Chapter 119
Chapter 119: Movie Actor (2)
Movie director Ha Seong-tae received the filming drone back from Yoo Ji-han’s party.
Usually, when hero teams borrow filming equipment, it often comes back damaged, but Yoo Ji-han’s party returned everything without even a scratch.
This made Ha Seong-tae uneasy instead.
‘It feels a bit off for it to come back so perfectly.’
It was almost unavoidable for filming equipment to get damaged during intense battles.
Still, as long as the memory card inside was intact, it wasn’t a huge issue.
If the borrowed drone was in such perfect condition, it could only mean one of two things:
1. They didn’t film anything properly.
2. They were incredibly skilled at controlling the drone.
Naturally, most of the time it leaned towards the first option.
‘If the video sources are poor, we’ll have to reshoot.’
No matter how great an editor might be, video editing isn’t magic.
If the quality of the base footage is low, the final product’s quality will inevitably drop as well.
They might end up having to request a reshoot.
“Ugh… I’ll find out when I check.”
Ha Seong-tae took a Phillips screwdriver and opened the drone’s lid.
He pulled out the memory card that was plugged inside the device.
The memory card inside looked just as pristine as the exterior.
Click!
Once he connected the memory card to the computer, the data inside automatically popped up on the monitor.
Ha Seong-tae started playing the first recorded footage.
‘This isn’t it… Not this either.’
The memory card contained footage from trial runs to actual recordings.
He quickly skipped unnecessary scenes and searched for footage of the frog monster that appeared in the ecology park.
“This is it.”
The video shot in front of the park popped up on the screen.
Ha Seong-tae crossed his arms and watched the footage for a moment.
“So, that’s what a spirit looks like.”
A slightly green object nestled in Yoo Ji-han’s arms.
It was the wind spirit, Sylph, hiding there.
Thanks to Yoo Ji-han’s request, any traces of the spirit had to be edited out during the process.
It would have drawn immediate attention if it were revealed this time.
As a movie producer, it was a bit disappointing.
“Hmm?”
The role of controlling the drone was handled by the female hero, Min Yu-ri.
After activating the drone’s stealth mode, she kept it at a height above her head.
The camera angle tilted slightly downward, creating a composition that showcased the party members at a glance.
“That’s quite a good composition! Has she filmed before?”
The video started off pretty well.
It was as excellent as the shooting guidelines provided with the drone.
Ha Seong-tae rested his chin on his hand and watched the monitor.
The first incident captured on video was a scene where they clashed with a protest group from IUPC near the park entrance.
“Ugh, those nasty bastards.”
Ha Seong-tae frowned at the scene where the protesters kicked the police.
Then, Yoo Ji-han and his party members stepped in to save the police, confronting the protesters.
“This could work.”
Ha Seong-tae thought that the scene where they helped the dragged-out police was quite visually appealing.
If inserted in the film’s early part, it seemed it could attract the audience’s attention.
With that, Yoo Ji-han’s party entered deeper into the park.
Finally, they reached the main filming location, the reservoir.
“… A fishing rod?”
Suddenly, Yoo Ji-han’s party pulled out fishing rods.
While Ha Seong-tae watched with a slightly bewildered expression, they bizarrely attached bait in an odd manner and began fishing in the reservoir.
And…
—Ribbit?
“Gasp!”
Before long, a real frog monster was caught on camera.
Ha Seong-tae’s jaw dropped as he watched the froggy creature leap above the water’s surface.
It was an astonishing sight that transcended sheer absurdity.
“Even more, they fight well!”
After Min Yu-ri’s initial attack, Yoo Ji-han elegantly finished it off with his sword.
There were minor mistakes, but their battle had considerable excitement.
“Wait a moment.”
Ha Seong-tae took out the memory card from another drone.
That one contained footage shot from a much closer distance.
‘This might just be…!’
Even though it was the untouched original footage, it had its nuances.
As he watched Yoo Ji-han’s party fishing again, Ha Seong-tae’s eyes lit up.
He hadn’t even checked half of the footage.
Just like the video he had previously seen through Jin Seok-woo, this one also appeared to show signs of becoming a hit.
“I’m giving up on sleep tonight.”
To sleep while having such great footage available would be a luxury.
Ha Seong-tae pulled out an energy drink brimming with taurine and caffeine from the fridge.
It was the start of an all-nighter for editing work.
*
Kim Si-hu was on a call with his father, Kim Geon-oh, who was in Japan.
Since his return to Japan, they had only communicated through messages, so this was for a direct check-up.
—What?! You encountered an intruder?
“Uh…”
However, during the call, he inadvertently mentioned fighting a Barbarian.
He hadn’t said anything intentional in fear of worrying his dad, but now it was out.
—And the intruder was a Barbarian? Really?
“That’s how it turned out.”
As Kim Geon-oh kept asking about it repeatedly, Kim Si-hu quietly affirmed it.
Once something was said, it couldn’t be taken back.
—I told you to avoid it!
“It wasn’t in a situation where I could dodge, though.”
A department store surrounded by a physical barrier.
Getting away from Barbarians attacking humans inside was practically impossible.
—The intruders are way too dangerous!
“I know that. But you know, Dad, sometimes there are fights you can’t avoid.”
—… That’s hard to deny.
Before becoming a monster researcher, Kim Geon-oh had also been a hero.
He could understand Kim Si-hu’s mindset as he faced the intruders.
“I won’t give up easily, even if it’s a tough fight.”
—Alright. Got it.
With Kim Si-hu’s bold declaration, Kim Geon-oh ultimately stopped his interference.
He had always seen his son as a kid.
Now, Kim Si-hu had grown into a respectable adult and hero.
—Since we’re on the subject, let me share a piece of information.
“Sure?”
—Have you heard the claim that “the emergence of monsters and the appearance of intruders are related”?
“I have.”
—Recently, there’s a growing belief that this is nearly certain.
“Really?”
The correlation between monsters and intruders had always been treated as a mere rumor among heroes.
But Kim Geon-oh insisted it was factual.
—Especially with intruders, they are closely linked to the magic stones used in barriers.
The magic stones essential for erecting barriers.
Research had shown that those stones, loaded with immense magic, also drew in intruders.
“So, does that mean we can’t use barriers anymore?”
—Not necessarily. We don’t have alternative measures at the moment.
Blocking places of monster emergence solely with manpower was vastly limited.
Many citizens felt a sense of urgency only when faced with visible effects like barriers.
In the end, he would have to stick to the existing methods.
“We need to use barriers to trap monsters, but if intruders are drawn to those barriers… it’s a tough issue to solve.”
—It’ll remain an unavoidable challenge in the future.
“Well, it seems I only have one option then.”
—What’s that?
“To get stronger so I don’t get hit no matter who I meet.”
—Hehe…
Kim Geon-oh chuckled softly at Kim Si-hu’s confident ambition.
They say you can’t fool blood.
He felt like he was seeing the hero he once was through his son.
—By the way, how’s the filming going?
“Right! I heard the movie trailer is going up on YouTube…”
Kim Si-hu accessed YouTube on his computer.
When he clicked on the HST Studio channel run by Ha Seong-tae, he saw a list of videos.
There was a video uploaded about two hours ago.
A trailer titled “The Frog Monster Slayer” in English.
The thumbnail showed an image of a frog being dragged up by a fishing line.
However, the view count on that video was a bit strange.
‘View count at 110,000?!’
It was just a two-minute video uploaded two hours ago.
Yet the view count was astonishingly high.
With wide eyes, Kim Si-hu hurriedly clicked on the video.
‘This is definitely ours.’
The video contained all too familiar scenes.
It was certainly a promotional video that had skillfully edited footage shot by Yoo Ji-han’s party.
Seeing his own face on the screen made Kim Si-hu feel a bit shy.
“Hmm…”
—What’s wrong?
The comments on the video were surprisingly passionate.
There were comments written not just in Korean, but in English, Japanese, and Chinese as well.
This meant it wasn’t just Koreans watching.
Moreover, the comments were increasing in real-time.
‘Isn’t this a bit too fast?’
Kim Si-hu began to suspect whether the view count was manipulated.
Ha Seong-tae didn’t seem like the type who would resort to such tactics.
But the speed at which the views increased far exceeded his expectations.
As he continued checking the incoming comments, Kim Si-hu eventually sent the link of the video to his father.
—Oh! People are really responding well, huh?
“I’m not expecting too much.”
Disappointment grows as much as anticipation, which is an unchanging truth.
If Yoo Ji-han were there, he would have certainly told him not to get his hopes up.
So Kim Si-hu tried to think comfortably and let go of his expectations.
But…
The view count on that video kept rising.
After just a few hours post-release, the views surpassed 600,000.
Before midnight, it reached 800,000, and…
A day later, it eventually broke 1 million views.
*
[Trending Video #27]
The trailer video drew so much attention that it landed on YouTube’s trending charts.
It wasn’t a famous singer’s music video nor did it use provocative titles or thumbnails to draw in views.
Yet more than 1 million viewers had watched a mere two-minute video.
As a result, they were also mentioned in online communities.
[Anonymous 1: Who are those heroes in that video?]
[Anonymous 2: They seem like no-names.]
[Anonymous 3: Could this be a breakout hit? I’m excited.]
…….
….
Attention was directed towards a party whose names were unknown.
It was almost the same level of interest as celebrities.
And Yoo Ji-han, who appeared almost like the protagonist in that movie trailer…
Found himself in a slightly awkward situation.
Bzzz—!
Bzzz—!
Yoo Ji-han’s mobile phone vibrated.
His last contact with classmates from the Hero Academy and even some old acquaintances he hardly remembered reached out to him.
If he didn’t answer one call, another soon came in.
“Ugh, how annoying…”
Yoo Ji-han recalled the time when his party was promoted to Rank 4 before entering the Cheong Yeongsha.
This was a level of attention similar to or even surpassing what Kim Si-hu had experienced back then.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
For a while, his long-quiet phone buzzed with new messages coming in.
With the messages and calls, it had become nearly impossible to use his phone properly.
Yoo Ji-han finally lost his patience and turned off his mobile phone.
‘This is all because of that video.’
The movie trailer that exploded in views after being selected as an AI-recommended video on YouTube.
Thanks to that, the number of contacts suddenly skyrocketed.
And it happened even before the actual movie was released.
Using his phone properly would be impossible for a while.
“Looks like Ji-han is feeling it the worst.”
“I’m getting tons of messages too.”
Kim Si-hu and Min Yu-ri, who appeared in the video as well, were in a similar predicament.
Though not as much as Yoo Ji-han, they still had several times more people trying to contact them than usual.
The impact of a video that gets aired worldwide was nothing to scoff at.
