Chapter 232
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: Real-Life Heroes
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Early February.
It was the last day of filming for *Shadowman 3*.
After the actors' passionate performance, Director Ryan shouted.
“Cut!”
The words that should have followed "cut" didn't come, but the actors and staff just watched Director Ryan Will quietly.
The scene was perfect. It was surely an "OK" take. But no one rushed Director Ryan.
There was still a lot of work to be done before the movie was complete, but unless there were reshoots, this was the end of filming. This would be the last time Director Ryan Will would shout "OK."
Truly the last time.
On set were staff who had been there since *Shadowman 1*, and others who had joined for *Shadowman 2*. Everyone looked at Director Ryan Will with faces full of emotion or regret.
The staff loved the *Shadowman* series too, but not as much as Director Ryan Will, who had started it all.
Seojun Lee, who had debuted with *Shadowman*; Evan Block, who had been loved as Shadowman for a long time; Richel Hill, who had found a character that was a perfect fit; and Swallin Anum, who, despite this being her first time, understood the director's feelings—they all waited in silence.
Gazing at the set where the actors stood with a complex mix of emotions, Director Ryan Will felt his chest tighten. The dream he had cherished since his naive childhood was on the verge of coming true. With the corners of his eyes turning red, Director Ryan uttered the words he had waited so long to say.
“...OK!”
*Is this what the voice of someone who has achieved their dream sounds like?*
Heavy yet light, joyful yet tinged with sadness. Nevertheless, Director Ryan Will's voice was filled with a sense of satisfaction and overwhelming emotion for having accomplished it.
Seojun, feeling his own heart swell, raised his hands and clapped. Evan Block, Richel Hill, and Swallin Anum joined in. The director of photography, who had been with them since *Shadowman 1*, the art director, and all the staff erupted in applause.
*Clap, clap, clap!!*
Amidst the thunderous applause, Director Ryan Will broke into a broad smile. It was the same smile little Ryan Will, a lonely boy back then, had worn while watching 'Shadowman'.
Watching his idol, Jonathan Will shed a few tears, clapping so hard his palms turned red.
* * *
As the actors were changing and the set was being cleared, Seojun called out to Jonathan.
“Jonathan. Can you hand these out to the staff?”
“What are they?”
Seojun took an envelope from a bag full of pristine white envelopes and handed it to Jonathan. Tilting his head, Jonathan looked inside and was startled.
“These are vouchers for a hotel restaurant?”
“They're for two people each. There are two vouchers in every envelope, so up to four people can go.”
“Who should I give them to?”
*Are there any staff members he's particularly close to?*
Seojun answered Jonathan's question.
“Everyone. The directors, the stuntmen, and all the staff.”
“...Everyone?”
“I brought this many, after all.”
Seeing the paper bag full of white envelopes that An Daho held up beside them, Jonathan Will nodded with a dazed expression.
As Jonathan went to distribute the envelopes to the entire *Shadowman* team, Seojun approached the other actors.
“Here, this is for you.”
Evan Block, Richel Hill, and Swallin Anum opened the envelopes Seojun gave them.
“This is a Michelin-starred restaurant!”
“I went there once. It was delicious.”
“Thank you, Jun. Shall we go together tomorrow?”
At Swallin Anum's words, Seojun's eyes sparkled.
“Yes! I'd love to!”
Richel Hill and Evan Block also smiled brightly and nodded. Director Ryan Will, who received his envelope a little later, also decided to join them.
Jonathan distributed the white envelopes to the entire *Shadowman* team. The envelopes containing the meal vouchers were handed out to the stuntmen, including Kim Jaeyeon, the director of photography, the art director, and all the staff.
“It's a gift from Jun.”
*Oh! As expected of a superstar!*
The staff members cheered when they opened the envelopes and saw the name of the restaurant.
“I've always wanted to go to this restaurant!”
“I heard their menu this season is amazing!”
Kim Jaeyeon looked at the voucher. He'd earned some extra money from this film, and his family was scheduled to visit the US in a few days. A quick search on his phone revealed it was a two-Michelin-star restaurant.
‘I can take them then.’
A faint smile played on his lips as he imagined his family's surprise. They would be even more shocked to hear it was a gift from Lee Seojun.
Just then, Kevin, one of the *Shadowman* stuntmen, asked Kim Jaeyeon.
“Jaeyeon. We're going tomorrow, want to come with?”
“Ah, I was planning to go with my family next week.”
“Oh, really?”
After Jaeyeon's refusal, Kevin thought for a moment before speaking again.
“Without you, there are five of us. Since the vouchers are for two people each, there'll be an empty seat. We'll just use the extra person's ticket, so why don't you come along?”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course. It's an extra seat.”
Kim Jaeyeon nodded at Kevin's offer. It didn't seem like a bad idea to go once and get a feel for the restaurant's atmosphere.
* * *
‘I never thought it would turn out like this!’
Jaeyeon, pulling at a crumpled car door with all his might, sighed involuntarily. But he didn't stop. He could see an unconscious person right in front of him.
“Jaeyeon! There's someone over here too!”
“Hold on a second!”
The road was a scene of utter chaos.
A car speeding through the rain had overturned, and several other cars had crashed into it. A large tour bus had tipped onto its side and slid on the wet road. The car carrying Kim Jaeyeon and his group, which had been following behind, had narrowly avoided the accident.
If it hadn't been for Kevin's split-second decision, they would have been caught in the pile-up. It was a heart-stopping piece of driving even to think about now.
“The ambulance?!”
“I called, but it looks like it'll take a while for them to get here!”
It was a relief that it was raining. If there had been an explosion on top of this, it would have been a major disaster.
But that didn't mean there was no risk of an explosion. The danger remained for every car involved in the crash.
The stuntmen, soaked to the bone, moved around rescuing people. As actors who performed dangerous action scenes, they were well-versed in the first aid needed for emergencies on set.
“One, two!”
It wasn't just the stuntmen; anyone who could move was helping to rescue people.
But the ones who shone the brightest were the stuntmen. They seemed stronger than others of a similar build, and though they should have been exhausted, they didn't show it at all.
The stuntmen didn't panic at the sight of bleeding and unconscious victims, calmly moving them to safety. Even when they felt the sting of sharp debris while trying to rescue people trapped in cars, they would just shrug with their uninjured arm and get back to work.
A red aura flowed from the bodies of the stuntmen as they moved busily through the rain.
It was the power of [(Good) Orc Shaman's Prayer], which boosted mental strength, concentration, and healing ability, and still had a few weeks left before it expired.
People who had already evacuated to the side of the road filmed the stuntmen and those assisting them with their smartphones.
Soon, sirens wailed as ambulances arrived. The people who had received first aid from the stuntmen were loaded into the ambulances and taken away. The police secured the road.
Kevin, sipping water someone had handed him, laughed awkwardly and said.
“Um. Should we still go?”
“In these clothes?”
“...Guess not, huh?”
They looked like drowned rats. Their nice clothes were completely ruined. *Sigh.* The stuntmen shook their heads and sighed.
“We'll have to go another time.”
Kevin, who was looking at his phone with disappointment, spat out the water he was drinking.
[Shadowman Stuntmen! Rescuing People!]
[Real-Life Superheroes! The Shadowman Team!]
[Kevin, Shadowman's Stunt Double, and Jaeyeon Kim, Jin Natra's Stunt Double!]
[Villains in the Movie? Heroes in Real Life!]
“Th-this...!”
The *Shadowman* stunt team, who had only intended to have a nice dinner at a two-Michelin-star restaurant, were left speechless by the articles flooding the internet.
* * *
Ten minutes earlier.
A post appeared online.
-There's a car accident here! A multi-car pile-up!
-Are you okay?
-Someone rescued me right away, so I'm fine. It's raining, so I don't think there'll be an explosion.
-Haven't the police arrived yet?
-Is this for real? Post a video.
-One sec.
-(Video of the traffic accident scene)
-Those people have been rescuing everyone.
-Wow. That's amazing.
-They're even doing first aid? Are they paramedics?
-Huh? Isn't that Kevin?
-Kevin? Who's that?
-Shadowman's stunt double! The stunt double for Bel Natra is here too?
-How do you know?
-I run a restaurant near the training center. They stop by sometimes. The stunt doubles for Jin Natra and Tul Natra are here too!
Thanks to one person's comment, the traffic accident, which would have otherwise only made the news, spread like wildfire. Some people shared the facts, while others only spread the sensational words.
The incident was split into two narratives: 'Shadowman Stuntmen in Traffic Accident' and 'Shadowman in Traffic Accident'.
As soon as 'traffic accident' and 'Shadowman' were mentioned together, the Marine Company went into a frenzy.
Richard Bowien, remembering the incident with *Redborn 2*, clutched the back of his neck as his blood pressure skyrocketed. It was a small mercy that filming had wrapped up yesterday.
‘No, what if Director Ryan got hurt?’
Filming may be over, but there was still a lot of work to do. For the sake of a smooth release, Richard Bowien instantly thought of directors who could replace Ryan Will.
Sarah Rothe, who directed *Green Wing* and *Over the Rainbow*; George Roberts, the director of *Assemble 1* and *2*.
“The director and actors are at the restaurant.”
Phelan Park, who had contacted Director Ryan Will, said this while Richard was running through the faces of numerous directors.
What a relief.
Afterwards, once he grasped the situation, he realized it wasn't about the actors. Richard Bowien breathed a sigh of relief and said.
“Get a press release out first.”
“Yes, sir.”
A few minutes later.
Articles related to [Shadowman in Traffic Accident!] appeared, immediately followed by articles about [Shadowman Stunt Team Rescues People!]. And in less than two minutes, all articles related to [Shadowman in Traffic Accident!] were deleted.
* * *
As comments about *Shadowman* increased, each actor's agency, which had been monitoring the situation, began to assess it.
The managers, who were dining at a separate table from the actors, sensed something was wrong as their phones all started ringing at once.
There was no time to excuse themselves and go elsewhere to take the calls.
The managers quickly answered their phones, and upon hearing the unexpected news, they glanced at the table with the director, assistant director, and actors before quickly responding.
An Daho, after informing King's Agency that Seojun was at the restaurant, quickly contacted Seo Eunhye.
“Yes. Articles about a car accident might pop up, but Seojun is at the restaurant. Yes. If you could let his father know in advance. Yes. Yes.”
Next was Seo Eunchan, the president of Cocoa Entertainment in Korea. Since it was 6 PM in LA, it would still be 10 AM in Korea. Any delay would lead to all sorts of speculative articles.
Upon receiving An Daho's call, Cocoa Entertainment translated the Marine Company's press release and distributed it faster than anyone else. Thanks to that, only articles about the *Shadowman* stuntmen appeared in Korea.
-Heard Shadowman was in a car accident?
=??? It was the stuntmen.
=They weren't in the accident. They rescued the people who were.
=Ah;;;; really? my bad
* * *
After hearing the news, Seojun and the other actors had their managers bring the stuntmen to the hotel. They then rented rooms for them so they could rest comfortably.
“Please, rest comfortably. We'll cover the costs.”
“You're real heroes.”
“That was so cool!”
Faced with Seojun's sparkling eyes, the stuntmen scratched their cheeks in embarrassment and nodded.
After the actors left, having gotten separate rooms for all six of them, the stuntmen changed out of their wet clothes and gathered at the restaurant. It seemed arrangements had been made in advance, as they didn't even need to present the meal vouchers they'd received from Seojun.
Seeing the warm soup placed on the table, the stuntmen, whose stomachs were growling, quickly picked up their spoons.
“I thought we weren't going to get to eat... This is delicious!”
“I know. The warmth feels good.”
“Let's rest well until lunch tomorrow. Everyone worked hard today.”
Unaware of the reporters who would flock to the hotel the next morning, the stuntmen smiled brightly.
The next day.
Information about the traffic accident appeared in the news.
[Zero Fatalities! The Power of the Shadowman Stuntmen!]
[Three Seriously Injured, Surgeries Successful!]
[The Courage and Dedication of the Shadowman Stuntmen!]
Seojun, who was packing his things at his accommodation to return to Korea, read the article and said.
“That could have been a real disaster.”
Without the stuntmen and the [(Good) Orc Shaman's Prayer] that had aided them, many people could have died or been injured in that accident.
‘I thought it would only be helpful for filming....’
He never imagined it would be used like this. Seojun smiled contentedly at a photo of Kim Jaeyeon giving an interview with an awkward expression in the hotel lobby.
“I know.”
An Daho, who was helping Seojun pack, also nodded.
He broke into a cold sweat just thinking about it now.
It had been a whirlwind of a day that, with one wrong move, could have turned from [Shadowman in Traffic Accident] to [Actor Lee Seojun in Traffic Accident].
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