Idol of the Heavenly One - Chapter 18.1
“Cheonmyeong, Jae-heon’s part is about to finish filming.”
“What? Already?”
Wait, how long has it even been since they started shooting? Sure, he only has a few solo cuts, but is it really over this quickly?
I left the waiting room and headed to the studio. And sure enough, it looked like they really were about to wrap up filming. The storyboard was open to the last page of Baek Jae-heon’s scenes.
“Alright, last cut coming up!”
With the director’s bright and booming voice, the final take of Baek Jae-heon’s solo scene began.
Screee—
It was a scene of Baek Jae-heon opening the white door of the mansion and coming in. Even in that short moment, there was a naturalness in his performance. Opening a door might look simple to other people, but once you actually try it, you realize how hard it is to pull off. It is the kind of scene where a wrong move can make your body look really stiff and awkward.
“Cut! Perfect!”
Now that Baek Jae-heon’s solo scenes were done, it was time to shoot the parts together. For this next scene, I had to lie down, look at the clock, then sit up as if startled, and turn to look at the door where Baek Jae-heon was coming in.
“We’ll do a few rehearsals first!”
Since we were running through the rehearsal before shooting, I went back to the sofa where I had been lying earlier and got into position.
[Cheonmyeong looks at the clock, then widens his eyes in surprise and sits up.]
“…Hmm.”
Maybe it was because this was a new scene, but my body felt stiff again, like the first time. No matter how many times I tried, it came out the same. If I opened my eyes wide the way the script said, it looked way too exaggerated on camera. Like something out of a kids’ drama. But if I went with the blank, drained face I tried earlier, it didn’t fit the situation either.
What kind of expression am I supposed to make here? It is just a simple reaction to a clock.
Without realizing it, I turned my head toward Baek Jae-heon. As expected, he was already walking over to me.
“Your world is dead.”
Then he suddenly said something I couldn’t make sense of.
But his words made me flinch. Because I had experienced death, I froze up for a moment, unsure how to react, and just looked up at Baek Jae-heon.
“But when the hands of the clock move, you’ll wonder if this is real.”
“…”
“So at first, you’ll doubt whether this is reality.”
Ah, he is talking about the scene.
“Then hope and joy will wrap around you.”
So I should start by showing doubt, then when I see him come through the door, express hope and joy? As expected, Baek Jae-heon really is a genius actor.
I had only been trying to work out a startled reaction. But if I first show a suspicious, doubtful look, then express “hope” when I see Baek Jae-heon, maybe I could get through this scene without it looking awkward.
“Ah, thanks…”
“But the moment you realize this reality is different from the one you knew.”
“Huh?”
“Endless doubt will take hold.”
“What…”
“Is this really real? And if it is, then why…”
“…”
“The moment I waited for my entire life… might never come.”
Baek Jae-heon’s eyes were profound, unable to finish his words. It felt like they were sinking into a deep darkness. This was too heavy just to be advice for acting. It felt like he was speaking from experience.
“Baek Jae-heon.”
“…”
“Are you going through puberty?”
This was serious. His adolescent phase should have happened back in middle school, but maybe it was only just hitting him now. Back when I was working, about ninety percent of school violence reports were from middle school students. Sometimes, we’d get reports from general high schools too. Some of those were severe, but there were also plenty of cases where the “late-blooming adolescent phase” caused problems.
Not that Baek Jae-heon was actually harming anyone, but harm doesn’t always mean direct physical damage. Talking nonsense nonstop or trying to push those ideas onto others could count as mental harm too.
Looking at him now, he gave off exactly that vibe. Forgetting how careful I had been around him lately, I couldn’t help but give him a reality check.
“Stop watching violent anime or playing too many games and lurking in shady online communities.”
I had thought he was completely free of flaws since he looked so mature physically compared to other guys his age, but no, he was exactly like a boy his age after all.
“Anyway, I’ll use what you said about the emotions.”
“We’re rolling!”
Thankfully, the call to start shooting came at just the right moment, before anything more awkward could happen.
***
“Cut! Moving straight to the next scene!”
Using Baek Jae-heon’s advice for the emotions, the scene went smoothly. The director, the head of the department, and the manager all looked pleased. It seemed like the result was going to be good.
I let out a sigh of relief and looked over the final scene.
[Jae-heon approaches Cheonmyeong, reaches out his hand, and says, “Were you waiting?” Cheonmyeong nods, takes his hand, and follows Jae-heon out the door.]
It was a relief that this last part didn’t require much heavy acting on my part.
The camera started rolling again, and Baek Jae-heon began walking toward me from the door. I tilted my head up in time with his approach.
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