Physical Genius Actor Episode 4

Editor: Veris

“Ah, yes. It’s resolved. Don’t worry. It won’t affect the filming at all. Haha!”

Ha Jae-woong, the martial arts director, was speaking on the phone with a pleased expression.

It was a call about the filming of the youth drama Bugiheup, based on tennis, indicating that there seemed to be no issues.

After ending the call, he approached me with a proud smile and said,

“Somehow, I felt uneasy. You used to play tennis when you were young, Kang Jang-gu, right?”

“I’ll say it again, I wasn’t a professional player.”

After persistently bragging about his enthusiastic club activities, he didn’t bring up the topic of selecting players anymore.

“But seriously, wasn’t the serve better than the guy we just saw? Haha!”

That was a given.

Even though I didn’t know the person who was originally cast, in my past life in Korea, I had already ranked first, so naturally, my serve form was superior.

“By the way, you came because you’re interested in stunts, right? We need talented and physically fit guys like you,  Jang-gu.”

“Yes, I’m interested.”

There was a need to test the system first.

I wanted to see if the system would respond to bit parts or stunt doubles, like in part-time jobs.

‘Even back in my athlete days, to earn points, I had to meet specific levels demanded by the system.’

In small-scale competitions like inter-school tournaments or amateur events, I couldn’t earn any points at all. Even in competitions that were below my current skill level, it was the same.

‘Points became increasingly difficult to raise as time went on.’

But my filmography was non-existent at the moment. Like a newbie at level 1 in a game. So, there was a need to test if there would be any response even in small supporting roles or stunt doubles.

‘If there’s a response even at this level, it’ll be awesome.’

“You’ve thought well. Our action school selects students every year, trains them for six months, and then puts them into action on set. But I don’t think you’ll need that level. Well, it depends on the job, but you could earn a few hundred thousand a month. (1) Oh, you’re still a student, right?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… I guess it’ll be tough to juggle with studies.”

Ha Jae-woong, the martial arts director, pointed to the members practicing martial arts actions with wires.

“These guys come to work here every day. From 9 in the morning until 6 in the evening. Just like regular office workers. Well, there are frequent business trips to the provinces or abroad. Their form is incredible, right? They’ve been at it for a long time. It’s something that can be done for a long time. It’s quite fun and rewarding.”

He slowly walked around the gym, continuing to explain about JW Action School and stunt work.

Listening to him for a moment, I thought about how overflowing his pride in what he was doing was.

Anyone who loves their work looks impressive.

I thought I had made the right decision to come here, looking at Ha Jae-woong, the martial arts director.

‘He’s someone who’ll be helpful.’

As you experience multiple lifetimes, your ability to judge people becomes more accurate.

People who will be helpful to me and those who won’t be.

Ha Jae-woong, the martial arts director, was definitely the former.

“Do you know what I consider most important when selecting stuntmen?”

“Well, let’s see. Physical condition? Athletic background?”

“No. It’s all about the gaze. Your gaze, just like yours.”

Perhaps the person in front of me was thinking the same thing.

* * *

“What’s going on? Why are you two here together?”

Director Park Jun-dong of Seoul Square: The Last Day looked surprised as the two entered the meeting room together.

“Is it something we can’t come together for? If it’s a sensitive matter, I can step out for a moment and come back.”

“I’m just kidding. Just kidding.”

Director Park Jun-dong chuckled and then showed a surprised expression when he lay eyes on me. 

“Jang-gu, you seem more refined than last time.”

It was natural for Director Park to feel that way. It was because my mask level had risen from D to C. With my appearance grade rising to C, the blemishes on my face disappeared cleanly. Although my facial features remained the same, just changing the complexion could change my appearance from unattractive to attractive.

“But Director, this guy is really talented. Well, he’s even at a professional level in tennis. I was completely surprised.”

“Oh, really?”

“I mentioned the drama Bugiheup that’s going into filming this week, right? The one about tennis.”

“Ah… tennis?”

“Yes. We were struggling because the male stunt double dropped out, but I thought he would be perfect for it.”

Upon hearing that, Director Park responded with a bewildered expression.

“Director Ha pays properly, right?”

“Come on, Director. I’m not that kind of person. You know that.”

I said that with a serious yet playful expression.

“We haven’t drafted the formal contract yet.”

“Huh? Jang-gu, of course we’ll have one. What’s going on with you two? Are you trying to deceive me after getting comfortable?”

“Let’s follow the procedure properly. I asked Jang-gu to see me for that reason.”

After saying that, he pushed the contract that was on the table towards me.

The first thing that caught my eye as I looked over the contract was the appearance fee.

‘…It’s quite substantial.’

As a rookie with no filmography, it wasn’t a huge amount, but for a first appearance fee, it was quite substantial. If it weren’t for the benefits of the system, this money would have been reinvested into improving the mask.

‘But there’s no need for that.’

Knowing that I could gradually upgrade my face with the system, it seemed like a good idea to look into other investment opportunities.

As I was about to sign, Director Park spoke up while scanning my body.

“By the way, there’s one thing I’d like to ask of you.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Since this role is somewhat of a zombie character, it would be great if you could lose some weight before filming. I feel like your current physique might feel a bit burdensome.”

Such a request posed no problem at all. Having undergone body mass tests in my past life as often as eating rice, fluctuating my weight like a rubber band was a piece of cake.

“Shall I lose around 10kg?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, should I aim for 15kg?”

At that, Director Park burst into laughter, a laughter that was not there before.

“Haha. No, you don’t need to lose that much… But I like your enthusiasm. As much as that passion.”

It was an unexpected reaction, I felt like was a easy enough request. 

“Make sure everything’s in order, then sign there.”

After carefully examining the contract, which detailed the amount and shooting schedule, he finally extended his hand after I finished signing.

“Well then, let’s do well.”

My first director.

As I shook hands firmly with Director Park Jun-dong, a smile naturally spread across my lips.

* * *

“Hey, have you heard the rumor?”

“What rumor?”

“Kang Jang-gu, the senior, got cast in Seoul Square. “

“Really? That’s a lucrative movie, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. It’s a huge production. Top actors and an apocalypse fantasy. They say the production budget is enormous.”

“And Kang Jang-gu senior…?”

“Yeah. But apparently, it’s for a zombie role.”

The film industry was smaller than one might think.

Rumors that began to spread quickly reached the department of film and theater at the Korean National University of Arts, where I was studying.

“We’ve heard it all, guys.”

In a small theater where even the slightest whisper echoed loudly, it was impossible not to hear the blatant gossip being exchanged.

“Oh, surprise!!!”

“Wow, senior…”

“Oh, you’re here?”

The juniors, who looked as shocked as if they had seen a real zombie, suddenly stood up and greeted me.

It wasn’t the most appropriate way to show respect, but better late than never.

“Congratulations on getting cast in the movie!”

“Who did you hear that from?”

“…Uh, just around.”

At that moment, Seong Jun-won entered the theater carrying a handful of steamed buns in both hands. Seeing the juniors’ gaze silently directed towards him, it was easy to guess that he was the source of the rumor.

“Heh, who’s this? The king of zombies! I brought buns. What do you want to eat? There’s a few with vegetables and these have meat.”

With a bright smile, he offered the buns to the rushing juniors.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Hey, why are you spreading rumors everywhere?”

“Huh? Oh… hey! It’s good news. Good news should be spread far and wide… whoops!”

I casually grabbed a bun and kindly shoved it into the mouth of the crazy one.

While it was good news, it wasn’t necessarily good for rumors to spread.

This was school.

The best way to enjoy group activities was to quietly go about like I was almost invisible, as if you were there but not really there.

Thinking back on the numerous trials and tribulations I had faced due to standing out in my past life, it made me shudder.

Living in the hellish rivalry and hierarchy among athletes was more than enough to handle.

“…I didn’t know you hated it. If you don’t want me to say anything, I won’t.”

But for some reason, during theater class, alarms kept going off on my phone.

[WQNL_ is now following you.]

[booooo is now following you.]

[011_bin is now following you.]

.

.

.

‘He even has an SNS account?’

Clicking on the notification that popped up on the screen, I saw that my follower count on HotstarGram had skyrocketed in an instant.

Even though I hadn’t uploaded any photos recently, seeing such a sudden increase in followers made me think…

‘…The rumors must be spreading.’

That was the only conclusion I could come to.

There were three photos uploaded, all with my face barely visible, making it impossible to recognize it was my account at a glance. 

It definitely wasn’t the kind of account someone would casually follow as they’re scrolling… 

‘This is going to be tiring.’

As I tried to turn off my SNS notifications, I noticed there was an unread direct message.

[Honghong_] Congratulations, Senior.

‘…?’

Clicking on the profile, I saw a familiar face.

‘Hong Chi-ryeon?’

“Who’s playing with their phone during class? Not just one or two?”

At that moment, the theater professor, Choi Han-cheol, raised his voice.

Unconsciously, I had been staring at my phone.

“Everyone, pay attention. June is the Young Theater Festival month. Starting next week, we’ll be officially assigning roles, so be prepared.”

Seong Jun-won, who was sitting next to me, cautiously stuffed the remaining bun into his mouth, but he got caught by the professor.

“You, you! Are you even eating buns during class?”

“S-Sorry… Professor.”

“Have you ever seen such a crazy person!”

Seeing him stumbling and unable to pronounce properly, Choi Han-cheol grabbed the back of his neck as if his blood pressure was rising.

“Seong Jun-won. I’m going to give you the most lines and the most challenging role, so be prepared.”

“N-No, please!”

He seemed completely caught off guard.

By the way…

‘Were Hong Chi-ryeon and I originally acquainted?’

After the lecture ended, I opened the message from Hong Chi-ryeon that was still on SNS.

‘If that’s the case, then this is… absolutely golden.’

Editor’s Note: 

1.  “you could earn a few hundred thousand a month.” (100,00 won = 75.23 USD)

^reminder the novel uses korean currency.