Cannes Film Festival.
To be honest, even now, with the final screening of Leech right in front of him, it still did not feel real to Kang Woojin. Films like Drug Dealer or Island of the Missing had felt real because they had already gone through massive promotional campaigns, but Leech had not done any major promotion or marketing up to this point.
Of course, the participation of Korea's legendary director Ahn Gahbok, the famous actor Shim Hanho, and the "Issue King" Kang Woojin had drawn considerable attention, and related articles had appeared from time to time.
[Which section will the much-talked-about Leech be invited to? The official Cannes invitation announcement will come next week.]
As time passed, Cannes-related articles began appearing here and there, but for the moment, things had remained relatively quiet.
The reason was simple.
Neither the production company nor the distributor of Leech was actively promoting the film right now. Their focus was entirely on Cannes. Of course, once the festival drew near, related articles would pour out, but for now, compared to other commercial films, the atmosphere remained relatively subdued.
That was why, while standing there waiting for the elevator, Kang Woojin felt even more disconnected from reality.
"..."
Behind Woojin's expressionless face, all kinds of thoughts passed through his mind.
'Cannes—Cannes, huh.'
It was not just him pretending to be serious. He really was serious. That was all. It felt a little like when people imagine themselves as the protagonist of some fun comic or other piece of content. Lately, Kang Woojin had been searching up information about Cannes all the time. He had dug through everything from old and new articles to photos and YouTube videos.
He still could not fully grasp the reality of it, and maybe that was exactly why his heart was pounding.
'Damn, I guess this day really is coming. Just thinking that something I only imagined is actually happening makes me insanely nervous.'
He had seen photos of Korean actors walking the Cannes red carpet, videos of them being interviewed by hundreds of foreign reporters at the closing ceremony or award events, and group photos taken alongside world-famous directors, including those from Hollywood.
And then.
'Who was it again? Anyway, that Korean director raising the trophy at the Cannes awards ceremony looked incredible.'
A Korean director receiving an award in front of a thousand film people from all over the world. If something like that happened to him in reality rather than in imagination, who would not get nervous? For Kang Woojin, who had never even dreamed of attending an international film festival, it was an even bigger shock than that.
'Ugh, I'm starting to feel sick.'
There was fear too. Of course there was worry. His first experience was so huge it went far beyond imagination. If he focused on the concept, he could probably get through it somehow, but Cannes, which was on an entirely different scale from the Blue Dragon Film Awards, hit Woojin with a new kind of shock.
Right then.
Ding!
The elevator arrived, and the doors opened. Woojin, who had been lost in thought, felt Choi Sunggeon tap him on the shoulder.
"Let's go."
Choi Sunggeon's expression was somewhat firm, but it was nowhere near as intense as Woojin's. The place they arrived at was a small studio inside a large film production company. Several Leech staff members were already gathered outside the studio.
"Ah! Hello!"
The moment they saw Kang Woojin approaching, they immediately greeted him. Woojin returned the greeting politely and stepped inside. The inside of the studio had a very different atmosphere from the other film screening venues Woojin had experienced before. It looked more like a small screening room. Various pieces of equipment and a moderately sized screen had been set up at the front, and around fifty seats were arranged, with about thirty percent of them already occupied by people involved with the film.
The moment they saw Kang Woojin, they quickly greeted him as well.
And then.
"So this is where you are."
Director Ahn Gahbok suddenly stepped forward from among the staff. His short white hair and deeply wrinkled face were the same as always, but though his smile seemed a little worn, his eyes were still bright. As Woojin took his hand, a thought occurred to him again.
'Wow, this old man—no, Director—has aged a lot more than when I first met him.'
He could feel just how much effort Ahn Gahbok had poured into this. In order to complete Leech, he must have sacrificed not only sleep, but nearly his whole life. In any case, after they finished shaking hands, Director Ahn Gahbok led Woojin toward the front. On a desk near the equipment stood a familiar poster mounted on a plastic board.
"We made the decision yesterday."
"Really?"
"Yes. This is the poster we're sending to Cannes."
At that moment, Choi Sunggeon, standing behind him, leaned forward curiously over Woojin's shoulder. Woojin and Choi Sunggeon looked at the same thing. What they were staring at was the official poster for Leech that would be formally submitted to Cannes.
'Damn, I take up way too much space on this thing.'
A large portion of the poster was Kang Woojin. No, rather, it was Park Haseong. It showed the full figure of Park Haseong as he sank deeper and deeper into Ripley syndrome. He was looking at a family photo. It was a family portrait of Chairman Yoon Jeongbae, Oh Huiryeong, and the chaebol family. Reflected in the glass of the frame, Park Haseong wore a chilling smile, while the real Park Haseong, holding the photo in his hands, showed not even the slightest trace of one.
That image also hinted at his Ripley syndrome.
And then, accompanied by a smoky visual effect, the title appeared dramatically at the bottom of the poster.
Leech
In other words, this poster, with Kang Woojin so prominently featured, was going to be displayed proudly at the Cannes Film Festival. The moment he realized that, Woojin's heart started pounding again. Oblivious to that, Choi Sunggeon nudged him in the side and whispered under his breath. There was a smile spread across his face.
"Wow, this poster is seriously incredible. All those famous directors heading to Cannes are going to see this, right? I'm so excited I can't calm down."
Even Woojin, who had been anxious just moments before, silently agreed. But he said nothing, doing his best to remain composed. And then it happened.
"Actor Shim Hanho is here!"
A staff member's shout rang out from behind them. Shim Hanho, the legendary actor often likened to a tiger, had arrived. Since Woojin had not seen him since filming Leech, he bent deeply at the waist in greeting. Shim Hanho's hair, which had been cut short for filming, had grown out a little, and his beard was noticeably longer as well. It felt as though his rough, masculine image had fully returned.
Receiving Kang Woojin's greeting, Shim Hanho—
—noticed the official Leech poster placed in front of Woojin. He stared at it for a moment in silence before speaking in a low voice.
"The result came out well."
After that, more actors began arriving. Oh Huiryeong, Jin Jaejun, and Han Sojin all appeared, and the supporting cast joined as well. Once nearly all the actors and related staff had gathered, Director Ahn Gahbok, who had been observing the busy studio, raised his voice and declared,
"Let's begin."
Soon the lights went out, and the footage began to play on the screen.
["Hoo."]
The sound of wind and cigarette smoke spread through the air. As the smoke drifted outward, the camera slowly pulled back. From a screen that had started out dark, a man's face gradually came into view, and at the same time, a familiar narration began.
["I don't know who I am anymore."]
At that moment, the screen showed a close-up of a man crouched down, smoking.
["I don't know who I am. I'm lost. Is this really me speaking right now? Or am I just making excuses that fit the situation?"]
Even before the title was revealed, Leech had already begun with Kang Woojin.
Meanwhile, at the same time, there was also DM Production.
While Kang Woojin was attending the screening test for the completed film Leech, DM Production, which was handling Beneficial Evil, was equally busy. They were gathered in a large conference room, holding a production meeting that had nearly reached its final stage.
"Next is the set. Have all the issues I mentioned last time been resolved?"
"Yes, PD-nim."
The production meeting, led by PD Song Manwoo, had an atmosphere centered almost entirely on review. Nearly everything had already been completed, and Song Manwoo was checking off the confirmed items one by one.
In fact, pre-production for Beneficial Evil was nearly complete.
The Miley Kara matter was still being kept top secret, but aside from that, everything else had been wrapped up. Ethan Smith's CQC storyboards, his late addition to the project, the overseas filming locations, the overall schedule, the casting, even the broad flow of the budget—everything had been completed.
All that remained now was the final inspection and locking in the schedule.
Naturally, it was PD Song Manwoo who made the call on the schedule.
"…Oh, all right. Then the script reading will be on the 14th, and the first shoot will be on the 20th."
Today was the 8th. In other words, the script reading and first shoot for Beneficial Evil would begin in about two weeks. Of course, that was based on the schedules of all the actors involved, including Kang Woojin.
And on top of that.
"Filming is going to become intense during the overseas shoot, so make sure there are no problems in Bangkok."
The first shoot of Beneficial Evil was scheduled to begin overseas, in Bangkok, Thailand.
A few days later, on the 11th, in Los Angeles.
It was early morning. Because of the time of day, the roads in LA were absolute chaos. It looked like a battlefield. The sidewalks were packed with people, and endless lines of cars blared their horns without pause.
Among the countless cars, two large vans stood out.
The reason was simple.
Click, click!
Foreigners in nearby vehicles were busily snapping photos of the stopped vans. There seemed to be at least five of them. They were paparazzi, a common sight in LA, and some even treated them as part of the tourist experience. Naturally.
The two large vans they were photographing belonged to Miley Kara.
Kara was sitting toward the front of the van. Her blonde hair loose, Miley Kara sat with her legs crossed, looking at a tablet. On it were several large houses in the Los Angeles area. Wearing her usual cold expression, Kara—
—turned her head to the right and spoke to her manager, Jonathan.
"Kang Woojin chose this house?"
The broad-built Jonathan nodded.
"Yes."
Kara let out a faint smile and murmured,
"Good. It's close to my house."
"What? What did you say, Kara?"
"Nothing. Get the house Kang Woojin picked ready. I'll decide when to give it to him as a gift."
"All right."
The moment he answered, the road, which had been tightly clogged before, began to loosen little by little, and the van slowly started moving again. Now holding the tablet in his hands, Jonathan changed the subject.
"And Kara, you got another invitation to the Cannes Film Festival this year."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You need to decide whether you're going or not. You skipped it last year, right? Are you thinking the same thing this year?"
Kara, who had uncrossed her legs, fell into thought for a moment.
'…Kang Woojin is going to Cannes this year.'
Brushing her blonde hair back and folding her arms, she answered,
"Maybe I'll go this year."
"Oh, really? What's the reason?"
"I'm curious about Kang Woojin's film."
"…Aren't you being a little too good to him? Of course, he helped you a lot, but something about this still feels strangely… awkward."
Kara shrugged and answered coolly,
"It's not just because of Kang Woojin. I didn't go last year, so it's fine if I go this year, isn't it? I haven't shown up much in Hollywood lately because of the album work."
"That's true. Just walking the red carpet a little will land you straight in the headlines."
"And for some reason, this year at Cannes."
Kara paused, thinking of Kang Woojin for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"I have a feeling something big is going to happen. Watching things like that with my own eyes is a thrilling experience."
Jonathan tilted his head, puzzled, but then let out a sigh as if he understood.
"All right, then 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 for one day during the event and the closing ceremony."
"All right. Then two days."
A little while later, the van carrying Miley Kara arrived at the parking lot of a massive building in downtown Los Angeles. That grand building was none other than Miley Kara's agency. Soon, Kara got out of the van with Jonathan and her team and headed for the elevator. It was as though she had already decided on everything in advance—there was not the slightest hesitation in her steps.
Ding!
Guided by Jonathan, Miley Kara got off the elevator and walked down the hallway. Many foreign employees passing by greeted her. As the top star of the agency, she naturally drew their attention. Before long, she stopped in front of a glass door leading to a conference room.
Miley Kara asked Jonathan,
"Here?"
"Yeah."
Kara nodded and straightened her blonde hair and jacket. Then she turned to Jonathan again.
"How do I look?"
Without saying a word, Jonathan gave her a thumbs-up. Kara let out a small laugh and opened the glass door. The moment it opened, the inside of the conference room came into view, along with the people seated around the U-shaped table. All four of them were Asian. Among them, a bearded man stood out, and he was the first to greet Miley Kara. Of course, he spoke in English, and his voice was full of energy.
"Hello, Miley. I'm Song Manwoo."
It was PD Song Manwoo.
Meanwhile, in Korea—
While it was morning in LA, it was late at night in Korea. Even so, Kang Woojin had still not finished working. He was currently in a recording studio, recording content for Kang Woojin's Alter Ego, the channel whose subscriber count had recently exploded.
Woojin was standing inside the booth.
His face looked extremely serious.
'Ugh. I'm exhausted. Should I slip into the void space once for a bit?'
But inwardly, he was grumbling.
Right then,
Bzzzz, bzzzz.
The phone in the back pocket of his jeans began vibrating. Without any change in expression, Kang Woojin pulled it out. Strangely enough, the caller was Director Kyotaro. He had returned to the editing work after the press conference, and by now The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice should have been in its final stages.
What could this be? Curious, Woojin answered 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."
"It's fine. Go ahead."
"The editing will be completed without issue by the end of September, and The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice is scheduled to open in Japan around the end of October. We've already started preparing for it."
"Really?"
After answering, Woojin asked another question.
"Then what about the Korean release?"
Director Kyotaro's reply came immediately.
"Probably around mid-November."
The bombs scheduled to be dropped in the latter half of the year were beginning to load, one for each month.