After Kim Yu-han’s makeup was finished, Sua went straight to the Sound Team.
“What exactly does the Sound Team do?”
Sound Team? What’s that even about!
Sua didn’t even know such an existence, and since becoming an actor, she had never paid much attention to them. But things are different now. She’s cultivating the ‘Musician’ trait after all.
“Maybe. Perhaps this will be a chance to check my progress.”
A little while later, after visiting the Sound Team:
Sua quietly observed the situation first.
“For the background music here… isn’t it too cliché? Suddenly, it feels like an old-school horror movie. We’d be better off cutting it.”
“You shouldn’t touch Cindy like that.”
“I don’t get it. Initially, we’re about sound effects, so we shouldn’t have such ambitions, right? The presence of the music is too strong.”
The atmosphere was tense.
Most of the Sound Team looked frustrated, their brows furrowed, and the tone of the conversation was anything but pleasant. Even to Sua, it felt like the situation was stifling.
But soon, Sua stopped paying attention to anything else.
─♩♪♬
The background music that was playing.
That alone grated on her ears.
“I don’t want to listen to this. Why does it feel so grating?”
Without realizing it, Sua furrowed her brows.
“Should I say something?”
Suddenly, the urge to speak arose, but she quickly shook her head. Just as actors have their own tasks, the Sound Team has theirs. It wouldn’t be right to interfere.
But how much time had passed?
‘…’
Sua’s patience finally ran out.
“Could this be what obsession feels like? Ugh, I can’t take it.”
She had to admit it.
Her ears would no longer tolerate any noise.
.
.
.
.
.
And now.
“….”
Sua stood confidently, chin raised high.
“Eh, eh? What?”
“Kim Yu-han…? Miss Sua…?”
“Huh?”
The entire Sound Team stared, wide-eyed.
It was understandable. For them, it was surprising that an outsider would give advice, let alone someone as prominent as Sua. Nothing about this situation was expected.
Sua performed her signature proud pose.
Chin held high, arms crossed.
‘…?’
But she soon stopped the pose. For some reason, everyone had started staring at her chest, which startled her.
─♩♪♬
Nevertheless, the background music samples continued to play.
Another idea struck Sua and she spoke up.
“Hmm, the runtime seems longer than expected. It won’t be enough to cover the scene with just this sample. Let’s add one more.”
The Sound Team employee, clearly taken aback, slipped his headphones from his ear and hung them around his neck before asking.
“Does that mean we should create another background music piece?”
“It’s not necessarily about creating one.”
Sua shook her head.
“A piece of classical music should suffice. Judging by the mood, perhaps Bach’s Cello Suites would be appropriate. No. 1 Prelude. Lightly.”
“…Classical music?”
“Yes. If copyright fees are a concern, we could find similar classical pieces without royalties and work them into MIDI. The point is to evoke this kind of feeling.”
“No, what I mean is… classical music for this scene?”
Sua finally understood. It wasn’t that he hadn’t grasped her words, but rather that he hadn’t considered classical music fitting for this scene at all.
“It’s reasonable. From the murderer’s perspective, this is the moment they feel the most at ease. To them, the victim is merely an instrument. It has to be tranquil.”
“Huh? Should the background music reflect the killer’s point of view?”
At that moment, the Sound Team members looked surprised for the first time.
Until then, they had been focused on creating tense background music. It was natural, as they had aimed to depict the victim’s fear and desperation.
However, Sua was talking about the perpetrator’s perspective.
The complete opposite.
“Building the victim’s emotions into the background music is cliché. Anybody can easily understand that feeling. It’s all about fear and anxiety.”
“Ah, that’s definitely true….”
“But the perpetrator isn’t in their right mind. It’s something the average person can’t relate to. Expressing that would be good.”
”
Sua’s suggestion ended there.
Afterward, the staff didn’t hold back with their overwhelming feelings.
“Miss Sua, have you ever studied anything related to sound editing? It seems you’re even more skilled than us.”
“It’s not about studying; haven’t you ever actually worked on these kinds of projects? It seems like you know how to use this program… When did you learn?”
“That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of software.”
“It’s impossible. Just impossible….”
Sua quietly crossed her arms and nodded.
“Applaud me. Worship me.”
Mmm. Sua’s confidence was palpable.
She suddenly recalled the story of the Arctic Fox from The Little Prince. The Arctic Fox, with its beautiful appearance and countless abilities, had eventually lived happily ever after with the Prince.
…Of course, Sua had never actually read The Little Prince. She only knew about the snake eating the elephant. And from what she recalled, wasn’t there something about a fox afterward? She wasn’t quite sure, though!
“What do I care? Anyway, this is great. My ability.”
She couldn’t help but feel proud, realizing her ‘Musician’ trait was functioning exceptionally well.
However.
Not only were the Sound Team members stunned, but Director Ko Tae-min, who looked thin and frail, was quietly stroking his chin.
“…Not only is her acting good, but she also has such expertise in music?”
This was not a reaction exclusive to Director Ko. Nearby, the production team from “Crescendo,” as well as some wandering actors nearby, were in a similar state.
They too had much to whisper about.
“This music editing program, isn’t it in English? There’s no Korean version, right?”
“So, that means she speaks foreign languages well?”
Of course, this was a huge misunderstanding. Sua didn’t speak English. She had merely encountered a role in music scripts that used the program…
But Sua couldn’t clarify. They were murmuring in a manner only they could hear.
“Indeed, she must be from overseas, right?”
“Indeed? Did you already know?”
“No, but it’s obvious just by looking, no?”
“…I see. The goal of overseas expansion must be why she learned so many things! Now she’s just briefly shooting the 808 here in Korea! That makes perfect sense!”
Sua remained focused, narrowing her eyes as she concentrated on the background music. Why? Listening to Bach’s Cello Suites always calmed her.
At the center of this whirlwind, surrounded by increasing misunderstandings, was Sua.
Kim I-seo, who had trailed after Sua, was no exception.
“What’s happening here?”
Being extremely busy, Sua had left Kim I-seo with no choice but to follow her around. She was particularly worried about bumping into Director Ko Tae-min.
And now, Kim I-seo was also very surprised.
“An overseas veteran? So, Miss Sua is from overseas? That makes sense. Initially, that’s why she had requested foreign scripts in their originals. What a great advantage for Mystic!”
Kim I-seo started doing mental calculations.
“Enormous. Simply enormous advantage.”
Soon, she was overwhelmed by excitement.
Regardless, the conclusions drawn by everyone were more or less the same.
“Sua needs more respect.”
“I need to impress Miss Sua.”
“Amazing. I need her endorsement at least.”
Sua had to be treated well. Absolutely.
◈◈◈◈◈
Time flowed like water.
Finally, 15 minutes before the climax scene was set to be filmed.
“…Wow, there are so many people.”
Someone on set muttered, and it was true.
Unlike regular filming, there was an unusually large crowd of people. They all looked like ordinary citizens, but they weren’t actually spectators.
All of them were supporting actors.
They had been gathered through part-time job postings and were now dressed as “citizens,” prepared to participate in the climax scene.
Since most of them were part-timers, they appeared impressed by the filming atmosphere in general, but someone caught their attention.
It was Sua.
“Wow, she commands an aura unlike anyone else.”
“Is it a man or a woman? Oh, judging by the body, it’s a woman.”
“I vaguely heard while I was getting dressed that this person not only excels in acting but also has a great talent for music.”
“Really? That talented, yet I’ve never seen them before? I don’t recognize her at all.”
“They say she came from overseas. If you think about it, there aren’t many people with that kind of face in Korea. Wow, once this airs, she’ll have tons of fans. Everyone’s already staring!”
Meanwhile, Sua:
Thump-thump-thump.
Her heart was racing faster merely because there were too many people.
She had just started getting accustomed to the people on set, so why were so many strangers suddenly appearing? Just why?
“…”
Sua’s solemn expression made Seo Yeon-joo, who had been waiting for an opportunity to talk to her, disappointed.
“I wanted to ask if she’s really from overseas, but the moment doesn’t seem right for that kind of question. I’ll have to suppress my curiosity…”
Of course, this was not Seo Yeon-joo’s disappointment alone. Other actors from the special task force “808” felt the same way.
Then,
Suddenly, Hwang Myung-pil ran his fingers through his hair and asked.
“Um, Miss Sua. Are you from overseas? I just thought your features seem quite exotic.”
“Predecessor Myung-pil! What are you asking!”
Everyone was shocked as they awaited Sua’s response.
Hwang Myung-pil might have been tactless to bring up the question, but their curiosity was one and the same. However, Sua didn’t offer any specific answer.
It was…
‘What is this sudden question about?’
She couldn’t answer because she didn’t understand the question in the first place.
At that moment,
Park Do-hee quickly pulled Hwang Myung-pil aside.
“Predecessor Myung-pil, what are you doing? With the climax scene ahead and her busy… come here quickly…”
“But, I’ve been hearing all of you talking secretly about her being from overseas. I might as well just ask straightforwardly, right? I’m curious too!”
“No, we don’t! Never talked, Miss Sua!”
Sua ignored the noisy quarrel. Standing still would make half of it go away. Just stay still.
“Let’s focus on the script.”
After briefly silencing everyone with those words, Sua opened her script.
“…Huh?”
And she was greatly startled.
