“Oh my, your skin is so soft, girl! Were you bored waiting? Just a little longer, almost done! Now let’s apply the lipstick just a tiny bit! Wanna try it like me? Euh?”
“Euh…”
“That’s right! You’re doing great, great, great!”
A man with heavy makeup holds a lipstick in his hand.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
The history of makeup goes all the way back to Neanderthals.
Humans have always loved adornment, and they didn’t hesitate to apply things like ground seashells, flower petals, and even a type of lead called white lead.
So, I gave myself a little comfort by thinking that I was just momentarily surrendering to an irresistible historical flow of humanity.
Three makeup artists rushed at me all at once.
While the youngest was diligently curling my hair from behind, the others were tapping white powder on both sides.
I was used to waiting; even in my past life, the makeup sessions took three to five hours once they started.
Let alone that I had a hologram connected to the internet right in front of me, leaving no time to feel bored.
“So, Na-me, do you have any ads besides the ice cream one?”
“I shot a short film for a public service ad last week, along with Nike shoes, the Modern Group complex shopping mall, Samsung Electronics capsule, and Giga Study.”
“Wow! In just a week? That’s a lot!”
“You’re totally an idol! I have to see your ads later!”
“Is there a reason you suddenly started shooting so many ads?”
“Hey, why are you asking about that?”
The seniors gave the youngest a knowing glance.
Since I couldn’t nod because of the makeup, I just closed and opened my eyes once to indicate my agreement.
“I need a lot of money to purchase mana.”
“Aha, so you needed money. It’s true that going to the academy costs a lot.”
“Na-me, you’re impressive. You’re working hard to earn money on your own. Alright, all done! Great job! Have a good shoot!”
I jumped down from the high chair where my feet didn’t touch the ground and landed softly on both feet.
Lost in thought, I held my hands behind my back as I moved to the next location.
The day before yesterday, I had finished calculations by running a program for the accurate assessment of mana.
Magic above the 6th circle cannot be used without government permission, so I planned to use the Persona Pheisa and Dragonia Nascentia by parallel connecting them at the 5th circle using a dimensional lowering method.
It’s merely a facade of 5th circle, not true 5th circle magic, because mana is a graduated resource.
In total, I needed 2.091 billion won: 675 million for the Akashic Records, 86.1 billion for the Persona Pheisa, and 1.223 billion for the Dragonia Nascentia.
Moreover, just because you pay enough money doesn’t mean you can use mana freely.
Mana is a finite resource.
So when the Gunsan Magic Power Plant is completed next year, targeting the timing before industrial interconnection was the best option now.
For that, all the gears had to turn perfectly.
The success of the Bio-Akashic new drug, a favorable merger proposal.
The issue with Adella’s position was complicated enough that I could think about that later.
Ha-ah, nothing is easy.
Ki-ieeek-
The set was so vast compared to where the public service ad was shot that it took my breath away.
Slides, swings, seesaws.
And the ground was covered with tons of soft plastic balls.
It’s hard to believe all this playground was created just for a single shoot.
Ah, I guess there’s a behind-the-scenes clip, so it can’t just be once.
“Stand by!”
Following the PD’s advance notice, I went up to the center of the decorated set and waited for the ice cream truck.
Honk honk!
A storybook-like white vehicle, which you wouldn’t find on the street, stopped in front.
Soon, the side door swung wide open, and a charming Western actor with a mustache appeared, waving his hand.
“Merhaba!”
It means hello in Turkish.
I hadn’t learned Turkish specifically; it was one of the three words I happened to know.
“Merhaba, Hello, sağ ol, Thank you, and benim dondurma ile oynamayın, Don’t mess with my ice cream.”
An ice cream cone on the end of a metal stick flew towards me in an arc.
Now!
Thwack-
As I quickly swung my arm, the ice cream cone landed perfectly in my hand.
“Oh?”
“Oh Jesus…!”
According to the script, I was supposed to drop it here, but I caught it instinctively.
“Cut! Na-me! Your reflexes are impressive!”
“Ah… I’m sorry…”
“Wahaha!”
The crew burst into laughter.
“Hmm, we could just use this as it is, huh? The scene turned out fun.”
“Yes? But PD! What about the storyboard?”
“The storyboard can be reworked by our talented writers. Alright?”
“Yes, sure…”
And so, the shoot continued in an atmosphere where some could find no joy.
*
[Last modified: 2051-11-28 16:34:47]
[Public Advertising Council War Oppression Ad Controversy]
[This document contains detailed information and explanations about actual incidents and accidents.]
1. Overview
On November 24, 2051, the Public Advertising Council uploaded a war opposition and child protection public service ad in collaboration with Save the Children to their official YouTube channel.
This movie+commercial (moverse) garnered attention as NoName starred in it, but soon after, a controversy surrounding child abuse spread, primarily on social media.
The gist was that NoName was a real victim of Valpurgis, and the content was likely to trigger the actor’s PTSD, sparking arguments.
2. Opinions and Issues
(…)
Director Jang Pyeong-sik was waiting outside the Baskin Robbins filming site, scanning the latest articles.
He wanted to talk to Na-me when she finished her shoot.
“To think that performing too well becomes an issue is a first for me.”
Anyone can shed tears in acting, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Let alone that it’s even rarer for child actors to deliver tears.
Moreover, it wasn’t just ordinary tear-jerking acting.
“That acting… was truly the eyes of soldiers who’ve experienced war…”
Ten years ago, he had shot a movie about the Middle Eastern war, interviewing war mages and veterans.
PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
It’s often used casually among younger people as a phrase implying they might get PTSD.
But Director Jang knew well that it was not a light topic.
They couldn’t go through daily life without taking six tranquilizers three times a day, often fainting at the slightest similar sound.
However, Na-me was different.
As soon as the director said cut, she wiped her tears and didn’t she smile with an angelic expression?
During the shoot, everyone in the crew felt their hearts drop.
Fortunately, the Public Advertising Council didn’t pull the ad after monitoring public reaction like some corporations would.
‘Should I be thankful they’re a public enterprise at moments like this?’
If we looked at the ad solely, comments like “It opened a new horizon for Korean public service ads that used to have middle school UCC level quality” and “It could easily compete at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival” flowed in.
As a professional in the industry, it’s unacceptable to ignore a diamond in the rough like that.
Among actors, how many had come from being top students or graduates from prestigious universities in their childhood?
After a long wait, Na-me rushed out of the set, with a black plastic bag in her hand.
“Wait a second!”
The problem was that Na-me zipped right by Director Jang Pyeong-sik.
“Hold on!”
Reaching my hand out toward Na-me, who wouldn’t even look back.
An unexpected chase unfolded in reality.
The issue was that Director Jang was a chubby man in his late 40s who stayed away from cardio.
“Gasp… Hah…! I can’t run…! Huh?”
Na-me was a skinny girl who didn’t have any muscle on her body.
“Geez… I can’t run without my aura.”
Na-me put down the ice box in her hand and exhaled heavily.
The sprint at a speed of 10 km/h ended in less than 15 seconds.
“Why did you run away, Na-me!”
“You were following me around like a stalker! How do I not run away? Don’t get me wrong; I’m not running away because I’m scared; it’s because you’re dirty.”
“Running away because I’m dirty! You really say it!”
A dagger struck Director Jang Pyeong-sik’s heart.
“This is ice cream I received, so I can’t talk for long. I have to put it in the freezer quickly.”
Na-me pointed to the black plastic bag.
“Then I’ll be direct. Would you be my partner, no, would you act in my movie?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I really have no desire to act unless you’re offering me a billion won.”
A billion won.
That’s a sum you could only dream of in Korea unless you’re a top-earning Hollywood actor.
It’s even more absurd to give that amount to a supporting actor rather than a lead.
“Why not?”
“If you’re curious, it’s a billion won.”
Na-me’s indifferent reply made it clear that there was no way to change a child’s stubbornness.
Knowing this well, Director Jang Pyeong-sik sat on the concrete floor.
“Sure, there are plenty of things you can do besides acting, so I can’t force you.”
“Then can I go now?”
“Hold on. There’s something I really wanted to say, so can you spare just a little time?”
“Only 5 minutes.”
“Got it.”
It was the third day since Director Jang Pyeong-sik had followed Na-me.
Still not shedding her doubt, Na-me stood with her arms crossed.
“This ad has been in the spotlight in several ways. It’s all thanks to your incredible acting.”
“Really? I haven’t seen it yet.”
“You won’t find someone your age delivering that level of acting anywhere in the world, I’m sure! Anyway, that’s not the point. I wanted you to clarify something. This ad, based on my feeling, could potentially be a contender at the Cannes International Advertising Festival.”
“So?”
“What kind of clarification?”
“It’s an unprecedented level of ad quality rarely seen in Korea. If it’s showcased internationally with such negative public opinion in Korea, there will be a problem, don’t you think?”
“I don’t think it would particularly be a problem for me.”
Director Jang was speechless.
Even he thought it wouldn’t be much of an issue.
“That… right! You’ve been shooting a lot of ads lately! It’s not like you’re a celebrity, and if an ordinary person earns so much money from ads, people’s views won’t be as good as before. But with this opportunity, if you widely promote your acting talent, you could earn celebrity treatment and more ad offers, don’t you think?”
“I’ve been aware of public opinion for a long time already.”
Na-me fiddled with her phone a few times before showing Director Jang the screen.
An article posted an hour earlier.
[Exclusive) NoName donates her entire 50 million won public service ad fee to Save the Children.]
“Isn’t this enough?”
She smartly pointed out that she was worth at least 50 million won while also receiving tremendous social applause.
‘Wait, how did the Public Advertising Council get that much money…?!’
Even if NoName was famous, it was strange to burn 50 million won on a public service ad.
In the first place, it was created with the sponsor of Save the Children titled “Seoul is at War now.”
The money just flowed back to them through a cycle.
The Public Advertising Council was happy not to spend extra money, while Na-me was glad to have the title of donating.
Na-me put her phone back into her pocket and subtly spoke to Director Jang.
“I want to do what I can do best. Right now, I might be young and seem mentally mature compared to others, so you might think I have talent, but I wonder if I can still act well when I grow up.”
“Of course you can—”
Director Jang hesitated.
For a brief moment, child actors who shine brightly but disappear silently crossed his mind.
“Above all, I’m not fond of portraying someone else’s life… I can go now, right? I’ll take care of the clarification you mentioned at the right time, so don’t worry.”
Na-me gripped the black bag once more with both hands and departed.
“Oh, by the way, that wasn’t acting.”
“What?”
“I just really hate war.”
Her cryptic words froze Director Jang Pyeong-sik’s body for a moment.
