Chapter 44

43. Director Jeong Young

After coming down from the hot air balloon, Jepyr seemed to have regained some of his energy. He mostly perched on a tree branch near the group. Although he didn’t come too close, he was in a spot where he could be seen with a turn of the head, watching over them.

Jepyr seemed to have quite an adult palate. While Huija, who liked sweet and sour candies and jellies, had brought various tasty treats, they didn’t seem to suit Jepyr’s taste.

Thinking that, as a garden creature, he might not like such things, Taeju observed him carefully.

However, Jepyr occasionally drank wine from the red wine fountain and usually ate chocolate cherries. He didn’t even glance at the grains and fruits Taeju had prepared under the golden bell tree.

Taeju was a bit surprised to see him enjoying wine and chocolate, but he was relieved that Jepyr seemed a bit more stable.

*

The weather had turned cool in the mornings and evenings, with leaves occasionally rolling along the streets. The late summer heat had dissipated, and a refreshing breeze blew even at midday. It was early autumn.

Taeju was delighted that the weather had finally become pleasant for living. However, there was too much to do to enjoy the weather. The song he had inserted into the drama's OST had received good reviews, and he had to do interviews. He also received a commercial offer because his appearance on a variety show had been good. He was currently returning to the set after finishing an interview.

“Why did Hyung Lee Sung-gun come here?”

“Hmm. It’s the director’s personal matter, so it’s hard to say.”

‘What? Personal matter?’

As far as Taeju knew, Director Jeong Young was alone. He had heard that people around him had turned their backs on him due to lawsuits and debt problems. He had even divorced his wife.

“I don’t know what the problem is, but if it doesn’t affect the filming, it’s okay.”

“...”

Gyunwoo realized that knowing someone else’s secret was quite a burden. Watching from the side and pretending not to know while acting naturally were both difficult. He carefully observed Taeju’s expression, but Taeju didn’t seem interested in the topic, perhaps because he knew it was unrelated to the film.

*

Yoonseon Kim was at the studio. He didn’t have any scenes to shoot, but he had come to watch Taeju’s performance. He often visited the set to watch Taeju act or listen to his violin playing.

Meanwhile, Taeju was thinking about how to move and synchronize his breathing during the performance scenes.

‘I’d believe he’s a violinist. To reject the OST despite being at this level...’

Kim Yoonseon wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about classical music. However, he had seen many films and listened to the music used in them. Classical pieces, including violin compositions, were often used in film scores. He had heard countless pieces.

Taeju wasn’t satisfied with his own performance, but to Kim Yoonseon, it was more than excellent. Taeju’s violin teacher had also said as much.

Taeju had arrived early, but his scene wrapped up quickly.

In the early stages of filming, they had shot the same scene multiple times, but as time went on, the shooting speed became incredibly fast. Taeju had adapted to Director Jeong Young’s style, and after clearly defining his character, he rarely made mistakes. His acting was so seasoned that it was hard to believe he was a newcomer, except for the occasional reshoots for better scenes.

Director Jeong Young announced the end of the shoot and greeted Kim Yoonseon, who had been standing behind.

“You’re here.”

“Director, are you sick? Why does your face look like that?”

“Haha. I’m just tired.”

Taeju was approaching where Jeong Young and Kim Yoonseon were talking. He hadn’t completely shaken off the somber look of his character, but as he walked the short distance, he quickly cleared his mind of the character’s remnants. This ability to quickly immerse and disengage was a skill Taeju had honed over time.

“Senior, did you come for dinner?”

“Kid, do you think I come here every day for meals?”

“It’s chilly today, so chicken soup would be good.”

“Hmm. Let’s go. Director, let’s go.”

Kim Yoonseon came to check Taeju’s performance or listen to his playing, but the main reason was to have dinner together. His wife had recently gone abroad to see their children, leaving him alone.

Taeju laughed softly and followed him. Director Jeong Young also chuckled and followed the group. As they walked to the parking lot, Gyunwoo, who had been waiting for the shoot to end, joined them. Just as they were about to leave, a voice called out to Director Jeong Young from around the corner.

Before Director Jeong Young could react, Gyunwoo quickly blocked the direction of the voice.

“Who are you?”

A middle-aged man in a suit and his group emerged from the corner. They didn’t hide their scowling faces.

“You trusted a friend and caused trouble, and you’re still trying to make a living in the film industry?”

“I’ll ask again. Who are you?”

Gyunwoo stood in front of the group and asked about the identity of the other party. Jeong Young stopped him, knowing that he was already on bad terms with them and didn’t want others to get involved. Especially not a young and promising actor like Taeju. There was already a risk of problems from Taeju’s participation in the film, and there was no need to stir up trouble.

“You don’t need to know. Let’s go.”

“Ha! You’ve grown. I don’t know who Jeong Young is relying on, but it’s better to live like a mouse.”

“Watch your words. Who needs to live like a mouse?”

“Tsk, really. A beggar. What about the settlement money you took? Ah, did your wife take it all?”

“You!”

The other party’s words were becoming increasingly out of line. They laughed and walked away, casually spouting insults that bordered on personal attacks.

Director Jeong Young thought that the hatred and anger he felt towards them had diluted over the four years, but it wasn’t true. Seeing their faces again brought back the forgotten emotions.

He felt a bitter taste rising in his throat. He was already pushing himself to the limit for the shoot. His physical limits had long been reached, but he continued to push through, driven by urgency. This unpleasant encounter brought both mental stress and physical pain.

“Gasp. Cough.”

Director Jeong Young couldn’t bear the pain and collapsed. He pressed his hand to his chest, looking pale and lifeless.

Seeing Director Jeong Young collapse and groan, Gyunwoo quickly supported him. Taeju also rushed to the other side to help.

“Let’s move him to the manager’s car. We need to get to the hospital quickly.”

As the two supported Director Jeong Young, Kim Yoonseon naturally took the driver’s seat. Upon confirming that Director Jeong Young had lost consciousness, he immediately headed for the nearest emergency room.

Gyunwoo stopped him and called Lee Sung-gun’s manager to find out which hospital to go to. Once they knew the destination, they drove there immediately. Fortunately, Director Jeong Young’s doctor was at the hospital they rushed to. They handed him over to the doctor and waited for Lee Sung-gun and his manager to arrive.

“Understandable, but calm down. Don’t bite your lip.”

“Ah! Yes.”

Taeju released the pressure on his front teeth at Kim Yoonseon’s reprimand. Biting his lower lip was a childhood habit that had naturally disappeared as he grew up, but it resurfaced when he was anxious. Checking the time, Taeju asked Gyunwoo to contact Lee Sung-gun’s group again.

Less than thirty minutes later, Lee Sung-gun and his manager arrived. Taeju and the group stepped aside upon seeing their expressions, which were far from good. They had many questions, but it wasn’t the right time to ask.

*

“You should eat.”

“Tsk. No appetite.”

“You’ll have to eat alone at home. Let’s eat together.”

The group entered the restaurant with Kim Yoonseon, but no one spoke. The neatly arranged dishes were brought out, but no one picked up their chopsticks first.

They had just witnessed a friend collapse with a pale, lifeless face a few hours earlier. It was normal to have no appetite.

“I’ll eat well. We have shooting tomorrow. I need to eat and rest.”

“...”

“Eat. The director will be at the studio tomorrow.”

“Sigh. Alright, let’s eat.”

The rice felt like sand in his mouth, but Taeju ate without showing any discomfort. The two others also ate silently, watching him.

After the meal, Taeju led the two to a traditional tea house. He ordered tea to aid digestion and spoke up.

“I want to make the film properly. Without any regrets.”

“I understand.”

Kim Yoonseon was convinced that there was a problem with Director Jeong Young’s health. From the others’ attitudes, it seemed that recovery wouldn’t be easy.

He also wanted to finish the film without regrets. He had planned to do so even without Taeju’s words.

*

Taeju sighed lightly, dispelling the heavy atmosphere in the car, and asked Gyunwoo.

“Did the manager know?”

“Yes. I don’t know the exact diagnosis, but I knew he didn’t have much time left. How did you...”

“I just knew. His complexion has been getting worse.”

Indeed, the longer the shoot went on, the worse Director Jeong Young’s complexion became. The staff often discussed their concerns about his health.

Taeju was more focused on the filming of *Melody* than ever. He was playing Jae-ha as Director Jeong Young envisioned, paying close attention to ensure the scenes turned out as the director wanted. He hoped that his efforts would buy time for Director Jeong Young to finish his last film without regrets.

When he first chose *Melody*, he hadn’t thought much about it. It was a director’s work that he had enjoyed, and he had wanted to be in it from the moment he saw it.

As the shoot continued, he became increasingly concerned about the director’s deteriorating condition. He felt helpless, unable to help the time-starved director.

“Those people today, they seemed to be from the production company.”

“Hmm, yes.”

“Bad people. It’s frustrating that the director couldn’t say anything because he stopped us.”

They were clearly at fault, yet they insulted and mocked others.

The production company, despite its name, was quite large but acted in a dirty manner. They had approached Taeju a few times before his regression, but they had never worked together.

They had caused trouble with other actors by using his pay as a media stunt. Taeju had never met the production company people directly during the incident. The company had blocked all meetings, probably because of the people involved.

Taeju had lived until the age of 39 but had never experienced the loss of a close person. His family had always been healthy, and his close friend Eunhyuk had never had a major accident.

He had only experienced the loss of a friend in films. Now, the situation was similar to a film he had shot, but the weight of reality made it incomparable.

He had often played the role of someone left behind after losing a close person. He had struggled to express feelings of longing, pain, and sadness. However, since it was for acting, he could shake off those emotions once the scene or role was over.

But when the same situation became reality, he realized it was impossible to shake it off like a role.

That evening, Taeju spent time with Taesang in Tae’s room. He interfered with Tae and Yeonwoo’s M-Tube shooting topics and read through all the pop-up books Tae had made.

Tae and Yeonwoo were initially surprised by Taeju’s unusual behavior but soon started chatting noisily.