The final technique of Jeongsanbeom, according to my opinion, was definitively set to be in the form of a quadrupedal walking tiger.
Our team’s representative, Writer Ok, who commissioned this task, naturally wanted a tiger, as did I, who would personally portray this character. Not even the CG director could ignore our request no matter what.
Though reluctant to comply fully with our side’s request, it seemed the outcome was acceptable upon further reflection.
If we’re going to do this, we should do it properly.
Do we really need another tiger variant considering how many water-tiger hybrids already exist?
It’s necessary to create an issue, give some trouble, and if we’re lucky, even receive robust support from those elusive benefactors.
“Then, how exactly are we going to portray this?”
“The closer it is to an actual tiger, the easier it will be to work on. Though if possible, the most efficient method would be for you to act it out in person.”
“Like this?”
Then I was instructed on a few recommendations. They mentioned that the more realistically I acted, the quicker editing and modifications would be completed.
I didn’t fully grasp what they meant by ‘realistic.’ So, I demonstrated a few performances, walking on all fours and roaring aloud, much to the joy of the CG staff, who were applauding like seals.
It was said to be a soulful performance imbued with the spirit of a tiger.
Back in the days of roaming the Central Plains, I once mimicked the tiger king in a deep ravine who got wiped out by the Heavenly Demon. It seemed this impression stuck rather well.
If I’ve mastered portraying a tiger, I may now have the standing to demand stronger acting skills from the other guy.
As a senior actor, it is our responsibility to guide the newcomers.
I reaffirmed my resolve to somehow manage filming this roaring scene in front of the camera.
I also hoped the backup team would quickly join so proper filming could commence.
For two days, I reviewed the videos edited by Director Nam Hyun-a and those produced by the CG studio.
The flight from Korea has already departed, and tomorrow, the backup cast will arrive.
Around this time, a rather powerful bombshell had detonated in the South Korean film industry.
-The world-renowned master, Sun Juhong, joins the cast of ‘Revenge,’ a grand action film!
The news of Director Sun Juhong joining as director for the ‘Revenge’ movie, produced by D-Pictures, was out.
“Sun Juhong? No, why would that person…”
Director Sun Juhong, the one who tossed a notorious script called ‘Dark Spider’ to Moon Suyeon, tormenting me endlessly.
In my standards, Sun Juhong is nothing but a perverted director who only excels at filming lewd content, but in fact, she’s an internationally recognized master director.
She’s won awards not just at Cannes, but also Venice. One might say she’s a director who carries her own penalties while filming.
She’s the type that only shoots what she wants, which generally results in significant losses.
“This is really unreasonable.”
Sun Juhong joining ‘Revenge’ is truly an extraordinary event.
Would someone familiar with Sun Juhong not question how this person can direct a noir-style action epic?
Since Sun Juhong has never once made a film that wasn’t provocative.
The current controversy over this issue has its reasons.
“But the visuals are genuine. There must be a reason why her work, despite being limited in scope, is globally recognized.”
Anything she touches turns gold; hence it would be foolish to assume that Sun Juhong couldn’t direct a noir film.
She tends not to do things she’s unable to do, rather than what she doesn’t want to do.
Of all people, why Sun Juhong on a project that could be our direct rival?
It’s baffling why she would do this.
“This is odd. Director Sun Juhong?”
“Why?”
“She mentioned before she would never work with Jin Seo-hee.”
“Huh? Why? As a top actress, Jin Seo-hee is quite reputable.”
“She says she doesn’t get inspiration because Jin Seo-hee looks too cheap.”
“Ah, she does have a point.”
True to form, Sun Juhong’s criterion is unmistakably hers.
Though it’s not wrong, so there’s nothing more to say.
However, I can’t help but admire the scouting ability of D-Pictures for bringing Sun Juhong on board.
It’s intriguing to know what kind of conditions made Sun Juhong abandon her principles to direct this movie.
But D-Pictures isn’t perfect either.
-High-Finch acting idol, Tae-kyu, joins ‘Revenge’ abruptly.
Next after Sun Juhong, the unexpected addition of Tae-kyu was quite a surprise.
Hey, what’s up with these D-Pictures guys? Are they serious? Taking Tae-kyu?
The success or otherwise of ‘Restaurant Promo’ solidified Tae-kyu’s place among the elite acting idols.
The alien performance that matched Heavenly Yuah was none other than Tae-kyu’s.
But that’s the fans’ perception; Tae-kyu isn’t really an acting idol.
Someone from D-Pictures should know Tae-kyu’s true capabilities.
“Could it be revenge features aliens or robots?”
“Huh? I don’t think it’s that kind of content. It’s supposed to be a noir revenge story.”
“But it was marketed as a SF action blockbuster, wasn’t it? Robots could appear.”
“It’s not supposed to be that kind of SF. Perhaps there’s a different world concept?”
“…Then this really is odd.”
Could TS have been pushing drugs again?
No, they tend to refuse Tae-kyu’s acting career.
So, it’s possible an industry insider who appreciated Tae-kyu’s acting personally reached out…
“Tae-kyu seems to have lost touch with his limitations, so any proposal would be hard to reject. That makes sense…”
Would professionals at the level of D-Pictures recruit someone without proper vetting?
And this is the same D-Pictures who managed to bring in Sun Juhong.
It’s utterly incomprehensible.
“I think it would be good to dig into this. If handled well, there might be something for us to take advantage of.”
“That’s true. While we wouldn’t sabotage others’ projects ourselves, if they mess up on their own, we could fuel it somewhat. We need to keep an eye on the situation.”
Since Heavenly Yuah had worried about going head to head with ‘Revenge’ from the start, she was quite serious about monitoring their movements.
So, we should be able to figure out what’s happening fairly quickly.
Since we have no definitive information yet, it would be wise to reconsider once we see results.
Just thinking about Sun Juhong is giving me a headache.
The backup team arrived on location.
And leading them all was Moon Suyeon, who had wrapped up all her event commitments.
“Siwoo, did you hear? Director Sun has joined ‘Revenge.’”
“Ah, that one? I heard about it too.”
“Director Sun is sharpening her sword. She’s determined to work with me next.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Her reason for getting involved this time is to further elevate her reputation; she insists she’d only do this film if it features you. And she’s said she plans to create a film where you’ll inevitably come knocking at her door. Seems like I might be her new muse.”
Upon reuniting with the backup team, Moon Suyeon immediately started recounting tales about Director Sun Juhong.
From what I gathered, the ‘Dark Spider’ script Director Sun gave to Moon Suyeon was like some ultimate weapon that encapsulated her artistic soul.
According to her, no one else but Moon Suyeon can handle that script. However, since Moon Suyeon kept rejecting due to her stance of not participating unless “I,” Siwoo, was involved, Director Sun was allegedly quite frustrated.
Thus, Sun Juhong decided to showcase her greatness through joining ‘Revenge.’
She intends to make it a grand success and then approach me confidently.
It seems she’s personally contacted Moon Suyeon, who has become her muse, explaining the situation.
“Anyway, even if…”
No matter how amazing the project, I won’t be doing ‘Dark Spider.'”
“Then, what’s a muse?”
“Ah, that?”
It seems Director Sun has viewed Moon Suyeon as her muse since long ago. She had her eye on her even during the latter’s singing career, but Moon Enter strictly cut all acting-related activities.
“She’s the one encompassing all facets—withered, seductive, and also pure, like a being of a thousand faces.”
“…It’s not an incorrect statement.”
So Director Sun had her sights on Moon Suyeon from the Luna era. She had held off due to the lack of acting activities, but just in time, the Gold Rush and Chosun reignited Moon’s acting career. Director Sun wasted no time throwing the ‘Dark Spider’ script her way.
Ultimately, all these events were the butterfly effect of my involvement.
Had I not appeared, Moon Suyeon might not have resumed her acting career, meaning ‘Dark Spider’ wouldn’t have surfaced either, nor would Sun Juhong have been involved in a noir like ‘Revenge.’
Still, somewhat bafflingly, ‘Dark Spider’ is claimed to be the ultimate work consolidating Sun Juhong’s inspirations.
What a decayed pool her inspirations must be.
Though artists often operate with loose screws, Sun Juhong seems to overstep the boundaries by a lot. Her ambition to leverage ‘Revenge’ to boost her reputation and then approach me is unsettling.
This was someone I certainly didn’t want to deal with moving forward.
“Hello, teacher.”
“Heh, it’s good to finally meet. I’ve been curious about you for a long time.”
“It’s an honor, teacher.”
Despite bringing rather unwelcome news, Moon Suyeon briefly stepped aside as we greeted the boss of our project, Teacher Seo Jin-seob.
Teacher Seo Jin-seob, who has been actively involved in stellar performances for decades, is an ideal that many young actors aspire to.
I maintained a proper and respectful attitude because respect was certainly owed to him.
“I’ve been curious about the elder who plays Mr. Yun. I was surprised when I found out it was you. I thought we had found an excellent person, but then realized it was a young one. I was truly taken aback.”
“Ah, I see, thank you for your kind words.”
Teacher Seo Jin-seob was rather friendly toward me.
He couldn’t imagine the young man playing Mr. Yun was someone like me and praised my portrayal of Elder Yoon. Many production staff had complimented me for my portrayal, but since this was coming from Teacher Seo Jin-seob, it felt different.
He’s notoriously stingy about giving compliments regarding acting.
It was a pleasant feeling.
“Teacher, I look forward to our collaboration.”
“It’s the other way around, I look forward to working with our leading actor.”
Our lead antagonist, Elder Teacher Kang Du-cheon, is this time performing as a character other than an antagonist.
Code: 6. The Scoundrel.
Teacher Kang Du-cheon, whose appearance would make gangster bosses blink in awe, plays the role of a florist.
It’s quite surprising how his actual hobby aligns with this role perfectly—a surprising degree of synchronization indeed.
The Scoundrel also features together in many scenes with Code: 4, the vampire (Seo Jin-seob).
These two constitute a really robust supporting cast, and tomorrow’s filming with them is something I’m quite looking forward to.
