Chapter 175: Joy (12) |
Yoon-Chan's guidance was a game-changer, allowing me to breeze through the scene where we had to engage in a natural conversation. Yet, the challenge of acting wasn't mine alone to bear. After my dialogue with Yoon-Chan, it was Jin-Sung's turn to make an entrance into the classroom.
“Hey, hey..." Jin-Sung was still mistaking his playful walk for fidgeting. Sadly, he had no one to lean on for guidance like I did and had to find his rhythm. If there was anything I could contribute, it was to welcome Jin-Sung's greeting with as much authenticity as possible and make a conscious effort to ignore the camera.
“Ah, you are here?" I greeted him with a wave.
“Um, let's cut there. Jin-Sung, try to walk in a bit more naturally."
Without Yoon-Chan's calming presence, the two of us were trying to figure it out. Thankfully, humans had a knack for overcoming obstacles, and we managed to wrap it up successfully after several takes.
“Good job, everyone. The other team has a few more classroom scenes to shoot, so it might take a bit longer. Let's take a short break."
“Okay!”
As the director walked off, probably to enjoy a quick smoke, a staff from the behind-the-scenes crew approached us with a gentle question.
- How does it feel being back on a music video set after all this time?
“Umm..."
I had not answered yet because this felt oddly intimate. As I started to respond, my voice seemed to fill the room. After the initial wave of embarrassment, I remembered the sea of juniors watching and how far I had come in my career, so I felt compelled to see this through to the end.
“It's actually quite fun. Dressed in these school uniforms, it almost feels like we are all back in our student days."
Nodding in agreement, Jin-Sung chimed in, “Yeah, we even have name tags." He proudly showcased his name tag to the camera.
“Man, name tag... I haven’t heard that for a while.”
“Our name tags are the same color too. Looks like we are in the same grade now, ha!" Jin-Sung slung his arm around my shoulder playfully.
I grinned and shrugged him off. “Scenes are over, buddy."
I then stood up and motioned for us to leave. “Let's head out. I want to see how the others are doing in the next class."
“Sounds like a plan."
“Sure."
As we exited the classroom, I encouraged the trainees to relax. “Just make yourselves comfortable."
It wasn't until we had closed the door and walked away that the classroom burst into lively chatter, some of it seemingly about us. I decided it was best to pretend I didn’t hear them.
After wearing the jackets provided by our stylist, we slipped through the door of the adjacent classroom to catch a glimpse of the ongoing shoot. This scene appeared to be set after school hours with no trainees in sight, but actual dialogue was involved.
“Act like you don't know me in front."
“I got it. I will act accordingly."
“It all ends with graduation anyway."
Goh Yoo-Joon's lines prompted Joo-Han to nod in agreement. Though I couldn't quite place which part of the music video this scene belonged to, both of them delivered their lines with such natural ease that they nailed the scene on the first take.
“They are pretty good at this." It seemed that apart from Jin-Sung and myself, the rest of Chronos had a knack for acting.
Once Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon wrapped up their scenes, we moved on to another classroom set up on the upper floor, repurposed from its original use as a career counseling room to serve as a club room for our shoot.
“Let's get started. Grade 12, please step outside for now and wait for the staff's cue to come in."
“Got it!"
The club scene shooting commenced. Bathed in the light streaming through the large windows, Yoon-Chan, Jin-Sung, and I leaned out, pretending to revel in the breeze. We perhaps looked like we were enjoying a gentle spring wind from the camera’s perspective, but in reality...
“Shiver…Ha ha! Ha ha ha! Ha..."
“The wind… shiver!"
“Shiver… Ha ha..."
We were actually shivering, trying to stay warm in the cold winter air, and we forced our smiles to keep up the illusion.
“Cut. We can still see your breath. Let's try smiling without making any sound this time."
“Okay!”
“It's freezing!"
“Alright, let's go again."
On cue, we leaned out once more, maintaining our sunny dispositions as if basking in the warmth of a spring day. This time, we kept quiet.
Just as we were miming a lively chat…
Drrrr-
The door creaked open, and Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon walked into the classroom.
“Yo, Grade 10s~”
Goh Yoo-Joon’s voice was full of mischief, and the three of us by the window turned to greet them with warm smiles. Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon gestured for us to come over from the doorway, and Yoon-Chan and I nodded in response, quickly making our way toward them.
“Hey there, Grade 10s! A nod is all you give to your seniors?” Goh Yoo-Joon laughed heartily, locking me in a playful headlock. I kept my smile and teased back. “Haha, acting like an old-timer, senior?”
Joo-Han smacked Goh Yoo-Joon on the back and chided him. “Picking on the juniors? Eh?”
“Agh!"
“Hyung… hyung… that sounded seriously harsh. You okay?"
We four had a lively chat. I then wriggled free from Goh Yoo-Joon's playful headlock to glance at Jin-Sung.
“What's up with you over there?" I blurted, instantly realizing how awkward my tone must have sounded. Behind me, Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon couldn't help but snicker, but I brushed it off, knowing my voice wouldn't be included in the final video anyway.
Jin-Sung, who had been busy closing the chilly window, paused mid-action and shot me a puzzled look. He was clearly thrown off by my sudden question.
"Cut! Jin-Sung, try not to look so dreamy. The look you give Hyun-Woo should be less about depth and more about surprise, with a touch of intrigue," the director guided.
Goh Yoo-Joon seized the moment and teased, “Dreamy, huh? Since when did you start giving Suh Hyun-Woo such deep looks?"
“Argh, this is so tough!" Jin-Sung exclaimed, visibly frustrated.
“Maybe just widen your eyes a bit, like you are surprised but not overly shocked. Just a subtle surprise with your eyes and mouth," Yoon-Chan suggested, trying to help him out.
“Eyes and mouth only? Alright, I will give it a shot.”
Thanks to Yoon-Chan's insights, we gradually found our groove. Jin-Sung had to redo his entrance a few more times, but he eventually nailed the perfect blend of surprise and meaning in his gaze.
Jin-Sung's look was filled with an unspeakable curiosity as he finally turned to me. I, oblivious to the subtle cues, gestured him over casually. “Come on, what are you waiting for?"
Only after my gesture did Jin-Sung finally approach, blending in seamlessly with the rest of us.
“Cut! That's a wrap. Nicely done, everyone."
Following a series of successful takes in the clubroom and auditorium, we made our way to the schoolyard, ready for the next phase of shooting.
***
As 5 PM approached, we wrapped up all the daytime shoots and were gearing up for the dance sequence of the next comeback song before nightfall. The temperature was biting, and I found myself muttering, “Man, it's freezing."
I couldn't help but wonder how we managed to pull this off, braving such cold without a second thought. The hot packs the manager had given us earlier were lifesavers.
As we watched the crew set up, Joo-Han sneaked up behind me to seek shelter from the cold. “Brr, it's so cold," he whispered, almost using me as a windbreak.
“...What are you up to?" I asked, turning to face him. He quickly hid behind me again, and a gust of wind confirmed my suspicion.
“Fine, use me as your shield," I conceded.
I turned to the behind-the-scenes camera and joked, “Chronos’s leader is this guy who uses fellow members as windshields."
I slipped a hot pack down his neck and turned back to face the wind.
“Euk…”
Another strong gust hit us. Thankfully, the director called us over as the crew had finished setting up for the next scene. He asked, “Is Chronos ready?"
The stylist rushed over to fix our hair, her hands ice-cold.
“Gosh, your hands are freezing, noona!"
“Did you not get a hot pack?"
She shook her head at our questions. “I got them but gave them to our salon’s youngest. I will get another one from Su-Hwan later.”
“Why did you do that? You should keep it. Here you go.”
“What if you catch a cold?”
Joo-Han and I simultaneously offered our heat packs to her and then took off our padded jackets. We were about to start shooting anyway, so it was fine.
“Man, how did we manage without padded jackets in the past?" Jin-Sung approached while rubbing his arms. Then, Goh Yoo-Joon, who was shivering in just a shirt, clung to Jin-Sung.
“Ah, what the! Brr! Brrr!"
“Come here, Jin-Sung! Big bro is cold."
“Ah, no! Brr!" JJin-Sung protested briefly, squirming as Goh Yoo-Joon held him tightly, but he soon relaxed, conceding that it did feel warmer.
Observing their interaction, I couldn't help but join in. “Is it warmer together?" Then, I quietly edged closer to Jin-Sung.
“Ah, why are you all like this? Go away!"
“Really leaving?"
“Are you guys really going?"
“Suddenly parting will make it even colder."
“It's hard to endure when it suddenly gets cold after being warm." Ah, it was warm. As I coaxed Jin-Sung with warm words to keep him close, Yoon-Chan and Joo-Han joined Goh Yoo-Joon and me. Our huddled appearance was likely quite comical, as we could hear the laughter from the staff.
However, none of us distanced ourselves. The cold was too severe to bear in just our school uniforms. After how long we stayed huddled together…
“Alright, alright, let's get into formation, Chronos. We are really starting now." With the director's cheerful voice, the choreography scene for “?” started.
