Pushing Past the Limit
DK Headquarters underground parking lot. Black van with its door open. Manager and stylist supporting the staggering Tae-gyu, whose legs were giving out, one on each side as they guided him in.
"·········Director."
Jang Team Leader opened his mouth with a troubled expression.
"Personally, I can't quite wrap my head around it."
"This is driving me insane."
"Kim Director isn't the type to break in a rookie actor like that."
"Hey, Jang Team Leader. That's not it!"
Kim Kwang-woo pounded his broad chest with his massive fist. He was on the verge of exploding from frustration. His thick eyebrows shot up in injustice as he offered his own defense.
"Break him in? You think I'd waste my time on something that lame? Come on, don't you know me by now? I just wanted to grind hard with the kid!"
Weight training pushes limits. A spotter's role is exactly that—helping your partner safely exceed their boundaries, tear their muscles apart, and rebuild them bigger and stronger.
"Sure, the kid had more fire than I expected, so things heated up a bit. But you know I wasn't trying to torment him on purpose!"
He'd kept up so well, Kwang-woo just wanted to share more. Amid the screaming of major muscle groups, the whole body heating up! That pounding heartbeat stirring deep inside, finally awakening the hidden beast! And then······thwack!——! When that overheated body deep within finally unleashed its animal roar, the euphoria and triumph of transcending human limits! Followed by ample rest and nutrient-packed meals, the rush of growth surging ahead! That's all he'd been thinking of.
"I even booked my favorite hanwoo spot to take him after. I'd mapped out a full bulking program and meal plan already······!"
That's how it was. That's the world of the true helchang——
"············The kid's face looked fine."
"Director."
"You know how I gauge the kids' states and adjust intensity. I only load them up to what they can handle. His face looked like he had plenty left, so I just added a few more sets! You know I'm not some trash who'd push sadistic abuse!"
If he'd known the limit was already crossed, he'd have stopped cold. But the guy's face had looked perfectly fine. A slight grimace at most—like what anyone else would make climbing five flights of stairs two at a time. That's it. So he'd pushed······
"Director, if I may venture a word?"
"What."
"How many rookie actors do you think could keep a straight face in front of a senior industry heavyweight, the star actor of DK Entertainment, a close friend of the CEO, and a board member who influences company operations?"
"··················!"
Kim Kwang-woo's pupils shook for a moment.
"Tae-gyu is still a rookie under DK, right?"
"So······he was masking his expression?"
"I didn't see it myself, but yes, it seems plausible he'd feel that level of pressure."
Kim Kwang-woo looked utterly dazed. He hadn't even imagined it. Masking his expression? No way could someone suppress even nausea to hide their face like that? Show no emotion, good or bad?
Really······because of me?
Strip away the titles, and plain old Kim Kwang-woo was wrestling with complicated feelings right now.
Lee Tae-gyu. First off, the grit was right up his alley. Whether for the role interview or genuine challenge, that tenacity not dropping the barbell even amid nausea-inducing strain.
Born true helchang······
Short-term bulk-up? No joke. With that endurance and spirit, he could groom the kid not just for this film but as a lifelong workout partner—that helchang glee mixed with fondness.
"So you're saying his burden came from my position, my influence, all that crap?"
"That's my take."
"······Fuck me."
Deep self-loathing and guilt washed over him. Using the company's "power" to crush the weak? Unlike Do Yoon-seop, Kwang-woo had a visceral aversion to that kind of behavior from his street-level days to now.
Isn't this······just too uncool······
To Kwang-woo, leveraging status to impose irresistible pressure was the opposite of "cool"—better to settle it fist-to-fist.
Dr-r-ruck, clunk!
Seeing the black van door close far off with Tae-gyu inside, he muttered.
"Jang Team Leader."
"Yes."
"Pass him my number, tell him I want to apologize properly later········no."
Today's idiotic stunt. He'd make it right. Not just for the kid, but to salvage the "cool" he'd always upheld.
"Give me his number. I'll contact him directly from now on."
A while later. Tae-gyu rolled off the bed, hit the floor, and—in a motion that felt all too familiar now—rolled across to the bathroom door. His legs trembled······shook······quivered······ He planted his knees one by one, hands pressing on his aspen-tree-shaking thighs to stand. His eyes widened slightly.
"············Whoa."
Way better than yesterday.
"This feels pretty good."
Kwang-woo would've given a standing ovation; Jang Team Leader would've facepalmed. And it was true.
Just three days ago, every attempt to rise had him toppling like a newborn fawn. From his perspective, this sensation of the "injury" he'd thought irreversible healing naturally day by day was beyond words.
And even—maybe imagination—the feeling of being slightly stronger than before. A kind of upward drive.
"Is this why they get hooked on gym, gym addiction·········"
Tae-gyu thought of Kim Kwang-woo. For an actor—no, for a human—the guy had absurdly huge muscles, and their session had been brutally painful at first.
But after that day, Kwang-woo's apologetic texts reminded him of the real value in weight training itself.
Those words between apologies held real sway for most actors. In an industry where ideal roles don't always appear, knowing how to sculpt your body was essential to widen your range.
Veterans freely bulked and cut for diverse roles. Kwang-woo could be the coach for that.
A bit intense, but······
Recalling the follow-ups, the guy didn't seem inherently rough-hearted.
First the role interview promise, then quick feedback texts after seeing his work.
Of course, hard to tell from this alone. Kwang-woo wasn't the only one hyped right now.
Monster City had aired three weeks ago. Meaning, with Tae-gyu's second appearance in episode 6 now out after three total broadcasts.
Portal sites' entertainment sections were already flooding with articles on him.
Yes. Tae-gyu was rolling around at home, steadily building fame.
A man slowly scrolled internet articles, cigarette in mouth. A sly smirk played on his lips. Amid the thick, rough stubble unshaven from beating criminals all night, his mouth parted slowly.
Fwooo······ Thick smoke billowed out.
With a short, disdainful scoff.
"·········Ha."
Truth be told, he didn't hate movies or dramas per se. No.
If they shifted perceptions of society's scum, he'd applaud. Righteousness rewarded, evil punished. He believed a world where audiences saw villains as lame and heroes as cool was proper.
But lately? Quite displeased.
For some time now, dramas and films subtly glamorized bloodsucking gangsters as "thugs" or whatever.
That was why he'd advised on Model Detective 3 amid his busy schedule. Rare these days to depict villains as cockroaches and good deeds with dashing vigilante flair.
Friendship with Kwang-woo? Sure, a longtime dongsaeng, but that hadn't moved him. Trivial compared to his burning zeal to excise society's cancer.
Villain eradication. Allowing even his real name in the role consultation stemmed solely from that.
So.
"············Yeah, it's me."
His face soured as he called Kim Kwang-woo—natural, given what he'd seen.
"Straight up: the actor you sent my way?"
The rookie Kwang-woo had begged him to interview for Model Detective 3's role. He'd seen the kid's eyes.
"Just search it—it's everywhere. I'll say it first."
Seo Woong-tae of Mapo Station's violent crimes unit. Veteran detective nearing 20 years on the job.
"This bastard."
Criminals? He knew at a glance.
"·········How many priors?"