TL: KSD

    ‘Those things’ eat humans. In their merciless grasp, there is no sign of compassion. As if it were the natural order, as if they had every right to do so, ‘those things’ tear people apart.

    Teachers are no exception. Roaming in packs, ‘those things’ are fearless. They use their numbers as a weapon to rip their prey to shreds. They believe that guilt is diluted when shared among many.

    During each 10-minute break that comes around, while I hold my breath and try to avoid ‘their’ gaze. Then I hear the horrifying murmurs of ‘those things.’

    Grrrr... grrrk...

    “Fuck, Kim Ok-hee’s class is fucking tough.”

    “Someone tell Ok-hee to stop with the damn pop quizzes.”

    “Ah, don’t try to stop me! I’m going to the staff room to beat the shit out of her!”

    “What the hell, you crazy bastard, that’s hilarious...”

    Kim Ok-hee is a health teacher in her late 40s. And because of the sin of having an odd name and an unattractive face, she was treated like a criminal.

    But I don’t even know what she looks like. A strange name isn’t even worth discussing. I like Teacher Kim Ok-hee.

    The Kim Ok-hee I know is a passionate health teacher. Even though health class doesn’t significantly impact grades, she takes education seriously enough to give out pop quizzes every time.

    Though she’s treated like a troublesome teacher for not ending her class five minutes before break, what’s wrong with being devoted to education?

    The funniest thing is that while they despise and look down on her like this, Kim Ok-hee is the first person they come looking for when they’re hurt, demanding medicine.

    That’s why Kim Ok-hee is a ‘witch’ to me.

    The witch with a big witch hat, a white doctor’s gown, and a black veil covering her face told me.

    “Don’t hate those kids too much.”

    “Aren’t you angry, Teacher?”

    A visually impaired person’s knees are always covered in scars. It’s because you never know when or where you’ll fall. School is no exception.

    Every time I get hurt, I go to the witch in the nurse’s office. And while the witch gently applies medicine to my knees, we gossip about this school and the world.

    But she never harbors any ill will. The witch is always composed. Perhaps that’s what makes her wise.

    “Stress is the root of all illness. Diabetes, high blood pressure, headaches, depression, insomnia...”

    “Isn’t that pseudoscience?”

    “Oh, look at you. Did you graduate from nursing school?”

    All health teachers are former nurses. They attend nursing school and take teacher certification courses. Only the smartest nurses get to become health teachers and take charge of the nurse’s office.

    I found this out while getting close to the witch teacher.

    I also learned that health teachers aren’t from education departments like other teachers. That’s why there’s a wall between the witch teacher and the other teachers.

    This is why no one bats an eye when ‘those things’ tear into the witch teacher.

    The witch is always alone.

    But she’s never in distress.

    What kind of magic does she use?

    EP 9 – Sound

    Kim Woo-ju, real name Kim Min-soo.

    A 21-year-old rookie actor.

    By a miracle, he landed a role in the film directed by So Tae-woong.

    He received the casting confirmation text while he was with his family, and their reactions went something like this:

    “Yessss! Yessss! I won!

    “Is oppa becoming a star? Super star Kim Min-soo? Really!?”

    Kyaaaaaaah! Kyaaaaaaak!

    “OurFatherinheaven, Mayyourholyname...”

    The moment Kim Min-soo saw his family shedding tears of joy, he had a reason to become a star no matter what.

    And the role itself was no joke either.

    “Wait, my role was originally the male lead?”

    “Yes, the original script was a teen romance, and Woo-ju, your role was supposed to be the male lead.”

    At that moment, Kim Min-soo-no, Kim Woo-ju-felt a strange premonition.

    A future where he would show off exceptional acting on set and rise as the true male lead of this film!

    Director So Tae-woong sobbed, begging to work together on the next film as well, while the lead actress secretly slipped him her phone number after filming, suggesting they stay in touch-a rosy future full of possibilities!

    Although his second fantasy was quickly brushed aside when he remembered that the lead actress was underage, the dream of “rising to fame with stellar acting” remained strong.

    Actor Kim Woo-ju, betting his life on acting!

    However, when Kim Woo-ju arrived at the set with determination, what awaited him was a white space suit.

    “Ah.”

    The light vanished from Kim Woo-ju’s eyes.

    Pointing at the space suit with his darkened gaze, Kim Woo-ju asked,

    “What... is this?”

    “It’s a replica that looks almost exactly like a NASA space suit. It’s custom-made, so it’s very expensive.”

    Director So Tae-woong, who made films with a cheat code of pouring money into everything where others tightened their belts, paid great attention to each prop.

    The assistant director rambled on about how difficult it had been to follow the director’s special order and bring the space suit all the way from the U.S.

    “I... I have to wear this, right?”

    “What brings you here?”

    “Senior Kim called me to help with the acting...”

    There’s a word called ‘chemi’.

    It’s a new word that’s short for Chemistry, comparing the interaction or compatibility between humans to chemical reactions.

    As the wisdom embedded in that word suggests, there’s a formula to human combinations.

    Just as mixing bleach and shampoo creates toxic gas, Moon In-seop plus So Tae-woong also produces something.

    And as with all science, truth can only be explored through experiments.

    Reflecting on past experiments, when you combined M and S, what started as a simple teen romance mutated into a visually impaired zombie apocalypse genre.

    So, what sort of chemical reaction would occur when these two meet on set?

    The result is obvious.

    – How about we conceptualize every character like this? Aligning with the protagonist’s perspective, where she’s forced to perceive the world cognitively, we could visualize the essence of each character on screen.

    – Hm, wouldn’t that make the film too abstract and difficult for audiences?

    – Well, box office success is important too. I understand. I guess we shouldn’t expect radical artistry in commercial films...

    – Chang-su, go to the U.S. and buy a space suit.

    The two of them kept tossing out ideas as if competing over who could be the more radical artist, and since no one dared to oppose So Tae-woong, no one volunteered to be the brake.

    And so, the film sped ahead like a runaway train.

    In the chaos of the set, Kim Byul realized, belatedly, just what she had set into motion.

    Something.

    Something was happening.

    * * *

    “Sound is a medium through which humans communicate, right? But for the protagonist, it’s also a way to perceive the world. That’s why echolocation was included in the story. However, is viewing the world through a technical lens the same as viewing it emotionally? The core conflict of this piece lies in the difference in how the world is perceived, in the temperature of perception. So, the protagonist teaches the alien way of seeing, while in turn learning an emotional and spiritual perspective... We need to capture such synesthetic integration...”

    A madman had entered the set.

    A young, novel-writing, blanket-wrapped madman.

    Like a deranged person you might see muttering to themselves in the subway or on the streets, he often spoke in cryptic phrases that only he understood.

    The problem was that, though everyone ignored this boy, Director So Tae-woong would nod thoughtfully, arms crossed, taking him seriously.

    “I see... So that’s how it is...”

    “...?”

    If someone had just shouted, “Shut that nonsense up!” light and justice might have returned to this chaotic world. But unfortunately, So Tae-woong had no left arm and seven right arms instead.

    And those seven right arms were all competing fiercely to be the first.

    “Ah... I completely understand!”

    “As expected, the director’s insight is unparalleled!”

    “The combination of a genius boy and a genius director... We might even hit ten million viewers with this!”

    As a result, the instructions handed down to the actors and staff were non-negotiable.

    All sorts of bizarre and incomprehensible directions came down.

    “Wear the space suit and ascend while holding balloons during a wire action sequence?”

    “You want us to get 10,000 balloons?”

    “You want us to make a school uniform that a 130kg adult male can wear?”

    It’s dizzying.

    One might call this a chaotic era.

    It was truly chaotic.

    The emperor, enchanted by a wicked shaman, was surrounded by corrupt ministers, and the common people groaned under oppressive tyranny.

    The beast of ruin cries mournfully atop the tree, and the omens point to the fall of the world.

    But isn’t it said that heroes are born in troubled times?

    One must untangle the knot they tied themselves.

    Unable to suppress her righteous anger any longer, Kim Byul rose with determined resolve.

    “Is this movie...! really being filmed properly?”

    “What did you say?”

    “I-I want to check it!”

    Carrying the collective will of all the actors and staff on her shoulders, the veteran actress Kim Byul (gently) confronted So Tae-woong.

    So Tae-woong, already grasping the situation with just that, smiled kindly and asked everyone to wait just one more day.

    And that was enough.

    Convincing commoners who couldn’t understand genius was something So Tae-woong had grown quite accustomed to.

    The next day, So Tae-woong brought in an edited version to show everyone.

    And then, all of them realized why So Tae-woong was called the ‘Magician of Light’.

    *****

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