Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Warm-Up
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The drama PD Choi Jin-wook shouted.
"Cut! That's a wrap!"
Lee Bo-ra realized what she'd just said and hurriedly apologized.
"I'm sorry! I flubbed my line! Let's do it again!"
Choi Jin-wook waved it off with a laugh.
"Nah, that was great. It fit perfectly. Your expression had so much sincerity—it made the acting even better. Your skills have improved a ton. Haha."
Lee Bo-ra, who had braced for a scolding, was caught off guard.
"Huh? Really?"
"I like this version better than the original line anyway. Right, Writer Do?"
Do Ju-hee was distracted by something else.
"Huh? Yeah, sure. It's fine. Good job."
Lee Bo-ra let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew."
Na Gang-in and Lee Bo-ra's scene wrapped up.
The part where the male supporting actor wore the same clothes as Na Gang-in and removed his mask would be filmed later at another location.
PD Choi Jin-wook clapped enthusiastically.
"Wow, everyone was awesome. The shots came out fantastic."
He turned to Do Ju-hee.
"Right? Satisfied, Writer Do?"
"Hm..."
"Why the serious face since earlier? We nailed it. Let's use these takes as is."
"It's not that..."
Do Ju-hee hesitated before speaking up.
"What if we add more action to the script?"
Choi Jin-wook grinned.
"Feeling it, huh?"
Do Ju-hee nodded vigorously.
"Yeah, totally. I get why Director Son Tae-min changed the genre for Sunny Day on a bright day."
"Seeing it in person today, I totally get it. Na Gang-in's action has real impact, doesn't it?"
"I loved the part where he casually caught the bike rolling toward him, let go for a split second when the thug lunged, then grabbed it again. The guy oozes confidence."
"Heh. Can you revise the script? We've got a lot written already."
The drama script had some buffer, but it wasn't fully complete yet.
"I looked into it, and Director Son Tae-min was up all night rewriting even without sleeping. If he did it under that crunch, I can't slack off."
"Writer Do, it's a drama—we've got more time. No need to pull all-nighters. Sunny Day had that freak incident where an actor got busted for drugs right before release."
"I know. And since the back-half scripts aren't out yet anyway, it'll be fine to rewrite them."
PD Choi Jin-wook looked flustered.
"Wait, Writer Do. Isn't the plot all mapped out?"
"Huh? Uh... yeah. I just meant tweaking the plot and rewriting."
"Whoa, you're acting super suspicious."
"Just trust me that it's all written. It'll save you stress, PD Choi."
Supporting actress Lee Bo-ra had gained a lot from watching Na Gang-in's action up close. The biggest realization? How insanely lucky Shin Eun-ha had been.
Eun-ha blew up in that movie largely thanks to Na Gang-in's action.
She'd known that already. But experiencing it firsthand made it hit harder than she'd imagined.
I had no idea high-class action like that could come so effortlessly. Even if I'd been in that film instead of Eun-ha, I would've made it big.
She glanced at the PD and writer. She couldn't hear their conversation, but their excitement was obvious.
She secretly hoped.
Maybe our drama will pivot like Sunny Day too?
She pondered who would benefit.
In Sunny Day, there hadn't been time to reshoot the female lead's scenes—schedules didn't align. So Na Gang-in's action had focused on scenes with male lead Kim Yu-chan and female supporting Shin Eun-ha.
This drama had more scenes with the female lead and male supporting actor together. They often shot with all four—both leads and both supports. The action boost would spread to the other actors too.
I'm jealous of Eun-ha. She hit the jackpot solo back then.
Jealousy alone changed nothing.
Na Gang-in returned after changing clothes.
Lee Bo-ra sidled up to him slyly.
"Hey, Martial Arts Director."
"Calling me director feels awkward. The PD's right here."
"Then I'll call you Gang-in from now on."
She held out her phone with a beaming smile.
"Can I call you for help with action scenes? Your number here..."
Suddenly, a pale hand shot in and grabbed her wrist. Shin Eun-ha.
Shin Eun-ha glared fiercely.
"Hold up. What do you think you're doing?"
"Hey, why!"
"Doing this in front of me is against actress etiquette!"
Lee Bo-ra blustered.
"Wh-what! I just wanted help practicing action lines! His style won't end with this one scene in our drama!"
"No more of that! Gang-in oppa's done after this one!"
PD Choi Jin-wook approached.
"You two are up next for the park fight scene as bad-friend rivals who bump into each other. Already getting into character?"
Shin Eun-ha whipped around with a proposal.
"I want to make that scene super realistic, PD. Let us grab hair?"
Lee Bo-ra upped the ante.
"Slap cheeks too? With a nice smack!"
"Perfect! Add a fireman's carry after the slap!"
PD Choi Jin-wook realized they were serious and quickly clarified.
"It's a verbal spat by the Han River! No slaps, no carries, no touching at all!"
Lee Bo-ra failed to snag Na Gang-in's number thanks to Shin Eun-ha's interference.
Shin Eun-ha and Lee Bo-ra talked big, but once filming started, there was no hair-pulling or slapping.
Instead, the atmosphere was cutthroat.
That day's shoot wrapped without major issues.
Drama writer Do Ju-hee grumbled.
"Did I mess up casting Shin Eun-ha as a cameo? I thought they were gonna actually grab hair mid-shoot."
PD Choi Jin-wook chuckled slyly.
"That's why the tension made the footage killer. Writer Do, isn't it a waste to use Eun-ha for just one cameo?"
Do Ju-hee grinned back.
"Right? It's like we sprinkled spicy chili powder on our drama."
"I'll handle convincing her—add a scene or two next time?"
"Deal!"
"And Na Gang-in while we're at it?"
"How dare you lump our Gang-in nim with extras?"
"Whoa. You were against it at first, but one shoot and your attitude flips? Two-faced much?"
Na Gang-in met bodyguard Choi Nam-su and the four people he'd brought the next day. The goal: basic Total Fist Style training.
They borrowed a gym owned by Choi Nam-su's friend in Na Gang-in's neighborhood. Choi Nam-su had chosen it deliberately.
The newcomers introduced themselves briefly—not full affiliations, though.
"Kim Manager."
The intel agent kept name and title vague.
Na Gang-in didn't pry.
But soon they buzzed. Na Gang-in's group had arrived.
"Shin Eun-ha?"
"Damn, she's even prettier in person."
"Who's the one next to her? Assistant?"
Assistant Yoon A-reum asked Shin Eun-ha.
"Unni, so all these guys are real bodyguards?"
"That's what they say. Government agents, even."
"And they're learning martial arts from Gang-in oppa?"
"Right? Oppa ain't messing around."
"He was great at tightrope... but these are national agency pros."
Yoon A-reum had only seen Na Gang-in's skills once: when he'd strung a line between buildings to save her.
The Gangwon-do set kidnapping was low-res footage.
Shin Eun-ha was different. She'd been caught in two shootouts, watching him fight up close both times. Her sense of his prowess dwarfed Yoon A-reum's.
"You'll see why they came once it starts."
Na Gang-in addressed the five government agents.
"To master Total Fist Style properly, you'd need two years in the Taebaek Mountains. Impossible for civil servants. And I'm not heading back to the hills."
Total Fist Style wasn't real. He'd made it up when a detective pried before. But that tale ended up in official reports, spreading through agencies.
Now more knew of Total Fist Style than his classified name.
Na Gang-in told them.
"You all know martial arts, so today we'll cover a few basic Total Fist moves."
A police agent raised a hand.
"Close-quarters shooting too?"
He'd read Na Gang-in's combat logs—knew his pistol prowess up close.
The others had too. No footage, but witness accounts and traces reconstructed the Jackal and Nakgwi incidents somewhat.
That's why they'd burned leave to attend: to verify the records.
Na Gang-in said.
"Depends on today. Close-quarters shooting would use airsoft pistols, of course."
They snickered. Four of the five had personal pistols stored at their agencies.
"Gear up first."
The five donned taekwondo helmets and body protectors fluidly.
Na Gang-in said.
"Let's begin."
Na Gang-in crooked a finger.
"Come at me. Rolling on the floor helps you adapt faster."
Bodyguard Choi Nam-su asked.
"Who goes first?"
"All five of you."
"Pardon?"
"Come on in."
The real training kicked off. After eye signals, all five charged Na Gang-in at once.
Na Gang-in slipped back, then sideways—blindingly fast.
He flanked their formation instantly, grabbing and hurling one.
"Hngh!"
Before they reacted, he was behind another. That one flew too.
Three left. They stayed calm, trying to encircle from three sides.
Na Gang-in was faster. He charged first, tripping and tossing them lightly. If they resisted, overwhelming force sent them flying.
In seconds, all five rolled on the mat.
Taekwondo gear and breakfalls minimized impact, plus training mats softened it.
As they rose, dazed, Na Gang-in said.
"Now for strikes. Come on."
Pride stung, they charged again en masse.
Na Gang-in switched tactics—no throws this time.
Kicks instead.
"Kek!"
Even through protectors, the shock hit hard.
The pattern repeated. Agents lunged; Na Gang-in launched them.
No injuries, but every kick or grab sent them airborne.
As he flung them, Na Gang-in asked.
"Is this your best?"
"No!"
Great stamina—they bounced back relentlessly.
Yoon A-reum fidgeted.
"Filming this for YouTube would blow up."
Shin Eun-ha stopped her.
"They're government agents. They might arrest you."
"Ung..."
Yoon A-reum pondered, then clapped.
"Ah! What about Gang-in oppa's self-defense tutorial? Huge hit potential!"
"They won't like faces showing."
"Masks! Tons of masked creators on YouTube."
Shin Eun-ha brightened.
"Should I join masked?"
Yoon A-reum reined her in.
"Unni... even masked, fans would spot you. You're a celeb."
"True."
The first session lasted about 20 minutes: 3 minutes action, 1 minute rest.
The five collapsed, gasping, unable to rise.
Na Gang-in stood fresh.
The police agent panted.
"With skills like that... why not pro fighter?"
The special forces guy chimed in.
"Yeah. Five on one, we'd wreck a world champ. This is insane..."
Na Gang-in couldn't enter official tourneys.
Na Gang-in replied.
"No interest in those. Anyway, bodies warmed up—time for basics."
"Wait, that wasn't training?"
"That was feeling Total Fist Style in your bones. Tutorial phase. Now the real game begins."