The Haunted Monster Actor - Chapter 93



Only Noblemtl

Episode 93

A few days later, when I met Director Lee Cheong-beom at a cafe in downtown Seoul, he looked quite haggard.

But regardless of his haggard appearance.

“This is Lee Cheong-beom.”

Lee Cheong-beom extends his hand towards Hyun-soo with a calm face.

There is a strange sense of heaviness in the hand he holds.

‘It’s not just a callus that can form from touching a camera for a long time.’

It is well known that director Lee Cheong-beom demonstrates action scenes on set just like an action director.

Perhaps the hard calluses on his hands come from his passion for such action.

And Lee Cheong-beom was also catching the eye.

‘Hoo.’

If director Lee Cheong-beom’s hands had hard calluses accumulated over many years, actor Kim Hyun-soo’s hands were rough and peeling in various places, with new skin growing.

Action director Lee Cheong-beom could immediately see the traces of the training that had been going on for the past month.

“Yes, Director. Nice to meet you. I am actor Kim Hyun-soo.”

“Hello, Director! My name is Manager Goh Gun!”

Jiyoon was not reassured by just sending Hyunsoo, so she sent Gogun to this place as well.

“Nice to meet you, please have a seat.”

The three men sat down, and an awkward silence followed.

“… … .”

“… … .”

As if a wild beast were probing its opponent, Lee Cheong-beom’s brilliant eyes scanned every part of his body.

Hyunsoo also calmly met Lee Cheongbeom’s gaze and accepted it.

Gogun, who was watching the two from the side, tilted his head with a bewildered expression.

‘What are you two doing now…? Why are you suddenly having a staring contest?’

Gogun opened his mouth to ensure the meeting proceeded smoothly.

“As you know, the director contacted me in advance, but today’s meeting is not to finalize the casting right away, but rather to meet in person and discuss how the pre-production stage of the film will proceed.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“Hey, both of you, can you say something… … .”

It was then that director Lee Cheong-beom, who had been keeping his mouth shut, opened his mouth.

“Do you like action?”

“Haha, Director. Is there a man in Korea who doesn’t like action movies… … .”

As he continued speaking, Gogun closed his mouth at some point.

Even as he burst into laughter to lighten the mood, Hyun-soo and Cheong-beom’s gazes were fiercely locked in midair.

‘I don’t know what it is, but… … it’s definitely not my place.’

It is difficult for Gogun, the criminal, to understand the communication between artists.

Gogun slightly pulled back and began to watch the two males'(?) exploration battle.

“Action. Yeah, I like it.”

“… … First of all, I would like to thank you for your interest in my film.”

Although he seemed humble, Director Lee Cheong-beom’s voice was confident.

“Before coming here, I looked through actor Kim Hyun-soo’s filmography. He has never done any action genre before.”

Lee Cheong-beom continued speaking.

“You’re not a martial arts master, nor do you seem to have been training separately. When I shook your hand earlier, it seemed like you started training relatively recently… … It seems like you really want to do ‘action’. Am I right?”

Hyunsoo nodded and answered Lee Cheongbeom’s question.

“Yes, that’s right.”

This was the reason why Lee Cheong-beom immediately asked to shake hands with him as soon as he saw him.

As soon as he met the actor, he checked to see if he had the talent to perform the action scenes he had imagined.

And the conclusion of the ongoing exploration was this.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t think actor Kim Hyun-soo is the type of actor who can pull off the action scenes in my work.”

Go Geon, who was listening to Lee Cheong-beom’s words from the side, made an expression of inward anger.

Of course, manager Koh Gun also knows better than anyone else how this place was created and what situation Director Lee Cheong-beom is in right now.

‘From the side that should be grabbing at even a straw… … Are you saying that you’re going to reject me instead? Hey, there’s no way that’s going to happen. It looks like they’re trying to use some cheap trick to lower the guarantee, but with this guy around, such cheap tricks will never work… … !’

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give the lead role in my movie to actor Kim Hyun-soo.”

‘… Did I hear wrong? Then why did you call my busy brother here?’

“The only reason I am here today is to express my sincere gratitude to an excellent actor like Kim Hyun-soo for showing interest in my script.”

The sincerity that can be felt in every word and every sentence spoken.

He came here to express his gratitude to the actor Kim Hyun-soo, as he said in his own words.

And as he listened to Lee Cheong-beom’s words, a small smile appeared on Hyun-soo’s face.

‘Director Lee Cheong-beom is a director who pursues the most intense hard-boiled action among action genres.’

Therefore, if you do not have physical abilities that are far superior to those of an average person, you will not only be unable to follow the director’s directions, but there is also a high risk of accidents, as Woo Ji-yoon said.

It was with this very point in mind that Lee Cheong-beom politely declined Hyun-soo’s interest in appearing.

‘What should I say? He’s a person with a strong aura, just like in the movies ‘My Neighbor’.’

Hyunsoo came to this place today due to the illogicality that arose from his ‘dream’.

But aside from that, meeting the director Lee Cheong-beom in person like this… … .

‘I feel like I want to work together.’

The aspect of an artist who does not compromise even if it does not fit his work, even if it means being driven to the edge of a cliff.

Soon, something began to stir inside Hyun-soo.

As the old 16mm film camera that had been illuminating the ‘dark alley’ began to roll, the most peripheral desires of the actor Kim Hyun-soo began to creep up through his toes.

‘The thrill I felt when I first saw the director’s action… … I want to create it again with my own hands.’

“Since you haven’t responded, I think you understand what I mean. Next time, I hope we can have a drink together as fellow filmmakers, rather than a production contract. Then, I will leave now… … .”

“Director Lee Cheong-beom.”

“……yes.”

“I have watched the director’s work, ‘Uncle Neighbor,’ dozens of times.”

“My neighbor’s uncle… … ? Haha, it’s a work of love and hate to me. But why are you suddenly saying that to me… … ?”

“I heard that the contract to appear has fallen through, so I would like to say something as a true fan of the director.”

Soon, Hyun-soo got up from his seat and opened the script of “Bad Weather (Interpreted Version)” that he had taken out in advance.

“… … What is this all of a sudden?”

And just like Lee Cheong-beom, Hyun-soo is also a different person from the average actor.

“New number 48, dockside. Could you please take a look at my prints?”

After hearing Hyun-soo’s words, Lee Cheong-beom’s gaze immediately turned to the script spread out on the table.

The entire page of the script is scribbled with pen, as if black and red rain is falling.

“For example, this scene here… … .”

‘Jang Ki-chun’s emotions, Lee Jun-hyeok’s experience as a soldier, and a body trained through Kim Young-chul’s training routine for the past month… … can be shown.’

A sharp murderous aura soon emanated from Hyun-soo’s entire body.

Even though he wasn’t holding any ‘sticks’, Lee Cheong-beom flinched without realizing it at the sudden change in Hyun-soo’s momentum.

‘The real action that Director Lee Cheong-beom has in mind.’

The next moment, Hyun-soo took a step forward. At the same time, what appeared in front of Director Lee Chang-beom’s eyes was…

It was a beast of prey running towards him with its mouth wide open.

* * *

“Casting has fallen through.”

The startled expression on Woo Ji-yoon’s face only lasted for a moment, and soon a look of relief appeared on his face.

‘So, you couldn’t accept it?’

Woo Ji-yoon soon recalled the tattered pages of the scenario that Hyun-soo had brought.

It wasn’t just a simple analysis or interpretation.

‘It felt as if the flaws of the work had been cut out with a sharp knife.’

“But I had some expectations.”

“Oh, and… … .”

“What else is there to say?”

“That’s because my brother said he wanted to enroll in an action school for professional action stunt training.”

“Huh? You said casting fell through, and now you’re talking about action school. What are you talking about?”

In response to Jiyoon’s question, Gogun shrugged his shoulders and answered.

“Well, strictly speaking, it wasn’t a complete breakdown, but the director asked for a conclusion.”

“You want me to give you an ending? What is that…?”

“So, what happened is this?”

Jiyoon looked surprised after hearing Gogun’s story.

“What? Director Lee Cheong-beom said he would rewrite the script?”

“… … Yes. At first, I thought the actor was just being self-deprecating by talking about the script first. Oh, really, directors are unpredictable. You should have seen Director Lee Cheong-beom’s expression at that time.”

Unlike Go Geon, who was tilting his head, Woo Ji-yoon was suddenly smiling with interest.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying… … ?”

There is a famous anecdote about the movie “Uncle Neighbor.”

The story goes that he was so impressed by Won Ji-sang’s scenario analysis that he revised “The Uncle Neighbor” from beginning to end.

The story that was torn apart like that was a huge hit, to put it simply.

‘Is it just me who thinks this is a similar situation to back then? It’s more fun than I thought.’

Woo Ji-yoon, who had gathered her thoughts, continued speaking to Go Geon.

“Hey manager.”

“yep.”

“When the scenario revision comes in, can I take a look at it?”

“Oh, yes, I understand. Then, the Action School thing… … .”

“What can a powerless CEO do when the actor wants it? Find out where the best place is. Oh, and… … .”

“yes.”

“What happened to the CF? Is it still there?”

CF.

In fact, the reason Jiyoon called Hyunsu a few days ago was to talk about the CF.

Ji-yoon had left the CF contract that Hyun-soo had received to Go-geon in order to focus on the movie.

“Actor Kim, I wanted to sit at the table for my first CF contract. As you know, I’m not in a position to do that right now. Is everything going well?”

Originally, contract negotiations related to CF were also the manager’s job.

And one of Gogun’s specialties was raising the value of actors.

“Yes, the entertainment show’s viewer ratings have also been successfully established. I plan to talk to my brother soon and begin negotiations for a guarantee.”

“Really? Where are you thinking about going?”

“I think of it as a low-arts sport.”

“Lower Arts? Not bad. What’s the unit price? How much do you think you’ll get for the show? If it’s lower than I think, I’ll just do it.”

At Woo Ji-yoon’s words, Go Geon immediately raised his finger toward Ji-yoon with a proud expression.

“… … That much? Is that possible?”

Go Geon answered Woo Ji-yoon’s question with a confident voice, looking bewildered.

“Who do you think I am? I am Gogun, Gogun.”

Yes, that’s right.

If Dreamcatcher Studio had Lee Jin-soo, Pieroreum Entertainment had Go Geon.

Continued in the next episode ▶