Chapter 50: Sniper Drama (4)
The cinematographer’s booming voice silenced the set. Si-woo and a few others who understood his intent remained unfazed.
“Sorry,”
The actor who’d messed up repeated, their face stiff and voice barely audible.
“Is this a playground? You mess up, say ‘sorry,’ ‘yes, sir,’ and we just keep rolling?” the cinematographer snapped.
“Sorry,” the actor mumbled again, out of words.
The cinematographer glanced at Si-woo, winked, and approached.
“Hey, Writer Kim! You begged me to come help, and this is what I get? Amateurs? Are you messing with me?”
Catching his cue, Si-woo bowed his head.
“Sorry.”
“Ugh, I’m disappointed, Writer Kim. Why waste your talent on YouTube when you could stay in films?”
The cinematographer sighed dramatically, returning to the camera. To the actor, he added,
“I’m letting it slide for Writer Kim’s sake today, but please, get it together. If you lack skill, stick to extras.”
The set’s atmosphere grew heavier, especially for the actors, whose tension was palpable. Si-woo, however, was pleased. The overconfident actors were finally grasping what awaited them in the real film industry. Actor diva behavior? Only top stars could afford that.
Remarkably, after the cinematographer’s harsh words, mistakes dropped significantly, and filming sped up. When it wrapped, he approached Si-woo with a grin.
“Praising and guiding is fine, but sometimes this approach works better. You’re too soft to chew people out, but carrots alone aren’t efficient.”
His advice didn’t fully resonate with Si-woo, who could be ruthless if he wanted but lacked directing knowledge and found leading tedious.
“Thanks for the advice. Hopefully, the kids learned something.” Si-woo replied.
“They better have. Working with pros all the time, these kids are frustrating, huh?” the cinematographer said.
“Haha…” Si-woo gave a wry smile.
“But that one’s got potential.”
He said, pointing at Lee Yoo-jin.
“Sharp, knowledgeable, great instincts. With experience, she’ll be a solid director.”
As the veteran crew left and the <Revenge Film> team packed up, Si-woo approached Jung Se-yeon, who seemed to be lingering.
“Se-yeon-ssi, great work. Thanks for helping today.”
“You worked hard too, getting scolded like that,” she teased. “That cinematographer could be an actor.”
“Right? I hope the team wakes up a bit. The YouTube buzz made them think they’re hotshots.” Si-woo said.
“They’re not bad, but nowhere near exceptional.”
Se-yeon agreed. For rookies, they were decent, but their egos were oversized.
Even after farewells, Se-yeon hovered like a restless puppy.
“Got something to say?” Si-woo asked.
She darted forward, face close to his.
“So, Writer-nim, when are you writing for me?”
“Writing what?” he asked, confused.
“A script. Every actor dreams of Best Actress, right?”
“It’s not like my scripts guarantee awards.”
Si-woo said. Despite his two hits, he stayed cautious, avoiding arrogance.
But Se-yeon was undeterred, craving his work.
“Don’t worry. I hate to brag, but my fandom’s huge—success is guaranteed. No pressure.”
The old Si-woo might’ve agreed, but he’d changed. Everything was give-and-take now, and his “10-million writer” title wasn’t insignificant, even compared to Se-yeon.
“What do I get if I write for you?” he asked.
“Huh?”
Se-yeon blinked, caught off guard.
“What’s in it for me?”
Flustered, she teased,
“What, are you asking me out? Shouldn’t that be more romantic?”
Si-woo’s face stiffened.
‘Her fans would stone me. A top star like her, dating? No way.’
Se-yeon’s past popularity as a singer was immense—four out of ten guys once named her their ideal type. Si-woo himself had a crush on her back then. Now, her fame felt like a burden.
“Stop joking. How about a song? Not a title track, just one for me,” he proposed.
“A song?” she repeated.
“Yeah, write me one.”
“Deal. No takebacks!”
Se-yeon agreed, and they sealed the bargain: a script for a song.
The second video’s editing was complete, and it turned out even better than expected—rivaling broadcast network dramas. Jung Se-yeon’s star power, combined with the veteran cinematographer, lighting, and sound crew, elevated the quality immensely. While Revenge Film’s actors occasionally showed their inexperience, Si-woo trusted they’d improve over time. As Yoo-jin had said, these actors would carry <Revenge Film> even after his revenge was complete.
“Should we upload it?”
An editing team member asked.
“Go ahead,” Si-woo nodded.
With his approval, the editor hit enter, and <Hidden Face> went live.
“Alright, everyone, head home early and check the reactions from there.” Si-woo announced.
Early dismissal was a reward for days of overtime.
“Rest well until tomorrow.” he added.
“Thank you!”
The team cheered, eagerly packing up. Soon, only Si-woo and Lee Yoo-jin remained in the office.
“Not heading home, Yoo-jin-ssi?” Si-woo asked.
“Oh… I have some studying to do,” she replied.
“About filming?”
“Yes. After seeing the cinematographer you brought in, I realized how much I’m lacking…”
Yoo-jin admitted, her initiative impressing Si-woo.
“Then let’s go,” he said.
“Huh?”
“You want to learn, right? The fastest way is on set.”
“On set?” Yoo-jin’s eyes widened.
Si-woo pulled out his phone and called Kim Jin-man, the PD for ‘Our Teacher’.
“Hello, PD-nim. It’s Kim Si-woo. Mind if I drop by the set today?”
— “Of course not! You’re welcome anytime,” Jin-man replied warmly.
“I’ve got the director and CP of my YouTube channel with me. Can she tag along?”
— “Bring ten people if you want!”
With permission granted, Si-woo gestured for Yoo-jin to pack.
“We’re heading out now.” he told Jin-man.
— “Safe travels, Writer-nim.”
Yoo-jin, still confused, grabbed her things.
“That was the PD for ‘Our Teacher’, the drama CBS is producing,” Si-woo explained.
“He said we’re good to go, so let’s move.”
“Okay…”
Yoo-jin nodded, following him.
They drove an hour to a derelict school on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do, the set for ‘Our Teacher’. CBS had leased the rundown school, and Kim Jin-man had invested in repairs to transform it into a detailed set.
At the set, filming was in full swing, silent except for the actors’ voices. Si-woo’s car engine, however, roared loudly. Vrooom.
“Who’s making that noise?”
The sound director shouted, furious at the interruption.
Spotting Si-woo’s car, Kim Jin-man rushed to calm the sound director.
“Quiet down, please. We can reshoot. Everyone, take a break.”
Normally, Jin-man might’ve joined the outburst, but Si-woo’s presence changed the equation. He hurried to greet him.
“Writer-nim, you’re here!”
“Sorry for disrupting the shoot.” Si-woo apologized.
“No, no, it’s fine.”
Jin-man waved it off.
“Is this the friend working on your YouTube channel?”
“Yes. Everyone else left, but she stayed to study. I thought bringing her to the ‘Our Teacher’ set would help, especially since I had the shooting schedule.”
Si-woo introduced Yoo-jin to Jin-man, then led her around, personally asking familiar PDs and Ads to look after her. Thanks to his connections, Yoo-jin was warmly received, gaining invaluable experience across departments.
As Yoo-jin grew rapidly, so did <Revenge Film>.
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