The Face Genius Actor

Episode 141

Today’s photo shoot was taking place in Jeonju Hanok Village.

Jean-Drulot Meyère had chosen this location, which meant Yeo Kyung-chan had to drive for over three hours.

“Manager, you should get some rest. The Louis Vuitton team will have prepared everything for the shoot anyway.”

Saying this, I met Jean-Drulot Meyère along with my brother.

Among the numerous staff, Jean-Drulot Meyère quickly spotted us and smiled brightly.

“Si-joon! Si-hyun! It’s been a while!”

As soon as we reunited with Jean-Drulot Meyère, my brother frowned.

“…Do we really have to shoot the ad here?”

“What’s wrong, Si-hyun? Where else can you feel the true Korean atmosphere better than Jeonju Hanok Village?”

“You said our drama set was also a place where you could feel the true Korean atmosphere.”

“Indeed, the set in the photos Si-joon sent was suitable for an ad shoot. But there’s one thing missing there.”

Jean-Drulot Meyère had a very serious expression.

Because of this, I had to ask:

“What’s that?”

“Delicious food! Traditional Korean food! I heard it’s all gathered here in Jeonju!”

Certainly, Jeonju was famous for its delicious food.

But to choose the shooting location because of that…

It felt like the tail was wagging the dog.

“Didn’t I tell you? Jean-Drulot Meyère wasn’t being considerate of us.”

I couldn’t help but nod at my brother’s words.

The one saving grace was that Jean-Drulot Meyère was sincere about the ad shoot.

If he had approached even the shoot casually, it would have been demotivating in many ways.

“By the way, does the chief designer always participate in Louis Vuitton ad shoots like this?”

“We don’t necessarily do that for ads that are broadcast separately in each country. But today’s shoot is different.”

“Because it’s an ad that people all over the world will see?”

“That’s right.”

As Jean-Drulot Meyère said, the ad we were shooting today would be broadcast worldwide.

It would be on TV of course, and people around the world would see this ad through various other media as well.

This was a common task for Louis Vuitton ambassadors, but today’s meaning was special.

Regardless of the reason, it was because the shooting location was Jeonju Hanok Village.

It was a testament to how much the status of K-content had risen.

‘Right. The shooting location being set as Jeonju Hanok Village isn’t simply because of the works I’ve appeared in.’

The choice of Jeonju Hanok Village as the shooting location was an achievement of K-content that had been steadily developing for a long time.

Moreover, this influence was evident even in the clothing concept Jean-Drulot Meyère had prepared for today.

“You both checked the clothing concept and shooting continuity, right?”

I nodded at Jean-Drulot Meyère’s question.

“Yes, I checked and was surprised. I didn’t know Jean-Drulot Meyère was so interested in Korean culture.”

Jean-Drulot Meyère had set “overflow” as the overall theme for today’s clothing and shoot.

And this concept seemed to reflect several images heavily influenced by Korea.

This was evident just by looking at the clothing.

Influenced by the “sangbakhabu” (thin top, thick bottom) of hanbok, the outfits were designed in various ways with thin tops and thick bottoms.

As a result, the overall outfit had short, tight-fitting tops, while the bottom clothes were loose and spread out in curved lines.

And this aligned with recent fashion trends.

It showed how sensitive Jean-Drulot Meyère was to trends while maintaining his own design philosophy.

‘Jean-Drulot Meyère’s clothing that actively incorporates the characteristics of hanbok…’

It also matched the recent trend of K-content “overflowing” worldwide.

In the end, this was why Jean-Drulot Meyère had chosen “overflow” as the theme for today.

“I think Si-hyun and Si-joon will understand why I chose this theme today without me explaining separately. So let’s not waste time and start shooting right away.”

Jean-Drulot Meyère requested to start the shoot quickly, as if being chased by something.

So my brother and I finished styling faster than planned and stood in front of the camera.

Fortunately, we were able to finish the shoot easily without a single NG.

* * *

And that evening.

I could understand why Jean-Drulot Meyère had rushed to finish the shoot.

As soon as the ad shoot was over, my brother, Jean-Drulot Meyère, and I headed to the famous makgeolli alley in Jeonju.

Worried about crowds, we entered a place with private rooms.

It was a place Yeo Kyung-chan had found in advance.

Luckily, it was still early, so there weren’t many people in the alley, and we were able to take our seats inside the restaurant while hiding our identities.

Jean-Drulot Meyère ordered in clumsy Korean.

“Hwansan… charim please.”

“It’s not hwansan, it’s han sang.”

“Yes, hwansan.”

Apart from Jean-Drulot Meyère’s awkward Korean pronunciation.

Fortunately, there was no problem in communication between the three of us.

This was because Jean-Drulot Meyère spoke English quite well.

Also, if needed, my brother could translate into French.

It was thanks to his familiarity with French from working in Paris for a long time.

So, after a while.

An incredible number of side dishes began to appear one by one in front of us three.

Jean-Drulot Meyère kept exclaiming in admiration and asked:

“Wow! This looks so delicious! What’s this, Si-joon?”

“It’s called pyeonyuk. It’s made by compressing meat from the pig’s head area.”

Although it could have been off-putting, Jean-Drulot Meyère ate everything deliciously without discrimination. 

I thought again that it was because of this personality that he could accept various cultures without prejudice and incorporate them into his work.

Jean-Drulot Meyère kept giving thumbs up as he became immersed in Korean food culture, and after about an hour, he finally regained his senses.

“I ate so deliciously without thinking. Thank you again for introducing me to Korean food culture, Si-hwan, Si-joon.”

As Jean-Drulot Meyère said this while rubbing his stomach, my brother chuckled and replied:

“Did we really introduce you? It feels like you were just dragged here forcibly. By the way, how did you become so interested in Korean culture? You weren’t like this until recently.”

I was surprised to hear my brother’s words.

I had assumed that Jean-Drulot Meyère was naturally interested in Korean culture from the beginning.

That’s how well today’s outfit reflected the unique Korean sentiment.

But Jean-Drulot Meyère readily admitted to my brother’s words and answered:

“That’s right. I wasn’t very interested originally. Even when I found out Si-hwan was Korean, I just thought, ‘Oh, there’s a model like this even in a small country like Korea,’ and that was it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you did.”

“But recently, after meeting Si-joon, my thoughts changed. I started to think that Si-hwan alone couldn’t be special. It doesn’t make sense that two such amazing people exist.”

“So that’s how you became interested in Korean culture?”

“That’s right. I already knew that K-content was gaining global attention, but after experiencing two living proofs, I became very curious about Korea. That’s how I became fascinated with Korean culture and ended up reflecting it in my work.”

After hearing Jean-Drulot Meyère’s story, I felt somewhat proud.

Although it wasn’t intentional, we had introduced our culture to Louis Vuitton’s chief designer.

On the other hand, I thought that Jean-Drulot Meyère hadn’t selected us as Louis Vuitton’s ambassadors without reason.

Sure enough, related words flowed from Jean-Drulot Meyère’s mouth.

“When this outfit with Korean sensibility was completed, your faces naturally came to mind. No, it’s not an exaggeration to say that all of today’s outfits were made for you two. I thought of your faces throughout the entire work process.”

Jean-Drulot Meyère’s pronunciation was slightly slurred, as if drunk on makgeolli.

But because of that, Jean-Drulot Meyère’s words felt even more sincere.

I responded to those words.

“Still, making such a radical decision for the ad concept couldn’t have been easy… I’m surprised.”

“There was quite a bit of opposition within the company. But as ‘I Am Not a Villain’ performed well at the Cannes Film Festival, and ‘Escape’ and ‘Let’s Live Together, Princess’ succeeded one after another, public opinion changed. Plus, the work you’re currently filming, ‘Toema Hwan Ya Dam’… wouldn’t that naturally be successful too?”

Jean-Drulot Meyère seemed to have no doubt about the success of ‘Toema Hwan Ya Dam’.

I was satisfied with Jean-Drulot Meyère’s expectations, but also felt a little pressured.

According to Jean-Drulot Meyère, the appointment as Louis Vuitton’s ambassador was made with the success of ‘Toema Hwan Ya Dam’ in mind.

But I quickly pulled myself together.

Even if it wasn’t for Jean-Drulot Meyère’s expectations, ‘Toema Hwan Ya Dam’ was a work that had to succeed.

Just considering the scale of investment, I couldn’t think of it as easily as when producing ‘I Am Not a Villain’.

It was a work that not only Festa Entertainment but also Netflix had high hopes for.

Since renowned people like Director Kang Han-sung were also involved in the production, I needed to pay more attention.

Above all, as my brother decided to appear in ‘Toema Hwan Ya Dam’, this work became one that absolutely must not fail.

If this work failed, it wouldn’t just be my reputation that would be tarnished.

Malicious commenters would surely appear as if they had been waiting and criticize both of us together.

‘So there’s no point in feeling more pressure here. Whether it’s 100 tons or 1,000 tons, it’s all the same weight that I can’t handle anyway.’

After thinking this, I felt my mind ease considerably.

At the same time, I saw my brother and Jean-Drulot Meyère quietly examining my expression.

I asked them:

“What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?”

Then Jean-Drulot Meyère laughed heartily and replied:

“It must be quite a burden to hear, but to be able to stay this calm… You’re amazing.”

My brother also shook his head and muttered:

“How did mother give birth to me and then to him… It’s already unfair that he’s better-looking than me…”

I shrugged my shoulders as I listened to them.

‘Was it wrong to be calm in this situation?’

I was flustered that people around me seemed to misunderstand me as a composed person, but I didn’t make any excuses.

Let’s just take it as a good thing.

At that moment, Jean-Drulot Meyère opened his mouth towards my brother and me.

“Shall we go eat samgyeopsal for round two?”

That’s how the day in Jeonju was passing productively.