Chapter 38: Gosa

Squeak.

“I’m back—”

Exhausted, Muyoung arrived at Big Win Entertainment. Na Geumdong was eating lunch with Taeseok, just like they had been doing for days, practicing at the table.

“You’re here? How was it? Did you do well?”

“Tell us your thoughts. How was it?”

For some reason, Ko Gyeongmin’s first words were the same as his.

It was expected to take 6 hours, but it ended up taking about 8 and a half hours. This was because there were frequent breaks to accommodate Yuna and some of the adults.

“Ugh, it was so hard.”

“Even sitting and delivering lines consumes a lot of energy. Still, it’s nothing compared to an all-night shoot, right? Manager Ko, how was he? Did he do well?”

Ko Gyeongmin, also exhausted, nodded and took off his coat.

“I couldn’t see him because I was waiting outside, but I got a good feeling. The director praised him, the seniors’ feedback was good, and Yuna and he are still getting along like siblings.”

“Oh, that’s great! Good job, both of you.”

“But why aren’t you going to the dorm? You could rest comfortably in bed.”

At Taeseok’s words, Muyoung began unpacking his bag. Light clothing, textbooks, and scripts tumbled out.

“I think I’ll be heading to the set early.”

Only Yuna was asked to come out first, but Muyoung’s schedule would surely be adjusted as well. Na Geumdong, with a look of awe, exclaimed,

“Do you want to practice more?”

“Yes. I got the director’s comments today, so I think it would be good if you could focus on that. Tomorrow’s class is in the afternoon, so if I sleep here, the manager said he’d take me.”

“Great! I love it! Come sit here.”

Na Geumdong happily patted the seat next to him. Taeseok watched and muttered,

“Is he that reluctant to go home?”

“Nonsense! It’s all for the company. No, it’s for Muyoung.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Who can understand a married man’s heart?

As Muyoung collapsed into his seat, the CEO extended his hand. What does he want? Muyoung stared blankly at his palm, then gently raised his right hand, like a puppy.

“No, you idiot!”

“Is this not it?”

“Your phone!”

“Oh, I see. But why do you need my phone?”

Even as he said that, he handed over everything he was asked for.

Na Geumdong, holding Muyoung’s phone, squinted his dim eyes and checked something.

“Right. You don’t check your SNS, do you?”

“I posted photos occasionally.”

“We got a call from the company earlier today saying they sent a sponsorship inquiry via DM but haven’t heard back.”

At Na Geumdong’s words, both Muyoung and Ko Gyeongmin froze.

What did you just say? They both looked skeptical.

“Sponsorship? What kind?”

“Which company is it?”

Muyoung was interested in the product itself, while the manager was interested in the brand. Na Geumdong scrolled through the pile of DMs and answered,

“Do you know Doctor Martel?”

It was a cosmetics brand that focused on basics. Although it had few offline stores, it was a company with considerable influence on SNS due to its active influencer marketing.

“I don’t know.”

But how could Muyoung know?

“Hmm. Here it is. Hello, Ha Muyoung. I’m the PR representative for Doctor Martel. I contacted you after seeing your feed. Your clear and innocent image is what the company is looking for… blah blah blah. The price is one large sheet.”

“One hundred thousand won?”

“It’s one million won. They want you to use the product they send, attach a photo, and write a promotional review of about 100 characters. They’ll even send a script if you want. What do you think? Will you do it?”

Muyoung checked the photo.

True to its strategy of emphasizing natural ingredients, the transparent packaging was impressive. Bonggun was right. You can make a lot of money just by posting one photo! It’s true!

“The price is a bit high, I must say.”

It seemed that way because he had a lot of followers compared to his posts. Na Geumdong asked, observing Muyoung’s expression,

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

He thought Muyoung would accept right away, but he seemed surprisingly hesitant. Muyoung shook his head.

“No.”

“You don’t look like you’re saying no.”

“It would be good to do it, but it’s a bit daunting. Unlike clothes, food and cosmetics are used directly on the body.”

Putting your face on something means consumers trust you to buy it. But it’s a cosmetic from a small company he’s never seen before. Muyoung slowly read the promotional post.

“I understand what you’re saying, but these days, most things are just okay. Even if there’s a problem with the product, that’s separate from us.”

Na Geumdong was in favor of doing it,

“But your account doesn’t have many personal posts. If a promotional post goes up in that situation, your followers might leave. Wouldn’t it be better to grow it more before accepting?”

but Ko Gyeongmin, though his reasoning was different, also suggested refusing.

Muyoung, torn between the two, made a decision.

“Since it’s my first sponsorship inquiry, I’d like to do it sincerely. Can I receive the product, try it out, and write an honest review?”

“How honest?”

“Is there a degree to being honest? Just as it is.”

“Hmm.”

Na Geumdong rubbed his chin and thought. Would they like that? No, of course they’d hate it. It’s almost like a polite refusal.

“Boss?”

“Yeah. If Muyoung wants to do it that way, he should. I’ll call them tomorrow and ask. If we get rejected, we’ll take it as an opportunity. Like Manager Ko said, growing the account is a good idea too.”

At Na Geumdong’s words, Muyoung smiled brightly.

It’s good, just as I thought. There was a reason the pollen sparkled. Where else would you find a company that respects its actors like this?

“Speaking of which, from now on, Manager Ko will manage Muyoung’s account instead of him. The photos posted after BORNTORE…”

Stray cat. Chocolate. Textbooks.

What is all this? Fans don’t want to see this! At Na Geumdong’s words, Ko Gyeongmin nodded.

“Huh?”

Na Geumdong, who was checking to see if there were any other promotional inquiry DMs, muttered after finding something strange.

“……Sung Hye-jun sent a DM?”

[Your acting today was very impressive. Let’s meet at the gosa (告祀). I’ll buy you something delicious instead of a sandwich then!]”

Na Geumdong and Taeseok looked at Muyoung simultaneously, with very peculiar expressions—a mix of surprise and shock! Muyoung just laughed, as if wondering why they were reacting that way.

“Sung Hye-jun bought me sandwiches today. Boss, have you tried Subway? The egg mayo is really good.”

“No, Muyoung? It’s Sung Hye-jun, you know?”

“Yes. He looked even more handsome in person.”

Then, from behind, Ko Gyeongmin made an ‘X’ with his arms.

“Boss, it’s okay. Don’t worry.”

“No, it’s Sung Hye-jun!”

Perhaps shocked, Na Geumdong kept repeating the same thing.

“Yes, yes. That’s why I said it’s okay.”

He ate two sandwiches because they were so good. And next to him was Yuna, who was sticking to him like rice cakes. There was absolutely no chance of anything happening that the company would be concerned about.

“But is the gosa already scheduled?”

Na Geumdong just moved his lips, then quickly changed the subject.

“The start was brought forward because of Yuna.”

“When is it?”

“This weekend, I think.”

A gosa (告祀) to wish for a hit before filming begins. Although it’s not a common practice these days, it was essential for Director Jin Gyeongmun, who had been in the industry for a long time.

“There are a lot of action scenes, so we have to do it.”

“What was it? Somewhere had so many accidents during filming that they did it again in the middle.”

“It would be better to just spend that money on new safety equipment. It costs hundreds of thousands.”

“It’s like a kind of insurance. If you don’t do it and something happens, people will talk.”

“Does it cost that much?”

Isn’t it just placing a pig’s head and bowing? At most, there’s some rice cakes and fruit.

“The setup costs a few hundred thousand won, but attendees have to give envelopes.”

The money that’s put directly into the pig’s mouth, that is. It’s money offered while praying for a safe shoot, so it has to be filled with sincerity. The hundreds of thousands of won collected that way is then used for the dinner party that day.

“Oh, that’s why it’s scheduled for the weekend.”

It’s a gosa and a dinner party to promote camaraderie.

“Let’s see. How much should I contribute?”

There was a culture of contributing and getting the money back, like at a wedding or funeral. However, Muyoung was a rookie. Since this was his first gosa, he only needed to contribute enough to not stand out.

“I’ll give it to Manager Ko, so make sure to attend the gosa and have a good time. Go get rained on and see some ghosts.”

“What?”

“If you get caught in a light rain during filming, it’s a sign of a hit. And if you see a ghost, it’s a sign of a hit. But if that starts happening from the gosa, it’s a huge hit.”

“Oh, I see.”

It’s about boosting morale before the battle, that is, before filming begins. It’s hard work, but there will be good results, so let’s do our best.

“Before that, let’s practice our lines?”

“Yes, let’s do it!”

“Manager Ko, add a note to tomorrow’s schedule about replying to Doctor Martel. Let me know as soon as you get a response.”

As Na Geumdong spoke, Muyoung just kept nodding.

Then, he sat down among them, holding his tattered script. The office was cold, but the area around his family was warm.

“Wow, what is this place?”

It was an abandoned US military base in Yangpyeong. Thousands of square meters of woodland were littered with iron structures and containers. Without the sign that read ‘Movie Set,’ it would have been mistaken for a quiet construction site.

“It’s a private set, they say. This is my first time here too.”

“Is the installation starting now?”

“Yeah. You can think of it as building an entire city.”

A huge warehouse with a slate roof. Muyoung and his manager parked their car in front of it and went inside. The parking lot was already full of cars.

“Long time no see, Director.”

“How long has it been? Did I see you last year?”

“I heard your drama did well this time. Congratulations.”

The place was crowded with people—reporters with cameras, invited external staff, and acquaintances of Director Jin Gyeongmun.

“Director, I’m here!”

“Oh! Muyoung, come in.”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“Haha! No, the staff will handle this, so just wait for a moment. Over there, all the actors are gathered.”

The director seemed busy with the gosa preparations and greeting guests. Muyoung and his manager walked to the corner he pointed to.

“Oppa!”

“Yuna!”

Yuna was the first to spot Muyoung. Muyoung picked up the child and greeted his fellow actors. It was so noisy that he couldn’t ask about anything else.

“Now, let’s begin the gosa!”

At that moment, Director Jin Gyeongmun, holding a microphone, stood in front of the podium. There was a traditional gosa setup with a screen, a lavish table, a pig’s head, and alcohol.

“I’m Jin Gyeongmun, the director of The Plague. I’m really grateful to everyone who came here today—”

The event began with polite greetings.

Then, the actors took the microphone one by one to share their determination and words of encouragement. The first was the lead actress, Yuna.

“I hope that when the shoot is over, everyone will go home smiling. I’ll work hard so that no one thinks I’m too young!”

Then, spreading her fluffy skirt, she prayed in front of the table. Everyone watched the child’s back with a smile.

“Sleep spirits, wind spirits, please don’t follow me around the set, and don’t pay attention to me. I hope everyone stays healthy and safe. Please take care of us.”

Lee Hijun did the same.

Everyone took turns bowing and placing envelopes in the pig’s mouth. It was finally Muyoung’s turn. Muyoung awkwardly took the microphone and looked around at the people.

“I hope for a joyful and happy process and results that match—”

He wanted to say he hoped there would be such results, but he hesitated and couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Muyoung?”

Ko Gyeongmin whispered from the side. Muyoung seemed mesmerized by the crowd.

“Oh, sorry. Haha.”

“What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I think the kid’s nervous.”

Between the director’s encouragement and the manager’s nervous sweat, Muyoung just smiled. He had seen it, after all.

“Anyway, I wish for a huge success!”

He had seen the shape of a malevolent spirit flickering among the people.