The tense atmosphere in the car, as if sitting on a bed of thorns, continued all the way until we arrived in Taebaek.
Who would’ve thought such a desolate mood could be created without a single word, only through glances?
What on earth is going on here?
“Goodness, I thought someone was going to faint.”
As soon as we arrived in Taebaek, I jumped out of the car and bolted towards the filming location.
I figured lingering around unnecessarily would probably end badly.
Moon Suyeon may be a bit strange, but I never imagined that even Coordinator Joo Seo-jin would act this way.
Our Coordinator Joo is normally so quiet, only taking care of her own tasks.
” Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on.”
Some might think that in the actor-coordinator relationship, where the actor is clearly in the superior position, what’s all the fuss about?
But it’s not that simple.
Because our Coordinator Joo is actually Representative Joo’s daughter.
A fact most of the company already knew, since there’s no particular effort to hide it.
Although Flame is a company where Heavenly Yuah’s influence outweighs Representative Joo’s…
Still, Coordinator Joo is ultimately Heavenly Yuah’s person.
So insignificant actors like me should tread carefully.
Especially when normally composed Coordinator Joo suddenly starts showing her thorns for reasons we can’t even begin to guess.
I’m not sure what’s going on exactly, but until I find out, it might be best to avoid having Moon Suyeon ride in our van.
From now on, I should probably just send her off to Heavenly Yuah’s van.
“Wow, they said it was finished quickly, but it’s still impressive.”
“Of course, it’s a set built specifically for our drama. It’s perfectly prepared for CGI work, so we should be quite comfortable here.”
“You’ll probably enjoy it, being so comfortable.”
“You’ll enjoy it too, being so uncomfortable. I’ll just sit aside, pop some corn, and see if our fool has what it takes to be a top star.”
“Thanks a lot.”
As I was casually looking around the set to calm my mind, that pretty fool (Nam Hyun-ho) had already attached himself to me.
He must’ve come down to check the set as well.
Considering it’s a day he doesn’t even have any shooting scheduled, it’s strange that he’s come all the way here personally.
He could’ve looked quite reliable if it weren’t for those weird remarks he attaches at the back.
Could it be… Is this guy here to watch me squirm after becoming a lackey to Heavenly Yuah?
I feel sorry for his manager standing behind, looking exhausted, having been dragged all the way here for no good reason on a day without filming.
“Come on, we have a lot to shoot today. Let’s hurry.”
Time is money on a filming set.
When the preparation is done, immediately diving into shooting is the golden rule of this industry.
Even though we’ve just arrived in Taebaek, there’s no avoiding the shooting.
Director Bang, who’s quite serious about shortening the shooting period, starts urging the shooting as soon as the actors are ready.
“Do you know that this scene requires strong emotional acting? I trust your interpretations and we’ll go with it.”
The first scene to be filmed here is right after Wolhee’s death.
It’s a scene where Violet consoles Lee Myung, who is standing dazedly in front of her grave.
Well, just reading the lines, I wonder if this really qualifies as consoling, but since both Yang Yuli and Heavenly Yuah agree that this constitutes comfort, their word is final.
Honestly, I’m curious to see how Heavenly Yuah will perform this scene.
“Good! Let’s go!”
In front of a shabby mound stands a dilapidated tombstone.
Engraved by Lee Myung’s own hand is the only tribute to the occupant of this grave.
[She wished to be the woman of a man,
Rather than the hero of a nation, Kayue.
She now rests here.]
And Lee Myung, who made this grave for her, sits despondently caressing the tombstone.
Violet, who must hurry, understands his pain yet fails to understand it at the same time.
Because this isn’t how Violet mourns.
– Ming, are you going to continue like this? The exploration team is waiting for you to descend.
– I don’t know.
-Dammit. So, you’re going to abandon this gold mine?
Lee Myung still gazes blankly at the grave.
Exhaling in frustration, Violet sits beside him.
– Ming, my family was quite prosperous.
– Was it?
– Before Mom was kidnapped by bandits.
– And the next year, Dad was taken too. Life is a real mess, isn’t it?
– …That’s unfortunate.
Complaining that one can’t even find the bodies when taken by bandits, Violet continues her tales to Ming.
Ming simply listens vacantly to her complaints.
– I didn’t know who or where they were. There was nothing I could do. The hatred burned fiercely, but without knowing who to take revenge on, what could I do? I don’t know who took them, where they went, or even where they died.
– But you’re different, aren’t you? You know who did such despicable things, right?
– So here you are, slouched like this? What kind of act is this?
– In this country, they toast to honor the dead.
– That f*ing a, you should smash their heads and soothe your late companion’s soul that way.
As these words sank in, focus returned to Ming’s hollow eyes.
When Violet mentioned soothing her soul.
– Comfort? Yes, comfort. How lonely it must be down there in that cold earth. She dreaded loneliness more than anything.
– Let’s send her plenty of friends so she’ll never be lonely at the Lord’s side.
Even now, Ming still doesn’t understand why she had to die.
Why Japan wants to seize the Yunsan gold mine.
And why she couldn’t confess that fact to him.
But one thing is certain.
There are many who deserve to pay blood money for this.
As Violet said, it seems we should send as many companions as possible for her solitary journey to the afterlife.
– But how did you console your parents’ spirits if you didn’t know your enemy?
– Oh, that’s easy.
Violet, her eyes brimming with killing intent, grinned sardonically as she tapped her case behind her twice.
– Kill them all. Send the entire bandit gang to the Lord. One of them has to be the right one, right?
“OK. That was excellent.”
Director Bang, who gave the cut sign, exclaims in awe while checking the footage.
“Wow, this is really…”
And an exclamation escapes my own lips.
Of course, it’s a completely different kind of exclamation from Director Bang’s.
“…Damn, that’s intense.”
The scene itself is nothing out of the ordinary.
It’s a straightforward setup of two people talking by the grave.
The problem is this woman’s emotional fluctuations are excessively tough.
The fleeting happiness of her old memories turns into anger instantly, only to subside into a sense of futility when reminded that revenge against an unknown enemy is impossible.
While looking down on Ming’s pitiable behavior, she genuinely envies him for having the opportunity for righteous revenge.
Even without extreme changes in expression, the transmission is so vivid through dialogue and atmosphere alone.
“Moreover, the final scene…”
The unrestrained killer aura especially when she speaks of sending hundreds of bandits to the Lord’s side is overwhelming.
If that scene were shot in a close-up, it would truly give you goosebumps?
Director Bang isn’t talentless, so it’s certain this scene will be captured in a close-up.
“This is truly Heavenly Yuah.”
Her ability to own a scene is artistic.
Despite expecting some level of excellence due to Nam Hyun-ho’s previous fuss, this is still a remarkable level.
“How was it?”
“Very good.”
“Is that so?”
As I check the filming scene alongside Heavenly Yuah and Director Bang,
I couldn’t help but conclude that this part needs re-shooting.
The emotion of Lee Myung should follow a flow of deep futility from start to finish, with his anger and passion awakening in the final moment.
However, he seemed swayed by Violet’s emotional turbulence in the middle.
While this approach could work depending on the direction, it’s not what I envisioned for Lee Myung.
“So, we’re doing it again?”
“Yes, let’s try one more time.”
That way, for the first time during filming, I requested retrials for an entire scene twice.
“Damn, Yuah is literally cheating.”
After today’s filming, all I can think is that Heavenly Yuah cheats.
No, to be more accurate, the Violet she portrays cheats.
Essentially claiming with her entire being that she’s the true madwoman of this realm, Violet stands in stark contrast to the usual Heavenly Yuah – perhaps even opposite. The unfiltered explosive emotion of Violet and the calm aloofness of Heavenly Yuah.
Therefore, the incredible synchronization between Violet and Heavenly Yuah can be credited to her acting ability.
However, this Violet character has an overwhelming presence.
Heavenly Yuah herself already captivates everyone with suction-like charisma, but a blond, blue-eyed character in a Joseon period setting is just absurdly overpowered in a steampunk context.
Add to that the violet shirt, excessive hot pants, and even a Gatling gun, and it’s not overstating to say Violet is like a splash of yellow paint on a monochrome ink painting.
Just standing there, she emanates intense presence.
Add Heavenly Yuah’s inherent charisma and acting prowess…
“Every scene is dominated by her.”
Certainly, Lee Myung is also a unique character, but if the latter half of the series doesn’t feel like a solo performance by Heavenly Yuah, we need to up our game from this point on.
That’s why we repeated retakes on the scene filmed earlier.
I thought I could match in terms of presence if I concentrated, but this…
“Huh, I thought that was the best we could do, but apparently, it works?”
As repeating the retakes produced even better scenes, Director Bang’s eyes grew round.
Realizing that our initial take wasn’t the best after all.
Reaffirming the simple truth that pushing the actors produces better scenes.
“Of course, repeating takes for better scenes is extremely normal, but…”
One thing is certain: filming will be significantly more tiring from now on.
I have my pride, so there’s no way I can just let it slide easily.
Though it seems like we’re bound to produce a better drama, I’m unsure if this is truly the right approach.
“Wooh, you fool… You’re actually pretty good. This senior sincerely applauds you.”
Seeing that damn fool laughing joyfully beside me, enjoying the situation, is extremely annoying.
However, I still hadn’t realized that the fatigue from filming would pale in comparison to what awaited.
