The Movie Is Doing Well!
The test screening had gone off without a hitch. Back at the company, Woo Dan-wol was lounging around as usual when he picked up a script.
That was simply the life of an entertainer. When things got busy, they were insanely busy. When there was downtime, it was incredibly relaxed. And waiting time always took up a much larger portion of the schedule than people expected.
“Hmm…”
During one of those gaps between schedules, Woo Dan-wol had recently started studying. A foreign language, to be exact.
He had never shown much passion for anything outside of acting. In his previous life, it had been because he found it bothersome. He had been too busy actually performing to bother with anything else.
What was the difference between his previous life and this one? It was his ability. Beyond simply improving his acting skills and being able to gauge whether a script would succeed, there was another feature.
He could absorb the talents and abilities of the roles he played. He still had to put in effort to prevent any shortcuts, but it was worlds apart from starting with no foundation at all.
That was why he had recently begun studying Spanish. He knew he should learn English too, but he was starting with whatever caught his interest first.
“...Aren’t you nervous at all?”
“About what?”
“The movie.”
Lee Hye-ri sat with her hands clasped tightly together. From her position, she couldn’t help but think about the company’s future and the heavy responsibility on her shoulders. Her heart was racing no matter how hard she tried to calm it. What if it flops?
In contrast, Woo Dan-wol’s reaction was rather indifferent. It wasn’t arrogance. It was simply his mindset. I was able to act. I gave it my all, and so did everyone else.
“It’ll do well.”
“You really think so…?”
Lee Hye-ri recalled the test screening. It was one of the few chances to gauge audience reaction before the official release. And the response had been more than warm—it had been fervent. There had been so many tears that the theater felt like a sauna, but if you had to judge whether the reactions were good or bad, they had clearly leaned heavily toward the positive.
At the same time, it had been wonderful to connect directly with the fans. Remembering that moment, a faint smile appeared on Woo Dan-wol’s lips. Lee Hye-ri asked him,
“Maybe you should tone down the promises a bit.”
“I think it was appropriate.”
During the test screening interview, Woo Dan-wol had made a bold promise. Since he had filmed the movie and it was about to be released, it was a natural question. Just how well will it perform?
Lee Hye-ri let out a tired laugh. She was remembering the specific number that had come out of Woo Dan-wol’s mouth.
“Ten million?”
“It feels possible.”
How wonderful that would be. Lately, the film industry couldn’t exactly be called welcoming. There were simply too many forms of entertainment available worldwide. Between OTT platforms and countless other ways to enjoy content without ever stepping into a theater, it had become difficult for movies to enjoy the same level of popularity as before.
Of course, the biggest factor was the rise in ticket prices. The base cost had jumped so dramatically that unless a film was proven to be genuinely entertaining, people hesitated to spend both their time—over two hours—and their money.
Regardless, Woo Dan-wol had made his promise. If the film reached over ten million viewers, he would not only make a donation but also hold a signing event at Gwanghwamun!
Time passed, and the day of judgment finally arrived.
Woo Dan-wol’s expression hardened. Lee Hye-ri looked stunned. The number of viewers was rising at a terrifying pace.
It was mid-August. In the sweltering heat, people were shedding tears over the performance Woo Dan-wol had delivered.
The film’s distributor, and the entire industry, was buzzing. Looking at recent trends in the film world, it was understandable. It was August—more than half the year had passed, with only four months remaining. There had been no ten-million-viewer film yet this year. No movie released this year had reached that mark.
The momentum was extraordinary. Despite the controversy and disappearance surrounding Woo Dan-wol, his form upon returning was not only intact but soaring to even greater heights.
A good film leaves behind reviews. A masterpiece leaves behind stories. On community boards and rating sites, people who evaluated movies began sharing their personal stories one after another.
It had taken a subject that could never be considered mainstream and presented it in a way that resonated with the public. This debut work had proven not only Director Park Soo-yeon’s screenplay but her directing ability as well.
Haesung Entertainment was being flooded with emails. All of it was the influence of Middle, the work Woo Dan-wol had starred in.
It wasn’t just a sad movie. It unraveled heavy themes and cold realities within its tears. Some found hope in it. Others found comfort for their pain.
“...I’m glad.”
“Yeah.”
Woo Dan-wol wiped away his tears. The sincerity contained in the letters he received was almost too much to bear. All he had wanted was to act.
To follow the meaning of life. To move and act according to it. To influence someone through that was a tremendous thing.
The owner of one particular letter was an eight-year-old girl. She was still too young to fully understand sorrow and sensitivity, but she was old enough to know gratitude.
Dear Mr. Actor,
Daddy said it was a miracle.
— A grateful daughter
The child didn’t fully understand, but her father did. The letter had begun from the feeling of setting down all his worries and pain and receiving comfort. It was a thank-you note saying that her dad had been greatly comforted, that they had decided to go to an amusement park thanks to the movie, and expressing their gratitude.
It made his heart feel warm and fuzzy. Woo Dan-wol wiped his tears and made a firm resolution to work even harder. And the emotion continued to spread.
In just twenty days—less than three weeks—the cumulative audience had surpassed ten million. Woo Dan-wol, a second-year rookie actor, had become a ten-million-viewer actor.
The community reactions were on fire. Meanwhile, the entire Middle team was practically in festival mode. The investors and investment companies who had backed the film began to treat Woo Dan-wol like a deity. They were practically begging to be tipped off if he ever took on another project.
A formula was gradually being established. Woo Dan-wol equaled success. Even setting aside his filmography and box office power, anyone who had seen his acting could only nod in agreement.
He had proven himself as an actor and answered with star power. The actor named Woo Dan-wol was steadily growing. And then—
“Let’s have a drink~”
“Cheers!!”
He drank after a long time. It wasn’t a private gathering but an official one. Director Park Soo-yeon, Han Da-sol, and the rest of the team had rented out an entire restaurant for the wrap party.
Not only the staff but even the minor roles who had appeared in the film had been invited. Everyone except the one-time part-timers had poured their sweat into making this movie.
The flow of the party naturally turned toward Park Soo-yeon. It had been her debut film. The assistant director who had chased romance and dreams had become a director and proudly unfolded her own vision. She knew that the success and results weren’t achieved through her efforts alone.
So, raising her glass of beer, Park Soo-yeon stood up from her seat and began to speak her mind.
“Thank you all so much. Thanks to every one of you, we were able to create a good film and achieve good results.”
Director Park Soo-yeon bowed her head awkwardly so as not to spill her beer. Everyone knew she had run harder than anyone else. She was the kind of person who took care of everyone else’s rest while pushing herself to the very end.
To the person who had created and led such a wonderful film, people began to send their praise. A round of thunderous applause poured out all at once.
“You worked so hard!!”
“Thank you for your hard work!!”
What had begun as a simple dinner party became a place where everyone congratulated and was congratulated in turn. To achieve something, everyone’s strength was absolutely necessary. The world was too vast and too beautiful to walk through it alone.
Even as the heat began to fade in September, Woo Dan-wol continued to run around busily. It wasn’t the kind of schedule where he sacrificed sleep or pushed his body to the limit. After all, he had never done activities outside of acting—no CFs, no variety shows.
But his thoughts were slowly beginning to change.
“...Variety?”
“Yeah. Aren’t you studying Spanish these days?”
If someone asked Lee Hye-ri who the person she cared about most in the world was, she would answer Woo Dan-wol without hesitation. Normally, she wouldn’t have even asked and would have turned down the program. But the person making the offer was who she was, and the theme of the show was exactly what it was.
“Yes, I have been studying, but…”
“You know PD Na Na-yeong, right?”
“Yes…”
She was the name that always came up when people talked about star PDs. Even though it was variety and not film or drama, she was famous enough that even Woo Dan-wol knew her. A PD who had ridden a wave of success. Her love call was now pouring in for Woo Dan-wol.
