CH15

Meeting someone from the future at a filming site? It's entirely possible.

During a financial crisis with soaring unemployment rates, taking on extra work for minimum wage is considered decent work.

The same goes for having functional legs. 

After all, this person taught him parkour, so there must have been a time when his legs were fine.

'Right, there's no need to make a fuss.'

A drama not remembered, a memory that suddenly surfaced after an audition, a healthy man from the memories met on set.

These three pieces fit together, giving a chilling sense of unease.

"Could these three really be unrelated?"

After some thought, Ian concluded that they were related.

There is a cause of unease hidden somewhere in the foggy memories.

It might have been a glimpse of an article or some gossip heard in passing.

'There was definitely an accident here. I vaguely remember it.'

But that was all that came to mind. 

No matter how much he pondered, he couldn't recall the details.

"Ian? Ian!"

"Oh, sorry."

Ian snapped back to reality at the call of the child actor, Benjamin.

"Do you know someone here?"

Knowing someone.

Could the person joking and laughing with fellow extras be the same homeless man who taught parkour and then vanished without a trace?

Probably not.

"No, I don't know anyone. But there's someone I should get to know."

"Huh?"

An accident that occurred on set decades ago.

Even Ian couldn't possibly remember the details of an accident he learned about only in passing, not having been on set at the time.

Just remembering that something had happened was remarkable enough.

'The most likely scenario is that the homeless man who taught me parkour is connected to this accident.'

Now, his legs are fine.

This was suspicious enough, especially remembering the guilt-ridden glances he often gave children.

'I have no choice but to proceed with this assumption.'

Of course, it's possible that his memories are mistaken, leading to wasted effort, and the accident might happen regardless of what he does.

'If it's the former, good. If the latter, there's nothing I can do.'

Regardless of the outcome, it's better than regretting doing nothing.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Ian tapped the shoulder of the fellow child actor.

"Let's go shoot."

For now, the priority was to focus on acting.

***

Extras gathered around a buffet-style setup, each having served themselves.

With hundreds of extras involved in a school scene, usually, the best they could hope for was a hamburger, but this was a feast.

Appropriately for a set with many child actors, there were also plenty of snacks like chicken and pizza.

An hour-long mealtime.

The conversation among the extras gathered in the waiting room after eating revolved around one topic.

"Really, you can't underestimate the child actors. They were all so good."

"But there was one who really stood out, right? The Asian kid playing Noah."

Most nodded in agreement.

Even those who were just there for the day's pay could feel the difference from the other child actors.

This difference was evident just from the atmosphere on set.

"From a certain point, the director stopped giving even simple directions. He would even go help another child actor who was struggling."

"At first, I thought the character required an Asian child actor, but then I realized he was just cast because he was good. That really hit me."

"Right, right! That's exactly what I was thinking!"

Someone spoke bluntly amidst the agreeing crowd.

"Anyway, it's just a child actor. There are plenty who shine for a moment and then disappear, and it's not easy for Asians to keep up."

A man looked around confidently as if he hadn't said anything wrong, but someone stood up and rebuked him.

"Even so, I think that kid will live a better life than you. They're already earning hundreds of times more than us."

"What?!"

"And they've got guts. If the staff hears you talking like that, you'll be worrying about a settlement, not just a fee."

The person who turned pale at the possibility of being sued wasn't worth dealing with. 

The man stepped out of the dressing room container.

Breathing in the fresh air, he saw a child reading a paper in the shade.

"I didn't expect you to be reading this. Did they say your name was Ian?"

Ian looked up, sensing someone, and waved as if happy to see him.

A strange familiarity.

Feeling it, the man approached as if enchanted.

"Hello."

"Hi, what are you looking at so intently?"

"This? It's the staff's names."

Ian handed over a paper crowded with names and roles, highlighting how many people were involved in a single drama.

"Why are you looking at this?"

"To memorize it, of course."

"All of this?! Why?"

It was hard to understand why a child actor would memorize this when even staff members from different teams often can't remember each other's names.

"Did someone tell you to memorize this?"

He wondered if a racist jerk like the one in the dressing room had made him do it.

Ian, dismissing the suspicion lightly, took back the paper.

"You'd prefer being called by your name than 'hey, extra,' right? It's the same for the staff. That's why I'm memorizing it."

Memorizing the names of hundreds of staff members was a long habit of Ian's.

A habit started with the materialistic motive of gaining favor and securing even an extra's role.

'The effort might not seem efficient, but it did help.'

After establishing a certain position, this became an unnecessary task, but seeing the happiness in simply memorizing names turned it into an irreplaceable habit.

"Can you tell me your name, Zombie Uncle?"

"Me?"

"Yes!"

"Miles Banks. You can call me Miles."

"I'm Ian Pryce. Please, call me Ian."

After introducing themselves, Ian smiled brightly, making Miles smile awkwardly in return.

He was embarrassingly happy just to hear his name.

"Are you going to keep participating as an extra? As a zombie-like now?"

Miles might have hoped for this question. 

He was no ordinary extra, though he couldn't compare to a prodigious child actor.

Flexing his arm muscles, Miles asked, "Do you know parkour? There were a few movies about it. Oh, maybe you were too young then."

"I know what it is. It's running and jumping on rooftops, right?"

"Yeah, something like that. Actually, I'm part of a pretty famous parkour team. We're going to upload a few action shoots with the team members. I'll be doing stunt work."

"Wow, really?" 

Ian clapped his hands in admiration and pulled out his recently purchased cellphone. 

"I'd love to see that! Please let me know once the shooting date is set, okay?"

"Of course!" 

Easy. 

Fortunately, there was no need to hassle the busy assistant director to spit out the schedule. 

Ian was satisfied.

***

"You've been busy with shooting lately, haven't you? My daughter keeps asking when the drama you're filming will be out."

"…Mom." 

Rachel called out to Ayla with a gloomy face. 

She had brought up an embarrassing subject with Ian, whom she hadn't seen in a while due to the shooting schedule and the start of the school term. 

"I'm thankful that you're looking forward to it. I wish the airing date would come sooner, too."

"Right? I'll make sure to watch it. There's no one causing trouble or being difficult, right?"

"Of course not." 

Honestly, while Ben is notoriously difficult to work with, he doesn't scold child actors on set. 

Specifically, in Hollywood, even well-known directors don't yell at minor extras. 

They don't get annoyed even if they have to reshoot. 

Ruining the atmosphere on set doesn't help; everyone knows it just makes the tight shooting schedule harder. 

"Everyone's been great. Oh!" 

He almost forgot to mention this. 

"Ben even sent a coffee truck to the set."

"Really?" 

He was really a handful. 

Ben, who couldn't make it because of the dubbing session for Sucker Punch, had insisted he mention this. 

'I really shouldn't have accepted it.' 

To think he did it to impress a woman. 

His intentions were too impure from the start. 

"Should I send one too?"

"That's okay. The production team finds it troublesome to set up. We have plenty of snacks, too."

"Then it's a pity, but it can't be helped. It's good to hear that the shooting is going well." 

What could go wrong with a child actor on set, anyway? 

Any dangerous scenes for child actors are legally restricted. 

Ian recalled a message he received from Miles. 

'There are two action scenes this week, okay? And the next won't be until two months later.' 

He hadn't been idle in the meantime. 

He meticulously reviewed the script and the set to check for any situations that could lead to a major accident. 

'There was nothing.' 

As expected of a set primarily involving child actors, safety was prioritized. 

Risky scenes would rather make use of CG. 

The more he confirmed safety, the more confident he became. 

If there were an accident, it would be during a parkour scene. 

"Ian?" 

"Ah, sorry. I just remembered something. What were you saying?" 

"I said Rachel wanted to do YouTube together." 

"Right." 

Ayla had been very excited, so he remembered clearly. 

Now that he thought about it, it had already been about 2 months since that conversation. 

"She says she's too shy to show her face or voice on the internet." 

"Does that mean it's canceled?" 

Indeed, exposing one's face and voice on the internet, available for anyone to see, requires more courage than one might think.

"It's disappointing, but it can't be helped…"

"…No. I mean, I will do it."

At Rachel's firm response, Ayla smiled broadly.

"I will compose and write the song you'll sing myself."

"For me?"

"So, it might take longer than expected. Is that okay with you?"

Was there a chance of refusal? Rachel felt anxious and worried.

Ian, seeking to reassure her, gently patted her on the head.

"I can wait as long as it takes."

It would be a song from Rachel's childhood that had ushered in Ayla's second golden age. 

It seemed like it would become a good memory, even if it wasn't great.

***

As the number of shooting days increased, so did the episodes of the drama.

The central character of the drama was Benjamin, a boy dreaming of escaping Las Vegas surrounded by zombies.

He finds a way out with the help of Noah, who lives alone on the ground and causes friction with other groups of survivors.

He was at the heart of the events, and this time was no different.

Crack!

"Sa, save me…"

The dull blade pierced through the throat of a middle-aged man. 

The man, who looked indifferently at the body slumping to the ground, walked towards the children standing by.

He stopped in front of the oldest boy among the children.

"It's about time to attract the zombies' attention, huh? Have you reached that age already?"

"…Yes, boss."

The man called boss hugged the trembling boy tightly.

"You've worked hard so far. It's fortunate that a spot has just opened up."

"Yes, boss."

After releasing the boy, the boss said to the children, "I never abandon you kids who work hard. Even if it means killing some bug that's only good for making a mess with its meals."

The man carelessly pulled the knife out of the corpse, shook off the blood, and turned around.

The men, terrified by the realization that they could be killed at any moment, were visible.

"I'll give you a chance to earn your keep for once. Lately, I've heard there are kids running around everywhere."

The boss, pointing his knife at the men, continued, "Bring those kids to me."

With his cold declaration, the terrified men started to move.

This scene marked the beginning of a new event, with an adult appearing on the ground for the first time instead of a child.

"Cut!"

At the signal, the staff busily moved to prepare for the next scene.

"Is the safety net securely installed between the buildings?"

"Yes! We've even confirmed it's firmly in place."

"Just to be sure, check it again."

Next was an action scene involving running between buildings.

Since the law specifies that child actors cannot even be asked to walk on a tightrope, this would be the first dangerous action scene to be filmed on set.

As Ian waved lightly to Miles, who was warming up and looking pleased, he surveyed the set.

'It seems like there won't be any problems.'

The safety net, strung between buildings four stories high, was so sturdy that the staff had tested it by jumping on it themselves.

And the parkour team, including Miles, was made up of experienced professionals who had done a lot of stunt action.

"Isn't it today?"

"It would take the building collapsing to cause a problem. Naturally, even if they're temporary structures for the set, they wouldn't be built to collapse."

Seeing the staff and actors heading up to the roof of the building for shooting, Ian turned around. 

He had already been on set for nearly 5 hours. 

Due to regulations, he couldn't stay any longer even if he wanted to. 

As Ian was about to leave the set, an anxious voice called out to him urgently.

"Ian!"

"What's going on?" 

The nervousness was apparent on their faces. 

As the children hesitated, Ian spoke firmly. 

"It's okay, just tell me quickly."

"Well… it's not a big problem, but we had some time before shooting, so we were playing hide and seek. But now we can't find one of us." 

Ian's heart pounded. 

Sure, it's not strange for kids to play hide and seek in a large set. 

It shouldn't be a big deal, but a chill ran through his body. 

"Where were you playing?" 

"Over there." 

The children pointed to one of the five buildings lined up. 

It was the building where the action shooting was supposed to take place. 

Ian ran, following his instincts. 

– A zombie's scream signaling the start of shooting pierced his ears.

TL/n -

You can read 

Chaebol (up to Chapter 45+)

I'm an Actor (up to Chapter 40+)

Perfect Hero (up to Chapter 35)

I was hoping you could support me on my Patreon at p@treon.com/inkbound 

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