Tokyo: My Best Actor Gear List

Chapter 137 The Shared Highlights of the Marathon

Chapter 137 The Shared Highlights of the Marathon (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Late April, Tokyo.

The cherry blossom season is coming to an end. Pink and white petals are piled up in the roadside drains, and after being wet by the rain, they stick to the black asphalt road.

For the crew of "Under One Roof", today is a decisive day.

Episode 11 of the script.

In the overall plan of the series, this is the climax of emotional outburst and the ultimate weapon in the battle for ratings.

The plot is very simple, even somewhat "old-fashioned":

The younger brother, Wenye, who is in a wheelchair, has given up on himself because of his disability and feels that he is a burden to his family.

To give his younger brother courage and to prove that "nothing is impossible if you don't give up," the older brother, Da-ya, decides to participate in the citizens' marathon.

Even if he ruptures his Achilles tendon halfway through the race, even if he loses all feeling in his legs, he will still drag his crippled legs and crawl step by step to the finish line.

This kind of storyline, full of Showa-era passion and even a bit of irrationality, can easily become an awkward display of self-indulgence if not acted well.

But if performed well, it's a nuclear-level tear gas bomb capable of draining all the tears from the Japanese audience.

On the open ground outside the National Stadium.

At 10 p.m., the staff were all busy, but Yosuke Eguchi paced back and forth by the vending machine in the corner. He was wearing a vest soaked with sweat, his brows furrowed, and he would occasionally exhale a smoke ring in frustration.

"Aren't you going back yet?"

A calm voice interrupted his anxiety.

Yosuke Eguchi turned around. Nobu Kitahara was standing under a streetlamp not far from him, holding two cans of iced coffee.

"Ah—it's you."

Yosuke Eguchi gave a wry smile, and without any ceremony, took the coffee from Shin Kitahara. "Thanks. I was just looking for someone to confide in, and here you are."

"What's wrong?"

Kitahara Shin pulled the tab. "Worried about tomorrow's filming?"

"Nonsense. This is a nuclear bomb before the finale. If it doesn't explode, all my work over the past few months will have been for nothing."

Yosuke Eguchi leaned against the railing, sighed, and made no attempt to put on airs in front of the newcomer, pouring out his heart: "To be honest, the pressure is immense. You know, ever since 'Tokyo Love Story,' the media has been watching me, saying I can only play those playboy types. This time, I finally managed to transform into a passionate older brother, and if I mess up this scene, I guess I'll only be able to play scumbags again."

He turned to look at Kitahara Shin, a hint of envy in his eyes, like that of an old friend: "Speaking of which, how come you never panic? I noticed it back on the set of 'Tokyo Love Story.' No matter how big the scene, your face always said, 'It's nothing,' like a robot."

Kitahara Shin pushed up his non-optical glasses.

"To be honest, I wasn't panicked at all."

"Huh? You really are a monster."

"Not a monster."

Kitahara Shin glanced at the busy set crew in the distance, his tone flat, "I just think that now that we've established the character of 'Kashiwagi Tatsuya,' this goofy big brother, all we need to do is follow his logic."

"You don't need to think about how to play a hero, and you don't need to think about the ratings."

Kitahara Shin patted Eguchi on the shoulder, "Just bring out that silly energy you usually have when you see your younger siblings being wronged."

Yosuke Eguchi stood there, stunned.

After several seconds, he suddenly took a deep breath and then slapped Kitahara Shin hard on the back, so hard that Kitahara Shin almost spilled the coffee in his hand.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Yosuke Eguchi let out his signature hearty laugh, "Well done, kid. Now you've learned to lecture your seniors! No wonder you brought Kanji to life back then."

He looked at Kitahara Shin, his eyes showing more sincerity: "Thanks, brother. After hearing what you said, I feel much more at ease."

"Oh, right."

Eguchi pointed to the rest area not far away. "You've been helping that Ishida refine his lines a lot lately, haven't you? I think that rebellious brat's eyes are practically sparkling when he looks at you now. Only you can keep him in check."

"I didn't help."

Kitahara Shin precisely tossed the empty can into the trash can, "Just so my acting can be more seamless. — Go to sleep early, tomorrow's going to be physically demanding, I don't want to carry a weakling across the finish line."

"Get lost! I'm still got plenty of energy!"

Watching the white figure disappear into the night, Yosuke Eguchi clenched his fist, his eyes hardening once more.

4 PM, National Stadium.

The setting sun dyed the entire track a blood red.

To create that realistic and suffocating atmosphere, director Nakae Kore mobilized a full three hundred extras to completely surround the finish line.

-

"All departments, prepare!"

The clapperboard made a crisp sound.

Kitahara Shin, wearing a spotless white lab coat, stood at the very front of the finish line.

His hands were in his pockets, his silver-rimmed glasses reflecting a cold light in the setting sun. With a slight thought, [God's Left Hand] was loaded, and that familiar chill of the operating room instantly enveloped him.

But his attention was entirely focused on the other end of the track.

There, a red figure is crawling.

Yosuke Eguchi was not acting.

For this scene, he actually ran a dirt track around the arena before filming began. To simulate the pain of a ruptured Achilles tendon, he put two sharp pebbles in his right shoe.

At that moment, every step he took was excruciatingly painful.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

The heavy, labored breathing, like a broken bellows, didn't need any recording equipment to embellish it; it went straight into the eardrums of everyone present.

He was soaked to the bone, his hair plastered to his face, and his once bright red T-shirt had turned dark red, covered in mud and sweat.

"Fumiya!!"

He roared, his voice hoarse and broken, like a dying beast stumbling and rushing toward the finish line.

"Big brother!!"

Koji Yamamoto (who plays Fumiya), sitting in a wheelchair, cried out, a genuine reaction to being shocked.

There were three hundred extras on set, many of whom forgot they were filming a movie. Looking at the man with a face contorted in pain, tears streamed down their faces uncontrollably.

"Keep it up!"

"Stand up!!"

This atmosphere cannot be acted out. It is a direct bombardment of human emotions by primal life force.

"Bang!"

Five meters from the finish line.

Yosuke Eguchi fell heavily to the ground.

His legs were completely immobile. The pebbles in his shoes had worn through the soles of his feet, and the excruciating pain in his Achilles tendon made his vision blur.

But he kept climbing.

Using his elbows to grip the rough asphalt surface, he moved forward little by little, like a worm.

"For the sake of—Wenya—"

He mumbled incoherently as he dug his fingers into the cracks in the ground.

Just then.

Kitahara Shin, who had been standing like an ice sculpture, moved.

The hem of the white coat drew a clean arc in the setting sun.

He strode onto the track, and under everyone's gaze, just as Yosuke Eguchi was about to land face-first on the ground again, he knelt down on one knee and caught him.

"——Masaya?"

Yosuke Eguchi was covered in sweat and struggled to open his eyes, which were blurred by the sweat.

In my line of sight was a clean, indifferent face, with an air of haughty scrutiny.

Kitahara Shin remained silent.

He extended his left hand, a "hand of God" wearing an invisible glove, and pressed it precisely and powerfully onto Yosuke Eguchi's calf.

[Spiritual Touch Nerve] Feedback: Extreme muscle spasm, open wound on the sole of the foot, and severe inflammation in the Achilles tendon.

This is not an act.

This guy really hurt himself.

An unnamed anger suddenly surged up from Kitahara Shin's chest.

"Are you an idiot?"

Kitahara Shin spoke.

The voice wasn't loud, there was no shouting, but it still had that metallic coldness unique to elite doctors: "Achilles tendon rupture, severe muscle strain, soft tissue contusion of the foot."

He looked at Yosuke Eguchi, his eyes devoid of emotion, only filled with the rage of someone looking at a madman: "For this kind of self-indulgent perseverance, for the sake of being a so-called role model, you're willing to let yourself become a useless person for the rest of your life? Is this the price of your so-called 'family'? Is your brain filled with mush?!"

He was swearing.

Every word is piercing to the heart.

But his hands, with an extremely professional and gentle repositioning technique, carefully supported the injured leg, avoiding all the pain points.

Yosuke Eguchi looked at him.

Listening to that familiar sharp tongue, and looking at that still cold face.

He suddenly grinned.

His smile stirred the dirt off his face, revealing a set of white teeth that looked incredibly silly.

"It's worth it!"

Eguchi stretched out his dirty hand and grabbed Kitahara Shin's pristine white collar, leaving mud stains on it: "Because—the older brother has to set an example for the younger brother. As long as he can stand up again—even if this leg of mine is crippled—it's worth it."

'

Kitahara Shin looked at the hand gripping his collar.

Looking into those eyes, which were still frighteningly bright even though they were trembling with pain.

Right in the center of this close-up shot.

Kitahara Shin's expression remained unchanged. He still pushed up his glasses, his brows furrowed, seemingly pondering how to get rid of this idiot.

But in that very second...

Without any warning.

A single tear.

It slipped silently down the bottom edge of the silver-rimmed glasses.

There was no sobbing, no breakdown in expression.

That tear was like the first drop of water melting on an iceberg, landing heavily on Yosuke Eguchi's muddy hand with a "plop".

Scalding hot.

This moment speaks louder than a thousand words.

That hard mask of "elite and rationality," which had been maintained for 11 episodes, was shattered by this single tear.

The air at the scene seemed to freeze.

Director Nakae Isao, sitting behind the monitor, even forgot to breathe. He stared intently at the single tear on the screen, goosebumps rising all over his body.

"Shut up, you idiot."

Kitahara Shin's voice was very soft, with a barely perceptible nasal tone.

He raised his hand and casually rubbed the corner of his eye with the back of his hand, the movement so quick it looked like he was wiping sweat.

"If you're going to run, don't crawl across the finish line like a dog."

He reached out, no longer bothered by the dirty sweat, and forcefully lifted Yosuke Eguchi's arm, pressing all his weight onto his expensive white coat.

"Stand up."

Kitahara Shin supported him, step by step, resolutely walking towards the finish line: "—I'm supporting you."

At sunset.

The mud-covered red and the spotless white stood side by side.

That was a fusion of ice and fire.

That was reason surrendering to emotion.

That was the true reunion in the sense of "Under One Roof".

The two supported each other as they crossed the finish line.

"Okay! Cut—!!!"

Only after the two collapsed onto the soft cushions did Nakajima Kou seem to wake up from a dream, and he shouted out this cry with all his might.

But there was no cheering at the scene.

Everyone—from the lead actor Issei Ishida to the most peripheral extras—watched the two men in silence.

That's amazing.

Yosuke Eguchi's burning passion for life and Shin Kitahara's final, silent tear formed a perfect complement to each other.

"Whoa—!!!"

Five full seconds passed before thunderous applause erupted like a tsunami.

"marvelous!!"

"Waaaaah—Masaya finally cried!"

Standing on the sidelines, Issei Ishida had even forgotten to chew his gum. He looked at Shin Kitahara with disbelief in his eyes.

"Is this what they mean by 'silence speaks louder than words'?"

He muttered to himself.

As a young man who always boasted that his acting skills had to be explosive, he realized for the first time that a true explosion could be so quiet, yet so deafening.

On the cushion.

Kitahara Shin took off his glasses and let out a long sigh.

"Hey, Kitahara."

Yosuke Eguchi lay sprawled on the floor beside him, panting heavily, a look of utter elation on his face. He laboriously raised his hand and extended it to Shin Kitahara: "That tear just now—was it genuine?"

Kitahara Shin turned his head to look at the dirty hand that was reaching out.

He didn't push it away as usual, nor did he argue.

He reached out and slapped Yosuke Eguchi's hand together heavily.

"Snapped!"

A crisp clapping sound.

The two looked at each other and laughed at the same time.

"Who knows?"

Kitahara Shin put his glasses back on, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Probably some sand got in my eyes."

This scene was captured in its entirety by the behind-the-scenes photographers on the sidelines.

Two men, covered in mud and sweat, high-five and gaze at each other in the setting sun.

This is not just about the characters reconciling, but also about the unreserved trust and tacit understanding between the two actors.

With the conclusion of this key scene, filming for "Under One Roof" has officially come to an end.

A few days later, filming wrapped up.

Kitahara Shin had just stepped out of the studio and hadn't even had time to change out of his costume when Ota ran over with a mobile phone.

"Kitahara! Akina-san is calling."

Da Tian handed over the mobile phone with a smile, "It seems that filming for 'The Whole Face' also just wrapped up today."

Kitahara Shin answered the phone.

"Moses, Moses?"

"Hey! It's me!"

On the other end of the phone came Akina Nakamori's slightly noisy but undeniably excited voice, and in the background, you could almost hear Narumi Yasuda and the others popping champagne: "We've wrapped up filming here! Everyone says they want to meet you, their mysterious ex-boyfriend! Do you want to come over? We've booked a fantastic yakiniku restaurant tonight!"

Kitahara Shin glanced at the "Under One Roof" crew behind him, who were cheering and celebrating.

Yosuke Eguchi was pouring beer down people's throats with a bottle, Issei Ishida was fighting with Emi Wakui for the microphone, and director Isao Nakae was already flushed from drinking.

"I'm sorry."

Kitahara Shin smiled, his tone gentle but firm: "I also have a victory celebration here. As the second eldest brother of the Kashiwagi family, I can't be absent at this time."

"Besides, I'm actually just a supporting character over there; you're more important."

"ah----"

Akina's voice dropped eight octaves instantly, sounding somewhat disappointed, "What?! We saved the best beef for you here, you know?"

"Please say hello to everyone for me."

Kitahara Shin remained unmoved, saying, "Let's get together again next time."

"snort!"

Akina gave a soft hum on the other end of the line, "Fine, don't come then."

"Beep, beep, beep."

The call was disconnected.

Kitahara Shin looked at the mobile phone in his hand, shook his head helplessly, but a hint of doting smile appeared on his lips.

He turned around and looked at the noisy crew behind him, who really seemed like a family.

Yosuke Eguchi, already holding his glass, shouted at him, "Masaya! Come here! One last drink! We're not leaving until we're drunk!"

"They're here."

Kitahara Shin put away his phone and walked towards the noisy area.

Tonight belongs to the Kashiwagi family.