Ch.48I was really scared, thought I’d been stabbed.

Strictly speaking,

Kim Donghu wasn’t holding a perfect prop sword.

To emphasize its sharpness for the camera,

it had been somewhat sharpened through processing.

But that was just making a dull blade slightly sharper.

Cutting rice straw would be a completely different story.

Thud.

Gi Seongchan, the martial arts director, dropped his Maxim coffee to the floor.

Rice straw normally doesn’t get cut when standing vertically.

Yet it was severed, which meant something else had been cut.

‘He cut the string that tied it together.’

More precisely, he had “even cut through the string.”

Since a perfect straight cut shouldn’t be possible.

That’s exactly what happened.

“Hey, you know why I call Donghu a genius?”

Looking at the scattered rice stalks and the cut string,

Gi Seongchan recalled a past conversation with Paek Sangha.

“How would I know if you don’t tell me?”

“I’ll tell you.”

He said:

“Donghu skips the practice process.”

He could perfectly execute exactly what he imagined,

bringing out the movement that formed in his mind.

When asked to perform a simple cut,

he naturally produced the movement that came to mind,

someone who didn’t need to practice to master any movement.

“And of course, there’s no awkwardness in his movements; they feel almost perfect.”

Despite doing it for the first time,

he surpassed movements others had spent years mastering,

casually stepping over others’ efforts and time.

“But you know what’s funny? There’s still room for improvement.”

That was only natural.

He had just performed the movement for the first time.

Indeed, there were many imperfections in Kim Donghu’s movements.

‘It’s just that they’re close to perfect.’

Gi Seongchan’s eyes slowly took in Kim Donghu’s form.

His expression remained unwavering despite receiving

rather difficult acting direction to portray a practice scene.

Instead, he swung the sword naturally.

Whoosh!

The wind whistled each time the sword cut through the air.

To others, it might look like he was just cutting empty space.

But to Gi Seongchan, who had honed his sword skills for years, the purpose of that trajectory was clear.

‘He’s precisely cutting a person.’

A sword that kills humans was moving.

If I were to face him, how far could I defend, and how could I counter?

The sword’s path appeared then twisted.

No matter how much one studies swordsmanship,

there are limitations if the purpose isn’t to take life.

But that sword?

‘It’s terribly efficient.’

He could see a trajectory truly designed to kill.

It didn’t aim for vital points immediately.

For easier hunting, to eliminate variables completely,

it cut ankles, severed shoulders, sliced the back of hands.

With delicate precision at the sword’s tip.

The skill, like thinly slicing fish for sashimi, was mesmerizing.

The problem was:

‘That it’s directed at people.’

Usually, the biggest challenge for actors using swords is awkwardness.

Having to act while wielding an unfamiliar tool

makes it incomparably harder than just swinging it around as children do.

But the actor Kim Donghu before him showed no such signs.

He actually looked comfortable.

Like he’d finally found clothes that fit.

Slash!

Though he clearly hadn’t cut anything,

the moment a slicing sound was heard:

“Cut! Okay! That’s good.”

Director Oh Jaedeok immediately gave the OK sign.

Originally, he had planned to film multiple takes and edit together the best parts.

‘To finish in one take on the first shoot.’

What kind of ridiculous person had Writer Kwon Jaeho brought?

It was unbelievable, but he felt the need to adapt quickly.

Otherwise:

‘It’s absurd to let a child actor set the pace.’

He suddenly thought he might end up just chasing after him and falling behind.

+++++

“Donghu, did you say you learned swordsmanship before? You’re really amazing. I felt it during The Real Hero too, but wow, indeed!”

After filming ended.

As soon as I sat down in a chair to rest, Seokho hyung immediately started gushing.

He was clearly whispering because he was conscious of the people around,

but I was dying of embarrassment from all this praise.

“Today’s filming looks like it’ll end much faster than expected.”

“Really? Why?”

“Originally everyone gathered to see how you’d do, but you’re just too good.”

If my swordsmanship had been awkward, I would have needed longer one-on-one coaching with the martial arts director,

and we would have spent time exchanging feedback throughout filming.

But I finished all that in one go, saving a tremendous amount of time.

Hearing Seokho hyung’s words, I glanced around.

‘Come to think of it, there really aren’t any other actors.’

That explained why I didn’t see them when I went around greeting people.

‘So will today’s filming end in less than 10 minutes?’

Just as I was thinking that:

“Actor Kim Donghu, would it be alright if we continue filming the first episode after a short break?”

Director Oh Jaedeok approached from a distance.

“Yes, that’s fine. If we’re continuing, you mean until Jaun meets Cheonsaldaesa, right?”

“Yes, yes. If there are any issues or special circumstances, please let me know right away.”

“Sure, thank you for your consideration.”

“I should be thanking you for having such an excellent person join us.”

Hahaha.

After a brief exchange of compliments,

I immediately opened my phone to enjoy my break.

‘No, I don’t need to show this side of me to everyone.’

With that thought, I quickly went into the van.

The game I’ve been enjoying recently is Angry Birds.

A game where you launch birds with a slingshot to catch green pigs,

it felt different playing it after so long and was incredibly fun.

While enjoying that nostalgic feeling:

>I think I’m going to audition for the child role in Eclipse

>Kim Donghu, didn’t you get the Eclipse script too?

>This is crazy, I should report everything to unnie right away!

A KakaoTalk message arrived from Sujin.

“…She’s auditioning?”

Come to think of it, was that right?

I couldn’t remember clearly, but it wasn’t impossible.

Who was Kim Sujin’s mother again?

The queen of television, Kim Yuryeon.

For Kim Sujin who grew up under her,

receiving offers for major projects was nothing unusual.

‘If this works out, we might film together?’

If that happens, it would be the first time in almost 10 years we’d be in the same project.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited.

Knock knock.

Just as I was thinking that, Seokho hyung carefully knocked on the van.

Break time was already over.

‘I didn’t even get to play Fruit Ninja.’

I’ll have to play it during the next break.

+++++

Gu Jongtae, who played Jaun’s father, was a no-name actor with long experience in theater,

‘I really need to do well.’

He was extremely nervous about his first historical drama filming.

As he got older, the roles he could play were decreasing,

and to become a father his son could be proud of seeing on TV,

this opportunity was a lifeline Gu Jongtae couldn’t afford to miss.

Glance.

At the same time, Gu Jongtae turned his gaze toward actor Kim Donghu.

‘I’m really sorry to my son, but he’s more handsome than my boy.’

No, honestly, he was more handsome than anyone he’d seen in his life.

When looking at him, he couldn’t even think about what features made him handsome.

He just was.

Not only did he make everyone around him look like squids by comparison,

he had a charm that kept drawing your gaze.

He understood why people called him handsome.

‘And they say he’s a good actor too.’

According to rumors,

the reason Kim Donghu’s script was clean wasn’t because he didn’t study it.

He had a separate notebook for his research, which was why his script stayed clean.

‘In pursuit of perfection, he supposedly said a clean script helps him concentrate better.’

He wasn’t sure where that came from,

but since it came from a fairly substantial production, it seemed credible.

And it showed even now.

Gulp.

A drop of saliva barely made it down his dry throat.

“Action!”

As soon as the cue dropped, Gu Jongtae immediately began acting with tension.

His years of experience in theater companies drove him.

“Father, did you really kill her?”

“Yes.”

Jaun, a son who discovered his father was the murderer of his mother.

He was looking down at him right before his eyes.

Terribly calm,

chillingly composed as he asked his question.

“…You are Cheonsalseong, born to kill people.”

“You committed such an act because you believed in such an absurd superstition?”

The predetermined dialogue for murder continued.

In Gu Jongtae’s eyes, he could see Jaun’s hands trembling.

That was hesitation about killing him.

‘What kind of look…’

It was frightening.

That hesitation briefly visible between empty pupils,

seemed like it would disappear like a candle in the wind, which was terrifying.

Despite having acted with countless people,

for the first time in his life, Gu Jongtae feared his scene partner.

Even though it was clearly a prop sword with no edge,

he could envision this blade actually cutting through his body.

Tremble tremble.

Perhaps because of this, his acting came out more passionate than usual.

“Cheonsalseong is not a superstition!”

To assert until the end that what he believed was true,

and simultaneously to believe in his son who called it a superstition.

Wanting to extend his life through that belief, he shouted louder.

“How could that be a superstition! In the past, those born under Cheonsal’s command were so many…”

That was the end of Gu Jongtae’s assigned lines.

From here on, it was entirely Cheonsalseong’s domain.

Slash!

The sword truly cut before his eyes.

Hick!

The blade passed by without even grazing his body, with just a paper-thin margin.

Even though it was pre-arranged, seeing it in person was different.

‘Heuuugh!’

Gu Jongtae was so startled that his body momentarily froze.

He quickly regained his senses and collapsed.

‘Ah, I messed up.’

Acting is about harmony, and this harmony is determined by differences of seconds.

To freeze up momentarily like that.

‘Is there going to be an NG because of a bit player?’

The other actor was perfect, but because of me?

How much criticism would he have to endure?

As that vague fear crept in:

“Cut! Wow, you’re Actor Gu Jongtae, right? Your acting is amazing! You really looked scared, like you were actually being cut!”

Unexpected praise came flying.

Actor Gu Jongtae wanted to honestly say:

‘I really was scared and thought I was being cut.’

Honestly, he almost wet himself.

But since the result was good, was everything fine?

‘Is this all thanks to Actor Kim Donghu…?’

“Thank you for your hard work.”

As Kim Donghu extended his hand to him,

“Th-thank you.”

He was too dazzling,

Gu Jongtae couldn’t look at him directly.