A sharply tailored suit.
Plain silver-rimmed glasses.
Unstyled hair, neatly combed back.
Park Jinhee doubted her eyes as she looked at the figure standing in the middle of the office.
The images she had of him as Bohyung and the Phantom had completely vanished, replaced by a man so ordinary that he seemed like someone you would pass by without a second glance.
Is he really the same person?
This was one of actor Shin Yoomyeong's strengths.
His plain yet neat face was like a chameleon, capable of taking on a wide variety of roles depending on the makeup.
It was fascinating how naturally he fit the character in the advertisement, seamlessly transforming into an office worker in his third or fourth year on the job.
Of course, Park Jinhee had no idea that he was deliberately minimizing his presence.
"Let's start with the first cut of the Mask phase."
Mask / Unmask.
The shoot was divided into two phases.
Today's indoor scenes belonged to the Mask phase, while the scenes marking the transition point where the mask came off belonged to the Unmask phase.
The Mask phase would depict the daily life of an ordinary salaryman struggling through a busy day.
The director coordinated the movements of everyone around him—the team leader, assistant, and various office staff filling the space.
At five seconds, someone behind a partition would yawn; at seven seconds, another person would answer a call, while someone else staggered under a stack of documents piled higher than their head.
The directions were detailed down to the second and far more elaborate than those used in dramas or films.
"Commercials have to convey a condensed image in a short amount of time, so the details have to be emphasized."
Gook-cheol was a well-known commercial director.
He was renowned for bringing narrative branding advertisements to life, and it was also surprising that he had been Director Ki's university classmate.
"Mr. Yoomyeong."
Having finished directing the first cut, he approached Yoomyeong.
"As you've seen in the storyboard, there are two versions: a three-minute version and a fifteen-second version."
"Yes."
"We'll pull the fifteen-second version from the footage we shoot for the three-minute version, so don't worry about the shorter one. It's mainly image-driven anyway."
"Understood."
Unlike the fifteen-second version, which ended with the transition from Mask to Unmask, the three-minute version followed a longer narrative arc that went from Mask to Unmask and then back to Mask.
Naturally, it featured a much more detailed storyline.
"And we'll try shooting it in several different styles—a stiff, businesslike character, a tired and irritable one, and even a macho, charismatic one. The Mask concept suits the first one, but I think it's best to have a variety of options to choose from and combine. Is that alright with you?"
"Yes, that's fine!"
Capturing as many variations as possible was standard practice in commercial shoots. Since reshoots were difficult, the ideal situation was to have a wide range of footage available to ensure the client's satisfaction.
"Good. Just remember that you need to appear competent no matter which character you're playing. You're someone who works hard but also knows how to enjoy life after work."
"Please don't worry."
After finishing the movement directions, the director returned to the camera.
The actors took their positions and waited for the cue while the crane emitted a mechanical hum as it moved into place for an overhead shot.
"Ready..."
Yoomyeong focused on his character, preparing to deliver a brief but impactful performance.
"Action."
A phone rang loudly in the bustling office.
At the moment, only the phone in front of Yoomyeong was ringing. In the final edit, however, multiple phones would ring together, layered with the various ambient noises of an office.
As soon as it rang, Yoomyeong quickly picked up the receiver.
"Hello, this is Deputy Manager Park Joo-won from Samjin Trading's Logistics Team."
Watching from the sidelines, Park Jinhee unconsciously nodded.
It was the tone of a seasoned employee. Gentle, yet firm enough to leave no room for unnecessary arguments. Polite enough to prevent complaints, yet prepared to cut off unreasonable demands. How could a twenty-five-year-old know that tone so well?
"Yes."
"Yes..."
Even while taking the call with the receiver wedged between his left shoulder and ear, Park Joo-won's gaze remained fixed on the monitor as his fingers flew across the keyboard.
It was the perfect image of an employee buried under work.
Then his voice suddenly rose.
"What?"
His brows furrowed slightly, and his voice immediately shifted into a confrontational tone.
"What do you mean? Why is that shipment there? Pull it out right now. Redirect the other shipment? That's not going to work. Yes. No, it can't happen. Absolutely not. I'll give you two hours to sort this out. If I don't hear back within that time, I'll have to report this to the team leader."
His voice quickly hardened and his tone sharpened.
At the same time, every word remained precise.
The audience would be able to understand the character's personality through his voice alone.
He had a meticulous work style and was uncompromising with both himself and his colleagues.
Even though it was merely a scene about a workplace mistake, tension suddenly spread through the room as if it were an order being issued in a spy film.
Director Gook-cheol was thrilled.
I was planning to extend the scene and cover it with multiple cuts, but there's nothing to cut around. I didn't expect the emotional progression to build so sharply all at once.
Park Jinhee felt the same way.
Although every day in an office worker's life seemed repetitive, countless battles both large and small took place every day.
Demands came from every direction—clients, other departments, and even one's own team.
Quickly deciding what to accommodate and what to reject, engaging in subtle power struggles—this was the everyday battlefield of an office worker.
"Haaa..."
After hanging up, Yoomyeong ran a hand through his hair.
The slight irritation on his face quickly disappeared, returning to a neutral expression as he resumed typing at lightning speed.
The camera captured the intimidating spreadsheet filled with numbers over his shoulder.
"Cut!"
One battle had ended.
The observers finally relaxed, shaking their heads in disbelief.
"I almost thought this was a real company."
"Did that actor work in an office before he debuted?"
"What? But he's only twenty-five."
"Twenty-five? At that age, most people still feel awkward wearing a suit. Why does he look so naturally worn down by life? Ah, it reminds me of the nonsense from the management support team this morning. It almost made me angry again."
Then Yoomyeong raised his voice and asked,
"Director, is this tone alright?"
"Yes? Oh—yes, it's very good. Let's do another take with a more exhausted atmosphere this time."
"Okay!"
The director couldn't help recalling the words of his friend Ki Do-han, who had claimed he wouldn't have much to do.
The Mask phase depicted an unusually difficult day in the life of the ordinary office worker Park Joo-won.
He had to clean up a mess created by a team leader from another department, while his own team leader dumped additional work on him to cover for a coworker who had quit without notice.
On top of that, there was a clueless assistant who kept asking the same questions over and over again.
It was simply another exhausting workday for a quiet office worker enduring the daily grind.
However, the Park Joo-won portrayed by Yoomyeong was ordinary yet extraordinary.
{Is it fun? Haha.}
Yes... this is new.
Miho couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Yoomyeong, whose face was slightly flushed with excitement.
It felt refreshing.
This was like filming the character-building stage.
Normally, when Yoomyeong received a script, he gathered as much information and emotional context as possible, considered various interpretations of the character, and then selected one to develop.
Commercial shoots were different.
Here, he was filming every possible interpretation of a character within a single scene.
Despite the tight shooting schedule and the need for the final product to remain concise, the advertiser—not the director—was ultimately the final decision-maker, which meant every possible option had to be captured.
To Yoomyeong, it felt like filming the preparation stage itself, which made the experience both refreshing and enjoyable.
Whenever the camera stopped rolling, he quickly switched emotional gears and prepared to reshoot the same scene as a different version of the character.
He altered his facial expressions and small habits to distinguish each interpretation, then poured those newly ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) created settings into the scene once the camera rolled again.
"He's incredible... What an actor."
Park Jinhee was nearly mesmerized as she watched Yoomyeong perfectly portray subtly different characters using the same outfit and dialogue in every take.
Looking around, she noticed that the agency's AE, CD, and production staff all seemed equally dazed.
A proud smile spread across her face.
It was the kind of smile a mother might wear after her child had been accepted into Seoul National University.
Ah... I want to tell everyone that's my actor. I want to grab the SD card and release it as a teaser. Get a hold of yourself, Park Jinhee. Stay professional.
During a break, her sharp eyes caught the agency's AE hurrying outside with a phone.
Pretending to head to the restroom, she stepped into the hallway and overheard the AE's urgent voice.
"Yes, Team Leader. It's a huge success. For the Angel Duty Free competitive pitch, I strongly recommend proposing Shin Yoomyeong as the model. His fee has increased because of his rising popularity, but that shouldn't be a problem since Angel specifically wants top-tier actors regardless of cost. Because he isn't A-list yet? You'll understand his value once you see the final footage. This actor is guaranteed to reach—or even surpass—A-list status within a year or two."
That won't happen.
Park Jinhee smiled triumphantly.
Angel Duty Free was known for its typical image advertisements that merely showcased the actor's face.
Yoomyeong, who had reluctantly agreed only after seeing her ambitious project, was unlikely to settle for such a mundane advertisement.
Today, Park Jinhee felt particularly proud of her eye for talent.
His performances as Bohyung and the Phantom had both been excellent, but she felt she was becoming a true fan of the versatile actor Shin Yoomyeong himself.
Returning to the set in high spirits, Jinhee overheard Yoomyeong making a suggestion to the director.
"Director, what about a character who always wears a professional smile?"
"A professional smile?"
"Yes. You know, the kind of person who's always smiling stiffly while they work."
"I understand. But there needs to be a clear contrast in the scene where the character's mask comes off. Going from one smile to another smile might not create enough contrast."
"Hmm... maybe if we differentiate between a conventional smile and a genuine laugh?"
Yoomyeong's suggestion made the director think seriously.
Theoretically, it made sense.
However, conveying the difference between those two types of smiles within such a short amount of time would be difficult.
As impressive as Yoomyeong's acting was, this was a challenge unique to commercials because of their brevity.
"It might be difficult. Commercials are often only glanced at, so showing the difference between two expressions in such a short span of time could be tricky."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Let's try it, Director."
Park Jinhee interjected.
"After all, we've already shot six versions. One more won't be much of a burden. Given actor Shin Yoomyeong's impressive abilities, this could turn into a great concept."
"Alright, Team Leader."
Although she melted whenever she saw Yoomyeong as Emperor Bohyung, Team Leader Park was known throughout the industry as a strict and highly competent professional.
Respecting the client's wishes, Director Gook-cheol nodded without further objection.
And so Yoomyeong took his place on set once again.
The inspiration for this concept, of course, came from his memories of Lee Bang-won.
Not all contrasts had to be as stark as black and white.
Similar colors could also be expressed richly by altering their temperature, brightness, saturation, and texture.
The director's point about the effectiveness of complementary colors in creating immediate contrast over a short period of time was certainly valid—
Yoomyeong concentrated, drawing upon the sensitivity he had cultivated over the past few months to adjust the intensity and depth of his performance.
After some time,
a mechanical, emotionless smile appeared on his face.
