In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe
Chapter 89:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 89

The first day of shooting Everdream’s CF.

The school auditorium was bustling with people.

The shooting staff were busy carrying their equipment, and the production staff were checking if the props were ready.

And in the corner, a group of extras were waiting.

“The atmosphere is so tense.”

A male extra muttered.

“Why are they like this?”

“Why do you think?”

A middle-aged extra chimed in.

“It’s because of the incident that happened a few days ago. The idol kids didn’t prepare at all, they said. So the director threw the script and stormed off, and the mood was ruined.”

“Oh no. That’s terrible.”

“That’s not them. It’s someone else.”

“Really?”

“I talked to the assistant director earlier, and he said today’s stars are different. They were a girl group, and today it’s a boy group. New Black.”

“Who’s New Black?”

“They’re newbies.”

A young extra answered.

“They’re probably the most popular among the rookie boy groups this year. They’re pretty famous among idol fans.”

“Well, whatever. It’s none of our business anyway.”

The extras, who had only one line each, didn’t care who the main actors were.

“I just hope they do well. Seriously.”

“Me too. The mood is already bad enough.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. They’re idols, and not even well-known ones. It’ll be a miracle if they don’t mess up their lines. I once had a minor role in a drama, and everyone suffered because of an idol there.”

“Hey, they might be good.”

“No way. If they are, I’ll chop off my hand.”

“Hey, don’t say that. You might jinx it.”

As they chuckled at the old man’s crude joke, someone remembered an important topic.

“Oh, by the way, I heard a broadcasting station is coming to film a variety show today.”

“Really? I didn’t hear about that. Where?”

“They’re from TBC. They wouldn’t tell me what it is, but the assistant director hinted that it’s a big deal.”

“They’re rookies, right? How did they get on a big show?”

“Maybe their agency pulled some strings.”

“What’s big on TBC? I don’t watch TV much these days, so I don’t know.”

“Other than Around the World With Dice, what else is there?”

“Me too. I don’t know anything except Around the World With Dice.”

Then, someone asked.

“Is it Around the World With Dice, by any chance?”

Laughter erupted.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Seriously.”

“If Around the World With Dice is coming, I’ll eat a watermelon when I go shopping.”

“Stop it. You know it’s possible to be lucky.”

“No, it doesn’t make sense. Just a few days ago, there was a fuss about Lee Gyeonwoo coming. How can these rookies come out?”

“I wish it was a show I knew. I could get an autograph.”

They were passing the time with their chatter.

When the auditorium door opened, people’s eyes focused.

Someone smirked and said, “Here they are. New Black.”

Five idols came in with lively greetings.

***

The atmosphere of the shooting site was not good.

If it was because of a picky advertiser last time, this time it felt like everyone was on edge.

Worried eyes followed them as they walked by.

Rihyuk licked his tongue and whispered, “What’s wrong with Blink that they’re reacting like this?”

“It’s understandable,” Woojoo said. “With the shooting delay and the additional shooting, the production cost must not have been a joke. It’s strange if the mood is good.”

“But, it’s not our fault.”

“It’s not good either. Not yet.”

Woojoo reassured his worried siblings.

“Don’t worry about people’s reactions from now on. Just do as you practiced, and it’ll be fine.”

As they walked and talked.

Two AEs from the advertising agency greeted them at the corner of the shooting site.

They had bloodshot eyes and cracked lips.

Seokhwan Hyung asked them how they were.

“You must have had a hard time.”

“You can’t even say. Really.”

The other smiled faintly.

“It was a mess. We had to do a reshoot, but the advertising cost increased. The advertiser was unhappy. The production was a disaster. We must have spent hundreds of thousands of won on phone calls trying to coordinate everything.”

Manager Kim asked them as if pleading, “I heard you prepared well, but today, really. You really have to do well. The executive director of the clothing business division of KG International is coming. There are six people, including those from other departments.”

“Is it a school uniform ad?”

“Yes, they’re reviewing the brand profitability of the whole company. They’ll be sharp.”

“…”

He added a word as if to comfort them.

“But it would be nice if you did well and left a good impression. KG International has a lot of brands and spends a lot of money on advertising. It’s good to leave a good impression on them.”

What a fantastic environment.

The staff sighed deeply, the faces of the agency staff were shriveled, and the advertiser was growling.

The supporting actors kept glancing at them, but not in a friendly way.

They were just curious.

Manager Kim explained why.

“It’s because of the live broadcast. There’s a rumor that you’re filming a variety show.”

“I hope we’re not ruining the atmosphere of the set.”

“Not at all. The advertisers were very happy to have you. Honestly, who wouldn’t welcome Around the World With Dice?”

He looked at them expectantly.

“Maybe you’ll become famous again after appearing on Around the World With Dice.”

“That would be nice.”

“Oh, right. I have something to tell you about the variety show. The director of the production team that’s filming today…”

He trailed off as he turned his head.

The CF director was approaching them.

A young man with a sensitive face, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He looked like he had just come in from outside.

He was Yu Geon, the director in charge of the advertisement today.

“Director, these are the models for the advertisement, New Black.”

“Hello, we’re New Black!”

“Uh, yeah.”

He scanned them with a roll of script in his hand.

“Did you prepare well?”

“Yes, we did our best.”

“You don’t look nervous.”

He looked displeased.

“Have you ever done any other ads?”

“No, this is our first time.”

He sighed and exhaled sharply.

He looked like he had a lot to say, but he didn’t.

“Just, please do well. Don’t make any mistakes.”

He turned his back and disappeared.

That was unfair.

They were nervous and prepared a lot.

Especially Jiho and Woojoo, they had the script so torn up that they had to tape it back together.

Well.

They didn’t expect him to appreciate their efforts. That was something they knew among themselves.

But it was disconcerting to see him show his displeasure so openly.

He didn’t like them from the first meeting.

He was a director who had worked in independent films and moved to the advertising industry.

He had a great sense of visual and storytelling, but he was very conservative about filming. He didn’t like the fact that Around the World With Dice team was coming today. He thought they would disturb the set.

It was understandable. One rookie group had already canceled, and now another rookie group was coming to film a variety show.

The manager added, “It wouldn’t hurt to leave a good impression on him, too. He has a lot of connections in the film and drama industry.”

***

The preparation was over.

They finished their makeup in the dressing room and came out to the auditorium. It had turned into a filming set.

Woojoo gasped.

There were expensive cameras and lighting equipment, and a lot more people than when they did the photo shoot.

The assistant director waved at them from a distance.

He pointed to two x marks taped on the floor and explained, “We’ll start with your two-shot first. Jiho, you sit here half-crouching, and Woojoo, you walk over and hold his hand and pull him up. It’s not a difficult scene, so let’s just check the movement first.”

They agreed to do a rehearsal after checking the movement.

Woojoo felt like an actor for a moment, but it didn’t last long. He swallowed hard as he saw the crowd.

There were staff for lighting, audio, props, and so on.

There were also supporting actors, employees from the advertising agency and the production company, and the advertisers.

Woojoo saw Ms. Woo, the team leader, next to a middle-aged man with a dominant presence.

Was he the executive director?

She waved her hand and cheered them on from afar.

Woojoo nodded at their members who were doing the same, and asked the youngest, “Nervous?”

“Yes, very. How about you, Hyung?”

“I’m dying. My heart feels like it’s going to pop out.”

“Me too.”

They comforted each other for a while, and nodded.

“Let’s do well.”

“Fighting!”

As all eyes on the set turned to them, the filming finally began.

***

Director Yu squinted his eyes.

‘Something doesn’t feel right.’

He shook his head as he watched the two members laughing together in the middle of the gym.

He remembered the day when he filmed with Blink.

They looked relaxed and confident, smiling just like that.

He thought they would do well.

But they messed up their lines from the start.

‘Their faces are decent, though.’

The two members were in charge of the visuals in New Black, and they looked good on camera.

One of them said he wanted to be an actor, but it was hard to tell from their faces.

“Action!”

And the filming started.

The first scene was very simple.

A magic school.

The protagonist, a transfer student, accidentally cast a spell on the class president’s jacket, making it fly around.

The protagonist chased after it and ended up in the auditorium. He finally caught the jacket and collapsed on the floor.

The class president approached him.

-We meet again.

When the first line came out of Seon Woojoo’s mouth, he blinked.

It was not bad.

…That was his initial judgment, until he saw the rest of his acting.

No.

It was not a bad result, compared to his expectations.

The picture was good.

Wang Jiho, who was sitting on the floor with a grimace, looked like he had just run out of breath and fallen down.

He was sure that this was the one who wanted to be an actor.

He could feel it in his acting.

He didn’t learn it in a day or two, he had a solid foundation.

-Uh, class president…?

His expression of confusion was perfect.

It was not impressive, but it was satisfactory and more.

At this rate, he could shoot each scene in a few takes.

He didn’t know about the other members, but with these two, he could finish in half a day.

That was what he was thinking.

‘…Huh?’

He tilted his head as he watched Seon Woojoo’s acting on the monitor.

‘Wait, is he the one who wants to be an actor?’

On the screen, Seon Woojoo bent over and smiled at Wang Jiho.

His face was friendly, but not entirely kind. His eyes scanned the transfer student’s face, as if he had detected something suspicious.

He noticed the details.

He could tell that he put some intention into every finger.

‘What is he doing?’

Seon Woojoo nodded at Wang Jiho, but he was confused.

Because the detail that Seon Woojoo was showing right now was not in the script.

There was only a line that said [bend down and reach out your hand].

The meddlesome director had to give directions for every movement, but the idol was doing it on his own.

It was strange.

Because it would take years for any actor to naturally perform such embodied gestures.

Acting was not a job that only used your face and voice.

It was a job that used your body to express the character on the screen.

For example, you could show the character’s current state of mind, such as liberation, by stretching your neck flexibly. Or, you could create a sense of pressure by tensing your shoulders and neck.

That was why it was weird.

‘The acting skills are low, but the expressions and gestures are professional.’

It was full of mystery.

“Cut!”

As soon as the scene ended, the transfer student and the class president turned back into two idol members.

The assistant director whispered to him as he took off his headphones, “Sunbae, they’re good, aren’t they?”

“Not bad.”

“No, not bad is not enough. This is amazing. Think about Blink.”

When the assistant director talked about how the shooting was going well today, he, who was lost in thought, spoke up.

“Sejun.”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t there something strange about that kid, Woojoo, acting?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the body and the acting don’t match, but that’s one thing. The acting itself is not ordinary either.”

“I don’t know about that.” The assistant director said, “Honestly, aren’t they both strange?”

“Both?”

“Yes, I was looking at Jiho. But he feels weird. He’s doing it right, but he doesn’t feel like he’s doing it right. I don’t know why I think that…”

As they were talking about different things, the director made a quick decision.

“Let’s try it again.”

He didn’t know exactly what it was, but he felt something.

If he could find out the cause of this phenomenon, he had a hunch that he could raise the quality of the commercial he was shooting more dramatically.

“Ready, action!”

The shooting continued again.

This time, he focused on the acting of the two idol members.

‘I know what Sejun wanted to say.’

He felt it as he watched the two members act.

They definitely showed a lot of practice, and they were flawless.

From the perspective of the advertisement, it was.

It was a light concept advertisement that was distributed on SNS, so it didn’t need proper drama acting or anything like that.

They were doing a faithful and prepared acting that suited the concept.

Not more, not less, just right.

But to the eyes of someone who had been directing for a long time, it was disappointing.

‘I think I can get more out of this…’

The acting of the two was unsatisfactory for different reasons.

Wang Jiho, who was acting as the ‘transfer student’, was slightly clumsy in his expressions and movements, but it wasn’t because he couldn’t do it.

It was as if he was being considerate of the person in front of him.

It was like a tall person walking with a small child and deliberately shortening his stride to match the pace.

And on the other side, Seon Woojoo.

He was strange in his own way.

He was excellent in terms of technique, but he showed a lack of skill in emotional expression and dialogue delivery.

The problem was that he also felt like he was less capable than he actually was.

Unlike the other person who seemed to be unconsciously restraining himself, he seemed to not know what he had.

He looked like a driver who would run well if he stepped on the accelerator, but didn’t know how to start the engine.

That was why it was regrettable.

If he could coordinate well, he could produce something more splendid than the current intended advertisement.

‘What should I do?’

He tapped the advertisement script with his finger.

The first thing that came to his mind was the early script that he had made with the original agency production team, but had discarded due to the difficulty.

It was a much better product, with more content and a more favorable expected response.

Director Yu turned his head and looked at the advertiser standing behind him.

The executive director of KG International nodded his head with a calm expression, while the other staff members also showed signs of relief.

It was a better reaction than expected.

And unlike the Blink case, this one was only two days of shooting from the start.

‘Then…’

But he soon shook his head.

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He needed more certainty.

First of all, there had to be a premise that those two could handle what he wanted to some extent.

“Cut!”

That was why he approached the two members with big strides.

***

The director’s expression was different from before.

He seemed to be in a good mood, but he tried to hide it.

As soon as he said cut, he suddenly came over to them, and Woojoo was worried that he had done something wrong, but it was a relief.

They looked at him with bewildered faces, and they heard a strange question.

“Can you act with emotion?”

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