Life, Once Again!

hat Woojoo was going to represent them in getting justice.
It seemed that his personality hadn’t changed at all.

“You probably won’t be able to do anything about it.”

“Perhaps.”

Woojoo smiled bitterly.

“Thanks for the lunchbox.
That person might look cold, but he’s not a bad person.
He just has some circumstances.”

“Who here doesn’t have some? I don’t mind so don’t worry about it.”

At that moment a van entered the premises.
It was Joohyun’s van.
The manager, who was supposed to be sleeping, came out as he yawned.
He opened the back of the van and took out a cardboard box.

“Please take these.
It might not be enough, but it should be enough to stave off hunger.”

Inside the box were hamburgers and drinks.
The background actors all took a drink and picked up a hamburger.
Even the man that took Maru’s lunchbox took a set for himself.

“Maru, was it? You should take one as well.”

“Thank you.”

The burger had a thick patty.
The manager also crouched down with the hamburger in his mouth.

“Did Joohyun-noo-nim buy it?”

“Yeah.
I got a call.
She told me to go buy something for them since they looked like they weren’t going to have lunch.
Thanks to that, though, my nap time is gone.
Geez, even after she told me to sleep, I have to work.”

Although he was saying that, the manager was looking at the people eating hamburgers with satisfaction.
It wouldn’t have been surprising even if he said that the actress Ahn Joohyun is the one treating them, but he didn’t and just told them to have a good meal.

While eating, Maru looked at the tunnel.
He saw Joohyun, who was focusing on her script.
When he stared at her for a while, Joohyun waved back at him.

“You know Ahn Joohyun?” Woojoo asked him.

The manager had returned with the box.

“Yes.”

“Really? Wow, so you’re an actor after all.”

“You are one too, though.”

Hearing that, Woojoo stayed silent for a while as though he was embarrassed before continuing with a cough.

“Actually, I was cast in a drama this time.
There was an audition at the academy I went to, and the president told me to try so I applied for it.
I didn’t expect much, but I ended up passing.” 

“Congratulations.
I guess the only thing left for you now is to become a superstar.”

“Yeah right.”

Although Woojoo was shaking his head, he had a smile on his face.
Maru truly wished for him to become successful through this opportunity.

“But what drama is it?”

“It’s a historical drama.
The next one on RBS.”

“Really? I’m part of that too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.
I’m a beggar.”

“Really? We might see each other then, huh.”

“I hope we do.
Please take care of me.”

“Hey, I’m in no position to take care of anyone.”

The two faintly smiled while looking at each other.
Just as the background actors almost finished eating, the staff came and told them to get ready.
It seemed that they were going to do the next part.

“I’m off then.
See you during the shoot if we can.”

“Yes, hyung.
I’ll give you a call at that time.”

“Okay.”

Woojoo put on a jumper and ran to the tunnel.
Maru picked up the hamburger wrappers that the background actors littered everywhere and put them in a separate bag.
From afar, he saw the leader pointing his fingers at the background actors.
The staff didn’t say anything as they walked by.

“The moment you become the only good guy, you’ll get sworn at instead.”

Joohyun’s manager had come.

“Let’s go.
Noo-nim wants me to give you a ride.
Is the train station okay?”

Maru replied yes before standing up.
Although he wanted to watch the actors a little more, it wouldn’t be bad to leave right now.

“I wonder when they’ll start treating them like people.
I know well since I have experience doing that, but there are too many shit leaders and staff.
Of course, there are good people as well, but there are more that think that the people they’re working with are people they’ll never see again and treat them however they want.
Even though they have superiors that do the same to them, they do the same to the extras.”

“That’s how people get by everyday.
Though, I think there are some decent people,” saying that, Maru looked at the staff he returned his leather jacket to.

“That person’s decent,” the manager agreed.

The ‘good’ people were always noticeable.

Maru got in the van and had a look at the set.
Below the sparkly lights were stars and around them were numerous people that did not shine.
They would only be able to put their names in the ending credits.
For some, this was a set that shined, while for others, it was a gloomy workplace.
Maru sighed as he looked.

Thank you all for today’s work – those words lingered in his mouth.

* * *

“His eyes look good.”

“It’s really good.”

“It’s somewhat of a pity to let him go after just that.”

Joohyun heard the conversation between the producer and the assistant director as she fanned herself.
She approached the two who were focusing on the monitor.
The monitor that would usually give a live feed of what the camera was shooting was currently playing back the scene they shot before.
It was the scene where Maru was being subdued.
After the camera swiped past her face, it captured Maru’s wrist, and even his face.
Maru was looking at her with twisted lips from the ground.
She felt this during the read-through for Twilight Struggles, but he was really good when it came to expressing raw rage.
In this scene as well, he managed to create a good picture with a single keyword despite the fact that he didn’t know what the character was like at all.

“What happens to him after this?” Joohyun asked.

“Well, I’ll have to consult the writer about it, but he actually has a decent impact.
It’s too much of a waste to throw him away after using him once.”

“Then why don’t we add an interrogation scene or something?” She hinted at him.

“That sounds good.
We haven’t discovered the backer of the organization yet.
We should give this footage to the writer and listen to her opinion as well.
Hey, text the writer for me and ask if she has some time.”

The assistant director quickly took out his phone.
Seeing that, Joohyun smiled and took a step back.
She had received help from Maru.
As a person, she had to pay back what she received.
It might be an opportunity that might slip past him, but she tried her best anyway.
She hoped that this would help Maru.

“Ah, Miss Joohyun.”

“Yes?”

“We’re going to eat dinner together after this.
You’re coming with us, right?”

“You might get an earful from me, are you fine with that?”

“Don’t worry about that.
I won’t ask you to drink.”

“Then I’m in.”

The producer raised his thumb and smiled.

[1] The same position as the ‘leader’ from the super rich academy/Youth Generation shoot.
But a different person.