When Jo Seok-jeong received the offer to be cast in Race Start, one of the things he wondered about was which actor would play the drug courier.
‘A middling actor won’t be able to pull that off.’
Having shot many projects over the years, he couldn’t be unaware of the value of that role.
It appears only in episode 1 and has little screen time, but that role is what sets the story in motion.
Because it could be called the role that creates the story’s flow, he knew they had to find the right actor.
“When I first heard an actor named Han Seongtae had been cast, I wasn’t so sure.”
When Nam Seok-dae told him the drug courier role had been cast, Jo Seok-jeong found it hard to react positively.
Not only had he never heard the name Han Seongtae, when he looked him up himself he found this was the actor’s first project.
An actor whose acting had yet to be recognized.
He couldn’t help being skeptical about hiring someone like that.
So up until the moment he met Han on set, Jo was worried about how well he would do.
Jo’s worries vanished as soon as shooting began.
‘I figured that no matter how good a rookie is, he’s still a rookie.’
Watching Han take the wheel in place of the stuntman, Jo wore a curious expression.
The performance of the person he’d worried about was good enough to make those worries look silly.
“Director, you’re amazing too. Where did you find an actor like that?”
“Good, right? I was really surprised the first time I saw Mr. Seongtae act.”
At Jo’s reaction, Nam nodded, saying he completely understood.
“This really is his first project, right?”
“Yes.”
“That’s insane. I wasn’t nearly that good when I started.”
Watching Han crank the wheel, Jo let out a disbelieving chuckle.
‘A monster… he’s a total monster.’
The arrival of a monster rookie.
Jo looked at Han and smiled.
He grew curious about the person named Han Seongtae and about the actor he was.
Bwaaaang!
As he sped a car across the set, a small smile tugged at Han’s lips.
‘Going nicely.’
During a break, with Nam’s permission, he took out a car under the pretext of practice.
It was a Stinger, sponsored by Daehyeon, and it was very well made.
[‘He Who Lives and Dies by Speed’ says it’s a tad lacking, but he’s satisfied to feel speed again after so long.]
Screeeech.
Modulating throttle and brake to drift, his car came to a stop in front of the crew.
“Mr. Seongtae, have you worked in this field before? That drift was art.”
“I’ve never seen anyone drive this well. Can you teach me sometime?”
After seeing Han’s driving and acting, the way people looked at him changed.
Their worry that the car might get wrecked vanished in an instant.
“This is really your first time acting? I’ve never found myself immersed by a performance with no lines.”
“Be honest: you’re not actually a college student, are you? What about that looks like a college kid’s acting?”
“Good-looking, great driver, and on top of that your acting’s amazing. I’m jealous.”
At their words, Han smiled awkwardly.
Maybe because he’d never received this kind of attention in his previous life, their reactions felt unfamiliar.
He’d always only been criticized.
[‘He Who Defined His Era’ says you’ll be getting a lot of attention from now on, so you’d better get used to it quickly.]
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ suggests that if you train, you’ll be able to take people’s attention in stride, and proposes hitting the gym after the shoot.]
[‘He Who Found Laughter in Tragedy’ chuckles, saying your reaction is amusing.]
But he couldn’t stay unaccustomed forever.
He had to adjust as fast as possible.
“Mr. Seongtae, anything uncomfortable while driving? With the action cam mounted, it must be tough.”
“It’s a little inconvenient, but nothing that really gets in the way.”
“Good to hear. But if there’s any issue, you need to tell us right away.”
“Yes, I’ll speak up immediately.”
At Nam’s words, Han nodded with a smile.
“You saved us, Mr. Seongtae. The other stuntmen are all tied up with their roles, so finding another was hard. If I’d known you could do it this well, I’d have asked you from the start.”
“I’m grateful you think so. Um, Director.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“If it won’t inconvenience anyone, could I do the rest of the shoot as well?”
If they brought in a stuntman, the fun he was having now would vanish.
Han wanted to keep performing himself without using a stuntman.
“Mm… there’s no problem with that. No—in fact, I should be the one asking you. I’ll be counting on you going forward.”
“Yes!”
“Then Mr. Seongtae will keep performing, and we’ll reassign that stuntman elsewhere. We’ve been short on manpower anyway. This works out.”
Nam agreed readily without much deliberation, and Han beamed.
Now he could act happily without worry.
[‘The One of a Thousand Faces’ praises you, saying a proactive attitude is essential for an actor.]
[‘He Who Defined His Era’ smiles at the sight of you being recognized.]
“Alright, let’s move straight into the next shot!”
“Yes!”
At Nam’s words, people answered in loud voices.
Han answered along with them and headed up onto the set.
Since the role was small, filming would take only about a week, but in all that time Han meant to show the best acting he could.
Thus one day passed, then two, then three.
Before he knew it, the time allotted to Han’s role was nearing its end.
On the third day after shooting began,
Jin Ja-rim came to the set.
She slipped in quietly and stayed by Nam’s side, watching the shoot in silence.
“Cut! That’s great! Mr. Seongtae, take a short break!”
“Yes!”
Getting out of the car, Han wiped the sweat running down his face with his sleeve and walked toward where Nam stood.
His body was pretty beat, perhaps because they’d shot the same scene over ten times.
“Great work. Mr. Seongtae, you’re really something. I don’t know how you keep that level of focus.”
“It’s thanks to your clear direction, Director. And the other actors helped a lot, too.”
At Nam’s words, Han smiled.
Just now Han had shot over a dozen cuts.
Even if it’s the same scene, different frames and angles each become their own cut.
Those cuts were now playing back on the monitor.
[‘The One of a Thousand Faces’ says wavering focus is for amateurs and tells you to keep a tight hold on your mind.]
No matter how much he’d lived by effort, shooting the same scene over and over was extremely taxing.
Without the help of the gods of acting, it would have been hard to maintain his focus.
“Want to take a look? They all came out great.”
At Nam’s words, Han nodded and stepped up to the monitor.
Beside him, he saw Jin Ja-rim staring holes in the screen.
The monitor she was watching showed Han drifting the car.
‘Came out well.’
Just as Nam said, Han’s performance had been captured nicely.
[‘He Who Found Laughter in Tragedy’ lets out a brief exclamation, saying it has a good feel.]
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ says this kind of action is pretty good too.]
[‘He Who Lives and Dies by Speed’ mutters that it wouldn’t be bad for you to appear someday in the film he once shot.]
Tap, tap.
Reading the gods’ messages, Han turned his head at the sensation of someone tapping his forearm.
“Writer?”
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
He saw Jin Ja-rim with a gentle smile.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes. How about you, Writer?”
“Me? Well… I suppose I’ve been well.”
At her words, Han let out a faint laugh.
If you’ve been well, you’ve been well—what did “suppose I’ve been well” even mean?
“Mr. Seongtae, you act incredibly well. I felt that last time too, but seeing it on set feels completely different. No wonder the director praises you every day.”
“Thank you.”
“I should be the one thanking you. I don’t know what we would’ve done if you hadn’t come. It was hard to find an actor who fit the role.”
“Thank you for the kind words.”
When Han said it with a smile, she smiled too.
After exchanging a few lines, Jin folded her arms as she watched the monitor.
Watching her, looking as if she were mulling something over, Han turned and moved away.
Maybe it was because the scriptwriter was there.
Han’s performance felt heavier than usual.
After more than three hours of shooting like that, Han dragged his exhausted body home.
Bzzzz.
Just as he was about to wash up and rest, a phone call caught him.
“You home?”
At the sound of Kim Min-seok in his ear, Han answered weakly,
“Yeah, I got in a little while ago.”
“I’m not interrupting your rest, am I?”
“No. I was going to read a bit and sleep. What’s up?”
“Calling to tell you I secured a location. We’re going to shoot at my grandmother’s house.”
At that, Han blinked.
As far as he knew, Min-seok’s grandmother had passed away four years ago.
‘Ah… right. I came back to the past.’
Han let out a hollow laugh and continued the call.
“My grandma’s house is in Okcheon, you know. The location’s perfect for a thriller.”
“Right… Gu-eum-ri, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. Gu-eum-ri in Okcheon. It’s so rural hardly anyone knows about it, and the village is small—perfect.”
“I think I know the vibe you mean.”
He’d visited with Min-seok before, so Han understood what he meant.
Remembering that time, it really was a location more than suitable for shooting a thriller.
“Anyway, the location’s set. Oh, didn’t you say Ms. Ha-rin is at your agency? Try asking her.”
“Seo Ha-rin?”
“Yeah. Wouldn’t it be better coming from you, since you’re in the same agency, rather than me?”
“Mm… okay. I’ll bring it up later.”
He didn’t know if it would work, but there was no reason not to try.
“Good work on the shoot. Hang in there.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Ending the call, Han lay back on the bed and exhaled.
Before he knew it, it was past eleven at night.
‘They said tomorrow’s shoot starts at 8 a.m.’
It would take an hour to get to the set, so he had about two hours to practice.
Finishing the quick calculation, Han pushed himself up and grabbed the script.
For the shooting yet to come, Han busied himself.
Time flowed on, and the day of his final shoot drew near.
Leave a Reply