“Cut!” Man-shik PD exclaimed when Daniel was unable to say his next line. How could he when he felt he was melting with Zeno’s gaze?
In an instant, Zeno went back to his neutral expression. Then, he sighed. He wanted to finish it in one take like the last time!
Daniel pursed his lips. “He said his last line wrong,” he said, trying to come up with an excuse.
“What do you mean?” Man-shik PD asked.
“He was supposed to say it with pride,” Daniel argued. “That’s what the script said.”
Ari stood from her chair. “It’s alright. Let’s keep that scene and proceed with the next,” she said.
Daniel bit his lips. He thought he could deflect this as Zeno’s fault, but it didn’t work in his favor.
“Alright, let’s continue with the next dialogue,” Man-shik PD exclaimed.
“He’s good, isn’t he?” one of the extras pointed out.
Minseok’s fists clenched at his sides, his gaze fixed on Zeno. Who truly was this guy, and where did he come from?
Bong went in front of the camera with the slate again. “Scene 146 Shot 2 Take 1!”
Daniel quickly gathered himself. He couldn’t let that happen again. He was an actor, damn it!
This guy was just a mere extra.
Zeno quickly went back to his character, wanting to get it over with.
“Your past does not define who you are,” Beom said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Man-shik PD frowned at his delivery. He wanted Daniel to tell it more to himself than to Jinro, and he failed to show that. However, he decided to keep the scene for now.
Jinro chuckled. “You know, change is a funny thing.”
“People say change is good. And it is. But change doesn’t erase. It just… covers. Like painting over an old wall. The cracks are still there, underneath. You can stop drinking, you can stop stealing, you can even stop killing. But the past still stays.”
Beom frowned, but he remained silent, his gaze fixed on Jinro.
Man-shik PD had forgotten about Daniel’s misaligned emotion. In the end, Zeno’s acting had triumphed. He was sure this was going to be a take they were going to keep yet again.
Jinro continued. “I can change. I can be better. But that doesn’t change the fact that I was a drunkard. That I hurt people. That I failed my daughter.”
Beom’s shoulders tensed, his breath catching in his throat. Jinro’s words struck a chord deep within him, a truth he had been avoiding for years.
“Now, what are you doing here? Also trying to change?” Jinro asked, a small smirk playing on his lips.
It was crazy how Zeno was able to channel such contrasting emotions without making it look forced.
Beom shook his head. “Not anymore,” he muttered. “I’m looking for answers. Regarding the murders.”
“Ah, those murders,” Jinro said, tapping his thigh with his index finger. “That’s the reason why I’m also trying to change. Quite a number of people are getting killed each day—and most of them are family members of criminals.”
He said it so casually like the script said—not too obvious that it was a clue.
“It’s scary, really,” he continued. “It’s like instant karma for the criminals, except much worse. I don’t know if this is justice, but if it is, what a fucked up society we live in.”
Beom, on the other hand, was frozen in his seat. It felt like everything was coming back to him.
“Cut!” Man-shik PD called out again.
Daniel lifted his head. What was it now? He turned to Zeno, who looked mildly annoyed that their scene was interrupted yet again.
“Daniel,” Man-shik sighed. “You should show the conflict within your eyes. You merely looked shocked.”
Daniel pursed his lips as Man-shik PD continued to direct him.
“What the heck? Why is Daniel being the one scolded between the two of them?”
“You know, I never really noticed until now, but Daniel seems underdeveloped as an actor.”
Zeno glanced at his watch, waiting for them to finish.
After a while, Man-shik PD sighed. “Ah, whatever. This is good enough. Slate!”
They continued filming the scene, with Daniel trying his utmost best to deliver the emotion Man-shik wanted from him. However, it was still a bit lackluster.
Man-shik was about to call ‘cut’ once more, but Ari held him back. “This is the best we’re going to get,” she said. “This is the consequence of getting an underdeveloped actor.”
Man-shik massaged the bridge of his nose. “It’s what the investors wanted,” he muttered.
While Beom had his internal conflict, a child’s voice was heard out of frame. Jinro stood and glanced at Beom, who had yet to say anything.
It was time for his last line.
“I hope it goes well for you,” he said.
And then came the part he struggled with the most—the genuine smile.
“Cut!”
Daniel felt a shiver run down his spine. He thought he was going to get called out again.
However, Man-shik PD called a different name this time.
“Zeno, that’s not how you smile.”