Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 410: Jiri Mountain Filming Site (3)

"Okay~! That was perfect!" Park Sun-Jae shouted, satisfied with Woo Dong-Ho's work.

The staff monitoring alongside Park Sun-Jae also exclaimed in amazement.

"Our young filming director really has a good eye."

"Agreed. This feels much better than what Mr. Lee shot."

"Director Woo, great camera work~."

"Mr. Woo, the characters' emotions are coming through perfectly!"

With praise pouring in from all directions, Woo Dong-Ho blushed and scratched his head.

Park Sun-Jae turned to me with a pleased expression. "Mr. Jung. If you knew about this talent, you should've introduced him sooner."

I replied, "I didn't expect Mr. Woo Dong-Ho to be working here as a camera assistant."

Shin Jong-Ki observed the scene and nodded in agreement with Park Sun-Jae. "Judging by the atmosphere here, it seems like this wasn't a bad choice. Team Lead Jung, you've recommended a real gem."

At that moment, Park Sun-Jae hesitated, as if he had something to say to Shin Jong-Ki but was unsure how to express it.

While the others looked puzzled, I understood immediately. The footage Woo Dong-Ho had captured was significantly better than Lee Tae-Sik's.

I spoke up. "Mr. Park. You're thinking about reshooting everything from the start with Mr. Woo, aren't you?"

Park Sun-Jae glanced at Shin Jong-Ki and was hesitant to respond. "Well, that is..."

Shin Jong-Ki burst out laughing. "Hahaha. Do what you need to do when I'm not here. If the director wants to reshoot, who's going to stop him?"

Park Sun-Jae's face lit up with relief. "Mr. Jung, will Mr. Go Jae-Soo and Mr. Tae-Poong's schedules allow for reshooting?"

When I looked at the two actors, both nodded without hesitation. After all, no actor would turn down the chance to create even better scenes.

"Of course."

"I'll do whatever you say, Mr. Jung."

The excited Park Sun-Jae declared to the staff that the scenes from the past week would be reshot.

"Alright, then we're reshooting everything we've filmed over the last week. Production and direction teams, please adjust the shooting schedule accordingly."

The difference in quality from just one scene was apparent to everyone, so no one objected to Park Sun-Jae's decision.

Just then, we heard a loud creak as the lodge's front door swung open on its rusty hinges. Everyone turned their heads toward the noise.

The person at the door was none other than Lee Tae-Sik, who had stormed out earlier in anger.

Shin Jong-Ki furrowed his brow and asked, "Now what?"

Lee Tae-Sik hesitated awkwardly before speaking. "Excuse me, Mr. Shin... Could you arrange for a helicopter? We have a lot of equipment to move."

The staff used helicopters to travel up and down the mountain due to the heavy equipment they had to transport.

Shin Jong-Ki crossed his arms and glared at Lee Tae-Sik silently for a moment before finally nodding. "I'll have the equipment brought down. You'll have to walk."

It wasn't a perfect offer, but Lee Tae-Sik begrudgingly accepted. "Understood..."

After giving a reluctant bow, he slammed the door shut as he left.

Bang!

The Cheonwang lodge's door rattled loudly as it closed, and Shin Jong-Ki scowled. "That guy still doesn't get it."

Muttering to himself, Shin Jong-Ki immediately turned to Lee Eun-Joo. "Team Lead Lee."

"Yes, Mr. Shin?"

"The equipment is ours, right?"

"Yes."

"Then when you reach the base of the mountain, send Director Lee and his crew a text confirming receipt of the equipment. For anything else they have, send someone to retrieve it."

Lee Eun-Joo nodded. "Understood."

Lee Tae-Sik had been renting LT Entertainment's equipment for his work. However, that privilege was now revoked after he provoked Shin Jong-Ki.

Seeing how decisive and cold Shin Jong-Ki could be, I couldn't help but be reminded of his chaebol roots.

As I shook my head slightly in awe, Shin Jong-Ki tilted his head. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

I had no intention of criticizing Shin Jong-Ki's sharp judgment. After all, I certainly wasn't going to defend Lee Tae-Sik, who had nearly sabotaged the film.

"Not at all, sir. I just wanted to thank you for trusting me and going with Director Woo Dong-Ho."

When I smiled and offered a bit of flattery, Shin Jong-Ki chuckled. "Would I ever ignore your advice? Anyway, shall we eat first?"

"Yes, sir."

Shin Jong-Ki clapped his hands and addressed the staff. "Alright, everyone! A full-course hotel meal is on its way from the base of the mountain. Let's take a short break and eat when it arrives!"

At that moment, cheers erupted among the staff.

"As expected of you, Mr. Shin!"

"Mr. Shin, we love you!"

Laughing heartily, Shin Jong-Ki raised both hands to calm the crowd. "Haha, it's not that big a deal. Come on now, settle down! Hahaha!"

Shin Jong-Ki truly knew how to take care of his people.

***

Dishes from LT Hotel soon arrived, covering a spread of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine.

The table boasted rice and seafood stew, sushi, stir-fried chili chicken, crispy chicken with sauce, and even Korean beef with deodeok.

Thanks to insulated containers, every dish came steaming hot.

"Wow, eating jajangmyeon in the middle of the mountains is just amazing."

"Of course, LT buffets are the best! The quality of the meat is on another level!"

I served crispy chicken to Deok-Bae beside me and asked, "Deok-Bae, how did it feel watching the performances up close?"

Deok-Bae's face glowed with excitement. "Honestly... it felt like I wasn't on a film set but inside the world of the movie."

"Do you have a clearer idea of how to act after seeing them?"

Deok-Bae hesitated briefly before replying cautiously, "A little bit, yeah."

It seemed that watching the performances had given Deok-Bae some inspiration.

Just then, Shin Jong-Ki asked Ahn Yoo-Joo, "Where's Mr. Go Jae-Soo? I'd like to have him join us for the meal."

"Oh, he stepped outside the lodge to prepare for the next scene. He's scouting the area, I believe."

"The next scene?"

"Yes, Scene 57."

Scene 57 depicted the psychopathic killer Oh Myung-Jin, isolated for three days outside the lodge, regaining strength by hunting and eating a pheasant raw.

It was a pivotal moment that showcased Go Jae-Soo's unhinged intensity and set the tense tone for the early part of the film.

Shin Jong-Ki furrowed his brow. "They're not actually having him eat a live pheasant, are they?"

Ahn Yoo-Joo replied, "No. After the pheasant is caught, it'll immediately be switched with a prop. Only the feathers will be plucked on set and the rest will be handled with a dummy."

"A prop? A dead pheasant? But eating's still eating, isn't it?"

"The actual eating will be filmed later with him eating chicken and the CGI team will edit it into the scene."

The relieved Shin Jong-Ki let out a sigh. "Oh, I see."

That's when a thought crossed my mind.

Go Jae-Soo was known for his extreme dedication to his craft. If he thought it would enhance his performance, he was capable of almost anything.

I furrowed my brow. 'No way... he wouldn't actually... right?'

***

The artificial snow machine behind Cheonwang Mountain Lodge whirred loudly and spewed pristine white snow down the slope.

As the snow settled on the branches and leaves between the trees, it created the illusion of a heavy snowfall.

Click.

The snow machine completed its task and came to a stop.

Clad in a thick jumper, Park Sun-Jae grabbed his megaphone. "Props team, did you adjust the snow depth to 20 cm?"

The props team on the slope plunged a ruler into the snow to check. "Sir, it's at 20.5 cm."

"Good work. That's close enough. Now, bring out the live pheasant."

The props team brought out a live pheasant, its wings flapping wildly. The bird's leg was tied with fishing wire to ensure it couldn't escape.

On the slope, the props team secured the pheasant by winding the wire around a tree about three meters in front of Go Jae-Soo.

Go Jae-Soo, now dressed in a white protective suit, headed toward the snowy slope. Woo Dong-Ho followed him up the slope with Deok-Bae's assistance.

"Deok-Bae, make sure you keep a good grip on me," Woo Dong-Ho reminded Deok-Bae.

"Yes, sir."

Although five more camera crew members had arrived with the meal from the base of the mountain, I had requested Deok-Bae stay for this shoot to learn as much as possible from observing the actors.

Woo Dong-Ho positioned himself carefully with the steadicam and signaled that he was ready.

Park Sun-Jae looked tense as he shouted, "We'll go as soon as Mr. Jae-Soo is ready."

Go Jae-Soo nodded and collapsed onto the snowy slope before lying down with only his face exposed. He then raised a hand and signaled "okay" without a word.

Woo Dong-Ho confirmed, "Mr. Park, we're all set."

Looking around the set, Park Sun-Jae called out, "Alright, let's get this in one take. Ready~ Action!"

The shoot for Scene 57 which showcased the deranged killer Oh Myung-Jin began.

As the scene unfolded, I started recording footage with my phone for promotional material.

***

The pheasant tethered by its leg wasn't trying to escape but was instead pecking fervently at the feed placed before it. Having been starved for the shoot, it was utterly focused on eating.

Meanwhile, Go Jae-Soo crawled through the snow like someone who hadn't eaten for three days and inched closer to the pheasant.

Despite snow slipping into his clothing, he didn't flinch once.

When he was just inches away from the pheasant, Go Jae-Soo froze for a moment. He crouched and held his breath.

As soon as the pheasant lowered its head back to the feed, Go Jae-Soo lunged.

Snap!

The pheasant flapped its wings furiously, but it was too late. Go Jae-Soo had it firmly in his grasp.

This was the highlight of Scene 57.

Go Jae-Soo chuckled maniacally and licked his lips as he opened his mouth wide. Then he moved his mouth toward the pheasant's neck.

'He's not seriously going to eat it, is he?' I wondered quietly.

Just as I debated intervening, Park Sun-Jae yelled out abruptly, "C-cut! Okay!"

At that exact moment, Go Jae-Soo's teeth stopped millimeters from the pheasant's neck.

It was as though Park Sun-Jae had anticipated this moment perfectly, cutting the scene with impeccable timing. Then he gave an order urgently to the props team. "M-Mr. Choi, switch out the pheasant immediately!"

A wide-eyed staff member hurriedly brought over a dead pheasant.

Handing off the live bird, Go Jae-Soo snatched the dead one with startling speed. Then he licked his lips before he brought his teeth back to the pheasant's neck.

At that moment, Park Sun-Jae quickly shouted through the megaphone, "Mr. Jae-Soo, all you need to do is just pluck the feathers with your teeth. We'll handle the rest with CGI."

Go Jae-Soo maintained his crazed expression and was fully immersed in his role.

Eager to wrap the scene, Park Sun-Jae called out again. "Scene 57, continue. Ready~ Action!"

At that moment, Go Jae-Soo bit into the dead pheasant's neck with his teeth.

Crunch.

The vivid sound of bones cracking filled the air and the faces of the staff watching turned pale.

"Ptuh! Ptuh!"

Go Jae-Soo began plucking the pheasant's feathers with his teeth and spitting them out repeatedly. His eyes glinted like those of a wild animal and the feathers sticking to the corners of his mouth heightened the killer's deranged aura.

That's when Go Jae-Soo suddenly opened his mouth wide and bit into the featherless flesh of the pheasant. Without hesitation, he began chewing with feathers still clinging to the meat.

Chomp chomp.

Crunch.

"Kekeke..."

The grotesque combination of chewing sounds of bones and his maniacal laughter brought the psychopathic character Oh Myung-Jin to life in vivid detail.

The intensity of Go Jae-Soo's performance left the staff stunned with their expressions frozen.

I frowned anxiously. 'I need to stop this.'

Just as I was about to call out to Park Sun-Jae, I saw Go Jae-Soo's throat move.

Gulp.

At that moment, Park Sun-Jae leapt up in shock and shouted, "Cut! Cut! Okay! Mr. Jae-Soo, spit it out! You can't eat that!" n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The horrified staff rushed toward Go Jae-Soo.

However, I was the first to move, sprinting ahead of everyone else.

***

"Caaah~ptooey!"

Go Jae-Soo spat out the piece of raw pheasant he had swallowed. Though his face was scrunched up in discomfort, there wasn't a trace of regret in his expression.

I handed Go Jae-Soo a bottle of mouthwash as he finished expelling the raw meat.

"Here you go, Mr. Jae-Soo."

Go Jae-Soo took the bottle and rinsed his mouth thoroughly.

"Man, that was unbelievably gamey. I've tried chicken sashimi before, so I thought it would be similar. But... What a shock. I think it was because the bird was so freshly caught, but there was still some blood leaking out. Hahaha."

When Go Jae-Soo smiled and said he could never do that again, I couldn't find the words to respond as his determination to succeed was palpable.

After a moment, Go Jae-Soo scratched his head sheepishly and said, "I guess I went a bit overboard trying to do a good job, huh?"

"It's fine, Mr. Jae-Soo. But please don't do that again. I'm more worried about your health than anything else," I replied with a worried look.

Go Jae-Soo nodded, then mentioned he had taken deworming medication in advance just in case.

"But... aren't you supposed to take that afterward?" I asked with my brows still furrowed.

"Oh... is that so?"

Realizing his mistake, Go Jae-Soo started fussing saying he needed to take another dose later.

At that moment, an idea for a way to market Go Jae-Soo as one of Korea's finest method actors struck me.

I looked at him with determination. 'Mr. Jae-Soo, you can count on me.'

My actor had given it his all.

Now it was my job, as his talent agent, to let the world know that.