“Their treatment is completely different from ours,” Sooyoung spoke as he saw Park Gwangsoo and Cha Taehoon go into the school building.

While the minor actors and the background actors had to find shade to get away from the scorching heat, the main actors waited in a classroom with air conditioning.

“I got a glimpse through the window, and they looked harmonious. Kwon Dayoon is there too,” Joon-gi spoke as he did some stretches.

“This is why people need to become successful,” Maru said with a smile.

“I think they’re all here now.”

“Yoo Joongang isn’t here yet though.”

Lee Hyuk, Yoo Joongang, Kwon Dayoon. These were the three main characters for this movie. Lee Hyuk and Kwon Dayoon had arrived, so the shoot would probably start once Yoo Joongang arrived.

“Man, I’m being roasted.”

The weather was hot even though they were in the shade. Sooyoung tried reaching his hand out of the shade before being startled and pulling it back. Maru shouted towards Bangjoo who was standing under the sun.

“Bangjoo, don’t stand there and come here. You might collapse.”

“I can endure.”

“Right now, you can. Don’t waste any energy and just sit down next to me.”

It seemed that even the heat was unable to melt Bangjoo’s excited heart. Bangjoo hopped towards him before sitting down.

“Don’t you feel hot?”

“I’m not really sure.”

“I’m sure there’s something wrong with you. Calm down already.”

Maru pressed down on Bangjoo’s shoulders since he kept shaking in excitement.

“Who’s car is that?” Joongi asked as he looked somewhere else.

A black sedan could be seen entering the school field. From how there was only one person in the driver’s seat, it didn’t seem to be the director. The door soon opened and a man wearing a flower-patterned shirt got out.

“It’s the director.”

“Whew, what a fashionista.”

Director Park Joongjin waved his hand at the staff who came to greet him. Then he disappeared into the school building as well.

“How many hours have we been here for?”

“An hour and a half.”

“What time is it now?”

“Half past ten.”

“It looks like they might have everyone eat lunch in a while.”

Joon-gi and Sooyoung powerlessly laid on the ground. Maru also brushed aside some pebbles and lied down. No one looked after them in this place. They had to follow silent cues and preserve their stamina as much as possible. Doing their best in a place not being seen by others would give them nothing. They had to show their passion and effort in front of other people, especially the director.

“You should lie down as well.”

“Is it okay to do that?”

“If someone shouts at us, then we can get up at that time. Though, I doubt anyone would do so.”

The staff members had taken refuge inside the building as well. Only the minor actors and background actors were abandoned outside since no one looked after them. If the leader was someone that cared about people, he would probably prepare a place to rest, but the leader this time seemed to be endlessly lacking in mercy. It would be fortunate if he did not swear at them.

As he was looking at the clear sky, a low-pitched exhaust sound could be heard. So the last one was finally here? When he lifted his head a little, he saw a van slowly entering the premises. With that, all the main actors had gathered.

The man who had the proportions of a model, Yoo Joongang, greeted the staff politely as he went inside.

“He looks like a good person,” Bangjoo said.

There was no better self-PR than greeting politely.

“I guess they’ll be starting soon.”

“They should probably call us once their read-through is done.”

They stared at the classroom where the actors would be resting for ten minutes. After that, they were told to gather round. The ordinary students that weren’t used to waiting walked towards the main entrance while squirming like a worm after a day of rain as though they were tired already.

“We’re going to start the shoot soon. Once you go in, follow the director’s words. As long as you do what you were told to do, it will end quickly. After that, you can just sit down and watch actors do their thing, and get your money. You guys are earning money very easily, okay?”

The leader spoke as though he was the one that was paying them. Maru yawned before walking.

They walked up to the 2nd floor and into one of the classrooms where a camera was installed. Like how they were wearing drill uniforms, the classroom seemed to be from the 80s as well. The desks were tattered while the chairs were rusted. The large national flag at the front of the class, the bulging speakers right next to them, the world map, and even a chart stand.

When Maru tried rubbing his rubber indoor shoes against the wooden floor, he heard an unpleasant screeching sound.

“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t look around and sit down. Don’t touch anything and don’t play with your phones. If I hear a phone sound during the shoot, I’m going to sue you for damages, okay?”

The leader went out strong against the students. Then, a woman, who looked to be rather picky, came inside the class and slightly adjusted the placement of the props.

“Hey, lil’ magpie. I’m going to have this placed at the front so get some water in it. Also, dent the sides a little more.”

“Understood.”

It seemed that she was the art director. A youth who was wearing a baseball cap backwards hammered the brass kettle. A loud noise reverberated in the classroom.

“Uh, over there. Stop.”

At that moment, director Joongjin, wearing his flowery shirt, came inside the classroom. He went up to the youth holding the kettle and took it away from him.

“Who told you to do this?”

“Our director told me to….”

The woman, who was outside the classroom for a moment, came back inside and spoke.

“I told him to do it. What about it?”

“Ah, if it’s you, director Choi, I don’t have any complaints.”

“I wonder why I decided to work with you again, director Park. I had my fair share of pain a decade ago.”

“Wasn’t it fun back then too, in its own right?”

“Not at all, really. The props in here are mine, so if you wanna touch them, then get my permission. That’s the way I work. Understood, director Park Joongjin?”

“Of course. I’ll do that. Of course, I will.”

Joongjin put down the kettle with a smile. Director Choi, who untied her hair which was in a knot, started walking around and adjusted things again. Wherever she walked past, the scenery changed slightly.

“I knew it’s fun to work with people you can rely on.”

Maru overheard Joongjin talking to himself and looked at director Choi. Director Choi was moving around busily and shook her hands off once before standing next to Joongjin.

“Where’s the camera director?”

“He’ll be here soon.”

A while later, a man holding coffee in one hand stood in front of the classroom. Maru knew this man. It was camera director Kim Jangsoo, who had a rather crude-looking face with some flicks of white hair.

Maru met eyes with Jangsoo who was looking around the class while drinking coffee. Jangsoo made a surprised expression before approaching him with a smile.

“You were talking to Joongjin in the restaurant back then and I see you here huh. Supporting actor?”

“No, a minor actor doing physical labor.”

“Urgh, looks like you’re going to be in for a world of pain. You don’t know how he works, do you? Just consider yourself dead today.”

Jangsoo patted his shoulders before leaving. At that moment, he felt a prickling gaze on him, and it was from director Choi, who stood next to Joongjin. Director Choi asked some things from Jangsoo before looking at Maru again. Since he met eyes with her so often, Maru smiled back awkwardly and nodded his head.

“What the, who’s he?” Next to him, Sooyoung asked.

“He’s probably the camera director.”

“Really? Then how do you know him?”

“I saw him a couple of times during a drama shoot.”

“Really? Then you should ask him to help us.”

“Help us with what?”

“To get us in a good shot?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Sooyoung just shrugged.

Following that the actors appeared. They were Park Gwangsoo and Cha Taehoon, who had changed into drill uniforms. The adult actors were just watching outside the class.

“Well then, shall we begin?”

Joongjin stood at the front of the class like a teacher and clapped his hand once to gather everyone’s attention.

“Some of you might not have adapted to the environment here since it’s your first time. Also, there might be people who are used to these kinds of environments and must be feeling bored. Before we begin, I’d like to tell you that you must follow my words from now on regardless of the reason. The one sitting at the front. What is your name?”

“I-I’m Kim Jaehoon.”

“Okay, Mr. Jaehoon. Just like that, you should just answer me when I ask you something. Also, Mr. Jaehoon, can you turn your head to the right about 45 degrees?”

The student named Jaehoon turned his head.

“Stop.”

The student’s head stopped.

“Now, turn your head forward slowly. That’s right. Good. How was it? Was it hard?”

“No.”

“From now on, most of the shoot will go like this. I am going to ask you to do things that you can do. Most of them will be simple things, and I will explain them to you in detail so that it’ll be easier for you to understand. If you don’t understand anything, you can always ask a question. Understood?”

“Yes.”

It seemed that his calm voice and polite speech earned the goodwill of the students. Maru could overhear ‘sounds fun’ from the students sitting behind him.

“Then from now on, we’re going to start what is known as a rehearsal. Please listen to me carefully from now. You’ll have to remember and do just as I instructed.”

Joongjin walked to the student on the very left and adjusted the direction of the student’s shoulders, neck, and hands placed on the table. The student, who followed with a smile at first, eventually frowned.

“I should move like this?”

“Yes. Just as I told you.”

Like that, Joongjin went over the simple movements for forty-plus people. Maru’s role was to sleep on the desk.

“Then shall we try it out?” Joongjin said from the front.

Along with his finger snap, the students moved.

And a brief moment later, the students stopped moving. Joongjin, who was watching that from the front of the class, stroked his chin and spoke.

“Mr. Hongsik and Mr. Jaeyoung. Please do as I say.”

It seemed that he had memorized the names of all the students in the class. While Maru exclaimed slightly, the student that Joongjin was looking at, spoke.

“But this way, it looks more natu….”

“Mr. Hongsik.”

“Yes.”

“Can you do as I say?”

“....”

“If you can’t, then stand up. Everyone, you’re here as background actors. Some of you might be aspiring actors as well. Perhaps it’s your first movie shoot, and you want to show your own acting for fun or for your own ambitions.”

Joongjin walked sideways. Then, he grabbed the desk in front of him and leaned forward. Everyone’s gaze was on him.

“I’ll be clear. Don’t act. Don’t even try to act. Just do as I say. If I see someone trying to ruin the picture I’m drawing, I will have that person leave. Don’t worry about the money, I’ll pay you. Understood?”

There was a round of silence.

“Don’t act. Don’t try to move according to your thoughts. You will have to follow my instructions and only my instructions. That is the rule here.”

After saying his words, Joongjin made a warm smile and straightened his back again.

“Then let’s do that rehearsal one more time. After that, we’ll have the actors come in and do the rehearsal again.”

Hearing the clap, the students did the same action over again. Playing with the person next to them, looking at the ceiling in a daze, picking something up from the ground, swinging back and forth on the chair. Maru, who leaned forward on his desk slightly raised his head and looked at them. Each of the actions that Joongjin demanded went hand in hand like gears and created the atmosphere of an ordinary classroom. It was the kind of picture that couldn’t be created if the students were left to their own devices. There was no such thing as awkwardness. It looked smooth enough to be on camera.

A sense of naturalness gained from forced actions. Maru could get a vague grasp on the meaning behind what Jangsoo said.

“Very good,” Joongjin said with a nod.