Chapter 42: Speed (4)

Chapter 42: Speed (4)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Kang Woojin, heading to the shooting zone for the main shoot, heard a conversation between PD Song Man-Woo and the VFX team, which included a foreigner. He thought,

‘Huh? Is there a problem? It seems serious.’

He wasn’t very interested at first. However, even though he didn’t want to listen, he could hear the foreigners’ conversation. Even the English he had never heard in his life was very smoothly and easily understood.

‘Oh- I see. That’s what they’re talking about. Wow, but this is really amazing? It’s very fascinating.’

Kang Woojin, now intrigued, listened to their English from a few steps away. But something seemed to be getting lost in translation. ‘Ah, should I correct that?’

Because he was the actor playing the role of Park Dae-ri, it bothered him.

‘Should I step in?’

That was all there was to it.

‘I’ll have to use English sooner or later, so it’s fine to start early.’

Honestly, since he had gained the language skill, he wanted to use it at least once. For experiment. So, Kang Woojin stepped in. The target was a slightly serious, bald foreigner from the VFX team. The bald foreigner was surprised as Woojin fluently explained something in English.

Woojin didn’t forget to introduce himself at the end.

“Oh, I’m the actor playing that role.”

A foreigner understood my English? Kang Woojin kept a straight face, but inside, he was dancing with joy, thrilled to be able to converse so effortlessly with a foreigner.

At this point,

“······What?”

“???”

Upon Kang Woojin’s appearance and the fluent English he spat out, the people gathered around him widened their eyes. This included dozens of staff and actors alike. The focus was on Woojin, but he took one step closer to the bald foreigner and continued explaining in English since he was riding the flow.

His tone was still low.

“The world changing colors is to express the twisted innocence of the character, and perceiving animals and people not as life but merely as colors, treating them lightly like objects.”



There was not a moment’s hesitation in his words. The bald foreigner, now more surprised, asked awkwardly in English.

“···The part where the firecrackers go off.”

“It’s directed like a fairy tale showing cruelty. Imagine a child seeing blood bursting from the neck when something is killed. The writer expressed the bursting blood as a red firework.”

“I see. A grotesque innocence.”

“That’s right. This character has a firm world and psychology of his own. He has a perspective that others can never understand.”

“It needs to be emphasized.”

“If a gradient is added to the color, it should be fine. It will be noticeable and will make a good point.”

Woojin’s design knowledge was included in the conversation. Their conversation flowed very naturally. It looked as if two Americans were having a casual conversation, and both Kang Woojin and the bald foreigner continued the conversation calmly. However, the surroundings were anything but calm.

It started with dozens of staff around them opening their eyes wide.

“What? Why is Woojin so good at English? Isn’t it almost at a native level?”

“······That’s kind of cool. No, it’s totally awesome. Woojin’s English tone is insane.”

“That’s... not something you can do by studying, right? Did he live in America? There’s no hesitation, and it’s not like he’s thinking about the words.”

“Wow- He’s casually throwing out English with that indifferent face, and his pronunciation is good too··· It’s amazing.”

The staff were whispering non-stop. Of course, PD Song Man-woo, who was standing next to Kang Woojin, let out a small, wry laugh.

‘Yes, I knew this would happen. He’s definitely foreign-educated. His native-like pronunciation is just like a Korean-American’s, no, more than that.’

Actors like Ryu Jung-min and Hong Hye-yeon were not quiet either.

“·····Look at that. I knew he must have been overseas.”

“What? Hye-yeon, what did you know??”

“No.”

“Ah- At the beginning, there were rumors that Woojin was foreign-educated. Isn’t that what you’re talking about? Anyway, he’s really like an onion. No matter how much you peel, there’s always something new.”

“Wow- Was he practicing for Hollywood before his debut?”



“Brother, do you think you can achieve that level of skill with a few years of study? It must have taken at least ten years or so. I think he lived abroad. He’s having a chat with a foreigner, look at that.”

Woojin and the bald foreigner continued their calm conversation, but the excitement and misunderstanding around them grew. Above all, the most excited of all was CEO Choi Sung-gun, who was standing a few steps away.

‘Insane... So he was in an English-speaking country. Why did he hide that? Or did he just not mention it? Then what about Japanese? Why did he ask for a Japanese scenario? Could he possibly speak both English and Japanese?’

A rookie actor who’s part of his company has English skills at the native level. Which agency would dislike that? Instead, Kang Woojin’s identity became even more of a mystery.

“Anyway, if he goes to Hollywood now, it wouldn’t be strange at all.”

At this point, CEO Choi Sung-gun felt a chill. He was joined by other team members on both sides. It was road manager Jang Su-hwan and stylist Han Ye-jung.

“What’s going on, sir? Was Woojin bro an American?!”

“There’s no way that’s true. Some idols can’t speak English at all, but Woojin bro is totally a cheat character, right?”

Whether or not that was true, Kang Woojin’s English continued.

“If you feel the flesh, the world changes color. You’re right, you can think that way.”

“Oh! Thank you, it helped a lot with the image.”

Regardless of the misunderstandings around him, Kang Woojin was purely happy inside.

‘It works? No, of course, it does. I never thought I’d be speaking with a foreigner. It’s thrilling, incredibly amazing.’

There was a pot-bellied man in a mask, watching this situation from a distance. It was Director Kwon Ki-taek, who had already been infected with the misunderstanding by origin, PD Song man-woo and who had secretly come in because he had important business with Woojin that day.

‘PD Song was right. He said he was from abroad. The more you know, the more mysterious he is.’

The number of people infected with the misunderstanding increased rapidly.

Dozens of minutes later.

For the on-site verification scene, dozens of police officers, reporters, and onlookers gathered at a shooting zone where a doll was placed. Of course, they were all extras. There were more than 30 people, half of them looking serious since they were aspiring actors dreaming of becoming actors.

And the rest were part-timers.

They were all busy chatting. Looking at the actor playing the role of ‘Park Dae-ri’. In other words, Kang Woojin.

“I saw that actor earlier, speaking English like a native speaker.”N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

“That’s right, I saw it too. Is he a Korean-American or something?”

-Snap!

Perhaps because he put too much strength, the cord that Park Dae-ri was pulling snapped! Park Dae-ri then gently caressed the face of the doll he had been strangling. Swiftly brushing the doll’s cheeks, Park Dae-ri, who casually shrugged his shoulders, kept his gaze on Yu Ji-hyeong.

“People don’t die from something this weak. Give me a new one.”

A silence followed for about 10 seconds.

The one who broke that silence was.

“Ooookay!!!”

It was PD Song Man-woo.

“Great! That was good! Keep that emotion, and let’s move straight to the real murder scene!”

As soon as his words ended, dozens of extras and actors who had crowded the filming zone spread out. The dolls and various props were also removed. Some lights were also removed. The staff moved quickly. The handcuffs that had filled Kang Woojin’s hands were removed. Of course, the outfits were changed too.

Kang Woojin was now wearing a black windbreaker zipped up to the neck and a hat.

Suddenly, the filming zone was empty and dim. It exuded a chilling atmosphere. A woman in her 50s with permed hair walked in. She was an extra. And behind her,

-Swish.

The calm Kang Woojin stood. It was now time to shoot the real scene of the reenacted murder. Kang Woojin whispered into the extra’s ear.

“I’m sorry.”

“...What?”

“No, it’s because the scene is a bit too intense .”

“Oh, it’s fine. It’s just acting. Why would you be sorry?”

“I’ll do it right in one take.”

“Thank you.”

The extra actress braced herself. About that time.

“Hi- Action!”

PD Song Man-woo’s signal was given, and Park Dae-ri suddenly grabbed the back of the head of a woman who had permed hair. Then, he dragged her. The woman had no choice but to scream.

“Kyaaa!”

At that scream, Park Dae-ri opened his mouth, looking up at the sky.

“Ha-”

It was because he felt an orgasm unknowingly when lust and desire were realized. Ecstasy, exhilaration, shivering – whatever the words, a genuine smile, not a practiced one, spread across his lips.

Park Dae-ri, who was holding her hair, whispered in her ear.

“I like it, ma’am. I like it.”

“Sa, save me... save me.”

“You think you’re going to die today, ma’am?”

Park Dae-ri’s lips trembled. It was a spasm caused by pleasure. He couldn’t stand it, how could he quit this? Addiction. Park Dae-ri was a man who neither smoked nor drank. However, he was addicted to murder.

Such an expression filled Park Dae-ri’s face now.

The excitement intensified. The dark pupils expanded, and his breath quickened. The lips that were raised in a sneer had no intention of coming down. At this point, the main camera zooms in for a close-up of the woman and Park Dae-ri standing behind her, shaking slightly for realism.

But Park Dae-ri, without any care.

-Thud!

He slammed the woman to the ground. The camera followed suit. The woman flailed wildly. It was a desperate message to be saved.

“Kuhuk! Do, don’t! Save me! Save me!!”

“Then, Park Dae-ri took a red cord from his windbreaker pocket. He wrapped it around the woman’s neck.

Slowly, languidly. Giving the woman enough time to feel the imminent danger.

The camera moves to Park Dae-ri’s side as he ties the cord. He is delighted. Park Dae-ri looked like a child with a gift in front of him. His expression was completely detached from the current environment and situation. The strangeness created by the gap was hard to put into words.

Therefore.

“...My God.”

Hong Hye-yeon, who was watching Park Dae-ri on the monitor, covered her mouth.

‘It’s not a real murder, isn’t it? Why does it look so real?’

It wasn’t admiration. It was closer to fear. Ryu Jung-min quietly gritted her teeth.

‘If I did it······ No, I probably can’t do it like that. It’s scary, the level of immersion is terrifying.’

None of the actors could articulate their appreciation as they watched Park Dae-ri. It was simply amazing. Because what they were seeing was indistinguishable from reality.

And PD Song Man-woo stood motionless with his face buried in the monitor. Instead, he spat out a curse.

“F***... That’s right.”

His taste was sharp. As a director, he was experiencing a remarkable moment. The faces of the supporting actors and staff who had gathered were all shocked. Some opened their mouths slightly or furrowed their brows and turned their heads.

Because it was brutal.

But Park Dae-ri’s pleasure didn’t stop. He dragged the woman he had tied by the neck.

-Squeak, squeak.

His face was as though he was walking a pet. The woman’s screams continued.

“Aaah! Kuhuk! I can’t breathe! Help!”

The more she did so, the lighter Park Dae-ri’s footsteps became.

At this point.

-Swoosh.

The camera zoomed in on Park Dae-ri’s face, and Park Dae-ri bent down to whisper in the ear of the woman writhing on the floor.

His expression suddenly became emotionless.

“I wish your screams were a little louder. They are not quite satisfying enough?”

The woman who met Park Dae-ri’s eyes shivered with her hands and feet.

“······Ah.”

It wasn’t acting.

*****