Speed ​​of Light (1)

 

Early morning on September 1st.

The location is a set complex within ‘Columbia Studios’. Among the numerous stages, there is a huge one that embodies the city center, and about 100 foreign staff members, including Director Ahn Ga-bok, are running around in unison by team. It was the ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ team.

The time is just before 8 o’clock.

“Check the camera angle!!”

“Please prepare the extras!”

“Director!! Please check this!!!”

This stage. That is, the set was built with buildings that were built close together, sidewalks, roads, crosswalks, various stores, and stalls that could be seen here and there on the sidewalk. Today, ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ was the first scene with ‘Henry Gordon’. It was originally scheduled to be filmed at 10 o’clock, but due to Kang Woo-jin’s tight schedule, it was brought forward by 2 hours.

Because he had his first shoot for ‘Beauty and the Beast’ at 1 o’clock, past noon.

In short, Woojin is making a mess of things today.

Following.

“Mr. Kang Woojin, standby!!”

Kang Woo-jin appeared on the set filled with numerous staff members. He was wearing a hoodie and jeans. He looked exactly like Henry Gordon. Woo-jin, who greeted the foreign staff members briefly, was still very conceptual today. He had a calm and cold expression.

“······”

But as he scanned the vast city center, he felt a sense of regret inside.

”Are we nearing the end of filming for ‘Pierrot’? It’s bittersweet.”

At this time, Director Ahn Ga-bok with a wrinkled face approached.

“Are you here?”

He was holding the storyboard for today’s shooting in his hand. Director Ahn Ga-bok, who came with the cinematographer, explained it to Woo-jin.

“As I said before, today I’m going to focus on the ‘Henry Gordon’ scene. The beginning and middle are a bit mixed up, so the emotional line will jump out – but I don’t think it’ll be a big problem for you. Please take care of me.”

Kang Woo-jin nodded solemnly.

“Yes, sir.”

“The goal is to get three scenes done by noon. I’ll probably get at least two done, and there won’t be a lot of camera angle changes.”

Woojin listens to the scene explanation from the director of photography. At that time, dozens of extras were deployed to the downtown set. People walking on the sidewalk, waiting for signals, driving cars, and many others besides the stall owners and cashiers. Perhaps because the set was so large and there were so many people, it was just like a bustling downtown.

Whatever it is.

“It starts in 5 minutes.”

At Director Ahn Ga-bok’s direction, the staff members who had been stirring up the downtown set all disappeared. The assistants stationed here and there stopped and waited for the director’s signal, and Director Ahn Ga-bok sat down at a place where several monitors were placed. Around him, about a hundred staff members gathered. Choi Sung-geon, with his arms crossed and his hair in a ponytail, can be seen between them.

Following.

-Ugh.

Kang Woo-jin stands in the filming zone. ‘Henry Gordon’ has already been brought up. Since it is the emotional part of the middle, madness and joy are stirring in his heart.

Hidden Aggression, ‘Joker’ disguised as ‘Henry Gordon’.

Two staff members are carrying cameras next to him. Of course, there is also a camera mounted on a crane above him. Staff members carrying boom microphones and slates have also been added.

-widely!

After the slate is struck, the scene number, etc. are displayed.

“action.”

The director’s signal is given. People who had been standing still in the city center start to move. They walk along the sidewalk and talk, swear from the driver’s seat when the car is stuck, clean the windows of an open store, or buy newspapers at a stall.

-Bang bang bang!!

The horn honked loudly. At this point, Henry Gordon or Kang Woo-jin appeared. He looked around the entire city and put both hands in the pockets of his hoodie.

Suddenly the corners of my mouth twitched.

“Hehehe······”

I smiled without realizing it. But I held it back. The smile crept out again. I held it back again. This subtle expression flashed across his face in an instant. The camera captured Henry Gordon from the front. Kang Woo-jin took a step forward.

At this time.

-Eeeeeeeeeing! Eeeeeeeeeing!

The sound of sirens spread through the city. Several police cars whizzed by. Most people were fixated on the police cars, but Kang Woo-jin, who was walking, was not given a single glance. He was clearly different from the past. His waist and shoulders were not hunched at all either.

The camera took two steps back to capture this incongruous scene.

Kang Woo-jin’s destination was the stall.

He was selling various snacks, but what he picked up was a newspaper. On the front page of the newspaper he picked up, there was a large picture of a man in a strange costume. It was called ‘Joker.’ The headline was:

-[A clown suddenly appears in the city! Who is he?]

The reporter’s name was ‘Robert Franklin.’ Woojin smiles faintly.

“Good job, buddy.”

Here the stall owner shouted.

“Hey! You picked that up, so buy it! Huh??!”

Kang Woo-jin, who had fixed his gaze on the man who had shouted in a fierce tone, stared at him expressionlessly. The focus of his eyes was strangely shaking. There was a look of some emotion being scattered. The stall owner flinched at the creepy expression, and Kang Woo-jin, who had raised the newspaper to his face, pointed at himself with his index finger.

“What do you think? Do we look alike?”

Meanwhile, a little away from the filming location.

Choi Sung-geon stood on the side where the trailers, which were the actors’ resting place, were lined up. He had his cell phone pressed to his ear. He had been watching Kang Woo-jin’s acting a few minutes ago, but he had come here because he got an urgent call.

Choi Sung-geon, who had been on the phone for a while, put down his phone.

“Whew- It hurts so bad.”

He turned his head from side to side as if he was tired and turned on the reporter. It was natural for Choi Sung-geon, who had a hellish schedule like Kang Woo-jin. He is managing BW Entertainment, which has started on the path to becoming a large company, and is also supporting Kang Woo-jin. He is even promoting new businesses as the area has expanded.

Then he got into the passenger seat of the mobile van parked close to the trailer.

Looks like I’m going to take a break.

-Ugh.

At that moment, a pile of papers on the passenger seat floor caught his eye. What could it be? They were works that had come to Woojin. They were diverse, from Korea, Japan, and Hollywood. However, they did not reach Kang Woojin. It would be meaningless to give them to him. Currently, Woojin’s schedule is fully booked for next year, and even the year after.

“Ah, I have to give this to Woojin.”

Seong-geon Choi picked up the topmost piece of paper. The title was printed in the center of the cover.

-‘guest’

He climbed into the passenger seat and began to unfold the wad of paper while mumbling.

“I forgot to give it to you because I was so busy. This is just for a quick check, so I’ll give it to Woojin later when the timing is right. By the way-”

Choi Sung-geon turned over a few pages of paper and rubbed his chin.

“You did a good job adapting it. Not only did you adapt a Korean short story into a full-length film, but you also added genres to the original work, focusing on the ‘sound’ aspect of directing. The original was a mystery, thriller, and suspense. And then there’s the occult and horror? Did you add horror to it?”

The written text was all in English. Although he was not an expert like Kang Woo-jin, Choi Sung-geon, who was reading the content diligently, suddenly picked up his cell phone.

“Hmm- I guess it would be better to give a proper explanation when giving it to Woojin.”

I made a phone call to someone. Choi Sung-geon answered quickly and opened his mouth right away.

“Haha, hello, Director Shin Dong-chun. How are you?”

The opponent was director Shin Dong-chun, who directed ‘Detective Agency’.

A few hours later.

It was a sunny day, but the world was covered in snow. This huge castle in the mountains was the same. The castle walls and the castle looked quite old, but the trees and flowers in the garden were surprisingly well-maintained.

But the castle was dark, unlike the white world.

I mean the atmosphere.

It was so quiet and eerie. It felt even more so because it was so large. Someone cautiously poked his head into the garden of the castle.

She was a blonde woman.

A dress as white as snow, a brown apron with many pale marks. Her long blond hair was tied up with a piece of cloth, and a yellow cloak was wrapped around it. Her attire was extremely shabby.

But her beauty shone through.

Clear skin, blue eyes.

Of course, the woman was a stunning beauty that all the town men loved. Her name was ‘Bella’. Then why did she appear in this dreary castle? ‘Bella’ carefully scanned the castle, the walls, and the gardens, and then slowly moved.

Then.

-Sarak.

She turned her gaze to the pretty flowers in the garden. Bella’s brightly smiling expression suddenly hardened.

“It didn’t grow naturally, someone else did.”

Bella, who had become serious, raised her head and looked up at the magnificent castle. There were many windows, but she couldn’t see anything. Although she was scared, she took courage and slowly walked. Towards the castle entrance. The camera followed Bella.

soon.

-Squeak.

In Bella’s eyes, who opened a door taller than her.

“and······”

I could see the inside of the first floor of the castle. She opened her blue eyes wide. Of course, I had imagined it to be full of dust, but the first floor of the castle was so clean. It was dark because the lights were off, but it definitely seemed like someone was living there.

And ‘Bella’ was captivated by the beauty of the castle.

High ceilings, floors with various patterns, golden pillars, and stairs guarded by lion faces. The stairs seen in the front were a single staircase, but split into two paths halfway up, leading up to the second floor. In addition, the furniture and props placed here and there all looked luxurious and expensive.

“oh my god.”

The smell wasn’t bad either. Rather, it was so fragrant that it felt pleasant. Bella, her eyes wide, walked to the center of the first floor as if she was possessed. She looked at the ceiling, the stairs in front, and the pillars around. She lightly swept her hand over the golden pillar standing nearby. Not a single speck of dust came out, and Bella turned around and this time pressed her face against the high window.

“It’s clean.”

It was so clean that it felt like nothing was attached.

At this time.

-match!

Bella, who suddenly regained her composure, slapped her cheeks with both hands. As if telling herself to come to her senses. Bella, who was originally curious, suppressed her rising interest and cautiously opened her mouth toward the second floor.

“Is someone there?”

“······”

There is no answer. Only his own voice echoes back.

“I know someone lives here. Let’s talk.”

“······”

Both the first and second floors were still quiet.

That moment.

-Knock!

Something was heard. The noise of wood and metal colliding. Bella’s eyes widened as she flinched and she quickly shouted.

“Who, who are you? Hey! I heard everything, come out and don’t hide!”

Sure enough, there was a sound, but nothing appeared. Bella, her eyebrows furrowed, stood in front of a row of stairs.

“I’m going up, please talk to me.”

She steps onto the first step. At this point, a voice whispering something into Bella’s ear. There is definitely someone there.

At the moment when the confident ‘Bella’ was about to climb the second step.

“stop.”

A heavy, thick, and creepy voice came from behind her. She was startled and turned around, making a sound like ‘Hic!’ However, no one was visible through the large open wooden door.

Bella came down the stairs she was about to climb and walked carefully toward the door.

“Who, who are you?”

This time, the answer came right away. It was the same thick, heavy voice as before.

“Get out now.”

“Show me, I have a question for you.”

“Get out!”

An ear-piercing scream. No, it was more like a roar. Bella, who was in confusion, took a step back.

“iced coffee-”

A heavy shout was heard again by Bella, who was terrified.

“You came into someone else’s nest without permission! So get out!! If you don’t get out right now, I’ll tear you to pieces!”

This time it was not the door side, but the second floor side.

Bella, who collapsed on the floor with her heart pounding. She trembled but mustered up her courage. I can’t back out here. I have to meet you. She got up with difficulty and strode over to the open wooden door, slamming it shut.

And then.

-Ugh.

I looked up to the second floor, leaning my back against the door. There was a firm determination in Bella’s blue eyes.

“Okay, I’ll tear you to pieces. You’ll have to come to me to do that, right?”

“······”

The roaring stopped. Instead, a ‘creak’ noise spread. Someone was stepping on the stairs. The stairs on the right side of the second floor. It was dark and hard to tell, but it was the shape of a large person. ‘Bella’ spoke confidently to the man on the second floor.

“I won’t move one step from here.”

It means you should come. In fact, there were many rumors that a monster lived in this castle, but ‘Bella’ didn’t care who showed up. She was ready to welcome him, whether he was a monster or a beast.

The sound of steps coming down the stairs is heard again.

It happened again and again.

The figure of the second-tier man who had been hiding in the darkness gradually began to appear. No, the form of the ‘beast’ began to appear little by little. Its height and size were ridiculously large. On top of that, the mane covering its face- the mane? The ‘beast’, which had already come down to the central staircase, did not have the mane that should have been abundant. However, its face was serious, almost threatening, and its eyes were glaring at ‘Bella’ as if it was going to devour her.

A revealed monster. No, a ‘beast’.

here.

“······Ugh.”

Bella’s serious face started to twitch. And then.

“Pfft!”

The laughter she had been holding back burst out. At the same time, she apologized while sweeping her blonde hair.

“Ahhh- I’m sorry, Woojin. I laughed without realizing it.”

A sign was broadcast through a loudspeaker throughout the first floor of the castle.

“Cut, NG!”

The first filming and first take of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was a spectacular NG. The reason is now pointed out to ‘Bella’ with a solemn face.

“Kara, you have to be serious.”

It was because of the ‘Beast’, that is, Kang Woojin. Kara burst into laughter again and answered the ‘Beast’ on the stairs.

“But! The threatening ‘beast’ is so cute!”

It was true, Kang Woojin was a ‘beast’ now. However, his behavior was a little strange. Woojin put both hands on his waist and made an indifferent expression. Of course, it was forced composure. Inside, he was screaming.

‘Fuck!! I’m going crazy too!’

Because she was wearing gray tights with strange dots all over her body from head to toe.

He, who was a ‘beast’ at heart, shouted inwardly again.

‘Aww- your legs are really tight, you little punk!!’

It was close to a roaring mermaid.