The reason why filming a movie takes such a long time
is because it’s not just about shooting scenes.
Various factors come into play: pre-production, the complexity of the filming set, actor schedules, and more.
All of these elements blend together to form the world of filmmaking.

"The Endless Frontline was a special case."

Since it was already near the end of production,
they wrapped it up quickly with some additional shooting.
But The Traitor: Roots of Corruption was different.

"I’ve been deeply involved from the very beginning."

This made me realize how long it really takes to complete a single movie.

"I should be able to relax for about two months, right?"
"Really?"

Late December.
Seokho-hyung was reviewing my schedule when he made the comment,
and I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

"I don’t have much to do during that time."

I’d already planned to use the Golden Bell vacation ticket.

"I’m going to Japan to oversee the dubbing for The Traitor, and I’ll spend about a month there while I’m at it."

Under the guise of experiencing Japanese culture,
I intended to take a month-long break.
As a result, I ended up with nearly two free months.
By the time I realized it, 2014 had arrived in the blink of an eye.

"What the...? What did I even do?"

It felt like I’d done nothing, yet suddenly it was the New Year.
And not even January—it was February.

Time had flown by like an arrow.

"Donghu, they said the script has been revised."
"What? This suddenly?"
"Yeah, it caught me off guard too."

Out of the blue, Seokho-hyung handed me a revised script.

"It’s not for additional scenes or anything; it seems related to the final scenes of the film."

Did this mean the ending had changed?
Muttering to myself, I immediately picked up the script.

There was no need to overthink it.

After all:

"I just have to get into character."

I could find out by reading through it myself.

 

I had never been understood by anyone.

When I killed mute beasts as a child,
when I grew older and improved my hunting skills,
when I crushed things less than animals beneath my feet.

No one ever praised me properly.
All I received were hollow words and fearful eyes.

"Ah, truly remarkable. You will one day become a phoenix!"

Even my father’s words felt utterly hollow.
As the eldest grandson of a family that owned all of Gongju’s land,
I was supposed to be envied by everyone.
Yet, I felt empty.

So I decided to see it through to the end.
That’s why I chose this path.

"Did they say there’s a man named Jo Seonghak in Naju who excels in martial arts?"

By chance, the slaves I had killed seemed to know his name.

Feeling something was amiss, I interrogated them further.
To my surprise, they spoke of worms gathering together to wriggle en masse.

Upon hearing this, I immediately packed my things.
Packing, of course, simply meant taking money—there was plenty of it.

The only potential obstacle was my parents’ permission.
But even that was easily resolved.

"Wah, wah, wah!"

Because I wasn’t an only child.

In a family of two sons,
the younger one was usually at a disadvantage.
But my actions thus far had reversed that disadvantage entirely.

Since I was already recognized as the face of the family,
there was no barrier left to stop me.

And so, I set out for Naju.

"Hahahahaha!"

I was confident I was on the right path.

Behold, the festival of maggots stretching out before me.

Here was a beautiful sight where I could swing my sword freely
without facing any consequences.

No matter how much I swung,
killing rebels would only earn me praise.

After slaughtering a group of rebels,
I continued to Naju, where I met Jo Seonghak.

Jo Seonghak, as rumored, possessed striking looks and astonishing martial prowess.
For a moment, I even thought it wouldn’t be bad to serve as his sword.

"After all, the rebels will undoubtedly try to kill him."

Despite being born of a concubine,
Jo Seonghak had overcome his limitations to seize control of his family.

He had ascended to his position by defying the natural order.
It was nothing short of extraordinary.

"If I become like him, there will be nothing to fear."

Once this game was over,
I intended to return home and emphasize the importance of my claim as the heir.

Just as I was thinking that,
I encountered the first moment in my life when things didn’t go my way.

"How can I kill a lotus blooming in the mud with my own hands?"

It happened when Jo Seonghak hesitated at the sight of his bloodline.
Such a thing should have been impossible.

Faced with a mass of worms,
how could he let his gaze be drawn to a mere infant?

Even worse:

"I will open my granary. Please, spare me and the child."

He was begging for his life from lowly creatures.

There were fewer than a hundred of them.
Even after raiding the enemy’s base and drastically reducing their numbers,
why beg for life now?

"Master, this puts me in a difficult position."

How could you do this?
What does that make of me, who came all this way because of you?

I thought we were alike.
I thought no one else was as similar to me as you were.

Though our origins differed,
I felt our circumstances were the same.

"This is betrayal."

I smiled bitterly.
It was then that I finally understood.

Yes, in the end, there would be no one left by my side.
The moment I accepted that truth completely,
a weight lifted from my heart.

"Ah, so the phoenix stands alone. I was merely mistaken."

As I began to dance with my sword,
my immersion shattered.

Fwoosh!

Reality came rushing back.

"...The ending has changed."

Originally, the film was supposed to conclude with a three-way battle between the rebels, Jo Seonghak, and Lee Taeseong.
Jo Seonghak would die,
and Lee Taeseong would flee disgracefully.

The rebels, victorious in Naju,
would push their cause further, ending the story there.

But in the revised script,
Jo Seonghak had fully joined the rebel forces.

"Could this have been factored into the rating?"

I checked the rating out of curiosity.

<The Traitor: Roots of Corruption – B, B>

The rating hadn’t changed, even with the altered ending.
Perhaps the rating had been calculated with the revised script in mind.

"It’s not impossible."

Given the future messages I’d received from Simms,
this seemed like a plausible hypothesis.

Why were they making these changes?
As I mulled it over, I arrived at one conclusion.

"They’re trying to put more emphasis on the action scenes."

Instead of an ambiguous three-way conflict,
they were creating a clear showdown.

Highlighting the spectacular action between Jo Seonghak and Lee Taeseong.
If that was the case, I was confident and had no objections.

Even if the plot changed, the preparation required remained the same.

"A dazzling swordfight, huh?"

"Will this be tougher than The Swordsman Baek Dongsoo?"

Now that, I was looking forward to.

 

The Day of the Sword Dance

When Kim Donghu performed the sword dance amidst the falling snow,
Kiryu Souta wasn’t the only one in awe.

Though Kiryu’s gasps of admiration overshadowed the others:

"...Wasn’t this the same person who greeted us with a smile earlier?"

Director Yoon Seongbin was equally shocked.
The script had described it with a single simple line:

"On a snowy day, he demonstrates martial arts."

Who could’ve imagined a scene like that would emerge from those words?
It left him speechless.

He immediately began rewriting the script.

The original script?
How could he give such a bland script to an actor like this?

It was unthinkable.
So, over several months of revisions, the ending was changed.

One actor in particular welcomed the changes enthusiastically.

"Looks like Donghu and I will put on a full acting showcase."

That actor was Jin Yuseong, cast as Jo Seonghak.

From the moment he received the revised script,
his instincts told him this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

The day Kim Donghu performed his martial arts,
Jin Yuseong resolved not to be overshadowed.

Immediately, he began one-on-one kendo lessons.

Being outdone by someone else’s acting was unacceptable to him.
To ensure that would never happen,
Jin Yuseong dedicated himself to honing his swordsmanship.

When the chance to showcase his efforts arrived on its own,
he couldn’t have been happier.

"And with the heavy snowfall before filming? Perfect timing."

A snowy battlefield,
exchanging blows in a breathtaking duel.
The very thought thrilled him.

 

February Begins

In the wake of a heavy snowfall the previous day,
each step through the snow crunched audibly beneath their feet.

Arriving on set in peak condition, Jin Yuseong felt an odd tingle across his skin.

"What’s going on?"

The atmosphere on set felt strangely different from before.

Previously, the mood had been warm and cheerful,
with people complaining about the cold in a lighthearted way.
It had felt alive.

But now, a chilling tension filled the air.

Even though it was a large-scale action shoot,
was it necessary to make the set feel like a battlefield?

"Isn’t this a bit much...?"

As Jin Yuseong approached the set,
he understood why the atmosphere gripped everyone so tightly.

Kim Donghu, always the earliest to arrive,
meant his makeup and costume were already complete.

"A sword demon."

Clad in a white dopo,
his long hair flowing from the wig,

Kim Donghu sat silently, reading his script,
a sword in one hand that looked like a real blade.

The oppressive presence of this "sword demon"
had rendered everyone breathless.

"Can I really face him?"

The question gripped him like fear,
taking root in his mind.