Chapter 304: Autumn (5)

It seemed that Kang Woojin didn’t need them. For Ethan Smith, the leader of the Hollywood stunt team, this was an obvious conclusion.

Look at him now.

‘That composure.’

Even after taking down four of his team members, Kang Woojin’s breathing remained calm. There wasn’t the slightest sign of disturbance. Although the distance covered wasn’t long, it was definitely intense.

In reality, Kang Woojin was casually dusting off his pants.

And then, the ‘CQC’ techniques he displayed.

‘Quick reflexes, judgment, counterattacks. And the proficiency with handling a knife and a gun. These aren’t things that can be learned in a day or two.’

Especially when Kang Woojin removed the magazine from the gun with one hand, Ethan was startled. It was so smooth, as if it were his own gun.

Overall, Kang Woojin’s techniques were hard to comprehend.

Furthermore.

‘Why did they call us?’

The necessity of his team became vague. It was completely different from what PD Song Man-woo had said when he first recruited the team. Clearly, he had said, ‘The actor is above average in martial arts but is new to CQC.’ So the request was, ‘Come and help with training, practice, and enhancing the quality of the CQC choreography.’ But what is this Kang Woojin?

‘How can you call that a novice?’

The techniques Woojin had just demonstrated were enough to make anyone from the countless stunt teams in Hollywood stand in awe.

Only now did Ethan understand the tone Kang Woojin had used at the beginning.

‘He wasn’t underestimating CQC. He could actually do it properly.’

That overconfident atmosphere wasn’t just an act or arrogance; he was genuinely relaxed. That’s why he could afford to take the choreography ‘lightly’.

At the same time.

-Swiiiish.

The four team members who had been knocked down returned to Ethan’s side. The initial momentum was gone, even from the bear-like guy. They awkwardly looked to their leader, Ethan, for cues. It was natural, as they had been thoroughly crushed, far from showing off as instructed.

“……”

Ethan scanned his team members without saying anything. He wasn’t looking at them with disdain. It was a look telling them to share their thoughts. The first to speak up was the man covered in tattoos.

“…Ethan, did you know that Kang Woojin came from a special forces unit?”

At that moment, Ethan Smith’s eyes widened again.

“What did you say?”

Meanwhile, Ethan wasn’t the only one with wide eyes in this action school. The key staff of ‘Beneficial Evil’, who couldn’t take their eyes off Kang Woojin, and Choi Sung-gun, standing among them, were in the same state.

‘……This seems far beyond Hapkido—no, how on earth can that be called Hapkido!!’

The key staff, who also had their eyes wide open, were speechless. They could only stare at Kang Woojin in the middle of the dazzling stage, and at the forefront, PD Song Man-woo and the martial arts director had faces that showed they were beyond shocked, practically soulless.

PD Song Man-woo, still fixated on Woojin, muttered softly.

“What did I just see? No, weren’t most of the moves I saw not even in the choreography?”

The martial arts director, sharing a glance with PD Song Man-woo, slowly nodded.

“Right. They weren’t there. From the start, neither Woojin-ssi nor the stunt team were making moves that were in the original plan.”

“So what is it, did both of them improvise the martial arts choreography? But why did it look so natural? As if they had rehearsed hundreds of times.”

The martial arts director, as if such things even mattered, turned abruptly to PD Song Man-woo.

“PD Song. Is that really the issue right now?”

He furrowed his brow.

“How is Woojin-ssi handling ‘CQC’ like he’s been doing it for decades? Sure, with the martial arts, it was impressive, so I could let it go, but this- it’s at a level that doesn’t make sense.”

PD Song Man-woo was also aware. It felt like a dream even now. However, the Kang Woojin he had seen so far was always an alien who defied common sense.

“I know, I know, but… I don’t understand.”

“What??! No, seriously. Most of what Woojin-ssi showed was martial arts ad-libbing. Which means he was actually sparring in real ‘CQC’ with a professional stunt team, not following the choreography!”

“I know that! But I still don’t understand.”

“And the ones who got wrecked were… not Woojin-ssi, but that Hollywood stunt team!”

The martial arts director couldn’t digest it with his common sense.

“How on earth did Woojin-ssi manage to overwhelm a veteran Hollywood stunt team that makes a living doing this…?”

“…Woojin-ssi’s martial arts are at a near-expert level—so that’s his foundation, and maybe he studied the choreography in detail or something?”

“Does that even make sense, man? ‘CQC’ isn’t some child’s play. What kind of past did Woojin-ssi have that he could even master ‘CQC’?”

“It was the same during the ‘martial arts’ scenes, but what do I know? We can only believe in him and accept it.”

“…Really?”

“Or do you want to dig into his past?”

“No, of course not.”

From the beginning until now, PD Song Man-woo, who had been dealing with Kang Woojin, smiled as he murmured.

“Give up on understanding, it’s easier that way.”

At this point, the key staff around them, as well as the dozens of members of the martial arts team members surrounding the entire action school, began to stir.

The murmurs grew louder.

Some threw out heated questions, some raised their thumbs enthusiastically, some expressed relief, while others shuddered as if they had goosebumps.

At that moment.

-Swoosh.

A calm Kang Woojin approached PD Song Man-woo. PD Song Man-woo and the martial arts director, who had been fervently discussing Woojin, flinched. The key staff and members of the martial arts team stared intently at Kang Woojin.

On the other hand, Kang Woojin’s voice was low and calm.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“…Ah—uh, well. We were just watching, it’s you who did all the hard work, Woojin-ssi.”

“Ha…haha. Th-that’s right? You didn’t get hurt anywhere, did you?”

“No, did you get the footage?”

PD Song Man-woo answered quickly.

“Of course, we got it. But more importantly—”

PD Song Man-woo was about to ask about the ‘CQC’ but swallowed his words.

“You must be busy, yet you even took time for an unscheduled test. Thanks to that, I’m sure the choreography revisions and the stunt team will greatly benefit, thank you so much.”

The martial arts director chimed in.

“Th-that’s right. Since Woojin-ssi put so much effort into it, the quality will definitely skyrocket.”

“That’s good to hear.”

At that moment, Choi Sung-gun, holding Woojin’s blazer in one hand, stepped in. He had a serious expression.

“Uh—PD-nim. Woojin has his next schedule to attend to.”

PD Song Man-woo quickly gestured for them to go.

“Ah, right, right.”

The composed Kang Woojin slightly bowed his head.

“I’ll see you at the next rehearsal.”

Receiving the blazer from Choi Sung-gun, Kang Woojin moved first, and as Choi Sung-gun watched his back, he whispered to PD Song Man-woo.

“PD-nim, don’t you think it would be better to keep this under wraps?”

“We should. We can’t completely silence everyone, but we can keep things somewhat under control.”

Nodding in agreement, PD Song Man-woo replied.

“It’s fine if a few rumors spread. People will just think it’s nonsense.”

Afterward.

Kang Woojin left the action school. His team was waiting in the van before the test started, and Choi Sung-gun ran up beside Woojin.

“Woojin, you worked hard.”

“No, it wasn’t difficult.”

Sincerely, Kang Woojin didn’t think much of it.

‘I got to experiment a bit and had some fun. But there’s a chance for some misunderstandings to spread. Tch, whatever. I’ll deal with it when the time comes.’

Choi Sung-gun continued, exhaling slightly.

“What you showed back there—should I just understand it as Hapkido?”

Could he really do that? Woojin lowered his voice and delivered the prepared line. It was a line tinged with bravado.

“I only skimmed the choreography, but it turned out easier than expected.”

“Ah. Yeah, okay, it turned out easier than you thought.”

Of course, it was an absurd response. But since it was Kang Woojin, Choi Sung-gun couldn’t do anything but let out a chuckle. After all, his sense of normality was different from others.

“Still, it was kind of satisfying. To be honest, I thought you might actually struggle this time. I mean, it’s a Hollywood stunt team, after all.”

“I understand.”

“But you know, asking this might sound really stupid, and I think I’ve asked you before.”

“Yes.”

Choi Sung-gun, forcing a smile, made eye contact with Woojin, whose poker face remained unchanged.

“You—uh, you weren’t really a spy or something, right? In the past or even now.”

How could that be true?! Woojin almost burst out laughing but barely managed to hold it back. He understood Choi Sung-gun’s feelings. At that moment, Kang Woojin, suddenly feeling mischievous, played along.

“Actually, yes, I was.”

Choi Sung-gun was genuinely startled.

“What?!! Hey! Are you serious?! Wait, wait, wait!! Time out, time out!”

Woojin then said in a low voice.

“I’m joking.”

Choi Sung-gun, who had frozen in place, barely managed to catch his escaping soul and furrowed his brow.

“You crazy.”

Meanwhile, inside the action school, from which Kang Woojin had just exited, PD Song Man-woo and the martial arts director were busy calming everyone down.

“What you saw today is absolutely confidential, so keep it to yourselves.”

This included a warning thrown at the large group of people. Of course, it might be difficult to completely silence everyone, so they added a plausible excuse.

“Woojin-ssi has always been good at martial arts, and it seems he took a deep look at the ‘CQC’ choreography. Anyway, everyone watch what you say.”

With that, there wouldn’t be any problems even if rumors spread. After organizing the action school for about thirty minutes, PD Song Man-woo approached the stunt team gathered around Ethan Smith. Naturally, their faces were serious.

However, there was no discussion about today’s test.

“We’ll be leaving for now as well.”

Ethan was the next to leave the action school after Kang Woojin. PD Song Man-woo, who had scheduled a follow-up meeting with them, didn’t try to hold the stunt team back.

But he was slightly worried.

“Phew—”

Looking at the result alone, the veteran stunt team had been thrashed by Kang Woojin. Moreover, PD Song Man-woo had informed the stunt team that Woojin was proficient in martial arts but unfamiliar with CQC. But in reality, Kang Woojin’s movements were far from those of a CQC novice.

Today, he had gone beyond merely matching the level of experts.

The reason wasn’t clear. Whether Woojin already knew CQC or was a true genius who mastered it just by looking at the choreography. Whatever the case, PD Song Man-woo had unintentionally provided some inaccurate information, and a well-regarded stunt team from Hollywood had their pride wounded. Their expressions at the end made that clear.

Faces that were beyond dejected, almost devastated.

“It’s bothering me.”

PD Song Man-woo commented, and the martial arts director chimed in.

“What is?”

“The stunt team, their last expressions are really worrying me. They won’t do a sloppy job because of bad feelings, will they?”

“No way. Today’s task was just a test related to the lead actor’s body movements. They’re professionals too. And stunt team’s work isn’t just about teaching choreography and practice, right? From revising the choreography to enhancing the scene’s quality, overseeing the ‘CQC’ action scenes, stand-ins, stunt roles, and so on. There’s a mountain of things to do. They’ll also have to coordinate with me on balance. And they have to accompany us on location scouting for overseas shoots where actual ‘CQC’ will be used.”

“I know, I know.”

In fact, the stunt team led by Ethan was scheduled to accompany the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team on a location scouting trip to Bangkok, Thailand. Although the CQC-related shooting choreography was already prepared, when experts review the site and make adjustments, the quality improves several times over. This was part of that process.

As he stroked his goatee, PD Song Man-woo murmured with a hint of concern.

“Surely… they wouldn’t just run away, right?”

The next day, Tuesday, the 6th, in the morning.

The time was around 8 AM. In a luxury hotel in Seoul. A group of foreigners who had returned after having breakfast just a few minutes ago gathered on the plush sofa in a spacious room. All of them had solid or imposing physiques. Some had buzz-cut hair, some were covered in tattoos, and some had beards.

Among them, a foreign man with a big nose stood out.

It was Ethan Smith.

In other words, they were the stunt team that had recently come over from Hollywood and had seen Kang Woojin for the first time yesterday. Their muscles seemed even more solid, as if they had been exercising since dawn. On the table in front of the sofa were coffee cups, tablets, and various documents spread out.

It was clearly the setting for a meeting.

The leader, Ethan, scratched his big nose while picking up a tablet. With a simple tap, a video began to play on the tablet. It showed a Korean man surrounded by four foreigners. It was the full shot of Kang Woojin’s CQC test from yesterday, provided by the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team.

Of course, the video captured Kang Woojin’s dazzling performance.

Ethan and his team silently watched the video for a moment.

“……”

“……”

However, the stunt team members averted their eyes slightly when their own defeat appeared on the screen. Embarrassment washed over them. On the other hand, the leader, Ethan, kept his eyes fixed on the video without looking away.

‘…Watching it on video feels different.’

The shock had been enough to leave them stunned at the scene yesterday, but seeing it on video brought a different atmosphere altogether.

“Hmm—”

Ethan paused the video and crossed his arms. As a result, his muscles bulged even more. One of the team members, a man with tattoo-covered hands, cautiously spoke in English.

“Ethan, are you thinking about returning to LA?”

Ethan, narrowing his eyes slightly, asked back.

“What did you say?”

“Even though it was a test, our pride was shattered, so I thought you might consider going back.”

Ethan, running his hand through his brown hair, chuckled.

“Not at all. We’re here to work, not to worry about pride.”

“……”

“Yesterday’s incident was shocking, but it was just an unexpected event. Running away because of that would be even more humiliating.”

The team members nodded in agreement.

“I thought the same.”

“So did I.”

It seemed like the question was asked out of excessive concern. Ethan, having uncrossed his arms, tapped the tablet where he had paused the video. Kang Woojin’s face appeared on the screen.

“And whether Kang Woojin has a special forces background or whatever his past might be, the fact that he knows how to handle ‘CQC’ is an interesting thing for us. Especially if he’s at an professional level, the situation is even better.”

“What do you mean?”

To this question, Ethan answered, recalling the Hollywood market.

“You know, we always start by teaching the basics to actors. But if that actor has experience and is skilled in action, the situation changes.”

“…We can focus on refining the techniques, adding style, impact, and flair.”

“Exactly. If the lead is inexperienced, we start with training, but if they’re skilled, conditioning is enough.”

The bear-like man among the team members chimed in.

“Flexibility.”

“Right. As we all know, training is all about mastering the basics. There’s no time to consider anything else. But conditioning is different. It allows for adding flair to the proficiency. Whether it’s for the lead actor or the direction, we’ve been given an unexpected amount of time.”

Ethan, having finished speaking, set the tablet down and picked up a stack of papers. It was the existing martial arts choreography for ‘Beneficial Evil’, which now included ‘CQC’ action.

“This means we can upgrade this choreography to Hollywood standards without any issues.”

Kang Woojin’s ‘CQC’ combined with their extensive Hollywood experience.

“We don’t need to worry about whether the lead actor can handle it or not.”

It meant that Ethan’s experience would be mixed in.