Chapter 34: You will succeed
“I’m fine!”
Yeon Chae was startled and grabbed Muyoung’s clothes. A still shot all of a sudden? She couldn’t even press the shutter properly, so how could she do that? It’s fortunate that she wasn’t causing any trouble.
“Don’t you like it?”
“I don’t… dislike it.”
Of course, he really wanted to. He had even chosen to go to college for this as his career. The small experiences he gained on these sets were assets and opportunities. But if it’s too much, it’s too much.
“I don’t even have my camera with me right now. I left it in the car.”
The representative shrugged from afar. It meant, “What’s going on?” Passing staff members were too busy to do anything other than glance over.
“You can take a picture with your phone. Anyway, the still shots are going to be uploaded to my personal account, so it’s okay if they’re taken carelessly. Ah! That’s right. Since it’s a personal upload, it really doesn’t matter!”
Muyoung realized this as he spoke.
He made an X sign with his hand towards the representative, telling him not to worry. Then he rummaged through the bag lying around and took out his phone.
“In case you find the term ‘still shot’ burdensome—”
It was a basic camera with no filters. Yeon Chae received it with both hands, looking confused. She was too flustered to realize that her hands had stopped shaking.
“Please take a commemorative photo of me. It’s my first photo shoot, and I want to keep it safe.”
“Uh…”
“Make it look pretty. Got it?”
Muyoung patted Yeon Chae’s shoulder and jokingly asked her to do it. She could just think of it as a request from a passerby, no pressure. Then Junho called him, shaking his coat.
“Muyoung! Wear this!”
“Do I not have to change?”
“Bora went to put on a skirt. Do you want to wear one too if you wish?”
“No, thanks.”
He smiled and left Yeon Chae.
A woman stared blankly at Muyoung’s back, holding only an old phone. The screen was blurry through the dirty lens. She probably doesn’t take many pictures usually.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah! Mr. Writer!”
At the photographer’s call, she turned around, startled. Then she explained the situation with a troubled expression.
“Ha Muyoung asked me to take some pictures…”
“For still shots?”
“Is that okay?”
“What’s there to be okay or not okay about? It’s fortunate if she just stands still and doesn’t turn off the lights.”
The photographer’s words made her face turn bright red. She had been brought along as an assistant by a senior alumnus, but all she did was help the staff with odd jobs. And she even turned off the lights in the middle of it!
“I-I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Just finish preparing. We’ll be going back in soon.”
She was an assistant introduced by a senior alumnus from the same school. She was a bit shy, but she had a good sense of things, so when she was asked to give her a chance and bring her along, she did…
‘Tsk tsk. It’s like she has a tremor.’
It’s more serious than expected. How is she going to make a living like this? The photographer grumbled inwardly as he continued setting up the camera.
“I’m ready.”
“Okay. Let’s start shooting!”
The two people on set leaned against each other again. Muyoung and Bora instinctively understood the angles that looked good on camera. The representative looked through the viewfinder and asked Junho.
“Didn’t you say both of them were first-timers?”
“Muyoung definitely is, but Bora was a child actor, so I’m not sure. She might have experience? But they’re kids who live with cameras.”
Junho smiled as he looked at his new friend again.
When they were wearing the same uniform, he didn’t notice much, but now that he looked at her like this, she was definitely different. This is what they mean when they say people who are meant to be celebrities have a certain aura about them.
“You’re awesome, Ha Muyoung!”
When Junho shouted, Muyoung just laughed. He mostly looked at the photographer’s camera, but occasionally he looked towards Yeon Chae, who was holding her phone and looking lost.
“Just a moment. I’ll fix your hair.”
“Yes.”
After taking pictures for a while, the photographer put down his camera at the stylist’s words. Muyoung stood still and got his hair done, then smiled.
“Bora, look over there.”
“Huh?”
Click!
Finally, the first photo.
Yeon Chae summoned her courage and pressed the button on her phone. Even from a distance, it was clear that her two hands were trembling. Bora looked at her and wondered if she was okay.
“Is this a still shot?”
“Yeah. Smile.”
Muyoung stood arm in arm with Bora and made a V sign. Soon, he waved his hand in greeting or playfully glared, showing the natural behind-the-scenes of the shoot.
Click! Click!
Yeon Chae looked him in the eye through the screen.
It was the first time.
It was her first time taking a picture of someone with her phone in an unfamiliar environment.
And it was also her first time seeing how the interplay of lighting and angles in every moment made the subject appear multicolored.
“Let’s go again!”
Click!
Even as the shoot resumed, Yeon Chae’s hands didn’t stop. Instead, she wandered around the set as if enchanted, capturing Muyoung.
‘Huh?’
She couldn’t explain it, but the feeling of the shutter fitting perfectly in her hand was the best.
The different shooting sounds of the DSLR and the phone harmonized and filled the studio.
“Good job!”
“I’ll wrap it up!”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Muyoung, who had completed the final pose perfectly, bowed to the staff. The representative, the photographer, and the manager were selecting photos while looking through the viewfinder.
Swoosh—
“Excuse me…”
“Oh. Thank you. You were taking pictures so enthusiastically earlier.”
After changing his clothes and drawing the curtains, a flushed Yeon Chae was waiting for Muyoung. The device was also heated up, with the battery almost drained.
“Th-thank you.”
“Huh? What for? Isn’t that something I should be saying?”
“When I made a mistake with the lighting earlier, you helped me, and you asked me to do this so I could gain experience, right?”
Yeon Chae replied with a calm but confident voice.
“…And it was fun.”
“Fun? Taking pictures?”
“Yes. You’re very charming. Ah! As a model, I mean. I can’t remember the last time I felt so much joy while taking pictures. When I was young, I just smiled and did it, but when it became a job, I couldn’t enjoy it anymore…”
Her eyes sparkled behind her thick glasses. It was hard to believe she had forgotten this sensation and passion.
“Anyway, thank you. I-I know it might be presumptuous of me to say this, but Muyoung, you’re going to succeed.”
“Hahaha! Really? Yeon Chae, you’re definitely going to succeed too. You’re so talented!”
Writer? What an amazing title she had never heard before! Yeon Chae nodded her head repeatedly with tears of emotion in her eyes.
“I’ll work hard. And next time we meet, let’s definitely do a personal project. No, please do it!”
Next time. They might meet again at Today University if things go well. But instead of unnecessary words, Muyoung offered a handshake.
“Yes! I’ll look forward to it.”
The two exchanged a brief farewell. Muyoung’s companions were waiting for him at the studio entrance.
“Hurry up, Ha Muyoung.”
“I’m hungry—!”
“Manager, please send me the preview of that photo. I’ll post it on SNS.”
Bora, Junho, and the manager called him over with gestures. They were probably going to have lunch together. Muyoung dashed over and squeezed in between them.
Yeon Chae, who was watching this, clenched her fists.
‘Okay. Let’s try again.’
She had taken a leave of absence as if running away. She had been wandering around, unable to leave this path, and feeling frustrated, but not anymore.
“Yeon Chae. Will you come out next time too?”
The photographer asked as he put his camera in his bag. It was almost half a plea for her not to come. But Yeon Chae, full of hope for the future, didn’t notice.
“No. Thank you for everything so far.”
“So what will you do now?”
“I’m thinking of preparing to return to school.”
First, go back to school and study more. The art of photography that she loved so much. Various plans unfolded in Yeon Chae’s mind.
“Still, if you ever need an assistant, please let me know. I’ll make time if I can. Thank you for taking care of me all this time.”
“You look like someone who’s going to be really busy.”
“Probably. I want to be.”
“What about Today University if you go back to school?”
At the photographer’s words, she hesitated for a moment.
“Well, I guess I’ll have to quit. It’s hard to do both.”
“What are we eating for lunch?”
“I don’t know. The manager’s treating, so let’s eat something expensive.”
“You don’t call him ‘representative’ anymore?”
“Why would I, now that work’s over? By the way, the assistant photographer took some pictures with your camera earlier. Take a look.”
The manager had also taken some photos. However, they were shaky, the composition was a mess, and there was no ‘vibe’ to them. Muyoung paused as soon as he tapped on the gallery folder.
“Huh?”
He was sure he had taken a lot of pictures, but only about fifteen were left. Yeon Chae had trimmed the excess herself.
“Wow. What’s this?”
“Is this one of those ‘boyfriend pics’ or whatever?”
“The photos turned out well.”
In other words, they were cool.
They were full of the kind of emotion that would go over well on SNS. More than anything, you could feel the photographer’s warm gaze. Everyone huddled together, sticking their heads in to look at the photos.
“Bora looks pretty in this one too!”
“Can I post this?”
“Yeah. Tag my ID.”
“What’s that?”
“……Give it to me.”
Bora took Muyoung’s phone and started pressing buttons here and there. His account still only had the Big Win Entertainment logo posted, with about 5,100 followers.
‘What? Why are there so many numbers?’
Muyoung, who doesn’t use SNS much, didn’t know, but it’s uncommon to gather so many followers with just one photo.
Ding.
[Hello, this is Ha Muyoung. Today, I had a photo shoot with BORNTORE. The new shirts are so pretty. I’ll post photos often. ?(´?`?) #BORNTORE]
“Tag Enbin too, just put everyone in—!”
At Junho’s words, Bora just nodded.
As soon as the photo was uploaded, comments and likes started pouring in.
Ding. Ding.
-I’ve been waiting. I thought the account was locked.
-Wow. He’s so handsome. Really.
-BORNTORE is the brand Enbin advertised for, right? Are the two of you connected somehow? Let’s communicate~
-Boyfriend pics make me happy. I don’t know where it is, so I’m bowing in all directions. Oppa, I love you.
-Is the person who took the photo a staff member? Their skills are no joke.
-Muyoung… Grandma… is cheering for you ㅠㅠ
The people who came from MeTube still left cringy comments everywhere. While he burst out laughing and couldn’t contain himself, the manager stood by the roadside, talking to someone on the phone.
“Why is everyone so funny?”
“Because you like it. The edited version will be uploaded to the official BORNTORE account in about a week. Judging by the manager’s expression, I think there’ll be more than ten photos.”
“Huh? Really?”
Junho whispered some information to Muyoung secretly. The representative and the photographer couldn’t choose the A-cut because the work was so good. What do you do if you can’t choose? You have to select them all.
Vroom—! Bang!
While he was distracted, looking at this and that on SNS, Junho’s brother arrived with a car. It seemed like he had finished tidying up inside.
“Get in quickly! Let’s eat!”
“Wow. It’s the good-looking brother who always buys me food!”
“Lim Junho, out. Only Muyoung and Bora can get in.”
The two joked around, making Muyoung laugh as he turned to look at the manager. Ko Gyeongmin, who had finished his call, approached him.
“You should eat too, Manager.”
“Sure. But I just got a call from Monet, and they’re scheduling a reading a week before the shoot.”
“A week?”
“Casting is complete.”
It was starting to feel real.
He was going to film a movie he had only seen before! Ko Gyeongmin told Muyoung exactly what he had heard.
“Jin will be played by that actor, Lee Hijun, whom you met before.”
“Ah! I’ll see him again.”
“And there’s Seong Hyejoon, Hyojung, Jinsu……”
They were all names he had heard at least once. Among them, the only real ‘newbie’ was Muyoung. Ko Gyeongmin smiled nervously and grabbed his shoulder.
“This is huge, right?”
“My legs are shaking.”
“So, how about you practice acting a bit before the reading? If you’re okay with it, I’ll watch with the boss.”
Sure!
Muyoung nodded vigorously. Junho, who was already in the car, stuck his head out of the window and called to them.
“Hurry up and get in! Are you going to leave us behind?”
“Got it—”
His steps were a mix of nervousness and excitement. Muyoung sat quietly in the backseat, looking out the window. The studio was getting farther and farther away.
‘We’ll definitely meet again, right?’
They were connected by the pollen of Today University. But whether Yeon Chae, whom he would meet there, would be in charge of his profile, or if there would be another story there, was unknown.
‘I’m looking forward to it. I wish time would pass quickly.’
But whatever it was, it would sparkle. Especially his first crank-in! Muyoung counted the days on his fingers and smiled.