Chapter 269: Masterpiece (6)

As soon as the first day’s results of ‘Island of the Missing’ was released.

1. Island of the Missing / Release Date: May 19 / Audience: 700,223 / Screens: 1159 / Cumulative Audience: 700,223

The 50 or so people gathered in the studio of the Harmony Film Company suddenly burst into screams.

“Waaaaaah!!”

“What!! Is, is it real?!”

“Hahaha, it’s real, it’s really real!!”

“Congratulations, Director~nim!!”

“No, no way!! 700,000?! In one day??!”

“Wow!! This is truly unbelievable!”

“Snap out of it! This is reality!!”

The studio resonated intensely with the simultaneous shouts. The key staff like the cinematographer and the lighting director were hugging each other and jumping around, while the Film Company’s CEO and executives were clapping and were in an uproar. Half of the distribution staff were jumping up and down, and the other half were busily making phone calls somewhere.

It was a result worthy of such a reaction.

700,000 viewers in just one day. Even considering it was a holiday during peak season, this was phenomenal. In a year, numerous films fail to surpass even 1 million. Yet, ‘Island of the Missing’ achieved a figure close to 1 million in just one day.

It would be foolish to sit still at this point.

They had to ramp up the promotional marketing efforts and widely spread this incredible result. Although the media would cover it extensively on their own, adding a booster would accelerate word of mouth spread through various mass media, YouTube, and social media, thereby speeding up the increase in public opinion.

The power of increasing audience numbers stems from that.

Word of mouth.

Depending on how explosive the power and speed of that word of mouth are, the flow can differ drastically. Kang Woojin had actually experienced that disaster-level power with ‘Drug Dealer’.

For reference, ‘Drug Dealer’s first-day audience count was 250,000.

It’s about three times less than ‘Island of the Missing’. Well, ‘Drug Dealer’ was rated R, so it was expected. Regardless, the first-day result of ‘Island of the Missing’ was legendary. It was evident from the many notable people in the film industry dancing wildly in celebration.

“I, I’ve never seen 700,000 in a day before!!”

“Me neither! I’ve seen up to 500,000! But 700,000!”

“Director~nim! Congratulations, really!!”

“This is going to be an ultra-ultra-ultra hit!!”

Even to them, the current result was unfamiliar. No, it would be fair to say they had almost never seen it. The same was true for Director Kwon Ki-taek, who was considered a top-tier domestic director.

‘…700,000 viewers in a day – that’s an absurd number.’

Director Kwon Ki-taek, who had already surpassed 10 million total viewers before, saw his maximum single-day audience count at 600,000. 700,000 was something he had never seen before.

“Amazing.”

At this moment, an employee in front of the laptop shouted.

“There’s not much difference!!”

The others who were in an uproar crowded around.

“What?!”

“You idiot! What are you saying without any context?!”

The employee shouted again.

“The record of ‘Sea Battle’! ‘Sea Battle’ had 730,000 viewers on its first day! There’s only a 30,000 difference with us!!”

The movie ‘Sea Battle’. It was released in 2014 and achieved a total viewers of 16.75 million, an incredible result.

And that ‘Sea Battle’ was the number one film in Korean box office history.

In the seven years since then, the 16.75 million record has not been broken. Of course, there have been several close contenders. 14 million, 13 million, and so on. But none were overwhelmingly dominant. ‘Sea Battle’ was legendary from daily viewer counts to weekend viewer counts. No film had ever caught up to that massive record.

But now.

“30,000?? Only a 30,000 difference?! Isn’t ‘Sea Battle’ the number one domestic movie? It hasn’t been broken yet?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Not yet!”

“W-wow! If we do well, this could…!!”

‘Island of the Missing’ came close to that legend for the first time in seven years.

It meant it was challenging the number one spot in the Korean box office.

Meanwhile, in Japan. On the set of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.

Dozens of staff and actors were bustling about, preparing for the shoot. Amidst this chaotic environment, Kang Woojin sat in the waiting area, maintaining a poker face without letting his guard down. While the first results of ‘Island of the Missing’ were being announced in Korea, Woojin had yet to receive the news. Well, Choi Sung-gun would soon come running to tell him, or his phone would ring.

Anyway, Woojin’s makeup was already complete, perfectly embodying Iyota Kiyoshi. Looking composed, he was reading the script of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ with a black square attached to it.

‘Hmm-’

Initially, he pretended to read it to hide his anxiety while waiting for the results of ‘Island of the Missing’. But now, he was genuinely focused. The reason was simple.

‘It’s definitely strange.’

His long-standing curiosity had been reignited. He was looking at the ending part of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ script. As expected, it was disappointing. The movie adaptation of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ had many aspects altered or edited compared to the original, but the beginning and ending still followed the original.

The original ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ was quite an old piece.

So is this ending right? Personally, Kang Woojin didn’t like it. When he first received the script of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, he had no particular thoughts, and this doubt had only recently emerged. It wasn’t a conceptual inclusion but a heartfelt sentiment of an ordinary person.

Iyota Kiyoshi’s end was karmic retribution.

Or karma, or reaping what you sow. There was even a hint of poetic justice. Every action has consequences. Accept it. Kiyoshi leaves with such a message. In some ways, it’s a cliché result and familiar to the public. Especially in Japan, most movies or content are like this. It’s hard to find works that aren’t. Retribution, that is.

In any case, the protagonist takes responsibility for what they did. If they kill, they get killed; if they seek revenge, they suffer corresponding damage.

‘That’s not wrong. It makes sense.’

Kang Woojin didn’t deny that. Well, there are plenty of similar stories in Korea too.

But.

‘But does this fit Kiyoshi as well? No, I mean, I’m just acting, but still- it’s a bit disappointing? Yeah, it’s disappointing.’

Woojin felt it was wrong for Iyota Kiyoshi in ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ to follow the same path. No, rather than right or wrong, it felt off. It was uncomfortable. It kept bothering him. Though Kang Woojin himself didn’t realize it, the thoughts he was having now were born out of affection for the character in the play. It’s something that ordinary actors usually develop.

Thus, he re-examined the retribution in ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.

What is wrong in that world? What moment can be called a mistake? What about existence? Is there evil? Who is the evil one? Then what about good? Is it meaningful to divide these?

Who judges everything?

Kang Woojin vaguely arrived at an answer.

‘I’m the one who judges.’

Not the director, not the writer, not the audience. The judgment about all those question marks was up to Kang Woojin. No, it was right for ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ to make that judgment. Because ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ is seen through Kiyoshi’s eyes.

But Kiyoshi doesn’t make biased judgments throughout the story.

He just acts.

Because Kiyoshi is the ‘Stranger’.

‘Ah- damn, my head hurts. But even if I don’t know well, it seems okay for the ‘Stranger’ to remain a ‘Stranger’ until the end.’

Ultimately, it’s not about reaching any retributive conclusion but simply returning to being just a ‘Stranger’. In ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, Kiyoshi never personally carried out his ‘homework’. He moved ‘other people’.

So what retribution? What karma?

Where does such a concept exist for a ‘Stranger’?

Did Kiyoshi really want to convey to those watching him, that is, the audience or onlookers, the boring conclusion that ‘revenge is meaningless’? Did he want to throw such a message?

Let’s look into the real heart of Kiyoshi.

No. It wouldn’t be. He wouldn’t even think of such things.

With a silent face, Woojin slowly shook his head. He didn’t know, he couldn’t know. There’s no way Woojin could understand the thoughts of supergiant figures like Director Kyotaro or Writer Akari.

‘I don’t care about the message or whatever. It’s just my thought.’

However, Kang Woojin was the person who knew ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ the best in the world. He had lived and embodied his life. In reality, Woojin rejected the ending of Kiyoshi in ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.

In Woojin’s eyes, Kiyoshi was a stone.

No matter how circumstances changed over time, Kiyoshi’s essence remained the same. It didn’t change color. You know the saying, right? That people repeat the same mistakes.

Change and growth might seem similar at first glance, but they are different contexts.

Especially for Kiyoshi. He was clumsy. So, there could be emotional growth. But he wouldn’t change. Even after witnessing countless deaths in front of him, he remained calm and quiet, treating human deaths as mere homework.

He was a stone.

Would he repent for everything and accept the consequences? Quietly digest the retribution?

‘I’m leaning in a different direction.’

Homework is just homework. Nothing more, nothing less. The concept of wrongdoing didn’t exist for Kiyoshi, and he wouldn’t think deeply about it. Revenge wasn’t futile; it was a process of returning everything to its starting point. From the beginning, Iyota Kiyoshi’s mindset was different from the average person.

Moreover, he was nimble and meticulous.

Putting everything together.

‘Surely, Kiyoshi would have planned his end meticulously, and no matter what, he wouldn’t think he did anything wrong, even if beaten to death.”

The ending of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ needs changes.

But.

‘Would it change just because I said something?’

Woojin couldn’t imagine this huge production changing things with just a word from him. So should he just leave it be? Anyway, the rating of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ was already high. Even without tweaking, it was expected to achieve remarkable results.

At that moment.

“Woojin-ssi! Standby, please!”

A staff member shouted in Japanese. It meant the preparation for the first scene was complete. It started with Kang Woojin. No, Kiyoshi. Before hearing the results of ‘Island of the Missing’, Woojin put down the script of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ and stood up.

-Swish.

As he did so, he moved into the set. The atmosphere was thick with the concept. He summoned Iyota Kiyoshi. By the time the slate was ready in front of Woojin, he was already no different from Kiyoshi.

“……”

An expressionless face. Cut-off emotions. When all preparations were complete, the sound of the slate echoed throughout the set. Multiple cameras focused on Kang Woojin. Over a hundred staff members watched him silently. Director Kyotaro, looking at Woojin on the monitor, shouted.

“Action.”

A moment later.

This cut was a solo scene of Kang Woojin that continued from the previous one. It was a difficult scene where he had to convey a lot with a blank face despite having no lines.

Kang Woojin looked down at the floor.

There was no one now, but he was staring at a lifeless body. It was a corpse that felt cold at a glance. However, there was no change in Woojin’s face. After a few seconds, he slowly lifted his head. The front camera on the rail slowly captured Woojin, or Kiyoshi.

From the bust to the face, a close-up.

Silence.

The set was quiet, and so was Woojin’s expression. But strangely enough, many things were embedded in Kang Woojin’s stiff face. The depth gradually intensified. Director Kyotaro, glued to the monitor, licked his lips.

‘Yes, that’s right. This subtle turning point is the key. It’s the essence.’

Calm breaths. Impulsive actions. Compared to that, deflated spirit. Reasonable revenge. A simple homework. A convincing past. All these realizations were captured in Kang Woojin’s eyes. They settled in his expression. They were conveyed in his portrayal.

‘Eyes that have not a shred of expectation for people. Incredible, gives me goosebumps.’

The scene ended here. But Director Kyotaro enjoyed the current thrill and extended the sign a bit longer.

Approximately after 10 more seconds.

“……Cut!!”

Director Kyotaro sprang up from in front of the monitor. Simultaneously, the surrounding Japanese actors and staff let out dry laughs. Some people exhaled sharply. They had been fully immersed in Woojin’s acting and were only now coming out of it.

Then.

-Swish.

Director Kyotaro, with the shooting storyboard tucked into the back pocket of his jeans, walked briskly toward Woojin inside the set.

“Woojin-ssi. There’s no need for another take. It’s beyond satisfactory. But let’s change the composition a bit and go for a few more cuts.”

“Understood, Director~nim.”

Kang Woojin replied in a low voice. He looked calmly at Director Kyotaro, whose hair was streaked with gray. On the outside, he appeared cynical, but internally, he was wrestling with his thoughts, somewhat intensely. Then, following his usual straightforward nature, Woojin made a rough decision.

‘Ah, damn, I don’t know. Just say it. If it doesn’t work, then forget it.’

He called out to Director Kyotaro.

“Director~nim.”

Kyotaro tilted his head at the low-pitched Japanese, and Woojin delivered the line he had prepared.

“Don’t you think ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ would consider returning to an ordinary life, as a true ‘Stranger’ would?”

“……Hmm?”

“Kiyoshi’s ending. It seems like he would want to show Misaki Toka that ‘I’m doing fine as a stranger.’ Someone has to check the homework, and for Kiyoshi, isn’t that probably Toka?”

Woojin lowered his voice even more.

“To be frank, retribution doesn’t suit Kiyoshi. Living well and comfortably seems more fitting. Without any harm.”

For a moment, Director Kyotaro’s eyes slightly widened.

‘……Becoming a stranger to all consequences.’

Several scenes with Kiyoshi flashed like lightning in his mind.

“!!!”

During the shooting of numerous content like movies or dramas, it’s quite common for the plot or dialogue to change. This usually happens due to ad-libs or actions by actors who have thoroughly analyzed the script, or because of the surrounding filming environment.

Of course, it’s only possible if it pleases the director or writer.

However, it’s rare for the ending itself to change.

Especially once production has begun, it becomes even more difficult. This is even truer for works like ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ that have an original source. Changing the ending from the original is quite a bold move.

But for some reason, Director Kyotaro’s eyes were gleaming in a subtle yet intriguing way.

‘Ending as a ‘Stranger’ once again-’

A hint of change appeared in the conclusion of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.’

*****

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