As promised watch out for the "line of the week", thanks to Lauren. The prompts from the previous chapter are still in force, however, don't wait too long to come up with ideas. In response to the comment by a guest - see Chapter 37 about the mysterious Mr. Kim and the envelope he gave ES. He is an enigma for now, but not for too long.
Unfortunately, I'm getting busier in RL and will have less time for fanfiction. Please be patient and understanding. Will try my best to give at least an update or two a week.
Choi Young had a very special relationship with his sword. He never parted with it and it molded to his hand over the many years and many battles. He knew very well that a sword needs to match its master, not the other way around. So when he started to work with his trainee on sword handling, the first thing he did – checked if it matched the man holding it.
"Daejang, here is blade they gave me," the boy showed it to him with pride. A newly created weapon shined and the steel of the blade was pristinely untouched. "It is blunt, of course, so that I don't injure myself or others, but it still looks real. Is not it cool?"
Choi Young snickered at the boy's excitement. This "sword" was not a weapon, but a toy. However, everybody had to start with a wooden sword before they graduated to the one that could kill. Since the purpose of the exercise was to appear as if it was real, the weapon had to handle like real as well. "Hold it like that," he directed the actor to lift up his arm and make a number of swings. "Tell me how it feels."
"I don't know," the boy admitted, a bit embarrassed. "How is it supposed to feel?"
"It should be light, agile, balanced, sturdy and flexible. When you move your arm, its mass should not pull on you. You should be able to lift and move it easily. When used in combat, it has to be equally capable of delivering dismembering cuts and cleaving deep cavities into the body. Just lifting the sword and moving it around does not give you the same feeling of handling as when you cross your blades with an opponent."
"Daejang, would you do me the honor and try it with me?"
"Sure. I will use my sword, don't be afraid, I will not harm you."
"Is it OK for me to touch your sword with mine?" asked the trainee cautiously.
"I will allow it, just to help you get the feeling. It is not a toy, it is a battle sword. I don't play with it."
"I will be respectful." The pupil got ready and made a few sharp quick swings, while the General moved his sword slowly to meet his attack and allowing the swords collide, making a clanking sound as the metals met.
"How is it?" Choi Young stopped and asked the actor.
"It does not feel right, not sure why."
"Let me see." Choi Young quickly tested the weapon and sighed, shaking his head. "This is not made right for you. We are the same height and probably weight. You are correct. You need another one. I will request it to be changed immediately."
"I don't want to cause trouble, please. They don't like actors to act demanding. I'm still young and don't want to be known as difficult and fussy."
"It is not your concern to be fussy. It is me who is fussy. I will not train you with the wrong sword. It will not move properly, you can not learn and you might injure self in the process. I will take care of it." And he turned to his trusty manager, "Hee Jun, do you know who I should talk to about this problem?"
"Let me find out. I will be right back."
"Daejang, I have never been treated this way before. You take the training seriously and don't look at me just like an actor. I like feeling like a regular guy and that you demand me to work hard."
"Is there any other way?" Choi Young seemed dead serious. Was he expected to go lightly on this boy? With such short time how can anybody learn any other way?
"The director said that he needs to see for himself what the problem is." Hee Jun returned shortly with the news.
"No problem. I will show him."
The director arrived with an entourage, including the stunt team and the stunt coordinator, who already had it out for Choi Young. They genuinely disliked each other, but both knew that they had to work together and coldly exchanged greetings. Everybody lined up and Choi Young had a little demonstration first with his sword and then having the actor slowly repeat the movements after him. It has continued for a few minutes and the droplets of sweat began to glisten on the boy's forehead and his lip got bitten as it's become increasingly more obvious the every time he lifted his arm, it's gotten more and more difficult, and a slight tremor could be noted in his hand.
"You see, how his arm is straining. The sword should not weigh on him, it has to fit comfortably into his palm and when he moves," the actor attempted a swing, "he should not have to curl his shoulder and lean like that. He is athletic enough to perform basic strikes, but watch his hand carefully." And he said something quietly to the guy, who appeared to be surprised for a moment and then followed the order. He changed his posture and pointed the arm in front of him. Everybody watched waiting for some special move, but nothing else occurred, a tremor grew in his hand and the sword shook with it, he struggled to hold the weapon and suddenly his fingers undid their grip, the sword falling down and the boy lifted his palm, his eyes widening, as he watched it tremble. "Daejang? What is wrong? Why is it happening?"
"Don't worry. It will go away," he reassured his trainee.
The director watched with a frown, making a deep crease between his brows. He looked at the man responsible for props, "Have you seen that? It is not normal."
The man stared at the actor and then back at the director, speechless.
Actor's manager stepped forward, pushing through the tight circle, aiming the accusation at the trainer, "Why is his hand trembling? What have you done to him? Do you know WHO he is and how much he is worth?"
The people murmured, all waiting for response.
Choi Young smirked out of the corner of his mouth, "I did not overexert him. He barely held the weapon for 10 minutes. There is nothing wrong with hand. It is the sword that's heavy."
He picked up the weapon and held it out the same way the actor just did a minute ago. Soon, his wrist started flexing down and a light tremor shook his hand. "See, it's heavy for me also. This won't do. Do you want him injured?" He raised his voice, and glared at the man responsible. "Have not you heard that he is worth much?"
"What do you suggest we do? We don't have time or budget."
"I will tell you what changes are necessary. It will not be hard to fix, by tomorrow it can be ready if you have a good blacksmith."
"A good blacksmith? I just got it from the prop storage."
"You can take it back there after it's fixed, so that the next person who uses it wouldn't have to get hurt!"
He was impressive like that, giving orders, not worrying about his position or that he was in front of the director. The actor was used by now to the unusual ability of his trainer to have others follow his commands, whether they were the director of the movie or a lowly assistant.
"Yes sir, right away."
The director thanked Choi Young for pointing out a problem and asked, "Would you be willing to be his double? I will arrange for extra pay."
"Whose double?" The general showed confusion, but Hee Jun quickly saved the day, "I will discuss it with him, director. He prefers not to be on screen, but I will see what I can do."
"Let's stop here today," he gestured to the actor, who bowed as usual before leaving.
Working skewed his perception of time. Days seemed longer, but somehow there were less hours in a day. Eun Soo already got him the hand phone and he learned how to make and answer calls. He could always press the line with her name and her voice would come out of the shiny contraption, still causing him initial surprise.
"So tell me about your day," she asked. "They gave him the wrong sword, so I told the director to change it, otherwise, I won't work with him," reported Choi Young.
"Good for you," praised him Eun Soo, laughing. "You crack the whip, stranger. The more I here about your work, the more I can believe that you used to command an army."
"Not all the time. I only commanded the army when needed. I just had to deal with my Woodalchi's. I like smaller numbers, more manageable, and the guys are easier to control."
"Of course. When are you coming home? What do you want for dinner?"
"Anything," he did not care much as long as he could eat together with her.
He barely worked for a few days, but he already found special pleasure in coming home in the evening. The meals shared made a good ending to a day, a quiet opportunity to seat together, to observe how funny she was with the food, always smacking her lips and licking the spoon after finishing the soup till the last drop. She ate heartily, with excitement and enjoyment he's rarely seen women display about food. And leaning back in her chair she patted her stomach, content, reminding him of the Woodalchi boys and always making him chuckle. How such unlady-like behavior could be so adorable, he did not comprehend himself.
Eun Soo then cleaned the table and washed the dishes, her hair always getting in the way, stubbornly sneaking into her eyes, and she grumbled at it. As he watched her move the hair off the face and tuck it behind her ear, he waited for her to turn, as she predictably did every time, giving him a smile. The smile was a signal for him to get up and wrap himself around her from the back, kissing her hair, which he then punished for bothering her with a tie found in the pocket. The silky softness of the hair in his fingers made him bite his lip and curb the desire just long enough for her to finish.
The warm evenings and the hot nights, and then another day at work. He was getting used to this life too quickly.