The Master's Container House Retreat
A small rural village on the outskirts, a bit removed from the metropolitan area of the capital region. Woojin, who had been slowly driving while admiring the scenery, pulled up in front of a building at the end of the road.
"Is this the place?"
It was a container house with a clean, simple feel yet boasting a unique exterior. This was Lee Kang-sik's residence.
- Ding dong.
Quiet and nice. Maybe I should live in a place like this someday.
As Woojin pressed the doorbell, lost in a momentary daydream, the door opened quickly.
"Senior, hello."
"Come on in, junior. Must've been a long drive."
A familiar face greeted Woojin warmly.
"Whoa~ Nice ride you've got there."
"Haha, I got it from shooting an ad recently."
Lee Kang-sik pointed at the new MOST model Woojin had received as promotion for a B Company ad, showing immediate interest. After glancing around the car for a bit, he led Woojin inside.
The interior of Lee Kang-sik's wooden container house exuded a thick analog vibe that immediately captured the eye. Just stepping inside made his mind feel at ease.
The two soon sat facing each other at the living room table. Lee Kang-sik, with a bright expression, handed Woojin a cup of warm tea and said,
"Living alone gets so quiet it's unbearable, but having some human presence after so long feels great."
"The air's fresh, and it's so peaceful here. Have you lived here long?"
"Not really. About a year?"
After some light small talk to break the ice, Lee Kang-sik asked Woojin,
"You read the script all the way through?"
"Yes, I read every one as soon as Writer Kim sends it."
"What do you think?"
"Hmm... It's definitely richer now, so I like it. First time doing a dual role too, so it'll be fun. First times are always the most exciting, right?"
As expected from actors, the conversation naturally shifted to the "work" and "acting," and the two listened intently to each other with serious expressions.
"What do you think, senior?"
This time, Woojin turned the question back.
"Heh, you want my honest take?"
"Yes, of course."
"It's a bit burdensome. I had a hunch, but I didn't expect changes this big."
"Even I think the character with the biggest change is Lee Jin-tae. I figured it'd be way harder for you than for me."
"Nah, it's the same level of tough. Changes to the script and characters aside... just..."
He let out a short sigh.
"...Maybe because I've been away from acting so long, I'm worrying more than anything. It's my first time feeling like this, so it's disorienting."
Lee Kang-sik took a sip of his tea with a matter-of-fact expression.
"I can't quite get a feel for how I used to do it back then. Feels like it'll take more time. It's been six years, after all."
"Even I get uneasy if I don't act for just a week, so I try to read scripts and practice even on breaks. Keeping at it nonstop seems like the answer."
"Exactly. That's why acting's so tough. Even if you're consistent, there's no end to it."
Woojin's contemplation added to Lee Kang-sik's words laced with concern.
"The acting style demanded on set these days is totally different from six years ago. Now they want something way more realistic and natural."
"Instead of forcing something in, doing it comfortably in your own speech pattern is the trend."
"I keep feeling the need to ditch the 'acting I've always done' and find a new 'acting that's uniquely mine' fast. If you can't adapt to change, acting's the easiest profession to fall behind in."
Woojin nodded instinctively.
"My heart's in it, but changing decades-old habits all at once isn't easy."
In crude terms, it's what people call getting a "tic." A kind of ingrained acting habit or quirk that's so familiar it's hard to fix.
From the moment he first received the Justice script, Lee Kang-sik had thought that to perfectly embody Lee Jin-tae, he needed to eliminate his "tics" first and foremost.
Lee Kang-sik continued with a smile,
"That's why I suggested the training camp with you. To find a way."
"Pardon?"
"Right now, the person who can teach me the most is you, Woojin."
In other words, according to Senior Lee Kang-sik...
Woojin's eyes widened in surprise.
It was tantamount to a grandmaster actor—with nearly 30 years of pure experience, sweeping awards at countless ceremonies, and already acclaimed for peak acting prowess—seeking lessons from a total rookie junior.
"Might as well ask the hottest junior out there, right? Lucky we're doing this project together."
At the sudden praise, Woojin's eyes sparkled.
He's... someone I truly can't help but respect.
He'd taken a long break from acting, sure, but Lee Kang-sik was already at a level where a mere hiatus was no obstacle. There hadn't been a single awkward moment in his acting during the script reading.
Yet, Lee Kang-sik refused to rest on past glories and sought to view his current self objectively. If he sensed even the slightest shortcoming, he'd benchmark others without regard for their status or experience. Distance meant nothing if he judged them better than his present self—he'd seek to learn freely.
The senior's open attitude and mindset only fueled Woojin's passion further. He vowed to create a masterpiece that would live in everyone's memories alongside this respected senior.
"I can't lose to that Seung-cheol punk. Take good care of me!"
At the heartfelt words tucked into that small phrase, Woojin smiled and replied,
"No, senior. I have way more to learn from you."
The two shook hands warmly, speaking to each other.
"You had dinner?"
"Not yet. You?"
"Me neither. Perfect. Let's grill some samgyeopsal and have a shot of soju while we talk."
"Sounds good."
"Fire up the yard, sip some booze, and you'll think, 'No Peach Blossom Land beats this,' haha!"
Lee Kang-sik stood up with a hearty, cheerful laugh. Though they'd already grown close, Woojin felt their bond deepen even more.
A little later.
- Clink!
The sound of their soju glasses touching, and
- Sizzle.
the meat cooking on the grill whetted their appetites. The night in nature, away from the city, was beautiful. Twinkling stars invisible in the urban glow, a cool breeze brushing their cheeks. This was the Peach Blossom Land the senior had mentioned.
Tomorrow, the full-on acting boot camp with the grand senior would begin. Right before diving into those grueling days, he figured he could get a little drunk tonight.
"Cheers!"
The soju flowing down his throat tasted sweeter than ever.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the writers' room, Kim Soolim and Seo Min-kyeong were huddled together crafting the script, while in production, PD Woo Seung-hyun and Drama Department Head Park Min-jae communicated meticulously to prepare pre-production smoothly.
Accordingly, the cast—Woojin and Lee Kang-sik—were firing up their resolve with their acting retreat.
They stuck together like they'd lived there from the start, immersed in practice all day every day.
"Dad, shall we start at 10?"
The title for Lee Kang-sik, once "Senior," had now shifted to the in-drama "Dad," like a sign of their days flying by and proof of their rock-solid bond.
"10:30? Can't we?"
"Nah, no way. 10 it is."
Watching Woojin announce each morning's practice with a bright face, Lee Kang-sik chuckled heartily.
Heh, Director Ryu wasn't wrong about a thing.
He'd heard Woojin was an actor who thought about acting all day except for eating and sleeping. But he'd thought it meant "a diligent, hardworking actor."
He never dreamed it was literally "an actor who thinks only about acting 24/7 minus eating and sleeping."
Lee Kang-sik had reached the point of being amazed yet exhausted just watching Woojin.
He was the type to dissect scripts obsessively himself. But he'd never seen anyone more tenacious.
Senior... you sure about this? The retreat... you might regret it. Think it over again...
As Jun-an had "predicted," there were occasional pangs of regret for suggesting the camp. But
"Great, let's go! Son."
"Yes, getting ready~!"
Lee Kang-sik couldn't contain his excitement at encountering someone reigniting his acting passion after so long. Through time with Woojin, he was gradually erasing the traces of his six-year hiatus.
* * *
"Entering with the sacrificial table!"
Late June, the tumultuous pre-production for Justice finally wrapped up.
Crank-in began immediately the next month. After a full year of waiting, filming for the drama Justice was finally underway.
Main locations: Seoul, Jinju, and a special set inside tvKR station. The sacrificial table bore makgeolli and boiled pork.
There had been so many mishaps getting here; may today's ritual cleanse all the bad luck from now on. With that wish from cast and crew alike, the crank-in ceremony ended.
In one corner of the set, extras and image extras matched action cues, ramping up shooting prep.
Behind the making-of camera capturing it all, multiple external cameras focused on Woojin and Lee Kang-sik.
With entertainment shows like Entertainment News plus broadcasters and press outlets all out in force, the coverage heat was hotter than any other site.
And for good reason.
The series of big and small changes in pre-production were internal matters. To the outside, Justice remained a "hot project" and "center of buzz," unaffected by behind-the-scenes.
In a zone set up on one side, a brief interview commenced. Pre-collected questions poured in, and the attending cast answered kindly.
In the warm atmosphere,
"Please look forward to Justice!"
The interview wrapped on a high note of hype for the drama.
"We'll answer more details at the production presentation later. Thanks to all the reporters and station reps here today."
The team quickly cleared the interview area after.
"Whew, hectic from the start."
"You seemed a bit tense."
"Haven't held a mic in ages."
Lee Kang-sik whispered as they moved spots.
"Lunch after, then shooting!"
At the AD's call, Woojin headed to the meal area with Lee Kang-sik.
No matter how he thought about it, Korea's best restaurant had to be the set catering truck.
"First scene's intense."
"The Burma incident, right?"
"Yeah, my comeback declaration's too flashy. Right?"
"Haha, Dad fighting!"
Woojin had no scenes today. All first-day shots were set in 1983, centered on the "Burma Assassination Bombing" the team had poured the most effort into recreating.
A massive scene mobilizing nearly 30 including extras. It demanded actors' action and emotional lines plus stellar direction—the highlight Woojin most wanted to watch live.
Because,
"There he is, that guy."
The direction Senior Lee Kang-sik subtly nodded to held
"......"
Senior Jo Seung-cheol, staring silently at Lee Kang-sik.