Ch.49You really need to act with the intention of crushing Kim Donghu, using absolutely everything you’ve got.

Rumors of Kim Donghu’s successful filming of <Swordsman Baek Dong-soo> spread quickly.

The SKS Broadcasting Station, which produced <Swordsman Baek Dong-soo>, was particularly buzzing with excitement.

“I heard he didn’t have a single NG this time either.”

“Is that even possible? Isn’t that a lie?”

“It’s true! He’s amazing with a sword too, even the martial arts director was impressed.”

“Martial arts director? Who was it again? Gi Seongchan? Right? That strict guy.”

“Yeah! The one who never gives compliments and always looks so stern!”

“That’s really impressive.”

Kim Donghu, whose stock was rapidly rising.

With his ridiculous good looks and acting skills,

how painful it had been when he was working for other broadcasting stations.

But now that he was on their side, nothing could be more reassuring.

“If things keep going this well, our ratings could hit three…”

“Shh! Don’t say that, you’ll jinx it.”

Even though people were watching more TV these days,

a 30% viewership rating was a completely different realm.

Even the well-known blockbuster <Secret Garden> had a rating of 35%.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that 30% was the dividing line for a hit show.

“The other shows are good too, but once you cross 30%, the impact is totally different…”

“Yeah, investments and advertisements come pouring in!”

And so, the rumor that Kim Donghu never made mistakes gradually transformed strangely,

And people began to whisper, “Could Kim Donghu be the key to breaking the 30% rating barrier?”

Of course, it was still just talk circulating below the surface.

But it was slowly spreading, ready for someone to bring it into the open at any moment.

+++++

‘Is Kim Donghu really that amazing?’

Park Jinhyuk, who was playing young Baek Dong-soo and had stopped by the shop for his schedule,

expressed doubt about the recent rumors.

‘I don’t know since I haven’t experienced it firsthand.’

Is there any place where rumors spread more quickly and sensitively than the entertainment industry?

Even if you didn’t want to know, you couldn’t help but hear things in this business.

The hot rumor these days was about Kim Donghu’s good looks and amazing skills.

He already knew about the good looks from watching High Dream.

As for his skills, he couldn’t judge hastily without seeing them.

‘Is it just because he’s handsome, or is he really that good at acting?’

Since he had watched High Dream but hadn’t really paid close attention,

Park Jinhyuk suddenly became curious about Kim Donghu, whom he would meet at the filming site soon.

Just then.

“Oh, senior! Hello!”

“Hmm? It’s Jinhyuk. Getting ready for filming?”

“Yes, I’m playing Swordsman Baek Dong-soo.”

“Ah, yes, I know.”

Park Jinhyuk bowed politely to Han Taegeon,

the lead actor of <Endless Frontline> who attended the same agency.

“Historical drama filming is long and tough, but it’s rewarding when you finish. It feels like experiencing the past.”

“That’s so true. This is a reshoot, so I want to do better than before.”

“Reshoot? Why?”

“The child actor got injured during sword practice, so they called in another actor to film again.”

The casual small talk that followed.

Park Jinhyuk’s eyes sparkled as he spoke to Han Taegeon.

Beyond just respecting him as a fellow agency member,

Park Jinhyuk greatly admired Han Taegeon’s intense emotional acting.

Someone who made him wonder, how can anyone act that well?

That’s what Han Taegeon was to Park Jinhyuk.

“Which other actor?”

“Oh, you’ve probably heard of him. Kim Donghu…”

“Kim Donghu? Not the Kim Donghu I know?”

“Yes, wait, you know actor Kim Donghu?”

I didn’t just know him, I filmed a movie with him.

Han Taegeon was about to say that but quickly swallowed his words.

‘Wasn’t the student soldier supposed to be kept secret as the final trump card?’

Strictly confidential.

Kim Donghu’s presence, which would serve as the film’s kick, shouldn’t be revealed now.

‘But he’s doing another drama?’

Actor Han Taegeon realized anew how ridiculous Kim Donghu’s stamina was.

Just looking at his timeline, it seemed like he hadn’t properly rested at all.

How was he managing to handle all these projects so flawlessly?

‘Come to think of it, he was flying solo during Endless Frontline too.’

Is it because he’s young? Even so,

considering his workload, youth alone couldn’t explain it.

“Ah, well, I just heard rumors here and there.”

Han Taegeon evaded giving a detailed answer and

tried to leave the situation as quickly as possible.

It would be a big problem if he accidentally said something wrong.

But then.

“I’m going to act with Kim Donghu tomorrow, so I was curious. I wondered if he’s really as good as they say.”

Park Jinhyuk’s words caught Han Taegeon by the ankle.

“Jinhyuk, do your absolute best.”

“Excuse me?”

“Otherwise things will get complicated, so you really need to give it your all.”

Han Taegeon matched Park Jinhyuk’s eye level, put a hand on his shoulder,

and emphasized in the gentlest tone possible.

“You need to bring out everything you’ve got and act like you’re trying to crush Kim Donghu.”

Don’t try to match him, never gauge him hastily.

Han Taegeon advised sincerely.

With his long acting career, his experience had become his confidence, so he was fine.

‘But can young children maintain their enthusiasm after seeing Kim Donghu?’

Han Taegeon had watched all of High Dream featuring Kim Donghu.

Appearing like a supernova among a cast of mostly rookies,

Kim Donghu had trampled everyone like a tyrant and naturally stood alone at the top.

Han Taegeon hoped Park Jinhyuk wouldn’t have to go through that.

++++++

The morning after the first successful filming day.

The early spring cold still required hot packs.

I was reviewing the script in the warm van.

‘This is on a completely different scale from before.’

High Dream, Endless Frontline, and The Real Hero.

The common point among these three works was that my screen time wasn’t very long.

Of course, in the end, characters like Lee J got more scenes,

but overall, my parts were relatively short.

But this time, with at least 8 episodes of appearances,

my screen time, importance, and role could all be considered leading.

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

Since I had already immersed myself in the character,

all that remained was the actual filming.

“Donghu, we’ve arrived.”

“Yes.”

As soon as Seokho opened the door.

“Hello everyone!”

I announced my presence with a loud greeting.

After greeting the director and senior actors,

and exchanging the usual pleasantries, I immediately prepared for filming.

‘Today I’m filming with a great senior actor.’

Cha Minsu.

An actor with a deep, dignified impression,

who I heard practiced kendo regularly.

‘To think the day would come when I’d act alongside someone like that.’

During High Dream, it was just a few simple lines of dialogue,

but now we would be completely matching emotions and rhythm.

I was already excited.

“So you’re Donghu.”

While I was greeting everyone one by one,

Actor Cha Minsu recognized me first and approached.

“Yes! Looking forward to working with you, senior!”

“No need for formalities. I’ve been hearing a lot about how good you are these days.”

Go easy on me, if you come on too strong from the start, I’ll have a hard time.

Actor Cha Minsu said this with a very relaxed smile.

His eyes said, let’s see what you’ve got.

While telling me to take it easy, his eyes were challenging me to give it my all.

‘If that’s the case.’

I just need to give it my best shot.

+++++

Clang!

Sparks fly as sword meets sword.

“You’ve finally lost your mind.”

Not Cha Minsu, but Sword Forest Master Cheonsal looked at the boy charging at him with a cold smile.

“Do you see me as the one who killed your father?”

It wasn’t incomprehensible.

At such a young age, his father killed his mother, and then he killed the father.

It would be strange if the boy’s mind were still intact.

But he never dreamed the boy would go mad like this and swing a sword.

‘This is troubling.’

This trouble was both Cheonsal Master’s difficulty in handling the boy’s rampage,

‘How can he be so good with a sword?’

And the real surprise of Cha Minsu, who had practiced kendo for many years.

He had agreed to spar a few times since he heard the boy had learned some swordsmanship, but the result…

‘There’s definitely a skill gap.’

He could feel that Kim Donghu, or rather Jaun, was several times more skilled than himself.

Experiencing a genius’s talent firsthand was more challenging than expected.

If he had known, he would have asked him to go easy.

Why did he have to face such a trial after giving the signal to come at him seriously?

‘But I can handle it.’

If this were real, it would have been truly dangerous.

But this was just acting after all.

No matter how exceptional the opponent was.

Clang!

In the end, he would be the victor.

‘But he really responds perfectly.’

Kim Donghu, who had just read Cha Minsu’s intention precisely,

immediately released his sword as soon as Cha Minsu deflected it.

Whoosh!

Jaun’s sword flew high into the air and stuck perfectly upright in the ground.

This wasn’t just skilled swordsmanship but evidence that

he could act perfectly based on that tremendous skill.

“Urgh…!”

The boy, Jaun, grabbed his head as soon as he lost his sword and collapsed again.

This had happened about three times already.

The aftereffects of killing his parents were finally manifesting.

“…I’ve decided what to do with you.”

Cheonsal Master looked down at the fallen Jaun and spoke calmly.

With that scene, both actors froze, and…

“Cut! That’s it! Good work everyone!”

Director Oh Jaedeok immediately gave the OK sign.

‘Is this for real?’

Director Oh Jaedeok, who had watched everything, couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

‘This filming shouldn’t be finishing this quickly.’

The acting flowed naturally, and their chemistry was so good that no NGs occurred.

They were only reshooting to capture different angles.

All that had changed was one child actor,

yet the filming was proceeding unbelievably smoothly.

Today’s filming was done.

Tomorrow they would move to a larger location to film the group training scenes.

As that thought crossed his mind, Director Oh Jaedeok suddenly became curious.

‘The role of Jaun was designed to embody my ideal image of a genius.’

But now Kim Donghu was performing all of that perfectly, no, even better.

‘Normally I would have had to direct him to act like a genius.’

But there was no need.

Why? Because Kim Donghu simply was a genius.

++++++

The next day arrived quickly.

The scene where Jaun trains to be recognized as a member of the Sword Forest.

“…Am I seeing this right?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

The production staff stared blankly at the scene of Jaun training.

A scene where he climbs a rope using only arm strength, without using his legs.

Watching Kim Donghu do this for real without a stunt double.

‘Something… something seems to be happening here.’

They had a feeling that something extraordinary was unfolding, and…

‘…He’s supposed to be my rival?’

Especially Park Jinhyuk, who was positioned as his rival in the story…

‘I’m supposed to fight him? Me…?’

He stared at Kim Donghu climbing the rope with his mouth hanging open.

Is it even possible for me to beat him when I grow up?

-Do your best, or you’ll be devoured.

Park Jinhyuk was beginning to understand what Actor Han Taegeon had meant.