William White and the Magician's Stone (3)
Of course, stunt actors aren't roles that draw much attention.
No, in fact, it's weird if their faces even show up properly. Their main job is to handle the parts that the lead actors can't pull off.
Veterans with decades of experience get respect and trust on set, but that's it. Like extras—maybe even more so—they live envying the spotlight that falls on the leads.
—In other words, the recent William White fiasco was like a dream come true for Justin Gilbreth and his buddies.
When Justin first heard those words, he froze for a solid ten seconds.
"Can I get your autograph?"
"......."
"......?"
"...A-are you talking to me?"
"Yes! You're the cop who did Muay Thai in that William White video, right? That scene was insane!"
"......."
"I-is it a hassle?"
"Oh, no! Not at all! Where should I sign?"
Over the past two weeks, the name William White had shaken the entire United States.
As the fights between supporters of both parties escalated to debating whether the surname "White" meant "innocent citizen" or "the pure white drug handled by the mafia," average folks who didn't care about politics were busy marveling at the killer action.
They nurtured all sorts of misunderstandings while chewing over, dissecting, savoring, and reveling in William White's self-taught martial arts.
Naturally, the attention soon turned to his opponents as well.
After that, the rest was history.
The stunt actors from the William White video were more stunned than thrilled by the unprecedented attention.
A dreamlike week passed, and whenever they gathered in twos and threes, they couldn't stop bragging about their experiences.
"Signed autographs for twelve people today! Twelve!"
"Hahaha, check this pic. This lady asked me for a photo first. Hot, right? She even gave me her number!"
"Pfft, big deal. Look at this—the guy asked me first!"
"Sweaty muscles, huh, buddy. You into that...? Lord have mercy...!"
"Is that really McGregor?!"
"No way!"
"Lemme see!"
In the midst of what was basically a date offer going to the sweaty dude, they all felt a twinge of guilt.
They knew exactly who to thank for this absurd situation.
"If it weren't for that actor buddy Min, this wouldn't have happened..."
"We went there basically because he asked us to rough him up a bit. Feels kinda bad."
"Mmm..."
But Kang Min had already returned to Korea, leaving them no real way to repay the favor.
They smacked their lips, swallowing their sour feelings deep down.
That was when Lloyd Gonzalez's offer came flying in.
At the words "I'd love a few of you to come help out," everyone in the room shot to their feet.
"Alright, it's here!"
"I'm in! Chance to pay back that Min guy!"
"Who wouldn't?!"
"I've got my McGregor pic—no regrets!"
"Go on your date... You're still single, right...?"
#
Truth be told, MBS hadn't taken Lloyd Gonzalez's proposal all that seriously. The pay was meh, and they figured maybe two or three would show at most.
Even Lloyd himself thought maybe three or four from the group at best.
He was wrong.
"Uh, th-that..."
The MBS casting director waiting at the airport gaped as twenty hulking giants lined up for entry stamps.
Even the battle-hardened immigration officers looked shaken.
While the flustered director scrambled for more cars, Justin Gilbreth stroked his chin, listening to the trembling staffer's explanation.
"Hmm, looks like our leader's this Ho-jin Kim guy."
"...Doesn't he look a bit too stringy?"
"Wasn't Min the one directing?"
MBS had planned for just a couple. Hell, who could've imagined this many showing up en masse?
The other stunt guys grumbled at first, but it blew over quick.
"Oh, you're that fencing guy?"
"I saw King and Sovereign! Killer! Threw your slim frame around like a champ!"
"Fencing man? Checks out..."
Of course, Kim Ho-jin hadn't thrown himself around willingly, nor volunteered to wrangle twenty beefcakes.
He bolted to Kang Min, face twisting in panic.
"K-Kang, sir! This ain't right! How am I supposed to handle these walking weapons?!"
Even the set staff were terrified. Twenty giants lined up made it impossible to tell if this was a drama shoot or a UFC cage.
No, even UFC doesn't line up twenty slabs like that...
But Kang Min just smiled gently.
"You'll do great."
"...Pardon?"
"Next scene's that one, right? The insubordination bit. You harshly discipline your subordinates, they rebel, but you crush them all coldly."
"......."
"Met 'em—they're good guys. Traded punches once and we clicked right away. Just do the same, Kim."
"......."
Kim Ho-jin turned, eyes quaking.
So, he had to coldly beat down these walking tanks?
Me?
That's what he's saying right now...!
And then someone clapped a hand on Kim Ho-jin's shoulder.
"There you are, leader. Got some scene stuff to discuss... Oh, Min!"
"Haha, Justin. Looking forward to working with you today."
"Hahaha, if anything, we should be saying that. This time, I'll try not to send William White flying skyward in one shot!"
"Hahaha, be honest. You planning to launch me this time?"
"Hahahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
Crazy bastards...!
Kim Ho-jin trembled like a lamb to the slaughter as they dragged him off.
Even lead actress Yoo Ji-yu shuddered seeing the burly Kim Ho-jin surrounded by twenty-three tanks.
She desperately appealed to her ally, PD Han Ye-seul.
"S-sis! That—that can't be right?!"
"What?"
"Huh? W-well... it's just, too extreme a shoot..."
"Extreme's a matter of common sense, sweetie."
"...Huh?"
"Masterpieces come from beyond common sense. I learned that from Director Kim Cheol."
"......."
Yoo Ji-yu just flapped her mouth blankly at Han Ye-seul's earnest face.
Kim Cheol never taught her that, but hey—if she thought she learned it, she did. Han Ye-seul was definitely growing as a director.
As a human? Jury's out.
Before shooting, Han Ye-seul addressed the stunt actors in English.
"From the profiles I saw, Gilbreth, you're a Muay Thai guy; Stuart, kickboxing; Lance, jiu-jitsu master, right?"
"Well, 'master' is a stretch, but..."
"That's right."
"Too cocky, Lance?"
"Which jiu-jitsu affiliation? Carlson? BJJ?"
"...Alliance."
"That Alliance with Marcelo Garcia?"
"......God, you really know your stuff."
Korea doesn't have as many martial arts supervisors as Hollywood's stunt coordinators.
Finding skilled ones is tough, and even if you do, getting proper advice in a spot like this? Impossible.
So Han Ye-seul studied up and asked for advice herself.
"I'm a total noob at martial arts, so correct me if I'm talking nonsense. I had this scene in mind..."
"Oho, so Ho-jin throws a hook up front, Stuart high-kicks from behind, while Lance crouches in X-guard for a sweep."
"Feasible?"
"Oh, absolutely. But for a slicker scene, low-kick the legs first. Then Lance transitions on the airborne guy. Opens the center too—angle it slight for more power—"
"Thanks for the advice. Then like this—"
Kim Ho-jin stared blankly at the scene.
The PD was ranting about how best to pummel him, and the tanks were nodding in awe, debating seriously.
Punches, chokes—it piled up endlessly.
Truly beyond reason.
As it wrapped, Kim Ho-jin finally stammered out.
"P-PD?"
"Yes?"
"L-lotsa complicated scenes... What if it doesn't work?"
"...?"
Han Ye-seul, who'd ditched common sense, tilted her head.
"We do it till it does."
"......."
"......?"
Spotting Kang Min smiling warmly from afar, Kim Ho-jin squeezed his eyes shut.
For real,
if he could go back in time, he'd throttle that cocky actor till he hospitalized himself. A year bedridden sounded a thousand times better.
...Though right now, hospitalization seemed inevitable without trying.
"Great take! Love the energy—let's keep that going!"
"That acting...? Arrrgh!!"
"Aaaargh!!"
"Stop, stop! It's broken! BROKEN!"
"Help—save me!"
"Grraaagh...!!"
But the pros like Justin and crew never beat Kim Ho-jin bad enough for the hospital.
All he could do was scream endlessly under their precise work.
As always—no, far worse than usual—the day dragged on in horror.
Even worse came a few days later.
#
Two days later, in a modest studio unworthy of his fame,
ten-million-won director Choi Bong-man was shaking hands with a scruffy-bearded reporter.
"Thanks for the interview, Director Choi Bong-man."
"No biggie, haha. We all gotta eat."
"Hahaha..."
The reporter chuckled but steadied himself.
This interview's crucial.
Truth was, Choi Bong-man had been a punchline for months.
A ten-million director publicly courting a rookie actor and getting shot down? Hilarious. No barriers between industry folks and netizens.
But in just two weeks, old news.
No one could mock Choi Bong-man for that anymore.
After routine questions, the reporter cut to the chase.
"As you know, actor Kang Min turned America upside down in a week. Unprecedented here and abroad—total frenzy. Did you already know his potential, Director?"
"Potential? It was plain as day."
Choi Bong-man had endured mountains of comments like "So embarrassing lol," "Han Ye-seul >>> Choi Bong-man," "Nah, firefighter ad >>> Choi Bong-man lmao."
He was thrilled to give the reporter the soundbites he craved.
"From the start, I couldn't understand it. How could people miss that genius? A guy who could flip the world."
"No one knew? Not even your director friends?"
"Exactly. I'm tight with Director Jeong Seo-hoon and Lee Myeong-su, but even they tsked at me for chasing him so shamelessly while admitting his talent. But look—worth every bit, right?"
"Even Director Kim Cheol said the actor went rogue."
"Kim Cheol never lies. If he says it, it's true! That William White ad was all Kang Min's show."
Of course, even Choi Bong-man hadn't expected this much, but who cares? He trashed his rival directors gleefully.
The reporter tapped away, suppressing the urge to dance at the juicy quotes.
Bliss for all.
As the interview wrapped, the reporter's final question.
"So, you see MBS's Die to Live exploding too? Analysts predict 30% ratings soon—any...?"
"Ah, that's tricky."
"Pardon?"
"No misunderstanding—Kang Min and PD Han Ye-seul have the chops to climb higher. He's already shown what he does with a proper setup in America."
"Right..."
"Problem is, the rest can't keep up."
The reporter blinked.
He decoded it quick.
"...If I may, are you referring to lead actress Yoo Ji-yu?"
"Yes."
"Uh, um..."
Choi Bong-man was firm; the reporter squirmed.
Delicious scoop. Really delicious...
...But will it burn?
Choi Bong-man sneered.
"Yoo Ji-yu sharpened her blade, credit where due, but as co-lead? Lacking. King and Sovereign worked 'cause Hui-yul was a neutral third party in the conflicts. Free to run wild. But—"
"...Die to Live burdens her more the wilder it gets."
"She must feel it."
Not "feel"—she was whimpering "I hate this now..." nonstop. But close enough. Reporter nodded.
Choi Bong-man cleared his throat.
"Time to pivot. Go Kang Min solo and focus there, or shift to Yoo Ji-yu and dial back Kang Min. That's how the drama lives."
"...Tough call either way."
"Gotta do it. No one's topping with Kang Min now—or even back in the day unless you drag out Lee Seol. From the start—"
And,
he cut off.
"...Director?"
"......."
"......?"
Choi Bong-man stroked his chin at the wall-mounted TV. The reporter turned curiously.
It was a preview.
Specifically, next week's Die to Live episode 5 teaser.
The content? Obvious.
And,
Choi Bong-man just stroked his chin.
"Hmm, might need to take that back."
"Pardon?"
"That raw desperation... Could work. Hell, maybe they've been gunning for it all along...?"
"Oho!"
Well,
sometimes what you thought was tragedy hasn't even started.