Chapter 130
I’m translating the chapter into the required HTML format now, keeping the prose natural and splitting the special news/comment sections into styled blocks.CHAPTER_TITLE: Boring!
Yeouido was home to a business office.
Im Hyun-sung, a five-year veteran in securities, rubbed at the space between his brows as he stared down at the documents spread before him.
"Damn it... that crazy bastard Kwon Chan!"
The KOSPI was already crawling along the bottom and giving him enough grief as it was, and now one of the few friends he had was making his life harder on top of that.
With a long sigh, Im Hyun-sung looked again at the papers Kwon Chan had handed him.
They listed a string of independent films that had not yet gone into production.
Looking at the production costs written beside each title, Im Hyun-sung thought, 'At least 100 million won per film.'
And the list Kwon Chan had given him contained ten independent films in total.
Some of them had production budgets exceeding 100 million won, which meant that this investment alone would require at least 1.5 billion won.
'In other words, he’s dumping his entire fortune from that lottery win into this investment...'
He was really going to pour that kind of money into something like this?
Im Hyun-sung muttered in disbelief.
"That Kwon Chan bastard, has his head finally gone wrong or something?"
This wasn’t even commercial cinema; he was talking about diversifying into independent films. Was the guy out of his mind?
Nothing about Kwon Chan’s decision made sense to Im Hyun-sung.
'If he usually pulled insane stunts like this, I could at least understand it!'
Kwon Chan was the sort of man who might have a few rough edges, but he was also more practical than anyone else Im Hyun-sung knew.
That was why Im Hyun-sung couldn’t believe he was making an investment like this.
And yet, something that had happened a few days ago kept nagging at him.
'The movies Kwon Chan told me about actually hit big.'
Among them, the success of Black Bride had been...
...at least somewhat predictable.
It was a huge production with a budget of more than 15 billion won, and it starred none other than top actress Lee Ha-eun.
But what about the other film Kwon Chan had mentioned?
An independent film, made by an unknown director, with neither a famous cast nor a famous filmmaker, had become a hit.
And Kwon Chan had called it.
'How the hell do you get that right?'
Coincidence?
That was probably the most likely explanation.
Unless you could see the future, predicting a film’s success was absurd.
But of all times, that coincidence had happened before the very first investment went through.
That fact was enough to give Im Hyun-sung a headache.
After wrestling with the issue for a long while, he finally shouted,
"Argh... damn it!"
Fine. Whatever.
He’d warned him enough already.
Im Hyun-sung made up his mind and got to his feet.
"You told me to move as a business partner, not just a friend."
So from here on out, he would act as Kwon Chan’s business partner, the one he’d gone into business with.
Gathering the documents, Im Hyun-sung left Yeouido and headed for Chungmuro.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
On the set of director Na Jun-hu’s next film, Love in May.
During the break between takes, the actors gathered in one place.
"Man, this shoot is brutal."
"Right? Independent film shoots feel faster than drama shoots somehow."
"Director Na Jun-hu’s famous for running a tight set. He didn’t become a two-hundred-million-ticket director for nothing."
The bit-part and supporting actors chatting among themselves were already on familiar terms.
That made sense; everyone gathered here belonged to what people called Director Na Jun-hu’s camp.
Of course, there were no lead actors in this group, but these were all skilled performers who could stand anywhere and confidently say their own names.
One actress tilted her head and whispered,
"She’s off by herself again."
"Who?"
"Who else? The Cinderella who showed up out of nowhere."
The actors’ gazes shifted.
A girl with a face still too young to call fully grown sat receiving makeup touch-ups with a sulky expression.
The actress clicked her tongue with her arms crossed.
"Honestly. Did she think she acted the whole thing on her own? Look at that face of hers."
At that, the male actor across from her tilted his head.
"That actress, you said her name was Choi Go-eun, right?"
"I think so?"
"I heard from her profile she debuted after winning New Actress at the Busan International Film Festival last year."
The actress covered her mouth in shock.
"Wait, so she’s only been working for two years?"
"If she debuted after winning New Actress last year, then yeah, she’d be in her second year."
"Oh, come on! You can’t say that, senior!"
The actress snorted in disbelief.
"Does it make sense for a second-year rookie to be acting like that? And she’s not even putting on airs like a lead or anything!"
Nam Hee-seok, the male lead of Love in May, muttered,
"Maybe she’s just shy. I heard she’s not even twenty yet..."
"Hee-seok! Nineteen is old enough to know better!"
"..."
"And what, nineteen means she doesn’t have to greet her seniors? Even child actors these days at least greet their seniors properly!"
Nam Hee-seok looked embarrassed and shut his mouth.
In the meantime, a few other actors nodded along with the actress’s words.
Encouraged by their support, she glared at Choi Go-eun and raised her voice.
"But doesn’t something seem off? Even if it is an independent film, why did Director Na Jun-hu cast a girl like that as the lead?"
One actor tilted his head.
"Exactly. I heard Director Na Jun-hu is extremely picky when it comes to acting. Honestly... none of us felt anything special while watching her act, did we?"
"Right. What is it, then...? Is there really something there?"
The actress lowered her head slightly and whispered,
"Maybe Choi Go-eun there did a little lobbying with Director Na Jun-hu..."
"Director Na Jun-hu isn’t that kind of person."
"?"
The actress’s shoulders jerked.
The actors beside her flinched and turned.
A cool-looking man stood watching them with a thin, uninterested smile on his lips.
"W-Who are you?"
The actress asked in confusion, and instead of answering, the man handed his business card to the nearest actor.
Nam Hee-seok, who happened to be standing nearby, took it and blinked in surprise.
"Huh? Team Leader of Baekhak Team 6?"
At that, the other actors looked at the man in shock.
Among them, Kwon Chan fixed a steady gaze on the actress who had been badmouthing Choi Go-eun.
"Wouldn’t it be wise to watch your mouth?"
The actress stammered, flustered.
"W-What?"
"You know this business runs on rumors, right?"
The actress’s lips pressed into a tight line.
Kwon Chan kept looking at her with a pleasant smile.
"What do you think would happen if Director Na Jun-hu heard what you were just saying?"
"..."
"You can’t exactly brush it off as nonsense when that many people heard it. Wouldn’t that be a problem for you?"
The actress’s face hardened.
Watching that change closely, Kwon Chan gave a small snort.
"Well, nothing will happen as long as everyone here keeps their mouths shut."
With that, Kwon Chan bowed slightly and turned away.
The actors followed his back with stunned eyes.
"...Wow. What kind of presence was that?"
One actor’s murmur broke the silence, and everyone started talking at once, their voices full of surprise.
"He just threatened her, right?"
"That was definitely a threat. Man, a manager threatening people..."
"Still, if you’re a Baekhak team leader, I guess you can get away with that."
"And..."
The actors who trailed off stole glances at the actress, who was trembling.
"Someone else started running their mouth first, didn’t they?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I walked over to Choi Go-eun, who was standing apart from everyone else.
Maybe because the role she was playing this time was a college student?
The heavier makeup than usual gave her a completely different feel from her normal image.
Somewhere between girl and twenty-year-old, Choi Go-eun sprang to her feet and shouted,
"Team Leader!"
Hearing that, I tilted my head and asked,
"Choi Go-eun, are you being bullied?"
Choi Go-eun, who had been running toward me, jolted to a stop.
"...Bullied?"
"Yeah. Bullied."
"...I am not being bullied!"
Sure she wasn’t.
Anyone could see she was.
"I said I’m not being bullied!"
"Fine. I believe you."
"Nooo! I’m really not bullied..."
I ignored the way she kept fussing and crossed my arms.
'Looks like jumping straight into a lead role is a bit much for her.'
A lead actor’s job on set wasn’t just to be the protagonist in the story.
They were also meant to help lead the mood on set alongside the director.
But how could Choi Go-eun possibly have any experience with a set like this?
The unfamiliar stares, the pressure...
And the side-eyes from everyone around her made it obvious she’d been sulking and struggling on her own.
'And are the bit-part and supporting actors a bunch of nobodies?'
They were veterans with ties to Director Na Jun-hu.
Among those actors, Choi Go-eun, suddenly cast as the lead, would have been under constant scrutiny.
That was probably why the atmosphere among the actors had turned out like this.
The lead was off on her own, while the supporting cast kept looking at her suspiciously...
What I found strange was that Director Na Jun-hu couldn’t have been unaware of any of this.
'He could have stepped in easily enough. So why didn’t he?'
I didn’t know.
How was I supposed to guess the intentions of a two-hundred-million-ticket director?
But whatever those intentions were, I still had a duty to take care of my actress.
I looked back at Choi Go-eun and asked,
"How’s the acting going?"
Choi Go-eun avoided my eyes as she answered.
"...Fine."
"How many takes until you get the OK sign?"
"About one out of five..."
"Hey. Don’t lie."
Choi Go-eun muttered, then snapped,
"O-One out of ten! That’s the truth!"
One out of ten?
I clicked my tongue lightly.
'Did the looks from the other actors throw off her acting too?'
Considering the ridiculous level of talent I knew Choi Go-eun had, that seemed likely.
'How do I fix a messed-up problem like this...'
As I thought it over, I found the answer.
I couldn’t expect a rookie like Choi Go-eun to have the same kind of charisma as Lee Ha-eun.
That meant there was only one way.
"Choi Go-eun. Make it count. Just once."
A question mark seemed to appear over Choi Go-eun’s face.
To her, I said in a confident voice,
"Make it count. Give me one great take. Go in with the mindset that you’re getting the OK sign on the first try."
An actor ultimately speaks through performance.
So with the acting she did best, she needed to persuade those other actors.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Time passed, and filming started again.
Light panels lit up the set, and the camera locked onto Choi Go-eun.
As I watched with my arms folded, Director Na Jun-hu shouted,
"Three... two... one. Action!"
At his cue, Choi Go-eun began to act.
It was May, after cherry blossom season had already passed.
The flower petals prepared as props fluttered down over Choi Go-eun’s head.
The surrounding scenery seemed to melt into her.
Different.
Yes.
Choi Go-eun’s aura, once she steadied herself and committed to the performance, was unmistakably different.
One thing felt odd, though: Choi Go-eun’s gaze wasn’t on the actor opposite her, but on me.
Was it because I was standing behind the other actor?
While I was thinking that, I could feel a subtle shift in the expressions of the actors watching Choi Go-eun.
Then Choi Go-eun, now in the role of Kim Eun-chae, opened her mouth.
"Professor, I love you."
An audacious line.
Beyond that, the emotional acting behind it.
The atmosphere on set trembled, and every gaze turned toward one girl.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Choi Go-eun’s scene ended in a single take.
I unfolded my arms and looked around.
"...."
The mood on set had changed completely.
The lead actress, who had been standing apart before, now held the attention of every staff member and actor on set, and she herself wore a faint, satisfied smile.
In particular, the actors who had been watching Choi Go-eun had their mouths slightly open.
Their eyes, including those of the actress who had been badmouthing her, were wide with a mix of shock and disbelief.
Watching that, I let out a quiet laugh to myself.
Of course they’d be stunned.
Even I, someone who knew nothing about acting, had been impressed by that performance. So what must it have looked like to actual actors?
Then a familiar voice came from beside my ear.
"Oh, Team Leader Kwon, when did you get here?"
"Ah, Director Na Jun-hu."
Director Na Jun-hu stood behind me with a warm, friendly smile.
A moment later, I lowered my head, and he gave my shoulder a light pat.
"Haha. Choi Go-eun’s acting suddenly changed so drastically that I thought something was odd, but it was thanks to you, Team Leader Kwon."
At those words, my eyes widened slightly.
'So Director Na Jun-hu knew Choi Go-eun’s acting had been rough too?'
Then why had he been pretending not to notice?
The two-hundred-million-ticket director answered my unspoken question as if it were nothing at all.
"People need to go through all kinds of experiences."
Director Na Jun-hu looked at Choi Go-eun and smiled with satisfaction.
"They have to experience a bit of tension with other actors, and they have to perform in environments that aren’t their usual ones. That’s how they grow into a truly good actor, isn’t it?"
At Na director’s explanation, I was so startled I forgot to answer and just stared blankly at the industry heavyweight before me.
...No.
I knew he cared about Choi Go-eun, but he’d really been paying attention to her that closely?
The way he showed it was a little extreme, but from my perspective, it was still astonishing.
"Still, this was just me pretending not to see it for nothing. If I’d called Team Leader Kwon sooner, this would’ve been solved already."
"..."
I made an awkward face and apologized.
"I’m sorry, Director."
"Oh, come on. What are you apologizing for? Thanks to you, the mood on set got sorted out. More importantly, your timing was perfect. I actually had something to tell you."
Director Na Jun-hu gestured for me to sit.
I did not refuse and took the seat he offered.
Sitting opposite me, Na director bent slightly forward and said,
"If filming keeps moving at this pace, I think we’ll be done by August..."
He trailed off and then asked me,
"How about we submit it to the Busan International Film Festival while we’re at it, Team Leader Kwon?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After finishing all my business at the Love in May set, I thought,
"The Busan International Film Festival, huh..."
Hm. Not bad. No, actually, good.
"If we participate again, this time it’ll be an independent film, not a short."
Independent films are the flower of film festivals.
If it could place anywhere in the awards, it could become one of the stars of the Busan International Film Festival.
And on top of that, the director of Love in May was Na Jun-hu.
An independent film made by a two-hundred-million-ticket director would already attract major attention on its own.
"And the lead actress is a New Actress winner from last year’s Busan International Film Festival."
Everything lined up with terrifying precision.
At this point, was there any reason not to submit it?
Without even needing to weigh the decision further, going to the Busan International Film Festival was the right answer.
"So that means the next projects for Kwon Hyun-bin and Choi Go-eun are both set now?"
Choi Go-eun was headed for the Busan International Film Festival.
Kwon Hyun-bin was headed for the Japanese market.
If they achieved those newly defined goals, both actors would rise to a higher place than they were in now.
'And that goes for me too.'
The flow was good.
With such a favorable wind at his back, there was no reason to keep the anchor down.
And in the midst of all that, Black Bride was also reaching a turning point.
Black Bride had surpassed 7 million viewers.
That meant only 3 million remained before ten million.
But crossing that remaining 3 million looked brutally difficult.
"We need one hit. One big hit."
Where could I find that one big hit?
Then it occurred to me that I might not need to find it at all.
The reason we had chosen May, the month of family, instead of August, the season better suited to occult thrillers, had finally paid off.
The best supporting act to lift Black Bride had arrived.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A holiday, after a long time.
I went to the movie theater dressed in everyday clothes.
Back when I had a little more time to spare, I used to drop by theaters often and enjoy some leisure, but once work got busy, it had been a long time since I’d visited one on my own.
So I made time and came here after all this time.
I absolutely wanted to see this movie with my own eyes.
With popcorn and cola in both hands, I leaned back into the kind of theater seat that felt soft no matter when you sat down.
Meanwhile, the audience came pouring in.
As expected of a flagship Hollywood franchise, the theater was already filling up even though it was still ten minutes before the start.
"Whoa, no way... It’s been how many years since a new Apocalypse movie?"
"Oh my god! I’m so excited!"
"Please, just be as good as the last one!"
"The previous film’s director is the overall supervisor, so it has to be at least that good, right?"
Maybe they were fans of the Apocalypse series?
The students sitting beside me chattered with bright voices and eager faces.
I gave a small snort of laughter and thought, 'I’m looking forward to it too.'
I was excited for a different reason than those students who seemed to be fans of Apocalypse.
This movie had a production budget of over 100 million dollars. So why had it flopped?
Relaxed and at ease, I lifted my head and looked at the screen.
Apocalypse: The Red
The title screen appeared, and my eyes were pulled into it.
And then two hours and ten minutes, a full 130-minute runtime, crawled by at a painfully slow pace.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Silence had settled over the theater.
I turned my head and looked at the seat beside me.
The student who had been staring at the screen with such high expectations before the film started now wore a sour expression.
"What is this disaster?"
The corner of my mouth lifted.
"Why is this so boring? This isn’t the Apocalypse series!"
Review count: 70. Positive rating: 56%.
Audience score: 52 points.
[Han Seok-hee’s one-line review]
- A sloppy film worse than the previous one. A movie that’s simply not fun. What exactly was the director trying to say?
HOT Issue "Apocalypse: The Red" effect? Black Bride ticket reservations surge upward!