The film production club had a simple schedule. First, they only gathered in their clubroom on Saturdays, when they held their club activities. They would enjoy the passionate music from the applied music club from the opposite side of the corridor and take out their food. On half-day Saturdays, when they only had classes in the morning, they would usually buy some snacks from the cafeteria, while on full days when they got to spend the entire day at the club, they would usually bring food from home. Some brought kimbap, while some brought side dishes, etc. The ten-or-so club members would take out some food and talk about dramas or entertainment shows they watched the night before, while the one that brought a movie would get ready to play the movie. After that, they would all watch the movie together.
After they finished watching a movie while eating the food they brought, they would exchange opinions about it for a while before resting and then watching another one. They usually finished all the food they brought during the first movie, so they would usually collect some money from everyone and buy some food from the supermarket in front of the school. Going to that supermarket as a group and getting food to eat was one of the joys of being a film production club member. Since they had a limited budget, they had to list the good things about the snack they wanted to buy if they wanted something, which was really fun. This rather cozy film production club was a group of students who shared that fun.
Until last year, that is.
“There’s a limit to what we can do when it comes to lighting. Renting equipment costs too much money. That’s why the time we shoot is important. We need to use natural lighting as much as possible. Also, I prefer warm colors like that of incandescent light bulbs over fluorescent tubes. So while we shoot at school I’m going to make some lighting out of incandescent bulbs.”
Kang Sora put a dot with the marker on top of the word ‘light’ which she wrote on the whiteboard. Koo Ando, the club president of the film production club, avoided her gaze and laughed awkwardly. Just where did she get that whiteboard? There was nothing like that in the clubroom before. Oh, wait, there was that white thing above the DVD display case, so maybe it was that?
“Seonbae-nim.”
“Yeah?”
“We should discuss our plans.”
“Uh, yeah. We should. Plans.”
Ando signalled the 2nd year students, but they avoided his gaze. Thinking that he couldn’t do anything about it, he started speaking,
“Uhm, Sora.”
“Yes?”
“You know, we, uh.”
“While we are called the film production club… we never produced any film before. I told you about it, right? About how our club operates.”
“I know. You meet up, and eat some food while watching a movie before disbanding.”
“Right, right. That’s what we did as the film production club. Of course, while it might not sound right, it is our tradition and….”
“Seonbae-nim.”
Sora placed her hands on the table. Ando became quiet. Sora was a girl with a small build, but she was scarier than an average teacher when she glared. It had been three weeks since he got to know her, but Ando couldn’t get used to her. But it was better than when they first met. When Sora intruded in their club with the application form on the first day, Ando treated her as politely as possible.
“We are the film production club, right?”
“R, right.”
“Then which of these is the right tradition? Making a movie? Or watching some movies and eating food before going home.”
“I guess the right tradition should be making a movie, but-”
“Yes! That’s it! If we are supposed to be the film production club, we should produce something. Doesn’t everyone else think that too?”
She turned her gaze to the other 2nd year students. Everyone was nodding their heads passionately. Ando sighed slightly. The comfort of the club was now at risk, but he couldn’t do anything to stop her. He reminisced about the graduated former third year students. The bibimbap he ate with them… that was so nice.
“Uhm, Sora, why don’t we talk while we eat something or….”
“No. We should limit the things we can eat inside the clubroom to light snacks and drinks. You aren’t coming to the club to fool around.”
But I am though - Ando bȧrėly held himself back from retorting. These words wouldn’t work against a girl that was like a bulldozer.
“A graduate of our school came to us and said that he’ll help. Not only that, he works in the movie industry. If we miss this opportunity, we’ll definitely regret it.”
I think only you’ll regret it though - of course, he had to swallow these words as well. Ando sneakily reached out to the snacks placed on the center of the table. It wasn’t that he was hungry or something, he just wanted to do something in order to avoid Sora’s attention. When his hand arrived at the snacks, the snack tray moved away from him. Sora placed the tray on the floor like it was nothing.
Ando fidgeted before placing his fingers on his thɨġhs.
Sora, who then wiped off the words on the whiteboard, took out her phone. It would really become bothersome at this rate - Ando signalled the other 2nd year students when Sora wasn’t paying attention to him. The 2nd year students all nodded. If they thought about it, Sora was a new student who just entered the school. If they showed her what being a senior is like, she should probably forget about the things she said just now.
Receiving the encouraging gazes from his juniors, Ando coughed once. Just then, Sora put her phone inside her pocket and looked at him.
“You know, Sora….”
“Seonbae-NIM!”
“Uh, yeah.”
Ando flinched since Sora’s voice was at least an octave higher than before. Sora, who had the dominant position in the conversation, continued to speak,
“I got a text from Han Maru-seonbae. He wants to see us.”
Han Maru. That was the guy in electrical. He heard that this person appeared in ‘New Semester’, but Ando did not have that much of an interest. If it was a girl, he might have made a visit to have a look, but there was no reason to make some time to go see a boy. It was much better to read a book or get some sleep if he had the time for that. However, ever since Sora came to the club, he was forced to go and see Maru several times. Sora slapped his back saying that they should know his face and his personality at least.
“I don’t think he’s that good at acting, but he should be much better than a complete newbie. I think it worked when I used flattering words and said that I want to work with him.”
Sora widened her eyes as though she had thought of something before telling everyone to gather round. Ando thought that this wasn’t right but still followed her words.
“But I don’t really….”
Ando had to shut up after saying just that. Sora was glaring at him.
“Let’s act nicely, shall we? Let’s flatter someone who will become the main actor of our movie. I don’t really like it either, but rather than a completely clueless person, it will be much better to have an actor who shows up in dramas to act for us, don’t you think?”
“That’s true.”
“Anyway, once he comes, applaud for him and say that you’re a fan. The graduate should have told Han Maru-seonbae that we are waiting for him, so it would be weird if we acted salty, you know what I mean, right?”
Just as he was about to nod subconsciously, Ando felt a 2nd year junior poking his waist. Are you going to keep being dragged around by her like this? - That junior’s eyes were saying such.
That can’t happen. Ando coughed dryly to get her attention again. The opponent was just a first year student anyway, and a girl to boot. If he frowned and told her to stop, she should obediently reply ‘yes’ and stop what she was doing. Once that happened, they would be able to gather every Saturday here and enjoy nice foods and movies just like he did for the past two years. Although they were called the film production club, who cared?
“Hey, Kang Sora.”
He had to be strong here. It was finally time to get payback for his three weeks of agony. I am a man. Koo Ando. Someone who forged ahead strongly when I mean it.
Sora grabbed the two ends of the table and leaned forward. Ando subconsciously made some distance.
“Do you know what the film production club does?”
“Making films, of course.”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what does it do?”
“We, the film production club, was a club to watch movies for generations of seniors. We talk about various things while eating the food we wholeheartedly created, and exchange friendship, and also….”
“That’s the movie watching club. As far as I know, there are two movie watching clubs at our school.”
“Th-that’s true, but-”
“Then in the first place, why are you still here in the film production club?”
“Don’t tell me you’re here because you just find fun in meeting up and chatting while watching a movie, right?”
She was right on the mark, but he didn’t want to admit it. When she put it so blatantly, it sounded like the club had neither hopes nor dreams, no?
Ando looked back at his previous 2 years. He remembered the time he spent with his seniors, as well as his juniors next to him in order to retort to Sora’s words. After watching the panorama of memories, Ando came to a conclusion.
‘...I can’t retort.’
A club that could meet up and fool around without many restrictions before disbanding again. That was the biggest merit of the film production club. What was really good was that even the teacher in charge didn’t care.
“Seonbae, we are the film production club.”
Sora’s face was right in front of his nose. Ando clenched his eyes shut and nodded. The exclamations of the 2nd year juniors could be heard from next to him.
After seeing Sora, who turned around with a pleased smile on her face, Ando realized what kind of position he was in.
‘We are just sheep.’
The film production club, who only knew how to munch on grass under the warm rays of the sun, realized that they couldn’t win against the wolf. Ando turned his head around to look at his 2nd year juniors. They were all cute juniors that looked docile. He was impressed by their skills since all the food they brought was great, but now it would be hard to have a taste of those ever again.
Ando looked at his juniors with pity. The juniors were also looking at him with pity as well. Even though it was him who failed to secure their resting place, these people understood him and didn’t hate him.
This warmth, this affection. Wasn’t this the essence of the film production club?
Bam! - that sound startled not just Ando, but also his 2nd year juniors. Sora had slapped down on the whiteboard.
“Seonbae-nims! Let’s create our best movie!”
Aah, he hated this.
Ando missed the graduates from last year.
* * *
“Is this the place?”
Maru knocked on the door as he saw the sign that said ‘film production club’ above the door. He had made an appointment to see them after classes on Monday. He got a ‘the door’s open’, from the inside. It was a girl.
When he opened the door, he saw a boy sitting on the other side of the table. Next to him was a girl who had a devious smile on her face. Maru knew this girl.
“You know me, right?”
“I do. So you must be Kang Sora, right?”
“Yes. This is the club president of our film production club, Koo Ando. He’s a third year just like you.”
Koo Ando, Maru looked at Ando while muttering silently. He somehow looked like a hostage.
“Hi.”
“Yeah, hi.”
His voice didn’t contain any power, and his eyes looked sad as well. What the heck is this? Maru turned around to look at Sora.
“I thought you’d join the acting club, but you’re in an unexpected place.”
She was the girl who asked him if he knew Ahn Sungjae when he made rounds in the first year classes for promotion. After that, she even came to the acting club and asked him about his acting skills. He thought that she’d enter the acting club after seeing her take the application form, but she couldn’t be seen anywhere after that. He thought it was strange, so she was in a place like this.
“Uhm, you are Bada’s brother, right?”
“You know my sister?”
“Yes, I do. We were in the same class in middle school.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Bada once brought Sungjae-oppa’s autograph to class. That’s why I asked you that. Bada kept saying that Sungjae-oppa and you know each other.”
Maru shrugged before pulling a chair towards him.
“May I sit down?”
“Of course.”
From the way things were going, it seemed that Bada got into a conflict with this girl while boasting about the autograph in class. So girls really got into fights for trivial stuff.
“So then, why did you want to meet me?”
He asked Ando. He thought that he’d get an answer soon, but Ando didn’t say anything and just looked at Sora.
“Because we want to shoot a movie with you.”
The reply came from Sora. Maru looked at Ando and Sora alternately. Ando scratched his head before saying that he had to go to the bathroom.
“What a strange atmosphere.”
“That’s because he’s nervous. He’s a fan of yours.”
“A fan?”
“Yes, a fan.”
She lied without batting an eyelid. Since it was blatantly obvious that it was a lie, Maru was rather flustered.
“Anyway, you are participating in our movie, right?”
“That was my intention, but-”
“Wow, then let’s do it.”
“But before that, I want to hear what it’s about.”
“Ah, what it’s about, huh. That’s important.”
Sora had a confident smile on her face.