CH 19.1

A loud commotion echoed through the peaceful “Baekho Battleship” as the vessel shook violently. Soldiers in combat positions rushed to the deck to respond to the attack.

“What the hell is that?”

The soldiers, thinking it was an attack from North Korea, were momentarily frozen when they faced an unexpected monster. The same went for Sergeant Kim Woo Jin, the character portrayed by Yeon Seo.

In the script, there was a stage direction that read, ‘Kim Woo Jin faces the monster and is momentarily stunned.’

Yeon Seo recalled the time after the earthquake incident in 2207 when he first encountered “it” on the surface when he was ten years old.

“Ugh…”

Sergeant Kim Woo Jin swallowed hard and stared blankly at the monster. Various emotions swirled in his shaking pupils. What the hell, it wasn’t North Korean troops? Could such a creature even exist on this Earth?

“What are you doing?! Shoot it quickly!”

Regaining his composure at someone’s shout, he raised his gun and aimed at the monster, pulling the trigger.

However, there were no deafening gunshots or muzzle flashes. The CGI effects would be added later. So how should an actor perform to make it look more realistic?

Yeon Seo, now portraying Sergeant Kim Woo Jin, demonstrated movements that accounted for the recoil of the gun, mentally counting the virtual rounds. Thirty rounds, all expended.

Beside Kim Woo Jin, Corporal Lee Hyun Jun, played by Han Gyeol, fired his gun, protecting him.

“What the… What is that?!”

“I don’t know! Just shoot!”

Having run out of bullets, Corporal Lee Hyun Jun took cover while Kim Woo Jin turned around, raising his gun. He didn’t spray bullets like before. Instead, he carefully and deliberately fired one shot at a time, as if searching for the monster’s weakness.

“Make sure the ship doesn’t get damaged!”

“Son of a…”

Someone shouted, it sounded like a commander’s voice. Was avoiding damage even possible right now?

Kim Woo Jin and Lee Hyun Jun, after uttering a brief curse, quickly rolled their bodies sideways and took cover behind another barricade. Narrowly avoiding the monster’s tentacles that destroyed their previous hiding spot.

“Aaaah!”

A soldier who couldn’t escape in time was ensnared by the monster’s tentacles and dragged away.

The stunt actor wearing a wire harness bent their body like a folding phone, portraying a more realistic motion of being dragged away.

Remaining calm, Sergeant Kim Woo Jin observed the situation and concentrated his fire on the part where the monster seemed particularly unstable.

“Hey! Kim Woo Jin!”

Lee Hyun Jun tried to protect him, but his magazine was empty. Despite the monster approaching to swallow him, Kim Woojin calmly fired his gun.

“F*ck…!”

Struck by the monster’s swinging tentacle, Kim Woo Jin was thrown sideways. The wire harness pulled him at precisely the right moment.

As he collided with the wall, the shot he fired pierced through the monster’s weak spot, and finally, the monster collapsed. Kim Woo Jin took a deep breath as he lay on the floor.

In momentary silence, the deck was filled with groans and cries for the medics.

“…Is it over?”

Extending his hand, Lee Hyun Jun helped Kim Woo Jin stand up. Kim Woo Jin stared detachedly at the chaotic deck. The rain, which had initially been a few drops, turned into a torrential downpour.

Kim Woo Jin, standing in the pouring rain, gazed at the fallen monster he had taken down.

There was a sense of relief that he had survived, mingled with a lingering sense of unease that there might be more. Here, on the vast expanse of the open sea, there was no support force available.

The camera zoomed in on his face in a close-up.

“Okay, cut!”

Yeon Seo, snapping back to reality at Director Park Ho Jin’s loud voice, raised his head. The debris of the destroyed hiding spot due to the tentacles and the agonizing groans of the soldiers vanished. Instead of being surrounded by the thick sea fog, he was in front of a green screen.

“Did I get momentarily immersed?”

Yeon Seo clenched his hand.

“Hmm… interesting?”

It was his first time acting, so he purposely chose a script with a setting similar to that of 2207, but at that moment when the camera started rolling, he had become Kim Woo Jin. It wasn’t bad.

“What’s up?”

Yeon Seo raised his head as he felt several gazes on him. Some people were gaping with their mouths open, while others raised their eyebrows as if witnessing something unexpected.

“Are you going to check the monitor?”

“Huh?”

Han Gyeol, who knew what the staff was feeling, poked Yeon Seo’s shoulder and gestured jokingly.

“I really thought you were the character.”

Han Gyeol couldn’t fully immerse himself ever since the staff started handling the shoddy monster panels. However, the moment he met Yeon Seo’s gaze, it felt like he had truly become Lee Hyun Jun.

“This is quite different from the acting you’ve done before.”

Han Gyeol looked at Yeon Seo with newfound admiration. Could he achieve this level of performance in such a short time of receiving acting lessons?

“Did it turn out well?”

Yeon Seo, who was rumoured not to check his own acting on the monitor, stood next to the director as if it were natural. The director was startled and involuntarily trembled.

“Yes, let’s take a look.”

People gathered around the monitor. The screen was divided into four sections, each displaying different scenes. The close-up of Kim Woo jJin’s expression when he first faced the monster was shown.

“It was as if he had actually seen it, such realistic expressions.”

The director nodded, determined to include this scene. On the other side of the monitor, Han Gyeol was shown fumbling while trying to replace a model magazine, causing it to fall.

“Ah…”

Han Gyeol chuckled lightly. Although it was a mistake, it seemed acceptable to show a flustered action in the tense situation of encountering an unknown lifeform.

“But there’s one thing…”

The director was about to say something casually but stopped himself. It reminded him of what the shooting director had told him. ‘Never try to teach Yeonseo anything. If he does well enough, just let it pass.’

“Yes?”

“Nothing. It’s good.”

Honestly, it was already beyond his expectations. No, it was a complete transformation. Even the staff on set couldn’t take their eyes off his acting.

The director hoped that Yeon Seo’s acting transformation would generate tremendous buzz even before the film’s release.

“Let’s change the angle and shoot some more.”

“Okay.”

While the actors were adjusting their clothes and makeup, Park Min Woo, who had been waiting, approached with excitement.

“Hyung! It was seriously incredible.”

“…Really?”

“I felt like there was a real monster in front of us. Wow, if you can do this well, why have you been acting poorly before..?”

Park Min Woo was excitedly babbling before abruptly stopping himself. Yeon Seo smirked.

It was something he had already experienced. If he continued like this, the next project would be a problem… He couldn’t take on military roles anymore. And there wouldn’t be another work similar to “Baekho-ham” set in the year 2207. He couldn’t expect miracles anymore.

“Yeah, I know.”

For a moment, Park Min Woo was briefly frightened as he looked at Yeon Seo, playfully tapping his shoulder. It seemed like not only his acting but also his personality had changed drastically.

The manager standing behind him was also surprised, mouth agape.

“What’s this? He’s good!”

Muttering to himself, the cinematographer, who had been observing Yeon Seo’s back, spoke.

“Wow, I thought you weren’t Yeon Seo.”

“Is that the same Yeon Seo? Is he someone else?”

“What kind of lessons did Teacher Park give him?”

Other staff members also murmured in agreement.

“Senior, this is different from what we discussed, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…”

The cinematographer had advised Park Ho Jin not to expect anything beyond his imagination. The selected scenes of Yeon Seo’s acting were usually ones that had been carefully refined, choosing the ones that looked the best.

However, the immersion was so remarkable that it instantly received the okay sign at once. Moreover, he didn’t hesitate to throw himself into the scenes without a stunt double.

“Wow, it feels like he has changed.”