Black Ice.
It refers to a thin layer of ice on the road. If it were visible, one would be cautious, but as the name suggests, it is indistinguishable from the asphalt, leading drivers to be careless.
One might wonder why there’s black ice in the middle of summer, but the season doesn’t matter when it comes to filming movies.
Crash―!
A sports car, roaring with a loud noise, lost control like a mad bull and skidded.
It would have been fortunate if it had only crashed into the guardrail, but it completely crushed the small car ahead.
Blood mixed with oil was oozing from the driver’s seat and passenger seat of the small car. The sports car that crashed into the small car kept going for a while before finally coming to a stop.
“Cut!”
As soon as Director Baek Janghoon’s shout ended, stunt coordinator Kwon Jaehong rushed out. The stuntman who was driving the sports car got up and walked out through a narrow gap with difficulty.
Such a stunt can’t be done recklessly, no matter how much past experience one has. It requires highly specialized training and years of experience.
Even if Youngguk had volunteered, permission would never have been granted.
The highway was temporarily borrowed for movie filming. Instead of using CGI, they actually created a car accident for a raw portrayal.
“Hyung, this is no less than a blockbuster.”
Cinematographer Do Jangwook was monitoring the footage just filmed with Director Baek Janghoon.
This was a scene showing the true nature of the villain Jeong Hae-seok in “Outlaw,” and also a moment that triggers the righteousness of the protagonist Lee Howon.
Soon, Director Baek Janghoon raised his hand and drew a large circle. It was a standby signal to prepare for the next scene immediately.
“Scene number 89, Jeong Hae-seok’s cigarette light!”
There was no time to rest as the filming location was limited both in time and space.
As soon as the stuntman’s stand-in scene ended, it was immediately Youngguk’s turn. At the sound of the clapperboard, he shrugged off his thick coat and walked out of the sports car.
“Tsk.”
The sound of him clicking his tongue echoed on the empty road. Although it was clear he had caused the accident, there was no trace of guilt or fear on his face. Instead, he had an extremely displeased expression, as if he had been hit by bird droppings while passing by.
“Help, help me…”
At that moment, a faint voice was heard. It came from the crashed small car, which was now unrecognizable, like a crushed tofu.
Regardless of the voice, Jeong Hae-seok took out his cellphone and made a call.
“There was an accident. Handle it well and get rid of the CCTV…”
Jeong Hae-seok’s brows furrowed as he gave orders in a commanding tone. He had heard the question, “Are there any survivors?” from the other end of the line.
Jeong Hae-seok stopped answering and pulled out a cigarette pack from inside his coat. A high-end lighter made a clear sound, sharply contrasting with the scene of the accident, as it lit the cigarette.
As the smoke rose into the sky,
“None.”
Jeong Hae-seok flicked the cigarette ash towards the oil on the road. And then,
Boom―!
The fire quickly spread along the oil line. Soon, the car at the end of the fuse exploded upwards as if it had hit a trampoline.
It was a chilling moment, imagining if a real person had been inside the small car instead of a dummy.
Sparks and black ashes scattered in the sky, where white snow should have fallen.
The filming camera zoomed in on Jeong Hae-seok’s already vanished figure, following the back of the criminal leisurely leaving the accident scene in a sports car.
“Outlaw” has around 150 scenes. Knowing that modern feature film scripts usually handle around 120 scenes, it’s slightly longer.
Of course, not all filmed scenes make it to the screen. Unnecessary scenes are often boldly deleted through editing and post-production.
However, scenes dealing with the climax, like today, create a more tense atmosphere than ever.
“Hwawon-ssi, let’s do it one more time.”
Stunt coordinator Kwon Jaehong was checking Son Hwawon’s posture. He had been going back and forth to action school for several weeks, practically clocking in.
Compared to Youngguk, who had past experience, Son Hwawon’s action (dachimawa) was inevitably lacking.
But not knowing this fact seemed to drive Son Hwawon even harder.
“Very good.”
A smile spread on Kwon Jaehong’s lips. It was satisfying to see the results of the efforts made over the past few weeks, even losing sleep.
There are various types of action. From rough and crude to meticulously choreographed and fluid.
The action Son Hwawon was to perform was a clever mix of both, making it even more challenging.
“Hyung, if I get hit for real during today’s shoot, don’t stop and keep going.”
“What?”
Son Hwawon’s eyes widened at the unexpected request. It was a common occurrence when matching action.
Even if rehearsals were repeated and timing was matched, it was hard to replicate that rhythm exactly during actual filming.
As Son Hwawon hesitated, the request came more firmly.
“If you stop, I’ll have to get hit again. So let’s finish it in one cut.”
Usually, when filming such action scenes, the actor playing the role of getting hit would first ease the tension.
“I’ll keep going even if I make a mistake during the action shoot. Got it?”
“Why do I feel a bit scared?”
From Son Hwawon’s perspective, who had already matched the action several times at action school, I must look like a monster. Absorbing it quickly without any prior action filming experience, the fear wasn’t unfounded.
Soon, the assistant director’s voice announced that standby was complete.
“Scene number 111, Law and Fist!”
Lee Howon, serving as a deputy chief prosecutor at the Central District Prosecutors’ Office, was promoted much faster than his peers from the Judicial Research and Training Institute.
Although he had handled numerous cases at the Western District Prosecutors’ Office over the past five years, many considered his promotion excessively fast.
Moreover, he had advanced straight to the central office without experiencing a provincial transfer, which was typical for an ordinary prosecutor.
‘Jeongil Group.’
Of course, no one dared to speak ill of him in his presence, as it was widely known that Jeongil Group had his back.
Indeed, the rapid promotion and the luxurious residential complex overlooking the Han River were unachievable with an ordinary prosecutor’s salary and discretion.
Even for someone who believed he would live as Jeongil Group’s servant for life, there was an event that shook his values.
It was a traffic accident on the highway. Initially thought to be a simple traffic accident, the more he delved into it, the clearer the silhouette became.
All the CCTV cameras were broken, and there was pressure from the upper echelons to conclude the internal investigation quickly.
However, a word from the coroner made Lee Howon’s eyes tremble.
- Look at this, the inside of the esophagus is charred. The wrinkles are all curled up. This is evidence that both were alive even after the car accident. They probably couldn’t escape from the driver’s seat and passenger seat and were engulfed by fire.
They were an old couple. They had set out early in the morning to visit their son’s house.
But they met their fate in an inexplicable traffic accident.
As Lee Howon investigated the case, he discovered that the cause of the fire was cigarette ash, and that some of the car parts found near the accident scene belonged to a sports car.
Ultimately, his gaze turned to Jeongil Group, which he served like a master.
“President Jeong Hae-seok, were you the true culprit behind this incident?”
Lee Howon conducted a witness interview. The person he summoned was President Jeong Hae-seok, who was in charge of Jeongil Group in place of Chairman Wang, who was still bedridden.
“So what?”
The response was unexpected. In fact, he hadn’t even thought Jeong Hae-seok would respond to the witness interview.
But it seemed Jeong Hae-seok had appeared at the prosecutor’s office out of curiosity to see how the ant would perform tricks.
“Prosecutor Lee, I told you. If the dog you raised at home tries to bite its owner, you have no choice but to beat it to death. But it’s strange. The dog that had been obediently eating and following orders suddenly turned like this overnight. Did it catch rabies?”
“No time for jokes.”
“Do I look like someone who would joke with you?”
Even the lawyer was sent outside. Only Lee Howon and Jeong Hae-seok were facing each other in the interrogation room.
Lee Howon presented the materials he had prepared in advance. They included car parts found at the accident scene and CCTV footage that had been incinerated.
But even while looking at them, Jeong Hae-seok’s expression remained unchanged.
“Trying to lock me up with this?”
“That’s not all. Embezzlement, drugs, multiple attempted murders, assault, threats.”
The list of crimes was read out like a string of sausages. Jeong Hae-seok’s frown deepened as if he were annoyed by the ant suddenly baring its teeth and biting.
Just as Jeong Hae-seok habitually tried to light a cigarette from his coat, Lee Howon grabbed the burning cigarette and broke it in half.
“No smoking.”
Without hesitation, Jeong Hae-seok took out another cigarette. As Lee Howon’s fingers reached out again,
Crunch.
Jeong Hae-seok grabbed Lee Howon’s fingers and grinned. Then he stood up and slapped Lee Howon’s cheek hard with his left hand.
“I’d love to punch you, but since this is the prosecutor’s office, I can’t leave a mark on your face. Why are you barking so much when I just want to smoke a cigarette?”
At that moment,
Thud.
Lee Howon pushed the table he was writing the report on and stood up, making Jeong Hae-seok fall back in surprise. His face, which had a cigarette hanging from it, looked incredulous. He hadn’t expected Lee Howon to react so strongly.
“I’ve stopped all recording and filming in this room. Do as you wish, President Jeong Hae-seok. But I won’t just watch anymore.”
“You bastard.”
Just as Jeong Hae-seok got up and grabbed Lee Howon by the shoulder, intending to punch him in the abs with his left fist, Lee Howon’s forehead quickly collided with his.
They became entangled, exchanging punches. Eventually, investigators and lawyers rushed in, having heard the commotion from outside.
They helped their respective people up, unable to hide their surprise.
“Prosecutor, what on earth!”
“President, what happened!”
Lee Howon thought this was enough for now. Jeong Hae-seok also seemed to have no intention of continuing the fight, saying nothing more.
“Next time, be careful.”
Jeong Hae-seok wiped the blood from his lips as if he had just played a fun prank and left.
The investigator looked at Prosecutor Lee Howon with concern, but he nodded slightly, indicating he was fine. Today’s provocation was just a prelude to figuring out how to catch Jeong Hae-seok.
There was only one way to stop someone like Jeong Hae-seok, who wouldn’t stop throwing punches even in the prosecutor’s office.
Lee Howon had to be the bait.
