What Exploded? (1)
Ahead of the massive battle scene, the actors, extras, and stunt performers were all brimming with tension.
As the cameras began rolling, everyone shouted in unison and charged forward.
"Kill them!"
"Grab them!"
"Don't let them escape!"
The roars, full of raw power, mixed with the dull thuds of steel pipes and baseball bats clashing. It was all choreographed to perfection, but just listening to the shouts made it feel like a brutal street brawl.
Jeong Su-ryeon held up a sign.
[Jeong Seo-hoon, your turn.]
Jeong Seo-hoon, dressed in Lee Jin-uk's mask and clothes, rose from his seat.
Before stepping toward the camera, his eyes met those of Yoo Jeong-ah, who sat quietly in her chair. She had no scenes today but had come along anyway to monitor the shoot.
With Lee Jin-uk's face projected over his own, Jeong Seo-hoon gripped the prop knife upside down and assumed his stance.
His swift movements precisely sniped targets amid the chaotic frenzy of combat.
After moving his entire body for what felt like an eternity in a near-trance state...
"Cut! That's good."
***
"An autograph? A fan came all this way just to watch? That's some serious dedication."
"I wonder if an old-timer like me should even be signing."
Lee Min-soo happily obliged with his signature.
Yoo Jeong-ah glanced toward the distant fan and let out a soft chuckle.
"Ah, it's that guy."
"Jeong-ah, you know him?"
"He's a longtime fan of mine. Looks super stoic on the outside, but he's actually really sweet. He always brings my bromides or photobooks to fan meetings for signatures."
Kim Hyun-tae muttered blankly.
"Yeah... that visual is impossible to forget once you see it..."
"Having him around makes me feel secure. Even sasaengs or crazy fans turn into lambs."
Unlike the thoroughly intimidated Kim Hyun-tae, Song Jeong-woo gushed with worldly nonchalance.
"Nice, really nice. He'd be perfect for a gangster role. What a waste to let that physique go idle."
Kim Sang-hee grumbled from the side.
"Gangsters aren't for just anyone these days. Smart villains are the trend. That brute look was big back in the '80s."
Yoo Jeong-ah finished her flourish of a signature and handed it to Jeong Seo-hoon.
"Seo-hoon, here."
"Should I do one too?"
"He asked for three from every actor who's available."
"He's your fan, not mine. Won't he hate wasting paper on me?"
"Nah, not that guy. I guarantee it. Asking for three each? Probably for family or friends. Drama fans, most likely."
Jeong Seo-hoon eyed the massive figure standing stock-still with arms crossed in the distance, then took the pen.
***
Every time Illegal aired, its viewer board lit up like a hot grill, with plenty of fans throwing tantrums demanding the PD show up.
Before long, ratings had topped 24%, and Song Jeong-woo's ego soared sky-high.
Hwang Hak-jin felt seething rage toward Prosecutor Hwang Sun-hye as she tightened the noose around him, and he moved Lee Jin-uk once more to eliminate her.
Hwang Sun-hye finally obtained Hwang Hak-jin's ledger of bribes to politicians, making the chaebols who had funded him view his existence as a liability.
The rival gang, who had been biding their time to seize Gangnam's nights, got the perfect chance to meet a ruling party heavyweight.
Koo Je-man, chasing Lee Jin-uk's trail, stumbled onto the tail of a drug cartel polluting Gangnam.
In pursuit, he captured footage of a massive drug deal in the mountains.
But the peaceful vibe froze instantly when a bloodied corpse dropped from the trees above.
The heated argument devolved into pure hatred, and in that moment, a thrown dagger from one side grazed the rival leader's ear.
The man screamed, blood dripping from his mangled ear, and chaos erupted into a full-scale brawl.
As Koo Je-man fumbled with trembling hands to record it on his phone—
Lee Jin-uk, who had appeared out of nowhere, clamped a hand over his mouth, snatched the phone, stopped the recording, and deleted the file.
Their third encounter, after the crime's prophecy had been proclaimed.
Under Lee Jin-uk's coercion, Koo Je-man had no choice but to power off his phone.
The fight grew bloodier, with low-level grunts subtly slipping away.
Koo Je-man recoiled at the faint smile playing on Lee Jin-uk's lips as he watched. It evoked a gourmet savoring a feast set before him.
For some reason, the image made his stomach churn with nausea.
The brawl eventually simmered into a standoff. Everyone was battered or exhausted.
No one stood unscathed.
They heaved for breath through sheer willpower, nursing wounds great and small.
Lee Jin-uk tugged his black leather gloves tight.
His teeth gleamed under the moonlight like a starving beast's fangs.
Army knife in left hand, steel pipe in right.
Koo Je-man watched from start to finish, unable to intervene or look away.
A lone predator savagely tearing into weary prey to the end.
***
Discarded by the political elite, Hwang Hak-jin suffered fatal wounds from rival hounds.
With his organization on the brink, he staked everything on a preemptive strike.
A no-holds-barred annihilation battle with no tomorrow.
As casualties snowballed on both sides, Lee Jin-uk suddenly struck from the enemy's rear.
Weaving through his own ranks in stab-proof gear, knife and pipe in hand, he was a lion among sheep.
The moment they thought victory secured, he turned on his exhausted allies.
When those madness-glazed eyes faced him, Hwang Hak-jin burst not into fear, but laughter.
Illegal Episode 11 shattered 25% ratings.
An overwhelming 10%+ gap over competing dramas.
***
"Guess we won't hit 30% after all."
"What can you do? Too many channels these days."
"Should we have just gone blind and stretched it to 16 episodes?"
"Nah, forcing it longer doesn't make a better show. Dragging it out just gets you hate. It always shows. Anyway, Writer Kim, great work."
The staff eavesdropping on the PD and writer's chat were baffled inwardly.
A cable drama topping 25% at 12 episodes was already legendary.
Yet here they were, lamenting not conquering 30% on the eve of the finale.
"But didn't we wrap principal photography ages ago?"
"Reshooting one scene from Episode 12. Color popped or something."
"They're not gonna keep reshooting right up to airdate just 'cause there's time, right?"
"Just one more scene, for real."
"Whew. No wrap party even after official schedule ended? Had a bad feeling."
"PD had the reshoot slotted in his head already."
The reshoot stars: Lee Jin-uk and Hwang Hak-jin.
Just those two actors in front of the camera today.
But the set buzzed with Cha Do-jin, Yoo Jeong-ah, Hwang Shin-yoon, Hwang Ra-hee—everyone showed up.
Song Jeong-woo had announced this as the absolute final shoot.
"Perfect weather right now. Let's roll before sunset. Water trucks ready?"
"Yes, sir. Tanks full."
Lee Min-soo's solo scene kicked off first.
In the mutual destruction aftermath, he'd lost all his men and, dragged to Lee Jin-uk, thrashed in a desperate escape bid from captivity.
"Cut, good!"
The veteran returned behind camera, checked the monitor, and nodded approval.
"Hm, not bad. Good call reshooting."
"Yes. Your performance felt even more profound today—I was totally immersed."
"Flatterer. Next scene up?"
"After the sun dips a bit more. Timing matters. Rest up meanwhile."
Lee Min-soo settled into a folding chair, pulling out his battered script.
No more readings after today.
His gaze drifted to Jeong Seo-hoon.
Scanning the perimeter meticulously like a meek rookie actor.
Lee Min-soo anticipated what face this young master would wear while hurling those scripted lines at him this time.
Suddenly, thunder rumbled—ku-gung.
Looking up, storm clouds raced in from the horizon.
Plip. Plip-plip.
"Damn."
Song Jeong-woo, startled to his feet, froze at Jeong Seo-hoon tilting his chin skyward, staring blankly.
A strange thirst emanated from that stone-still gaze fixed upward.
"Rain, huh. What a pain."
The parched, alien tone drew Song Jeong-woo closer unwittingly.
This wasn't Jeong Seo-hoon's voice.
It was killer Lee Jin-uk's.
Poised to butcher fresh prey before the pack disbanded.
Thunder crashed again.
Startled screams scattered everywhere, but Song Jeong-woo heard nothing.
He was pinned by the predator's eyes, rolling slowly toward its quarry without a twitch.
Lightning flashed blindingly across the sky, the split-second glare magnifying Lee Jin-uk's gaze in stark clarity.
Lee Min-soo had felt those beastly eyes fixed on him for a while now.
The storm-darkened heavens' flash developed the serenity pooling in those pitch-black pupils.
A fleeting instant, but Lee Min-soo read the desire to devour him whole.
In that moment, he became not Lee Min-soo, but Hwang Hak-jin—from emperor of the night to frail, pathetic prey.
Shwaaaa—rain poured down.
Staff rushed to cover gear with tarps.
Prey and monster held their stare, unmoving.
Hwang Hak-jin glanced at his hands.
His fists clenched against his will, trembling like aspen leaves.
Every cell in his fingertips sensed the impending consumption, quaking in terror.
The veteran actor shed his role in a heartbeat, letting slip a quiet smile.
"Came lighthearted for 'just one scene,' but this..."
What Exploded? (2)