TBM Vol 2 Part 12

The worn slippers kicked against the asphalt precariously. After glancing back once while exhaling rough breaths, Lee Il-seo increased his running speed. He ran quickly down the alley facing the camera that moved along the rail, then bent his body to the right at the corner. Director Chae made a puzzled expression before giving the cut sign.

“Lee Il-seo, move your legs faster!”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

“Let’s try again.”

The scene of running through the alley took longer to film than expected. It was because he kept getting NGs since his movements were heavy when he needed to run lightly and quickly.

The pain that had enveloped his entire body in the morning was somewhat forgotten as he focused on filming and interacting with people, but as he repeatedly ran hard and rolled onto mats, physiological pain arose, making his legs increasingly sluggish.

Especially due to the dull, heavy pain in his lower abdomen, waist, and hips, he didn’t need to act being in pain during the falling scenes.

“…”

As Lee Il-seo held his waist and lowered his head, Sa Seung-yeon, who had been staring at the screen, looked at him. Their eyes met for the first time. It was so awkward that the seconds felt like minutes. Lee Il-seo averted his gaze first, and Sa Seung-yeon shifted his expressionless face back toward the filming screen.

“Okay. Action!”

Thinking that Sa Seung-yeon was watching,  Lee Il-seo gritted his teeth and moved, and fortunately, there were no more cuts in the running scene. He gulped down water to calm his rough breathing. Then he took his position in the alley with actor Lee Geun-soo, and they performed their coordinated action.

“Okay! That’s it. The next scene is where kidnapped Haru is loaded into the trunk. Props team ready!”

“Yes!  Lee Il-seo, please sit here.”

As  Lee Il-seo sat in the chair, the props team brought rope to tie his arms behind his back and his ankles. They didn’t loosely loop it around, but tied the knots tightly enough to make his skin turn white.  Lee Il-seo raised his eyebrows.

“You need to tie it this tight?”

“Yes, if we tie it loosely and it’s handled incorrectly, your skin could get chafed or your joints could be sprained. Does it hurt?”

“Ah, no. It’s fine.”

The problem was that he couldn’t move at all, but it didn’t hurt.  Lee Il-seo hopped to the camera while tied up. Choi Kyung-hyun extended his arms anxiously behind  Lee Il-seo as he wobbled precariously. The trunk of the silver sedan where the kidnapped Haru would be placed was wide open.

Assessing the situation, Choi Kyung-hyun tilted his head sideways and muttered:

“What? A trunk…?”

Belatedly realizing the script had changed, Choi Kyung-hyun looked at Lee Il-seo with a bewildered expression. Lee Il-seo simply shook his head lightly, indicating not to make a fuss. But Choi Kyung-hyun furrowed his brow and quickly whispered:

“No, you should tell me about things like this!”

“Hyung, really, it’s fine. I’m not in a position to be picky about this and that right now… Please.”

At  Lee Il-seo’s plea, Choi Kyung-hyun finally backed down.

“Fine, just remember I’m outside, and if it gets difficult, tell me immediately.”

Lee Il-seo nodded with a resolute expression at Choi Kyung-hyun’s request. Director Chae, who had been waiting for the actor whispering with his manager, announced the start of filming as soon as Choi Kyung-hyun hurriedly ran out of the camera frame. Lee Il-seo steeled himself. It was a simple shoot where he just needed to be carried and placed in the trunk while remaining still.

Actor Lee Geun-soo covered Lee Il-seo’s mouth with a handkerchief from behind. Director Chae watched the camera and gave the signal.

“Action!”

 Lee Il-seo acted like he was collapsing and relaxed his entire body to match the movement of being lifted. Soon after, he was laid in the trunk. Lee Il-seo shut his eyes tightly, and after a while, the trunk closed.

“…”

He was repeatedly placed in the trunk and had the door closed on him to capture various angles.  Lee Il-seo’s fists, tied behind his back, clenched tighter and tighter. The sound of his own heart pounding filled his ears.

The interior began to feel increasingly stuffy. As breathing became labored, the trunk finally opened with the long-awaited cut sign. As light flooded in, he quickly opened his eyes and exhaled deeply.

“Haah….”

Choi Kyung-hyun tried to check Lee Il-seo’s complexion, but from a distance, he couldn’t tell if his pale appearance was makeup or if he had actually turned white, making him increasingly anxious.

“Okay, next scene.”

“Actor Park Jae-ho is coming.”

Park Jae-ho, having finished his makeup, raised his eyebrows at  Lee Il-seo, who returned the greeting with a nod. The moment the ready sign was called, Park Jae-ho’s eyes turned fierce.

They planned to shoot the scene where Park Jae-ho checks on Haru in the trunk before sitting in the driver’s seat and quickly leaving the alley. This meant Lee Il-seo would have to endure being in the closed trunk for quite a while this time.

“Close the trunk.”

At Director Chae’s signal, Lee Il-seo reluctantly lay on his side, and the door immediately closed. Outside sounds were muffled.

“Action!”

“Boss, I’ve loaded him in the trunk.”

The trunk opened, and after a brief dialogue between Park Jae-ho and Lee Geun-soo, it firmly closed again. Though his eyes were closed, he could sense the trunk opening and closing by the amount of light streaming in, the sounds, and the airflow.

Completely buried in the silent darkness, Lee Il-seo clenched his fists until his palms hurt. He had to endure until they finished filming the car leaving.

“Hnng….”

But perhaps because he had already felt the stuffiness once, it quickly became difficult to exhale. After what felt like an eternity, he finally felt the car’s engine start with the rebound of Park Jae-ho getting into the driver’s seat.

The car sped through the alley and slowly stopped with the cut sign. As soon as the trunk opened, Lee Il-seo exhaled a long breath and panted. Director Chae, peering at the screen, straightened his index finger.

“Let’s do it one more time.”

 Lee Il-seo bit his lip. He had never resented Director Chae’s instructions so much.

“Okay, Haru, get back in position. Ready.”

By now, not only the back of his head but also his back was drenched in cold sweat. As soon as Lee Il-seo lay down weakly, the trunk lid, which had been briefly open, closed with a bang.

“Action!”

Now all his senses were deadened. Giving up on keeping his eyes closed, Lee Il-seo desperately stared at the dark interior with bloodshot eyes. All he could hear was his own gasping breath. Finally, when the trunk opened, Lee Il-seo lunged to escape. Startled, Director Chae gave the cut sign, and Choi Kyung-hyun immediately ran to Lee Il-seo.

“Are you okay?”

“Cough, ack, yes.”

Seeing Lee Il-seo panting as if about to vomit, Director Chae jumped up from his chair.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“Ah, Director, Lee Il-seo is…”

“Hyung, please.”

Lee Il-seo, frowning deeply, urgently shook his head, cutting off Choi Kyung-hyun mid-sentence. Choi Kyung-hyun chewed his lip in concern before making up an excuse.

“He’s not feeling well today. I think he’s getting motion sickness from being confined for so long.”

“Oh dear, was it claustrophobic? If it’s difficult, let’s take a short break before continuing.”

Director Chae also seemed to find the continuous filming somewhat arduous as he gulped down a drink and immediately took a cigarette break with the assistant director. The props team untied Lee Il-seo’s hands and feet, and he decided to get some fresh air outside.

As Lee Il-seo stood with Choi Kyung-hyun’s support, a dark shadow fell in front of him, and a tall figure blocked their path.

“Lee Il-seo, let’s talk for a moment.”

Without waiting for Lee Il-seo’s response, Sa Seung-yeon began walking ahead. Lee Il-seo left behind a bewildered Choi Kyung-hyun and followed him with quick steps.

Walking with wide strides and his back turned, Sa Seung-yeon silently led the way to a spot somewhat removed from the filming location, finally stopping at the end of a deserted alley without making a sound. Turning around, Sa Seung-yeon looked down at  Lee Il-seo. With the setting sun at his back, his face wasn’t clearly visible.

“Are you not feeling well?”

At Sa Seung-yeon’s low question, Lee Il-seo rubbed the back of his neck where cold sweat had formed and answered.

“Ah, yes. Today I’m feeling a bit… More tired than usual.”

“…Than usual.”

Sa Seung-yeon repeated Lee Il-seo’s words as if mulling them over, then exhaled with a “hmm”. It was an ambiguous sound that could have been either a sigh or a low laugh. After maintaining silence for a moment, Sa Seung-yeon spoke in a noticeably lower voice.

“I don’t think I tore Lee Il-seo apart.”

Lee Il-seo’s expression turned blank with surprise. As his eyes widened as if to ask what Sa Seung-yeon meant, Sa Seung-yeon slightly narrowed his eyes and said:

“You’re holding your waist and limping around the set, constantly staring at me. Now you’re feeling sick?”

The staring was only to find the right timing to greet him, nothing more. Just as Lee Il-seo was about to move his dry lips to explain, Sa Seung-yeon slowly tilted his head.

“This isn’t your first time, so I don’t understand why you’re acting so irritatingly.”

“…”

“What, do you want me to acknowledge that you’re in pain because of the sex?”

His voice was articulate but completely devoid of warmth. Lee Il-seo, who had been standing with his hands clasped in front and head bowed, slowly looked up. The limping and holding his waist were unconscious actions due to the many running scenes, and the nausea was for an entirely different reason.

Sensing Sa Seung-yeon’s misunderstanding, Lee Il-seo quickly shook his head and took a step backward. But the cold, rough wall behind him prevented him from stepping back properly.

“It’s not necessarily because of yesterday…”

As he urgently tried to explain, his eyes met Sa Seung-yeon’s. The moment he faced those eyes, so dark they were like an unfathomable abyss impossible to read, Lee Il-seo felt his stomach clench painfully.

He was afraid of Sa Seung-yeon’s anger. He didn’t want to be disliked because of such a misunderstanding.  Lee Il-seo lowered his throbbing head and apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“That wasn’t my intention. If I’ve been irritating you, I’ll correct it.”

Seeing Lee Il-seo’s white hands trembling, Sa Seung-yeon let out a small sigh and put his hand in his pants pocket.

Then something was placed in Lee Il-seo’s hand. It was a small white container that fit in one hand, with the words ‘Painkillers, 2 pills’ written in cursive on the front. Lee Il-seo could immediately recognize whose handwriting it was. It was Sa Seung-yeon’s.

As Lee Il-seo stared blankly at the medicine container in his hand with a dazed expression, a cold, urging voice came from above his head.

“Filming was in the afternoon today. If you weren’t feeling well, you should have taken medicine in advance or gone to the hospital for an IV drip.”

Sa Seung-yeon paused and looked at Lee Il-seo. He couldn’t see the expression on Lee Il-seo’s lowered face clearly. Wondering if he might be crying, Sa Seung-yeon lifted his slender chin with his finger.

The pale face met his eyes directly. Though his eyes were reddish, fortunately he didn’t seem to be crying. Sa Seung-yeon continued while lightly holding his chin.

“You’re showing that you’re in pain as if you want me to notice.”

“…”

“It pisses off the person who hurt you, you know?”

Hearing the voice that quietly penetrated deep into his heart, Lee Il-seo blinked blankly. After slowly digesting his words, Lee Il-seo turned his face away, removing Sa Seung-yeon’s hand, and bowed his head once more.

“I’m sorry for getting you worried .”

Sa Seung-yeon frowned as if he had heard nonsense. Worry? He was about to ask if this sounded like worry to him, but his voice came out with no strength at all, and he just let out a small sigh.

“…Fine.”

Lee Il-seo kept his head down, pressing the medicine container firmly with his palm. A cold wind blew between the two of them. Perhaps because it was a narrow alley, the wind was more biting and fierce than elsewhere.

Goosebumps rose on  Lee Il-seo’s neck, who had been called over right after the cut and was wearing only a thin shirt and shorts. Sa Seung-yeon’s gaze habitually touched the white nape of his neck before scattering behind the wall again. Sa Seung-yeon stood blocking the entrance of the alley where the wind was blowing in.

“Lee Il-seo.”

“…Yes.”

“Don’t act in ways that is distracting when you should be focusing entirely on filming.”

“…Yes.”

“Hurry back and take the medicine first.”

Sa Seung-yeon gestured with his head, and Lee Il-seo, who had been standing motionless, squeezed through the small gap at the alley entrance that Sa Seung-yeon was blocking.

Choi Kyung-hyun, who had been waiting for Lee Il-seo with anxious eyes, immediately draped a cardigan over his shoulders and handed him a warm citron tea as  Lee Il-seo approached. After quickly scanning the surroundings to see if Sa Seung-yeon was nearby, Choi Kyung-hyun whispered in a small voice:

“What did Sa Seung-yeon say? He looked unhappy.”

“No, it wasn’t like that. He… Gave me some medicine.”

When Lee Il-seo showed him the medicine container in his hand, Choi Kyung-hyun nodded as if finally relieved.

“He’s kinder than he looks. But why does he have that expression then?”

“…”

“Take the medicine in the car and rest a bit. They said shooting resumes in 10 minutes.”

In the car, Lee Il-seo raised his hand and looked down at the medicine container Sa Seung-yeon had given him. He set aside the warm citron tea he had been holding like a hand warmer and opened a bottle of water, taking a large mouthful.

He opened the container and dropped the painkillers into his palm. The white pills left a bitter taste at the base of his tongue, and Lee Il-seo closed his eyes with a somewhat tired expression.