chapter 34

Chapter 34. First Commercial (2)

At the director's cue, Yeon-woo jumped and landed in front of the camera. This scene would be edited to show him descending from his floating position in the previous shot, using CGI.

The camera operator, holding the gimbal-mounted camera, smoothly backpedaled, matching Yeon-woo's movements and keeping him in close-up.

Yeon-woo grinned and handed the smartphone to a supporting actor. The camera followed the movement of his hand, then smoothly moved behind the supporting actor as he took the phone. The camera seamlessly weaved between the actors, mimicking the perspective of the smartphone being passed around.

This scene depicted a group of aspiring filmmakers shooting an amateur movie.

The complex choreography required intense focus.

"Good, keep going. This is the narration scene."

The supporting actors continued acting, holding reflectors and boom microphones as if filming a movie. This concept highlighted the new smartphone's advanced video recording and wide-angle camera features. Yeon-woo would provide a short voiceover explaining the camera specs, followed by a promotional message.

"Okay, cut!"

The staff applauded at the director's satisfied call.

"Let's do a few more takes with the same blocking."

They filmed the scene four more times, slightly adjusting the blocking and focus each time.

"Good! I thought today's shoot would be difficult with the complex movements, but thanks to your excellent performance, it went smoothly," the director said, clapping his hands.

"Good work, everyone."

"Good work."

Yeon-woo smiled brightly, exchanging fist bumps with the supporting actors, who had worked hard on the complex choreography.

The director's eyes suddenly lit up. "Did we get that?" he asked the camera operator urgently.

"Sir?"

"Did you get the fist bump?"

The camera operator nodded. "Yes, the camera was rolling."

"Good, let's use that. It looked natural."

The director approached Yeon-woo. "The concept for this commercial is 'The Confident MZ Generation,' and I think you captured it perfectly."

"That's thanks to your excellent direction and the great storyboard," Yeon-woo replied modestly, bowing his head. Director Lee Yong-soo smiled at his humility.

"Yeon-woo, we have the print ads and standing photos to shoot, so bear with us a little longer. But let's eat first."

The shoot, which had started early in the morning, had continued past lunchtime, and it was now almost 3 pm.

"Yes, Director. Let's go."

"Everyone, let's eat!"

The cast and crew headed to the catering truck.

As they sat down with their lunch boxes, the staff emerged from behind the truck, carrying a cake.

"Congratulations on your first commercial, Actor Ryu!"

Yeon-woo, surprised by the unexpected event, stood up. While such celebrations were common for commercial shoots, this was Yeon-woo's first experience, so he hadn't anticipated it.

The cake was decorated with a chocolate drawing of Yeon-woo.

"Wow, thank you. I had no idea." His genuine surprise and gratitude made the staff feel a sense of accomplishment, despite this being a routine event for them.

"Actor, try the cake." Min-soo, who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, handed Yeon-woo a plastic knife.

"It's too pretty to cut. The chocolate drawing is amazing." Yeon-woo took a picture of the cake with his smartphone.

Min-soo chuckled. "Where are you going to post it? You don't even use social media."

"You're right, haha. I'll show it to my friends."

Yeon-woo cut the cake and shared it with the supporting actors and staff.

"Ryu-nim, I'm a fan! I'm a member of Woo's!" Now that the initial rush of filming was over, the atmosphere on set had relaxed, and the staff members approached Yeon-woo more casually.

"Oh, really? Nice to meet you." He took selfies with the extras and staff, and they enjoyed their lunch and cake together.

The cheerful atmosphere continued as they moved on to the print ads and standee photos.

The studio filled with the sounds of upbeat pop music, the director's calls of "Okay!" and "Good!", and the clicking of the camera shutter.

Yeon-woo's standing photos, which would be displayed at ST Telecom stores nationwide, were perfect, requiring no retouching. The photographer, impressed by his natural charisma, continued clicking away.

"Good! Just a natural smile."

The shoot, which had started early in the morning, finally wrapped up around 6 pm.

"That's a wrap for today! Good work, everyone!"

The director's announcement was met with cheers, whistles, and applause.

"I thought today's schedule would be tight, but thanks to Yeon-woo's smooth performance, we can all go home for dinner, haha."

Yeon-woo smiled at the director's hearty laugh. "Thanks to you, my first commercial shoot was a pleasant experience. Thank you, Director."

Director Lee Yong-soo, who usually disliked working with young actors, was impressed by Yeon-woo's consistent humility and politeness.

"Yeon-woo, can I get an autograph for my daughter?"

"Of course." While he still wasn't sure if his daughter was actually a fan, Director Lee accepted the autograph.

Later that evening, seeing his daughter's delighted face, he nodded in satisfaction.

Three days later, Yeon-woo filmed a commercial for the outdoor clothing brand "Tapers."

It was a relatively simple shoot, with Yeon-woo walking in hiking gear against a backdrop of nature scenes created in a special effects studio. Compared to the ST Telecom commercial, it was a much easier shoot.

The two commercials earned Yeon-woo a substantial amount of money, half of which he immediately transferred to his parents' account, as he had promised. His mother, Lee Seon-ok, teared up on the phone as he insisted they accept the money, telling them to enjoy their hobbies and live comfortably without worrying about finances.

Despite having completed a drama and two commercials, Yeon-woo's earnings weren't enough to buy a house in Seoul's expensive real estate market. While he could get a mortgage, he wasn't in a hurry to buy a place, so he decided to continue living in the officetel provided by his agency for the time being.

"In this life, I'll buy a nice house like Jin-wook hyung's when I have enough money. Easy come, easy go." Having experienced the fleeting nature of material possessions in his past life, where everything had vanished upon his death, he was determined to enjoy his wealth in this life.

The next day, Yeon-woo was waiting for Min-soo at his officetel.

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang, and he went to open the door.

"Min-soo hyung, welcome."

"This is my first time visiting your place, haha." Min-soo entered, carrying a briefcase and a bag of groceries.

"Have you eaten? I can make you something."

"While I'm curious about your cooking skills, which I've only seen on TV, I've already eaten. Here."

"You shouldn't have. This isn't even my place."

"I should bring a housewarming gift, even if it's not your own home. It's not much since I bought it with the company card, but please accept it."

Yeon-woo smiled and led him to the living room. He went to the kitchen, poured some juice, and handed it to Min-soo.

"Thank you."

Min-soo took the juice and opened his briefcase. "We've received quite a few offers. Your previous projects were successful, and you're especially popular now thanks to the CSAT news."

He took out several movie scripts and drama synopsis. They were casting offers for Yeon-woo's next project.

"Wow, that's a lot."

"The industry wants you, actor."

Yeon-woo read the titles. "Hmm, but they're all rom-coms, similar to my previous work."

"That's because your image is currently associated with that genre."

Yeon-woo pondered the offers, and Min-soo took out a few more scripts from his briefcase.

"If you're interested in trying different roles, we have these as well."

Yeon-woo took the scripts and looked them over.

"However, these aren't specifically targeting you, so we'll need to discuss them with the production teams, and you might have to audition," Min-soo explained.

Yeon-woo smiled. "I'm confident in my audition skills. I can definitely land a role."

Min-soo smiled at his confident declaration.

As Yeon-woo continued reviewing the scripts, one title caught his eye.

"Master Plan"

The subtitle read, "Those who deceive, and are deceived."

"Actor, that's Director Park Chan-hong's film. I believe they're currently casting," Min-soo said.

Yeon-woo knew Director Park Chan-hong. He was one of the most successful commercial film directors in Korea, a star director with a movie that had drawn over ten million viewers.

Yeon-woo nodded and started reading the script.

'Hmm? This is…' He was immediately drawn into the story.

'Kwak Ji-chul' was a once-renowned programmer for a cybersecurity company.

'Kangwoo Construction,' a mid-sized construction company expanding its influence from Seoul to Gyeonggi Province, was actually a front for a gambling ring run by organized crime.

Having heard about the retired programmer's skills, the Kangwoo gang approached Ji-chul, asking him to create a program to control their illegal gambling operation. When he refused, they started harassing his family.

He reported them to the police, but due to widespread corruption, the investigation stalled, and the punishment was lenient.

Seeking revenge, Ji-chul hires a fixer through the dark web, risking his entire fortune.

'Pierre Choi,' a daring con man who had even swindled the Italian mafia in an arms deal, enters the scene.

The genius programmer, Kwak Ji-chul, and the genius con man, Pierre Choi, devise an elaborate plan to take down Kangwoo Construction.

'This seems like an homage to the 1973 Hollywood classic 'The Sting.' And it looks interesting.' Yeon-woo was intrigued by the plot, which resembled a classic movie he had enjoyed in his past life.

"Min-soo hyung, can you look into this project? I'm interested in auditioning for the role of 'Pierre Choi.'"