Flap flap.
My fingertips are trembling.
If I squeeze just a bit more, I feel like I could ring the bell, but that’s not so easy.
People don’t just die easily.
Cutting through flesh and muscle and snapping bones is no small feat.
‘No, no.’
That’s way too easy.
Cutting a bone is no big deal.
Then what makes my fingertips shake?
“Are you really trying to sever the heavenly bond?!”
The destiny that says I must sever the heavenly bond makes Jawan’s body tremble.
To repay the debt to parents who raised me,
This cruel fate that I must kill them to survive washes over me like a wave.
“How can you kill your mother while believing in such superstitions and still act so righteous?”
Even with a knife against his neck, Jawan’s father didn’t flinch.
In fact, he looked like he was enjoying the situation.
“The Heavenly Slaughter is not a superstition.”
The words accompanied by a faint smile slice through Jawan’s body.
“How can that be a superstition? So many were born under the heavenly slaughter decree…”
Was it to block a child’s path with such nonsense?
That was the father’s sign.
From left to right,
the line drawn diagonally cleaves the father’s body in two.
Despite being my first time holding a sword,
the talent for heavenly slaughter produced perfect swordsmanship.
Thud.
Was that the sound of my father’s corpse falling?
Is it now an irreversible thread of fate?
“Then why the hell did you raise me?”
I wanted to ask but couldn’t; those words slipped out belatedly.
If I had known it would end so futilely,
why didn’t you just kill me right after killing my mother?
Why teach me to keep my distance from people,
and deliberately build a house in the mountains?
How could you spout nonsense about morals when you can’t even read properly?
Various grievances and yearnings swirl in the air,
The severed heavenly bond can’t be mended, so where do I go now?
“You’re a heavenly slaughterer.”
At that moment, a voice came from behind.
I didn’t even notice someone approaching,
lost in sorrow as someone drew near.
Swish!
Jawan’s sword moved once more.
Now that the fate of heavenly slaughter was in motion.
Having never learned swordsmanship anywhere,
Jawan’s blade moved along a trajectory specifically to efficiently kill humans.
Clang clang clang!
But it gets blocked.
A cheap sword that has already become useless after killing just one person,
sadly couldn’t fulfill its purpose.
“You’ve killed one person, and now your hesitation is completely gone.”
Yeah, this is heavenly slaughter.
The owner of the voice muttered as he slightly twisted his wrist holding the sword.
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
Thud.
Suddenly, Jawan’s sword, which had been blocked, twisted and slipped from his grip.
“That’s why the horse suddenly came this way; there was treasure hidden here.”
The man stroked the horse’s mane and extended his hand to Jawan.
“I’m Geomrim-ju, the Heavenly Death Master.”
It would be great to stick together with people who share the same fate, don’t you think?
Jawan looked around.
His father, reeking of blood, was split in two, and a mysterious man was looking down at him with an outstretched hand.
Where should he go?
No one had the right answer to that question.
“You were born to kill people.”
His father’s words suddenly came to mind.
“Yeah, if I was born for that…”
Jawan took the Heavenly Death Master’s hand.
“I’ll live just as you said.”
For the sake of my mother, who had to die for no reason and suffocated because of some superstition,
I will survive till the end.
+++++
“Definitely feels different since it’s a historical drama.”
After finishing my immersion, I put down the script.
The story of the swordsman Baek Dong-su and his rival Jawan, intertwined from beginning to end.
Even though he was a child actor, he had considerable significance.
“Well, it’s not like I haven’t been significant until now.”
Historical dramas can go on for quite a while,
so just appearing can skyrocket one’s popularity.
If I became famous as a school uniform model among teens,
this would extend my audience demographic through the historical drama.
Plus,
“There’s even a solar eclipse.”
I gazed at the second script, [Solar Eclipse].
Achieving ridiculous success,
the drama [Solar Eclipse] had made its mark in the historical drama world.
I already knew about its overwhelming presence without even checking the ratings.
“And the actual ratings are no joke either.”
[Solar Eclipse, A]
Boldly written A.
A monster of a work with a peak rating of 40%,
and an average rating over 30%.
Choosing this piece while knowing its future was like saying I was done with acting.
Even the role I was offered was a big deal.
“Finally, I’m getting to play the good guy.”
There were some roles where the distinction between good and evil was ambiguous,
but most of the scripts I got until now had been for villains.
“There’s a limit to child actors, and villains tend to leave a big impression.”
Given the conservative historical backdrop,
even if a rookie shone like a comet, it was unlikely they’d be handed a leading role right away.
So, it was inevitable that most of the scripts I received were for villains.
Because of that, this role of a good male lead felt quite refreshing.
“I’ll take both roles.”
“Uh, um, wait, is it okay to decide so soon?”
“Wait, can we decide already?”
“Then we should do both.”
Seok-ho expressed some concern about my decision. It might be tough to shoot two historical dramas at once, after all.
But,
“I’ve got a lot of immersion and I’ve been working out for a long time, so I should be fine.”
My stamina and acting skills were not going to be an issue.
“Oh right, the director contacted me saying the hero’s rough cut is done and we should watch it together.”
“Really? That was super fast!”
“The Mise-en-scène Film Festival has a mid-April deadline, so they want to keep fixing and editing until then. They want to hear your thoughts too.”
Thoughts, huh?
“I’ll try to stay as quiet as possible.”
Too many cooks spoil the broth, after all.
“I just need to trust completely, so I’ll say that I’m all good and I trust them.”
One director was enough to handle the film editing. Plus, it was an independent film.
Moreover, constantly fixing things could actually make the movie weirder. Sometimes, stopping edits at a reasonable point was more helpful.
“Speaking of which, isn’t Endless Frontline’s editing supposed to wrap up soon?”
Hold on.
“Then, Heroes and Endless Frontline will be coming out back-to-back around June or July.”
If one does well, the other usually follows suit—a twin structure.
I was eagerly waiting for the day it would hit the screen when suddenly…
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[SimS – The Real Life] was pinging me, reminding me not to forget myself.
It bombarded me with texts, and the contents read:
-[I determine that ‘Kendo’ learned from the hero and ‘Swordsmanship’ that Jawan will have are different areas.]
-[Downloading the application ‘Ilhwi Sotanghyeol Myeonsanha’.]
-[Your sword will never lose.]
It was telling me to perfectly embody Jawan.
+++++
At the end of March.
The Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival was literally sucking in short films like a whale.
One of the festivals that started in 2002, it boldly represented short films in South Korea.
They divided the films into five sections by genre.
Afterward, judges suitable for each genre would watch and evaluate the films,
Discovering young talents based on their expertise.
The judges often worked in the commercial film industry, some of whom were specifically looking for good new actors.
One of the prominent ones was none other than…
“…Actually, I’m searching for Donghu.”
The owner of the shiny, Guan Yu-like beard,
Director Kang Sang-hun.
“Didn’t everyone see our Donghu’s performance? Come to the screening later. It’s going to be amazing!”
“Did you see that? Come hang out at the premiere later. It’s going to be insane!”
He loved movies so much that he even appointed himself as a judge while shooting.
Why, you ask? Of course, to find great actors!
And guess what? He found one.
“Just thinking about it makes me laugh.”
Director Kang Sang-hun kept bragging to fellow directors about Kim Donghu.
Starting from how the kid expresses emotions, to how he does action, has great stamina, and researches like crazy, it was like the reaction of a great-grandfather meeting his first great-grandchild.
“Ahem, enough with the bragging. Who doesn’t know that Kim Donghu can act?”
And naturally, his fellow directors were uncomfortable with Kang Sang-hun’s bragging.
That acting that made Lee Jae-yi come to life in “Hydream.” Who wouldn’t want to cast him after seeing that?
“You guys too, huh? Later, work with our Donghu. Of course, I’ll take the credit for his first screen appearance.”
Director Kang Sang-hun loved this fact he spoke of.
The pride of being the one to bring the super rookie to the theater first.
Imagining winning a newcomer award with his film and seeing Donghu’s bright future made him want to dance on air.
But—
“…Uh, wait. What’s this… Hero? Is that Kim Donghu’s name here?”
“What?”
An unbelievable story slipped out of his fellow director’s mouth.
“What do you mean! Why is Kim Donghu in an independent film?!”
It must be a namesake, right? That can’t be true?!
Director Kang Sang-hun stood up, his eyebrows twitching.
That was outrageous. No, it was a truth he didn’t want to believe.
“I’m telling you, it says so on the DVD. Hero, starring Kim Donghu.”
The kid’s face was stuck right on the cover, after all.
As he said that, his fellow director seemed to be teasing Kang Sang-hun.
Breeeeep!
He pressed play on the DVD of “Hero.”
“…Oh no, he should debut on my screen…”
Why is Donghu coming out on that black-and-white screen?
Thud.
That day, Director Kang Sang-hun’s world crumbled.
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