Several staff members gathered around Kang Woojin. There were about six in total. Three of them wiped away the bloodstains and soot on Woojin's face, while the other three fixed his makeup and hair. It had been an eight-minute long-take scene, but unfortunately an NG had happened, so they had to shoot it again.
Restoring his appearance to its original state was essential.
Meanwhile, the female staff surrounding Woojin were all chattering excitedly. What they had just witnessed was not something they experienced every day.
"Wow, Woojin-nim! That was incredible!!"
"It was seriously the best!! It felt like I was watching a Hollywood movie!"
"Exactly!! The tension and immersion were insane!!"
"How can you be that good at martial arts, and action on top of that?!"
Some of the staff had been in the industry for quite a long time, but even they were left in awe of Kang Woojin's long take and CQC performance. Of course, Kang Woojin kept his cynical expression the entire time. Considering what he had just shown them and the atmosphere around him, it was the perfect environment for him to maintain that strong front.
"I did a lot of rehearsal in my head through imagination."
Imagination? Was that even possible? Comments like that kept coming. Even Kang Woojin was affected by their excitement, though only on the inside.
'Honestly, that was seriously fun! Bang bang, right? I've fired way more shots here than I ever did in the military, haven't I?? Shooting really is exciting.'
Compared to the real thing, it might have fallen a bit short, but it felt incredibly close to reality, and that was enough to satisfy him.
By that point,
"...Special forces?"
The foreign group, including Joseph and Megan, had fallen into even deeper shock. Or more precisely, it was because of a misunderstanding. The man with the large nose, Ethan Smith, repeated what he had heard to one of the pot-bellied Universal Movies executives, lifting a finger toward Kang Woojin.
"Was that actor in the special forces?"
"Yes, that's right."
Ethan, the stunt coordinator for Beneficial Evil, had now become the center of this misunderstanding, spreading the story in real time. The set was too chaotic, and because the conversation was happening in fluent English, no one there paid much attention. Only the discussion among the twenty-plus Hollywood people continued.
"Special forces…"
Joseph and Megan did not react much. They had already heard the story before. But the stunt team Joseph had brought and the Hollywood studio executives were genuinely startled. Ethan calmly told them about the first time he had met Woojin at the action school.
It took about five minutes to explain.
At last, once they seemed to understand at least a little of Kang Woojin's absurd skill and technique, the studio executives began speaking one by one.
"Ah, I see. So that's why he handles action and close combat so effortlessly."
"Of course his grip and posture with a gun didn't look practiced. Did you see how he moved during that long take? He really looked like an active operative!"
Among them, the pot-bellied executive carefully looked at the giant Joseph and asked,
"Then is Kang Woojin also an action-specialist actor?"
Ethan reacted at once.
"No."
Megan swept back her short brown hair and added an explanation.
"Like I told you before, this is Kang Woojin's first action project."
"...Ah, I only asked to make sure."
The giant Joseph, recalling Woojin's performance, chimed in.
"To be honest, his long-take work and action sequences are fascinating, but Kang Woojin's method acting is even more overwhelming."
At that moment, the eyes of all the Universal Movies executives widened.
"Method acting? You're saying his acting style is method acting?"
"Yes. He makes every role his own and brings it to life vividly. I've seen it with my own eyes, so I can guarantee that it's something truly special."
Had there ever been a time when Joseph, a famous Hollywood producer, had praised someone so lavishly? He was known for being stingy with compliments even toward Hollywood's top actors. But Joseph kept going.
"And all of you will be able to see Kang Woojin's work at this year's Cannes Film Festival."
"Cannes? You mean one of his films was selected?"
"Yes. There's a film in this year's Cannes competition section called Leech. Kang Woojin is the lead actor. For reference, it's the only Korean film in competition."
The expectations of the people who had already been captivated by Kang Woojin's action scene rose even higher. They felt a strange relief in knowing that this astonishing Korean actor would also be showing an entirely different side of his acting at Cannes, one of the most prestigious international film festivals.
'Ah, now I understand why Joseph insisted on stopping here before going to Cannes. From the very beginning, everything he planned revolved around Kang Woojin.'
'A competition entry? I heard the competition this year was brutally selective because there were so many submissions. If that's true, then this film called Leech must be extraordinary.'
Not only Joseph and Megan, but the attitude of every foreigner there had completely changed. At first, they had looked like critics. Now, anyone could see they had become an audience. They wanted to see not only Kang Woojin's astonishing action scene, but every other side of him as well. That desire was written clearly across their faces.
Soon, the leader of the stunt team Joseph had brought slowly swept his gaze across the entire Beneficial Evil set.
PD Song Manwoo was talking with the core staff, dozens of crew members were busy preparing for the reshoot, and the Thai actors were returning to their positions. Kang Woojin, who had already finished fixing his makeup and costume, was fully ready to shoot again.
Reviewing the eight-minute long-take scene he had just watched, the stunt team leader muttered quietly,
"Shooting an eight-minute take without an NG or a cut would already be incredible, but looking at the overall quality, it's not much different from what Hollywood does. Is this really the current level of Korean production?"
Joseph pointed at Ethan, who was standing next to him.
"Ethan's involvement helped a lot, but honestly, Korean drama production levels have become extremely high these days. Still, the real force pushing that level to its peak is—"
He lifted a finger upward.
Kang Woojin was silently checking his firearm.
"That alien-looking actor."
Meanwhile, Miley Cara, with her long blonde hair, was also looking up at Kang Woojin. For some reason, a smile had formed at the corner of her lips.
'I'm really looking forward to this. I was already excited at the thought of seeing his work at Cannes, but now I'm even more impatient.'
Then she imagined the scene. Not just Kang Woojin performing in front of the two hundred or so Hollywood people on this set, but performing in front of countless world-famous filmmakers, actors, and tens of thousands gathered at Cannes.
'Why am I getting chills?'
That thrilling shiver was not hers alone. Kim Sohyang, standing to her right, felt exactly the same. After looking over the excited faces of Joseph and the Hollywood people, Kim Sohyang spoke.
"It's over."
"What??"
"If even Hollywood heavyweights are making this much noise, then that means only one thing…"
She leaned toward writer Choi Nana and whispered softly,
"Beneficial Evil is going to be a worldwide hit."
About an hour later.
Gunfire rang out around the abandoned factory and surrounding buildings where the long-take scene for Beneficial Evil was being filmed.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!
The shoot had already been going on for about three hours. The actual long-take scene only ran a little over ten minutes, but the reason it had stretched past three hours was simple. There had been NGs and reshoots.
This was the fourth attempt.
Because so many people, so much equipment, and so many props were involved, resetting everything after an NG took a great deal of time. Every film set has its difficulties, but with a long take, it takes even more effort to reset than it does to actually shoot.
Of course, Kang Woojin was not the one causing the NGs.
"Cut!!"
"I'm so sorry!!"
"It's fine! Let's go again!!"
Sometimes a Thai actor missed a line, sometimes a cameraman made a mistake, sometimes there was an issue with a prop gun. No matter how thoroughly they checked things, there were always countless variables once filming began. But there were no shortcuts with a long take. If an NG happened, they had to start over from the beginning.
Little by little, the hundreds of staff began to look exhausted and groan.
"Ah, this is driving me crazy."
"Are you okay? This long-take shoot is way harder than I expected."
"Seriously. It feels like I'm stuck in an endless game quest."
The camera crew hauling heavy rigs, the sound team, the makeup team, the art team—many of them were suffering through the painful repetition of the long take. Yet the lead actor, Kang Woojin, remained as steady as ever.
"It's already been over three hours, right? So why does Woojin still look exactly like he did at the start?"
"Right? But he was like that during Hanryang too."
"Is this the same thing? He's been shooting, fighting, and running for over three hours straight, but he still looks perfectly fine. He's the only one."
At least, that was what the staff thought. While preparing for another reshoot, Kang Woojin was in fact feeling a little tired.
'The intensity of this shoot is really insane. Honestly, if I didn't have the Void Space, I would never be able to pull this off. Keeping up this character is exhausting.'
Thanks to the blessing of the Void Space, he was able to maintain his composure. Still, most of the Beneficial Evil production team remained tense. The difficulty of the shoot was high, which meant the risk of accidents was also high. That was also why PD Song Manwoo's expression had been serious the entire time. The same went for the faces of the onlookers around him.
Then, at that exact moment,
"Action!!"
The long-take shoot began again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A storm of gunfire. Then screams sharp enough to tear at the ears.
"Aaaah!!"
"Aaaaagh!!"
Kang Woojin moved through the abandoned building in perfect sync with the camera. The repeated takes were exhausting, but they also made the entire sequence more familiar. Everyone's timing had gradually improved, and they were now able to handle the seven-minute portion smoothly.
Soon, Kang Woojin, carrying an AK47 and wearing a sweat-soaked gray shirt, reached the final room on the second floor of the abandoned building.
Bang!!
The moment he kicked the door open,
"Hiiyaaa!"
Two men rushed him. They were gang members holding long knives. One was beside the door, the other was directly in front of him. Woojin's eyes moved to the one on the side. The knife slashed toward his face. Kang Woojin ducked.
Clang!
The blade struck the wall. Two short gunshots followed.
Bang! Bang!
The bullets tore through the side man's throat and face. He collapsed to the floor. The man in front froze in shock for a moment, then turned to flee.
Bang! Bang!
Two bullets struck the back of his head. Breathing a little harder now, Woojin had no intention of letting him go. He wiped the blood from his face. The camera slid from the front to the side. Woojin checked the AK47 magazine and searched the room. In the corner of the bathroom, he found a child with her hands and feet bound and cloth wrapped over her face. When he pulled it away, a familiar face appeared.
"Confirmed."
The girl was the drug lord's daughter they had been looking for. The problem was that she was unconscious. The good news was that she looked neither starved nor swollen.
"Tsk."
Kang Woojin clicked his tongue. Since he would now need one arm to carry the girl, the AK47 was no longer useful. Just as Woojin reached for the Glock 17 at his waist,
"%)(&%@&)@~!!!!"
He heard the gang members shouting again.
'Damn, there are so many of them. Where are they mass-producing these guys? Well, whatever. This is fun.'
A smile spread across Woojin's face as he delivered the short line. Then, wrapping his left arm around the unconscious girl's waist, he lifted her. She hung limply against him. There was no way out through the door. If his hands had been free, things would have been easier, but carrying the girl increased the risk of an accident. Woojin turned his gaze to the window. Below, he saw the silver car he had arrived in.
"Oh."
There was a metal ladder attached to the outside wall.
Crash!
Woojin kicked the window open, grabbed the ladder, and quickly climbed down to the first floor. He shoved the girl roughly into the passenger seat of the car and fastened her seatbelt. The camera operator, following behind him with a vehicle-mounted rig, captured the entire sequence. The moment Kang Woojin dropped into the driver's seat, he slammed down on the accelerator.
Vroooom!!
With a savage roar, the silver car shot forward. At that moment, the chase began. In other words, the pursuit sequence started. Woojin's car took the lead while the camera truck followed behind. After driving for about ten seconds, Woojin sped past the abandoned building and arrived at the deserted factory.
At that very moment,
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!
Vroooom!!
Along with the gunfire, three more vehicles appeared. Two vans and one passenger car. They belonged to the gang stationed at the factory. From behind, the camera captured four vehicles, including Woojin's, racing wildly across the area. The cars turned sharply left and right as they entered the outskirts of the town.
The city streets came into view.
The speeding car Woojin was driving suddenly slammed on the brakes.
Screeeech!!
A gang vehicle had already blocked the middle of the road as a barricade. Woojin's car immediately reversed. Smoke rose from the tires as he whipped the steering wheel and turned the car around. And then,
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Woojin leaned out the window and fired toward the windows of the pursuing vehicle, causing it to crash into a nearby building. The camera truck arrived ahead of the pursuing cars. The cameraman smoothly climbed out of the truck and into the back seat of Woojin's car. At the same time, the car tore into a narrow alley.
The camera alternated between Kang Woojin's violent driving and the unconscious girl slumped in the passenger seat.
It captured the brutal vibration of the car with vivid realism.
The narrow alley stretched on for quite a distance, and it took a few seconds before the road opened up again. A cloud of dust billowed behind them. Woojin sharply jerked the wheel. It was a right turn. The car screeched as it struggled to change direction. The shaking camera angle turned toward the rear. Two vans were charging after them through the dust.
Then the camera focus snapped forward again.
At the same time.
Crash!!
The car was hit by a violent jolt. It felt as though it might flip over. No, the car was actually spinning. In the frenzied, rotating camera angle, Woojin's tightly clenched jaw was briefly visible. Finally, the spinning stopped. The camera, which had been tracking Woojin's profile, quickly swung outside. Two motorcycles blocking Woojin's car had been crushed and mangled. Kang Woojin immediately jumped out of the car.
He crouched behind cover and gripped the Glock 17 tightly.
"Hoo."
The pursuing vans screeched to a stop one after another. About four men got out. One of them, holding an AK47, charged first. Gunfire erupted.
Bang! Bang!
They were shots fired by Kang Woojin, not the gang members. The charging man's head exploded. The camera moved behind Woojin. More shell casings flew out of the Glock 17. He fired two more shots. Another face shattered apart. A man fell.
Right then.
"Aaaagh!!"
A man lunged in from the side and slashed at Woojin with a short knife. Woojin instantly grabbed the attacker's wrist with his left hand.
"Urgh!"
He slammed the man hard into the car door.
Bang! Bang!
Two bullets struck his chest. Blood sprayed across Woojin's face. Heavy breathing sounded from the right. Another man. Woojin caught the barrel of the AK47 and twisted it sideways.
Crash! Ratatatatat!!
The crazed gang member sprayed bullets wildly. The car door was riddled with holes. Even as his ears rang, Woojin ignored the noise and shoved the rifle barrel upward. Then a low kick drove into the man's knee. As they both went down, Woojin pressed the muzzle to the man's chest.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
His heart burst apart. Blood splattered everywhere. The camera stepped back from Woojin as he rose from the dust-covered ground.
"Hm?"
Woojin looked at the corpse slumped against the car door. Two grenades hung from the man's belt. A moment later, Woojin kicked the body aside and dragged the unconscious girl out of the car.
Then—
Thunk.
He tossed the two grenades into the passenger seat. Slinging the girl over his shoulder, Woojin wiped the blood off his face. He picked up the AK47 lying on the ground. Then he pulled the earpiece radio from his pocket, put it in his ear, and muttered in a low voice in English,
"I need a car."
Kang Woojin was smiling.
The camera filming him from the front captured that expression. Woojin passed right by the camera, but it did not follow him. Instead, it kept recording the shattered vehicle now cloaked in smoke and the pile of corpses scattered around it.
And then it happened.
The grenades exploded, and the car was blown to pieces.
BOOM!!
That was the moment that brought the long take to its climax.