Chapter 34. First CF (2)

With the director's cue, Yeonwoo jumped in place and landed in front of the camera.

This scene would be edited to show Yeonwoo descending from mid-air, as seen in the previous shoot, using CGI.

The camera operator, following Yeonwoo's movements, walked backward while carrying a gimbal, matching his steps.

In a close-up, Yeonwoo's face broke into a smile as he handed the smartphone to the supporting actor.

The camera followed the movement of Yeonwoo's hand, then pulled back to show the supporting actor holding the smartphone.

The camera operator moved between the actors as if following the smartphone's movement.

This scene was set in a concept where the supporting actors and Yeonwoo were shooting an amateur film together.

The complex movements required a lot of concentration.

"Good. This is a scene with narration, so keep it going."

Around Yeonwoo, the supporting actors continued to act as if they were filming with reflectors and boom mics.

Since the new smartphone model's strengths were its video recording and wide-angle camera features, this was the concept.

The scene was planned to include a short explanation of the camera's specifications, narrated by Yeonwoo's voice, followed by a line.

"Okay, cut!"

Clap, clap, clap!

The staff clapped in celebration with the director's approval.

"Let's shoot a few more times with the same movements."

They shot four more times, adjusting the movements and focus slightly each time.

The director clapped to signal the end of the shoot.

"Good. I thought the movements would be complex and tricky today, but the actors did a great job, making it smooth."

"Wow, well done."

"Thank you."

Yeonwoo, who had endured the complex movements, high-fived the supporting actors and smiled brightly.

The director's eyes seemed to light up at the sight.

"Hmm? Did we get that scene?"

The director asked the dolly grip urgently.

"Yes?"

"Did we capture the high-five as well?"

The dolly grip nodded.

"Yes, the camera was rolling at that moment."

"Great, we'll use that scene. It was natural."

The director approached Yeonwoo and spoke.

"The concept of this shoot is to portray the image of a spirited MZ generation, and I think it's been well expressed."

"It's because the director did such a great job. The storyboard was also excellent."

Yeonwoo bowed humbly, and Director Lee Yongsu smiled.

"Yeonwoo, you'll need to do some additional print and panel shoots, so please bear with it a bit longer. Oh, let's have lunch first."

The shoot, which started in the morning, had skipped lunch and was nearing 3 PM.

"Sure, let's go together, Director."

"Everyone, let's have lunch."

The staff and cast headed to the food truck set up on one side of the set at the director's call.

After receiving a bento and sitting at a table, the staff appeared with a cake they had prepared.

"Actor Ryu, congratulations on your first CF."

Yeonwoo, surprised by the surprise event, stood up from the table.

While it was a common event at commercial shoots to celebrate the model, it was Yeonwoo's first CF shoot, so he hadn't expected it.

The cake brought by the staff had a drawing of Yeonwoo made with chocolate.

"Wow, thank you. I didn't expect this."

Yeonwoo's genuine gratitude made the staff, who prepared the cake, feel a sense of accomplishment and happiness.

"Actor, please eat the cake."

Manager Min-soo, who had appeared, handed Yeonwoo a plastic knife.

"The chocolate drawing of me is so good, I don't want to cut it."

Yeonwoo took a photo of the cake with his smartphone before cutting it.

Min-soo, seeing this, smiled and said,

"Where are you going to post it? You don't even use SNS."

"Well, I'll show it to my friends, I guess."

Yeonwoo, who had cut the chocolate cake with a plastic knife, took a bite and shared it with the supporting actors and staff.

"Ryu, I'm a fan. I'm Woo's!"

Unlike the busy shoot earlier, the staff now approached Yeonwoo more casually.

"Really? Nice to meet you."

The supporting actors and staff took selfies with Yeonwoo and enjoyed their lunch and cake together.

The atmosphere on the set, which had become more relaxed, continued with the print and panel shoots.

The rhythmic pop music playing on the set was accompanied by the continuous "Okay" and "Good" calls and the sound of camera shutters.

Yeonwoo's full-body panel, which would be placed in front of ST Telecom's branches across the country, was shot so well that no further editing was needed.

Although it was just a straightforward shot, the photographer kept praising the result.

"Wow, that's great. Please keep that natural smile."

The shoot, which started early in the morning, wrapped up around 6 PM.

"Alright, we're done for today. Thank you all."

Whistle—

Clap, clap, clap.

The director's announcement was met with whistles and applause.

"I thought today's schedule would be tight, but thanks to Yeonwoo's smooth performance, we can all go home and have dinner. Haha."

Yeonwoo smiled at the director's hearty laugh.

"Thanks to you, I had a pleasant first commercial shoot. Thank you, Director."

Yeonwoo's consistently humble and diligent attitude broke Director Lee Yongsu's bias against young actors, and he began to view Yeonwoo favorably.

"Could you sign something for my daughter, Yeonwoo?"

"Sure, of course."

Director Lee Yongsu, who didn't know if his daughter was a fan, still asked for a signature.

When he got home, he confirmed his daughter, a middle school student, was indeed a fan, nodding in satisfaction with his decision.

Yeonwoo then shot an ad for the outdoor brand 'Tapers' four days later.

The concept was relatively simple, involving Yeonwoo walking in a special effects studio while wearing hiking gear, making it easier to shoot compared to the mobile phone ad.

With two consecutive commercial shoots, Yeonwoo earned a significant amount of money, which he split and deposited half into his parents' accounts as he had planned.

Despite his parents' objections, Yeonwoo insisted they should enjoy their hobbies and live without worrying about money, making his mother, Lee Sun-ock, tear up over the phone.

Although he had finished a drama and shot two commercials, the balance in his account was still insufficient to buy a house in Seoul, where prices were skyrocketing.

While he could have bought a house with a loan, he decided to live in the company-provided office apartment for the time being since he wasn't in a hurry.

"In this life, I want to live in a good house like Hyun-wook. What goes around comes around."

Yeonwoo, who had experienced the futility of money after death, decided to live a bit more luxuriously this time.

The next day, Yeonwoo was waiting for Min-soo in his office apartment.

Ding-dong—

Hearing the doorbell, Yeonwoo went to the entrance and opened the door.

"Min-soo, please come in."

"This is my first time coming here. Haha."

Min-soo entered Yeonwoo's office apartment with a briefcase and a tissue.

"Have you eaten? Can I make something for you?"

"No, I'm curious about your cooking skills, but I've already eaten. Here, take this."

"Ah, I don't live here, so why did you bring this?"

"Still, it's my first visit, so I thought I should bring something. It's just a gesture, so please accept it."

Min-soo smiled and headed to the living room.

Yeonwoo went to the kitchen, poured some juice, and handed it to Min-soo.

"Thank you."

Min-soo, holding the cup, opened the briefcase.

"Quite a few offers have come in. Your last work was good, but you're especially hot now due to the college entrance exam issue."

Min-soo pulled out movie scripts and drama scripts for Yeonwoo's next project.

"Hmm, quite a few."

"The industry is now looking for you."

Yeonwoo read the titles one by one.

"Hmm, but they're all romantic comedies similar to my last work."

"Your image has formed in that direction, so it's understandable."

Yeonwoo pondered over the various scripts.

Min-soo, seeing this, pulled out a few more scripts from the briefcase.

"If you want to try a different role, you might consider these scripts."

Yeonwoo took the scripts from Min-soo and looked them over.

Min-soo added, "However, these roles weren't specifically cast for you, so we might need to do some pre-negotiation and possibly an audition."

Yeonwoo, hearing this, smiled and replied,

"I'm confident in auditions. I can definitely get the role."

Min-soo laughed at Yeonwoo's determined expression.

As Yeonwoo reviewed the scripts again, one caught his eye.

"Master Plan"

The subtitle read, "The Deceivers and the Deceived."

"Ah, that's a film by Director Park Chan-hong. It's probably in the casting phase now."

Yeonwoo knew Director Park Chan-hong, one of the most successful commercial directors in Korea, known for his box office hits.

Yeonwoo nodded and read the script.

"Hmm?"

The more he read, the more engrossed he became.

"Kwak Ji-cheol" is a former top programmer at a cybersecurity company.

"Kangwoo Construction," a small construction company expanding its influence from Seoul to Gyeonggi, is actually a criminal organization running illegal online gambling.

Hearing about a retired top programmer, the Kangwoo gang approached Ji-cheol to create a program to control the illegal gambling. When he refused, they began to harass his family.

When Ji-cheol went to the police, the investigation was mishandled due to corruption, resulting in a lenient punishment.

Determined to seek revenge, Ji-cheol risked his entire fortune to hire a hitman through the dark web.

A bold hitman, "Pierre Choi," who had also scammed an Italian mafia in an arms deal, enters the country.

The genius programmer Kwak Ji-cheol and the genius con artist Pierre Choi team up to orchestrate a grand scheme to take down Kangwoo Construction from the ground up.

"This seems to be an homage to the 1973 classic Hollywood film 'The Sting'... but it looks really interesting."

Yeonwoo, intrigued by the plot similar to a classic he had enjoyed in his previous life, was excited.

"Min-soo, could you look into this project for me? I'd like to try for the role of 'Pierre Choi'."