Chapter 948: Nothing Goes According to Expectations (2)

If a close senior in the entertainment industry fell into trouble, then wasn’t it a junior’s duty to save him?

“In that sense, how was it, Sunbae? My quick thinking was a huge help in rescuing you, wasn’t it?”

“......”

“That look in your eyes means you’re grateful, right?”

Stare!

Lee Gyeonwoo narrowed his eyes while I grinned.

“Sorry, Sunbae. I wanted to help somehow, but that was the only thing that came to mind.......”

“You didn’t have to turn me into trash while doing it....”

“Trash?”

“It just had to happen on a day I wasn’t wearing a ring.”

“?”

The explanation that followed made me burst into laughter.

Stare!

“I’m sorry....”

“No, it’s fine. Thanks to you, things did calm down a bit.......”

With a gloomy face, Lee Gyeonwoo glanced around the café while sipping his iced Americano.

As I sat across from him, he asked with a curious expression.

“How did you know I was here?”

“My manager told me. Said there’s a café around here you come to often.”

“Ah.”

“Still, it must’ve been pretty troublesome. There were so many people watching you.”

“I’m used to it. Happens all the time.”

If anyone else had said it, they would’ve gotten teased for showing off, but I found myself nodding without thinking.

It made sense.

Even when he was just quietly drinking coffee and zoning out, his eyes looked soaked in melancholy.

His nose was so high and sharp it practically cast its own shadow.

There were countless times I’d looked at his delicately sculpted face and genuinely admired it.

And besides.......

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Maybe because he was currently wearing makeup that made him look exactly like my dad, I felt strangely shy, like a little kid.

It really felt like this was what my dad must have looked like when he was young.

While the actor dressed as Sun Myungju briefly looked over the script, I secretly admired his face.

“Excuse me.”

A brown-haired woman in jogger pants approached us.

“Are you NewBlack by any chance?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The moment she heard “NewBlack,” the remaining customers in the café gasped.

Soon people began approaching us from every direction, asking if they could take pictures.

“But didn’t you just call him Dad? Is he really your father?”

“No.”

I lightly explained the situation.

“We’re filming a biographical movie about my father, Sun Myungju. He’s the actor playing my dad.”

“Ahhh!”

“Ahhhh!”

Lee Gyeonwoo nodded enthusiastically.

I quickly took the chance to promote the movie.

“Our film Sound of the Sun, scheduled to premiere at the end of this year, is coming soon, so please look forward to it! Feel free to spread the word to your friends and acquaintances too. Tell them a spectacular musical film is on the way....”

Holding up my phone while people filmed us, I sang a short verse from a jazz piece my dad had composed to liven up the mood.

Lee Gyeonwoo smiled beside me.

‘Thanks, Wooju.’

‘It’s nothing.’

The introvert was smiling contentedly behind me while using me as a shield.

Just as the senior whose childhood dream had apparently been “to become a rock” was smiling like that—

People who had been asking for autographs and photos discreetly slipped notes into my hand.

“?”

They were notes with phone numbers written on them.

Up until I arrived, these people had been staring only at Lee Gyeonwoo.

Now they were looking at me with sparkling eyes instead.

Maybe that was why.

“......”

Lee Gyeonwoo, who had just been happy the attention had dispersed, now wore a strangely complicated expression.

He looked pleased... but also somehow displeased.

Seeing that expression, I leaned over and whispered into his ear.

“Sunbae~”

“Hm?”

“I think I beat you. Hehehe.”

He immediately started glaring at me.

“I can’t believe I lost in looks.......”

“Well, there’s the sky above the earth, and Wooju above the sky, Sunbae. Beauty is relative. Ahahahaha!”

As I laughed noisily in delight, he let out a hearty laugh.

The way he looked at me was like he was watching a cute younger brother.

I knew it too. I was pretty adorable.

“Anyway, LA’s weather is seriously amazing.”

“If I didn’t have work back in Korea, I’d want to live here for a few months. It’s sunny every single day.”

“We’ve been thinking about getting a place in LA someday too. Staying in hotels every time is exhausting.......”

We chatted while walking through the streets of LA together.

Maybe because I was with an actor dressed as my father, but even this simple stroll felt oddly pleasant.

As the filming site came into view, I asked him,

“How’s filming going?”

“Good. The overseas location felt unfamiliar at first, but after a few days I adjusted quickly.”

“Anything uncomfortable?”

“Not really. Other than not being satisfied with my acting.......”

He was the kind of perfectionist who regretted not being able to give one hundred percent, even when he knew he could do better.

Smiling, I said,

“If you’re dissatisfied with your acting, how about making up for it with singing? Since we’re already here together, we could do some extra vocal training....”

“Now that I think about it, I’m actually pretty satisfied with my acting.”

“You are practicing properly, right? I’m checking your homework later.”

I laughed at the sight of him quietly grumbling before we entered the set.

The moment we stepped into the studio, we heard someone cheering excitedly inside.

“?”

“It’s probably Jiho. He was super excited today because he got to tour a Hollywood set.”

Sure enough.

Like a giant puppy out on a walk, our youngest was running around everywhere shouting “Wow!” and “Whoa!”

“Seriously... you can’t even see this kind of camera in Korea! Are they filming the musical scenes with this? Oh my god, that’s insane.”

“That’s one of the actors’ trailers, right? Can I look inside, Sunbae? Really?”

“Whoa! American cola!”

The staff burst into laughter watching Jiho roam around with pure excitement written all over his face.

The maknae waved toward the other members.

“Hyung! Hyung! Take a picture of me in front of the trailer!”

“Hold on.”

While Biju smiled and took photos for him, I walked over to where the filming preparations were happening.

Director Kim Bora, the director of Sound of the Sun, greeted us warmly.

“Oh, Gyeonwoo 씨 and Wooju 씨.”

“It’s been a while, Director.”

“Come sit comfortably. They’re preparing the next scene right now, so it’ll take a little time.”

I sat in a soft chair and observed the set in motion.

Staff adjusting the lighting positions.

The art team checking props on the set.

The green screen installed over the windows.

Near a set decorated like an ordinary home, a Black actor and a Korean child actor waited for setup.

“!”

The child actor’s eyes met mine, and he immediately came running over.

“Hello, Sunbae.”

“Hey there~”

I stood and greeted him warmly.

I had already heard he’d been cast, but this was the first time we’d met face to face.

Well.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t our first meeting.

“How long has it been? Did we meet in 2015?”

“Yes.”

“So that means you’re in sixth grade now? Thirteen?”

“Yes! I’m starting middle school next year.”

The actor answered with a mature expression.

His name was Kim Jiho.

The actor playing my father’s younger self.

We had met once before in 2015 at a “Winter Sale Mini Concert” event in a shopping mall in Ilsan.

He had been a kid dance MyTuber back then.

It was the same event where we got criticized over our live singing because we used AR due to our bad throat condition before the first broadcast of Masterpiece Group.

“You quit dance MyTube?”

“Yes.... I still like dancing, but I realized I wasn’t exceptionally talented at it.”

“So your talent was in acting instead?”

“Yes.”

Since he’d been a dance MyTuber, I’d assumed he might aim to become an idol later on, but it looked like he’d changed directions toward acting.

Then again, our Jiho originally wanted to become an actor before turning toward idols too.

I’d heard the competition ratio for the role of my father’s younger self had been four hundred to one, so if he got through that, he definitely had talent.

“What agency are you with?”

“It’s just me and my mom right now.”

Looking farther away, I could see his mother talking with the production staff.

Just then, preparations seemed to finish and the actors headed off to standby.

As I watched them chatting before filming began, Director Kim Bora sat beside me.

“Did you get a chance to look around the set?”

“Yes. The atmosphere’s really nice.”

“I think Jiho brightened things up. He’s been running around excitedly everywhere.”

The production crew laughed while watching Jiho exclaim “Wow!” in the distance.

“Is filming almost finished now?”

“Yes. We’re nearly done.”

“That was fast.”

“Filming itself usually isn’t that long. Pre-production and post-production take the most time... but the actual shoot has to move quickly. Every extra day means more labor costs on set.”

The director explained,

“And every director has a different style too. I’m the type who works with the editing director on-site while already deciding the edit points... anyway, post-production probably won’t take too long either.”

“When do you think it’ll come out?”

“I think we’ll know after we finish the OST recordings and film the musical scenes.”

The OST recording was my department.

The soundtrack we’d worked on with Frank Chow had already completed everything up to the recording stage.

All that remained was recording the actors’ voices.

“I’ll arrange the schedule soon.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Director Kim Bora smiled brightly, then paused as she turned to leave.

“Oh, right.”

“Yes?”

“If things go according to schedule, I think we’ll probably be able to release it around November... your birthday is November 9th, right, Wooju?”

“Yes.”

“I think we’ll be able to give you a very nice present.”

I answered her smile with one of my own.

I genuinely couldn’t wait.

“Ready... Action!”

At the director’s call, filming began.

The acting unfolded immediately after.

Within the silence hanging over the set, the actors exchanged fiery tension, built friendships, and sometimes affection....

“Uwaaaa.......”

At the romantic, sugary scenes between my mom and dad, I covered my eyes while everyone else burst into laughter.

I could see Lee Gyeonwoo and actress Yeo Eunseon, who played Lee Myeongeun, laughing hysterically while wiping sweat away with handkerchiefs.

“Alright! Let’s move straight into the next scene! Clear Lighting One and switch to Three!”

“Moving actors!”

As soon as one scene ended, another immediately followed.

And the order was completely mixed up.

I’d already felt this while filming Our Family Is Alien, but actors really were incredible.

After filming a reconciliation scene, they’d immediately film a fight scene, fully immersing themselves in completely different emotions every single time despite the disorderly sequence.

“Wow.......”

Biju whispered in admiration.

“They really immerse themselves instantly once filming starts. That’s amazing.”

“I know.”

Lee Gyeonwoo, who had been casually laughing among the staff just moments ago, now wore a cold expression while acting as my father.

And little Jiho, who had been reading scripts beside his mother, acted with mature composure too.

“Jiho.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think of that kid?”

“Hmm.......”

Jiho’s gaze shifted toward the child actor.

“He’s good. Feels like he built a really solid foundation. Looks like he practiced a ton too.”

“Hm.”

“Why?”

“I heard he still doesn’t have an agency.”

I figured I should bring it up with the directors or the acting team manager later.

For a while, we simply watched the set operate.

Jiho whispered,

“But the director is seriously incredible.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. There aren’t many directors who shoot while deciding edit points on the spot like that. Usually they just shoot everything from every angle because they don’t know what they’ll need later.”

Jiho continued,

“Of course, it’s better than entering the editing room later and going, ‘Uh...? We actually needed this scene,’ and having to reshoot it. But directors who can decide everything right away like that are really rare.”

“I see.”

Director Kim Bora intensely directed the set while actors monitored scenes beside her.

I wasn’t qualified to critique acting or anything, but one thing was certain.

They were good.

Maybe it was charisma. It felt like the actors’ energy was bursting straight through the screen.

The set carried that unmistakable atmosphere unique to successful productions, and smiles naturally spread across my face and my members’ faces.

“The role of Sun Myungju should be played by a Black actor.”

...That single suggestion had been what truly launched this project.

And now the project that began in January was already entering its final stages.

All that remained now was the OST work in my hands, plus post-production CG and graphics work.

My heart pounded.

“In just five months.......”

In about five months, Sound of the Sun would finally be showing in theaters.

If the movie succeeded, people in Korea who had never really known my father’s story would finally learn about his life.

And people overseas would get to see what kind of person my father was too.

And if things went especially well....

“We’ll win awards for the OST too.”

“!”

“!!”

Junghyun spoke.

“Whoa, chills. Hyung, I just imagined you winning Best Original Song at the Oscars.”

“Junghyun, that dream’s way too big.”

“Is it?”

“Let’s keep it modest and just aim for a nomination.”

The members and I whispered among ourselves while happily drinking kimchi soup before it was served.

Just imagining it made me happy.

“Ayo Deoksun!”

Calling out Kim Deoksun at the center of the film industry.

“What raised me was eighty percent Deok and twenty percent Sun.”

I smiled contentedly while imagining all kinds of ridiculous scenes in my head.

That was how good the atmosphere on set was.

And then, when the morning shoot wrapped up earlier than usual—

“Wooju.”

Minki hyung, who had been nearby, whispered to me.

“They’ve arrived.”

“Really?”

I turned toward the mostly Korean and Korean American staff waiting for lunch.

“Everyone worked hard today!”

Then we pointed outside the set.

“We prepared something special for all of you today!”

“!”

“!!”

Ta-da!

We proudly introduced it.

“You’ve all been missing Korean food, right?”

“No. We eat galbi and hangover soup in Koreatown every day.......”

We silently stared at Lee Gyeonwoo.

“......B-but Korean food is always missed.”

“Yes! So today we brought something very special for everyone!”

A special gift prepared for the actors and production crew.

As everyone stepped outside, they blinked in confusion.

“W-what is all this?!”

“The true essence of K-food.”

“?”

“Korean seasoned fried chicken!”

“!!”

Workers unloaded supplies from a huge truck one after another.

While we waved and greeted the restaurant owner, the Korean actors stared in amazement.

“Wow. Did you seriously bring an entire chicken restaurant here?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“?”

“??”

Ri Hyuk asked as if it were completely obvious.

“If you want Korean food, you just bring a Korean restaurant with you. That’s what we always do for fans when we travel abroad.”

“......Ri Hyuk 씨 really is part of NewBlack.”

“Huh?”

For some reason, Ri Hyuk flinched as if he’d just been insulted.

Meanwhile, after initially being stunned by the absurd scale of it all, people soon burst into delighted smiles.

“Thank you for the food!”

And just as we began preparing to leave—

“You’re leaving already?”

Lee Gyeonwoo asked regretfully.

“You should eat with us.”

“We have a food schedule to go to now.”

“?”

“It’s related to the next special for New Universe.”

As we explained, the members and I prepared to leave.

Time to roam around LA eating like gourmets.

“But first, let’s change clothes.”

“Got it.”

Before filming today’s gourmet-themed variety show, we needed to change outfits first.

A street in LA.

Gu Jaeyoung PD and the New Universe production crew waited at the meeting spot.

“Oh, Manager Seo.”

“Hello.”

The production staff warmly greeted Seo Minki, the man overseeing NewBlack’s activities on-site.

“Where are the members?”

“They’re changing clothes right now, so it’s taking a little while. They’ll be here soon.”

“Ah. The outfits....”

As they chatted—

“Oh, right.”

Seo Minki handed over a card.

It was a corporate card.

“The CEO told me to give this to you. He said to pay for all today’s meals with this.”

“......?”

PD Oh Taejun looked puzzled and waved his hands.

“You really don’t need to. Today’s budget is more than enough. Seriously, this is the biggest budget we’ve ever had.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Can I ask how much?”

The staff told him the amount.

A budget large enough to feed dozens of grown men with money left over.

“.......”

Seo Minki nodded before holding the card out again.

“I think you should still take it.......”

“?”

“It won’t even come close to being enough.”

“??”

The production crew blinked while the manager smiled with the knowing expression of a man who had learned through experience.

“Uh? Over there.......”

Someone pointed toward five figures approaching from the distance.

Handsome, yet somehow pathetic-looking.

As cool ocean winds from the LA beach rustled the palm trees—

“......”

“......”

Flap— flutter flutter flutter—

Flap flap—

Flutter! Flutter!

Five men approached while their loose-fitting clothes flapped wildly in the wind.

‘...Are they grand opening balloons?’

Even Ri Hyuk staggered because the wind kept catching his oversized clothes.

PD Gu Jaeyoung called out to the manager.

“Manager Seo.”

“Yes?”

“What exactly is that fashion?”

“They picked outfits so they could eat more. They said clothes without belts let you eat the maximum amount possible.”

The production crew blinked at NewBlack proudly displaying their determination to devour massive amounts of food with their entire bodies.

An assistant director called out to PD Gu.

“Director.”

“Yeah?”

“Wasn’t today’s concept supposed to be healing gourmet content...?”

“That’s right.”

“No matter how I look at it, I don’t think that’s happening.”

“.......”

The production staff silently stared off into the distance.