I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 331

The essence of a long take was in the breathing. The lead actor, props, supporting actors, camera, audio, the meticulously planned storyboard—all these numerous elements captured by a single camera had to harmonize perfectly in one continuous shot.

If even one thing went wrong, it was an immediate NG [No Good, meaning a failed take].

If the director called ‘Cut,’ everything had to be filmed again from the very beginning. Therefore, all elements, including the lead actor and supporting roles, had to commit fully to the planned storyboard. No other thoughts were allowed. They only had to execute precise actions at the exact timing.

If the number of people in the long take was small, the difficulty was relatively low.

However, in the case of the current long take for ‘Beneficial Evil,’ there were over dozens of people. This was a nightmare for both the actors and the production crew. Nevertheless, the reason they couldn’t abandon the long take was simple.

-Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Realism and impact.

“Aaaargh!!!”

“#*&#*((%*!!”

“Ugh!!”

Raw exhilaration and.

-Crack!

Thrill.

-Bang! Bang!

Speed and vividness. The camera moved with the lead actor. If he ran, it ran with him, and if he rolled, it mirrored his movements. The gaze. In a long take, the camera was essentially the lead actor’s eyes. That unity of subject and object exponentially increased the audience’s immersion.

The continuous flow of stimulation and violence.

Above all, the highlight of a long take was its ability to make you lose track of time.

More than 10 minutes was not a short duration, but it was only a part of the whole scene. However, the urgent camera work that proceeded without cuts maintained the connection, and it packed many scenes into the viewer in a short time. Therefore, it felt like it had been well over 10 minutes, but when you actually checked the time, it felt like less than 5 minutes had passed.

A lot could happen in one minute.

That was the driving force of a long take.

Moreover, if the protagonist’s skills and abilities were exceptional, the audience could never take their eyes off the screen. Adrenaline was released by the explosive, violent stimulation, which directly led to excitement. Realism, the audience reacted and breathed with the protagonist.

-Bang! Bang!

In other words, the extreme situation the protagonist was in also affected the audience. In the present case, it was ‘Jang Yeon-woo.’ No, it was Kang Woo-jin. Although they weren’t the audience, the 200 or so ‘Beneficial Evil’ production staff, including people of various nationalities, were captivated by Kang Woo-jin’s ‘CQC’ [Close Quarters Combat] and overwhelmed by his violence.

The Thai staff who were pushed to one side were equally stunned.

“…I heard that actor is doing his first action scene today. Did I hear wrong?”

The dozens of Thai staff who had received prior information were gaping at the spectacle unfolding before their eyes.

“No way. Look at that, how can you say it’s his first time? He’s more like a veteran.”

“Moreover, his skills are incredible. At that level, it’s like he’s just… enjoying it.”

“Why is a Korean actor doing ‘CQC’ as well as Hollywood? It’s on a completely different level from the rehearsals.”

Even amidst all this, the intense gunshots continued throughout the abandoned building. Muzzle flashes flickered, and spent cartridges flew around. Blood splattered everywhere. It was all about ‘Jang Yeon-woo,’ or Kang Woo-jin.

He had just entered the second room from the end of the 5th floor.

-Click!

Woo-jin, his face covered in blood, roughly ejected the spent cartridge from the AK47 rifle in his hand. Bodies were sprawled on the floor. Their chests, faces, and heads were all smashed. Kang Woo-jin, who had switched to a rifle placed on the chest of one of them, pulled out the pistol tucked into his waist. It was to check the bullets.

At that moment.

“Oh.”

Woo-jin, who was roughly wiping the blood off his face, smiled faintly. He had found something on the floor. The next movement was about 10 seconds away. The current action of Woo-jin was not in the original storyboard. Because of this, Song Man-woo PD, sitting in front of the monitor on the first floor, narrowed his brow.

‘What is it? What did he see?’

Kang Woo-jin picked up something smoking from the floor. It was a lit cigarette. One of the gang members had been smoking it. The next movement was 5 seconds away. Woo-jin took a long drag of the almost finished cigarette.

“Hoo-”

The thick smoke was clearly visible in the sunlight streaming through the broken window. A picture was being painted. The screams of the gang members nearby, the corpses sprawled on the floor, Kang Woo-jin covered in blood, his gray short-sleeved shirt stained red, and the relaxed cigarette smoke in contrast. The cameraman, with the camera on his shoulder, instinctively.

-Swoosh.

Moved two steps to capture a slightly closer shot of Kang Woo-jin’s face with a faint smile.

Song Man-woo PD, with his stubble, watching the monitor, couldn’t help but get goosebumps. Relaxed? How could he think of such pacing in this urgent situation? An action that far exceeded composure. Deviating from the planned storyboard was a problem. But if it didn’t harm the next movement, it wasn’t a big deal.

More than anything.

‘…That one action gave it a breath, I can only see it as crazy.’

The previous 5 minutes or so had been an inhale. In other words, tension. Woo-jin lightly released the taut tension with that one action. It provided a moment of respite. Here, Song Man-woo PD discovered something else.

‘It’s not acting, he’s genuinely enjoying the slaughter.’

That Kang Woo-jin was playing around right now.

‘Joy and madness. And satisfaction. The composure to express even emotions in between. I realize it again, that thing is a monster.’

Kang Woo-jin had further developed the ‘Jang Yeon-woo’ written by Choi Na-na. But there was something even the big shot Song Man-woo PD hadn’t noticed. He was the director of ‘Profiler Han-ryang.’ Yet, he didn’t recognize ‘Manager Park.’ The ‘role synthesis’ that Kang Woo-jin was showing was that precise.

At that moment.

“$@&@*$@$(*!!!”

With a bizarre shout, the wooden door of the room where Woo-jin was burst open. Two masked gang members rushed in. However, Kang Woo-jin, with a cigarette in his mouth, already had the AK47 rifle shouldered. The camera moved behind Woo-jin at the designated timing. Then, five gunshots.

“Ugh!!”

“Eek!”

The temples. The heart. Blood exploded from their bodies. Woo-jin spat out the cigarette! He crouched slightly. The smell of gunpowder wafted from the shouldered rifle. A shout was heard.

“Aaaargh!!”

From behind. A gang member who had been hiding rushed in. He swung a long knife at the back of Woo-jin’s head. Kang Woo-jin made a judgment.

‘Too late.’

It was difficult to turn and fire. He ducked down. The long knife cut through the air above his head. The knife-wielding gang member was right on top of the prone Woo-jin. He brought the knife down. His momentum was good.

-Thwack!

Kang Woo-jin blocked the knife with the body of the AK47 rifle.

He kicked the guy in the stomach. He flew away. But.

“Uuuuaaagh!”

Two more guys were added from the side. Both had knives. Again, he blocked the knives with the AK47 rifle. But with the second guy’s knife strike, Woo-jin dropped the rifle and rolled. A clang sounded as the knife hit the floor. Kang Woo-jin quickly got up. He rolled his eyes. He saw chopsticks on the table right next to him.

-Swoosh!!

A long knife flew in. Woo-jin dodged to the side. He immediately grabbed the chopsticks. Kang Woo-jin was on the guy. One knee to the side. A gasp was heard. The chopsticks were embedded in his eye. The gasp turned into a scream.

“Kkyaaaak!!”

A strong low kick to the legs of the guy who had lost his strength. He spun around and fell over. Another loud shout was heard.

“Aaaaargh!!”

The second guy ran at Woo-jin, holding his knife above his head. Kang Woo-jin smiled. The camera moved back to capture all three at once. Woo-jin’s hand went to his waist. He quickly pulled out the Glock 17 pistol and gripped it with both hands.

-Bang! Bang!!

Two bullets pierced the guy’s neck and face. He fell like a puppet. A gurgling sound. The guy with the chopsticks in his eye groaned. Kang Woo-jin stepped over him. Of course.

-Bang!

While lightly smashing his head.

“Hoo- Hoo-hup.”

Kang Woo-jin’s breathing was slightly rough. There were still many gang members outside. The more weapons, the better. Woo-jin checked the Glock 17 bullets. It was insufficient. He picked up the AK47 rifle and a short knife from the floor. He walked towards the door. The camera followed him.

From here on, it was a proper gunfight.

Woo-jin, leaning against the door, peeked outside. Three guys were rushing in. A half-broken flowerpot was visible at his feet. Crash. The eyes of the three rushing guys briefly caught the broken flowerpot in the hallway. Kang Woo-jin had thrown it.

At that moment.

-Rat-a-tat-tat! Bang! Bang!

Woo-jin, shouldering the AK47, blew apart the chests and heads of the guys in succession. Blood splattered on the stair railing. A shout was heard. It was from the opposite hallway. Two guys wearing hats were shooting. Bullets hit the wall with a thud. Woo-jin rolled towards the stairs. The camera shook as it followed him.

4th floor. Woo-jin’s AK47 muzzle was pointed upwards. Five shots.

The two guys whose faces and bodies were blown apart fell to the first floor in succession. Again, fragments flew everywhere. The bullets fired by the guys who had just climbed the stairs hit the side wall. Kang Woo-jin raised his gun and fired two shots.

-Bang! Bang!

The first guy fell over with his brain exploding. But there were three more. Bullets rained down with a rat-a-tat sound. Woo-jin rolled once and jumped into a nearby room.

“$(*&$@*(@&(*!!”

The guys screamed and tried to chase him. But.

-Swoosh!

Kang Woo-jin came out again. He fired while lying down, only showing his face and muzzle. At least six gunshots rang out. Blood splattered everywhere. It was coming from the limbs of the guys who were rushing in. They collapsed in a heap. Woo-jin rolled his eyes. He saw something round on the waist of the corpse right in front of him.

A grenade.

He immediately picked it up and threw it towards the stairs. The guys who were rushing up screamed.

“Aaaargh!!”

“Grenade! Grenade!!”

In a brief moment, Kang Woo-jin fired his gun again. Bullets smashed the heads of several guys. Simultaneously.

-KABOOM!!

The grenade exploded. Heads, hands and feet, and bodies flew into the air. It became quiet for a moment. Voices were heard from the first floor below, but they were far away. Kang Woo-jin got up. First, he checked the bullets in his gun. Then, he looked around the room.

“Hmm?”

About five young children were unconscious. One girl, four boys. Kang Woo-jin stared at the girl nearby. The girl had a familiar face. It was Lim Hae-eun, who had joined ‘Beneficial Evil’ through a large-scale audition this time.

Anyway, the camera zoomed in on Woo-jin’s face. There was no pity in his eyes. He just looked at them like objects.

“Not her.”

Meaning, she wasn’t the drug lord’s daughter he was looking for. But he had input the information. Five young children in the first room in front of the 4th floor stairs. He might have to rescue them when things were settled. It wasn’t for these children. It was necessary for him. If they were trapped here.

‘I might be able to extract some good information.’

As if on cue, the camera slowly moved out of the room and into the hallway. Following behind, Kang Woo-jin, shouldering the AK47, glanced at the hallway. He could see guys rushing up from around the 2nd floor.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!!

The first guy’s finger and shoulder were torn apart.

“Kkyaaaaak!!”

The guys following behind stopped. He had bought time. Woo-jin ran while firing his gun. It had been about 9 minutes so far. The long take scene of over 10 minutes now had car chases and explosions left.

It was at that moment.

-Thud! Thud! Thud!

The gang members on the 2nd floor. That is, the Thai actors, fell like dominoes. It wasn’t a pre-agreed movement. One person tripped and fell, and then everyone behind them got caught and fell.

Soon, Song Man-woo PD picked up a megaphone and shouted.

“…Cut!! NG!”

It was an NG. At the same time, dozens of staff around Song Man-woo PD ran. Since there was an NG, this cut couldn’t be used. They had to reset the set for reshooting. Song Man-woo PD, with his stubble, got up from his seat and clicked his tongue in disappointment.

‘Too bad.’

But this was also expected. Long takes were a process of repetition. Shoot for 1 minute and NG, shoot for 2 minutes and NG, shoot for 3 minutes and NG. Continuous reshoots. This became practice, and high-quality cuts were produced.

It was close to a miracle that they had managed to go over 8 minutes without a single problem from the start.

‘Woo-jin dragged us through this by the collar.’

The chemistry with the Thai actors was also good, but it was possible because the skills and abilities of the male lead, Kang Woo-jin, far exceeded expectations. Then, the various Thai actors who had fallen like corpses got up, and dozens of staff who had rushed in collected the props. The makeup team went to Kang Woo-jin.

Woo-jin was nonchalant.

“……”

There was no significant change in his expression. That appearance looked quite strange to the Thai actors.

“He’s not even panting once?”

“He was running around alone for over 8 minutes, how can he not look tired?”

“More than that, did you see Kang Woo-jin’s movements? I almost missed the timing while watching.”

“The quality is almost Hollywood level.”

They were wrong. Kang Woo-jin was excited right now.

‘Wow- crazy! This is so much fun!! Adrenaline is pumping out! Ah, no. Calm down, or the concept will fall apart.’

Indeed, the long take for his first action scene gave Kang Woo-jin a sense of novelty.

‘It’s so urgent. I want to do it again soon.’

Looking up at such Woo-jin were the giants Joseph and Megan near Song Man-woo PD. Smiles were spreading across their faces. They didn’t say anything to each other, but they felt the same way.

‘Haha, wow! At that level, he’d be a hit in Hollywood right away! No, among Hollywood actors, there are only a handful with that level!’

‘The martial arts in ‘Last Kill 3’ were child’s play??! What is that actor! How huge is he!’

The group of foreigners around them. That is, the stunt team Joseph had brought, and the executives from ‘Universal Movies’ in Hollywood, had blank faces. They weren’t moving. Was what I saw real? Then, a pot-bellied man among the executives barely opened his mouth.

“H-how many minutes was it just now?”

The answer came quickly from the giant Joseph.

“About 8 minutes.”

“…8 minutes without a single NG? Was that even possible?”

“That man always breaks common sense.”

The pot-bellied man slowly raised his head and looked at Kang Woo-jin.

“H-how is that even possible?”

The answer came right away. It wasn’t Joseph. A big-nosed foreigner, who had appeared at some point, was grinning. It was Ethan Smith, the stunt coordinator for ‘Beneficial Evil.’

“Kang Woo-jin, he’s from a special forces unit.”

In an instant, the eyes of the pot-bellied executive from ‘Universal Movies’ widened.

“S-special forces?”