, Yu-jin, you were great. So good. You were truly a Heretic Inquisitor lost in sorrow. Especially that movement where you limped precariously—that was pure art.”
“Jang Ji-hye, actually...”
When I told her it was because I couldn't breathe due to the chest compression and the embarrassment of Uncle watching...
“Yu-jin, don’t you ever tell that story to anyone else.”
“I won’t. I’m too ashamed to.”
“No, I mean don’t break the fans’ illusions. Let’s just say it was acting born from your genius character interpretation.”
“I think I’ll be like this as long as I’m wearing that armor. I really can’t breathe.”
“Are you bragging about your size right now?”
“No, no, I’m serious, the armor is just too tight.”
*
There were good and bad things about having a film set all to myself.
The good thing was that everything revolved around me, which was comfortable.
The bad thing was that I had to film a real-life documentary called Filming All by Myself.
Act, monitor, change into the next costume, act again, monitor again, and again, and again...
The most difficult and embarrassing part was doing a one-woman show in front of a green screen, acting toward empty space.
Since it was my first time doing this, I had to do several retakes.
Eventually, braving the embarrassment and guilt, I asked the Priest for help.
“Pater, difficile mihi est animum componere. Potesne tantisper coram me stare?”
(Father, I am having trouble focusing my emotions. Could you stand before me for a moment?)
“Ego ipse?”
(Me?)
Priest Montanus asked back with a slightly shaken expression, and Chris stepped in seriously.
“That’s a great idea. Father, could we ask that favor of you?”
Chris’s Latin had improved a lot. He even understood our conversation.
After thinking for a moment, Priest Montanus nodded with a gentle smile.
“Bene. Hoc quoque experientia honorifica erit.”
(Very well. This, too, will be an honorable experience.)
“Pater, nonne nimis graviter loqueris? Sed... vere, tibi maximas gratias ago.”
(Father, isn't that a bit too grand a way to put it? Anyway... thank you so, so much.)