The Tiger's Performance
"Hello. Looking forward to working with you today."
The moment bit-part actor Jang Hyeon-woo stepped onto the set, a greeting came flying straight at him. He turned his head—and sucked in a sharp breath of pure shock.
"Huh. M-me?"
At Jang Hyeon-woo's startled reply, the man before him smiled brightly, nodded, and offered his hand.
"Yes. Looking forward to today's shoot."
"Y-yes! Looking forward to working with you!"
Silently berating his own clumsy, stammering mouth, he clasped the hand extended toward him. It was only natural—the actor standing in front of him was none other than Ryu Yeon-woo.
Yeon-woo had arrived at the set earlier than anyone else and was greeting every single person who walked in, actors and crew alike, one by one. Watching him from behind, Manager Kim Min-su shrugged as if he simply could not keep up.
"Honestly, our actor needs a biography written about him someday. How does a person stay this consistent from the very start of their debut?"
"A biography?"
Kim Min-su turned at the bright voice from beside him. A young girl in a neat blouse stood there.
"Ah, you're Actress Han Byeol, right? I'm Kim Min-su, manager for Actor Ryu Yeon-woo."
"Hello! I'm Han Byeol."
Kim Min-su smiled as Han Byeol bowed with a bright expression. This young actress had a way of instantly lifting the spirits of anyone who saw her.
"Have you said hello to Actor Ryu yet, Han Byeol?"
"No! I got lost with my mom and just came in through the staff back door. I'll go say hi!"
Han Byeol bowed to Kim Min-su, then scampered over to Ryu Yeon-woo, who was still greeting people at the entrance.
"Hello, senior!"
"Ah, Actress Han Byeol."
Yeon-woo spotted her and smiled warmly.
"First day of shooting starting today?"
Because Yeon-woo had begun with the action scenes he had to film alone, the scenes featuring other actors had been pushed back, making today their first day of shooting.
"Yes! It feels kind of embarrassing when you call me 'Actress.' Please just speak comfortably!"
"Shall I?"
The role Han Byeol played, Ella, was the first companion to join the protagonist Jeong Do-jin on his journey—and also the cell he was closest to in the story—so it was best for them to get close as quickly as possible in real life, too. As Yeon-woo chatted with Han Byeol about this and that, a thought suddenly struck him. She was sociable and chattered away like a little sparrow—exactly like...
"She'd get along great with my little sister."
"Get along?"
Ah, maybe the younger generation doesn't use that expression much.
"Just that you and my little sister have a similar vibe."
"Really? I hope we get a chance to become friends! I have lots of friends."
Yeon-woo nodded. Looking at how bright and spirited she was, that seemed likely. Just then another supporting actor entered through the set entrance, and Yeon-woo bowed his head in greeting again before approaching to shake hands.
"Hello. Looking forward to today's shoot."
"Looking forward to working with you!"
Han Byeol scurried over and joined in the greeting from beside him.
"Hmm? You can go rest or look over the script, Han Byeol."
"No! Watching you greet every single person looks so cool, senior."
Hearing Han Byeol's words, Yeon-woo scratched the back of his head.
Before I knew it, I'm being called senior.
Come to think of it, Dong-ha from the idol group Axis, who played one of the main supporting roles, was also a year younger than Yeon-woo. Jeong Su-yeon was the same age, and Han Byeol was a middle schooler—so if you averaged the ages of the main supporting cast, they were under twenty.
"This is a full-on school lunch expedition."
"Huh?"
When Han Byeol asked about Yeon-woo's mutter, he simply smiled lightly and shook his head.
"Nothing. Han Byeol, someone else is coming in over there."
"Yes! Hello!"
Before long, the supporting and bit-part actors had finished their makeup and all entered the set.
Have I ever filmed a scene with this many extras before?
Yeon-woo turned his head and looked around. Long wooden pews like those found in a church were arranged in a semicircle against a green chroma-key backdrop. The seats lined up on both sides faced the tribunal in a way that was distinctly different from a modern courtroom. Designed so that all attention would focus on the prisoner at the center, the set felt less like a courtroom and more like a one-sided judgment hall.
Packed into those seats were people dressed in red. The costumes symbolized red blood cells, but with everyone dressed that way as a group, at a glance it looked almost like an occult gathering of some cult. Given the set design and the large number of extras involved in the scene, Yeon-woo found himself a little concerned about whether the young actress standing beside him might be frightened.
"You're not scared, Han Byeol?"
At Yeon-woo's warm question, Han Byeol's eyes lit up instead.
"No? This is fun!"
"I-is that so?"
His worry had been unfounded—looking into Han Byeol's eyes, she really did seem to be enjoying herself. This time he looked up at the elderly actor on the high platform before him.
"Senior, looking forward to working with you today."
"Heh heh, yes. Getting to do a shoot like this in my twilight years."
The elderly actor on the platform who would play the judge-cum-village chief today was a veteran who had spent decades in the theater world. It was a one-time appearance, but as a speaking role, acting ability was crucial—and seeing how well Director Hwang had found and cast the perfect veterans for these parts, his eye for actors was clearly exceptional.
I just need to do my part well.
Then the assistant director's voice rang out.
"Alright, standing by."
Yeon-woo looked at Han Byeol and held out a clenched fist.
"Fighting!"
"Yes. Fighting!"
In the story, Jeong Do-jin had to be dragged out by the young men of the red blood cell village while bound tightly in iron chains, so Yeon-woo stepped outside in advance. As he walked out and looked at the extras playing red blood cells seated around the chairs, he could feel how tense their bodies were.
Well, even in my past life, when I did roles that might or might not even get a single scene, I was nervous before filming started.
He remembered how, even though he'd had nothing to fear on a battlefield where shells exploded, he'd trembled during the extra filming he'd secretly participated in during leave. Then Director Hwang's voice came from beside him.
"Yeon-woo. You know you can't look like a criminal when you're being dragged in, right? I need you like a tiger ready to devour them all."
At Director Hwang's direction, Yeon-woo answered with a gentle smile.
"Understood. How many should I look ready to devour?"
"Uh, um? Well... enough to fill you up?"
Hearing Yeon-woo casually crack a joke and Director Hwang's offbeat reply, a small laugh broke out among the extras. Seeing that, Yeon-woo gave a small nod.
Looks like the tension's eased a bit.
Taking Yeon-woo's nod as a signal that he was ready, Director Hwang brought the microphone to his mouth.
"Alright, everyone ready, and we'll start filming. High action."
At Director Hwang's cue, the extras in red clothing began to murmur. Then the elderly actor struck the wooden platform a few times with his dry hand.
"Silence! We will now begin the judgment of the outsider. Bring him forth!"
At the elderly actor's shout, the noisy hall fell into sudden silence.
Clank—.
The sound of iron chains clashing in a regular rhythm shattered the silence as Yeon-woo entered the frame. The moment Jeong Do-jin, played by Yeon-woo, appeared, the atmosphere shifted completely. All the attention that had naturally gathered on the elderly actor—the only one with dialogue in this scene—moved to Yeon-woo in an instant. As if a stronger magnetic field had snatched away iron filings in a flash, Yeon-woo drew in the gazes of every extra.
With just one corner of his mouth slightly raised, his back straight, walking with slow, heavy steps—the presence Yeon-woo radiated filled the entire set and then some.
...He really is like a tiger.
Jang Hyeon-woo, the bit-part actor seated along the path Yeon-woo was walking, found his neck instinctively shrinking back.
How can the atmosphere change like that...
He couldn't believe this was the same Ryu Yeon-woo who had greeted him so courteously at the set entrance. Looking at the slightly disheveled hair and the wildness in those intense eyes, he truly felt like he might be devoured. This was the presence of an agent who had been through hell and back in danger zones straddling the line between life and death—a presence that had stood alone even among the razor-sharp mercenaries of private military companies.
Clank—.
The regularly ringing sound of the iron chains stopped. Before anyone knew it, Yeon-woo had walked to the center of the courtroom—no, the judgment hall—and stood there. Director Hwang, who had been nodding continuously while watching the monitor, opened his mouth.
"Okay, cut! We'll get the tight shots."
At the director's okay signal, the extras who had felt like prey animals let out their breath.
"What kind of presence is that..."
"Whew, you felt it too."
As the extras muttered among themselves, the staff moved busily with their equipment. The one-take action scene that had announced the crank-in as the first scene was a special case. Normally, filming meant repeatedly shooting the same scene from multiple angles using various techniques. Before long the setup had changed, and Director Hwang raised the microphone again.
"Let's go. Ready, and ready action!"
Even though the repeated filming might have been exhausting, the intense presence Yeon-woo radiated showed no sign of diminishing.
"Good. Let's move on to the next scene."
Now it was time for Han Byeol, playing Ella, to make her first appearance.
"High cue."
At Director Hwang's start signal, the elderly actor drew the sword at his waist and raised it high.
"The reason our village has been struck by such heavy rain is because this outsider came! Therefore, the outsider is sentenced to death!"
At that moment, Han Byeol sprang up from her seat.
"Wait a minute!"
Her bright voice rang through the set. The elderly actor looked blankly at Ella, played by Han Byeol, then opened his mouth.
"Ella, what is the meaning of this at a sacred judgment? This is no place for children to interfere."
But undaunted, the girl Ella in red clothes walked out along the aisle and continued.
"It hasn't even been proven yet that the outsider's arrival and the flood are related!"
"The outsider appeared, and starting the very next day, rain heavier than anything we've ever experienced began to fall. If this isn't the heavens' wrath, then what is it!"
Ella glared up at the platform with an expression that said she couldn't stand this village where the chief held absolute power for another second.
"Okay! Cut!"
When Director Hwang called out, the extras murmured quietly.
"She doesn't even look like she's in high school yet, but her acting is sharp."
"That's why she got cast. Has she been in anything as a child actor? The face is unfamiliar."
"Hmm. I'm not that familiar with child actors either..."
After finishing her lines, Han Byeol looked at Yeon-woo standing behind her. With an expression like a student waiting for a teacher to check her homework, she received Yeon-woo's quiet nod.
"Good. Well done."
"Hehe."
Han Byeol beamed, looking thrilled by Yeon-woo's praise. Then she scampered over to her mother in the corner of the set.
"Mom! Senior Ryu Yeon-woo praised my acting!"
"Really? Our Han Byeol must be so happy. You're such a fan you even put a huge photo of Ryu Yeon-woo up in your room. You said you were going to get his autograph."
At her mother's words, Han Byeol glanced toward Yeon-woo in the distance.
"Ah, Mom! What if senior heard that? It's embarrassing. I haven't even gotten his autograph yet."
He had already heard everything. He'd thought she was the bold type who didn't know embarrassment.
Hmm, should I offer to give her an autograph first...
Since Ella would be filming with Jeong Do-jin all the way to the end and they'd naturally grow close like siblings, was an autograph really such a big deal?
Meanwhile, at the same time the filming was in full swing, the large conference hall at LN Entertainment—normally used for script readings and auditions—was packed from early morning with people in suits. Team Leader Jeong Hyeok was dumbfounded as he watched how the board meeting that had been underway since morning was proceeding.
Honestly, questioning the CEO's management ability? These people who do nothing are throwing ridiculous challenges...
The main agenda of today's meeting was the additional appointment of outside directors. The board was demanding an increase in external personnel to weaken CEO Kim Ju-seong's internal influence, and both sides were locked in a tense standoff. The man who had requested the floor for a representative inquiry hummed thoughtfully, turning over in his mind how to proceed. Because Kim Ju-seong had managed things so well all this time, there wasn't much to pick at.
Still, somehow we need to install an outside director from our side. Let's start with what we've prepared.
The man who stood from his seat began addressing CEO Kim Ju-seong.
"CEO Kim Ju-seong invested a considerable sum in the production of White Blood. I inquire as to whether this excessive investment was decided unilaterally, and regarding the propriety of that process."
From the seat of honor in the large conference hall, CEO Kim Ju-seong, who had been watching while stroking his chin, heard the board member's statement and opened his mouth with a faintly intrigued smile.
"Hmm, an excessive investment, you say...?"