Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 9

The Shark in the Bathtub (3)

* * *

‘Why are they suddenly on my side?’

Stepping into the actors’ waiting room, Gun tilted his head, puzzled.

He’d overheard the gossiping woman and man earlier. He hadn’t considered them worth the trouble of confronting, choosing to ignore them. But then, unexpectedly, the lead actress had intervened, seemingly taking his side.

‘Is she the type who cares about maintaining a good atmosphere on set?’

He was accustomed to dealing with malice. Whether it was rumors or curses whispered behind his back, he could usually ignore it, as long as it didn’t escalate to physical harm.

Soon, all the actors were seated, filling the reading room to capacity.

The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, heightened by the presence of cameras already set up to film behind-the-scenes footage. The project was generating buzz even before it began.

Na Jong-mo PD [Production Director], arriving last, closed the door and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Alright everyone, how are we all doing! I’m Na Jong-mo, the director. This is writer Eun Hee-wook, and over there are cameras 1, 2, and 3, ready to capture all the excitement and promote our show.”

A ripple of light laughter spread through the room.

“Everyone here, including myself and writer Eun, has high expectations for this project. We’re aiming for ratings above 20%, so let’s give it our all, from the making-of videos to the teasers, from episode 1 to the finale, and even the after-party!”

The PD’s declaration of intent was echoed by the writer.

“Yes, I’m Eun Hee-wook, and I share those high target numbers. I’ve been fortunate enough to have only worked on hits so far, and of course, I fully intend for this one to be another success.”

Writer Eun Hee-wook’s gaze swept across the supporting and leading actors, briefly pausing on Park Gun before moving on.

“To all of you talented individuals, I promise to repay your dedication by crafting a compelling script that makes the most of your abilities, as I painstakingly selected each of you for these crucial roles.”

From the very first scene of the reading, Eun Hee-wook proved that her confidence was not unfounded.

opening scene.

ㅡSave… Save me….

ㅡWhat is it, Officer Kim! Get over here!

ㅡCall 119, call an ambulance!

A gangster bursts into the precinct, covered in blood.

The precinct officers immediately call for an ambulance, but he can only repeat the words ‘save me’ in a slurred voice.

One of the police officers, sensing something amiss, peers into the gangster’s mouth and spots a red object lodged between his molars.

ㅡGet back! It’s a bomb…!

Before he can even finish the warning, a homemade bomb explodes, decapitating the gangster and injuring several nearby police officers.

The incident, quickly dubbed the ‘Precinct Terror,’ makes headlines, and the Metropolitan Investigation Unit is called in. Ma Dae-hwi from Violent Crimes Unit 3 is appointed as the team leader to track down the culprit.

ㅡThat bastard, he’s the last survivor of the Lennon Clan.

ㅡThe Lennon Clan? Those Russian mafia thugs?

ㅡYeah. I thought they’d closed up shop and gone into hiding since they haven’t been seen lately, but they were just biding their time.

ㅡThen this is….

ㅡDisappearances, accidents, injuries. What kind of lowlifes are behind all of this?

From the initial setting to the narration, every line of the script and every piece of dialogue felt perfectly suited to the characters.

The vividness was a bonus, to the point where the actual scenes flashed before your eyes even though it was just a script reading.

Yong Joon-sang, playing the role of Ma Dae-hwi, embodied the character of a seasoned detective with his bold and charismatic acting. Seo Hee-do, playing the role of Jung Yeon-woo, also delivered a passionate performance that seemed to silence the earlier controversy surrounding her acting abilities.

Officials sitting in the back whispered amongst themselves.

“Not bad, huh? She’s been working hard and taking lessons, and it shows.”

“Yong Joon-sang is always a safe bet for Finns Entertainment… but doesn’t that other person have any lines?”

Attention shifted to a man sitting quietly in the corner of the table, diligently flipping through his script.

His handsome features were certainly lead-actor material, but he stood out even more because of his deliberately understated attire.

A team leader from another company couldn’t resist taking the bait.

“Isn’t that Choi Seung?”

“Ah, writer Eun’s ‘secret weapon’ for this project.”

“Apparently, she has a thing for new faces. I heard she replaced Kim Yong-hoo, Song Ji-ik, and Yoon Tae-sang to get him.”

“But why is it so hard to hear him speak? I heard rumors that Eun Hee-wook personally picked him, so I was going to check him out during the reading.”

The chief who spoke first shrugged.

“Didn’t they deliberately reduce his lines? They had to bring him in, but he’d ruin it if he opened his mouth.”

The reading was now approaching the climax of the first episode. Ma Dae-hwi closes in on ‘Jung International,’ and Jung Yeon-woo punishes her next target.

“Don’t say such ominous things. If the product placement [tie-in sales] backfires, the drama will flop instantly….”

The team leader retorted, looking disgusted.

Kwaaaang!

A sudden explosion echoed through the reading room.

*

A few of the actors jumped in surprise, while others merely shrugged and coughed dryly.

Clearly, the sound effect was meant to coincide with the scene right after Ma Dae-hwi’s line, where the loan shark’s vault explodes.

Since JNBC was known for its generous production budgets, special effects would undoubtedly be lavishly employed.

The problem was that this was just a script reading room, and the sound effect had been made by an actor.

“…Mr. Park Gun?”

Park Gun cleared his throat nonchalantly.

“Yes. I was just trying to enhance the immersion, so I reacted as the narration indicated.”

“No, not that… what did you just do? It sounded like a real explosion!”

“I know, right? I was so immersed that I thought I was imagining things, at my age.”

Na Jong-mo PD asked with his mouth agape, and Kwak Joong-il burst into hearty laughter, which quickly spread throughout the reading room.

If the outcome was positive, it would be seen as a nameless actor’s endearing quirk. But if the atmosphere had been ruined, it would have been dismissed as a desperate attempt by a crazy person trying to grab attention.

“I apologize if I startled anyone. Actually, I know how to make various sound effects… the script had a lot of narration.”

Seo Hee-do, who had been unusually friendly throughout the filming, raised both thumbs in approval.

“Wow, this is perfect for a making-of film thumbnail! Can you do it one more time?”

The manager in the back frantically gestured an ‘X’ with his hands, looking anxious, but Park Gun readily nodded.

“I can do everything that’s in the script.”

Soon, a variety of sound effects filled the room. The staff holding the cameras were visibly impressed by the expressionless delivery of explosions, footsteps, and gunshots.

“At that level, he’s practically a voice actor…!”

“There’s no need to add anything during post-dubbing. Who needs a voice actor? Just give him an echo effect, and he’s a one-man sound effects machine.”

The production team, including Na Jong-mo PD, couldn’t help but smile at the unexpected display of personal talent.

Making-of films from script readings usually only capture a few obvious scenes.

Crazy acting, fantastic chemistry between certain actors – preliminary efforts to generate views with catchy titles.

But what if an unknown rookie suddenly, and with an impactful personal skill, drew attention?

“We’ve got at least one good title for the making-of.”

The rest of the reading was successfully completed in a much more relaxed atmosphere.

Of course, Choi Seung still had no lines until the very end, and the officials swallowed their disappointment and got up to leave.

They were only left with the news that some crazy guy had somehow gotten involved with their actors’ work.

*

After finishing the making-of film interview, Seo Hee-do stopped Gun as he was getting up.

“Hey, Choi Seung. You worked hard today.”

“Not really. I didn’t even have any lines, so I just played the sound effects guy.”

“Puh-huh, that was really awesome. By the way, what’s your real name?”

“Park Gun.”

“I’m Seo Hee-do, nice to meet you.”

As Seo Hee-do greeted him and left, Kwak Joong-il offered his thick hand this time.

“That was fun today. See you on set.”

“Yes, I have a lot to learn.”

“Tell me how to do that voice imitation later. I can’t seem to shake off this company executive image.”

The scene-stealer of today’s reading was definitely Gun, who had made a significant impact without uttering a single line of dialogue.

‘He’s trying so hard to get some screen time.’

‘It’s okay, if you’re not good enough, you have to do something like that.’

Whispers could be heard from the managers of the supporting actors, but no one voiced any open dissatisfaction.

They knew very well that there was no point in starting a fight when the main production team clearly liked it so much.

Park Seon made a fuss as soon as they came out to the broadcasting station hallway.

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], how did you do that? It was more realistic than the sound effects played by a real sound effects artist. You’ve never shown that before.”

Was it around the 15th year of his previous life? He had gone to the Great Forest to meet the Elf Queen. In the name of a test, he was stripped of his hero’s powers and couldn’t use Hapki [a Korean martial art].

Thanks to that, he had to survive in the wild with only a knife in his bare hands.

‘The giants there had incredibly sensitive hearing. It was much easier to hunt them if I could accurately imitate the sounds of animals.’

He had simply revived his old skills and tried out some personal talents, and it had been successful, judging by how much the production team had enjoyed it.

“It’s just a trick. I learned it in the military.”

“…Ugh, I thought my heart was going to drop. How did you suddenly think of doing that, right there?”

Gun smiled faintly.

It was a different time and a different dimension, but it felt pretty good to show off his skills after such a long time.

“We’re going to work hard, right?”

“Huh? Yeah, that’s right.”

“Then we have to take care of our own parts. So that we don’t get overshadowed by the other actors.”

At those words, Park Seon’s eyes also burned brightly with determination.

“Okay. I’ll work harder too. I’ll just keep throwing firewood on the grill until I collapse.”

“Don’t let the manager collapse before the actor does.”

“Sorry, if I have better stamina than you, I’m not a human, I’m a monster.”

*