Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 129

The Former Hero is a Top Star – Episode 129 (129/199)

From Each Planet (3)

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The flames burn in the hearth.

The Temple of Ash.

A temple of the land god that existed long before the Great Demons invaded the center of the earth.

Pillars eroded by countless years of flowing water. In the middle of the dark corridor, the hero and the saintess sit watching the fire.

“Really, is it here?”

The first to speak was the saintess, Aria Riverot, with her long blonde hair braided.

The hero, once Park Gun but now a god in this world, glanced at her and replied.

“We have to look. The Eye of Prophecy pointed here, so if we turn all the pillars upside down, something will come out.”

“···You’re no different from a grave robber at times like this. You usually act all nice.”

They came here to find the ‘Black Iron Heart,’ an artifact said to withstand any cold, buried in the Temple of Ash.

The hero’s journey is now one out of five. The first Great Demon, Gorzon of Pride, has fallen, but Modeum of Discord remains intact.

Before going to the northernmost part of the continent, the Glacier Zone where Modeum is, they must gather weapons that are incompatible with him.

“It doesn’t matter, as long as I can reduce even one sacrifice. Maybe the people of the old order would have gladly given up their sacred objects.”

When his personality had not yet been worn down, the hero tried to prevent sacrifices as much as possible. Even though he himself had died and regressed dozens of times.

Aria stirred the hearth with a long branch.

“Don’t you know yet? You can’t save everyone.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you saying something so frustrating? Did you think the people outside would praise you for being so innocent, calling you our hero?”

“I didn’t expect that.”

Sparks flew from the hearth, illuminating their faces. While serving God, this saintess reacted with revulsion whenever faith and sacrifice were mentioned.

“Then here’s a question. You can strike down the Great Demon with your sword, but in doing so, your captured party member also dies. What will you do, hero?”

“I have to save my companion first. I can catch the demon next time.”

Aria tilted her head as if surprised.

“Ah, to prepare for the remaining Great Demons?”

“That too, but… they are the ones who believed in me and came this far. If I were to weigh the saintess’s life against the remaining Great Demons, I would run away with the saintess without hesitation.”

It was truly an exemplary answer, but the saintess pouted her thick lips as if she didn’t like it.

“You can’t even take care of yourself. You lost to the Second Prince twice in a row.”

“Your mumbling is a bit loud.”

“Ah, I didn’t say it, my mouth just did it on its own… I lost my twin sisters when I was young.”

“···What does that have to do with anything?”

“It does, because I still get angry when I think about it. It’s the same when I see people like you, hero.”

Why, without thinking about the people left behind… The saintess’s voice faded away like an echo.

Feeling the atmosphere of the Iron Kingdom fading,

Gun opened his eyes.

“······.”

Sunlight was already coming in through the window. He had returned to his family home for the first time in a while, and he had slept soundly until sunrise.

The end of that conversation was years later, with the sacrifice of countless heroes and armies to defeat Balmon of Rage.

—Hero, why are you doing this to us… Keugh!

—The story is different! If we continue like this, everyone except you will be annihilated!

—The author is no longer a hero, but a monster who became a demon while fighting demons. Holy Asruel, bless us….

Often… no, quite often, the illusion of the Iron Kingdom suggests where he should go.

Was it a coincidence that he dreamed of an old colleague on the night Jin Ji-yu’s incident broke out?

“It can’t be.”

He already knows that the work is not the only thing that regains memories.

Like it did at the end of the work, and at the awards ceremony. Even if it’s not necessarily like that….

‘It’s her first special appearance. And the second one too.’

She was the one who readily appeared with a recommendation from writer Eun Hee-wook during his nameless days when he had nothing.

She was, so to speak, the company’s first comrade. The actors he actually worked with were Baek Ha-ni and Choi Phillip, but she was still special.

“Oh, hyung [older brother/male friend]. You’re awake?”

When he went to the living room, Park Sun had several large carriers spread out.

He could also see floral shorts, a beach towel, and a tropical T-shirt with a large palm tree drawn on it.

“What’s with the luggage?”

“We’re going to Cannes soon, we have to prepare!”

“Isn’t that just a small city?”

Park Sun shook his index finger from side to side.

“No, I’m going to tour the nearby attractions this time. You’ve never been abroad before, hyung, so I’m going to shop and buy clothes in Soho… I’m going to arrive early and walk along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. The scenery of the sea there is crazy.”

Nice, where the film festival is held, is famous for its curved beach, but there were countless more breathtaking views in the Iron Kingdom.

Gun picked up the randomly scattered palm tree underwear and hung it on the sofa.

“Pack well, I’ll be back.”

Park Sun, who had buried his nose in the pile of luggage again, asked.

“Huh? Weren’t you free?”

“I was until yesterday, but something came up that I need to take care of before departure.”

*

Jin Ji-yu’s cosmetics CF [commercial film] filming location.

With the staff, the director checks the filmed footage with satisfaction.

“Okay, the tone is well captured, the colors are perfect… We’ll be done filming today soon?”

The world doesn’t turn upside down just because the schedule is canceled once or twice.

In the first place, ‘high-class’ top stars secretly, or even openly, act tyrannically and stubbornly. A slight pause in the schedule due to poor condition is not a flaw.

The agency team leader also adds a word.

“Jin Ji-yu is definitely Jin Ji-yu. I was worried that the screen presence wouldn’t be good because she said she wasn’t in good condition.”

“Oh… do you believe that? Something must have happened that stopped the schedule. It’s not like celebrities haven’t used the excuse of being sick for a day or two.”

“I don’t think she’s that type…”

He had only seen the model once at the pre-meeting and once today, but the atmosphere was definitely different.

The agency team leader, who had a good eye, had a subtle expression, but he couldn’t say more because the director said so. In any case, the full authority of the site is with the person holding the megaphone.

“Okay, let’s go to the next one right away!”

In the center of the studio, where countless lights and reflectors were directed, Jin Ji-yu continued acting.

*

“Ah, good. Lying down is the best.”

Break time. Jin Ji-yu slumped on the sofa in the waiting room.

Chief Yoo Joon-il, who came directly instead of Team Leader Jung for the celebrity who caused the accident, asked worriedly.

“Are you okay?”

Jin Ji-yu’s one eye sparkled.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“···You’ve been sweating cold since earlier. The stylist has fixed your makeup several times.”

“I couldn’t sleep. The filming set is hot, and the lights seem a bit strong today.”

It’s a lie. It’s not like they’ve been on set together once or twice, and Jin Ji-yu didn’t even sweat a drop even when filming idol track and field entertainment in the scorching sun.

‘…How bad is her body? She’s usually so healthy.’

That’s because, as soon as Jin Ji-yu got in touch with the company, she rescheduled the filming like someone being chased by something.

Even when asked why, she only answered that she had to ‘earn when she could.’ It’s worrying because she’s only looking for short-term models for less than a year, and only advertisements with higher pay than brand image.

Chief Yoo asked carefully.

“Maybe Ji-yu, you’re not doing baccarat somewhere, are you?”

“What are you talking about! Why would I do that?”

Slapping his arm while laughing, she’s clearly saying that she’s fine, so please don’t worry.

Is it because the break time is over? Most of the fatigue that had settled on her face had disappeared.

“···Then that’s a relief. I can cancel the dinner schedule, so tell me if you can’t. I’m more anxious that you’ll collapse. ”

“I’m fine, oppa [older brother/male friend – term of endearment]. If I sleep for a while in the car…”

“Sleeping for a while won’t make it better.”

A voice was heard right next to them, and the two were startled. Yoo Joon-il, who quickly got up, made a bizarre sound effect.

“Eugh, eee?”

The person standing behind the sofa they were sitting on, with a motorcycle helmet under his arm, was Park Gun.

Chief Yoo, who rubbed his eyes a few times, asked.

“No, actor Park. Are you really from some ghost origin? I didn’t even hear the door open?”

“Because I opened it quietly.”

“The staff outside…”

“There weren’t many. My manager was in front, so I just asked and came.”

He doesn’t know how that’s possible, but there’s no hesitation in every question he asks.

Chief Yoo, who looked at the two actors alternately, seemed to realize something.

“Oh… come to think of it, I forgot the concept meeting. I’ll go talk to the director for a while, so you guys can talk.”

The chief-level manager is quick to notice. As Yoo Joon-il quickly left the seat, an awkward silence hung in the waiting room.

Jin Ji-yu, who got up and sat down, said as if nothing had happened.

“···How did you get here?”

“I heard you weren’t feeling well. You weren’t answering my calls, so I bought some medicine this time.”

Park Gun put the medicine bag he brought on the table. You could see things like calming pills and Bacchus [Korean energy drink].

“I’m fine. I just… right, I caught a cold, and I only had a fever that day.”

“You don’t look fine. Your heart rate has increased and your breathing is irregular. Not to mention your body temperature.”

“That’s because the lights were too strong earlier…”

When Jin Ji-yu started making obvious excuses, Park Gun’s head turned quickly.

After a while, the outside became noisy. Whether a fight broke out, faint shouts were also heard.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Are they staff members?”

“It doesn’t sound like it… Let’s go see.”

Park Gun, who threw away his helmet, went out first, and Jin Ji-yu, who hurriedly got up, followed.

“Let go of me! How long are you going to run away!”

“Where is that damn human, tell him to come out right now!”

The filming set was already a mess.

A middle-aged man and three women were knocking down the set-up cosmetics, and the director and staff were struggling to stop them.

“Sir, why are you doing this?”

“Why, we’re not getting our money, but you’re filming this kind of advertisement. Can you get over the fact that the person who ran away with your money is living well?”

The man, who was shouting at the director with a vein in his neck, looked at the side where they were standing.

At the same time, the eyes of the rest of the people were also fixed on Jin Ji-yu, whose face had turned pale.

“There she is, it’s Jin Ji-yu!”

The debtors, who pushed away the staff, quickly surrounded Jin Ji-yu in a circle. Park Gun, who hid his colleague behind him as if protecting her, also took a step forward.

“She’s an actress in the same company. What’s going on?”

“That, the celebrity’s mom behind you stole all our money and ran away!”

The woman with the permed hair shouted in a tearing voice. While people’s mouths were opening, the other men also added a word.

“It would have been fortunate if it was just the mom, but the dad, sister, and younger brother all took all the money they could.”

“She said her daughter would pay it back and pointed her finger at us in defiance, do you know how many months that’s been! Celebrities may not know, but it’s a huge amount of money for people like us!”

“We’re not the only ones she borrowed from, I heard she pulled in a lot of investment money from here and there, do you think it’ll be solved if she files for bankruptcy after doing that? I’m going to get it back no matter what!”

The filming set was soon filled with loud accusations. It wasn’t a situation where they could be stopped carelessly, so the assistant director, who was about to call the police, was just watching.

“Ji-yu, you stay behind. We’ll…”

Chief Yoo said in a low voice, but Jin Ji-yu asked with gritted teeth.

“···What did you say?”

“What what?”

“Those people, what did they say while borrowing money?”

Originally, this type of debt collection is illegal. Knowing that, the fact that they’re breaking into the workplace and causing a disturbance means that the debtors are also at the end of their rope.

The woman with the permed hair and the dialect took a step back, and the middle-aged man who had first rebuked the director spoke on behalf of them.

“What did she say? She said her daughter is a famous celebrity, so she’ll pay it back soon. The dad and son said they were doing business.”

“That! The next work is by a very famous Hollywood director, so if you invest in advance, you can double it!”

“How much is the amount…”

“I’m 500 million [Korean won, ~ $380,000 USD], that’s 200 million [Korean won, ~ $150,000 USD], this side is 800 million [Korean won, ~ $600,000 USD]. There are more than a dozen people like us.”

Silence flowed in the hall. Everyone knows that the director and the work are not real. Because it is the most vicious case of a celebrity’s family selling out the artist.

With her lips turned blue, Jin Ji-yu, who covered her forehead with one hand, summarized the situation.

“I know why you came. For now, we’re filming, so if you contact the company later…”

That’s when it happened. Jin Ji-yu’s body, which was swaying precariously as if she would collapse at any moment, finally fell backward.

“Oh, actress Jin!”

“Ji-yu!”

Chief Yoo shouted, and Park Gun, who caught the limp body, quickly instructed.

“Overwork, dehydration, and stress are combined. Call an ambulance first.”

“Didn’t you hear? Call an ambulance, call an ambulance!”

“Get out of the way, a person has collapsed, and is money still the problem?”

Someone calls 119, and someone else runs to get water. In the studio, which has become a mess, only the debtors exchange glances awkwardly.

From the beginning, they didn’t really intend to harm her. They just came because they couldn’t control their anger, but would they have even laid a hand on a popular star?

“Ahem, ahem. Let’s all go back for now.”

“She’s so weak… The daughter will go first before paying off her family’s debts.”

“Kang, don’t say such unlucky things!”

Watching them grumble and leave the filming set, the director muttered in vain.

“···I couldn’t film it all today either.”

“Ah, director. Come on! A person has collapsed!”

* * *