Angelo del paradiso (낙원의 천사).
It only felt like a figure from a legend.
A cool breeze. The fluttering hem looked as beautiful as the feathers of an angel.
It seemed as if only he was moving within a picturesque landscape. Perhaps because of the brilliance of the blue lake, an aura seemed to be radiating from his back.
The word “mystical” couldn’t even describe it. My heart was pounding furiously.
‘This is truly.’
Luca felt as if he were dreaming. The ethereal scene blurred the line between reality and a dream.
A single beam of light shone from the ceiling of the cave, directed solely at him. What awakened his frozen body was the voice of the capo (boss).
Everyone, hurry up!
Giovanni Sponza’s shout echoed through the cave ceiling like a reverberation. The photographers, who had been lost in the illusion, began to move simultaneously. They all knew it. The angel of paradise was providing endless inspiration.
Luca glanced at Sponza while hurriedly setting up the heavy gobo plate.
‘He’s smiling…!’
Sponza, who always had a blank expression or a frown, now had twitching cheeks and nostrils that kept inhaling and exhaling.
A stranger might not have noticed the change in his expression, but those who had been with him for a long time knew that Sponza was extremely excited right now.
‘……!’
Mr. Sponza’s heart seemed to be pounding at the sight of the angel before him. This place, known as the Bat’s Grave, was unfamiliar even to many locals.
A child who was supposed to become a fisherman often escaped to this place, as if kicking away the shackles of his future. Believing that a blue mermaid would appear and guide him.
Sponza instinctively felt from the figure of the angel stepping on the snowy field that he was his dream and the blue mermaid he had longed and wished for as a child. The creation that would allow him to fulfill his mission as a photographer, not a fisherman, and his savior.
There was no need to recheck the shooting plan.
Sponza captured his figure as if he were possessed. He couldn’t lose focus even for a moment. Not even the cool breeze flowing through the cave lake could wipe away his sweat.
‘More, more―!’
The assistant photographers moved in perfect sync with Sponza’s steps.
The angel of paradise, dressed in a pure white suit, remained unshaken despite the commotion. He walked naturally as if he had known this place for a long time.
His wet hair reflected on the blue lake, and the stalactites, arranged like a pipe organ, seemed to sing a hymn of joy towards him.
The grandeur left everyone speechless.
“It really felt like a dream.”
Monica nodded briefly at Alfredo’s murmuring. The Blue Grotto (Blue Grotto) was fading from their view.
As a designer, she had experienced many shoots, but none like today.
‘They said it was the model’s first time.’
Mr. Sponza’s reputation in the industry was tremendous. However, working with him meant that even the designers had to swallow their nerves, not just the models.
There’s a common saying that artistry and personality are inversely proportional. The more genius a person is, the more eccentric they become, which is a shared belief in the industry.
Especially, Sponza’s eccentric temperament was notorious enough to make people shake their heads just from the rumors.
‘I heard he cancels the shoot if the model takes the wrong position or doesn’t follow his decided plan.’
Today’s shoot was different from the rumors. Sponza didn’t give any instructions to Mr. Jang. He didn’t even follow the shooting plan.
He was just busy capturing Mr. Jang’s natural movements.
But even within the naturalness, the mystery couldn’t be hidden. Throughout the shoot, not only the designers but even the assistant photographers couldn’t take their eyes off Mr. Jang.
Because of this, the shooting time was quite delayed. It took twice as long as initially planned. At that moment,
“Vice President, I’m sorry for the trouble with hiring the locals. Was it difficult when you were coming out after the shoot?”
Alfredo’s voice woke Monica from her thoughts.
“At first, they were making a fuss about the delayed shooting time and demanding compensation. But they seemed speechless when so many men came out from inside the cave. When Mr. Sponza’s team showed up, they just shut their mouths.”
“I’m sorry. I should have looked into it more carefully before hiring them.”
“It’s okay. These kinds of things happen often when we go for local shoots. Actually, I’m more surprised that Mr. Jang reacted that way. As Alfredo knows, models usually don’t step forward in such situations?”
- Shall we each carry one?
It was a simple phrase, but its impact was enormous. Alfredo nodded.
In fact, models contracted with a brand like Desiderio usually have an extremely high nose. Even if there’s discord at the shoot, models rarely step forward themselves.
They might get annoyed, but Mr. Jang directly intervened in the trouble with the locals.
From that, Alfredo was sure. Jordana’s thoughts were completely wrong.
“He’s really a mysterious man.”
Monica’s gaze turned towards the deck. A man was sitting at the bow. The man who had become the angel of paradise at the Blue Grotto.
Looking at his back, Monica instinctively felt.
That her judgment was correct. And that he would become even more famous than she had expected.
The waves, ripening with the red sunset, swayed as if agreeing with her thoughts.
Breakfast in Italy is simple. They usually have soft-boiled eggs, croissants, thinly sliced ham with a bit of cheese, and coffee with milk.
It had already been half a month since they stayed in the small coastal town in southern Italy.
The originally planned one-week shooting period had doubled. This was due to Mr. Sponza’s request.
- Mr. Jang, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to buy an extra week of your time with my own money. I know it’s rude to calculate your time with money, but the days I’ve spent with you seem to be a new focal point in my life.
Perhaps because he’s Italian, or maybe because he’s an artist, he made the request to extend the shooting period as sweetly as sending a love letter.
At that moment, Lee Bongchun, who had eaten three fried eggs, smacked his lips regretfully.
“Hyung, what did Eliana say?”
It was an incident from before. The legendary ‘No Problem’ incident.
“Well, I’m not sure. She seemed to be asking if I had time on the weekend, but I pretended not to understand. I’m really not good at this kind of thing.”
As expected, since she’s an Italian woman, she’s straightforward. But Lee Bongchun seemed to have no talent for romance, just like he said.
He was already drinking kimchi soup. Starting from whether it would be difficult to have a long-distance relationship if they started dating, to what he would do about his manager job if they got married.
“If anyone heard, they’d think you’re already dating. Anyway, your parents would be happy. Remember when we went down to Jagalchi last time? Your mom was worried that you might die old without getting married. You might end up bringing home a blonde daughter-in-law.”
Lee Bongchun’s bear-like face turned red in an instant. At that moment, Monica approached the dining table with a smile.
“Mr. Jang, Mr. Lee. What are you talking about that’s so interesting?”
Monica took a sip of her coffee and added.
“Oh, Mr. Sponza left for Rome this morning.”
“Rome?”
“He originally wanted to at least say goodbye to Mr. Jang before leaving, but he said he couldn’t resist the temptation. If he saw Mr. Jang’s face one more time, he’d extend the shooting schedule even further.”
Ha.
He’s an artist even when he’s leaving. But I didn’t feel disappointed. It was more of a feeling of regret. Despite his notorious eccentric temperament, he had been very kind to me.
“And he has an exhibition scheduled in Rome. He had to prepare in advance, but extending the shooting period made it even more urgent.”
“He’s holding an exhibition? He didn’t mention that.”
“He’s not the kind to boast about such things. He said you’re welcome to visit anytime if you’re interested in viewing the exhibition. Also, he’s going to exhibit some B-cuts from the shoot here.”
B-cuts refer to photos not suitable for the main model shoot. But to exhibit them at an exhibition? As if reading my mind, Monica smiled and said.
“That means he liked them that much. Considering Mr. Sponza’s perfectionist obsession, exhibiting B-cuts is unthinkable. If those photos are revealed, the impact will be huge, even if they are B-cuts. I’m sure of it.”
Songwon Entertainment.
- President, you need to come out quickly!
CEO Kim Seonghwan hurried to work following the urgent call from Manager Song. His old car finally started moving after a sputtering ignition. The crowded roads of Seoul seemed particularly congested today.
‘Youngguk is doing well, right?’
It had already been almost a month since Youngguk left for Italy. Although they occasionally contacted each other via international calls, he couldn’t help but worry.
In fact, he had regretted several times after sending him abroad. He wondered if he had sent too few people.
Since Desiderio had promised to cover all expenses, he couldn’t send many people. Moreover, since there were few staff at Songwon Entertainment who could speak English fluently, they didn’t have enough manpower to send overseas.
However, as the days passed, he regretted sending only a manager.
‘I hope he’s not being mistreated.’
Not only Songwon Entertainment but no Korean entertainment agency had ever signed an exclusive contract with a high-end luxury brand abroad. Thus, they felt a bit intimidated, even though they were technically in a superior position.
Even though they were in a superior position, they felt like they were in an inferior one due to the vast difference in company influence, like ants and dinosaurs.
‘Youngguk will do well.’
CEO Kim Seonghwan consoled himself with that thought. Although he wanted to fly to Italy immediately, he had tasks to handle.
Perhaps his feelings were conveyed over the phone, as Youngguk had reassured him, telling him not to worry.
‘I’m such a pathetic guy.’
As a company president, he should be providing proper support, but instead, he was receiving mental comfort from his actor.
At that moment, CEO Kim Seonghwan’s old car arrived at the office building.
“What’s going on…?”
As soon as he entered Songwon Entertainment, he rubbed his eyes with his sleeve at the sight before him.
It was clearly morning rush hour. But all the employees were busy holding every phone in the office. Even that wasn’t enough. The phones rang urgently the moment they were put down.
At that moment, Manager Song approached him and said,
“President! Right now, it’s a big deal not only in Italy but also in France and England!”
“Manager Song, what are you talking about?”
“They say some B-cuts from Youngguk’s photoshoot in Italy have been released, and because of that, foreign companies and agencies have been constantly contacting us. The guards said the phone has been ringing non-stop throughout the building since early morning. What kind of photos could be causing such a flood of calls…!”
At that moment, another phone rang urgently. Manager Song hurriedly ran to pick it up.
Listening to the urgent voice on the other end, Manager Song broke into a cold sweat and asked them to speak more slowly in English.
‘What on earth.’
CEO Kim Seonghwan’s mind was filled with thoughts of Youngguk.
‘What on earth is happening in Italy?’
