Chapter 30

29. Extra Actors

The sound of Taesan and the animals running into the studio could be heard. Today's interview was with an actor who loves dogs. Taesan, leading the large dogs that were bigger than himself, pounced on the interview subject. These days, he is so well-known that everyone seems to expect him to pounce.

Perhaps because it allows viewers to see a new side of the stars, there have been many posts on the viewer boards requesting the invitation of their favorite stars. Of course, there have also been many posts about Taeju and Taesan.

"Another comparison photo of Taesan has been posted. It seems Taesan does resemble a white tiger."

"A little, right? But Taesan is much cuter."

Mina showed Taeju the comparison photo of Taesan and a white tiger that had been posted on the board. Upon seeing the photo, Taeju made a strange expression, neither laughing nor crying. Since it was a white tiger, he couldn't bring himself to reveal it, and such situations often arise.

Unlike a short-haired tiger, Taesan had slightly fluffy fur. This might have been due to the abundant fur supplements he was fed as a puppy. Although it was a bit troublesome during shedding season, it made him look slightly different from other tigers.

In fact, much of the reason people felt Taesan resembled a tiger was due to the skills he possessed. Of course, the biggest reason seemed to be that he hadn't yet grown to his full size, as he hadn't completed his first growth phase.

'From the moment he hatched, he was anything but ordinary. Still, I can't raise such an active creature only inside the house.'

Through the comparison photo, it was clear that Taesan was slightly smaller than a two-month-old tiger cub. Taeju knew that his growth would stop until the conditions for his first growth phase were met, but he seemed too small.

'Looking at him like this, it almost seems like his size doesn't matter.'

Taesan was playing with a dog much larger than himself, clinging to it. With the strength in his front paws, he lightly tapped the dog, causing it to roll over on the ground. Taesan, realizing he had startled the dog, immediately approached and purred. Despite his young appearance, he was quite strong and could easily break things when excited.

"Mr. Taeju, let's go. We need to leave now to avoid being late for the meeting."

"Yes, I understand. Taesan, come here."

Unlike usual, they had to leave the studio early today. Although he wanted to let Taesan play as much as possible during the weekly shoot, there was no time today. He had to go to a pre-meeting for a photo shoot. He had adjusted his schedule to minimize travel, but it was tight.

"Is Senior Jinhyuk coming too?"

"No, only you today."

Taeju asked Keunwoo if Jinhyuk, who had a photo shoot with him, would also be at today's meeting.

"Taesu, change into this shirt."

"But, Mina, I'll have to change again when I get there."

Today's meeting was to try on the clothes made based on previous measurements and to decide on the overall styling direction. Even if he changed before going, he would have to change again upon arrival.

"Are you going to go in a fur ball? Change now."

"Yes, ma'am."

The world of stylists, like Jujoo, who he had worked with before, was hard to understand. Even though they knew he would have to change again according to the concept when he arrived at the photo shoot, they insisted he be fully dressed from makeup to clothing before entering.

'Is this a matter of professional pride?'

While receiving a stern look from Mina, Taeju changed his clothes. Since he had just finished shooting, he only needed a light touch-up for his makeup. The smell of cosmetics made Taesan sniff for a moment, but he quickly lost interest and hid in the tent.

At first, Taesan would sniff at every smell of cosmetics when Taeju got his makeup done, but now he seemed used to it and was indifferent. Mina, who skillfully dressed Taeju in the moving car, smiled in satisfaction.

"You have a good touch. A little touch-up, and the atmosphere completely changes."

"Ha. A good touch? Wow. Raising my hair feels so refreshing. I was suffocated by my hair during the busking shoot."

"Seonyul also suggested a messy hairstyle."

"Again? Ah. I don't like having long hair because it feels suffocating."

Why do musicians always have long hair? This is all a stereotype. As Taeju rambled on about his complaints about long hair, Mina's expression turned sour. She seemed to have forgotten that she was the one who opposed the short hair style during the initial busking style meeting.

Slap!

"Ouch. Why did you hit me, Mina?"

"Because you're annoying."

"Wow, you're so confident."

"Want another one?"

Fearing she might really hit him again, Taeju obediently said no. The two people in the front seat laughed, but he pretended not to notice.

*

After the meeting, they drove straight to the busking shoot location. Without time to eat lunch, they decided to have sandwiches.

"That's strange. I eat regularly, so why am I losing weight?"

Taeju usually took good care of his meals. Although he hadn't been able to eat properly for a few days due to the recent heat, he usually made sure to have snacks as well.

'Is it because of the amount of activity?'

He cultivates crops and picks fruits in the garden every day. He also practices instruments and acting for hours at the performance venue. In between, he plays with Taesan and tends to the garden. Thinking about it, his activity level was much higher than the amount of food he ate. Besides, most of what he ate in the garden was fruit. He occasionally ate bread from the round bread tree, but usually, his diet consisted of tea and fruit.

"It's probably because of the increased number of shoots. How about we grill some eel for dinner after the shoot?"

"Hopefully it will end on time."

"Ugh."

Formal, who was driving quietly, sighed. Taeju's expression also stiffened slightly, remembering a conversation from the previous day.

"Where did those people learn acting? I don't know much about universities, but they couldn't even deliver a single line."

"Some schools focus more on theory. They might be from such a place."

There was indeed someone who had learned from such a place before. They had a lot of knowledge about directing techniques and the history of cinema, but they had no idea how to handle things on set. It was so frustrating that he couldn't stand it and asked the director to let him shoot separately. The director, though hesitant, adjusted the schedule, which was fortunate.

"Hopefully, it won't be a mess like yesterday."

"Given how much trouble they caused yesterday, they must have prepared well today."

"Ugh."

Formal sighed again. Taeju felt the same way. Not only did they not show any sign of remorse, but they had also drunk and insulted the director. It seemed unlikely that they had prepared properly for the shoot.

'If they really want to act, why are they acting like this?'

Taeju and his group quietly approached the shoot location after getting out of the car. Currently, Joonhee and an extra were shooting, but it wasn't the problematic extra. While Taeju was watching over Taesan and waiting for his turn, a person approached hesitantly.

Although it was an independent film, extras rarely approached the lead actor, Taeju. Curious about why this person had come, Taeju noticed that Taesan, intrigued by the stranger, was staring intently at the tent entrance.

"What is it?"

"Could you help me practice my lines?"

"Hmm. Sure, sit down."

Although he considered refusing, he agreed when he saw the crumpled script.

At first, they practiced the lines without emotion, but as they went on, they added occasional movements.

"This should be good enough."

"Thank you."

"Are you close with the actors from yesterday's shoot?"

The man's expression darkened at Taeju's question. He quickly composed himself, but Taeju had definitely noticed.

"One is my senior from university, and the other is a friend of that senior."

When asked about the university, he hesitated before answering. The faces of Taeju's group, who had been listening, twisted. It was a university that had been mentioned in the news recently, where a professor had been dismissed for unethical behavior.

The man who answered looked guilty. Although it wasn't his fault, it was inevitable that his expression would sour at the mention of the university.

"Of all places."

"What did the students do wrong? The professor was the problem."

"That's true."

"Not preparing for the role is a personal fault."

Taeju's words drew a line, and he didn't say anything more about the university, but he still felt uneasy. Taeju also became slightly wary and gave a pleading look to Formal. Confirming that Formal nodded, Taeju continued to practice the script.

*

"Cut. Huh. You guys, come here."

The atmosphere on set froze due to the extras' lack of professionalism. Director Jeonghansun sighed and called the extras over. They approached the director with rough steps, seemingly unconcerned about the surrounding gazes.

'Can actors really have such an attitude?'

By Taeju's standards, it was incomprehensible. To maintain good relationships with the production team for future collaborations, one couldn't ignore the rumors that spread in this small industry. If such an attitude became known, no one would hire them.

Director Jeonghansun was explaining their roles to them, and Taeju, with narrowed eyes, observed the scene. The person who had asked Taeju to practice the lines was listening attentively, but the other two were just standing around.

The shoot resumed, but the extras' mistakes continued.

Taeju's anger boiled over.

"Hey, what are you even doing?"

"What? Hey?"

"Can't you see that everyone is suffering because of you?"

"What are you saying?"

Taeju, not hiding his frustration, lashed out. The extras approached as if to grab him by the collar. Director Jeonghansun quickly signaled to Keunwoo, who rushed to stand between T