Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 117

Former Hero is a Million-Dollar Actor – Episode 117 (117/199)

To Stop the Spreading Flames (6)

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The advantage of two-track shooting.

When moving from one set to another, it’s common to share stories from other sets.

Mostly, it’s encouragement and support like, ‘I enjoyed watching this,’ or ‘That scene was really fun.’

Choi Young-oh PD [Production Director] from EBC, who is enthusiastically giving his review in front of Gun right now, is one of those people.

“I was just watching, and wow… the tension between you and Choi Yang-young was no joke. Writer Yeo is a master of romance thrillers, and even though it’s a corporate setting, the characters are so distinct, it’s even more thrilling.”

“Thank you. I’ll work hard.”

“Ah, aren’t you tired? There were a lot of scenes with heavy equipment today.”

Gun answered immediately.

“I can shoot for thirteen more hours until tomorrow.”

“Huh? Why thirteen hours specifically?”

“I have another schedule. I’m fine with continuing to shoot until then.”

“Oh, if you keep going until then, we’ll die first!”

Laughter erupts after the playful complaint. The atmosphere on the ‘Manghoe-dol’ set is also good, but this place has less of the urgency typical of dramas.

[Park Gun, Documentary Filming Hidden in Mystery… Insiders Say ‘You’ll See Another Side of the Actor’]

[15 Minutes -> 30 Minutes -> 60 Minutes, ‘Path of Fire: Into the Firefighting’ Increased to a Full Hour]

A rising star in the entertainment industry appears on EBC.

Park Gun’s appearance alone is causing a stir everywhere. He’s even broken the record for search terms, which only happens a few times a year.

Perhaps that’s why it feels like a festival already. Unlike Na Jong-mo, who is withering away as filming progresses, Choi Young-oh PD’s face is full of color as he asks.

“Ah, come to think of it, how did your father······?”

“He’ll probably agree. I was going to ask him to appear a little more since he’s already here. He said he’s coming to see the filming today anyway.”

“Yes, yes. Then I don’t need to contact Writer Kim separately.”

A secretive exchange of glances occurs. After nodding like a conspirator, Gun looked around the set.

Choi Young-oh PD had prepared perfectly for today’s filming.

A water truck and fire truck are parked on one side, and the director of photography is giving directions to the extras on the other side.

‘Is it true that the educational broadcasting station’s pockets are full of good stuff?’ The set where they’re going to set the fire, which was produced with the cooperation of the fire department, looks quite realistic.

Over there, Choi Young-oh PD, who was discussing things with the special effects team, raises his voice.

“Alright, let’s get ready!”

*

S#12. Inside the Fire Truck (Interior)

The camera operator, riding in the dispatched fire truck next to the crew members, captures Park Gun’s face.

A tired and haggard expression is reflected in the shaking 8mm camcorder. A short Q&A follows amidst the sirens.

―Where are you going now?

―To Sadang, responding to a fire in our jurisdiction.

―Aren’t you going out with your father?

The vehicle shook once as it went over a speed bump. A slight tremor flickered in the firefighter’s eyes.

―He’s in an office job. He hurt his hand.

This is already the fourth dispatch today. In the morning, there were two ambulance dispatches to transport patients with chronic diseases, and right before that, they rescued a citizen trapped in an elevator.

Fire dispatches are the least frequent of the fire station’s dispatches, but the problem is that once a fire breaks out in the city, it spreads quickly.

“Any casualties?”

“None, it seems the sprinkler system activated in the early stages and then turned off, but thanks to that, all the internal staff evacuated!”

It’s not a large office building.

After the team leader in charge of the scene confirms the origin of the fire, the firefighters who jumped out extend the water hose and deploy the nozzles.

There are no people to rescue, but entry is necessary to extinguish the internal flames and strike the origin of the fire.

Soon, a fierce stream of water begins to spray over the blazing fire.

“······.”

At the entrance of the building, Park Gun, wearing a fire helmet, sprays water. Everyone watches with nervous hearts, but the person in the fire is relaxed.

Before filming, he received the necessary training from active firefighters and a special effects team specializing in fire.

In addition, they are using props that only produce a lot of smoke, not real fire. He only needs to be careful of safety accidents around him, like with Baek Ha-ni last time.

‘It reminds me of the old days.’

The hellish flames of hell. The great demons all handled ultra-high-temperature flames like limbs.

Basically, the body of a hero has magical resistance, but no matter how much it is protected by divine power, it is difficult to be safe from ultra-high-temperature flames.

The agony of flesh and bones melting together… he had experienced countless times the feeling of pus flowing and blisters forming.

His father was injured that way too.

The fire at Hyunseo Apartment, which caused an unprecedented number of casualties. The team that was dispatched there was isolated, and in the process of rescuing colleagues and survivors, his fire suit melted, and he suffered burns all over his body.

Among them, his right hand was the most severe. The fireproof glove was damaged, damaging the subcutaneous nerves and bone tissue, eventually leading to amputation.

‘I’m okay, honey. I’m alive like this.’

The memory of his mother wailing when Park Yeol-ho, wrapped in bandages all over his body, smiled from his hospital bed is still vivid.

And Park Gun, the boy who had not yet been transferred to the Iron Kingdom, made up his mind at that time.

‘I will save people, even for my father’s sake.’

The hero’s senses detect a familiar presence.

Beyond the flames and smoke. Park Yeol-ho, dressed in a suit as if he had rushed over immediately after finishing his lecture, was watching the filming among the staff.

―Action Nine, enter.

An instruction is given by personal identification number from the radio. The firefighter’s son replies briefly.

―Forty-seven (Understood).

The waterfall-like stream of water pushes back the flames.

*

Break time.

Park Yeol-ho looked at his son with eyes full of pride.

Even though he didn’t have filming today, he rushed to his son’s set as soon as his lecture was over.

“Are you feeling alright?”

The break time is about 10 minutes, after which the next filming begins. Park Gun, who was sitting with his legs stretched out while wearing a fire suit, replied.

“Yes, I’m fine. My stamina is perfect too.”

In ‘Path of Fire,’ they use all real equipment unless it is unavoidable for the sake of detail.

Wearing heavy fire suits and controlling the stream of water extending from the nozzle requires stamina comparable to that of special forces.

“You’re working hard! Everyone, grab a drink!”

At that time, a young man who rushed over began to hand out coffee to the staff.

It was Lee Hoon, the road manager assigned by the company instead of Park Seon, who was mentally exhausted due to the recent flood of work.

“Actor, Father, here’s coffee!”

“Thank you, please take good care of our Gun in Seon’s place.”

“No problem! Then I’ll finish handing them out and come back, please rest for a moment while you drink!”

He’s a rookie with a lot of driving experience, and he’s very disciplined. Park Yeol-ho, who was looking at Lee Hoon’s back with a satisfied expression, said.

“I was worried because they said they were going to recreate a fire, but when I came to see it, you were doing very well. The director too… and that manager too, I can see why people trust our son.”

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll pay more attention to make sure the staff doesn’t get hurt.”

Park Yeol-ho chuckled.

“Isn’t that usually what they say? Is it because your dad doesn’t know this field? I’ve never heard of an actor taking responsibility for the safety of the staff.”

“Well, we help each other out.”

Park Yeol-ho couldn’t help but laugh at his son, who said such things seriously.

It was because the face that declared in a clear voice in front of him after returning from work a long time ago overlapped with his current face.

‘Dad, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to become someone who saves more people than Dad!’

The little boy who went to kindergarten had grown into a mature adult and was standing in front of his father.

“I still remember. Gun, you’ve liked helping people since you were little.”

“Me?”

“Then who else would it be? That’s why I was so worried when you applied to the special forces. I was also surprised when you suddenly became a celebrity… because of what happened when you were in high school.”

The perpetrator of school violence who got his son suspended, the youngest son of the councilman, eventually paid for his crimes after ten years.

Park Gun said nonchalantly.

“Thanks to that, Kyu-il remembered me. I’m glad I got suspended back then.”

“After going through so much trouble… well, I was happy when the parents of the victim student came to thank me. Your mother must have been secretly proud too.”

Park Yeol-ho’s eyes are lost in memories.

Perhaps it was because he inherited the blood of his father, who had a strong character, and also a firefighter.

His sons, especially the eldest, couldn’t stand injustice.

When he helped a classmate who was being bullied in kindergarten and confidently said, ‘Because that’s the right thing to do,’ he thought he would become a good person.

‘What did you do today?’

When he came home and asked, the two boys, covered in dirt, sparkled their eyes and sang in unison.

‘Catching thieves! Seonny helped me catch them all!’

‘That’s right, hyung [older brother] caught them all!’

Unlike the relatively ordinary second son, the first son stood out wherever he went.

Even after enlisting as a non-commissioned officer, he was promoted at an unprecedented rate. When he found out, it was a result that was only possible by achieving war hero-level achievements in every mission.

Although it was not reported in the media due to the nature of the special forces, an insider added that he was practically a legend within the unit.

‘He was promoted so many times as soon as he enlisted, no one believed it when I told them.’

Perhaps that’s why. His son, who seemed like a different person for a while after being discharged, changed little by little after starting acting.

His emotional expression returned… and he showed glimpses of smiling. Like a war veteran suffering from PTSD recovering under the influence of his friends.

‘And now······.’

They are filming a firefighter documentary, specifically for the 120th anniversary of Firefighter’s Day. His sons happened to appear, but Park Yeol-ho knows.

This documentary is not a work filmed as an actor. It is a tribute from a son to his father, as a family member of an injured firefighter.

To fulfill the wish of wanting to stand again as a firefighter, even if only in the camera.

Park Yeol-ho said quietly.

“···Thank you, both of you.”

He must have heard it, but his son unfolded the script as if he hadn’t heard it.

“It’s not over yet, Dad, you have to come out during the last filming too.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Look. Here, there’s a line in the second half.”

Park Yeol-ho’s expression became bewildered as he looked at the stage directions. Unlike the script he saw for the first time, the ‘firefighter father’s’ role has increased to the level of a lead.

“Gun, why is there so much more to do? The PD said the last filming was the last time.”

As he fell into doubt, a blatantly brazen comment was planted in his ear.

“This… the writer said it would be much better for the impact in the second half if we did this. I can’t help it if you don’t like it, but since you’re doing it anyway… and it’s airing next week…”

At this point, he’s not a son but a con artist. Knowing that he would feel burdened if he said the role was high from the beginning, he set up the whole thing and then dragged him in.

“Gun, you were trying to do this······.”

“The weather is hot today. Is it because of the fire suit?”

Looking again, a faint smile was on his expressionless face.

Like before, when he gave in to the grumbling of his young sons, Park Yeol-ho raised both hands.

“Okay, I’ll do everything. I’ll just get scolded by your mother for ruining the work.”

“Scolded? She might cry when she sees it.”

“Hey, I’m coming out?”

“That’s why she’ll cry even more.”

Children continue to grow even when they become adults.

[Path of Fire: Into the Firefighting]

Until the broadcast, D-9 days.

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