Half-awake, Kang Woojin let out a hollow laugh. So this was what it meant to sleep like the dead. Just a few hours ago, at dawn, he had been certain he would never be able to fall asleep, yet somehow it was already past nine in the morning.
'This feels strange.'
Having cast off his usual concept, Kang Woojin found himself caught in a strange tangle of emotions. He felt calm, yet uneasy. He wanted to stay sprawled there without moving, but his heart only kept beating faster.
Whatever it was.
──────────
He had to get up and move. Woojin changed into comfortable clothes and climbed out of bed with his hair still in disarray. For some reason, the very first thing he picked up was one of the Beneficial Evil scripts stacked on the table.
"First things first, I should go into the Void."
It was preparation, a way to rest in advance. The blessing of the Void Space. He had to head into battle this afternoon, didn't he? More than anything, today was the kind of day when he would need to replenish his stamina over and over again.
How much time had passed?
Woojin emerged from the Void and stood in silence, staring at the white tuxedo hanging on the wall. In a way, it was today's battle uniform.
The moment Woojin reached for the tuxedo—
-knock knock.
Someone rapped on his door. In an instant, Woojin slipped back into his usual concept and restored the atmosphere around himself. By the time he opened the door, his expression had already turned cold and cynical again. Outside stood Choi Sunggeon with his ponytail, grinning broadly and giving him a thumbs-up.
"Woojin, let's eat. Koreans run on rice, right?"
"Yes, sir."
Inside, Woojin agreed with him wholeheartedly.
A few hours later.
It was already late afternoon in Cannes, France, soaked through with the atmosphere of a festival. To be precise, it was five in the evening. Around the enormous main venue of the Cannes Film Festival, the Palais des Festivals, an indescribable number of people had gathered.
The red carpet had been laid out once again.
Just like at the opening ceremony, it stretched from the entrance all the way down in a broad line, and thousands of reporters packed both sides of it. Dressed in tuxedos, they were gathered even more tightly than they had been at the opening event.
The camera equipment was impossible to ignore.
Small cranes and drones moved through the sky. Thousands of cameras of all different sizes had been set up. Vans bearing broadcast logos lined the area, along with television crews from various countries, while tens of thousands of onlookers gathered around the Palais des Festivals itself. On the nearby beach, giant outdoor screens had been installed, and there too tens of thousands of people had assembled.
The procession had already begun.
-flash flash flash!
-famous actors, directors, and stars from every country were making their way toward the Cannes closing ceremony and awards event, while thousands of tuxedo-clad reporters hammered away at their shutters without pause. Dozens of broadcast teams were also livestreaming from the scene.
Familiar faces passed by here and there.
Japanese directors and actors with two competition entries, Hollywood figures like Joseph and Megan, Director Danny Landis, Miley Cara, and countless other major names in world cinema walked the red carpet with pride, and as time passed, the excitement only intensified.
Then it happened.
Thud.
Director Ahn Gabok, with his short white hair, and Shim Hanho stepped out of a limousine parked at the end of the red carpet. The Leech team had arrived. The moment the team behind one of this year's hottest Cannes titles appeared, the hundreds of nearby reporters unleashed another wave of flashing lights.
Then—
-swish.
A man with black hair and a white tuxedo stepped out of the limousine.
'Don't get nervous, damn it. Don't hesitate. Just go.'
It was Kang Woojin.
About an hour later, at around 6:50 in the evening.
The event was being held in the largest hall inside the Palais des Festivals. This hall, which could hold five thousand people, had been magnificently decorated for the Cannes closing ceremony and awards event, making it look even more imposing than usual.
Soft classical music played, and countless lights hung from the high ceiling. More than five thousand seats had been arranged across the first and second floors, and all of them were filled with distinguished guests from around the world. The thousands gathered there, having illuminated this year's Cannes, were all dressed in tuxedos and gowns. Even Hollywood's biggest stars, who were normally as rare as stars in the sky, could be seen in abundance.
It was, in itself, a festival for international filmmakers.
And the sight spread out before the thousands of guests was even more dazzling.
A vast stage, a black floor, and on the left side of the stage, a giant monitor.
Broadcast teams bustled just below the stage. Thanks to arrangements made by Cannes officials, the closing ceremony and awards show were being broadcast live on French television. Naturally, it was also streaming on YouTube. Behind the stage, massive columns more than five times the height of a person stood in a row from the far left to the far right. All of them were painted gold.
At the far right was a section containing exactly ten seats.
That was where the official Cannes jury would sit, and directly behind those seats stood a large symbol: Cannes's iconic golden palm leaf emblem.
If anyone had looked down at the entire scene from above, they would naturally have thought the same thing.
It was grand and majestic.
The sheer prestige of the attendees made the hall seem even more imposing. At the same time, thousands of people had also gathered at the beach in front of the Palais des Festivals. Tourists and countless reporters were watching the closing ceremony and awards show on the giant screens set up there.
And somewhere in the middle of the first-floor seating, Kang Woojin could be found.
"..."
Dressed in a white tuxedo, he wore a solemn expression. Director Ahn Gabok and Shim Hanho sat on his right, while Jin Jaejoon and Han Sojin sat on his left. All of them visibly looked tense, yet Woojin remained calm. From the moment he entered this enormous hall, he had been exerting extreme mental discipline.
'Damn it, it's nothing. Just think of it as watching a really big event. Yeah. That's all this is.'
He had to focus in order to maintain his concept.
And the more he focused, the deeper his indifference seemed to become.
At that moment, it was three in the morning in Korea. Naturally, most people should have been asleep. Yet the YouTube livestream provided by Cannes still managed to draw a considerable audience. The unusually large number of Korean comments mixed in with the English and other foreign-language comments made that obvious.
[Ahhh!!! I've been waiting for this!!!!]
[Wow LOL this awards show is insane AF LOL]
[Final round!! Drumroll, drumroll, drumroll!!]
[Why are they only showing the stage? Show the actors too!]
[Where's Kang Woojin!!!]
[Wow, I'm so excited!]
[What is this LOL it hasn't even started yet??]
[Why are people freaking out so much? The Leech team is just here to fill seats. They'll leave soon anyway LOL]
[Wow... the combined net worth of the people there must be ridiculous...]
[No way LOL they only pushed Leech in because Cannes was trying to make up for last year's mistakes LOL]
[I'm not asking for first or second place! Even Best Screenplay would already be an incredible honor!!]
[Couldn't Shim Hanho or Oh Heeryeong win an acting award?]
Just then—
the camera angle on the YouTube livestream shifted slightly. The soft music changed as well. It meant the Cannes closing ceremony and awards event was finally about to begin.
Soon, an elderly foreign man in a tuxedo entered from the left side of the wide stage.
He was the head of Cannes. In other words, the chairman.
"Welcome, and thank you for joining us on this thrilling journey here in Cannes."
A spotlight shone on the center of the stage, and the host announced the start of the closing ceremony and awards show in French. Naturally, English interpretation was being delivered to the audience through the headsets they had been given.
"I hope everyone has had a wonderful time, and I ask that you stay with us until this year's Cannes Film Festival comes to its close."
After finishing that short introduction, he lifted a cue card and called for the emcee of the evening's event. It was a Belgian actress. The moment she stepped onto the stage in a green gown, the audience of more than five thousand broke into thunderous applause.
The Belgian actress standing in the center of the stage offered a brief greeting. Another round of applause filled the hall, and then she glanced at the cue card in her hand and officially began hosting the closing ceremony and awards show.
"First, let us welcome these honored guests. This year's Cannes jury!"
Thunderous applause erupted again. Ten jurors in tuxedos and gowns appeared from one side of the stage. Their seats were on the right side of the stage, in front of the golden palm emblem. Once seated, the jurors introduced themselves one by one, and after all the introductions were over, the host and jury exchanged some light jokes.
The previously heavy atmosphere eased.
Meanwhile, the Cannes broadcast team swept their cameras across the audience of five thousand. In those shots, familiar faces appeared for a moment—Hollywood actors, French directors, Japanese actors, and even Miley Cara, her blonde hair neatly tied back.
Then—
the Belgian actress returned to the microphone and began the first award presentation.
"Now it is time to begin the awards. The first prize is for Best Screenplay. I hear it was extraordinarily difficult to choose among the twenty competition films. What did you think?"
The microphone was passed among the ten jurors. Two of them answered with wit.
"It was dreadful. I never want to be a juror again."
"It was truly difficult. Every film was excellent in my eyes."
If anyone tried to rank the awards at Cannes, Best Screenplay would probably come only after the acting prizes, around fourth place. But such rankings were meaningless. Simply winning at Cannes was the greatest honor any film could receive.
Soon, the Belgian actress at the microphone spoke again.
"Please announce the winner for Best Screenplay."
One of the jurors, an Iranian film director, lifted the microphone in his hand. A cue card for the announcement was passed to him, and with a slight smile he made the declaration in a loud voice.
"The winner of Best Screenplay is Sacred House! Congratulations!"
Among the twenty competition entries, Sacred House was a French film. Naturally, the one who rose from the audience was a French director, and the cameras at the front immediately closed in on him. The vast hall was soon filled with thunderous applause.
Whether seated or standing, all five thousand people applauded tirelessly. Kang Woojin clapped too.
'This is insane... If I had to go up on that stage, could I actually do it?'
Before he knew it, the French director was already on stage. He received the award. The trophy bore Cannes's iconic palm design and rested inside a case. The director, overcome with emotion, struggled for a moment before speaking.
"I truly did not expect something like this to happen."
His speech began shakily. His eyes had filled with tears, and though his voice nearly failed him, he somehow finished. Another round of applause followed, and the Belgian actress returned to the stage. She conducted a brief interview with him, and once the director left the stage, she introduced the next award.
"Now we move on to the acting awards. Best Actor and Best Actress. Let us begin with Best Actor."
Now it was the actors' turn. Across the vast five-thousand-seat hall, the expressions of performers from various countries began to change. Some showed nerves or excitement, others determination or ambition. But Kang Woojin, from beginning to end, remained calm and unchanged. At that moment, Jin Jaejoon, his sharp eyes alert, glanced back and forth between Kang Woojin and Shim Hanho.
'Neither of them looks like they're expecting anything. Still, I think they have more than enough of a chance.'
Then he swept his gaze across the world-famous actors scattered throughout the hall.
'Even so... winning something here is unbelievably difficult.'
The Belgian actress asked the jury another question.
"Judges, how was the process of choosing among the actors?"
The first to answer was a Swedish actress in a gray gown that exposed her shoulders, one leg elegantly crossed over the other.
"Until the night before the final decision, we still could not choose. I fully agree with what Jeff said earlier about it being hell. In the end we did make our choice, but every actor delivered an extraordinary performance."
Beside her sat an Italian director with a striking mustache.
"Unlike her, I made my decision quickly. That actor's performance stayed in my head throughout the entire festival. As a director, it was the first time in my career that I watched a film in complete awe."
Soon, cameras installed throughout the hall began capturing close-ups of the actors. Naturally, they focused on the leads of the competition films.
A murmur spread through the audience.
Small whispers rippled across the hall as people guessed and speculated about who would win.
"I think the Iranian actors have a real shot. Their performances were unforgettable."
"I don't know. I still think the French actors were excellent. There were so many French films too."
"Didn't the Japanese side do pretty well too?"
"I didn't watch any of the Japanese films."
The opinions varied.
"Wasn't the American side a bit disappointing this year?"
"Not at all. I think Best Actor will go to the American performer. Kelly's acting was phenomenal."
"Really?"
"What about Korea? There's been a lot of talk about it."
"Ah, right. Korea was in competition too."
It could not be helped. Everyone had seen different films. If screenings were full, it was impossible to see every title. In the end, the only people who had watched all twenty films were the ten jurors.
Then, at that exact moment—
"Please announce the winner."
The eyes of all five thousand audience members, along with those of the broadcast cameras and the tens of thousands gathered on the nearby beach, turned toward the jury seats on stage. The mustachioed Italian director who had spoken earlier was now holding the cue card. In other words, he was about to announce this year's Cannes Best Actor winner.
He looked down at the card, lifted the microphone in his right hand, and smiled faintly.
"My eyes were not deceiving me."
And then he quietly revealed the existence of a monster to the five thousand people gathered from all around the world.
"The Best Actor award at the 74th Cannes Film Festival goes to... Kang Woojin of Leech."
In an instant, thousands of eyes and countless cameras swung toward the Korean actor with black hair. He sat there without the slightest change in expression.
Wearing a white tuxedo, Kang Woojin—
"..."
—not only did not move, he did not so much as twitch.
But inside, he was swearing furiously.
'...No fucking way. Me?'