It was when Assistant Director Kwak Hoon first read the scenario Shin Yi-han had sent him.
Innocent Boy.
True to its title. This was a story about a single boy.
'A boy with an innocent face that seemed utterly clueless.'
'An utterly ordinary family and friends.'
'Police arresting that boy for murder.'
A tale that sows confusion between the boy's innocence and guilt, even with clear evidence.
A subtle, unsettling feeling creeps in from the boy's inscrutable demeanor.
Yet his innocence stirs pity and sympathy that you can't help but feel.
Viewed from a third-person perspective, one step removed from the incident, the boy's guilt becomes increasingly ambiguous.
And that final smile at the end...
Kwak Hoon couldn't relax for a single moment while reading the scenario.
By the time he reached the conclusion, his breath caught in his throat.
How had such a simple story woven in so many emotions?
He didn't want to miss a single sentence. He turned the pages reluctantly, his whole body trembling with thrill.
The immersive prose and unforgettable lines.
He could only gasp in admiration.
But then.
'What if I get to direct something like this...?'
That single thought jolted Kwak Hoon wide awake.
It was bound to be insanely fun.
More precisely, he was going mad with the desire to do it.
Every scene described in words began flowing through his mind. Kwak Hoon's heart raced.
And especially now, with the writer himself sitting right in front of him.
'The Seoul Independent Film Festival, no less? If anything, that's perfect.'
Its popularity had waned a bit lately, but the name still carried weight.
The thought that he could really showcase something there filled him with anticipation.
And so, fueled by that passion, it was only natural for Kwak Hoon to bombard Shin Yi-han with questions.
What were the details here? What kind of location had he envisioned? Was this the intended effect?
And so on. With the writer right there in front of him, how could he hold back?
Even better, the writer responded with the confidence of someone who'd already directed dozens of films, despite it being his first script.
Shin Yi-han was on cloud nine. The back-and-forth of questions and answers was pure joy.
"Assistant Director?"
The words alone painted vivid scenes of the movie in his mind.
"Assistant Director!"
But.
"Huh... Wh-what?"
Once you hit thirty, this was just inevitable.
"Your eyes are half-closed. You okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm totally fine."
At Shin Yi-han's words, Kwak Hoon snapped his eyes wide open.
But soon enough, they started drooping again.
"So, the reason the protagonist glances at his dad's reaction here is... what?"
"Assistant Director."
"Ack! I wasn't sleeping. Just thinking."
His head had drooped without him noticing. Kwak Hoon jerked upright and hurriedly wiped the drool from his mouth.
"You look way too drowsy for just thinking. Did you not sleep at all last night?"
"Well... things just kinda..."
Heh heh. At Shin Yi-han's question, Kwak Hoon let out an embarrassed chuckle.
After confirming who the writer was and that they could definitely make the movie together...
The tension had melted away. Sadly, fighting off sleep was no easy task now.
Yesterday's shoot, followed by drinks, and then pulling an all-nighter on top of that—not to mention running around looking for Shin Yi-han.
He was running on fumes.
"I'm still good, though. Let's keep going!"
Kwak Hoon stretched and slapped his cheeks.
"Uh... so, the reason the protagonist glances at his dad here?"
"Assistant Director. You've asked that five times already."
"..."
Ahem. Kwak Hoon cleared his throat awkwardly.
Shin Yi-han, meanwhile, burst out laughing. The way he was forcing his eyes open was pretty hilarious.
Shin Yi-han glanced at the time. About an hour had passed.
No helping it. Time to wrap up.
If they kept this up, he'd hear the same questions another ten times.
"How about we continue tomorrow?"
"Ah. I've got a shoot tomorrow... Today's my only day off."
Kwak Hoon pulled a long face at Shin Yi-han's suggestion.
Things were just getting good, and now they had to postpone.
The independent film they were shooting, Murder's Delusion, was nearing its final stages...
But for an assistant director, there was still a month of grueling wrap-up shoots and editing ahead until it hit theaters.
Naturally, work on Innocent Boy would have to wait.
"Which makes tomorrow even more impossible."
Hearing about the shoot tomorrow, Shin Yi-han began tidying the conference table.
"Hand me those notes before you go, and I'll compile answers in an email. We can talk about the rest whenever you're free."
Ugh. Kwak Hoon nodded reluctantly at Shin Yi-han's words.
He hated it, but there was no choice. His eyes were already half-shut. Regrettably, he really needed to crash.
"Shall we head out?"
"...Yeah. Next meeting, I'll come more prepared. Wait for me."
"Sure, sure."
Shin Yi-han left the conference room first, leaving Kwak Hoon to pack up.
He planned to turn off the lights, heater, and tidy the office as a final touch.
The Innocent Boy script was already complete, so there was no rush.
Kwak Hoon needed to finish his assistant director duties first.
In the meantime, all Shin Yi-han had to do was prepare for what came next.
But just as he was about to switch off the office lights.
Someone entered the Red Film office.
It was Song Won-sik, director of Murder's Delusion.
"Huh? What's this? How'd you get here, Yi-han?"
Spotting Shin Yi-han, Director Song Won-sik beamed and strode in.
"Oh, Director. Hello."
Shin Yi-han greeted him right away.
"Ran into the Assistant Director this evening by chance."
Since they hadn't even had a proper first meeting due to Kwak Hoon's busyness, Shin Yi-han held back on mentioning Innocent Boy.
"Oh yeah?"
Song Won-sik laughed heartily and clapped his shoulder.
"Perfect timing. I had some business with our actor anyway."
Business?
At the vague words, Shin Yi-han smiled politely for now. The director reeked of booze.
After filming the flashback scene hard yesterday and treating everyone to premium beef, he'd apparently had a few drinks tonight too.
"Hey! What're you doing? Get in here!"
At the same time, Director Song Won-sik shouted toward the door.
"Your rookie actor's here!"
"What? That guy's here? Where! Where?!"
Looks like he hadn't been drinking alone. A familiar face came rushing into the office at the director's yell.
"Whoa. It really is him."
Huh?
The man gawking at him was stunned. Shin Yi-han was equally taken aback by the sudden encounter.
He knew that face.
PD Kim Geun-tae?
'Never thought we'd meet like this.'
In his past life, he'd stuck solely to films, so they'd never worked together.
But as his sister's senior PD—and especially close to Director Song Won-sik—he'd run into him often at private gatherings.
Of course, he was too famous in the drama world not to know of him.
'Anything fun is a guaranteed hit.'
That was Kim Geun-tae's motto. He judged scripts purely on entertainment value.
Fairly, whether from rookies or veterans.
And the results were always top-tier.
Every writer dreamed of working with him.
"Hello. I'm rookie actor Shin Yi-han."
Shin Yi-han greeted first.
"In Director Song Won-sik's latest, Murder's Delusion, I play the high school protagonist—"
"I've seen it!"
"Pardon?"
This meeting was unpredictable.
He'd wondered why the guy looked shocked earlier.
Now he was interrupting, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"The flashback scene! I peeked at the rough cut this morning. Wow, just... insane."
It'd only been a day since filming, yet he'd already seen the flashback.
"Seriously, that one scene made me a fan! Where the hell have you been hiding a talent like this?!"
"Th-thank you."
Why was he talking so fast? So intense.
But okay, fine.
Uh...
That look in his eyes. That expression.
Isn't he way too enthusiastic?
He knew the guy had high energy, but this level of fervor was a first, even across two lifetimes. Hard to adjust.
"For real. Thrilled to meet you, Actor Shin Yi-han!"
Amid it all, PD Kim Geun-tae was pumping Shin Yi-han's hand vigorously.
"Oh, right! Late intro, but I'm PD Kim Geun-tae. I make dramas over at SBC in the next building."
He even handed over a business card and cut straight to the chase.
"If you're up for it, how about auditioning for our drama?"
Shin Yi-han's eyes widened slightly.
An audition offer, just like that?
At the same time, he recalled Director Song Won-sik's message from today.
- Yi-han u free? Shooting done so dont rest do drama instead lol.
No way.
Was this what the director had texted about?
Full of typos, sent in a drunken haze at tonight's drinks, apparently.
If he'd fired off that message in such a state, it was clear PD Kim Geun-tae really wanted him.
This was a golden opportunity rolling right in.
The audition might just be a formality.
His mind raced to that conclusion.
A surefire hit from the guaranteed paycheck PD Kim Geun-tae.
If the drama in production now was the one he remembered...
This chance might be the one.
"No, this isn't just an invite. It's a plea. Please, just come audition. Please!"
With an earnest beg, PD Kim Geun-tae hurriedly pulled a script folder from his bag and handed it to Shin Yi-han.
"Take a look."
It was a synopsis outlining the drama's plot.
"I guarantee it. You won't regret coming."
Kim Geun-tae spoke with sincere gravity.
Shin Yi-han silently eyed the title on the synopsis's first page.
- Brilliant Sky.
An all-too-familiar title.
'So it's this one.'
A small ripple stirred in Shin Yi-han's heart at the mere title.
That ripple grew steadily as he flipped through the synopsis.
'A scenario I personally loved.'
Lines from the script began surfacing in his mind, page by page.
'One I've read countless times.'
He hadn't watched the drama live. By airtime, his accident was fresh, and he was too busy wallowing in despair alone.
But the script? He'd definitely read it.
Back when his disfigured face kept him locked in his room.
When he knew it was pointless but obsessed over scripts anyway.
From Murder's Delusion, his one and only role.
'If you have to live in there...'
'Yi-han, let's live differently.'
To him, muttering the same lines madly every day.
'I'll get you any script you want.'
'Please, please...'
The script his sister had given him was this one.
- Brilliant Sky
A desperate mother's tale of vengeance. Brilliant Sky.
And now, it had circled back to him.
"By the way, the role I'd love you for is the son, Lee Ha-neul. The high schooler who kicks off the first episode."
The role he'd always wanted to play.
What a fateful connection.
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