Chapter 323: Bomb (4)

Cannes Film Festival. Honestly, even at this moment, when the final screening test for ‘Leech’ was about to happen, Kang Woojin didn’t really feel the reality of it. Other films like ‘Drug Dealer’ and ‘Island of the Missing’ had already been heavily promoted through the media by this time, making them feel tangible, but ‘Leech’ had not carried out any significant promotional or marketing efforts so far.

Of course, the involvement of legendary Korean Director Ahn Ga-bok, the renowned actor Sim Han-ho, and ‘Issue King’ Kang Woojin had sparked considerable interest, with articles being published from time to time.

『Which category will the recently-cranked-up ‘Leech’ be invited to? Cannes Film Festival’s official invitation announcement is expected next week』

Over time, only a few articles related to the Cannes Film Festival would sporadically appear, but for now, things were relatively quiet.

The reason was simple.

Currently, neither the film company nor the distributor of ‘Leech’ was particularly promoting it. Their focus was entirely on the Cannes Film Festival. Naturally, when the festival’s opening approached, articles would be released like crazy, but for now, compared to other commercial films, it was relatively calm.

That’s why Kang Woojin, who was currently waiting for the elevator, felt even more disconnected from reality.

“……”

Various thoughts were crossing Woojin’s mind behind his intense poker face.

‘Cannes-Cannes, huh.’

It wasn’t just pretending to be serious, he was genuinely serious. That was it. Like how people imagine themselves as the protagonist of an interesting manga or other content they’ve seen. Recently, Kang Woojin had been frequently searching for information about the Cannes Film Festival. He had checked out countless articles, photos, YouTube videos, and other materials from the past to the present.

Even though he didn’t feel the reality of it just yet, his heart was pounding for that very reason.

‘Wo-shit, I guess this day really is coming. Just thinking about something I’ve only imagined about actually happening makes me fucking nervous.’

He had seen photos of a Korean actor walking the red carpet at Cannes, videos of them being interviewed by hundreds of foreign reporters at the Cannes closing ceremony or awards show, and group photos with globally famous filmmakers, including Hollywood.

And.

‘Who was it again? Anyway, that Korean director lifting a trophy at the Cannes award ceremony was damn cool.’

A Korean director receiving an award in front of nearly a thousand global filmmakers. If such things weren’t just imagination and were about to happen to him, who wouldn’t feel nervous? For Kang Woojin, who had never even dreamed of attending an international film festival in his life, it hit even harder.

‘Ugh-I’m starting to feel queasy.’

There was fear too. Naturally, there were concerns. The scale of his first experience was unimaginably huge. If he focused on his concept act, he could somehow get through it, but compared to the Blue Dragon Film Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, which was several times more grand, was leaving a fresh impact on Woojin.

At that moment.

-Ding!

The elevator arrived at the floor, and the doors opened. Woojin, who had briefly been lost in thought, felt a tap on his shoulder from Choi Sung-gun.

“Let’s go.”

Choi Sung-gun’s expression was slightly firm, though nowhere near as intense as Kang Woojin’s. The place they arrived at was a small studio inside the large film company. A few staff members of ‘Leech’ were already gathered outside the studio.

“Ah! Hello!”

As soon as they saw Kang Woojin approaching, they greeted him immediately. Woojin greeted them appropriately and entered the studio. The interior had a different feel from other film test venues Woojin had experienced before. It resembled a small screening room. There were various equipment and a moderately sized screen at the front, about 50 seats laid out, and about 30% of the seats were already occupied by related personnel.

As soon as they saw Kang Woojin, they were quick to greet him.

And.

“So you’re here.”

Among the staff, suddenly stepping forward was Director Ahn Ga-bok, with short white hair and a face full of wrinkles. His smile had slightly lost its strength, but his eyes were still shining. Woojin shook his hand and thought to himself again.

‘Wow, this grandpa. No, Director-nim, has aged a lot since the first time I met him.’

He could feel Director Ahn Ga-bok’s hard work. For the completion of ‘Leech’ he had probably not only sacrificed sleep but poured in almost his very life. Anyway, after shaking hands, Director Ahn Ga-bok led Woojin to the front. On a desk near the equipment, there was a familiar poster attached to a plastic board.

“We decided yesterday.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, we’re going to send this poster to Cannes.”

At that moment, curious, Choi Sung-gun, who had been standing back, leaned over behind Woojin. Both Woojin and Sung-gun fixed their gaze in the same direction. They were looking at the official poster of ‘Leech’ that would be formally sent to Cannes.

‘Damn, I take up too much space in this.’

A large portion of the poster was Kang Woojin. No, it was ‘Park Ha-seong’. The full body of ‘Park Ha-seong’. who becomes increasingly immersed in his Ripley Syndrome. He was looking at a family photo. A family photo of Chairman Yoon Jung-bae and Oh Hee-ryung, the conglomerate family. The reflection of ‘Park Ha-seong’ in the glass of the picture frame was eerily smiling, but the real face of ‘Park Ha-seong’. holding the family photo, had no trace of a smile.

This also hinted at his Ripley Syndrome.

Then, the title dramatically displayed at the bottom of the poster, with smoky effect.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

– ‘Leech’

In other words, this poster, with Kang Woojin prominently featured, was going to be boldly displayed at the Cannes Film Festival. At this realization, Woojin’s heart started pounding once again. Unaware of this, Choi Sung-gun nudged Woojin’s side and whispered softly, a smile on his face as a bonus.

“Wow-The poster looks killer. Isn’t this the one all the top filmmakers at Cannes will see? Man, I can’t calm down.”

Even Woojin, who had been feeling anxious earlier, agreed. But trying to maintain his composure, he didn’t respond. Then, it happened.

“Actor Sim Han-ho has arrived!”

A staff member’s shout echoed from behind. The great actor, Sim Han-ho, who was often compared to a tiger, had arrived. Since Woojin hadn’t seen him since the shooting of ‘Leech’. he greeted him with a deep 90-degree bow. Sim Han-ho’s hair, which had been cut short for filming, had grown a little. His beard had also grown significantly. His rugged macho look had returned in full force.

After receiving Kang Woojin’s greeting, Sim Han-ho…

-Swish.

…spotted the official ‘Leech’ poster in front of Woojin. He silently gazed at the poster for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice.

“It turned out well.”

More actors started arriving after him. Along with Oh Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-jun, and Han So-jin showed up. Some supporting actors joined as well. When almost all the actors and attendees had gathered, Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had been watching the bustling studio, declared loudly.

“Let’s begin.”

Soon, the lights went out, and the video began to play on the screen.

-[“Hoo.”]

The sound of wind blowing and cigarette smoke wafted through the air. As the smoke spread, the camera slowly pulled back. From the initially dark screen, a human face began to emerge, and at the same time, a familiar narration started.

-[“I don’t know who I am anymore.”]

At this point, the screen showed a close-up of a man squatting and smoking a cigarette.

-[“Who I exist as. I’ve lost my way. Is it really me speaking right now? Or am I just making excuses to fit the situation?”]

Before the title even appeared, the beginning of ‘Leech’ had already started with Kang Woojin.

Meanwhile, at the same time, DM Production.

While Kang Woojin was in the middle of screening test of the finished ‘Leech’. DM Production, which was in charge of producing ‘Beneficial Evil’. was also busy. At the moment, they were gathered in a large conference room, conducting what was nearly the final production meeting.

“Next is the set. Have all the issues I mentioned last time been fixed?”

“Yes, PD-nim.”

The production meeting, led by PD Song Man-woo, had a generally review-oriented atmosphere. Almost all the tasks had been completed, and PD Song Man-woo was checking off items on his list as they were confirmed.

In fact, the pre-production for ‘Beneficial Evil’ was almost entirely complete.

Aside from the still top-secret Miley Cara matter, everything else was wrapped up: the storyboard for Ethan Smith’s ‘CQC’. who joined the production late, the overseas location, the overall schedule, the actors’ arrangements, and even the overall flow of the budget. Everything was complete.

The only things left were the final inspections and locking down the schedule.

Naturally, the decision regarding the schedule came from PD Song Man-woo.

“…Hoo, okay. Then, the script reading will be on the 14th, and the first shoot on the 20th.”

It was the 8th today. Meaning that the script reading and first shoot for ‘Beneficial Evil’ would kick off in about two weeks. Of course, this was the result of taking into account the schedules of all the actors, including Kang Woojin.

On top of that.

“Since we’ll be cranking up during the overseas shoot, make sure there are no issues with Bangkok.”

The first shoot of ‘Beneficial Evil’ would begin overseas in Bangkok, Thailand.

A few days later, on the 11th. In LA.

It was early in the morning. The roads, due to the time, were pure chaos in LA-an absolute war zone. The sidewalks were packed with crowds, and the endless rows of cars honked relentlessly in the congested streets.

Amid the sea of cars were two conspicuous large vans.

The reason was simple.

-Click, click!

Foreigners inside the nearby cars were busily taking pictures of the large vans that had come to a stop. There were at least five people snapping photos. They were paparazzi, something commonly seen in LA, and even used as part of the tourist experience. Of course.

The two large vans they were photographing belonged to Miley Cara.

Cara was in the van at the front. Inside, Miley Cara, with her blonde hair flowing down, was sitting with her legs crossed, looking at a tablet. The tablet displayed several large homes in the LA area. With her characteristically cold face, Cara…

-Swish.

…turned her head to the right and spoke to her main manager, Jonathan.

“Kang Woojin chose this house?”

The burly Jonathan nodded.

“Yes.”

Cara, with a faint smile, muttered.

“Good. It’s close to my place.”

“What? What did you say, Cara?”

“Nothing. Get the house that Kang Woojin chose ready. I’ll decide when to give it to him as a gift.”

“Got it.”

As soon as he replied, the previously jammed road seemed to clear up a bit, and the van started moving slowly. Jonathan, now holding the tablet, changed the subject.

“And Cara, you’ve received another invitation to Cannes this year.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You need to decide whether you’ll go. You didn’t go last year, right? Are you thinking the same this year?”

Cara, now uncrossing her legs, thought for a moment.

‘…Kang Woojin is going to Cannes this year.’

Even as she swept her blonde hair back and folded her arms, she responded.

“Maybe I’ll go this year.”

“Oh-really? What’s the reason?”

“I’m curious about Kang Woojin’s movie.”

“…Aren’t you being a little too nice to him? Sure, he’s helped you a lot, but it feels oddly… off.”

Cara shrugged and answered nonchalantly.

“It’s not just because of Kang Woojin. I didn’t go last year, so going this year should be fine, right? I haven’t shown my face much around Hollywood since working on the latest album.”

“That’s true. If you just walk the red carpet a bit, it’ll make headlines in no time.”

“And for some reason this year at Cannes.”

Cara paused for a moment, thinking of Kang Woojin, and then smiled faintly.

“I feel like something big is going to happen. It’s thrilling to witness those kinds of things in person.”

Jonathan tilted his head in confusion but sighed, as if he understood.

“Alright, I’ll adjust the schedule so you can attend Cannes this year. But you won’t be able to stay long.”

“That’s fine. I only need to attend one day during the event and the closing ceremony.”

“Okay, two days then.”

About a few dozen minutes later, the van carrying Miley Cara entered the parking lot of a massive building in downtown LA. This grand building was none other than Miley Cara’s agency. Soon after, Cara, along with Jonathan and her team, exited the van and headed toward the elevator. She moved without hesitation, as if she already had a set appointment, showing no signs of indecision.

-Ding!

As Miley Cara stepped out of the elevator, guided by Jonathan, she walked down the hallway. Many foreign staff members they passed greeted her as she went. Naturally, as the agency’s top star, Cara received their attention. Before long, she arrived at a glass door leading into a conference room.

Miley Cara asked Jonathan.

“Here?”

“Yeah.”

Nodding, Cara adjusted her blonde hair and jacket. Then she looked again at Jonathan, who was standing beside her.

“How do I look?”

Without saying a word, Jonathan gave her a thumbs-up. Cara chuckled softly before opening the glass door. As soon as the door opened, she saw the interior of the conference room and the people sitting around the ㄷ-shaped table. There were four of them, all of whom were Asian. Among them, a goateed man stood out and was the first to greet Miley Cara. Of course, he spoke in English, his voice full of energy.

“Hello, Miley. I’m Song Man-woo.”

That man was PD Song Man-woo.

Meanwhile, in Korea.

While it was morning in LA, it was late at night in Korea. Even so, Kang Woojin still hadn’t finished work. He was currently in a recording studio. He was recording content for the “Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego” channel, which had seen a recent explosive increase in subscribers.

Woojin was standing inside the booth.

His expression was incredibly serious.

‘Ugh. I’m so fucking tired. Should I go into the void space once?’

But inside, he was grumbling. Just then,

-Bzzzz, Bzzzzz.

The phone in the back pocket of his jeans started vibrating. Without changing his expression, Kang Woojin took out his phone. Strangely enough, the caller was Director Kyotaro, who had gone back to editing after the press conference, and was now surely in the final stages of finishing up ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.

What could this be? Woojin wondered, answering the call and speaking in Japanese.

“Yes, Director.”

On the other end, Director Kyotaro’s slightly hoarse voice came through.

“Woojin, sorry for calling so late, but I wanted you to be the first to know.”

“No problem, go ahead.”

“The editing will be done without any issues by the end of September, and ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ will be released in Japan around the end of October. We’ve already started the preparations.”

“Is that so?”

Woojin responded and then asked another question.

“Then, what about the release in Korea?”

Director Kyotaro’s reply came quickly.

“Around mid-November, I’d say.”

The bombs for the second half of this year were beginning to be armed, set to drop month by month.

****

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