Chapter 221
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: The Stuntman's Growth
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Three days had passed since Evan Block and Richel Hill joined the action training.
During that time, Evan Block, Richel Hill, and Seojun spent more and more time practicing their choreography together.
The practice routine was mostly the same.
They would start by checking each other's timing at a slow pace, then gradually speed up. After a few runs at normal speed, they would practice while acting in character.
[(Evil) Chivalry of the Death Knight - Intermediate is activated.]
[The rank of [(Evil) Chivalry of the Death Knight - Intermediate] is temporarily lowered.]
[(Evil) Chivalry of the Death Knight (Low) is activated.]
Once again, the onlookers marveled at Seojun's captivating performance and Evan Block's acting in response.
Kim Jaeyeon was also in awe. He studied Seojun closely. He had been mulling it over since that day, and it seemed the best course of action was to copy Seojun's acting from his fingertips to his toes.
*‘Though I’m not sure if that’s something you can just copy.’*
But as he continued to observe, he began to notice things he hadn't seen before.
Seojun's movements as he attacked Evan Block looked stiff, as if he were wearing armor. Each and every motion seemed rigid and formulaic.
It wasn't just Seojun; Evan Block and Richel Hill also seemed to transform when they combined their acting with action.
*‘But it’s not like their action sequences have changed…?’*
Kim Jaeyeon, who had filled his continuity script with detailed notes on Seojun’s performance, jotted down his question and once again watched Seojun’s acting with an analytical eye.
***
During a short break after practice.
Seojun, who was lightly stretching and drinking water, repeated Kim Jaeyeon's question back to him.
“You’re asking why my movements are stiff?”
“Yeah. When you’re just practicing, they’re usually quite fluid.”
Oh.
Seojun’s eyes widened at Kim Jaeyeon’s words.
Stuntmen typically focused more on the action than the acting. It was difficult for them to pay attention to the character's performance as well.
*‘They don't need to do a detailed character analysis and fine-tune their acting when their faces aren't even on screen.’*
But this stuntman had started to study the character.
Seojun found himself liking Kim Jaeyeon, who was trying his best in his own way, even more.
He had found a suitable ability in the library last night, so he decided he would use it on him in a bit.
“The overall movements are similar, but they seem a bit stiff. Like a soldier.”
Seojun said with a smile.
“Not a soldier, a knight.”
“A knight?”
Kim Jaeyeon tilted his head at Seojun’s words. Why a knight?
Seojun continued with a smile.
“Jin Natra’s father is a king, right?”
“Right.”
“Then what does that make Jin Natra, the king’s son?”
“Uh… a prince?”
Kim Jaeyeon blinked at the unexpected revelation. The idea of Jin Natra being a prince felt both fitting and unfitting at the same time.
“But what does that have to do with his movements?”
“Who do you think taught the prince martial arts?”
“Well…”
An answer immediately came to mind, and Kim Jaeyeon’s eyes widened.
Who would teach a prince?
Someone who could enter and leave the royal palace, who was closest to the royal bloodline, and who could be trusted with their protection.
The knights, who guarded the palace, protected the royal family, and carried out their orders.
“So that’s why he’s like a knight!”
Seojun nodded.
“Yes. Since he was taught by the royal knights from a young age, Jin Natra's movements are bound to be rigid. Or rather than rigid, it's the 'textbook knightly form'.”
Jin Natra, who received the formal teachings of ‘knights’ passed down through generations.
Suddenly, the martial arts director and Aiden's words popped into Kim Jaeyeon’s head.
*Polite and dignified.*
He hadn't understood what it meant back then, but Seojun’s explanation made it all clear.
A question suddenly occurred to Kim Jaeyeon.
“What about Bell Natra? Aren't his movements too free-spirited to have been taught by knights?”
Richel Hill and Evan Block, who were listening from the side, looked surprised. Seojun smiled with satisfaction.
*‘Hyung Jaeyeon. You’ve really been paying close attention.’*
“Jin Natra is still inexperienced, so he follows the 'textbook form,' but Bell Natra has a lot of combat experience, so he can afford to be more relaxed.”
“What about Shadowman?”
“Shadowman had nowhere to learn, so he’s completely ‘forged in real combat.’ His movements could probably be even more unrestrained than they are now.”
“Ooh.”
Before long, all the stuntmen and trainers were listening to Seojun’s explanation.
“So it’s like a duel between a free-spirited mercenary and a formal knight?”
“It sounds like a novel. The story of a mercenary who was a real prince and a knight who was a fake one.”
As she watched the stuntmen chatter about Jin Natra and Shadowman, Richel Hill spoke up.
“But Kim, it's amazing you noticed all that.”
“I know. I thought he might notice Jun’s acting since it’s so conspicuous. But to notice the details in our acting too…”
Evan Block nodded in admiration.
Seojun, feeling a sense of vicarious pride, smiled brightly and called out to Kim Jaeyeon, who was busy writing down his explanation in his continuity script.
“Jaeyeon-hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“I think you have something in your hair.”
“Really?”
Seojun reached out and, pretending to pluck something from Kim Jaeyeon’s hair, planted a seed.
[(Good) Mimicry of the Spring Zelkova - Intermediate]
Mimics the atmosphere of a desired target.
Sufficient information about the target is required.
Mimicry takes a significant amount of time.
The tree-type monster, the Spring Zelkova, mimics the trees around it.
From a sprout to a thick trunk, with branching limbs and leaves, it takes on the exact same appearance, scent, leaves, and even the atmosphere (disposition) of the surrounding trees.
It sometimes hides among the trees to prey on people, or it can become a replica of a rare plant, helping people. Of course, the effects of the replica were diminished.
[(Good) Mimicry of the Spring Zelkova - Intermediate is activated.]
[Target: Jin Natra / Synchronization Rate: 15/100]
Thanks to the information Kim Jaeyeon had already gathered, a sprout had already grown on his head.
When this sprout grew into a full Spring Zelkova, he would be able to mimic Jin Natra's atmosphere.
Of course, it needed plenty of water and sunlight. For the Spring Zelkova, water and sunlight meant observing, analyzing, and copying the target's movements.
If the amount of information wasn't sufficient, it would wither.
“Seojun. Did you get it?”
“Yep!”
Seojun pulled his hand back from Kim Jaeyeon’s head and beamed.
From now on, it was all up to Hyung Jaeyeon's efforts.
***
And so, time passed. Director Ryan Will, who had been busy with filming preparations, appeared at the action training center for a mid-point check-in.
“Well then, shall we see how much you’ve practiced?”
“Yes.”
Evan Block and Seojun stood in the middle of the training ground. The doors were firmly shut, so there was no risk of a crowd gathering like last time.
Seojun and Evan Block, who had been smiling at each other, instantly hardened their expressions.
[(Evil) Chivalry of the Death Knight - Intermediate is activated.]
[The rank of [(Evil) Chivalry of the Death Knight - Intermediate] is temporarily lowered.]
[(Evil) Chivalry of the Death Knight (Low) is activated.]
*Clang!*
Two spears collided.
Director Will watched the exchange between Seojun and Evan Block. He could feel the same 'growth of Jin Natra' that Evan Block had sensed.
*Clack!*
The strengthened Jin Natra and Shadowman clashed once more.
Just as the script intended, every step of Seojun's Jin Natra was filled with dignity, while Evan Block's Shadowman moved with a raw, untamed quality.
*Clang!*
With a loud crash, the knight and the mercenary retreated. The distinct difference even in their footwork made Director Will smile in satisfaction.
After they finished their performance, Director Will gave Seojun and Evan Block some brief comments. Then, Kim Jaeyeon approached him.
“Um… Director. Could you watch me as well?”
Kim Jaeyeon managed to get the words out, filled with worry about whether it was appropriate to ask, but he desperately wanted Director Will's evaluation.
Director Will readily nodded. He had often heard praise for Kim Jaeyeon from Seojun and the two actors.
“Shall I be your partner, Kim?”
“Thank you!”
At Evan Block’s offer, Kim Jaeyeon bowed deeply without thinking. Evan Block, accustomed to the Korean-style bow, accepted it naturally.
Seojun, seeing the tree that had grown on Kim Jaeyeon’s head, moved to stand beside Director Will.
It was still just a sprout with only two or three branches, but as filming progressed, it would surely grow lush and dense.
[Target: Jin Natra / Synchronization Rate: 53/100]
*‘It’s over 50.’*
Seojun smiled at the text only he could see. It had only been about a week, but it was a testament to how hard Hyung Jaeyeon had worked that he had already surpassed the 50% midpoint.
*‘It might not have been very noticeable until now, but…’*
Once it passed 50%, the difference would be clear.
Seojun’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Evan Block and Kim Jaeyeon stood facing each other. Gripping his spear, Kim Jaeyeon swallowed hard and recalled Seojun's Jin Natra.
[(Good) Mimicry of the Spring Zelkova is activated.]
A faint, dark energy, fake but seemingly real, flowed from Kim Jaeyeon, having no effect on his physical body.
To be precise, it came from the Spring Zelkova on his head. Although its effect was diminished as a replica, the faint dark energy left a distinct mark on an otherwise blank canvas.
Evan Block’s eyes widened at the instantaneous shift in Kim Jaeyeon’s atmosphere. This stuntman was mimicking Seojun—no, Jin Natra—to a startling degree.
*‘Well, he’s not as good as the real thing.’*
Evan Block smirked. A Jin Natra of this level couldn't stop Shadowman.
*Clang!*
Unaware of this, Kim Jaeyeon moved, recalling the movements of Jin Natra that he had studied.
The knightly posture and textbook movements, which the Spring Zelkova—capable of mimicking only the target's atmosphere—could not influence, were purely the result of Kim Jaeyeon’s own hard work.
*Clang!*
The sound of two spears colliding echoed through the training ground.
“Excellent.”
A sound of admiration escaped Director Will, who had been closely watching the exchange between Kim Jaeyeon and Evan Block.
This was the stuntman he had given a 3 out of 5 during the audition, but now, he wouldn't hesitate to give him a 5. His action skills were more than sufficient, but he was also understanding the character and even mimicking the actor's performance.
Director Will’s eyes gleamed.
“He has a lot of shortcomings as an actor, but as a stuntman, he’s the best.”
“Jaeyeon-hyung worked really hard.”
He had asked Seojun for character interpretation and even asked An Daho to film his practice sessions, which he watched every day. Some of the other stuntmen wondered if he was going too far, but Kim Jaeyeon didn't stop.
“He’ll be even better when we start filming.”
Seojun looked at the top of Kim Jaeyeon’s head. He looked forward to seeing the Spring Zelkova grow green and lush.
***
That evening.
Director Will and the Shadowman team decided to have dinner together.
“I’ll have this one.”
“Yes, right away!”
The waiter, with a flushed face, took their orders and left the private room.
“What was your original plan, Director?”
At Richel Hill’s question, Seojun and Evan Block’s gazes turned to Director Will. The director recalled what he had been thinking.
“I was planning to intersperse shots of Jun’s face between the scenes Kim acts in. Whether it’s a bust shot or a close-up. Jun’s performance is so incredibly impressive that its effect lingers for a while after.”
He had thought he could just mix Seojun’s and Kim Jaeyeon’s footage. Director Ryan Will had even calculated for that when creating the script and continuity.
“I never imagined it would turn out like this.”
Though it sounded like a complaint, Director Ryan Will was smiling.
He might have to completely change the scenes he had planned, but he was satisfied. The actor and the stuntman had improved, and that would have a positive impact on the film.
*‘We might even get better scenes out of this…’*
He had thought there would be no revisions for *Shadowman 3*, given how long he had prepared, but it seemed things never went according to plan.
“But Jun.”
Richel Hill called to Seojun.
“Yes?”
“You’ve grown again in the past month, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
Seojun, in the midst of a growth spurt, smiled proudly.
“It’s a good thing I chose a stuntman with your future height in mind.”
Director Will let out a sigh of relief.
The stuntman audition had taken place several months ago.
He had calculated Seojun’s growth rate and chosen Kim Jaeyeon, who had a similar silhouette to Seojun at the time but was a few centimeters taller.
“If I had picked someone who was exactly Jun’s height back then, the stuntman would have ended up shorter than the actor.”
As he wondered if he should prepare a few more costumes for filming if Seojun kept growing at this rate, Seojun chuckled.
“I think I’ll probably start growing a bit more slowly now, though.”
“Can you control that?”
“I have a feeling.”
Seojun thought of the [(Good) Digestive Ability of a Slime] resting quietly in the Library of Life and laughed.
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