The Haunted Monster Actor - Chapter 96



Only Noblemtl

Episode 96

It goes without saying that the copy and storyboard of the Low Arts Sports advertisement were already planned before casting.

Jeon Jeong-woo, who belatedly remembered this fact, looked at Hyun-soo’s back, who was taking off his shirt, with a blank expression.

A decent catchphrase.

Poor storyboard.

Images do not match.

‘Was it possible to cover this up with just my presence as an actor?’

Presence as an actor.

In short, Hyun-soo chewed up the points that Jeon Jeong-woo was worried about with just one act.

‘It’s not just acting.’

Wow!

When Hyunsoo, who had already shown all his ugly and unsightly side during filming, took off his top to change into his clothes, the staff members around him, regardless of gender, burst into exclamations.

Muscles that are smooth without an ounce of fat and have a moderately pumped feel.

Thanks to the fact that I have been doing basic weight training from time to time, my body fat has decreased and my muscle definition has improved just by following a repetitive routine and eating a balanced diet for the past month.

Even when he trained to play Gun-hoo, he had a pretty balanced body, but Hyun-soo’s body, which he started to build more seriously, was, in a word…

‘I feel like I’m somewhere between a professional athlete and an ordinary person.’

This was an unexpected side of Hyun-soo that we had never seen before in any of his previous works, and this unexpectedness is a great element in capturing the public’s attention.

-Oh my, was Kim Hyun-soo’s body always that good?

Just by grabbing attention, the advertisement has already achieved half of its goal.

‘And if you keep your gaze fixed like that, people will soon see it too.’

CFs must somehow capture the viewer’s attention in order to persuade the intended message in the remarkably short time of 15 seconds.

Therefore, all elements used during filming, from the color of the screen to the lighting, background, angle, script, and directing, work only to highlight the advertising subject.

And, the presence of Kim Hyun-soo, who had all the focus concentrated on him… …was so overwhelming that it was difficult to describe in one word.

‘The eyes and atmosphere change frame by frame as the god changes.’

It was hard to explain, but Jeon Jeong-woo couldn’t take his eyes off the changes in Hyun-soo’s eyes.

Even though there were no special effects added, there was a certain ripple in Hyun-soo’s eyes that seemed to not exist in this world.

‘… I don’t know if this advertisement can properly convey the message that Low Arts Sports intends.’

However, one thing that can be said for sure is that ‘actor Kim Hyun-soo’s presence’ will definitely be imprinted on everyone who sees this advertisement.

Although it is different from the direction that Jeon Jeong-woo pursues, there is nothing that can be done about it.

During this CF shoot, it was not his camera but actor Kim Hyun-soo’s presence that dominated the frame.

‘Well, in a way, you could say that the fact that the advertising model becomes a hot topic is a successful advertisement… ‘

For now, I can only be satisfied with what I’ve managed to capture to this extent.

“The storyboard the director gave me was a great help. I hope we can work together again next time.”

“You can just call me junior, senior. You really worked hard today, senior.”

“Haha. Yes, let’s definitely meet again, junior.”

As he watched Hyun-soo’s back as he walked back after finishing filming, Jeon Jeong-woo had this thought for the first time.

“Product or corporate advertising is good, but next time, let’s do a little more… … .”

You.

‘I want to properly portray actor Kim Hyun-soo.’

* * *

On the way home after finishing filming a CF.

“Geon-ah, I think it’s okay to let you off around here.”

Geon asked with a puzzled face at Hyunsoo’s words.

“Here? It’s quite far from home… … Oh, do you have an appointment?”

“No, that’s not it. I was just going to take a brisk walk for exercise.”

“… … Didn’t you keep using your body while filming today?”

Hyunsoo shook his head with a firm expression after hearing Gogun’s words.

“This isn’t enough.”

“Huh? What’s wrong…?”

Just this much… … cannot satisfy the routine of an ‘action actor’.

“There is something like that. Anyway, you worked hard today. You too, be careful on your way home.”

“Okay, just a moment, hyung! I was going to tell you when I got here, but I got a call from you while you were filming.”

“liaison?”

“It’s the action school you mentioned last time. I heard that you’ve just finished your filming schedule and are going into training for the time being.”

Hyunsoo’s eyes lit up when he heard the words ‘action school’.

I was starting to feel that individual training alone was not enough to become an ‘action actor’.

“Really? Can I leave tomorrow?”

“I told you in advance, so I think you can leave starting the day after tomorrow. I’ll pick you up when the time is right!”

“Huh? What are you doing?”

“yes?”

“It’s not even an official schedule, so why are you out here? Don’t worry and just rest, you can just run slowly.”

After hearing Hyun-soo’s words, Go-geon continued speaking with a greatly embarrassed expression.

“… … Yes? Running slowly? It’s over 7km from your house to there, even if you can’t go there.”

A distance of nearly 15km round trip.

Hyunsoo shrugged his shoulders and answered Gogun’s question.

“Yeah, that’s just right.”

“… … .”

“Don’t worry, if you’re having a hard time, just use public transportation.”

Gogun shook his head inwardly as he looked at Hyunsu with his strange eyes(?).

Go Gun, who has worked on two projects together so far, is slowly getting used to the eccentric behavior that Hyun Soo displays whenever he enters a project.

Of course, somewhat forced.

‘Well, even the best leader in the world can’t handle him. What can I do?’

“… … You know Jiyuhan’s popularity these days, right? Just in case, you should wear a mask when you go out. No, if you’re going to use public transportation, you should call me instead.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“I will let Director Lee Cheong-beom know right away when he contacts me.”

“Okay, please.”

“And I’ll say it again: safety first! Safety second. It’s good to focus on training before an action shoot, but if you get injured, it’s all over again… …!”

“Okay, that’s enough. What’s going on? As time goes by, you’re getting more and more nagging than our Mrs. Lim. Don’t worry, I’ll contact you if anything comes up.”

“… … Okay, brother!”

After struggling for a while, Hyunsoo was finally able to remove the sticky, tangled hair.

* * *

On the way home with some light interval running.

As Go Gun said, he could have gone home and rested after a hard day of filming, but the reason he didn’t was simple.

This is because Hyunsoo experiences memories of being an ‘action actor’ in his dreams every night.

‘Rain or shine. Whether there’s filming or not.’

Action actor Kim Young-cheol lived a life of training his body without missing a single day.

The reason he ran every day was simple.

‘Hey Young-cheol. Don’t you know best why you can’t become an actor like other people?’

His appearance is below average and his acting skills are also below average.

The only thing Kim Young-cheol can boast of is his physical ability that is far superior to others and his unchanging consistency.

In short, running was the only way for him to become an actor.

‘If acting is not my path, I will become an actor through my own path.’

‘If I can’t show you my best acting, I’ll show you my best ‘action’.’

‘I will become the best action star in our country!’

The reason Hyunsoo ran with his tired body wasn’t simply because of the aftereffects of his dream.

Because I felt pure respect and admiration for the life of an ‘action actor’ and his dream as an actor.

Hyunsoo has also been frustrated several times by the limitations of his talents.

‘If I hadn’t dreamed like this… … would I have been able to run forward without being discouraged by anything like you?’

If, one day, there comes a day when I no longer dream.

‘Can I run this path on my own?’

Ugh, ugh, ugh… … .

Hyunsoo exhaled, his breath rising to the tip of his chin, and struggled to find an answer to that question.

I’m not sure, but at least one thing was clear.

‘No matter what, we have to run first.’

The pleasant night air passed through Hyun-soo’s Goku and cooled his heated head.

It’s not just the body.

Without realizing it, the ‘action actor’ was training Hyun-soo’s mind.

* * *

Same time.

A cafe in Euljiro, Seoul.

Director Lee Cheong-beom was sitting alone in a corner of a cafe with an antique feel, sipping a cup of warm tea.

Spread out on a wooden table that gives off a sense of the passage of time is the ‘script (Kim Hyun-soo’s analysis)’ that was received during the last meeting.

Lee Cheong-beom’s face was filled with deep anguish as he read the underlined lines drawn here and there in red and black pens and the annotations written in tiny letters.

‘I get a little bit of what his acting back then was trying to say… … I guess.’

Lee Cheong-beom thought back to the ‘action’ that Hyun-soo had shown at the end and chewed over his script synopsis once again.

The protagonist, a former special forces member, gets caught up in a very minor controversy while carrying out a mission assigned to him by the mercenary company he is affiliated with.

As it turned out, the gang that had been involved in the dispute was a mafia organization that ruled like kings over drugs and prostitution in an unknown European country, and surprisingly, among the women kidnapped by them were some Korean women.

Runaway teenagers. Missing women. Kidnapped travelers.

Although he was abandoned by his country for protesting against the absurd treatment of his superiors, his true identity is still that of a soldier who devoted his life to protecting his country and people.

The protagonist deviates from the mission and begins a war against international mafias to rescue forgotten and uncaring women in their own country.

In the process of rescuing the women, he falls in love with a woman with a strange fate, but she dies during the final escape while sending the other women away first.

The protagonist is consumed by rage and destroys the mafia, then gets arrested by the police with a lonely face.

Hyunsoo chose one of those scenes and showed off his own ‘action acting’.

Of course, it goes without saying that he didn’t suddenly perform any flashy actions like doing somersaults or kicks inside a cafe.

Hyunsoo just stood there still, raised his hand, and glared at Lee Cheongbeom for a while.

‘Really… … those were some ugly eyes.’

Even though there is nothing in it, it feels like there is a blade in your hand.

Hyun-soo, who had completely revealed ‘Jang Ki-chun’s killing intent’, asked Lee Cheong-beom this.

‘Obviously, there is no particular flaw in the narrative of the work itself. However, the more I read the script… … I couldn’t quite figure out who the main character’s sword and anger were directed at.’

The young actor, with his cold, emotionless face, mercilessly attacked the failed director’s corruption.

‘To put it more bluntly, it seemed like someone else had just crudely copied ‘Uncle Neighbor’. And that too, by cutting out only the most important parts.’

As expected from a talented director, Lee Cheong-beom immediately understood the point that Hyun-soo was trying to make.

“In the action… … you’re saying that you extracted emotions?”

The protagonist in the bad weather is clearly angry, but as Hyun-soo said, it is unclear where it is headed.

Is that anger directed at the country that abandoned him?

Is it because of the pitiful state of the women?

Or is it about himself for not being able to save the woman he loves?

‘I understand what you’re saying, but… … Depending on the flow of the narrative, the emotions the protagonist feels can become quite complex and varied. Where the protagonist’s anger is directed can be interpreted by the audience… … .’

Lee Cheong-beom’s excuses, which were almost like protests, had no effect on the young actor.

‘But isn’t the director’s work not simply noir… … ‘hard-boiled action’?’

When Lee Cheong-beom heard Hyun-soo’s words, he felt as if he had been hit in the head with a large hammer.

“I see, so far I… … .”

I’ve tried to put emotion into the narrative, not the action.

“Is it because we focused so much on creating a narrative structure in which the action takes place that we failed to properly convey emotion in the most important ‘action’?”

Lee Cheong-beom, who had been struggling, opened the completed scenario and started pressing the [Backspace] key.

I hit [Enter] and filled in a new letter.

It was to put vivid emotions into the action, just as Kim Hyun-soo showed himself.

Continued in the next episode ▶