Chapter 220
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: The Actor's Aura
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"Where's Jaeyeon?"
"I know. I wonder if something's up."
The empty A3 training hall felt awkward, and Seojun scratched his cheek. He had grown used to seeing Kim Jaeyeon already warming up whenever he arrived over the past week.
"He'll probably be here soon. We're supposed to have dinner together tonight. Let's stretch until Aiden gets here."
"Okay."
Seojun nodded at An Daho's words.
After changing in the locker room, Seojun lightly warmed up and stretched. His eyes were drawn to the staffs, swords, and spears arranged on one side, and his hands itched to grab one, but he had promised not to touch them without a trainer present.
"But you're progressing quickly. Already halfway through difficulty level 2."
An Daho said, warming up alongside Seojun for a bit of exercise. His body was so stiff that he broke a sweat from even the simplest stretches. Seojun, who was practically glued to the floor like an invertebrate, chuckled at the sight of An Daho.
"Aiden said I'd probably be done in two weeks."
"Then you'll have quite a bit of time before filming."
And it wasn't like he was training every single day. He had days off, yet his learning speed was this incredible. Trainer Aiden found himself revising the training plan daily, amazed by Seojun's rate of improvement.
"You're here already?"
A familiar voice called out. Seojun and An Daho, who were stretching, turned their gazes to the entrance of the training hall. A wide smile spread across Seojun's face at the welcome sight.
"Evan! Richel!"
"Hey, Jun."
"Jun! You're early!"
It was Evan Block and Richel Hill, dressed in workout clothes.
"Are you done with your schedules?"
"Yeah. I should be free until filming is over."
"Me too! I wrapped everything up nicely."
"We can practice together from now on. How's the training?"
Seojun smiled at Evan Block's question.
"It's fun."
"I thought so."
Evan Block had figured that Seojun, who loved and excelled at physical activities, would enjoy the action practice. Richel Hill, smiling faintly as if in agreement, asked.
"How far have you gotten?"
"Up to here."
Seojun brought over the storyboard. It was tattered from how much he'd looked at it.
Evan Block and Richel Hill's eyes widened at the part Seojun pointed to. It was the middle section of difficulty level 2, the second action scene between Shadowman and Jin Natra.
"That's fast, isn't it? Incredibly fast."
"It is."
At the two actors' surprised reactions, Seojun shrugged, his eyes sparkling.
"Evan, would you like to practice this scene?"
At the words of Jin Natra, or Seojun, Shadowman, Evan Block, paused in thought.
*'The fact that the trainer taught him up to this scene must mean he's passed all the preceding parts.'*
"Hmm, should we? Let's ask the trainers when they get here."
"Okay!"
As they chatted while stretching, the trainers and stuntmen began to arrive at the hall. After a brief greeting, they asked, and Aiden nodded his approval.
"It should be fine as long as you keep the speed down a little. The two of you will need to sync up your moves before filming anyway. Jun learns so quickly that it's fine for the actors to start practicing together from time to time."
With the trainer's permission, Richel Hill quickly brought staffs over to Seojun and Evan Block. The other trainers and stuntmen, intrigued by the interesting situation, gathered around one by one.
Staffs in hand, Seojun and Evan Block stood a short distance apart.
"Let's start slow."
"Okay."
At first, it was no different from their usual practice. Seojun and Evan Block moved slowly, as if at 0.3x speed. Even when their staffs met, the sound wasn't loud due to the sluggish pace.
The trainers and stuntmen watched the two actors with sharp, evaluative eyes.
"They're syncing up well for their first time, aren't they?"
"It might be because of the slow speed, but I like that there's no hesitation."
"Evan has been practicing for months, so that's expected, but Jun is doing really well."
The dodging and attacking flowed as smoothly as a dance.
After the first exchange, Seojun's eyes lit up as he spoke.
"Evan, how about we go a little faster?"
At the question from a red-cheeked Seojun, Evan Block's gaze shifted to Aiden. When Aiden nodded, Seojun beamed.
Even so, it was only 0.5x speed.
Since that was Evan Block's pace, Seojun couldn't move any faster either.
*Clang!*
*Thwack!*
Still, it made a considerable amount of noise. The distinct sound of impact and the staffs vibrating from the recoil.
Seojun, gripping his staff tightly with both hands, smiled. Evan Block also smiled at Seojun's impressive performance.
The two actors gradually increased their speed, repeating the same scene over and over.
Richel Hill and the other stuntmen left to do their own training, and while Aiden was still watching the two actors, they took a short break.
Seojun, sitting on the floor catching his breath, spoke up.
"Let's do it for real this time, Evan."
"For real? Aren't we already at normal speed?"
"As Jin Natra and Shadowman."
The action itself was fun, but he really wanted to do it while acting.
*'That would be even more fun!'*
Seojun's eyes sparkled.
Evan Block considered Seojun's suggestion for a moment before nodding.
"Alright, why not?"
"Let's do it without the lines."
"Okay."
Seojun and Evan Block stood facing each other.
Straightening his back and shoulders, Seojun looked down at Evan Block, resembling a knight clad in rigid armor.
[The (Evil) Chivalry of the Death Knight - Intermediate has been activated.]
[(Evil) Chivalry of the Death Knight - Intermediate]
An imperial knight resurrected by the power of a necromancer.
Exhibits the stern dignity of a knight.
Proficiency with swords increases when used.
[Warning] Life forms within range will be dulled by fear.
[Warning] Life forms within range will have their gazes stolen by the demonic energy.
He couldn't use the ability as it was.
Without hesitation, Seojun controlled the demonic energy. The black energy that had enveloped his body like armor began to fade.
[The rank of [(Evil) Chivalry of the Death Knight - Intermediate] is temporarily lowered.]
[(Evil) Chivalry of the Death Knight (Beginner) has been activated.]
[(Evil) Chivalry of the Death Knight - Beginner]
An imperial knight resurrected by the power of a necromancer.
Exhibits the stern dignity of a knight.
Proficiency with swords increases when used.
Faint demonic energy is released.
And then, the two actors became the villain Jin Natra and the hero Shadowman.
"Huh?"
Richel Hill was the first to notice the change in atmosphere. It was probably because she had seen Shadowman and Jin Natra from the closest proximity.
As Richel Hill paused her practice, the stuntmen and trainers all looked where she was looking.
Seojun and Evan Block were taking their stances. They were in the same position as before, yet something was different. Everyone blinked, staring at the two actors.
Shadowman, having defeated countless soldiers to pursue Jin Natra, and Jin Natra, who was just about to leave.
Their ready stances were different, as the actions that would follow were different.
Without speaking, Evan Block swung his staff. It didn't reach Seojun due to the distance, but it was the part of the scene where a CG-extended shadow would lunge toward Jin Natra.
*'Dodge.'*
Stepping back one pace with his right foot, Jin Natra dodged Shadowman's shadow and made his move.
Now as Jin Natra, Seojun swung his staff toward Evan Block's side. *Clang!* The staffs collided. Just as the storyboard dictated, as planned, Evan Block had blocked it.
For a moment, Evan Block and Seojun's eyes met.
A close-up shot would go here.
Seojun stylishly spun his staff again and struck from the opposite side. As expected, Evan Block blocked the attack as if he had been waiting for it.
Shadowman merely parried Jin Natra's barrage of attacks.
Seojun's hands moved busily, shortening and lengthening his grip on the staff. Of course, he thought and rethought every move to ensure the choreography was precise so that Evan Block wouldn't get hurt. Even so, he never forgot that he was Jin Natra.
*Thwack!*
*Clang! Clang!*
Numerous exchanges took place. The onlookers swallowed hard as they watched.
Evan Block smiled.
Seojun seemed completely immersed in his acting. The bright-eyed Seojun from before had vanished, and in his place stood Jin Natra with a cold gaze.
A chill ran down his spine.
It wasn't because the staff Seojun wielded was frightening.
More than anything, action scenes required mutual trust—the conviction that the predetermined sequence of moves would unfold as planned. And Evan Block trusted that even a fully immersed Seojun would stick to the choreography perfectly.
*'More than that...'*
It was the atmosphere. Seojun's atmosphere.
Seojun's heavy, dark aura seemed to have crept up to Evan Block's feet.
This was Jin Natra.
*'No, has he gotten stronger?'*
Blocking another of Jin Natra's attacks with his staff, Evan Block recalled the Jin Natra from *Shadowman 2*. Then he recalled the Jin Natra from the post-credits scene of *Assemble 2*, who had undergone a forced succession.
Jin Natra was getting stronger.
It was incredible.
He hadn't expected him to be able to act out that growth in strength.
Evan Block's eyes grew serious as he marveled inwardly. He couldn't afford to be outdone.
*Clang!*
Shadowman and Jin Natra clashed.
The exchange, which had seemed to be ending, began anew from the start.
"Whoa..."
It wasn't Seojun and Evan Block anymore; it was Jin Natra and Shadowman.
There were no CG effects, and their clothes were different, but their eyes and expressions told the whole story.
"That's amazing."
"So this is what it means to be an actor."
The stuntmen and trainers, who had been watching in a daze, slowly came to their senses as the two actors returned to their starting positions, creating distance between them. They were filled with admiration. The choreography was identical to before, yet it was overflowing with intensity.
*Clang! Clang!* The sound of the two staffs colliding echoed through the training hall.
Hearing that Evan Block, Richel Hill, and Seojun Lee had all gathered, people who had been loitering near the training hall were drawn by the sound and began to flock over.
They knew they shouldn't, but they couldn't contain their curiosity. Besides, word of Seojun's physical abilities was spreading through the grapevine, though many only half-believed the astounding records.
The training hall grew noisy as more people arrived, but Seojun and Evan Block's concentration didn't waver.
Once more.
*CLANG!!*
The two shadows collided.
***
"I don't think I'll be able to replicate that atmosphere, right?"
At Kevin's words, Kim Jaeyeon found himself nodding. Even though it was just practice, the aura emanating from Seojun and Evan Block was incredible.
*'No.'*
His gaze kept drifting toward Seojun.
It was chilling, frightening, and made his palms sweat with fear, yet a strange magnetism seemed to pull his eyes toward him.
"I'm only in for a few quick shots... but Jaeyeon, you'll be on screen more than me, won't you?"
He was exuding a 'I am Jin Natra' aura even while fighting. What would people think if, in the very next moment a stuntman appeared on screen, that aura vanished and a plain Jin Natra was fighting?
Kim Jaeyeon let out a small, involuntary sigh.
*'How am I supposed to close this gap?'*
It seemed the bus accident hadn't been a ward against misfortune after all.
***
"Alright, let's call it a day."
"Okay!"
Having finished the intense rehearsal, Seojun beamed. He was a little sweaty, but he felt great. He felt refreshed from moving his body to his heart's content and getting to act.
[The (Good) Intermediate Angel's Fan - Intermediate has been activated.]
Not forgetting to purify the demonic energy, Seojun smiled cheerfully.
"I think we'll be able to film this scene well. Right, Evan?"
"Yeah. Let's practice some other scenes together later."
"Okay!"
After the short rehearsal, the crowd quickly dispersed. Seojun, wiping his sweat with a towel from An Daho and drinking some water, spotted Kim Jaeyeon among those who remained.
"Jaeyeon, you came in late today. Is something wrong?"
His face was usually bright, but today it was clouded over. About to shake his head at Seojun's concern, Kim Jaeyeon hesitated before finally speaking.
"I can substitute for your action scenes, Seojun, but I don't think I can replicate your acting. I'm worried the difference will be obvious, and I don't know what to do."
Huh?
When Seojun tilted his head in confusion, Kim Jaeyeon decided to show him directly.
Kim Jaeyeon called over Kevin, Evan Block's stunt double. Understanding Kim Jaeyeon's intention, Kevin readily nodded in agreement.
Kim Jaeyeon and Kevin stood facing each other, just as Seojun and Evan Block had done moments before. They both already knew the choreography for this scene.
Like Seojun, Kim Jaeyeon swung his staff toward Kevin's side. And like Evan Block, Kevin blocked Kim Jaeyeon's attack.
The same exchange as before unfolded. It was the exact same action, which made one thing clear to everyone.
That was not Jin Natra.
***
After dinner, Kim Jaeyeon returned home with the food Seo Eunhye had packed for him. Since he didn't have a car, one of the bodyguards staying with him gave him a ride.
"Just when I find a useful ability, another problem pops up."
It wasn't as if he could ask Seojun to tone down his acting because of the stunt double.
"It's not like *Shadowman 3* will be the only movie I shoot with a stunt double, so I need to find a solution."
Wanting to work on many different genres in the future, Seojun quickly lay down on his soft bed, pulled the covers over himself, and closed his eyes.
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