Chapter 15

Chapter 015

The first day of filming took place at Dumulmeori Park in Yangpyeong.

At 10 a.m., the actors and staff gathered at Dumulmeori Park and held a simple ritual before officially beginning the shoot.

The staff and actors lined up one after another in front of a table covered with a boiled pig's head, rice cakes, and fruit.

Of course, one could think of it as nothing more than superstition.

Even so, the reason dramas and movies held these rituals before filming was not simply because of the old belief that accidents would happen frequently if they did not.

I believed that this sacred ritual was meant to remind everyone that the work we were doing, making a movie, was something meaningful and sacred.

Following the assistant director's instructions, each team took turns bowing toward the ritual table.

“Please let us finish the filming safely without any accidents.”

Jung PD and Director Song each placed an envelope of money into the pig's mouth and shouted loudly.

“Please let this movie become a huge success!”

Next, the cinematographer, representing the filming team, placed an envelope of money into the pig's mouth and shouted loudly as well.

And so, starting with our first day of filming, we began 35 shooting days over the course of 45 days.

The filming continued so intensely that we hardly noticed how each day passed.

Excluding travel time, we worked an average of twelve hours a day, switching between day and night shoots.

Before we knew it, more than half a month had passed.

Because of the repeated outdoor filming in the bitter cold of January, the bodies of the actors and staff had practically frozen solid like frozen fish.

Still, I was happy simply because today's filming would take place inside a nightclub, meaning we wouldn't have to shiver in the cold outdoors.

The general call time was 7:30 a.m.

As always, the production department had to arrive on set earlier than anyone else.

So Cha Seung-jun and I picked up one hundred rolls of gimbap that we had ordered in advance from a gimbap restaurant near the filming location and arrived at the location at 6 a.m.

When we arrived at the underground parking lot of the tourist nightclub where we would be filming, a group of people had already arrived.

They were the costume team, makeup team, Moon Hyun-bin, and Gil Bo-young.

Makeup took longer than one might expect, so the costume and makeup teams always arrived at the location one or two hours before the call time to begin preparing the actors.

“You're already here?”

“Ah, it's cold. Where are we supposed to go?”

The head of the makeup team said while shivering from the cold.

“Just a moment.”

While Cha Seung-jun called the nightclub manager, Gil Bo-young spoke to me first.

“Gi-baek, it's been a while. Have you been well?”

“Yes. Have you been well too, Noona?”

Since today was Gil Bo-young's first day of filming, I was happy to see her again after almost a month since the full cast reading.

“What? When did you two get this close? You're even speaking casually to each other?”

Moon Hyun-bin looked at us, who seemed quite close, with a puzzled expression.

“It's a secret.”

Gil Bo-young said it coyly before giving me a playful smile.

Even without any makeup, her smile was as bright as warm spring sunlight.

‘Ha, the way she said that makes it sound like there's actually something between us…’

In reality, it wasn't that we had become particularly close.

Gil Bo-young was simply more easygoing than I had expected.

During the company dinner, she had learned that I was two years younger than her and immediately told me to speak casually and call her Noona.

But that just now…

Wasn't that less like being easygoing and more like being a fox?

Just then, Cha Seung-jun finished his call and came over.

“The manager said we can go inside the nightclub. I'll go in first, so bring the luggage and follow me.”

“Yes.”

Cha Seung-jun led the group toward the club entrance connected to the underground parking lot.

I went to the van we had arrived in and opened the rear door.

Other than the driver's and passenger's seats, the entire rear section of the van was used as a cargo area.

It was packed with folding chairs, folding tables, canopies, traffic control batons, traffic cones, electrical extension reels, walkie-talkie cases, flashlights, paper cups, tissues, various kinds of adhesive tape, and countless other supplies.

It was filled with all kinds of equipment and consumable supplies that we might need at any time on set.

I took a folding cart from the van and loaded it with the bag containing the walkie-talkies, the gimbap and drinks I had picked up that morning, garbage bags, paper cups, and other supplies.

Then I headed into the nightclub.

The nightclub consisted of a spacious 100-pyeong main hall and private rooms on the second floor.

When I entered, the makeup and costume teams had already settled in one corner and begun working on the actors' makeup.

I quietly organized the things I had brought on a table near the entrance.

After finishing his conversation with the manager, Cha Seung-jun came over.

“Get everything roughly organized and make sure the people who arrived first get something to eat. I'm going to check the parking lot outside.”

“Yes, Hyung.”

I quickly finished organizing everything, prepared gimbap and drinks according to the number of people, and headed toward the makeup team.

“Here are the gimbap and drinks.”

“Thanks, Gi-baek.”

The well-built head of the makeup team gave me a playful wink.

“Gi-baek, have you eaten yet?”

Gil Bo-young, who had just finished her makeup, turned toward me.

Perhaps because of her role, she was wearing a revealing outfit that showed her cleavage and heavy makeup.

I couldn't take my eyes off her.

The innocent, makeup-free woman from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, she looked like the very definition of a femme fatale.

“Ah, I'm so nervous because it's my first day of filming.”

Her nervous expression, with her eyebrows drooping, made her look just like Puss in Boots from the movie Shrek.

‘Ha, how can someone make that expression while looking like that…?’

“Hey, aren't you being too modest? You're a veteran actress with seventeen years of acting experience.”

The head of the makeup team patted Bo-young on the shoulder.

“That makes me even more nervous. Chief, I was away for six of those seventeen years.”

Just then, Moon Hyun-bin approached after changing his costume.

“You always exaggerate. You'll do fine once the camera starts rolling anyway.”

“Oppa, you're going to tease me too?”

“By the way, you look completely different with that makeup. You look like a different person.”

“Right? I feel a little strange too. Does it look weird?”

“No. You look pretty.”

The words came shamelessly out of my mouth.

“Really? Thank you.”

Gil Bo-young smiled brightly.

Meanwhile, the members of the directing department and staff from the other teams began arriving one after another.

The other actors appearing in today's scenes also started arriving.

I helped the directing department carry monitors and equipment while speaking to the arriving staff.

“There are gimbap and drinks prepared at the entrance, so each team, please take enough for your members!”

Just then, Kim Jung-soo, the first assistant of the filming team responsible for pulling focus, looked at the gimbap prepared at the entrance and began grumbling.

“Ah, gimbap again? And it's freezing cold. Hey, production department. You guys should try being a little creative too. Even if it's the same price, can't you choose something more creative and different for once?”

Ever since filming began, Kim Jung-soo had treated the production department as if they were nothing more than people doing menial work.

He never hesitated to make dismissive comments toward us at every opportunity.

There was some reason behind it.

The directing department had clearly divided responsibilities such as costumes, props, actor management, coordinating the shooting schedule, recording the filming details, and so on.

They were also able to lead the set to some degree under their own responsibility.

Compared to them, the work done by the production department on set, especially by the youngest member, looked to outsiders like nothing more than taking care of the other staff.

We handled meals and snacks, parking, controlling outsiders, cleaning, and countless other chores.

Because of that, some rude staff members occasionally looked down on us.

When I had first started working in the production department, I had also felt pathetic.

Day after day, I would control vehicles somewhere far away from the actual filming site, pick up cigarette butts thrown away by staff, and clean up trash.

There had been more than a few times when I wondered if this was really why I had entered the movie industry.

I often felt humiliated and wondered whether I had really chosen movies just to do this kind of work.

But this was also part of the production department's job.

So I endured it quietly.

Still, I was human too.

When someone openly looked down on me like this, I couldn't help getting angry.

‘Ah, that bastard again…’

For a moment, the profanity that had risen all the way to my throat nearly came out.

I desperately swallowed it back.

“Oh? Hey, rookie. Are you making that face at me right now?”

Seeing my stiff expression, Kim Jung-soo curled up the corners of his mouth and began mocking me.

I wanted to say something, but I didn't want to cause trouble first thing in the morning.

So I desperately tried to calm myself down.

Then someone suddenly stepped in.

“Seriously, he's not a little kid. Why is he complaining about the food?”

It was Gil Bo-young.

Kim Jung-soo's face immediately twisted.

Gil Bo-young didn't care and continued.

“Seriously. Instead of thanking the person who went through all that trouble to buy the gimbap before dawn, you're treating him like some servant.”

Her words came pouring out without hesitation.

For a moment, I felt incredibly satisfied.

But I was also worried about Gil Bo-young, so I quickly stepped in to mediate.

“Noona, I'm fine. So…”

“What do you mean you're fine? We're all working hard together, aren't we? He shouldn't talk to you like that.”

Just then, Jung PD entered the club with Cha Seung-jun and approached us as if wondering what was happening.

“What's going on? What happened?”

Kim Jung-soo looked somewhat aggrieved.

But perhaps because he was conscious of all the eyes focused on him, he glanced sideways at Gil Bo-young before speaking to Jung PD.

“It's nothing. I think Bo-young misunderstood something a little. Everything's already cleared up. Hmm-hmm.”

Kim Jung-soo awkwardly said that and quickly left.

“Are you really sure it's nothing?”

Jung PD looked at me with a suspicious expression.

“Yes. It's really nothing.”

I didn't want to make the situation any bigger, so I simply repeated that nothing had happened.

Gil Bo-young shrugged once toward me and returned to her place as though nothing had happened.

‘Ha, I thought she was easygoing, then she seemed like a fox. And just when I thought she was a fox, now she's showing this girl-crush side?’

Her unexpected charms made me chuckle without realizing it.

An hour later, after the staff and actors had finished preparing for the shoot, we began rehearsing their movements.