Chapter 143
Translator: uly
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Premiere, Beginning (2)
[Why are you saying that?]
[Because it's time to wake up from the dream.]
[I didn't dream this. I lived it with you in reality.]
[Joo-young-ssi. We're too different. The worlds we live in are different too.]
[What does that... What does that matter? Look at me. Yeo-won-ssi. Just look at me. Don't look at anything else?]
Just looking at him made her chest ache. As his deep eyes clouded with hurt, the pain in her heart grew even sharper.
"Euu... What do we do..."
"Aigoo..."
Murmurs of sympathy leaked out from here and there.
Kim Joo-young tried desperately to persuade Shin Yeo-won, but she knew reality all too well. They would surely clash and shatter. The wall of reality would taint even these happy memories. In the end, they might come to hate each other. Reality wasn't a fairy tale. It didn't always end in a happy ending like in fairy tales. The fear that their love might turn to hatred made Shin Yeo-won even more resolute.
[Can't you just leave me with these good memories...?]
[If reality gets in the way of our relationship, even these memories might get ruined. I'm scared that...]
[Don't make me want to die anymore. Leave me with this perfect memory. I'll live on with the love you gave me. Then... can't we?]
Kim Joo-young wasn't a fool. He understood why Shin Yeo-won was afraid. Why she was refusing. And that's why he couldn't hold onto her.
[Then that's fine...?]
A single tear dropped as she spoke. That must have been when it started. Little sniffles began echoing from around the theater. Her expressionless face didn't twist at all. Tears simply streamed down steadily. It was as if she didn't even realize she was crying.
[Nothing is eternal in this world. Even this love will fade someday.]
Utterly realistic words.
[But if we part here, only the beautiful memories will remain forever.]
[But I'm not in those memories...?]
One person was missing from the memories they created together. Could a beautiful memory with an empty hole truly last forever?
[But I can live on with those memories.]
[Forever...?]
With tears streaming down, Kim Joo-young spoke with eyes that stirred the hearts of everyone watching.
[Yes. Forever.]
He wanted to grab her. But he couldn't. Hesitation, pain, hurt, and understanding all mixed together, making hearts throb unbearably.
[I don't know.]
[But if that's what you want... then okay.]
The short, pure love that began in a travel destination. Shin Yeo-won, letting it go, turned away with tears in her eyes too. As he watched her back recede endlessly, Kim Joo-young's tears flowed without end. Tears burst from Ki Han-hyang's eyes as well, who was watching alongside. Despite his usually dry personality, once the tears started, his tear glands wouldn't stop for some reason.
The scene shifted, spotlighting Shin Yeo-won upon her return. Living busily, she occasionally thought of Kim Joo-young but shook her head to push it away. And then.
[If we had stayed together.]
[If I could have filled the empty space in your heart.]
They crossed paths by chance in a bustling street, and as Shin Yeo-won turned away, Kim Joo-young's narration overlaid.
The two in the forest and the two in reality intercut, fading out. Over it, a calm voice rose, and text appeared once more.
[I'm sending you to him.]
The text blurred and scattered softly.
[I'm sending you my eternity.]
With the final words, the theater lights slowly came on.
Ki Han-hyang hadn't even noticed the lights turning on. That voice reciting the last line filled his head—no, his heart. And when he came back to his senses...
"Here are some tissues ready for you, sir."
He was holding tissues handed out busily by the staff in one hand, wiping his eyes.
* The premiere was a success. Not just a success—it was a huge success. Even without checking the audience reactions after the screening. Even without hearing a staff member mutter excitedly about it being a hit. Even without confirming Kwon Seong-hyeon smiling softly at him from the VIP seats. Even without Intent Discernment popping up.
It was a hit.
Yeonwoo could feel it.
[Multi-Lifespan Auto-Harvest has been completed.]
[Auto-harvested Lifespan: 17 days]
A brilliant notification, and the familiar window appeared before his eyes. It was the surest sign of a hit, more certain than anything else.
'Honestly, I wasn't expecting much.'
He had expectations for this movie. But those were only for building influence as a stepping stone. He hadn't expected to harvest lifespan from it.
'I figured movies would be... a bit different.'
Dramas had clear messages per episode. Or music where his intended emotions hit directly. He thought movies would be on a different trajectory. So he'd only aimed to expose himself to a diverse, large audience.
But...
"The reviews are exploding! It's so good!"
"Yeah, yeah. The vibe is amazing? At this rate, ten million is possible?"
"Nah, ten million might be a stretch? Even if we call it a hit, the genre has limits..."
"I hate to say it, but when we release, that thing—whatchamacallit—is coming out too."
"Right, that hero movie is releasing around then."
The staff huddled together had mixed vibes. But overall, they were buzzing with excitement, impossible to miss.
Sizzle!
People oblivious to the meat burning in front of them, glued to their phones and tablets. They were holding an after-party in a large rented space with the cast.
"This is best done together."
Woo Do-gyeom had suggested it first. Yeon Do-hee nodded right after, and the other actors, with no schedules, had gathered post-premiere.
"Are we outsiders? We're survival comrades who lived through hell together, right?"
Yeon Do-hee laughed brightly.
"We should celebrate good days all together."
"Exactly. Do-hee-ssi nailed it."
"Ugh... I'm so happy our movie's getting such great buzz."
"With this team chemistry, the movie's bound to do even better?"
"No kidding. Obviously!"
That's how the after-party kicked off.
'Reviews... matter that much? Yeah, probably.'
Yeonwoo, who had zero SNS habit, flipped the sizzling meat in place of the staff immersed in search frenzy.
Of course, "Yeonwoo-ssi, let me. Oil splatter could burn you."
"Why's the kid doing that? Choi Secretary."
With the folks on either side, he had to hand it over right away.
"No, I can do it."
Yeonwoo refused once.
"Yeonwoo-ssi, you'll get hurt. Can't have that, so give me the tongs."
"Would a delicately raised young master even know how to grill meat? Choi Secretary."
"You're delicately raised too, aren't you?"
"The world I live in and the young master's are qualitatively different."
The two on either side ignored him completely. What could he do?
"Grill it well. I'll step away for a bit..."
He just got up. Kwon Seong-hyeon was there as Yeonwoo's manager. Woo Do-gyeom as the investor. Yeonwoo had no idea why they insisted on sitting next to him and bothering him, so he rose without regret.
[Our actor, you got this! Win!]
Leaving behind even Dongja-ryeong cheering enthusiastically—though bodiless, so Kwon Seong-hyeon couldn't hear—Yeonwoo headed to one side.
"Director Ji?"
"...Yeonwoo-ssi?"
"You're alive, right?"
His soul seemed intact, so probably not dead.
"Director probably pulled three all-nighters editing till dawn yesterday."
Assistant Director Jo, sitting beside, answered.
"You should've seen it, Yeonwoo-ssi. Like a madman... Ow! Director, why hit fragile me!"
"Too... wordy..."
Ji Director, pale as a ghost but nudging Jo's side, clearly didn't want it advertised.
"Had something to eat?"
In their agency's freewheeling hierarchy, only Jo remained by Ji Director, sipping booze.
"No..."
A mystery how he'd endured the long premiere event in that state.
"Eat something."
Yeonwoo silently started grilling untouched meat.
Sizzle!
Appetizing sounds as the premium Hanwoo cooked nicely.
'Steak's best medium-rare.'
Not into tartare, but fully cooked was meh too. As soon as one side browned, he flipped with tongs. Counted 30 seconds, sliced—beautiful pink inside, just seared outside.
"Eat up. You're exhausted, but need the nutrition."
Why else would Ji Director burn three days straight on final edits?
'Definitely... even I thought it looked pretty.'
He got why Kwon Seong-hyeon listed Ji Director's beautiful visuals as a trait. Recalled movies from Kwon Seong-hyeon's classes pre-script. All artistic, no flaws, but Ji Director's was different league.
'Maybe even better than those shorts he mentioned from before.'
Superior even to his past works? Not Yeonwoo bias from starring. No. Probably not.
"Uh... Director doesn't eat underdone... Gah! Why again!"
"Eat."
"Ugh..."
Suddenly Jo clutched his side again. "What's the point of me tending so hard when he runs off grilling like a dog for someone else!"
Grumbling like he was hugely wronged, but when Yeonwoo looked up, Jo slyly sipped his drink as if nothing. Seemed even faster now.
"Assistant Director Jo, eat too. You worked hard."
"...Only Yeonwoo-ssi appreciates us. You know how much I slaved tending our Ji Director? Could write a 3-night-4-day thesis and it'd overflow. But look—Yeonwoo-ssi shows, and he perks right up."
"Not... like that..."
"What do you mean? It is!"
"No... really..."
"..."
Weird. Why did it feel like he was intruding on a couple? Yeonwoo silently plated sliced meat before them. Meat tastes bad cold—eat quick.
"Still, Yeonwoo-ssi appreciating helps. Our Ji Director doesn't even notice my efforts. Sigh."
"No... I know..."
"Shut up and eat the meat."
"Yeah..."
Seemed like power dynamic flipped, but whatever.