A few days later.
“So this is the atmosphere.”
Arriving early at the filming site and finishing his makeup, Taeha looked around at the scenery.
The set, still in the midst of getting ready for the shoot, was buzzing with staff rushing about, handling their jobs with barely a moment to spare.
It was a familiar yet strangely unfamiliar scene.
There was a clear reason for that sense of unfamiliarity.
It was none other than the fact that this was not a drama set, but a movie set.
Now that he thought about it, this was his first time at a movie set.
Ever since his days as a writer, up until just recently, he’d been involved only in the drama industry, so it was a natural feeling.
As Taeha was observing the surroundings for a while, he sensed someone approaching from behind.
Turning around, he saw Jeong Myeong-hwan, the director of .
“Hey, Taeha! You’re already here? That’s just like you! The makeup turned out just like I imagined too!”
This was Taeha’s first time meeting Jeong Myeong-hwan while working on a project, and he struck Taeha as a lively and honest person, someone who fit the action genre perfectly.
Taeha couldn’t help but think, ‘It must be fun to work with someone like this.’
In fact, almost all of the staff working with Jeong Myeong-hwan had been with him since their debut days.
That was why most of the actors appearing in his films were also recurring collaborators.
It was the first time, like with , that both lead actors were meeting Jeong Myeong-hwan for the first time.
Of course, it was only the two main leads who were new; nearly all the other actors had experience working with Jeong Myeong-hwan.
“Hey, you blockhead! Your face looks good today?”
“What do you mean good? They put a bunch of scars on my face with the makeup.”
“That’s what’s good. You look even worse without makeup.”
Even while talking with Taeha, whenever someone passed by, this kind of joke was thrown around—that was proof enough of their camaraderie.
Their voices were so loud and the atmosphere so boisterous that Taeha, just watching from the side, felt his head spin.
Still, Taeha didn’t think poorly of Jeong Myeong-hwan’s way of leading the set.
On the contrary, he was reassured.
Because—
‘It’s a relief that Jeong Myeong-hwan seems to be in a good mood. I was worried there might be an issue since Min-gi left.’
That was the reason for his thoughts.
It was certainly a situation anyone would worry about.
Seon Min-gi, who had prepared for the filming of by attending Action School, suddenly left for Hollywood, and Lee Seok-hyun had joined the project on very short notice.
In reality, Lee Seok-hyun had only a month to prepare for filming.
Considering the unique demands of , which required advanced stunts, that was an extremely short period.
He even had to conduct deep character research at Action School, a step deeper than in Jeong Myeong-hwan’s previous projects.
Yet despite the short month of preparation, Lee Seok-hyun proved why he was considered a top-tier actor.
That was why Jeong Myeong-hwan’s mood wasn’t sour.
‘I was a little worried because Kyung Juncheol’s physical test didn’t go perfectly, but he adapted so quickly.’
Unlike with Taeha, Kyung Juncheol wasn’t making a fuss to take him as his disciple.
But still, Lee Seok-hyun picked up the stunts quickly.
Turns out, for a previous project, he’d already learned some stunts from one of Kyung Juncheol’s students.
Having mastered Kyung Juncheol’s stunt training in no time, Lee Seok-hyun was also flawless during the pre-shoot script reading.
He embodied the role of ‘Soldier,’ one of the main characters of , to perfection.
His interpretation was similar to Seon Min-gi’s, yet carried a different feeling.
In some ways, it even felt like this interpretation fit the character better.
So, the anxiety among the staff and cast caused by Seon Min-gi’s sudden departure completely disappeared.
But the only thing Taeha still worried about was Jeong Myeong-hwan’s mood.
Because even if Seon Min-gi’s absence was covered well, the mere fact that a gap occurred could have hurt Jeong Myeong-hwan’s pride.
Fortunately, Taeha saw no trace of such sentiment in Jeong Myeong-hwan.
“Well, Taeha, let’s do our best today! You know what they say—if you start well, you’re halfway there!”
The fact that Jeong Myeong-hwan offered such an enthusiastic bit of advice was proof enough.
Yet, a little later, Taeha couldn’t help but have this thought.
‘Is this… really okay?’
***
At first, things went well.
The filming progressed exactly as planned.
Especially, Taeha and Lee Seok-hyun’s performances were incredible.
First of all, Lee Seok-hyun was Soldier, straight out of the script.
Taeha, too, displayed acting skills on par with Lee Seok-hyun.
At times, Taeha’s portrayal of Ian even outshone Soldier.
It was as if they were competing, both demonstrating remarkable acting skills.
The most surprising thing happened in the first scene they shot together.
The two actors, whose personalities and roles seemed as incompatible as water and oil, created perfect harmony.
As soon as the shoot ended, there were exclamations of admiration all around.
It was clear just how well the two were doing.
Satisfied, Taeha removed the thick sunglasses he’d used for his blind character and smiled.
His whole body was hot—proof that his immersion was at its peak.
‘The feeling is good today. My chemistry with Lee Seok-hyun isn’t bad. If we pull off the action scenes too, this will work out.’
Lee Seok-hyun’s expression was bright as well.
As soon as Jeong Myeong-hwan gave the OK sign, he hooked his arm around Taeha’s neck and spoke excitedly.
“Hey. What’s your deal? Why are you so good? Are you sure your real English name isn’t Ian?”
“Then what about you? Is your actual job not acting, but being a soldier? Did you settle down in the army or something?”
“Yeah. I was a pro at sticking around since I was a kid.”
“Ah, lame.”
“Was that a bad joke?”
“Yeah. Like you, hyung.”
“What? Hah, I’ll accept that.”
Taeha and Lee Seok-hyun had become close very quickly.
Of course, seeing each other every day at Action School helped, but it was also because they always had lunch together afterward.
Sometimes, they even had bets over lunch.
At times, it felt more like playing games than being on a Real Variety show.
But this too was part of Lee Seok-hyun’s plan to build chemistry with Taeha as quickly as possible.
With Seon Min-gi, who’d worked with him before, there had never been a need to worry about this.
But in Two Top projects, the chemistry between the two leads was most important.
Depending on that, the project’s fun and dimensionality would be affected.
Taeha knew this, so he spent time with Lee Seok-hyun without any excuses.
“Of course, just the fact that I get to work with Lee Seok-hyun again makes me happy.”
That was true.
Back in the days with Hojun, Taeha and Lee Seok-hyun got along incredibly well.
At that time, Lee Seok-hyun used to call him hyung, hyung, and followed him everywhere.
It was another testament to just how good Lee Seok-hyun’s personality was.
Even back then, Lee Seok-hyun was a top actor, and Taeha was nothing but a rookie writer.
Once, Taeha even brought this up with him.
Back then, Lee Seok-hyun replied like this.
[What does that matter? Just because someone’s famous doesn’t mean they’re better. Besides, in a little while, hyung, you’ll be more famous than me. You can’t forget me later, all right? Even if it’s just a minor role, you have to give me a part, okay?]
It was just like Lee Seok-hyun to answer playfully.
But there wasn’t a hint of pretense in his reply.
That’s why Taeha still liked Lee Seok-hyun to this day.
In fact, Lee Seok-hyun hadn’t changed a bit from the person Taeha knew.
The fact that they could get along so comfortably now was proof enough.
With the superb skills and chemistry of Taeha and Lee Seok-hyun, the set grew more and more heated.
The atmosphere only shifted when they started filming the action scenes in earnest.
***
“Cut. About that line in the last scene. I think it might get in the way of the action choreography. How about we cut it?”
Jeong Myeong-hwan suggested trimming some dialogue for the sake of the action direction.
At first, it was just a suggestion.
But as time passed, Jeong Myeong-hwan stopped offering it as advice and simply stated it as fact.
“No, this is too much. Let’s just cut it. Get rid of it.”
As the action scenes continued, more and more lines disappeared.
It wasn’t just the lines.
There were even scenes, ones without dialogue but critical for revealing the character’s inner motives, that were scrapped altogether.
The reason was simple.
“I just thought of something. In that scene, how about Soldier knocks away Ian’s cane with just his elbow, grabs him roughly by the collar, and says this line?”
“How exactly?”
“You—are you really blind? Doesn’t seem like it.”
“And then he retreats, all cocky, but Soldier’s elbow is actually cracked.”
“So, about the emotional scene we have to shoot later—let’s just delete it. No matter how important the story is, we’re making an action movie. The action scenes have to shine.”
It was clear that Jeong Myeong-hwan believed action scenes were more important than emotional scenes.
But it didn’t mean Jeong Myeong-hwan’s approach was strange.
When it came to action, he was truly a master.
It felt like he knew exactly how to shoot action scenes to make them dynamic and dramatic, so the audience would be awed.
He especially had tons of ideas for action scene composition and choreography, and all of them were excellent.
Even Taeha and Lee Seok-hyun thought it would be a shame to let go of any of them.
Because of that, scenes changed frequently on set.
When it came to action, he put more effort and shot more scenes than even Art Ik.
However—
‘This is what’s holding Jeong Myeong-hwan back.’
That’s what Taeha thought.
In reality, because of the action scenes, the whole filming schedule was being delayed, and crucial scenes that developed the story were being gradually cut.
At this rate, would end up like many of Jeong Myeong-hwan’s previous films—praised for its great action, but criticized for a weak story.
If Sim Yeong-seon, the co-writer known for crafting the scenario’s story, could control Jeong Myeong-hwan, that’d be nice, but the chances were slim.
Taeha had heard that Sim Yeong-seon was just a rookie writer.
In other words, the authority to revise the script was completely in Jeong Myeong-hwan’s hands.
‘It’s certain. Otherwise, things wouldn’t be going like this. In the end, do I have no choice but to step up?’
Just as Taeha collected his thoughts and was about to speak to Jeong Myeong-hwan,
Someone beat Taeha to it.
“Director. I don’t think this is right.”
It was none other than Lee Seok-hyun.
As soon as Lee Seok-hyun spoke up, a cold silence fell over the set.
And in the midst of that silence, Lee Seok-hyun’s gaze turned to Taeha.
What was surprising was that Taeha could feel a clear thought in Lee Seok-hyun’s gaze.
‘This is what you wanted, right?’
And this was…
‘That’s a relief. Just as Lee Seok-hyun thought, he stepped up.’
It was exactly as Taeha had intended.