NOVEL NEXT Chapter 47
“…Looks like it’s really not gonna happen.”
As he stared at the recent message, Joo Yeong-man, the planner for [Swordman Baek Dong-su], tapped his fingers on the table.
Even though he could have easily found a substitute, he delayed until the last moment because the agency for child actor Jawan was stubbornly insisting that everything would be fine.
They treated actors not as human beings but as money-making machines through their work.
‘And then they’ll blame the actors in the articles.’
He wasn’t particularly happy about it, but at this point, it didn’t matter anymore. He had found a substitute right away.
“Are you sure Kim Donghu will do it?”
“Yes, writer Kwon Jaeho contacted him, and we got a definite answer.”
“Alright… with Kim Donghu, we can definitely count on him.”
His acting skills were already proven.
As he said this, Joo Yeong-man recalled the performance from Haidream.
That acting back then was in a league of its own.
Not only was he unbelievably good-looking, but his acting skills were as if he had ripped himself out of the script. It made Joo Yeong-man think about wanting to work with him someday.
‘I didn’t expect it would happen so quickly.’
Strike while the iron’s hot, he thought, and immediately started making plans.
“Then negotiate the appearance fee with them, and let’s make sure Kim Donghu can start martial arts training right away.”
Since child actors usually lack experience in this area, even if they concentrate, at least a month would be required.
‘Honestly, even a month feels a bit generous.’
If they were uncoordinated, it could take around three months.
With time being tight, he’d have to inform them as quickly as possible, shoot, and give real-time feedback all at once.
“Oh, by the way, Veritas mentioned something unusual.”
“Unusual?”
“Yes, they said he can be thrown into the field right away without needing martial arts training…”
“What?”
Hearing Director Oh Jae-deok’s words, Joo Yeong-man frowned.
‘Is it just childish bravado, or can he really do it?’
A rookie who had never shot a historical drama before.
Under normal circumstances, it would be nonsense, but…
‘They said his performance in Haidream was just that good. Right?’
Rumors tickled Joo Yeong-man’s ear.
If it works out, it could be a jackpot.
Not only would it save a ton of time, but they could also make up for any wasted time in one go.
“The script sent was for the first appearance, right?”
As soon as he heard this, Director Oh Jae-deok immediately understood what Joo Yeong-man was getting at.
“Shall we prepare right away?”
“Yeah, it wouldn’t hurt to do a practice shoot and check his skills.”
If it worked out that way, it would definitely be beneficial.
++++++
Countless entertainment articles flooded in:
『Swordman Baek Dong-su, filming stalled due to child actor injury… truly “beyond frustrating”』
『Cybers QA: “We want to uphold the actor’s will to the end, but it’s really disappointing.”』
“I want to fully realize the actor’s will, but it’s really disappointing!”
“Who will be the replacement for Jawan’s child role?! Let’s guess the casting together, viewers!”
Among them, the hot topic was the recent child actor injury issue.
There were stories about how the injury affected the drama’s filming.
People felt disappointed but quickly began to wonder who the next pick would be.
“Seriously, who will it be?”
“If we start looking now, won’t it be too late? I was looking forward to the swordsman Baek Dong-su, this is sad!”
“When it comes to young actors, only one comes to mind, haha.”
“Kim Donghu?”
“Wow; if he could pull it off, that would be great.”
“Seriously, he’s ridiculously handsome, I just want to keep looking at him.”
The name that surfaced the quickest as a substitute child actor was none other than Kim Donghu.
In [Hydream], he left a powerful first impression and his mind-blowing piano skills.
Plus, he’s a model for the Brilliant school uniform, so maybe that’s why.
“But Kim Donghu probably won’t work, right? He’s super busy.”
“I heard through the grapevine he’s filming an indie movie?”
“Huh? I thought he just said he was going into a film?”
“What is he talking about? Seriously, who films a drama and goes straight into something else? It’s exhausting; it wouldn’t be possible.”
“If he somehow manages it, it really would be nonsense, haha.”
“Does he have no common sense? Does he really think it makes sense??”
Kim Donghu’s recognition level among teens was off the charts.
To put it slightly exaggeratively, it was at a level rivaling idols.
As a result, when people thought of child actors, they naturally started thinking of Kim Donghu.
“Wow, what a busy guy.”
Thanks to that, Choi Seok-ho was swamped with work.
Though it’s called management, it was basically a one-man agency for Kim Donghu right now.
With endless offers for child actors, Choi Seok-ho felt he needed two bodies.
“Two dramas, one indie film, one commercial film, one advertising model…”
Despite the schedule far exceeding what a single actor could handle,
Kim Donghu was smoothly managing all his appointments without showing any signs of fatigue.
And doing it all perfectly.
“He said he doesn’t want to do any more ads besides school uniforms, so I can skip that.”
“He said now’s the right time for dramas, so I should just politely decline the rest.”
Handling tax issues effectively in between,
And finally,
“Donations, that’s the key.”
When Choi Seok-ho thought about it, he believed Kim Donghu could truly become an untouchable star.
A person surely destined to become globally famous.
With such individuals, jealousy and rivalry are always inevitable.
There are people in this world who just can’t stand seeing others succeed.
One of Choi Seok-ho’s strategies to prevent that was through donations.
“I’ll donate in Donghu’s name and just ask that the donor’s name remains private.”
In fact, he had been putting a lot of effort into finding the right donation organizations recently.
He needed to know that the funds were actually being used correctly to spend the money.
As a result, three organizations were confirmed.
Cancer research, cancer rehabilitation, and an orphanage.
The name would be under Donghu’s, but,
The money came out of Choi Seok-ho’s wallet.
Why, you ask?
“Because, originally, that money isn’t mine.”
It didn’t make sense that he couldn’t do at least this much when he was living off the money Donghu earned.
Clink.
Having wrapped up his business, Choi Seok-ho grabbed his car keys.
“Then, I’ll go to the filming location with Donghu.”
“Director, what if you go alone? You have to take me with you.”
“Oh right, Mi-Ju is here.”
What would you do without the stylist?
Jin Mi-Ju chuckled lightly, gathered her things, and hurried off to the van, while Choi Seok-ho awkwardly smiled and followed her.
Today was the first day of filming for [Swordman Baek Dong-su].
+++++
“Wow, historical dramas really have a different scale.”
The historical drama set was shocking beyond belief.
The mountain that was carved out for the battle scenes was impressive, but the scale of the historical drama was far more grand and monumental.
There were extras in numbers that were unbelievable, making it hard to imagine just how many people gathered at this filming location.
“So all of this happened because of one little thing I said.”
The idea that filming could start immediately without needing martial arts instruction.
That one little statement caused the filming site to spring back to life.
“My shoulders… don’t feel heavy.”
I shrugged my shoulders while recalling the moments I recreated swordsmanship.
After perfectly mastering swordplay through [Sims – The Real Life],
I confirmed that there were no restrictions in using it.
Clatter.
“Hello! I’m Kim Donghu, playing young Jawan! I may have many shortcomings, but I’ll do my best! Please take care of me!”
First impressions matter, so starting with a proper greeting was essential.
“It can’t hurt to greet well.”
As soon as I got out of the car, I announced my presence with a loud greeting.
Then, I approached each person one by one and bowed deeply to greet them again.
“Kim Donghu, nice to meet you! I didn’t expect you to be such a nice person. I’m Oh Jae-deok, the director.”
“Yes! Please take care of me!”
“We should be the ones asking you to take care of us. Oh, and this is our martial arts director, Ki Seong-chan.”
“Hello. I’m Ki Seong-chan.”
Clap.
During the handshake, I felt the intense gaze of martial arts director Ki Seong-chan.
What is this? I wondered.
“Do you happen to go to the same gym as Baek Sang-ha?”
“Uh, um, yeah! How did you know?”
“Sang-ha is my workout buddy. Wow, what a coincidence!”
Seeing martial arts director Ki Seong-chan’s suddenly heightened tone, director Oh Jae-deok looked puzzled.
What’s with him? was the expression on his face.
Then,
“Sang-ha bragged that one of his trainees would become a UFC champion, and the trainee’s name was Kim Donghu. I thought, ‘Could it be the same person?’ but to think it really is that Kim Donghu!”
“Is it really him, Kim Donghu?”
After hearing the excited words of action director Ki Seong-chan, director Oh Jae-deok asked with a bright face.
“So, you’ve been training for a really long time, huh…?”
His expression clearly showed he thought the project was going to be a big hit.
“Yes, that’s right! Wow, this is amazing. I’m seriously surprised. I don’t usually say this, but Kim Donghu is definitely a genius. That Baek Sang-ha is good as a leader, but his standards for praise are ridiculously high…”
The golden moments continued.
‘Wait, how far did our director go with my praise?’
Of course, I had no tolerance to endure that kind of flattery.
All I could do was think,
‘Stop the compliments!’
I just want to film quickly.
I want to get away from this moment so badly.
All I could do was pray.
+++++
-“If you teach one, you’ll know a hundred. Honestly, I think our Donghu could easily take down even those who use performance-enhancing drugs.”
When Baek Sang-ha first said that, Ki Seong-chan didn’t believe it.
Where in the world is there such an athlete?
Sure, it’s nice to love your students, but that praise was over the top.
‘But after seeing the training video, I changed my mind.’
A middle school kid sparring with Coach Baek Sang-ha.
No matter how much headgear he wore, that level was unreal.
So I really wanted to see it in person.
‘I can’t believe I’m seeing it here.’
Kim Donghu’s first filming scene was a solo sword training moment,
the part where he steels himself before killing his father.
He needed to show his genius here.
How would Kim Donghu express that?
The moment everyone, including Ki Seong-chan, became curious.
“Action!”
With the cue sign, Kim Donghu moved.
Taking one step, then another toward the poorly made hay,
confidently, Donghu—no, Jawan’s sword was drawn from its sheath.
Was it just an illusion that it looked sharp even though it was a practice sword?
Right at that moment.
Swish!
With no hesitation, Jawan’s blade sliced through the hay precisely in half.
One stroke, decisive.
Born to kill, the killer’s essence,
in the way he held the sword.
‘…How is this even possible?’
Director Oh Jae-deok felt chills run down his spine.