Chapter 19.1

Chapter 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.

"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."

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