The Hour Has Come
The time had come.
The judges of the Hwangryong Film Awards gathered in one room for their final deliberations. All nine of them had placed their phones face-down on the table, writing their evaluations in solemn silence before selecting the winners.
“Next, Best Actor.”
“I have one vote for Yoon Jay.”
Professor Choi Ji-ye of K University Arts Academy raised her hand first.
“Setting aside the fact that this was his film debut and his first leading role, I reviewed only the work itself, his share of the screen, and the role and performance.”
First, the box office. The year's first film to reach ten million admissions. It was polished enough to be nominated for Best Picture, and his screen time was substantial.
The acting was superb as well. His portrayal of the tangled emotions toward Jung Yi-hyun, and the process of accepting his own inferiority complex, was rendered with remarkable delicacy.
And then there was the passion of playing the instrument himself. There wasn't a single weak point anywhere.
“I'll vote for Yoon Jay for the same reason.”
Another judge raised a hand. Then another, and another — Yoon Jay's Best Actor win was all but unanimous.
Professor Choi narrowed her eyes at the one judge who had voted for someone else.
“CEO Lee, you're not letting personal feelings into the selection, are you?”
“Well, I mean... do you really think I'm that petty?”
You absolutely are that petty. I know perfectly well you and Lee Seo-won don't get along. Choi Ji-ye felt a quiet pang of disappointment that the vote hadn't been unanimous.
“Don't take it too hard. The sponsor is hoping this year's ceremony goes off without a hitch.”
“What did I tell you? I know. I know.”
Lee Seo-won snorted and looked down at the evaluation he had written. He had left a favorable assessment — he bore no ill will toward the actor himself — though the final line did pivot on a 'regrettably.'
And so the film festival was noisy from before it even began, mired in allegations of lobbying.
The moment the article went up, the internet communities caught fire, and the phones at Astra's offices rang without pause. The staff eventually just unplugged the office phone lines entirely.
“What's the CEO saying?”
“For now, that the claims are groundless.”
Marketing Team Leader Lee Da-hyun stared at the CEO's firmly shut office door.
Meanwhile, at the same time—
“You're getting good at this.”
“Right? At this rate you might actually beat me soon—”
“One more round.”
“Ah! Give me a break!”
Yoon Jay, who had been running Jung Seung-woo and Choi Tae-yang ragged in a rented training room at Wings Company, stopped mid-motion at the sound of CEO Lee's call. Seung-woo and Tae-yang collapsed onto the floor in a heap.
(Jay, what are you up to?)
“Just working out. Is something the matter?”
(Well... first of all, I'm sorry. I was trying to handle this quietly.)
Lee Seo-won let out a small sigh. Yoon Jay was more than worthy of a nomination — worthy of the win itself. Now that the article had broken, if he didn't win he'd be mocked, and if he did win, plenty of people would make an issue of it anyway.
Yoon Jay did a quick search on the portal sites and chuckled softly.
“I feel even worse — it seems like you're going through all this trouble because of me.”
(Anyway, we'll do our best on our end, so don't worry too much about it...)
Worse still, the headlines were running with Yoon Jay's name, so to anyone glancing at them, it looked as though Yoon Jay himself had orchestrated the lobbying.
Yoon Jay was unbothered.
I am a bit of a troublesome actor, I suppose.
Lee Seo-won had only been trying to manage the situation because Yoon Jay was concealing the fact that he was Yoon Jae-hee. A faint smile crossed Yoon Jay's lips. With so many good people around him now, keeping the secret had become a heavier burden than before.
“CEO Lee.”
(Yes?)
“I think the time has come.”
(The time? What do you— wait. Don't tell me—!)
A crash came through the receiver — something toppling over.
“Are you all right?”
(...How do you plan to reveal it?)
“First, I'd like to tell my close acquaintances after the ceremony. After that, I'd like you to distribute the press release...”
(We'll have it all prepared.)
After hanging up, Yoon Jay glanced idly at the comments.
That last comment was sharp. Yoon Jay turned off his screen and hauled Seung-woo and Tae-yang back to their feet.
Meanwhile, at the same time, at the Hwangryong Film Awards organizing office—
“Honestly. What on earth is wrong with this year.”
“Are we going to end up like the neighboring awards show, with boycotts and chaos? Should we redo the winner selection?”
“There's no time. And it's not bad enough for a boycott.”
“Worst case — when have we ever handed out awards based on an actor's seniority? The Korean Film Awards are the establishment; we've always been the bold ones.”
“That's true. But do you think the ratings will hold up?”
The organizers put up rebuttal articles for now.
Amid Nomination Controversy, Hwangryong Film Awards: “Selected Strictly According to Our Criteria” — Dismisses Allegations
Hwangryong Film Awards: “Winner Deliberations Already Complete” — Denies Any Lobbying Influence
Yoon Jay Award Lobbying Allegations... Hwangryong Film Awards Marred by Noise Before It Even Begins
But the person at the center of it all had been too successful for too long, ever since his debut — the kind of success that drove haters and stans alike out of their minds. Believers in the lobbying rumor waging keyboard battles, people urging everyone to wait and see, and Yoon Jay's fans were all tangled up in one chaotic mess.
“Could we turn this into noise marketing somehow?”
“Worth racking our brains over.”
Just as the committee office was racking its brains, a visitor arrived. It was Reporter Kang Chang-hoon, the man who had been tailing Yoon Jay.
The committee staffer who checked his business card frowned.
“A reporter, here of all places... couldn't this have been done over the phone?”
“I have an exclusive related to Yoon Jay.”
Yoon Jay? What exclusive could that man possibly have left to break? Nothing surprised me anymore, and yet... Reading the staffer's expression, Kang Chang-hoon smiled slyly.
“I guarantee you — you'll want to speak with the sponsor first.”
[EXCLUSIVE] Yoon Jay Is the Same Person as Yoon Jae-hee, the Child Star of 'The Child'
Why Yoon Jay Was Nominated for Best Actor, Not Best New Actor, at Hwangryong: “Due to His Past Award History”
The Genius Child Actor Who Swept the Youngest-Ever Wins at International Film Festivals — Turns Out to Be Yoon Jay
And on the day of the Hwangryong Film Awards ceremony, Reporter Kang Chang-hoon's painstakingly investigated article went live.
(CEO Lee, is the article that just went up true?)
“Well, you see...”
The moment Lee Seo-won hesitated, Professor Choi Ji-ye — one of the Hwangryong judges — screamed through the phone. After all, The Child was the very reason she and Lee Seo-won had become close in the first place.
(You're telling me you kept THAT from me, CEO Lee?!)
“I only found out recently myself, and he was reluctant to reveal it himself...”
(Oh. Ah... well, considering what happened back then, I suppose that's understandable...)
“Exactly.”
Yoon Jay himself had planned to reveal it slowly, in stages, once he'd made up his mind — but the article had forced his hand. With his plan ruined from the very start, Lee Seo-won's face twisted in frustration.
(So is he going to announce it in his acceptance speech today?)
“That's a decision our actor will have to make. Wait — acceptance speech? Don't tell me...”
(Ah! If Yoon Jay doesn't win Best Actor, who will?!)
Having had the ceremony spoiled for him by an overexcited Professor Choi, Lee Seo-won vaguely brushed off her earnest plea that he please, please have a meal with Yoon Jay sometime, and hung up.
“CEO!”
“Aigoo.”
But Lee Seo-won's trials were far from over. Marketing Team Leader Lee Da-hyun flung open the CEO's door and stormed in.
“Is the article true?”
“Da-hyun, well, you see...”
“No wonder the three of you — Jin-woo, Director Kwak, and you — kept having secret little meetings...!”
Lee Da-hyun tore at her own hair. She had knocked on the doors of this industry out of pure love for film.
Every revelation about Yoon Jay's past had been one shock after another. She'd assumed there was nothing left that could surprise her.
But Yoon Jae-hee?! That genius baby oppa from The Child?!...!
“We didn't know the article would break early either.”
“You still should have told me in advance!”
Lee Da-hyun shouted. Somehow, the CEO's authority seemed to be eroding by the day... Lee Seo-won sighed.
How is Jay going to handle this?
Meanwhile, at the same time, Yoon Jay was in a car heading to the ceremony to attend the Hwangryong Film Festival.
What the—?
His phone was ringing off the hook. He thought it was calls, but it was messages — asking if the article was true, telling him to meet up and talk about whether he was attending Hwangryong today.
Don't tell me...
Yoon Jay checked the article and let out a low groan.
“Hyung, is something wrong?”
“...It seems my old name has been exposed.”
“Whoa, seriously?”
“Eyes on the road.”
Han Jin-woo, who hadn't been able to check the article while driving, turned his head.
“Huh? Old name? What old name?”
Jung Seung-woo and Choi Tae-yang, who had yet to learn of Yoon Jay's past, discovered it through the article.
“Whoa, that was you?”
“Damn, our hyung-nim was quite the legend...”
Both of them knew The Child well. Yoon Jae-hee was a name they'd heard constantly, trailing after Yoon Jay through the industry — hadn't they even attended the restoration screening at Cho Yoo-kyung's invitation?
Yoon Jay studied their shifting expressions with keen attention.
“How do you feel?”
“I thought nothing could shock me anymore, but this... this is seriously shocking.”
“Any sense of betrayal, maybe?”
“Hmm, not really? I mean, we're not exactly industry people, are we.”
If anything, Choi Tae-yang was more stunned by the fact that Yoon Jay was a Delta veteran who had eliminated a deputy leader of LIS. Though that, of course, was a national secret — more than enough reason to keep it hidden.
“Still, if I were one of your close colleagues, I imagine I might feel betrayed. Someone like Kwon Min-jae, for instance?”
“I suppose so.”
Yoon Jay sighed. This wasn't how he'd intended to reveal it — swept along by circumstance.
And then his phone buzzed again.
Yoon Jay made a point of arriving last. The moment he stepped onto the red carpet, camera flashes erupted from every direction.
“Yes, please face forward...”
“Jay! Is the article true?!”
Even as he posed before the photo wall under the barrage of flashes, questions flew at him from every side. Yoon Jay maintained a perfectly blank expression and walked into the venue.