Chapter 275 - All Time (6)

Translator: Dreamscribe

In front of a apartment stood a man wearing a shabby khaki jacket, his hair slightly disheveled. A scruffy beard grew on his chin, and his expression was one of loss and lethargy.

“Hoo-”

He looked up at the old mansion on the second floor and exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke. The camera, which had been filming his back, slowly moved to the side. The man was Detective Yoshizawa Mochio. Today, it seemed he was alone without his junior detective. Mochio, with a cigarette in his mouth, muttered softly.

“So, he lives here. Looks ordinary.”

Mochio had just finished wrapping up a series of recent death cases. To be precise, it was the official conclusion for the public. The police had formally announced the full details of the case to the public.

“……”

Both the perpetrator and the victims were all dead. Starting with Misaki Shutoku, who killed Konakayama Ginzo, everyone involved had killed each other like entangled threads. Additionally, the story of ‘Misaki Toka’ was uncovered but not made public. It was too old, and the remaining serial deaths were far more sensational.

Was there anything left? Yes, there were clear circumstances and pieces of evidence.

The circumstances and remaining evidence were too definitive to raise other suspicions, and the public was in fear. It was natural for the police to announce the closure of the cases as quickly as possible.

However.

-Swish.

Only one person. Detective Mochio, who had just taken out a new cigarette and put it in his mouth, had not yet concluded the case. Two things lingered in his mind.

An accomplice. And ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’.

Detective Mochio, with both hands stuffed into his jacket pockets, began to walk.

-Clang, clang, clang.

He slowly climbed the metal stairs. At the end of the second-floor hallway. The last house was where the man he was looking for lived.

The camera, walking backward, captured Mochio walking down the hallway from the front.

Soon.

“……”

Just as Mochio, who had arrived at the end of the hallway, raised his hand to knock on the door.

-Clank!

The iron door suddenly opened and hit Mochio’s head with a thud.

“Ugh!”

Mochio, clutching his head, groaned softly, and the man who came out of the house was startled and immediately spoke to Mochio. No, it was more like he scolded him.

“Geez, what the hell? Who are you?”

The man, with a frown, glared at Mochio, who was slightly bent over, clutching his head with both hands. He looked around the hallway suspiciously. Then he got annoyed at Mochio again.

“You scared me. What are you doing here?”

Mochio, holding his head, made a noise like ‘kuh’ and took something out of his pocket. It was a detective badge.

“I’m a detective. I couldn’t dodge it because it opened so suddenly.”

“……Detective? Why is a detective in front of my house? Ah! This is self-defense! Ah- no, that’s a bit different, isn’t it?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, it’s not my fault that I hit the detective.”

“I’m not blaming you, but.”

“Of course not!”

The man’s voice was slightly frivolous. Mochio, staring at him intently for a moment. Soon, Mochio put his detective badge back into his pocket and asked the man.

“……Are you Iyota Kiyoshi?”

“Huh? What? How do you know my name- Did you come to find me?”

“Yes.”

The man’s eyes widened slightly. No, Iyota Kiyoshi, with a puzzled expression, scratched his chin.

“M-me? Why?”

Kiyoshi immediately tensed up. On the other hand, Mochio, tilting his head slightly, answered as if it was nothing.

“Do you remember ‘Misaki Toka’?”

Kiyoshi, crossing his arms, rolled his eyes upward. As if deep in thought. But as if he couldn’t remember, he shrugged. His movements and voice were light.

“Who’s that? I’ve never heard of them.”

There was a brief silence. About 5 seconds. Then, Director Kyotaro’s shout echoed.

“Cut, cut, cut! OOOOK!!”

It was a sign of satisfaction. At the same time, Kiyoshi. No, Kang Woojin and Mana Kosaku descended the iron stairs. Several staff members approached them for makeup touch-ups. Director Kyotaro also joined them shortly after.

“We will go with the continuity up to this cut, and after that, please proceed freely as we discussed before. For the scenes ahead, we will alternate between shooting the existing script and then freely shooting.”

This meant they would divide each cut into existing and free segments, rather than going with one long take.

Kang Woojin and Mana Kosaku responded briefly.

“Yes, Director~nim.”

“Okay.”

The scene just now was already the third take, and from here on, the shooting would break away from the script, allowing the actors to act freely, as Director Kyotaro had discussed with author Akari. Of course, they would maintain the direction, situation, character emotions, and conflicts.

The atmosphere on the set, with nearly 200 people watching the two actors, changed.

“So, it’s finally starting.”

“Are Kang Woojin and Mana Kosaku going to improvise their lines?”

“That’s what I heard.”

More than a hundred staff members, as well as executives from the film company and the distribution company, were present.

“I’ve never seen a cut done like this before. Is this okay?”

“I’m not sure. But in Hollywood, they often let actors take control like this. The perspectives of the director and actors are different. It’s rare in Japan, honestly. I’ve heard about it, but this is my first time seeing it.”

“The current take wasn’t bad. With so many challenges already mixed in, isn’t this too much of a risk?”

“There’s nothing we can do but watch since we’ve come this far.”

Author Akari, sitting behind the director, glasses perched on her nose, was silent. She was intrigued, watching scenes from her own work come to life before her eyes. But her expression was stiff.

“……”

The scene she had just seen was already familiar to her, and she was satisfied with how it turned out. However, from here on, it was unknown territory.

At this moment.

“Author~nim.”

A rough, elderly voice came from her right. It was Chairman Hideki, who had taken off his suit jacket and was surrounded by his secretaries. He asked quietly while sitting.

“Wasn’t Kiyoshi a bit too exaggerated just now? Originally, he wasn’t that kind of character, right?”

“Ah- That’s right. In the continuity, Kiyoshi knew Detective Mochio was coming, so he did a suitable performance.”

“To hide his true self?”

“Yes. He’s trying to create confusion. Kiyoshi knows Detective Mochio is sharp. This scene is somewhat depicted in the original work, but the director wanted to add more detailed direction and adaptation.”

“So, it’s going to change now? I heard the actors are going to perform freely outside the script.”

“……I came to see that too.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Chairman Hideki’s eyes gleamed as he looked straight ahead.

‘I’m witnessing something rare. But it seems it won’t be easy. The tension among the staff has increased.’

Director Kyotaro, having finished explaining to Kang Woojin and Mana Kosaku, was stepping out of the shooting zone. The staff, who had finished makeup touch-ups, were doing the same. Kang Woojin and Kosaku seemed to have a brief conversation but didn’t appear to make any detailed plans.

Could it be that they want to prioritize each other’s feelings?

It was true.

The two actors, Woojin and Kosaku, had agreed on a part. It started with Kosaku’s suggestion.

“Let’s maintain the basic core dialogues, but for the rest, let’s perform freely without informing each other.”

The idea was not to plan it out. Essentially becoming the characters of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, and letting the uncontrollable emotions and situations drive their performance. Kang Woojin had no reason to oppose.

“Understood.”

For me, that’s more comfortable. It’s laughable to inform each other of everything. Isn’t that against the idea of letting the actors perform freely? Kang Woojin responded cynically.

“I’ll go with the flow.”

He meant it.

A few dozen minutes later.

The preparations for the reshoot were almost complete. Over a hundred staff members surrounded the shooting zone in a circle, holding their breath, while the executives from the film company and distribution company fixed their gazes on the set with serious faces. In Akari’s eyes, there was a mix of anticipation and worry, while Chairman Hideki, seated to her right, wore an inscrutable expression.

“……”

After finishing a brief conversation with the cinematographer, Director Kyotaro sat down in front of several monitors.

“Hoo-”

He exhaled a small sigh and gestured to a staff member. A male staff member rushed out and clapped the slate in front of the camera.

-Clap!

Director Kyotaro, having removed his cap, took up the megaphone. Just before he could say ‘action’, Kang Woojin had already closed the iron door and stepped inside the set apartment.

Then.

‘First-’

He quickly embodied Iyota Kiyoshi. Soon, the world Woojin saw became ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. Everything turned into Kiyoshi, but Woojin didn’t stop his process for some reason.

He was different from the past now.

Currently, Kang Woojin had a newly added ability called ‘Freedom of roles’. The framework was broken. Infinite possibilities overflowed. Well, to be honest, it had been broken for quite a while, and Woojin was already adept at it. To put it extremely, Kang Woojin could now maintain the essence of ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ while even doing an unexpected talchum dance if he wanted to.

However, Woojin opted for something other than a talchum .

In fact, he had already decided on the answer a few days ago.

‘I need character synthesis.’

Anyway, this was a cut where Kiyoshi would perform appropriately while observing Detective Mochio. So character synthesis would be useful. But Woojin didn’t want to discard the core of Kiyoshi. He wanted Kiyoshi to retain his essence until the end. Even while acting within the act.

So the character he called upon for synthesis had to be similar to Kiyoshi but able to deliver a twist.

Woojin already had a summon in mind.

“……”

Another scent overlapped with Kang Woojin, who was already brimming with Kiyoshi. The summon responded to its master’s call. The character synthesis happened in an instant.

This was just a teaser. The real thing started now.

While maintaining the core of Kiyoshi with the synthesized character, Kang Woojin was about to break the script’s framework.

He unlocked the ‘Freedom of roles’.

Meanwhile, Mana Kosaku, outside the iron door and unaware of this situation, was reviewing Detective Mochio’s emotions and calming himself internally.

‘It’s okay, stay calm. Even if we act freely, the situation in the drama remains the same. Mochio’s situation is superior to Kiyoshi’s. Kiyoshi has to hide, and I’m vaguely aware that he’s hiding something.’

He resolved to handle any acting situation comfortably.

‘If anyone attacks, it would rather be me. I have no intention of letting him, Kiyoshi, go easily.’

Both actors were thrown into the unknown territory as characters in ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.

At this moment.

“Okay- Action!”

The director’s signal echoed. Soon, Mana Kosaku. No, Detective Mochio, with both hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, started to move. The metallic clanging sounds resonated as he ascended the iron stairs. The camera followed behind him and then moved ahead.

He arrived at the end of the hallway before long.

However.

“……”

It was quiet. According to the original script, the iron door should have opened. But there was no movement. The framework was broken from the start. However, Detective Mochio didn’t mind. He scratched his head and then knocked on the iron door.

-Knock, knock.

3 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds. No response. Mochio sighed softly and scratched his chin.

“Is he not home?”

He knocked on the door again.

-Knock, knock, knock.

This time, it was harder than before. Still, there was no sign of the iron door opening. What’s going on? Detective Mochio glanced around the hallway and chuckled.

“Feels like I need to say a password or something.”

A natural ad-lib. Director Kyotaro, with his nose buried in the monitor, seemed satisfied and murmured.

“Good, like that.”

Still, the door didn’t open. When Detective Mochio lowered his head to check his wristwatch in front of the iron door.

-Clank!

Suddenly, the iron door opened, hitting Detective Mochio’s head hard. With a thud, Mochio staggered slightly, and Iyota Kiyoshi’s indifferent face peeked out from inside.

But he didn’t open his mouth.

“……”

He just.

“Ugh-”

He stared silently at the pained Detective Mochio. Kiyoshi’s face remained largely expressionless. The interesting part was.

-Swish.

The surprise in Kiyoshi’s eyes as he looked alternately between Detective Mochio and the iron door. His expression changed immediately. It was a different look from his usual impassive face, though his overall expression remained stiff. And he still said nothing.

“……”

Kiyoshi hesitated slightly, his hands twitching awkwardly.

Detective Mochio noticed this.

Pressing one hand to his head, he pulled out his detective badge with the other hand. Showing the badge to Kiyoshi, Mochio spoke.

“Ugh- Ah, I’m fine. I didn’t have time to avoid it because you opened the door too fast. Don’t worry. I’m a detective. You’re Iyota Kiyoshi, right?”

“……”

Though he was asked, Kiyoshi just blinked his eyes in surprise and didn’t answer. Mochio put the badge back into his jacket and smiled slightly. One hand still rested on his head.

“Aren’t you Iyota Kiyoshi?”

Mochio made eye contact with Kiyoshi. He was wearing glasses. His outfit was a simple shirt, almost gray. Something that you might see anywhere. If you didn’t pay attention, no one would remember his appearance. The odd thing was his behavior.

‘Why isn’t he reacting?’

It was strange. Indeed, it was. The Kiyoshi before him had a mix of his original character and an awkward, clumsy youth. Yes, as if two characters were merged.

Kosaku, or Mochio, decided to probe again.

“Ah, don’t be nervous. There’s been a major incident across Japan, but nothing unusual has happened around here. I just have a few questions.”

“……”

Kiyoshi still didn’t respond. Yet his eyes were fixed on Detective Mochio. His gaze was strange. Where is he looking? And the silence? Mochio judged Kiyoshi was frozen in fear.

Choosing to remain silent?

‘He’s quickly calculating in his head, not speaking to hide his tension.’

But I can’t give him any space. Detective Mochio, now smiling asked Kiyoshi again.

“Iyota Kiyoshi ssi, you knew I was coming, didn’t you?”

Kiyoshi’s expression didn’t change much. By now, over 200 people on the set sensed something was off.

‘Why isn’t he saying anything?’

‘Did he forget his lines? But it’s improvisation, so what could he forget?’

‘Is this… okay?’

Director Kyotaro, watching the monitor, felt the same.

‘Silence. Is silence his plan? Is he planning to remain silent till the end?’

That in itself wasn’t bad. However, the odd feeling remained. The initial appearance with a mix of two characters was good, but remaining silent was too plain.

It was at this moment.

-Swish.

Kang Woojin or Kiyoshi, who had captured the attention of over 200 people, moved for the first time. He raised one hand to his chest. The gesture was filled with courtesy.

Then, with difficulty, he opened his mouth.

“Ah, ah- ugh-”

Woojin suddenly let out a groan. Or was it not a groan? Soon, question marks appeared in everyone’s eyes, starting with Director Kyotaro. Especially Detective Mochio, who was right in front of Kang Woojin, was the most perplexed.

‘What… is he saying? What kind of sound is this?’

Frowning deeply, Mochio asked Kiyoshi again.

“What? Are you mocking me right now?”

But Kang Woojin continued to make similar groans.

“Ugh, ah- ah-”

Suddenly, he raised both hands. Detective Mochio instinctively flinched and assumed a defensive stance, but Kang Woojin’s hands were not meant to attack him.

-Swish.

His hands began to move gracefully in the air.

[“I’m sorry, Detective, but I can’t hear you well.”]

He was using Japanese sign language.

[“You probably don’t understand the meaning of this sign language either, detective?”]

Kiyoshi was signing.

At that moment, Director Kyotaro, who was watching the monitor, widened his eyes and lifted his head abruptly. He was looking at Kang Woojin inside the set apartment.

‘Sign language?!’

Moreover, Detective Mochio was completely taken aback by the unexpected performance.

“Ah……”

Detective Mochio was clearly flustered.

*****

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