Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 37

Who Calls Them Outsiders (5)

* * *

Seo Yohan is a unique character.

He’s a priest who believes in God but doesn’t hold Mass. Far from shunning worldly things, he spends every day steeped in alcohol and tobacco.

He always carries pocket whiskey in one side of his priestly robes and cigarettes and a lighter in the other.

So, when interpreting the character, Director Kim Ryul talked the most with Park Geon.

“The CEO should have been here…”

On the set where the exorcism was to take place,

‘Big Beom’s’ assistant director, Han Sang-yoon, muttered as he carried props for the next scene.

‘Seo Yohan is this kind of character.’

In individual actor directing, Park Geon listened to Director Kim Ryul’s explanation, nodding without much questioning.

‘The exorcism will proceed as written here. We’ve mixed cinematic elements and a few devices into the exorcisms actually performed by Vatican priests.’

‘I see.’

‘If there are any parts you don’t understand in the character interpretation and settings…’

‘No, that’s fine. But there’s one thing I find disappointing.’

It was feedback from the lead actor. Director Kim Ryul asked with a serious expression.

‘What is it?’

‘I thought the exorcism would be more brutal, but it’s too peaceful for defeating a demon. Aren’t those guys usually very resilient?’

‘……Pardon?’

‘If possible later, I think it would be good to add a more violent production. I heard everything can be done with CG these days anyway.’

…Is that damn game the problem again?

At this point, you could believe he’s a real hero who lost his family to a demon.

Han Sang-yoon glanced at Park Geon again.

A few minutes later, the actor, who is supposed to be acting, is lifting and moving props in a quiet place instead of immersing himself in the role.

“No, you really don’t have to help…”

“I’m strong. If we start early, we finish early.”

“Wow, are you even taking care of our quitting time?”

“Of course. And my quitting time too.”

Laughter spreads. An actor helping the staff with their work. Even if it’s for image making early in his debut, it’s still amazing.

How many guys are born knowing they’re great, verbally abuse the staff, and even raise their hands?

‘He looks like a natural-born actor, but he says really weird things sometimes.’

That weird person might turn Chungmuro [Korean Hollywood] upside down in a few months.

Putting down the ladder he brought with a groan, Han Sang-yoon took out a 6mm small camcorder.

It’s a behind-the-scenes cam to film the staff filming.

*

S3#1. The Possessed Person’s House

A night without even the moon.

Light fades, and the time of darkness has come.

A bleak atmosphere, as if something is about to happen, fills the house. Art Director Jang Yong has created a set that sends shivers down your spine just by looking at it.

Red beans and rice scattered at the entrance, half-burned and extinguished candles, a gold rope with red tassels.

The living room, filled with statues of Buddha and Christ, as well as statues of unknown animals, is eerie, as if you were in an ancient religious altar.

The camera, after scanning the house, shows a priest walking outside the alley. It’s Seo Yohan in the same priestly robes, holding his usual Mass bag.

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

The tall priest rings the doorbell in front of a shabby tin gate.

“…Who is it?”

The door opens slightly, and the faces of a frightened couple appear.

“Oh, you’ve come, you’ve come. Priest, please save us, I beg you.”

“A priest who is this young? What was it, those Rose Missionaries or Crusaders…”

“They said their queue is full! We’re not in a position to pick and choose priests!”

The wife, sharply rebuking her husband, guides Seo Yohan inside.

Step by step, the more they enter, the more a strange stench and the smell of deodorizer, seemingly sprayed to block it, fill the air.

Seo Yohan’s gaze sweeps over the gold rope surrounding the living room walls and the blackened ceiling.

“How long has it been?”

“About two months. In the meantime, we brought in a famous shaman and even performed a gut [Korean shamanistic ritual]…”

“They just vomited blood and ran away. Without returning the money.”

“So the gold rope is from then?”

The wife clasped her rosary-holding hands with a look of dismay.

“Yes, yes, a person who had never been abroad in their life was speaking some strange gibberish… it wasn’t even English. I was so scared at the time, so I went to a famous baby shaman in Namyangju and bought it…”

Ancient languages… Sanskrit, Coptic. Typical symptoms of those possessed by demons.

Possessed people have different characteristics depending on the demon, but they suddenly speak dozens of languages or change personalities like other people.

“What about the hospital?”

The priest who came to perform the exorcism asks about the hospital. The couple exchanged bewildered glances and replied.

“We went to a university hospital psychiatric ward far away. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with the brain.”

“I see. I’m asking this just in case, but have you smelled any sulfur?”

“Sulfur smell? Did that smell?”

“No, it didn’t. The smell of rotting meat is getting worse, so we spray so much Febreze every day…”

The work to do before the exorcism is over. Seo Yohan, looking at the door covered with talismans, says.

“Don’t ever come in until I come out.”

*

The camera crew doggedly follows Park Geon… Seo Yohan, entering the room.

Because there was a lack of budget to build a set, they scouted a matching old-fashioned house. Director Kim Ryul is squatting in the corner, and PD Han Sang-yoon captures the staff and actors on his camcorder.

“The smell of demons is intense. Makes me want to throw up.”

Seo Yohan closes the door. Without sprinkling holy salt or taking out a bottle of holy water, he scans the room and stands in front of the bed.

“Grandfather, are you sleeping?”

The face of the old man covered with a blanket is peaceful. If it weren’t for the fact that his limbs were tied to the bed, you could believe he was a grandfather sleeping soundly.

“I’ll ask just three things. Kim Chun-sik, grandfather… no, you rat bastard pretending to sleep behind him.”

Then, the cheek muscles that had been motionless twitch. Seo Yohan continues the question, whether he knows it or not.

“One, do you know that guy among your kind? Looks like a snake, and a demon that smells like sulfur. I think he’s quite famous.”

There is no answer. Seo Yohan’s hand goes inside his priestly robes and takes out a cigarette case and a lighter.

“Two, if you know, come out and tell me quickly. I’m very busy right now.”

The hand movement of lighting a familiar brand of national cigarettes is extremely natural.

Perhaps sensing the approaching smoke, the old man’s chin begins to twitch.

“Because I might do something rough.”

The moment the lit cigarette heads to the old man’s forehead, the closed eyes finally open.

Black pupils without whites. A sign that the body has been completely taken over by the demon.

“You arrogant servant of Jehovah, how dare you ask me the name of a brother?”

The old man, who had been haggard until just now, disappeared, and a devil with gleaming black eyes appeared.

“Crosses, salt… filthy remnants of blessings, did you think you could bind me with these things!”

As the devil used his power, the ropes that had been tying his hands and feet broke at once, and the sheet was stripped off.

“……”

Someone among the staff swallows hard.

The body of the old man, wearing only a white undershirt and trunk pants, is full of bulging muscles.

His real age is thirty-four, and the job he did after quitting acting was a health trainer. A special makeup team was even invited to highlight the discrepancy between his face and body.

“It’s not that guy. The smell is different too.”

“Seeing you reminds me of the bitch who came last time. A woman who worships the local gods of this land, I scared her a bit and she ran away with her tail between her legs.”

The supporting actor playing the old possessed man is a veteran who has been rolling around in the theater scene for over ten years. The theatrical acting tone unique to theater was reborn as a chilling devil through Kim Ryul’s directing.

“Where, I wonder if the male is different?”

As the devil smiles slyly, a strong wind whips up, and objects in the room begin to fly around.

Seo Yohan takes out pocket whiskey and drinks it down even as the devil who jumped off the bed approaches.

The devil, smelling the alcohol, sneers, revealing long fangs.

“Not holy water but barley liquor… you stupid bastard, now that I see it, you weren’t a priest but a con man?”

“Sorry, demon.”

“……”

“It’s true that I’m a fake priest, but I have some strange power, you know?”

Seo Yohan, who was talking, scatters the whiskey he was drinking on the old man.

“Kyak!”

Clearly, what’s inside is alcohol, but the old man suffers as if he’s been hit by holy water. On the screen that has undergone CG editing, his skin will burn black and leave an impact.

“The things I touch become holy objects, and if I hold them, they turn into holy water. It doesn’t even sell here.”

“You, dirty dog of the church!”

The enraged demon swings his muscular arm. However, the hand with the black fingernails extending stops as if blocked by a transparent barrier in front of Seo Yohan’s neck.

“…Wall of faith?”

The devil’s black pupils widen. Seo Yohan closes his eyes and begins to pray softly.

“Michael the Archangel, leader of the heavenly host. God arises, his enemies are scattered, and those who hate you flee before your face.”

“Shut up, you servant! Before I tear your mouth!”

“As smoke vanishes, as wax melts before the fire. So shall the wicked and the demons perish before God.”

Strength clashes with strength. But the devil’s strange physical power cannot overcome Seo Yohan.

The old man—the devil’s face was horribly distorted.

“How can a young punk have stronger power than the old men of the Crusaders…?”

A famous shaman, even decent priests couldn’t handle it and ran away from the beast demon that is himself.

But what is this divine power from that young, scrawny guy in the alcohol-soaked priestly robes?

“Therefore, unclean spirit, we banish you and all the forces of the devil, the attacks of the enemies of hell, the legions and alliances and clans of the devil.”

If it were a high-ranking demon, he would have called out its name and chased it away, but the priest’s power even omits that. The terrifying divine power literally crushes and grinds the demon inside the possessed person.

Now the exorcism prayer has reached its final stage. The flowing sweat runs down his straight nose.

“In the name and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, I banish you…!”

“No, nooooo!”

The old man screams his last death throes, but the victory or defeat has already been decided.

“Go out from the souls redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb of God.”

Seo Yohan, who recited lowly with his eyes closed, gasps for breath and says.

“Just get lost, you idiot.”

All sounds stop abruptly, and the demon covered in divine power disappears. Seo Yohan catches and lays down the old man’s body as the demon leaves.

Just in case, he puts his finger under his nose, and he feels shallow and even breaths. The exorcism was successful.

Another demon has been annihilated.

Even though it seems like he finished it lightly, the mental and physical exhaustion poured out in an instant is enormous.

Seo Yohan, wiping away sweat, plops down on the floor and looks for the bottle of alcohol.

“I shouldn’t have sprayed it, what a waste.”

The empty whiskey bottle rolls on the floor with a clanging sound.

*

The exorcism filming ended without additional NGs [no-good, meaning mistakes requiring a retake].

Like the ‘Seoul Dog’ filming set, the supporting actors whose parts are over are busy retracing their previous performances.

The actor in the undershirt, who hasn’t erased the old man’s makeup yet, excitedly shouted.

“I don’t care if I only come out in one cut. This is the scene stealer of the year, unconditionally 100,000 views on YouTube.”

“What’s 100,000? You have to pull in a million with the pre-release and three million with shorts. It’ll be no joke if you edit the filming.”

“No, it’s really crazy. I didn’t even know I was this good at acting?”

The actors playing the couple also chime in from the side.

“We feel the same way. How detailed the directing is, I don’t think I’ve ever had so few NGs even when I was active.”

The cinematographer smiles and gestures over there with his chin.

“Thank Kim for it. That friend, the misfortune of Chungmuro or whatever is bullshit. He’s a really good shooter.”

“Of course! Our gracious director, our lead actor… oh, where’s Park Geon?”

The actor looking around looked for the lead. Park Geon was standing alone a little away.

Unlike the person who was discussing what to eat with his younger sibling at home until just now, a solemn atmosphere prevails.

“Actor Park, what’s wrong! What’s wrong?”

“Are you okay? If you’re hurt somewhere, the medical team is over there, so go right away…”

If the lead actor gets scratched even a little bit, a major disaster will occur. While other staff are rushing over, Park Geon raises his head.

“Ah, it’s because of the acting just now. I was just thinking about something for a moment.”

Everyone at the filming site saw Park Geon’s crazy immersion today.

It’s fast to get possessed and fast to get out, so you don’t have to worry about watching the actor’s mood. Only then did people breathe a sigh of relief.

“Park Seon! So what did your mother say, is it okay to come in late today? Home-cooked meals are good, but it’s a soju [Korean distilled spirit] party on the first day of cranking in [starting filming].”

“Wow, the cinematographer said he was sleepy a while ago… look, Director Kim Ryul’s expression is getting worse too. Hyung [older brother or male friend], don’t just watch and help a little!”

“I’m okay. The first day is a company dinner.”

“No, really, these people…!”

Pretending to take the cinematographer’s side, Park Geon looked down at the hand hidden in the sleeve of his priestly robes.

No one would have seen it. A few minutes ago… at the height of the exorcism, a faint red light flashed in his hand.

A nonchalant murmur came out.

“It’s been a while since I remembered. Those guys’ faces.”

*