Chapter 41

40. Melody Shooting

The children say they play until they run out of energy and then just fall asleep. Taesan, though a tiger, played and ran around like a child without stopping. When he got tired and sleepy, he would lie down and sleep anywhere. When Hae told him where the sleeping Taesan was, it was already a familiar routine to go and carry him back.

Today, Taeju also carried the sleeping Taesan from under a fruit tree and placed him in the den. Inside the den were things Taesan liked. The blanket, ball, and rope that were kept in the cabin were scattered around. A few of Taeju's things were also visible. The cushion from the rocking chair was placed on the den floor.

"Wow, what's all this? Brother, your slippers are all here."

The slippers that were disappearing one by one from the cabin every day were all here. The slippers Taeju held in his hand were covered in bite marks. After shaking his head, he put the slippers back in the den.

"Hae, can we buy the materials for the hot air balloon now?"

"Taeju, we're still short."

"Huh? No, we have enough."

"Um, Taeju. Hae wants to buy this too."

Hae pointed to an item, and Taeju gasped. What Hae pointed to was a net cannon that looked like an RPG.

'No way. Why is such a thing even for sale!'

"Hae, this is a bit much. Isn't it cheating to catch them with this?"

"Cheating?"

"Um, yes. We should catch them one by one."

Hae looked at Taeju with a puzzled expression. He didn't know how they caught them in other gardens, but he didn't want to buy such a thing.

"Hae wants to catch a lot of shooting stars."

"Well, if you want to catch a lot, you should catch them."

Hae clenched her fists and burned with enthusiasm. Taeju, thinking it was too late to stop her, encouraged her, saying that if Hae wanted to, she could catch a lot.

"Taeju, let's pick the fruits quickly."

"Huh? Oh, okay."

That day, Taeju picked fruits until Hae was satisfied, made skin cream, and made herbal tea.

After registering all the items in the shop and taking a short break, Taesan approached Taeju and leaned against him. It felt like he was comforting him, which was slightly touching.

"Taeju, Taesan says the den is too small. Can you clear out some of the stuff?"

"Hey, you. You suddenly acted friendly, but you had an ulterior motive."

While listening to Taesan's complaints, Taeju cleaned the den and decided to return to reality early.

*

Melody uses a lot of CG for Taeju's violin solo. Because of this, Taeju was standing alone in front of a blue screen. Wearing a gray T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, he held a reddish-brown violin. His casual attire didn't match the expensive violin.

Today, Taeju had to express Jae-ha's confused emotions. The feeling of loving but hating, why she left him even though she loved him, and why his violin playing was the reason for her suicide. He had to act as if he still couldn't understand it after several years.

'Luckily, it's a scene where I have to act confused. I couldn't really understand why she committed suicide either.'

Jae-ha's lover is also a violinist. She is a character who takes good care of him, making sure he only plays the violin and taking care of his surroundings. When his world is left with only the violin and her, she suddenly commits suicide.

"Play comfortably. There will be a forest in the background. Think of it as an autumn forest with some dry trees and fallen leaves on the ground."

"Okay."

The teacher who had been giving Taeju violin lessons for the past five months was also there. She agreed to come to the studio for the next few days to help. She had traveled between Seoul and the shooting location for the busking scenes, but it was worth it.

The teacher, though young, was a talented violinist with experience performing with famous orchestras abroad. She was better known as the favorite student of the renowned violinist Professor Kim Nam-suk.

Taeju's violin preference was for bright and lively classical music. All the pieces he had learned in the past were of this type.

However, Jae-ha in Melody was a person who had spent years in confusion, anxiety, and doubt. Therefore, he had to learn to express the music in a sharp and sensitive way. He had struggled quite a bit to learn the flashy and intricate pieces needed for the shooting.

Taeju confirmed the teacher's instructions once more and began playing.

Each time Taeju's bow touched the strings, a low and intense sound flowed continuously. The studio was filled with the sound of the piece Taeju was playing. It was hard to believe that such a rich sound was produced by a single violin.

Bach's Chaconne.

Taeju had been greedy for this piece in the OST but eventually gave up. He had been learning the violin for about 10 years, counting from before the regression. However, he couldn't play it properly with the skill he had learned as a hobby.

He could play the piece accurately without mistakes, but it was difficult to convey the weight and emotion in the piece. The teacher said it would be fine with a little more practice, but Taeju gave up on his own.

"Cut. Jae-ha, let's do it again. It was good just now, but try to express more confused emotions this time."

When the shooting started, Director Jeong Young's tone changed. He called the character by name and spoke in a casual manner. Taeju actually preferred this situation. Director Jeong Young, who had shed his usual cautious attitude, spoke his demands freely and pushed Taeju. Taeju's shooting continued for a long time until a satisfactory shot was achieved.

*

Once the shooting for the CG work is complete, Taeju will start shooting with Kim Yun-sun. Taeju was looking forward to shooting with Kim Yun-sun.

Kim Yun-sun was the type who poured everything into acting to the point of excess. Since Jae-ha was a passive character, even a slight relaxation would immediately be swept away by Kim Yun-sun's acting. After a similar experience during the reading, he had always been on high alert.

Shooting with Kim Yun-sun was exhausting both physically and mentally, but it was also very interesting and satisfying.

'Senior, you really go too far with a new actor. If I were a real novice, I would have been swept away.'

Kim Yun-sun seemed to like Taeju's acting, as she acted like a tyrant during the reading. She conducted the reading as if it were a real shoot. She never took it easy. One of the supporting actors, who was close to Kim Yun-sun, suggested she tone it down a bit and got scolded.

"Phew."

"Good job. Miss Mina?"

"Got it, Manager. Taeju, I brought you a spray patch and sports gel. Do you know how to use them?"

"Yes, thank you."

After playing the violin non-stop for several hours, his arms were trembling. Actually, playing for so long was not good. If he didn't know Director Jeong Young's situation, he would have asked for a break.

Gyun-woo tried to speak up a few times, but Taeju stopped him. He looked more exhausted than Taeju. Gyun-woo finally noticed the director's complexion and kept quiet.

"Taeju, I know you're focused on your acting, but your health is more important. It's best to avoid such days."

"Yes, I'll be careful."

Gyun-woo was worried, but Taeju had a feeling that he would often push himself like this until Melody was finished.

"By the way, did you see Senior Lee Sung-gun earlier?"

"Yes, he didn't look good. Should we find out what's going on?"

"Hmm. If it's not related to the movie, that would be good."

Lee Sung-gun was deeply involved in Melody. He was so close to the production process that he might know about Director Jeong Young's condition.

*

Gyun-woo made a separate appointment with Lee Sung-gun's manager because Taeju had asked him to and he was also curious. The two moved to a cafe near the company and slowly talked about daily life and the movie.

"Director Jeong Young's condition has noticeably worsened recently. Do you know anything about it, Senior?"

"Sigh. It's better for Actor Lee Taeju to know. Director Jeong Young doesn't have much time left. At most, a year."

"Really?"

He had been in poor health since he returned, but his strong will to shoot Melody made Lee Sung-gun and him help him. Then Director Jeong Young collapsed, and they found out he didn't have much time left.

"It's too late to do anything. Sung-gun and I want him to rest, but he insists on finishing the shooting. We can't stop him."

"Hmm. A year, huh."

"If he doesn't push himself. It's not easy, given his current state. A year is just a hope."

Gyun-woo felt bitter. It seemed unfair that someone who had suffered for years due to lawsuits and debt was also in poor health.

"By the way, why did Actor Lee Sung-gun come? He didn't look good."

"Tsk. Director Lee, he made a will. He named Sung-gun as the heir. Sung-gun found out about it somehow."

"..."

"That's not why we're helping him."

Gyun-woo felt even more frustrated after learning what he wanted to know.

"Please don't tell anyone about Director Jeong Young's condition. Only I and Sung-gun know. I want to let him do what he wants and as much as he can."

"Understood."

Taeju would have to be careful about how to explain it.

*

After lunch, Taeju was brewing herbal tea and distributing it to the staff. The herbs harvested this time were of very high quality. As a result, the studio was filled with a rich aroma.

"The scent is really good."

"I'll enjoy it, Mr. Taeju."

People who received the tea from Taeju thanked him. Although the late summer heat hadn't completely subsided, there was no problem drinking warm tea.

"Really, this is the first time I've had such a rich and smooth tea. It's delicious with honey. Thank you always."

"Ha-ha. If you finish the tea, just let me know. By the way, Director, are you really not going to tell me why Jae-ha's lover committed suicide?"

"Hehe. Your interpretation is good, Mr. Taeju."

The script barely describes Jae-ha's lover. All that is known is that Jae-ha is bound to her. Taeju thought she might have erased her own existence, which was jealous of his death.

Director Jeong Young found it amusing that Taeju couldn't understand the lover's intentions. In reality, Jae-ha doesn't understand her intentions until the end of the movie. Therefore, he didn't give Taeju the answer.

"Got it. I'll think about it more."

"Hehe."

This young actor, who was only twenty, was very enthusiastic. He knew he had pushed himself during the studio shooting over the past few days. Yet, he didn't complain once and did his best.

Even though it was a blue screen, Taeju's acting made it feel like the background was an autumn forest. After the shooting, when he saw Taeju's arms trembling, he was surprised and apologized, but Taeju brushed it off and only asked if the shot was good.

He was carefully checking his condition during the subsequent shooting. He also asked the assistant director to keep an eye on him. If he got too excited and pushed the shooting too hard, he should stop him. Both Taeju and Kim Yun-sun seemed to forget the word "moderation" when they got into the mood. He himself was the same, so he needed to be reminded by those around him.

"She wanted Jae-ha to be perfect."

"Hmm. Perfect... Is that even possible? It's really hard to understand."

Feeling sorry for the struggling Taeju, Director Jeong Young gave a hint. However, it was still difficult to understand the psychology of the lover who committed suicide.

'Maybe it's because I lack dating experience.'

Ten months after the regression. If you count from before the regression, it had been nearly ten years since he had been involved in a relationship. Taeju had briefly considered dating, but it didn't feel right. It seemed more fun to plan the shooting star collection with Hae.

He decided to think about the lover's psychology later and focus on the shooting in front of him. Today, he had to play Vivaldi. Winter from Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It was a favorite but also a difficult piece.

'Sigh, how nice it would be to play a Telemann piece. Fantasia is good.'

Taeju regretfully thought of a list that reflected his personal preferences. If it had matched the movie's atmosphere, he would have strongly recommended it. But since it didn't fit, neither the music director nor Director Jeong Young would have included it.

It was Taeju's small desire to play those pieces on the expensive violin he had rented for the shooting.