DK's Ruthless Promotion Onslaught
In the Cheongdam-dong building, right in the center of the CEO's office plastered wall-to-wall with posters of Seol A-yoon striking various poses.
Whoosh—
A man clutching his head with both hands let out a deep sigh.
"Damn... this is driving me insane, for real."
The man's name was Seol Woong. That's right—he was the CEO of the one-woman agency Dream Entertainment, centered around top star Seol A-yoon, and her older brother to boot.
In other words, both professionally and personally, he was more than qualified to pour every ounce of his energy into promoting Hoshi-jeol, the lead role for Seol A-yoon with its release just around the corner.
Click... click...
But his expression was grim. He kept refreshing the [Entertainment] section on his monitor, clicking on new articles with his mouse.
"At this rate... we're really gonna get buried..."
Things weren't going his way.
To sum it up:
Seol Woong, CEO of Dream Entertainment, had mobilized every connection he had—including entertainment reporters—to push aggressive promo articles for Hoshi-jeol, which had just entered its press screening phase.
It wasn't a bad strategy. The more exposure the keywords Seol A-yoon and Hoshi-jeol got together, the better.
Tomorrow: 'Hoshi-jeol' on the Eve of Press Screening
'Hoshi-jeol' 2nd Poster Reveals Seol A-yoon's Role?
(Photo) Seol A-yoon Shoots Seductive OX Photoshoot Ahead of 'Hoshi-jeol' Release!
'Hoshi-jeol': A Late Goryeo-Early Joseon Older Woman-Younger Man Couple Tale
Who Will Win This Summer's Box Office? Seol A-yoon's 'Hoshi-jeol' or—
He thought that was plenty. No, he even felt it was a bit much.
In this industry, full-on movie articles usually hit after the press screening. It wasn't a hard rule, but there was no need to push so early—attention would naturally flock to the lead star, Seol A-yoon.
He'd been wary of whispers like, "A top star like Seol A-yoon going that hard?" That's why even this level of promo had been done with a glance at industry eyes.
'Yeah, I'm the normal one here.'
Seol Woong rubbed his throbbing forehead.
He chugged the bottled water on his desk.
Gulp, gulp...
His anxious chest calmed a bit.
Until the voice of that guy came from the wall-mounted TV on the right side of the office, left on for monitoring.
—Just pour and serve!
"...Pffft!"
—Youth is for pouring and enjoying! OO Beer!
Seol Woong spat out his water.
His mind snapped awake.
'...No, it wasn't enough.'
It was that bastard. The outrageous guy who, even in that short beer CF, sucked up all the attention his little sister deserved like a sponge.
'Lee Tae-gyu.'
Now wasn't the time to worry about a top star's dignity.
'If this keeps up... he'll steal everything.'
Seol Woong swallowed dryly, his face tense.
Gulp.
He turned back to his monitor.
A few clicks, and the promo articles from Dream Entertainment supporting Seol A-yoon looked like a drop in the ocean compared to the flood.
Hot Rookie Actor Lee Tae-gyu: Next Up, 'Hoshi-jeol'?
Lee Tae-gyu x Cheon Yoo-seong x Seol A-yoon Chemistry?
Meet the Arena Short Film Festival Grand Prize Winner in 'Hoshi-jeol'!
That's right. Lee Tae-gyu.
Right now, the internet was flooded with:
OO University Prof. Choi Ik-jun: 'We've Misunderstood King Jeongjong'
The Tragic King Buried in History, Yi Bang-gwa!
'Hoshi-jeol' 1st Poster Analysis: The Key is Lee Tae-gyu?
'Living History' Prof.: 'In Late Goryeo-Early Joseon, We Overlooked Yi Bang-gwa!'
2nd Poster: 'Hoshi-jeol' is a Three-Way Battle!
XX University History Prof. Park Jun-hyeong: The Key is Costume Accuracy!
(Photo) DK's Do Yoon-seop CEO Interview: 'How Did We Climb This High?'
'Hoshi-jeol' Press Screening? A Chance to Rediscover Actor Lee Tae-gyu!
DK Entertainment's Next Top Star Pick: Lee Tae-gyu!
'We Need a Wild Tiger, CEO!'
The Actor to Shake Up Slack Korean Cinema: Lee Tae-gyu!
Way too blatant.
No matter how far he scrolled, the promo articles for Lee Tae-gyu never ended. Seol Woong's expression had long passed bewilderment.
'Are these crazy bastards...'
There was a line even for actor promos—this was overkill.
DK Entertainment. Anyone, even outsiders, could see an agency behind this article deluge.
'Don't they care about image at all?'
He knew CEO Do didn't give a damn about face, but he hadn't expected him to sell his own for an actor's promo.
Seol Woong felt like a fool. Compared to his cautious pre-screening articles, they didn't care about industry backlash.
Stop... stop it, you lunatics...
DK Entertainment was blasting Lee Tae-gyu promos everywhere—from legit articles to clickbait tabloids and SNS-sourced net news.
'Do those bastards have no sense of limits?'
What, screw it—burn it all down! Their outward madness forced Dream's CEO Seol Woong to step back.
A top star's image was everything. Matching their antics would slap a "bullying rookie" label on Seol A-yoon.
'Ruthless bastards.'
Seol Woong clicked his tongue. He had no idea this overkill from DK was a celebration of renewing with their next superstar, Lee Tae-gyu.
One thing was clear.
'This... won't actually work, right?'
It just might. With promos this heavy a month before release, post-screening virals from DK could be insane.
Gulp.
Seol Woong, swallowing dryly, called director Gu Jeong-hwan for final confirmation.
***
"...Don't worry about it."
In the theater's back smoking room stood a middle-aged man grinning smugly into his phone.
"You know how much A-yoon chewed me out at the internal screening? Haha, no. CEO, you worry too much. This is praise. You know I love actors who work hard."
Ten-million-director Gu Jeong-hwan.
He was a pro. Sure, he'd felt subtle rivalry toward double-ten-million actress Seol A-yoon during filming, but wasn't it all for that box-office high?
In the final cut of Hoshi-jeol he'd polished with countless edits, Seol A-yoon's screentime was securely locked in.
"Yes, yes. Don't worry—rest up."
Gu Jeong-hwan hung up on Seol Woong, Seol A-yoon's agency CEO.
He lit a cigarette with a relaxed smile.
Click.
Celebrating his masterful editing.
Heh heh heh heh—
Laughter leaked out despite himself.
'...Perfect.'
A masterpiece was born.
Hoshi-jeol had targeted a historical romance between older woman-younger man: King Taejong Yi Bang-won and Queen Won-gyeong.
Queen Won-gyeong, two years older than Taejong in real history, died exactly two years before him—it was hook enough.
But he'd added electric thrill.
Love's sweetness grows with obstacles, right?
'Seol A-yoon is Seol A-yoon. Nearly lost her.'
Gu Jeong-hwan nodded. He admitted it—the internal cut was basically a "King Jeongjong Yi Bang-gwa biopic."
[ Lee Tae-gyu ]
That guy's insane acting was too good to waste.
During shoots, he'd filmed extra ad-libs beyond script. Unable to cut them, he'd stuffed them in, veering from original intent—but he'd wrenched it back with iron-fisted editing.
'...Just right.'
It came alive instead.
'The beauty of omission.'
That's drama. Skipping life cycles for punchy key moments leaves impactful gaps for imagination.
Seol A-yoon, Cheon Yoo-seong, Lee Tae-gyu. Balancing their screentime birthed a masterpiece.
Propping up the other two while sharpening his vision—clarity achieved! One stone, two birds.
Tsssk.
Gu Jeong-hwan stubbed his cigarette and checked his watch.
'...Time to prepare.'
Post-screening Q&A awaited.
Today. Reporters and critics who'd see this mad film—he anticipated their praise.
Snicker.
Of course, one unavoidable "sacrifice" for this triumph.
'...But that's nothing these days.'
Movie license—one phrase covered it. Reporters and critics wouldn't even need explaining.
Thus, expecting thunderous applause at the Q&A, director Gu Jeong-hwan pushed open the smoking room door.
Bang!
***
Hoshi-jeol press screening.
The production rented out an entire VIP theater at Sangam CGV, inviting reporters and critics.
Everyone who mattered in Korean film was there.
Right after Hoshi-jeol ended.
"...!"
"...!"
"...!"
Yi Bang-gwa's thunderous roar jolted them upright.
Gulp.
Everyone swallowed dryly.
'Insane.'
No other words.
Tiger-like aura. Yi Bang-gwa's unseen historical charisma tore the screen, raising a bloodied blade toward them.
'But.'
One reporter recalled Gu Jeong-hwan's "movie license."
'...This is historical distortion.'