r18novel Chapter 20 From Cashier to Boss
Chapter 20 From Cashier to Boss
When Yoon Shi-yoon said "act," Su Yu was staring at the toad on the ceiling.
He almost rolled off the bed.
That happened three days ago.
Su Yu arrived at the coffee shop half an hour early and ordered two iced Americanos—one for himself and one as a prop, to make him look like he was making a serious date. He chose a window seat and stared at the black van.
The car sat motionless across the street for fifteen minutes, like a black hemorrhoid.
Then Yoon Shi-yoon came down.
Wearing a black hoodie, his hair obscuring his eyes, he walked as if stepping on his own shadow. Su Yu waved to him, the gesture a bit exaggerated, like a drowning person seeing driftwood.
Yoon Shi-yoon sat down and glanced at his iced Americano, which had melted completely.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"Just arrived." Su Yu said without batting an eye.
Yoon Shi-yoon ordered a hot Americano. Su Yu's heart skipped a beat—this person has his own lifestyle habits.
"Have you read the script?" Su Yu asked.
Yoon Shi-yoon pulled out the script, flipped to episode eight, and folded a corner. Su Yu's heart jumped along with that corner—in episode eight, Kim Do-ki hit someone for the first time, and after hitting him, he said "Get lost," the only swear word in the entire series.
"Did you write this?"
"I outlined the story, the screenwriter wrote the script."
Who wrote the script?
"I."
Yoon Shi-yoon looked up at him.
"...I didn't know how before, I just wrote whatever came to mind."
Who wrote the photo of Kim Do-ki?
Su Yu thought for a moment. "I didn't photograph anyone. You know, some people just stand there without saying a word, and you feel like they're thinking something. You're that kind of person."
Yoon Shi-yoon remained silent.
"And you're cheaper," Su Yu added.
"..."
"Just kidding."
"Not funny."
The atmosphere was a bit tense. Su Yu decided to get straight to the point:
Are you good at action scenes?
"Never fought one."
"study."
"I've never filmed action scenes."
"practice."
"Are you going to run a company or a martial arts school?"
"Open them all."
Yoon Shi-yoon stared at him, his lips twitching slightly—not a smile, but a prelude to one.
"Back in the convenience store days, you weren't this arrogant."
Su Yu's heart skipped a beat, but she remained outwardly calm: "I didn't know what I was doing before. Now I do."
He said that phrase twice today. Saying it too often sounds like a slang term.
Yoon Shi-yoon looked down and flipped through the script again, turning to the last page of episode eight, then folded the corner and put it in his bag.
"I'll go back and check."
Su Yu's stomach clenched.
"Give me an answer after you've finished reading."
"Um."
Su Yu stood up, wanting to say something, like "Actually, I'm really looking forward to it" or "You're really suitable," but saying it would sound too much like a sycophant. He chose to keep quiet, pushed the door open, and went out.
The wind chimes rang once.
A voice came from behind: "Su Yu."
He turned around.
You've changed a lot.
Su Yu thought for a moment, "It's changed." Then he pushed open the door and went out.
The wind chimes rang again as the door closed.
Now, Yoon Shi-yoon says "acting".
Su Yu stared at his phone screen for thirty seconds, confirming that it was sent by Yin Shiyun, and that it was the word "act" and not "get lost".
He typed "Joining the crew next week" and sent it out.
The other party has read the message.
No reply.
Su Yu put down her phone and turned over. The toad on the ceiling was still there, water still dripping, drip. Drip. Drip.
He closed his eyes.
Under the pillow was Shirley's black rubber band, worn out and loosely tied around her finger. He didn't know why he kept it—maybe he forgot, maybe he was too lazy to return it, maybe it was like this drop of water, this broken printer, this semi-basement.
These are things you can't get rid of.
But now, it seems there's something else going on.
For example, someone who says "act".
For example, a character he wrote himself is finally about to come to life.
Su Yu fell asleep.
The next day, Su Yu stuffed Yin Shiyun's contract into the drawer, inserted the key and turned it twice, but it wouldn't lock. He pulled it out and inserted it again, turning it a couple of times, but it still didn't work. He simply left it unlocked, leaving the drawer ajar.
"You can't lock your drawer?" Cai Xiubin walked up from behind, holding a script in her hand.
"Can't lock."
"Then why put the contract inside? Put it somewhere else."
"It can't be locked anywhere else either."
She couldn't help but laugh. "Everything in your company is bad."
"The printer is working."
"The printer jammed three times."
"It got better later."
Cai Xiubin pulled out a chair and sat down, spreading the script out on the table and turning to the page of the third episode. She had been reading it for three days, over and over again.
"When are you going to find an internet cafe?" she asked.
"Found it."
"Where?"
"Over at Dongdaemun. The boss doesn't want any money, just put it in the end credits."
Cai Xiubin looked up at him. "That easy?"
"He said his son wants to be an actor. I'll just put up a 'Looking for Actors' sign in his shop."
"You just agreed like that?"
"Yeah. Anyway, the company is short-staffed, so if his son wants to act, let him give it a try."
Cai Xiubin closed the script and looked at him. "Then why don't you go talk to the director?"
"I've looked for it."
"Who?"
"Director Park. He makes an independent film called 'Winter Break,' have you seen it?"
Cai Xiubin thought for a moment. "I haven't seen it. How much is the fee?"
"Three hundred thousand."
"Cheap."
"Yes. He said the script was good and he was willing to take the role."
"Don't you mind that he lacks experience?"
"I have no experience either. He might not come even if I find someone more experienced."
Cai Xiubin leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. "What about the action scenes? Yoon Shi-yoon has never filmed them before."
"practice."
"Where do you practice?"
Su Yu pointed out the window. "Downstairs."
"Downstairs? In the alley?"
"Yeah. There are steps over there you can run on, and that wall over there is low, you can practice climbing over it."
Cai Xiubin was taken aback. "Are you serious?"
"Seriously."
"Couldn't you find a decent place?"
"It'll be fine once I get paid."
Cai Xiubin shook his head and opened the script again. "Okay. So where are your props? Where's the keyboard?"
Su Yu pulled the secondhand keyboard from under the table and slammed it down. It had blue switches, a crisp sound, and after pressing a few keys, it made a clicking sound.
"Where did this keyboard come from?"
"Secondhand market. 15,000."
The spacebar is a bit stiff.
"Use it for now, and replace it later."
"I won't change it, I'll use this one." She closed the script, took the keyboard, placed it on her lap, and tested the feel. The spacebar was indeed stiff; she pressed it a couple of times and said she'd get used to it.
"Where are Kim Doqi's clothes?" she asked.
"Dongdaemun, 50,000. Black jacket."
"Did Yoon Shi-yoon try it?"
"I tried it on. The sleeves are a bit long, but the shoulders fit perfectly."
"Make do?"
"It'll have to do. We don't have enough money, but we'll take the picture anyway."
Cai Xiubin didn't reply, but handed the keyboard back to him. Su Yu took it and placed it on the table, pressing the keyboard down on top of the script.
"Are you going on the day the machine starts up?" she asked.
"I'm not going."
Why?
"Going there won't make a difference."
"You're the boss, the boss has to be there."
"The boss was present and the employees were nervous."
Cai Xiubin glared at him. "Aren't you afraid of causing trouble?"
"What trouble could possibly occur?"
"The props are forgotten, the script is lost, and Yoon Shi-yoon overslept."
"Yoon Shi-yoon doesn't oversleep. He doesn't sleep."
Cai Xiubin smiled but didn't say anything. She squatted down to tie her shoelaces. She tied a bow, then took it off and tied a new one.
"You take tying your shoelaces really seriously," Su Yu said.
"I've always been careful when tying my shoelaces." She stood up and turned to look at him. "Su Yu."
"Um."
"If my message passes, send me a message."
"OK."
She opened the door, her ponytail swaying, and walked out. Su Yu stood on the empty first floor, sunlight streaming in through the window, dust motes dancing in the beams of light. The edge of the linoleum flooring was curled up; the tape hadn't held it in place. He crouched down and pressed it down, but it bounced back. He ignored it.