Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 18

Audition for the Small Screen (7)

* * *

The head instructor of Laos Gym No. 1, Park Doo-yi, was in a foul mood these days.

A strange rumor was spreading throughout the MMA gym he ran.

The gist of it was that a certain actor named Choi Seung, or Choi something—a name that sounded rather unimpressive—was exceptionally good at fighting.

Especially the female members in the jiu-jitsu class, who gathered in groups during breaks to chatter.

“Look at his clean striking. That actor is the real deal. He must have trained a lot.”

“I heard he was originally from a special forces unit?”

“No wonder… you can’t get that kind of aura without being a pro.”

Until now, he had stubbornly closed his ears and pretended not to hear, but those words made his stomach churn.

Park Doo-yi also had experience on film sets as a martial arts advisor and an extra with a significant role, so he knew very well.

‘Action, my foot. It’s just a circus where they play around with the camera to avoid hurting their precious bodies.’

You could tell just by looking at them. They probably took an untrained civilian and, with the action director and cinematographer working in harmony, created something that looked plausible.

He could overlook the fact that a celebrity was handsome, but he couldn’t stand hearing that they were good at fighting.

In the end, Park Doo-yi shamelessly intervened.

“What is it? What! They’re just actors! Let’s see how good they really are!”

The member who had spoken first looked bewildered and held out her smartphone.

“Uh, this is a collection of Choi Seung’s action scenes…”

“Just give it to me. You can tell whether it’s real or fake just by looking at the way they throw a punch.”

And a few seconds later, Park Doo-yi swallowed hard, forgetting that he had been trying to find fault.

‘What is this?’

The bath scene, the boxer scene, the *pechango* [a type of street brawl] scene. He was captivated by every video that appeared.

Action on screen is just action. Just as martial arts and real street fights are different, action with choreography and real fighting are as different as a toy knife and a sashimi knife.

But this guy…

‘Crazy, he’s really fighting.’

Park Doo-yi was convinced. There was no script or blocking on that set.

The thrill, the vividness that burst through the screen, and the raw reactions of the supporting actors all pointed to one conclusion.

He didn’t know who the martial arts director was, but this guy was beating up the extras without any choreography.

“Wow, he hits really well.”

Finally, an exclamation escaped from Park Doo-yi’s mouth. The members, excited by the director’s reaction, added their own comments.

“Right? He’s good, isn’t he?”

“Look at the director’s expression. He’s genuinely surprised.”

“Choi Seung really carries ‘The Dog of Seoul.’ You should definitely watch it while it’s still airing.”

He returned the smartphone and stood up abruptly.

“Keep practicing. I’ll be back after using the restroom.”

That’s what he said, but Park Doo-yi’s feet headed for the office, not the restroom.

He immediately turned on the computer and went to his frequently visited MMA site. He searched for ‘Choi Seung,’ but there wasn’t much buzz yet.

It was a quiet community where current and former directors and martial arts seniors and juniors exchanged news. Park Doo-yi felt a sense of responsibility to share this exciting news.

“I need to spread the word so everyone can see this.”

*

After the broadcast of episode 12, in which Jin Ji-yu made a special appearance, several GIFs were uploaded.

Title: Choi Seung Slapping Jin Ji-yu Around

[GIF of him hitting her in the car]

Title: Choi Seung Playing with Ma Dae-hwi

[GIF of him putting Ma Dae-hwi in a drum and rolling it down a slope]

Title: List of People Choi Seung Has Beaten Up So Far

[Collection of GIFs of Choi Seung’s action scenes]

Dozens of extras, many supporting actors, top-tier male and female actors, and a punching machine.

Just… amazing, Mr. Beat-Down!!!

LOL punching machine

ㄴWhy are you leaving out the arcade owner ㅠㅠ Suddenly a celebrity destroyed his business

ㄴHe already took care of the financial compensation~.

ㄴI heard he paid for it out of his own pocket; I hope he gets into a good agency soon.

By the way, isn’t the finale in two weeks?

ㄴYeah, it’s a 16-episode drama, so there are 4 episodes left.

ㄴI feel like everyone’s going to die… Please, no bandwagoning on the bad ending trend ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

ㄴEun Hee-wook doesn’t care about that; he kills and saves people as he pleases.

ㄴIf Chief Choi dies, I’m boycotting.

*

Today’s filming was at an outdoor location in the suburbs. While stuck in traffic, Park Seon asked.

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], do you happen to know any martial arts fighters?”

“No, why?”

“I’m getting a flood of Instagram followers. They’re all fighters, so I thought they might be your acquaintances.”

“I don’t know any. I’ve never learned anything like that.”

Come to think of it, something similar had happened on the way here. It was just after passing the Olympic Expressway.

“Oh, Choi Seung! You’re Choi Seung, right!”

He had the passenger window down, and a man covered in tattoos waved from the car next to them.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Wow, this is crazy. I’m really enjoying the drama!”

“Thank you. Please continue to support me.”

“Of course! I’ll definitely watch your next project too!”

Didn’t they say that male actors usually form a female fan base?

It seemed that most of the people who recognized him were men, and burly athletic men at that.

When he told this story, Park Seon explained proudly.

“That’s proof that the branding is going well. It’s really hard for a male actor to gain male fans.”

“Don’t men usually not like other men? They usually like idols or actresses.”

“Well, yeah. It’s a tiny fraction compared to that fan base, but… men don’t just give attention to someone just because they’re handsome. They have to be good at sports, or have amazing acting skills, or have something appealing to remember them by.”

He couldn’t really guess why they liked him. Gun looked down at his fist.

“All I’ve done is hit people.”

“Hyung is cool. There’s something about you that makes even a man’s blood boil.”

Park Seon, who had been excitedly chattering, suddenly looked troubled.

“And you need to build up a fan base in advance. You’re about to generate a million haters.”

“Why haters?”

“The scene where you hit Jin Ji-yu aired.”

“Ah, that.”

The episode in which Jin Ji-yu made a special appearance aired yesterday. As luck would have it, his father cleared his throat while watching it with him, and his mother was furious.

While others are filming kissing scenes, what is our son doing? She lamented that he was being portrayed as a man who beats his girlfriend, making Park Seon sweat bullets.

“Still, hyung, it’s worth it to act, right?”

At his younger brother’s sudden question, Gun turned his gaze away from the window.

“It’s better than I thought. It’s also fun.”

“Yeah, your face has really brightened up lately. For a few days after you were discharged, you looked like someone who had lost their phone somewhere.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, didn’t you know? I didn’t say anything, but Mom and Dad were really worried. They kept asking me if something had happened in the military. They said you were different from when you were on your final leave.”

Gun rubbed his face. Was my expression that strange?

Indeed, he had been out of it in the early days of his return.

Having died and been resurrected dozens of times, a former warrior who had returned without breaking the head of the Great Demon needed an adjustment period.

That was why he had been reading books on quantum mechanics and superstring theory for a while. He hoped to find a clue to explain this strange phenomenon.

‘There were no results. And the memories didn’t return.’

After fighting demons for 20 years, dying and dying again, it was understandable that his modern memories would be blurred.

But what about the missing memories of the Iron Kingdom? He still couldn’t recall the saintess and his comrades, or the battles with the Great Demons, including the final battle.

It was as if… someone had deliberately hidden them.

Berial, the demon of sin, governs oblivion and chaos. Perhaps he had done something when he was cut down.

‘And *Hapki*. Why did this come back?’

The warrior’s power that revived every time the camera turned on was also unexplained.

In the first place, *Hapki* [a martial art focusing on internal energy] is a type of aura. It is a human weapon created to strengthen the body and unleash superhuman strength to fight against demons.

It may be useless in peaceful modern times, but he was even secretly glad to have the familiar power return.

Because it felt like he had returned to the Iron Kingdom, even for a moment.

More precisely, because it allowed him to distance himself from the self-reproach of not having completed his given mission.

‘This, this is exactly the picture I wanted. An overwhelmingly charismatic human butcher, with emptiness and loneliness lingering within! Mr. Park Gun, you can do this with just your mask and aura, you’re really blessed.’

During monitoring, he recalled the words that Kim Jung-nam, the director of photography, had said, spitting as he spoke.

At first, he was uncomfortable with the praise showered on him by the staff, including the writer and PD [production director], but now he had become accustomed to it.

Wasn’t it a grateful thing? That a failed swordsman was useful, even if only on the screen.

Gun looked up at the bright blue sky of Earth.

There was no saintess, no comrades, and no winged bastards to tear apart, but the man who had been a warrior was still here.

“Nothing happened. And nothing will happen in the future.”

*