Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 152

44. World Tour

“Come to think of it, there’s another good reason to do ‘Zombie School’.”

That’s the point that it can expose many rookies due to the nature of the setting.

Because of the school setting, the age range of the actors was bound to be lower.

Therefore, the top stars in the acting field were unlikely to appear in this work. Because new stars who would take the top spot haven’t appeared during the long hiatus, the aging actors in their late 30s mostly occupy that spot.

At least recently, Lee Na-eun was standing out, but besides her, there were very few others in that age group who had proven their acting skills and star quality.

In that respect, Lee Na-eun might have considered appearing in this work, but Director Bae, who was filming ‘Zombie School,’ filled all the student roles with rookies, except for the middle-aged roles.

This was because there were hardly any actors who knew the characteristics of zombie dramas, which could still be considered an unfamiliar area in Korea.

So, he thought it would be better to bring in rookies who had some acting skills and a decent look and film them to his liking.

“……Certainly, this person’s mental world isn’t normal either.”

If it weren’t for me, his opinion would have been completely ignored.

Director Bae, who is filming ‘Zombie School,’ is essentially making his first work with his name on it.

Rookies directing and acting in a zombie drama, a strange subject.

Investors would want to grab the back of their necks and collapse at that enormous risk.

However, YC Film’s policy is to provide full support as long as it doesn’t deviate too much, so Director Bae finally achieved his idea.

“Thanks to that, YC Entertainment’s rookie actor division is celebrating good news.”

It’s hard to even get a supporting role unless it’s a web drama or music video at this point.

In that situation, they couldn’t help but celebrate the good news, as they had the priority to appear in the blockbuster ‘Zombie School,’ which was receiving huge funding.

Director Bae, who has a somewhat unique mental world, is said to have positively shaken hands as well.

No matter how bold he is, he has to be aware of the investor who is investing 100%.

Fortunately, YC Entertainment’s actor team was equipped with the know-how of managing various actor agencies that it had acquired, so the work was going smoothly.

“If ‘Zombie School’ succeeds, it’s a virtuous cycle.”

If it becomes a hit that ranks within the top 10 in Korea, even if it’s not as big as ‘Squid [Squid Game],’ several stars will be born at once, so it can definitely be called a virtuous cycle.

If all goes well, it might create a top star like Lee Na-eun who will comfortably hold the top spot for the next 20 years.

Considering these aspects, giving a budget comparable to the promotion of ‘Squid’ didn’t seem like an excessive thing to do.

It was my manager who woke me up from such random thoughts.

“They’re starting the shoot.”

I was resting in the actor’s vehicle prepared for the actors to eat and sleep on location, like Hollywood stars, and I got up with a stiff body at my manager’s words.

“It doesn’t feel like I’ve rested much?”

My manager smiled and said to me, who was grumbling.

“You know, it’s better to finish filming quickly and rest comfortably.”

“That’s true.”

Even if the mobile bus is decorated like a hotel room, waiting for a shoot that may or may not start is really hard in a different sense.

So, I could be happy that I got to film early, but I couldn’t help but grumble.

That’s because of the scene I have to shoot now.

It’s a scene where I have to film an explosion scene that shows why this is Hollywood…… If it was just that, I would have accepted it, but the problem is that the director is Director Bell.

“……You’re actually blowing up a house? Not CG [Computer-Generated Imagery]?”

“It’s not just the house, they say the building too……”

“……Hmm.”

The house I’m talking about is, of course, not a small house at a modest level.

It means blowing up the historic mansion that can be said to be the base of the Dark Knight.

Like when they blew up the hospital ward in the past, they’re actually building a mansion and filming a scene where they blow it up with bombs, and when I heard that story, I could only think that Director Bell is doing what Director Bell does.

The problem is that, as my manager said, this mansion is not the only thing that will be blown up.

One of the buildings of the company where the Dark Knight is the largest shareholder will also be blown up.

Both were the work of ‘Jin,’ who realized the identity of the Dark Knight.

In the case of the latter building, it was a hidden military facility that made the devices handled by the Dark Knight, so the size of the building could not be small.

Even so, to do such a thing, I thought that even if it was Director Bell, it was really going too far.

“No, considering the profits he’s made……”

Considering his previous work, which had broken all records, even buying and blowing up a building in the middle of the city should be considered.

The problem is that I have to be at the center of that scene.

For this reason, I had to receive various training from soldiers from the Navy SEALs [Sea, Air, and Land Teams] and Alpha-class special firefighters.

This was because, if things went wrong, I had to find a way to live buried in the debris in the worst case.

“Crazy bastard……”

In the past, when the Titanic actors were filming the drowning scene, they cursed the director, thinking that he was trying to drown them? I feel the same way now.

“……Stop here for a moment and move according to the camera’s movement after that.”

Director Bell came to me and checked the movement for the last time.

It wasn’t because he was worried about me, but because it was a scene that was difficult to shoot again once it exploded.

I briefly felt skeptical about the profession of being an actor, but soon I became ‘Jin’ with the signal of ‘Action’.

-Krrrr!-

A huge monster’s cry-like explosion sound was heard from afar, but ‘Jin’ moved as if he was touring this historic mansion.

Then, he stopped for a moment at the portrait of his family and muttered.

“……I hope this helps him awaken.”

In ‘Jin’s’ view, the Dark Knight was a coveted talent to be removed like his past adversary.

Therefore, rather than eliminating him, ‘Jin’ wanted to bring him under his command.

Blowing up his limbs, starting with the Dark Knight’s headquarters, was also for this purpose.

This was to make the Dark Knight, who wore a ridiculous mask due to past trauma and made it his symbol, take off the mask himself.

Ironically, the Dark Knight was able to resist ‘Jin’ because he was broken.

The reason ‘Jin’ knows this is because he has confirmed several times that his past adversaries also had such broken mental worlds.

So, in order to take in the Dark Knight, the first thing to do was to return his broken mind to its original position.

This shock was necessary for him.

By destroying the medium where obsessive old memories are rooted, the Dark Knight will have a chance to escape from delusion.

The process will probably be unimaginably difficult, but ‘Jin’ was willing to continuously temper him for his sake.

If the broken him returns, he will have a subordinate worth more than that effort.

“Cut!”

Director Bell shouted cut when he confirmed the remains of the mansion, which had completely collapsed and only embers were left in places.

“Hoo……”

I took a long sigh and approached Director Bell, and only then did Director Bell, who was somewhere dazed, hurriedly start watching what he had filmed.

I also watched it with him next to him and soon smiled.

Fortunately, the result was better than I expected.

“Yes!”

It seemed that I was not the only one who thought so, as Director Bell, who usually doesn’t get excited, clenched his fist and couldn’t hide his excited feelings.

However, apart from Director Bell, the surrounding staff still had stiff expressions.

To be exact, they were looking at me, and I just let out a hollow laugh because I knew the reason.

“……Haha. I don’t know when I’ll get used to it?”

It was a side effect of facing ‘Jin,’ whom I played, in reality, not on the screen.

Fortunately, my manager, who had been working with me for a long time, was able to joke around even though he looked difficult.

“Cough. I don’t think it will be different in the next work?”

“I would have had a really hard time without you.”

“Haha. You’re too much, Representative.”

My manager thought I was joking, but as I was being ostracized by the presence of ‘Jin,’ it was more serious than ever.

The part that is being filmed now was the beginning of the movie.

Starting with this, the Dark Knight begins to contemplate his broken mental identity.

Then, as ‘Jin’ wanted, he gradually begins to overcome his trauma.

As his life became stable, the identity of the Dark Knight, who protects the city, was shaken.

Ironically, healing brings him another death.

While filming for ‘King of Arrogance’ was starting, there was great news about ‘Squid.’

The news that ‘Squid’ was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actor and Best Drama Series, which is considered the most prestigious of all global television awards.

It was really unbelievable that a drama from a streaming TV medium, not a local American drama, was nominated for these awards.

Local experts said that the chances of winning awards in these two categories were high.

I felt sorry for no reason when I heard that story.

“I wish I had raised Mi-hyun’s role to a leading role.”

If I had, I would have been able to aim for the Best Actress award as well, which was a shame.

Anyway, there was no better good news than this, and as if to add strength to such news, the popularity of ‘Squid’ did not cool down easily.

Then, as time passed and the game ‘The hibiscus flower has bloomed’ was seen in the United States, tens of thousands of miles away from my home country.

Finally, the long and difficult filming of ‘King of Arrogance’ came to an end.

“Haa~ It’s not over. It’s another start for me.”

Not only do I have to prepare for my comeback, but I also have to overcome difficulties again this year, as I will be directing this movie as well.

What can I do?

The more I get ground, the bigger and stronger the company becomes.

“It reminds me of the old days.”

Of course, it wasn’t a good memory.

It was because I was reminded of the terrible days of being an engineer, when I was called a ‘factory slave’.

Even in such a busy schedule, I faced the end of 2018 as a solo artist again this year without fail.

* * *

If last year was active as an actor, this year I decided to continue my activities as a singer.

Above all, the fact that the album ‘World’ released this time was a big hit was a great help.

If the title song ‘joy and praise’ from the album released last year surprised the world by reaching number one on the Billboard chart for 15 weeks, the album ‘World’ released this year achieved even greater results.

-‘World’ maintained its number one spot on Billboard for 17 weeks!

-YC showed regret at being close to breaking the record?

-Shortest diamond record renewal!

-‘World’ album achieves its 4th diamond!

It broke the record of 17 weeks.

It seemed that I was greatly disappointed that it collapsed right in front of Painkiller’s stronghold, which had achieved 18 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, but unlike the known articles, I was more than satisfied.

In the case of Painkiller, it was a record that came out because the sky helped in many ways, while this ‘World’ was an achievement purely achieved by Black Tiger’s skills.

“Of course, I benefited from ‘King of Arrogance’ and ‘Squid’……”

Even so, it would not have been possible to achieve such a great record if the music was not good.

Above all, this album ‘World’ was meaningful to me in other ways.

This is because each of my uncles’ songs was included in this album.

Of course, I did arrange them, but the songs of my uncles that I released like this all had good reactions.