Episode 22
Episode 22: Traces of Time
While walking down the street with the female lead, a villainous killer appears.
The killer threatens the female lead, but Baek Seung-chan, who seemed like an ordinary student, steps in to stop him.
A knife is already in his hand, and in an instant, he brings the blade to the killer’s neck, subduing him.
It was a short scene that lasted less than a minute.
But that brief moment left a powerful shock not only on the actors watching, but also on the staff.
"······."
And for good reason—Baek Seung-chan’s acting was chilling to the core.
Even in a tense situation where he could kill someone, not a single trace of hesitation or guilt could be felt in his cold expression.
At this very moment, Baek Seung-chan was the very embodiment of ‘K,’ who had been raised as a killer since childhood.
Out of that one-minute scene, Baek Seung-chan’s performance lasted only a few seconds, yet those few seconds felt unbearably long, filled with heavy tension.
In this situation, the actors were confused.
"Wasn’t he supposed to be a complete rookie?"
"That’s rookie-level acting? Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?"
"······Does he really have no acting experience?"
"A monster has joined us."
Because Baek Seung-chan’s acting was at a level that could never be considered that of a rookie.
Especially the skilled actors were even more shocked.
They could feel the aura of an A-list actor in Baek Seung-chan’s performance.
As silence filled the room, the sound of applause suddenly cut through the air.
It was Director Go Jin-seok.
"Seung-chan, that was excellent just now."
A satisfied smile filled Director Go Jin-seok’s face.
Then he leaned slightly toward the writer and the directing staff beside him and whispered,
"What do you think? There’s no need to worry anymore, right?"
In truth, the two had been somewhat concerned about Baek Seung-chan.
Although the character ‘K’ was a supporting role, it held significant weight in the early part of the story.
If the emotional acting for this role was poorly done, it could ruin the overall tone of the project.
That was why Director Go Jin-seok had deliberately made an excuse to directly showcase Baek Seung-chan’s acting.
"I see now why you praised him so highly, Director. He perfectly understands the character."
The writer nodded as he spoke.
"Exactly. I thought he had stepped right out of the original work."
The directing staff couldn’t hide their admiration either.
The other actors and staff also nodded in agreement. Baek Seung-chan’s acting made the character feel vividly alive.
"Wow, you’re really good at acting."
At that moment, Ma Dong-gi, the large-built actor who had played the villain, approached Baek Seung-chan with a stiff body and patted his shoulder.
However, his face was still pale, and his voice trembled slightly.
The other actors understood his reaction.
Even those who had only watched were overwhelmed, so Ma Dong-gi, who had acted alongside him, must have genuinely felt a threat to his life.
The fact that Ma Dong-gi had frozen and failed to deliver his final line was proof of that.
"Alright, now that we’ve got the general feel, let’s return to our seats and continue."
At Director Go Jin-seok’s words, the actors who had come forward returned to their seats.
The gazes of the other actors toward Baek Seung-chan were completely different from before.
After the script reading ended smoothly, Baek Seung-chan finished a simple meal gathering with the cast and returned home.
He had clearly left in the morning, but by the time he arrived home, it was already past 8 in the evening.
"Seung-chan, you worked hard today."
"You too, Team Leader. You did a great job."
"Oh, right, Seung-chan. You can start attending action school in about a week, once we match schedules with the other actors."
"Yes, understood."
Since ‘The Killer’s Shopping Mall’ involved a lot of action, training at an action school beforehand was necessary.
For Baek Seung-chan, it wasn’t strictly necessary, but it was also a process of coordinating with the other actors, so he had to participate.
And the timing was perfect.
In about a week, he might reach the first level of the Cheonyeong Simbeop.
"Get home safely!"
After saying goodbye to Team Leader Kim Seong-ho, who had dropped him off in front of his house, Baek Seung-chan stretched lightly and went up the stairs.
"I’m more tired than I thought."
The script reading had consumed more energy than expected.
Perhaps due to interacting with people and maintaining intense focus, it had been a mentally exhausting day.
"My son, you worked hard today."
As soon as he entered, his mother greeted him with a bright smile.
Seeing that smile, Baek Seung-chan felt his tired body and mind grow lighter.
"Mom, where’s Dad?"
"He’s lying down in the room with a heat pack."
"A heat pack? Why?"
"I think he hurt his back while working today."
"He got hurt?"
Hearing that, Baek Seung-chan hurried toward the room.
"Mm…"
Inside, his father was lying face down.
A clay heat pack was placed on his back, and he was breathing with some difficulty.
"Oh, you’re home, son?"
"Dad, are you okay?"
"I’m fine. Just twisted it a bit. It’ll get better after a day or two of heat treatment."
His father answered calmly, but Baek Seung-chan could clearly see the fatigue on his face.
Sitting beside him, Baek Seung-chan said,
"Dad, let me take a look at your back for a moment."
"You? What do you know about it?"
His father asked with a chuckle.
"Didn’t I tell you? When I was in the military, I got interested in physical therapy and studied it a bit. So trust me."
"Really? Then give it a try."
His father nodded with interest, but what Baek Seung-chan said wasn’t entirely true.
During his military service, he had only read a few books after talking with a junior who majored in physical therapy.
However, it wasn’t as if he knew nothing.
Among the many people he had imitated in his past life as Cheonmyeon-gwi, there had been physicians known as masters of medicine.
Baek Seung-chan carefully placed his hand on his father’s lower back.
"Does it hurt here?"
"Yeah, that spot hurts a bit."
"What about here?"
"That’s fine."
He pressed slowly, feeling the condition and tension of the muscles.
After checking a few times, Baek Seung-chan rolled up his sleeves.
"If I do it like this here, it should get better."
He slowly began to massage his father’s back.
At first, his father flinched slightly, but gradually his expression relaxed, and his body seemed to loosen.
"Now try getting up. It should feel a bit better."
His father got up with a slightly doubtful expression, then looked surprised.
"Oh, this actually feels better?"
It wasn’t completely healed, but at least it was much easier to move.
"My son had this kind of skill too? You’re like a master doctor."
"Really? It’s actually better?"
His mother, who had been watching from the side, asked in amazement.
"I’m telling you, it really is."
His father replied, still sounding impressed.
"It’s not fully healed yet, so don’t overdo it. Take a break from work tomorrow."
"You two really are alike. I was planning to rest anyway, so stop nagging me."
His father shook his head while looking at Baek Seung-chan.
Seeing his mother’s embarrassed expression, it seemed she had already said the same thing.
"Mom, do you have any pain anywhere?"
Baek Seung-chan asked his mother as well.
"Me? I’m fine, so go and get some rest. You must be tired."
She answered with a smile as if it were nothing, but Baek Seung-chan could tell she was lying.
"Where does it hurt? Your shoulder?"
"I said I’m fine…"
His mother tried not to say anything out of concern, but his father, who had been watching, cut in.
"What do you mean you’re fine? You keep asking me to massage your shoulders every day. Instead of that, let Seung-chan take a look. He’s better than most hospitals."
"What are you saying…"
His mother muttered in embarrassment, her face turning red.
"Your shoulder? Let me see."
"······."
"Hurry."
At Baek Seung-chan’s insistence, his mother finally turned around and offered her shoulder.
He placed his hand on her shoulder, and soon his expression darkened.
Her shoulder was as hard as stone. The muscles were extremely stiff.
At this level, she must have been in considerable pain.
He could feel the heart of a mother who had hidden her discomfort, not wanting to worry her children.
Though his heart ached, Baek Seung-chan suppressed his emotions and calmly began massaging her shoulder.
"How is it? Does it feel good?"
"It’s nice. The fatigue is melting away."
His mother had reluctantly offered her shoulder at first, but once he began, she looked completely satisfied.
Then suddenly, she carefully asked,
"But son… you’re not doing anything dangerous, right?"
Baek Seung-chan hesitated for a moment, then calmly answered,
"It’s not dangerous. I’m just doing extra roles and minor parts. I’ll tell you when the announcement comes and I appear in a drama."
In truth, he hadn’t told his family that he had properly started his acting career.
He wanted to surprise them on the day ‘The Outcast Legend’ was announced.
"That’s enough. Try moving it now."
"It really feels better?"
His mother moved her shoulder and spoke in amazement.
"I told you, he’s practically a master doctor."
His father chimed in from the side, and seeing his parents looking comfortable, Baek Seung-chan felt at ease.
"I’ll do it again tomorrow, so go to sleep early now."
He lightly brushed off his hands and stood up.
"My son, you worked hard."
"Son, we’re always grateful."
Hearing his parents’ warm words, Baek Seung-chan smiled and left the room, heading straight to the shower.
Then, instead of warm water, he turned on cold water to clear his head.
"Ha… that was really foolish of me."
He let out a small sigh and muttered.
When he was young, his parents’ shoulders had always felt like those of giants.
They seemed dependable enough to solve anything.
But just now, as he touched them while massaging, they felt small and frail.
"I was so focused on repaying debts quickly that I neglected my parents’ health."
Only now did he realize that his parents were no longer young and healthy.
He also felt that he had been too complacent until now.
Until this point, he hadn’t felt an urgent need to rapidly raise the level of Cheonyeong Simbeop.
The world had become one governed by law and order rather than martial arts, and his current abilities were enough to live on.
However, after massaging his parents, he felt regret.
If he had properly formed his dantian and could utilize internal energy, he could have gone beyond simple massage and completely healed his parents’ pain.
Moreover, if his level increased, he could even guide them in the cultivation method for the sake of their health—yet he had been the one delaying that opportunity.
"Since it’s come to this, I need to form my dantian as soon as possible."
Baek Seung-chan made his decision.
The next morning, he woke up early and headed to the medicinal herb market in Cheongnyangni.