Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 111

Former Hero is a Ten Million Actor – Episode 111 (111/199)

Thug and Firefighter (7)

* * *

A filming set on the outskirts of the city.

EBC [Educational Broadcasting System] staff members bustle around the set, which they managed to secure filming permission for after much difficulty.

This is because there had been much debate for a while about whether to render the fire scene in this documentary with CG [computer-generated imagery] or to proceed with an actual set.

The result of the marathon meeting was the latter. Director Gam Seong-wook, a man of gentle character, firmly put his foot down.

‘Didn’t CVN [Cable Variety Network] almost have a safety accident when actor Park Geon was filming General Baek Jeong? We’re different from those new cable channels. Don’t worry about the budget, and proceed in a way that ensures actor safety above all else.’

Now that the director’s permission has been granted, they can’t afford to be careless, even more so than before.

They brought in safety equipment of all kinds, and the professional stunt team was involved in the planning from the very beginning.

So, on this first day of filming, a different kind of problem awaited the production team.

“Uh…”

PD [Production Director] Choi Young-oh looked back and forth at the faces in front of him with a dumbfounded expression.

He was used to Park Geon and Park Seon. The problem was the two celebrities standing leisurely in the back.

Seo Hee-do, who had finished his overseas tour, and Byun Hwi-seung, who was free these days, had come to visit the set.

Seo Hee-do, an idol far removed from educational broadcasting, looked around with a curious expression.

“Wow, EBC’s filming crew is impressive. There are so many cameras… I wouldn’t know, since I never come here.”

“You wouldn’t know if you’re an idol. I got an offer from here a long time ago, to film a documentary.”

“A documentary for Byun sunbae [senior colleague]?”

When Park Geon asked, Byun Hwi-seung replied proudly.

“Yeah. That was when my fourth dating scandal broke out. The media was picking on me, calling me a ‘killer of ordinary people.’ They said they’d make it feel like *Star Theater*, so I immediately turned it down.”

“I can see why.”

“Hey, there’s contempt in your expression!”

After exchanging greetings with the production staff, PD Jung Il-chae asked cautiously.

“So, how did you two end up here…?”

Seo Hee-do said with a bright smile.

“I came to see my hyung [older brother/close male friend] filming. Can we just watch for a bit?”

“Of course. But our show is really a mockumentary… I think a drama set would be more fun to watch.”

“*Manghoidol*? There are too many famous people there, so it doesn’t become a hot topic. Going there is just comparing yourself.”

Byun Hwi-seung, a veteran with more experience than Choi Young-oh PD, spoke frankly.

“And… Geon’s father is coming too, right? I stopped by to say hello after a long time.”

The main character of today isn’t Park Geon, the lead actor, nor his celebrity colleagues who came along.

It’s Park Geon’s real father, who plays the role of ‘Firefighter Park’s’ father in the documentary and makes a brief special appearance.

Park Yeol-ho, who is about to make his screen debut for the first time in his life, is bickering with Park Seon over there.

“Guys, are you really okay with this? It’s not too late now, so I can drop out and Geon can film instead…”

“What are you talking about? The script is already out. It’ll be a disaster if Dad says he can’t do it now.”

“Seon is right. The director will just keep directing you, so just film comfortably. The scenes aren’t difficult either.”

Park Geon adds as Park Seon cuts him off. Surrounded by his two sons with no way out, Park Yeol-ho wipes away sweat that he didn’t even sweat during his active duty.

“I’m going to get scolded by the kids’ mom.”

*Path of Fire: Into the Fire Station*.

EBC’s special mockumentary project. It was the writer in charge who first suggested Park Yeol-ho’s special appearance.

The idea was to create a meaningful project if they were going to film a video dedicated to his father anyway.

‘Would it be possible for your father to make a brief appearance? I realized while revising the script that it would be more meaningful if the two of you appeared together.’

Geon nodded without a word.

‘He will gladly agree.’

As expected, Park Yeol-ho was horrified but eventually succumbed to his sons’ persuasion. It was thanks to the unprecedentedly assertive push from his second son.

‘Dad, as soon as I heard about it, I thought it would be really great if you went on. I’ll keep it a secret from Mom, so let’s film just once, okay?’

And now… Park Yeol-ho’s role has increased slightly in the completed script.

What started as a simple supporting role has been properly seasoned by the writing team as the time has been extended with a special broadcast.

Park Yeol-ho kept muttering, worried about causing trouble.

“I don’t know if this is right. How can someone who has never acted before even dream of being on TV? I’m just causing trouble for the people at the broadcasting station…”

“Okay, we’ll be on standby in thirty minutes! Actors, please come this way!”

“Dad, what are you doing? They’re calling the actors!”

The chance to escape has now vanished. Park Yeol-ho, pushed from behind, makes a tearful face as he enters the dressing room.

“I shouldn’t have come.”

*

Mockumentary.

A genre of film and TV programs, also known as fake documentary or docu-comedy.

It films fictional situations to make them appear real, and the important point here is that it is a drama that is ‘filmed like a documentary.’

Even if it is based on fictional or factual situations, there are scripts and movements within it, just like the storyboard that PD Choi Young-oh is holding now.

As the original title, *Path of Fire: Into the Fire Station*, suggests, the play sheds light on the lives of firefighters.

The characters are a father and son who are firefighters. Of course, Park Geon is the son, and Park Yeol-ho is the father.

“Standby, cue!”

As befits a drama that borrows the format of a documentary, the doorbell rings, and the door opens.

The person who comes out is a young man with a gaunt face. He looks surprised for a moment when he sees the camera being pointed at him but soon guides the staff into the house.

―What is it?

The camera turns to capture a man who appears to be the father, as a dry voice is heard from the living room.

Park Geon, playing the role of firefighter ‘Park Geon,’ answers almost inaudibly.

―It’s the broadcasting station people. They said they were coming today.

―I told you not to film that kind of thing. Why do you do useless things on your day off….

―I’ll take care of it.

Soon, the production team and Park Geon enter the small room and sit facing each other. From outside, they can hear grumbling about how it’s a clownish act and why they’re letting broadcasting station guys in.

The young man, looking embarrassed, lowers his eyes.

―Don’t worry about it. My father hates broadcasting station people… But where were we?

On one side of the set, PD Choi Young-oh, who was carefully watching the scene, couldn’t help but be impressed.

It’s not just because of Park Geon’s acting, which he’s seeing in person for the first time. It’s because of the actor’s father, who’s grumbling and complaining outside.

‘He said he’s never acted before. Both the son and the father are pros?’

Park Yeol-ho, was it? The firefighter with one hand proved why he was the actor’s father.

He seemed awkward at first and made a few NGs [no-good takes], but he quickly caught his emotions and immersed himself in the scene.

Above all, there is no ordinary person’s trembling. In the voice that cracks like burnt firewood, all that is felt is terrible regret and emptiness.

―What do I do on my days off? I don’t have anything like that. I don’t have many days off in the first place… I rest at home, or if I’m really bored, I go to the playground.

―The playground?

―Yes. I sit on the seesaw in front of this and just stare blankly at the sky, thinking about when it will rain.

Both the son and the father are the same when it comes to changing. While filming the drama well, I can understand why he brought his father here.

Look. They are expressing the gap between father and son with just their tone and expression, without any objects or editing.

‘If we’re going to do this, we should get more airtime….’

Set expansion, additional footage, episode extension… Calculations are quickly running through PD Choi Young-oh’s head.

The director has already decided to push them. A 15-minute episode has been extended to 60 minutes, so what’s the big deal about extending a few more episodes?

“Cut! Good, let’s take a 5-minute break and go again!”

The goal is 4%. It is to renew the highest viewership rating of this year.

*

Time passed, and finally, the day before the first episode.

A special guest visited the set of *Manghoidol*.

“Wow, this place is amazing. It’s much cooler than that *Hyperion* knockoff drama, right?”

“…Writer, your voice is too loud.”

“Why? Creators are happy when someone recognizes their hard work.”

Yoonbal25, the writer of *Manghoidol*, a management employee (a cheerful young man), and a man in a suit who is sweating, are here.

PD Na Jong-mo runs out barefoot to welcome the original author. Once you sign the contract, the broadcasting station is the absolute boss, but it’s better to have a smooth relationship if possible.

“Oh, writer, you’re here. I contacted you during the first filming, but you didn’t come then.”

“I had a lecture scheduled for that day… But I finished all the manuscripts and came. I have three days of freedom!”

His bright red hair has been changed to a dark classic blue, as if he has added another color.

The blue-haired novelist greets the actors who appear in his work.

“Wow, it’s really Gu Shin-seung… Oh, isn’t that actor Choi Phillip over there?”

“Hello, I’m Gu Shin-seung.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Choi Phillip.”

Gu Shin-seung, Choi Phillip, and other actors also approach the original author and greet him.

What moment could be happier than this as a writer? Yoonbal25 shook hands and suddenly said.

“I’m so sad that I couldn’t go to the script reading. It’s not a big deal, but I brought something.”

At that moment, a commotion spread from afar.

The writer, who earns more than most actors, couldn’t have come to the set of his own work empty-handed. He brought a catering service to feed the staff.

Soon, a party began. The smell of grilling meat stings the nose, and the staff, who have filled their plates with food, pass by and express their gratitude.

“Thank you, writer!”

“Everyone is working hard, so thank you. Is this what you call a food truck? I can’t come, but I’ll send it often, so please take care of me in the future.”

“Wow, this is the first time in my sixty years that I’ve been fed by a writer. I don’t know what our company is doing.”

At that moment, a huge shadow looms from behind. It is the appearance of Seok Pil-ho, who has finished dressing up as the chairman.

Yoonbal25’s eyes widen at the character who jumped out of his novel.

“Oh, oh… Chairman Eun Ki-hak!”

“I’m Seok Pil-ho, who plays that role. Thank you for writing such a great work.”

“I’m more grateful. It’s a perfect match for the Eun Ki-hak I imagined.”

“Haha, I hear that a lot.”

After Seok Pil-ho, who was chatting, left, Park Geon, who had piled food on two plates like a mountain, approached.

“I’ll enjoy the meal. I missed actor Gu Shin-seung’s food truck yesterday because I went to another filming set.”

“Wow, are you going to eat all that?”

“Yes. I tend to eat a lot.”

Park Geon, who answered, turned his head.

Na PD had booked a party hall in a famous hotel as the filming location. One side of the lounge has a bar and DJ booth, and even an indoor swimming pool.

Today’s scene is where the returned thug, Eun Han-seom, is giving a lesson to the dissolute rich kids.

“While you’re here, why don’t you watch the filming?”

.

.

.

The late lunch is over.

While waiting for the next shoot, Park Seon, who had quietly approached Yoonbal25, lowered his voice.

“Writer, can I ask for an autograph and a picture later? My hyung really likes you.”

“Hey, don’t flatter me. People like me who don’t have any experience in the entertainment industry believe everything they say.”

“No! My hyung doesn’t usually like books, but he stayed up all night reading the writer’s novel. *The Hero and the Demon King*? He didn’t even do that when he was addicted to games.”

“…Really?”

No writer dislikes being a fan of his own work. Park Seon gestured and explained to Yoonbal25, who was showing interest.

“Of course. He was so excited about meeting the writer that he said he had a lot of questions to ask. Maybe we can have a fan meeting later when we take a break….”

“Standby, cue!”

Just as an important conversation was about to take place, Na Jong-mo PD’s standby restarts filming.

*

S#.14 Hotel VIP Party Hall (Inside)

Immediately after his regression, Eun Han-seom defied everyone’s expectations and took office as the vice president of Sunhwa Shield.

Executive 1: Will Eun Han-seom do it? The thug who said he would never work, even if he died?

Executive 2: Hey, no. He’ll probably quit soon and go abroad again.

The officials’ predictions were accurate. In fact, Eun Han-seom was not interested in corporate management, and in his previous life, he didn’t even show his face at the inauguration ceremony.

But this time it’s different.

At the inauguration ceremony, where all the employees of Sunhwa Shield were gathered, the new vice president made a bombshell announcement.

―I’m Eun Han-seom, who has become the vice president of this company from today. You can call me a parachute [someone who gets a job through connections] as much as you want, but if you want to protect your own rice bowl [livelihood], you’ll have to be prepared to die. There will be no room for bugs that only waste the treasury.

He is a spoiled brat who has been causing all sorts of trouble since before he entered college.

Now that he has the title of vice president, he is like a tiger with wings [an idiom for someone who has become even more powerful]. While everyone is crouching down, the regressor sitting in the vice president’s office prepares for the next step.

Eun Han-seom: (Twisting his lips) I’m sure they’re just waiting for me to cause an accident, those idiots.

In his original life, he became a tyrant of the company as soon as he took office as vice president and caused an accident.

He harassed the salaried president and further reduced Sunhwa’s defense industry, which was already faltering.

Eun Han-seom: But… it’s different now. I know who I can trust, who will stab me in the back, and who I need to kill.

The scene changes to inside the party hall.

In the luxurious lounge lit with purple lights, well-dressed young people walk around with glasses.

Man 1: Eun Han-seom? That thug went to his grandfather’s company?

Man 2: Not the president, but the vice president of the defense industry. It’s a complete parachute.

Woman 1: (With dreamy eyes as if reminiscing) Still, Han-seom oppa [term used by females to refer to older brothers or male friends] is a genius when it comes to looks. Even if his personality is terrible, I can live with that face.

Man 2: (Disgusted) Bullshit, you’re just liking him because of his family. They say they’re one of the top 3 groups in Korea, but there are rumors that Sunhwa is faltering these days….

Thud, the pomade hair staggers from the sudden impact.

Who the hell… The man’s mouth hardens as if he had applied glue when he looks back because the main character of the gossip he had been tearing apart until just now has appeared.

Eun Han-seom: (Without even turning his gaze) Go help your dad’s hardware store. You parasite who sucks the marrow out of his bones.

The son of the ‘Samyung Steel’ president lowers his eyes without saying anything.

There is a reason why Na Jong-mo PD increased the proportion of villainous actors in the casting of supporting and minor roles.

Many of those who Eun Han-seom associated with before his regression… or those he knew, were enemies who were trying to destroy the Sunhwa Group, either directly or indirectly.

“Oh, isn’t that Han-seom?”

A guy surrounded by women in bikinis in front of the swimming pool walks over, swaggering like a king.

This time, the size is a bit right. He is one of the heirs of the Seochang Group, which ranks in the top 10 in terms of chaebol [large family-owned conglomerates].

“You don’t answer your phone, why has it been so long?”

“······.”

The eyes, drunk on drugs and alcohol, move from side to side. He has been smoking so much marijuana that he even shows tic symptoms with short convulsions near his neck.

“I thought you were being held captive, huh? Caught by the old man in your house. What’s the matter with that shitty gun-selling company….”

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

The moment the man blankly asks back, his body floats up and falls into the middle of the swimming pool.

Splash! A splash of water rises loudly, and the screams of women rise. Eun Han-seom, who approached, kicks the guy in the chest.

“Hey, Jae-gwang!”

“Someone go in, that bastard is so drunk he can’t even swim!”

Amidst the chaos, Sunhwa’s thug nonchalantly dusts off the water droplets that splashed on his suit.

“You drug addict. Who are you to insult Sunhwa in front of?”

“-Cut! Okay, let’s go to the next one.”

This time, he nailed it in one take. It was when Na Jong-mo PD, with a satisfied expression, lowered the megaphone.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap… An unexpected applause was heard from behind the cameras.

In the place where people turned to look, the blue-haired original author was sending enthusiastic applause.

The employee who came with Yoonbal25 has already disappeared. Instead, Park Seon was pulling on his clothes with an expression that made him want to disappear into a rat hole.

“Writer… this isn’t a curtain call, it’s just the end of one scene….”

“How can I stay still after seeing that! Let’s all shout together today. Fighting, *Manghoidol*! You’re cool, Yoonbal25!”

The applause that started by accident spread throughout the set with laughter.

Na Jong-mo PD, who was making a dumbfounded laugh, muttered.

“That guy is good at creating an atmosphere.”

* * *