Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 92

Former Hero is a Ten Million Actor – Episode 92 (92/199)

Cutting What Needs to Be Cut (4)

* * *

A sense of impending war hung over the broadcasting world.

The current drama landscape was considered ‘2 strong, 1 medium, 6 weak’.

JNBC’s ambitiously planned Monday-Tuesday miniseries flopped, and MBS’s Wednesday-Thursday drama, which had been anticipated as a hidden card for the first half of the year, also crashed.

YTS’s weekend drama, which proclaimed a ‘real showdown,’ challenging Roman and DG’s rivalry, was crushed between them and disappeared from view.

The reason why the other broadcasting stations, and even other time slots of the same KBC, couldn’t break through was simple.

‘Butcher General’ and ‘Hyperion’,

Those two were too powerful.

From 20% to 25%, they absorbed all the viewership while biting and clawing at each other.

Other broadcasting stations and affiliated agency promotion teams were doing their best, but they were only wasting manpower, unable to bring down the leaders.

[Butcher General Vs Hyperion, Which Drama Will Stop the 2-Strong Domination?]

But no one was emerging to challenge them. For a latecomer to attract a solid fan base, the writer, director, actors, and the work itself had to perfectly align.

The broadcasting world operates on practicality, not pride. Few fools would dare to fight against a blockbuster stuffed with capital.

A shrimp whose back was crushed in a whale fight, Yoon PD [Production Director] of JNBC, whose miniseries had flopped spectacularly, burst into anger.

“Those damn actors, they don’t even properly review the script knowing full well they’re going to rest. If they’re so afraid of ‘Butcher General’ and ‘Hyperion,’ they should have just clung to them from the start, huh?”

“Na Jong-mo said it, didn’t he? That if those two go head-to-head, the first quarter viewership will be sucked dry. Top-tier writers are even postponing their schedules to avoid them.”

“Don’t they have any pride? Are Park Geon and Moon Han-bin cards that can’t be beaten?”

At his colleague’s outburst, the variety show PD sitting across from him comforted him with a pitiful look.

“It’s not that they can’t be beaten. It’s just that it’s hard to beat a killer script and directors at the peak of their form.”

Real Showdown (眞劍勝負) [Jingeom Seungbu – a Korean idiom meaning a true, no-holds-barred contest].

A word that perfectly describes the current situation.

Now, halfway through and heading towards the finale, the two works, a 24-episode and a 20-episode series, were truly exchanging blows like generals.

Hyperion’s writer, Nam Sil, lived up to her reputation as the ‘Nam Division,’ churning out new strategies every week while grinding down more than ten junior writers.

A delicate line between trash and masterpiece.

There, the actors’ passionate performances brought to life stimulating materials such as drugs, violence, and sexual favors, steadily absorbing viewers who didn’t usually watch historical dramas.

As a result, Hyperion’s viewership, which seemed to be caught by Butcher General, was rising again.

With the situation like this, the KBC’s director’s office went to heaven and hell every day.

“Hey, CP [Chief Producer] Oh. What do you think?”

“We’ll definitely win. We were only behind by 0.4% last week, and Byung-seo has been pumping it up properly in the meantime. We can really catch them now.”

“If we lose here, we’re done for! Throw in all the manpower and everything else, squeeze the reporters even until the last episode airs!”

The drama department director, listening to the CP’s report, shouted with bloodshot eyes.

It is always the chased who are desperate. If the atmosphere at KBC was desperate, CVN was rather relaxed.

“Team Leader Jo, is there anything we can support on our end?”

“Yes, Director. Thanks to your concern, the atmosphere on set is at its peak.”

“Haha, you’re good at saying nice things because you’re the entertainment team leader. I know the staff must be struggling right now. They’re all holding on with their mental strength.”

“Ah, so we’re focusing on maximizing welfare on set. The head of headquarters also said that morale shouldn’t drop, so a lunch buffet truck will be going today as well.”

As Team Leader Jo Byung-gil reported, a satisfied smile spread across Director Bang Seong-il’s face.

“That’s right. The staff sergeants should take care of the troops’ supplies. Let’s trip them up again this week.”

“Of course. We have to overtake them this time.”

Buyeo, ‘Butcher General’ filming set.

A production team staff member, popping a Bacchus jelly [a popular Korean energy drink-flavored jelly] into his mouth, looked up at the sky and sighed.

“Director, I want to rest for just one day.”

The veteran next to him simply collapsed onto the dusty floor and whimpered.

“I’m never peeing in Buyeo again, Goguryeo is always the best…”

“What are you talking about?”

“There’s something like that. Are you even studying history if you’re filming a historical drama?”

“…This is the Enlightenment period.”

It was a large-scale set, and even a historical drama, which requires the most hands. At the turning point, the staff’s fatigue reached its peak.

The directors were just as exhausted.

In particular, writer Young Do-eun was rewriting the already completed script to improve its quality, in response to Hyperion’s real-time addition of 막장 [makjang – Korean slang for outrageous or absurd plot twists] elements.

Thanks to this, the actors on set were filming the drama like a gacha game every day, with scripts that might or might not be 쪽대본 [jjokdaebon – scripts delivered in pieces, often on the day of filming].

“Writer Young, are you okay? Why did you come all the way down to this remote Buyeo to suffer like this?”

Inside the director’s tent on one side of the set.

Writer Young Do-eun, whose eyes were dark with fatigue, glared at PD Jeon In-woo.

“How can I make time in Seoul when I’m barely keeping up with revisions while watching the set in real-time? Your edits are barely coming out on time either, PD.”

“There are hardships on this side too. We’ve built up so much, are we just going to film it roughly because it’s the second half? Are you telling Director Seo to film it haphazardly?”

“Then you and I will both die. I’ll put down my pen and go to a temple.”

Seeing Young Do-eun’s eyes burning with intensity, PD Jeon In-woo also smiled bitterly.

‘After the national petition for historical distortion, our writer Young has become completely enraged.’

And how could she not be tired? No matter how good the script is, the director’s stress increases when filming under time constraints.

How many times had he stayed up all night doing on-site rough cuts because he couldn’t rest easy even after sending it to the editing room?

Editing one episode to meet the broadcast time, then going into filming, and then touching the next episode and hearing the standby call was commonplace.

But… when he saw the final version, he couldn’t just gloss over it.

ㅡDo you know why I’m wearing this mask?

ㅡIt’s an obvious question. You wore it to hide your identity when fighting the Japanese.

ㅡYou’re wrong. Originally, the 탈놀이패 [talnoripae – traditional Korean mask dance troupe] wearing the ‘Butcher Mask’ slaughtered oxen and mocked the nobles. The 천인 [cheonmin – the lowest class in traditional Korean society] who could not become a general, the real opponent to face was not the Japanese imperialists, but our own people.

ㅡ…Are you saying…

Park Geon and Baek Ha-ni’s chemistry made viewers shudder.

After rescuing Song Yi-seolㅡBaek Ha-ni from the burning Gyeongseong [old name for Seoul] Bank, the two protagonists confirm their feelings for each other but cannot get closer.

A man who cannot take off his mask to protect his old lover. And a woman who wants to be true to her feelings rather than her status and life.

“Looking at this, how can I just film it roughly?”

Lee Cheon-in and Song Yi-seol, and all the villains and heroes living inside ‘Butcher General’.

In the end, the heart that revives everyone on the filming set is the actors and the work.

“Director, Writer.”

At that moment, Park Geon poked his head out from the side of the tent. Their lead actor was even doing actor standby himself.

“You can go in anytime. Baek Ha-ni and I are ready.”

At the low but firm voice, a certain determination settled on Young Do-eun and Jeon In-woo’s faces as well.

Now, there are only a few episodes left.

S67#3. In front of the Governor-General of Joseon

A huge stage is set up in front of the Governor-General’s building.

A red dot is painted on a wide white floor to create the Japanese flag, and on top of it, an outdated guillotine rises, boasting its sharp blade.

ㅡKim, did you hear the news? They say they’re executing a group of 불령선인 [bullyangseonin – ‘discontented elements,’ a term used by the Japanese colonial government to refer to Korean independence activists] in front of the Governor-General’s office.

ㅡThe wicked Japanese… they’ve really sharpened their knives. They’re bringing in not only the independence fighters locked up in the Jongno Police Station but also innocent Joseon [historical Korean kingdom] people and accusing them of crimes.

ㅡWill Butcher Mask leave them alone? He’ll definitely appear from somewhere and save them.

ㅡDamn it, what’s with this Butcher Mask? How much suffering have the Joseon people of Gyeongseong gone through because of him? I preferred Gyeongseong when there was no Butcher Mask!

The news of the ‘Day of Decapitation,’ a collaboration between the Governor-General’s chief of police and the Jongno police chief under the pretext of celebrating the Emperor’s birthday, spread quickly.

Opinions are divided among the Joseon people of Gyeongseong.

The faction that praises Butcher Mask for killing Japanese policemen and cornering the Jongno Police Station.

The faction that treats Butcher Mask as a 역귀 [yeokgwi – a vengeful ghost or spirit] because the Governor-General, having seen blood, is running rampant, arresting Joseon people indiscriminately.

The side that says Butcher Mask will help and the side that says there shouldn’t be such a plague-like guy are arguing, and eventually, it turns into a fistfight.

And on the second floor of the building. There are two pairs of eyes looking down at the sight of compatriots fighting each other.

“Are we supposed to save these people?”

Inside a small room where the sound of the tavern can be heard.

Oh Min-woo, playing Lee Jeong-nyeong, the leader of the Gyeongseong Independence Army, who had been badly beaten by ‘Butcher Mask,’ frowned.

“Who told you to save them? The brothers caught by the Governor-General are those who sacrificed themselves for this land. If it weren’t for the blood they shed, Gyeongseong would have fallen to those bastards.”

Lee Cheon-in, Park Geon, looks down at the street through the paper window with a blank expression.

The eyes behind the mask, looking at the common people, have no hatred or pity. There is only a detached something… indifference as if facing a rock or a waterfall.

“That would have been fine too. A country rotten to the core, even if all the bones burn, we might be able to find crumbs in the ashes.”

“Hey, Butcher Mask!”

“Lee Jeong-nyeong, leader of the Gyeongseong Independence Army, why are you trying to reclaim Joseon?”

A simple question, but it contains a weight that the young leader of the independence army cannot bear.

Oh Min-woo gritted his teeth and raised his voice.

“Well, of course, our people…”

“Are those who drive out their compatriots my people?”

Oh Min-woo’s mouth closes. There are more than ten filming staff in this space.

Surely it shouldn’t be cold due to the lighting panels, equipment, and the heat coming from the people, but the moment Butcher Mask turned his head and looked at him, his cheeks stiffened.

“Cowards who despise their own blood, oppress the weak, and only seek their own survival. I have never considered them to be my compatriots or my people.”

“That’s…”

“Go back, Lee Jeong-nyeong. The rise and fall of a country cannot be changed by a few spirited individuals.”

Oh Min-woo lowers his head.

In Butcher Mask’s eyes, indifferently gazing at the scene, the lights of the street flare up and fade away.

Finally, the day of execution dawns.

From morning, a cloud-like crowd gathers in front of the Governor-General’s office.

An unknown bird cries, and cold breath flows out of people’s mouths.

Boo-oo-ooㅡ

A long trumpet sound echoes through the sky of Gyeongseong.

Tokuro Shinji, the chief of police of the Governor-General of Joseon, poured all his strength into this gruesome slaughter.

The elite forces of the Governor-General of Joseon, the military police of the Jongno Police Station, and Japanese policemen called in from other stations.

Then, the policemen armed with bayonets and long swords drag out the independence fighters.

ㅡOh my, look at their appearance.

ㅡHow much suffering they must have endured. They say Jongno Police Chief Lee Gyun is so cruel…

ㅡShh, someone will hear! Do you want your tongue seared too?

The appearance of the independence fighters, walking limping while tied with ropes, is miserable.

Their hair is all disheveled, and their white hemp jeogori [traditional Korean jacket] is all stained red. It is the result of severe torture by the policemen of the Jongno Police Station.

As they stand in a row on the stage, Police Chief Tokuro Shinji ascends to the platform.

“Hear ye, the 불령선인 [bullyangseonin – ‘discontented elements,’ a term used by the Japanese colonial government to refer to Korean independence activists] below. You have claimed to be the Gyeongseong Independence Army, helped the 폭도 [pokdo – rioters] Lee Jeong-nyeong, attacked the Emperor’s people, and caused damage to the Governor-General. Daring to defy the name of the Emperor with the false name of the Independence Army and disturbing Gyeongseong…”

Veteran actor Go Cheol-jun has perfectly transformed into the vicious police chief in ‘Butcher General’.

His close friend Nam Joong-ik is also transformed into Lee Gyun, the Jongno police chief who sold the country, and is busy looking for Butcher Mask over there.

Then, bloodless lips opened and a venomous order was given.

“Behead them all.”

With the words, the heads of the independence fighters are put into a dozen guillotines.

It was the moment when the military police in charge of the execution were about to pull the rope.

Beeeㅡ

A whistle that was shorter and sharper than the Governor-General’s trumpet, resembling the cry of a hawk, rang out.

“What, is it him?”

“Where is it coming from?”

“Above! It’s above!”

Tokuro Shinji and Lee Gyun, as well as the military police of the Governor-General and the spectators, all turn their eyes to the sky.

On top of the Governor-General’s building.

On top of the arrogantly soaring tower of the Governor-General’s office, a black shadow stood.

Hwaakㅡ!

At that moment, the sun broke free from the clouds and poured out dazzling light. The moment people briefly covered their eyes, a huge cloth unfolded in the sky.

“······.”

Tak, Butcher Mask, who landed lightly, straightened his knees and stood up. The infamous 불령선인 [bullyangseonin – ‘discontented elements,’ a term used by the Japanese colonial government to refer to Korean independence activists] had appeared, but not only the Joseon people but even the Japanese lost their words.

What they were seeing was the 태극기 [taegeukgi – South Korean flag] connected from the top of the Governor-General’s building to the ground, shining white under the morning sunlight.

“Dirty mongrels are gathered here. The stench is so bad that I can’t leave it alone.”

Butcher Mask put down the 태극기 [taegeukgi – South Korean flag] he had been holding like a rope and turned around.

The butcher’s knife in his left hand and the small axe in his right hand spun around and pointed at Tokuro Shinji.

“Come on, you dogs of the nation.”

The scene is over.

Park Seon ran to Park Geon, who was talking to the stuntmen about the choreography without a hint of breathlessness.

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], hyung!”

“Just a moment, I’ll be right there.”

Now, he knows what he’s trying to say just by looking at his eyes. As he moved to one side, Park Seon scratched the back of his head.

“Um… Actress Baek Ha-ni asked me to tell you something, and she said she’ll go home if you don’t answer…”

“She’s just saying that anyway. What is it?”

“She said she’ll kill you if your breath smells or if you open your eyes.”