I Will Live As An Actor

I Will Live as an Actor Episode 158

Giovanni Sponza is a world-famous photographer. It’s not like he had a camera in his hand from the beginning.

Born in a small port city located in southern Italy, he followed the path of fishing like his brothers from the time he was born.

It must have been around the age of 20 when the desire to hold a camera arose in the same hand that held the net.

“I never thought I would come back here again.”

It was located at the heel of the boot-shaped map of Italy. From there, you have to drive a while further down a remote road to reach Giovanni Sponza’s hometown.

Hometown remains the same as ever. It is a place so calm and serene that the sound of waves crashing against the breakwater and the cries of seagulls remind me of the song Adagio by composer Tommaso Albinoni.

“Why did you choose this place as the filming location?”

Is it a trick of fate?

A person who left his hometown returned after decades. The reason I took a step toward the sea, which I thought I would never return to, was because of Desiderio’s president, Salvatore Rossellini.

He wanted to film an Asian actor. At first, I thought I might have heard wrong.

Although racial discrimination is said to have decreased globally, racism is still rampant in Italy.

Moreover, I did not understand why a high-end luxury brand like Desiderio hired an Asian actor as its exclusive model.

He was suspicious that a natural disaster had occurred in Milan while he was on sabbatical at a resort in Europe.

“Who is it?”

I couldn’t help but be curious. He was the one who deceived Chairman Salvatore Rossellini, who had a strict eye and was cold-blooded without blood or tears when doing business.

A rustling sound from behind wakes me up. They were staff carrying equipment needed for photography.

It was a photographer division, also known as the Sponza Division, and the number of staff members who followed it was more than dozens.

A young fisherman who left alone has now returned to his hometown as a photographer leading the division.

But no one welcomed his golden return.

This is because their parents had already passed away, and the remaining siblings headed to the inland parts of Italy to find their own lives.

“You can move your luggage, I’ll take a quick look around the coast.”

Heavy footsteps are left on the white sand beach. The footsteps soon disappear in the incoming waves. Seagulls are circling the sky to see if they might find something to eat from the sudden stranger.

When I saw that, I felt even more like I had become a stranger.

Like the deep lingering sound of Tommaso Albinoni’s Adagio, an unknown sadness echoes in my heart.

At that moment, Giovanni Sponza’s steps stopped.

gulp.

Giovanni Sponza’s neck trembled loudly. What he saw in his field of vision was none other than a man.

A flock of seagulls are chirping as if singing around a man wearing jeans and a pure white shirt.

Giovanni Sponza felt an unknown emotion from his gaze as he sat on the white sand beach and gazed endlessly at the beach.

My heart was pounding violently. He hurriedly searched his bag. I had to capture that on camera right now.

But when I took out the camera and looked again, the man had disappeared like a mirage.

* * *

“England, you’re going to catch a cold!”

October in Italy has daily temperature differences. It was okay to wear short sleeves in the afternoon, but it was chilly in the morning and evening.

Moreover, isn’t it a beach? Lee Bong-chun’s hand as he takes care of the coat seems very urgent.

“It’s okay, bro.”

“What is okay about being okay? You were surprised that it suddenly disappeared. Before leaving, the CEO asked me to do so. In Italy, wherever I go, I have to stick around like a gumball. And something I heard was that there are a lot of gangsters even in this small port city. Sailors are usually wary of foreigners.”

“Everyone went fishing at dawn, so I couldn’t see a single person, let alone a sailor. “I just came to play with seagulls on the white sand beach for a while.”

Lee Bong-chun looks like he wants to have a sweet night. It’s like looking at a younger brother who doesn’t listen.

I am always grateful to him. His job as a manager is his job, but he is a warm person who truly cares for me like his own brother.

“Mr. Zhang, Mr. Lee!”

At that time, Alfredo’s voice is heard from beyond the door.

“Giovanni Sponza?”

“He is a famous photographer not only in Italy but also around the world. In fact, several years have passed since he took a sabbatical break, but the number of companies and celebrities still looking for him is countless. That’s why he came all the way here to film Mr. Jang. “This would not have been possible without President Rossellini’s request.”

“Are you saying that President Rossellini is such a great person that you should ask him a favor?”

“Because he’s a big guy. And once they become that famous, many photographers no longer shoot commercially and instead seek their own artistic inspiration. Some even say that he is the successor to Yusuf Karsh, the legendary master who took portraits of Nelson Mandela and Churchill Castro.”

The scale is large. In my past life, I couldn’t even see a photo shoot, let alone a photoshoot for such a luxury brand.

Advertising is directly related to commerciality. No matter how famous his supporting role was, there was no advertiser willing to post his pockmarked face in a pictorial.

“You are probably enjoying pre-meal tea time in the restaurant with Vice President Rossellini. The filming was scheduled for two days later, but you arrived sooner than expected. The Vice President said that it would be better for Mr. Jang and Mr. Sponza to get to know each other before filming. “I’m just saying this just in case you don’t know.”

Alfredo looked around and quietly elaborated.

“Mr. Sponza is famous for having a very eccentric personality. As you know, many photographers are very self-indulgent. In particular, when you reach a position like Sponzza, the subject of the photo is not the model, but the artist himself. There is a famous anecdote where Sponza ruined a famous Hollywood actor’s filming because he was late.”

“Was the actor still?”

“Of course I didn’t sit still. Because he was also a well-known actor in Hollywood. However, as you know, in a power struggle, it is advantageous for the person with more power. Mr. Sponza’s influence extends not only to Italy but also to Hollywood. Therefore, after the incident, the actor was not given a suitable lead role and was lowered to the third level. “I know Mr. Jang is not the type to be rude, but I’m asking you just in case.”

It seemed like he was bigger than I thought. I felt like I knew why Alfredo was so enthusiastic.

As I entered the restaurant, I saw Monica. Because the entire resort was rented, the restaurant was quiet. Monica lightly raises her hand to welcome us. And the middle-aged man sitting across from her turns his head.

There is silence like a movie. The middle-aged man’s fingertips can be seen trembling slightly as if he were doing DI. Soon, the teacup that my fingers were holding plummets toward the floor.

The middle-aged man looked at me with disbelief and said.

“Fantasia di Mare (Fantasy of the Sea).”

* * *

Luca was the youngest photographer who had just joined the Sponza division. I like to say I’m a photographer, but my job is no different from that of a handyman.

The equipment used for filming is quite heavy. In the case of high plates used for precise photography, each plate weighs more than tens of kilometers, so having to carry them on your back and move them can be compared to hard labor.

Touching the filters directly used in filming was something only seniors could do. He left his hometown with the sole intention of becoming a photographer, but what he got was not a camera, but biceps and calves that were getting thicker by the day.

Why do you keep doing menial labor? Wouldn’t it be better to hit it right now? Actually, I don’t have anything to say.

Because everything is ultimately his choice.

There are many people who can replace him right now. Anyone who dreams of becoming a photographer wants to join the Sponza division.

Giovanni Sponza, who led the division, was already a famous master not only in Italy but also around the world. Being taught by him is itself a business card and resume for a photographer.

“Luca, doesn’t Capo seem to be in a good mood today?”

Capo was a slang term for Giovanni Sponza. Of course, since he was the photographer who actually led the division, the term capo (boss) suited him very well, and Sponza did not dislike the nickname.

However, in urban areas of Italy where the mafia is rampant, even such slang cannot be used carelessly. Luca shook his head in response to his colleague’s question.

“If it were normal, you would have always been on edge right before filming. You seem particularly relaxed today. “The filming was also ahead of schedule.”

“I know yeah! If it were like usual, you would start right on schedule. Moreover, even though the schedule was advanced, the last time is the same. What that means is that you will volunteer for one day. Moreover, according to the sottocapo who just met Capo, he was burning a cigar in his room!”

“what? Really? “Don’t you think Sofkato saw it wrong?”

“I said it was true and it definitely smelled like a strong cigar!”

A co-worker wipes the bridge of his nose and pretends to smell a cigar. If someone who didn’t know them heard it, they would have thought it was a mafia story. But that’s not the point.

There were only two occasions when Giovanni Sponza smoked a cigar. It was only when I experienced something unpleasant or when I was in a really good mood.

“There won’t be a big fuss like there used to be, right?”

At his colleague’s words, Luca shook his head as if he didn’t want to even think about it.

It was an anecdote with a Hollywood actor named Britten. Britton, who had a bad relationship with Sponza, delayed filming by being late on purpose, and eventually Sponza canceled filming that day as if he had been waiting for it.

According to seniors who were at the scene of the incident at the time, there was no war as Britton, so angry, recklessly destroyed the filming equipment.

At the time, Sponza is said to have been silently smoking a cigar and looking at the scene.

According to what the seniors said, the sight was so scary that they all agreed that it would have been better to at least show resistance like usual. Of course, Britton disappeared from Hollywood after that incident. It must have been Sponza’s influence.

“You’ll find out when you go to the filming site today.”

Luca said, looking at the coast stretching out the window.

“The meaning of the cigar that Sponza burned.”

* * *

The yacht cuts through the calm waves. The waves on the southern coast of Italy are not as rough as the South Port.

Rather, even the waves seem to be relaxing, as if sunbathing in the warm sunlight. Below the emerald-colored surface of the water, colorful fish are swimming with their fins dangling.

Monica, who was on board the ship, pointed in one direction with a long finger and spoke in English.

“That’s where the filming location is today.”

“It’s an oddly shaped cave, isn’t it?”

It was a deep cave beneath an oddly shaped cliff. The waves seeping through the cave, blocking the breaking sunlight, were bluer than emerald green.

It was as if someone had scattered bright blue paint.

“In Italy and Europe, such cliff caves are called Blue Grotto. “In a long-standing myth, it is said that a blue mermaid lives there.”

“It’s a blue mermaid, so the water level must be high enough for a mermaid to live in?”

“It’s usually like that. You can’t go in during high tide, but it’s okay now. Even though it looks like that, the water level inside the cave drops during low tide. Mr. Sponza’s film crew will already be on the yacht an hour ahead and busy preparing for filming. “Did you happen to have a close relationship with Mr. Sponza?”

I shook my head briefly. The reason Monica asks this question may be because of Sponza’s appearance at the restaurant. As soon as he made eye contact with me, he dropped his teacup and said something.

Since he was a person I had never met in the first place, there was no way to know why he did that. Monica also had a hard time with Sponza, so it seemed like she couldn’t ask about it separately.

Monica said, tucking a strand of hair under her ear as if to change the subject.

“Mr. Jang, how did you like the photo shoot?”

The filming plan had already been explained to me by Alfredo. Alfredo was the interpreter because Korean was better than English.

However, even after seeing the filming plan, I wasn’t really sure. Of course, if it had been a movie or drama shoot, I would have been able to give advice on the movement direction and directing composition, but isn’t this my first time shooting a model?

Since it was something I had never experienced even in my past life, I had no choice but to rely on the skills of experts.

“You didn’t like it?”

“No, but since I don’t have this kind of experience… I was worried that if I voiced my thoughts, the direction might turn out to be strange.”

“Mr. Jang, you think too much about others. In Asia, they call this humility and courtesy, right? In fact, all of those who have been Desiderio’s exclusive models so far have been very opinionated. In a way, it was natural. Since they are all top figures in their respective fields. In that sense, Mr. Jang needs an upgrade. “Sometimes it’s okay to be a bad guy.”

Monica smiled brightly. I couldn’t tell whether I should take this as a compliment or a remark about my indecisiveness.

Just then, the yacht stopped in front of a cliff cave called Blue Grotto. The captain who was at the helm said something in Italian. Alfredo, who was next to me, interpreted it right away.

“They say we have to walk in from now on. The water level inside the cave has dropped, making it impossible to enter by yacht. “From here, the water level only reaches knee-high, so it’s okay.”

We only reached the entrance of the cave, but the water level had dropped considerably. Locally hired porters were already going downstairs from the yacht, carrying a bundle of luggage.

When I got off the yacht later, the water level was only up to my knees. I couldn’t help but be amazed because if I went a few steps further, I could see the ocean of unknown depth. It was then.

“Mr. Jang, can you hold my hand?”

Monica, who was coming down from the yacht, holds out her long white hand. If you come down like this, you are bound to lose your balance and fall. Wasn’t he born and raised in the sea from a young age and grew up among sailors?

Following my experience, I lifted Monica up from underneath the yacht while holding her waist.

“Kya!”

Monica screams in surprise when she is suddenly lifted. The designers and Alfredo on the yacht open their eyes wide. As I slowly lowered her to the surface while holding her waist, Monica made a bewildered expression. I guess it was her first time experiencing something like this.

“I’m sorry. I thought it would be safer to get off like this.”

At that moment, when I was embarrassed, Monica looked at me with a strange look and spoke.

“Mr. Jang is also an unknown man.”