Kang Woo-jin doesn’t seem to need us. It was a natural conclusion for Ethan Smith, the leader of the Hollywood stunt team.
Look at it now.
‘That free time.’
Even though he had destroyed four of his teammates, Kang Woo-jin’s breathing was still clean. There was no sign of any disorder. Even though the route wasn’t that long, it was definitely intense.
In reality, Kang Woo-jin was shaking out his pants without a care.
And the ‘CQC’ techniques he showed.
‘Agility, judgment, counterattack. And skill with swords and guns. These aren’t things you can learn and demonstrate in a day or two.’
In particular, Ethan was shocked when he saw the motion of Kang Woo-jin pulling out the magazine with one hand. It was so easy, so smooth, as if it was his own gun.
Overall, Kang Woo-jin’s techniques were difficult to understand.
Plus.
‘Why did you call us?’
The need for his own team has faded. It was completely different from what PD Song Man-woo said when recruiting the team. He clearly said, ‘That actor is above average in martial arts, but this is his first time with CQC.’ So the request was, ‘Come and give us education and practice, and raise the quality of the CQC storyboard.’ But what about that Kang Woo-jin?
‘How can you say that he’s a beginner?’
The techniques that Woojin had just implemented were so impressive that any stunt team in Hollywood would be amazed.
Only then did Ethan understand Kang Woojin’s initial tone of speech.
‘It wasn’t easy to see CQC. I was able to do it properly.’
That arrogant atmosphere wasn’t one of being strong or arrogant, but rather a genuinely laid-back one. So it wouldn’t have been a problem to see the storyboard ‘in moderation’.
at the same time.
-Ugh.
The four members of the team that had fallen returned to Ethan. Including the bear-like man, all of them had lost their initial momentum. They were somewhat hesitant and looked at the leader Ethan’s expression. It was natural since they had been thoroughly destroyed, let alone the order to show an example.
“······”
Ethan, who had a big nose, looked at the team members without saying anything. He wasn’t looking at them with disdain. His eyes were asking them to tell him what they thought. The first one to open the door among the team members was a man with a lot of tattoos.
“···Ethan, Kang Woo-jin. Did you know that he was a special forces soldier?”
In an instant, Ethan Smith’s eyes widened again.
“what?”
Meanwhile, Ethan wasn’t the only one in the action school whose eyes grew wide. The ‘Beneficial Evil’ staff who couldn’t take their eyes off Kang Woo-jin and Choi Sung-geon who stood between them were also the same.
‘······Hapkido- It seems to have gone way beyond the norm. No, where on earth do they think Hapkido is?!!’
The staff members, including him, whose eyes were wide open, were speechless. They were just looking at Kang Woo-jin at the center of the gorgeous stage, while the bearded PD Song Man-woo and the martial arts director standing at the very front looked beyond shocked and soulless.
PD Song Man-woo kept his gaze fixed on Woo-jin and muttered softly.
“What did I see? No, most of what I saw wasn’t in the storyboard.”
The martial arts director also nodded slowly while sharing a glance with producer Song Man-woo.
“That’s right. There was none. From the beginning, there was no movement at all from Woojin or the stunt team.”
“Then what, you’re saying they both did martial arts ad-libs? But why did it sound natural? Like they’d been doing it hundreds of times.”
The martial arts director looked back at PD Song Man-woo as if something like that was important.
“PD Song. Is that the problem now?”
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I furrowed my brow.
“Why is Woojin-ssi talking about ‘CQC’ as if he’s been doing it for decades? When it came to ‘Martial Arts’, I could’ve just thought, ‘Yeah, that’s amazing,’ but that’s- just ridiculous.”
PD Song Man-woo didn’t know either. Even now, it felt like a dream. However, the Kang Woo-jin I’ve seen so far has always been an alien who goes beyond common sense.
“I know, I know. I don’t know.”
“What??! No, you punk. Most of what Woojin showed was martial arts ad-lib. That means he competed with a professional stunt team with a real ‘CQC’, not a continuity!”
“I know! But I don’t know.”
“Even the ones who got destroyed······were not Woojin, but that Hollywood stunt team?”
At first, it was not digestible with the common sense of an action director.
“How on earth could Woojin overpower a veteran Hollywood stunt team that makes a living off of that······?”
“···Woojin-ssi’s martial arts skills are at a level similar to that of a professional – that will be the foundation, and wouldn’t it be better to look at the storyboard in more detail?”
“Does this make sense, you idiot? ‘CQC’ isn’t some kind of child’s play. What was Woojin’s past like that he even had ‘CQC’?”
“It was the same with ‘Martial Arts’, but who knows? I just have to trust him and accept him.”
“······really?”
“Or are you going to dig up some more information?”
“No, that’s not it.”
PD Song Man-woo, who has been with Kang Woo-jin from the beginning until now, smiled and recited.
“Give up on understanding, and you’ll be at ease.”
From here, the key staff surrounding the two, as well as the dozens of martial arts team members surrounding the entire action school, began to stir.
The voices grew louder than before.
Some people asked heated questions, some gave a thumbs up in excitement, some responded with a cool expression, and some waved their arms in goosebumps.
This moment.
-Ugh.
A calm Kang Woo-jin approached PD Song Man-woo. PD Song Man-woo and the martial arts director, who were having a heated conversation about Woo-jin, flinched. The surrounding staff and martial arts team members stared at Kang Woo-jin.
On the other hand, Kang Woo-jin’s voice was low and calm.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“······Ah- uh. We were just watching, and Woojin must have had a hard time.”
“Ha… haha. That, that’s right? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“Yes, did you take pictures?”
PD Song Man-woo was quick to answer.
“Of course I did. But more than that-”
PD Song Man-woo, who has a beard, swallowed his words as he tried to ask about ‘CQC’.
“You must be busy, but you even took the time to complete an unscheduled test. I’m sure it was a great help to the continuity modification and stunt teams, so thank you very much.”
The action director intervened.
“Well, that’s right. Since Mr. Woojin is putting in this much effort, the quality will definitely go up.”
“thank god.”
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At that moment, Choi Sung-geon, who had his hair cut short and was holding Kang Woo-jin’s blazer in one hand, walked in from behind. He had a serious expression on his face.
“That- PD-nim. Woojin has a schedule next time.”
PD Song Man-woo gestured for us to go quickly.
“Oh, oh, oh.”
Kang Woo-jin, who had a strong concept, bowed his head slightly.
“See you at next practice.”
Kang Woo-jin, who received the blazer from Choi Sung-geon, moved first, and Choi Sung-geon, who was watching his back, whispered to PD Song Man-woo.
“PD, wouldn’t it be better to keep this case under wraps?”
“That’s right. I can’t shut them completely, but I can at least keep them quiet to some extent.”
PD Song Man-woo nodded in agreement.
“It’s okay if one or two rumors spread. They’ll think it’s just gossip.”
since.
Kang Woo-jin, who graduated from Action School. His team was supposed to be in the van before the test started, and Choi Sung-geon, who had long hair, ran next to Woo-jin and joined him.
“Woojin, thank you for your hard work.”
“No, it wasn’t difficult.”
Honestly, Kang Woo-jin was nothing special.
‘It was an experiment and fun. But there is a possibility that mistakes or misunderstandings may spread. Tsk, I don’t know. It’ll be another time.’
Then, Choi Seong-geon continued speaking while letting out a small breath.
“What you showed me there – can I just understand it as Hapkido?”
Will it work? Woojin calmed his voice and said the prepared line. It was a line with a strong tone.
“I just read the storyboard and it turned out to be easier than I thought.”
“Ah. Okay, yeah, that was easier than I thought.”
Of course, it was an absurd answer. But the other person was Kang Woojin. Choi Sunggeon couldn’t do anything but chuckle. His common sense was already different from the average.
“Still, it was kind of a surprise. Honestly, I was a bit worried that you’d really get screwed this time. Of course, they’re a Hollywood stunt team.”
“I understand.”
“But you know, it’s really stupid to ask this, and I think I’ve said it before.”
“yes.”
Seong-geon Choi forced a smile as he locked eyes with Woo-jin, who had a strong poker face.
“You- what are you, you’re not a spy or anything, are you? Not in the past or not now.”
Is that right?! Woojin held back his laughter. He knew how Choi Sunggeon felt. Here, Kang Woojin suddenly became playful.
“Actually, that’s right.”
Choi Sung-geon was genuinely shocked.
“Huh?!! Hey! Really?! Wait, wait, wait!! Time, time!”
Kang Woo-jin spoke quietly.
“It’s a joke.”
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Choi Sung-geon, whose movements had stopped, barely managed to catch his soul that was escaping and furrowed his brow.
“This crazy guy.”
At this point, inside the action school where Kang Woo-jin was gone, PD Song Man-woo and the martial arts director were calming down everyone.
“What I saw today was definitely a must, a must.”
It also included a warning to many people. Of course, it might be difficult to silence all of them, so a suitable excuse was added.
“Woojin was originally good at martial arts and it seems he looked at the ‘CQC’ storyboard in depth. Anyway, everyone, be careful with your words.”
If this were to happen, there would be no problem at all even if rumors spread. PD Song Man-woo, who had been organizing the action school for a few dozen minutes, approached the stunt team standing around Ethan Smith. Their faces were naturally serious.
However, there was no talk about today’s test.
“We’ll also leave for now.”
Ethan, who has a big nose, left the action school after Kang Woo-jin. PD Song Man-woo, who scheduled a meeting with them later, did not specifically hire a stunt team.
Still, I was a little worried.
“after-”
If you look at the results, it turned out that the veteran stunt team was turned on by Kang Woo-jin. In addition, PD Song Man-woo told the stunt team that Woo-jin was quite skilled in martial arts, but CQC would be unfamiliar to him. However, looking back, Kang Woo-jin’s movements were not those of a CQC beginner.
Today, I was able to put the experts to shame.
The reason wasn’t clear. Kang Woo-jin knew how to do CQC from the beginning, or maybe he was a crazy genius who just read the storyboard and memorized it. Whatever it was, PD Song Man-woo unintentionally delivered information mixed with errors, and the stunt team, which had a decent reputation in Hollywood, had their pride damaged. It was clear just by looking at their last expressions.
Faces that were somber beyond gloomy.
“It bothers me.”
The martial arts director was added to PD Song Man-woo’s words.
“what.”
“Stunt teams, I’m really concerned about the final expressions. I hope they don’t do their job sloppily out of spite.”
“No way. All we did today was test the main character’s body line. They’re professionals, too. And the stunt team doesn’t just teach and practice movement. They also do things like modifying storyboards, improving the quality of scenes, overseeing the ‘CQC’ action scenes, acting as body doubles, and acting as stunt doubles. There’s a ton to do. I have to balance things out with them. They also have to go on location scouting trips overseas where ‘CQC’ will actually be used.”
“I know, I know.”
In fact, the stunt team led by Ethan was scheduled to go to Bangkok, Thailand to scout locations for the overseas filming of ‘Beneficial Evil’. The filming storyboard for ‘CQC’ had already been released, but if experts saw the site with their own eyes and fleshed it out, the quality would increase several times. This was the work for that.
Then, PD Song Man-woo, who was brushing his beard, muttered with a hopeful mind.
“Surely······he won’t run away, right?”
The next morning, Tuesday the 6th.
It was around 8 o’clock. A luxury hotel in Seoul. At first glance, a large room had a soft sofa, and foreigners who had just returned from breakfast a few dozen minutes ago were gathered there. They were all either physically fit or had a large build. Some had shaved heads, some had tattoos, and some had beards.
Among them, a foreign man with a big nose stands out.
It was Ethan Smith.
In other words, they were a stunt team that had recently come over from Hollywood, who had first seen Kang Woo-jin yesterday. Their muscles seemed firmer, as if they had been working out since dawn. On the table in front of the sofa, there was a coffee cup, a tablet, and various pieces of paper spread out.
Just looking at it, it smelled like a meeting.
Among them, the leader Ethan picked up the tablet while scratching his big nose. With a simple operation, a video started playing on the tablet. A Korean in the middle, and four foreigners surrounding him. It was a full-shot video of Kang Woo-jin’s CQC test that took place yesterday. It was something he had received from the ‘Beneficial Evil’ side.
As expected, the video captures Kang Woo-jin’s dazzling presence.
Ethan and his teammates watched the video in silence for a while.
“······”
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“······”
However, the stunt team members slightly averted their eyes when they were shown being attacked. They were overcome with embarrassment. On the other hand, the leader Ethan stared at the footage without averting his eyes.
‘···It feels different when you see it on video.’
It was a shock enough to make me lose my mind at the scene yesterday, but when I actually saw it on video, it was a different atmosphere.
“hmm-”
Ethan stopped the video that was being displayed and crossed his arms. Thanks to that, his muscles stood out several times more. Among the team members who were watching the leader who was deep in thought, a man with tattoos on both hands spoke English a little cautiously.
“Ethan, are you thinking of going back to LA?”
Ethan asked back, his eyebrows narrowing slightly.
“what?”
“It was a test, but I thought they might think about going back since our reputation was ruined.”
Ethan chuckled, running his hands through his brown hair.
“Not at all. If you come to work, you have to do it. Where is the time to worry about saving face?”
“······”
“I was shocked by what happened yesterday, but it was just an unexpected event. It would be more embarrassing to run away from something like that.”
The team members also nodded.
“I thought the same thing.”
“Me too.”
Perhaps it seemed like he asked the question out of concern, and Ethan uncrossed his arms and used his index finger to touch the tablet that had stopped playing. Kang Woojin’s face appeared.
“And regardless of whether Kang Woo-jin was a special forces member or not, it’s fun for us that he knows how to handle ‘CQC’. If he’s even at an expert level, the situation is even better.”
“What is that?”
When asked, Ethan replied, recalling the Hollywood market.
“You know, we always start with the basics of an actor. But as the actor gains experience and becomes more skilled at action, things change.”
“···You can take care of the technical aspects, style, impact, and dazzle.”
“That’s right. If the protagonist is not skilled in the technique, they start with training, but if they are skilled, training alone is enough.”
There was a bear-like man among the team members.
“spare.”
“Yes, as you all know, training is all about learning the basics. There’s no time to look at anything else. But training is different. You have the freedom to add flair to your skill. Whether it’s the main character or the production. We’re given an unexpected amount of time.”
After finishing speaking, Ethan put down the tablet and picked up a bundle of papers. It was a traditional martial arts storyboard with the ‘CQC’ action of ‘Beneficial Evil’ added.
“What I’m saying is that there’s no problem upgrading this storyboard to Hollywood level.”
Kang Woo-jin’s ‘CQC’ has been featured in numerous Hollywood films.
“Because there’s no need to worry about whether the main character can handle it or not.”
The story was that Ethan’s experiences were mixed.
end
