Chapter 22

Of course, it was Li Jingming. His presence was so strong that it even made Jin C want to lose his temper. It wasn't because he was dazzlingly handsome or because he was doing some silly antics. In the midst of the hot and lively MV shooting, the main character, Li Jingming, was actually zoning out, or rather, daydreaming.

Li Jingming watched the people passing in front of him. They pretended to be shooting an MV, but in reality, the ones truly shooting the MV were Jin C and the others not far behind him. The people behind him were recording everything that was happening here, their faces calm to the point of seeming cruel. If he hadn't known what was happening behind him, would he really be shooting an MV, or would he know that he was actually being filmed for an MV?

This question was somewhat similar to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave."

The Allegory of the Cave compares human existence to prisoners in a cave. These prisoners have been chained by their legs and necks since birth, unable to move. Behind them is a bonfire, casting their shadows on the wall in front of them. They can see nothing but the shadows on the wall. Since the prisoners have never seen anything else in their entire lives, they take the shadows on the wall to be real, and even compete for fame and power by recognizing the order of the shadows. One day, a prisoner accidentally turns his head and discovers that what he had taken for granted was just a false illusion. When he steps out of the cave and sees the real world and the sun, he realizes how ridiculous everything in the cave was. He returns to the cave to rescue his fellow prisoners. To his surprise, no one believes him, and he is killed by the angry prisoners when he continues to try to persuade them.

If Li Jingming hadn't experienced such an incredible rebirth, he would have only considered this a philosophical question. However, he now doubted everything he perceived. Was it all real, or just an illusion? He felt a pair of cold eyes watching him, not Jin C's, nor anyone else's present, but a pair of eyes from a deeper, more distant place.

The three cute bears dancing and singing on the stage in front of him disappeared. Li Jingming saw another version of himself, standing there oblivious, pretending to arrange others to follow the script, which in turn arranged others to follow the script... It seemed to have no end (it was driving him crazy).

Li Jingming stood there motionless, like a piece of wood, like a statue, without the expression of a human being. This was captured by the camera that had pulled back.

"Li Jingming, Li Jingming!" Jin C shouted angrily. This scene had already passed, and with Li Jingming's behavior, they would either have to reshoot or cut a few seconds of footage.

"Sorry, sorry," Li Jingming was startled back to his senses. That state was a sign of getting stuck in a rut, and he knew he was overthinking something that didn't exist. However, sometimes, when the mood struck, one couldn't control it. "I'm really sorry. I just thought of something from the past and got a bit emotional. I caused everyone trouble."

"It's fine. I know you wrote this song with genuine feelings, but focus on the MV shooting and put those thoughts aside for now," Jin C said, not only to Li Jingming but also to explain the situation. To delay the shooting without a reasonable explanation would be unacceptable. This explanation was not only reasonable but also highlighted Li Jingming's status as a songwriter, which elevated his position. In Korea, songwriters are much more respected than ordinary singers.

Those who hadn't heard the song "Confession" didn't feel much, but Lee Ji-hyeon had. It was definitely a great song, of very high quality. At first, she thought it was Jin C's work, but it turned out to be Li Jingming's. When she received the MV job, she was at a barbecue restaurant with Kang Ho-dong. Initially, Jin C and the others only mentioned that there was an MV for her to shoot, without giving any other details. Later, she received the song and listened to it until 2 AM, not only to understand the emotions for the MV but also because the song itself was worth listening to all night.

When she got the script in the morning, she signed a confidentiality agreement. At the time, her mind was on the script, and she didn't read it carefully, only asking about the emotional expression of the song without inquiring about the song's background. It turned out that this handsome young man, around her age, had written it. His youthful face made it hard to associate him with such a love story.

Lee Ji-hyeon, who was in her twenties and still a trainee, thought that if she had such singing skills, songwriting abilities, or acting talent, she might have debuted by now. Women and men are different; the older they get, the more their hopes diminish. She had to worry about her future and resolved to do her best this time.

After Li Jingming adjusted his state, the MV shooting went very smoothly. The few scenes related to work were all done in one take. The scene where Lee Ji-hyeon and Li Jingming accidentally bumped into each other in the corridor was shot easily, and their unintentional eye contact felt very natural.

This wasn't due to acting skills but the context. Both Li Jingming and Lee Ji-hyeon were young adults, naturally filled with hope and enthusiasm for love. Even with Li Jingming's mature mindset, it was the same. Some people believe that love is a result of hormones, and Li Jingming's hormone levels were those of a twenty-year-old. In his previous life, Li Jingming, who was given high hopes by his family, had always been busy and had never experienced love. Now, with a handsome man and a beautiful woman, the mutual attraction was natural and inevitable. Although they didn't develop deep feelings quickly, just a slight fondness, the scenes required this pure, light, budding affection. The more restrained and subtle it was, the more it fit the mood.

Jin C was satisfied with the shooting progress. They had shot so many scenes in half an hour, and he estimated they wouldn't need to come back the next day, or even that evening. The last scene left was Li Jingming and Lee Ji-hyeon playing a game of tic-tac-toe on paper while looking at each other from a distance.

In this scene, their relationship was already clear, and they needed to show the unique sweetness of a newly established relationship, the mutual understanding, and the joy. Compared to the previous scenes, this required a much stronger emotional expression. However, Lee Ji-hyeon was stuck. Short works often had this problem: the plot progressed too quickly, and before they could recover from one scene, they had to show a different emotion. If the emotional gap was larger, it wouldn't be a problem, but this subtle yet distinct emotional layer was the hardest to grasp, easily leading to confusion, and actors often unconsciously reverted to their previous state.

According to the plot, they were now at the stage where they should be showing their mutual affection and sweetness. However, Lee Ji-hyeon still showed the "infatuation" stage. She was quiet and shy, and it was difficult for her to show a sweet feeling with someone she had only met for a day and a night.

Actually, Lee Ji-hyeon had a bit of a shy and introverted personality, but the more introverted a person was, the thinner their skin, and the more embarrassed they felt about being intimate in front of so many people. She felt a bit awkward. It wasn't that she lacked professionalism or acting skills; if she were acting with someone she didn't feel anything for, she might have been more relaxed. But with Li Jingming, she just couldn't do it.

Jin C, with his sharp eyes, could see that she was blushing. However, this was her own emotion, not the emotion of the script's female lead. Could she not tell the difference? After Jin C called a stop again, Lee Ji-hyeon panicked. She knew it was her problem, and despite Jin C's previous advice, she still couldn't do it. This time, she was afraid of being scolded.

Was she really useless, or was she not cut out for acting? Lee Ji-hyeon sat there, head hanging low, starting to doubt herself.

Seeing this, Li Jingming made a gesture to Jin C, indicating that he would go and talk to her. Jin C nodded and sat back down.

"What's wrong, looking so pitiful?" Li Jingming walked over and sat next to Lee Ji-hyeon.

Lee Ji-hyeon was a bit down and timid, "Am I really useless?"

"Why, just because the director called a few cuts, you're like this? If someone had dozens of NGs, would they jump into the Han River?" Li Jingming didn't think Lee Ji-hyeon was so fragile. Generally, older trainees who persisted were strong-willed.

"Then how can you act so well?" Lee Ji-hyeon didn't think Li Jingming was acting out of genuine feelings for her. She wanted to learn the secrets of his acting.

Li Jingming couldn't directly tell her that it was a result of years of practice. He shrugged, speaking casually, "It's simple."

"Really? Can you teach me?" Lee Ji-hyeon, hearing that Li Jingming had a secret, felt like a man long troubled by a chronic illness meeting a doctor who could cure all diseases. If she could only say four words, they would be, "Doctor, save me!"

"What's your favorite food?" When Li Jingming asked this unrelated question, Lee Ji-hyeon, who had been expecting a profound acting secret, was confused.

"Yoshinoya, why?" Lee Ji-hyeon was puzzled. They were talking about acting, but now it was about food. Was he trying to take her out to eat to build rapport? Would they have time to shoot the MV? If he invited her, should she accept or decline? If someone recognized them, would the company think she was dating and not give her a chance to debut?

"Ah, I asked what you like to eat, not where you like to eat. Yoshinoya has ice water too," Li Jingming didn't know that the seemingly innocent and shy Lee Ji-hyeon had so many thoughts in her mind.

"Oh, I like beef," Lee Ji-hyeon said, realizing he wasn't inviting her to eat.

Li Jingming thought about it. In Korea, there was no one who didn't like beef. He took out his new phone, which he had bought just two days ago, and started searching for pictures. He found what he wanted and showed it to Lee Ji-hyeon.

It was a picture of grilled beef, cut into neat squares, placed on a direct flame grill, slightly charred, with a glistening texture. Lee Ji-hyeon, who had only eaten fruit for lunch, licked her lips, her saliva production suddenly increasing. She could almost smell the meat.

What was he doing? Even with her appetite piqued, Lee Ji-hyeon still didn't understand Li Jingming's intention.

"Acting, the sense of immersion is very important. Imagine that there's a piece of grilled beef in front of you right now," Li Jingming began to guide Lee Ji-hyeon. She got a bit of a feel for it, knowing this was a method to get into character, so she cooperated, staring at the picture and imagining.

"Now, imagine cutting it and putting a small piece in your mouth. Isn't it sweet?"

Lee Ji-hyeon nodded slightly, feeling a bit of the satisfaction of eating grilled beef.

"Wouldn't you want to express that? With this sweet satisfaction, shouldn't you have a smile on your face?" Li Jingming continued.

This time, Lee Ji-hyeon nodded more vigorously, slowly relaxing her furrowed brows. She didn't notice that Li Jingming was slowly moving the phone, only focusing on the beef.

"Doesn't the taste of grilled beef remind you of the feeling of being in love?" Li Jingming's voice sounded in her ear. The taste of love, using beef to get into character? Lee Ji-hyeon was disappointed. How could this work?

"Ha!" When she looked away from the beef picture in confusion, she immediately realized she had been tricked. She wasn't angry but couldn't help laughing.

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