At Yoomyeong’s serious request, Soo Yeon blinked in surprise before slowly closing her eyes.
Her thick lashes trembled faintly.
“Try to follow my words with your imagination.”
Yoomyeong moved to stand behind Soo Yeon, who had closed her eyes.
“Let’s draw a single white dot in your mind. A very pure white dot that seems to annihilate any memory or information that gets absorbed into it.”
Initially, Soo Yeon thought,
What a pleasant voice—
She followed the soft command of his voice and tried to create a single point. A white dot, like a drop of paint, fell precisely onto the black expanse.
“The radius of the white dot is gradually expanding.”
“Your memories and past experiences are being swallowed one by one into the expanding dot.”
“Now, it’s no longer a dot but a circle. The circle is gradually widening its radius, erasing your current self as clean as white.”
Soo Yeon’s brows furrowed.
She concentrated.
Her innate ability to immerse herself was strongly engaged, assisted by the bubbling carbonation.
Although her eyes were closed, the movement beneath her eyelids made it clear she was staring at something. It must be the white dot that was gradually expanding its borders.
“Now, you have returned to nothingness.”
At his words, Soo Yeon’s expression vanished.
Her face became perfectly expressionless, as if all her muscles had lost their will.
Snap—
With the sound of a finger snap, the scene changed.
The commanding voice guiding her imposed a new personality upon her.
“Well, now you are in a certain castle. An old but clean castle. It has a lush garden.
There are pretty clothes, stylish furniture, and abundant feasts for every meal inside the castle. However, when you look around... you cannot find a single person.”
Soo Yeon’s face turned slightly, her eyes still closed.
It was evident that she was exploring the interior of the imaginary castle.
“You’ve lived in this castle for 20 years... ‘alone’. Dreaming of the friend who would appear someday.”
At those words, her heart skipped a beat.
The expression of the new personality gradually revealed itself.
It was thirst, longing, resignation, and hope.
“Then one day, your very first friend in your life decides to visit. You put on your prettiest clothes and wait eagerly for his arrival, wondering who he might be.”
Soo Yeon leaned in, listening intently.
Footsteps echoed from somewhere. The sound came from behind her, then slowly moved to her side. Her face grew increasingly eager.
“And finally... your friend has arrived. Now, slowly open your eyes.”
Soo Yeon’s eyes slowly opened. In front of her was Yoomyeong.
As if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing, she blinked again.
The expression on her face no longer belonged to ‘Seol Soo Yeon’.
“Should we start shooting?”
In order not to break Soo Yeon’s concentration, Yoomyeong whispered without turning back. Min Gyo, who had been watching the scene from about halfway through, moved quietly.
Yoomyeong reached out his hand.
Click—
With # Nоvеlight # a dreamy expression on her face, Soo Yeon clasped his hand.
Click—
It was a desperate smile of a girl yearning for warmth.
Click—
There was even a radiant smile that spread across her face when her friend looked at her.
Click—
Once immersed, Soo Yeon’s emotions did not break, and so the two-hour photo shoot flowed smoothly.
After the shoot ended, Min Gyo patted Anz’s shoulder as he wiped off his sweat. Anz nodded vigorously in agreement.
Min Gyo plugged the memory card into his laptop and began opening the files.
The initial photos were unremarkable, but from around the 1,500th onward, they were too precious to discard. Yoomyeong also stood to one side, looking at the photos.
‘Oh...’
Once immersed, Seol Soo Yeon was truly remarkable, living up to her future fame.
A fragile girl on the verge of crumbling in the autumn wind.
Happy, yet unable to shake off the fear that her only friend might leave, the girl buttoning up her collar in the chilly wind was both pitiful and beautiful.
“Soo Yeon did well as a model, but brother, you’re truly a professional.”
In fact, she hadn’t struck any particular poses. She simply walked, laughed, and looked at Yoomyeong, becoming the character. Much of the credit for creating these images within the composition went to the photographer.
Upon receiving Yoomyeong’s offhand compliment, the corner of Min Gyo’s mouth lifted.
He wondered why he felt proud and uplifted when this amateur novice addressed him as brother or older brother. That was probably because...
“Hey, you’re the one who contributed the most today.”
He felt that this kid was the real deal.
Min Gyo also subtly let his guard down. A sense of rapport and mutual understanding formed between them.
Anz also chimed in.
“Thank you so much, Yoomyeong. But what was that earlier? Hypnosis?”
“No, it’s just an imagination method commonly used in acting. Soo Yeon just followed along really well because she’s so good at immersing herself.”
At Yoomyeong’s compliment, Soo Yeon’s face turned red.
She had experienced a new world today.
It was the first time she had been able to express the feeling of becoming one with the character in front of others, something she had only experienced during practice.
‘Who on earth could he be?’
Just like how a baby bird recognizes the first thing it sees after hatching as its mother...
Yoomyeong’s impression was deeply imprinted in Seol Soo Yeon’s mind.
As soon as he returned home, Miho clung to him, sniffing.
Its large fox ears perked up. Why did its ears move when it was sniffing, not its nose?
“Can you sense that?”
“Ordinary people can’t, but when you’ve been around someone with such strong energy for a while, some of it lingers. Who is it?”
“Her name is Seol Soo Yeon... Oh, do you remember the first time you saw me at the shooting site? I met the younger version of the heroine of that film.”
“Ah, her... she was delicious, too.”
Miho licked its lips.
“I’ve been going around to acting studios these days. I should go visit her too.”
“Um... but when you say someone is delicious, do you actually absorb their energy?”
It was something that had intrigued him for a while, but it was difficult to bring up.
“You can form a contract to share energy, but I can’t do that without permission. I just consume the remnants, the lingering essence that an actor emits after a performance. Like the energy you’ve brought with you.”
“...A contract? So since we have a contract, can you absorb my energy?”
Yoomyeong asked, looking slightly puzzled.
In response, Miho bit his finger playfully. Two small teeth marks were left on his finger.
“Our contract isn’t that kind of agreement, kyung! In fact, I’ve given you so much energy that I have to roam around acting studios. I’m trying to replenish my energy.”
At that, Yoomyeong gently stroked Miho’s ears, feeling a bit sorry.
“I apologize for that. Then, should we make a contract like that as well? To share my energy with you?”
“I can’t do that. It’s an unfair contract.”
“What?”
Yoomyeong was surprised to hear a legal term come from the mouth of a spirit.
“Every contract must be mutually beneficial. It’s the law of the spirit world. Your current proposal doesn’t consider your benefit and is made solely out of goodwill toward me, so the contract itself cannot be established, kyung.”
The tiny creature confidently explaining such difficult terms was amusing. There seemed to be stricter rules in the spirit world than he had expected.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m a capable spirit, so you don’t have to worry about me. I’ve already recovered a lot of my energy. I’ll probably be coming and going to acting studios until I stabilize further.”
Feeling apologetic, Yoomyeong brought a can of beer from the kitchen.
He felt a pang in his chest as he watched the baby fox hold the can with both hands and lick it.
‘So... so cute!’
Today was the day to visit <Changcheon>.
The planning director, Mun-sik, shouted,
“We will move in groups of three to make sure no one gets left behind.”
Their destination was Daehak-ro, the <Hummingbird> Theater.
At this medium-sized theater with 500 seats, preparations for a show opening next week were in full swing.
A senior from the 22nd graduating class of Changcheon, now the assistant director of the show, greeted the juniors for their field trip.
“We’re a bit busy since it’s two days before the show. Please follow quietly so as not to disturb anyone.”
After giving instructions, the assistant director began the tour.
The interior was filled with all kinds of sounds. Hammers assembling sets brought in from outside. Background music and sound effects turning on and off. A massive bar holding the lighting equipment being lowered.
“Over here!”
They heard an irritated male voice.
The assistant director, who had been guiding the students, left them behind and ran over in a hurry.
A young man dressed in jeans, a large hoodie, and gloves was pressing on his back so hard he couldn’t stand up straight.
“How do you expect me to manage with only one lighting technician when there’s so little time left?”
“Well... one of them is out of action. I’m sorry.”
“Instead of apologizing to me, do you think the performance can go on the day after tomorrow like this? Find a replacement quickly unless you want me to collapse too.”
After bowing and returning to the students, the assistant director murmured to their planning director with a gloomy expression,
“I’m sorry, but I think I have to step out because of an emergency. Please do a quick tour without causing any disturbance, okay?”
“What’s wrong, brother? Is there anything we can help with?”
“I appreciate the thought, but we need professional help. This theater doesn’t have a resident lighting technician, so I brought one from Hyejeondang through my connections for a few days, but the assistant technician we hired is out of action.”
Yoomyeong’s ears perked up at the mention of ‘Hyejeondang’.
The best performance space in Korea.
It was built and managed by the largest company in Korea, Shinwha. Not for profit but seemingly for corporate image, its interior design and facilities were among the very best.
Built in 1988, it maintained its reputation as the best performance venue until Yoomyeong returned in 2018. It was so strict in selecting shows and actors that performing at Hyejeondang was considered the greatest honor in an actor’s life.
A person related to that place...
Yoomyeong swallowed hard.
“Excuse me, senior.”
When Yoomyeong stepped forward from the group and spoke, all eyes turned to him.
“I have some experience with lighting equipment. If I could be of any help until you find a replacement for the assistant technician...”
At Yoomyeong’s words, the assistant director looked delighted.
“Lighting equipment? How much? Have you ever handled stage lighting equipment?”
“I’ve worked with Fresnel and ellipsoidal fixtures before.”
The assistant director’s face lit up instantly. At least this guy knows the basic terms.
He led Yoomyeong over to the lighting technician.
“Ah, it’s not ideal, but this kid says he has experience with lighting equipment. Could you use him as an assistant for a while...?”
The technician furrowed his brows. It was obvious that Yoomyeong was one of the students who had been talking earlier.
Normally, he would have snapped back, saying he’d rather do it alone than work with an amateur. But he was desperate enough now to use whatever help he could get.
However, a minimum level of knowledge of stage lighting was required.
He gave him a small test.
“Go get the number 43 gobo from my bag over there and put it in the number 14 lighting fixture.”
