Gentle Visual Acting Genius Chapter 10 - A Tiny Chance for a Miracle

#A Tiny Chance for a Miracle

 

[Sooah: Today is your first filming in Jecheon, right?? I’ve got a photoshoot ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Fighting for the filming~]

 

[Jiwoo: Oho…! Idol-turned-model noona shooting a pictorial ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

 

[Sooah: Hey, Don’t call me noona…ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I get goosebumps when I hear that from you]

 

[Woohyun: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ But you are that “fast” noona who drops honorifics with hyungs who are a year older than us  ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

 

[Jiwoo: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

 

[Sooah: Oh my gosh ㅋㅋ I’ll just be a family tree breaker at this point ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Please, just don’t call me noona…ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ It’s fine from Woohyun, but when Jiwoo say it, it feels really weird;;;]

 

On the way to Jecheon for the first shoot of <Fanatic>, the traffic was worse than expected.

 

But thanks to the countless jokes that came up in the chatroom the main actors recently created, there wasn’t a single dull moment. 

 

‘This isn’t so bad.’

 

In his past life, Woohyun never got such a rare opportunity to play a lead role right after debut. And because of the pressure that came with his visuals, he didn’t get many chances to build genuine relationships with other actors either.

 

It wasn’t until later, after people recognized Woohyun’s true value in his fierce visuals, that he began forming deeper friendships.

 

To think he’d one day have this kind of bond with fellow actors in the industry, sharing day-to-day nonsense in a group chat, it was unexpectedly delightful.

 

He didn’t know who or what had brought him back in time, but Woohyun silently offered them a small thank you.

 

“…Guess I really had to live long enough to see something like this.”

 

He muttered the words without thinking, finally starting to feel the reality of this unbelievable second chance.

 

Beside him, Ma Junseok, who was driving, gave him a weird look.

 

“Huh? Why would a twenty-two-year-old say something like that?”

 

“Ahaha. I mean, twenty-two’s old enough to know how the world works, right, hyung? I land one minor role, sign with a place like Tree Actors, meet you, and now I’m on my way to shoot a movie. It all just feels surreal.”

 

Ma Junseok nodded slightly while muttering that he was such a simple guy for his age,

 

“Still, don’t think of it as luck. You were already prepared, and you just seized the opportunity when it came.”

 

Ma Junseok’s words were sincere.

 

While working in this industry, Junseok had seen plenty of people rocket to stardom in the blink of an eye, but Woohyun was the first actor who made that success feel completely earned.

 

“You’re doing great. Just keep this up. Don’t go messing things up with some dumb scandal, got it?”

 

Spotting Junseok’s clumsy attempt at a stern expression through the rearview mirror, Woohyun barely held back a smile. Instead, he gave a playful salute.

 

“Yes, sir! Don’t worry, hyung.”

 

“Alright~ We’ll be there in about thirty minutes. Try to get your head in the game.” 

 

As soon as Ma Junseok finished speaking, a beautiful lake with dazzling blue light spread out before Woohyeon’s eyes. It was Cheongpung Lake.

 

The Jecheon landscape he had visited so often for filming in his past life was still just as beautiful ten years ago.

 

**

“Rolling!”

 

“Watch your stunt blocking! Full shot coming in from a high angle!”

 

Clap—!

 

The slate came down with a snap. Silence fell.

 

Filming had begun.

 

Deep in the woods, overgrown and thick with shadow. A shabby chapel stood in the middle of nowhere.

 

The iron door, the only entrance and exit, suddenly swung open with a deafening clang. A woman, covered in blood over her white clothes ran out, not once looking back.

 

The woman ran along the rough forest path without stopping, barefoot, desperate to get as far away from that building as possible.

 

Moments later, several burly men dressed in the same white robes emerged from the chapel, wielding clubs as they followed her trail.

 

Every beat of the chase played out in one seamless shot, the camera moving as if God was watching from the heavens.

 

Just as the woman was about to exit the frame, a man caught up and struck her on the head with his club. Her limp body collapsed, only to be dragged back toward the chapel by the others.

 

Blood flowed down her head, masking her face.

 

Barely conscious, she looked up. Through the shafts of sunlight filtering through the trees, a young man in ornate robes, fit for a priest, approached slowly.

 

“So this is how it ends…”

 

His white-blonde hair glowed like a halo. A pale, angelic face looked down at her. pity and sorrow etched deep into his expression.

 

The man knelt, gently brushing the blood from her eyes with his hand. His touch was soft, as if comforting a frightened animal.

 

“I understand. Of course you’re afraid. But salvation… isn’t something so easily won.”

 

“P-please… I won’t say a word… Just let me go…!”

 

“Come now. Let’s go inside. Everything will be alright.”

 

He stood, took a towel from a devout follower nearby, wiped the blood from his fingers, and gave a subtle nod toward the club-wielding men.

 

“No—no! Please! Don’t!! AAAAHH!! LET ME GO!!!”

 

Her screams echoed wildly, but the forest swallowed them whole.

 

The chapel doors slammed shut. Now, the only one left standing outside… was the white-haired man wearing a priest’s robe.

 

His pale eyes were out of focus, but eerily alert.

 

As he stood in the stillness, he slowly looked up, and met the lens of the camera as if it were God itself.

 

A smile curled across his lips.

 

“Like wildfire… we shall bring salvation to this world.”

 

Several beats of eerie silence followed.

 

“Okay! Cut!”

 

Director Jang Hangyeol’s excitement practically burst into the air.

 

The crew immediately let out a breath, followed by a chorus of praise.

 

“Wow… Not a single NG?”

 

“This first shot is on a whole different level. I mean, Woohyun was amazing, but wow… the whole cast’s chemistry.”

 

“Guess those rehearsals since the audition paid off. The timing was just perfect.”

 

Director Jang Hangyeol, who firmly believed in the superstition that a movie’s tone is set on its first day of shooting, was beaming as he watched the footage. ‘Has there ever been a scene that went this smoothly, on the very first day?’

 

In the center of this situation that was so pleasing to the eye, there was none other than Seon Woohyun.

 

“Are you okay? That didn’t get in your eyes, did it?”

 

“Oh! No, I’m fine! Thanks to you wiping it…”

 

“Really? That was actually an ad-lib. Glad I went for it.”

 

The actress who played the role of the escaped believer who had just screamed her throat out, gasped when she saw Woohyun approaching her and asking if her eyes were okay.

 

It wasn’t the fear she showed on the set, it was like she’d just seen something divine.. Her face flushed slightly as she watched him smiling at her.

 

‘With that platinum hair, he really does look like an angel…’

 

Her character may have been trying to escape his cult, but her heart had already been fully converted.

 

Meanwhile, oblivious, Woohyun walked over to Director Jang, who gave him a proud thumbs up.

 

“Did it come out alright, director?” 

 

“Woohyun! This is awesome. It’s perfect! I don’t even think we need to shoot close-ups. This changes the whole storyboard… But anyway, it’s perfect!”

 

“That’s a relief. I was so nervous about messing it up.”

 

“Hey~ Honestly, are you sure you’re a rookie? You act like some veteran reincarnated.”

 

“Ahaha… No way.”

 

It was a joke, but Woohyun could only smile awkwardly, hiding the slight chill at the comments of Director Jang Hangyeol, who gave off such frighteningly insightful comments.

 

The shoot had gone flawlessly, and Woohyun’s debut as a ‘saint’ villain couldn’t have gone better.

 

A quiet, sacred, noble role like this. One that radiated charisma without needing to shout or fight. It was the first time he had taken on something like this.

 

That’s why he was so excited. 

 

‘This is the villain role that I can play with this visual.’

 

If he was going to dive headfirst into roles like this, <Fanatic> had to be a perfect debut film.

 

For that, he was ready to give everything to make it happen.

 

While Woohyun was making such joyful promises, the final scenes wrapped and the crew began cleaning up.

 

But perhaps to balance out today’s smooth sailing, an unexpected problem occurred.

 

The food truck meant to feed the cast and crew had broken down on the way.

 

“It’s fortunate we’ve got a small team today. Is there any restaurant we can call last-minute?”

 

“I checked, but the nearby ones are closed. We’d have to head downtown.”

 

These kinds of mishaps happen on set every once in a while. But just then, a memory came flooding back to Woohyun.

 

‘Wait. Wasn’t that restaurant near here? The place was quite spacious… The owner’s cooking was really good, but I stopped going after the owner passed away. I guess it’s still around now?’

 

It had been during one of his earliest roles, back when his character was buried alive in a mountain after betraying his boss.

 

Woohyun had first discovered the place then, and returned a few times after.

 

Approaching Director Jang who was talking to the staff, Woohyun spoke up quietly.

 

“Director… I actually know a really good place nearby. Do you want to go?”

 

**

 

[Cheongpung’s Best Tteokgalbi & Cheonggukjang]

 

A modest signboard with an almost comically honest name.

 

However, Director Jang Hangyeol, who entered the spacious restaurant that was more than enough to accommodate the number of people on set today, looked at Woohyun and let out a quiet exclamation.

 

“You know places like this, Woohyun-ssi?”

 

“I came here years ago on a trip with some friends. The tteokgalbi is great, but the real stars are the cheonggukjang and the perilla oil tofu pancakes.” 

 

“Ooh… then I guess we’ll have to try everything.”

 

One by one, the actors and crew started filling up the restaurant.

 

Just then, as Woohyun was watching them settle in, a familiar voice came from beside him.

 

“That perilla oil tofu pancake isn’t even on the menu, how do you know to order it, young man?”

 

“Ah…! Hello. I ate here once before and had such a great meal, I brought a bunch of friends with me this time.”

 

“A handsome guy like you, seems like I’d remember if I’d seen you before. You must’ve come when it was just my mother here. Thank you for coming back.”

 

“Nah, not at all. Thanks for having us. We’re counting on you for another great meal, sajangnim.”

 

“Haha! My mother is the one doing the cooking, but I’ll be sure to let her know.”

 

As Woohyun greeted the man, who looked to be in his late 30s, with his kind eyes and smile, old memories from his previous life came rushing back.

 

Back then, the man had been a bit thinner, with tired lines around his eyes, but that warm, friendly smile hadn’t changed at all.

 

People’s faces changed, and the future shifted little by little. But this place, where so many cherished memories from his past life lingered, still felt exactly the same. That thought filled Woohyun with a strange but tender warmth.

 

He took a seat at the same table as Director Jang Hangyeol and quietly glanced around the restaurant. His eyes landed on a large framed photo hanging on the wall.

 

‘Wait a minute!’

 

In the picture was an elderly woman with the same soft eyes and gentle expression as the man, no doubt it was his mother.

 

Woohyun stared at the man with his arm around her shoulder, and in that moment, something clicked.

 

‘That’s right. The second time I came here, I was in my second year. Back then, the owner told me his mother had passed away from cancer the year before. That he hadn’t even known she was sick until it was already too late.’

 

That heartbreaking story, how he had been too busy running the restaurant to notice the cancer growing inside her, came flooding back with vivid clarity, sending a chill down Woohyun’s spine.

 

Just then, his eyes caught sight of a small-framed elderly woman stepping into the kitchen.

 

‘Maybe… just maybe, I could make a tiny miracle happen.’ 

 

The thought of being able to repay the second chance at life he had gained through his return, even if only a little, sprouted in Woohyun’s mind.