There was a director who had similar concerns to Director Kim Hanul.
Director Heo Jinwoo, who is preparing to make The Watchers, was deep in thought.
A certain actor contacted him before the casting was fully decided.
He ended up attending an audition due to PD Kim Jeyoung’s persuasive talk.
Standing before him was the actor, Siyeon.
“Hmm…”
Siyeon had just finished performing all the lines she had prepared.
An impeccable performance.
Heo Jinwoo’s concerns were similar to Kim Hanul’s, but they were fundamentally different.
“…It feels a bit wasteful to use her as a supporting character.”
The role Siyeon applied for was a main supporting role.
She would be acting alongside the lead antagonist, played by actor Jeong Woo-seon, and the watch captain, played by actor Seol Gyeong-jun.
It would be perfect if there was a female lead to add a bit of flavor to the movie.
He thought that maybe if he tweaked the new officer role a bit, it could work as a female lead role.
She may be a bit young, but… her looks are mature enough. The character is in her early twenties anyway. And as for action… she looks like she could have come straight out of a Shaolin temple.
Director Heo Jinwoo instinctively felt it.
He felt that Siyeon might be the key to the movie’s success.
At the same time, there was a need for a female lead who could match the role.
However, since the two male actors were already top-tier, there was the issue of their salaries.
So, since Jeong Woo-seon and Seol Gyeong-jun would attract attention, it seemed reasonable to cast someone like Siyeon for the female lead.
What if I take a gamble?
After a long silence, Heo Jinwoo slammed his hand down on the desk.
He couldn’t delay the casting any longer.
“Siyeon, are you confident?”
“Yes. I can break everything.”
“Then let’s give it a shot!”
Heo Jinwoo decided to roll the dice.
“Isn’t it been a while since we filmed? Aren’t you nervous?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Filming for The Watchers proceeded quickly.
Unlike Assassination War, which had a big budget, it seemed there were financial constraints here.
Since my value was still relatively low, perhaps casting me as the lead helped give them some leeway.
Since I said I could handle most of the action scenes myself, they likely reduced the need for stunt performers.
As I was briefed on the filming schedule, Director Heo Jinwoo kept smiling, saying I was a great choice.
“Heh heh heh…”
“Why are you laughing like that?”
“Just because.”
Right. Even though he was the producer… I mean, the director, this was pretty normal.
Why didn’t they choose me from the start?
I would make Director Kim Hanul and Assassination War regret their decisions deeply.
Honestly, the script lacked some depth, but it had a unique appeal with its commercial potential. If handled well, it seemed like it could achieve great success.
“Starting with the first shoot, we’re jumping into action, right? Be careful not to get hurt. Don’t get too excited and overdo it, Siyeon.”
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”
Recently, I’ve been making small mistakes due to emotional ups and downs.
Normally, I maintain a calm, lake-like mind in any situation.
But even so, I wouldn’t make any serious mistakes, like getting hurt or anything like that.
Even though my assassin instincts may be dulled, there’s no way I’d get injured just doing some action scenes on set.
The person I should be worried about is my co-star.
“Hello.”
I had gotten a bit arrogant while choosing this project, but I was still a newcomer.
I took a deep breath and entered the set, greeting everyone politely.
“Wow~ Look who it is! Hahahahaha!”
The first person to greet me was not a staff member or a member of the costume team, but the highest-paid actor in this film.
“Hello, senior.”
Actor Jeong Woo-seon.
He had become a top actor in Korea and internationally, laughing and clapping his hands like a villain from a political movie.
“Wow… It’s been a while. Seeing you again like this brings back memories. I’ve never felt this way during my entire career.”
Jeong Woo-seon shook his head, wide-eyed and disbelief on his face.
Maybe after being an actor for over 20 years, even daily life starts to feel like a play.
I must be imagining it, but he was starting to give off a subtle “uncle” vibe.
“I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“Oh, I should be the one saying that. Hahaha!”
I had only met Jeong Woo-seon once, ten years ago.
It was a brief encounter, but that moment became a legendary commercial in Korean history.
I filmed a filler commercial with Jeong Woo-seon when I was five.
The iconic scene where we jumped over a building is still talked about.
That commercial helped Filler Korea acquire its European headquarters, and Jeong Woo-seon became the top CF star in that field.
“Ten years already. I didn’t expect to meet the assassination girl here. Here Heart was such a great movie. I’m really looking forward to this shoot.”
“I’ll do my best to keep up.”
“Hahahahaha! You’ve grown up! That little kid is all grown up now!”
Why does it feel like people are getting louder these days?
It’s nice, but today he seemed especially cheerful.
“By the way. Didn’t you have a discussion about Assassination War? I heard about it recently…”
Jeong Woo-seon lowered his voice and asked.
It seemed like he had heard about my issue with Jeon Ji-won.
I wonder if his personality is similar to hers.
Looks like he’s excited about this interesting topic.
“Yes. Actually, I really wanted to be the lead in Assassination.”
“Ah… As expected, the assassination girl was hiding a dagger. Some people might not look kindly on it, but I don’t mind. In fact, I think it’s a good thing. Thanks to Jeon Ji-won winning, I get to film with you now. Actually, I had thought it would be great to work on a project together when you grew up.”
“…Is that so?”
It seems that news of that incident has spread throughout the industry.
Jeong Woo-seon tried to lighten the mood, but there was something in his words that bothered me.
“Thank you, but I didn’t lose, you know?”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t lose. I’m sure my skills were superior.”
“Oh, well… Heh, heh heh. Hahahahahaha!”
Clap clap clap—
Jeong Woo-seon laughed heartily and even clapped loudly.
Even amidst all that, there was a deep interest in his gaze as he looked at me.
“Ah… that’s right! I’ve heard a lot about your skills, Siyeon. Okay, then you should show them to Jeon Ji-won.”
“Yes. Actually, I chose this movie to beat Assassination War. I’m going to make sure it doesn’t even break even.”
“Hahahahahaha!”
In the blink of an eye, Jeong Woo-seon even patted my head.
I guess I’ll have to reset everything.
Honestly, if I kept talking like this, I’d be completely blacklisted in the industry, but what can I do?
Now that I’ve come this far, I have to prove my skills first.
“Alright. Let’s go for it aggressively. I’ll give it my all, so give it everything you’ve got, Siyeon. I’m putting everything into this project!”
“Yes. Thank you, Senior.”
If Jeong Woo-seon was saying this, I’d be able to use about 54% of my strength for the scenes where we’re working together.
It just so happens that there were a lot of action scenes where Jeong Woo-seon, the antagonist, fights with me.
They were all scenes that could become iconic.
“You have such a good attitude. I really like it, but Siyeon,”
Jeong Woo-seon, who had been laughing, said in a low, crisp voice.
“There are not only pure people like you in this industry. Of course, I think your attitude is great. Skills should come first. But not everyone will think like me. Do you know what I mean?”
“…Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good. Then let’s go!”
He was a senior actor I liked.
Though we shared similar thoughts, he understood the realities of this industry and spoke from experience.
Looking back, I definitely got lucky this time.
If my rival had been someone other than Jeon Ji-won, this rebellion might have been the end of my career.
Of course, I calculated everything, considering Jeon Ji-won and the director’s tendencies.
If it had been any other actor, I wouldn’t have done it this way.
Such frustrating situations wouldn’t happen to me.
After all, I’ve ruled over worlds far harsher than this industry.
Thus, the official filming for The Watchers began.
I never imagined that kid would become this great. I thought she was exceptional, but this… she’s a monster.
Jeong Woo-seon, who had just shared a laugh with Siyeon, looked at himself in the mirror while changing clothes.
In front of him stood a man in a suit, exuding charisma.
A man who had endured for years in this industry and reached the top.
He, too, had once wanted to dominate this world with the same youthful vigor and skills that Siyeon now had.
“It’s been a while since I felt this fiery.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, nothing.”
But the passion of his younger years had now turned into embers, barely keeping a faint warmth within him.
His convictions still burned low, but perhaps, compromising with reality and storing that fire in a smaller form had become the best course of action for him as an adult.
“Let’s shoot!”
It was time, and the first action scene began.
This was the flashy opening scene of the movie.
Before the main story started, it showed a future event.
And there, Jeong Woo-seon and Siyeon collided.
Like a mountain burning, the intense flames clashed with the embers left behind.
Is this it?
Jeong Woo-seon, who took Siyeon’s action, was internally a bit surprised.
Though he had expected it, Siyeon’s skills far exceeded his expectations.
It was no exaggeration to say she was at the level of a martial arts director.
But still, it didn’t seem like Siyeon had shown her full 100%.
Maybe this kid…
This movie was going to be a challenging task.
All because of this one young girl.
But such challenges seemed to stoke the embers in Jeong Woo-seon’s heart once again.
If this child’s flames could keep burning,
Maybe, unlike him, they wouldn’t die down, but burn even brighter, turning this entire industry to ash.
And the land where everything had burned would become fertile, like land turned over by fire in the hands of a nomad.
“I’m sorry! Let’s do it again!”
Jeong Woo-seon, hopeful for that future, vowed to put everything into his acting and action scenes for this film.
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