CHAPTER: 038 - Turning Crisis into Opportunity
CHAPTER: 038 - Turning Crisis into Opportunity
“What? You’re saying Ryu Sunho and Baek Seonggeon went crazy and got into a fight from the very first day of filming?”
The source of this ridiculous, baseless rumor was the country’s largest film-maniac community, “Amazing Movie.”
Amazing Movie.
A highly specialized community where even industry professionals—film directors, critics, actors, translators, and the like—were active members.
The members of this community were famous for being picky, both in how they judged films and in the standards they used to evaluate actors.
And on Amazing Movie, Baek Seonggeon was one of the few actors who had earned their respect.
He didn’t show his face much in the media, but the impression he left in the two films he’d done under Director Baek Junbong was so intense that it had become legendary.
Especially his vegetative-patient performance in the film [ ]—it was still talked about like a myth to this day.
On the boards, clips of that acting would often be posted as reaction images, and there were people who prayed for his return to the screen every single day.
[Day 681 of praying for Actor Baek Seonggeon to appear in a film]
• You’re still posting this consistently.
• How long are you going to keep doing this?
• Praying for 10,000 days—Day 1
└ You’re a real demon lol
• Give it up already. They say Baek Seonggeon won’t act unless it’s a Baek Junbong film.
└ Let them be. At least let me live with hope.
└ Sincerity gets through.
└ Sincerity gets through.
And then, out of nowhere, a nuclear bomb dropped in Amazing Movie.
A post by a user who claimed to be an industry insider was what started it all.
[News: Baek Seonggeon appearing in a new film]
He’s apparently acting in a rookie director’s film. The working title is [ ], I think. But I’m hearing there’s talk he got into a “fight” with Ryu Sunho from the very first day of filming?
• ???????
• Baek Seonggeon is appearing in a film?
• Isn’t this his first appearance in like eight years?
• I told you sincerity gets through!
└ Wow, the daily-prayer post actually worked
└ I should go pay respects to that post;
• The guy who refused screen acting—why now?
└ And it’s not even a Baek Junbong film
• Who is Ji Seongwoo?
└ A director who hasn’t debuted yet, but he’s Baek Junbong’s disciple, apparently
└ Oh, then maybe we can actually look forward to it?
└ If Baek Seonggeon is in it, I’m watching no matter what
• But what does it mean he “got into a fight” with Ryu Sunho? Like, they actually fought?
└ Yeah, seems like it
└ Baek Seonggeon is famous for being nasty. Acting lunatic—he nitpicks juniors like crazy and makes sets tense
└ It’s also famous he fought with Baek Junbong over having to do multiple takes
└ Still, this is the first time I’ve heard actors actually fighting;
└ If it’s real, Ryu Sunho isn’t normal either; did he get pissed and charge back too?
└ Yeah. Doesn’t look like it, but maybe he’s got a strong temper
• Who is Ryu Sunho?
└ That guy from [ ]. The villain who set the shrine on fire
└ Ah yeah, his acting wasn’t bad then
└ Supporting role and lead are different. And it’s his first film. If he was flustered, maybe Baek Seonggeon got mad and said something
The reactions split into two streams.
Anticipation over Baek Seonggeon’s return to the screen.
And curiosity about a clash between the two.
Naturally, people’s attention flowed toward the latter.
Sensational stories always sold better than positive ones.
• But their careers are like twenty years apart—fighting on set is kind of lol. I didn’t think Ryu Sunho was like that
• He blew up overnight so maybe he couldn’t see seniors or anything anymore lol. A rookie not even a year into debut throwing hands with a great senior?
• Wasn’t Ryu Sunho famous for having a good personality? He even got a Brave Citizen Award and has been doing lots of good stuff lately
└ That’s why celebrity disease is scary—people change overnight
└ You really never know people
The spark that started on Amazing Movie quickly spread across entertainment communities.
Because “Ryu Sunho” was already a name that drew attention.
[Ryu Sunho supposedly fought with a great senior on the first day of filming the movie [ ] ]
• Ryu Sunho is doing a movie?
• He fought from the first day of filming?
• This is kind of… Baek Seonggeon is old enough to be his dad, a major senior
• I know Ryu Sunho but who’s Baek Seonggeon?
└ A famous theater actor. Anyone with even a little interest knows him—serious acting type
└ I didn’t think Ryu Sunho was like that, but he’s got a temper
Some fans and cautious voices stepped in to defend him.
• It’s not even confirmed—why aren’t you presenting it neutrally first?
• I don’t think Ryu Sunho would suddenly do that… there has to be a misunderstanding.
• What if the senior went too far? Let’s not just bash one side.
But that kind of defense only became easy prey for antis who had been waiting to pounce on Ryu Sunho.
• The shielding is pathetic lol. His true nature finally showed, what are you talking about
• He got lucky with one drama and thinks he’s a top star now? Baek Seonggeon just reminded him of reality
• That Brave Citizen Award lol. You thought you could launder your image forever with that one thing?
• People who blow up overnight always get exposed. Now all that’s left is watching the bubble pop
• The director is the only one I feel bad for. Dragged in some weird actor for nothing
└ At this point just switch the lead to Park Juwon lol
The internet turned into a battlefield in an instant.
People attacking Ryu Sunho, fans trying to protect him, and antis throwing more fuel on the fire.
For days, the online world burned hot.
Then, at the peak of the controversy, an interview article dropped that extinguished the flames in one stroke.
[“Got into a fight? It’s true we went head-to-head—acting-wise.” Baek Seonggeon laughs off the rumor]
“As soon as the interview article appeared, Amazing Movie’s mood flipped instantly.”
• Wow. So it was “fighting” through acting? That’s insane
• First time I’ve ever seen Baek Seonggeon praise a rookie that hard
└ Seriously; his pride is crazy. It’s rare for him to compliment anyone but himself. Even seniors, too.
At the moment the first day of filming ended, the story that started with the staff made its way all the way to Han Seungwoo’s ears.
“Ryu Sunho… people keep saying he’s good and he just keeps getting better, huh?”
He grinned.
“Then I should do well too.”
He planned to use this as noise marketing.
He deliberately left only the provocative phrase “got into a fight,” twisting the content, and had the PR team post it on Amazing Movie.
Then, timed perfectly, he dropped Baek Seonggeon’s interview article and converted all the controversy into anticipation.
An aggressive method with huge risk.
The PR team leader naturally opposed it, but once the results came out, they couldn’t deny it.
The noise marketing had succeeded.
“Damn. A man who turns crisis into opportunity. Han Seungwoo is insane.”
He’d forced a “crisis” into existence in the first place, but still—
While Han Seungwoo admired his own perfect strategy and smiled in satisfaction,
the Content Trinity content business division, located a floor below his office, was gathered in a meeting room talking about him.
“Did you see how the [ ] public opinion flipped yesterday? I heard that was our division head’s work.”
“I heard. They say the PR team fought tooth and nail against it, but he pushed it through. Seriously… such a division-head move. Tightrope-walking like that.”
“True. If it went wrong, both actors’ images could’ve been wrecked, but in the end the film got promoted properly. If anyone else did that, they’d be beheaded. Not sure if it’s luck or what.”
“But even aside from the noise marketing, I keep hearing the film itself has a great vibe. People on set are quiet about it, but you can tell they’re excited.”
“That’s what’s weird. Did he come back as a different person? The movies he picked before all tanked.”
“He was basically a walking curse. Even if you handed him a ten-million-director script, the moment he picked it, it face-planted.”
“But this time, he suddenly picked a film he never would’ve cared about before, right? They say he threw a fit and demanded they bring him the script that was struggling to get investment.”
“Exactly. He never even looked at black-comedy style films.”
“Still, it’s too early to get excited. They’re only barely into early filming. Editing hasn’t even started.”
“It’s a wish. A wish that he really changed, that we can breathe, and that we’ll finally get bonuses.”
“Ah, seriously, I hope it turns out exactly like that!”
“Yeah. I’m not even asking for the lottery—just let our division head be ‘changed,’ please.”
At the same time, on the final filming set of [ ]—
“Cut! Okay!”
“Great work!!”
“Waaah! Everyone, seriously—amazing work!”
The moment Director Chae Wongi’s voice burst out, cheers and applause erupted across the set as if on cue.
The staff laughed, bumping shoulders, and some even had reddened eyes.
It was the moment their drama—built through months of sharing hardship—finally reached a successful finish.
“Wow, it’s really over.”
“I still can’t believe it.”
“A drama with over 20% ratings… will I ever have another one in my career?”
“It’ll be even harder from here on out.”
“Still, it’s a relief we’ve got one big thing on our resumes. Hahaha!”
“Everyone, seriously—great work! Our team is the best!”
Instead of taut tension, the set was filled with lively energy mixed with lingering regret and relief.
Director Chae Wongi watched the scene with a pleased smile, then walked up to the lead actors.
“Good work. Juwon, Yoonha. You’re coming to the wrap party, right? Both of you.”
“Of course.”
“Absolutely.”
Seo Yoonha and Park Juwon nodded with smiles.
Usually, the wrap-party mood swings to extremes depending on how the drama performed.
A successful drama’s wrap party is a festival where everyone laughs and drinks, but a failed one often turns into a funeral where even the leads don’t show up.
But no one doubted the success of this drama—number one in its time slot, average ratings over 20%.
With the public and reporters paying attention to the wrap party, Director Chae Wongi looked around and asked,
“Sunho will come too, right?”
Just as Seo Yoonha was about to answer, Park Juwon stepped in first.
“I’ll ask him.”
He needed to see him anyway.
He’d bragged about buying him a birthday present, then kept putting it off with the excuse that he was busy.
‘This time, I’ll call him out to the department store—buy the gift, and ask how the film shoot is going.’
Park Juwon contacted me.
He said he’d buy me a birthday present and told me to come to the department store.
But the appointment time was at night.
‘Is the department store even open at this hour?’
It was strange, but when I went to the back entrance of the department store—the meeting spot—a neatly dressed employee was waiting for me.
“You’re Mr. Ryu Sunho, correct? I’ll guide you this way.”
The employee led me to a staff elevator.
Following him through unfamiliar corridors, I arrived at a completely empty luxury section.
And in the middle of it, as if he were the owner of the place, Park Juwon was lounging at ease.
“You’re here?”
He waved when he spotted me.
But as he walked toward me, his steps hesitated for a moment.
Then, with a look like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, he scanned me up and down.
“…Do you only have a white T-shirt and jeans at home?”