Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 171

171. Because It’s Not My Work (1)

April 20, 2022

The filming was exceptionally quiet.

Normally, the photographer’s instructions, specifying poses or requesting a certain atmosphere, or the praises to encourage the model, would have echoed loudly throughout the studio.

However.

Click! Click!

Clickclickclickclick!

Any instructions, praises, or critical voices had disappeared, leaving only silence.

The only sounds were the shutter of the camera and the occasional burst of the strobe [a high-intensity flash of light used in photography].

“The atmosphere is… amazing.”

“Right? I’ve never seen Mikael-ssaem [Teacher Mikael, a Korean honorific] so quiet before.”

The interns, who had quietly retreated amidst the suffocating atmosphere, murmured to each other.

Mikael, as they knew him, was a skilled professional with a reputation for being as sensitive and perfectionistic as his lofty name suggested.

He was known for his demanding direction and perfect results.

But now.

“He’s not quiet because he’s angry, is he?”

“Ah, would he ever tolerate something like that? I think… he likes it.”

At first, he didn’t seem too pleased, since Yeon-woo was directly recommended by the client.

It was as if he was saying he would do it because he was told to, even though he didn’t like it.

Even so, he diligently set the concept and brainstormed ideas, which was typical of a perfectionist.

Even after seeing Yeon-woo, who perfectly embodied the concept, the staff’s eyes widened, but his displeasure remained.

But what about now?

Click!

Click click!

Even though the model was posing on his own without any direction in front of the camera, he didn’t say anything.

No.

He seemed too busy taking pictures to even speak.

If he didn’t like it, he would have shouted, client or not.

Mikael’s working method was to devour the model unless they had a strong presence or skill.

It was as if their presence was being suppressed.

Unless they were exceptional, the model would simply become a tool for the photos Mikael was taking.

It was a subtle but significant difference.

It was a question of whether the main subject of the photo would be the ‘model’ or the ‘photographer’s visualized intention.’

“I just thought he was pretty, but that actor has some backbone…”

“I thought it would be good if he just did okay, but he’s better than I thought, right…?”

As they whispered, the silence that had settled over the set was finally broken.

“Writer-nim [Writer, a Korean honorific],” Yeon-woo said.

Yeon-woo, who was finding the optimal angle in a bathtub filled with scattered rose petals, raised his hand and called out to Mikael.

“Yes?”

“Can I submerge my whole body in the water?”

“You mean your entire body?”

“Yes.”

Mikael frowned.

The concept was, after all, ‘languid allure’ while reclining in the bathtub.

The focus was on symbolizing Yeon-woo, the model, as Narcissus drowning in roses, and at the same time, personifying Yeon-woo himself as an alluring rose.

Normally, he would have scoffed and told him not to say ridiculous things, but….

“Let’s hear what you’re trying to do.”

“I think it would be good to submerge half of my face. Up to… the top of my nose.”

“So, you’re only revealing your eyes?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm….”

Mikael stroked his chin.

After seeing that gesture a few times, Yeon-woo could roughly guess what it meant.

‘Approval.’

If the photographer Mikael was as skilled as he was reputed to be, he would have no choice but to agree.

Well, if he was just a stubborn person, Yeon-woo would have ignored him….

‘He clearly distinguishes between public and private matters, huh?’

That was Yeon-woo’s favorite type of person.

“And….”

“Is there more?”

“I think it would also be good to submerge my head completely in the water.”

“You mean go underwater?”

“Yes. But if I go underwater, the petals will cover the surface again….”

“You mean capture that fleeting moment?”

Mikael’s eyes seemed to flash for a moment.

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

Another silent shoot followed.

The results were very successful.

*

“Oh my god! Oh, my god, oh my god!”

A scream filled with joy echoed through the studio.

The protagonist was the client, who had arrived late to the set.

Yeon-woo made eye contact with the client, who was just getting out of the bathtub, and almost thought the client was going to faint.

Suddenly, the client’s knees buckled, and they staggered.

“Director!”

Fortunately, the interpreter and assistant who were following behind supported them, so such an unfortunate event did not occur.

“Good. Everything is good. I’ll buy it all. How much will it cost? Oh, my god. The proof that my choice was not wrong is right here!”

The accompanying interpreter conveyed it as dryly as possible, but Yeon-woo, who already had translation skills, could fully feel the client’s excitement.

The client belatedly considered their image and barely calmed down, but that didn’t last long either.

Soon after, a second scream filled the set.

It was after seeing the results of Yeon-woo and Mikael’s collaboration.

“Oh my god! What is this? Did someone go into my head?! The result is beyond my imagination, reproduced right before my eyes. Everyone here must be a genius! Oh my god. Such a perfect Narcissus!”

It was ambiguous whether being told that he was the same as the mythological figure who died of self-love was a compliment or not, but anyway, a compliment was a compliment, right?

“Mikael. I’m so glad I trusted you and left it to you!”

“Well….”

The creator of the work himself simply nodded his head with a rather reluctant expression.

However, everyone in this studio knew that this alone was a huge compliment.

‘There are almost no discarded photos. There aren’t even any classified as B-cuts [lower-quality photos]. Just the fact that he’s not pouring cold water on such a fuss shows it for sure!’

Photos that didn’t meet the standards even slightly were mercilessly deleted with the keyboard.

Even photos of a quality that would normally be used elsewhere were not good enough for Mikael.

Mikael usually took hundreds of photos and discarded almost all of them.

Thanks to his merciless treatment of hundreds of photos as B-cuts, reshoots were also frequent.

But what about today?

‘For sure… the work is a bit crazy today.’

The staff was almost overwhelmed by the atmosphere the two were creating.

The results were just as overwhelming.

“Oh, my god. You’re giving me such a harsh trial.”

The client clutched their chest, screaming with joy.

There wasn’t a single photo to throw away.

The subject, which was the center of the photos taken from a high angle, was shining alone.

Even though the screen was full of colorful and intense colors, the presence was not diminished at all.

“What should I choose… haaa….”

Coincidentally, the best photos were the ones from the second half, which Yeon-woo had directed himself.

“Mikael. You’re really crazy?!”

At the client’s words, Mikael shrugged and pointed to Yeon-woo.

“That’s not my work.”

Following Mikael’s gesture, sparkling eyes turned to Yeon-woo.

The client acted as if they wanted to show how it would look if they expressed the thought that they were going crazy with joy.

They looked at the photos on the monitor, then at Yeon-woo.

Then back at the photos, then back at Yeon-woo.

[I have a feeling that this is definitely a 100% case of falling in love.]

The child spirit cleared his throat from behind and pretended to be important.

[Even I think that photo is crazy.]

In the monitor was Yeon-woo, half-submerged in water.

Deep, sunken eyes staring straight ahead.

That intense gaze grabbed the viewer and wouldn’t let go.

The power to captivate and immobilize was melted into it.

How else could the staff, who had already seen it once, have gasped in unison when the photo reappeared on the screen?

“Haaa….”

The client, who had barely moved the mouse to move on to the next photo, stiffened once again.

A photo of him completely submerged in the water with his eyes closed appeared on the monitor.

The photo perfectly captured the precarious state of holding a rose to his chest and being on the verge of being covered by petals while submerged in water.

[That photographer also caught the timing well. Hmm. Since he has the skills to match his temper, I’ll give him a pass.]

As the child spirit said, it was a cut where Mikael’s skills, who did not miss the moment, were fully demonstrated.

If it had been a little later or a little earlier, that photo would not have been born.

“The intense one was good just before, but personally, I like this last photo too….”

The client sighed in a tone that suggested they didn’t know what to choose.

“In a way, the last photo best represents the child I created.”

The last cut seemed to directly convey the vague and abstract image of ‘submerging’.

The hair fluttering in the water contrasted with the sleeping eyes, creating a chilling beauty.

It was as if he had really drowned.

The image of holding a rose to his chest and sinking into a place where rose petals were in full bloom was nothing less than containing the intense message the client wanted.

“If you were to ask who is the happiest person in the world right now, I can confidently say that it is me.”

As the client’s reaction was like this, the atmosphere in the studio gradually warmed up.

“Oh, I’m only saying this now, but I was actually really scared that the two of you would fight.”

Until now, Mikael had never accepted the overreach of models even once.

This was because none of the opinions they offered exceeded Mikael’s standards.

The staff, who knew Mikael’s high standards, were even more surprised that this work was done without a word, and with such a great result.

Just what kind of person was this Kang Yeon-woo, who silenced Mikael and even made the results good?

“Is he perhaps an aspiring photographer?”

“What are you talking about? Why would a successful actor be a photographer?”

“Why not? When you think about it, actors are only in business for a season. Maybe he’s preparing for his retirement in advance?”

The staff around him looked at the staff member with pity.

“Say something that makes sense. You’re saying someone like that is only in business for a season? How can you be so blind?”

Tsk tsk.

The staff member who heard the colleague’s tongue-clicking cleared his throat.

The client left the set in a happy mood, still happily contemplating until the end.

“I hope we can work together again next time, Mr. Kang. You are truly a person who inspires creators!”

He said that he had an aroma that came to mind after seeing today’s photos and immediately scheduled a return to his home country to start perfuming.

After sending off the client, who was hurriedly moving to leave for the studio.

Mikael approached Yeon-woo.

He had a very displeased expression.

It seemed like he was overflowing with dissatisfaction.

A stranger might have thought he was approaching to pick a fight.

“Mr. Kang Yeon-woo?”

“Yes.”

He wasn’t going to start a fight now, was he?

He wouldn’t be demanding a reshoot now that the results were good.

‘Well. It’s not like he’s the only one like that.’

Yeon-woo answered calmly to the gaze that was not very friendly even after the filming was over.

To be honest, he was used to it.

Since coming to the entertainment industry, he had surprisingly met mostly people who looked favorably on him, but that wasn’t the case before.

No matter how hard he tried, no matter how hard he tried to look good.

What wasn’t going to work wasn’t going to work.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Additional stats were optimized to elicit people’s favor.

But that was the story when minimal favor was assumed.

Anyway, the situation was that there should be no business problems now.

It was when Yeon-woo’s calm gaze turned to Mikael.

“This.”

“……?”

“What is this?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? It’s a business card.”