To put it simply,
the sword Kim Donghu was wielding wasn’t a perfectly refined weapon.
It had been sharpened a bit to emphasize its sharpness when captured on camera.
But honestly, it was just a dull blade that had been made somewhat sharper.
Cutting straw was a whole different story.
Thud.
Ki Seong-chan, the martial arts director, dropped his Maxims coffee on the floor.
Straw is initially positioned vertically, so it can’t be cut.
If it’s been severed, it means something else was sliced.
“He cut the string that tied it.”
To be precise, he had ‘cut the string too.’
There’s no such thing as a perfect straight cut, anyway.
And indeed, that was the case.
“Hey, you know why I call Donghu a genius?”
Looking at the scattered rice stalks and cut strings,
Ki Seong-chan’s mind replayed a conversation he had with Baek Sang-ha in the past.
“I don’t know; how could I when you’re not saying anything?”
“I’ll tell you.”
He said,
“Donghu skips the training process.”
He can perfectly execute the moves that come to his mind directly, without any practice.
When it was requested to simply cut,
he effortlessly unleashed a single move that popped up in his head,
without needing to go through the process of practicing that move.
“And naturally, there’s no awkwardness in that move; it feels almost perfect.”
He had just started, yet he surpassed movements honed over long periods—
a person who effortlessly steps over the efforts and time others have poured in.
“But the funny thing is? There’s still room for improvement.”
That was the obvious part.
He had just started doing the moves.
In reality, there were plenty of clumsy aspects in Kim Donghu’s actions.
“That’s just how close it is to perfection.”
Ki Seong-chan’s eyes slowly captured Kim Donghu’s figure.
Despite receiving a challenging directing request to act out a practice scene, his expression remained unwavering.
Instead, he swung the sword naturally.
Whoosh!
Every time the sword cleaved through the air, it whooshed.
To others, it might look like he was cutting through empty space.
But to Ki Seong-chan, who had honed his sword skills for years, the reason for that trajectory was crystal clear.
“He’s accurately slicing through a person.”
The sword that kills is in motion.
If I were to face it head-on, how much would I cut, and how would I counter?
The trajectory of the blade seems to twist.
No matter how much one studies the sword,
if the ultimate purpose isn’t killing, limitations will exist.
But that blade?
It’s grotesquely efficient.
The trajectory clearly intended to kill.
It doesn’t pierce directly to the vital point.
To allow for an easier hunt, perfectly nullifying variables,
it slashes at the ankle, severs the shoulder, and cuts the back of the hand.
With a delicate tip of the blade.
It’s so skillful, it’s reminiscent of slicing sashimi, leaving one spellbound.
The only problem is,
“That’s heading towards a person.”
is probably what it is.”
Originally, the biggest obstacle for actors using swords is awkwardness.
You have to act while wielding an unfamiliar tool.
It’s nothing compared to the carefree days of swinging sticks around as a child.
But the actor in front of me, Kim Donghu, showed no signs of discomfort whatsoever.
In fact, he looked downright comfortable.
It felt like he had finally found the right fit.
Swish!
Definitely nothing was cut, but at that very moment, a slicing sound rang out.
“Cut! Okay! Good job!”
Director Oh Jae-deok immediately gave the OK sign.
Normally, you’d film several takes and gather the best parts for editing.
‘Finishing the first shoot in one take, huh?’
How ridiculous of writer Kwon Jaeho to bring in such a talent.
I felt a strange necessity to adapt quickly.
If not,
“I can’t be upstaged by a kid actor.”
I suddenly wondered if I would end up tripping while just chasing after them.
+++++
“Hey Donghu, did you say you used to practice Kendo? You’re really great at it! I felt it during the hero shoot too, wow!”
After the shoot ended, I sat down in a chair for a break, and Seok-ho’s flattery followed immediately.
He was definitely whispering, aware of all the people around, but the praises made me feel so embarrassed I could die.
“It looks like today’s shoot will end way quicker than expected.”
“Really? Why’s that?”
“We gathered to see how you would handle it, but you’re doing great!”
If his swordsmanship had been awkward, we’d have needed the martial arts director for longer one-on-one coaching,
the entire shoot would have involved continuous feedback and adjustments to stretch out our time together.
But since he wrapped it all up in one go, it saved us tons of time.
As Seok-ho spoke, I glanced around.
‘Now that I think about it, there really are no other actors here.’
There was a reason I hadn’t seen them when I went to greet everyone.
‘Does that mean today’s shoot will wrap up in less than 10 minutes?’
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
“Kim Donghu, we’re going to take a short break and then continue filming the first episode if that’s alright?”
Director Oh Jae-deok approached from afar.
“Sure, that’s fine. You mean we’ll continue shooting until Jawan meets Cheonsaldesa, right?”
“Yes, yes. If there’s any issue or anything unusual, just let us know right away.”
“Yep, thank you for your consideration.”
“I should be the one thanking you, for having such a wonderful person join us.”
Hahaha.
After a brief exchange of compliments, I opened my phone to enjoy my break.
“No, wait, I don’t need to show off like this in front of everyone.”
As that thought crossed my mind, I quickly hopped into the van.
The game I was enjoying lately was Angry Birds.
It’s a game where you launch birds with a slingshot to take down green pigs, and the nostalgia hit differently this time, making it ridiculously fun.
As I was gaming and feeling nostalgic…
> “I think I’m going to audition for the role of a young child in a historical drama.”
> “Kim Donghu, didn’t you receive the script for the historical drama too?”
> “I’m going crazy! I can’t just report this to my noona right away!”
A message arrived for Su-Jin.
“…Is this kid really going to audition?”
Now that I think about it, was that the case?
I can’t quite remember, but it wasn’t impossible.
Who was Kim Su-jin’s mother again?
The queen who ruled the television screen, Kim Yu-ryun.
For Kim Su-jin, who grew up under her, getting a major project offer was no big deal.
‘What if I end up filming together?’
If that happens, it would be almost 10 years since we worked on the same project.
It would be a lie to say I’m not looking forward to it.
Knock knock.
At that moment, Seok-ho gently tapped on the van.
Time for a break was already over?
‘I haven’t even gotten to play Fruit Ninja yet.’
I’ll have to do that later when I get another break.
+++++
Gu Jong-tae, who took on the role of Jawan’s father, was an unknown actor with a long history in theater.
“I really need to do well.”
He was feeling intense pressure as this was his first time filming a historical drama.
He was getting older, the roles available were decreasing, and he wanted to be a proud dad appearing on TV for his son.
This was an opportunity Gu Jong-tae absolutely couldn’t miss.
Glancing over.
At the same time, Gu Jong-tae shifted his gaze toward Kim Donghu.
“I feel bad for my son, but he’s actually better looking.”
No, honestly, he was the best-looking person I’ve ever seen in my life.
Honestly, when seeing him, nothing else mattered.
Just good-looking.
Even manages to turn everyone else next to him into squids.
He had a charm that kept your eyes glued to him.
I realized why people just casually say he’s good-looking.
“But he’s also a good actor.”
According to rumors, the reason Kim Donghu’s script was clean wasn’t because he didn’t study.
It was because he had a separate notebook for his research, which is why the script was clean.
“They said that in the pursuit of perfection, having a neat script helps with concentration.”
I wasn’t sure where that saying came from.
But since it was said on a somewhat prestigious set, it sounded reliable.
In reality, even now, it remains true.
Swallow.
A drop of saliva barely made it down my dry throat.
“Action!”
As soon as the cue sign fell, Gu Jong-tae instantly began acting with palpable tension.
His long experience in theater came into play.
“Father, did you really kill her?”
“Yes.”
The child who realized that the culprit who killed his mother was his father, Jawan.
He was looking down at him with an unsettling calmness.
“You’re a Thousand Kill Saint, born to kill people.”
“You think I would go along with such nonsense and commit those acts?”
After that, the scheduled questions for murder continued.
Gu Jong-tae saw Jawan, who’s trembling like a leaf, in his eyes.
That’s hesitation to kill him.
‘What kind of look is that…?’
It was scary.
That brief moment of hesitation visible between his hollow eyes felt like it would vanish like a candle in the wind, and it terrified him.
Despite being someone who had matched many people and smoke effects, for the first time in his life, he was afraid of his opponent.
Although this blade wasn’t aimed at him, the future where it would actually slice through his body played in his mind.
Shiver, shiver, shiver.
Maybe that’s why the smoke was more intense than usual.
“The Thousand Kill Saint is not a superstition!”
He shouted louder, wanting to assert that what he believed was true until the very end, while also wanting to trust his son, who believed it was a superstition.
He wanted to extend his life with that belief.
“How could that be a superstition! How many were born with the name of the Thousand Kill in the past…”
That was as far as Gu Jong-tae’s lines went.
From here on, it was solely the realm of the Thousand Kill Saint.
Rustle!
The sword really slashed right in front of him.
Whoosh!
The blade brushed past his body without even grazing him by a hair’s breadth.
No matter how much this was all pre-arranged, the momentum was different when seen in action.
‘Hoooorgh!’
Gu Jong-tae was so shocked that his body stiffened momentarily.
Then he quickly gathered himself and fell down.
‘Ah, I’ve messed up.’
Acting is a combination, and that combination is determined in a matter of seconds.
Just standing there blankly was a huge mistake.
‘Is this going to be an NG because of my small role?’
The co-actor was perfect, but it was all my fault?
How much glare am I going to get for this?
Just as that vague fear crossed his mind.
“Cut! Hey, Gu Jong-tae, right? Your acting was amazing! You looked genuinely scared, like you were getting hit by a sword!”
Out of nowhere, a compliment came flying.
Gu Jong-tae wanted to be honest.
“I really thought I was going to get hit by a sword.”
Honestly, he almost crapped himself.
But since it turned out well, is it all good?
‘Is this all thanks to Kim Donghu…?’
Great job!
As he thought that, Kim Donghu, extending a hand to him, said,
“T-thank you.”
It was so dazzling that Gu Jong-tae couldn’t look him in the eyes.
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