Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 151

The Former Hero is a Star – Episode 151

Summer Harvest (1)

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Time flows.

Winter with its fluttering snowflakes passed, and the roadside trees began to sprout buds.

[DG Suffers Another Crushing Defeat to Roman… Both Acting Skills and Viewership Ratings are Cold]

[Chuno Hunter, Female Prosecutor, Star Instructor… The Trio Takes Over the Living Room, Now is the “Roman Era”]

[Choi Phillip’s ‘Quick Service’ Jumps to 2nd Place in OTT Rankings in Just 3 Days… Anticipation of a Box Office Hit]

The living room [referring to television viewing habits] was dominated by the original ‘Big 4,’ who had been responsible for Roman’s livelihood.

The advancement of actresses such as Jin Ji-yu in the role of a star instructor and Baek Ha-ni as a female prosecutor was particularly prominent.

In particular, Gi Eun-seo, who competed against Jin Ji-yu in the same rom-com genre, received harsh criticism for suffering a complete defeat in viewership ratings and even leaving behind humiliating memes.

There is momentum in a fight.

To win in a local war without the presence of Park Gun, the leader who drove that momentum…

“Those who have to leave, must leave. There are rumors that Cha In-hyuk is gone, and CEO Byun Dong-geun isn’t what he used to be either.”

In a cafe in front of the Roman building, which has been bustling lately, headhunters gathered.

The headhunter who was humiliated by Cha In-hyuk when DG’s tyranny was rampant smirked as if pleased.

“They’ve been doing it for years, so it’s only natural. It’s just talk, but they were just sucking up the honey that came from behind Cha In-hyuk, right?”

“It’s surprising that Joinus isn’t doing well either. It doesn’t seem to have taken much of a hit.”

“Uh-huh, it’s because of this.”

One of the headhunters looked around and made a sniffing gesture.

It was pointing out the drug issues of Joinus artists that have been steadily emerging for months.

“Marijuana, propofol, cocaine, ketamine… It’s like there isn’t anyone who hasn’t done one of them. One side has no sense, and the other is a pharmacy, so CEO Noh is having a field day.”

“I know, Noh Joong-man must be full even without eating.”

“No scandals, no accidents, and they pick amazing works… He’s really living the dream.”

The headhunters nodded in unison.

If you were to pick the most successful agency these days, nine out of ten experts would choose Roman.

Before Park Gun joined… when DG and Joinus maintained an overwhelming two-strong system, Roman’s position was that of a solid mid-sized agency.

Now, it’s different, having produced outstanding rising stars and repeatedly defeating strong opponents in head-to-head battles. So much so that it’s called ‘RoJoDi’ [a portmanteau of Roman, Joong-man, and (likely) a key director’s name, signifying their combined power].

“But what happened with that? The Colombian mafia shootout.”

“Wouldn’t it just be luck that he avoided it? Park Gun is famous for his danger-sensing.”

A few months ago, there was a report that the ‘God’ filming team, which was filming on location in South America, was caught in a shootout.

It was in some city in Colombia, and it happened that drug cartel members were fighting for power in that city on the day they went to film.

“Well… someone I know said that Park Gun wiped them all out. So that the staff wouldn’t get hurt.”

The headhunter who was listening burst into laughter.

“Oh my, that’s a bit far-fetched. How can an actor take down armed mafia members?”

“Exactly. Especially with dozens of mouths to feed, it doesn’t make sense.”

“You never know. He was really a special forces agent; think about General Baek’s no-wire action [referencing a famous action scene].”

The place quickly became noisy. They are also people and fans before they are headhunters.

They can’t help but be curious whether Park Gun’s mysterious power worked against the mafia or not.

One of the 10-year team leaders ended the long debate.

“…You guys are like little kids. If you’re really curious, ask him directly later.”

“That’s a bit… I feel like I’d get hit.”

“Park Gun? That guy is sure to please stakeholders and fans. It’s just that you don’t know when he’ll return.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, isn’t it almost over? Filming started last summer.”

The headhunter team leader shrugged.

“They’re filming more; they said the content has increased.”

That’s right.

Apart from the success of Roman’s artists, Byun Hwi-seung’s prediction that filming would wrap up soon was only half right.

[‘God: Guardian of Wrath’ Enters Additional Filming… Will the Release Date Be Postponed?]

It was true that the filming schedules were completed faster than expected, but it was because the script was revised in the middle.

“Hey, is this for real? I wouldn’t have bet if I knew this would happen!”

“I’m sorry, but hyung [older brother/male friend], it didn’t end by spring, right? Give me 50,000 won quickly.”

Whether Byun Hwi-seung got angry after being ripped off, filming continued.

After finishing the location shoot in the United States, they went back to Spain. And from there to Cambodia.

As if to soothe the hearts of fans tired of the long wait, the ‘God’ production team uploaded a short video to the official account to share the news.

Among them, the highlight was the Angkor Wat temple scene, which was filmed after obtaining four hours of filming permission.

[God, Ascends Angkor Wat]

Under the gray-white sky of Angkor Wat. They run up the temple stairs, which have a slope of 70 degrees, as if they were on flat ground, and shoot down enemies.

The video, which was like a challenge to the limits of humanity and was accompanied by a solemn sense of tragedy, quickly surpassed 10,000 retweets.

In addition, various shorts such as sword wrestling with a longsword and top-angle scenes using white phosphorus bombs and flamethrowers amplified expectations.

And in June, when he returned,

Finally, the wrap-up official was released.

*

Park Gun’s return date.

The airport was crowded with fans and reporters. When the door finally opened and the actor appeared, cheers that sounded like screams erupted.

“Park Gun! Park Gun!”

“Gun oppa [term of endearment for older brother/male celebrity], please look over here!”

“Great job, you’re awesome, Park Gun!”

Park Gun, who appeared wearing a white t-shirt and jeans and pulling two suitcases, looked a little surprised and looked around at the crowd.

Perhaps because of the long overseas filming, his white face was slightly tanned. His hair, which had grown quite a bit in a year, also swayed as if it would touch his eyebrows.

Other than that, there is no sense of incongruity. The long location shoot must have been tough, but it feels like he just enjoyed a short trip abroad.

“Congratulations on wrapping up filming; you’ve worked hard!”

“It must have been a long flight. Are you tired now?”

Although the security guards who were deployed in advance were blocking them, they couldn’t completely stop the crowd.

Park Gun, who suddenly turned around and looked at a reporter shouting while holding up a cell phone, replied.

“I’m okay.”

That was like a signal. Silence fell with a single word, and a small interview session opened.

The fans who were chasing Park Gun, as well as the reporters who were following Park Sun or Kim Yang-ho in the back, stopped what they were doing and listened blankly.

“Um… I’m curious about how the movie filming was.”

The reporter, who became the representative by chance, swallowed hard and asked again.

“It was fun. Thanks to a good opportunity, I was able to gain experiences that I hadn’t been able to have and return.”

“Now that filming has wrapped up, when do you expect the release to be?”

“It probably won’t be late. Just like Black Priest did.”

When the title of his debut film came out of the mouth of the now-great actor, a stir spread.

When you do an interview, there comes a moment when you sense that it’s over. The reporter asked with regret.

“Many fans have been waiting for Park Gun’s return. Please say a word to your fans.”

If the answers so far were immediate, this time there was an unexpected pause.

In the silence, Park Gun looked around at the crowd surrounding him.

As if waking up from a long dream, a smile spread in his dazed eyes.

“Thank you for waiting.”

The priest who swept through Cannes,

Returned home to find his calling.

*

Roman Entertainment CEO’s office.

As people and the world change, so does the space where they stay. Park Gun, who entered the CEO’s office, looked around the interior with interest.

“It’s changed a bit while you were gone. Do you like the new interior?”

CEO Noh Joong-man, who had met him from the underground parking lot and came up with him, asked with a faint smile.

Park Gun nodded.

“The furniture has changed a lot.”

The wall with photos of the representative actors and snapshots of their works remained the same.

Only the photos in the frames were all changed. Photos of Puffing Dolls and Quantum winning first place on music shows, Baek Ha-ni of ‘General Baek,’ the three male actors from the ‘Forgotten Idol’ days…

The actor who occupies the most space among them is Park Gun himself. A large photo of him giving his acceptance speech at Cannes was hung in a frame near the entrance.

“Should I say it’s changed? I’m glad there were no departures. I heard that even decent agencies can’t hold onto their celebrities, so there’s a lot of wailing.”

“I didn’t know because I was gone.”

“I knew you wouldn’t know even if you were in Korea. Park’s interests must be quite small.”

Soon, the two sat on the sofa in the CEO’s office. Both the CEO and the actor are seeing each other after quite a long time, but there is no awkwardness on either side.

Steam was rising from the teacups on the table. Noh Joong-man, who took a sip, spoke first.

“How was your first overseas filming?”

Park Gun also picked up a teacup. Even with a simple movement, the muscles under the short-sleeved sleeves twitched.

“It was good. It reminded me of the old days.”

“The old days?”

“When I was in the military, I often went abroad to carry out operations. It felt similar this time.”

“It looked a bit dangerous in Colombia.”

The domestic media, as well as the authorities, did not cover the shootout between the clans in detail.

Since no official tweets or official statements from officials were released, people understood and moved on with the understanding that ‘he was lucky enough not to be there’.

“After the largest organization was dismantled, two clans were fighting for power. I neutralized them before the staff became endangered.”

In a calm tone, the unbelievable content flowed out nonchalantly.

A movie actor defeating the mafia… It was an absurd story at first glance, but Noh Joong-man nodded as if he knew it would happen.

“I knew it. Are you hurt…?”

“No. All the production staff are safe too.”

Now that his value has skyrocketed, his habit of taking care of his colleagues before his own safety is still the same.

Is that why the directors, writers, and staff who have worked with him rush to the set whenever they hear about ‘Park Gun’s new work’?

“Okay. Did you get what you wanted and come back?”

Instead of answering, Park Gun looked down at the teacup.

True to the CEO’s theory that actors and singers should save their voices, the CEO’s office always served hot drinks, not cold ones, regardless of the season.

“Do you remember when I first came here?”

“Most of it.”

“I told you then. That I was looking for something and trying to achieve my goals through acting.”

“That’s right. I begged you, saying that I would meet all the contract conditions.”

A low laugh spread through the CEO’s office. Park Gun, who was smiling back, said.

“It seems like the end is in sight.”

The smile disappeared from Noh Joong-man’s face as well.

A comet disappears as quickly as it appears. Depending on what that end means, the Korean entertainment industry may lose a great actor.

“With this work?”

“Not all of it, but yes. Many of the things I was trying to do… the memories I had forgotten came back to me. While passing through Girardota and Angkor Wat.”

Are you going to leave again after finding it? Noh Joong-man pushed back the question that had risen to his throat.

As the CEO of the agency and the person who brought that young man into this industry, he has a duty to let his actors do what they want.

“I’m looking forward to the release. As a fan, not as a CEO.”

“Me too.”

“You should rest for a while; you must be tired from the trip.”

At Noh Joong-man’s words, Park Gun shook his head.

“I don’t think it will be possible. I have to leave the country again next month.”

“Huh? Why again?”

“I have a show scheduled.”

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