Chapter 98. Pretending Not to Understand

It has been three days since Jin Yohan visited the musical theater troupe to cheer them on. Now, Yeonwoo has returned to the set and is filming "Sketch."

"Today's scene will be really free, so it all depends on your ability. To borrow a documentary feel, I won't tell you anything, so just imagine you're on a trip without a camera."

Yeonwoo nodded at Director Park Chan-hong's words. According to the script, Jay, after returning from an indie music festival, boards a bus to the outskirts with just a guitar to find inspiration for a new song. The only crew members accompanying him are Director Park Chan-hong and a camera director.

"Good. No one will recognize you, so we can capture a realistic scene."

The bus wasn't chartered for filming. It was a real bus heading to the outskirts during the daytime, and there were few passengers, mostly elderly, so no one recognized Yeonwoo. Only a bearded uncle who boarded with a camera gave him a curious glance.

Since there were no lines, Yeonwoo really acted as if he were a Korean-American tourist, fascinated by the scenery outside the window, sitting with his legs tucked under him near the back wheels of the bus.

'Ah, here we are.'

When the bus arrived at the pre-arranged suburban town, Yeonwoo pressed the bell and got off, followed by Director Park Chan-hong and the camera director, as if they were really on a trip. Yeonwoo wore a mask, and the directors walked a bit behind him.

'Cycle through the scenery. Here.'

Yeonwoo moved naturally, as if on a solo trip, following the route Director Park Chan-hong had scouted in advance. There were no crew controlling the scene, and no pre-arranged shops for filming.

Yeonwoo bought a bicycle from an old, run-down bike shop run by an elderly man, and the camera quietly zoomed in from across the street, capturing him leading the bike out of the shop. Then, with his guitar on his back, Yeonwoo rode the bicycle freely, leaving the town behind. The camera captured his cycling, naturally framed against the sunlight.

Zing─.

A smartphone in his pocket rang, and when he answered, he heard Director Park Chan-hong's voice.

- Okay cut. Come back.

"Yes, Director."

Yeonwoo turned the handlebars and rolled his legs to return to where Director Park Chan-hong was, smiling. It was a rather unique filming method to ride a bicycle and receive an okay sign via smartphone.

If people knew that the top commercial film director in the country and the hottest actor were filming in a suburban rural road with just one camera, in a style that didn't seem like a film club, there might be more journalists chasing them than the local residents.

Jay tied his bicycle to a lamppost in front of a hangover soup restaurant on a lonely two-lane national road and came out after eating. Hangover soup was a Korean dish introduced to Jay by Mr. Jung the day after he suffered from a hangover following the indie festival dinner. After being captivated by its taste, it became his favorite Korean food.

Still not familiar with Korean, Jay only knew to look for the word "hangover soup" on his smartphone and say, "Hangover soup, please."

This was the only part of today's shoot that was pre-arranged and coordinated. Jay, who had just finished eating the delicious hangover soup and came out, stopped walking to get his bicycle, which he had tied to a thin lamppost next to the shop, with his guitar slung over his shoulder.

Confusion quickly spread across his face.

The camera director captured his expression and naturally shifted the frame to the lamppost where the bicycle was tied.

"Wha─."

Only the front wheel remained, and the frame and rear wheel were gone, leaving the gray lamppost standing sadly.

Chirp chirp─.

A moment of silence fell, and only the pitiful chirping of birds could be heard.

Jay's serious expression, frozen in place, contrasted with the green trees and peaceful bird chirping, creating an ironically funny scene.

After a while, Jay took out his smartphone from his pocket and called someone.

"Hey, Mr. Jung."

- Oh, Jay, what's the matter?

"Last time, at the cafe, you said Koreans don't steal anything, that they covet the seat rather than the laptop or bag."

Shrugging his shoulders, Jay spoke in a way that suggested he found it absurd, and a voice came from the other end of the line.

- That's right. We don't covet others' belongings. We even leave packages at the front door.

"But why is only the front wheel of my bicycle left? I only went to eat for 30 minutes."

There was a moment of silence, and then Yeonwoo tilted his head, as if he had heard something from Mr. Jung.

"Um, what?"

- Ahem, such things happen. I'll come to pick you up. Where are you?

"I'm not sure where I am. I was thinking of retracing my route on the bicycle."

- If there's any nearby shop, take a picture and send it. I'll find it and set the navigation.

Yeonwoo nodded, looking at the hangover soup restaurant in front of him.

"Okay. Thank you. I'm sorry for the trouble."

Just as he was about to take a picture of the shop with his smartphone, the battery died.

"···Ah, nothing goes right. This damn Korea."

It seemed that the battery had run out quickly because he had been stopping his bicycle and recording with his smartphone whenever he got inspiration while riding through the outskirts.

"Okay cut."

With the director's signal, Yeonwoo approached Park Chan-hong. The director explained the next scene to him.

"You'll be walking up the hill on the shoulder of the road, and we'll shoot a wide shot from here. When a truck stops, just get in. It probably won't go according to the script."

"That's the scene. Have you found a suitable actor?"

When Yeonwoo asked, Director Park Chan-hong smiled meaningfully.

"I have. Let's start the shoot. This scene will be entirely up to your improvisation."

If it were a typical shoot, they would have finished a script reading before filming, and even if he hadn't attended, he would have known who was cast for a significant supporting role. However, this film deviated from the norm in every aspect.

'That's what makes it interesting and exciting. The story flows spontaneously, and you never know what will happen next.'

Of course, there was a general flow, but each shoot could change spontaneously on set.

However, this approach seemed to help Yeonwoo, who was playing Jay, a character who had just returned to the unfamiliar country of Korea, immerse himself more deeply.

Yeonwoo nodded, slung his guitar over his back, and trudged up a narrow, rarely used mountain road. The director quietly captured Yeonwoo walking up the hill alone in the sunset, now a black silhouette against the setting sun.

Then, a 1.5-ton white pickup truck slowly followed Yeonwoo up the hill. It seemed to be returning from selling vegetables at the market, as it was loaded with vegetables in the back. The truck passed Yeonwoo, stopped, and then slowly reversed.

It appeared that the truck driver and Yeonwoo were having a conversation.

"Excuse me, can you take me to the nearest bus station?"

Yeonwoo, immersed in the role of Jay, who couldn't speak Korean, spoke in English without being flustered by the person in front of him.

The truck driver, an elderly woman, tilted her head.

"Young man, you must be from abroad, the way you speak."

'The script clearly said a young man selling vegetables, but this is an elderly woman.'

Seeing the cameras installed in various parts of the truck, it was clear that this was the truck Director Park Chan-hong had mentioned.

'So, this must be the actor they cast.'

Although the role of the young man had changed to an elderly woman, it seemed more appropriate when considering the subsequent scenes, and he nodded.

Yeonwoo, more immersed in the role of Jay, approached the truck.

"Can you take me to the nearest station?"

Yeonwoo asked in English, pointing to himself and then to the passenger seat.

The elderly woman in the driver's seat nodded.

"Oh, you're lost. Get in. It'll get cold as soon as the sun sets."

Seeing the elderly woman nod, Yeonwoo got into the passenger seat.

"Young man, why are you lost? What's your name?"

"Sorry?"

"What's your name? Name. Don't you know your name?"

"Are you asking my name? It's Jay. Jay."

Pretending not to understand the language was harder than he thought.

It was a hyper-realistic performance to identify with the character and express it realistically.

In other words, it required a tremendous method acting.

Of course, he had never pretended not to understand Korean in his previous life, but fortunately, he had frequently pretended not to understand a language while understanding it during information gathering operations.

People tend to reveal secrets more easily in front of someone who doesn't understand their language.

The elderly woman nodded at Yeonwoo's answer.

"Your name is Jae-hee? It's the same as my neighbor's granddaughter. You look so well-mannered, and your name sounds like a girl's."

"Uh, Jay."

"That's right. Jae-hee."

Yeonwoo tried to pretend not to understand by intentionally ignoring the actor's words and thinking of other things.

The elderly woman, driving slowly through the rural road, spoke again.

"Have you eaten?"

"Food?"

"That's right. Have you eaten?"

Yeonwoo, stroking his chin, pondered.

'If I were Jay, I would have only understood the word "food" in the conversation. What would I say when I hear "food"?'

After thinking about it from Jay's perspective, he spoke.

"Hangover soup?"

"Oh, you drank. Have a bowl of hangover soup. I'll give you a bowl of kimchi soup and rice when you get home."

Although he didn't understand what she was saying, Jay nodded at the word "hangover soup."

The truck, carrying vegetables and Yeonwoo, slowly headed to the elderly woman's house.

"Jae-hee, I'll quickly make you some kimchi soup."

The elderly woman pointed to the old wooden dining table and went into the kitchen.

Jay, looking puzzled, hesitantly followed the elderly woman into the house, which he had never seen before.

Director Park Chan-hong and the camera director naturally followed behind.

'This elderly woman's acting is amazing. She's really doing hyper-realistic acting that fits the documentary style.'

It felt like a real encounter where an elderly woman brought a lost foreigner home and prepared a meal for them.

Although the director and camera were following behind, she didn't even glance at them.

Yeonwoo, in line with this, hypnotized himself into being an American, "Jay Miller," and curiously looked at the stones displayed on the living room shelf.

After a while, the elderly woman came out of the kitchen with a bowl and spoke.

"Come here. Eat quickly."

Jay hesitantly sat down.

"Thank you very much for your kindness."

"Keep talking in that broken language. Eat quickly."

Jay, looking at the food in front of him, tilted his head.

"This looks different from the hangover soup I've seen before."

The elderly woman nodded at Jay's mutter.

"That's right, it's hangover soup."

"Thank you for the meal."

Jay, saying thanks in English, picked up a spoon and took a bite of the kimchi soup with rice.

At that moment, Director Park Chan-hong called out from behind.

"Okay cut."

Hearing the director's signal, Jay returned to being Yeonwoo.

Yeonwoo bowed to the elderly woman.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm Ryu Yeonwoo."

"Oh, no need for formalities. I don't know what I did well."

The elderly woman, who had been speaking in a rural dialect, now smiled kindly and answered.

At that moment, Director Park Chan-hong spoke from behind Yeonwoo.

"Yeonwoo, this is my mother."

"···What?"

"She used to be an Asian actress in Hollywood until 30 years ago."

"My son is flattering me. I was just an extra."

It turned out that today, not only Yeonwoo but also the elderly woman had to pretend not to understand and speak their native language.