WeTried Translations
Translator: uglyidol
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became a Top Star by Only Playing Villains ◈
Chapter 4: Kill Them All
──────
Rrrroll.
A ball rolled up to my feet.
It belonged to some elementary school kids playing soccer at the nearby playground.
‘I feel like this happened a few days ago, too.’
Back then, I’d been overcome by the urge to boot their ball far away like Cristiano Ronaldo.
But I was different now.
“Hey, big bro! Could you kick our ball over here?”
“Sure! Be careful, kids! There’s a road right next to you!”
“Thank you!”
Playing the serial killer Kim Minu had given my evil nature a pretty good outlet.
Thanks to that, doing good deeds no longer made me uncomfortable.
‘Man, I wish filming would start soon.’
Instead, I’d recently found myself wanting to play more villains.
I wanted to feel that pleasure and freedom I’d experienced while acting as a villain at the audition again.
Tap-tap, tap.
On my way home after buying a few things at the convenience store, I searched through casting notices.
There were several looking for villains, but most were extra roles.
“Maybe I should do a few bit parts before <The Last Clue> starts filming properly.”
There was still a little time left before filming began for <The Last Clue>.
I couldn’t even wait that long. I wanted to play more villains, even if I was only an extra.
I was endlessly scrolling down in search of a decent role when something caught my eye.
“Hmm?”
One casting notice looked pretty good.
[Extras Wanted for <Savage Blood>: Small Roles in an Action Scene (Gangsters, Brawl Scene)]
<Savage Blood> was a noir action film about power struggles between Korean gangs in the twentieth century.
The director was a veteran, and the cast was full of talented actors. From what I knew, the film had attracted plenty of interest at its production press conference.
“<Savage Blood> is looking for extras. Looks like they’re in a real hurry.”
What caught my attention was the role.
A gangster.
One of the most common villains in Korean movies.
And since it was an extra role, I was sure I wouldn’t have a single line.
All I’d have to do in the brawl was throw punches at someone.
But...
“Sounds like fun.”
It was still a villain, wasn’t it?
As long as I was playing a villain, I wanted to take as many roles as possible, big or small.
“Oh, they give preference to people who’ve attended action school?”
There was still time before filming started for <The Last Clue>, and the <Savage Blood> shoot would only take one day.
I applied without a second thought and received a reply right away.
[We’ve received your application for an extra role! Would you be available to come in tomorrow?]
“Oh, yes! I’m available!”
And that was how I ended up playing an extra gangster in a brawl scene for the noir film <Savage Blood>.
A gangster after a serial killer.
Even if I was only an extra, my heart began to race at the thought of playing another villain.
* * *
Physical action was harder than one might think.
The stunt performers who handled most of the action scenes in movies were all trained professionals.
That was why brawls involving dozens of people sometimes included extras with at least some action experience to fill out the background.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Park Dongsu, the action director.”
“Hello. I’m Lee Hansol.”
Park Dongsu, the action director for <Savage Blood>, offered me a handshake.
The hand was hard and heavy, bearing clear signs of years of training.
“The assistant director told me about you. You’ve been to action school, right? Who taught you?”
“I trained under Director Yu Hak-ryong for about six months.”
“What? Then you’re my junior!”
Director Yu Hak-ryong was one of Korea’s leading action actors and action directors.
A living legend among action actors, you could say.
Countless famous action actors had trained under Director Yu Hak-ryong.
Park Dongsu, the action director for <Savage Blood>, was one of them.
“How’s our teacher doing? I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had a chance to call.”
“Doing well. Your name came up sometimes, too. Apparently, you were the best student.”
“Hahaha! Come on, why would our teacher tell the kids something like that?”
During the two years I’d spent drifting around without finding a decent role, D&P Entertainment had sent me to action school.
Thanks to that, I’d been able to train under Korea’s best action director for six months.
Not that getting better at action scenes had landed me any good roles.
“Good to hear you’ve had proper training. The others are practicing right now. Come with me.”
“Yes, Director.”
“No need for ‘Director.’ I’m just your senior from the same school.”
“Yes, sunbaenim!”
So connections really were everything in Korea.
With a friendly look on their face, Park Dongsu led me over to the stunt performers.
They were rehearsing their fight choreography on green mats.
“You won’t be doing anything complicated today. First, throw a punch at your scene partner...”
As Park Dongsu had said, my action scene for the day wasn’t particularly difficult.
Anyone reasonably coordinated could probably manage it after thirty minutes of practice.
After six months at action school, I found this level of action acting almost laughably easy.
“Oh, good. You really do know what you’re doing. We can put you a little closer to the front, where the camera will catch you better than the other extras.”
“Thank you, sunbaenim.”
Park Dongsu placed me between the extras and the stunt performers.
Giving an extra a spot where the camera could actually pick them up was a huge favor.
I bowed in gratitude, and Park Dongsu patted my shoulder with a pleased expression.
“You don’t have any lines, but you can throw in simple shouts like ‘Raaagh!’ or ‘Kill them all!’ Got it?”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Okay. That should be enough for you. Keep practicing with the others until filming starts.”
With that, Park Dongsu finished up and left.
All that remained was practice.
“I look forward to working with you today.”
“Oh, yes. Same here.”
I bowed to my scene partner and continued practicing.
By the time our timing was perfect...
“All right, actors, please stand by!”
All the actors gathered.
I followed the assistant director’s instructions to the set, where Director Noh Jeong-hyeon and the leads of <Savage Blood> were already waiting.
Director Noh Jeong-hyeon and the lead actors were all known for their skill in the industry.
Even the stunt performers were top-notch.
In that case, I had to do my best, too, even if I was only an extra barely visible in the background.
“Phew...”
Just before filming began, I briefly closed my eyes and got into character.
As I drew out the evil nature inside me, a thrilling sense of freedom filled my entire body.
‘...This is the best.’
This moment of getting into character before I truly began playing a villain.
The calm before the storm was so intoxicating.
“All right, we’re about to shoot. Everyone, get ready.”
At Director Noh Jeong-hyeon’s words, I slowly opened my eyes.
‘From this moment on, I’m a gangster.’
Humans had created laws and social systems to escape a violent world where the strong preyed on the weak.
But even in a society governed by laws, gangsters made their living through violence.
They relied on their fists more than the law and solved their problems with violence.
Gangsters had to use violence to make money and survive in this world.
In that sense, gangsters weren’t human.
“All right, ready... Action!”
At the director’s signal, I raised my fists.
I didn’t need a story or any special background.
I simply used violence to survive.
I beat down the guy in front of me to survive.
To survive... I fought dirty and grew desperate.
“Kill them!!!!!”
The brawl we’d rehearsed began.
And at that moment, I became a beast on two legs.
A savage, uncivilized beast that grew even stronger in front of the weak.
* * *
S#115, which began with a surprise attack by a rival gang, was one of the climactic scenes in <Savage Blood>.
On the defensive against the rival gang’s fierce attack, the leads were meant to draw the audience in with their desperate action performances.
「Wipe them out!!!」
「Those cowardly bastards ambushed us!!」
The leads had spent months practicing their action scenes for this day.
Perhaps all those long hours of sweat and effort were pouring out at once.
「Boss...!! Leave this to us and go!」
「You bastard, what are you saying?!!」
The talented leads’ sharp performances and rough action came together to create a powerful scene anyone could be pleased with.
But...
“...What?”
It wasn’t the leads’ passionate performances that caught Director Noh Jeong-hyeon’s eye.
And it wasn’t just Director Noh Jeong-hyeon, either.
The assistant director, the camera director, the sound director, action director Park Dongsu, and more.
Most of the crew were watching one man instead of the leads.
「Raaaagh!!」
An extra without a single line.
An extra with some action experience, hired in a hurry to make the crowd look as large as possible.
His face wasn’t particularly handsome, and his action moves weren’t especially flashy.
“...Wow.”
Before anyone realized it, they were all staring at him as though under a spell.
A scene-stealer.
An extra who was supposed to be nothing more than background had taken over the film’s climax.
「Kill them all!!!」
The extra’s performance was like the very word “violence” given human form.
Despite being stuck in a spot the camera barely caught, his presence made all the leads fade away.
“...What the hell is that?”
Watching that unbelievable extra, Director Noh Jeong-hyeon could only stare with their mouth hanging open.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried