Arriving at the ritual site before filming, Yeon Seo was slightly disappointed.

“What’s this? It’s not a real pig’s head.”

On the ritual table, there was a tablet with a picture of a pig’s head displayed on it. Apparently, it was difficult to find a real pig’s head for the ritual as not many people practised it nowadays.

( T/N: This ritual is also known as Gosa (??): which refers to a shamanistic ritual intended to prevent misfortune and bring good luck.?Nothing says lucky like a swine head (joins.com))

“I wanted to experience something like this.”

“Me too. But Yeon Seo actually came to the site?”

“Isn’t it because of our pre-meeting strategy?”

“Oh, come on, it can’t be..”

Although it was an old custom, the rookie writer and director secretly hoped to perform the ritual.

One of the staff members recited a prayer, wishing for a safe shoot without any accidents.

Following that, the director, writer, and cinematographer bowed in respect.

Then it was time for the lead and supporting actors to bow. Yeon Seo stood side by side with Lee Han Gyeol, who had become more talkative with him since their encounter at Cheonha Action School.

“Aren’t you going to bow?”

“Do I have to?”

“You don’t have to, but considering your status, it might be better for the atmosphere if you do.”

Indeed, it wouldn’t look good if the major investor and supporting actor refrained from participating. Yeon Seo awkwardly bowed alongside everyone else. A behind-the-scenes camera quietly filmed them.

“Baekhoham Crew, fighting!”

“Thank you in advance!”

With the ritual over, applause resounded from various places, boosting the pre-shoot atmosphere.

The actual shooting began in earnest. Yeon Seo donned a prepared military uniform and had makeup done.

Filming doesn’t necessarily follow the order of the script. Starting today, they would shoot the monster extermination scenes that required CGI on the pre-prepared set.

“Ho Jin, what do you think of Yeon Seo?”

“What do you mean?”

The cinematographer approached Director Park Ho Jin and whispered. They had a close senior-junior relationship, and the cinematographer readily accepted the offer to work on Park Ho Jin’s first commercial film debut.

“Not bad at all, right?”

“Oh really?”

After the initial meeting and script reading, anyone who had worked with Yeon Seo even once before was greatly surprised. His tone and pronunciation were much more stable than before.

“Is it true that he’s receiving acting lessons?”

“Of course, it’s thanks to Teacher Park Hyun Jeong.. To make that person into a performer, it’s amazing.”

To truly gauge his acting abilities, they would have to see him on set, but everyone found themselves looking at Yeon Seo differently. Because he had been initially not so skilled in acting, even a slight improvement made his acting appear impressive.

The writer and director, who were still new to working with Yeon Seo, chuckled, thinking that their pre-shoot acting advice had paid off.

“He still has a lot to learn.”

The cinematographer had captured Yeon Seo’s acting on camera in a previous project.

“He can’t act at all, it would probably take forever to shoot on a chroma key background, right?”

(T/N – Chroma key: a special effect achieved by the use of green or blue screen.)

Even worse, the monster was going to be added through CGI later, so all they had were roughly sketched panels.

The cinematographer sighed deeply, recalling past delays caused by Yeon Seo’s performance.

“Huh?”

But something was different about Yeon Seo’s mood.

After finishing his makeup, Yeon Seo spoke with Park Sung Jin, the martial arts director, and began assuming various poses with the model gun.

“What do you think?”

“It’s light.”

Yeon Seo, holding the rifle, repeatedly took aim and then lowered the gun. With each repetition, his stance became more precise.

‘The rifle was similar to the one from 2207. That’s fortunate.’

Han Gyeol stood beside Yeon Seo and tried to mimic his movements. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t achieve the same level of precision as Yeon Seo.

“Did you just practice this while you were in the hospital?”

“I like to think that I found my talent.”

“Actors! Come here!”

While Han Gyeol and Yeon Seo were fooling around with the stunt actors, a staff member shouted loudly.”This is the monster concept art!”

As expected, with a generous production budget, the concept art was detailed and of high quality. However, it remained to be seen whether it would truly immerse them, considering it would be against a green screen backdrop.

“For now, let’s confirm the blocking and get into position for the shot.”

(T/N: The term blocking in film refers to the placement and movement of actors in relation to the camera)

“Yes.”

Yeon Seo and Han Gyeol familiarized themselves with the blocking, following the staff. They were playing the roles of SSU Special Forces members in the film. Today, they would be shooting the monster extermination operation on the deck, which occurred early in the movie.

“Wow.. hyungs, do you think we can immerse ourselves when we see that?”

Park Min Woo, who had finished his makeup, stood between Yeon Seo and Han Gyeol. Even actors find it difficult to film with CGI, so it was even more challenging for a rookie actor with no experience.

“To be honest, it seems difficult.. but we’ll have to give it a try.”

“I’m not sure if I’ll do well. How about you, Yeon Seo hyung?”

Park Min Woo approached them smoothly as their relationship improved.

“I don’t know..”

Yeon Seo stared at the staff holding the panel with the monster’s face and closed his eyes briefly. Instead of the rough panel, a grotesque creature from 2207 filled his vision.

“It seems easy.”