Berlin Film Festival
"Yeon-woo!"
"Oh, you're here?"
When he headed for the lounge, Director Park Chan-hong, Seo Ji-eun, and the assistant director were already waiting. With Yeon-woo and Manager Kim Min-su joining them, that made five in total.
Yeon-woo tilted his head.
"You came alone? No manager?"
"Yeah. The company's swamped launching a new girl group right now. Besides, there are plenty of us traveling together, so I just said I'd come by myself. Min-su oppa's here too, after all."
At Seo Ji-eun's words, Min-su smiled warmly.
"Of course. I'll take care of everything for you."
Judging by the stalker incident last time and the dating rumors as well, Seo Ji-eun's agency simply didn't seem to have the bandwidth to look after her properly.
Once we're back from Berlin, I should suggest she move to a better agency. LN Entertainment would be fine too.
Having worked with her on set, Yeon-woo knew exactly how much potential Seo Ji-eun had. Representative Kim Ju-seong would like her plenty.
"All right, shall we board?"
"Yes, Director."
When Park Chan-hong stood, the others rose with him to head for the gate.
"Are you scared of flying or get motion sickness, noona?"
"Huh? Not at all!"
The memory of leaving for Hawaii had prompted him to ask Seo Ji-eun—who reminded him a little of Han So-hyun—but apparently that particular trait didn't apply here.
—Boarding for flight LH0719 to Munich will begin shortly…
Hearing the announcement, the group made their way to the gate.
There was no direct flight from Incheon to Berlin, so they flew first to Munich and then transferred to a domestic German flight, finally landing at Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
"Haaah! Spent the whole day on planes. I'm wiped."
Assistant Director Lee Woo-gyeong stretched with a yawn. Yeon-woo smiled at the sight and asked,
"You should head to the hotel and rest properly. Woo-gyeong hyung, are we on our own for getting around in Berlin?"
"Huh? No, no. The organizers said they'd send someone. They'll probably be waiting once we clear arrivals."
Just as the assistant director predicted, after they collected their luggage and passed through immigration, a local staff member approached. Unexpectedly, a crowd of Korean expatriates and local reporters had also gathered to welcome them.
"Waaah! It's Seo Hui!"
"Please give us an autograph!"
Foreign travelers clearing the hall at the same time stared at Yeon-woo and his companions in bewilderment.
"Let's go sign for them. Kind of them to come out."
"I'll be right back, then."
Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun walked over to the expatriates while Kim Min-su followed to provide security.
"Whoa! I'm a fan. I loved Star Beyond the River so much!"
"Thank you. I never expected anyone would recognize me even in Germany."
"The Korean Wave is huge here right now. Plenty of locals will spot you on the street too."
"Is that so."
He signed for the fan, smiling, and quietly nodded. He doubted anyone would actually recognize him just walking around, but the rising popularity of Korean culture seemed to be lifting the spirits of the expatriate community somewhat.
After giving every single well-wisher who had come to the airport an autograph, they followed their guide and left.
Once they reached the hotel and unpacked, the travel fatigue hit hard.
"Ugh, I'm so tired."
"What time is the event tomorrow?"
Yeon-woo asked the assistant director, who pulled out his phone, checked, and answered.
"Hmm, we enter at two local time. That staffer from earlier will pick us up around one."
Hearing that, Seo Ji-eun clutched her head.
"Ugh, then I need at least two hours to get ready, so I'd better sleep right away."
"Still, if you sleep now you'll get a solid six hours at least."
"Right. Everyone go rest. See you tomorrow."
Yeon-woo also went to his room, quickly organized his things, and closed his eyes.
He had only slept a few hours, yet when he woke he felt completely refreshed.
"Being young really is nice."
Muttering something that sounded like an old man, he stretched and headed out for breakfast. As expected, none of the others were up yet.
After eating he returned to his room, showered, and the doorbell rang. A hotel staff member had brought back the clothes he had left for pressing the day before.
"Nicht schlecht. Dankeschön."
"Oh, the guest speaks excellent German. Please rest well, then."
Taking the clothes, Yeon-woo stepped back inside and dressed exactly according to the coordination Stylist Lee Ye-eun had drilled into him before departure from Korea.
A dark green shirt under a black suit, finished with shoes the same color as the shirt. He also dried and styled his hair simply the way Ye-eun had shown him.
"Well, might as well head down and wait."
There were still about thirty minutes until departure, but he decided to go down to the lobby early.
When Yeon-woo reached the first floor, everyone except Seo Ji-eun was already there.
"Hmm? You're all down early."
"Wow, Yeon-woo, you look incredible. Anyone would think you just came from a salon."
He chuckled at the assistant director's remark.
"Still, she's an actress—there's a lot of prep. I wonder if she can manage alone without professionals."
Thinking of the still-absent Seo Ji-eun, everyone nodded. Then, as if to make their worries look foolish, Seo Ji-eun stepped out of the elevator looking flawless.
"Ta-da! Entrance!"
"Oh, this one really does look like she just left a salon. Exactly the same as on set."
"I always do my own makeup for shoots."
At her words Yeon-woo tilted his head.
Hmm? Then what exactly does her management even do? No manager came, and she styles herself.
And yet they still take a cut of her earnings…?
He definitely needed to make that proposal once they got back.
While they waited briefly in the lobby, the staff member from yesterday opened the front door and walked in.
"Everyone ready? Shall we leave?"
"Yes, let's go."
Led by the director, they all followed out and split into two cars.
"This really is Germany. Every car on the street is a German car."
Min-su's admiring comment as he gazed out the window made both Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun burst out laughing.
"Well, yeah. It is Germany."
Watching the scenery slip past the window, Yeon-woo drifted into old memories. In his previous life he had been stationed in Berlin for quite a long time.
Most of the memories weren't good ones, but seeing it again after so long, I feel nostalgic. Memory really does romanticize things.
"Whoa, there are so many people."
"It wasn't this packed even two years ago."
Film student Neil Benson, majoring in cinema at a California state university, looked around with his friend Chris and marveled.
"Korean culture's status has definitely risen."
"That's why we're here too, right?"
Film people who had come to the Theater am Potsdamer Platz for the premiere of the Competition entry Sketch filled the auditorium to capacity.
Raised in the land of Hollywood, Benson had known nothing about films outside American cinema until he chose the major. Once he began encountering a wider range of movies, he had fallen under their spell.
And the best among them are Korean films.
It was hard to put into exact words, but they possessed a charm similar to the K-pop currently sweeping the world—something that refused to be confined to a single genre.
A crime-entertainment film that was also packed with emotion and humor. What looked like an ordinary healing movie that suddenly flipped into a thriller halfway through. Watching without prior information often left him stunned.
"Still, Director Park Chan-hong coming to a film festival… Doesn't Berlin usually prefer heavier, more political works?"
"We don't know what the film's about yet. I heard it was shot as an independent production."
"Ohh, so Korea does make indie films. Everything that's been getting translated lately is commercial, so I had no idea."
Just then the front screen showed a live camera feed of the theater entrance.
"Oh, looks like the director and actors are here."
"That's what I like about Berlin. Cannes and Venice don't do this. Those feel more like pure festivals."
"Really? I like those too. Wandering around freely in summer with champagne."
While they chatted, two black cars appeared on the screen outside the theater. Director Park Chan-hong, Ryu Yeon-woo, and Seo Ji-eun stepped out in turn.
The audience cheered as the leads appeared, though the director and actors on screen seemed unaware of the live reaction inside; they shook hands and spoke with staff before entering the theater.
"Oh, that guy's handsome. Honestly no idea who he is, though."
Neil nodded at Chris's comment.
"The Asian people behind me went completely crazy the second that guy appeared on screen. Must be Korean, right?"
"Probably."
Meanwhile, Yeon-woo and his party entered the theater.
"Ji-eun noona. Wave at that camera filming us. The audience inside is probably watching live."
"Really? That's so cool."
"By the way, Actor Ryu—after Italian, you speak German too?"
The group had watched in mild amazement as Yeon-woo chatted and laughed naturally with the staff the moment they arrived at the theater.
"Ah, I studied various things at school and academies just in case it might come in handy."
"Ohh, multi-talented. Educational institutions these days are far more capable than in my time."
The high-school teachers in Daejeon and Jeong Cheol-min would have tilted their heads in confusion, but Park Chan-hong simply accepted the explanation and moved on.
Following the organizers' guidance, the group entered the theater, signed the posters hanging on the staircase, and walked into the screening hall.
Seo Ji-eun, in a white dress with a yellow jacket draped over her shoulders, linked arms with Yeon-woo—who cut a sharp figure in a clean black suit—and stepped into the center of the auditorium. Every head turned at once and applause erupted.
"Ugh, this is kind of overwhelming."
This was no ordinary Korean theater; the screening hall of the Theater am Potsdamer Platz was roughly four times larger, and every spectator turning to stare made Seo Ji-eun's body tremble slightly.
In contrast, Yeon-woo simply smiled as if nothing were amiss and waved to the crowd.
"You're not nervous?"
"We're confident in our film. No reason to be."
Hearing his words, Seo Ji-eun's trembling stopped as if by magic. Director Park Chan-hong, following behind, clapped Yeon-woo on the shoulder.
"That's right. We're confident. In our film."
Guided along the red carpet that ran down the center of the seats, they took their places. A staff member approached with an interpreter and handed a microphone to Park Chan-hong.
"If you have a few words for the audience before the film begins, please."
Taking the mic, Park Chan-hong smiled and spoke.
"This is a film I have cherished since my debut. At last I found my persona and can present it to all of you. There is no complex interpretation, no profound philosophy. Please simply enjoy what you see."
When the interpreter relayed the director's words, applause burst from the seats.
"We would also like a word from the actors."
Looking at Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun, the staff held out the microphone. Seo Ji-eun waved her hands and turned to Yeon-woo.
"Yeon-woo, you do it. I'm too embarrassed."
Nodding, Yeon-woo took the mic and began.
"It is an honor to be invited to Berlin like this today. Holding the microphone, I would love to toss out a proper joke, but my joke license still hasn't been issued, so I'll simply offer my thanks instead."
The East Asian actor speaking in high-level German pronunciation first startled the audience, then the Germans laughed and applauded. It was one of the famous German jokes every German knew—something he had learned while stationed there.
"What? What did you say that made everyone laugh?"
When Yeon-woo explained the line to Seo Ji-eun, her expression turned strange.
"Ugh, what is that. Dad joke…?"
"Germany's just like that. Custom service."
Well, he was an old man inside, after all…
Then the house lights dimmed, and at last the screening of Sketch began.