小火星

Chapter 276: All Time (7)

Whether it was the original work ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ novel written by Author Akari or the scenario adapted by Director Kyotaro, there was no setting for Kiyoshi to use sign language.

‘This was really unexpected? Kiyoshi using sign language?’

It was an entirely unexpected scene for the cinematographer. It broke the norms. And it wasn’t just the cinematographer. All 200 people gathered on this vast set felt the same.

No one had imagined it.

That sign language would come from Kiyoshi. Moreover, the sign language Woojin was using was not Korean sign language. It was clearly Japanese sign language. However, few recognized this. They just realized that Kiyoshi was using sign language.

Director Kyotaro’s eyes widened as he looked at Kang Woojin standing in the set apartment, as Iyota Kiyoshi, and his expression gradually changed.

“Turning everyone’s norm upside down so casually-”

His shock slowly turned into delight. A smile spread across his lips.

‘Such an unconventional interpretation… is only possible for Woojin-ssi, who possesses such absurd things. It’s a weapon, a sharp one at that.’

Goosebumps appeared on Director Kyotaro’s arms and neck. And facing Woojin directly was Detective Mochio. No, Mana Kosaku.

“……”

He was also speechless. Before starting free acting, he had resolved to be calm and attack Kiyoshi, but his mind went blank the moment he witnessed the sign language.

Meanwhile.

-Swoosh.

Kang Woojin, with his flat face, exuded a naive aura and moved his hands again. It was a slightly cold-hearted yet innocent look.

[“As I expected, you are flustered. It’s natural that you don’t know sign language.”]

“……Ah-”

[“Yes, I knew you were coming, Detective. I was even waiting for you. But now I have to pretend I don’t know, because that’s how my homework will be completed.”]

Kiyoshi’s face was calm, but the lines he conveyed through sign language were nonchalant. The surface and the lines were opposites. However, he was still clearly Kiyoshi. To be precise, he was Iyota Kiyoshi acting as ‘The Stranger’.

What Kang Woojin pulled up with role synthesis now was.

[“This is fun. The current situation.”]

The ‘Mysterious Man Next Door’ from ‘Freezing Love’. He added the ability of Japanese sign language to it. The vessel for this was Kiyoshi. The frame of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ was broken, but it maintained the essence of Kiyoshi, combining everything to create an enormous synergy.

[“I’m confessing, in a sense, but nothing is happening. It was the same in the past; even when that child jumped, nothing happened.”]

The rigid thinking of the hundreds of staff, film company, and distributor executives started to loosen up.

They let out their own exclamations of amazement.

‘W-Wow- sign language??’

‘To think Kiyoshi could use sign language- unbelievable.’

‘I never expected to see such a twist. This is the most surprised I’ve been recently.’

‘……Who in this set could have predicted such a scene? No one, not a single person.’

It was as if Kang Woojin had hit them all on the back of their heads.

“Amazing. W-we were not in a position to judge, huh?”

“Quiet. Just watching is enough for this scene.”

Some of the staff gaped, some covered their mouths with one hand, and some didn’t even blink their widened eyes.

Among them, a staff near Director Kyotaro muttered softly.

“Sign language… what is he saying?”

Most of the staff had no way of knowing. However, in this scene, only one person.

Chairman Hideki Yoshimura knew clearly.

‘Haha, I can’t gauge this actor at all. The current Kiyoshi is different inside and out. He’s confessing, yet he’s deceiving not only the counterpart actor but all 200 people here.’

Of course, it was acting within acting, but it was thrillingly impressive.

At this point, Detective Mochio barely regained his senses.

“W-wait a moment, Iyota Kiyoshi-ssi.”

Woojin or Kiyoshi lowered his hands and slightly tilted his head. It was a quizzical look. Seeing this, Detective Mochio, no, Mana Kosaku was overwhelmed.

‘Attack? What exactly should I attack?’

Far from attacking, there was a void. Kosaku had calculated many things before the acting, but he had never imagined a conversational void. The silence Kiyoshi had shown just a moment ago was a hundred times better.

The camera captured the flustered face of Detective Mochio vividly.

It was real, and at the same time, acting disguised as reality.

The contrasting performances of the two actors added dynamism to the scene. The liveliness doubled. It was free acting, but it was no different from reality, so it was natural. A strange and stimulating cut was produced. They were conversing, but not understanding each other.

Meanwhile, Author Akari, who was sitting, unconsciously stood up.

Because her heart was pounding.

When Kiyoshi first showed sign language, she almost clapped her hands in applause. How flexible is this actor’s thinking?

‘Of course, it was possible because he could do sign language at a proficient level.’

Author Akari knew that Kang Woojin was good at sign language among various foreign languages. She had seen it several times in Korea and Japan. But she didn’t expect it to come out at this timing, and her astonishment was now growing in another direction.

‘The characters- how many are there now?’

Kiyoshi, who was doing sign language, was acting within the acting. Yet the characters were clear and blurred at the same time. He looked like Kiyoshi but also like someone else. It was that ambiguous. How can he cross such a delicate boundary of acting?

‘I don’t know… The level is different.’

Author Akari slowly turned her head to the left. She saw Director Kyotaro almost burying his face into the monitor.

‘It was the right decision to leave this scene to the actors.’

The current scene was almost at the end of the scenario. Author Akari imagined the audience watching Iyota Kiyoshi until now.

‘What would they feel when they see the scene I’m seeing now?’

Then Kang Woojin moved.

-Swoosh.

He raised his right hand and pointed to Detective Mochio’s jacket pocket. The camera shot the two from the side. Soon, Mochio, frowning, pulled out a notebook with a pen stuck in it from his pocket. He then showed it to Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi nodded.

The pen and notebook were handed to Kiyoshi.

Kiyoshi opened the end of the notebook and wrote something, then showed it to Detective Mochio.

-[I’m sorry, but we can communicate through writing. You can speak, and I can read your lips. Just speak a little slowly.]

Detective Mochio, looking at Woojin’s face for a moment, thought. The sign language he had just seen was not something amateurishly learned. The top actor Kosaku’s brain was already soaked in the role of Detective Mochio.

And he was confused.

Kiyoshi, had he been unable to speak from the beginning?

He hadn’t heard of such a situation from his schoolmate’s story. So is he just pretending? But the sign language he just performed was beyond expert level. What is this? What is his true identity?

Confusion.

Mochio’s resolve began to weaken.

“……Iyota Kiyoshi-ssi, do you remember Misaki Toka-ssi?”

-[I know, because she was a schoolmate.]

His motivation and suspicion started to diminish. Anyone who saw such a scene would feel the same. New information came out that could turn the tables, which meant Detective Mochio had to investigate again from the beginning.

Kiyoshi or Kang Woojin knew this very well. The reason Woojin brought out sign language here was because of that.

Detective Mochio had to feel even more unfamiliar with Kiyoshi.

‘You must have retraced my past to find me.’

Detective Mochio came alone to find Kiyoshi. The reason was simple. Kiyoshi’s past was opaque. Of course, if he looked into it, it could become clearer than it is now.

But that’s all.

Kiyoshi had resolved from the moment Toka threw herself. He would become ‘The Stranger’ in this world. So much so that no one would remember him. He had to be shrouded in mist or ambiguity.

That was why he chose the long-term strategy.

In other words, no matter how much they investigated, it would be vague. Insufficient. Moreover, human memory is arbitrary. It stores only what it wants and is whimsically adapted. On the other hand, the existence of Kiyoshi was not particularly impressive to anyone.

As a result, Kiyoshi executed his homework when he became the perfect ‘Stranger’, when the smoke was thick.

So, what is certain? The current appearance of Iyota Kiyoshi that Detective Mochio sees? Or the muddled memories of schoolmates from the distant past? Or the conjecture mixed with both?

‘No, there is nothing certain anywhere.’

Mochio is a detective who relies on ‘certainty’. Conversely, Kiyoshi is the mist. Kang Woojin increased the confusion for Detective Mochio and the audience.

Here, the sign language itself was not very important.

The point was ‘doubt’.

The character Kiyoshi should not be judged by any measure. Be it Detective Mochio or the audience. From beginning to end, he had to remain unfamiliar and confusing.

Also, he had to be bizarre.

Anyway, there are no witnesses to point him out in the numerous death cases. They all died. There is no evidence either. Instead, Kiyoshi provided the definitive evidence. Even so, Kiyoshi must remain a mystery.

The eerie stranger is Iyota Kiyoshi.

That was Woojin’s own judgment.

Moreover, after all, the only one who had lived the world of Iyota Kiyoshi and understood it in this world was Kang Woojin. He might be wrong. But isn’t it worth the try?

Eventually.

“……”

Detective Mochio, who opened his mouth, then closed it, scratched his head.

Then.

“I’m sorry.”

He received the notebook from Kiyoshi and bowed slightly.

“I will come back again.”

Whatever he proceeded with now would be disadvantageous to Detective Mochio. Perhaps he even wondered if any of this made sense. After all, he was originally somewhat of a good-for-nothing anyway.

Then Kang Woojin, who nodded slowly, raised his hands again. It was sign language. Was it a final farewell?

Woojin’s last short sign language.

“……Well then. See you next time.”

Detective Mochio remembered.

After that.

Director Kyotaro’s voice yelling ‘cut’ echoed throughout the set. Then Director Kyotaro ran to Kang Woojin to ask about the meaning of the sign language included in the scene.

Soon, Kang Woojin, who had removed Kiyoshi’s aura, said.

“The beginning was ‘I’m sorry, Detective, but I can’t hear you well, Detective.’”

He recited the meaning of the sign language in a low tone to Director Kyotaro. And he also explained all the reasons for choosing sign language.

In the end.

“Let’s go with this.”

Director Kyotaro chose Kang Woojin’s performance. Of course, from Author Akari to everyone else, no one objected to this decision. It contained the desire for the audience of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ to see the twist and shock as well.

The entire set was already quiet.

In the situation where everyone was looking at Kang Woojin, Director Kyotaro asked Woojin again.

“Ah- what did the last sign language mean?”

When Kang Woojin told him the meaning, Director Kyotaro hesitated for a moment. For about 10 seconds. He, who had stiffened, created a new scene that hadn’t existed in a brief moment.

“Alright, I will add one more scene before the conclusion using that sign language. Mana Kosaku-ssi, may I speak with you for a moment?”

He was talking about adding a few more cuts of Detective Mochio’s scenes before the conclusion of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. Naturally, these scenes were derived because of Kang Woojin’s sign language.

“Hi- action!”

After roughly organizing the scene, the filming continued. The cut with the sign language was repeated about four times, and then a few more re-action calls followed.

Because it was such an important scene.

By early afternoon, the set for filming had changed. Kang Woojin was also absent. The set now depicted the interior of a police station. Along with various extras, the main focus was on the supporting actors and Mana Kosaku.

It was a cut Director Kyotaro created on the spot. Fortunately, the police station set was already prepared, so there were no problems.

According to the setting, about two weeks had passed since Detective Mochio had met Kiyoshi. The whole of Japan was still abuzz with the series of death incidents. However, the police had already closed the cases. As a result, the police station where Detective Mochio was located was bustling with other cases.

There were so many cases in the world. Of course, Mochio was also assigned other cases.

Mochio, sitting in his seat, let out a long sigh.

“Ha- I’m tired, so tired.”

At that moment.

“Huh?”

As he stretched, Mochio noticed a junior detective questioning a witness at a nearby desk. Interestingly, one of the witnesses was using sign language, and there was an interpreter conveying its meaning.

Suddenly.

“Ah.”

Detective Mochio’s mind flashed back to Iyota Kiyoshi doing sign language. Specifically, he recalled Kiyoshi’s final sign language. Perhaps it was a farewell. He didn’t remember anything else, but that alone was somewhat clear.

-Swoosh.

He moved towards the sign language interpreter.

“Excuse me, but do you know what this sign language means?”

Detective Mochio clumsily moved his hands, trying to recall the sign language as best as he could. The sign language interpreter, looking slightly confused, scratched his chin while watching Mochio.

“It’s not exact, but roughly- ‘I will now lead a normal life?’ something like that.”

“……”

Detective Mochio furrowed his brow briefly.

The sign language Kiyoshi had used as a final farewell was exactly like this.

-[“I plan to lead a normal life now.”]

Unknowingly, Mochio let out a chuckle.

“Haha, I see.”

What he focused on in the meaning of the sign language was ‘now’. It was both an answer and a word that brought confusion. It was unclear whether it meant he would lead a normal life after parting ways with him or if he had only now returned to normal after a long time.

But for some reason.

-Rip!

Detective Mochio took out his notebook and tore out the page related to Kiyoshi. Then he crumpled it and threw it in the trash. It was the moment Detective Mochio definitively recognized Iyota Kiyoshi as a ‘stranger’. He then spoke to the junior detective.

“If you’re almost done, let’s go have lunch.”

Later that night.

The ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ team, who had been filming all day, moved to a nearby subway station. It was for an outdoor shoot. However, since it was late, there were no citizens in the subway, and arrangements had already been made with the subway company.

“We need to shoot quickly and get out of here!!”

“We’ll set up the extras first!”

“We’re short on lights! The director wants more lights!!”

The ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ filming equipment was quickly set up in the subway. The necessary male and female extras entered. There were quite a few of them. Even at a glance, there seemed to be more than 50 people.

Interestingly.

“Everyone, please put on your suit jackets!”

Everyone was wearing black or navy suits. Although it was nighttime in real time, the setting with technology aimed to depict a morning commute. There were many cameras set up. On the ceiling, at the back, in the front, and so on. At least seven were installed.

Then.

“Stand by!!”

At the assistant director’s shout, dozens of extras lined up in front of the stationary train. In the meantime.

“Kang Woojin is entering!!”

Kang Woojin, wearing glasses, dressed similarly in a suit with a shoulder bag, entered. He stood about midway in the crowd.

“……”

Already fully embodying Kiyoshi, his expressionless face was vivid. The dedicated camera attached to Kang Woojin was set up in front of him.

Soon.

“Here we go-”

Director Kyotaro’s voice echoed through the loudspeaker.

“Okay- action!”

The dozens of people who had stopped, including Kang Woojin rushed into the train as if they were used to it. That cut was repeated several times.

“Cut, cut, cut! OOOOK!”

After about five takes, this time dozens of extras and Kang Woojin waited inside the train. Director Kyotaro, in front of the monitor, shouted again.

“Action!!”

Simultaneously, a crowd of people poured out of the train. Of course, Kang Woojin was part of that wave. No one paid attention to each other or spoke. They were no different from robots in black suits.

Woojin or Kiyoshi’s expression was more lifeless than ever.

However, it wasn’t completely devoid of life. Though faint, there was a mysterious purpose and goal in his eyes. As he participated in the large-scale movement, at a moment.

-Swoosh.

As the extras collectively started climbing the stairs, he began to slow his steps. Then he stopped in the middle of the stairs. But the surrounding crowd in suits ignored him and continued up the stairs. Occasionally, they brushed past Woojin’s shoulders.

No one looked back at Kang Woojin.

The camera on a small crane slowly approached the back of Woojin’s head.

And then.

“……”

With an indifferent face, Kang Woojin turned his head back. He quietly stared at the camera reflecting him. The camera gradually moved closer to Woojin’s face. By now, a myriad of emotions were swirling in his face. The lifelessness of Iyota Kiyoshi remained as a foundation, but a certain liveliness had seeped in.

An emotional growth, a spark ignited at the core of a new life.

He looked at the camera. No, he was speaking to the audience or the ‘Strangers’ who would see him.

‘I am living an ordinary life.’

After about ten seconds of silence.

“……Cut.”

Director Kyotaro Tanoguchi stood up and softly murmured to Woojin, who was standing on the stairs.

“OK.”

It was the final sign-off for ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.’

*****

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