Black Label [EN]: Chapter 137

Black Label 136

137. Another Class

Early in the morning, the residential area of Baekseok-dong was utterly silent.

Enjoying the chilly dawn breeze, Jaeseung silently strolled along the quiet alleyway.

As he rounded the corner and emerged onto the main street, he spotted a Carnival van parked with its hazard lights on.

Jaeseung checked the license plate several times before opening the back door of the vehicle.

With a distinct ‘clunk,’ the back door opened. Jaeseung climbed into the back seat and offered a quiet greeting.

“Hello?”

The man in his thirties with a round face, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, coughed a few times, “Keck! Keck!” and cautiously asked,

“Are you designer Lee Jaeseung…?”

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”

A quick glance revealed that he seemed to be hastily eating a sandwich while sitting in the driver’s seat.

He grimaced as if the food was stuck in his throat, patted his chest, and struggled to continue speaking.

“It’s a great honor to meet you. I’m Yoo Donghae, the manager in charge of transportation to the filming location today.”

Manager Yoo Donghae.

He was the person assigned by YZ Entertainment for the filming of Kwon Jihoon’s new song music video, which was scheduled to begin around this morning.

Although they had just met and exchanged a few words, Jaeseung thought he seemed like a pretty good person based on his first impression.

“Then, I look forward to working with you today. Is it okay if I call you Manager Yoo?”

After replying, “Yes, of course,” Manager Yoo immediately picked up a white plastic bag that had been placed on the passenger seat and continued.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you? It’s nothing special, but I bought some sandwiches on the way for you to have for breakfast. Would you like one?”

“Wow, thank you. I rushed out and didn’t have time for breakfast, so I really appreciate it.”

Before heading to the filming location, they shared the sandwiches that Manager Yoo had bought and listened to various explanations.

“As you can see from the music video treatment [a detailed plan outlining the concept, narrative, and visual style of the music video], your part is small, so it won’t take that long. If we finish it in one take, it could be over in just a few minutes.”

“I’m nervous about making a mistake. I’ve never really stood in front of a camera like this before.”

Manager Yoo brushed the breadcrumbs off his hands outside the window and continued, sounding puzzled.

“Really? Come on. How many photos of designer Lee Jaeseung have I seen? You take photos every time you do interviews and cover stories, right? Oh, right! The documentary! You have documentary experience too.”

“Interview and cover shoots are just about sitting down and taking a few pictures, right? And for the documentary, I just had to show my natural, everyday life.”

Unlike the previous shoots he had done, the fact that this one required at least some acting ability seemed to bother him the most.

As Jaeseung spoke in a rather dejected tone, Manager Yoo smiled and offered a word of encouragement.

“Don’t worry too much. You have some similar experience, so I’m sure you’ll do well.”

“Thank you.”

Manager Yoo gripped the steering wheel with both hands and added once more.

“If you’re tired, feel free to close your eyes and rest. I’ll wake you up when we arrive at the filming location.”

“Yes, thank you. Then, if you don’t mind, I’ll get some sleep.”

After speaking, he immediately closed his eyes and leaned his head against the car window.

Funnily enough, he hadn’t been able to sleep a wink all night due to the tension.

It was the same now.

Drowsiness didn’t even think about coming, and only worries were creeping up.

* * *

The Carnival van finally stopped at a large-scale studio located on the outskirts of Namyangju.

Jaeseung followed Manager Yoo into the studio, constantly looking around.

The exterior was just an ordinary factory.

It looked like an abandoned factory, as if people had stopped visiting it a long time ago.

However, surprisingly, as soon as he took a step inside, a whole new world began to unfold.

There were a total of eight themed sets.

Thanks to that, with every few steps he took, it felt as if the place and time were changing.

After walking past the busy staff for a while, Manager Yoo gripped the doorknob of the waiting room located inside the set and continued.

“Designer Jaeseung, I think you should get ready first. If you wait for a moment, the hair and makeup artists will come. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Jaeseung asked, sounding puzzled, “Need anything?” and Manager Yoo nodded in response.

“Yes. For example, coffee or cigarettes….”

He was clearly at least ten years older than him.

He didn’t feel comfortable asking him to run errands, whether it was for coffee or cigarettes that he didn’t even smoke.

Jaeseung quickly waved his hands and replied, “No, I’m fine,” and Manager Yoo opened the door wide and added again.

“Then, please rest for a moment.”

As soon as Jaeseung stepped into the waiting room, Manager Yoo hurriedly walked back the way he came.

First, he put down the backpack he was carrying on the sofa and took out the printed treatment again.

He wanted to read the scene he would be appearing in at least one more time.

Soon, several hair and makeup artists appeared, holding makeup boxes in their hands.

It was to style his hair before the shoot and to do simple shading makeup to emphasize his features.

Throughout the makeup process, various trivial conversations took place between the artists and Jaeseung.

Actually, it was more like the artists asking questions and Jaeseung answering briefly.

Starting with, “Do you have a girlfriend?” to “Do foreign models really have the same body proportions as in photos?” or “Among the famous models you’ve met, who is the prettiest and most handsome?” etc….

After styling Jaeseung’s hair for a long time, the hair artist straightened her back and reopened her mouth in a very cheerful voice.

“Okay, all done.”

Jaeseung took his eyes off the smartphone he was holding and began to look at the makeup mirror right in front of him.

‘Wow….’

It was a moment where he could keenly realize the importance of grooming.

Is this why people say that people change when they get involved in broadcasting?

As Jaeseung stared blankly at himself in the mirror, suddenly, a knock was heard from beyond the tightly closed waiting room door.

“Yes, come in.”

The door slowly began to open, and soon Kwon Jihoon peeked his face through the slightly opened door.

“Jaeseung, can I come in for a moment?”

“Of course.”

Kwon Jihoon, who entered the waiting room, naturally took a seat on an empty chair and continued.

“Jaeseung, thank you for coming all the way here. By the way, after getting your makeup done, you look like a completely different person. I really can’t recognize you.”

“Thank you. I’m also feeling a bit dazed. I think I should start taking care of myself more often….”

It was just a casual remark. Every morning is like a battle with himself, and if he adds a full makeup routine on top of that?

It was clear that he would never be able to handle it.

This is also the reason why most designers, who live with the destiny of creating beautiful clothes, stick to light clothing unless there is a special event such as a ‘collection’ or ‘show.’

The average sleep time during the season preparation period is only two or three hours.

Towards the end of the season, there were countless cases where they couldn’t even guarantee that much sleep.

There is an unavoidable reason why designers in paparazzi shots, unlike famous celebrities, stick to plain white shirts and black slacks.

Kwon Jihoon glanced at his wristwatch and continued in a gentle voice.

“Jaeseung, you’ve completely memorized the treatment, right?”

“I’ve seen it at least a thousand times.”

He said it in a playful tone, but it was clearly the truth. He had read it so many times that he was now able to write it down perfectly without looking at it, without missing a single word.

In fact, it was just about making a few gestures while sitting down, so there was nothing to memorize.

Kwon Jihoon nodded in satisfaction and tilted his head slightly, asking.

“Then, would it be okay to start filming in 15 minutes?”

“Yes? In 15 minutes, right away?”

Still, this was too sudden.

“If you’re feeling pressured, you can postpone it as much as you want. Actually, I know you’re busy, Jaeseung, but I thought it would be better to move it forward so that the waiting time wouldn’t be too long.”

After being lost in thought for a moment.

“No, I think it’s better to do it right away.”

He replied quietly and immediately got up from his seat.

As the saying goes, it’s better to get it over with quickly, right?

It was a judgment made because it was clear that his acting skills wouldn’t improve dramatically just by postponing the filming and looking at the treatment.

* * *

The filming sequence of a music video is as follows.

First, the ‘Artist’ himself, management, and production side gather together to start planning.

It is the process of capturing the concept and theme of the video work and setting up a brief outline.

Then, the production side continuously receives reviews and composes and produces storyboards and treatments.

After this process is completed, a budget is set and staff is organized accordingly.

From this point on, full-scale preparation begins.

The location for the set is scouted, and the production of props begins.

In the meantime, the actors and the main artist have a filming rehearsal period.

Once all these preparations are completed and filming begins, the remaining tasks are resolved quickly.

The period required for filming was short, lasting only a day or two, and no matter how long it took, it usually ended within a week.

The recorded video is then edited and CG-processed before being distributed and circulated.

Therefore, the fact that filming has begun means that, when looking at the overall scale of the work, it is perfectly fine to say that ‘more than half has already been completed.’

Meanwhile, right now.

The filming of scene 22, in which Jaeseung will appear, was being carried out several times in a row.

However, it didn’t seem like there were any particular NGs [No Good – meaning mistakes] occurring. Every time they re-shoot, it was proceeding without any feedback, ending with the director saying, “Let’s try it one more time.”

‘Am I doing well?’

After finishing the eighth shoot, he was given the opportunity to monitor the footage he had filmed so far for the first time.

As he stood in front of the monitor with a trembling heart, the staff member sitting in front of the computer immediately played the video.

Throughout the process of carefully examining all the videos from beginning to end, the director only made humming sounds without saying anything else.

Finally, after being lost in thought for a long time, the director opened his mouth in a rather bright tone.

“Designer Jaeseung, this is better than expected. I didn’t think there would be consecutive NGs because the amount was so short in the first place, but I thought you would make a few mistakes.”

“Thank you. Then…?”

“I’m so satisfied with all eight of them that I don’t know which one to use.”

After speaking, the director gave a kind smile and added, “Thank you for your hard work.”

Kwon Jihoon also did the same. After giving a polite bow, he repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you so, so much for your hard work. Thanks to you, the feeling has really come alive.”

“No, I had a good experience thanks to you, too. And Jihoon, you worked much harder than I did.”

“I’ll call Manager Yoo right now and ask him to prepare the vehicle. Thank you so much for your hard work today. I’ll contact you as soon as the music video release date is set.”

Jaeseung tilted his head slightly and asked back.

“Is it okay if I stay and watch a little longer?”

“Of course! You can watch as much as you want.”

“It’s not for any other reason, I’m just curious to see how the carefully crafted props will be used.”

In his heart, he wanted to wash his hands of it all and go home to catch up on his sleep.

But wasn’t this a golden opportunity to leave a good impression not only on Kwon Jihoon but also on the production and other partner companies?

He couldn’t let such an opportunity slip away because of fatigue.

Not long after, the music video shoot resumed.

Jaeseung watched the filming from the outskirts of the set so as not to be a hindrance, and whenever a good idea came to mind, he would approach the director and freely offer his opinion.

Some of these opinions were rejected for reasonable reasons that Jaeseung had not even thought of, but some were actively accepted.

Although Jaeseung had not studied this field in depth or had any experience working in the industry, he had experience watching music videos that would be produced several years later, right?

Some of the casually offered opinions could not help but feel quite beneficial.

As the filming at this Namyangju studio was nearing its end,

Most of the staff were busy praising Jaeseung in low voices.

The props, which were his main task, were perfectly produced, and the acting for the given amount was also smoothly performed.

Moreover, even after finishing his part, he did not leave the set and was carefully watching and suggesting various good ideas.

It was a situation that could not help but be seen favorably.

* * *

About two weeks had passed since the music video shoot ended.

Jaeseung’s younger sister, ‘Seunghee,’ was busy having a good time with her friends.

She had finished the university entrance exam that she had been aiming for for the past few years, so she was planning to spend happy days enjoying her carefree heart until she entered school.

Wasn’t it a situation where half a dozen girls couldn’t control their laughter even when they saw rolling leaves?

Seunghee and her friends were constantly giggling and running around the streets of Myeongdong [a bustling shopping district in Seoul].

At that time.

“Oh! Kwon Jihoon’s new song music video is out!”

One of her friends suddenly pointed to the billboard at the top of a towering building in the distance and said.

Seunghee and her group, like meerkats, all turned their heads and began to look up at the billboard.

The lack of sound was a flaw, but anyway, the highlight of a music video is its colorful visuals, right?

Everyone was staring blankly at the billboard, occasionally letting out faint groans.

“Haa, as expected of Jihoon oppa [an honorific term used by younger women to address older male friends or celebrities]….”

“When did you see him to call him oppa?”

At that time, one of her friends tilted her head slightly and asked in a slightly trembling voice.

“Oh? But who is the person sitting across from Jihoon oppa right now?”

“I know, who is it?”

“Hey, but he has a vibe. I don’t think he’s super handsome, but he seems quite charming?”

“At that level, he seems way too good for you?”

“Wow, wow. I’m joining the fandom today, I have to search him up….”

Everyone was watching Kwon Jihoon’s new song music video being played on the billboard with eyes full of interest.

Just one person among the group.

Only Seunghee was staring blankly with her eyes wide open.

Seunghee stroked her face a few times with her palm and continued in a low voice.

“He’s my brother.”

One of her friends standing next to her smiled and replied bluntly.

“Hey, Lee Seunghee. You’re really serious. Get a grip. What do you mean our brother, our brother who’s going to freeze to death? Kwon Jihoon probably doesn’t even know that you’re alive on this planet….”

“No. I’m talking about the person sitting across from him. He’s my real brother.”

Silence flowed for a moment. Soon, the friends who had no difficulty in grasping the truth gathered around Seunghee and began to say one word each.

“Seunghee, aren’t you hungry? Is there anything you want to eat? I got my allowance yesterday, and I really want to buy you something.”

“We just ate! What are you talking about? Seunghee, can I study at your house tomorrow?”

“Tsk, you’re so obvious. You burned all your textbooks as soon as the SATs were over, right? Seunghee, no. No, what should I call you? Miss? Or, sister-in-law? Which one do you like better…?”

On the other hand, Seunghee couldn’t answer anything and was still just looking at the billboard.

She had heard that he would be appearing in the music video, but she had never imagined that he would be appearing in such an eye-catching role.