Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 180

‘I guess I did great.’

 

“…….”

 

‘I definitely tore it up, right?’

 

“…….”

 

‘I really did do a good job, didn’t I?’

 

There was no need to doubt it. I could see the staff staring at me as if they were lost for words. The extras I had performed with were in the same state. The expression on Director Choi Donghoon’s face, who had called out the cut, was flushed with excitement. Though he hurriedly returned to his usual poker face after meeting my eyes, I’d definitely caught the flush of exhilaration on his face.

 

I glanced around. Several other actors, who had already finished their own filming, were still watching the set. I wasn’t sure why they hadn’t left yet since there was no team dinner scheduled, but the veteran actors were huddled around the monitor the director was looking at.

 

‘I did do a good job.’

 

“…….”

 

‘Otherwise, there wouldn’t be this kind of reaction. I did well. It was perfect.’

 

The fact that we’d finished filming on the very first take said it all. I had completed the filming with the same level of intensity from start to finish, without a single NG. It felt as though I’d become one with the set itself—what more was there to say?

 

There weren’t even any minor accidents. No tripping, no props malfunctioning—none of the typical mishaps that happened outside of the actual acting occurred.

 

‘And it wasn’t just me who did well.’

 

The various devices that checked my movements, the cameras that followed me, and even the extras—everyone was in sync. Looking back, it was amazing that so many people were able to perfectly pull off a scene of this scale in a single breath.

 

Turning my head slightly toward the actors who played the zombies, I saw them looking dazed, as if they had just woken up from a dream.

 

‘They’re in the same state as me.’

 

Immediately after stepping off the set, I opened my mouth. The director and other actors were important, but greeting the extras I had worked with came first. Especially the actress who played Choi Seongah, Choi Seonghan’s younger sister, at the very end.

 

“Thank you for your hard work. That must have been tough.”

 

“A-ah, no… I….”

 

“Hehehe….”

 

“Yes. Unha-nim, you worked hard too. Um… th-thank you so much!”

 

As I smiled broadly, I noticed her eyes were slightly watery. Just a little while ago she’d seemed slightly afraid of me, but now that everything was over, she looked relieved and was finally catching her breath.

 

Immediately after, I approached the other extras and repeated the same greetings. Naturally, I realized that the way they looked at me had changed. I remembered many of them looking at me with cold or indifferent eyes earlier, but now, those glares were nowhere to be found. Even during the rehearsal just before, they hadn’t been very friendly, but now everyone was watching me with their mouths agape.

 

Every extra had a similar reaction. The actor who performed the 90-degree back-bend, the actor who opened the door inside the building, the actor who grabbed my arm right before becoming a zombie—they all looked at me with expressions of kindness, or rather, utter amazement.

 

“Good job today!”

 

“Ah… yes.”

 

“You worked hard! Thank you so much!”

 

“Yes, yes. I’m grateful too. Um… by any chance… I think I grabbed you too hard earlier… are you hurt? It looked like you twisted your ankle….”

 

“Ahhh, no. Not at all. I’m fine, so please don’t worry about it! I’m the one who’s sorry. I think I hit your arm too hard.”

 

“No, no, no. Not at all! Um… Actor Lee Unha.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I-I’ll be cheering for you. I’m sure you’re going to become a huge star.”

 

“I’ll cheer for you too! It was short, but it was great working with you. I hope we can meet again!”

 

“Yes. You worked hard, Mr. Unha.”

 

Naturally, I continued to the next group, bowing my head and thanking them as well.

 

“Oh! Good job today!”

 

“Ah, yes. Good job. I learned a lot today.”

 

“Pardon? No, I’m the one who….”

 

“No. I don’t have a flashy filmography and I’ve only ever done these kinds of minor roles… but in my seven years of grinding in this industry… this is the first time I’ve had an experience like this. I can’t quite explain it, but it felt like I was being pulled along by the character… anyway, I feel like I’ve learned a great deal today. Actor Lee Unha.”

 

“Ah… haha… yes. Thank you.”

 

It was then that a voice called out from the side.

 

“The director hasn’t even given the official ‘OK’ yet. Are you giving yourself the ‘OK’ already?”

 

I immediately realized I’d made a slip-up.

 

“Ah, no, I just meant I look forward to working together again….”

 

A voice called out from a distance.

 

“It’s an ‘OK,’ Mr. Unha.”

 

“Pardon? R-Really…?”

 

“Yeah. I don’t think there’s any point in filming more. I’d rather move on quickly… resetting everything and running again would be a problem… but more than anything… I don’t think we’d get a result like that again, even if we did another take. Wait, should we do it one more time?”

 

‘No. Don’t. You’re right the first time.’

 

“I feel like if we shoot it once more, it might come out even better.”

 

‘No. Don’t. Please don’t. It’s hard. It’s really too hard.’

 

My heart sank at his sudden remark, but I trusted that he would make the rational choice. This was a director who had been on countless sets and built a massive filmography. He knew better than anyone what it meant to repeat a large-scale shoot that had to be done in one take.

 

Props cost money. Using extras costs money. The production had probably secured a sizable investment, but just like anywhere else, keeping production costs under control was essential. With astronomical amounts going into CG and marketing, the director’s mission was to extract maximum efficiency from a limited budget.

 

‘Of course, he’s probably torn.’

 

Anyone would want to make an even better piece of work. But realistically, he’d probably lean toward wrapping things up as they were.

 

‘Because there’s no guarantee another take would turn out as well as the one we just got.’

 

Just like me, the staff, and the other supporting actors who had been waiting around, everyone wanted to get home as soon as possible. As everyone waited for Director Choi to speak, his voice finally came, slow and measured.

 

“No, let’s wrap it up here…. Then, do you want to take a look first?”

 

I nodded immediately. As I walked toward the monitor, I saw the other actors making way for me. As soon as I sat in the chair with my name on it, the video played. I saw Lee Unha’s face as he suddenly began to run.

 

He looked paralyzed with terror, his face on the verge of tears. The sight of him running while out of breath was striking. And of course, the zombies were right behind him.

 

I already knew the supporting actors had done a good job, but seeing it now, I realized they’d done even better than I’d imagined. The way they narrowly missed my outstretched hand by a hair’s breadth was impressive. I saw myself passing the convenience store, turning the corner, pounding on the door, and pushing past people immediately after entering the building.

 

I was surprised to see how my expression shifted moment by moment.

 

‘Did I make a face like that?’

 

Every kind of emotion was in there. Sadness, dread, terror, rage—but the one thing encompassing them all was the desire for survival. It looked like someone who truly wanted to live. Like someone who would do anything, pay any price, just to survive.

 

‘Did I always look like that during the games of Tag?’

 

Useless thoughts briefly crossed my mind, but they weren’t something I needed to worry about now. As I shook my head to clear them, I heard Actor Kim Jonghoo’s voice.

 

“That was… f*cking cool… Unha, are you insane?”

 

“Pardon? What?”

 

“I had goosebumps from beginning to end. Look at my arm. See? Actual goosebumps.”

 

“Oh, stop it, hyung.”

 

“No, I mean it. Seriously… I can’t believe it. What were you thinking while acting? Seriously.”

 

“Just, exactly what was in the script. It said that when the virus first broke out, Choi Seonghan was driven by the instinct to survive.”

 

“And just thinking that gets you this kind of performance? Wow… now I see why it was an ‘OK’ on the first try. This makes no sense. It’s… it’s unreal….”

 

The veteran actors all wore shocked faces.

 

‘I’m flustered too, so imagine how they must feel.’

 

Kingdom’s Lime was no different. Though in his case, it seemed to be a different kind of shock. He was staring at my image as if he were going to stick his face into the screen, and even after the monitor was turned off, he kept staring at my face.

 

He followed me with his eyes as we greeted the staff and other actors and headed to our respective vans. He even looked like he was about to follow me into my van. Just as I was wondering why on earth he wasn’t going to his own car, Lime looked me straight in the eye and spoke.

 

“Your acting… was good.”

 

“…….”

 

“Way better than mine.”

 

“…….”

 

“But Lee Unha. You….”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You’re going to keep being an idol, right?”

 

“Hmm? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

 

“Are you going to become an actor?”

 

“What?”

 

“Is acting fun for you?”

 

“Mmm… yeah. It’s actually a bit fun. I feel like it relieves stress in a way, and I like the feeling of becoming someone else. Everyone I meet on set is a good person… and I like being recognized.”

 

“So, are you going to be an actor?”

 

“…….”

 

“No.”

 

“…….”

 

“I’m going to be an idol.”

 

“…….”

 

“The world’s best K-POP star.”

 

“…….”

 

I closed the door immediately. I heard muffled voices from outside the car saying things like, ‘I’m going to keep being an idol too’, and ‘See you at the next comeback’, but I shut my ears and pretended not to hear.

 

‘It is fun, though.’

 

“…….”

 

‘Acting is fun too….’

 

If I’d had just a few more options in life, it would’ve been something seriously worth thinking about. Strictly speaking, becoming the world’s best K-POP star was Joo Wooyoung’s dream, not mine.

 

‘What is it that I want to do?’

 

I’d never once thought about what came after surviving. Sure, before I was summoned to this other world, I’d been a trainee, but things were different now. I realized anew that there were so many paths ahead of me.

 

‘Well, there’s no point in thinking about it now.’

 

I lay down in the van, thinking that focusing on the task at hand and doing my best was the right way.

 

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

 

And so, time passed. The filming proceeded at a frantic pace, and at the same time… a meeting for <Fantasia>’s next album was underway.

 

“It’s Dark, Blood, and Sexy.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“The concept this time is Dark, Blood, and Sexy.”