Chapter 166:
Chapter 166
Z-Day. (1)
A few days later, the character posters for ‘Z-Day’ were released. In the photo, Ian was wearing something like a dog muzzle and staring at the camera. His dark atmosphere and expressive eyes caused a huge reaction as soon as they were revealed.
-OMG Z-Day poster is out go go go
└Wow
└WTF muzzle
└He knows how to drive the fans crazy
└I wish it would come out soon
└Fck fck I love it so much TT_TT
-The director is famous but the writer is weak
The casting is weaker than I expected and the supporting actors are not that great lol. The setting is wasted.
└You don’t know
└True, if it was on public TV, it wouldn’t have been aired
└There are so many haters here
Ian’s name was trending on the real-time search, and the fans enjoyed the festive mood.
“What is this, is this your lunch?”
“Yeah.”
Unlike the fans, Ian was frowning and chewing on some carrots. Kim Joo-young looked at Ian’s diet on the table and turned his head as if he saw something he shouldn’t have.
“Why do you only eat this?”
“I need to lose weight.”
“Oh, because of the drama?”
Ian nodded and bit a cucumber. Park Jin-hyuk patted Ian’s shoulder and said.
“Well, you have too good of a body for a zombie.”
“You lose muscle when you lose weight, right? I worked out a lot, it’s a shame.”
Lee Joo-hyuk’s final blow made Ian look sad. The members around Ian laughed and teased him.
“How did you make this body?”
“Hyung, you can make it again later with exercise. It will take a long time, though.”
“We’ll eat a lot of delicious things for you.”
How generous of you. Ian narrowed his eyes, and the members laughed and dispersed to their rooms.
Ian had received a compliment mixed with criticism from the writer Lee Joo-hee that his body was too good after the drama reading.
‘I guess it’s a good thing that I’m not doing album activities.’
He had to lose some weight for the character he was playing, even if he didn’t become skinny.
Ian was sighing at the table when the members came out with their coats and prepared to go out.
“Where are you going?”
“Tae-woong is nearby, so we’re going to eat with him.”
“Lucky you.”
Ian put down the cucumber in his hand. He had no appetite for the tasteless food.
‘I went to too many restaurants with Kim Joo-young.’
He might lose weight quickly at this rate. Ian looked at the backs of the members heading to the entrance.
“But you’re eating outside?”
“Yeah, we’re going to a place that’s not too crowded, but I guess he’s gotten a lot better.”
“That’s good.”
Jo Tae-woong was reluctant to go to places where people gathered, but now he was able to eat out with them.
“We’ll be back.”
“Bye.”
Ian put the food back in the fridge and opened the script.
***
While waiting for the filming of ‘Z-Day’, Ian made his body and went to the action school regularly. He also didn’t forget to reach out to his fans while practicing his acting.
He posted a selfie every day, and sometimes uploaded a cover song video when he had time.
“Is Ian here?”
“Hello.”
The filming of ‘Z-Day’ finally started. Ian headed to the makeup room as soon as he arrived at the set.
“Your skin tone is so bright that you don’t need much makeup.”
They made his face pale and gray, and he wore the prepared costume and muzzle.
“Are you not in pain?”
“It’s okay.”
He said that, but it was uncomfortable. Ian scratched the leather strap around his head and went to the set.
“Hyung, hello.”
“Hi. You’re done with the makeup?”
“Yes, how is it?”
“It’s very… dog-like.”
He was wearing something like a dog muzzle, so it looked like that.
The scene that was going to be filmed today was the first meeting between the role played by Kim Min-jae, Na Woo-shin, and the role played by Ian, K.
Ian watched the set being prepared next to Kim Min-jae, who had finished getting ready.
“Have you done a lot of filming in places like this?”
“This is my first time too.”
“Do you think you can do well here?”
The setting was a post-apocalyptic world, so they had to use a lot of CG work to create a desolate and ruined atmosphere. Behind the pre-made set, there was a green screen stretched out.
“We have to try.”
The green screen was one of the factors that hindered immersion. Maybe that’s why Kim Min-jae looked unsure as he looked around.
[Wow, look at the effort they put into the set…]
‘It must be hard to get into the mood.’
Ian had talked to Jo Min-hwan, who had experienced acting on a green screen before filming, on the phone.
Jo Min-hwan had encouraged him, saying that he would have no problem, but when he faced the set, he almost laughed bitterly.
“Do you want to see the script?”
Director Park Pyo-hyun had spared no expense to help the actors’ performance.
“It looks like a game.”
Ian skimmed through the script that the staff handed him. It was more like a concept art than a script. Ian and Kim Min-jae looked at the picture and the set alternately, trying to raise their immersion.
“Are you ready?”
“Director.”
The director approached them.
“Oh, you look great.”
The director whistled at Ian’s appearance, who had finished his makeup.
“Min-jae, you don’t look like an office worker at all.”
“Director, where do you find office workers like this?”
“Well, you’re too handsome.”
It was always a good feeling for an actor to hear that they suited their role. Kim Min-jae smiled shyly at the conversation between the director and Ian.
“How’s the script? I haven’t done much filming like this either.”
“It’s very helpful. Are we going to use up all our budget like this?”
“We’ll use it all and get some more.”
“Only you can do that, director.”
The director smiled proudly at Ian’s answer. He had deliberately praised him because he hadn’t shown much reaction at the dinner before.
“Director! We’re ready!”
The assistant director shouted at the director.
[We’re about to start filming, can you do it? Can you show me the hologram?]
‘No, I’m good.’
Jin had the ability to project holographic images, but Ian decided not to take any help. He thought that if he got used to getting help, he wouldn’t improve his skills.
He looked at the concept art one last time. He tried to memorize the background as much as possible and handed the picture to the staff.
“Okay, let’s start filming.”
The director smiled nervously at the actors who looked tense. He wanted to see their performance through the camera as soon as possible.
***
The night before, Na Woo-shin had a dream of being bitten by a zombie and felt sick since he came to work. He scratched his shoulder, where he felt a realistic sensation in his nightmare, and focused on his work.
“Another zombie crime…”
“It’s the end of the world, what is the army doing?”
“I don’t know why they’re making a vaccine, just get rid of them all…”
The employees murmured as they watched the news on the office TV. The news showed a scene of zombies setting fire and destroying the surroundings with the caption ‘The increasing zombie crimes, is this okay?’
(The mastermind behind this incident is the zombie criminal, K…)
Along with the anchor’s voice, the screen showed a large wanted poster.
(Class 1 criminal, K)
The boss approached Na Woo-shin, who had his head down on his desk, and tapped his shoulder. Na Woo-shin flinched at his touch and twisted his upper body.
“Huh… Boss.”
“Woo-shin, if you’re not feeling well, take a half day off and go home.”
“…Thank you. I’ll go ahead.”
The boss, who couldn’t stand Na Woo-shin’s condition, let him leave early. Na Woo-shin hurriedly packed his things and went outside, thinking of buying some medicine on his way home.
As he went outside, the screen showed a dark-toned background and people living their own lives. The sky was filled with dust, and collapsed buildings were everywhere.
The surviving humans lived in the relatively intact buildings and worked. They had survived the situation that almost reached the end of the world, and became part of the stabilized society.
“Mom! That man has a weird mask!”
“Don’t go near him… It’s dangerous.”
On the street, Na Woo-shin saw zombies wearing masks. The zombies, who had become the lower class of society, did the jobs that humans disliked.
“Why are zombies wandering around at this time?”
Humans frowned at the zombies. Cleaning up the street garbage was the better part. It took a lot of time and labor to restore the system that had stopped once.
“Mommy! Look at that!”
A child pointed at a billboard on the street. It was an advertisement for a new movie.
(The most anticipated movie of the year, ‘The Last Survivor’)
The screen showed a scene of Ian and Kim Min-jae fighting against zombies in a ruined city.
(Starring Ian and Kim Min-jae, coming soon)
The zombies filled the streets. They worked at the sewage treatment plant that ran manually, handling the waste and sludge. They also did the dangerous factory jobs that didn’t matter if they got injured.
“Why are there so many zombies in this neighborhood?”
“They must have gotten the vaccine. Don’t worry too much.”
“Let’s make some money and move to a better area.”
The zombies maintained their sanity with the vaccine that humans gave them. But the vaccine was not permanent. They had to get injections regularly, but the vaccine was expensive. So the zombies labored and bought the vaccine with the money they earned.
If they didn’t get the vaccine, they would be killed on sight as soon as they were discovered. It was an inevitable choice.
“Ah, what the hell…”
The pharmacy on the street was closed. The glass window was broken, probably due to the zombie riot. The items inside were scattered on the floor, showing signs of looting.
“Damn it…”
Naushin frowned. This was the only pharmacy in this neighborhood, except for the one in the dark alley.
Naushin had no choice but to head to the alley. Unlike the street, the alley was dark and deserted. Naushin shivered.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have come here.’
Naushin swallowed his saliva and looked around cautiously.
‘I should just skip the medicine and sleep at home.’
Naushin turned around to go back the way he came. Then, a man with a mask smiled with his eyes.
“Hello.”
Naushin screamed in horror as the man silently approached him from behind. He almost fell backwards, but the man, Kim Junhee, caught him. Naushin felt goosebumps on his arm that was grabbed by him.
“Let go of me!”
Naushin swung his arm to shake off his grip. His arm lost control and flailed in the air, but Kim Junhee didn’t care.
“You’re Naushin, right?”
“Who… why…”
Naushin wondered why this zombie followed him, and how he knew his name.
Naushin stepped back as he saw the mask on Kim Junhee’s mouth. Kim Junhee chuckled at his reaction.
“Don’t worry too much. I have this.”
Kim Junhee tapped his mask and came closer to Naushin. As he got closer, Naushin backed away more.
“What… what do you want from me?”
Naushin was cornered by the wall and looked for a way out.
“Strange…”
Kim Junhee looked at Naushin, who was still fine after being bitten by a zombie, and tilted his head.
“You should have changed by now…”
“What… what are you talking about?”
“Can I be rude for a moment?”
“What do you mean…”
His smile was friendly, but his action was aggressive. Kim Junhee grabbed Naushin’s neck with one hand and pushed him against the wall. Naushin choked and struggled.
“What? You really got bitten?”
He grabbed Naushin’s shirt collar with his other hand and ripped it open. The buttons fell to the ground with a clatter.
“Wha… what are you…”
Even as Naushin tried to escape, Kim Junhee looked at Naushin’s shoulder, where the bite mark was clear, and sparkled his eyes with interest.
“Le… let go of me…!”
“Don’t be so scared.”
Naushin writhed, but Kim Junhee didn’t budge. He clenched his fist.
“Just faint for a while.”
And he punched Naushin’s face.
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