小火星

“Are you joking?”

The male reporter shrugged. The female reporter, who had been staring at him for a moment, furrowed her brows and then let out a laugh.

“If you were trying to make me laugh, you succeeded. That’s the most ridiculous joke I’ve heard this year.”

Treating it as a joke. It was understandable. Miley Cara was already an ultra-level star, counted among the top five globally. Moreover, she dominated both fields of acting and singing. In fact, her recently released new album was currently smashing the Billboard charts. Who would believe that such an influential superstar would suddenly appear in a Korean production?

However, the male reporter repeated his statement, unshaken.

“Sorry to disappoint, Peggy, but I wasn’t trying to make you laugh.”

"Then what is it? Why are you saying such nonsense? I\'m busy."

The male reporter held up a tablet in one hand and handed it to her.

"I also think it\'s nonsense, but for some reason, rumors about Miley Cara are spreading rapidly on Korean sites and SNS."

“......”

The smile vanished from the female reporter’s face as her brows knitted again. She then lowered her gaze to the tablet she had taken. There were translated Korean articles and posts the male reporter had pulled from SNS. Most of them were uploaded by Cara’s fans. The titles of the Korean articles read as follows:

『Unexpected \'Beneficial Evil\' filming photos show \'Miley Cara\'! Confirmed appearance due to connection with Kang Woojin?』

Most of the articles the male reporter had gathered carried similar headlines. Moreover, the SNS posts by Cara’s fans echoed the contents of the articles. Though the phrasing varied slightly, the central idea was the same.

Is Miley Cara participating in a Korean production?

Scanning through the contents, the female reporter brushed back her permed hair again. This time, her demeanor was serious. Soon, the male reporter added an explanation.

“I haven’t verified all of it, but Korean SNS and communities are buzzing with this topic. However, since it just recently surfaced, Hollywood is still quiet.”

“......I\'m confused. What’s the reason for these sudden rumors?”

In response to her question, the male reporter swiped a finger across the tablet screen in her hand. A photo, seemingly taken on set, appeared.

“This is the set of a Korean production called ‘Beneficial Evil’. The location was an overseas shoot in Bangkok. From what I found out, it’s being produced as a Netflix original. Anyway, this male actor here is Kang Woojin.”

“Kang Woojin- the one who won the Best Actor award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.”

“Yeah, and his acceptance speech, where he said something like ‘I’ll aim for the Academy Awards next year’, made you roll your eyes, Peggy.”

“I remember. Right after the Cannes Film Festival ended, there were tons of articles about him, and there’s already been a lot of talk about him in Hollywood.”

The male reporter, nodding as if he already knew, moved his index finger again.

“The reason the rumors are spreading is because of this blonde woman.”

“......She does look like Miley Cara.”

“This shot seems to have leaked and brought the matter to the surface. You know, Kang Woojin also participated in Miley Cara’s album this time. And back when she visited Korea, she appeared on Kang Woojin’s YouTube channel.”

“They were often seen together at Cannes this time, too.”

“Isn’t this a juicy story? I owe you one from last time, so I’ll give this to you, Peggy.”

The female reporter glanced again at the blonde woman on the tablet screen. Currently, Miley Cara was hot worldwide. While her appearance at Cannes had made headlines, the explosive reaction to her new album sweeping the Billboard charts played a major role.

In short, news about Miley Cara was guaranteed to sell well.

Soon, the female reporter, who had been standing, pulled out a chair and sat down. She opened the laptop she had closed earlier and turned to the male reporter, who had perched himself on the desk beside her.

“Kang Woojin, Miley Cara, and the title of that Korean production is ‘Beneficial Evil’, right?”

\'Beneficial Evil\' showed signs of spreading overseas.

Later.

The filming set of \'Beneficial Evil\', where Kang Woojin was present, had just 10 minutes left before standby. Around him, all his team members were engrossed in their phones. More precisely, they were checking the reactions that were simultaneously exploding in Korea and Japan.

"Oppa! \'Leech\' got 780,000 viewers! 780,000!!"

"That\'s crazy! How many did \'Island of the Missing\' get on its first day???"

"Around 700,000!"

"Whoa!! That\'s 80,000 more?!"

"Is \'Leech\' going to break another all-time record?!"

"Wow- even with the Cannes Film Festival promotional power, 780,000 on a weekday... that\'s insane."

"What about \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\'? Any numbers for \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\' yet?"

Kang Woojin, who had been pretending not to listen, solemnly chimed in.

"880,000."

The stylist and other team members’ excitement turned into full-blown frenzy.

"880,000!!! That’s more than the first day! Huh?? But, Oppa, how do you even know that?"

"I got a call."

"Wow! 880,000! This is an unprecedented number! Japanese media was talking bullshit about how \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\' would fail! Serves them right!"

"Hey, even so, saying \'bullshit\' is a bit..."

"No, seriously, reading their articles made me so pissed off!"

Both \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\' and \'Leech\' were producing insane results side by side. Until yesterday, only \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\' was breaking records, but today, both films were soaring to new heights. The audience counts of 880,000 and 780,000 were more than enough to shatter records in both countries.

At that moment,

"Woojin-ssi!! Congratulations!!"

"Wow- the viewer numbers were really incredible??!"

Dozens of staff members from the \'Beneficial Evil\' production swarmed around the stoic Kang Woojin, showering him with congratulations and praise. Among them, some pointed out the truly remarkable aspect of the situation.

"I\'ve never seen or heard anything like this! It\'s crazy enough to have lead roles in films showing simultaneously in Korea and Japan, but both movies are also breaking viewer records!"

The common factor between the two films was that Kang Woojin was the lead.

For one actor to have films released simultaneously in two countries, with both smashing through the roof in performance, was completely unprecedented. Naturally, this was a first for both Korea and Japan. Kang Woojin had caused an unprecedented event in both nations.

The staff then began predicting an overwhelming future.

"If this keeps up, and both movies end up surpassing 10 million viewers, it’s going to be a super, super, super mega-hit, right?"

"Way more than that! Woojin-ssi will just become a legend!!"

Soon, everyone was bouncing with excitement in complete unison. Everyone except Kang Woojin.

"Seriously though, Woojin-ssi! How can you stay so calm after dropping such a huge bombshell?! You’re way too composed!!"

That wasn’t true. Kang Woojin had already done a wild little shoulder dance earlier. Of course, only internally, and a few minutes ago. Even now, he was brimming with a massive smile inside.

\'Hehe, ah, these corners of my mouth keep trying to rise up. Calm down, Kang Woojin. Stay calm.\'

He was desperately trying to cool his racing heart, but the domestic media wasn’t doing the same.

『[Issue Pick] Cannes Palme d’Or winner \'Leech\' garners 780,000 viewers on opening day… Dominates the box office!』

『\'Leech\' pulls in 780,000 on a weekday, surpassing the first-day numbers of \'Island of the Missing\' at 700,000!』

『“Cannes Man” Kang Woojin strikes again! \'Leech\' attracts 780,000 viewers on its opening day!』

As soon as \'Leech\'’s results were announced, media outlets flocked to report on it like a swarm of bees.

『“At this rate, it might surpass 20 million.” \'Leech\', which turned Cannes upside down, breaks records with 780,000 viewers on its first day.』

Even today, the second day of its release, \'Leech\' maintained its spot as #1 in advance ticket sales. Thus, articles bursting with all kinds of expectations were flooding in one after another.

『[Movie Talk] Opening day of 780,000 viewers, #1 in box office, showered with praise from audiences… Will Cannes Palme d’Or and Best Actor winner \'Leech\' make waves in Korea too?』

The media was at its peak, but public opinion was no less explosive. Clearly, the public’s expectations for \'Leech\' were astronomical. After all, it had swept through Cannes, and global heavyweights had heaped praise on the film. Usually, when expectations for a movie were sky-high, the disappointment would be equally great if it fell short.

However, audiences who watched \'Leech\' had no complaints.

"Ah- this is seriously amazing. I need to watch it again."

“The genre shift in the middle was insane, right? When Kang Woojin completely changed his expression.”

"I looked it up and apparently it\'s called Ripley syndrome. But seriously, isn\'t Kang Woojin crazy? His acting is just- divine."

“To be honest, I barely even noticed Sim Han-ho.”

“Agreed. I don’t think there’s an actor who can beat Kang Woojin in acting.”

Because they experienced pleasure that exceeded their expectations.

[「Leech」 / Released October 27, 2021]

[Rating: 9.5]

[Viewer and Netizen Reviews / 1,988 participants]

- The script, directing, acting, everything was amazing… gave me chills… / r****

- The moment Kang Woojin changes his expression after entering the mansion, the genre completely shifts / t****

- Ripley syndrome. Apparently, thanks to Instagram, most people have it these days, believing fiction to be reality? Anyway, Kang Woojin’s acting was incredible / f****

- I fully understand why Cannes gave this movie the Palme d’Or and why Kang Woojin won Best Actor / h****

- A subtly unsettling movie… / 4****

- A movie that speaks for itself and is something everyone should watch at least once in today’s world. Also, Kang Woojin is now, without a doubt, the best actor in Korea / a****

- It left me with lingering thoughts and gave me goosebumps. And then I deleted Instagram. / d****

- This movie uses Ripley syndrome to sharply criticize the issues of modern society. Director Ahn Ga-bok is a genius. / 6****

- ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ is Kang Woojin actually suffering from Ripley syndrome himself? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ/ b****

- Why is everyone showering it with praise? To me, it just looked like some moron tearing a family apart. / c****

- Had to change my underwear several times because of Kang Woojin\'s acting...he carried the whole thing / 1****

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In some ways, the local reactions to \'Leech\' and \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\' painted a stark contrast. \'Leech\' had been welcomed since before its release and was being celebrated after its debut, while \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\' had faced criticism and ridicule from production all the way through release.

Yet, the more \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\' was criticized, and the more insults and outrage it provoked, the bigger its box office numbers grew.

『850,000 + 880,000! \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\' surpasses 1.73 million viewers in just two days, maintaining its spot as #1 in advance ticket sales on its third day of release!』

『Are criticism and controversy turning into fuel? \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\' continues to break records despite a flood of harsh reviews.』

As this happened, mentions of Kang Woojin exploded. Actors, directors, the general public, and the media from both countries couldn’t stop talking about him. Both nations’ entertainment industries were completely turned upside down, but it didn’t end there.

『Headline from a major New York media outlet: “Kang Woojin, who declared war on the Academy Awards, has Miley Cara appearing in his upcoming project \'Beneficial Evil\'.”』

It seemed as though his influence was beginning to extend across the globe.

A few days later, Sunday, October 31. LA.

While the film industries in both Korea and Japan were in chaos, LA was relatively calm. In one of the mid-sized meeting rooms of a major film distribution company, one of the top five in the industry, a familiar elderly man was seated. Sitting in the middle of the ㄷ-shaped table, he exuded the aura of a seasoned master.

“......”

Silently gazing at the LA scenery outside the window was Director Ahn Ga-bok, still with his characteristic short white hair and wrinkled face. Of course, he wasn’t alone. Also present were the CEO and a few executives of the management company representing him, as well as an interpreter. Including Director Ahn, there were five people in total, all seemingly waiting for someone.

So, why was Director Ahn Ga-bok in LA instead of Korea?

And why now, of all times, when \'Leech\' had just premiered in Korea? It was an odd timing. Normally, with \'Leech\' being released domestically, Director Ahn should have been making appearances here and there for promotions and marketing. But instead, he was currently in Hollywood.

At that moment,

“Director.”

The slightly chubby CEO of the management company leaned toward Director Ahn Ga-bok and spoke in a low voice. Judging by his expression, he was excited but seemed to be suppressing it.

“\'Leech\'’s Saturday numbers just came in. 1.21 million, surpassing 4 million viewers in total after 4 days of release. Faster than \'Island of the Missing\'."”

“Hmm.”

Director Ahn Ga-bok let out a brief hum and then asked back.

“What about \'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger\'?”

"That one\'s advancing even more unstoppably than us."

At that moment,

-Click!

The closed meeting room door opened, cutting off the management company CEO’s words. Soon after, four foreigners, each with a distinct appearance, entered the room one after another. As the foreigners came in, everyone, including Director Ahn Ga-bok, paused their conversation and stood up to exchange handshakes and brief greetings.

“It’s an honor, Director Ahn Ga-bok. Once again, congratulations on winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.”

“Seeing you break Cannes traditions to win the award was truly impressive.”

“Thank you.”

About 10 minutes later,

-Swoosh.

After exchanging appropriate greetings and engaging in a bit of small talk, everyone took their seats. Then, among the group of foreigners sitting across from Director Ahn Ga-bok, a bald man wearing glasses, who appeared to be in his 60s, spoke to him in English. His tone was filled with sincerity.

"Director, we want to entrust you with the megaphone for our film."

It was an offer for Ahn Ga-bok to direct a Hollywood film.