Chapter 28: Unexpected Errand at the Filming Set

‘It must still be open, right?’

Seo Yeon-ho checked the time before leaving. The clock read 10:40 PM.

Hyo-jun’s earlier comment about it being late hadn’t been an exaggeration.

‘Closing time is almost here. I really need to hurry.’

Seo Yeon-ho was already anxious, but this made him even more restless.

‘I can’t believe I lost track of time watching a drama.’

Seo Yeon-ho was dumbfounded. It felt like he had only watched for about thirty minutes, which made the late hour even more perplexing.

It then occurred to him that perhaps Owner Yang hadn’t answered his call because they were already closing up.

The engine rumbled.

“Huh?”

Turning into the alley, Seo Yeon-ho tilted his head in confusion. A long, massive special-purpose vehicle was obscuring the cafe building.

‘That’s strange. Owner Yang isn’t the type to just let illegal parking slide.’

Like any small business owner, Owner Yang disliked non-customers parking in front of the shop.

Had the shop already closed?

His anxiety flared again, prompting Seo Yeon-ho to accelerate his scooter.

The alley atop the hill was congested with vehicles.

Besides the truck Seo Yeon-ho had seen earlier, there was a generator truck and a van plastered with broadcast stickers.

‘Why are so many broadcast vehicles gathered here? Are they filming something nearby?’

As Seo Yeon-ho parked his scooter, a puzzled expression on his face, he suddenly recalled something Owner Yang had mentioned previously.

Moonlight Flower was supposed to be a filming location for ‘Cold Reading,’ and it seemed today was the day.

To confirm his hunch, he opened a delivery app.

Sure enough, a notice stated that the shop would be closing early today due to internal circumstances.

‘Is Owner Yang not even here?’

Seo Yeon-ho called Owner Yang again, simultaneously scanning the interior of the shop.

The hall was strewn with lighting and various filming equipment. It seemed to be a break, as staff members were scattered about, their expressions conveying utter boredom and exhaustion.

‘This doesn’t look like it’ll be over anytime soon.’

Seo Yeon-ho gazed resentfully at his phone, which had gone to voicemail since the call wouldn’t connect.

‘Should I come back tomorrow?’

Still, Seo Yeon-ho decided to enter the shop, if only to confirm whether Owner Yang was truly absent.

“Hey, you there.”

A staff member, wearing knee and wrist pads, roughly grabbed Seo Yeon-ho’s shoulder.

Just as he had at the archery cafe, Seo Yeon-ho flinched, assuming the staff member was about to kick him out.

“Don’t let the Charon Floppy get torn; take it to the second floor. Also, grab some energy drinks from the kitchen fridge. Don’t be clueless and bring just one; get enough for the director too.”

The staff member, who appeared to be in their late thirties, rubbed their eyes vigorously, seemingly on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, and gave Seo Yeon-ho instructions.

It seemed they had mistaken Seo Yeon-ho for a new staff member from another team.

Seo Yeon-ho nodded perceptively, then collected the lighting equipment and headed up to the second floor.

His time as an entertainer hadn’t been for nothing; he had a rough idea of what the filming equipment was called and what it looked like.

Though he was unexpectedly running errands on someone else’s film set, he didn’t feel wronged.

Seo Yeon-ho had, in fact, been looking for a way to search for Owner Yang without attracting attention.

Carrying equipment, he reasoned, would make people assume he was just a new assistant from another team, rather than seeing a suspicious unfamiliar face.

Upon reaching the second floor, he found a group of extras gathered together.

Their faces were as weary as the crew’s, and they were vocally expressing their frustration about the filming delay.

“How many hours have we been waiting now?”

“At least we’re waiting indoors with air conditioning. It would be truly awful if we were outside.”

“I find bugs more horrifying than the heat.”

“We haven’t shot a single scene here, have we? No rehearsals either. Why aren’t we filming?”

“I overheard the team leader and assistant director talking earlier; they said the actor still hasn’t arrived.”

“What? Still?”

“That’s crazy. Talk about nerve.”

“Could the actor who hasn’t arrived be Han Tae-young? I heard he’s quite rude.”

“No, they said it was a supporting actor. Someone named Park Hwi-something.”

The extras seemed disbelieving of the woman’s words.

“Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand? They’re just a supporting actor.”

“I think you’re mistaken too. It makes no sense for a minor supporting actor, not even a lead, to act so brazenly.”

“I’m a veteran extra of ten years, and while I’ve often heard of lead actors canceling shoots due to power trips, I’ve truly never heard of a supporting actor skipping a rehearsal.”

“Perhaps the supporting actor who hasn’t arrived yet, their agency didn’t receive the schedule notification due to a communication mix-up?”

“Hmm. That’s much more plausible.”

The extras, appealing to common sense, refused to believe the woman’s account. Among everyone on the second floor, only Seo Yeon-ho considered that the woman’s words might be true.

‘The one who hasn’t arrived yet… it must be Baek Hwi-kyung.’

After carefully considering the situation, Seo Yeon-ho concluded that Baek Hwi-kyung was indeed the actor who had missed rehearsal.

Moonlight Flower had been secured as a filming location, yet it never appeared in the actual drama.

If Baek Hwi-kyung’s tardiness had caused the day’s filming to be canceled, it would perfectly explain why Moonlight Flower was absent from his memories of the show.

‘Owner Yang must be incredibly disappointed.’

While Seo Yeon-ho was glad his memory wasn’t mistaken, he couldn’t simply rejoice when he thought of Owner Yang.

Too many people would suffer because of one person’s lack of professionalism.

Perhaps he should tip off the production team now, warning them that Baek Hwi-kyung would cause problems?

Descending to the first floor, Seo Yeon-ho entered the kitchen, still deep in thought.

He was there to retrieve energy drinks from the fridge, as instructed by the earlier staff member.

So engrossed in his thoughts, Seo Yeon-ho didn’t notice someone else was already in the kitchen.

‘Is there a way to warn them without sounding like a crazy person? Something like, “He’s so unreliable, I’m worried he’ll cause a big problem, so maybe you should look for a replacement actor in advance.” That wouldn’t sound too strange, would it…?’

Seo Yeon-ho opened the refrigerator and peered inside for a long time.

The staff member had clearly said there were energy drinks in the fridge, but he couldn’t find any.

“What are you looking for?”

A voice came from deeper inside the kitchen.

Only then did Seo Yeon-ho realize someone else was there. He startled but answered calmly.

“Energy drinks. A member of the lighting team asked me to get them.”

‘They told me to clear lighting equipment, so it must be the lighting team, right?’

Seo Yeon-ho inwardly prayed they wouldn’t pry.

“If that’s what you’re after, they’re over here.”

Seo Yeon-ho closed the fridge door and quickly turned his head.

He saw a man wearing glasses. Though deep dark circles shadowed his eyes, there was a refined quality to his features.

His attire and the equipment he wore also differed slightly from the other staff members.

‘Is he part of the production team?’

Regardless of the man’s department, the fact that he was drinking an energy drink suggested a box of them was indeed nearby.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

Seo Yeon-ho bowed politely, then rounded the counter and approached the man.

A whole box of energy drinks rested on the floor.

‘Will I get scolded if I only take two?’

Thinking it best to grab enough for the entire lighting team, he picked out a few more energy drinks and cradled them in his arms when he felt a gaze on him.

He glanced to the side, confirming that the man from the production team hadn’t left and was observing him.

‘Has he realized I’m not a staff member?’

Seo Yeon-ho desperately pretended not to notice the man’s stare.

He knew that showing any sign of nervousness in such a situation would only make him appear more suspicious.

“I’ll be going now.”

“……Are you, by any chance, a delivery rider?”

As Seo Yeon-ho bowed his head to leave, his hair stood on end.

It was one thing for someone to realize he wasn’t staff, but it was profoundly shocking that they had deduced his profession.

His attire wasn’t indicative of a delivery rider, so how on earth had they guessed that far?

“I’m not sure what you mean…”

Seo Yeon-ho tilted his head, feigning confusion at the unexpected question, then exited the kitchen.

His heart hammered in his chest. He felt it would be best to abandon his search for Owner Yang and leave the shop quickly.

However, the situation did not unfold as Seo Yeon-ho wished.

The man who had given him the errand earlier blocked Seo Yeon-ho’s path.

Beside the lighting staff member stood another man of a similar age, presumably from a different team.

“You little punk, what are you dawdling for? When did I tell you to get those energy drinks, huh?!”

The staff member raised a hand, then snatched the energy drinks from Seo Yeon-ho’s arm with a disgruntled sigh.

It seemed he had come to retrieve the drinks himself, having heard nothing from Seo Yeon-ho.

“I apologize.”

“Hey, why are these so lukewarm?”

As Seo Yeon-ho apologized and tried to squeeze past the staff, the lighting team member grabbed his arm.

“Aren’t you going to answer? I’m asking why the energy drinks aren’t cold!”

Seo Yeon-ho hesitated, debating whether to shake off the lighting team staff member’s arm.

Meanwhile, another staff member from a different team, standing nearby, eyed Seo Yeon-ho up and down with a puzzled expression.

“Who’s this? I haven’t seen them before.”

“Weren’t they from your team? I heard the sound team got a new junior member.”

“That’s true, but it’s not them.”

The staff members’ gazes clashed in the air before fixing intently on Seo Yeon-ho.

Their eyes, as they looked up at him, turned fierce, as if they had discovered an intruder.

“Whose team are you on?”

“Tell us which department you belong to.”

Just as Seo Yeon-ho decided he needed to escape immediately, a voice came from behind him.

“That person is with me.”

“This incompetent kid, were they the assistant director’s gopher?”

“You could say that.”

Seo Yeon-ho’s eyes widened as he stared at the assistant director. He couldn’t fathom why this person was covering for him with a lie.