Crushing Doubts with a Single Sword Dance
Suhyeon arrived at the Heyri Martial Arts Center and reunited with martial arts director Jeong Do-hong.
"Suhyeon, come on in. Great to see you again."
"Hello, Director Jeong. It's an honor to be making my first film alongside you."
Jeong gripped his hand firmly and slapped his back harder than expected, his eyes gleaming with the sticky camaraderie of fellow martial artists walking the same path.
'He's hot-blooded, can't hide a thing—worth pulling to my side.'
To win the director's favor, Suhyeon spent nearly an hour in his office discussing martial arts passionately. During that time, several people dropped by, and Suhyeon exchanged greetings: Jung Se-kyung, cast as Princess Seonhwa; Jang Tae-ho, playing Left Sword Lee Taek-min; and Jo Young-gi, the action assistant director for the film.
After about thirty minutes of chit-chat on personal matters and the movie, Suhyeon formed his assessments.
Jung Se-kyung, playing Princess Seonhwa, was a former child actress with solid acting chops, currently riding a wave of popularity. She boasted stunning looks and a slender figure befitting her status. Despite the rumors about him, her polite demeanor and measured words left Suhyeon with the impression of a wise woman who knew her boundaries.
'She knows all about me from the gossip, yet she's this cautious—means she's got a strong center. Solid woman. No issues during filming.'
Jang Tae-ho, as Left Sword Lee Taek-min, had skyrocketed to fame from his recent role in the hit drama Father Jeon Sang-seo. Still a rookie by experience, the model-turned-actor stood tall at 187cm with rugged, handsome features. But Suhyeon caught the murkiness in his eyes during their greeting and sensed overflowing arrogance in their talk.
'Trapped in his own world. Not total trash, maybe half-and-half. Guys like him stab allies in the back if left alone. Better make the first move.'
After some casual talk in Jeong Do-hong's office, the group moved to the dojo for proper action practice. First up was assistant director Jo Young-gi's demonstration.
The initial sequence was Suhyeon's debut scene: practicing sword forms alone in the courtyard. Starting with an overhead raise and downward chop, he flowed into left diagonal slice, right diagonal slice, then a mid-level thrust—executing the moves crisply.
Suhyeon watched closely, adapting each one to his own style in his mind.
'Taishan Crushing the Summit, then horizontal sweep from reverse grip to forward, reverse grip to rear sweep, followed by Child Bowing to Buddha into Immortal Pointing the Way... Did Joseon military officers use Six Harmonies Sword once upon a time? Basics are similar everywhere.'
Applause erupted as Jo finished. As the best swordsman at the school per Jeong's intro, his skill impressed the crowd. But to Suhyeon, it was flashy amateur work.
'Perfect for getting himself killed in a real fight. He's trained hard, but misses the essentials.'
Jeong asked warmly, "What do you think of our assistant director's skills, Suhyeon? Can you follow along easily? You need to nail those moves exactly before shooting starts."
Testing him, Suhyeon nearly reflexively downplayed it with false humility—but paused, recalling his recent resolve.
'No more hiding. Time to show the world who I am. This film will be the perfect launchpad. No need for pretense.'
Steeling himself, Suhyeon shed all modesty and replied evenly, "Impressive, but it differs from what I've learned. Do I have to match his exactly, or can I adapt it my way?"
"Of course you can change it! I'm dying to see what martial arts you've studied! Plenty of time before shooting—go ahead and tweak it however you want."
At Jeong's excited shout, Suhyeon stepped to the dojo's center and gripped the sword.
'To film comfortably, I need to establish dominance upfront. Especially with arrogant types like Jang Tae-ho—past experience says crush their spirit early, or they'll cause headaches later.'
With everyone watching intently, Suhyeon opened his chest, took a deep breath.
"When drawing your sword for a duel to the death, what's most important? Superior neigong? Tempered external arts? A peerless blade? No. It's resolve. The readiness to die on your opponent's sword at any moment. Without that resolve, it's just a dancer's flourish. True swordsmanship demands that resolve fused with the unyielding intent to kill..."
Recalling his past life's first sword lesson, Suhyeon gripped the blade double-handed, slowly raising it into high guard.
His breathing deepened, eyes turning impassive and cold. His calm aura, like mirror-still water, morphed into an incoming storm—fierce as winter gales flaying flesh.
Onlookers felt the mounting pressure, tensing unconsciously, swallowing hard.
Suddenly, Suhyeon's left foot slid forward silently half a pace. His sword crashed down like lightning—savage, as if cleaving an invisible foe in two.
The crowd flinched back in unison, as if the blade arced over their heads.
Suhyeon pulled the sword down with his right arm, extending his left while pivoting half-turn on his left foot. He thrust his right forward half a pace, stomping firmly.
- Thud!
The blade flashed rightward on a diagonal like a streak of light. Retracting swiftly, he spun opposite, left foot forward, stomping again.
- Thud!
The sword whipped leftward with ferocious power. Finally, from mid-guard, Suhyeon dropped like a plummeting body off a cliff. Left foot extended a full pace, he stomped so hard the floor threatened to crack, thrusting upward at an angle with his right hand.
- Boom!
Finally, he retracted the soaring blade, snapped his right foot forward, and stood firm in mid-guard. Demonstration over, Suhyeon relaxed his aura and scanned the room.
Jung Se-kyung rubbed her goosebumped arms with wide, startled eyes. Jang Tae-ho gaped blankly. Jeong Do-hong beamed admiration; Jo Young-gi stared in utter incomprehension.
'Mission accomplished.'
Suhyeon set the sword down and returned to his spot. Jeong started clapping, snapping everyone out of it—they joined in enthusiastically.
"Incredible swordplay. Even watching, I felt my head might roll—chills down my spine. Where'd you learn that, Suhyeon?"
Suhyeon just smiled faintly, saying nothing.
'Chattering now would be amateurish. Silence builds mystique—makes things smoother ahead.'
Time passed; Princess Seonhwa and Left Sword demos wrapped. During break, Suhyeon eyed Jang Tae-ho, who fidgeted like an antsy pup when their gazes met.
Suhyeon softened his face into a friendly autumn cosmos smile, approaching with a voice soft as down. "Jang Tae-ho."
Tae-ho startled but eased at the warmth. "...Yeah?"
"We're around the same age... wanna drop formalities and be friends? We'll see each other a lot during filming—no pressure that way, right?"
"Uh... sure, I'm good with that."
"Then let's go casual from now. Cool?"
"...Yeah, why not?"
"Great, Tae-ho. First film for me—I'm green. Take care of me. Let's work hard and make a killer movie."
"Got it. But dude... that was badass earlier."
"Nah, nothing special. Been training martial arts since kid, so it looks that way to you. You'll get there quick with the assistant director. Hit me up if you need help—I'll bust my ass for you. And... help me out too, yeah? That's what friends do."
"Yeah. Let's get along."
"You got it."
Suhyeon slung an arm around Tae-ho amiably, heading to the break room.
'Pre-filming groundwork done. Time to dive into those movie studies I postponed—two months left.'
Meanwhile, in Ichon 1-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul—eastern Dongbu Ichon-dong, the ritziest enclave in the affluent village known for its detached mansions.
In a spacious luxury living room of one grand estate, a middle-aged woman was on the phone. Her beauty hinted at past stunning youth; meticulous care kept her skin taut and figure slim. But irritation sharpened her voice.
"Manager Kim, you sure you checked properly?"
"Then handle it quick! You gonna just leave it?"
"...Fine, if we must. I trust you, Manager Kim. Don't worry about guards or fees—hurry it up."
She hung up, scowling. "Not the Joseon era or some backward year—son preference bullshit? Never dreamed it'd trip me up like this... Sigh. If not a celeb, it'd be done already."
She dialed again. "BBG's Marvin, huh... Can't just sit idle trusting Manager Kim."