“Seriously, a beggar?”
“What is Man-shik PD thinking?”
“Why’d he got charcoal all over his face?”
As the staff members gazed at Director Man-shik’s chosen extra, Zeno read through the script.
“Broken Chains of Justice,” he read the title. His eyes scanned through the text.
Then, after a minute of reading it, he gave it back to the director.
Man-shik frowned. “Well, can you do it?” he asked.
“It depends. How much money are we talking about?” Zeno asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
The director wanted to laugh. It was the first time he had encountered someone asking the question so blatantly.
“Since the role has a few lines, what about 200,000 KRW, huh?” he smirked.
Zeno placed his hand under his chin. 200,000 KRW could get him by for a couple of days until he figured out the original subject’s living situation.
“Deal,” Zeno said, offering his hand.
Man-shik PD stared at his dirty hand and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well then, go and study the script.”
Zeno retracted his hand back. The director didn’t bother to shake it. “I’m done,” he said.
The director was once again surprised. “You’ve read it for only a minute.”
“It’s only one page,” Zeno said. “Do I need to get changed?”
For once, the renowned director was speechless. He pointed to the tent, so Zeno went ahead, wanting to get this over with.
As he walked, the staff members continued to talk.
The male assistant director shakily walked to Man-shik. “I–is this really alright, director?” he stammered.
Director Man-shik glared at him. “Get everyone ready,” he merely dismissed.
Meanwhile, inside the tent, the main star of the drama, Daniel Byeon, nearly stood from his seat after he heard the news.
“A beggar?” he exclaimed, looking at the team of hair and make-up artists with surprise.
“Yes,” one of them said. “Man-shik PD must have gone crazy from all of the exhaustion. He’s letting anyone on the set.”
“Poor Daniel,” the hairstylist said, caressing his hair.
Daniel subtly made his eyes wider, making the staff members swoon at him. So precious and handsome!
“Oh, I already feel so tired,” he said, even closing his eyes in the process and showing off his long eyelashes. “I thought we could go home early, but we still have to film an insert scene. And now, I’m going to be acting with a beggar. I can already imagine the number of takes we would be making.”
“Aww, you’re right,” the others said, kissing up his ass.
“He better not give you a hard time.”
“So true! Daniel has been working all morning.”
Meanwhile, Zeno stood in the entryway of the tent. He heard everything.
“Where do I get changed?” he asked, interrupting them.
They all turned to the entryway, shocked to find the main subject of their conversation.
Daniel’s face became slightly red. Since how long had he been standing there?
One of the make-up artists merely pointed to the dressing area, and Zeno walked nonchalantly. As soon as he was inside, he shook his head in amusement.
Daniel Byeon.
One look and Zeno already had a hunch about his personality. He had come to know of him in his last year as Sanjay Lim. Daniel wasn’t the greatest actor. However, his first work, ‘Born to Conquer You,’ was a romance drama between two soldiers of opposing camps. It had a really intriguing plot, and Zeno actually enjoyed most of it. Daniel was awkward in some scenes, but his face somehow made up for it.
Still, it seemed like fame had gotten into his head. Since he got lucky with his first project, he must think he was invincible.
He was playing the lead role in this drama, too. Beom Kang, a notorious criminal who had just been released from prison.
In this particular scene, he was determined to have a change of heart, but on his way back to surprise his family, he was provoked by a drunk guy.
Determined to push through with this change, Beom does not retaliate and merely accepts the beating, wanting to prove to himself that he has become a good man.
That drunk guy was Zeno.
In short, he was an utterly useless scumbag whose only objective was to make the main character shine even brighter.
After he got dressed in a set of oversized black clothes, he finally went outside. Much to his surprise, Daniel was waiting for him with a bright smile.
“Nice to meet you,” he said, appearing genuine.
However, Zeno had met too many people like Daniel in all his past lives. The guy who craved attention.
“Daniel is so kind to be interacting with a beggar!”
“He really deserves his fame.”
“He’s even going to shake his hand!”
“Nice to meet you too,” Zeno curtly said, not bothering to respond to his handshake. “Let’s do well and finish this in one take, alright?”
Daniel’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “What?” he muttered, not believing his ears.
Why was this nameless beggar talking to him like he was a newbie?
“Well, there are still lots of things to do after this. So please, avoid making any mistakes.”
Daniel’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
“I’ll be waiting outside. See ya!” Zeno said, turning on his heel and leaving the big star behind.
Daniel’s face went red, and he was about to shout after the nameless guy. However, he realized he had a reputation to keep, so he pursed his lips and fanned himself with his hands instead.
Who did that guy think he was?
Zeno went outside, surveying the area where they would be filming.
In all of his 24 past missions, this was something he had never done before—act.
However, he believed he could finish this scene in one take. He had experienced this before, not merely as a scene, but in real life.
Mission 19. Munich, Germany. Transform a drunkard’s life. Change your ways and build a house for your family.