Chapter 11: That’s Not How You Throw It (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 11: That’s Not How You Throw It (2)
The bodyguard warrior Yeon Si-ho was originally set to wear a sleek black martial outfit, but after Writer Jung Yoon-ah touched up the script, she was changed into a maid-warrior dressed in radiant silk.
PD Jang Hyun-soo scanned Lee Yu-jin from head to toe, his face twisted with a regret he couldn't quite contain.
“To think I have to hide this face behind a pitch-black mask. It feels like my heart is being ripped out.”
“It’s a veil, not a mask. Why would you put a mask on me after dressing me like this? It’s not like I’m walking a runway at Dongmyo.”
The setting had been changed again; instead of a black mask, a light pink veil would cover her face from the eyes down.
“But this outfit is so flowy and layered. I wonder if you can even pull off proper action in it.”
“We’re using stunt doubles for the important shots anyway,” the assistant director chimed in.
“Still, Yu-jin has to do a certain amount for the parts where her face shows. Well, we have plenty of time for filming, so the martial arts team will take care of it.”
Martial Arts Director Hwang Tae-jin stepped forward with a solemn smile.
“During that light fixture accident the other day, Lee Yu-jin jumped at least a meter and kicked it away with perfect precision. Her athletic nerves are no joke.”
“Wait, that was actually true?”
“She said she’s tried a bit of every sport, starting with basketball when she was young. Since her reflexes are so good, I think the scenes will flow smoothly as long as we get her into the right stances.”
“Wow, I really did pick up a treasure.”
Jang Hyun-soo gave a big thumbs up.
“Oh, and about that accident. We called in an outside specialist to do a full inspection of all the equipment, so everyone can rest easy now.”
“What did they say the cause was?”
“A small amount of rust had formed on a part of the coupling bracket that wasn't easily visible. That was just the tip of the iceberg; when they cut it open, the rust had spread deep inside. It was just really bad luck. We’ve replaced everything even remotely suspicious, so don’t worry.”
“Well, at least no one got hurt, and we’ve paid our dues to the gods of bad luck. Maybe our drama will be a massive hit?”
Lee Yu-jin, dressed in her elaborate palace ceremonial dress, waddled uncomfortably over to her spot.
She held a longsword against her shoulder and clutched the script in her hands, reading over the scene they were about to shoot.
[The young Prince On and young Princess Hwan are having a pleasant time in a grassy field, while the maid-warrior Yeon Si-ho watches from a distance.
Suddenly, they are surrounded by dozens of warriors in black. The Prince and Princess are terrified.
Attacker 1: Kill the boy and take the Princess!
Attacker 2: Yes, sir!
Maid-warrior Yeon Si-ho draws the sword hidden beneath her skirt and gallantly defeats the suspicious assassins.]
“Just looking at the lines in the script doesn't give you much of a feel for the action, does it?”
An unfamiliar voice drifted down from above.
Having felt the presence approaching for a while now, Lee Yu-jin wasn't startled as she looked up.
“I’m Martial Arts Director Hwang Tae-jin. I’ll be in charge of your action coaching from now on.”
“I look forward to working with you. I’m Lee Yu-jin.”
“Would you follow me for a moment? We still have time on the filming schedule, so let’s work on our coordination in the meantime.”
“Okay.”
The place the director led her to was an outdoor practice area where stuntmen were practicing their choreography.
Men in black martial attire, holding prop weapons, were clashing blades and falling backward, timing their movements together.
In Yu-jin’s eyes, it all looked amateurish.
It’s not like they’re trying to actually fight… Ah, right. This is a drama shoot, so it is a show.
This isn't the UFC; it’s the WWE…
Yu-jin repeated this to herself firmly.
“It’s very simple. First, in Phase 1, our team members will attack from all sides, and Yeon Si-ho will defeat them all.”
“Me?”
“Just swing however you like. We’ll clash with you, take the hits, and fall down accordingly, so don’t worry.”
“...You want me to just swing however I want?”
“Yes, yes. We’re trying to gauge your instincts, so feel free to give it your best. Everyone here is a professional with over ten years of experience in martial arts, so there’s absolutely no need to worry.”
The warriors in black looked at Yu-jin and let out spirited laughs.
“And in Phase 2, there’s a scene where you throw a sword at the fleeing warriors to take them down. Don’t actually throw it at us; throw it at that wooden target over there. It’s fine if you miss, just throw it in that general direction.”
Yu-jin confirmed the presence of a human-shaped wooden target.
Three cameras were positioned in various directions.
“This isn't the actual shoot; we’re just filming to check the action, so stay relaxed. You don’t even have to say your lines.”
“Understood.”
Before the cameras started rolling, Yu-jin wrapped the veil below her eyes.
As her mesmerizing face was hidden, the stuntmen subconsciously let out sighs.
She’s seriously so pretty. How old is she?
Actually, it’s better that her face is hidden. It’ll be easier to focus on the action and not make mistakes.
The black-clad warriors spread out and took their positions, swords drawn with serious expressions.
Yu-jin was a novice; she probably wouldn't know how to swing a sword.
First, the action men would swing wildly, letting her get a feel for the rhythm by letting her 'hit' them and push them back. After that, they would slowly refine the promised movements.
The goal wasn't to teach Yu-jin martial arts, but to polish her so she could perform convincing "WWE action" in front of the camera.
They would refine her as much as possible, and for the parts that were simply impossible, they would bring in a female stunt double.
Hwang Tae-jin’s action school team were veteran professionals who were well-versed in this process.
Given the reflexes she showed before, I might be able to expect something decent…
“No getting overexcited! Watch out for injuries! Start!”
“Start!”
As the cameras rolled, the aura of the black-clad warriors changed.
They slowly closed the perimeter, watching Yu-jin’s eyes above the veil.
Her eyes, which seemed to have a faint blue tint, showed not a hint of nervousness as they slowly scanned her surroundings.
After checking her flank once, she stepped forward slowly.
Her sword remained hidden beneath the hem of her skirt, invisible to the attackers.
Huh? Did she just check the child actors' positions before moving? She naturally moved to the spot where she could intercept the first attack?
Hwang Tae-jin’s eyes flashed.
A rookie is planning her movements with that much thought?
Whether she was brilliant or just deeply immersed in the role, Hwang Tae-jin was intrigued.
She didn't forget to draw her sword. She’s timing it.
He had thought it was a beginner’s mistake, but Yu-jin was waiting for the perfect moment to draw.
“Hyaat!”
An attacker lunged from Yu-jin’s blind spot. He shouted on purpose to give her a heads-up.
However, Yu-jin didn't turn around at all. The attacker, who was swinging his sword vertically, panicked and changed his trajectory so that he would miss her and slice through the air.
Clang!
At that moment, the sword hidden beneath her skirt was drawn in a flash, piercing the attacker’s blade.
The attacker, whose sword was struck heavily at its center of gravity, couldn't withstand the shock vibrating through his palm and dropped his weapon.
Yu-jin stepped on the fallen sword and made a wide horizontal slash over the attacker’s head with her own blade.
“...?”
The attacker, not understanding what had just happened, could only blink.
Unable to watch any longer, Hwang Tae-jin shouted.
“Jang-woon, you’re dead! Get down!”
“...!”
Only then did Kim Jang-woon realize the situation and quickly flopped down, pretending to be dead.
Yu-jin didn't wait; she was already charging, now wielding twin swords.
The next target panicked and thrust his sword forward, but Yu-jin’s twin swords crossed to block it.
“Ugh…! Why, why is it so heavy!”
He groaned and tried to pull his sword back, but he couldn't escape the leverage she had applied with her crossed blades.
As Yu-jin lightly twisted her body while maintaining the lock, the opponent eventually lost his grip and scrambled backward in retreat.
Hwang Tae-jin stood with his mouth agape in shock.
No way, she’s a rookie? She looks like a pro who’s been training in sword combat for over ten years.
What was truly amazing was her movement and positioning.
She was blocking the attackers with minimal movement, ensuring they couldn't get near the coordinates where the protected targets were supposed to be.
Is she a combat genius? Was she destined to be something like a VIP bodyguard?
While he was having such absurd thoughts, the remaining attackers, their pride wounded, rushed her all at once.
“Hey! This is a shoot, a shoot! It’s just a rehearsal! Everyone calm down!”
Hwang Tae-jin shouted urgently.
Blades flew toward Yu-jin from multiple directions simultaneously.
Her ornate, voluminous skirt swirled and rose high as she spun.
The tip of her sword darted out from between the folds of her skirt in an instant to strike an opponent’s blade, retreated back inside, and darted out again to strike another.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
After rotating two or three times in the air, Yu-jin landed gracefully.
The attackers stood there despondently, all of them having dropped their swords.
“What kind of strength is that…”
“No, seriously, it felt like someone slammed a sledgehammer down on my sword.”
“Just how strong is she? Or is she just hitting the balance points perfectly?”
This was, after all, stunt acting. They hadn't been going at it with their lives on the line.
But the action actors could tell.
Lee Yu-jin’s action skills were by no means inferior to theirs.
They had intended to refine her skills while matching her rookie-level flailing.
But it had been the exact opposite.
Clap. Clap-clap. Clap-clap-clap.
In the midst of the stunned silence, a rhythmic clapping echoed.
PD Jang Hyun-soo, with a megaphone tucked under his arm, was quietly applauding them.
Beside him, Writer Jung Yoon-ah was sitting haphazardly on a rock, typing away on a laptop on her knees like she was possessed.
Jang Hyun-soo continued to clap as he approached.
“Lee Yu-jin, did you happen to learn swordsmanship?”
“I dabbled a little when I was younger.”
“That’s more than just dabbling. When I saw you flying through the air, I thought you were a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. That was a triple axel just now, right? You definitely spun three times in the air.”
A maid from a noble house, dressed in elaborate palace attire with only her beautiful eyes visible above her veil.
But Yeon Si-ho, revealing her true colors upon the appearance of the attackers, had executed the enemies coldly and relentlessly, while showing the meticulousness of constantly keeping the ones she had to protect within her defensive perimeter.
Why is someone like this only appearing now…
Jang Hyun-soo even felt resentful of the timing.
If he had met Lee Yu-jin during the drama’s planning stages, he wouldn't have been satisfied with just a bodyguard role.
The female lead and the entire story would have changed.
Look at Jung Yoon-ah, famous for almost never revising a finished script, pounding away at her laptop like crazy.
She had clearly been stimulated by the action performance Yu-jin just showed.
“There’s no need for more practice. Let’s start rolling the cameras right now. Director Hwang, what do you think?”
“You’re right. More practice is meaningless. Let’s go straight to 'Cue'.”
Yu-jin politely returned the confiscated swords to the stuntmen and bowed her head.
Watching her follow him quietly, Jang Hyun-soo couldn't keep his mouth shut.
That scene earlier… At the very end, after the triple axel jump and the sword-parrying counterattack, right as she lands! If the veil softly slips off and reveals her face, that would be a legendary shot.
It would be the perfect finishing touch.
After defeating multiple attackers at once with elegant and beautiful combat action that stole the gaze, a face so beautiful it seemed to belong to a different species would be revealed beneath the severed veil.
And if he could slam a freeze-frame right at that moment with a caption saying <To be continued tomorrow at this time>, how happy would he be as a PD?
I promised she could appear as a faceless warrior… but there are still fifteen episodes left.
From this day on, Jang Hyun-soo decided to pray to the heavens for Lee Yu-jin to change her mind.