Chapter 24

23. Filming of Busking Begins

While working as an extra on various film sets, Taeju also participated in the pre-production meetings and readings for Busking. Perhaps due to Director Jeong Hansun's style, even though it was an independent film, the atmosphere was rather relaxed.

Imina and the costume designer had a heated argument, but in the end, the production team won. Imina wanted to make Taeju look as handsome as possible, but Taeju agreed with the idea of fitting the character. Imina, a veteran, wasn't unaware of this. The problem was that even with a dull complexion and heavy shadows under his eyes, Taeju still looked good.

"What is this? How can he still look like a model even in this outfit!"

Taeju was wearing a stretched-out, faded T-shirt and baggy sweatpants. His hair was messy, hanging down to his eyebrows, and tied back with a yellow rubber band. Despite this, he still drew people's attention.

Even after dressing him up as shabbily as possible, as discussed with the costume team, it was hard to hide Taeju's beauty.

"Once the acting starts, it will feel different."

Taeju assured them, but neither the costume team nor Imina really believed him. They knew he was a good actor, but his appearance was so outstanding that it might overshadow his acting. Even a famous actor, once considered the top Korean heartthrob, had often faced criticism about his acting due to his looks. Taeju seemed to be heading the same way.

'Sigh. I'll just look at the script.'

Doubts would disappear once filming started. For now, everyone was relaxed and comfortable, but once the camera started rolling, the atmosphere would change.

"Ready, action!"

After receiving the director's signal, Taeju immediately began acting. Today's scene was about a man in a small, rented room missing his girlfriend.

*

♪♬♪~~~

Through the rusted security bars, the sky was visible. It was a gloomy, overcast day, as if it would rain at any moment. On days like this, he always spent time with Seonmi.

When they had free time, they went to the movies or cafes. When they were busy, they watched old movies at home. Seonmi studied for the TOEIC, and he composed music. Or, he would look at her white neck, visible when she bowed her head to study. On such cloudy days, he missed Seonmi especially.

"Cut."

It wasn't a difficult scene. He was supposed to play the guitar lightly, look out the cloudy window, and think of his ex-girlfriend. Taeju stayed in position, expecting the next direction.

"Director?"

"..."

The assistant director called out to Director Jeong, but the director was deep in thought and didn't respond. Taeju and the entire crew waited for the director's reaction.

"Director?"

"Look at this. The eyes, the way they moisten. Oh, what could make a twenty-year-old so sad?"

"Right."

Perhaps because he was also an actor, Director Jeong always got lost in the actor's performance when he liked it. He would become so engrossed in the actor's emotions that he forgot to proceed. The assistant director had a way of bringing him back to reality.

"Time's ticking. Tick-tock."

"I told you to stop that."

Director Jeong snapped out of it and announced the next shot, a close-up of Taeju. Taeju noticed that the way people looked at him had changed. Before acting, they had looked at him as if he were a work of art, but now, most of them looked at him with a sense of melancholy.

Taeju, with his slightly hunched, thin shoulders and sitting on the crumpled bedding, looked pitifully endearing.

The rest of the filming went smoothly. The remaining scenes of the flashback, where Seonmi's character would appear, were planned to be shot after the actress arrived.

Considering that most of Busking's scenes were outdoors, the schedule was set to complete filming before the rainy season and the heat. Taeju, who was sensitive to heat, fully agreed with this plan.

On the way home, Taesan climbed onto Taeju's lap and started playing. Taeju was grateful to his manager for waiting patiently. He wished he could leave Taesan at home or in the garden, but Taesan refused to be separated from him, so he had to bring him to the set.

Fortunately, Taesan had become familiar with the set through his interview work and waited quietly. He loved the healing interview shoots, which only required a short session once a week. Taesan was a star even there.

The healing interview featured many other animals besides Taesan. The interviewee could choose their preferred animal, and Taeju and Taesan would join the shoot. Taesan enjoyed pouncing on the other animals and the interviewee.

"Manager, can you give me the information for tomorrow's interviewee?"

"Look to the side of your chair. It's in the envelope there."

Taeju took out the envelope and read the contents. He quite enjoyed this interview work. It didn't take much time, and all he had to do was ask a few questions and listen attentively. Most of all, he loved watching Taesan play with the other animals during the shoot.

Tomorrow's interviewee was a singer returning with a new album after three years. It would be good to listen to and familiarize himself with the new song in advance.

*

"Hello."

As Taeju entered the studio and greeted everyone, responses came from all around. There were especially warm looks directed at Taesan.

"Taeju, Taesan, this way."

The set for the healing interview was simple, with only a beanbag sofa and a carpet. Most interviewees sat on the carpet, making the set increasingly minimalist over time.

"Are these the animals we'll be shooting with today?"

"Yes, they're from an animal shelter."

"Wow, they're so cute."

Today, he would be shooting with dogs. Occasionally, the interview featured dogs or cats that needed help. The crew even ran a blog to help with adoptions, which had been well-received by the public despite only four episodes.

"Will you post their photos on the blog?"

"Yes, we have to."

"Then I'll help with the photos."

"Ah! That would be really helpful, Taeju."

After the interview, the crew took photos of the animals for the blog to help them find new homes.

Taeju was popular with animals. Partly because of Taesan's scent, but also due to the taming skills he had recently learned. He needed to control the animals during the interview, and the skills were quite useful, even if they weren't at a high level yet.

As Taeju reviewed the information about today's singer and the interview content, the singer, now made up, entered the set. The interviewee met the animals after answering the first question. The most popular scene was when the animals pounced on the interviewee, who was focused on the camera or the host.

Behind a curtain on one side of the set, Taesan and the dogs were waiting. This wasn't the original concept, but Taesan's playful behavior with the other animals made it a hit. The crew liked the animals' enthusiastic reactions and started hiding them behind a curtain.

"Hello, I'm singer Lee Seunggeon."

"Welcome. Mr. Lee, I heard you have some exciting news to share with the viewers of Healing Interview. Can you tell us about it?"

"Yes, this time, wow!"

Just as he was about to answer, Taesan and the other animals pounced on Lee Seunggeon. Taesan jumped into his arms, and the other animals licked his face and clung to him, causing him to stumble and fall onto the carpet. Taeju laughed at the unexpected reaction and continued the interview.

"The children really welcome Mr. Lee. Your new album 'Spring, and.' is getting a lot of attention. Can you tell us about the songs?"

"Ahaha. Just a moment, kids. What can I do? I love them so much."

Lee Seunggeon was so fond of the dogs that he couldn't focus on answering the questions, just petting them. Taeju asked the PD if he could give him some time to bond with the animals, and the PD readily agreed.

"They're really cute. I can't focus. Is this heaven? Haha."

The dogs settled around Lee Seunggeon, who sat on the carpet, touching and cuddling with him throughout the interview. He smiled throughout the session.

Even after the interview ended and he was saying goodbye to the crew, Lee Seunggeon was still smiling.

"That was a really comfortable and enjoyable interview. I could do this all day. Haha."

"It might be tough for the coordinator, though. Haha."

"Haha. That's true. He asked me several times if I was comfortable moving around."

Despite being covered in fur, he seemed to enjoy the atmosphere. He was also very interested in Taesan and asked for a paw print signature with sparkling eyes.

Taeju couldn't refuse that look and took out the paw print stamp. Taesan's channel had received many requests for paw print signatures, so Tae had made them at a craft studio.

When Taesan first brought the paw print stamp to the office, there was fierce competition for the first signature. Team Leader Woo pushed everyone aside to get the first paw print. The victorious smile he wore that day was unforgettable. Later, he framed the stamp and placed it on his desk.

"Here you go. You can take a photo too, but no flash."

"Thank you."

Lee Seunggeon called his manager to take a photo of him holding the paw print signature. He made sure the stamp was clearly visible in the photo.

'I don't even have a custom signature paper yet, but Taesan already has one.'

The custom signature paper was a gift from the CEO. After hearing about the paw print, he had made the paper. When Taeju stamped it, the CEO was overjoyed, as if he had won the world. The CEO had a surprisingly cute side.

*

Inside the cabin, the candy tree had grown several colors of candy. More colors than expected had grown, a total of five. It seemed the nutrient solution Taeju had made was effective.

"Vinegar that doesn't taste sour."

The vinegar Taeju made with various fruits had no sour taste. After filtering the liquid, a sweet, blue-scented vinegar was produced. Despite its unusual color and smell, Taeju decided to use it as a nutrient solution. The results were surprisingly good.

Taeju and Hee each tasted a candy from the tree. The event was coming to an end, and the colors were not common. They were light pink, sky blue, and silver. The candies were so delicious that Taeju and Hee wanted to buy the seeds, but they weren't for sale. The seeds seemed to be rare, only available during the event. Fortunately, they could get seeds just by participating.

"Hee, there are a lot of light pink ones. Have another one."

"Taeju, is that okay?"

"Yes, if we don't eat them now, we might not get to taste them for a long time."

"Taeju, thank you."

As Taeju picked a few candies for Hee, the pot was enveloped in a bright light. When the light faded, the pot was gone, apparently collected at the end of the event.

"Phew, I'm glad we picked them before they were collected. Here, Hee, take this."

Taeju filled a glass jar, as tall as Hee, with the candies and handed it to her. She was so happy that sparkling fairy dust spread in the air.

"Taeju, do you think our candy tree will win?"

"Hmm, that might be a bit difficult. Most people seem to grow at least three colors."

"But we have five."

"Haha. We'll know the results soon. Let's wait a little longer."

Although hoping to win the first garden event they participated in seemed greedy, Hee was hoping for a win. Maybe because it was their first event together, she wanted a good result.