Chapter 61

61. Music Video Shooting

– Back in the day~ I was beautiful too~ From the sky~ I came as an angel~

An exhilarating rhythm that captivates everyone.

A heart-wrenching, sad lyric that can be heard within it.

A sharp criticism of the appearance-centric society subtly hidden throughout the lyrics.

A free dance, free from any form, to escape the gaze of people who judge others by their appearance—

– Pum-pum-pum-pum-pum! Pum-pum-pum-pum-pum!

Yeongmin approached Siwoo, dancing with a dazzling finale.

Siwoo, dressed in a pure white angel costume, sat on a wooden swing that reached the height of adults' chests, waiting for Yeongmin.

‘...That guy really lives his life to the fullest.’

It was very clear.

The lyrics about being an angel in the past were repeated three times.

Yeongmin, who had approached, pointed at Siwoo with both hands and turned to the camera.

Now it was Siwoo's turn.

Angel Siwoo propped his hands under his chin and began his acting.

Pretending to be cute and charming!

When the staff, who had their hearts assaulted by Siwoo's merciless cuteness, were grinning from ear to ear, Director Bae shouted,

“Cut! NG!”

...Huh?

The staff's puzzled gazes were fixed on Director Bae.

Only Yeongmin, who had been looking at the camera and hadn't seen Siwoo, thought Siwoo's expression was just lacking and prepared to shoot again.

Siwoo tilted his head, looking at Director Bae, who had given him an NG.

‘I thought I did well, didn’t I?’

The song played.

Siwoo, once again, made a cute expression and pretended to be charming.

“Cut! NG. Is our actor Yoon Siwoo not feeling it? Come on, let's do it again!”

Siwoo gently moved the swing and looked at Director Bae.

That director had always been unique, even in the past.

When everyone else was shouting "OK," he alone was shouting "NG."

‘Director Bae must have a reason for giving an NG. Maybe my expression needs to be more lively?’

He had heard from someone that when you think you did well but the director gives you an NG, it's really frustrating.

It seemed like he was in that situation now.

“Puh~ Puh~”

Siwoo, taking his eyes off Director Bae, repeatedly puffed his cheeks and thought.

‘...A bit more cute. A bit more, um~ I’ve never really done this kind of pretending to be cute before.’

While his baby talk and coquetry had been honed through many lives, pretending to be cute was different.

Siwoo had never needed to pretend to be cute in his life.

‘Was I a bit embarrassed?’

Did it show?

And did he catch it?

‘Director Bae is not an ordinary person. Alright, let’s do it!’

From the moment he signed the contract, he was a professional, regardless of his age.

Siwoo did some mental control to get rid of the embarrassment that lay at the bottom of his heart.

Three months ago, the action director Seokgu, who he had shot action scenes with...

Seokgu, who repeatedly acted as a demon hit in a vital spot by Yama in front of all the staff...

Seokgu, who, after continuing the act, said it really hurt as if he had been stepped on again, with a red face, laughing, "Hahaha"...

Siwoo let go of his embarrassment.

Feeling silly for making a fuss over just pretending to be cute.

Siwoo's eyes changed.

When Yeongmin and Siwoo finished preparing for the reshoot, Director Bae shouted,

“Drop the beat!”

The music started.

Yeongmin, despite being forty-three years old, approached Siwoo with tireless passion, dancing as if his body would break.

– Back in the day~ I was beautiful too~ From the sky~ I came as an angel~

Yeongmin pointed at Siwoo.

Siwoo closed his eyes.

Siwoo, who had deliberately paused for dramatic effect, slowly opened his eyes and stared at the camera with luminous eyes.

His expression was much more lively than before.

Siwoo raised his small hands to make a flower shape under his face, and winked twice, closing and opening each eye in succession.

Some of the staff sisters were seen rolling their feet, saying how cute it was.

‘Good! Let’s go! I need to let go! I can’t be stiff!’

Siwoo, changing the flower shape to a fist and placing it by his cheeks...

Closed his eyes tightly and sent a "pew pew" to the camera.

It felt like his soul was burning, but each time, Seokgu appeared in his mind, giving him strength.

When Siwoo opened his eyes again, he smiled brightly at the camera, looking innocent and adorable, and even reverent and beautiful in the angel costume.

“...!”

Since the song was still playing, no "OK" or "NG" was heard.

But when Siwoo saw Director Bae push his chair back with his butt and stand up, he finished his coquetry with a cute eye smile, feeling triumphant.

Finally, the next lyrics came.

– Everyone~ loved me~ When I was young~ I was happy...

* * *

The subsequent shooting continued in a similar vein.

Siwoo was so confused whether this was a music video or his personal video collection.

Yeongmin kept emphasizing how he used to be like this and that, introducing Siwoo.

Sometimes Siwoo was dressed in riding gear and sitting on a horse—

Sometimes he was lying in a luxury bed with a fluffy Norwegian Forest cat that Yeongmin claimed to have raised—

And sometimes he was dressed as a police officer chasing after actors dressed as thieves, shooting enthusiastically.

Since it was a music video, there were no lines, so facial expressions were very important. Director Bae, who seemed to have changed a bit as he turned forty, explained things well to Siwoo, unlike during the Pet World project.

Or maybe, in the past, Siwoo was a 14-month-old baby who couldn’t speak.

The chemistry between Siwoo, Yeongmin, and Director Bae, proven by the Moonwalk, worked even better than expected, making the shooting progress smoothly.

After finishing the indoor shooting, Siwoo and Yeongmin moved outside to the back of the building.

A wide open space, as big as a playground, appeared.

Yeongmin and the dancers took their positions in front of the colorful graffiti on the back wall of the building.

“Siwoo, did you practice a lot?”

A dancer brother, whom Siwoo had met a few times at the agency’s practice room, greeted him.

“Umm~ a lot~”

While Siwoo was being adored by the dancer brothers and sisters, Yeongmin shouted,

“Get ready! Let’s go!”

Siwoo, waving to the dancers, ran to his mother first.

Siwoo was supposed to join at the end.

The music started, and with Yeongmin leading, all the dancers began to show off their dazzling dance skills.

True to Got Entertainment’s style, which values individual dance skills over synchronized group dances, it looked chaotic at first glance.

However, upon closer inspection, all the dancers were dancing joyfully as if enjoying a free festival, and despite the seemingly random movements, there were meticulously planned routes that made the many dancers move like the gears of a clock.

It was like a fireworks show.

A spectacular sight.

“Wow, it’s really amazing, isn’t it, Siwoo?”

Hyunju, who had been staring at the scene in awe, said.

Siwoo nodded.

He was reminded of the sword dance of the Huashan Sect he had seen long ago.

The scent of plum blossoms seemed to waft past his nose.

“Yeah~ it’s fun!”

Siwoo’s eyes were shining.

Seeing her son’s face, which she couldn’t take her eyes off, Hyunju smiled and said,

“It’s not just amazing, it’s fun? Our Siwoo likes dancing~”

After a few tries, the dance scene was coming together.

Director Bae signaled to Siwoo.

It meant to get ready.

The staff checked Siwoo’s appearance and costume.

It wasn’t a typical cute kindergarten uniform but a very high-end black kindergarten uniform.

On one side of the uniform, it said “Got Mani.”

It was a combination of Got Entertainment and a high-end suit brand from overseas, but it didn’t really resonate.

No matter how hard he tried, the word “Sim Mani” kept popping into his head first.

Siwoo, dressed in the fancy kindergarten uniform, bowed to his mother and ran to the center of the open space with a backpack on his back.

“Wow~ Siwoo, Siwoo, you look amazing!”

The dancers couldn’t hold back their laughter at the sight of Siwoo running.

The backpack on his back jiggled with each step.

He was too cute.

A dancer sister with dreadlocks crouched next to Siwoo and tightened the backpack straps.

“Your backpack shouldn’t move when you dance. There, all done!”

“Thank you~”

Siwoo, who also bowed to the dreadlock sister, said.

“Kya~ You’re so cute! Let’s have fun, Siwoo!”

“Yeah!”

The dancers lined up behind, and Siwoo and Yeongmin took their positions at the front.

Yeongmin was wearing the same... no, exactly the same kindergarten uniform as Siwoo.

Even the backpacks on their backs were the same, just different in size.

A dancer at the back said with a laugh,

“This is what they mean by the same clothes, different vibes. Siwoo is so cute, but you, man, really look like a real man... hahaha!”

Yeongmin turned around and playfully scowled.

“Hey! This is so philosophical! It means that even though the outside looks different, the inside is the same! Everyone, get ready! Let’s shake it until our arms fall off!”

Following Director Bae’s instructions, the latter part of the song “Back in the Day I Was Beautiful” played through the speakers.

– I thought I was different~ I thought I wouldn’t turn thirty~ But when I opened my eyes, I was forty-three~ The word ‘youth’ is now something I have to give to my child~ Kiyaaah!

Suddenly, a high-pitched vocal burst out.

Then the music became quiet, and a mechanical sound mixed with Yeongmin’s low, deep voice played.

– That’s no no... Huh! Ha! Huh! Ha! We are... still alive... Come on~ Yo! Fantastic seniors. Times-!

It was dance time.

Siwoo danced enthusiastically with Yeongmin.

Siwoo’s small arms moved busily.

It was the Backpack Baby dance that had become a big hit on MyTube last year.

Siwoo and Yeongmin, looking at each other’s dances, found it so funny they almost couldn’t keep a straight face.

The essence of this dance was to shake your arms and thrust your hips in the opposite direction while maintaining a blank expression.

Flap flap.

Flap flap.

Siwoo’s arms moved back and forth without a break.

As the music’s tempo changed, so did Siwoo’s movements.

Dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-

Siwoo, who had learned many cute dances for children at Got Entertainment, stepped forward when Yeongmin moved back.

Siwoo began leading the dancers in the “Una Una” dance.

At just five years old, Siwoo’s feet glided smoothly, performing the house step.

It was a high-difficulty dance, but videos of children performing it sometimes appeared on the internet.

Siwoo, with his small feet, crossed them in a dazzling manner, more skillfully than any other child.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh-!

On a day in June.

Siwoo was enjoying the dance with a happy look in his eyes.

* * *

On a day in July.

Siwoo was glaring at something with a scary look in his eyes.

Shaking.

His fists, clenched tightly in anger, were trembling.

This feeling of defeat and humiliation was truly rare.

Even in his previous life, when he had a bad encounter with a dragon and a two-way duel, it was considered very unlucky. Otherwise, he had almost never experienced failure.

With his accumulated experience, skills, and levels, he should have been able to handle a minor mistake, but when had he ever experienced such a crushing defeat?

But he experienced it today.

In the early morning.

Siwoo, who had been in the small room with his laptop and electronic piano, came out and headed for the refrigerator.

He felt like he needed to drink something to calm down.

Siwoo, on tiptoe, stretched his hand out.

“Haa~ really...”

His hand didn’t reach the drink section.

Siwoo’s body floated in the air as if he were in space.

Rising high, Siwoo took out a Punikni organic children’s juice from the drink section.

Sip sip sip-

Sucking on the juice through a straw, the apple-flavored drink calmed him down a bit.

“Haa... I opened Pandora’s box. I installed something on my laptop that I shouldn’t have.”

Oh.