In truth, the Hollywood veteran director Danny Landis had not been especially interested in the film Leech. He had come to this year's Cannes almost against his will. He had found it bothersome, but after relentless pressure from people around him, he had grudgingly shown up.
That was simply his nature.
He enjoyed watching films from different countries, but the sight of hundreds of thousands of people crowding together made his head spin. He had begun his career out of a love for filmmaking, but as his fame grew, he found it unpleasant how people with ulterior motives kept approaching him.
Still, since he was already here, he figured he might as well do as he pleased. That was the extent of his attitude.
It was the same with Leech.
It was the only Korean film among the twenty titles in the Cannes Competition lineup. Nothing more, nothing less.
'It's an Ahn Gabok film.'
Many people he had met here had brought up Leech as a topic of conversation. Some said Cannes had chosen it to make up for past mistakes. Others said it was meant to maintain balance. Some said it reflected the rising status of Korean cinema. Since there was only one Korean title, it all felt a little awkward.
Danny scoffed inwardly.
'Cannes may care about appearances to some extent, but it's still Cannes. They wouldn't choose a film for image alone.'
The reason he had not felt any special curiosity toward Leech was not because it was Korean. It was because Ahn Gabok's directing style simply did not suit his tastes. Danny had watched one of Ahn Gabok's films years ago, and while it had been solid overall, it had not left a deep impression on him. Danny Landis had simply not been moved by it.
That was purely from the perspective of an audience member.
No matter how influential Danny was in Hollywood, his principle had always been to watch other directors' work as an ordinary viewer first. That said, he still acknowledged Ahn Gabok as a fine director.
'In any industry, maintaining that level of quality for decades is something worthy of respect.'
Their styles were different, but great directors knew how to recognize one another.
That was Danny's mindset until just before the first screening of Leech, the third Competition film, on the morning of the 2nd. His attitude was little more than, 'Since I'm already here, I might as well give it another shot.' In any case, he did think there was a chance that Ahn Gabok's style might have changed over the years.
The three-thousand-seat Lumière Theater inside the Palais des Festivals was full to capacity.
Among the crowd were top-tier directors, actors, major industry figures, and journalists, and Danny was one of them. Snatches of their conversations drifted into his ears.
"Haha, do you think the turnout is this big because it's the only Korean film?"
"Everyone's curious. I even heard rumors that Cannes selected it for appearances' sake."
"Ah, I heard that too. Well, whether that rumor is true or not, we'll find out soon enough. But Director Ahn Gabok has had good results at Cannes before."
"I know. That's why they're saying it won't be too obvious."
Their tone leaned more toward curiosity than anticipation.
"Even just looking at the Leech poster, doesn't the story seem obvious?"
"Hmm, to me it looks like the success story of a man who longs for wealth."
"Ah! Right, I heard that's a common theme in Korean films. A story about changing your life."
"Hahaha, that does sound a bit refreshing."
"But if that's all it is, it could end up being disappointing."
Every now and then, the topic shifted to the male lead who took up seventy percent of the Leech poster.
"That actor, right? The one who walked the red carpet with Miley Cara at the opening ceremony. His name was Kang Woojin?"
"Ah, right. I know the other Korean actors on the poster, but Kang Woojin is new to me. Is he a rookie actor?"
"I heard he hasn't been around that long."
"Then he's lucky. He made it to Cannes not long after debuting."
"His acting might be a little lacking."
They were definitely talking about Kang Woojin.
"Isn't that actor coming to the morning screening?"
"He certainly got attention when he walked the red carpet with Miley Cara. I just hope his acting is at least above average."
"Do you really think someone merely decent would get invited to Cannes?"
"That's true."
"Still, isn't a protagonist's success story a bit stale?"
Some compared it to the Japanese film that had screened the day before, and Danny Landis listened quietly, resting his chin on his hand. The atmosphere in the theater itself was similarly ambiguous, but if Leech really was just about a protagonist clawing his way toward wealth—
"Hmm, it doesn't sound all that interesting."
It was not the sort of story that would normally hold his attention.
And then Leech began.
-♬♪
After the opening sequence ended, the Korean actor Kang Woojin appeared on the giant screen. His lines were in Korean, but directly beneath them were French subtitles, and below that, English subtitles.
For the first ten minutes or so, the atmosphere among the three thousand audience members remained steady.
A penniless protagonist, and the wealthy conglomerate family whose lives intersected with his. Danny and most of the audience wore expressions that said, 'As expected.' But there came a moment when Danny's expression subtly shifted.
'...Sign language?'
At the moment Kang Woojin—or rather Park Haseong in Leech—began using complex sign language, Danny's eyes narrowed.
"Hmm, that doesn't look like something he learned just for filming."
Normally, actors train in all sorts of skills and techniques to fit the roles they play. But no matter how much they practice, it is very difficult to make it look truly natural. Yet the sign language Kang Woojin displayed on screen did not look practiced at all.
On the contrary—
'That actress over there has clearly practiced a great deal, even if it isn't obvious at first glance.'
The veteran actress Oh Heeryeong showed the faintest trace of imitation. It was an extremely subtle difference, but to the experienced eye of Danny Landis, who had spent years seeing tens of thousands of actors, it stood out clearly. Kang Woojin's sign language, on the other hand, contained no trace of imitation whatsoever.
Then there was only one possible answer.
'Did they deliberately cast an actor who already knew how to do this?'
They must have found someone skilled in sign language and cast him from the start. Danny nodded slowly to himself. But as Leech went on—
'...Hm?'
The further Kang Woojin's performance progressed, the more Danny Landis's posture changed. He lowered his chin. His eyes widened. He adjusted his round glasses several times.
'What is this?'
Leech, and especially Kang Woojin's performance, gradually began to overwhelm all three thousand viewers.
Leech was not a simple success story about a protagonist changing his life. The opening scenes might have suggested that, but as the story unfolded, it veered in a completely different direction.
The world-renowned director Danny Landis, along with the three thousand audience members, began murmuring inwardly.
'They let the protagonist into the house just like that?'
Of course, only in their thoughts.
'The husband has total control over his wife.'
'Is he trying to use her because she can't speak and can be subdued?'
'He's trying to kill his wife.'
'Is he really planning to kill her? Why?'
Everyone was being drawn into Leech as though they were being swallowed by it.
'A success story? No... this is nothing like anything I've ever seen before.'
It led into a story no one had expected, something no one had seen before. And the people who completed that story were, naturally, the cast. Among them, the one who shone brightest was—
'The lead is carrying the entire film in both acting and atmosphere. His aura is extraordinary.'
Park Haseong. In other words, Kang Woojin.
By that point, in the eyes of the Hollywood veteran director Danny, there was only one thing left.
"Ripley syndrome? Is that what I'm watching right now?"
Only Kang Woojin remained in focus. He had no attention left for anything else. Woojin's performance had completely seized Danny's eyes and ears. Especially from the moment Park Haseong stepped into the fabricated world of the conglomerate family, Kang Woojin's acting became so striking that it was almost jaw-dropping. Yet the direction of the film never stated it plainly. None of the characters ever said it out loud.
But it was unmistakably there.
One word rose into the minds of Danny and the three thousand people in the theater.
Ripley syndrome.
'Those minute shifts in the eyes, those restrained emotions, those delicate movements. Acting? Can I even call what I'm seeing acting?'
The Korean actor on the massive screen held softness and violence at the same time. His eyes slowly clouded with desire, but the force of his body language and dialogue remained calm and unwavering.
It could not have been otherwise.
'He truly believes everything he sees and feels belongs to him. That it has always been his world.'
There was not the slightest hint of something fake. As Leech moved from the middle toward the latter half, the character Kang Woojin played gradually erased his former self. The change was so small that no viewer would catch it unless they watched him carefully.
It was not just a matter of precision.
'Is that man really an actor?'
What Kang Woojin was giving Danny and the other three thousand viewers on screen was illusion.
The stars gathered at Cannes were all well-known names, but Kang Woojin, who had only been in the industry for two years, was effectively an unknown. That only deepened the misunderstanding. When you thought about it, who would hear about Kang Woojin's explosive filmography and believe it at once?
Slowly—
'No way. Did Director Ahn Gabok... did he really cast someone with Ripley syndrome for this part?'
The mind of the veteran Hollywood director Danny Landis began to sink into confusion. And he was not the only one. The audience at the first screening of Leech, gathered from all over the world, felt the same.
'Is this acting? Or is it real? I can't tell anymore.'
'Why am I getting chills? That actor looks completely different now from the beginning. He feels cold. Unhinged.'
'Did they actually cast someone with Ripley syndrome?! Otherwise how could he make it feel this vivid, this intense?!'
'But... if they really cast someone with Ripley syndrome, then Director Ahn Gabok would have to be insane too.'
At that point, everyone finally understood the true meaning hidden inside the Leech poster. Ah. This was not just the story of a man rising to success. It was the portrait of Ripley syndrome itself. Without question, Leech, with its very first screening, struck many of the influential figures at Cannes with a severe shock.
Even after the film ended, no one moved for over five minutes.
But this was only the beginning.
Ten official jurors, key industry figures, and many of Kang Woojin's connections were scheduled to attend the second screening in the afternoon. That screening was fully sold out as well, with all three thousand seats taken.
In other words, there was still one more stage left.
At the same time.
After the first screening of Leech ended at nine in the morning, and after Park Haseong and Ripley syndrome had been burned into everyone's minds, by eleven o'clock Kang Woojin was sprawled out across the bed in his room at a five-star hotel. He lay there on the broad white bed, breathing so faintly he looked almost dead.
"..."
At a glance, anyone might have thought he had died, but he was simply in a very deep sleep. From the Cannes opening ceremony through the entire day on the 1st, he had overworked himself. He had done his best to maintain his usual tough concept, but the unfamiliar environment and the accumulated tension had drained him completely. Without the Void Space, he would not have lasted even two days.
"Mmm—"
Kang Woojin slowly opened his eyes. But he did not get up right away. His hair was tousled, and he let out a huge yawn before reaching across the bed to grab his phone. He checked the time.
"My god, it's already eleven? It's been ages since I slept this late."
For Kang Woojin, the ten days at Cannes were almost like a vacation. Of course, there were plenty of events and appearances, but compared to his usual schedule in Korea, life here felt almost leisurely until the closing ceremony and awards night. Especially today, the day Leech was screening, things felt even more relaxed.
"Mm, the second screening of Leech is at seven tonight, so I can start getting ready around four."
Choi Sunggeon and the rest of Woojin's team were all out wandering around freely. They were busy sightseeing. In any case, after finally dragging himself upright, Woojin grabbed a bottle of water from the table. Then he picked up his phone again.
"Let's see how things are going."
There was a lot to check. He needed to see the Korean reaction to him shaking up the industry by walking the Cannes red carpet, the state of things in Japan where the media screenings for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had just begun, the situation with two Japanese films in Competition, the reaction to Miley Cara's new album teaser, the current state of Kang Woojin's social media, and even the latest on Kang Woojin's Alter Ego.
Of course, he also had to go through the pile of messages waiting for him, including texts and DMs.
Right then—
-bzzzz.
The phone on the bed vibrated for a long moment. It was a call. Woojin paused and checked the caller.
It was Director Song Manwoo.
The Beneficial Evil team should already have returned to Korea by now. Tilting his head slightly in curiosity, Woojin cleared his throat and answered. As always, he prepared his voice to come out low and controlled before bringing the phone to his ear.
"Yes, PD-nim."
Background noise came through from Song Manwoo's side. It sounded like the set of Beneficial Evil. Even without Woojin there, filming had to continue.
"Woojin, sorry to call when you must be busy because of Cannes. I figured you'd be overwhelmed."
"No, it's fine."
"Haha. I've been keeping up with the news. Did you see how much attention your red carpet appearance got back in Korea? It seems Japan is reacting the same way."
After a brief exchange, Song Manwoo changed the subject.
"Ah, since you're busy, I'll get straight to the point. This is about Beneficial Evil. There's something that was decided rather urgently, and it's definitely not a minor matter."
Woojin listened calmly, then thought to himself.
'So what is it? Are they moving the release date up?'
He answered in a low voice.
"Go ahead."
A few minutes later, Woojin abruptly entered the Void Space. What he checked, naturally, was the white rectangle labeled Beneficial Evil.
-[9/Script (Title: Beneficial Evil), EX-grade]
Kang Woojin smiled.
"Good. At least nothing changed."
About an hour later.
It was around one in the afternoon. Inside a five-star hotel about ten minutes from the Palais des Festivals, the main venue of Cannes, the large restaurant was crowded with guests having lunch. It was not the hotel where Kang Woojin was staying. Most of the diners were Cannes attendees.
Among them—
"Are you sure the director said he wanted lunch with us?"
"Yes. I was surprised too when I got the call."
Two familiar figures were seated at a table for four near the entrance. One was the giant Joseph Felton, and the other was the creative director Megan Stone. They were sitting side by side rather than across from one another, and judging by their conversation, they seemed to be waiting for someone.
Then—
-scrape.
An older foreign man entered the restaurant. It was none other than the veteran Hollywood director Danny Landis. The moment he stepped inside, he spotted Joseph and Megan.
"..."
Without saying anything, he walked straight toward them. Joseph and Megan noticed his approach and turned their attention to him. Danny shook hands with both of them, sat down, and immediately asked his question. His face was serious.
"I watched Leech this morning. Does Kang Woojin happen to have Ripley syndrome? Did Director Ahn Gabok cast him specifically because of that?"
Joseph was slightly taken aback by how direct the question was. Megan was too. For reference, Joseph had not yet seen Leech. He was scheduled to attend the seven p.m. screening that evening. But recalling the "Ripley syndrome" atmosphere he had witnessed from Woojin during the filming of Leech, Joseph smiled with easy confidence and answered.
"That's impossible. Kang Woojin is an actor. What you saw was all acting."
Danny paused, then wiped his damp forehead.
"...Acting? You're absolutely sure?"
"I'd stake my life on it."
"So you're saying that character was created entirely through performance. My god. To express that kind of tension at such a young age... that's remarkable. Was he a child actor?"
Joseph looked at Megan, then grinned.
"No. Kang Woojin is only in his second year since debut."
At that, the Hollywood heavyweight Danny Landis frowned and asked again.
"...Second year since debut?? You're joking with me, right?"