Make Up
"Y-Yuna?"
Jin Kyung-moon was startled and quickly took off his headset. The staff also froze in surprise. But Yuna calmly brushed off her hands. Clang! — the aluminum pot dropped to the floor.
"…No way."
Lee Hee-jun was speechless, more dumbfounded than hurt. It was as if his spirit had left his body.
Yuna smiled brightly, a full-blown angelic grin, and winked.
"Sorry. Did it hurt a lot?"
Did it hurt? Of course it did. That was the cleanest, crispest hit he'd heard in ages.
Glancing around at the staff's reactions, Hee-jun managed to mumble back,
"Ah… yeah."
"Good! Director, let's go again. This time, Uncle Hee-jun said he'll endure even if it hurts. You've got to respond to ad-libs for the acting to feel real, right? Please take good care of us!"
Some people, failing to read the room, seemed to think this was just a funny little incident. Chuckles echoed here and there.
"Yuna really got into it."
"Guess it's because she's a kid?"
Got into it? Seriously? Hee-jun scratched the back of his head repeatedly and glared at Yuna, who was humming as she checked Moo-young's bandage. When their eyes met, she smiled innocently, as if asking, What's wrong?
"Don't ad-lib."
He muttered harshly, his face dark. But the girl widened her eyes and tugged on Moo-young's collar with a naive, exaggerated look.
Whoa, scary man! — her expression said it all, pure yet cheeky.
"Then don't hit me either."
"What?"
"You hit me, but I can't hit you? That's not fair, right?"
She threw the line and turned away with a sharp twist of her head. He couldn't quite tell — was she really angry because of Moo-young? The nuance said yes, but she hadn't said it outright.
"Yuna, go easy," Jin Kyung-moon added, lifting the megaphone again.
"This scene's focus is on Jin and Louis, so no need to hit too hard."
"Yes, sir!"
Her response was crisp and cheerful.
Everyone returned to their places for the retake — Hee-jun on the floor, Moo-young and Yuna behind the door, and the staff at their stations.
Oppa, you okay?
Yuna mouthed the words, pointing to her own neck. His fair skin made the red mark stand out clearly. Moo-young pretended to groan.
Almost died.
You look fine.
…Thanks. You did that for me, right? But if we keep getting NGs, it'll cause trouble, so you don't have to anymore.
They whispered, Yuna's eyes curving like crescents.
Not just for that.
What do you mean?
You'll see. Just be careful — film sets are dangerous.
Saying something cryptic, Yuna peeked through the crack in the door.
Of course, she'd done it to protect Moo-young — but if the one causing trouble hadn't been Hee-jun, she probably wouldn't have gone that far.
"Okay, let's go again!"
Jin Kyung-moon's voice rang out, and Hee-jun, who had been staring at the floor, lifted his head. He met Yuna's bright, mischievous gaze. He flinched. What's that look for?
Let's get it in one take, Uncle Hee-jun?
Her eyes flicked toward the aluminum pot on the floor — a silent threat. An actor shouldn't let personal feelings show in performance! The star here is me!
"Ready—!"
Otherwise, I'll keep going too.
Hee-jun ignored the throbbing headache and focused on acting. The kid's intuition was like that of a centuries-old serpent…
So annoying—!
But if he kept pushing, who knew what would happen to the back of his head next?
No — with her personality, it wouldn't stop at the pot.
He knew well that fighting a child was a lose-lose situation. Win, and you're petty. Lose, and you're pathetic. He knew that, but still—!
That little brat…
"Action!"
At the director's cue, Hee-jun thrashed around the floor again like a madman. His irritation toward Moo-young, mixed with Yuna's antics, was driving him insane — rage burning like fire!
"F***—!"
"Uh, is that… okay?"
One of the staff whispered quietly. It was already the fifth take of scene 58. And the second time that clear smack! sound had echoed.
Clang! Ding!
"Argh!"
"Ah! Again! Come on, just hold on a bit!"
Hee-jun clutched the back of his head and sank down. This time she'd really nailed him. He was a total mess.
"You okay, Uncle?"
"You little—! Would you be okay if you were me?"
Since she wasn't allowed to use the pot, she'd bitten his ear once, then his arm, and even rammed his side with her head. But really, nothing beat the pot!
"Yuna's… doing that on purpose, right?"
"She's putting Hee-jun in his place."
"Oh my god."
Now even the staff were catching on. Every time Hee-jun got rough with Moo-young, Yuna would step in to break it up. The two glared at each other, eyes sparking.
So it's a fight now, huh?
Persistent, aren't you? Either ease up, or keep getting hit!
"Wait, wait!"
The director couldn't watch any longer. He waved both hands. He'd seen plenty of power struggles on set, but never one like this — a man in his late twenties versus a nine-year-old girl.
"Let's just follow the choreography, okay? No more of this."
"Sure. Works for me. Uncle Hee-jun's fine throwing ad-libs, but he can't take them. What do you think, Uncle?"
A string of curses rose to his throat, but Hee-jun barely held himself back — too many eyes on them. The director sighed deeply, trying to calm them.
"Stunt coordinator!"
"Yes, sir. Was wondering when you'd call."
"Run the choreography again. Let's take five."
The two stood stiffly, while Moo-young smiled awkwardly between them. From afar, Go Kyung-min crossed his arms in an 'X', signaling don't get involved. But—
"Um, excuse me, seniors."
"What!"
"Yuna?"
"Yeah?"
He couldn't just stand by. The cause, however small, was partly his fault. Moo-young gently took their hands and brought them together, as if performing a sacred ritual.
"Let's stop this, both of you."
"What did I do? The kid started it and won't end it."
"I told you! If you ad-lib, I'll ad-lib too!"
"Oh, for—!"
"Ah-ah! Shh!"
Moo-young hissed softly, like calming two rabid dogs. Hee-jun froze in disbelief. Did he just "shh" me?
"Sir, I know you've been in a bad mood all day. But taking it out like this isn't right. Yelling at me won't change anything, will it?"
"I—"
"And Yuna. You know how hard the staff's working. If you keep this up, it's not okay. You're the lead, so act like it. Show some responsibility."
"I just…"
Then Moo-young forcibly clasped their hands together.
"Come on, make up and get back in there. We've got a mountain of scenes to shoot — can't just stand around like this."
Ugh. No way!
Both of them grimaced openly, showing their front teeth like sulking kids. Fwap! — they shook off each other's hands at the same time, as if they'd just touched something dirty.
"Hm."
Seeing that, Moo-young leaned toward Hee-jun's ear and whispered, low enough that Yuna couldn't hear.
"If this keeps up, your head's really gonna get cracked open, sir. You know Yuna — once she starts something, she sees it through. Even the director gave up trying to stop her. Since he's giving you this chance to patch things up, just pretend to give in and go with it. Otherwise, you'll lose even more."
Then he slowly closed his eyes and nodded — as if saying, that's just life. Sometimes you win, sometimes you yield.
Next, he turned to Yuna.
"Yuna, the staff's starting to notice. If this goes on, it's your reputation that'll take a hit. Let's think smart. Real pros know when to step back. I saw it earlier — you gave him a real bump on the head."
He winked. His way of coaxing people was pure art. After listening to Moo-young's sweet talk, both Yuna and Hee-jun folded their arms and glared at each other.
Yeah… maybe it's time to stop here…
Moo-young joined their hands again.
"Okay, on the count of three, you both apologize. At the same time."
"We're not kids."
"Yeah, that's childish."
They grumbled, but both of them hesitated, sneaking glances at each other. Moo-young barely managed to keep from laughing.
"One, two, three!"
"…I'm sorry, Uncle."
"Yeah. Ahem!"
"What's that supposed to be? You didn't even say sorry!"
"Why should I? What'd I do wrong, huh?"
"You grabbed Moo-young oppa by the collar like this, remember?"
"It's called acting!"
Oh no — here they go again.
Moo-young sighed and waved his hands, calling for the stunt coordinator. The director, who had been watching from a distance, approached with a laugh.
"Alright, enough. Let's just reset and go again like it's the last take. If you keep this up, Director Jin's gonna get mad. And when he's mad, it's scary — you all know that, right?"
In truth, it wasn't just the director — even the passing staff were sneaking glances, checking the situation. Moo-young brought Hee-jun and Yuna closer by holding the man's arm and the girl's shoulder.
"Let's start from the top, shall we? We've done it five times already, so we won't need many changes."
"Right."
"Sir, grab me here."
Moo-young lifted his shirt collar and shook it playfully. Hee-jun sighed, but took hold of the collar. His grip was noticeably gentler than before.
"Then I'll turn like this, and you react here."
"Then lift your left hand."
"Hand up, and on the other side, Jannie protects me."
"Then I'll move as far back as possible."
This time, the three actors carefully went through the choreography, emotion-free and professional. The staff whispered among themselves.
"Moo-young's personality is something else."
"Yeah. I think that's why Yuna listens to him."
"He's got that strange calming vibe about him."
Hyo-jung was thinking the same.
Resting her chin on her hand, she watched Moo-young curiously. He looked like someone who'd just descended from a temple — serene, detached, as if he'd already seen everything life had to offer.
"All done?"
"Yes, we're ready."
The director reappeared, holding a cup of coffee. Moo-young raised a hand with a confident grin, signaling that everything was fine.
"Good. Then let's go."
Jin Kyung-moon put on his headset and gestured.
The atmosphere among the three actors was much more relaxed now. Yuna kicked the aluminum pot away from the floor.
"Ready—! Action!"
"Okay! Cut!"
Jin Kyung-moon looked through the viewfinder and gave the OK sign.
Unlike the earlier takes, the scene had gone exactly as choreographed — clean, tight, no unnecessary improvisation.
"Good work, everyone."
Moo-young straightened his clothes and bowed slightly to Hee-jun. This was the final scene being shot at Jannie's house today. Once the big outdoor set was finished, they'd meet again there.
"Uncle Hee-jun, we'll see you again tomorrow!"
Yuna beamed as she clung to Hee-jun's arm. From the outside, they probably looked like the best of friends. He forced a smile and gently pried her off.
"Yeah. Ha! Ha! Ha!"
"Excuse me, could you three come this way? We'll go over the schedule and some updates."
"Okay~!"
The assistant director waved them over. Hyo-jung, who had already finished her scenes, sat waiting nearby. Resting her chin in her hand again, she watched Moo-young and Yuna with interest.
"That was a long wait. Got some extra shooting to do?"
"Looks like it. I'm exhausted. But Moo-young, you're something else — did you recruit an army or what?"
"Me? Ah, well…"
She'd noticed it too — how Yuna had swung that pot to defend him. Moo-young chuckled softly and shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess I've got help. She's quite the senior, after all."
Nine years old — half her life spent acting! There were few people on set who could claim to have spent that long in the industry. Maybe only Director Jin Kyung-moon and the sound engineer could compare.
"Here, please take these."
Once the actors had gathered, their managers joined them. The assistant director handed out the next week's tentative schedule.
This business was so volatile that long-term planning was nearly impossible.
"The factory set should be completed the day after tomorrow."
"Wow, that's great."
Moo-young checked the schedule with Go Kyung-min.
"Hm? Scene 69's on here?"
"Yes, it just worked out that way."
The scene where Louis dies. Everything after that would be flashbacks, meaning that would be Louis's final appearance.
Just then, someone appeared behind the assistant director.
"Oh, right. Let me introduce you. This is our new lighting director—"
Moo-young looked up and widened his eyes.
"I'm Lee Taek-kyung."
An eccentric aura, radiating brilliance.
He looked straight at Moo-young and said,
"I don't know about the rest, but there's something I need to say… about Scene 69."
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