booktalesy Chapter 222 The Final Path, Kitahara Shin's Aura
Chapter 222 The Final Path, Kitahara Shin's Aura
Chapter 222 The Final Path, Kitahara Shin's Aura
After receiving a promise from Johnny Kitagawa, the vice president of Johnny & Associates, the three veteran actors, Katsuta, Matsuhashi, and Yamazaki, felt much more confident and swaggered back to the set of "Bayside Shakedown" early the next morning.
As per Mary's plan, Johnny's had already secretly bribed several low-level staff members in the crew who were responsible for peripheral tasks.
If Kitahara Shin loses his temper on set today and verbally abuses these three veteran actors, or does anything disrespectful or damaging to their image, those hidden miniature cameras and recorders will immediately record it all.
When the time comes, all we need to do is hand over these materials about "the newly crowned TV King acting like a diva on set, verbally abusing and assaulting veteran actors" to a familiar gossip magazine for sensationalism, and that will be enough to stir up a media storm against Kitahara Shin in Japanese society, which places great importance on respecting teachers and elders, and completely ruin his reputation.
It must be said that these old forces have a very shrewd plan.
Kitahara Shin's career has been going too smoothly these past few years; he has hardly encountered any major setbacks that could seriously damage him.
However, they overlooked one point: Kitahara Shin himself was actually a very guarded and extremely cautious person.
In addition to displaying unrestrained talent in refining his works, he is always impeccably discreet when facing public opinion.
Even when he played a villainous protagonist like Kensuke Komikado, who walked on the edge of moral gray areas and sparked a nationwide debate, he never made a single personal comment on any social issues outside of the show.
He understands very well that a celebrity only needs to do their job well and doesn't need to meddle in other people's business and become an opinion leader.
If he were still just a two-time Best Actor winner, no matter how amazing his acting skills were, the capital wouldn't bother to go to such lengths to target him.
After all, in the eyes of conglomerates, no matter how big an actor is, they are just high-level henchmen.
All the joint attacks originated from his attempt to build his own commercial industrial chain after demonstrating his creative talent, which touched the core interests of capital.
At 9:00 a.m., all departments on set were ready.
Although Kitahara Shin left the scenes of these three actors aside yesterday, their roles are still indispensable transitional scenes in the first episode, so it's impossible for them to be completely omitted.
So, as soon as he arrived today, Kitahara Shin took the initiative to go to the rest area, smiled and "cared" about the three veteran actors, asking them how they were doing and whether they could successfully complete the rest of the filming.
Seeing Kitahara Shin take the initiative to speak, Katsuta and the other two exchanged glances, pretending to be polite on the surface, but actually speaking with hidden meanings.
"Oh dear, President Kitahara, it's not that we old folks are deliberately not cooperating with your work." Katsuta sighed slowly, holding his teacup. "It's just that we're really not used to your chaotic filming pace."
In the past, when we filmed those classic big-budget productions, the directors always gave us ample space to showcase our inner emotions. This kind of...
To be honest, filming a scene where the audience finishes speaking goes against our long-standing acting habits.
These words sound grand and dignified, but they are nothing more than an attempt to rely on one's seniority and once again demonstrate one's so-called "experience" and orthodox status in front of the crew.
However, the scenario they had envisioned—that Kitahara Nobu would compromise or lower his stance—did not materialize.
Kitahara Shin's smile remained unchanged as he looked at the three wrinkled old men and said calmly, "There were advantages to the past, and I can understand the habits of the older generation. However, we live in a rapidly developing era, and the film and television industry is constantly evolving. So I sincerely hope that the three of you can keep up with the times."
He paused, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes: "Otherwise, it's easy to be left behind by the times."
Upon hearing this merciless rebuke, Katsuta and his two companions' expressions instantly changed. They gave a dry laugh, their throats feeling like they had flies stuck in them, unable to utter a single rebuttal for a long time.
Kitahara Shin had no intention of giving them any more face. After speaking, he turned around and left the rest area, no longer bothering to flatter them.
On his way to the set, Kitahara Nobuyuki had already prepared for the worst. If these three dared to cause any more trouble in front of the camera today, he would immediately have the production department initiate contract termination proceedings and kick them out of the crew completely. As for the vacant roles, there were plenty of veteran actors throughout Japan who had played supporting roles their entire lives, possessing solid acting skills but lacking fame. He could easily find a few to fill the gaps; he absolutely could not allow these few bad apples to affect the subsequent filming schedule.
In fact, Kitahara Nobuo was well aware of the current situation.
Even though he has achieved top-tier domestic honors and enjoys a super-first-tier reputation, in Japan, a country deeply rooted in...
In the entertainment industry, where the seniority system is so rigid, countless people will still try to use so-called seniority to limit someone's development.
If he were to follow the conventional path of being a pure actor, expanding his network by currying favor with these veterans and gradually working his way up to become a big shot in the industry, that would certainly be one way. But for him, that kind of life would be too stifling, too ironic, and completely unnecessary.
In this society, a person's social status does indeed depend on their network of connections, but clearly, these connections within the "actor circle" no longer hold any real meaning for him.
His next focus will be on cultivating connections in the business and political spheres.
In the political arena (such as Representative Kobayakawa), while it doesn't mean he has to personally get involved in politics, having someone with an official background endorse him can greatly enhance his company's credibility and risk resistance in society. In the business world, if he can bring together some non-opposing large companies to share the risks, his foundation in the real economy supply chain will be more stable.
However, his company's current scale of profits is not enough to make those top conglomerates lower themselves to seek cooperation with him. These things require time to cultivate, and he is not in a hurry.
As he mentally charted his future course, Kitahara Shin walked back to the monitor.
"All departments, prepare yourselves! Group scene in the lobby, Action!" the director commanded.
Filming officially began.
Shin Kitahara, playing Shunsaku Aoshima, walks among the desks with a coffee in hand. When he reaches his designated spot and encounters the three high-ranking officials played by Katsuta and his two co-stars, sure enough, the three veteran actors pull the same trick again.
Their dialogue was drawn out and their movements were extremely deliberate, completely ignoring the fast-paced dialogue that Kitahara Shin had thrown at them.
The obvious sense of disconnect made it clear to every staff member present that these three people were deliberately causing trouble!
However, given their formidable seniority in the industry, even if other actors nearby couldn't stand it, no one dared to stand up and say a single word of criticism.
This proactive disregard for their professional ethics has already made Katsuta and his colleagues look extremely cheap in the eyes of insiders.
But they didn't care. They were holding their breath, and as long as they could make Kitahara Shin suffer a setback, slow down the project, or force Kitahara Shin to get angry and be boycotted by the industry, they would not have lost face for nothing.
"Cut," the director said helplessly.
Kitahara Shin stood still, glancing at the three people opposite him who had a smug look on their faces, his eyes deep and calm.
He didn't yell at the director or shout. He simply waved to the director in the direction of the monitor, indicating to wait a moment.
Then, with a smile on his face and extremely steady steps, Kitahara Shin slowly approached Katsuta, Matsuhashi, and Yamazaki.
At that very moment, Kitahara Shin silently activated the special reward that had been sitting unused in the system panel for a long time:
[Activated: Special Title - "The Last Yakuza"]
[Title Effect (Passive): Extreme Intimidation. When you play a gangster, criminal, or villain, or actively radiate hostility in real life, your aura of intimidation increases by 50%. In front of the camera, you are the embodiment of violence.]
"Buzz"
The moment the title took effect, Kitahara Shin's aura underwent a terrifying and earth-shattering change.
He was still wearing that ordinary military green trench coat, and he still had that polite and kind smile on his lips, but the three people standing in front of him suddenly felt as if the air around them had frozen.
A palpable, oppressive force, thick with the stench of blood and extreme violence, pressed down on the three old men like an invisible mountain. They felt as if they were facing not a young actor in his early twenties, but a mafia godfather who had just emerged from the bloodbath of Hushan and could tear them to pieces at any moment.
Katsuta's pupils contracted sharply. He tried to speak, but found that his throat was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and his legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
He stood frozen in place, as if the blood in his body had stopped flowing at that moment.
He hadn't felt such a terrifying aura for far too long. This oppressive feeling, which made him afraid to even breathe, was reminiscent of his early days in the industry forty years ago, when he accidentally encountered those veteran Showa-era bigwigs who had truly experienced the post-war carnage and were filled with malice on set.
It was an extremely terrible memory. Katsuta felt like a helpless rookie. He had spent most of his life in the entertainment industry and considered himself to have seen countless people, but now, facing a young man in his early twenties, just looking into those unfathomable, extremely violent eyes, all the pride and experience he had built up in his mind was instantly crushed.
Not only Katsuta, but also Matsuhashi and Yamazaki standing next to him felt the same suffocating fear.
Who is standing in front of me now? Is he some popular young actor?
This is clearly a blood-stained godfather who truly controls the underground order!
While the three of them were sweating profusely and their legs were trembling uncontrollably, Kitahara Shin maintained his gentle demeanor.
He looked at the three pale-faced elders and spoke with a smile.
"My dear seniors, I don't really want to waste your precious filming time." Kitahara Shin's voice was soft, but every word was firm. "However, looking at your current state, I think—why don't you just leave this production? I'm sorry, it's my responsibility. I didn't realize during the auditions that you were completely unsuitable for the pace of this drama."
Hearing this ruthless order to leave, and feeling the increasingly intense Yakuza aura emanating from Kitahara Shin, the three veteran actors, despite being terrified, still forced themselves to speak out out of consideration for their decades of pride.
"You—what do you mean by this?" Katsuta's voice trembled slightly as he questioned, his tone fierce but his voice weak. "Are you trying to make us quit halfway through? There's very little precedent in the industry for kicking out guest veterans! What exactly do you mean? Do you want us old faces to be completely disgraced in the industry?!"
"You've misunderstood, senior."
Kitahara Shin shook his head, his smile widening. "How could I be the one who made you lose face? You all withdrew voluntarily due to health reasons, didn't you?"
At this point, Kitahara Shin walked forward very naturally, smiled and reached out to gently pat Katsuta and Matsuhashi on the shoulder.
Then, he lowered his head slightly and whispered in the ears of the three veteran actors.
In that instant, he completely abandoned all respectful etiquette and so-called honorifics, and in an extremely crude, vulgar, and thuggish voice, he whispered in their ears: "Don't try to act superior in front of me, you bunch of old bastards. If you're incompetent, get out of here, understand?"
These words struck the three of them like a thunderclap.
Katsuta, Matsuhashi, and Yamazaki's eyes widened suddenly, instinctively wanting to get angry and curse this arrogant bastard.
However, when they looked up and met Kitahara Shin's icy gaze again, the anger in their chests was extinguished as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over them.
They couldn't muster any anger; all that remained was pure, physiological fear.
That's so true.
That fierce aura, tinged with the scent of blood, left them with no doubt that if they dared to utter another word of nonsense on this set, the man in front of them would kill them all without hesitation and throw them into Tokyo Bay to feed the fish.
Seeing the three elderly people who were completely stunned and didn't dare to breathe, Kitahara Shin straightened up and regained his gentle smile.
"I'll have the PR department give a unified statement to the public, saying that the three senior actors suddenly fell ill and regretfully withdrew." Kitahara Shin smiled and arranged a way out for them. "I don't think it's necessary for everyone to make this public and let those gossip media write all sorts of things, right? But don't worry, you've been acting here for two days, and the finance department will pay you every penny of your due salary."
11
"Now, you may leave."
The moment he finished speaking, Kitahara Shin silently unlocked the "Last Path of the Yakuza" title effect in his mind.
"call--!"
The terrifying pressure, like Mount Tai pressing down, vanished instantly.
Katsuta and his two companions, like people on the verge of death from lack of oxygen, finally surfaced, their chests heaving violently as they gasped for breath, their shirts already soaked with cold sweat.
This extremely depressing scene was witnessed by other actors waiting in the wings and crew members on the sidelines.
Although they couldn't hear what Kitahara Shin whispered in the old man's ear at the end, just seeing those three usually arrogant old masters in the circle looking pale and trembling in front of Kitahara Shin changed everyone's gaze towards him.
It's terrible!
They then realized that their president was far from the gentle and refined gentleman portrayed in the media reports!
Deep down, he possessed an extremely ruthless and absolute domineering nature.
"I'll have the legal department bring over a confidentiality and termination agreement later. You three can leave after you sign the contract, okay?" Kitahara Shin stood there, calmly watching them.
Hearing these words, which were spoken with a smile but were in fact like an ultimatum, the three veteran actors moved their lips, as if they wanted to make a final struggle.
But they weren't the kind of street thugs who would actually throw a tantrum on set without any regard for their dignity.
If they really do that, their carefully cultivated image of integrity built up over the past few decades will be completely ruined, and even Johnny's promises won't save them.
Finally, Katsuta slumped his shoulders in utter dejection.
He looked at Kitahara Shin with an extremely complex gaze, filled with awe and resentment.
They were completely convinced.
Not only were they subdued in terms of power and manipulation, but they were also shattered in terms of the most fundamental aspect of an actor: "acting skills."
With just a glance or an aura, he could deliver such a substantial, devastating blow to them. This almost monstrous expressiveness was a level they could never reach in their entire lives.
Only at this moment did they finally understand why this young man was able to act like a pillar of strength, firmly holding down so many big-budget film crews and even shining brightly on the international stage.
This man is so unfathomable that it inspires despair.