Life, Once Again!

After Story 165

The actors stepped into the photo zone on the carpet. While the journalists took photos, scattering light everywhere, the civilians raised their phones to take photos of the actors.

“There is time after the premiere, so we’ll briefly introduce ourselves for now. Miss Yoo Hanbyul, please go first.”

The mic was given to Yoo Hanbyul.

“Hello. It’s Yoo Hanbyul. I’m really grateful that you came all the way here in this heat. Since I did my best in this movie, I hope you all will enjoy it.”

When she put down the mic after finishing her words, another round of camera flashes covered the scene. With all the lights flickering everywhere, it wouldn’t be surprising if she found it displeasing, but Yoo Hanbyul did not bat an eyelid.

Following that, Jung Haseok received the mic.

“Jung Haseok here. It wasn’t just me. All the actors here did not hold themselves back when they shot the film. I’m sure you will not feel an ounce of boredom, so please enjoy.”

The third one to hold the mic was Han Haneul.

Only now did Baekhoon raise his camera that he had not been using before. He could see Han Haneul wearing a loose-fit shirt through the viewfinder.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Han Haneul. Please enjoy the movie and say lots of good things about it.”

Her clean teeth which were revealed as she smiled faintly while putting down the microphone were charming.

Journalists who look at a person rather than their popularity must have noticed Han Haneul’s beauty. If they haven’t, then they did not have any talent as journalists.

Haneul quietly looked around. She was being mindful of making herself seen from all angles for the journalists.

Baekhoon also used this opportunity to shoot many photos.

Suddenly, he spotted a moment when Haneul’s eyes became minutely different. It was a kind of gaze that couldn’t be noticed without detailed observation.

He looked in the direction that Haneul was looking. It was where the general audience was standing.

Baekhoon discovered a man among the numerous people in the crowd. He instinctively knew that that man was the person Haneul was exchanging looks with.

He took a photo of that man with his camera. He felt like he had seen the man from somewhere, but nothing came to his mind at the moment.

A family member, a friend, or perhaps a lover. Among the three, Baekhoon thought that he was likely to be Haneul’s lover, the man that Jung Dawoon aimed for.

Baekhoon took a photo of that man a few more times before putting down the camera. Haneul was putting on an elegant face as though none of that just now had happened and looked forward.

The last one to receive the mic was the director. After director Lee Sooae’s introduction, the photo time finished as well.

Amidst the fans who kept shouting, ‘you’re pretty’, ‘you’re cool’, the actors walked past.

“The counter where you can exchange your invitations with tickets will be different according to your invitation, so please check the noticeboard before getting your tickets.”

Hearing the employee’s voice, the people started moving. Baekhoon went to the ticketing counter on the left side of the theater entrance with his invitation.

“Your invitation has been checked. Please take this gift and drink. Once you go to the entrance, another employee will guide you.”

It was a large-scale VIP premiere that rented out an entire multiplex. Although it was called VIP premiere in name, the ones who were treated like VIPs were only those invited to watch in the first theater. The talk with the actors only happened in the first theater after all.

Baekhoon sat in row F. He had a middle seat where he could see the screen well.

The A row was empty, and he could see journalists sitting down behind it. Those journalists should be from media outlets that were quite well-known. There was a considerable number of actors as well, who should be actors close to the cast.

“Designer, fancy seeing you here.”

A woman walking past him talked to him. She was an actress that modeled for his clothing brand once before.

Baekhoon responded with a nod.

“Yes, it has been quite a while.”

“You never called me after telling me that we should eat together last time. I’m rather sad.”

“I’m sorry. I was so busy that I wasn’t able to keep up with my personal appointments.”

“I’m sure you are since you’re doing clothes design, brand business, and even movies. But please do make some time for me.”

“I’ll definitely make some time to contact you.”

“Don’t forget this time.”

The woman smiled and walked past him. While she was a good actress and a splendid model, she did not enter his eyes right now. His interest was solely focused on Han Haneul.

Back during the photo shoot, he saw that she was complete as a model. Her expressions, poses, and even her atmosphere were flawless.

How would she be as an actress then? Baekhoon felt like he was going crazy because of his curiosity.

A few actors, journalists, and businesspeople recognized him and greeted him.

While he was returning the greetings politely, a big shot entered his eyes. He, who was greeting people while seated, stood up and walked towards the entrance.

“President.”

He walked up to president Lee Junmin, who was trying to quietly enter the theater. Lee Junmin stroked his glasses frame and spoke,

“If it isn’t director Na.”

He also ran an art gallery, so he was used to being called director. He cautiously grabbed the hand that Lee Junmin held out.

“I didn’t know I’d see you here. It’s been half a year since I saw you at the general meeting.”

“So it’s been that long already. I’ve been hearing a lot of news about you, director Na. How are the preparations for the movie going?”

“It’s been giving me headaches from the beginning, but I’m having so much fun that I don’t even feel the time passing.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard and go easy. Some of the directors I know were clicking their tongues when they found out that you’re making a movie. They’re thinking that you’re going to take over the movie industry too.”

“How much can a rookie movie director achieve? I’m just placing importance on the fact that I’m trying. How are you doing recently, president?”

“I’m the same as always. I do work and spend the rest of my time looking after my dogs.”

“That hasn’t changed.”

“The older I got, the more scared I became to try out new things. Oh, Ganghwan’s going to start working again.”

“So it’s been a year already. How is he? Do you think that he exhausted himself in the past year having fun?”

President Lee Junmin, who always maintained a poker face, frowned, saying that he was agonized. It seemed that Ganghwan’s chatterbox nature hadn’t changed.

“Looks like I should ignore any incoming calls for a while.”

“Avoid him as much as possible. I’m not sure if that will even work, though. Ganghwan talked about you, saying that you really listen to him quite well.”

“The single biggest mistake I made as a businessperson is becoming drinking friends with Ganghwan," Baekhoon said with a smile.

The person he thought of as a role model, both as an artist and as a businessman, was Lee Junmin.

The reason he didn’t stop at just being a designer and tried out various other forms of business was also the influence of president Lee Junmin.

If his ultimate objective was to discover the hidden beauties of the world and reveal them to the world, one of his trivial objectives was to compete with Lee Junmin.

Although it was obvious that he was going to lose, he could be satisfied just thinking that he once stood on the same level as him. No, if such a day ever arrived, he would feel honored.

While talking to president Lee Junmin, he realized that someone was standing a few steps behind the president. It was the man he had taken photos of ago a while back.

When he fixed his eyes on the man, president Lee Junmin also turned his head around. At that time, the man spoke,

“I was wondering if I saw the right person, and it was you, after all, president,” the man said as he came over.

He seemed to be acquainted with president Lee Junmin?

“You’re here too?”

President Lee Junmin spoke comfortably with the man, indicating that they were on close terms even in private. Just what kind of relationship would a man in his 20s have with the president….

Then, a name came to his mind. Baekhoon knew who that man was. He knew his name even.

At the beginning of the year, he watched the movie that this man appeared in three times at the cinema and twice after downloading it through his smart TV.

The man in front of him was the very man behind the character that he watched with admiration. The reason he wasn’t able to remember right away was because of the dramatic difference in appearance and atmosphere to ‘Gomchi.’

“I wonder if you know him, director Na. This is…”

Before the president finished his words, he reached out to the man first, speaking with glee and admiration.

“Mr. Han Maru, right? I’m Na Baekhoon, and I do various things.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Han Maru. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but are you perhaps the designer of Eterium….”

“Yes, I am. I’m happy that you know.”

Just as he was about to say a few more words, the lights on the ceiling were turned off. An employee came in and notified everyone that the movie was going to start soon.

“Let us talk later.”

He said goodbye to president Lee Junmin before returning to his seat. As he sat down, he put together the puzzle pieces in his head. If what he predicted was right, Han Maru and Han Haneul were dating.

He soon understood why Jung Dawoon was desirous of Han Maru. In terms of acting skills at least, Han Maru was exceptional and without equal among his peers. If he had a good nature on top of that, it wasn’t surprising that she wanted to steal him away.

He thought back to the acting that Han Maru showed in the movie. That man managed to display a dirty and evil man very meticulously. The character looked so complete that it was hard to think about Gomchi being played by some actor other than Han Maru.

The character was evil, but the process of showing it was the epitome of beauty. He could guarantee that Han Maru was an artist, just that his way of expression was through acting. He admired and loved actors who were also artists.

“I really can’t win against president Lee.”

The actors affiliated with JA were all so flawless. No, as they were human, they probably had some flaws, but they were actors who possessed the power to use their flaws to their advantage.

Han Maru and Han Haneul. These two were people who possessed the beauty that he pursued. They suited each other. It suddenly felt terrible that a mere Jung Dawoon tried to butt in between them and that he tried to help her do so.

If his predictions were wrong and the two didn’t have any sort of relationship, he even wanted to step in and tie the two together. How beautiful would the product of two perfections be? He found himself pleased just by imagining it.

A few of his friends that he talked about everything to always teased him saying that he was a pervert whose fetish was beauty. They were right to an extent. Well, it was at least great that it wasn’t some perverse lust that could be problematic.

After the commercial for the distribution company, the movie began.

He dearly wished that Han Haneul’s acting was above his expectations. After all, only then would he be able to see the ensemble of two perfect actors: Han Maru and Han Haneul.

Along with a gunshot sound, the screen brightened up. He focused on the movie.

* * *

The ceiling lights turned on and the ending credits started rolling. Lee Junmin uncrossed his arms and breathed out through his nose.

The acting, the set, the CG, the sound — everything was okay, except… for the story.

The story lost its drive further into the movie. It was a stereotypical movie that failed at balancing intensity.

There must have been some words about it during the internal premiere, but if this was the final result, then it was clear that there was a problem with it during the planning stage.

While the movie left him with many disappointments, there were many scenes that left a deep impression on him. Just that, it came as a surprise to him that it was a new actress that created those scenes. Han Haneul was an incredibly charming actress.

Junmin took out his phone and looked her up. Unfortunately, there was an agency she was contracted to.

After the ending credits were over, the actors came up on stage.

Director Lee Sooae’s expression was rather dark. She must have realized that there were a lot of insufficiencies in the movie.

“Well, then. There will be a talking session,” said the host.

Junmin quietly stood up. He couldn’t stay here until the end as he had a prior appointment. He left behind a short word of goodbye to director Na on his way out.

As he left through the exit, he looked at Han Haneul, who was holding the mic.

“I wonder how long there is left of her contract.”

He thought about some new work to give to head manager Choi as he left the cinema.

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