The Final Week of Production Begins
“Ready!”
Woo Seung-hyun PD bellowed as usual, but his voice carried a thick undercurrent of regret.
“Action!”
With that, the background in the camera frame shifted in an instant from the set to a real road. The stretch from Hyoja Three-way Intersection in Hyoja-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, to Palpan Three-way Intersection in Palpan-dong. This was the road in front of the Blue House, restricted from 8 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. the next day (6 a.m. in winter) for decades after the '1·21 Incident' in 1968, when thirty-one armed guerrillas from North Korea's Ethnic Security Ministry Reconnaissance Bureau attempted to infiltrate and assault the Blue House. Checkpoints dotted the area, conducting random inspections even in peacetime.
Those measures wouldn't be lifted until 2017, when the road opened 24 hours and routine checks were discontinued. So in the 2012 setting of Justice episode 20, the Blue House road featured—
Clank, rattle.
—barricades rising right on cue as 8 p.m. struck.
But unlike usual, an ominous shadow was creeping in, unnoticed by anyone...
Swoosh.
The 'Reclum' operatives, divided into five squads, watched the scene intently. They held their breath, awaiting a single command.
How much time passed like that?
“Charge!”
The attack signal finally dropped. As soon as Lee Jin-tae roared into the radio with his booming voice,
“Uwaaaah!”
the Reclum members screamed and charged the checkpoints, like regular troops bursting through a triumphal gate, their momentum ferocious.
The surprise assault hit all five spots simultaneously.
“Wh-what the hell?!”
“Fuck... block those bastards!”
The startled checkpoint guards scrambled into combat stance, but—
Bang!
“Gahk... urk...”
Stab!
“Kwaaaagh!”
—it was already too late. Before the indiscriminate onslaught of guns and knives from Reclum, the innocent guards fell like autumn leaves.
Over a hundred armed forces brazenly pushing toward the Blue House residence's main gate—mere handfuls at the checkpoints stood no chance.
“E-everyone... r-run!”
“Kyaaah!”
“H-hello? Is this 112?! This is in front of the Blue House—some crazy fuckers are killing people right now!”
In the end, the massacre erupting amid the evening rush-hour crowds sent civilians fleeing in terror. Peace shattered in seconds, the Blue House area turning into pandemonium. Barely five minutes, and innocent blood already soaked the ground.
Amid the chaos and screams,
“Kill anything in our way! Push in fast!”
Lee Jin-tae commanded with icy calm, cooler than ever.
Reclum members neutralizing the five checkpoints in swift strikes converged on the main gate, then—
Boom, clang!
—ripped open the white main gate and the adjacent Yeonpung Gate without mercy, breaching the Blue House residence grounds.
Step.
Lee Jin-tae was first through the shattered gate, his gaze locking onto the Blue House main building housing the president's office.
“What now, Boss?”
“Wait.”
“Pardon?”
To his subordinate's question, he replied in firm Korean, then silently caught his breath. While his men's faces flushed with excitement and anxiety, Lee Jin-tae's was chillingly serene—almost leisurely. All eyes fixed on his mouth, wondering his thoughts.
His lips moved as he glared at the main building with fierce eyes.
“Hold... just wait a moment...”
A beat later.
Thud thud.
“Intruders! Intruders!”
The security unit and Presidential Security Service agents, alerted to the breach, came rushing. Lee Jin-tae murmured softly,
“Come on... hurry up...”
The camera captured his emotions in sequence: full shot to bust, then close-up on his face.
Soon, the defenders appeared in the distance. Then,
“Now—charge!”
Lee Jin-tae's roar echoed again.
“Uwaaaah!”
“Protect at all costs—hold the line!”
The two forces charged at each other. Steady cam and full-shot cameras feverishly documented the spectacle.
Just as the frontlines were about to clash—
“Cut!”
Woo PD, swallowing hard while watching the monitor, gave the OK.
“Cut! That's a cut!”
“Cut!”
Only then did the site's extreme tension dissipate.
* * *
“Whew, gonna die of exhaustion.”
Lee Kang-sik wiped his sweat and shook his head after the first scene.
“Great work, Dad.”
“Great work my ass—it's just starting.”
Woojin smiled and handed him water.
“From what I saw, we'll be shooting this all day.”
“Yeah. PD and the action director were tweaking the storyboard on the fly.”
Common on set. Action scenes meant long waits; storyboards changed more frequently than usual after each cut, especially to match rough edits seamlessly—positions of supporting actors and extras all aligned. Plus endless test shots with stunt doubles until the action satisfied. Even dramas shot faster than films, but prep time dragged inevitably.
“Winter, but why's it so damn hot... Am I the only one?”
“Aigoo, it'd be weird if you weren't. The energy you poured out was scorching.”
“Yeah? Expression good?”
“Perfect! That final close-up on your face—I thought the monitor would melt.”
“Kuhahat!”
Senior Lee Kang-sik stood, beaming with satisfaction.
“When my boy says I nailed it, gotta check it myself!”
“Let's go.”
Off-camera, the two were always bright, playful, and friendly. But in the monitor room, they turned deadly serious reviewing the rough cut.
[Discussion ↔ Test ↔ Check ↔ Discussion ↔ Main shoot...]
Only 2-3 scenes a day—seemed leisurely from outside. But the grueling routine, rivaling Thailand location shoots, made the week's intensity crystal clear.
After monitoring, Lee Kang-sik asked the continuity director.
“Jae-min hyung not here yet?”
“No, sunbaenim. Senior Jae-min's call time is still 10 minutes out.”
Jeong Jae-min sunbaenim, special guest as Son Min-seok. First since Jo Seung-cheol sunbaenim—a senior same age or older than Lee Kang-sik on Justice set.
Woo PD said quietly,
“Break till Jae-min sunbaenim arrives. Start right away when he does.”
“Yes, director.”
“Action director to monitor room!”
The room buzzed ahead of the main action.
“Waiting room. He'll come there.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Woojin followed Lee Kang-sik out of the hectic set. He wanted to join discussions even on break, but stepping back helped staff more.
In the lead actors' lounge, their faces turned serious as they talked shop.
“Passed OK, but... that last expression felt off.”
“Really? Felt natural to me.”
“Still bugs me a bit.”
“What part?”
“After breaching the gate, Jin-tae waits instead of storming the office or residence. Till security arrives.”
Lee Kang-sik frowned slightly.
“Why? Checkpoints blitzed quick, but then he waits? What's the reason?”
Like Woojin, Lee Kang-sik obsessed over every detail in acting—no one rivaled his drive.
Even if a scene didn't click or direction differed from his vision, deliver the director/writer's intent perfectly first. Resolve questions later.
His passion lingered post-perfect take, pondering unsolved doubts. Woojin felt the admiration others had for him.
“Ask the director and writer?”
“Nah.”
“Tell them it doesn't click. Might go your way.”
A star like Lee Kang-sik voicing acting concerns? If it fit the flow, sets bent to it—his influence was that huge.
“They wrote it for a reason. Asking's easy, but spoils the fun~”
Lee Kang-sik grinned broadly.
“Son, what if you were me? Ask and change?”
Woojin smiled back instantly.
“Haha, no.”
“Oh?”
“I like wrestling answers myself, like you. Asking's not my style.”
“You little punk—won't do it yourself but tell me to? Naughty!”
“Aah! Dad, Dad! Cheeks, cheeks!”
Lee Kang-sik pinched Woojin's cheeks with a mischievous grin, then patted his shoulder as the cute junior winced adorably.
Woojin turned serious again.
“My take, Dad: maybe Jin-tae's last shred of conscience?”
“Last conscience?”
“Yeah. Up to the residence, innocents died—and more ahead. But maybe he wanted to minimize it a bit.”
Lee Kang-sik leaned in, intrigued.
“Like in historicals, where rival commanders duel one-on-one?”
“Oho.”
“Distance from gate to main building's decent. Blind charge means defenders fight tooth-and-nail.”
“True.”
“Just slaughter then. Awkward linking to prez coming out for duel. So he waited?”
Lee Kang-sik slapped his knee.
Not confirmed sans asking director/writer, but most convincing explanation.
“So, waited to stir just enough chaos?”
“Yes, that's my read.”
“Kuh, son's right. Mystery solved!”
His junior's insight thrilled him; Lee Kang-sik thumbs-upped warmly.
Right on cue,
“Hey, Kang-sik! Long time!”
“Whoa, hyungnim. You're here?”
“Hello, sunbaenim!”
Jeong Jae-min sunbaenim, as Son Min-seok, had arrived.