"Good take," Director Hwang said over the earpiece. "We’ll go again later. Everyone, you may reset for the meantime."
The shoot almost took half an hour.
Minjae performed succeeding songs and it was a pain in the ass.
"Ahh… finally," Minjae exhaled sharply.
His body was warm and sweaty, and his pulse was racing from the adrenaline of the performance. But before he could catch a proper break, the staff rushed toward him.
"Minjae-ssi, time for the next outfit."
And so, the cycle continued.
- - -
Outfit change. Camera resets. New song.
Minjae lost count of how many times they repeated the process this entire day. Every hour, he was given a different stage outfit. Some were casual wile others were heavily stylized with intricate details that shimmered under the lights.
The songs he played varied too, ranging from powerful ones to emotional ballads, each one requiring a different mood and energy.
What’s frustrating was he gotta lip sync the same songs multiple times. Though, he had no choice but to keep up with all of it.
Minjae performed the very best. His lip syncing was seamless and his movements remained natural until the end. He was also able to convey the right emotions of the songs.
Everyone was honestly surprised by it. At one point, even Donghyun, who was monitoring Minjae from backstage, let out an impressed sigh.
’I’m impressed by this young man. Everyday, he proves to me something new.’ Donghyun thought to himself.
The instrumental of the song began playing, and Minjae took a deep breath before stepping forward. His posture was poised, his expression filled with an effortless charisma that seemed almost too natural for someone new to the industry.
~🎶~
Tell me, do you feel the same?
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Because for me, it’s hard to take
You’re in my mind all night and day
No matter what, you never fade
~🎶~
Minjae started lipsyncing once again. It was the last take for the day, so he was determined to give his all.
He had practiced this song countless times. Different from his earlier songs, this one was a powerful ballad that required him to pour out his emotions while just standing on the stage.
~🎶~
Every thought leads back to you
No escape, no way to move
How can I hold back when my heart is calling?
Only you—it’s always you
~🎶~
As the lyrics poured out of him, Minjae infused them with genuine emotion, his gaze flickering as if he was talking to a lover.
The camera angles shifted, capturing his silhouette under the dazzling lights, the slight curve of his lips when he smiled, and the subtle flicker of sadness in his eyes as he continued lip syncing.
The film crew exchanged glances.
They had expected a decent performance from Minjae, but this was something else entirely.
From the way he moved to the smallest details in his expressions, it felt as if he was truly a seasoned artist standing before a sea of adoring fans.
The assistant director, who was watching from the monitor, turned to the director with wide eyes.
"He’s too natural. Are you sure this is his first time, director?"
The director crossed his arms,his brows rising.
"It doesn’t matter. Just keep rolling."
Then came the final part of the scene. The moment when Minjae was supposed to say goodbye to his fans.
His script directed him to pause for a moment, letting the audience’s cheers wash over him before delivering his final line.
Minjae closed his eyes, taking in the moment as if he could truly hear the deafening screams of his fans.
Then, with a bright yet sincere smile, he lifted his microphone again and spoke, his voice carrying a quiet warmth.
"This moment… It belongs to all of us. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for attending this concert. I love you, everyone!"
Minjae smiled sweetly as cheers of fans echoed in the whole arena. Afterward, the stage blacked out.
"Cut!"
As the final take wrapped up, Director Hwang’s voice rang through the earpiece once again.
"Alright, that’s a wrap for today. Good work, everyone."
A wave of relief washed over the entire staff. The cameramen that were stationed around quickly lowered the cameras they were holding while camera directors immediately checked the footage of the last scene.
The extras, who had been tirelessly waving their light sticks and cheering for hours, also slumped into their seats, stretching their arms and rolling their stiff shoulders.
Minjae, on the other hand, barely had the energy to be happy. His body was aching, his throat was dry from shouting and lipsyncing and his legs felt like they had turned into jellies.
He knew he had pushed himself to the limit today, but as he glanced at the staff members, who still had bright smiles on their faces, he knew it had been worth it.
"Minjae-ssi, here’s a towel." A female staff rushed over, handing him a fresh one along with a cold bottle of water. "You did great today."
"Thank you," he muttered, taking the bottle and chugging half of it in one go.
The cold sensation soothed his parched throat, and he couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
’Finally…’
"You did well, Minjae." Donghyun walked up to him with a proud smile. "Not everyone can shoot that intensely for hours without asking the director for a lot of breaks in betweens."
Minjae let out a weak chuckle as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Thanks, Hyung, but I think my legs might give out any second now." Minjae wasn’t even kidding when he said those words.
Donghyun laughed out loud, patting him on the back. "Go get some rest tonight. You deserve it."
"I really will."
With that, Minjae stood up and walked back toward the dressing room for one last outfit change — his regular clothes. The stylists quickly helped him to remove the heavy make up out of his face too.
Once everything was done, he felt like he could finally breathe again.
A staff member approached Minjae in the dressing room. When he saw the tired state of the actor’s eyes, he couldn’t help but worry.
"Minjae-ssi, you should eat something before you leave. Should I ask for a meal?"
"No need." Minjae muttered, "I will have one later with my manager."
He lied. It was the last thing on his mind.
Right now, all he wanted was a bed.
Minjae felt like that even if his bed was the cold ground, he’d immediately sleep on it once he laid down.
For so long, Minjae hadn’t been this tired until today.
Well, they were shooting for the last 18 hours, so it was understandable.
"Minjae…"
Minjae was about to sit on a chair when Director Hwang approached him with his usual sharp gaze. Though something was different. His eyes might be sharp but there was something almost approving in his expression.
And Minjae knew that it was usually a good sign.
"Good work today," Director Hwang said. His words were simple but you know it carried weight.
"You handled the performances well. We’ll review the footage, but I’m satisfied with what we got."
For a man who rarely speaks well, it was a compliment, especially for Minjae’s acting.
"Thank you, Director." Minjae was genuinely happy, but his face was so tired that he could only manage a small smile.
"Go rest tonight. We’ll start again tomorrow."
At those words, Minjae felt his exhaustion double.
"..."
Tomorrow?
He groaned internally.
=====
A/N: Dropping 10 chapters in one go is actually so tiring. Anyway, hope you all enjoy reading it!
Also, thank you for buying privilege. I really appreciated it.