Chapter 45
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 045
Chapter Title: Expectations
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That evening, after the script reading wrapped up, the first cast party kicked off at a fancy Korean restaurant nearby.
It was partly thanks to Newflix's deep pockets, but it was also a chance to treat Jennifer Kim, the Newflix rep who'd flown all the way from the States to Korea.
From the sizzling Unyang-style bulgogi fresh off the grill,
to the nutty nurungji nutrition rice packed with sweet dried persimmons and mixed grains.
The perfectly seasoned soy-marinated crab and meticulously spice-rubbed seasoned conch...
It was top-notch. Jennifer Kim's eyes went wide at the first proper Korean meal she'd had in ages.
And the real kicker? It wasn't just a feast for the mouth.
The eyes were in for a treat too...
Jennifer Kim's gaze naturally drifted to the leads sitting right across from her.
Baek Eun-won, Go Do-jin, and Shin Yi-han.
Just looking at that trio made her stomach feel full, her lips curving into a smile.
Each one had such a distinct vibe.
The protagonist Baek Eun-won lived up to his rep for being stoic, barely changing expression even at the party.
Main villain Go Do-jin, handsome as he was, had those fierce eyes that screamed bad guy. His smile? Pure black-hearted schemer.
And Shin Yi-han...
How could he turn the reading room into a frozen hellscape and now flash that radiant grin?
Ice-cold when blank-faced, but one smile and he was all warmth.
Jennifer Kim couldn't help a hollow chuckle at Shin Yi-han, who was softly lifting the corners of his mouth like the reading never happened.
"Everyone, you were amazing today."
She had to say it.
"Of course, I thought Others' Hell would be a hit from the moment I first read the script."
Jennifer Kim subtly glanced at Shin Yi-han.
"But now? It feels like it's gonna be even bigger."
And she wasn't alone in that.
The other Newflix staff on her team felt the same.
'Hold up. Wow.'
'Jennifer, this is... the real deal?'
It came via Brian, the contact she'd looped in earlier.
'I don't even speak Korean, but...'
'Their expressions gave me chills.'
'It was weird, chills just prickled all over!'
Shin Yi-han's script reading clip was already making the rounds in the Newflix Others' Hell team chat.
'Too short. Such a tease.'
'No idea why, but...'
'That rookie actor kept stealing the show. More than the lead or main villain.'
Everyone's reactions mirrored hers.
'Seriously... unforgettable.'
Now they got why Director Gil Mi-jin and writer Go Ji-sook had been raving.
"Right? Totally!"
"I felt it too, hit me hard!"
Even now, those two were losing it over Jennifer Kim's words.
"Our actors nailed it! As director, I have zero worries now..."
"Exactly! Feels so solid!"
Shin Yi-han smiled at that, nodding along with the leads.
"Thank you."
Especially resonant for Shin Yi-han.
"And yeah, me too. We're definitely gonna crush it."
He said it with a genuine grin.
He could say it with confidence.
Others' Hell is gonna be a massive hit.
Others' Hell would air early in the year and top domestic OTT charts all season long.
Shin Yi-han knew it, so he smiled wider.
Sure, the Geum Seong-je role had gone to him now, a variable.
But it wouldn't drag down those heights—hell, it'd probably boost them. He was sure of it.
"Today was a blast. Script, acting, all of it."
With everyone diving in so intensely, "fun" slipped out naturally from Shin Yi-han.
Not just laughs at that.
The two leads beside him snapped their heads his way.
"Fun for me too."
Baek Eun-won's first real smile since the party started.
"What."
Villain Go Do-jin smirked back.
"Tough, but yeah, fun after a while."
Great reading made for great first impressions—vibes were spot-on.
The mood held through the meal,
and the nonstop chatter kept Shin Yi-han grinning.
Then, out of nowhere.
"Hey, Yi-han."
Baek Eun-won, who'd kept formal with everyone else, suddenly dropped the honorifics after a few words from Shin Yi-han.
"You in this one?"
Baek Eun-won shoved his phone over abruptly.
[Seoul Independent Film Festival Main Competition (Feature Films)]
?
The screen showed the main competition lineup for the Seoul Independent Film Festival, announced just before the reading.
[- Innocent Boy (Kwak Hoon)]
Scroll frozen right on Innocent Boy.
Shin Yi-han couldn't hide his surprise.
The Brilliant Sky crew might know, but no one here had breathed a word about indies.
Huh? How'd he know...?
"Ah, not like I dug around on purpose."
Baek Eun-won caught Shin Yi-han's puzzled look and added,
"Saw the assistant director from Murder's Delusion listed. Figured maybe."
Shin Yi-han almost asked when he'd scoped that out.
"Timing's perfect, right after Murder's Delusion wraps—prime shooting window. First gig for that AD, I'd want to work with you if I were him. Especially if the kid in Innocent Boy is high school age."
Dude's detective skills are no joke.
"So? Am I right?"
At Baek Eun-won's genuine curiosity, Shin Yi-han burst out laughing.
Couldn't help it.
Past-life Baek Eun-won had been just like this.
'Writer, why didn't you send me that script?'
Sure, older back then.
'This your pen name? Why the secrecy this time?'
'Saw a film ages ago that screamed you. No way.'
'Writer? Writer! Writer.'
Hmm...
Should I be laughing? Anyway.
Not like they'd met as writer-actor this time, but somehow he'd latched on.
"Yeah. Spot on."
Shin Yi-han nodded.
"I'm the lead. The boy in Innocent Boy."
"...!"
Baek Eun-won grinned at the answer.
"I'll definitely come watch."
Said it like he was thrilled at the prospect.
And Baek Eun-won himself was coming.
Not just him, either.
"Oh! Me too!"
Go Do-jin jumped in first, having overheard.
"Wait, Seoul Independent Film Festival? No way! I just got invite tickets! Gotta go now!"
"Shin Yi-han as the lead?! Then I'm there for sure!"
Even Director Gil Mi-jin and writer Go Ji-sook chimed in.
"M-me too!"
Jennifer Kim from Newflix.
"I wanna go!"
Uh... somehow turning the fest into a star-studded affair...?
Around the same time.
'Seoul Independent Film Festival'
The main competition judges gathered ahead of the Seoul Independent Film Festival.
To ensure smooth sailing, they were pre-screening.
Directors with big names in their fields, plus a seasoned mid-career actor.
Top-tier indie fest meant solid lineup.
But that wasn't all.
The organizers' ace in the hole was still to come.
"Huh...?"
Definitely not your typical indie fest face.
"D-Director Tak Bong-chun?!"
Tak Bong-chun.
Domestic GOAT director? Tak Bong-chun. International Korean name? Still him.
"No way! What brings you here...?"
"You're judging today too?!"
The Cannes regular showing up here? Judges were stunned.
Not some massive global fest, but a domestic indie one?
This was like a pro MLB coach crashing high school baseball practice.
"Director, your presence alone makes this fest huge!"
The towering Tak Bong-chun boomed a laugh at the fuss.
"Nah, what fest blows up from judges? Just had time, that's all."
Flattery was obvious, but hey, kinda nice after a while.
"Still, huge morale boost! For us and the juniors!"
Pfft. Tak Bong-chun chuckled softly, rolling up his sleeves.
"Alright, let's see what ya got."
Master's arrival lit up the judging room.
"Curious what our juniors brought."
"Us too! After last year's disaster... please let this year shine!"
Thirteen features in the long-form category. Time to dive in.
"Oh yeah! Prelim judges were hyping some monster entry!"
"Right, friend's a prelim judge. Wouldn't spill for fairness, but said we'd know it when we see it."
"Oh? Decent stuff this year?"
They started with mild hopes.
But.
Halfway through.
'Eyes are gonna pop...'
'Halfway and it's this rough...?'
'What a year.'
Sighs echoed nonstop.
These were the cream of the crop mains, yet...
Last year all over again.
Might look fine to outsiders.
But for picking the top prize? "Fine" didn't cut it.
'Oh! This one's solid.'
'Whoa, that guy's in it? Nice.'
Occasional gems, but fleeting.
"Jeez."
The longer it dragged, the harsher Tak Bong-chun got.
Nothing impressed him. At all.
"No decent kids making films these days."
Monster entry? Total letdown after the hype.
"Back in my day."
Latte slipped out.
"We staked our lives on even small fests. Poured everything in, bald from stress! Kids these days wouldn't get it."
This level? Regretting coming.
Meant to help juniors, revive last year's flop.
And refresh from his stalled script.
Yeah, script. Brutally stuck.
Months since last film, zero progress. Write, delete, repeat.
Need that big spark. It's gone. Sigh.
Frustration over his next project hit; he chugged water. Ahh.
Damn perfectionism. Couldn't fight it.
Nothing measures up, can't even start.
Just waiting for lightning to strike.
Not like it'd happen here.
Tak Bong-chun's headache worsened.
Sigh, refresh my ass. What was I thinking.
Just here to nap the day away.
Indies need that raw spine, but these felt like cheap games.
All meh, original.
Then, after a few more.
This one looks boring too.
Tak Bong-chun, half-asleep, checked the next title.
- Innocent Boy
Deep sigh, he stretched.
Other judges same boat.
Prelims blind or what? Where's the hype?
First-time director and writer.
Zero expectations.
"...Alright, roll it."
Tak Bong-chun leaned back, arms crossed.
Just don't yawn. Dying here.
Then the film started.
'Hm?'
Tak Bong-chun, slouched in the plush seat, slowly straightened up.
Plain boy.
Cops nabbing him for murder.
Well now.
Interviews about the boy.
Simple setup yanked eyes wide open.
Hold on.
But intrigue faded quick? Nope.
The boy's desperation got uglier,
and Tak Bong-chun—plus judges—watched faces twist moment to moment.
What's with that kid...
The boy was shocking.
Grotesque.
Pure.
Cunning.
And that final visitor with dad, the aftermath.
This betrayal...
The boy's smile enraged even viewers, yanking Tak Bong-chun to the screen's edge.
Insane.
To the ending's last expression.
Insane!
Impossible.
Couldn't look away. Not once.