Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 75

Butcher, Lee Cheon-in (1)

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Japanese Colonial Era.

The action-packed historical drama ‘Son of a Butcher,’ set in the era of enlightenment, features five main characters:

Lee Cheon-in, a Joseon [Korean dynasty] native,

Song Yi-seol, a Joseon native,

Ichigo Taisei, a mixed-race police officer,

Tokuro Shinji, the chief of the General Government’s police affairs department,

and Hasegawa Haruka, the third daughter of the Governor-General who came to Joseon.

The drama begins in Gyeongseong [Seoul during the Japanese Colonial Era], Joseon, which is festering day by day due to harsh exploitation and the conscription of student soldiers, starting from a butcher shop where cattle and horses are slaughtered and meat is sold.

“Wow…”

Kim Kyung-chan, a supporting actor playing Lee Cheon-in’s father, Lee Mak-soe, looks around his soon-to-be shop for a moment.

The hanging pig forelegs and the raw, red meat laid out on straw mats are props that the youngest member of the production team personally obtained.

“Wow, even the butcher knives look real.”

“Right? Director Yang’s attention to detail is well-known in the film industry. I heard they brought him in this time, paying almost double the usual appearance fee.”

True to his reputation as ‘Yang-tail’ [a play on his name and ‘detail,’ emphasizing his meticulousness], art director Yang Yeon-tae created an incredible historical drama set in a short period.

Joseon-style traditional houses, Western-style consulates, traditional Japanese wooden houses, and more.

The houses, which were a mix of Western and Eastern architectural styles that were entering Joseon at the time, were recreated as they were under Director Yang’s hands.

Of course, most of those are drafty walls where the wind will blow right through if you lie down inside. But this isn’t an apartment sales site, it’s a drama set.

It just needs to look good on camera, have excellent overall form, and the aesthetics and finishing touches only need to be artistic in the visible parts.

Today, that marketplace will be stained with smoke and blood.

“Fill up the front of the fabric store a bit! This space is too empty!”

“Haberdasher, where are you, Haberdasher!”

Extras in makeup are bustling around, and the director of photography and the camera crew are taking their places along the track.

Then, PD [Production Director] Jeon In-woo, with disheveled hair and a hat pulled down low, shouts loudly.

“Okay, everyone ready? Stand by—cue!”

And what the camera captures first… isn’t Park Geon wearing a butcher’s mask.

It’s the butcher Lee Mak-soe, carving ribs in the butcher shop, and a boy next to him wearing shabby clothes and sparkling eyes.

*

‘Butcher General’ dedicates about 20 minutes of the first episode to flashbacks.

This is a unique characteristic of historical dramas.

Of course, the protagonist in the present timeline appears, and old plot points are revealed in the middle, but the frequency of dealing with childhood is higher than in modern dramas.

So, who will play the actors?

Even if they’re in their late teens, you can try to make it work… but if it’s a little kid, it’s impossible for the main actors to come out and act.

In other words, the first shovel of this work means that the child actors of the main characters will rise to prominence.

‘Seriously, it was damn hard to bring them in.’

Assistant Director Kang Oh-sung barely managed to hold back the stinging in his nose.

These days, child actors’ acting skills are on par with adult actors. However, the problem was the visuals, the mask needed to play Park Geon’s childhood.

When all the castings he had worked so hard to get were rejected, he even resented PD Jeon In-woo.

‘Director, these friends here are the last ones. The rest are all in other shoots.’

‘I saw them all yesterday. They won’t work.’

‘Yes? The audition videos were pretty good, though. They’re just child actors.’

‘Their faces are different! At least it has to feel like that kid grew up well and became Park Geon!’

In the end, he ran around like crazy until right before the script reading, and barely managed to scout Sung Ji-ho, who is over there. It was a case of luring him away with an outrageous guarantee right before he was about to sign a contract with another project.

“Father, is there anything I can help you with?”

“Ah, please sharpen the knives over there. And move all the salted tripe to the back of the store.”

“Yes!”

As expected of a child actor with eight years of experience.

His pronunciation is good, his acting is solid, and above all, his mask has a unique flavor.

Compared to Park Geon, it’s a bit lacking, but in the first place, no matter what child actor you bring, it can’t be perfect. Even celebrities who are praised as ‘face geniuses’ avoid sitting next to Park Geon at award ceremonies.

“Buy meat! A taste so good you won’t know if you die eating it with someone, we have beef, horse, and pork!”

He also does a pretty good job of acting cheeky, doing the hawking on behalf of his father.

“Cut, okay!”

After filming once more from a different angle, the okay sign was given. The first shoot, and the first scene at that, passed Jeon In-woo, who is known to be picky, in one go, so it feels good.

‘As expected, it’s worth the hard work.’

Assistant Director Kang Oh-sung looked at Sung Ji-ho, who was talking with a supporting actor, with a satisfied expression.

There is no AD [Assistant Director] who dislikes the actor he brought in playing an active role. If he has that kind of potential, he could take on a few more leading roles and become the next Park Geon…

“He’s doing well. I’ll have to work hard too.”

“Oh, Actor Park!”

Park Geon, wearing a white durumagi [traditional Korean overcoat], is standing next to Kang Oh-sung before he knows it.

The sight of him pushing his gat [traditional Korean hat] to the back of his head and dangling his butcher’s mask from his chest makes him look like a time traveler who has just come from the enlightenment period.

Kang Oh-sung looked back and forth between the faces of the two actors playing the same role and erased all his thoughts.

“Ji-ho, let’s just go with the first Sung Ji-ho. Don’t be greedy for something like the next Park Geon.”

“Yes?”

“Ah, I didn’t mean that to Actor Park. It’s just that the kid looks like he has a hard life ahead of him.”

“…?”

Amidst the actors, directors, extras, and staff watching, the first shovel successfully sprinkled dirt [meaning the project has successfully begun].

*

Sung Ji-ho, 14 years old.

His first work was Director Lee Dong-ryong’s ‘Our Hyung.’

He debuted at the age of six and has been on a roll ever since, gaining popularity as a scene stealer in the movie.

Among child actors, he is one of the best in terms of acting skills and has an outstanding mask, so he is a promising star who is expected to grow into a top actor if he doesn’t cause any accidents.

He’s already entered a major agency and has a dedicated road manager following him around.

“Ji-ho, is there anything uncomfortable? You came out early, aren’t you tired?”

The road manager added with concern.

“The next scene is at night, so you can rest more. Your mother told me not to overdo it…”

“I’m not filming right now anyway. I’m just watching the set, so if my mom calls, just switch the phone to me.”

The drama production environment is harsh even for adults. PD Jeon In-woo is a reasonable director, but the adults around him are worried that the child actor might be overworked.

But his real interest is different.

The worries of his parents and the grueling commute between Seoul and Chungnam don’t even come to mind, as child actor Sung Ji-ho is now in love.

Baek Ha-ni? That older sister took one scene and went to her car and hasn’t come out since.

She’s beautiful enough to take your breath away, but it’s hard to approach her, and I feel a chill without even realizing it.

‘I’m glad I don’t have a scene to act with her. If I mess up my lines, I feel like I’ll really get strangled.’

Then what about Jo Hyun-ah? This one is even more so. In the eyes of a fourteen-year-old, an ordinary middle schooler feels more like a member of the opposite sex than an auntie who is more than a dozen years older.

The one who captivated Sung Ji-ho was not the leading actresses, but the adult role of ‘Lee Cheon-in.’ It’s Park Geon.

“Actor Park, please do well in this scene too. Thanks to you, I’m at ease.”

“I’ve heard a lot from the director of photography. I’m the one who should be asking for your help.”

“Haha, that’s not true. My name is?”

“Yes. Everyone in our company nods when you say Director Seo Eung-seo, the best at filming in the drama industry. If you don’t believe me, ask Seon-i.”

“Hahaha! Well, if I hear those words, I can’t just film it carelessly!”

He joked around with the cinematographer without any tension, but as soon as the cue went in, he changed completely.

His eyes, pronunciation, tone, demeanor, and even the breath he exhales are so different that you can’t believe he’s the same person who was just joking around.

Changes… transforms? Any expression becomes crude in front of that. That’s just Lee Cheon-in, the son of a butcher who burns his heart with cold anger.

‘Seriously, he’s just so cool.’

He’s young, but he’s an actor. He’s been a fan since he watched ‘Black Priest’ with his parents, and when I came here today, there’s no other hero movie protagonist.

“Actor Park, it’s dangerous!”

“We have a rooftop chase scene tomorrow too. I can get a rough idea if I step on it.”

“No, but still, without a wire…”

And then there’s the stunt scene.

Even though it’s not his turn to film, he runs around the set roof like Tarzan, and points out dangerous or weak spots like a ghost and conveys them to the art team.

“Oh, that was turned off! Thank you, Park Geon, if it weren’t for you, I would have been injured even if I ran with a wire.”

“It’s okay. I’ve always liked high places.”

He gives detailed directions to the smiling art director and then disappears again.

Park Geon is a director, actor, and staff member… I wouldn’t have known that that statement was true without exaggeration unless I saw it myself.

Sung Ji-ho put his hands in his padding and looked around the set. He hasn’t been seen since a while ago, so he’s probably helping the staff somewhere…

“Hello.”

A voice was heard right next to his ear. He turned around in surprise and saw the person he was looking for standing there.

“Ah… Hello, senior!”

“You’re the senior. I haven’t been acting for long.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

The impact is so great that he often forgets that this person is only in his second year of acting.

Park Geon, who was only wearing a durumagi without a jacket or padding, smiled brightly, as if he wasn’t cold.

“It’s been a while since the reading. I saw you come, but I had some things to do, so I couldn’t say hello.”

“No, I thought you looked busy too…”

From the perspective of someone who has been watching that ‘thing to do’ all along, he can only gape.

“Anyway, please take care of me. We have a scene together soon, right?”

“Yes, it’s an honor!”

Sung Ji-ho shouted nervously. Strictly speaking, they are not caught on camera together, but it is a scene where the young Lee Cheon-in turns into the adult Lee Cheon-in.

PD Jeon In-woo wanted to shoot this scene, which will appear in the middle of episode 1, on the same day and at the same time.

“Oh my, there are two Cheon-in here. Are you already working on your chemistry?”

“Yes. I was getting to know my past self.”

Park Geon, who calmly accepted the joke of the lighting director who was passing by, held out his right hand.

“Let’s do well, Ji-ho.”

“Yes, senior.”

“I told you I’m not a senior. Just call me hyung [older brother or male friend].”

Sung Ji-ho looked up at Park Geon again. He is much taller than himself, who is the tallest in the class, and he is even more dignified with the historical drama costume.

He seemed to keep his distance from other people, but maybe it’s just his imagination, but he spoke to him comfortably since the script reading.

‘…Did Geon-hyung want to be friends with me too?’

The age of storm and stress.

Adolescent boys and girls tend to burn with motivation even with small opportunities.

Feeling his heart pounding powerfully, Sung Ji-ho put strength into his clasped hand.

“Please take care of me, hyungnim [more formal way of saying hyung]!”

*

The moon rose in the night sky of Buyeo.

Most of the extras and extras were gone, but the remaining staff were holding their breath and waiting for the signal.

As the night’s swell deepened and the gathering clouds swallowed about half of the crescent moon, PD Jeon In-woo’s cue dropped.

“Stand by, cue!”

The highlight of episode 1 of ‘Butcher and General.’

Suddenly, police officers break into Lee Mak-soe’s store, which was running a small butcher shop in the outskirts of Gyeongseong.

─Oh my… Officers, why are you doing this!

─Your name came up on the list of Joseon independence activists obtained by the military police. Come with us and cooperate.

At the cold declaration of the police officer of the Gyeongmu Bureau [police bureau during the Japanese Colonial Era], Lee Mak-soe rubs his hands in a way that doesn’t suit his large frame.

─I, I am innocent. I have never been to such a place.

─We’ll find out when we interrogate you at the station. Take him away!

The young Cheon-in (賤人) [derogatory term for someone of low social class], looking out from the crack in the door in the inner room of the butcher shop, bit his lip anxiously.

A few days ago, suspicious men wearing hats came to see his father. He also remembers hearing stories about independence, guns, and hiding in meat in the main room.

Besides, before the police officers rushed in, didn’t his father hide him, telling him never to come out?

‘Maybe, just maybe, my father is…’

At that time, a loud noise was heard, the police officers were rolling around, and his father jumped out of the butcher shop.

─He’s running away, catch him!

─He must be in league with those guys! Don’t miss him!

A police officer guarding the outside rushes in, but when the boning knife flashes, he falls away, spraying blood.

Lee Mak-soe, who looked around the street like an animal, soon starts running. And behind the running butcher, a group of police officers aim their rifles.

─No!

Bang, bang, bang!

In the end, the moment Lee Cheon-in, who opened the door, shouted, a heartless gunshot cuts through the air.

Lee Mak-soe, covered in blood and collapsed in the gunpowder smoke. The camera, which was watching the son crying while holding his father, suddenly changes direction.

Kwaang, boom!

The time in the play skips over ten years in an instant.

Why gyeongs (倭警) [Japanese police] with the same uniforms but different faces run through the same street.

Some of them are wearing worn and torn clothes, and some are slumped over and carried by their colleagues, as if they have lost consciousness.

─It’s a bomb, they have bombs!

─Damn Joseon bastards… How did they get bombs in the middle of Gyeongseong?

─It’s not them, I saw it. It was one guy!

The gunpowder smoke from the rifle that killed Lee Mak-soe turns into the white smoke of a bomb, and the retreating camera angle shines upwards as if carried by the wind.

The corner of the marketplace… Above the roof of the Japanese bank that stood where the butcher shop once stood.

Under the crescent moon, which emits a chilling white light as the clouds recede, stood a white durumagi wearing a paeraengi [Korean conical hat].

─Run away. Wail and regret, and try to escape from your fears. Even if the Emperor himself arrives here,

Exploited by the Japanese and despised by his compatriots,

A blue light flashes in the butcher’s mask.

─You will never be able to return to your land.

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