Shooting (3)

"Why are you going this Junjae? This is not you! I can help you! Just put down that knife and surrender." 

"You asked me why I'm doing this?" man's voice was sharp, filled with both anger and anguish.

Sooyun's brows furrowed. "I'm not here to judge you, Junjae. Just tell me—help me understand."

"Understand?" Minjae barked out a laugh while tears started streaming down his face.

"You think you can understand? I had no choice! I have a family! That's all I could do!"

Sooyun's grip on his gun tightened, his heart aching at the sight of his once-close friend reduced to this.

"Junjae… you don't have to do this. There's another way. Let me help you."

"Help me? Where were you when everything fell apart? When I lost everything? You don't get to swoop in now and pretend to care!" Minjae shook his head, his voice breaking.

The tension between them was evident with years of unspoken pain surfacing in that very moment.

"You think I wanted this?" Minjae continued, his voice shaking with raw emotion. "Do you think I dreamed of being a man my daughter would be ashamed to know? They took everything—my friends, my family, my hope! And now, I'm just trying to survive."

Sooyun stepped closer, his voice gentle but firm. "I know you're hurting, Junjae. But this isn't the way… surrender and we'll do anything to help you."

Minjae faltered, his grip on the knife loosening for a moment but then his shoulders stiffened, and his gaze hardened even more. 

Minjae laughed bitterly as he shook his head.

"I had dreams once too… But dreams don't pay, and love doesn't keep you fed. I did what I had to do…" Minjae's words came out low and measured, each line cutting through the air with the weight of bitterness and loss. 

"And if you call that a sin, then I'll wear it proudly for the world to see." Minjae uttered as if he had given up on everything. A few seconds of silence occurred as the rest of the police officers caught up on the run.

Arriving, they immediately pointed their guns in Minjae's directions. 

Minjae who already knew he had no way out, slowly brought down the knife in his hands. A tear slowly fell in his eyes as he stared into Sooyun's eyes. 

"Your friend died a long time ago. This is all that's left." His words hung heavy in the air as the officers tried getting closer to him, their weapons ready. 

"Junjae," Sooyun said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "For your daughter's sake… don't make this worse."

For a moment, it seemed like Minjae might surrender, but the fire in his eyes reignited. With a guttural scream, he lunged forward only to be stopped after a few steps as the officers tackled him to the ground.

"Ahhhh! Fuck you all! Fuck all of you! Fuck fuck fuck!" Minjae shouted out loud as he tried to fight back.

Sooyun stood frozen. He acted as if his heart was heavy as he watched his childhood friend be subdued and handcuffed.

"Junjae…" he murmured under his breath, his voice filled with sorrow he couldn't suppress.

"It's over," Sooyun said, his voice low but steady. "It's over, Junjae. I'm sorry" 

The scene ended with a close-up of Minjae's face as he finally stopped struggling. He just looked lifeless as he broke down in silent sobs. 

"..."

"Cut!"

The director's voice echoed through the studio, pulling everyone out of the gripping intensity of the scene. The tension in the air lingered, a testament to the powerful performances of the actors.

"Good job, everyone!" The director clapped his hands, standing from his chair. He was deeply satisfied by the scene

"That was phenomenal! Sooyun, Minjae, that was such amazing work!" he uttered out loud. 

It seemed like they already got the scene in just one take. 

Sooyun, who was drenched in sweat from the emotional depth of the scene, let out a deep breath and straightened up. He eyes Minjae, who was still on the ground. 

Minjae was breathless. The extras who played as the other police officers freed his hands from the handcuffed for the mean time and helped him get up. 

The crew began moving around, adjusting the set for the next take.

The director approached Sooyun and Minjae, a wide grin was playing on his face.

"That was the kind of performance that gets people talking. If we keep this level of energy, this drama is going to be something special."

"Thanks, Director," Sooyun was the first one to respond. Dropping of his acting expression, a cocky smile was now plastered on his face. 

"Good job, Sooyun." Suwon uttered, however, he quickly turned his head to Minjae who was still taking his time to even out his breathing at one side. "You too, Minjae." 

"Thanks, director," Minjae replied back.

"Anyways, I gotta go to the camera director."

Director Yejun who was in charge of all the extras, quickly came to Minjae's side. His eyes glimmered as he saw Minjae. Without wasting any second, he personally went near him, passing by Sooyun who was now being attended by his own assistant. 

"That was such a performance, Minjae. Even better when you auditioned! You nailed the script well!" Yejun's enthusiastic voice echoed.

He was deeply impressed by the acting that he saw and he almost cried earlier while watching it through the monitors. 

Minjae smiled genuinely as a short laughter escaped his lips. 

"Thank you, Director. I'm glad you liked my acting." 

"Haha! Keep it up, boy!" Yejun chuckled, giving Minjae two thumbs up. 

"Thank you, Director." In his peripheral vision, the annoyed look of Sooyun didn't escape Minjae's eyes. 

'How does it feel like to be ignored, Sooyun? Don't you hate that?' Minjae uttered as a subtle grin appeared on his face. 

"Alright, alright, i'll leave you now so you can rest." The director's expression softened. "Rest for a few minutes, everyone. That was heavy. Get some water, breathe, and come back ready for another scene." Yejun uttered before finally leaving the two. 

As they were left alone, Sooyun, stood stiffly, his lips pressed into a thin line. He wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and shot a glance at Minjae. 

"Yeah, great. You really nailed being an annoying criminal. A little too natural, maybe." he side commented. 

Minjae just laughed, unfazed by the sharpness of the comment.

"Well, thank you, Senior. I'm really honored that you liked my acting." Minjae replied innocently, clearly enjoying Sooyun's visible irritation. 

Sooyun's face crumpled. He clenched his jaw and glared at Minjae. The man was obviously pretending to be innocent. 

"Drop that act. Do you know who I am?" Sooyun questioned as he raised a brow as if threatening Minjae. 

However, Minjae just smiled at Sooyun.

"Aren't you Senior Sooyun?"