8.
“Yes.”
“Act like the most debauched person in the world.”
At Iyeong’s words, Juha let out a bitter laugh. Perhaps because he’d only lived a proper life, Juha couldn’t imagine what the most debauched person in the world would be like.
“Turn your head slightly to the side, no, don’t go too far back. Relax your fingers. Make your eyes a bit more sultry.”
Kim Dongmin made minor requests throughout the shooting.
While several shots were taken with clicking sounds, Juha tried changing his expression little by little. He’d thought he’d gained confidence from practicing expressions all morning, but with too many people watching, Juha’s face kept stiffening. If it was idol-specific expressions in modern clothing, he’d practiced more than enough until now, but the gonryongpo with Yeonsangun concept wasn’t easy after all.
“Relax your body. Your shoulders are too stiff. Relax! Even your facial muscles are all rigid!”
Even when he tried to do better, Juha’s body froze every time Kim Dongmin’s voice rose. Kim Dongmin was about to press the shutter but stopped and stood up, irritably running his hands through his hair.
“Ah, you really don’t understand what I’m saying. Are you an adult?”
Kim Dongmin suddenly shouted.
“Yes.”
“Then use your imagination more. After setting up such a good concept, are you going to act like some scholar who’s never even held a gisaeng’s hand?”
“…”
Since he’d never held a gisaeng’s hand, that’s how it had to be.
Juha’s body shrank like a student being scolded by a teacher.
“Think about playing around with about five really sexy women. You drink, right? Think about being completely drunk and opium smoke rising all around you. If that doesn’t work, just think about being in that kind of scene.”
Kim Dongmin threw out his words irritably.
‘What should I do…’
The problem was being conceited that the word ‘Yeonsangun’ would solve everything. The rough words Kim Dongmin spat out ruined the expressions Juha had practiced all morning.
Juha squeezed his eyes shut.
Debauched imagination.
Simply being lewd wasn’t enough. He had to draw the image of a monarch lost in pleasure in a refined, elegant, yet sharp way.
“Hey! Won’t you get your head straight? Don’t you know people are waiting behind you?”
When Kim Dongmin shouted, Juha opened his eyes in surprise.
This concept would only be complete by precariously walking the line between cheap and restrained decadent beauty.
The image of Choi Taeri he’d seen on the bed last night suddenly flashed before Juha.
That persistent gaze that had excited Juha with just his eyes as if it was nothing.
Lewd imagination instantly consumed Juha.
Taeri’s body with the hanbok top draped over his shoulders so his muscular upper body was fully revealed, Taeri’s relaxed eyes drunk on alcohol.
Firm pectoral muscles rising upward while breathing in the hazily rising smoke, deepening breaths.
The dizzying breath exhaled with each “hah.” The women craving his body.
Below that, Lee Juha had loosely undone his red gonryongpo and was lying leisurely with his head on Choi Taeri’s lap like a well-bred cat.
As he imagined substituting Taeri’s face, Juha’s eyes naturally narrowed.
“Good! Now you’re getting it!”
Kim Dongmin didn’t miss that moment and busily pressed the shutter.
However, Juha, immersed in fantasy, couldn’t feel the shutter sounds or people’s gazes.
In his imagination, Taeri slowly turned his neck like a predator that had caught and caged delicious prey, then suddenly raised his hand and lightly waved it. Then the women surrounding him exited reluctantly.
‘Why?’
Juha, who had been lying with his head on Taeri’s lap, asked an uninteresting question and languidly sat up.
‘Because I want to… do it with you.’
A low voice overwhelmed Juha.
That sound again. Every time he remembered those words, Juha flinched as if touched by a weak electric current.
‘Mmm…’
As soon as he raised his upper body, Juha’s body was naturally laid down. Choi Taeri climbed on top of his body. A chilling smile appeared at the corners of his mouth below Taeri’s relaxed pupils.
‘You’re the only one I want to sleep with.’
A mature voice flowed from Choi Taeri’s lips that had come close enough to almost touch. A cunningly sweet, enchanting tone like a spell.
Unable to endure it, Juha wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him first.
In the imagination, the two closed their eyes as if intoxicated and indulged in each other’s lips. They repeated slightly sucking each other’s lips then pulling away. When Juha’s lips parted slightly, Taeri’s tongue penetrated inside.
‘Mmm…’
Low moans were exchanged inside their mouths. The strange feeling of warmly sweeping inside his mouth made Juha smile, and Taeri opened his eyes. Juha faintly opened his eyes while kissing and looked at him.
Choi Taeri threw off the hanbok top he’d draped over his shoulders as if he couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Cut!”
With Kim Dongmin’s blunt voice, the fantasy drawn before Juha’s eyes disappeared.
“Hah…”
Juha slowly exhaled and opened his eyes. When he came to his senses, he was on the set.
He’d expected noisy commotion, but the surroundings were quiet enough that not even a cough could be heard. A strange concentration hung in the air as if everyone had been drawn into the highlight scene of a play.
Come to think of it, the filming staff around him were looking at Juha with inexplicable faces. Everyone had dazed expressions as if dreaming.
His over-immersion in Yeonsangun had definitely shown.
‘I had crazy imagination…’
Juha hurriedly shook his head and erased the imagination.
“Ahem, good work, you can get up now.”
“Wa-wait a moment. Let me catch my breath.”
At the staff member’s words, Juha stammered and straightened his posture.
‘Damn.’
He couldn’t get up right now. Taeri’s nighttime prank had inflated his imagination, and ultimately created this situation during filming. It was beyond absurd to the point of being pathetic.
Juha gripped the gonryongpo hem tightly and breathed deeply. The red silk crumpled between Juha’s hands and reflected in the lighting.
Since someone was waiting behind him, he couldn’t delay any longer.
Juha silently chanted ‘Gapsajahwa’ a few more times and stood up.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Pulling down the collar that had drooped behind him, Juha went around greeting the staff in all directions. After calmly arranging his clothes so his bare skin wouldn’t show and returning to his usual appearance, he just looked like a nicely drunk young master from a wealthy family.
“You did well.”
“Wow, Mr. Lee Juha. That was no joke.”
“You had visuals that could break through comics.”
“My heart was pounding.”
“Thank you.”
Juha was used to being told he had no star quality whenever he did anything. But this time the reactions were so intense that he was quite flustered.
It was better not to have pointless expectations. Juha consoled himself that the staff were just being polite to encourage the trainees.
After minor greetings ended, Juha finally approached photographer Kim Dongmin. He was looking at the photos of Juha he’d just taken on the monitor.
Remembering how he’d loudly gotten irritated in front of people earlier, Juha first read his mood.
Seeing Kim Dongmin’s bright expression facing the monitor, it didn’t seem like he’d get angry if greeted now.
“Sir, thank you for your hard work.”
When Juha bowed in greeting, Kim Dongmin hurriedly hid the monitor.
“Could you show me how mine turned out?”
“Watch it on TV.”
The person who had been domineeringly shouting earlier was nowhere to be found, and Kim Dongmin’s face was bright. It was an expression of satisfaction as if he’d captured a National Geographic award-winning piece.
“…Yes.”
Juha reluctantly stepped back.
“You did well. What’s your name?”
“I’m Lee Juha.”
“I’ll give you a vote.”
Kim Dongmin patted Juha’s shoulder as he spoke.
“Thank you.”
Lee Juha bowed 90 degrees several more times before leaving his spot.
‘Why is everyone like this…’
Even if it was lip service, it was nice to hear. Feeling awkwardly embarrassed, Juha covered his reddened cheeks with the back of his hand to cool the heat.
* * *
Because he’d fallen into improper imagination during filming, Juha couldn’t properly see how the scene was going. After finishing everything, regret came rushing in.
I should have filmed with my head straight. I should have observed the reactions.
Grumbling internally, Juha changed back into his original clothes and removed his makeup. After rinsing his face with lukewarm water and washing several more times with cold water, he came to his senses.
“Whew…”
Juha looked at his own face in the mirror attached to the sink. His bangs were wet and stuck to his forehead. Juha wiped the water droplets abundant on his chin with his arm.
After removing the makeup that had reddened his eyes to the point of feeling lewd, his white face was cleanly revealed. He finally felt like he’d returned to reality.
Now his insides felt refreshed. He wouldn’t have to be anxious being swept up in ‘that imagination’ anymore.
Even Juha himself found his previous imagination absurdly excessive. That Choi Taeri had momentarily emerged as his muse during this important shoot was incomprehensible no matter how much he thought about it.
‘I just used Choi Taeri for the shoot. That’s really all it was.’
It was excessively lewd imagination for just a shoot, but it ended well so that was fine.
“Ugh.”
Just recalling that scene once more made him shudder. After resolving several times not to waver, Juha left the bathroom.
He thought about going to see other kids’ shoots, but everything was restricted. Since phones were confiscated during work hours, there wasn’t much to do.
“You’re a trainee, right? If you’re done shooting, wait in the waiting room.”
A staff member who happened to find Juha with nowhere to go took him to the end of the corridor.
In the waiting room, trainees who had finished shooting were gathered in small groups chatting or matching choreography. Yeom Sangyeop and Seo Eunwon weren’t in the waiting room yet, probably still shooting.
Juha’s gaze stopped on Choi Taeri as if bewitched.
‘That face is the plausibility.’
Looking at Taeri’s face, this thought came to Juha emptily. The ridiculous lewd imagination during shooting, the way his body flinched whenever he saw Taeri – seeing Taeri’s face made it all understandable. Well, of course there was also Juha’s tendency to over-immerse himself.
Taeri, who had been laughing and chatting with friends around him, tapped an empty seat next to him when he saw Juha.
“…”
The imagination he’d had during shooting reflexively came back to Juha’s mind. His face suddenly heated up and Juha hurriedly averted his gaze.
“I’m telling you to sit here?”
Unable to watch anymore, Choi Taeri spoke up, and for a moment gazes converged on Juha.
Choi Taeri was openly marking his territory. If he refused, it seemed like it would stand out more.
“Y-yeah.”
Juha reluctantly sat next to Taeri. Discomfort rushed over him as if he was stealing someone else’s seat.
“Did your shoot go well?”
Taeri’s expression looked bright as if the conversation had been fun until just before.
“Yeah. Thanks to you. How about you?”
He didn’t want to give detailed explanations. He couldn’t say he’d gotten cursed at for boring scholar poses then shot while imagining kissing him.
“I did well too.”
It couldn’t have been easy to shoot photos with just one black string, but Taeri didn’t seem to think much of it.
“How did you do it?”
“Watch on TV.”
Taeri answered playfully.
So difficult to get information.
Juha was genuinely curious about what Choi Taeri could have possibly done with a black string.
* * *
Juha watched for timing to get up whenever Taeri fell into conversation with other trainees. Since he wasn’t close to that group, even sitting beside them, he was just background.
Honestly, he had no desire to join their conversation either.
Juha, who had been pretending to sleep with his eyes closed, slightly opened them. Just then Taeri’s gaze was directed toward other trainees. Everyone was laughing and agreeing with Taeri’s words, finding something enjoyable.
‘Now’s the time.’
As soon as Juha’s butt left the chair, his wrist was instantly caught by Taeri.
“Sit.”
Taeri spoke to Juha in a voice barely audible.
“…”
Juha’s body was pulled down by his strength. Having no choice, Juha sat quietly next to Taeri again. There was nowhere to go even if he got up.
Taeri’s group, mostly within the top 10, chattered among themselves as if having fun. Taeri tried to draw Juha into the conversation several times saying ‘right?’ and ‘what about you?’, but Juha just smiled awkwardly and gave short answers. Trying to stay quietly among the active group felt exactly like being a herbivore watching out among carnivores.
Just then the waiting room door opened and trainees who had finished shooting came pouring in. Seo Eunwon mixed in among them looked like a savior to Juha.
“E-Eunwon!”
“Juha hyung!”
As soon as Eunwon saw Juha, he bounced over.
“Sit here! Here!”
Juha urgently patted the seat next to him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
