Chapter 32

31. Photo Shoot

The outdoor shoot was almost over. The excitement of shooting a road movie, something he had never done before, had long since faded, and now he just wanted to get back to the studio.

The air was stifling, even though it wasn't the hottest part of the day. He hadn't expected the weather to get so hot so quickly. It was barely mid-July, yet it was unbearably hot.

“Tae-san, it’s hot. Can you walk instead, bro?”

“Meow.”

‘It’s not your fault that the road is hot, bro.’

In the middle of a break during the shoot to walk Tae-san, the road had become scorching hot, and Tae-san started to whine, demanding to be carried. In the morning, he had walked well, but as noon approached and the road heated up, he refused to walk and insisted on being carried.

“Sure. Tae-san is precious, so I understand.”

“Chuckle.”

Hyung-sik, who had been following Tae-ju, burst out laughing at the sight. Wearing a straw hat and large sunglasses, Hyung-sik was already in full summer mode, dressed in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. In contrast, Tae-ju, wearing long pants and a long-sleeved shirt to avoid sunburn, looked much cooler.

‘I have this, though. Hehehe.’

Tae-ju looked fondly at the black bracelet on his left wrist. It was a pet cooling band, the same kind that Tae-san wore around his neck.

To prepare for the evening photo shoot, Tae-ju and his team finished the afternoon shoot early and left the location. As they got into the cool van, they finally felt a sense of relief.

‘If we keep doing studio shoots, we start to want outdoor shoots, and if outdoor shoots go on too long, we start to miss the studio. There’s no middle ground, no middle ground.’

Most of Seonyul’s shoots were in the studio. Especially for Tae-ju, many scenes were shot in front of a green screen. Playing the role of a violinist with monstrous skills that could evoke illusions, a lot of CG was planned for the scenes where he played the violin.

‘Strangely, it feels like there’s a lot of work. At first, I thought I would take it easy, but now my schedule is packed until next spring.’

After regressing, he had planned to rest for a while before starting to act again, but ended up joining a management company and debuting. After the debut, he was captivated by new scripts and put off rest, booking one movie after another.

As his recognition grew, the work would likely increase. After the Busan shoot, he had a few photo shoot jobs lined up. Although he had turned down some low-paying ads, he had accepted most of the photo jobs. It seemed he would have to do photo shoots in between filming Seonyul.

‘Definitely, a big company is better. How many newbies get this much work? I mean, only the big jobs, of course.’

Getting the photo shoot for this brand was largely thanks to his management company. While Tae-ju’s appearance was outstanding, it wasn’t easy for a newbie to become a model for such a high-end brand. It was more accurate to say that he was chosen based on the capabilities of Jin-hyuk, who had been a dedicated member for years, and the support of Triz.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“About this photo shoot. It seems like a good opportunity thanks to Jin-hyuk’s help.”

“That’s true. But the important thing is that Tae-ju fits the image they were looking for. Especially being chosen as the main model for the sub-brand is entirely due to Tae-ju’s abilities.”

“Manager, you’re right. They wouldn’t just pick someone based on a recommendation. There’s so much scrutiny.”

While Jin-hyuk’s help was significant, it was Tae-ju’s abilities that got him chosen. His team corrected him, emphasizing that his actor wasn’t someone who relied solely on others. Tae-ju had just mentioned Jin-hyuk casually, but everyone seemed to be trying to boost his confidence, worried that he might feel discouraged.

“Hahaha. Thanks, everyone. I just thought it was a good opportunity and I’m grateful to Jin-hyuk.”

Hearing the laughter in Tae-ju’s voice, everyone joined in, creating a warm atmosphere in the car.

*

Tae-ju and his team entered the studio. The studio was already bustling with people doing their respective jobs. Jin-hyuk hadn’t arrived yet. Tae-ju and his team were guided to the makeup room by a staff member. Tae-san was being held by Hyung-sik.

The healing interview set, which featured many animals, had minimal wiring and lighting, but this place was different. The floor was so cluttered that it was hard to walk without looking down.

“Hyung-sik, take Tae-san to Tae-ju’s house and go in first.”

“No, I’ll wait until the shoot is over.”

“Anyway, you’re off tomorrow. Is it okay, Tae-ju?”

Gyeon-woo adjusted the schedule, suggesting they start early the day after tomorrow, and sent Hyung-sik off first. Tae-ju, worried about the unsuitable environment for Tae-san, welcomed Gyeon-woo’s suggestion. After calming Tae-san, who was clinging to him, he started his makeup.

Tae-ju, wearing a suit made of large check fabric, began the shoot. Jin-hyuk and his team arrived shortly after. Jin-hyuk waved at Tae-ju, who was in the middle of shooting, and then went to get his makeup done.

Tae-ju posed familiarly. He had done many suit photo shoots before and had even been a dedicated model for an overseas brand for a few years.

Click, click.

“Good. Can you move a bit?”

Following the photographer’s instructions, he moved his body lightly. How to pose to highlight the clothing and look beautiful is something models always consider. Although Tae-ju wasn’t a professional model, he posed skillfully, having learned through various ads, from clothing to watches, cosmetics, and perfumes.

Click, click.

“Good. Can you lower your head a bit?”

The first outfit’s solo shots were quickly completed. Jin-hyuk took Tae-ju’s place, approaching with a playful expression and asking for a high-five. Tae-ju, amused by his unexpected behavior, lightly high-fived him.

Jin-hyuk was really different from his appearance. His tone and actions were very different. He looked sharp and cold, but his actions were childlike. While Jin-hyuk was being photographed, Tae-ju quickly changed into another outfit.

“Just turn your heads and face each other.”

“Ha!”

“Oh, what do we do when you laugh, sir?”

For some reason, Jin-hyuk kept laughing whenever he faced Tae-ju. He would laugh even after making a serious expression and turning his head. Tae-ju, not knowing why Jin-hyuk was laughing, couldn’t help but laugh along.

Although it was different from the concept, the scenes where both of them burst into laughter were also being photographed. The photos of two handsome actors facing each other and laughing, while not suitable for the ad, were definitely a pleasant sight.

Jin-hyuk’s laughter subsided, and the shoot progressed quickly. Both Tae-ju and Jin-hyuk were very familiar with such shoots. Without needing instructions from the photographer, they posed to bring out each other’s best features.

After the shoot, the brand representatives gathered to select the photos. As they looked through dozens of photos on the screen, their foreheads began to wrinkle.

“Wow. I want to use all these photos. There are so many A-cuts. It might be faster to pick out the B-cuts.”

“That’s true. I knew Jin-hyuk’s skills, but Tae-ju is also flawless. His poses and even his gaze. There’s not a single photo to discard.”

“Next shoot won’t be a worry.”

“Why would there be any worry? We might not get such good photos again, so we should focus on selecting them.”

The people gathered in front of the screen couldn’t stop smiling, pleased with the photos. Despite the late start and the shoot continuing until the early morning, everyone seemed to forget their fatigue due to the excellent results.

Tae-ju, who had come back from a film shoot in a local area in the morning, was a bit tired but didn’t want to ruin the good atmosphere, so he listened quietly to the people’s conversations.

“Tae-ju, do you want some late-night snacks?”

“Yes, I’m hungry.”

“Let’s go.”

Following Jin-hyuk’s lead, they went to a clam grill restaurant that stayed open until the early morning. Jin-hyuk bought food for everyone, praising the clams.

“Sir, why did you laugh so much earlier? I got in trouble for laughing along.”

“Chuckle. Well, you appeared on a variety show with Hyung Dong-seok. I saw it when you came home last time, and I thought you were very reserved. But in the show, you were so clumsy. Is that your real self?”

“Oh, that was a long time ago. And I was just nervous, not usually like that.”

“Sure, sure.”

Jin-hyuk looked at Tae-ju with sleepy eyes, and Tae-ju averted his gaze. Even Tae-ju thought he looked clumsy, and he knew how others saw him. He still remembered the teasing messages he received from his friend Eun-hyuk after the show aired.

‘They called me Binggu, a common village fool.’

Grinding his teeth!

“Did you bite a shell?”

“No.”

Tae-ju decided to get revenge on Eun-hyuk later and focused on the clams, as he was very hungry from the long shoot. As Jin-hyuk had promised, the clams were delicious. However, Jin-hyuk’s gaze, watching Tae-ju eat with satisfaction, was a bit unsettling.

“Tae-ju.”

“Yes?”

“I’m going on a variety show in two weeks.”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you tell Team Leader Woo that you’re okay with going with us?”

It seemed Jin-hyuk was planning to take Tae-ju on the variety show. Tae-ju, feeling the clams stuck in his throat, agreed since he had already given his consent.

“What kind of show is it?”

“A forest café.”

“I’ve never heard of it. Is it about selling tea? I’m good at brewing tea. I can also make good coffee.”

The sound of coughing was heard as people around them heard his offer. Gyeon-woo shook his head, signaling to refuse, but Jin-hyuk blocked Tae-ju’s view. Jin-hyuk’s manager also stepped in to prevent Gyeon-woo from speaking to Tae-ju.

The café Jin-hyuk mentioned was set up in a corner of a ranch, targeting tourists visiting the ranch. The concept was to donate the sales revenue. The problem was that there was a minimum revenue target, and if it wasn’t met, they had to do other jobs to make up the difference.

So far, the cast had never met the revenue target. The amounts weren’t large, but the prices of the food and drinks sold at the café were very low. Moreover, the number of customers visiting the café was not high.

It seemed the producers had intentionally set it up this way. Jin-hyuk and Seo Jeong-guk had to do penalty missions every time. In the previous episode, they had to dig clams from the mudflats and fertilize trees in an orchard. This time, they might have to clean the cow pens or bathe the animals