Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 42

42. Episode 42

“What do you mean by taking it off?”

At the art director’s question, Director Yeom continued in a calm voice.

“Well, it’s a torture scene, isn’t it? There’s no need to keep him dressed.”

In other words.

Since Lee Min-gi’s soft visuals didn’t suit the torture scene, he meant to make it more brutal by taking off his top.

Of course, largely regardless of the person’s wishes.

‘A nude scene?’

Lee Min-gi flinched.

A nude scene isn’t bad.

As a male actor, you need a scene to show off your masculinity at least once.

But what should I say?

Lee Min-gi didn’t really like this nude scene.

Not exactly because he was embarrassed.

‘Not yet! Not yet!’

It was because the timing wasn’t ripe enough.

‘I haven’t bulked up enough yet, and you’re saying I should film a nude scene in this state? I can’t do that.’

It’s only been a little less than half a year since he started working out.

The angle was set.

As a professional-level workout schedule was combined with a strict diet, he was slowly becoming a full-fledged health buff.

But the problem was that the volume hadn’t increased enough.

It was a problem of low weight and high reps [low weight and high repetitions in weightlifting, focusing on endurance rather than muscle mass].

Until the muscles really settled in, it didn’t show as much as the effort put in.

If he were to film a nude scene, he would reveal it with a sea profile someday.

Lee Min-gi had such a dream.

But.

“Certainly, it might be better to take it off rather than awkwardly dressing him.”

The art director didn’t seem to think so.

“Director Yeom, if we’re taking it off, how much should we take off?”

“All of it. You know, like in the movie ‘Youth’ [a reference to a film known for its nudity]. A scene where they take off his top and shave his head. Can’t we do something like that?”

“I think I’ll get the feeling if I look at it that way.”

No.

That’s not the feeling I want.

Lee Min-gi was letting out a silent scream.

“I don’t think it’ll look good.”

The art director added.

“Why?”

“Min-gi’s skin tone is too pale.”

Is skin the problem?

The moment a question arose in Lee Min-gi’s head at the unexpected words, the art director continued.

“The props are already set to be gloomy. If we take it off, we’ll have to completely readjust the overall tone, starting with the skin color, and I don’t think the scene will be immersive.”

“Hmm.”

Director Yeom frowned and seemed to be contemplating at the seemingly reasonable objection.

“Still, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having some exposure.”

Now is the time.

Right now.

If not now, it won’t work.

With a desperate heart, Lee Min-gi spoke as if he were twisting the trajectory of a flying bullet with a single blade.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, Min-gi.”

“Well, rather than exposing everything… how about just loosening the front of his shirt?”

Let’s expose only half.

It was the moment he squeezed out his own opinion.

Was it because Lee Min-gi’s earnest heart got through? The art director nodded as if it was a good idea.

“I think that would look pretty good.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I think it’ll be the perfect middle ground.”

“Sigh, it’s a shame, but there’s nothing we can do. Okay, let’s go with that. Min-gi, I’ll leave it to you.”

The two agreed.

To expose, but to a moderate degree.

‘Yeah, that’s not bad.’

Lee Min-gi breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

His bulk is mainly weak in his arms and back.

His chest and abs are okay.

The chest is originally a large muscle, so it grows quickly, and the abs are revealed when you get rid of body fat rather than volume.

‘Okay, I did it.’

Lee Min-gi was unknowingly becoming more and more of a health buff.

* * *

An emergency makeup change was in progress.

Yellow makeup was applied to cover Lee Min-gi’s white skin, and dust and red bloodstains were placed in every corner.

It was a process of setting the overall tone before filming the movie.

But that’s not the highlight.

It was Lee Min-gi’s top.

A white shirt was crumpled raggedly and soaked in water before being put on Lee Min-gi.

With the front of the shirt loosened, as he had previously agreed.

And that was.

“Hmm, he’s definitely toned.”

It was quite a sight.

“I thought he was subtly in good shape, but was he this good?”

“He’s the type who doesn’t show it when he’s wearing clothes.”

“He’s got the vibe?”

“If you want to build a body like that, can you do it in three months of intense exercise?”

“No way. You’re not Kwon Sang-woo [a famous Korean actor known for his physique]. I’ve lifted some weights, and I can guarantee that’s a body that’s been worked out for at least two years.”

There were various stories about Lee Min-gi’s body on set.

It was unusual.

There are plenty of people with good bodies in this industry.

Strictly speaking, Lee Min-gi’s body is good, but his absolute muscle mass is by no means superior to that of physical actors.

But even so, there was a certain charm to his physique.

Frame.

It was the style created by the innate proportions and the shape of the muscles.

[Someone like you, you know. Even if you work out for only three months, it shows as much as others do in a year. Know that you’re blessed.]

A body is like a person’s face.

There are skins that shine without any blemishes even if you just apply cheap lotion, and there are skins that you have to go to the dermatologist every week to be as good as others.

The same goes for the body.

Even if you just look at the chest muscles, they grow in various shapes, from triangles to squares to pentagons.

In this sense, Lee Min-gi’s body was blessed.

His head is small and his shoulders are broad.

His torso is short, but his arms and legs are long.

In other words, a body that looks great even if you just add a little muscle.

A so-called pretty body.

When the makeup team touched it.

“Wow.”

“It’s shining.”

It was comparable to a sculpture painstakingly crafted by a Renaissance master.

‘He must have worked out really hard.’

Joo Ha-na’s respect deepened even further.

‘I used to be that good back in the day. Sigh.’

Choi Yu-chang clicked his tongue.

‘I think I could have a good match with him?’

Jerry scoffed.

‘I didn’t know it would suit him this well. Hmm, should I tone it down a bit more? But it’s too good to waste.’

The makeup team was in deep thought.

Amidst all the attention, Lee Min-gi sat on a steel chair.

As his wrists and ankles were tied to the chair with a creaking sound, it soon felt like a plausible torture scene.

“Good, let’s start right away.”

Director Yeom clapped his hands and was eager to start filming right away.

“Do-won, get ready.”

A moment later.

“Ready, action.”

In a certain kitchen.

Kang Do-won began to fill a kettle with water.

Behind him, Lee Min-gi, who played [Detective Gu Hak-jin], gritted his teeth like a cornered beast.

“You trashy bastard. What are you, Batman, you bastard? Playing like a bat, you’re Batman.”

Kang Do-won, who played the killer detective [Hwang In-beom], said nothing.

He was just filling the kettle with water.

Drrrrrrr.

[Detective Gu Hak-jin] continued to spew curses at him, who was silent.

“You trashy bastard, you bastard who would stab your own family to death. A bastard who can’t tell the difference between shit and soybean paste [a common Korean insult implying someone is stupid or clueless].”

At that point, the water filled in the kettle was so full that it was leaking out.

“You don’t need that much to drown someone.”

[Hwang In-beom] turned his head and walked towards [Detective Gu Hak-jin].

Soon, he placed a thin cloth over [Detective Gu Hak-jin]’s face.

And.

Trickle, trickle――

He began to pour water.

“Ugh! Ugh! ……Ugh! ……! …! ………!”

[Detective Gu Hak-jin]’s voice gradually disappeared.

Instead, a silent scream began to fill the space.

As if a person about to suffocate from lack of breath was struggling, he continued to twitch all over his body.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

He struggled to get out, thrashing around with the chair, but the cloth stuck tightly to his face and wouldn’t fall off.

After a few seconds.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Thump! Thump!

Thump!

……Drdrk.

The sound of the chair shaking gradually subsided, and the trembling in Gu Hak-jin’s body also subsided.

After a few more seconds.

“…….”

It was over.

The moment [Hwang In-beom] kicked [Detective Gu Hak-jin] to the ground to check.

The staff could only hold their breath and watch.

‘Isn’t he really dead?’

‘His body is like a rotten piece of wood?’

‘Can’t he breathe?’

Lee Min-gi’s body was lying on the floor so pathetically that it was doubtful whether his heart was even beating.

Like a corpse.

The moment [Gu Hak-jin]’s face was covered with a cloth and slowly zoomed in, [Hwang In-beom] slowly raised his golf club as if to finish him off completely.

“Cut!”

Director Yeom Gwang-ho shouted in a happy voice.

At the same time, the staff, who had been holding their breath in serious tension, were able to exhale all at once.

“Wow, I was thinking of reshooting it a few times, but I think we can go with this as it is? Oh, quickly take that off Min-gi’s face. No. I should do it.”

Director Yeom belatedly ran over, released Lee Min-gi, and checked his complexion.

“Actor, are you okay?”

“……I almost died.”

“Haha, should we shoot it one more time?”

“No.”

That’s how Lee Min-gi’s filming ended.

There are still filming schedules left for [Evergreen], but Lee Min-gi’s appearance ends here.

All that remains is the showdown between the main character’s senior detective, [Oh Man-sik], and [Hwang In-beom].

“Did I do well?”

“Of course.”

At those words, Lee Min-gi finally felt relieved and smiled.

‘I thought I was going to die.’

To be honest, it was a bit close.

I would have fainted if it had been 5 seconds longer.

I’m glad I do cardio regularly.

* * *

About 2 weeks passed.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Oh, everyone worked so hard.”

Perhaps because the remaining amount of filming itself was not large, it ended in an instant, like snow melting in the sun.

Perhaps it was thanks to the filming being so smooth.

Despite being exhausted to the limit during the long filming period, the atmosphere among the actors was extremely harmonious.

“Haha, I really thought I was going to die of joy every day thanks to Min-gi.”

“What did I do? It’s all thanks to the senior accepting me.”

“That’s why I thought I was going to die. You rascal.”

It was entirely thanks to Lee Min-gi’s skills being recognized for sure.

From established actors to supporting actors of similar caliber, everyone gathered around him.

“Min-gi is good.”

“I didn’t know at first, but his true worth was revealed as we went on.”

His skills were proven to be real in several scenes.

Why would there be any need to bare your teeth and growl any further?

It’s better to just be friendly.

“Min-gi, are you going to work out again today? Skipping the afterparty?”

“Ah, today is a cheat day [a planned day to eat foods that are normally avoided on a diet].”

“Then you’re going to the company dinner?”

“Of course, I have to go.”

“Haha, good. I’ll make you a soju-beer cocktail [Somaek, a popular Korean alcoholic beverage] that’s out of this world today.”

“No alcohol.”

“……Min-gi, you’re good at playing hard to get.”

The wrap-up event ended.

But the work in the studio doesn’t end just because filming is over.

That’s how movies usually are.

If the release is in December, the filming itself often ends half a year ago.

So what do you do during the remaining period?

That is.

Post production

The beginning of full-scale editing.

To put it in terms of cooking.

If filming is preparing the ingredients, editing is cooking.

If you have high-quality ingredients through 3 months of filming, the director’s real skill is to mix them together and create the best possible finished product.

About 2 weeks had passed since the wrap-up (end of filming).

‘Now the real thing begins.’

Director Yeom Gwang-ho took a long breath.

Before making the full final edit, there was something he had to go through in the middle.

That was to show it to people with good eyes.

Among them, Director Yeom Gwang-ho enjoyed showing it to people from the distribution company.

Distributor.

A company that has a great influence on everything from the marketing of the completed film to the overall distribution.

(Ltd.) Artica, a company that Director Yeom had been working with for 10 years, was such a place.

“Oh, our Director Yeom, how have you been?”

Director Yeom scoffed at the words of Department Head Bae Jae-seo, a mid-level employee of Artica, who smiled brightly.

“What’s going to happen? It’s always the same. I’m confident, so find fault if you want.”

Department Head Bae Jae-seo’s insight is reliable.

He believed that he was one or two levels above most critics.

That’s why Director Yeom was thinking of asking for Department Head Bae Jae-seo’s opinion before proceeding with the final work.

“If there’s anything that doesn’t seem right, say it without hesitation.”

“Hey, how can I give instructions on the director’s work? I’ve been thinking about what kind of praise would be appropriate all the way here?”

“This guy, he’s saying things he doesn’t mean.”

The two naturally exchanged jokes.

Distribution companies and production companies are in a symbiotic relationship while also keeping each other in check, but these two looked like friends.

That was actually the case.

‘But I can’t just watch comfortably.’

Department Head Bae Jae-seo looked at Director Yeom with suspicious eyes.

He knows it well.

He knows that this person has the ability, but he also knows that he has a subtle desire for art.

It was a dangerous trait.

In this industry, the desire for art often conflicts with commerciality.

‘But it’s Director Yeom. There won’t be much to point out anyway, but I’ll still take a good look.’

Today, he came to see something that was right in front of the final edit.

“Sit here comfortably. You might faint while watching it, so be prepared.”

“I wear diapers every time I watch the director’s work. Haha.”

With those jokes, he sat in a chair and carefully observed the edit for a long time.