"Two years since his debut? That's ridiculous."
Director Danny Landis thought the same. It was the most natural reaction in the world. The performance he had seen in Leech that morning, or more precisely, Kang Woojin's acting, was the kind of performance that should have taken at least a decade of experience to produce.
And on top of that, the so-called Ripley syndrome had been acting, not real?
Director Danny had met, experienced, and directed countless Hollywood actors. He had seen so many acting methods that most of them no longer impressed him, yet even he had been completely captivated by Kang Woojin's performance. The same was probably true for the three thousand people who had watched the film with him. They were surely somewhere right now, buzzing about it.
'That level, after only two years since debut?'
Director Danny concluded that Joseph was joking. Meghan, sitting beside him, had to be in on it too. Danny frowned and lowered his voice.
"Joseph, listen. I'm being serious. Don't joke around just to lighten the mood."
The large Black man, Joseph, gave a faint smile and shrugged.
"Director, I'm serious too. I had no intention of joking from the moment you arrived."
Hearing that, Danny took off his round glasses and set them down on the table in front of him.
"...You're telling me Kang Woojin has only been acting for two years? And you expect me to believe that?"
His voice dropped even further.
"Not just me. All three thousand people who watched Leech this morning were shocked. Of course the shocking content of Leech was something else entirely, but what truly stunned everyone was Kang Woojin's acting. And do you think those three thousand people were just ordinary viewers? They were people with names in the film industries of Hollywood and countless other countries. A rookie actor in only his second year cannot possibly carry that kind of tension."
Danny was stubborn by nature, but as one of Hollywood's greatest directors, his mindset was flexible enough to survive on that enormous stage. Still, no matter how open-minded he tried to be, it was difficult to believe that Kang Woojin's acting career was only two years old.
But Joseph and Meghan's expressions did not change. If anything, Joseph looked as though he were saying, What can I do? It is what it is.
"When I first learned about Kang Woojin, I made the exact same face you're making now. In fact, when we first saw him, he wasn't even in his second year. He was still in his first."
"...His first year?"
"I understand how you feel. His energy always goes beyond common sense. I didn't see what happened at the theater this morning myself, but I can imagine it well enough. I'm planning to attend the next screening of Leech in a few hours, and I suspect the reaction will be even more intense than it was this morning."
"..."
"But, Director, I have no reason to lie about this. It's true that Kang Woojin debuted two years ago. If you check for yourself, you'll find the answer quickly enough. Of course, his past is unclear, but his debut definitely was two years ago."
"What do you mean, his past is unclear?"
"From what I investigated, he literally appeared out of nowhere like a comet, and from the beginning he already possessed absurd acting ability."
The more Joseph explained, the deeper the lines between Danny Landis's brows became. Meanwhile, Joseph kept talking. No, it was more like he was spreading the misunderstanding like an infection.
"Of course, for Kang Woojin to have that level of skill, he must have gone through more than ten years of brutal training and blood-soaked effort before his debut. On top of that, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he has an exceptional instinct, almost a sixth sense, for choosing projects. In other words, his eye for picking works is extraordinary."
"An eye for choosing projects?"
This time, Meghan, brushing back her brown bob, took over.
"Since his debut, every single project Kang Woojin has appeared in has succeeded. In Korea and Japan, they even call him the Midas Hand."
"...What? At that point, it would make more sense to call him a god."
Joseph chuckled.
"Even I get confused sometimes. His ability and his energy really go beyond imagination."
Meghan followed up.
"If we tell you more, Director, you'll be even more shocked."
"What, there's more?"
"Kang Woojin isn't bound by genre. The role you saw in Leech is only a tiny fraction of the acting range he can show."
The more he heard, the more absurd it sounded. It had already been hard enough to believe that someone only two years into his career had made it to Cannes, but every story connected to Kang Woojin went far beyond that level of common sense.
At that moment, the giant Joseph leaned forward and spoke to Director Danny in a low voice.
"Would you like to know more about him?"
Wearing a serious expression, Danny stared at Joseph for a moment, then nodded.
"It seems I would."
"If you want, Meghan and I can provide you with the Kang Woojin incident investigation report we put together."
"...Do that."
"And for your reference, I'm currently preparing to cast Kang Woojin in a project I've been developing for a long time."
At that, Danny remembered the sight of Joseph and Kang Woojin together yesterday.
"Are you talking about the project you mentioned in the proposal you submitted to me?"
"Yes, Director."
"Nothing is finalized yet, but I'm pushing it forward."
Danny fell silent for a moment, then took a few sips from the glass of water in front of him. After that, he looked Joseph in the eye again.
"I'll review the proposal again. And I'd appreciate it if you could send me that report on Kang Woojin as soon as possible."
"Understood."
At that point, Meghan asked Danny a question.
"What was your first impression of actor Kang Woojin?"
Hollywood legend Danny Landis's answer was simple.
"He's the real thing."
At the same time,
for some reason, the film Leech was being mentioned quite a lot among the many people attending Cannes. It was not just Joseph and Director Danny. Even foreign attendees eating together were talking about it.
"Leech was shocking."
"Ah, that film? The Korean one, right? The one about the male lead's success story? Was the quality really that bad?"
"No, not at all. Quite the opposite."
"The opposite?"
"It wasn't some dull little success story. It was something genuinely special."
The same was true of journalists from various countries scattered throughout the streets of Cannes.
"I heard you saw Leech this morning. How was it?"
"Anyone who doesn't watch that film is going to regret it."
"What?"
"I'm going to the second screening of Leech in a few hours. I need to get pictures of Kang Woojin."
"Kang Woojin? Ah, the one who walked the red carpet with Miley Cara."
"That actor is going to turn Cannes upside down."
Even actors and industry insiders were talking about it.
"Director Ahn Gabok is insane!"
"Why?"
"He cast someone who actually has the illness depicted in the film."
"Are you talking about Leech?"
"You should have watched it with me this morning. There's no way to put it into words."
The place was in an uproar. Who were they? They were the three thousand audience members who had seen the first screening of Leech that morning. Like Director Danny, they had been deeply shocked, and now they were spreading word of mouth everywhere. But considering the tens of thousands, no, hundreds of thousands of tourists attending Cannes, the number of people who had seen Leech so far was still relatively small.
Far more people had not seen Leech yet, probably dozens of times more.
Meanwhile, Kang Woojin...
'Whew, I've rested enough. Time to get back to work.'
...began getting ready to attend. The directors and lead actors of invited Cannes films, especially those in competition, usually attended their screenings. In the competition section, attendance was practically mandatory, and Leech was no exception. It felt similar to the cast stepping onstage to greet the audience after a premiere screening.
Of course, the scale here was several times larger than an ordinary stage greeting.
Kang Woojin, Director Ahn Gabok, and the cast of Leech had skipped the morning screening, but they were all scheduled to attend the second screening at 7 p.m. Naturally, they had to dress for the occasion. The dress code was not quite as strict as the red carpet's, but it still called for something similarly elegant.
After all, world-class heavyweights would be gathering there.
Kang Woojin was dressed in a black suit with a black tie. While the others, including Han Yejung, helped with his hair, Choi Sunggeon spoke to him.
"As you know, a lot of truly famous people will be there. The ten official Cannes jurors are all supposed to attend this screening too."
Kang Woojin answered in a calm, low voice.
"Yes, I know."
"You're not nervous, obviously?"
"Not particularly."
But in truth, he was. At that moment, Kang Woojin's heart was pounding.
'Wow, now that I'm actually going to watch it with them, I'm seriously nervous.'
By them, he meant not just the jurors, but all three thousand people who would be watching Leech with him. He would be seeing the reactions of world-famous figures to the film in real time.
'Damn, my throat's so dry.'
But Woojin was already deep in character, his real self buried far beneath the surface. Just then, Choi Sunggeon patted his shoulder.
"Yeah, I can tell just from your calm face. You're fine. Since it's you, I'm not worried. We'll be outside, so call right away if anything happens."
For reference, Choi Sunggeon and Woojin's team would not be going into the theater with him.
Right then,
his phone began vibrating. Woojin casually checked the caller ID, then raised it to his ear.
"Yes, Director."
It was Ahn Gabok on the other end.
A few hours later,
at around 6:40 in the evening, hundreds of journalists had gathered below the grand staircase in front of the Palais des Festivals, the central venue of the world-famous Cannes Film Festival. The stairs were still covered with red carpet, and right in front of the entrance was the designated photo area.
The reason so many reporters had gathered there was simple.
In a short while, the second screening of Leech, the only Korean film in competition, was about to begin. Countless famous people invited to Cannes were making their way toward the Palais des Festivals, and journalists from all over the world were frantically pressing their shutters.
They talked nonstop as their fingers flew over their cameras.
"The second screening of Leech is sold out too, right?"
"Yes, it's another audience of three thousand. I heard the morning screening was the same."
"It's more popular than I expected. I heard there were even a few empty seats at the second screening of the Japanese film shown yesterday."
"It's probably because of all the rumors surrounding Leech."
"Ah, yes. I heard the content is pretty shocking."
Around then,
a group of about ten people in suits and gowns appeared on the stairs of the Palais. The reporters instantly grew excited and exploded into a storm of flashes. They were the official jurors of this year's Cannes Film Festival, ten distinguished figures from the world film industry, including directors, actors, and other major names.
The people who would be judging Leech.
The jurors posed briefly for the cameras at the entrance photo zone. Numerous questions were hurled at them, but because they had to be careful with their words as jurors, they quickly disappeared inside the Palais des Festivals.
Still, the reporters never stopped shooting.
"Hey! Hey! Miley! Miley!!!"
The reason was that striking figures kept arriving one after another. Global superstar Miley Cara had just appeared. Wearing a white suit, she waved to the reporters and then went inside. Behind her came Hollywood stars and actors from various countries. Of course, directors from all over the world were entering as well. Among them were Joseph and Meghan, Joseph's stunt team, and several Universal Movies executives.
Hollywood veteran director Danny Landis showed up again too.
"Director Danny? That's Danny Landis, right?"
"I heard he already watched Leech this morning."
"Why did he come back?"
For nearly thirty minutes, countless stars streamed into the Lumière Theater inside the Palais des Festivals. As the screening was for a competition film, it was naturally one of the hottest events of the festival. In fact, the atmosphere was noticeably more intense than for a typical competition screening.
Then,
the storm of flashes intensified even more. The lead actors of Leech had arrived. Director Ahn Gabok in a formal suit, the gray-haired Shim Hanho, Kang Woojin, Oh Heeryeong, Jin Jaejun, and Han Sojin appeared together, arm in arm. They posed politely for the reporters for about three minutes, and then, once the time came, they entered the Lumière Theater.
Director Ahn Gabok led the way, his short white hair and deeply lined face making him stand out even more.
The actors followed behind him. As they headed into the theater, several foreigners who had not yet taken their seats called out greetings to the Leech team. Since translators were present, communication posed no problem.
'So the translators really are coming in with us.'
If an emergency arose, Kang Woojin himself could be called in as well.
By 7 p.m., the three-thousand-seat Lumière Theater was packed wall to wall with foreign guests. The sheer sight of such a massive space, from the very front before the giant screen to the very back, filled with people from every direction, was stunning.
But measured against the scale of the entire Cannes Film Festival, it was still only a very small part.
Cannes was a global celebration, but since it was held in France, more than half of the audience was French. Even so, familiar faces could still be spotted here and there. Miley Cara, with her blonde hair tied back and her blue eyes full of anticipation, sat near the front. A couple of seats away was Danny Landis. Joseph and Meghan's group sat near the center, and of course all ten official jurors were there as well.
The theater was loud with the energy of more than three thousand people.
Then it happened.
Several people stepped onto the fairly broad stage in front of the huge screen. Ahn Gabok led the group, followed by Shim Hanho, Oh Heeryeong, Kang Woojin, Jin Jaejun, and Han Sojin.
In other words, it was the Leech team.
As soon as they walked onto the stage, thunderous applause erupted throughout the Lumière Theater, which had been buzzing with people until a moment earlier. All three thousand pairs of eyes in the audience turned to the front.
The Leech team stood in a line across the stage while the veteran director Ahn Gabok, looking slightly awkward in his suit, accepted the microphone. A translator stood beside him. Before a screening, it was customary for the director and lead actors to greet both the jurors and the audience.
"Hello. I am Director Ahn Gabok, and I have been making films for several decades."
As soon as he finished speaking, the translator beside him rendered his words into French. Of course, for those wearing headsets, an English interpretation was also being transmitted.
"My actors and I poured our passion into Leech. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you."
Ahn Gabok's greeting was brief. Next, the microphone passed to the veteran actor Shim Hanho.
"Hello. I am actor Shim Hanho. It is an honor to be invited to such a world-renowned film festival. I've come here a few times before, but no matter how many times I do, it always makes me nervous…"
Next came Oh Heeryeong. Her greeting was not long either. Soon the microphone moved to the actor standing at the center. Dressed in a black suit with his hair slicked back, he carried an air of cool detachment. It was Kang Woojin. The moment he took the microphone, a current of expectation passed through part of the three-thousand-strong audience.
Especially from one person.
'Why am I nervous?'
Miley Cara, her blonde hair tied back.
'That actor, Kang Woojin... he seems incredibly calm. Is he like that in real life too?'
Even Hollywood veteran director Danny Landis was watching him closely. In any case, all three thousand people in attendance, including notable figures from many countries, fixed their attention on Kang Woojin. It was enough to overwhelm almost anyone.
But Kang Woojin...
"..."
...lifted the microphone with perfect calm. Soon, his low and steady voice echoed through the Lumière Theater.
"Hello. I'm actor Kang Woojin."
The translator delivered his words in French, while English interpretation was transmitted through the audience headsets. Then something happened. Woojin suddenly glanced at the translator beside him, raised one hand, and signaled that it was all right.
Then he lowered his voice again. This time, it was not in Korean.
"Bonsoir, Je suis très content d'être à Cannes."
His French was so smooth that it sounded almost native.