Chapter 42: Support Truck

The air at Dongtan International High School in September was scented with ginkgo.

When Kang Jae-hoon arrived at the filming location, the props team was busy hanging the gold-leaf plaque reading "Empire High School" over the school gate.

"You're here early, Kang Jae-hoon-ssi."

A crew member greeted him with a smile. "Writer Kim asked you to go try on Yoon Chan-young’s school uniform first."

"Understood."

When Kang Jae-hoon opened the dressing room door, three different styles of uniforms were hanging on the rack. A wardrobe assistant picked up a slim-fit set and held it against him.

"The writer said she wants a fresh, youthful vibe, so let’s try this one first."

As the collar of the shirt pressed against his collarbone, the line of his shoulders was accentuated into a sharp triangle. When he buckled his belt to the last notch, the fall of the trousers hit the top of his boots perfectly.

"Amazing!"

The wardrobe assistant took two steps back with a measuring tape, clicking her tongue repeatedly. "These proportions are like lines cut from a manga—one inch wider in the chest and you’d look like a bodybuilder; one inch narrower and you’d be a beanpole."

Kang Jae-hoon scratched his head with a bashful smile. "It’s all thanks to the tailor's craftsmanship."

"Even the best tailoring needs a good hanger to display it!"

"…Thank you."

By the time Kang Jae-hoon emerged, the other actors had arrived one after another. With agents, assistants, and production staff crowding the set, the place was suddenly buzzing with activity.

Once everyone had gathered, the director held a briefing for the cast. Folders stamped with the *The Heirs* logo were passed around, clearly outlining the filming schedule and call times for each character. The drama was set to take over the time slot on October 9th, following *Master's Sun*, which starred Gong Hyo-jin and So Ji-sub.

Kang Jae-hoon scanned his own schedule—averaging two to three scenes a day. For today, he only had the coffee shop entrance scene.

After collecting their schedules, the actors dispersed in small groups to have their makeup done and prepare. Kang Jae-hoon walked over to a beach umbrella and waved his densely marked script at Krystal Jung.

"Bona, shall we run through the lines?"

Krystal flipped through her schedule noisily, pretending not to hear him.

"The director said we only need to rehearse half an hour before filming, but I think it’s safer to iron out the kinks early."

Seeing that she still didn't respond, Kang Jae-hoon suddenly stepped forward and blocked her view of the schedule with his script. "You don't want us to be the ones dragging down the filming efficiency, do you?"

Krystal finally looked up. "The director didn't set a chemistry performance metric."

"But wouldn't frequent retakes be annoying for everyone?"

"Only three times."

"…Fine."

During the first run-through, Krystal simply read the lines with emotion. However, Kang Jae-hoon noticed that her gaze lacked the sweet resentment described in the script; instead, it looked as if she were planning to ship him off to North Korea to mine coal.

For the second run-through, she added physical movements. In the script, Lee Bona was supposed to forcibly drag Yoon Chan-young away, but Krystal turned it into a full-blown criminal arrest.

Just as they were preparing for the third rehearsal, a white food truck slowly turned onto the gravel path of the set. Clusters of pink and blue balloons tied to the roof shivered with every bump, looking like a moving cloud of cotton candy.

Kang Jae-hoon squinted to identify the cartoon stickers on the side of the truck. "Guess whose support truck this is?"

"Not guessing."

"What if it’s a surprise for you? A celebration for Krystal’s first starring role in a drama."

Hearing him say that, Krystal couldn't help but feel a spark of curiosity.

Soon, the truck came to a stop, and the lift-up awning unfolded with a "whoosh." Promotional photos of Kang Jae-hoon from *Despicable Me 2* covered the body of the truck, and in the bottom right corner was a congratulatory banner from Im Yoona:

【Wishing *The Heirs* massive ratings! — Supporting my most hardworking voice-acting partner, Im Yoona】

"This..."

Kang Jae-hoon stared at the photo of himself on the poster, where he was squinting against the camera flash, and suddenly remembered Im Yoona asking him in the parking lot when he was starting filming.

"Heh."

Krystal let out a cold laugh. "Kang Jae-hoon-ssi, you should go sign for it."

"Oh..."

Kang Jae-hoon took two steps, then suddenly turned back. "Bona, could you help me take a photo?"

"I don't know how to take photos."

"But your selfies are quite good..." Kang Jae-hoon muttered under his breath.

The arrival of the support truck didn't cause any chaos on set. It wasn't that the staff didn't care about the improved meal options, but the director hadn't given the break signal yet. Therefore, he had time to stop by the truck.

Kang Jae-hoon lifted the insulating curtain, and a gust of cold air mixed with the aroma of bonito broth from the *oden* wafted out. A staff member wearing a baseball cap handed him a list.

"Im Yoona-ssi ordered the premium package, for 200 people."

"Is this ice cream machine included too?" he asked, pointing to the pink device spinning nearby.

"Yes, all food and drinks in the truck are part of the support package."

The clerk took out a phone. "I need you to strike a pose so we can send it to Im Yoona-ssi for verification."

"Ah, okay."

Kang Jae-hoon awkwardly flashed a peace sign.

"Click—"

"Thank you for your cooperation. Call us if you need anything while dining."

"Understood."

Kang Jae-hoon suddenly remembered that *Prime Minister and I*, starring Im Yoona, should have started filming as well. Should he send something back?

Thinking of this, he lifted the curtain again and asked, "By the way, how much does this truck cost?"

"The top-tier package is 2 million won for 100 people. Ice cream and fruit add 1 million won, and ice cream or milk tea alone is 800,000 won."

"That expensive?"

"Transparent pricing, no cheating!"

"Alright then, help me send the same package to her set."

Compared to Kang Jae-hoon, who had to rely on his company’s minimum stipend just to survive in the first half of the year, he was now considered "generous and wealthy." His salary for *The Heirs* was the standard rate for a newcomer—2 million won per episode. After the agency cut and taxes, he walked away with 15 million won, plus the Jeju Island cultural tourism voice-over fee, bringing his total net income to 18 million won.

Even though spending 4 million won all at once on a return gesture hurt a little, reciprocity was essential for maintaining professional connections.

Kang Jae-hoon leaned against the shade of the food truck, his fingers tapping rapidly on his phone screen:

【Support truck received, you shouldn't have. I’ve ordered a truck for your set, keep an eye out for it.】

The reply came back with surprising speed; she was clearly scrolling through her phone as well:

【Good luck with filming! (Minion winking emoji)】

Kang Jae-hoon had just tucked his phone back into his pocket when he pulled it out again not three seconds later: 【How is your vomiting scene practice going?】

【Yoona】: Shooting it tonight, a bit nervous T_T

【Jae-hoon】: Don't copy my sloppy method. Try finding the feeling of choking on a strawberry sundae.

【Yoona】: You want it to be elegant?

【Jae-hoon】: Exactly! Let the tears well up in your eyes three times before they fall, and remember to raise your pinky when covering your lips with the back of your hand.

Soon, he received a voice message. Im Yoona’s voice was filled with amusement:

"I just tried it like you said, and the director said it looks like a Disney princess being poisoned."

【Jae-hoon】: Then maybe try referencing how Jeon Ji-hyun sunbae spat out soju in *My Sassy Girl*?

Just then, the director called "Cut."

The crowd exploded instantly, swarming toward the food truck. Park Hyung-sik, who had run to the front, held two ice cream cones, squeezed over to Kang Jae-hoon, and handed him one.

"Hyung, when did you get so close to the SNSD visual?"

"We just worked on a voice-over project once."

"A support truck after just one time?"

Park Hyung-sik turned his head to look at Krystal Jung, who was standing under the umbrella with her arms crossed and a cold expression.

"Bona has known Yoona sunbae for ages and never got treatment like this..."