Chapter 25

24. Excellence Award

The outdoor filming schedule for the movie Busking began. They would start with street performances in Seoul and then proceed to various locations up to Busan. After checking the schedule while lying on the bed, Tae-ju got up leisurely. He drank warm water and warmed up his voice, as he needed to sing during the filming and was taking good care of his throat.

Before showering, he gently brushed Taesan, who was sleeping. It seemed the weather was getting warmer, and Taesan was shedding a lot of fur. Taesan purred softly, enjoying the brushing. After finishing, Tae-ju prepared breakfast for Taesan and went to take a shower.

"Good morning, Manager."

Tae-ju carried the mobile cage with Taesan inside. As soon as he got into the van, he put Taesan's baby food in the fridge. Since the filming of Busking started, Tae-ju's van had always been packed with stuff. Moreover, the longer the filming went on, the more things accumulated in the car. Tae-ju's car was even more cluttered because of Taesan's belongings. Even using a seven-seater van alone, he couldn't imagine what it would be like for those who worked in groups.

*

Tae-ju tried to wait on set as much as possible while waiting for his turn to film. He enjoyed watching the movie production process and liked observing the various emotions that went around. However, he definitely did not want to witness a scene like this.

A staff member helping with the on-site setup in front of Tae-ju collapsed. Tae-ju thought it might be heatstroke due to the hot weather. When he rushed over to check, the person's body was unusually cold, despite the heat. His lips were almost black, and his face was pale.

"Manager, call 119."

Tae-ju asked Geon-woo, who was standing nearby, to call an ambulance and moved the collapsed staff member to a shaded area. After loosening the tight clothing, he looked for the director. Director Jeong Han-seon was already hurrying over.

"Tae-ju, what happened?"

"I'm not sure. This staff member was moving a box over there. After moving it and turning back, he just collapsed in front of me."

"What's going on? Who is this person? I've never seen him before. Was he here?"

The collapsed staff member was new to Jeong Han-seon. The assistant director approached to explain that the person was not originally a staff member but had been hired for the day to earn some money.

"Oh, is this the person you mentioned? The one who was going to starve to death because of unpaid wages?"

"Yes, that's him. I called him because of his difficult situation, but this is a big problem."

The ambulance arrived at the filming site, and the assistant director, who knew the collapsed staff member, went to the hospital with him. The set was in chaos, but people quickly regained their composure and continued setting up.

*

After finishing his makeup, Tae-ju stood on one side of the pedestrian path and started performing. The filming staff were controlling the crowd. Tae-ju placed an old crossbody bag at his feet, opened his guitar case, and began singing.

His soft, baritone voice carried through the streets with the guitar music. Tae-ju performed and sang as if he were actually busking. Director Jeong Han-seon used multiple cameras to capture Tae-ju's busking from various angles.

Before filming the busking scene, Tae-ju and Jeong Han-seon had met several times to discuss. They didn't talk about the script or character understanding but rather about Tae-ju's singing. Jeong Han-seon, who was captivated by Tae-ju's voice, often called him to sing whenever he had free time.

Thanks to this, songs different from the originally planned ones were included in the movie. These were mostly songs that Tae-ju liked. They also decided to use more cameras for the busking scenes because his singing was so captivating that they wanted to capture it from various angles.

"Director, how is that person doing?"

After removing his makeup and changing clothes, Tae-ju asked Jeong Han-seon. Jeong Han-seon, with an ambiguous expression, informed Tae-ju. Since Tae-ju was the first to discover the collapsed staff member, it was natural for him to be curious.

"Malnutrition. Malnutrition and anemia."

"Really? Malnutrition?"

"Our assistant director suggested bringing him in to give him some work because he was going to starve to death. It turned out to be true. Oh my. I didn't think such things still happened these days."

"Me too. I thought malnutrition only affected people on diets."

A young man in his twenties collapsing from malnutrition was indeed puzzling.

"Before coming to our set, he apparently worked on another set for a few months without getting paid. He looked so young, it was heartbreaking."

This was a common story in the film industry. It was not uncommon for people to be exploited, working tirelessly out of love for movies. Tae-ju, who had never been an unknown and had always been under the care of a manager since joining a management company, had not experienced such situations himself but had heard and seen many cases.

"Will you call him back when he recovers?"

"Can he follow the shoot? He needs to rest first."

Jeong Han-seon clearly felt sorry, but there was nothing he could do. Tae-ju was in the same position, with no way to help someone he had no connection with. He could only hope that the filming environment for Korean movies would improve so that such incidents would not happen again.

*

Kee-ru-ru-ruk.

The mailman visited the garden again. It had been a long time since the last visit, so he was very welcome.

"Hello. Do you have a letter?"

"Hello. I have a letter. It's from the Gardeners' Association."

"I've been waiting for it. Can I open it?"

"Sure. Go ahead, Hui. Is the mailman busy?"

"Not at all. I'll be busy tomorrow, but I'm free now."

"Then I'll make you some tea."

Tae-ju was happy to have the first visitor to his newly arranged garden. Of course, it was a bit different from an actual visitor. He guided the pelican mailman to a tea table set up between the flower beds in front of the cottage.

"Tae-ju!!! It's an Excellence Award."

"What?"

"Hahaha."

Tae-ju, who was about to fetch the tea set from the cottage, quickly ran over at Hui's shout. The letter Hui was reading contained the results of the event.

"Tae-ju, Tae-ju. We're having a party today."

"Wow! An Excellence Award? I thought I'd only get a participation award."

"Hahaha."

The pelican mailman laughed, watching the two.

"Hui, the mailman only delivered two letters today. One for the Grand Prize and one for the Excellence Award."

"Wow. Thank you so much. This is a great letter."

Tae-ju, overjoyed, forgot to bring the tea. The mailman cleared his throat to remind him, and Tae-ju quickly prepared and served the tea.

"Oh. Your tea is excellent. On a full moon night, it's best not to make tea. Otherwise, you might encounter a troublesome visitor."

"Troublesome visitor?"

"A gentleman who loves tea. He's a visitor who mostly opens the Moon Gate on full moon nights and visits various gardens, following the scent of good tea."

"Wow, what's the Moon Gate?"

Hui, the manager, seemed to have never heard of it either. Tae-ju, curious, urged the mailman to explain.

"The Moon Gate is a special portal that can be opened by a select few on full moon nights. It connects gardens."

"Wow. Can you go to other gardens through the Moon Gate?"

"Only with the permission of the other gardener. But the tea-loving gentleman can visit without permission."

Hui and Tae-ju's eyes sparkled. Tae-ju wanted to see other gardens if the opportunity arose. He had no idea where they were or who owned them, so getting permission would be impossible. However, if the tea-loving gentleman could get permission from other gardeners, he might be able to visit.

"However, the tea-loving gentleman is a very troublesome visitor. They love pranks and will keep playing them until you offer them a fragrant cup of tea. They will stay in your garden until the next full moon."

"Wow. Can they get permission for us to visit other gardens?"

"They can, but they are very troublesome pranksters."

Hui and Tae-ju didn't hear the mailman's warning. They were filled with the idea of possibly seeing other gardens they had only imagined. Tae-ju resolved to make tea on the next full moon.

The mailman, guessing their thoughts, remained silent. He knew how many gardeners had been troubled by the tea-loving gentleman, but the new gardener had no idea. He would have to experience it to understand.

"Your garden has become beautiful. I can see that you and Hui have put a lot of effort into it."

"Yep. Hui, Tae-ju, and the dwarves decorated it together."

"The dwarves are excellent craftsmen."

Hui, pleased with the mailman's praise, fluttered up and sprinkled glowing dust. The mailman, making a kee-ru-ru-ruk sound with his beak, thanked her politely. Hui, blushing, flew behind Tae-ju to hide.

*

After the mailman left, Hui and Tae-ju decided to open the silver box they had never seen before. The 'Guitar with a Fragment of the Sun' they got from the golden box was being used well.

The shop only sold red boxes, so it was rare to have a chance to open such a box. It seemed that such items could only be obtained through special events.

"Tae-ju, hurry up."

"Okay. I'll open it now."

Tae-ju was surprised when he read the description of the item that appeared after the light faded. The things he had seen in the garden so far were unrealistic. Of course, the Scales of Life were also mysterious, but the description of this scale felt different, more tangible.

"Hui, let's not use this. Can we sell it in the shop?"

"Tae-ju, don't you like it?"

"It's not about liking it or not. I hope we never have to use it. Using it means someone's life is in danger."

"Okay. I'll keep it then."

"Hui, just sell it in the shop."

Tae-ju tried several times to convince Hui to sell it, but she refused. Hui had a feeling that the scale would be necessary. In the garden, there was nothing that a gardener didn't need. Especially items from rare boxes like the silver one were given to help the gardener at some point.

Tae-ju frowned at Hui's refusal but didn't force her to give it up. He knew she wouldn't do anything to harm him. However, the description of the scale made him feel uneasy.

'The only people I would sacrifice my life for are my family, Hui, and Taesan.'

This was Tae-ju's honest feeling. He would sacrifice himself for his brother, mother, Taesan, and Hui. He felt guilty about Dan, but Taesan and Hui were different.

'Why did I have to get something like this? It should have just given me more DP.'

Tae-ju clicked his tongue and made Hui promise not to use it, only to keep it. He was fine with sacrificing himself for Hui, but the thought of Hui sacrificing herself for him was unbearable.

The argument ended, but the uncomfortable feeling lingered. Hui could sense Tae-ju's mood and was watching him carefully, but there was nothing she could do.

"Meow."

Taesan and Dan, who had disappeared before the mailman arrived, returned. They had been obsessed with exploring the maze recently. The maze, which was about Tae-ju's waist height, was a fun playground for the two four-legged creatures. According to Hui, they were having a race to see who could find the pond or fountain first. Hui, who could fly, couldn't participate.

Dan handed Tae-ju a white feather. Tae-ju thought it might be from the mailman, but Hui said it was found in the treehouse. The treehouse was quite far from the cottage, so it was unlikely to be the mailman's feather.

It seemed there was a winged visitor coming and going without anyone knowing. Tae-ju reconsidered his previous suspicion that it might be an angel.