Chapter 158

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.”

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.”