Episode 24
Episode 24: Do We Really Have to Use Wires?
As Baek Seung-chan examined his mother’s condition using internal energy, his brow gradually furrowed.
Not only her shoulders and lower back, but there was also something strange in her abdomen.
"What is this…?"
Whenever his internal energy reached it, that unfamiliar presence seemed to absorb it.
He couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but it was certainly not normal.
"Mom, have you had any stomach pain lately?"
"My stomach? No, nothing like that."
His mother asked, puzzled.
"Then has anything felt different from usual?"
"Hmm… I have been unusually tired no matter how much I sleep lately."
At her words, Baek Seung-chan narrowed his eyes.
For a healthy person, fatigue should go away after sufficient rest.
This was clearly a sign that something was wrong with her body.
"Mom, let’s go to the hospital tomorrow and get checked. No—let’s go right now."
Martial arts weren’t all-powerful, and neither was medicine.
Problems inside the body were best diagnosed with modern technology.
"Come on, it’s just a bit of fatigue. Why would I need tests?"
His mother tried to brush it off lightly, but Baek Seung-chan didn’t budge even an inch.
"Mom, what if it’s not just fatigue? What if it’s something serious?"
He looked at her with a serious expression.
There was desperation in his voice, and his mother paused at the sight of his face.
"Alright, I’ll go to the hospital on my way to work tomorrow, so relax that serious expression."
Only then did Baek Seung-chan realize he had become overly agitated.
He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and relaxed his expression.
The memory of losing his family in his previous life.
That memory had made his current family even more precious.
To him, his family was no different from the driving force of his life.
The mere thought that something might happen to them had made him lose his composure.
"You have to go, okay?"
"Alright, I will."
His mother nodded with a smile, and Baek Seung-chan could only hope that it was nothing serious.
The next morning, Baek Seung-chan went to the hospital with his mother.
She had said she could just go to the hospital where she worked, but Baek Seung-chan insisted on going to a larger hospital for peace of mind.
He also spoke to Team Leader Kim Seong-ho and, with the agency’s help, was able to secure an immediate appointment.
It seemed CEO Ji Pyeong-san had heard the news as well, because he even called, telling him not to worry about treatment costs as the company would cover them, and to proceed with all necessary tests.
It wasn’t an enormous sum, but Baek Seung-chan felt that joining Dream Entertainment had not been a bad choice.
"I told you I’d be fine coming alone."
His mother said, slightly embarrassed that he had come along out of concern.
"I had nothing to do today anyway since it’s my day off."
In truth, he had a schedule, but he had canceled it because he couldn’t feel at ease.
"Han Jeong-mi, please come into the examination room."
At that moment, a nurse called his mother.
"Son, it’ll be nothing, so don’t worry too much."
"Okay."
Baek Seung-chan replied with a smile, but as soon as she went in for the examination, his expression darkened.
He couldn’t take this lightly.
The strange sensation he had felt in her abdomen the night before kept resurfacing in his mind.
Praying that it was nothing serious, he waited anxiously.
The examination lasted about an hour.
Seeing his mother come out, Baek Seung-chan spoke.
"You’re not too tired, right?"
"I’m fine."
She answered with a smile, but she couldn’t fool his eyes.
"Han Jeong-mi, please come into the consultation room. The guardian may come in as well."
Soon after, at the nurse’s call, Baek Seung-chan entered the consultation room with his mother.
"For now, I think we’ll need to conduct additional tests."
"Additional tests?"
"Yes, let me explain while we look at this."
The doctor displayed the abdominal MRI results on the screen.
"You see this white spot here? We suspect there may be a tumor in the colon."
"A tumor…? Does that mean it’s cancer?"
Baek Seung-chan’s voice trembled, and his mother’s eyes also shook at the unexpected result.
"We’ll need to perform a colonoscopy and biopsy to be sure, but if it’s malignant, then yes, it would be cancer."
At the doctor’s words, both of them felt their hearts drop.
"When can the colonoscopy be done?"
Regaining his composure, Baek Seung-chan asked.
"Because of the required fasting, not immediately. The earliest would be in two days."
"Please schedule it for tomorrow."
Two days later, Baek Seung-chan returned to the hospital with his mother.
Since the polyp was larger than expected, it couldn’t be removed immediately.
Instead, a portion was taken for biopsy.
And three days later, Baek Seung-chan returned to the hospital again with a trembling heart.
It was the day the biopsy results would come out.
"Han Jeong-mi and guardian, please come into the consultation room."
At the nurse’s call, the two entered and waited nervously for the doctor’s words.
"Fortunately, it is benign, not malignant."
"Ha…"
Both Baek Seung-chan and his mother let out sighs of relief at the same time.
"However, it should still be removed. Even benign tumors can turn malignant over five or ten years in cases of adenomas."
"Yes, we understand."
"We’ll schedule the removal for about a week later. Consecutive endoscopic procedures can be difficult."
"Alright."
"Also, the fatigue you’ve been experiencing is likely due to slightly elevated liver enzyme levels. I’ll prescribe some medication, and you should feel better soon."
A while later, they left the consultation room.
"Son, thanks to you, I’m safe. Thank you."
"If you’re thankful, then stay healthy for a long time. You should see your grandchildren someday too."
"Alright."
Now that the tension had fully eased, his mother smiled again.
That evening.
"Mom! You’re really okay, right? You can’t be sick…"
Baek Seung-hui, who had been holding back her tears, burst into tears upon hearing that it wasn’t a serious illness.
"Honey, that’s a relief."
His father spoke calmly, but the trembling in his voice revealed how worried he had been.
Seeing his family like this, Baek Seung-chan felt grateful that he had regained the memories of his past life.
A week passed after the first script reading.
Today’s schedule for Baek Seung-chan was to go to action school for training for ‘The Killer’s Shopping Mall.’
"Hello, Team Leader."
"Seung-chan, I told you to rest a few more days. We could’ve postponed your schedule."
As Baek Seung-chan got into the passenger seat, Team Leader Kim Seong-ho spoke with concern.
He knew about Baek Seung-chan’s mother.
"It’s okay. It’s already a scheduled commitment, so I can’t just skip it. And Mom said it’s uncomfortable having me around too much and told me to go out."
"Still, it must’ve been tough. You did well."
At Kim Seong-ho’s sincere words, Baek Seung-chan smiled.
A short while later, they arrived at the action school in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.
"Seung-chan, I’ll go get some snacks and drinks. Go inside first and warm up."
"Yes."
After Team Leader Kim Seong-ho left, Baek Seung-chan entered the action school.
There were already quite a lot of people inside.
They were running or stretching to warm up.
Among them, he spotted a familiar face.
A large, muscular build and a fierce appearance—the actor Ma Dong-gi, who played the villain in ‘The Killer’s Shopping Mall.’
Baek Seung-chan approached them, who were sitting and stretching while chatting, and greeted them.
"Hello, senior."
"Huh?"
The moment Ma Dong-gi saw Baek Seung-chan, he flinched.
The brutal acting he had seen during the script reading came to mind.
Even though a week had passed, just seeing his face brought back that moment vividly—it had been that impactful.
But he quickly composed himself and replied with a smile.
"Seung-chan, you’re here. Good to see you."
"Senior, may I sit next to you?"
"Of course. It’s not like I own the place. Sit comfortably."
Baek Seung-chan sat beside him and began stretching as well.
"Senior, your physique is incredible. Did you train before?"
Ma Dong-gi’s arms were as thick as an average woman’s thighs, packed with muscle.
"I used to train a bit."
Feeling at ease with Baek Seung-chan’s friendly attitude, Ma Dong-gi began chatting more openly.
Through their conversation, Baek Seung-chan learned many things he hadn’t known.
Despite his rough appearance, Ma Dong-gi had graduated from a prestigious university in the United States and had originally been a trainer for famous fighters.
Then he developed a dream of acting, gave up everything, and returned to Korea to become an action actor.
He also said that someday he wanted to create his own action film and that his dream was to go to Hollywood.
"Senior, I believe you’ll definitely achieve that dream."
"You really think so?"
Ma Dong-gi responded with slight surprise.
Until now, whenever he shared his dream, people treated it as unrealistic, but Baek Seung-chan was the first to truly believe in him.
"Of course. I really think you’ll achieve it. So when that time comes, please make sure to cast me too."
It wasn’t empty flattery.
In his previous life, Baek Seung-chan had met many people, including those who achieved dreams others thought impossible.
Ma Dong-gi gave him that same feeling.
"Of course. But you better not pretend you don’t know me when that time comes."
"That will never happen!"
Ma Dong-gi smiled broadly, clearly in a good mood.
Despite his fierce appearance, his smile had a strangely cute charm.
"Oh, by the way, would you like me to give you some tips on action acting?"
Ma Dong-gi asked cautiously.
As a senior, he wanted to make up for his earlier awkwardness by helping in a field he was confident in.
"Of course. I’ll listen carefully."
Baek Seung-chan did not refuse.
In truth, after reaching the second level of Cheonyeong Simbeop, his physical abilities had increased dramatically, allowing him to perform most acrobatic movements without issue.
However, while filming ‘The Outcast Legend,’ he had realized that ordinary physical movement and action acting were somewhat different.
"First of all, what’s important in action acting is movement flow. If it’s too chaotic, the audience won’t be able to follow it."
Ma Dong-gi spoke enthusiastically, and his tips proved very helpful to Baek Seung-chan.
Once all the cast members of ‘The Killer’s Shopping Mall’ arrived, along with Director Go Jin-seok who came to observe, the action training began.
"Everyone’s warmed up, so let’s begin right away. Dong-gi, let’s start with a simple routine for those who aren’t familiar."
"Alright."
The action director first called Ma Dong-gi, who had the most experience.
After briefly coordinating, they immediately began the action sequence.
Thud—! Thud—!
The stuntmen from the action school were knocked down by Ma Dong-gi’s punches.
Watching his movements, like an enraged bull, the other actors admired him.
"His technique is definitely good."
To others, it looked like sheer power, but to Baek Seung-chan, something else stood out.
It was his skill in releasing strength at just the right moment.
Just as he had claimed, he had true expertise in action.
Next, Kang Dong-wook, the lead actor with fair skin and exotic features, stepped forward.
"Good. Dong-wook, your movements are very clean."
Kang Dong-wook was also known for flashy action.
His style was smooth and dynamic.
Of course, it felt different from Ma Dong-gi.
If Ma Dong-gi was like an enraged bull, Kang Dong-wook was like a seasoned wolf—swift and precise.
After that, the other actors stepped forward one by one.
The action director demonstrated the scenes with stuntmen and began giving instructions.
Before long, it was Baek Seung-chan’s turn.
"You’re Seung-chan, right? I’ll show you first. Jin-ho."
At the action director’s call, a nimble-looking stuntman stepped forward.
"Show him."
"Yes!"
At the director’s command, five stuntmen, including Jin-ho, began moving in coordination.
It was a scene where ‘K,’ played by Baek Seung-chan, falls into a trap and fights four killers.
The stuntman acting as his double used a prop dagger to quickly subdue each of the four attackers.
Finally, he leaped into the air, spun twice, and finished with a kick that took down the last opponent.
It was a fairly high-difficulty sequence, especially for a supporting role, excluding actors like Kang Dong-wook or Ma Dong-gi.
"It’s a bit complex, but let’s start by learning the first movements step by step. And the final kick will be done using wires, so don’t worry too much."
The action director reassured him.
"Let’s put on the wire equipment first."
"Director, do we really have to use wires?"
"Excuse me? What did you say?"
The action director asked back, wondering if he had misheard.
"I was wondering if we really need wires. I think it might be possible without them."
At Baek Seung-chan’s words, the action director’s eyebrows twitched.
"You think you can do this without wires? It looks easy because they made it look that way, but those guys have trained for over ten years."
There was a hint of irritation in his voice.
It felt as though Baek Seung-chan was underestimating stunt action, which he had devoted half his life to.
"I understand why you’d say that, but first let’s check if you can handle the basics."
The action director glanced briefly at the attractive lead actress receiving separate action lessons nearby.
There were often people who tried to show off in front of women, and he assumed Baek Seung-chan was one of them.
However, unlike what he thought, Baek Seung-chan had no such intention.
He genuinely believed he could do it without wires, and in fact, using wires would only hinder his movements.
At that moment, Director Go Jin-seok, who had been observing, spoke with shining eyes.
"Let’s try it his way first. If it doesn’t work, we can use wires afterward."
For some reason, Director Go Jin-seok felt that Baek Seung-chan would be able to do it.
Although he hadn’t known him for long, he knew he wasn’t the type to show off recklessly.
"Alright then."
The action director didn’t insist further after hearing Director Go Jin-seok.
"Have you memorized the action sequence?"
"Yes."
"Then go ahead and try it."
You memorized all that from one look?
The action director scoffed and stepped back.
And so, Baek Seung-chan’s action performance began.
"······."
The action director—and everyone watching—stared in wide-eyed shock.