Chapter 377: Choose (20)

Under the director’s direction, Yoon-Chan and I began walking a set distance apart. The cold breeze nipped at our faces, but we pushed on as we immersed ourselves in our roles.

While I walked aimlessly, Yoon-Chan worked hard behind me. I could feel his energy even without looking back. Hands clasped behind my back, I leisurely strolled and let the tranquility of the moment wash over me before subtly blending into the crowd of actors. The extras were well-rehearsed, and they naturally shielded me from view. This allowed me to slip into a corner and out of the camera's frame with ease.

Once behind the camera, I focused on Yoon-Chan. As expected, Chronos’ lead actor continued his performance unshaken even with me watching closely. His expression of shock as he realized I had disappeared, then his frantic search around the area, completed with a frustrated sigh, was flawless. It was like watching a drama unfold in real-time.

I couldn’t help but be impressed by his dedication.

The director praised him by breaking the intensity of the moment. “Cut! That was great! Yoon-Chan, your acting experience really shows, just as I expected.”

“Thank you.”

His cold and sharp bodyguard image had disappeared, and the moment the director called cut, Yoon-Chan reverted to his innocent and bashful self. He bowed repeatedly at the director’s praise.

Yoon-Chan and I filmed the same scene multiple times from different angles. Once from the front to capture our expressions, once following my path so my face was visible, and another focusing closely on Yoon-Chan’s intense expressions.

With each take, the sun dipped lower in the sky. Time flew by so fast. Soon, it was sunset. Unlike the "Parade" series, which made extensive use of twilight, this music video only utilized day and night scenes. It created a stark difference in lighting and mood.

This allowed us a brief break for a simple meal at sunset, which was a moment of calm amidst the chaos of filming.

As the five of us gathered to eat, the topic of conversation was undoubtedly Yoon-Chan’s impressive acting as the bodyguard and Goh Yoo-Joon’s dirty appearance as the clown. Yoon-Chan’s performance was stellar, and Goh Yoo-Joon’s role required him to look scruffy, which he did exceptionally well. We couldn’t help but tease him about it.

“Yoo-Joon, did you apply something on your skin?”

“Yeah, they made me look like I rolled in the dirt,” Goh Yoo-Joon replied with a chuckle, shrugging as if it was no big deal.

“You look like a good-looking homeless guy, hyung,” Jin-Sung said as he devoured the dessert box cake Goh Yoo-Joon handed him.

Despite the teasing, Goh Yoo-Joon began taking selfies with his phone and embraced his new look. “Thanks for the compliment. Help yourself more, Jin-Sung.” Goh Yoo-Joon pushed more cake closer to Jin-Sung.

“Actually, I mean it. You look pretty charismatic.”

Goh Yoo-Joon raised an eyebrow with a playful smirk on his face. “In these clothes?”

The rest of us nodded in agreement. The slightly dirty skin, scar makeup, and stylishly tattered clothes suited him perfectly. Despite the role’s scruffiness, Goh Yoo-Joon’s naturally sharp features and rugged makeup gave him a hidden charisma that made him look like someone with a secret past, adding depth to his character.

“You all look like you stepped out of a historical drama, but Yoo-Joon really looks like an actor.”

“Hmm! Do I? Haha! I guess I do look like an actor,” Goh Yoo-Joon boasted, puffing out his chest in mock arrogance. Joo-Han’s playful slap on his back quickly silenced him.

As the sky darkened and long shadows casted across the set, the rest of the staff busied themselves with preparations. We finished our meal and turned our attention to our scripts.

Jin-Sung flipped through his script, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Hey, hyung. What exactly is our new concept? I’ve heard bits about the music video story, but it doesn’t seem to have any fantasy elements.”

The concept for "Ario 愛" was historical, but our new album’s theme was supposed to be fantasy. However, the music video script had no fantasy elements from beginning to end. Much like with "Parade," we only had a rough idea of the concept and the current music video’s content, but no detailed explanations were given. This added to the mystery and excitement.

Especially this time, we were so focused on memorizing lines that we didn’t get much insight into universe-building. Joo-Han and I had a chance to hear from the writer during planning meetings, but it was still vague. It left us to piece together the story ourselves.

With Joo-Han engrossed in his script due to having a lot of lines, I was the one to answer Jin-Sung. I tried to piece together the fragments of information I had. “It's fantasy. The theme this time is reincarnation.”

“Wow, reincarnation? Does that mean we will be reborn here?” Jin-Sung’s eyes widened with excitement.

I nodded. “Ario 愛” was just the beginning of this new universe. The starting point of any story usually didn’t reveal the entire concept upfront. This universe spanned five songs, divided into three parts: the past, the turning point, and the future.

"Ario 愛" was the start of part one, while the title track "Red Rouge" gave a glimpse of the overall story and part three. Chronos was known for its strong fantasy concepts, and this time, we had expanded it even further by pushing the boundaries of our creativity.

I explained the storyline as I knew it to the members. By the time I finished, it was completely dark, with the sky turning to a deep shade of blue.

“Let’s get ready to shoot!”

The production team’s call brought us back to reality, and we moved to our respective positions to resume filming. The air buzzed with renewed energy.

***

The first scene to be shot at night was the meeting between Goh Yoo-Joon, Jin-Sung, and me. Under the cover of darkness, the set transformed. Shadows created an eerie atmosphere.

I exchanged glances with the actor who played Goh Yoo-Joon’s subordinate. He then led me to a dimly lit room where Jin-Sung and Goh Yoo-Joon were waiting. This scene was crucial because it revealed Goh Yoo-Joon’s character as an extraordinary figure followed by many, despite being a commoner, and showed that Jin-Sung and I were on his side.

It was an important scene, but also a very challenging one to shoot.

“...Pfft! Sorry.” Goh Yoo-Joon couldn’t hold back his laughter.He greeted me with a serious face, but immediately burst into laughter. Jin-Sung and I couldn’t help but join in.

Why did they have to put the three of us together for this crucial and serious scene? It was the hardest scene to shoot because we could never stay serious when we were together, especially in these costumes.

“Can we get rid of that floral-patterned umbrella from Flower Prince?”

“Can we cover Goh Yoo-Joon’s face with a mask or something?”

“Hyungs, stop laughing! You’re making me laugh too!”

If it were Joo-Han, he would have stayed focused and finished quickly without breaking into a smile. If Yoon-Chan were here, he would have helped me stay immersed in the scene. But with the three of us, it was nearly impossible to focus.

The director was still relatively patient, but urged us with a good-natured smile. “We will resume filming once the Chronos members stop laughing. The quicker we shoot, the sooner we can wrap up and go home, guys. You know that, right?”

I tried to channel Joo-Han’s focus, and gave Goh Yoo-Joon a playful smack on the back. Then, I took a deep breath to concentrate.

Among the three of us, Goh Yoo-Joon struggled the most to keep a straight face. He would hold it together until one of us started saying our lines, and then he’d break into laughter again. His eyes would crinkle, and the corners of his mouth would twitch uncontrollably. Eventually, the director’s patience wore thin, and he decided we would proceed without any dialogue.

Considering it was a music video, any lines would have been for reference only as the audio wouldn't actually be used. It wasn’t a big deal. Goh Yoo-Joon, Jin-Sung, and I gathered with our comrades, pretending to discuss something serious. The dim lighting and the solemn expressions of the extra actors added to the gravity of the scene.

We were portraying a group called ‘Crimson Academy,’ who plotted to create a world of equality by abolishing the class system despite being of low status.

Goh Yoo-Joon took the role of a clown and leader of the underworld. He used to be a slave. Jin-Sung was a blacksmith, and I was the Flower Prince and the king’s trusted friend. We three were at the center of this rebellion.

My role involved funding the rebellion and acting as a spy, serving the king while secretly working against him. Essentially, I was a double agent, risking everything for a better world. It reminded me of my role in "Parade" where I was also a traitor. It seemed I was always cast as the betrayer.

Anyway, we were supposed to discuss the king’s growing suspicion of the Flower Prince in this scene. Since the director decided to take out the scripted dialogue, we had to improvise and keep serious expressions while pretending to strategize. We huddled close, and our heads almost touched as we whispered silently.

“What’s for dinner tonight?” I asked and tried to keep a straight face.

“Joo-Han hyung said we shouldn’t eat. Jin-Sung is supposed to be on a diet,” Goh Yoo-Joon replied.

I sighed dramatically and frowned. “But we have to eat something.”

Baam!

Jin-Sung slammed his hand on the table and stood up. His chair scraped loudly against the floor. “That’s nonsense! If we eat, we all eat together!”

Bang!

Goh Yoo-Joon followed suit and hit the table before grabbing Jin-Sung’s shoulder. His grip was firm, but his eyes twinkled with barely suppressed laughter.

“Calm down, Jin-Sung. You already ate my dessert box. Isn’t that enough?”

I gestured for them to sit back down while maintaining the serious act. “Did you eat Goh Yoo-Joon’s too, Jin-Sung? You also had my box and Joo-Han hyung’s rice cakes,” I added by using my most dramatic tone.

We surprisingly managed to keep straight faces while talking nonsense, which was a relief given how often we goofed around together. Our playful banter had a way of easing the tension and making the scene flow naturally.

The director’s stern expression gradually softened. When I glanced around, I noticed the extra actors struggling to hold back their laughter, trying not to get reprimanded.

We continued our improvised dialogue and discussed everything from Yoon-Chan’s earlier hunger complaints to Goh Yoo-Joon’s need to start dieting. We even talked about how my hair was screwed up from continual dying that it would fall off. Goh Yoo-Joon jokingly said this by calling my hair a ‘broom.’

Finally, the director gave us the OK signal. “Cut! Perfect! You guys might not be able to handle dialogue, but you are good at staying serious when you need to be. I bet your fans find you adorable.”

“Haha, yes. Thank you,” Goh Yoo-Joon replied, pretending to be shy.

After wrapping up, we quickly moved to the next shooting location. The final scene of the day was the battle scene where Crimson Academy heads to the palace. As we prepared for this intense scene, the camaraderie and laughter from earlier fueled our determination to give it our best shot.