Chapter 123
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: An Invitation from Gray Vainie
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On the night of *Over the Rainbow*'s release, a live stream by the movie review N-tuber, Moviegoer, began.
[Title: (Spoilers) Over the Rainbow Review Stream.]
“Hello, this is Moviegoer.”
- Movie-hi! (Short for Moviegoer hi!)
- Hello!
- ??? It was released today, and you're already doing a review stream??
“Yes. It’s late and most of you are probably getting ready for bed. I usually wait a bit to give viewers time to see the movie, but for this one, I’m in a hurry, so I started early!”
- lol, didn’t get a premiere ticket?
- Everyone who went to the premiere has already started posting reviews, so if he’d seen it then, he wouldn’t be in such a rush lol.
- Has Moviegoer ever actually won a premiere ticket lottery?
- Nah. Someone of his level would get an invitation, but otherwise, I bet he’s never gotten in.
“You all know me too well, don’t you.”
Moviegoer laughed awkwardly. Known to his viewers for his terrible luck, he continued.
“The movie I’ll be introducing today is, as the title suggests—”
- Over the Rainbow!
- The rainbow!
- T_T
The *Over the Rainbow* poster filled the screen. It showed Lee Seojun, Katherine Miller, and Paul Orden smiling brightly.
“Yes. It’s *Over the Rainbow*. Ah, just looking at the poster makes me happy.”
- Autoplaying *Over the Rainbow* in my head lol.
- Playing Part 1 lol.
“I’m assuming everyone watching this live stream has already seen *Over the Rainbow*. This broadcast is full of spoilers! If you haven’t seen it, please press the close button now.”
- Is there an N-tuber who actually kicks out his viewers? Or not?
- lol, judging by the fact that the viewer count isn't dropping, seems like everyone's seen it.
- Well, looking at today’s box office numbers alone, lol.
It had only been a few hours since its worldwide release, yet the global internet was already buzzing about *Over the Rainbow*.
When had a musical film ever generated this much hype and success? It felt like he could already hear the cheers from Whale Studio.
“Yes. For a musical film, the number of viewers is astounding, right? At this rate, when the soundtrack is released… I can’t even imagine what will happen. Did you know? The Billboard charts have a classical section.”
Billboard. The weight of that name sent a chill through the chat.
- …?
- …Wow, that’s scary.
- Seriously got goosebumps lol.
- Hollywood, Billboard… How many countries did Lee Seojun save in his past life?
He had saved many, and destroyed many as well. Unaware of such facts, Moviegoer and his viewers got to the main point.
“So, what did everyone think of the movie?”
- I cried!
- I cry whenever Lee Seojun is on screen!
- I was glad it was a happy ending, though. *Naeuiwon* was too sad lol.
- hahaha, me too.
“Ahaha. Me too. I cried a lot, and I was happy it had a happy ending.”
Since his broadcast was about analyzing films, he had spent the entire day camped out in a movie theater, watching nothing but *Over the Rainbow*. His butt hurt from sitting for so long, but the more he watched, the more he marveled at Whale Studio’s marketing. Moviegoer continued with a smile.
“This movie can be viewed from two different perspectives.”
- Two? Why two?
- Did I only see one?
“The first perspective is that of a first-time viewer. You follow the flow of time and watch Gray’s life unfold. What did you all think when you saw the final performance scene?”
- I was surprised how suddenly the stage appeared lol.
- Gray. You grew up well, huh?
- Yeah, wasn’t it showing a scene from the future?
“Yes. That’s the first perspective. It could be the future, a few years later, or it could be a scene imagined by the three children.”
- What’s the second one?
“To watch it from the second perspective, you need this.”
Moviegoer held up a pitch-black poster to the camera. The viewers tilted their heads in confusion.
- A poster?
- ? Was that a *Rainbow* poster? I thought the staff put it there by mistake.
- I have one too. At first, I thought it was a misfiled concert poster since there were no actor photos or movie info, but then I heard someone else say it was also a *Rainbow* poster.
“Yes. This is also an *Over the aRainbow* poster. The important part is this ticket right here.”
Moviegoer zoomed in on the screen. A ticket with yellow text became visible.
- What ticket?
“There’s a perforated line here. If you look closely, you’ll see a date, performance time, and seat number.”
Date, performance time, seat number. And.
[Thank you for your long-standing support.]
- What does that have to do with the second perspective?
“You all remember the final scene of *Over the Rainbow*, right?”
How could they forget? The scene where they felt so proud of the wonderfully grown-up Gray.
- Yeah, him performing on stage.
- And you could hear the audience applauding.
- I almost clapped too lol.
- …?!!!!
- Wait?! Really?!!
- What is it…? Am I the only one who doesn't get it?
- I don't get it either… ;;;
The viewers who had figured it out started typing. The rest, burning with curiosity, spammed ‘????’. Looking at the chaotic chat window, Moviegoer grinned.
“Yes. I’ll tell you. The second perspective is that we have gone to Gray Vainie’s solo recital.”
- …A solo recital?
- A recital all of a sudden?
“Gray said it himself. He didn’t know when it would be, but he wanted to hold a solo recital for everyone who supported his funding. And Gray Vainie held that recital. We are the ‘invited guests’.”
- ???
“The phrase ‘Thank you for your long-standing support’ is the crucial evidence and hint. The premise is that the viewers who brought this poster to the theater are the ones who sponsored a child named ‘Gray Vainie’ on a funding site long ago. And the child grew up and finally held his recital. We were invited with the ticket on this poster, and the theater seats became the audience seats for the recital.”
Moviegoer said with a smile.
“Just like a special video shown on a screen before a concert, the story we watched was a video prepared for ‘Gray Vainie’s’ solo recital.”
- Whoa???
“I think Rebecca’s alarm at the very beginning of the movie was probably meant to signal the start of the performance.”
As Moviegoer’s explanation continued, the chat grew quiet. He knew well that this meant his viewers were completely engrossed in his words.
“When I went to see *Over the Rainbow* with this ticket, it felt like I was going to see a child I had sponsored, even though I hadn’t. He went through so much hardship, yet he grew up so well. The thought brought tears to my eyes. I knew about audience-participation theater, but now we have audience-participation movies.”
He couldn’t forget the emotion of that moment.
“Gray Vainie is certainly a pitiful and unfortunate child. But he’s a child who has nothing to do with us. However, this ticket changed everything.”
[Thank you for your long-standing support.]
The yellow letters shimmered like gold.
“We sent this child our support, and with that support, he grew up splendidly. It could be a sense of vicarious satisfaction, or the fulfillment of having played a part in that child’s future. Whatever the emotion, what’s certain is that we grew closer to Gray Vainie than before.”
- Ah. I have to go see it again.
- Hearing this gives me a strange feeling lol.
“I don’t know if this is the correct interpretation, but that’s what I think.”
Having said that, Moviegoer carefully held something up.
“And there’s something else that helps you immerse yourself in the movie even more. Does anyone know about this ticket?”
It was a stylish black envelope and ticket.
- Yeah, it's the rainbow souvenir.
- 3,000 won is cheap for movie merch, but I didn't feel like buying another ticket.
- Yeah, since it was on the poster too.
- I bought it thinking of it as a photo ticket.
Moviegoer nodded at the comments from viewers who knew about the poster ticket.
“Since there was already a poster ticket, I also wondered what this was at first. But since I have to explain it to all of you, I bought it.”
Moviegoer smiled and displayed something on the screen.
“This is a photo of a ticket taken by someone living in London, UK. This one was taken by someone in Melbourne, Australia.”
[To Emma. Thank you for your long-standing support.]
[Venue: Whale Classic Hall, London, UK]
[Date: June 13, 20XX, 20:00.]
[Seat: E 30]
[Violinist: Gray Vainie]
[To Jefferson. Thank you for your long-standing support.]
[Venue: Whale Classic Hall, Melbourne, Australia]
[Date: September 4, 20XX, 18:00.]
[Seat: K 61]
[Violinist: Gray Vainie]
As everyone tilted their heads at the photos from social media, someone noticed.
- ??? The locations are different for each country?
- The dates are different too.
- Whoa. Is this… a world tour?
“Yes. That’s right. To be precise, it’s the ticket for the world tour that Gray and the children dreamed of.”
Moviegoer gazed at the black ticket with a wistful look. A wavy, golden pattern framed the ticket, and text that looked handwritten was inscribed on it.
[To Moviegoer. Thank you for your long-standing support.]
[Venue: Whale Classic Hall, Seoul, South Korea]
[Date: January 21, 20XX, 16:00]
[Seat: B 56]
[Violinist: Gray Vainie]
“Ah. This is truly moving. Do you see this? It says ‘To Moviegoer.’ Of course, I bought another one with my real name for the next screening time.”
- Wow. It looks so real.
- It does. It feels like the movie and reality are connected.
- Is *Over the Rainbow* a documentary about Gray Vainie?
“The poster ticket says Whale Classic Hall in the US, and the date is set for the US release date, October 15th. You can’t add a name either. But with this ticket, you can set not only the name but also the date and seat. It’s an upgraded version of the poster ticket. To be honest, the poster ticket is nice, but seeing this ticket after watching the movie is incredibly moving.”
After the movie ended, Moviegoer looked at the ticket with his real name on it and ended up bursting into tears.
The gratitude conveyed through the violin performance was so intense it sent shivers down his spine, and he couldn’t help but cry.
Feeling guilty for receiving thanks for a donation he never made, he immediately went to a funding site and donated to a cause similar to Gray’s.
It seemed many others had the same idea, as the crowdfunding site briefly lagged.
Reacting to Moviegoer’s heartfelt words, the viewers responded.
- A name… I should buy one too.
- Yeah, having your name on it would feel so moving.
Moviegoer carefully placed the ticket back into the black envelope. He then set the envelope down gently as well. He didn’t want to put a single scratch on the ticket or the envelope.
“And, I won’t be able to do any movie review streams for a while.”
- ? A sudden vacation announcement?
- [N-tuber Moviegoer Announces Retirement Today.]
- Oh no. What movie reviews am I supposed to watch now?
- The guy in the next channel over is fun.
“No! I’m just taking a few weeks off, just a few weeks! Hey! Don’t promote other N-tubers here!”
- So why?
- Yeah, why!
“Ahem.”
Moviegoer cleared his throat.
“I’m going abroad.”
- N-tuber Moviegoer suddenly declares he’s emigrating?
- Ah, I get it!
- What is it, what is it!
- No way…?
Moviegoer beamed.
“I’m going to collect the overseas tickets for *Over the Rainbow*. I already have January’s, so I plan to visit a total of eleven countries, one for each month from February to December. I was originally saving money to travel to the places our Hollywood star, actor Lee Seojun, has visited, but now that this event has come up, I’m thrilled!”
Seeing Moviegoer’s genuine joy, the viewers watching the stream felt a sincere pang of envy.
- What a Lee Seojun fan! …I want to go too!
- Stream it. You have to stream it!
- Yeah, post stuff about overseas reactions!
- Whoa. Are you going to France? Halloween is coming up! Are you going to the Halloween festival Lee Seojun was at?!
“Yes! I am! I’ve scheduled the European leg for October. Looking at the tickets from people abroad, it seems that in Korea, the release week dates are from January to March, but in the UK it starts in April, and Italy in July. I don’t know if Whale Studio intended this, but if I travel smart, I think I can collect all twelve months just by touring Europe. But!”
- But?
- But?
“As a fan of Gray Vainie, I can’t possibly miss the place where he first busked, can I? The park at the LA College of Music! I’m going!”
- So jealous… Seriously jealous…
- Is this a Lee Seojun tour, a Gray tour, or a Rainbow tour?
- Killing three birds with one stone for a fan lol.
“So…”
Moviegoer stood up from his chair with a smile. He looked comfortable in casual pants and a shirt.
- You’re dressed up nicely today? That meme of you accidentally standing up in your floral pajama pants is still making the rounds lol.
- It was a relief he was at least wearing pajamas… If not (horrifying).
- ? Isn't that a suitcase behind him?
- ????
“My travel broadcast starts now! I hope you all enjoy it!”
- …Excuse me? Right now? Starting now?
- Did you buy a plane ticket?
“Yes! The moment I found out they were different for each country, I bought a plane ticket. I leave in three hours. From now on, I’ll be streaming outdoors.”
- Look at that drive. He must have bought the ticket the second he thought of it.
- And then thought about his broadcast and daily life afterward.
- So that's why you streamed at this hour, to get it over with quickly since it's hard to stream while traveling.
- lol, be a fan like Moviegoer.
- Where are you going first?
Moviegoer, who was setting up his camera for outdoor filming, read the comment and smiled brightly.
“Prague, Czech Republic.”
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