Instinct from the Abyss
The problem arose during the location shoot.
In major Korean dramas, it's considered abnormal not to be racing against the clock, so once you're out on location, it's common to film multiple episodes at once. Sometimes they even shoot out of sequence to save time.
Of course, in that kind of environment, no one expects proper emotional arcs or performances.
Especially that day's shoot—it was grueling enough to rack up a dozen or more NG calls from even veterans like Yi Hoon sunbaenim and Park Seong-ho sunbaenim.
"Cut! Yi Hwan-jae-ssi, your expression keeps stiffening."
"I'm sorry!"
"Aigoo, seriously. Let's go again. Kang Min-ssi, your acting was spot-on..."
"Sorry, hyung!"
"......"
...In other words, I was starting to lose track of whether I was alive or dead.
After seventeen excruciating takes, the two culprits—looking sheepish—scratched their necks in front of me.
"Sorry, hyung. Not clicking today..."
"Heh, heh!"
"......"
83.
The combined retakes from our two lead actors.
Unsurprisingly, that was also the number of retakes I had endured in the same scene—and the total count of nightmares I'd suffered that day.
Sometimes I thought sparring with these two might awaken a rage-fueled status window, but even that notion felt beyond me now.
I just pleaded earnestly.
"...Let's nail it."
"Yes!"
"Let's nail it."
"Don't worry! This time, we'll show PD Yu what we're made of!"
Park Yeon-ju clenched her fist.
But as always, it was I who got shown up.
"Cut!"
"Ah, sorry!"
'......'
Was this the injustice felt by the mild-mannered middle-aged man who'd brought home a baby dinosaur?
Crushed to death by a horde of kangaroos in boxing gloves, I could only pray for this hell to end.
Especially lately, when nothing was going right!
'Wi Min-jun...! Why won't you accept a perfect specimen like me into Unbelievable...!'
'And what the hell is wrong with that jobless slacker OlivePenguin!'
'Not to mention the agency bastards—what's their damn problem...!'
To top it off, that night's nightmares were all about fleeing from something, which drained me even more.
I was choking down my fury, barely hanging on through sheer spite, when it happened.
It started with a suggestion from an AD checking the schedule.
"PD-nim, aren't the child actor shoots falling behind?"
"Yeah, it's tight. Let's knock those out first."
"Yes!"
The female lead of King and Sovereign is so kind-hearted she often plays with the neighborhood kids.
Not sure if it's crucial, but anyway—that meant today's schedule included Park Yeon-ju's scene frolicking with the child actors.
And even the mighty Yu Ho-hyeon PD didn't have the guts to handle child actors like he did us adults.
"Scene 75 can be patched in editing anyway, so one-take wonder. Min-hwa walks straight ahead, kids follow behind like they're at a playground. Wrap at the top of those stairs. Just focus on blocking. Got it?"
"Yes!"
Park Yeon-ju brightened at the promise of a single take, but I tilted my head.
'That won't be easy...'
Having spent years in facilities and met aspiring child actors, I knew how tough "casual" was for kids.
These were trained performers, sure—but probably only for tame solo scenes.
Wouldn't separate shots be better?
'Not my place to direct.'
Yu Ho-hyeon PD had way more experience than me.
And sure enough, the ADs handled the kids like pros.
"You in the pink—the one named Min-hyun? Yeah, dance in from the right like this. Can you do it?"
"Joo-sung? Stick right behind that unnie, yeah, just like that!"
The shoot went off without a hitch.
[Over there, apricot blossoms so white! Wanna go see?]
[Yes! Yes!]
[I do!!]
The overall movement was awkward, but that was the editor's headache. The kids followed decently enough.
Looked good.
Just as I relaxed, shedding my old orphanage instincts—
At the edge of the long staircase,
One kid missed a step.
"Uh...?"
It wasn't a dramatic slip—just a momentary wobble.
The issue? He'd gotten too into it and missed the next beat.
Worse: He lost balance right at a railing slightly off the safety line.
Screams erupted from all sides.
"Hold on—that kid!"
"Behind—behind!"
"Yeon-ju-ssi!!"
"The kid's falling!!"
By the time Park Yeon-ju whipped around in shock, it was too late.
The kid's body floated over the railing.
His eyes bulged in terror.
And I moved on instinct.
'Damn it all!'
I knew it was pointless.
Too far, and I had no skill to catch a falling kid anyway.
Pure reflex.
But for some reason,
My body kicked off the ground in a way I'd never tried—smooth as silk.
"Kang Min, what the hell?!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
I'd never done it before.
Yet somehow, I knew it would work.
I vaulted the stairs, grabbed the railing,
No time to balance—I pushed off again,
Leapt once more from that railing, slid down the slope, and launched.
"?!"
Our eyes met as he fell. His shrieking gaze rounded in shock.
Even doing this insane stunt for the first time, my mind stayed eerily calm.
I snagged him, softened the impact by clinging to the railing. Wedged my hip on a protruding ledge and slid.
People gaped, mouths agape—but no time to care. I braked by scraping protrusions, but it wasn't enough.
Before the railing ended, I shoved him to the safe side, absorbing the shock.
Then tumbled to the ground.
"Kuhk!"
"Min-i-ssi?!"
Baek Chae-i's scream rang out as people rushed over.
I waved them off weakly. Just some scrapes, luckily.
Looking up, everyone stared in stunned silence.
"I'm fine... kid's okay. Got lucky."
"I know! Are you okay?!"
"What the hell was that?!"
"Min-i-ssi, you train in martial arts or something?!"
"Oh my god!"
They swarmed me, faces a mix of awe and bewilderment.
But I bet none were as bewildered as me.
I stared at my hands in a daze.
'What the hell did I just do?'
Of course I'd never trained acrobatics. At best, gym sessions for stamina.
If anything, I had experience.
From today's nightmares.
'........'
I clamped my mouth shut.
A wild delusion hit me.
Maybe,
My dreams weren't just crazy—they were past-life flashbacks or something...
'No, then what about the cosmic giant squid and boxing kangaroo horde?'
Reason kicked back in.
Whew, almost lost it there.
No such world exists.
"Thank you! Thank you!! Hyun-soo, what are you doing? Say thanks quick!"
"Sniff... th-thank you."
"H-how can I ever thank you! I-I'll repay you somehow...!"
"It's fine. Kid's unhurt—that's what matters."
"No, I insist! Please let me!!"
"......"
No time to argue anyway. Cheers erupted as they mobbed me.
The kid sobbed; his mom bowed tearfully; the crew buzzed like they wanted to toss me in the air.
Only Baek Chae-i looked pale as a ghost.
"D-don't ever..."
"Hm?"
"Don't ever do that again... You scared me to death."
"......Yes, ma'am."
(Not like I could've let his head crack open, but I kept that to myself.)
Yu Ho-hyeon PD—nearly seeing his whole production crash—sighed in relief and hugged me. The AD who'd set the safety line bowed, teary-eyed.
It took another ten minutes to wrap up.
The kid, clutching his mom's hand, bowed and said thanks before leaving. I got his mom's number shoved at me. The crew still whispered in shock.
Then—
"My god...!"
Yu Ho-hyeon PD, checking something with the cinematographer, went wide-eyed.
He chatted excitedly with the staff.
Then declared:
"That's a wrap for today!"
"...Pardon?"
Everyone blinked in confusion.
Location shoots—outdoor ones—are money pits.
Jimmy Jib, King Crane, manpower costs—you hustle to cram everything into one day. Why we'd squeezed the actors dry today.
Sure, one close call, but calling it with the sun high? No way.
"Ho-hyeon, you nut."
"What the heck...!"
As actors gawked, lighting director, script supervisor—everyone panicked and rushed over.
But after peeking and talking, they all froze, blinking dumbly.
Even Baek Chae-i sneaked a look, then clapped a hand over her mouth. Her pupils shook wildly.
"?"
"...?"
What?
What's going on?
Why not show us?
"No need to convince the writer or anyone—script's getting a tweak."
Flustered Yu Ho-hyeon PD turned to the actors with a crocodilian grin.
"We caught gold in that last take."
There are plenty of actors known for being "insane," "chilling," or "terrifying."
The public gasps, admires, maybe likes them—but diehard fandom? Rare.
It's a likability issue.
The days of getting dragged by the hair in bathhouses for great villain roles are gone, but who skips fan-favorite leads for that?
—Especially if you're a fan of said lead.
Official agency-designated 1st gen fanclub.
Manager experience: Plenty.
Hidden singing: Basic. No multi-fandom.
Skips school for fan gifts, works part-time to chip in.
Bought 60 albums for fansign, got spanked by mom.
Most girls her age love handsome boy groups, but Choi Ra-hee's resume? Diehard. Proud of it, too.
She was among the first to cheer wild when Yi Hwan-jae landed the lead in King and Sovereign.
...And among the first to lose her mind when MBS pushed some random supporting actor instead.
In short: Kang Min anti-fan.
"It's rigged! Total corruption!"
"Snap out of it... Honestly, his Hui-yul wasn't that good."
"Right?"
"You guys were trash-talking him last week!!"
But EtherBit's fan cafe firepower—which birthed the Unbelievable villain glory—faded against Yi Hwan-jae's earnest pleas and Kang Min's near-fraudulent acting.
Even Choi Ra-hee's holdouts didn't last.
Public chill aside, they got swept by legendary troll OlivePenguin every time.
Failed opinion war left the remnants venting at base, chewing on Kang Min.
Casual cafe members didn't love it but nodded tepidly.
Yi Hwan-jae's plea dimmed it, but they weren't thrilled with his wimpy role either.
Still, it was all teacup typhoon—big noise, no splash.
Even Choi Ra-hee's parents shrugged it off.
"Black Forest tonight, hon? National Intelligence Agency finally clashes with Russia proper."
"Heard Hui-yul has a killer scene today? Teaser was hype..."
"Hm, MBS first then."
"What's so great about that guy!!"
"Aigoo, there she goes again."
"Why's she simping for Yi Hwan-jae or whatever that scrawny punk is..."
"It's Yi Hwan-jae!!"
Yi Hwan-jae's diehard—Unbelievable villain's biggest ally—Choi Ra-hee huffed at her parents' sighs and flopped on the sofa.
As always, she squinted for any speck of dirt on Hui-yul, laser-focused on the screen.
...Up to that point.
Agency Atrocities (5)