Chapter 190: A Pleasant Betrayal
Chapter 190: A Pleasant Betrayal
“......”
In the silence, everyone’s gaze was fixed in one direction.
Straight at Quentin Marino in front of the monitor.
His eyes were filled with ecstasy.
The bloody waltz he had only ever drawn inside his head.
He had just witnessed with his own eyes that unreal action, three personalities crossing through a single body, being brought into reality.
And he had been completely overwhelmed.
So overwhelmed that he had even forgotten to call cut.
His body trembled violently with exhilaration.
“...Director?”
Even the assistant director, who had worked with Quentin Marino in Hollywood for decades, had never seen a sight like this before.
He had seen the director feel satisfied after watching acting.
But had he ever seen him stand there blankly, as though his soul had left his body, like this?
Still, they could not stand there awkwardly waiting forever.
The cinematographer had already lowered the angle, and the staff were all staring blankly at the director’s mouth.
“Director, the cut signal... everyone’s waiting.”
“...Cut?”
Only then did Quentin Marino jolt in surprise and rip off his headset.
Then he shouted loudly enough to shake the set.
“Ah, right. Cut! Cut! What the fuck, cut!!!”
Only then did the tension holding the set tight snap all at once.
A little later, Ryu Sunho, who had gone outside the building, came back into the parking garage.
As he returned like a triumphant general, the staff burst into applause all at once.
Clap clap clap clap—
Wheeeew—!
Cheers and whistles filled the entire parking garage.
“...?”
Ryu Sunho looked around with a puzzled expression.
It seemed like he had filmed well enough without any NGs.
But what was with a welcome this intense...?
At that moment, Team Leader Jo Sehun ran over and thumped Ryu Sunho on the shoulder.
“Man, you absolutely tore it up, tore it up.”
“Tore what up?”
“You tore up the set just now. At this level, even Han Jusin couldn’t stitch it back together. No, I’m telling you, Director Quentin was trembling so hard after watching your acting that he couldn’t even call cut.”
As if proving those words, Quentin Marino, who had been staring at the monitor for a long while, strode straight up to Ryu Sunho.
Then he hugged him fiercely.
“This is it! Ryu! You’re insane! Five thousand times more than a cheeseburger! You’re more perfect!”
Still wildly excited, he poured out lavish praise.
Huge smiles spread across the staff’s faces as well.
Because they all got the feeling this was absolutely an OK take.
Normally, a high-difficulty single-take scene like this would require at least three or four takes, and often more than ten NGs as a given.
Because there were simply too many variables: blocking getting tangled, timing on the hits going off, and so on.
That was why the timetable had been made generously long in advance.
But Ryu Sunho had succeeded perfectly on the very first take.
As a result, it looked as though everyone’s time to go home would be moved up by more than half.
“If today goes well, we might actually get home before sunrise.”
“For the first time in ages, I might get to see my daughter before she leaves for school.”
“I might even get to eat breakfast with her.”
“Heh heh, shooting with a lead actor who’s really good at acting is a blessing. A blessing.”
“No kidding. In the end, the staff’s work-life balance is something the actor takes care of.”
In the warm atmosphere, even the stunt actors who had worked opposite Ryu Sunho were clicking their tongues in amazement.
“How is the real take more precise than rehearsal?”
“Exactly. And the force wasn’t excessive either. I checked after filming, and I don’t even have one bruise.”
“And it’s not like the acting got dulled either. When he grabbed me by the collar and dragged me earlier, I really felt killing intent. It was scary. The frightened expression just came out on its own.”
Watching their vivid reactions, the martial arts director finally drove the point home in a voice full of certainty.
“Without question, this is the greatest single-take action scene I’ve ever filmed in my life—or even seen in theaters, counting every movie I’ve watched. I guarantee it.”
As filming for Check Mate continued day after day, the weather had grown quite chilly before anyone noticed.
The calendar quickly flipped over into December.
That meant awards season had returned.
“It’s been a while.”
Incheon International Airport.
I had entered the country to handle a domestic schedule for the first time in a while.
It was because I was attending the Korea Advertising Awards ceremony.
Once I got into the van and arrived at a large hotel in Seoul, a storm of flashes poured down on me.
Click-click-click-click—!
“Ryu Sunho! Please look this way just once!”
“It’s your first return to Korea in a while since entering Hollywood!”
“To the right! Please look to the right too!”
An incredible amount of press heat.
Honestly, it left me rather blank with surprise.
Normally, the Korea Advertising Awards was not the kind of event that reporters crowded into like acting awards or film festivals.
It was closer to an internal celebration for advertising people, a place where they praised one another’s hard work over the year and enjoyed themselves.
Well, I could guess the reason.
Most likely, it was because news had spread that I was attending the ceremony.
According to what Team Leader Jo Sehun told me, the amount of attention focused on me in Korea right now was enormous.
“Wow, there are so many reporters.”
“This is the first time in my life I’ve seen this many cameras set up at the Korea Advertising Awards.”
“Well, of course. Ryu Sunho, the hottest person in Korea right now, is coming.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It’s absolutely good. Thanks to Ryu Sunho, today’s ceremony is about to land on the main portal news page.”
The advertising people were welcoming this unprecedented public attention and heat with open arms.
They were always the helpers working behind the public eye, so of course they found it pleasing that the spotlight I brought had shone on them too.
After greeting the people involved and taking my seat, the ceremony finally began in earnest.
“We will now announce the proud winners of the Korea Advertising Awards.”
The announcer in a suit smoothly presented the awards.
Print category, radio category, outdoor category, and more.
Awards across countless categories passed by quickly.
At tables all across the hall, voices of joy and disappointment from advertisers and agency employees burst out in turns.
“The Branded Content category. Silver Prize! Singgeut Ice Cream’s ‘Chili Oil Ice Cream’ edition!”
At last, the projects I had participated in began being called.
The content that had accidentally created a challenge and even triggered a sold-out frenzy.
“Chili Oil Ice Cream” won the Silver Prize.
As cheerful laughter and applause broke out through the venue, Team Leader Jo Sehun clicked his tongue in regret.
“It’s a little disappointing that it only got Silver, considering even a British princess participated. It felt like it had more than enough buzz.”
I just laughed lightly.
When we first planned it, I had not even once thought about aiming for an award with it.
Hadn’t it only been content designed for simple SNS virality?
What surprised me was that the buzz had burned much bigger than expected.
Since it was not a fully dressed-up advertisement made with proper award packaging in mind, it probably would have been hard for the judges to score it highly.
And Team Leader Jo Sehun’s disappointment did not last long at all.
“We will now announce the Grand Prize in the Online Video category. Singgeut and Haechi Ice Cream’s ‘Vanilla X Cacao One Person, Two Roles Film’!”
Cheers exploded.
“It was a work that created a major stir by portraying the merging process of Singgeut and Haechi Ice Cream through chilling one-person, two-roles acting and sophisticated direction. All the judges highly praised its perfect planning and acting.”
Team Leader Jo Sehun was even happier than I was, clenching his fist.
But the awards did not end there.
“Next is the Campaign Strategy of the Year category.”
Strength entered the presenter’s voice.
“And this year’s Grand Prize goes to...! the drama-linked organ donation campaign with the Ministry of Health and Welfare that achieved the finest social impact, ‘Seeds of Hope’!”
At that moment, a genuine murmur of admiration broke out, and every advertising person in the hall rose to their feet.
A standing ovation came out as though it were only natural.
It was a response filled with pure respect, without jealousy or envy.
“It is a campaign that drew a drama’s narrative into reality, changed the perceptions of countless people, and explosively increased the organ donation pledge rate. All the judges gave full marks to the positive influence created by one actor.”
I slowly rose from my seat.
And then, now a little more naturally than before, I walked onto the shining awards stage.
The heavy feel of the trophies.
At the same time, clear notification sounds rang one after another by my ears.
【Korea Advertising Awards — Branded Content Category Silver Prize!】
【Reward granted: Stat Point +1】
【Korea Advertising Awards — Online Video Category Grand Prize!】
【Reward granted: Stat Point +1】
【Korea Advertising Awards — Campaign Strategy Category Grand Prize!】
【Reward granted: Stat Point +1】
A total of three Stat Points poured in.
An incredibly satisfying result.
Hoo...
To be honest, I had been quite anxious inside.
Because the duration of the Test Potion I had received for free from the Value Shop had ended.
Thanks to it raising my Singing stat by a full +2, I had even been able to get cast in the musical film.
But once the potion’s effect wore off, my throat began feeling oddly stiff, and the high notes no longer stretched out as smoothly as they had back then.
So, naturally, anxiety came creeping in.
James Rogers cast me expecting the voice I had on Mystery Singer. But what if I step into the studio booth and produce my original shabby voice instead?
Just imagining it was horrifying.
But now that worry had vanished perfectly.
【Remaining Stat Points: 3】
Now, if I invested two points into Singing, I could raise my Singing stat to A+.
And permanently at that.
There were no other stats I urgently needed to raise anymore.
At the moment, going all-in on Singing was the most efficient investment.
I opened the status window immediately.
【Singing: A- → A】
【Remaining Stat Points: 2】
【Singing: A → A+】
【Remaining Stat Points: 1】
At that moment, together with a heavy, powerful notification sound unlike usual, a new message window filled my vision.
【Condition Achieved!】
【You have reached ‘Singing: A+’ through pure accumulated stats】
【Your vessel can now fully contain your ability】
【A hidden synergy effect is unlocked!】
...Synergy effect?
My eyes widened at the unexpected notification.
It was a line I had not seen when I drank the Test Potion.
【Synergy generated: ‘Acting (S)’ stat perfectly synchronizes with ‘Singing (A+)’ stat】
【Trait acquired: Master of Song Interpretation (A+ Rank)】
【When you sing, your acting ability fully permeates your tone and vocal method】
【The audience accepts your singing as a complete narrative】
...!
As I read down the messages, a deep smile spread across my lips.
A joy even greater than becoming a triple crown winner at the Korea Advertising Awards rushed over me.
...This is too good, isn’t it?
I quickly reasoned through the situation in my head.
It seemed the A+ I got through the potion was regarded as nothing more than the completion of the hardware.
Of course, even that alone had allowed me to handle my vocal cords freely and show perfect pitch and an immense range, but fundamentally, it could be seen as nothing more than temporary trickery.
But.
It seemed they saw the A+ achieved with my own pure stat points as different.
Since it became a complete part of my own ability rather than borrowed power, it merged with my strongest weapon, Acting.
As the two stats fused, it no longer made me merely a singer who could sing well, but transformed into a stat suited for a musical actor who could act a song into existence.
...Even without going straight to S-rank, this is a weapon beyond that.
Wouldn’t it mean I could expect results better than what I had shown on Mystery Singer, not merely reproduce that level of performance?
Just as the corners of my mouth were curling up toward the sky—
“Mr. Sunho, congratulations on the triple crown. You look very happy.”
Someone suddenly spoke from behind me.
When I turned, the Director of the Public Relations Office at the Ministry of Health and Welfare was approaching with a bright face.
“I was watching from the audience too, and I was so proud myself that my palms sting from clapping. Haha.”
“It’s a result we made together.”
I hid my joy for the moment and exchanged warm words with him.
“In fact, when I heard the news that you would be attending today’s ceremony, I rushed right over.”
The director’s expression turned serious.
“As it happens, I wanted to propose something new to you.”
Meanwhile, at the same time in America, Director Frank’s musical film And I had entered full-scale pre-production.
The process moved forward very quickly and smoothly.
Since everything had already been nearly prepared except for the vacant lead role, once Ryu Sunho joined, it could only move ahead at lightning speed.
However, pre-production for a musical film was slightly different from that of an ordinary film.
Because music served as the most important element driving the narrative.
Some degree of song work and recording had to be completed beforehand in order to plan the choreography and movement.
Therefore—
“Mm... it would be better to push up the orchestral sound a little more in this part.”
The giant composer James Rogers, the overall music director, had been shut up in the studio for several days, staying up through the night.
Ever since casting Ryu Sunho, he had been developing his solo-number songs into something even richer.
The insane vocal range he had witnessed on Mystery Singer.
And on top of that, the monstrous ability to handle genres ranging from ballad to opera to hard rock to funk.
In order to draw out one hundred percent of that enviable talent, inspiration was springing from James Rogers’s head like an inexhaustible fountain.
“Good. The arrangement’s done.”
At last, James Rogers smiled in satisfaction.
“Now then, shall we begin full-scale pre-recording?”
Generally, musical films went through a process of recording the main numbers in the studio before entering the filming set.
Usually, when recording the principal numbers before the film shoot, the parts for the chorus or supporting actors were recorded first.
But this time, James Rogers had stubbornly insisted.
“No. Record Ryu Sunho’s numbers first, no matter what. We need to finish mastering those songs first before we can balance the rest.”
Fortunately, Ryu Sunho’s schedule posed no problem.
A few days later.
A top-tier recording studio in Los Angeles.
“Hey, Ryu! You’re here!”
Ryu Sunho arrived at the studio and exchanged a warm hug with James Rogers.
After some light conversation and time spent loosening his throat, Ryu Sunho entered the recording booth carrying the sheet music.
Inside the sealed booth, Ryu Sunho stood in front of the mic stand wearing headphones.
James Rogers, sitting in the control room, felt his heart begin to pound rapidly.
Please, if he can just sing at the exact level he showed on Mystery Singer, I won’t ask for anything more...
That would have been enough.
If he could do just that, James Rogers was certain a masterpiece song would be born.
But.
James Rogers’s expectations were about to be pleasantly betrayed.
Because Ryu Sunho’s singing ability had evolved yet another step beyond what it had been on Mystery Singer.