Chapter 101: Synergy
A well-cooked steak and various side dishes filled the table.
Junho, who didn’t even look at the menu, said, ‘Give me everything the chef recommends.’ I wonder if he’ll get scolded when he goes back.
“Wow, this is really delicious!”
But that’s none of Muyoung’s concern.
He cut the meat into large pieces and kept putting it in his mouth.
The script for
“So, you’re almost confirmed for the casting?”
“I happened to meet the director when he came to my house.”
“If he came looking for you, it wasn’t a coincidence. It was fate.”
“Anyway, that’s how it happened!”
He replied like that and poked the meat again.
Bora barely touched her food and just fidgeted. Junho, who was cutting the meat next to her, asked,
“Do you want to do the project?”
“Huh? Uh……”
“Can’t Muyoung build a bridge for you?”
What’s there to lose?
Muyoung just nodded, saying it was okay.
“Casting is up to the director, but I can introduce you. What role do you want to play?”
There are two female roles: a nurse and a truck driver. The truck driver is a middle-aged woman, so it probably wouldn’t suit her. So, the only one left is—
“A nurse.”
“Of course. There’s nothing else.”
It seems like she’s fallen in love.
Bora, worried that someone might take it away, kept reading the words over and over. Luckily, it’s a private room, so the seating is comfortable.
“So, will you be going to school while doing this?”
“Yeah, movies are okay. Dramas were really tough, but
Even though it’s a lead role, it’s still okay. Since the shooting period is about two months, as long as the filming conditions are right, the work itself shouldn’t be a problem.
“Come to think of it, time really flies. It’s almost time for school to start again.”
Soon it will be March. A year has passed in the blink of an eye. The events that happened in that short period were truly amazing and breathtaking.
“When you go to school, will people recognize you a lot?”
“I don’t think so. I’m a total outsider.”
“……What are you talking about? You liar.”
Junho, looking annoyed, took the meat from his plate. Then Muyoung naturally pulled the food Junho was eating towards himself.
The two were rowdy and noisy, just like they used to be when they were goofing around in the cafeteria.
Zziiing. Zziiing.
“Huh? Wait a second. It’s my manager.”
Muyoung declared a truce and raised his hand.
“Yes, brother. Ah, really?”
Muyoung listened to something and glanced at Bora. Bora looked him in the eye while stirring her salad.
“Oh, Taeseok is doing it too? That’s great. But, brother, you know Bora, right? Junho’s girlfriend. Bora wants to audition too. Is it okay if she comes along?”
After a few words were exchanged, a smile appeared on Muyoung’s face.
“Yes! I understand! Thank you for your hard work!”
“What did he say?”
As soon as the call ended, Bora quickly asked. Her eyes were sparkling, an expression I’d never seen before. Where did her cynical personality go?
“I’m almost 99.9% confirmed to appear. Next week, I’ll have a final meeting with the director and the producer, and we’ll sign the contract there. There’s an actor in our company named Taeseok. He’s auditioning for the role of the host.”
“Taeseok? Oh, the one with a lot of muscles?”
“You can come along too. He said he’ll let you know in advance.”
At those words, Bora slowly opened her mouth and smiled happily. She didn’t say anything, but the energy she was giving off was completely different.
“Th, thank you.”
“Maybe it’s because the movie has a small budget. It’s the director’s debut, too.”
“A debut? No way.”
How could he have written such a script?
A woman who starts driving a truck after her husband dies. A host with a macho appearance but a soft heart inside. A thief who only steals underwear. And Bora, who fell in love at first sight—
“I need to go on a diet.”
“Again?”
A nurse with a lying habit. Four people entangled with each other, and a vampire at their center. The plot was so tight that there was no way to escape.
“I’ll just eat this last bite. Ah—”
“Ah—”
Junho looked at Bora with pity and fed her the meat. Oh, that’s Muyoung’s meat!
“When is next week? I need to change my day and night schedule, go on a diet, and create a slightly irritable image.”
“You don’t need to create an irritable image, I think.”
Thwack!
Bora smacked Junho on the head in response to his teasing. Muyoung checked the date on his phone.
“Next Wednesday. I think I’ll be leaving from school.”
Seoyeon University.
It was the week when class orientations were held, so the school was quieter than usual. Muyoung stood in the hallway with his hat pulled down.
“Whoa, isn’t that Ha Muyoung?”
“Where?”
“Over there, the tall guy.”
Even though he was just standing there doing nothing, people’s eyes were on him. If it weren’t for the AirPods, I would have said, ‘Yes, it’s me!’ and greeted them.
“Ha Muyoung!”
“Oh? You’re here?”
At that moment, the department head and his group called out to Muyoung, tapping his arm. It had been so long since they’d met, and it was nice to see them again.
“World-class superstar~”
“Oh, what are you talking about? Hurry up and give me the notes.”
“Yeah. You’re a freshman in middle school, so you need to study hard because it’s a gift from your senior.”
Unlike Muyoung, who had taken a semester off and was still a freshman, they were sophomores. Thanks to that, I was able to get the major’s notes easily. Muyoung thanked them with a smile.
“Are your classes over?”
“Then let’s go eat. There’s a new place that opened near the school. It’s really good.”
There were so many things I wanted to ask and hear about.
From
“I have to go right away. I have work.”
“Work? Are you going into another project?”
“Yeah, that’s how it happened. But I’ll be able to come to school regularly this semester, so let’s meet often.”
“Wait a second!”
Then the department head dramatically blocked his path with his hand.
Not only that, the group swiftly—step by step—blocked him.
“What are you doing?”
“I have something to tell you. I’m the sophomore department head, and this is this year’s student council president. This is the treasurer, and this is the deputy director.”
Huh? What’s going on? Why are they all wearing titles?
Muyoung tilted his head in confusion.
“Do you know what that means, my friend?”
“Did you guys form a clique?”
“Hey! Who’s forming a clique? We were all elected by vote!”
“Oh, I misspoke. Sorry.”
“It means that all department events are under our jurisdiction, and we have an obligation to make them successful. Yes, sir.”
Then he subtly pointed his chin at the notes in his hand.
“You know how picky Professor Kim Chang-oh is, right?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t taken his class.”
“He’s picky. And the required course,
“Oh! I know what this is.”
“Go to the MT! Come to the festival! Please!”
“Yay! Okay! That sounds really fun!”
The answer was much lighter than the extraordinary request, to the point where the excitement fizzled out.
The department head and his group blinked and asked again.
“Really?”
“I didn’t do anything properly when I was a freshman, so I really wanted to do this. But if it overlaps with filming, I can’t, but if I have time, I’ll definitely go. Wow, this is going to be really fun.”
Drinking games were so much fun when I played with the <You are a Star, I am a Star> members! Muyoung exhaled through his nose, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Then, Gyeongmin Ko called.
“Oh? Hey, I really have to go.”
“Oh? Okay.”
“See you later! Send me the restaurant’s location!”
Muyoung waved his hand and hurried down the stairs. Everyone passing by glanced at Muyoung and whispered, but he didn’t know.
“Wow, he really hasn’t changed at all.”
“It’s a good thing. He’s still a nice person.”
“Honestly, at this level, he should be a bit arrogant to balance things out, right? It’s a total Ha-ha Universe.”
“He’s handsome and popular, but only he doesn’t know it.”
They just laughed and shook their heads.
Meanwhile, Muyoung got into Gyeongmin Ko’s car, which had arrived at the main gate. Taeseok and Bora were also in the back.
“Muyoung!”
“Brother! Hello. Hi, Bora!”
Unlike Taeseok, who looked happy, Bora seemed a bit nervous. During the short drive to Mapo, she didn’t say a word and just picked at her fingertips.
Squeak—
“We’re here.”
“Is this it?”
It’s such a small building.
I thought Monet was small, but this is even smaller.
When I went inside, there was no desk, just an office. An employee greeted me warmly and stood up.
“Hello, Mr. Ha Muyoung. Mr. Taeseok. And you must be Bora, right? I’ve heard about you. I’m the general manager.”
“Hello.”
“The director is inside. Just a moment, please. Boss!”
“Oh! Yes! Hello!”
At his call, a man suddenly appeared from somewhere. For someone with the title of boss, he looked very young.
“Oh, nice to meet you. This way, please.”
A small meeting room. There, Director Bae Cheolmin was waiting.
As soon as I arrived, we shook hands one by one and exchanged greetings.
Then we each placed the script in front of us and began the formal meeting.
“Is there anything in the script that stands out to you?”
There were no explicit bed scenes, but since it was about a vampire, there were a few core scenes involved.
In response to his cautious question, Muyoung asked back neatly.
“No, there’s nothing. But I’m curious about the shooting order. I’m really looking forward to scene 25.”
It was a scene that came up when everyone shared their first memory of ‘darkness.’ The vampire recalled being trapped for decades in a place filled with sticky black liquid.
Only later did he realize that it was amniotic fluid from an unknown womb, but at the time, he had to endure despair, anger, lamentation, and agony.
“It keeps coming to my mind.”
A vampire struggling and suffering in a place filled with shiny black ink or some kind of sticky oil. The image of him screaming like an oil-soaked crow was vividly clear.
“I, I really like that scene too.”
“Oh. And there was a part I couldn’t interpret well, scene 89……”
Starting with Muyoung’s opening remarks, the director and the actors began analyzing the characters. Taeseok and Bora listened with interest from the side. The director spoke to them.
“By the way, what do you two think, Taeseok and Bora?”
“I feel the same way. It’s like it’s slamming hard but also feels light, which is really nice. I liked the costume this character sticks to.”
“Your accent is quite strong?”
“I, I can fix it—”
“No, it’s unique and good.”
At the director’s words, Taeseok secretly sighed in relief. Bora also shared her analysis of the character and showed her passion for the role.
“So, I think this part best shows the nurse’s psychological anxiety…… Director?”
But suddenly, the director started to cry, his eyes welling up with tears.
Bora was surprised and called out to him.
“Why, why are you like this?”
“No, I’m sorry. It’s just, I can’t believe that everyone wants to do my script. I’m grateful that you believe in me, but thinking about how you’ll suffer with such an insignificant director……”
At the age of twenty-eight, he barely entered an arts college. He left in search of a dream, but at thirty, he had only just completed his first work.
But Muyoung and the other actors were responding like this—was this a dream or reality?
“Director, what’s so insignificant about you?”
Muyoung patted his hand and laughed.
This person is so fragile. How could such a story come from someone like this?
“I chose it after reading the script!”
When Muyoung tried to comfort him, the production company’s CEO stepped in, looking troubled, and changed the mood. The director seemed to like Taeseok and Bora, but acting had to be seen in person.
“Come on, let’s do a quick reading. There’s a part where all three of you appear together, right?”
“Yes, scene 74.”
“Good. Can I ask you to do that?”
At his suggestion, Muyoung, Taeseok, and Bora looked at each other and nodded.
Muyoung had acted with Taeseok and Bora separately before, but this was the first time all three of them were doing it together.
“Then let’s begin.”
How would their synergy be?
It was the moment to find out.