Chapter 200: Used Car
There were only a handful of people in the country who specialized in vehicle stunts.
In the past, most of them were former race car drivers, and it was not an easily accessible field because the practice itself was costly.
In very poor conditions, it was common to receive a request the day before and rush out to perform a stunt.
Squeak!
Chu Su-an drew a figure eight by smoothly turning the car’s steering wheel. His movements were fluid and effortless.
“Okay! Good! Next, do it in reverse!”
When the action director gave instructions through a megaphone, he switched his arms in a dazzling motion and turned the steering wheel in the opposite direction.
The key to action is its spectacle, so even these small gestures had to be executed in a way that enhanced their impact.
Squeak!
“Good! Slowly, slowly!”
The car that Chu Su-an was driving had been salvaged just before it was to be scrapped. It was meant for practice and, if possible, for use in filming as well.
Unnecessary equipment was removed for speed, and safety devices were added during the modification process.
There was even a small action camera attached to the hood, which Chu Su-an used to monitor his practice sessions.
“Okay! Let’s take a break and then continue!”
“Mr. Su-an, you’re a really good driver.”
“……Thank you.”
“The parts with stunts are, um, let’s see, scenes 34 and 35, right? The part where you turned in a figure eight earlier was the second line of scene 36, and then it proceeds sequentially after that.”
The actual filming would take place in the heart of the city.
Given the scale of the project, they had come all the way to a quiet area on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province to practice their movements.
The road here was almost identical to the filming location but had very little foot traffic. Of course, it was still controlled with barricades and personnel.
“After you pass this section, two vehicles will flip over in succession from behind, so don’t slow down.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Chu Su-an listened intently to the director’s words, his nerves on edge. The day of the actual shoot was approaching, and the safety of many people, including his own, depended on it, so he had to stay focused.
“Seniorrrr!”
His concentration was shattered by Muyoung’s voice. Chu Su-an turned around in surprise. Muyoung, wearing a hat pulled over his face, was waving his hands excitedly.
“Oh? Ha Muyoung is here.”
“……Oh.”
He said he was coming, and he really came. It was nice of him to take the time, even though he must be busy.
Muyoung approached and greeted the director and the stuntmen.
“Hello! Long time no see!”
“Oh, Muyoung! It’s been a while. I heard you did a great job filming.”
“Yes, thanks to you. Thank you.”
Before filming the murder scene, they had practically lived together at the action school, eating and sleeping side by side. Since they were familiar with each other, everyone warmly welcomed Muyoung.
“I’m going to try to practice with you today, too.”
“You’re going to sit next to me?”
“Yes. They say I’ll just be sitting and shooting a gun, but it’s still better to do it together, right? Time will be precious on set.”
They couldn’t rent out the city center for hours. Since they had to get it done in one take, Muyoung wanted to get a feel for it beforehand.
“Then, just a moment. Let me check the passenger seat.”
At Muyoung’s words, the director and the stuntmen examined the white luxury sports car. It was the kind of car a billionaire would drive, fitting for someone considered the world’s greatest artistic genius.
“Wow, I’ve never ridden in something like this before.”
“I’ve never driven one either.”
“The car looks pretty intact. How did you manage to fix it up? You said it was almost ready for the scrapyard when you barely managed to get it.”
Chu Su-an shrugged, as if he didn’t know any more than that. He didn’t seem particularly interested, so he hadn’t even bothered to ask.
As Muyoung examined the car from every angle, one of the stuntmen tapped the hood and asked,
“Do you want to take it for a spin?”
“There’s an action camera here, so you can check your expression and posture. It’ll take about two minutes to go around the track?”
“Muyoung, you don’t have a prop gun, right?”
“Ahaha. No!”
“Then, for now, just hold onto this.”
“Shoot continuously during the first right turn, and then shoot again when you go straight.”
What the director handed over was a small boomerang. It fit perfectly in his hand.
“Shall we go around again?”
“Weren’t you going to rest?”
“I rested. Besides, I’m not actually using my body. It’ll be troublesome if the sun sets here, so we need to hurry.”
The road was completely empty, like an abandoned path. Lush reeds stretched out on either side, and only one streetlight stood in the distance.
Just as the director said, it would become inconvenient once the sun set.
“Yes. Then, I’ll leave it to you, Senior Su-an.”
Muyoung stretched enthusiastically and slid into the passenger seat. Chu Su-an gripped the steering wheel with a slightly tense expression.
“……Definitely.”
“Yes?”
“It’s true. I feel a bit nervous with someone sitting next to me.”
“You looked good from a distance. Just relax!”
“……You’ll be doing the dialogue, right?”
“Yes. Let’s take it slow, you and I.”
Muyoung, fastened in his seatbelt, rested his hand on the window. When the director waved a flag to signal the start, Chu Su-an stepped hard on the accelerator.
Vrooooom!
“Whoa. Amazing.”
Maybe because it was a sports car, the exhaust noise was deafening. The car instantly crossed the center of the reed field, and the director and stuntmen became tiny specks in the distance. It was the first right-turn course.
“Shit!”
Muyoung stuck his body out the window and looked back. He acted as if he were shooting a gun mercilessly.
Chu Su-an glanced at him briefly, impressed by the meticulousness with which he even portrayed the recoil.
“What the hell are those guys?”
He was asking why a police car and a black sedan were mixed in and chasing after them.
“They seem to be the guys sent by the chairman.”
“Don’t follow me, you bastards! Go screw each other!”
After flipping them off, he sat back in his seat. He tidied his wind-blown hair and hummed to himself.
Just as Muyoung was about to check his face in the side mirror,
‘Huh?’
He felt something in the back seat.
Startled, he turned around, but it was empty. Chu Su-an, focused on driving, didn’t notice Muyoung’s actions.
Slooowly.
Long fingers crept in through the open passenger window.
Not only were the fingernails all missing, making them look grotesque, but they were currently traveling at over 60 km/h.
‘What is this?’
When Muyoung looked down below the window, he saw a ghost hanging under the car and climbing up. It seemed like she was trying to get inside.
“Muyoung?”
Chu Su-an called out to him as if something was wrong. They were back on the straight course. Without responding, Muyoung stuck his body out the window.
The ghost, with her tangled hair hanging grotesquely, locked eyes with him as she tried to climb inside, shrieking horribly.
Kyaaaah!
Muyoung, acting as if he were shooting a gun, pried her fingers off one by one. He had no idea where she had clung to him, but the situation was critical, so she needed to let go.
Aaaah!
But……
“Huh?”
The ghost was holding onto Muyoung’s clothes and wouldn’t let go. She was so strong that Muyoung had to grip the window frame with his other hand to hold on. It was clear that the ghost’s intention was, If I can’t get in, then you come out.
“Senior! Senior!”
When Muyoung urgently called out to Chu Su-an, he glanced to the side and then abruptly stepped on the brake. At the same time, he grabbed Muyoung’s clothes tightly and pulled him back.
Squeeeak!
The car turned halfway in a semicircle.
Since there was nothing around to collide with, their bodies were jolted due to the reaction.
“Muyoung!”
“Ouch……”
Muyoung rubbed his side as if in pain. Fortunately, thanks to the seatbelt and Chu Su-an’s actions, he didn’t get flung out the window.
“Are you okay? Wait, just now……”
Chu Su-an muttered, his face pale.
“Didn’t we hit that person?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Just now, there was a woman in front……”
He got out of the car and checked the hood and the surroundings. There were no signs of a collision, and everything was clean. Muyoung also got out to look for the ghost, but she had gone silent, as if hiding her presence.
“Was there a woman?”
“Yes. I was so startled that I stepped on the brake.”
If not, he would have slowed down gradually, of course.
With a person sticking their body out the window.
“What the……”
Chu Su-an had the look of someone who had been bewitched by a ghost. He blankly scanned the surrounding reed field.
Muyoung felt the same way. Of all the ghosts he had encountered so far, this one was among the most vicious.
‘She was trying to kill me, right?’
Whether it was trying to pull him out the window or making Chu Su-an suddenly step on the brake, her intentions were utterly malicious.
In the distance, a car hurriedly approached. The stuntmen, who had been watching from afar, had noticed something was wrong and were rushing over.
“Muyoung! Su-an!”
“What’s going on? Is there a problem?”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Everyone rushed over, panting, trying to figure out what had happened. Fortunately, apart from the car spinning halfway, there were no major issues.
“Muyoung, your ribs……”
“No, I’m fine.”
The stuntmen, confirming that both of them were unharmed, sighed in relief.
“Why did that happen? You suddenly stopped.”
“Right. You were doing well until just before you went straight.”
“Check the car.”
“No, that’s not it.”
Chu Su-an ran his hand over his face, seeming to struggle with how to explain what had happened.
“……I suddenly saw a person.”
“A person?”
“I stopped because I thought I was going to hit a pedestrian, but when I came to my senses, there was nothing there.”
Everyone’s expressions became strange, as if wondering what kind of bizarre thing could happen in broad daylight. Only the sound of the reeds rustling in the wind drifted quietly. As Chu Su-an’s face turned red, Muyoung added,
“I saw it too.”
“……!”
“Muyoung saw it too?”
Chu Su-an’s eyes widened, and this time he turned deathly pale.
If it wasn’t just him who saw it, did they really hit someone? Or if not……
‘A ghost. A ghost.’
Chu Su-an crouched down and sat on the ground, trembling. He was too scared to know what to do with himself.
Muyoung knelt down and checked under the car as well, asking the director,
“Director, where did you get this car?”
“Through a dealer I know well. It went to the junkyard, but it was so intact that the staff there set it aside. When I said I was looking for a car for filming, they connected me right away.”
Muyoung clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“I don’t think we can use this.”
“What do you mean?”
It was a sports car worth hundreds of millions upon release. They hadn’t even expected to find one secondhand, but they had been lucky enough to get one from the junkyard.
If they had to find a new car and redo the work, it would be a huge loss of money and time.
“Let’s call it a day for now and head back to Seoul together. We need to have a meeting to figure out what to do.”
Muyoung thoroughly checked even the trunk, searching for the ghost.
Everyone exchanged puzzled glances, but what could they do when the two lead actors were acting like this?
“Then the two of you go ahead, and we’ll continue with the stunt practice—”
“No. That’s not possible.”
The action scene, which would be filmed in a full shot, required the stuntman to drive, so practice was necessary.
But when Muyoung firmly crossed his arms in an X, they were at a loss.
“No, Muyoung……”
“It’s not possible. This is really weird, so please listen to me.”
It was a ghost trying to kill people. If they made a mistake, they could end up having a funeral during the actual shoot. Muyoung searched for his phone and found Director Kim San’s number. Since he was someone who believed in superstitions, he would definitely side with Muyoung if he knew what had happened.
“I’ll talk to the director about it. And—”
Muyoung rubbed his chin and asked the martial arts director for a favor.
“Could you please contact that dealer?”
He needed to find out more about the car.
Muyoung patted Chu Su-an’s shoulder, who was standing there blankly, and laughed.
“Senior. Snap out of it.”
“……”
Chu Su-an just silently clung to Muyoung’s sleeve. A man who looked like he had just come out of the Marines and was ready to hunt ghosts…… He seemed really scared.
“It’s okay. They say it’s a good sign when an actor sees a ghost. Since the two leads saw it at the same time, this is huge! Hmm hmm!”
At Muyoung’s playful consolation, Chu Su-an’s expression became strange—neither crying nor laughing, just an odd face.
The wind blowing over the reed field grew even stronger.