Chapter 376: Choose (19)

After a grueling twenty-hour shoot, we finally returned to the dorm completely exhausted. We practically collapsed as soon as we walked through the door. With fewer scenes, "Red Rouge" only took twenty hours, but shooting the historical drama-style “Ario 愛” would likely take at least three days.

I couldn't imagine the sheer amount of energy we'd need for that. We really needed to manage our condition well. As soon as I lay down on my bed, thinking about the packed schedule lined up once our comeback was announced, I fell asleep instantly. I sank into the mattress like I was made of quicksand.

***

A few days after the “Red Rouge” shoot, it was time for the “Ario 愛” music video shoot.

“Did we get more cameras?” I asked, noticing the increase in equipment scattered around the set.

The staff member holding the behind-the-scenes camera nodded with a slight smile.

“Really? Because the area is so big?” I continued as I looked around at the sprawling folk village set.

The staff nodded again. The folk village where we were shooting “Ario 愛” was vast, and with the members spread out, the original two cameras wouldn't be enough to capture everyone. It was going to be quite a challenge to get everything we needed in one day.

“Please introduce your outfit for today.”

“Ah.” I stretched out my arms and spun around. I felt the fabric flutter around me. “Today's outfit makes me a Flower Prince.”

“It suits you very well.”

“Thank you!” I grinned, feeling a bit more confident thanks to the compliment.

The first shoot for “Ario 愛” continued the storyline of our second universe. My role today was the Flower Prince. It was a role that might have suited Yoon-Chan better, but I got it this time. The Flower Prince was favored by the king and acted as a secret agent but harbored a significant secret.

For reference, Joo-Han was the king, Yoon-Chan was the loyal vassal and bodyguard, Goh Yoo-Joon played a servant earning money as a clown, and Jin-Sung was a young blacksmith. The setup and roles clearly linked the tattooed and non-tattooed factions from "Red Rouge." It was interesting how they wove our characters into such diverse roles while maintaining our group dynamic.

“Hyun-Woo, you have to act again,” the cameraman said.

I tried to sound more confident than I felt. “Yeah, I guess. But I think I’ve gotten better, right? I’ve done it a few times now, and Yoon-Chan has taught me a lot.”

Joo-Han’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Do you really think so?”

“Your confidence is impressive, Suh Hyun-Woo,” Goh Yoo-Joon laughed.

‘Ugh, here we go again.’

I turned my head to look at them with a deadpan expression. These two always teamed up to tease me. The king and the servant were arm in arm, clearly enjoying themselves at my expense.

“Sure, whatever,” I muttered.

“There were rumors they wouldn’t ask us to act again, but I guess they weren’t true.”

“Suh Hyun-Woo, what if this is our last chance to act?”

“What do you mean? I will do my best!”

Goh Yoo-Joon laughed and started lightly hitting my arm with the string tied around his forehead. It made a soft slapping sound.

I looked at him with pity and extended my arm. “Lock this rascal up immediately! How dare you be so rude to the Flower Prince!”

“Ssh! How dare you say that in front of the king!” Joo-Han stepped in front of Goh Yoo-Joon as if to protect him with his equally dramatic expression.

‘Wait, Joo-Han hyung is siding against me?’

I feigned shock by looking back and forth between the camera and Joo-Han with my mouth covered, until he relented and turned against Goh Yoo-Joon.

“Lock him up and torture him!”

“You are even meaner to me, hyung!”

“...Shall we stop here?” Joo-Han asked, his expression suddenly serious as he felt the reality of the situation set in.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

Goh Yoo-Joon and I followed Joo-Han’s lead and stood before the camera for an interview instead.

“How do you feel about this comeback after such a long time?” Joo-Han asked.

“I’m really excited. Shooting a music video again really makes it feel like we’re coming back. I’ve been so excited every day,” Goh Yoo-Joon responded, his eyes bright with enthusiasm.

“That’s right. You can always hear ‘Red Rouge’ coming from his room.”

“It’s not just because I wrote the lyrics, The song is genuinely amazing. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”

“We’ve been looking forward to this comeback. We put a lot of effort into this album, so please look forward to it,” I added and we both waved at the camera.

Right on cue, the "Ario 愛" shoot began. The members moved to their respective shooting locations, and I headed to the palace garden with Joo-Han. The first scene was simple but pivotal.

The Flower Prince was a long-time friend and loyal vassal highly trusted by the king, and he recently began acting suspiciously. As the king and the Flower Prince were strolling through the garden, the king subtly tried to probe him, but the Flower Prince maintained his usual loyal and friendly demeanor. The tension between their old friendship and new suspicions was palpable.

All we had to do was walk and deliver our lines, but the challenge was that the lines were long. Also, it was a historical drama, so we had to act accordingly. The script was intricate, filled with nuances that we had to convey through our expressions and body language.

“Hyun-Woo, don’t worry too much. We will subtitle your lines, so just focus on the expressions,”

“Ah, okay.”

Everyone knew I wasn’t the best actor, even the director. Since everyone was aware of my limited acting skills, there was no need to be nervous. My only concern was the cold weather, which might make my already stiff acting even worse. The wind was biting, and my cheeks felt frozen.

“...”

Actually, I was very nervous. Acting always made me feel like crying for some reason. The pressure of delivering a performance that wouldn't let the team down weighed heavily on me.

Anyway, the shoot began. Joo-Han and I started walking through the garden following the director’s instructions. The sound of the gently flowing pond was soothing, which was a stark contrast to my churning thoughts.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Despite the intense cold, the scene through the camera lens looked like a warm and peaceful spring day. As we crossed the stone bridge in the garden, Joo-Han stopped and smiled at me. I gave him a questioning look, asking why he had stopped with just my expression. He then said, “Seeing the ice on the pond melt, it seems spring has arrived.”

‘...Has Joo-Han's acting improved a lot?’

I had noticed Goh Yoo-Joon occasionally going to Yoon-Chan's room, but maybe each member had been getting private lessons from him.

Of course, I had also taken some private lessons myself.

It was my turn to speak. I tried to relax as much as possible by smiling and slightly lowering my head in response to Joo-Han. “It’s still quite cold, though.”

Joo-Han widened his eyes briefly before returning to his original expression and nodding. He resumed walking. “This cold will soon pass.”

“Then the beautiful flowers in the palace will soon bloom again.”

“...”

Joo-Han stopped walking again. I also halted and looked up slightly to see why he had stopped this time, gazing at his back.

This time, Joo-Han spoke without turning around. “Can you see the flowers?”

“...Pardon?” I tilted my head, pretending not to understand the king's words. “What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?”

“It's nothing, Hyun-Woo. When the flowers bloom, let’s go flower viewing with the ministers.” Joo-Han looked at me with a smile, and I shook my head while smiling back.

“If it’s a royal command, I have no choice. But flower viewing with the ministers? You have a unique taste, Your Majesty. Please, count me out. I’d rather not join.”

Joo-Han laughed heartily and resumed walking. “No way. It’s an order. How boring would it be to enjoy the flowers alone with only the old ministers? There's nothing duller in the world!”

When practicing alone, the lines didn’t seem this long. Now, switching back and forth with Joo-Han, it felt like a lengthy scene.

‘Are they really going to use all of this in the music video?’

Just as I was starting to worry about my acting skills being too exposed, the director called for a cut, to my relief. And then, Joo-Han, the director, and the production team unexpectedly began to praise me.

“Hyun-Woo, your acting has improved! What happened to your awkward performance?”

“Right? Hyun-Woo, you did great. It was natural and smooth. We might not even need subtitles. Should we keep it as is?”

I panicked and waved my hands quickly. “No, no, no... please don’t.”

Sure, I had learned a bit from Yoon-Chan, and I thought my acting had become more natural. But still, it wasn’t good enough. The Rings knew I wasn't a great actor. If my voice was included, they’d focus more on my acting skills rather than the music video’s story. It was better to remove my voice to help them immerse in the video.

“Really, it’s fine. But okay, I get it. Let’s do two more takes and then move on.”

We acted out the same scene twice more before finally moving to the next one.

The next scene was my solo shoot. After sending me off, Joo-Han would call the bodyguard Yoon-Chan and order him to keep an eye on me. As I left the garden, I had to sense their conversation and quicken my pace with a hardened expression. This scene required no lines, just a change in expression as I walked out, so it was over quickly. After that, I headed from the palace to the bustling market street for the next shoot.

***

Just like in the palace, there were a lot of extra actors waiting for our music video shoot. In the palace, we had eunuchs, court ladies, and palace maids. In the market street, there were extras dressed as commoners in tattered clothes, holding hand warmers. The scale of this production was on another level compared to "Red Rouge."

“Thank you for joining us!” I greeted loudly, and the extras stood up and greeted back. Among them were a few YMM trainees, probably not part of the debut group but there to fill in the numbers.

The third scene was a chase scene. Yoon-Chan was ordered by the king to keep an eye on me, and I had to lose him and head to my destination. To avoid the king's suspicion, I had to act nonchalant and blend into the crowd.

This was mostly Yoon-Chan’s time to shine. All I had to do was walk according to the planned path, which was quite easy. It seemed the production team was well aware of my limited acting skills and deliberately gave me simple scenes.