Everyone finished signing and returned to their work. Along with the assistant director, Kim Heesang and Seojun headed to the blue gate house where they would stay during the filming.
The assistant director opened one of the many doors. The flower-patterned quilt and pillow, reflecting the grandmother's taste, were neatly laid out.
"Grandma went to work in the fields. This is your room. There are quilts and pillows, and the bathroom is over there. If you're hungry, you can take anything from the fridge in the kitchen. This is the contact list for the staff. If you need anything, please contact me. Seojun, you should get plenty of rest before the sun sets, as we can only film your scenes then."
"Understood."
"Seojun, get plenty of sleep so you don't fall asleep during filming."
"Okay!"
The assistant director left the room, and Kim Heesang unfolded the quilt.
"Was the car ride tiring?"
"Um, a little?"
"Then why don't you take a nap? Get a good rest, eat dinner, and then go to the filming."
"Okay!"
Seojun slipped into the flower-patterned quilt. He covered himself with the cozy quilt and laid his head on the pillow. Unintentionally,
[Summer bear's hibernation mode activated.]
"Seojun?"
Seojun fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Even when Kim Heesang called, Seojun continued to sleep soundly.
"Are you very tired?"
Kim Heesang chuckled and started organizing Seojun's belongings.
* * *
The sun had set.
It was time to prepare for filming.
Seojun, who had taken a nap and woken up, ate the dinner prepared by the grandmother who had finished her field work. The grandmother kept taking side dishes out of the fridge as the small baby ate heartily, and Kim Heesang was busy refusing them.
"Is it delicious?"
"Yep!"
Seojun, who had slept well, had bright eyes and was stuffing his mouth with rice and side dishes, chewing them thoroughly. Since he had been filming food videos since he was 8 months old, he had become a master of food vlogging. Both Kim Heesang and the grandmother were eating their rice with full spoons, enjoying Seojun's adorable eating.
After finishing dinner and waiting for the staff to call, Kim Heesang and Seojun talked about the monster drawings in Seojun's sketchbook.
"This color is actually darker, but I only have 24 colors of crayons, so I colored it like this."
"Then this shade is fine?"
Kim Heesang showed one of the colors from a color chart on his phone. Seojun nodded.
"Yep!"
"Next, this one. What is it? Fur?"
"This is an antenna."
Seojun explained slowly. Kim Heesang listened carefully and wrote it down in his notebook.
Knock knock-
"Come in."
A staff member wearing a cap quietly opened the door and met Seojun's eyes as he was explaining and drawing in the sketchbook.
"Already awake?"
"Yep!"
"That's perfect. It's time to film now. Please come to the hanok at the back."
The staff member left, and Kim Heesang and Seojun put on their clothes and went outside. It was July, and Seoul was hot even at night, but Ohgye-ri was cool.
"It might get cold if it gets any later."
Kim Heesang went back to the room and brought a blanket and hand warmer. Kim Heesang and Seojun walked to the only hanok in the village with slate roofs, chatting along the way.
As they walked along the wall of the hanok, it seemed like a very large house.
"While Seojun was sleeping, I heard from the grandmother that the family living in this house is very smart. They are all famous doctors, judges, and lawyers. Maybe the location is good?"
"What do you mean by location?"
"Well, there's a mountain over there, and a river in front. The power from the mountain and the river converges on this hanok, giving strength to the people living here. This power could make them earn a lot of money or make the people born here very smart."
Seojun's gaze followed Kim Heesang's finger to the mountain and then to the river.
"Amazing!"
"Right?"
They also talked about the structure of the hanok. Kim Heesang had a lot of miscellaneous knowledge, so they could hear many interesting stories.
As they chatted and walked, they soon arrived at the filming location.
Director Choe Daeman, who was talking with Lee Jiseok, noticed the two and approached them.
"How are you? It's late, but did you manage to get some sleep?"
"I took a nap!"
"That's good. Well done."
"The makeup room is this way. Shall we go together?"
Lee Jiseok and Seojun entered a tent together. There were various clothes hanging, a large mirror, and chairs. Lee Jiseok and Seojun sat in the chairs as directed by the staff.
"You can't talk."
"Um!"
The staff members were overwhelmed by Seojun's cuteness as he answered with his mouth closed. The staff member who won the rock-paper-scissors game to do Seojun's makeup carefully moved the brush. Lee Jiseok felt a bit neglected.
"That looks good?"
Seojun came out in the clothes. It was a pure white shaman's outfit that a baby shaman wears while sleeping.
Seojun smoothed out the shaman's outfit. Although he had worn hanbok on New Year's Day and Chuseok, this was the first time he had worn such a white outfit. Kim Heesang touched the fabric of the shaman's outfit. Was it a bit thin?
"Are you cold?"
"No!"
"Tell me if you get cold."
"Okay!"
Lee Jiseok came out after finishing his makeup. He was dressed exactly as Suhyuk was when he was attacked by the evil spirit in Seoul and when he came to this village.
"Wow!"
Seojun's eyes widened. He looked like he had real blood on him, was covered in dust, and his face was full of scars. One of his eyes was swollen and bruised. His clothes were tattered and torn. Kim Heesang was also surprised by the special makeup for the movie.
"Wow, it looks so real."
"Our team's skills are top-notch."
The assistant director, who had arrived, boasted and then led the two actors and Kim Heesang to the filming location.
"We will only check the movements during the rehearsal. The director said that both actors are very talented, so the emotional expenditure will be significant. Moreover, since we will be filming full shots, bust shots, and close-ups, it's not good to use up energy during the rehearsal."
The first filming location was in front of the large wooden gate of the hanok. Several cameras and lights were already set up, and Director Choe Daeman, who had been checking the background on the monitor, stood up and approached.
"Seojun and Mr. Jiseok, you both look great together. Shall we start with the movement check?"
Director Choe Daeman explained in detail. Although Seojun and Lee Jiseok already knew the content, they listened attentively.
Meanwhile, Kim Heesang went over the gate into the yard. Cameras and lights were also set up here for filming Seojun.
"Filming starts!"
After a brief rehearsal, the main filming began. The camera started rolling, and everyone took their positions.
Seojun, wearing a pure white shaman's outfit, stood in front of the large wooden gate.
Seojun's role was a baby shaman who harbors a terrifying god within.
Although he had very few lines, he had a lot to express through his body.
Before the director's signal, Seojun looked at the wooden gate and moved his lips.
"Mr. Kim, let's play."
[The trick of the bell goblin - beginner level - has been activated.]
* * *
[The trick of the bell goblin - beginner level]
The energy of the bell goblin is emitted.
The shape of the energy can be changed.
With the power of the shaman Bell, the bell goblin can rarely predict Mr. Kim's future.
Activation: Mr. Kim, let's play.
Deactivation: End the trick on Mr. Kim.
* * *
The bell goblin was a small goblin born from an old shaman's bell.
The bell goblin lived by playing tricks on passing Mr. Kims.
It emitted an alien energy, making its body twice or three times larger, or changing the yellow energy of the bronze bell to a dark color to mimic the darkness.
There was one Mr. Kim who frequently visited the mountain where the bell goblin lived. Despite meeting him several times, he always jumped in surprise, which made the bell goblin feel close to him.
'Isn't it time for you to get used to it, Mr. Kim?'
'Would you get used to it if you were me?'
When the bell goblin revealed its true identity, it sometimes received acorn jelly from Mr. Kim and gave him gifts, becoming close friends.
'...This hat looks familiar...'
'Hehehe.'
'It's mine!'
One day, the bell goblin rarely saw Mr. Kim's future. The bell goblin thought it was very fortunate. When it learned that Mr. Kim was about to die, the bell goblin, as a friend, jumped into the danger instead of Mr. Kim.
'Hey! Why you?'
'Because I've lived longer than Mr. Kim!'
Mr. Kim, in gratitude for the goblin friend who sacrificed his life for him, placed the broken shaman's bell in an old tree and held a memorial service.
'Next time we meet, I'll give you a good scolding.'
* * *
Something moved in the center of Seojun's chest. He brought out what he had practiced for a month and a half.
He shaped the goblin's energy into a human form and placed it inside his body. It felt as if there was really something inside him.
He struggled to create this form. It had to look human but not be human, and the energy had to be visible to some extent from the outside.
He shaped it like he was playing with clay, and somehow a long-limbed, scary-looking 'thing' was created.
-Ready.
Director Choe Daeman's voice, as small as when filming Shadowman, was heard. Unlike that time when he was pulled in without realizing it, he could think a little now.
'Ah, it's starting now.'
That was all he could manage.
-Action!
The baby shaman's god was very powerful and terrifying. Although its name was not revealed, it possessed immense power.
The rumor of the baby shaman only circulated within the village. The great power of the god made sure it did not spread outside, and this power continued to accumulate in the baby shaman's body.
Thump thump!
That's how he knew.
Thump thump!
The baby shaman opened the wooden gate. In front of him was a man breathing heavily. The man was covered in scars, limping on one leg, and his eye was swollen. The baby shaman knew what had caused this.
That.
The thing inside the man.
The evil thing.
"There's a skilled shaman here, they say..."
The man, who was speaking, hesitated.
The baby shaman lifted his head and looked from the man's head to his feet.
The evil thing.
That's it. That's what killed your parents.
The baby shaman could see everything swirling inside the man's body.
The dark evil spirit, like dancing flames, laughed and cried, and the baby shaman saw the silent, dying faces of the man's parents, who were afraid the baby would be frightened.
Thump!
The baby shaman, who knew everything, closed the wooden gate. It was not the right time.
"Cut! OK!"
Seojun, who had turned around, took a light breath and muttered.
"Mr. Kim, the trick is over."
Heesang, who was outside the camera, quickly came over, wrapped a blanket around Seojun, and placed a hand warmer in his hands.
"Are you okay, Seojun?"
"I'm fine! I felt a bit drained when it ended, like with Shadowman."
Fortunately, over the six months, his 'body' had grown a lot, and he still had some energy left.
"You were that focused. Well done."
Kim Heesang patted Seojun's head and carried him to Director Choe Daeman. They had agreed beforehand to discuss the scene they had just filmed on the monitor after an OK.
Kim Heesang pushed the wooden gate. Hmm? It was tighter than he thought. He pushed a little harder, and the gate opened.
"It takes quite a bit of strength. Is Seojun strong? He pushed it easily."
"No, it was really easy."
Seojun demonstrated by opening and closing the gate. Is that so? Kim Heesang looked at the wooden gate, clenching and unclenching his hands a few times. The large wooden gate was firmly closed.