I Will Live As An Actor - Chapter 26

I Will Live as an Actor Episode 26

“Scene No. 77 (Last) Seongtae looking at the seaside rock!”

This is the final scene of an independent film. Not only Director Choi Tae-seop but also the hands of the staff were sweaty. A rear angle captures the back of a boy who is trying to climb up a seaside rock blocked by barbed wire. Originally, it would have been okay to have installed rails, but where would such equipment be found in an independent film? The director follows him directly via handheld.

“Seongtae! Inoma! Where do you want me to go!”

A police officer (Song Jeong-seok) catches the boy and stops him. A situation where the waves are rising. If you slip even a little on the slippery beach rocks, you will fall straight into the sea water. Although it appears shallow on the outside, it will quickly be sucked into the beach by the ebb tide, just like a vacuum cleaner sucking in dust.

“I know how you feel! That’s right! That’s enough. Bye, let’s get down.”

“Mister, I really have to go up. I have to show it to Ji-hwan!”

“You ugly bastard, if you lose your footing while climbing, you’ll be damned! Do you really think your friend in heaven would want that?”

The police officer protected Seongtae (Jihwan) for the past week. I gradually became aware of the story behind this little guy who came all the way from Seoul to Busan. He was trying to make the child’s last wish come true for his dead friend.

As the waves rise, the sea water quickly saturates the seaside rocks. Because of this, a salty taste appears on the faces of the boy and the police officer. The waves were so strong that the police officer barely managed to stop the boy from hitting his buttocks.

“Hey, my friend is so angry at me, telling me not to do anything dangerous. Stop it and go to where your parents are waiting! They’re coming down from Seoul right now!”

“Then what about Ji-hwan? What about my friend who died without ever seeing his mother’s face? That’s what Ji-hwan said while he was in the hospital. His wish is to go back to the seaside rock in Busan where he took a picture holding hands with his mother when he was young. He wants to see it at least once. !”

“If you go up there right now, you’ll be swept away! Just think about it!”

“Today is your birthday! I decided to give Ji-hwan a gift on his birthday! When this night ends, his birthday ends too!!”

The police officer grabs the boy’s shoulders harshly, turns him around, and locks him in his arms. The boy resists fiercely and is trying his best to escape somehow, but it is not enough for him to overcome the adult with his strength. Isn’t this a seaside rock rumored to be dangerous? No matter how reasonable the reason may be, you cannot push your back with all your limbs. The police officer puts more strength into the arm holding the child. The boy’s shoulders shake violently in sadness.

In the end, the boy could no longer move. As dawn approaches, the twilight subsides, but the boy is silently looking at the seaside rocks. The police officer can’t bear to continue speaking as he looks at that empty sight. Only the warm, shining waves comfort the boy. The boy asked the only adult he knew in a trembling voice.

“Man, why is my friend still fourteen?”

Time passes, but death cannot be forgotten. The last appearance of a friend who remains like an awl even to a child. You may be getting older, but your friends will remain the same forever. The police officer could not bear to answer that question.

* * *

Taejongdae (太宗臺).

It is a tourist attraction in Busan and was also a popular travel destination for newlyweds in the past. The strangely shaped cliffs of Taejongdae, where waves undulate, arouse admiration from those who see them. On top of the rock, there is a haenyeo village that is enough to fill the hungry stomachs of tourists who come down from visiting Taejongdae. The wide rocks of Haenyeo Village are full of bustling movement.

“Ma’am! Here, please give me some more sea urchin roe!”

The last filming is over. The filming team is filling their hungry stomachs with seafood after an arduous march that lasted until dawn. The aunts of the Haenyeo Village constantly deliver food to a flat platform overlooking the beach.

“Ajimae, do you really block the seaside rocks like that?”

“Are you talking about that? It’s been a dozen years since you did that? In the old days, anglers on the bottom would catch a lot of fish and guests would come down and take a lot of pictures.”

“But are you trying to stop me?”

“Wow, it’s so dangerous to block it, so I made it like that. I have a lot of questions. There’s not much difference between high tide and low tide. But in the past, there were times when the water drained a lot, but I didn’t control it, but at some point, I ignored it. “(When the water is low), the district office just blocked it because there was only so much water. It’s a place where the sun is so scary that a lot of people drown, drown, and even die.”

“Yeah?”

I see. Although I was born and raised in Yeongdo, I had no idea that such a place existed. In that sense, screenwriter Choi Tae-seop is a great person. How did someone born and raised in Seoul know about such a place and come up with a script?

“England! Did you keep this delicious food to yourself? When I was in Seoul, I never imagined that I would eat sea urchin roe like this with a spoon!”

“Jeongseok-hyung, if you like sea urchin roe so much, come live with me in Busan. I’ll let you eat it every day.”

“Is that really true? Actually, acting in Seoul is good, but acting like this while feeling the sea breeze in Busan isn’t so bad. It’s the same because it’s hard to make a living acting there or here anyway.”

Song Jeong-seok’s expression turns serious when he says something that was said as a joke.

“No, you have to keep acting in Seoul. I know how to look good, but you have to stay in Seoul. If you challenge yourself like that, your day will come when you will see the light of day.”

“really?”

“Really, I can bet you that he will become a famous actor in a few years.”

I was wondering if Song Jeong-seok would really come down to Busan, but you never know. He seemed to be feeling a sense of disconnect between ideals and reality. Although I have longed to act in terrestrial dramas and Chungmuro, the reality is that it is difficult to get even a small supporting role.

While filming an independent film, he realized that whether the image was big or small was unnecessary. At this rate, rather than becoming a national actor, he could end up appearing in theaters again, so I wanted to keep him centered at least in this way.

“England, then how do you feel about your brother?”

At that time, Taeseop Choi quietly asks. Some members of the filming team are already pricking up their ears at the rumor that he knows how to look at physiognomy.

“Personally, I think my brother is better at writing scripts than directing. That’s just my personal impression.”

“Actually, I think so too. I came down to Seoul with the rent money for my house to film this independent film. Originally, I was only planning to write scripts for the rest of my life, but for this film, I wanted to hold the megaphone myself.”

“why?”

“It’s hard to express it in one word. I wanted to capture the movie with my own eyes.”

Choi Tae-seop’s gaze is looking towards the distant sea.

“Can I ask one question, Taeseop?”

“What are you curious about, England?”

“You know the last scene. Actually, I thought Ji-hwan said that Seong-tae would have somehow managed to climb up to the seaside rock in the end. In reality, it would have been difficult to climb up because there was barbed wire like that, but since it’s a movie, it can be adapted, right?”

“Yes, movies and reality are different. However, I wanted to draw a picture as realistic as the independent film ‘To Ji-hwan’. If the police officer had not caught Seong-tae at that time, Seong-tae might have died on the seaside rock. If that were the case, “How sad Ji-hwan must be in heaven.”

I wanted to have a more in-depth conversation, but Song Jeong-seok interrupts without notice and says.

“That’s right! England! Didn’t the chairman of the merchants’ association say he would have a party for us today?”

“Yes, that’s right. To commemorate the end of filming, he said he would personally host a party at the port.”

In Choi Tae-seop’s gaze, a lingering feeling as deep as the rich flavor of seafood was felt. His independent films are realistic. Was this a choice born out of a desire to convey the vividness of the script through the medium of film? Or is he really a director who wants to show real-life stories?

* * *

One side of the port is filled with the sound of crackling charcoal fires. The smell of mackerel, sea bass, and various seasonal clams being grilled tickles the tip of your nose. The president of the merchant association, wearing a Marine hat, has already bought a whole box of soju and bursts into laughter.

“You guys are done filming! Don’t you have to drink today?”

Cheers pour in from the filming team. I feel nostalgic for my past life. Independent films are a continuation of hunger. Isn’t it called penance for nothing? Because the production environment is poor, the after-party after the work is finished is bound to be small. We would celebrate our last shoot by drinking makgeolli and green onion pancakes on a lawn filled with greenery.

“I know this is dried mackerel, but it’s not tough and the flesh is soft. If you grill freshly caught mackerel over a charcoal fire and sprinkle it with salt, you’ll end up with five bottles of alcohol!”

The president of the merchant association personally grilled the fish, perhaps because he was proud that college students, who were about the age of his son, had completed the arduous filming of a movie. After all, the faces of the filming team all had lost cheek fat, as if showing their hard work. But no one looks tired.

Although it was a short and long film shoot that lasted for 15 days, each member of the filming team already shared a close family-like bond. Not only did they stick together all day, but they even slept together in a small inn room, so now it’s hard to imagine them falling apart. I’ve felt this in my past life as well, but it seems like independent films like this can’t be done without innocence.

“England, it would be nice to have a drink on a day like today, but it would be so bad! Instead, soothe your throat with carbonated drinks!”

“Jungseok speaks in dialect outside of movies, so it’s really awkward.”

“Is that so? Now then, shall we just listen to my dialect and give a toast to the director? Everyone raise your glasses and stand by!”

Everyone giggles and grabs their drinks at Song Jeong-seok’s humorous appearance. Director Choi Tae-seop slowly stood up. He first bowed deeply to the chairman of the merchants’ association, who even personally prepared an after-party for them, and then elaborated further.

“Well, I don’t know what to say first, but in fact, there was a lot of opposition at home when I thought about making an independent film. It was the same when I first wrote the script. I worried a lot about whether my story could really be made into a movie. But after coming down to Busan, That feeling went away. I met a lot of good people, like the merchant president, and I felt like the script I drew was really like that time.”

Those days.

“Because it was an independent film, the filming conditions were very poor. As we had to rent equipment to get the best picture possible, we were unable to pay a lot of money to our college classmates and juniors who helped us with the filming.”

“Taeseop! Since when did we work for money? These are all memories from our youth!”

“I feel very sorry for not being able to pay much for the actors’ appearance fees. In particular, England, who played the lead role in this movie, decided to appear without receiving a single penny of the appearance fee. Although such a decision may not have been easy, I am truly grateful for allowing it. .”

“I like your script so much that I can’t resist turning it down. Our CEO may feel a little disappointed, but I was really happy to be able to appear in your movie. If you’re so sorry, if a good script comes out in the future, let me appear again!”

“Taeseop, me too!”

Song Jeong-seok suddenly intervenes. Taeseop Choi smiled at that and nodded briefly. In his past life, he was a screenwriter whom even the most famous actors bowed their heads and looked for. In a way, I was lucky just to work with someone like that.

“Before I give a toast, there is someone I would like to introduce to you first! He is the person who made this independent film ‘To Ji-hwan’ possible and is like my teacher from when I was young. It took time to come from far away, but fortunately he arrived on time. “You did it!”

Who are you talking about?

At that time, a seal appeared on one side of the port. The person who appears through the streetlights is a middle-aged man with a handsome appearance. Although his appearance may look scary if he is not careful, the lowered corners of his eyes make him look sad. At that moment, the president of the merchants’ association, who was grilling Gogalbi, approached me with his marine hat raised and his eyes narrowed.

“Huh? Who is this? Policeman Kim’s kid?”

“Oh! Was Deokjin there too?”

“How did you come here? Nice to meet you! It’s been a while! I heard that you were transferred to Ulsan, but you are still as big as ever!”

“You haven’t changed either! I’m really glad to see you!”

“Hey guys! Say hello. This is Kim Soon-kyung, who lived in a rented house on the mountainside road where we filmed a while ago!”

“Now I’m Inspector Kim!”

“But how did you get here?”

“Tae-seop got a call from someone who said he must come today. You’re here!”

“Tae-seop?”

Choi Tae-seop looks at Lieutenant Kim with eyes full of longing.

“Tae-seop, how much do you want to eat?”

“I’m just about to eat. Are you tired of coming from far away? Please sit down. “You arrived just before the toast.”

“It’s a good thing you was in a hurry. By the way, he has grown up a lot. He was skinny even a few years ago, but his figure is tall. Looking at you, I see that you are full even without eating.”

“But you still have to eat. “You used to get a lot of soy sauce rice, so I’ll treat you to it today.”

The two looked at each other as if they had gone back to the past and forgot what they were saying for a moment. Then, Inspector Kim looked at me and said,

“Tae-seop, is this the one you acted like when you were young?”