Hansoo was the one mainly chatting during the entire journey to the film set. Although the manager responded while driving, his occasional serious expressions suggested he was preoccupied with thoughts about Myungshin. I, too, was contemplating the morning's events, but my primary concern was the madman.
Wouldn't he finally listen to Chairman Kim if he was interfering with his work? Perhaps, contrary to appearances, he is working too hard to succeed. No, his inability to sleep and clinging to work was evidence of it. He would walk up on the rooftop while working overtime, and he would make an office space in Alice and just keep working, but I didn't notice his efforts because his confidence obscured them. So I felt like I'd uncovered a new side to him. It was constantly in front of my eyes. And not sleeping enough and concentrating solely on work is something I couldn't do either. Perhaps this is why I believe he will win, despite my concerns about Chairman Kim. It's not because he's an overconfident bastard, but because he's working hard.
During the car ride, I kept replaying the scene where I silently committed suicide in my mind. The intrusive thoughts bothered me, but as I concentrated, I found myself standing alone in a white, empty space. Sets appeared one by one: a grey cement rooftop, a chest-high fence, and the background was just the sky. Then I closed the iron door behind me with a loud bang.
"Come, let's go die."
Just as I began to fall from the sky, someone's voice shattered the space like glass.
"Taemin, aren't you getting off?"
When I opened my eyes, we had already arrived at the film set.
The shooting schedule had one more scene than originally planned. It was the scene where my character wraps up work in the office before going up to the rooftop. The director had given me a new script, explaining that my role's importance had grown, although I couldn't quite grasp why. The scene involved preparing to leave the office. Luckily, there wasn't anything complex about it; my lines were minimal.
My hair was straightened with gel while I wore a clean shirt, a nice tie, and a wrinkle-free suit. The glasses provided as props were awkward, but when I completed preparing and walked out, people's attention was diverted to something else. I was about to approach the desk where I needed to act when I noticed the manager and Hansoo staring at something. Their attention was drawn to PD Jung and a certain woman, who were conversing in the area where I would be acting. They were conversing about something, but when I approached, they turned away. Then they stiffened and opened their eyes wide. Why? When I turned around, they gave me a curious look, as if they were savoring something strange.
"Wow... he looks like a completely different person. It's incredible," Hansoo exclaimed.
The manager chuckled knowingly, "I had a hunch. Taemin's not exceptionally handsome, but he can pull off various looks. Haha, I have an eye for these things."
"Yes, the ambiance has truly transformed. Being a bit handsome makes a difference," Hansoo agreed.
"Right, if you dress up, you need to be a little handsome like Taemin to look dressed up. Taemin-ah, isn't it great, you're just handsome enough?"
"..."
Crack, crack. The two took a step back at the same time and the manager opened his mouth.
"There a-are people around... Are you going to hit me?"
I remained silent, tempted to give the manager a piece of my mind, but the calls of my colleagues drew my attention away. I turned and walked towards the desk where I was to perform, leaving the manager and Hansoo behind, who cheered me on playfully, "Hehe~ good luck~." It was clear they were having a bit too much fun.
