It was during the peak of filming episode twelve of *Fight School* that Tae-ha received the proposal for a cameo in *Ghost Ship*.
Up until now, Tae-ha had rarely received offers for cameo appearances. This might have seemed unexpected, as Tae-ha clearly had a wide network and maintained good relationships with those around him.
However, Tae-ha truly had not received many such offers. Paradoxically, the reason for this was that he maintained such positive relationships with people. Everyone who might have asked for a cameo was well aware of how busy his life was. Consequently, even recently, he only received a cameo proposal maybe once a year.
Furthermore, even when such offers came in, it was not easy for Tae-ha to accept them. He was always preoccupied with a schedule where one project followed another. This was the reason he had never made a single cameo appearance until now.
Yet, Tae-ha’s personal stance was that he always wanted to make cameo appearances for those around him if his schedule allowed it. Whether as a writer or an actor, he understood that he owed debts and received grace from others during the process of collaborative work.
Ultimately, this was not a bad thing for Tae-ha either. There was no better way to build acting experience without the heavy burden of a project’s success than a cameo appearance.
It was while he was having such thoughts that he received a call from Lee Seok-hyun.
“The movie I’m in, *Ghost Ship*, is filming. There’s a role that only takes a single day to shoot. Would you be able to do a cameo? I’ll do my best to match your schedule. I’ve already finished talking to the director about it.”
For Tae-ha, as long as his schedule was clear, it was an attractive offer. There was no reason to refuse a cameo proposal from Lee Seok-hyun, with whom he had formed a close bond during *Killer × Killer*. It didn’t seem difficult to adjust his schedule for a single day.
More than anything else, ‘I have one more reason why I can’t possibly refuse an offer to appear in *Ghost Ship*.’
Thinking this, Tae-ha asked Seok-hyun, “I think I’ll have some free time next Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday after I finish filming episode twelve of *Fight School* this week. Would it be alright if I joined the shoot for one of those days?”
“Of course it’s alright! I knew you’d accept my offer, Brother! I’ll check which of those three days would be best for you to come. I’ll see you then.”
“Yes. I’ll see you then.”
After hanging up the phone, Tae-ha thought to himself.
‘This is great. If I appear in *Ghost Ship* as a cameo, I’ll be able to help two people I have a connection with at the same time.’
Indeed, the reason Tae-ha decided he shouldn’t refuse the offer from the *Ghost Ship* team if possible was that Lee Seok-hyun wasn’t the only protagonist of the film.
Kang Sojeong.
Surprisingly, *Ghost Ship* was a movie where Kang Sojeong was also starring as a lead.
***
As he headed to the set of *Ghost Ship* for his cameo, Tae-ha thought, ‘It’s a truly incredible twist of fate.’
*Ghost Ship* was a project where Kang Sojeong and Lee Seok-hyun, who had previously played the lead couple in *Running Time*, were reuniting after a long time to work together again.
Because of this, Tae-ha felt a sense of novelty when he first heard the news from Kang Sojeong. He hadn’t expected to see the two of them performing in the same project again.
It was also during that process that he first heard his old name from Kang Sojeong.
“Things were really hard back then after what happened to Writer Ho-jun. Just crossing paths with someone related to *Running Time* would make me think of him all day, leaving me sad and depressed. Then, suddenly, a thought occurred to me. I wondered if being this sad was something that would make Writer Ho-jun happy.”
“…Is that what happened?”
“Yes. When you were giving your acceptance speech at the Baek-am Art Awards, the one directed at yourself. Exactly then, that’s what I thought. So I contacted Brother Seok-hyun and talked to him. I told him we should stop being sad and show Writer Ho-jun how well we’re doing—how much we’ve succeeded.”
“But it turns out Brother Seok-hyun felt the same way after hearing your acceptance speech. Isn’t it amazing? Anyway, that’s how we started looking for a project to do together, and the one we found was *Ghost Ship*. Do you understand now? How much effort I’m putting into this work?”
To think that *Ghost Ship* carried such a meaning. Tae-ha couldn’t help but be surprised.
In particular, he felt strange after learning how people had each tried to overcome his death in their own ways. He hadn’t committed a crime, yet he felt as though he had.
However, in some ways, Tae-ha was in the same position as them. He was working hard even as an actor for the sake of ‘Tae-ha,’ who surely would be watching from somewhere.
Tae-ha’s acceptance speech at the Baek-am Art Awards had also been a way to strengthen that resolve.
[And Tae-ha. You worked hard. I really wanted to tell you this. An incredible thing happened to us, and I don’t know if it’s a misfortune or a miracle, but I will keep moving forward as I am now. I will be your pride for a long time to come. So wait for me. Until I call your name from an even higher place.]
To think that this acceptance speech had become the catalyst for Kang Sojeong and Lee Seok-hyun to reunite. He could only be surprised by the coincidence.
The coincidences didn’t even end there. The fact that Tae-ha was now appearing as a cameo in *Ghost Ship* was another significant coincidence whose meaning could not be underestimated.
Because of that, Tae-ha really wanted to show his best side during today’s filming. Even though it was just a cameo, he wanted to give a performance that could provide reassurance and comfort to Kang Sojeong and Lee Seok-hyun.
A short while later.
“Tae-ha! Over here!”
When he arrived at the filming site, the person who greeted Tae-ha most warmly was none other than Lee Seok-hyun, who had suggested the cameo. Kang Sojeong appeared shortly after to welcome him as well.
***
After Tae-ha arrived, Lee Seok-hyun kept uttering exclamations of admiration.
“I knew the two of you were cousins, but seeing you together in one place is really something.”
This was the reason. Certainly, Tae-ha also felt strange being with Kang Sojeong as actor-to-actor.
What Tae-ha was originally used to was Kang Sojeong as a writer-to-actor, and what he became used to after the possession was Kang Sojeong as a brother-to-sister relationship.
Kang Sojeong seemed to feel similarly.
“Seeing him at a filming set makes me feel completely strange too. Even though I know he’s just as good at acting as I am, I feel like I need to give him some unasked-for advice. Like, it’s better to act this way, or that way.”
Lee Seok-hyun burst into laughter upon hearing her words.
“Hahaha. You’re going to teach Tae-ha how to act? Hey, don’t even try. Even when we were filming *Killer × Killer*, Tae-ha wasn’t at a level where he needed to be taught. On the contrary, I was worried I’d be eaten alive by his performance. That’s probably the reason he hasn’t received cameo offers until now. So both you and I need to be on our toes.”
Tae-ha scratched his cheek at Seok-hyun’s praise and corrected the facts.
“No. That’s not why I didn’t get many offers. It’s just that people knew my situation, so they probably felt bad asking. Even when a request finally came, my schedule didn’t work out.”
“Oh. Then we’ve invited a very important person as a cameo. So, how is the filming for *Fight School* going? Is it going well?”
“It’s not as much as *Ghost Ship*, where you and Sister are working together, but it’s not bad. I think it’ll be finished after another month or two of filming.”
“That’s similar to us. If things go well, your drama might be airing on TV while our project is in theaters. So, did you read the script for *Ghost Ship*? How was it?”
At Seok-hyun’s question, Kang Sojeong’s eyes also sparkled with anticipation. Everyone recognized Tae-ha’s eye for a good project. It was natural, as he was currently the most talked-about writer and actor in the Republic of Korea, and every project he had been involved in so far had been a success.
However, Lee Seok-hyun and Kang Sojeong also had excellent eyes for scripts. Their ability to choose projects was so outstanding that it proved why they were top-tier actors. And as a project chosen by the two of them, *Ghost Ship* was indeed an excellent work.
*Ghost Ship* followed the process of a treasure hunter, Kim Sang-hoon (Lee Seok-hyun), meeting the ghost of a pianist who sank with a ship, Lee Hee-yeon (Kang Sojeong). They fall into a love like a midsummer night’s dream until he eventually gives up on the salvage operation.
It was a type of fantasy romance film with an added touch of mystery, and the script was superb. In particular, the final scene was the highlight, where Lee Hee-yeon gives up on the salvage and accidentally discovers a broken record containing their memories.
[While no needle of any turntable will ever awaken the music on this record… your music will play forever in my mind.]
It was a movie about a heartbreaking love story that could never be fulfilled.
In this film, the cameo role Tae-ha took on was that of Lee Hee-yeon’s maternal grandson, Jung Hyun-woo. Following his mother’s last wishes, he seeks out Kim Sang-hoon, who led the salvage operation, to hear the final story of Lee Hee-yeon. The movie concludes with Jung Hyun-woo sitting across from Kim Sang-hoon, listening to the incredible love story.
For Tae-ha, it was a perfectly appropriate role for a cameo that didn’t feel burdensome. Since he appeared at the very end, it was a role that carried its own impact. Especially since he had to resemble Kang Sojeong as her grandson, there was no one better than Tae-ha to pull it off. After all, Tae-ha and Kang Sojeong were cousins.
After reviewing the plot of *Ghost Ship* to himself, Tae-ha spoke up.
“I had high expectations since it’s a project by Director Yoon Seong-geun, and it’s a wonderful piece of work that perfectly meets those expectations. I especially liked how the incidents were confined to the ghost ship as the main location.”
Yoon Seong-geun was not originally a director who handled fantasy romance works. However, he had boasted solid directing skills through films like *Poison*, *The Mysterious Cleaner*, and *Dream Tollgate*. In particular, his latest work, *Prince Sohyeon*, had drawn 8.91 million viewers to theaters, gaining him recognition for both commercial success and artistic quality.
For these reasons, Tae-ha had also been keeping an eye on Yoon Seong-geun’s work, and he felt that *Ghost Ship* might be a project that lived up to his expectations. The scenario was just that good.
Just as Kang Sojeong and Lee Seok-hyun were smiling with satisfaction after hearing Tae-ha’s answer…
“Tae-ha. We’re all set. Shall we begin filming?”
Yoon Seong-geun approached and asked, and Tae-ha nodded.
“Yes. Let’s start.”