TBM Vol 2 Part 19

Park Jae-ho’s ferocious scream as he swung the knife at Tae-hyun was so raw and intense that Lee Il-seo briefly wondered if he’d been possessed. His performance hadn’t wavered even in front of the veteran Sa Seung-yeon. It was powerful enough to warrant a script change. Lee Il-seo felt a blend of envy and pride swell in his chest. He stuck out his tongue in admiration, and Park Jae-ho, grinning in satisfaction, tousled his hair.

“How dare you call your hyung crazy!”

“You’re getting blood on me…! Is this sweat or blood? What is this?!”

“What does it matter if something gets on you? It’s all mine anyway.”

“What are you saying? I have to shoot soon.”

Park Jae-ho, drenched in sweat and sticky stage blood, moved in for a hug, but Lee Il-seo darted away, narrowly avoiding his grasp. He weaved through scattered filming gear and broken props, glancing back to find Park Jae-ho close on his heels, and picked up the pace.

The actors sitting around preparing for the next scene chuckled as they watched the two play chase, and the camera filming behind-the-scenes footage captured their antics.

Nearby, Sa Seung-yeon—freshly re-made up for an upcoming bed scene—watched the commotion with a faint sigh. He dragged out a chair with his foot and sank into it. Hwan approached swiftly, offering an iced Americano he had ready.

“Would you like some iced coffee, hyung?”

“No.”

Surprised by the unexpected cold response, Hwan looked at the stylist with wide eyes, but the stylist just shrugged.

Sa Seung-yeon lowered his gaze to the script he was holding, but soon closed it and stood up. He blocked Lee Il-seo with wide strides, who was running to avoid Park Jae-ho. Unable to control his momentum, Lee Il-seo’s nose collided hard with Sa Seung-yeon’s shoulder.

 Lee Il-seo grabbed his stinging nose and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Ah!”

“What are you doing? Not watching where you’re going.”

“I’m sor—ow… I’m sorry.”

When Lee Il-seo released his nose, the small tip had turned red. Sa Seung-yeon stared at the twitching nose tip before opening his script.

“I want to discuss something before rehearsal.”

“Yes.”

They went over a possible change to the bed scene’s stage directions. Since it was something Sa Seung-yeon could improvise, Lee Il-seo nodded quickly, agreeing to follow his lead.

“…”

However, even after closing the script, Sa Seung-yeon didn’t leave and looked down at  Lee Il-seo with a sidelong glance. Lee Il-seo stood with an awkward expression before glancing up at Sa Seung-yeon.

“…Is there something else you want to discuss?”

“I know you’re close with Park Jae-ho, but try to behave. The set isn’t a playground.”

At the low, scolding voice, Lee Il-seo quickly put his hands together and nodded. The place was indeed somewhat dangerous for running around, with old materials and bricks scattered around the abandoned building set, and dust floating everywhere. Lee Il-seo responded in a subdued voice.

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

Just then, Park Jae-ho, noticing Lee Il-seo seemingly being scolded by Sa Seung-yeon, approached using the tangerine-ade as an excuse. After handing the drink to Lee Il-seo, Park Jae-ho gently gripped Lee Il-seo’s shoulder and spoke.

“I’m sorry, sunbaenim. I was the one distracting Il-seo. He wasn’t doing anything wrong.”

Sa Seung-yeon’s gaze, which had been on the hand touching Lee Il-seo’s shoulder, slowly moved to Park Jae-ho’s eyes. Sa Seung-yeon’s lips curved into a smile.

“And?”

“Pardon? Ah…”

Despite the smiling face, there was something chilly about that quiet stare that made Park Jae-ho brush his ear and continue with his excuse.

“I was feeling sentimental since it’s my last filming… It was truly an honor to film with you as well, sunbaenim.”

Park Jae-ho extended his hand with a smooth change of subject, but Sa Seung-yeon merely nodded slightly and walked away. Park Jae-ho, after bumping shoulders with him, whispered into Lee Il-seo’s ear.

“Wow, is Sa Seung-yeon always like that? He’s intense.”

“He probably thought we were being reckless.”

Lee Il-seo defended Sa Seung-yeon in his reply. Just then, the assistant director’s voice came from a distance.

“Shooting begins in five minutes. Please prepare for the next scene.”

Park Jae-ho patted Lee Il-seo’s shoulder and said goodbye first.

“Good luck with the filming. I’m heading out.”

“Oh, hyung. Sorry, I can’t see you off.”

“That’s okay, let’s have a meal together when you’re free!”

After saying goodbye to Park Jae-ho, Lee Il-seo belatedly looked toward where Sa Seung-yeon had been sitting, only to find the seat already empty.

***

Silence fell over the set. On the bed, Sa Seung-yeon and Lee Il-seo moved against each other in a heated kiss. Sa Seung-yeon’s lips brushed over Lee Il-seo’s chest, over the flushed skin of his nipples. Their bodies glistened with sweat, muscles trembling as if they’d just finished a rigorous workout. The moment peaked, and Director Chae Geum-soo finally called cut.

“Cut! Okay.”

Even after the okay signal, Sa Seung-yeon and  Lee Il-seo held onto each other, panting. Eventually, Sa Seung-yeon slowly opened his eyes and got off the bed, while Lee Il-seo remained lying down before pushing against the mattress to sit up. Choi Kyung-hyun covered him with a robe and offered water, but Lee Il-seo was too busy catching his breath to properly take it.

Perhaps due to the compressed posture, Lee Il-seo felt pressure in his lungs, and when Sa Seung-yeon suddenly initiated a kiss that wasn’t in the rehearsal, he couldn’t breathe properly until the end.

Meanwhile, Sa Seung-yeon, now wearing a robe, approached Director Chae Geum-soo while opening a bottle of water. Director Chae glanced at Lee Il-seo in the distance and whispered just loud enough for Sa Seung-yeon to hear.

“You’re devouring him, really devouring him.”

“What…”

Sa Seung-yeon let out a low, hollow laugh and shifted his gaze to the screen. He had merely faithfully portrayed Jang Tae-hyun in love, as the script required. But the screen showed otherwise. Director Chae Geum-soo chuckled softly and narrowed his eyes at Sa Seung-yeon.

“Lee Il-seo is tougher than he looks.”

Sa Seung-yeon’s eyes, which had been fixed on Lee Il-seo on the screen, turned to Director Chae Geum-soo. Director Chae Geum-soo tapped his neck and added quietly.

“I heard the makeup team had less work to do today as well.”

Sa Seung-yeon’s gaze shifted—this time, not to the screen but to Lee Il-seo himself. Lee Il-seo was crouched with Choi Kyung-hyun, wiping spilled water off the floor. His robe hung loosely, and every so often, red marks across his neck and collarbone peeked through.

Today, Lee Il-seo had to involuntarily expose his body, marked with blood congestion, in front of others, and those marks were captured on video. The traces left without consideration were like a name scrawled across an object. Reflecting on the fact that he was the owner of that name, Sa Seung-yeon felt a strangely satisfying sensation akin to pleasure.

Director Chae Geum-soo, still absorbed in his own appreciation, continued rambling.

“In my prime, I did two rounds between shoots. You get a taste for that kind of thrill—why settle for one person? That’s boring.”

Sa Seung-yeon didn’t respond and kept his gaze fixed on Lee Il-seo. After thoroughly cleaning the floor,  Lee Il-seo stood up and approached them for monitoring. As he walked while tying his robe’s waist string, his lowered eyelids slowly lifted and unexpectedly met Sa Seung-yeon’s gaze.

Sa Seung-yeon missed the timing to look away. Lee Il-seo also seemed rooted to the spot, staring at Sa Seung-yeon as if his feet were tied by that gaze. As the two pairs of eyes remained entangled for quite some time, Director Chae Geum-soo suddenly put his arm around Lee Il-seo’s shoulders.

” Lee Il-seo. Don’t enjoy it all alone—let your director in on the fun too.”

“Excuse me?”

 Lee Il-seo, completely missing the context, looked at Director Chae Geum-soo with wide eyes. Director Chae Geum-soo leaned in with a mischievous whisper.

“Let me give you a piece of advice as a director… It’s a big problem if you come to shoot other projects with marks on your body like that. Being an actor and all.”

“Ah… I’m sorry. I’ll be careful.”

“It’s fine when you’re Haru, so go ahead and do whatever you want. Just don’t forget me if there’s a good spot!”

“Ah, yes…”

“This diligently versatile bastard.”

Director Chae Geum-soo tilted his head back and laughed boisterously, while Lee Il-seo bowed his head with a nervous expression. The smile gradually disappeared from Sa Seung-yeon’s face as he watched the two.

‘Why would you stick with just one person…’

Sa Seung-yeon’s head tilted slowly as he ruminated on Director Chae Geum-soo’s words that had stuck in his mind. Come to think of it, there was no guarantee that Lee Il-seo, who reportedly went after another trainee besides Gu Dong-yeong, was only having sex with him.

Making a cracking sound with his neck and giving an odd look, Sa Seung-yeon called out to Director Chae Geum-soo.

“Director, I’m going to take a break.”

“Sure, let’s take some time off.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you for your work, actor-nim!”

As Sa Seung-yeon left the set, exchanging light smiles with passing staff members, the warmth in his expression gradually cooled with each step. Reaching the waiting room with a sensitive look, Sa Seung-yeon sat in a chair, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes. His interlocked fingers tapped rhythmically on the back of his hand where veins protruded.

“…”

Maybe it was because he’d marked him or left something of himself behind. Whatever the reason, a strange unease stirred in him.

***

The next shoot was an outdoor scene.

Lee Il-seo moved to the filming location early, script in hand. The deserted alley was quite windy and cold. He hadn’t felt the cold while shooting action scenes indoors, but standing outside, the wind crept under his short-sleeved shirt and shorts, gradually turning his lips blue.

Choi Kyung-hyun, who had brought warm coffee for Lee Il-seo, who was still shivering intermittently despite having a blanket over his shoulders, quietly asked as he handed over the paper cup.

“No rehearsal?”

“Ah, yes. They said we’ll go straight to filming.”

“That’s good, it’s cold out here. Don’t tremble and do your best!”

Handing the blanket and script to Choi Kyung-hyun, Lee Il-seo warmed his hands around a paper cup of instant coffee, calmly reviewing his lines. His gaze, beginning to sink into Haru’s character, turned colder, and the faint smile that had briefly surfaced vanished without a trace.

“How could you do this to Jang Tae-hyun? He trusts and relies on you so much.”

Haru discovers that ‘Han Beom-jae’, whom he thought was Jang Tae-hyun’s helper during his kidnapping, is actually a traitor. When he tries to reveal his true identity to Jang Tae-hyun, a frightened Han Beom-jae kneels and begs him in an attempt to persuade him. Jang Tae-hyun catches them, and upon learning the truth, slaps Beom-jae hard across the face.

Jang Tae-hyun and Han Beom-jae shared a bond forged through hardship and loyalty. Han Beom-jae’s moment of weakness was driven by threats and desperation—his daughter was in the hospital, and he was drowning in medical bills. Ultimately, Jang Tae-hyun forgives him, and their bond deepens. The role of the sympathetic supporting villain, Han Beomjae, was played by Bae Tak-soo.

Bae Tak-soo approached from a distance. Lee Il-seo quickly bowed his head once more in greeting, but this time Bae Tak-soo didn’t acknowledge it. Director Chae Geum-soo checked the camera angle and then gave the action signal. As the surroundings grew quiet, both actors’ gazes instantly transformed. Bae Tak-soo grabbed Lee Il-seo’s arm firmly and furrowed his brows.

“Just once, just look the other way this once. Okay?”

“How could you do this to Jang Tae-hyun? He trusts and relies on you so much!”

“You know Hee-jae is very sick. When those bastards are using her against me, what can I do?”

His voice trembling as he mentioned his ill daughter, Bae Tak-soo dropped to his knees and clutched Lee Il-seo’s pant leg.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Haru.”

“I don’t care about me.”

Haru’s subdued voice fell directly onto Tak-soo’s crown of his bowed head.

“I don’t care if I live or die.”

“…”

“What if something had happened to Jang Tae-hyun? Could you have lived with that, Han Beom-jae-ssi?”

Since Jang Tae-hyun and Han Beom-jae were comrades who had overcome hardships together, Han Beom-jae was supposed to burst into tears of regret, apology, and anguish as he lifted his head. But when Bae Tak-soo raised his head, although his face was contorted, he wasn’t crying at all. Surprised by this deviation from the script, Lee Il-seo nevertheless continued his performance without showing concern.

“Jang Tae-hyun will make the decision. I can’t pretend I don’t know.”

“Haru! Please!”

“Um… Cut.”

At that moment, Director Chae Geum-soo called for a cut. Everyone’s eyes turned to Bae Tak-soo. The director, looking perplexed, scratched above his hat and said:

“Bae Tak-soo hyung-nim, you need tears welling up when you mention your daughter, and by the end, your face should be wet with tears. It’s an emotional explosion scene.”

“I know, I know. Let’s go again.”

“You absolutely need to wail here to move the audience, make it sad!”

“I said I know.”