Chapter 64. Martial Arts

Yeonwoo did not increase the speed of the horse just to show off his riding skills.

When he rode the horse around the set and saw the amount of dust rising behind him, he thought that to create a cool scene, he needed to make the horse as excited as possible, so it would rear up and kick up a lot of sand.

In the end, the scene was designed as planned, with Yeonwoo deliberately making the horse run as fast as possible.

After returning to where the staff were, he gave the horse water and sugar cubes for its hard work and handed the reins to the handler.

"You did well."

Yeonwoo patted the horse's forehead and then went to Director Lee.

"Director."

"Ah, Yeonwoo. The scene was incredibly fast. Come here and take a look."

Smiling, Yeonwoo stood in front of the field monitor at Director Lee's words.

"Did a lot of sand fly? I tried to make as much as possible."

"It was like a sandstorm. Look."

As the director operated the controller, the scene of the galloping horse that had just been filmed appeared.

The scene was even more impressive than what Yeonwoo had imagined.

The video showed Yeonwoo riding the horse at full speed, approaching and then moving away, showing a wide shot.

"Wow, it really turned out well."

"I can't help but smile when I think about handing this scene over to the CG team for editing."

At that moment, Min-soo, who was behind him, approached.

"Director, I'm sorry, but is today's filming over? It's really hot..."

Seeing Min-soo, Yeonwoo was drenched in sweat.

"Oh, my, look at me. Go change quickly."

"Ha-ha. I will."

Yeonwoo smiled and went into the trailer to change his clothes.

As he took off his costume in the air-conditioned trailer, steam rose from his body.

"Phew."

"Are you okay? Mr. Ryu."

Min-soo entered the trailer with water.

"Ah, thanks, Min-soo."

Yeonwoo took the water Min-soo offered and quenched his thirst.

Wearing a costume that didn't allow for ventilation and a hat on his head, riding a horse at full speed for several kilometers under the scorching sun reflecting off the sand, even Yeonwoo, who was in good physical condition, was exhausted.

After sitting on a makeshift bed in the trailer for a while to rest, Yeonwoo came out, greeted the filming team, and got into Min-soo's car to head to the accommodation.

While checking his smartphone in the car heading to the accommodation, he saw a message from Han Haeun through an app.

'Just came in.'

Thinking about Han Haeun while looking at the coastal dunes that reminded him of the Middle East, Yeonwoo opened the message.

- Mr. Ryu. We've found a lead on Baek No-ya. We should be able to make contact within two to three months at the latest.

It seems there's already some progress.

Yeonwoo relayed a few precautions and put down his smartphone.

Min-soo's car quickly headed to Seoul, and Yeonwoo, feeling tired, closed his eyes.

A few days later, he heard that the first shooting of "Beyond the Stars" had started.

Since they were filming the content about Seo Hee's father, Seo Pil, and Seo Hee's childhood stories first, Yeonwoo would join in about two weeks.

While practicing the script as usual, his smartphone vibrated.

"Yes, Director Jeong."

- Yeonwoo. How are you?

"The first shooting of 'Beyond the Stars' has started."

- Ah, it's already started. Then we need to coordinate with them.

Since he mentioned the need for coordination, it seems the schedule has been set. If the schedule is set now, it must be that.

"Is the screening plan for 'Master Plan' already set?"

- It seems the production under Director Park Chan-hong is filming and editing simultaneously. They are now in post-production, so it should be on screen in two to three months.

"Then the production report and preview schedule will be set soon."

Since he had experience with the schedule for "Spring Lovers" before, he felt more relaxed knowing the process.

However, the difference is that he was a cameo actor then, and now he is the lead.

- Yeonwoo. You're going to be very busy. You have to handle the drama and the movie schedule simultaneously. But don't worry about the schedule; it was already agreed upon during casting.

"Director Jeong, you've always been so thorough, so I'm not worried at all."

- Ha-ha. Your words give me strength. I'll let you know the adjusted dates.

After saying goodbye, he ended the call with Director Jeong.

But it wasn't just empty words; Director Jeong had never disappointed him so far.

Not only did he handle schedule adjustments, but he also always brought the best results in negotiations for appearance fees.

"Come to think of it, I've saved quite a bit."

If the appearance fee for this drama is settled, he would have enough to buy a house in Seoul.

The current office apartment provided by the agency was spacious enough for him to live alone, so if he were to move, it would be better to save more and move to a high-end villa like the one Son Jin-wook lives in.

'Considering security for my private life, that would be better.'

Although his recognition is still mainly among the younger generation, he can feel it gradually increasing.

However, once "Master Plan" is released and "Beyond the Stars" starts airing, his recognition will increase even more.

Of course, the extent of the success is still unknown, but Yeonwoo trusted his own judgment in choosing the scripts.

As the shooting began, a making film of the script reading was uploaded to Naver to maintain the audience's expectations.

* [Making of "Beyond the Stars"] Romantic Wave Changing the Era: Script Reading Scene Revealed, KBC1

Yeonwoo, who only found out about the upload after seeing a message from Sung-sik in the afternoon, also went to watch the video. Within 4 hours of its release, the video had already surpassed 20,000 views.

It was probably due to the influence of Jin Yohan.

Many fans from the drama "Beyond," which concluded in the second half of the previous year, were contributing to the high views.

The comments were also largely focused on Jin Yohan.

- Ppeung (4 hours ago)

Please give more screen time to Yohan!

- Mok Candy (3 hours ago)

Why is Jin Yohan a supporting character? He has the highest recognition among the three leads.

- Ppeung: That's true.

- Lone Kim (3 hours ago)

The casting is perfect, so I'm looking forward to it.

- Drama Addict (3 hours ago)

It's the biggest expectation for the second half of the year.

- Aleeta: MBS is also releasing a big production soon.

- Kim Jae-kyun (3 hours ago)

Who is Ryu Yeonwoo to keep getting lead roles?

- Lance: His face?

The comment section was more focused on Jin Yohan, as Yeonwoo hasn't shown much as a lead yet.

"Hmm, it's good that Jin Yohan is joining."

The next day, Yeonwoo took Min-soo's car to a gym.

Jjang─.

As the bell rang and he entered, the unique smell of sweat in the gym hit him.

'It's been a while since I smelled this.'

In his previous life, he smelled it every day during training, but in his new life, he usually exercised alone, focusing on bodyweight exercises, so he rarely went to the gym.

Jin Yohan, who was stretching in a corner, noticed Yeonwoo coming in and approached him.

"Hey, you're here?"

"Yohan, you were already here?"

Yeonwoo arrived about 30 minutes early, but Jin Yohan had arrived even earlier and was already stretching.

"I just got here. I've been stretching since I arrived. I felt restless after reading the script."

Indeed, it seems he is sincere and diligent in his acting.

However, it was peculiar that he seemed to have no interest in anything else.

Looking around the gym, many people were practicing together.

They were the special effects team responsible for the action scenes.

At that moment, the martial arts director, who was guiding the team members from a distance, approached them.

"Hello, I'm Do Gwang-wook."

Do Gwang-wook, the martial arts director, extended his hand to Yeonwoo. He was a well-known figure in the industry, someone Yeonwoo had seen a few times in the media.

"I look forward to working with you. I'm Ryu Yeonwoo."

Yeonwoo shook his hand with both hands.

Do Gwang-wook and Jin Yohan seemed to know each other, as he patted Jin Yohan's shoulder affectionately.

Yeonwoo had seen Jin Yohan on set since he was young, and since "Beyond" was a time-slip investigation drama with many action scenes, Jin Yohan had received continuous guidance during filming.

"Since you're here early, let's start right away. Yohan, you don't need to learn the basics, but Yeonwoo, have you done any specific training?"

Yeonwoo, who was thinking about how to answer Do Gwang-wook's question.

In this life, the only exercise Yeonwoo had done was team sports and bodyweight exercises, but in his previous life, he could be considered a master of practical martial arts and various combat techniques.

"Yes, I've learned some martial arts and combat techniques."

Yeonwoo answered ambiguously, not to boast but because the preparation period for the shoot was not long, and he thought it was necessary to skip some unnecessary basic training.

Do Gwang-wook, surprised by Yeonwoo's answer, showed an interested expression.

'Combat techniques? Not boxing or taekwondo?'

Not sure if it was just the spirit of a young man or how much he had learned, Do Gwang-wook felt the need to test him.

"Since I don't know your level, let's do a simple test."

"Sure, I understand."

Following the martial arts director's instructions, one of the team members brought two short styrofoam sticks and two pairs of boxing mitts.

"First, let's see you hit the mitts. Think of it as boxing."

"Got it."

Yeonwoo, holding the mitts, looked at the martial arts director and relaxed his body, throwing a light jab.

Taking steps forward and backward, he relaxed his shoulders and extended his left hand lightly.

Tuk tuk─.

With a light step and accurate posture, the martial arts director, impressed by Yeonwoo's jab, asked for a straight punch.

"Okay, one-two."

One-two means to show a combination of a jab and a straight punch in a continuous motion.

Relaxing his lead foot, Yeonwoo quickly threw a jab and, as he recovered, turned his body and thrust his right hand forward, delivering a straight punch.

Tuk puk─.

A rather heavy sound accompanied Yeonwoo's right hand as it hit the mitt.

'Oh, that's heavy. The posture is perfect.'

The martial arts director's eyes widened slightly at the impact that seemed to wrap around the mitt.

Continuing to order jabs and straight punches, the martial arts director spoke.

"How much boxing have you learned?"

"I haven't specifically learned boxing. I've just done comprehensive combat training."

Yeonwoo hadn't learned boxing but had trained in a comprehensive combat technique developed for field agents, which was later honed in real combat. If the martial arts director asked detailed questions about boxing, he wouldn't be able to answer.

Therefore, he honestly said he hadn't learned boxing, but the martial arts director tilted his head in confusion.

'He hasn't learned boxing, yet he has this level of speed and posture... What kind of training did he do?'

Curious, the martial arts director also warmed up and increased the intensity.

"I'll increase the tempo a bit and do some simple attacks. Think of it as a real fight. There's no headgear, but the mitts are soft, so you won't get hurt."

Hearing this, Yeonwoo, though not showing it outwardly, smiled wryly inside.

'Thinking of it as a real fight would be problematic. I'll have to hold back.'