One Month Until <em>Burnt and Hidden Marks</em> Cranks In
There was just over a month left until Burnt and Hidden Marks began filming. A blank space had finally appeared in his relentlessly packed schedule, but Woojin was still living a fierce, hectic daily life.
Weekdays were filled with classes at the Central Fire Academy and action school, leaving him no time to breathe. Weekends, he holed up in the company practice room from morning till night, immersed in character research and script analysis. His week was nothing but practice. Nothing else.
This routine, reminiscent of his Red Petal days, only deepened Jun-an's growing worry day by day.
"Woojin-ah, how about wrapping up early today and getting some rest?"
"I'm good, hyung."
"Still..."
"Really, I'm fine. Shoot from the other side this time."
"......"
Woojin never uttered a word about being tired, not even for a second. Instead, he smiled and kept calling for "one more time."
Maybe that's why. Lately, watching Woojin like this had given Jun-an a strange new habit.
"He's not human. He's a monster, a total monster."
At some point, he found himself sticking out his tongue in awe, tilting his head, and mumbling to himself without realizing it.
"Hyung?"
"Huh?! Oh... got it."
- Click.
As soon as Jun-an pressed the camera button, Woojin plunged back into his practice trance.
Action scenes required real-time monitoring to fix mistakes, so recording the entire process was essential. These days, handling the camera himself had become one of Jun-an's main duties.
Maybe I should quit managing and start doing camera work...
He'd repeated it so many times that thoughts like this crept in.
Still, the more he watched, the more miraculous it seemed. Jun-an could swear he'd never once seen Woojin's focus waver.
Even as sweat poured like rain and his breath grew ragged, the Woojin in the frame showed not a hint of faltering in his eyes.
It got to the point where his regular trainer, martial arts director Yoo Jae-hong, was always the first to wave the white flag.
"Aigoo, I'm beat."
"You okay? Here, have some water."
"Meeting you has doubled my skills, haha!"
"Nah~ You've been watching me so closely, Master, that's why I've improved so fast."
Woojin smiled as he spoke. Director Yoo gulped down water, panting heavily.
"Oh, right—the juniors you introduced started lessons yesterday."
"Thank you, Master."
Woojin bowed deeply to Director Yoo in gratitude. Folded into that gesture was thanks from Yoon Malgeumsae and Kwon Hyeok-jin as well.
Normally, once casting was confirmed, production companies covered costs for pre-training in areas like action or dialect. But Burnt and Hidden Marks lacked the budget for that.
For Yoon Malgeumsae and Kwon Hyeok-jin, still juggling school, action school fees would be a heavy burden.
Woojin had planned to pay out of pocket without hesitation, but Jun-an talked him out of it. It might burden them instead, or even unintentionally offend Director Ra Ho-chan.
As he pondered what to do, Director Yoo had overheard their conversation and cheerfully offered to train the two for free.
"I'm the one who's grateful. Thanks to you, my school's gotten way more famous~ This is payback."
"For real?"
"Of course! 'Yeonsangun from Red Petal was born here,' 'Baek Woojin is Yoo Jae-hong's prized pupil'—word's spread everywhere. I get ten inquiries a day. Talk about good fortune."
Director Yoo said it himself. He'd been one of the top martial arts directors in Korea before, but now he was the undisputed number one. He credited it all to having such a great student.
Director Yoo slung an arm around the bashful Woojin's shoulders.
"Great, and since I'm in such a good mood today!"
"......?"
"One more round, then we're done!"
"You got it, Master!"
The two set down their water bottles and took position in the center of the hall. Jun-an shook his head with a smile.
Who could quench an actor's pure passion and drive for their work?
- Recording starts.
Soon, the REC indicator lit up again at the top of the camera screen.
* * *
The car headed not to Cheongdam-dong, but to Mapo-gu. Woojin was on his way to the Tough Outside, Tender Inside office after an urgent call from Director Ra.
What could be so important that he'd request an unscheduled emergency meeting?
Full of curiosity, Woojin entered to find Director Ra greeting him apologetically.
"Sorry, it was so sudden—must've startled you."
"No problem. If you call, of course I come."
"Have a seat. I'll get you some coffee."
"Thank you."
Director Ra set the coffee down and said, "I needed to talk to you about something, Woojin."
"Sure, go ahead."
"Thanks to the connection you made with the Central Fire Academy, securing locations has been a breeze. We've got more budget flexibility now too."
Director Ra detailed the meeting results with Uncle Youngjae. Starting tomorrow, pre-training—previously limited to Woojin—would expand to all supporting actors and extras. They'd even have free access to all facilities, locations, and equipment during filming.
The key point: Tough Outside, Tender Inside wouldn't pay a single won.
Even to Woojin, it seemed extraordinarily generous.
"Thank you so much."
Director Ra bowed his head. Woojin felt awkward. He'd just received thanks from Director Yoo, and now this—it was embarrassing.
Truth be told, Woojin wondered if he even deserved it. Sure, he had a personal tie with Uncle Youngjae, but no private connection alone could secure such broad support from a national institution.
It was possible because the script was high-quality enough to spotlight firefighters' vital role. This windfall wasn't solely due to "me," one person.
"No, Director—this is your achievement. Not mine."
Woojin waved it off. Director Ra looked up and continued.
"Nonsense, it's all thanks to you. Anyway, that's the agreement from the fire academy meeting. Now, the main point..."
He paused. It felt like something crucial was coming. Woojin swallowed dryly. Tension hung in the air.
"What if we changed the film's format entirely?"
"......?!"
Woojin's eyes widened. Change the format? It was hard to grasp.
Director Ra elaborated. "Not rewriting the script now. I mean 'adding' to it."
"Adding? Like more scenes?"
"No. The final script stays untouched."
"Then, how?"
At Woojin's question, Director Ra opened a binder. Inside were two scripts: the final Burnt and Hidden Marks one Woojin already had, and an untitled one.
Woojin flipped open the new one and skimmed it quickly. Director Ra went on.
"After shooting the script as is, we film one more in the same vein."
After a brief read, Woojin murmured softly, "Like an extended edition."
"Exactly. But..."
"A completely different kind of extension from the usual."
Director Ra nodded quietly and spoke. "The untitled script you just read? It's actually the earliest version of Burnt and Hidden Marks."
"......!"
Woojin was shocked again. Because...
"It was originally a fake documentary."
A genre still rare in Korea.
* * *
Sometimes, a completed film dominates theaters in buzz and box office upon release. It might get a re-release as an extended cut.
Extended cuts restore scenes cut for runtime, fleshing out plot or relationships.
But Director Ra's proposal was revolutionary—shocking, even. It wasn't just a different format; it was an entirely different film.
Two wholly separate works, bound under the "extended edition" label, sharing only the core theme? It upended conventional thinking.
Director Ra's idea didn't stop there.
"The original prioritizes theatrical release. The extension targets film festivals."
The fake documentary style fit perfectly for that aim.
"Director, one question?"
"Of course."
"I'm curious why you're suggesting this now."
Director Ra began slowly. "As you know, realism is everything in fake docs."
True. Staged situations and acting must feel utterly real—more than any genre. The key is making audiences accept fictional events as fact for maximum immersion.
"When writing the initial script, I wanted a fake doc, rare in Korea. But realistically, renting locations and gear was impossible. I minimized it, but this meeting solved that."
A memory flashed for Woojin: an interview with Director Ra he'd read as a trainee. After he'd already risen uniquely with Bong Tae-ho.
"I have several unmade scripts. One I regret most is too niche for Korea right now. I want to try it someday."
He hadn't known then, but that was Burnt and Hidden Marks's first draft.
A smile crept onto Woojin's lips. Greed stirred. Strongly.
"I want to do it too."
"Really?"
"Yes. Honestly, it's a concept I've never heard of. No reason for an actor to pass on something new."
"Haha, glad to hear it."
Director Ra sighed in relief. Woojin continued.
"But one concern."
"What?"
"Even if it's a different film, same material—any issues?"
Film festivals often require no prior screenings before their cutoff.
"Ah, I checked with the Korean Film Council and major festivals. First time they'd heard, took a bit, but they said it'd be fine for entry."
"Then I agree. But we should consider Yoon Malgeumsae and Kwon Hyeok-jin's opinions too."
"Haha, Woojin."
"Yes?"
Director Ra smiled meaningfully.
"Don't worry. They've already agreed."
He added, "One more thing for you."
"Yes, Director."
"Just as you crave roles as an actor, I have director ambitions."
"I understand."
"Conditions aligned, so I voiced my personal greed. Thanks for agreeing so readily."
"I'd do the same in your shoes. It's natural."
"And..."
Director Ra handed back the first-draft script.
"You skimmed it fast earlier. Could you read it slowly now?"
At his request, Woojin opened it right away. Moments later.
"Haha..."
Woojin's expression turned intriguing. A thought flashed through his mind.
Now he got it. Why Director Ra proposed the fake doc.
Beyond locations and gear, there was a bigger reason.
Closing the script, Woojin looked at Director Ra slowly.
"...A role only I can do."
"Yes. A script only Baek Woojin can pull off."
Director Ra answered without hesitation to Woojin's confident words.