“Ah…!”
Yeonsu felt her body tilting. She tried to straighten up somehow, but it was already too late. She plummeted down the steep cliff in an instant and soon the water surface surged greatly with foam.
Splash―!
Fish scattered in all directions in a panic. Yeonsu tried to breathe but couldn’t. Water entered her nose and mouth, and all she could see was the shimmering sunlight flowing gently over the blue waves.
She desperately wanted to rise back to the surface. But her body grew heavier.
Her consciousness did too. As if someone was grabbing her feet and pulling her, her eyelids grew heavy. Every moment from her childhood to her adulthood flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern.
- Mom, do I have to act?
During her child actor days, it was her own prescription to escape the grueling schedule and the pressure of being an actor.
Her mother, of course, didn’t force her to live the life of an actor. Instead, she was a mother who gave her everything she wanted.
Acting was no exception.
- Can you tell me why you suddenly want to quit acting, which you seemed to love so much?
Her mother was curious why her daughter, who had longed to be a child actor, suddenly wanted to quit.
Is it not fun?
……
Is it too hard?
……
Then what?
The truth was she had no friends. While working as a child actor, she naturally drifted away from school life and had fewer opportunities to make friends her age. It was also hard to get close to the child actors she met on set. They all saw her only as a competitor and didn’t let her get close.
Moreover, her acting skills didn’t improve, so she had a burning desire to do well, but her desire and talent were inversely proportional, making it difficult.
As this situation continued, acting began to feel like a noose tightening around her, and on the day she spoke honestly to her mother, she saw her mother cry secretly for the first time.
- The script might as well have a hole in it.
Around that time, she met him for the first time. A child actor her age she met on set. He said he had never learned acting, yet he was much better than her. She thought he must have learned it somewhere, so she asked him how he acted so well.
- Look over there, you see that pine tree? Each pine tree looks different. They grow while facing wind and rain, and their branches spread out differently depending on the environment. Some grow straight, while others grow crooked to avoid other branches. But look, whether they grow straight or crooked, they always reach toward the sky. Acting is the same.
There was a certain inexplicable charm about him. To be precise, it was something like an attraction.
He was the one who reinvigorated her despairing acting career. Why was it that now, sinking into the sea, only his face came to mind?
At the edge of her dimming vision.
Ah…?
With a splashing sound, someone approached her. Like the prince of the mermaids in a script, he swam gracefully through the water.
The fish made way for him, and the corals glowed blue as if cheering him on.
Who could it be? Could she be seeing a hallucination even now?
She felt him embrace her as he approached. Only then did she realize that all of this was not an illusion. Though it was definitely cold seawater, she could feel it. His warm scent.
Oppa.
Youngguk jumped off the cliff without a moment’s hesitation. It would be more accurate to say he didn’t even have time to hesitate.
No matter how clear the seawater is, it’s hard to see ahead due to the foam created when a heavy human body falls into it.
“Where is she?”
Youngguk cut through the water and went deeper. He had jumped off the cliff but didn’t even have time to feel the impact.
His heart sank when he couldn’t see Yeonsu in the murky water. Soon, he found where the fish were gathered.
Youngguk quickly swam toward them. Among the fish was Yeonsu. As if protecting her, the fish swam around her as she endlessly sank into the sea.
“Thank you.”
Youngguk silently thanked the fish and headed straight for Yeonsu.
He held the unconscious Yeonsu in his arms. Originally, when rescuing an unconscious person underwater, the correct method is to approach from behind, but he couldn’t care about that now.
Luckily, Yeonsu quietly nestled in his arms as if she were embracing him.
Splash!
He surfaced and placed Yeonsu on the shore.
“Yeonsu!”
Even if the waves were gentle, the sea currents were much faster than those of a regular river. Moreover, she had fallen from a steep cliff.
She must have lost consciousness due to the impact, and the salty seawater would have rushed into her nose and mouth. Youngguk placed both hands on her chest.
“Yeonsu!”
He continued to shout her name and performed CPR. He also didn’t stop artificial respiration, pinching her nose and lifting her chin.
He was soaked from jumping off the cliff, but he didn’t care. How much time had passed?
“Please!”
It was then.
With a “cough” sound, Yeonsu’s upper body jerked as she spat out the seawater she had swallowed.
Hearing her voice, Youngguk could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Oppa…?”
Thud!
It was an incident that could have turned into a major accident. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but it was a dangerous situation where it wouldn’t have been surprising if someone got hurt. Kim Woohyung’s face turned red with anger, ready to explode.
“Hey, you bastard, didn’t you check the safety equipment properly!”
The FD who got hit on the head hung his head, unable to speak. The crane operator was also visibly trembling beside him.
It wasn’t an issue that could be resolved with a simple report. Although they weren’t seriously injured, the fact remained that they had fallen from a cliff.
“I should bow down to Youngguk.”
If Youngguk hadn’t gone to save Yeonsu when she fell from the cliff, the aftermath would have been terrifying. But…
“How did he even jump from here?”
Kim Woohyung looked down the steep cliff and was stunned. Even the bravest person would hesitate to jump from here. He himself couldn’t do it even if he were to die and come back to life. That’s when the assistant director hurriedly approached.
“Director, we got a call from the hospital. Fortunately, there’s no sign of a concussion, and both of them are physically fine.”
“Phew…”
The worry that had been weighing on his heart was lifted. The FD and the crane operator also sighed in relief. However…
“Choi Jinwoo, this incident might not just end with a report.”
“Yes, Director.”
“And the person who installed the safety equipment might face legal consequences. The actors weren’t seriously injured, but the fact that they fell due to negligence in managing the safety equipment remains.”
The one who bore the most responsibility was none other than Kim Woohyung himself. As the producer in charge, he was responsible for everything that happened on set. It was then.
“Producer.”
Kim Woohyung turned his head at the sudden voice. His eyes widened in surprise.
“Yeonsu?”
It was Yeonsu, who should have been resting in the hospital, appearing back on set.
The night in Namhang is beautiful. The constellations are scattered across the night sky, and the sound of waves hitting the breakwater is like a melody.
Under an old sign showing the passage of time, the sound of soju glasses clinking could be heard from a tavern.
“Yeonsu, I’m really sorry.”
Kim Woohyung repeatedly bowed his head to Yeonsu. Yeonsu glanced at Kim Woohyung and then surveyed the surroundings.
“Director, are you going to keep apologizing? I said I’m fine.”
A film set usually turns cold after an accident. Especially in a major accident like this, beyond moral responsibility, legal disputes can arise.
But thanks to Yeonsu stepping forward, the incident didn’t escalate too much.
“Come on, let’s all have a drink!”
Yeonsu lifted her soju glass to change the atmosphere.
“Yeonsu, you’ve grown up a lot?”
Youngguk entered the tavern. He felt proud of Yeonsu, who had shed her child actor image.
She came straight to the set after finishing her treatment at the hospital, worrying that the atmosphere might turn cold.
He appeared late, thinking his presence might make the atmosphere even tenser.
As time passed, the tavern’s atmosphere started to become lively again.
The staff were already excited. Especially among the costume and art teams, which were mostly composed of women, talks about Youngguk were endless.
No one expected Youngguk to jump off the cliff to save Yeonsu.
“Now that the mood is better, let me say a few words.”
Everyone’s attention focused on Youngguk’s voice.
“As you all know, this accident was caused by negligence and a lack of safety awareness. Although there were no major casualties, it was dangerous enough to have led to one.”
Everyone, including Kim Woohyung and the FD, bowed their heads.
“However, since the actor involved, Yeonsu, doesn’t want the incident to escalate, let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again. Once again, there will be no second chance.”
Everyone swallowed nervously at his emphasis on no second chance. They understood why Youngguk was saying this. If a similar accident happened again on set, everyone should be prepared.
Yeonsu tried to lighten the mood, but Youngguk thought it was important to instill a sense of urgency one more time.
But it wasn’t what Youngguk wanted to ask. His gaze slowly turned to the petite woman sitting in the corner of the tavern.
At that moment,
“And lastly, I’d like to ask PD Jang Wooyeon, who was filming the making-of footage.”
Jang Wooyeon, who was suddenly called out, widened her eyes. She didn’t expect her name to be mentioned in such a tense atmosphere. Youngguk continued, looking at PD Jang Wooyeon.
“Did you capture the entire accident?”
Jang Wooyeon had never put down her camera while filming the making-of footage. She was capturing everything from start to finish even during the accident.
“Yes, I captured everything…”
Youngguk’s lips curled into a smile at her answer.
