Chapter 26

25. People to Be Pitied

Tae-ju was still waking up at 6 a.m. these days. He visited the garden in the early morning as he used to. Today, the room was filled with fruits he had brought from the garden. He had planned to send some to the company and share them with the staff at the filming site, so he had brought them on purpose.

Although the random box reward was on his mind, he wanted to celebrate the pleasant event of winning an excellence award. The atmosphere had improved thanks to Tae-san and Dan-dan, but he was still concerned about Hui's cautious behavior. If he could bring real items, he could surprise Hui with a gift, but he regretted that he couldn't.

While Tae-ju was diligently peeling fruits in the kitchen, Yeon-woo came down and asked Tae-ju with a surprised look.

"Brother Tae-ju, what are you doing?"

"Huh? I'm making a fruit box to take to the filming site."

"The fruits are all smashed."

"Yeah, it's not easy."

Soon after Yeon-woo came down, Tae-woo also came down. It seemed Tae-san had opened the door and woken him up.

"How's the academy?"

"It's fun. After getting a chef's license, I'll get a barista's license too."

"Good. I'm glad you're enjoying it."

Lately, Yeon-woo and Tae-woo were sharing a room. They used the downstairs as a workshop. They made things, cooked, and edited the footage they had shot. They did something together every day. Recently, they had been out of the house a lot, but it was fortunate that they got along well.

Tae-ju was eventually pushed out of the kitchen. Tae-woo and Yeon-woo, unable to bear watching Tae-ju's knife skills, naturally took over. They neatly divided the fruits by type into individual containers and even included forks. It was exactly what Tae-ju had initially wanted to do.

"You two could easily run a dessert shop. You've arranged them so beautifully."

"Hehe."

Seeing the two of them smiling at each other, Tae-ju also smiled.

*

After dropping off the fruits at the office, Tae-ju headed to the filming site. Today's location was near where they had busked yesterday. The movie had a lot of scenes with Tae-ju, the lead actor. While there were other cast members, Tae-ju appeared in almost every scene.

"Director, where did our runaway girl go?"

"Ha. If Jun-hee hears that, you'll be in trouble again."

"No, does Jun-hee-ssi's face really look like she's 25? She looks like a high school student."

"Ha ha. That's why she's playing a high school student."

Jun-hee played a runaway high school student who tries to steal the money Tae-ju earns from busking and gets caught. She looked like a teenager but was actually 25, a graduate who had already starred in several short and independent films. Although Tae-ju hadn't heard of her before the regression, her acting wasn't bad. He had prepared an extra lunch box for her because she liked fruits, but she wasn't there.

"These fruits are so sweet. Are they from the same place as the ones you bring to the company?"

"Yes, they are from the same place."

"It's a shame they don't sell them separately."

"By the way, I wonder if that person is doing better."

Right after eating the fruits, Jeong-han-seon continued, looking as if his taste had turned bitter.

"The company that withheld wages has closed down and gone into hiding. She worked there for over three months. There are so many scammers. They always target the weak. Ah."

"Pity. What did she do before? I saw her carrying luggage yesterday."

"It's obvious. She's an aspiring director."

How must it feel to put in effort and only be used by someone? Although Tae-ju didn't win the lead role at the film festival as he had hoped, he had received ample rewards since becoming an actor. He had gained both popularity and wealth, which were fair results.

"I need to work harder."

"Huh?"

"I'm definitely lucky. I have a good company and good colleagues. So, I just need to work a bit harder."

"Son. Just keep doing what you're doing. Don't overdo it."

Gyeon-woo and Jeong-han-seon's manager were helping the staff carry the equipment. On an independent film set, everyone has to do multiple jobs. Tae-ju, the lead actor, was waiting for the filming to start to prevent any potential injuries, but others didn't even have time to eat. The independent film set was like that.

"Shall I sing a song?"

"Sure. Sing an upbeat song to encourage everyone."

"Okay."

Tae-ju took out the guitar with a piece of the sun and started singing. People's expressions brightened. Since he needed to warm up his voice before filming, it was fine to practice with a couple of songs.

"Such a good-looking guy, how can he sing so well? He has everything, everything."

Jeong-han-seon always gave this kind of backhanded compliment after hearing Tae-ju sing.

While waiting for the filming preparations to finish, Jun-hee, who played the high school student, returned with a little girl's hand.

"Sis?"

"Jun-hee, where did you get that child?"

"Are you kidding? Director, do we have any leftover lunch?"

Jun-hee cautiously asked if there was any leftover food. Tae-ju immediately understood the situation. Jun-hee, who had to film a scene of running away later, seemed to have found this child while scouting the location.

"My name is Tae-ju. What's your name?"

"Moongyeong."

"Moongyeong, huh? Have you had lunch? If not, would you like to eat with me?"

"Okay."

A quick-witted staff member nearby brought a lunch box. While Tae-ju took care of the child's meal, Jeong-han-seon took Jun-hee aside to ask what happened.

"I went to check the escape route we're filming this afternoon before lunch. The child was sitting there. I went back after eating, and she was still sitting there."

"Where's your home? Was there no guardian nearby?"

"Her home is in the next alley from where we're filming. There was no guardian, and when I took her home, there was no food. She lives with her dad, but he hasn't come home for days."

"For days?"

"Yes. I thought I should at least give her something to eat."

Jeong-han-seon reassured Jun-hee, who was looking anxious. Yesterday and today, he kept noticing people who needed help.

"Hehehe."

"Haha."

By the time they finished eating, Tae-ju and Moongyeong were singing a children's song and playing. Moongyeong, who had seemed wary of strangers, didn't seem to be wary of Tae-ju. Tae-ju was sitting next to her, feeding her fruits one by one and taking care of her.

'He's so different from his appearance.'

Jeong-han-seon watched Tae-ju, who was taking care of the child attentively, with satisfaction. Despite his good looks, his actions were full of warmth. He prepared for his acting diligently and was never late for appointments or filming.

"The child doesn't know her dad's number?"

"I called, but he didn't answer. I tried several times."

"Oh dear. Poor thing."

Since the child looked like she was from the neighborhood, they decided to keep her at the filming site until someone who knew her came. During filming, Gyeon-woo, Tae-ju's manager, would look after her, and if no one came, they would take her to the police station.

*

"Hey! Don't stand there."

"..."

"Hey, give me my case."

Holding the case with money, Jun-hee ran quickly through the alleys. Tae-ju, with his guitar slung over his shoulder and a bag in his hand, was chasing her. If she had only stolen the money, he would have given up, but the problem was the guitar case she had taken.

He was angry at the girl who had stolen a case with a few thousand won and some coins, and at himself for chasing after it. It was all pathetic.

Tae-ju couldn't bring himself to chase the thief any further. The complicated alleys were a problem, but he was also exhausted from performing for hours in the heat.

"Huff, huff. Damn. My case, huff."

Bent over, Tae-ju's sweat dripped onto the ground.

"Cut. Fix Tae-ju's makeup. Jun-hee, come here."

"Okay."

Jeong-han-seon was continuously reshooting the escape scene, which he didn't like. Tae-ju wiped his sweat and got his makeup redone while Jun-hee received direction. This was already the eighth time he had run through the alley. The camera crew, who were running with the camera, had been drenched in sweat for a long time.

"Sis, give me this shirt too."

Eun-na gave Tae-ju another T-shirt, the third one. Not wanting to go to the makeup room, Tae-ju changed on the set.

"Wow!"

Someone at the filming site exclaimed. Although Tae-ju hadn't intended to show off his body, people's eyes were drawn to his well-built physique.

"Tae-ju, your body is really good. You could be a model."

"Ha. Anyone can be a model."

When Tae-ju returned to the filming site and got into position, Jun-hee apologized with a guilty expression.

"I'm sorry. I'll do better this time."

"Okay, sis. This time, really run."

"Ha. I'll really run."

Tae-ju's playful acceptance of her apology helped ease Jun-hee's tension. She had to look back and check the distance while running, but she had been so focused on running that she forgot to act. It was a beginner's mistake, but Tae-ju didn't say anything.

After reshooting the escape scene five more times, they finally got the okay. Tae-ju still had many scenes left. He had to film a scene where he found his abandoned case in a pile of trash while looking for a place to sleep that night, and a scene where he saved the girl who had stolen his money in the park during the day.

The filming would continue until dawn. It was fortunate that it was a Saturday, so he could leave Tae-san. Before moving to the next filming location, Tae-ju called Tae-woo to let him know the filming would take longer. The day was already getting dark, and there was still a lot of filming left.

"I'm sorry. I caused you trouble."

"What, did I run alone? We all worked hard."

While they were talking about the recent filming, a police car arrived with a loud siren. The staff, who were packing up the equipment, stopped, and Jeong-han-seon, who was discussing something with the assistant director, approached the police car.

"What's going on?"

"We received a report."

"Really?"

"A missing 5-year-old girl."

The staff's gaze turned to one side. It was the child sleeping on the lead actor's chair. The police officers followed their gaze and immediately contacted someone.

"Yes, yes. We'll check."

After the police confirmed the child, another police car arrived. The person who got out of the passenger seat opened the back door, and a man with bandages and gauze all over his body got out of the car.

He walked with difficulty to the filming site and the chair where the child was sleeping. A police officer helped him. Upon confirming the child was safe, he burst into tears with a hoarse voice.

"Ah, Moongyeong."

"What's going on here?"

Jeong-han-seon gave the signal to dismantle the set and went to the police to ask what happened.

Moongyeong's father was a construction worker. He had gone to work early that morning and had an accident on his way back. Since he had no one to leave the child with, he usually entrusted her to neighbors, but there was no one available that day. Worried about the child left alone at home, he had an accident while speeding.

He regained consciousness that afternoon. As soon as he woke up in the hospital, he rushed home, but couldn't find the child. Despite his injuries, he went to the police station to report her missing, and the police found her at the filming site.

"I was wondering why I couldn't reach him. How could he be so reckless?"

It was fortunate that Moongyeong and her father were reunited, but his injuries looked severe. People who heard the story looked at him with pity.

While the police were explaining, Moongyeong, who had woken up, was hugging her father and crying. Moongyeong's father, with his uninjured arm, held her and cried together.

"Dad. Waaah."

"Moongyeong. Sob."

The filming site quickly finished the dismantling preparations. Moongyeong's father, who was being supported by the police, was still holding her hand as they headed home. Moongyeong waved with her free hand to Tae-ju and Jun-hee. Tae-ju felt a bit envious of the way they held hands and left.

After the filming that continued until dawn, Tae-ju visited the garden and bought several bottles of recovery medicine. He had to reshoot some scenes in the same neighborhood because the escape scene had taken too long yesterday. Since Jun-hee knew Moongyeong's house, there shouldn't be any problem delivering the medicine.

"Maybe I can put the recovery medicine in a homemade juice bottle."

The healing effect of the recovery medicine was not significant. It didn't work on serious illnesses or major injuries. It was effective for minor stomachaches or pain, but it couldn't heal injuries from a car accident like Moongyeong's father's. However, it was better than nothing because of its significant stamina recovery effect. Tae-ju put the oranges in a blender and transferred the recovery medicine to another bottle. He planned to give it to them before moving to the next filming location.