Before Kiryuu Sota t Kim Donghu
"Thank you for agreeing to et on such short notice."
"Not at all. It was you, Director Kiryuu, who extended the invitation. I’m the one who should be grateful."
Kiryuu Sota first t with Choi Seokho, but calling it a "first" eting felt a bit funny.
The detailed contract should have been handled by this side anyway.
Glance.
‘How can soone who looks so ordinary be like this?’
The world is vast.
As Kiryuu looked at Seokho, he realized just how narrow his own perspective had been.
This man, who looked so plain,
led an entire agency, and now that agency was the best in Korea.
‘Is this the kind of person who could contain a dragon?’
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Kiryuu’s mouth was about to open again when—
"By the way, it seems like tis are changing really fast these days."
Seokho was the one to start the conversation.
"Hmm?"
"Ah, well, when we were younger, blood types were all the rage, but now it’s all about MBTI."
What is that, anyway?
I think I know a lot about the world by now, even though people are still born in the year 2020.
But it seems there’s always more to learn.
A sudden, irrelevant personal conversation.
But it felt so natural that Kiryuu went along with it.
"Ah... that’s right. Honestly, I don’t believe in it. Like INJP... that kind of thing."
"Hmm? Oh, yeah... JP... it’s so Japanese, that’s nice."
"With all the trends and the way people talk nowadays... It’s clear how quickly generations change. dia is lagging behind now."
"It’s probably because you’re a master, huh? That’s exactly what I an. The dia is falling behind."
"Especially in Japan, where live-action films are declining. Most are for dostic consumption."
"Isn’t that the way it’s always been? The most authentic things from a country beco the most global."
Using the words of a great master,
Seokho smoothly took charge of the conversation.
‘...What kind of conversation is this? Why am I talking to this man about this?’
Normally, I would’ve just discussed the contract terms, sent the script to Kim Donghu,
and called it a day, ready to stand up and leave.
But why was this conversation continuing?
Flap.
Flap.
A different sound ca from behind.
I hadn’t noticed, too caught up in the conversation,
but now I realized that—
‘Was he flipping through the docunts?’
Since when had he been reading through the contract so ticulously while leading the conversation?
Can that even be done? I thought as I observed.
Seokho silently closed the contract and smiled gently.
"The terms are quite sothing. Honestly, I didn’t expect to receive this kind of investnt in Japan."
"Because you’re an actor of that caliber."
"But Musashi... he’s one of Japan’s iconic figures. Won’t there be any controversy?"
"I plan to turn even that controversy into publicity. Once it’s properly set, anyone would be curious enough to watch."
"Ah, I see... That’s definitely a smart move."
The contract was fine, and now it was just a matter of Kim Donghu reviewing the script and deciding.
Once those words were said—
‘Now I understand why there’s never any ss around Donghu-san.’
Kiryuu looked at Seokho again.
This man was the perfect filter.
He was there to protect all the artists at the agency,
while at the sa ti, ensuring that Kim Donghu, the dragon, could soar freely, without restraint.
With Seokho’s approval, the ti shifted back to the present.
‘So this is the mont when I finally get to show this script to Donghu-san.’
Kiryuu watched Donghu nervously.
How would this man judge the script he had created?
There had never been a mont in his life when he felt so nervous.
***
Kill or be killed.
The battlefield is incredibly simple.
A place where humans, who have honed their intelligence over ti,
are forced to return to their most primal state.
That’s the battlefield.
Unaware that their bladders have loosened, they urinate as they scream, swinging their swords to overco their fear.
That is war.
It’s a level of barbarism unlike anything in modern tis.
An age of cold weapons, devoid of intelligence.
In that place, I—
"...."
Was hiding.
For a simple reason.
I didn’t want to die by a blind sword.
"KRAAAGH!"
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Soone on our side had just been struck down by an ally’s sword.
Fear clouds one’s vision, so how can they distinguish friend from foe?
Blood splatters across the face, staining the clothes.
In such a situation, how many would be able to keep calm?
Thud!
Raising a sword high and bringing it down will kill a person.
It’s really that simple.
It cuts through leather, severs muscles, and breaks bones.
No complicated process crosses the mind at that mont.
Swordsmanship, military tactics, the art of the bow and blade.
When did all these complicated terms start to shape war?
Anyway, the real issue is showing off.
Look at it now.
"Kck, urgh...! Y-you coward...!"
When you're dying, you beg for your life.
But to curse the person who’s still killing you is the most pitiful thing you can do.
"This is why it’s so hard to die with a smile."
Once a knife is buried in soone’s body, you don’t pull it out.
It’s heavy, and the blade is already dulled.
‘In a place where people kill and die, nothing good can co of it.’
Unless there’s a general, of course.
But right now, there are only those hoping to escape their fate with fragile lives.
In this place, my only job is simple.
‘To remain hidden.’
There are those who, wanting to live, try to escape, only to suddenly fall flat.
My job is to stab such n in the back when they play dead.
It's not just aimless work.
Where should I strike to make soone die the most helplessly?
Where are the weak spots? How should I cut or stab to get the most effective kill?
These are things I learn through physical experience.
A sort of training, you could say.
The most independent and secure way to learn.
‘If I were to learn from soone else, I’d have to deal with all the unnecessary stuff like being an apprentice.’
I just want to learn what I want to learn.
In a world where you can’t even live by doing only what you want,
there’s no ti to waste in places like that.
Thud!
How many tis is this?
It’s important to count, but I didn’t really care at the mont.
While thinking about it—
"What the hell are you doing?!"
I got caught.
The only good thing was that I got caught by just one person.
If it were more than one, I might not have been able to escape.
It was still a hopeful situation.
‘It was impossible not to get caught anyway.’
As ti passed, people either escaped or died,
but the more ti went on, the more vulnerable people beca.
And yet, here I was, a kid walking around stabbing people.
It was laughable that I hadn’t been caught yet.
"Who are you?!"
What should I say?
I hadn’t thought of a na to use in this situation.
In the past, I would’ve ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) just run the mont I got caught,
but now, for so reason, I didn’t want to run away.
So I just answered—
"I don’t know."
I answered casually.
And in that mont, everything stopped.
Whoosh!
The end of the script, and the imrsion shatters as reality welcos back.
***
"This is a work where you can’t feel the presence of Musashi at all."
As soon as I snapped out of the imrsion, the first thought that ca to mind was exactly that.
I voiced it, and Kiryuu Sota widened his eyes.
"Does it stand out that much?"
"The script doesn’t ntion Musashi anywhere... and his childhood just doesn’t seem right either."
And since there were no other nas popping up,
it was only natural to think that way.
Kiryuu smiled softly, as if he had guessed it correctly.
"That’s right. There’s no trace of Musashi in it."
"Huh? What do you an?"
"As you know, Donghu-san, the Musashi that the public usually thinks of is very different from the Musashi in actual history."
"I... I understand that."
"It’s a Musashi who’s full of extra weight. In fact, that weight might be the key."
But is it really necessary to remove that weight?
Is what people want to see the real Musashi?
Kiryuu shook his head.
"I don’t like embedding philosophy into movies. There’s a difference between making a movie with philosophy and having the movie be philosophical."
"..."
"What people need to watch a movie is just a little bit of money and ti."
And the power to make them watch is in the entertainnt.
Suddenly, Kiryuu started talking with passion about films.
He seed to hold back more words but imdiately jumped to the conclusion.
"A boxer who stunned the world, with 200 million people watching... starring in a film."
The lead actor of a film already making $1.7 billion through Tarzan.
What if that person were to play Musashi? How much fun would that be?
It seed like Kiryuu had prepared a lot for this mont.
His eyes were gleaming with excitent.
"And with this work, I want to aim for Cannes."
"Cannes?"
"Yes, Cannes. Imagine a Japanese film starring a Korean actor as Musashi winning at Cannes. How exciting would that be?"
At that point, Kiryuu stood up abruptly.
It was clear he felt there was no more point in talking about this.
"For the details... Donghu-san can review my script and decide. We’ll discuss it further then."
He gave a slight bow and left the room.
It was a perfectly graceful and stylish exit.
But—
‘I was going to do that, but he left first. I missed my timing.’
***
At the Sa Ti—
"That damn old man Kiryuu Sota is finally causing trouble!"
"He took the script all the way to Arica? How is that even possible?! A Korean playing Musashi!"
In a eting room at a Japanese film production company.
"What about the Japanese sentint and acting?! Isn’t it only right that a Japanese person should do it?!"
"Why don’t you bring him in and make him audition first? How can he be cast as the lead right away? For such a big film!"
Everyone was furious.
And then—
"But why didn’t you tell us before you went to Arica? Why are you doing this behind our backs?"
At soone’s words—
"...Hmph."
Suddenly, everyone went quiet.
Using facts to win was a cowardly move.
That was cheating.
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