Chapter 286: History (1)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Ryu Jung-min, with a deepened smile, continued speaking while making eye contact with Kang Woojin.

“You’re assuming you’ll definitely take the stage at the Cannes Film Festival, right?”

At this question, Kang Woojin’s face hardened even more.

“……”

He was more serious than ever. Though he didn’t say it outwardly, he was internally responding to Ryu Jung-min.

‘What nonsense is this handsome guy spouting??!’

Why on earth was he thinking that far ahead? Couldn’t he just take things as they are? Woojin was frustrated, but this handsome guy, no, top actor Ryu Jung-min, had a refreshed expression.

Because his curiosity was satisfied.

“Haha, it’s so like you, Woojin-ssi. To think you’d already be preparing your acceptance speech, including the greetings— and in French, no less. Unless you’re certain of winning an award, there’s no need to prepare like that.”

Kang Woojin caught a whiff of a strong misunderstanding. But in this situation, acting cool was still the right move. Whatever, it would be funny to try and take it back now.

“…I’m planning to do the rest in Korean after the first line.”

Ryu Jung-min, who had been shaking his head as if in amazement or admiration, added more words.

“You really don’t have even 1% doubt about not winning an award? Is receiving an award a default for you?”

Default? What default. In French, all I said was that I wanted to eat meat. Ryu Jung-min, who couldn’t possibly know this, suddenly folded his arms and turned serious.

“Hmm- But giving an acceptance speech in French.”

“……”

“I’ve never won an award at Cannes. But if you give a short acceptance speech in French at Cannes……everyone would probably be shocked and give you a standing ovation.”

“…Is that so?”

“Indeed. To begin with, the number of Korean actors who have won awards at the massive Cannes Film Festival is very few. In addition to Hollywood actors, directors, and famous figures, there are also many French officials. Since the Cannes Film Festival is primarily French. If a Korean actor gives a speech in French, it would be deeply moving at the very least.”

Well, that’s probably true. Kang Woojin immediately understood Ryu Jung-min’s point. When an actor from a foreign country, who speaks a completely different language, speaks in the local language, it significantly boosts their likeability. This was similar to how Hollywood actors who visit Korea speak in Korean.

Here, Ryu Jung-min suddenly seemed to have an idea and spoke again.

“Oh, but Woojin-ssi, your English is also at a native level, isn’t it?”

Later.

At Harmony Film Company, after finishing the meeting about the final promotional efforts that included Kang Woojin’s support, Woojin was on his way to the set of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ while being briefed by Choi Sung-gun.

“Starting tomorrow, the majority of surprise and impromptu visits will be in Seoul. You heard it in the meeting earlier, right?”

For reference, several issues were discussed in the Harmony Film Company meeting. It was about how to utilize Kang Woojin’s promotional support. Many ideas were proposed. One of them was Kang Woojin’s idea, which included the words ‘surprise’ and ‘impromptu’.

“It’ll be a bit more intense, but let’s put in the effort. We need to fill in the promotional schedule that we missed due to our circumstances.”

Of course, Kang Woojin accepted most of it.

‘Island of the Missing’, with the triumphant return of Kang Woojin, had gained some momentum again, but as the release date was quite some time ago, the excitement was gradually fading. Without a shocking move at this point, there was a possibility it would stop just short of the performance of ‘Sea Battle’.

Soon.

-Swish.

Woojin, listening to Choi Sung-gun’s briefing with an indifferent face, secretly took out his phone. Then he checked the current performance of ‘Island of the Missing’. Today was the 7th, so it was the performance as of yesterday.

[Audience Count as of June 6, 2021]

[Daily Domestic Box Office]

1. Island of the Missing / Release Date: May 19 / Audience: 497,558 / Screens: 1159 / Cumulative Audience: 13,932,969

14 million viewers. ‘Island of the Missing’ had entered the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time, and it was indeed a tremendous achievement. However, compared to the initial release, the audience count had clearly dropped, and to surpass the number one film, ‘Sea Battle’, it still needed about 3 million more viewers.

Kang Woojin, looking down at his phone, murmured to himself.

‘3 million- 3 million, huh.’

Thinking in simple terms, it seemed possible to surpass it in about ten days, but from the meeting held today at Harmony Film Company and Choi Sung-gun’s words, it didn’t seem that easy.

‘Wasn’t it said that the number of moviegoers sharply drops during the latter half of a film’s run?’

At a certain point, the drop in audience numbers becomes severe. While the film might attract 500,000 viewers in a single day during its initial release, a few weeks later, this can drop to as low as 100,000 viewers. Some films even see numbers fall to 50,000.

‘Yeah, it was like that during ‘Drug Dealer’ too.’

Some films rapidly climb to around 3 million viewers but collapse overnight, closing out at 3.5 million. What if ‘Island of the Missing’ gets close to 16 million and then suddenly stops? If it were entirely impossible, it wouldn’t matter, but being so close and still losing would be very unsatisfying.

‘Ah- shit, just imagining it pisses me off?’

At least that’s how Kang Woojin thought.

Losing the throne right before your eyes? Even though second place is an impressive achievement, it doesn’t have the same impact as being first. Isn’t it cooler to be the number one movie that took the crown rather than the one that just threatened it?

Moreover, ‘Island of the Missing’ had another challenge.

Choi Sung-gun, sitting in the passenger seat, sighed quietly and murmured.

“Phew- If it could just reach the high 17 million range, the picture would be much prettier. Both for taking first place and maintaining first place in the future as well.”

While taking the throne as the number one Korean film was important, setting an unprecedented record for the future was also necessary. An overwhelming audience number that other chasing films couldn’t dream of surpassing.

If that happened, Kang Woojin would get another ‘first’ title. His first leading film achieving an unprecedented number of viewers in the Korean film industry.

It was enough to make one’s mouth water.

It wasn’t just about putting on a show; it was Kang Woojin’s pure desire and ambition. Or perhaps it was competitiveness. Coming this far only to fall short at the final hurdle would be beyond disappointing—it would feel frustrating. It seemed like something he would remember for the rest of his life.

‘Having come this far, I’ll turn it around even if my body breaks. No matter what.’

The next day, around noon.

The location was a large multiplex cinema near Dogok Station. It was the largest cinema in the area, and despite it being a weekday afternoon, the lobby was crowded with people.

“Wow- Is that really the line for the concession stand?”

“Why are there so many people? Ah, shit, I told you we should have gone to a smaller cinema.”

“You idiot, how could I have known there would be this many people??”

There were quite a few college groups, couples, and even students in school uniforms. It was truly the peak season for cinemas. Moreover, the quality of recently released films was high. The phenomenon of ‘Island of the Missing’ was ongoing, and new movies kept drawing audiences to the theaters.

Thus, promotional wars were happening all over the cinema.

Several large monitors were frantically playing trailers for upcoming or newly released films, numerous advertisement boards and life-sized cutouts were placed in prominent spots, and posters were everywhere. The monitors above the ticket booth and concession stand displayed the screening times of various movies.

‘Island of the Missing’ was there, along with many other films.

Anyway.

-Ding!

A woman who had just exited the elevator caught the eye. Wearing a white mask and with her long hair tied up, she wore a tight-fitting short-sleeve shirt and shorts, probably because of the warm weather. Holding her phone, she was also surprised by the crowd in the cinema.

“Wow.”

She then whispered softly.

“I should have come for the early morning show.”

Nonetheless, she started taking pictures of the cinema lobby with her phone. Her photo-taking form was not ordinary. Meanwhile, some nearby men glanced at her. Some whispered among themselves. Regardless, the woman took a few photos of the ‘Island of the Missing’ poster and advertisement board before heading to the restroom.

She then took photos of herself reflected in the mirror.

“Oh- the mirror here has a good shape.”

Satisfied with the dozens of photos she took, she lifted the corners of her mouth under the mask. She then touched the gallery on her phone. Soon, a massive collection of stored photos appeared.

It was understandable.

The woman was an influencer with 500,000 Instagram followers and a YouTube channel with 150,000 subscribers. Her name was Joo Arang. She was well-known as a model and YouTuber. Especially on Instagram, she had many fans.

In other words, all the photos she took at the cinema were meant for uploading.

“Today is just daily life, daily life-”

Humming slightly, she checked the time and moved towards the entrance of the screening room. After being guided by the staff, she arrived in front of Screen 3. A poster of the movie to be screened was hung in front of Screen 3.

-‘Island of the Missing’

Influencer Joo Arang took a photo of this poster too, and she started to scrutinize the actors in the poster. Though other spectators were continuously entering the adjacent screening rooms, Joo Arang’s eyes were fixed on one person.

‘Hoo- Kang Woojin is really so cool.’

It was Corporal Jin Sun-cheol in the poster, no, it was Kang Woojin. Joo Arang was a fervent fan of Woojin. Perhaps he was even close to her ideal type? Whatever the case, she entered the screening room with a satisfied look. The inside was moderately bright.

Even though it was a weekday afternoon, more than 70% of the seats were occupied.

Slightly surprised, Joo Arang moved to find her reserved seat. It was somewhere in the middle of row H. Although the seat was a prime spot, she grumbled inwardly.

‘Shit, why does it have to be between couples?’

Couples with their arms linked were seated on both sides. For a solo viewer like her, it wasn’t a pleasant sight. Nevertheless, Joo Arang sat down in her seat, regretting not coming for the early morning show.

Meanwhile.

“Oppa, is it really okay to watch ‘Island of the Missing’ again?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’d watch it ten times with you.”

“Aah, what are you saying.”

The couples’ conversation reached Joo Arang’s ears.

“You better hope it’s not boring.”

“What if it is? No, everyone said it’s really fun.”

“Ah, but I’m scared of thrillers and stuff like this.”

“We can hold hands while watching.”

“Don’t you dare let go, really.”

At that moment, Joo Arang, who was contemplating whether to just go home, took a deep breath and forced herself to stay.

-Ssss.

Suddenly, the lights inside the screening room dimmed a bit. As a result, hundreds of spectators started murmuring.

“What’s going on?”

“Are they testing something?”

“It suddenly got a bit dark.”

“Maybe a staff error.”

Influencer Joo Arang was also looking around. It was then.

“Ah!”

The man among the couple sitting next to Joo Arang pointed at the main screen with his index finger, and that triggered the hundreds of spectators to also look at the front. On the large screen, for some reason, another version of the ‘Island of the Missing’ poster and large letters were being displayed.

-‘Island of the Missing’ Surprise Stage Greeting before Screening

-Attending Actors: Ryu Jung-min, Kang Woojin, Ha Yu-ra, Kim Yi-won

The hundreds of spectators blinked as they looked at the screen. Joo Arang, who had been dazed, had the same expression.

Then.

“……Whoa, amazing. Seriously?”

“That’s not a mistake, right?”

“Are those actors really coming?”

“Was there any talk about a stage greeting??!”

The murmurs among the audience grew louder. It was natural. An unexpected stage greeting event? The excitement gradually spread throughout the entire screening room.

“This is crazy!! Wait, my phone! My phone!”

“If they say it was a mistake, I’m really going to cry?!”

“Where? Where will they come from??”

“Suddenly out of nowhere, a stage greeting……Huh? Oh! Over there!!”

Just as the murmurs turned into cheers, the emergency door next to the main screen opened, and someone walked in.

Five burly guards came in.

Following them, one by one, people with an overwhelming aura appeared. They were the actors from ‘Island of the Missing.’ Starting with Ryu Jung-min, followed by Ha Yu-ra and Kim Yi-won.

The audience screamed and shouted at their surprise appearance.

“Kyahhh!!”

“Amazing! Really, totally amazing!!”

“Waaah!”

Hundreds of spectators, as if on cue, raised their phones above their heads. Almost everyone did. Of course, influencer Joo Arang was no exception.

“Crazy!! Kyak!!!”

Her mask slightly slipped off, but she had no time to fix it as she continued taking photos frantically.

It was then.

The last actor to appear was a black-haired actor wearing a toned-down beige blazer over a white tee.

It was Kang Woojin with an indifferent face.

-Swoosh.

The eyes of the hundreds of spectators grew wide.

“Whoa!! K-Kang Woojin!”

They started taking pictures of Kang Woojin like crazy.

A few days later, on the 11th. At night.

It was late Friday night. The location was the set of ‘Leech’. As they were deep into the later part of filming, Director Ahn Ga-bok, the hundred or so staff, and the actors all had tense expressions. Of course, this included Kang Woojin, who was in front of the camera as ‘Park Ha-seong’.

Amidst this, a signal from Director Ahn Ga-bok spread.

“Cut. OK.”

Soon after, Director Ahn Ga-bok approached Kang Woojin, who had just shed his ‘Park Ha-seong’ persona.

“You worked hard today. We’ll be on standby a bit earlier tomorrow, so rest as much as you can.”

“Understood, Director~nim.”

Although it was close to midnight, the ‘Leech’ team hadn’t finished all their filming. Only Kang Woojin’s parts were done; there were still more scenes to shoot. Regardless, Woojin and his team moved in the van. For reference, today Kang Woojin wasn’t going home but moving to a nearby hotel.

-Drreeeek!

Soon, Kang Woojin boarded the van. On the outside, his poker face was still strong, but inside, he was obviously exhausted. Recently, due to the promotional efforts for ‘Island of the Missing’, even ten bodies wouldn’t have been enough.

‘If I hadn’t used the void space, I might have died.’

As Woojin mumbled inwardly, the van left the external parking lot of the set. Kang Woojin was looking out the window at the pitch-black darkness.

‘Ah.’

Realizing something, he took out his phone. First, he reduced the brightness on his phone, and the figures he had been looking at during the break earlier were still displayed.

[All-time Box Office in South Korea]

[All-time Movie Rankings (Combined)]

-1. Sea Battle / Total Audience: 16,715,955

-2. Island of the Missing / Total Audience: 16,281,337

-3. Unstoppable Force / Total Audience: 15,557,118

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It was the all-time box office rankings in Korea. Practically the history of the Korean film industry. On the chart, ‘Island of the Missing’ had reached the cusp of ‘Sea Battle’, but it was still in second place. Of course, this didn’t include today’s Friday numbers. Thanks to Kang Woojin’s promotional efforts, ‘Island of the Missing’ had surged again.

Currently, the media was in a frenzy. It was an unprecedented topic of interest.

Kang Woojin put down his phone. The more he looked, the more anxious he felt.

‘Tomorrow, tomorrow for sure.’

Then, the next morning. Kang Woojin, with messy hair, opened his eyes in the accommodation’s bed and.

“Phone.”

He immediately grabbed the phone placed at his bedside. He saw several messages and texts had arrived, but Kang Woojin had no time to check them.

-Swoosh.

He first had to refresh the page he had been looking at yesterday. Soon, the updated figures began to display on his phone.

Seeing this, Kang Woojin unknowingly muttered.

“Shit, it really happened?”

His eyes widened slightly. It was understandable.

[All-time Box Office in South Korea]

[All-time Movie Rankings (Combined)]

-1. Island of the Missing / Total Audience: 16,752,991

-2. Sea Battle / Total Audience: 16,715,955

-3. Unstoppable Force / Total Audience: 15,557,118

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It was a moment when the history of Korean cinema was rewritten.