Chapter 86

On July 30th, in the morning, the main cast and crew of *Sunny* gathered together, led by Park Ji-hoon, to pray for a smooth production.

There were veteran actors like Yoo Hae-jin, Ko Soo-hee, and Lee Yeon-kyung, and young actors like Kang So-ra, Shim Eun-kyung, and Krystal. It seemed like two generations, with Park Ji-hoon, the director who bridged the gap, standing in the middle.

The reporters on the scene noticed that Park Ji-hoon was very experienced, showing no signs of hesitation or nervousness typical of a newcomer. He exuded a strong presence! He didn't deliberately put on a stern face or give orders carelessly, but every command he gave was executed perfectly, with no one slacking off, including the three assistant directors who were clearly over 40.

Even Choi Ho-jun, the producer, showed him great respect—everyone had thought Choi Ho-jun would be the one to lead the prayer ceremony!

Not only were the reporters surprised, but actors like Yoo Hae-jin, Kang So-ra, and Shim Eun-kyung were also stunned! Krystal, who was most familiar with Park Ji-hoon, was the most surprised. The events of the previous day and today had completely changed her impression of him.

"After the prayer ceremony, Choi Ho-jun, when the reporters tried to interview him first, said, "For questions about the film, please interview Director Park Ji-hoon."

What surprised the reporters even more was that Park Ji-hoon stepped forward without hesitation.

"An experienced director, not a newcomer!" The reporters had already decided on the title for their reports.

After a brief interview, Park Ji-hoon turned to arrange the crew and cast. Although not everyone was present, there were still dozens of people, and many of them were not familiar with each other. Without a leader, it could easily become chaotic.

The crew was fine, as they had already begun to gel during this period. The main issue was the cast, all of whom were female actors, as this was a film primarily featuring women. The atmosphere among a group of female actors was incredibly delicate, and even the crew, including the assistant directors, deliberately avoided them.

"Still haven't sorted out the hierarchy?" Park Ji-hoon asked with a smile when he saw everyone was silent.

The female actors all showed a slight look of embarrassment.

"If I'm not mistaken, Yoo Hae-jin is the eldest, right?" Park Ji-hoon said with a smile. "Then it's Lee Yeon-kyung, Ko Soo-hee... Kim Bo-mi, 1987; Park Jin-ju, 1988; Nam Bo-ra, 1989; Kim Min-young and Kang So-ra, 1990; Shim Eun-kyung and Krystal, 1994." He listed them off, as if reciting a well-known fact.

Yoo Hae-jin and the others all looked surprised, and their moods strangely calmed as they listened to his clear, unhurried voice. The younger, less famous actors were especially excited, feeling as if they had met a "patron."

"Did I get it right?" Park Ji-hoon asked after finishing.

"No." Yoo Hae-jin and the others looked at each other and nodded. Female artists usually start by sorting out their ages when they meet for the first time.

Park Ji-hoon nodded and then changed the topic, saying, "This is my first time."

The older female actors couldn't help but smile, while Kang So-ra, Shim Eun-kyung, and others blushed slightly, pretending not to understand. Krystal, on the other hand, blinked, seemingly deep in thought.

"For the next six months, we will be together! So, I hope everyone can work together," Park Ji-hoon said seriously after the joke. "To have a smooth production, it's simple: seniors should take care of juniors, and juniors should respect seniors. I hope everyone can do this!"

"Yes!" Even the senior actors like Yoo Hae-jin responded seriously, as he looked very authoritative, and his previous reputation had already established his authority.

"Alright!" Park Ji-hoon clapped his hands. "Thank you all. There's nothing much today, so go home and adjust your state. We'll prepare for the formal shooting tomorrow." He looked relaxed and natural, showing no signs of nervousness or shyness.

He was the director, the backbone of the entire set. If he was nervous, the entire set would be nervous. So, he had to do his best.

After saying that, he waved and went to arrange the crew.

After organizing everything, while the crew was packing up, he found the three assistant directors and asked them again about what to pay attention to for the formal shooting the next day.

During the filming of *The Man from Nowhere*, Director Lee Jeong-beom had said, "If you are the director of a 007 film, you must know what new gadgets, weapons, and cars the audience will like. Instead of brainstorming at your desk, it's better to consult technology experts and weapons specialists." Park Ji-hoon remembered this well and never hesitated to ask for advice in private.

After about ten minutes of discussion, he turned to leave and suddenly noticed that Krystal had not left, standing with Park Ji-hyeon. He hurried over.

On the way, he extinguished and threw away the cigarette in his mouth.

"Why haven't you left yet?" he asked before reaching them.

"Min-ah-ssi told us to wait for OPPA to go home and eat together," Krystal said. "The afternoon schedule starts at 3, so it's not urgent."

"Oh." Park Ji-hoon came to their front and said, "Let's go back together then."

"You smell like smoke!" Krystal said, wrinkling her nose.

Park Ji-hyeon, unlike her, didn't speak so casually and remained silent.

"Someone gave it to me, and I couldn't refuse," Park Ji-hoon explained with a smile. He didn't have a big smoking habit, especially in the past six months, when Min-ah had restricted him from smoking. So, now, unless someone offered him a cigarette, he generally didn't smoke.

"Got it!" Krystal said.

Her manager had already left, so she and Park Ji-hoon took a taxi home together. The photos of Min-ah visiting her on set two days ago had been uploaded online, and many people knew about their close relationship, so she was more relaxed. Of course, some speculated that she and Park Ji-hoon were dating, but such voices were few—after all, they had known each other for five years, and she was only 12 at the time.

"Are you comfortable, Ji-hyeon?" Park Ji-hoon asked Park Ji-hyeon, keeping a slight distance to avoid the smoke smell as they walked to the side of the road.

"Yes, everyone is very kind to me. Thank you, OPPA," Park Ji-hyeon said softly.

"How about you, Krystal? How are you getting along with everyone?" Park Ji-hoon nodded and asked Krystal.

"Pretty good, everyone is nice," Krystal said. She hadn't seen Shim Eun-kyung's acting yet, but she didn't choose friends based on acting skills. She got along well with the other young actors.

"That's good." Park Ji-hoon nodded.

Krystal paused slightly, waiting for him to catch up.

Park Ji-hyeon also slowed down.

They took a taxi and went home together. With the three of them together, they didn't have to worry too much about rumors.

...

The next day, *Sunny* officially began shooting.

The first scene was mainly Yoo Hae-jin's, and it was also a test for Park Ji-hoon.

His performance was stunning!

He knew exactly when to use wide shots, medium shots, close-ups, or close-ups, and he was proficient in various shooting techniques like push, pull, pan, dolly, crane, zoom, and tracking shots. He was also skilled in framing, composition, and controlling depth of field and choosing zoom ratios. He had no hesitation in directing the scene, positioning the camera, and indicating the actors' positions and movements. He was also very experienced in guiding the actors' performance styles and managing interpersonal relationships within the crew.

He rarely criticized people to their face but gave a lot of praise, always paying attention to everyone's actions... By the end of the day, the entire crew had fully recognized his status, praising him for his "leadership and diplomatic skills"!

Even Yoo Hae-jin, the senior actress, felt a bit pleased when he praised her—completely ignoring his age.

Throughout the day, the most common question he heard was, "Is this really your first time?"

His performance was almost perfect!

However, no one knew that after the shooting ended, he was even more exhausted than when he shot *The Man from Nowhere*! His mind was always on edge, and the mental strain was significant—after all, it was his first time, and he couldn't handle it as easily as he had in the past, even though he had experience in many areas.

Although Park Min-ah was worried, she didn't say anything to comfort him. Instead, she quietly prepared some supplements and nutritious meals for him.

A few days later, when Krystal started shooting, she suddenly noticed that Park Ji-hoon's smoking habit had increased significantly! There was no way to relieve the pressure, and he didn't have the time or energy to go to the boxing gym.

However, after getting through this difficult start, Park Ji-hoon gradually adapted to his new role and felt more relaxed. Much of the pressure was self-imposed!

At the same time, *The Man from Nowhere* was officially released.

On August 4th, a Wednesday, Park Ji-hoon deliberately ended the shooting early and went to the cinema with Park Min-ah in the evening.

After entering the cinema, Park Ji-hoon's mind was clearly not on the film, but on the audience's reactions and the occupancy rate. The occupancy rate was high, around 80%. Considering that *The Man from Nowhere* had no famous actors and Director Lee Jeong-beom was not well-known, such an occupancy rate was already very good.

Although he was confident it wouldn't fail, Park Ji-hoon was still under a lot of pressure due to the strong competition!

*The Man from Nowhere* was released between two Hollywood blockbusters, *Inception* and *Salt*, and the domestic film *Moss* was also very popular. Moreover, *Toy Story 3* would be released the next day, and *I Saw the Devil*, starring Choi Min-sik and Lee Byung-hun, would be released on August 11th.

Under such circumstances, how could he not be under pressure?

Park Min-ah didn't blame him and watched the entire film very seriously.

Only she truly knew how hard Park Ji-hoon had worked during that time, sometimes coming home as if his bones were falling apart! How could she not take it seriously to do justice to his hard work?

Moreover, the film was very good. Whether it was due to her subjective bias or not, she found the film really enjoyable, with exciting action scenes and substantial content.

Of course, the best part was Park Ji-hoon's acting—definitely due to her subjective bias.