Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Taste Test
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Director Byeon Hyeong-chan clipped together footage from the first scene out of the five combat sequences.
This wasn't proper editing by any means. He hadn't adjusted the image quality or added any effects.
He'd simply cut and pasted the video files just to see what kind of visuals emerged.
Since they'd filmed the scene with multiple cameras, there were as many video files as cameras.
Kim Yu-chan and a few actors approached Director Byeon.
Kim Yu-chan held out some mixed snack mix.
"I brought some for you to try, Director, but you look busy. Don't tell me you've already started editing?"
Director Byeon spoke while replaying the footage he'd just spliced together.
"No way. Just checking what kind of visuals we'd get by combining them like Na Gang-in suggested. I've only done one so far, but if the other four don't work out this way, we'll have to reshoot the whole thing tomorrow..."
He had leaned back in his chair at first, casually inspecting it. But once the video played on his laptop screen, his back straightened without him realizing it.
"Whoa..."
The visuals turned out far better than Director Byeon had anticipated.
The actors watched the footage in hushed silence. Not a single one spoke up.
The video ended after the first masked figure collapsed.
Kim Yu-chan let out the breath he'd been holding.
"This is insane. I didn't realize I looked that cool fighting."
Director Byeon nodded vigorously.
"I was shocked too. I had some expectations, but this surpasses them. I never imagined it'd come out this good..."
"But Director, you're not planning to use it as is, right?"
"Of course not. This is just a rough visual match-up. How could I half-ass editing something this good? We've got to go all out."
The laptop held a ton of video files.
"We used two high-speed cameras earlier too. We've got to mix those in. Oh, while we're on the topic, want a quick taste?"
Kim Yu-chan's fight footage required splicing clips from multiple cameras across four scenes to complete. What they'd just seen was only the first one.
In contrast, Gong Ji-hyeon's fight scene was a single take. Even though they'd used multiple cameras then too, checking just her one scene was quicker than combining all four.
Director Byeon quickly did a rough edit of Gong Ji-hyeon's footage this time. Again, no effects—just cuts and pastes. He left the high-speed camera parts in slow motion.
After finishing his hasty work, he played the rough edit.
"This time I added slow motion from the high-speed cameras. Like this."
On the laptop screen, Gong Ji-hyeon leaned back to dodge the sword in slow motion. Her body, arched at the waist, looked as graceful as a bending bow.
A sharp blade passed perilously close over her stunning chest. The knife edge grazing the fabric right above her chest was crystal clear.
When Gong Ji-hyeon counterattacked, the footage sped up again.
As she leaped to swing her sword down, her expression shifted from beauty to ferocity, filling the screen. Though brief at normal speed, the intensity stabbed straight into the viewers' hearts.
Na Gang-in flew backward, slashed across the chest, and collapsed. Her strike seamlessly connected with him reeling from the cut.
It looked like her sword had truly sliced through flesh and space itself.
Even Director Byeon, who had edited it himself, gasped in astonishment.
"Gasp! Wow... that..."
Gong Ji-hyeon moved with elegant beauty while evading attacks, then struck with savage intensity on the counter. It was gorgeous, fierce, and utterly cool.
More actors had gathered by now. Gong Ji-hyeon was among them, watching the footage.
After the final frame, she covered her mouth with her hand.
"Amazing! I had no idea I'd look this pretty and badass! I was just doing what the instructor told me!"
Lead actor Kim Yu-chan was pumped too.
"Director, show me my fight with the high-speed camera footage mixed in. I want to see if I look that cool too."
Director Byeon was curious about the results himself. Rest breaks were the last thing on his mind now.
"For your fight with the first masked figure, I'll put together a version focused on the high-speed cameras this time."
He did a quick edit of the first combat scene, muttering to himself as he worked.
"Just to be clear, this is just a taste. I'll do the real edit properly later."
The newly spliced footage played on the laptop.
Two high-speed cameras had been used. One captured Kim Yu-chan's face, the other focused on his hands, the blade, and the masked figure getting hit.
The footage cross-cut between them. His serious expression played in slow motion, then sped up as the blade sliced into the masked figure's chest. Blood sprayed the instant it struck.
Then Kim Yu-chan's face returned in slow motion. A few drops of blood speckled it. The expression and bloodstains meshed perfectly, evoking a chilling vibe.
His eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze shifted sideways. Another masked figure lurked there.
The video ended.
Kim Yu-chan clenched his fist.
"That's it! This is exactly what I wanted!"
The other actors watching applauded.
"Damn, he looks even cooler with that handsome face."
"Classic Kim Yu-chan. His eyes are alive."
Kim Yu-chan turned to Director Byeon.
"Placing the high-speed camera there was a stroke of genius. My expression came out perfect... Wait, hold on."
Na Gang-in had decided the camera placements during the fight scene shoot.
"Gang-in set up the cameras to get shots like this?"
Director Byeon nodded.
"Obviously. Editing it proves it—the feel is spot on. If it was just once, maybe luck, but no. Every fight scene I've checked is this high quality."
"And he repositioned the cameras each time and still got this? Definitely not luck."
Thrilled, Director Byeon replayed the first clip while outlining his edit plan.
"For the official edit, I'll smooth out the transitions here to here. And we'll need some subtle CG in the background here."
"CG?"
"Dust trails will follow your movement path like afterimages."
"Ugh, that's awesome."
Director Byeon turned to Gong Ji-hyeon.
"Oh, for your fight, should we add some bling? Nah, leaving it raw might hit harder for intensity. Gotta experiment."
The other actors envied the two stars but were excited too. The extra action shots filmed earlier that day weren't full-on combat like this. Their intense fight scenes came later.
"If I get one like this, I'm showing it to everyone I know."
"This is going straight on my best-of-life list."
Everyone buzzed with anticipation.
Then a veteran actor spoke up.
"Hold on. Is this even possible?"
"What's up, hyung?"
"We all saw it. They shot once, didn't like it, and reworked the movement lines on the spot. I thought they were just calculating how to splice the footage in that short time."
"That's what they did."
"Not just splicing—this quality means they calculated it all on site, in real time."
A few people swallowed hard.
"Gasp!"
The footage was impressive enough even with ample prep time for movements. But Na Gang-in had calculated paths in real time, down to precise camera placements.
Everyone there had witnessed it firsthand. They'd been surprised by the veteran actor's explanation earlier, but seeing the actual footage made that seem trivial.
Director Byeon glanced toward Na Gang-in. He was chatting idly with food truck owner Kim Byung-ho while cleaning up.
Director Byeon said, looking at Na Gang-in.
"He's a genius."
Kim Yu-chan boasted.
"I've known Gang-in was a genius for a while now."
There were tons of scenes to shoot from day one. Night shoots were scheduled for tonight too.
The filming schedule at this set was three days long. After shooting here for three days, they'd head back to Seoul for modern-era scenes.
They were bouncing between the Joseon-era set and Seoul to accommodate actors' schedules and location bookings.
Many actors had jumped on board last-minute, making scheduling tricky.
Actors with other commitments tomorrow got as much as possible done today. Those with more flexibility were slated for tomorrow and the day after.
The actors drawn by the promise of premium action were hyped.
"Tonight, I'm delivering top-tier night action!"
"Hyung, you only have today, so hustle. I've got two leisurely days tomorrow and the next for premium action."
"Hey, shooting chill doesn't guarantee great shots... but damn, I'm jealous."
Having seen how epic the combat footage looked, they expected the same quality for their scenes.
One actor even negotiated with Director Byeon.
"Director, I've got no schedule, so I can stick around longer. Send the busy ones home and let's film Joseon-era stuff just us. Let's make something legendary."
Another actor shot it down immediately.
"Hey, that messes up the Seoul schedule. Save it for later!"
"Later when?"
"You joining the martial arts director's next film too?"
"Duh, obviously."
Director Byeon had spent years figuring out how to shorten shoots. Thanks to that, once one scene wrapped, the next started right away.
For someone like Gong Ji-hyeon, who had drama shoots tomorrow and needed to cram today, there was barely any downtime.
After hours of filming, a break finally came. Shin Eun-ha handed her a paper cup full of mixed snack mix.
"Try some of this."
Gong Ji-hyeon had burned so much energy her appetite was gone. But she couldn't refuse Shin Eun-ha.
She picked one up with her fingers and popped it in her mouth.
The mixed snack mix was originally developed as a field ration for soldiers exhausted from battle. Filming-weary Gong Ji-hyeon chewed the first piece, and her eyes lit up.
"Whoa! So good!"
Shin Eun-ha bragged.
"Gang-in oppa made it. Tastes even better after working up a sweat."
"It's seriously delicious! I wish the instructor made it every day!"
"Yeah, every day..."
Making it every day meant seeing him every day.
Shin Eun-ha pounced.
"You! As if acting isn't enough, now you're scheming? Where do you get off?"
Lee Bo-ra chimed in from the side.
"Right! Don't use that as an excuse to see him daily! I can't even do that!"
Flustered, Gong Ji-hyeon waved her hands frantically.
"No! Not like that! I meant it'd sell great, so I'd buy it every day!"
Shin Eun-ha narrowed her eyes.
"Is that so?"
"Yes! That's it!"
"Oops, I overreacted. But..."
Shin Eun-ha turned to Lee Bo-ra.
"Why'd you butt in? Scram!"
The first day of the three-day Joseon-era set shoot wrapped up.
Actors with other schedules left right after. Some scheduled to arrive tomorrow due to conflicts were already gone.
Gong Ji-hyeon's scenes were all crammed into today. Tomorrow, she'd bounce between Gyeonggi and Seoul shoots.
Gong Ji-hyeon approached Na Gang-in and bowed politely.
"I'm heading out now. Thanks so much for today."
"I'll head home soon too."
This set was on the outskirts of Namyangju. Na Gang-in's place in northeast Seoul made commuting feasible.
Staff and actors staying on site had booked nearby lodging.
Na Gang-in asked.
"Drama shoots starting tomorrow?"
"Yeah, two days—tomorrow and the next. Seoul tomorrow, Yangpyeong the day after."
"Yangpyeong's not too far from here."
"Right. I could swing by the night after next."
"No need to push it. Rest at home after shoots. Oh, here."
Na Gang-in handed her a box generously filled with mixed snack mix.
"Snack on these when you're bored."
"Ah! The snacks from earlier!"
Gong Ji-hyeon unconsciously licked her lips, then had another thought.
"Um... can I share these?"
"Gave 'em to you, so they're yours. Eat 'em however. Stick 'em in your hair instead of flowers if you want."
"Heehee, no. I want to let the others at tomorrow's set try them too."