Chapter 14

13. Extra Shooting

Rumble.

Ping.

Rumble.

"Hehe. Really, the sound is so amusing."

"Taesoo, you shouldn't combine too many slimes."

"It's fine. I didn't combine that many."

The garden now looked quite presentable. Although there was still a lot of open space, wildflowers and fruit trees had been planted, making it look quite nice. Of course, because Taesoo was greedy, the garden looked more like an orchard than a garden.

The fishing results were still zero. Taesoo was relieving his stress by combining slimes, and Hee had to remind him a few times. He had to buy new slimes from the store several times because he combined too many.

"Hee, can we build a treehouse now?"

"Yeah. The trees have grown strong enough."

It took quite a while for the trees to grow strong enough to build a treehouse. They had harvested the fruits of other trees they bought several times.

"Should we make it with a red roof and a rope ladder, or a blue roof and a wooden ladder?"

"Hee likes red. Taesan does too."

"Taesan too? Then let's go with that."

They immediately bought the recipe and materials and built the treehouse. Fortunately, the system allowed buildings to be constructed instantly. If they had to listen to the construction noise for days, it would have been quite stressful. The garden now had a storage shed, a cabin, an outdoor performance stage, a treehouse, a pond, and even a cave.

*

"I thought I would debut in an independent film, but there's a lot of free time now."

In the past, there wasn't much free time. He would choose scripts for his next project, shoot ads or photo shoots, do interviews he had postponed, meet people he had worked with before, and attend various classes. Now, with all the foreign language studies and instrument practice happening in the garden, he had more free time.

"Yeonwoo, what are you doing?"

"Want to go out for lunch?"

Yeonwoo had a room in the same building as Taesoo. It wasn't a duplex like Taesoo's but a regular one-room apartment. Taesoo didn't have much money left, so he had to rent it by the month.

"Hello? Come down? Got it."

Taesoo's steps were light as he headed to Yeonwoo's place, taking care of Taesan. Yeonwoo was a good cook. He even registered Yeonwoo in a cooking school because he wanted to become a chef. Thanks to this, Taesoo was enjoying good food. The dishes Yeonwoo brought back from practice were delicious, and it was very convenient.

*

"Mr. Taesoo, yes, the suit you wore at the audition is fine. We have a few more prepared and are on our way."

"Got it. I'll be at the office building in 10 minutes."

After hanging up, Taesoo asked Yeonwoo to take care of Taesan. While having lunch and playing with Yeonwoo, he received a call from Kyeonwoo. A drama was looking for an extra because one of the extras was injured. The location scouting time was short, so they needed someone who could get to the set immediately. A senior actor from his agency recommended Taesoo.

He went home, changed into a suit, and grabbed a few accessories before heading out. When he arrived at the building, Kyeonwoo's car was already there.

"Not a Carnival, but a van? Are you the main character, not an extra?"

"Ha ha. It's your car, Mr. Taesoo. It was delivered yesterday, and the timing was good. We'll pick up the stylist on the way. You'll meet her for the first time. Her name is Imna, and although she's young, she's very talented."

Taesoo carefully sat down to avoid wrinkles in his suit and asked about his role.

"Are you familiar with 'Love Rain' currently airing?"

"Ah, the Cinderella story?"

"Yes, it's about an ordinary female employee and the third-generation heir of a conglomerate."

"Even though the ending is predictable, the immersion is quite strong. The characters come alive, I guess."

The scene to be shot today was about the female lead being harassed by a rude customer, and a wealthy young man passing by helps her. The male lead, who realizes the situation late, comforts her, but the female lead feels the class difference by birth. Taesoo's role is the young man who helps.

As an extra, he only has one line and appears on screen for a short time. But for a newcomer, this was a significant opportunity. Without the recommendation of a senior actor, he wouldn't have gotten this chance. An extra role in a weekend drama on a major network. Even a small role was highly competitive.

"Mr. Kim, please take care of it."

He tried different tones for the short line. He practiced it in a light and bright tone, a frustrated tone, and a condescending tone, imagining different scenarios. Taesoo practiced his lines while thinking of various situations until they reached the meeting point with the stylist.

*

"Hmm. What good stuff are you using? There's nothing to do for makeup."

The stylist, Imna, who met them halfway to the set, examined Taesoo's face and clicked her tongue. His skin was so clear and transparent that he could have shot a commercial without makeup.

"Sometimes I use good creams. They make my skin moist and clear."

"Please, please, tell me what they are."

"Sure, I will."

'I'll change the cream and give it as a gift. I need to catch some fish first. Sigh.'

Imna was a veteran stylist with seven years of experience at the age of 26. She graduated from a specialized high school and didn't go to college, learning mostly on the job. Despite the glamorous appearance, it was a low-paying, high-intensity job, and it was impressive that she had stuck with it.

"We'll keep the suit you're wearing. Where did you get this? It's very high-quality, and the fit is great. Change your watch to this one. The one you're wearing is good, but it looks too light. Change your shoes to these with heels. Style your hair to fall naturally to the back."

In the short time before arriving at the set, Imna transformed Taesoo into a high-class image. It seemed to match the image the company had chosen, almost as if he had accepted the role to test it.

"Ms. Imna, this role came up suddenly, but the preparation is really good. Plus, everything is high-end."

"Hehehe. You really are lucky. Do you know about the meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning? I was looking for costumes and props to try on you there. The team leader wanted to see you in person. So, as soon as I got the call from the manager, I took care of it."

"Wow! It feels like the universe is helping me. Do this role! Like this!"

"Hehe. Is that so?"

Tomorrow morning, there was a meeting for Taesoo's image planning with the coordinator team, the PR team, and the planning team. They were probably preparing to try on actual costumes there.

While joking with Imna, they headed to the set. Unlike Kyeonwoo, Miju was friendly and cheerful. She seemed capable and had a good personality. It was clear that the agency had put a lot of thought into forming the team for new actors. He was curious about what the road manager, whom he hadn't met yet, would be like.

*

When Taesoo's group entered the set, the first assistant director (FD) immediately guided them to the director. The director was someone Taesoo had worked with before.

'Hehe. Director Oh Dong-don, it's been a while.'

Director Oh Dong-don. He mainly directs family dramas but is actually best at romantic comedies. He didn't seem to realize his talent yet. When Taesoo was around the 7th year of his career, they shot a romantic comedy that broke all the ratings records for a major network mini-series.

He was sensitive but not difficult to work with, and he had good relationships with the actors. He was good at casting young actors and didn't discriminate against idol-born actors.

He was known as "Oh Dong-don" among close friends. His name and plump figure suited the nickname well, and he wondered if he was still called that.

"Wow, the visuals are amazing."

"Hello, I'm Lee Taesoo."

"Great to have you. It's urgent, so I'll explain right away. You'll walk in from the entrance, notice a difficult situation, and have your secretary take care of it. It's not a difficult scene, so don't be nervous."

"Got it."

Taesoo took in the location and movement for the upcoming shoot. It was his first shoot after the regression. Even though it was a minor role with only one line, it felt new.

Tap tap.

The sound of his heels on the marble floor was light. Taesoo, dressed in a high-quality suit and with his hair naturally falling to the back, entered the camera frame, drawing people's attention.

He fixed his gaze on where the female lead, Eomji, would be standing and raised one eyebrow. Then, he slightly curled his lips and spoke to the man standing behind him.

"Mr. Kim, please take care of it."

The single line, delivered lightly, carried a tone of arrogance. He was confident that what he wanted would naturally happen.

"Cut. Good job."

When the okay sign came, and Taesoo approached to check the monitor, Director Oh Dong-don was pleased.

Since it was the type of male lead character Director Oh Dong-don liked, it was natural that he was satisfied. When they shot the romantic comedy, he had also liked slightly arrogant male characters. Taesoo had deliberately shown this character to match Director Oh Dong-don's taste.

"Jinhyuk recommended you, but I was worried because you're so young. But there's no need to worry. I really like it."

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry, but I'm short on time. Give your contact information to our AD."

"Sure, I will."

'Hehe, Director, you still have the habit of putting on airs with new people.'

After the drama had progressed a bit, Director Oh Dong-don apologized at a drinking party. He said he had been ignored a lot when he debuted at a young age and had been too serious and formal at first.

The lead actor, Jinhyuk, was 41, and the director was two years younger. He probably put on airs on purpose. It was understandable but didn't suit him at all. He remembered that the sister who later married the director found him very cute, saying that his round belly and serious act were adorable.

"Please come this way, Mr. Taesoo."

"Phew, it's complicated."

"It was close."

"Indeed. They've already started cleaning up."

Taesoo's group left the busy set and headed to the parking lot. They decided to have dinner together, even though it was a bit early.

"Do you like seafood? There's a place nearby that serves congee. It's good for your health."

"Congee? You're a kid, what do you know about congee?"

Although he was young, he was almost 40 before he came back. He had developed a habit of eating healthy food, and it stuck. When he thought of dining out, he first thought of health food.

*

Not long after Taesoo's group sat down, a loud voice from the next table caught their attention.

"Hello, this is 'BJ Makmeokgun.' Today, we're continuing our health food special after the previous eel soup episode. Everyone knows octopus, right? The one that's all squishy. That's right. Today, Makmeokgun is here to eat octopus."

It seemed a food streamer was filming. There was a person with a camera across from the BJ.

"They're filming a food stream."

"Wow, he talks so well."

Taes