Chapter 341: Cannes (7)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Second year since debut? That doesn’t make sense.

That’s what Director Danny Landis thought. His difficulty in understanding was a completely natural reaction. The movie ‘Leech’ he watched this morning, or more precisely, Kang Woojin’s acting in ‘Leech’ seemed to Director Danny, like the kind of performance that should take at least a decade or more of experience as an actor.

On top of that, wasn’t that ‘Ripley Syndrome’ acting, not real?

Director Danny, who has dealt with thousands upon thousands of Hollywood actors. He’s seen, experienced, and directed countless acting techniques. He who had seen enough varied acting styles to be sick of them, was completely captivated. By Kang Woojin’s acting, that is. It was obvious that the 3,000 audience members who watched with him were probably buzzing about it somewhere by now.

With that kind of level, and only two years into his debut?

Director Danny concluded that the Joseph sitting in front of him, was joking. Megan sitting next to him must be in on it too. Director Danny furrowed his brow and lowered his voice.

“Look, Joseph. I’m being serious. Please don’t joking around to lighten the mood.”

The black man Joseph smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders.

“Director, I’m serious too. I had no intention of joking since you got here.”

Hearing the response, Director Danny took off the round glasses he was wearing and set them down on the table in front of him.

“… Are you really telling me that Kang Woojin has only been acting for two years? You expect me to believe that?”

He suddenly lowered his voice.

“Not just me, but all 3,000 people who saw ‘Leech’ this morning were blown away. Sure, the shocking quality of ‘Leech’ was incredible, but it was Kang Woojin’s acting that stunned everyone. But do you think those 3,000 audience members were just regular viewers? They’re people who have made names for themselves in the film industries of various countries, including Hollywood. That kind of tension isn’t something a rookie actor with only two years of experience could pull off.”

Although Director Danny was a stubborn man, as one of the top directors in Hollywood, his thinking was generally flexible enough to have survived in the vast Hollywood landscape. But no matter how open-minded he tried to be, it was hard to believe that Kang Woojin had only been acting for two years.

However, Joseph and Megan’s expressions remained unchanged. In fact, Joseph’s expression almost seemed to say, “What can I do? It’s true.”

“When I first learned about Kang Woojin, I had the same look on my face as you, Director. In fact, when we first saw him, he wasn’t even in his second year. He was in his first year.”

“… First year?”

“I understand how you feel. His energy always defies common sense. I didn’t see the morning theater situation, but I can imagine it. I’m planning to watch the next screening of ‘Leech’ in a few hours, but I bet the reaction will be even more intense than this morning.”

“……”

“But still, I have no reason to lie to you about this, Director. It’s true that Kang Woojin debuted two years ago. You can verify it for yourself, and you’ll get the answer soon. Of course, his past is unclear. But his debut itself was definitely two years ago.”

“What do you mean his past is unclear?”

“Well. From what I’ve investigated, he literally appeared like a comet, out of nowhere, and from the very beginning, he had that ridiculous acting ability.”

The more Joseph explained, the deeper the furrow in Director Danny Landis’s brow became. Meanwhile, Joseph continued his explanation. Or rather, it felt like he was spreading the contagious misunderstanding.

“Of course, for Kang Woojin to have such acting skills, he must have gone through a grueling, blood-spitting training for more than a decade before his debut. On top of that, he has an instinct, or rather, a sixth sense for selecting projects. In other words, he has an exceptional eye for choosing works.”

“An eye for choosing works?”

This time, it was Megan, brushing back her brown bobbed hair, who answered.

“Since his debut, every project Kang Woojin has appeared in has been a success. In Korea and Japan, they’ve even started calling him the ‘Midas Touch’.”

“…What? If it’s that much, you might as well call him a god.”

Joseph snickered.

“Even I get confused sometimes. His abilities and energy are truly beyond imagination.”

Megan followed up.

“If I tell you more, you’ll be even more shocked, Director.”

“What? What else is there?”

“Kang Woojin doesn’t limit himself by genre. The role you saw in ‘Leech’ is just a small part of what he can do.”

The more he listened, the more absurd it became. The fact that Kang Woojin, in only his second year since debut, had made it to the Cannes Film Festival was already unbelievable. But every story related to Kang Woojin far exceeded the bounds of normalcy.

At this point, the giant Joseph leaned forward and spoke to Director Danny in a low voice.

“Would you like to know more about him?”

Director Danny, wearing a serious expression, stared at Joseph for a moment and then nodded.

“I suppose I would.”

“If you’d like, I can provide you with the investigation report on Kang Woojin that Megan and I prepared.”

“…Please do.”

“For your information, I’m currently preparing to cast Kang Woojin in a project I’ve been working on for quite some time.”

In that instant, Director Danny recalled the scene from yesterday, where Joseph and Kang Woojin had been together.

“Are you referring to the project you mentioned in your proposal to me?”

“Yes, Director.”

“Nothing’s been confirmed yet, but I’m working on it.”

Director Danny, silent for a while, drank a few sips of water from a glass. Then, he met Joseph’s eyes again.

“I’ll review your proposal again, and also- I’d appreciate it if you could send me that report on Kang Woojin as soon as possible.”

“Understood.”

At this point, Megan asked Director Danny.

“What was your first impression of Kang Woojin as an actor?”

The Hollywood master Director Danny Landis’s answer was simple.

“He is the real deal.”

At the same time.

Among the many people attending the Cannes Film Festival, for some reason, ‘Leech’ was being mentioned quite a bit. Just like Joseph and Director Danny, even the foreign attendees having meals were talking about it.

“’Leech’ was shocking.”

“Ah- that film, right? It’s from Korea? The one about the protagonist’s success story? Was the quality that bad?”

“No, that’s not it. Quite the opposite, actually.”

“Opposite?”

“That film wasn’t some boring success story. It was extraordinary.”

Journalists from various countries scattered throughout the streets of Cannes were also talking.

“I heard you saw ‘Leech’ this morning? How was it?”

“You’ll all regret not seeing it.”

“What?”

“I’m going to catch the second screening of ‘Leech’ in a few hours. I’ve got to photograph Kang Woojin.”

“Kang Woojin? Ah- the one who walked the red carpet with Miley.”

“That actor is going to turn Cannes upside down.”

Even actors and industry insiders were talking.

“Director Ahn Ga-bok is insane!”

“Why’s that?”

“He cast someone who actually suffers from the condition depicted in the film as an actor.”

“Are you talking about ‘Leech’?”

“You should’ve seen it with me this morning! This can’t be expressed in words.”

It was a chaotic scene. And who were they? The 3,000 audience members who had watched ‘Leech’ during the first screening that morning. Just like Director Danny, those who had been deeply shocked were now spreading the word everywhere. However, when you consider the tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of tourists attending the Cannes Film Festival, the number of people who had seen ‘Leech’ so far was still relatively small.

There were still many more people, perhaps tens of times more, who had yet to see ‘Leech’.

Meanwhile, Kang Woojin…

‘Phew- I’ve rested enough, time to get to work.’

…began preparing for his appearance. Typically, directors and lead actors of films invited to the Cannes Film Festival, including those in the ‘In Competition’ section, attend the screenings of their movies. Especially for the main ‘In Competition’ section, it was essentially mandatory, and ‘Leech’ was no exception. It was somewhat similar to the stage greetings after a new movie premiere.

Of course, it was on a scale several times bigger than a typical stage greeting.

Although Kang Woojin, Director Ahn Ga-bok, and the ‘Leech’ cast did not attend the morning screening, they were all scheduled to attend the second screening at 7 PM. Naturally, they had to dress up for the occasion. It wasn’t as strict as the red carpet, but it was best to present themselves in a similar fashion.

After all, global heavyweights would be gathering.

Kang Woojin’s outfit was an all-black suit, complete with a black tie. As Han Ye-jung and others were getting their hair done, Choi Sung-gun spoke to Kang Woojin.

“As you probably know, there’ll be all sorts of really big names gathering there. Even the official 10-member jury for Cannes will be attending this screening.”

Kang Woojin responded calmly, in a low voice.

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“Obviously, you’re not nervous, right?”

“Not particularly.”

But in truth, he was. Kang Woojin’s heart was pounding at that very moment.

‘Wow- Now that I’m actually going to watch it with them, this is making me pretty damn nervous.’

The ‘them’ he was referring to were the 3,000 audience members, including the judges, who would be watching ‘Leech’ with him. Isn’t that right? He would be watching ‘Leech’ alongside globally renowned figures, and he would be able to directly observe their reactions in real time.

‘Ugh, my throat’s so dry.’

However, Woojin, already in deep concept mode, hid his true self deep within. At that moment, Choi Sung-gun patted Kang Woojin on the shoulder.

“Yeah, I can tell just by looking at your calm face. You’re fine. Since it’s you, I’m not worried. We’ll be outside, so if anything happens, call us right away.”

For the record, Choi Sung-gun and Woojin’s team wouldn’t be joining them in the theater.

At that moment,

-Bzzzz, bzzzz.

Kang Woojin’s phone buzzed. He casually checked the caller ID and put the phone to his ear.

“Yes, Director-nim.”

It was Director Ahn Ga-bok on the other end.

Several hours later.

Around 6:40 PM, hundreds of reporters had gathered at the foot of the grand staircase in front of the ‘Palais des Festivals’, the heart of the world-renowned event, the Cannes Film Festival, where a giant billboard was prominently displayed. The red carpet was still laid out on the stairs, and a photo zone was set up right in front of the entrance to the ‘Palais des Festivals’.

The reason for the swarm of journalists was simple.

In a short while, the second screening of ‘Leech’, the only Korean film in the ‘In Competition’ section, would begin. That’s why so many famous figures invited to Cannes were making their way into the ‘Palais des Festivals’, and the hundreds of reporters from around the world were busy clicking their shutters.

-Pababababak!

-Pabababababak!

The reporters, their fingers moving like mad, didn’t stop talking either.

“The second screening of ‘Leech’ is also sold out, right?”

“Yeah, 3,000 people again for this session. I heard it was the same for the morning show.”

“It’s more popular than I thought. I heard the Japanese film screened on the first day had some empty seats for its second showing.”

“Probably because of all the rumors going around ‘Leech’.”

“Ah yes, I heard people saying the content is quite shocking.”

Around that time,

-Whoosh.

A group of 10 people, dressed in suits or dresses, appeared on the steps of the ‘Palais des Festivals’. Immediately, the reporters got excited, firing off flashes and shouting. They were the official jury members for this year’s Cannes Film Festival, made up of prominent figures from the global film industry, including directors, actors, and other industry professionals.

The judges who would be evaluating ‘Leech’.

The jury members posed for the journalists at the entrance’s photo zone. Many questions were thrown at them, but as judges, they had to be careful with their words, so they quickly disappeared into the ‘Palais des Festivals’.

But the hundreds of reporters didn’t stop clicking their shutters.

“Hey! Miley!! Miley!!!”

That’s because more eye-catching figures continued to appear. The world-famous superstar Miley Cara had just shown up. She waved to the reporters in a white suit before heading inside. Following her, several more actors, including Hollywood stars, entered. Of course, various directors from around the world were also entering. Among them were Joseph, Megan, the stunt team Joseph had gathered, and executives from ‘Universal Movies’.

Even Hollywood veteran Danny Landis made another appearance.

“Director Danny? That’s Director Danny Landis, right?”

“I heard he already watched ‘Leech’ in the morning.”

“Why is he back again?”

For about thirty minutes, countless stars entered the ‘Lumière Theater’ inside the ‘Palais des Festivals’. Being a film in the ‘In Competition’ section, it was naturally a hot event. In fact, the atmosphere was even more intense than for a typical ‘In Competition’ section film.

At that moment,

-Pabababababak!

The flashes from the reporters intensified. It was because the main cast from ‘Leech’ had just appeared. Director Ahn Ga-bok in a suit, gray-haired Sim Han-ho, Kang Woojin arm-in-arm with Oh Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-jun, and Han So-jin. They all posed for the reporters for about three minutes, showing proper courtesy, and then, as the time approached, headed into the ‘Lumière Theater’.

Leading them was Director Ahn Ga-bok, his short white hair and deeply wrinkled face making him stand out.

The actors followed behind him. As they made their way to the theater, some foreigners who had not yet taken their seats greeted the ‘Leech’ team. There was no issue with communication, as interpreters were present.

‘So interpreters are with us, huh-’

In emergencies, Kang Woojin could step in too.

By the time it hit 7 PM, the 3,000-seat ‘Lumière Theater’ was overflowing with foreigners. Completely packed. It was a sight to behold, filled with foreigners from the front of the giant screen all the way to the back, in a space nearly ten times the size of a regular cinema.

However, in the grand scheme of the Cannes Film Festival, it was still just a small fraction.

However, while it was a global festival, French people, being the home country of the Cannes Film Festival, made up more than half the audience. Still, here and there, familiar faces could be seen. Miley Cara, with her blue eyes full of anticipation, sat at the front. A couple of seats away from her was Director Danny Landis. In the middle was the group with Joseph and Megan. And, of course, the 10 official jurors of the Cannes Film Festival were present as well.

With 3,000 people gathered inside, the theater was noisy.

Then, it happened.

-Swish.

Several people walked up to the fairly large stage in front of the massive screen. Leading the way was Director Ahn Ga-bok, followed by Sim Han-ho, Oh Hee-ryung, Kang Woojin, Jin Jae-jun, and Han So-jin.

In other words, it was the ‘Leech’ team.

As they stepped onto the stage, a loud applause erupted in the previously bustling ‘Lumière Theater’. All 3,000 pairs of eyes turned toward the front.

-Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!

Among the ‘Leech’ team lined up on stage, veteran Director Ahn Ga-bok, looking slightly awkward in his suit, was handed a microphone. A translator stood beside him. It was standard protocol for them to greet the judges and audience before the movie began.

“Hello, I’m Ahn Ga-bok, a director who’s been making films for decades.”

As soon as he finished his sentence, the translator standing beside him, holding a piece of paper in one hand, translated his words into French. Naturally, there was also simultaneous English translation, which was being transmitted to the audience members wearing headphones.

“The actors and I all poured our passion into ‘Leech’. I hope you enjoy watching it. Thank you.”

Director Ahn Ga-bok’s greeting was brief. Next, the microphone was passed to the veteran actor, Sim Han-ho.

“Hello, I’m actor Sim Han-ho. It’s an honor to be invited to this global film festival. I’ve been here a few times before, but it always makes me nervous…”

Next was Oh Hee-ryung. Her greeting wasn’t long either. Soon, the microphone made its way to the actor standing in the middle. Dressed in an all-black suit with his hair slicked back, exuding an air of indifference, it was Kang Woojin. As soon as he took the microphone, a few among the 3,000-member audience felt a surge of anticipation.

Especially,

‘Why am I feeling nervous?’

Miley Cara with her tied-back blonde hair and.

‘That actor is Kang Woojin- So composed. Is he a bit aloof in real life too?’

Even the Hollywood veteran, Director Danny Landis, was watching him intently. Whatever the case, all 3,000 audience members, including distinguished figures from various countries, had their eyes fixed on Kang Woojin. In a situation where most people would understandably feel overwhelmed.

However, Kang Woojin…

“……”

…very calmly raised the microphone. Soon, his calm yet low voice resonated through the ‘Lumière Theater’.

“Hello. I’m actor Kang Woojin.”

The translator conveyed his words in French, and the English translation was delivered to the audience members wearing headphones. Then, it happened. Woojin suddenly glanced at the translator beside him and raised a hand in a gesture that said, “It’s okay.”

Then, he lowered his voice once again. This time, it wasn’t in Korean.

“Bonsoir, Je suis très content d’être à Cannes.” (Google Translated meaning, “Good evening, I am very happy to be in Cannes.”)

It was in French, and with a fluency that could rival a native speaker.