Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Blood and Blade Press Screening
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“Hello, I’m An Jin-ho, the director of Blood and Blade.”
With the director’s greeting, the main press screening began in earnest.
The flow of this screening was as follows.
A brief introduction to the movie. Then greetings from the actors.
Some light banter and stories from the set.
Right after the director’s greeting wrapped up, the actors followed with their own introductions and talk about the characters they played.
“Hello, I’m actress Joo Soo-hyun. I played Lee Yeol, the protagonist of Blood and Blade.”
“Hello, I’m actress Han Tae-hwa, making my debut with this film. I played Hyeon-hwa, the main villain of Blood and Blade.”
It started with the two leads, then the other actors gradually shared their names and roles.
-So, could you give us a rough idea of what Blood and Blade is about in detail? It’d help with understanding the movie if we have some basic info beforehand.
The MC followed up by asking the director to explain what kind of movie Blood and Blade was.
“Ah, you can just see Blood and Blade as a simple movie. It’s a straightforward revenge story. The protagonist goes through a tragedy, achieves revenge, and that’s it... That kind of movie. It’s not some complex narrative with intertwined plots.”
-How did you end up making a revenge drama?
“Honestly, I just wanted to make it. I’ve had some success before where I threw in melodrama, but this time, I cut out that melodrama as much as possible. I wanted to depict how one person turns into a vengeful ghost amid tragedy, and where that revenge leads. No romance either. Truly just blood and blade. Nothing else.”
The director explained the work smoothly without hesitation.
That alone would probably get a lot of people hyped.
-Does no melodrama mean you focused purely on the revenge elements?
“That’s right. I’ve actually wanted to try it for a while. A brutal revenge tale. A protagonist living solely for that one purpose, with no other narrative. How Lee Yeol, played by Joo Soo-hyun, and Hyeon-hwa, played by Han Tae-hwa, are connected... You’ll see that soon enough.”
-Ah... Then, could Joo Soo-hyun and Han Tae-hwa, the leads of Blood and Blade, tell us a bit about the characters they played?
“Ah, sure. Lee Yeol is a girl who lost everything because of Hyeon-hwa. If I had to sum her up in one word, nothing fits better than the ‘vengeful ghost’ the director mentioned. It was my first time playing a character obsessed with revenge like this, and filming was a blast the whole time.”
“Hyeon-hwa is... a hedonist obsessed with blood and battle. She could kill Lee Yeol but lets her go for a more thrilling fight. Honestly, since it was my acting debut, I worried I’d be a burden... But luckily, Soo-hyun and everyone else on set gave me advice, so I made it through filming safely.”
-Ah! Speaking of which, Han Tae-hwa. I heard the director scouted you for an audition—is that true?
“Yeah, that’s right. I was training at an action school to become a stuntwoman after mutating. Then suddenly, he asked me to audition.”
-Eh? So how long have you been acting?
“Um... This was my absolute first time. I didn’t even know the letter ‘acting’ before. In months, it’s been about six...
The audience buzzed in an instant. It was a story too unbelievable to take at face value.
As if anticipating that reaction, director An Jin-ho brought the mic to his mouth.
“I bet some of you are worried... But you’ll see for yourselves when the main feature starts. No matter how much we say, you won’t believe it otherwise. Right, Soo-hyun?”
“Ahaha... Yeah, it’s true. It’s the kind of story you won’t believe even after seeing it. I think everyone will be shocked.”
-Wow, this is really getting me hyped. By the way, Tae-hwa, I know you’re a mutant—what kind?
“I’m an Oni-type Mutant. I can handle fire and got pretty good with swords. That’s why I started action school, but... Life really is unpredictable.”
-Ah... Also, there’s someone drawing all the audience’s eyes right now—could you introduce yourself?
In that moment, everyone’s gaze turned to Seo-hyun.
Seo-hyun felt those eyes and curved her lips into a smile.
“Hello, I’m Yoon Seo-hyun, Director of the Mutant Management Bureau. I didn’t expect to be at an event like this, but yeah, life is unpredictable.”
-Actually, there was a huge stir when you suddenly appeared in the trailer. Did you know?
“Of course. I was watching TV in the room with my little sibling when the trailer popped up out of nowhere. I was like, ‘It came out this fast?’ You could tell right away how hard the director and crew worked.”
-The full house here is probably partly thanks to you, Director. Any behind-the-scenes story on how you joined?
“Honestly, it feels like a bunch of coincidences piled up. Han Tae-hwa here... well, Tae-hwa was a close friend even before mutating. Then suddenly she mutates and wants to swing a sword around? So I suggested she try action school.”
Laughter exploded from the audience at that. Tae-hoon snatched my mic.
“Excuse me, Director? You’re spilling that too?”
“I’ve got more.”
“You little...!”
I grinned and snatched the mic back from Tae-hoon’s hand, continuing.
“But that same day, she signs up for action school, and a few months later, boom—she’s an actress. I went to check it out in shock, and that’s when the director asked if I’d do a cameo. So I happily agreed.”
-Wow, a real chain of coincidences! Did you get paid or anything?
“No way, I’m a public servant—how could I? I just wanted my friend to succeed more, so I joined.”
“That’s why I’m truly grateful to the Director. Filming dragged on, but she cooperated without a single complaint.”
-So, what role does the Director play in the movie?
“The character I play is closely tied to the protagonist. It’s actually a spoiler, so I can’t say here. It’s more than a simple cameo with decent screen time, so I think you’ll enjoy it. Oh, and like Soo-hyun and the director just said, I saw Tae-hwa’s acting too?”
-Oh, could you give us an objective take from a close friend?
“She’s good. All the actors on set said so. I was shocked. Who knew a game-addicted shut-in had this talent?”
“Hey!”
“What? It’s true.”
“You’re the same...! If anything, you were worse before mutating! Skipping classes after eighteen-hour gaming marathons and begging the professor!”
“But at least I kept my GPA. My freshman average was 4.3. What was yours, Han Tae-hwa? I remember you failed a major class and retook it...”
“...Hey, why bring that up?!”
As I flashed a victor’s smile and Tae-hoon startled, the audience burst into laughter again.
-You two seem really close. Anyway, Tae-hwa, does your mutant ability factor into Blood and Blade?
“Ah, yes. Hyeon-hwa’s swordplay in the movie mixes what I learned at action school with my mutant powers...”
-Ooh...! Could you show us a bit?
At that, her eyes flicked to me and the director in turn. Asking if it was okay.
Why’s she looking at me? The director, sure...
“Then... just a sec.”
With those words, blue flames flickered around her body, shaping into blades.
She swung the sword with flair, drawing gasps from the audience nonstop.
-Were there any dangerous moments during filming?
“Ah, I can control the power, so no danger. I can dial it down to just heater-level heat.”
-What if you maxed out the power?
I answered that one.
“The first thing she did after mutating was make a fire sword and smash an alloy wall. It split clean in two.”
-Wow...
After that, more stories flowed, with other actors sharing set anecdotes that had the crowd roaring with laughter.
Finally, the time came to screen Blood and Blade—the completed version no one had seen.
Tae-hoon and I moved backstage to join Seo-ah and Han-gyeol. They burst out laughing when they saw us.
“Hey, you spilled that there? What about her image? Actresses live off their image.”
“What’s wrong with it? It makes her more relatable, right?”
“It was hilarious when you dropped it out of nowhere. But Tae-hwa unnie, did you really fail?”
“...Yeah.”
As we chatted, the theater lights dimmed.
From then on, total silence.
Not even the tiniest noise.
Wonder how it turned out.
As long as it doesn’t look weird...