When I Opened My Eyes I Was a Superstar - Chapter 128
# 128
New Goal (3)
***
#S.
Jeong-hwan pushed Hyo-won into a corner of the classroom and inflicted extreme violence on her.
In the end, Hyowon is unable to overcome the violence and loses his mind. Jeong-hwan comes to his senses when he sees Hyo-won bleeding and breathing weakly.
But too much has already happened. There is no turning back.
Jung-hwan, who was staring blankly at Hyowon with his eyes closed, cannot overcome his anger and roars, hitting the locker with a desk chair on one side of the classroom.
In the roar of Jeonghwan.
The janitor guarding the school came running and smashed the lockers, scattering fragments of the chair.
At that time, blood began to flow from Dowook’s cheek. It wasn’t a planned scene. However, the camera did not miss the sight and did a close-up.
#S.
Jeonghwan is walking along the railing on the rooftop at a brisk pace.
If you stretch your foot to the left, if you stretch your foot to the right inside the rooftop… it’s dizzying.
Trees line the streets of a deserted street.
The leaves are shaking, and a red sunset, like the sunset I saw with Hyowon one day, is coloring the sky.
Jeonghwan slowly closes his eyes and takes a step forward while looking at the scene.
The ending cuts and blurs the vision.
THE END.
As the subtitles appeared and the screen went dark, people in the theater stood up one by one and began to applaud.
Director Yoon Seong-ah and Park Hyo-won and Do-wook, who were also present, stood up as they received a standing ovation. When they looked back, they saw numerous people clapping for them.
Most of them were local people, and there were many who, like Dowook, flew in from various countries to enjoy the Cannes Film Festival.
Receiving applause from people with different eye and hair color than Koreans aroused a strange feeling.
These were people with whom I could not communicate except by saying hello.
It was so amazing that they were so impressed by the Korean work called ‘Blue Whale’ that they gave a thumbs up and clapped.
“The response…”
“Is it really good? Wow….”
As Do-wook muttered with emotion, director Seong-ah Yoon continued. But of course, neither of them could continue speaking.
The sensuous visuals and direction of “The Blue Whale” overwhelmed the audience at the Debussy Hall.
Although it was a story about Korean teenagers, the anxiety and violence of adolescence was something that anyone in other countries could fully understand.
Both the narrative and the acting of the director and actors were harmonious. The inexperience in using lighting was often noticed by sophisticated experts, but even that could be interpreted as a crude metaphor of adolescence.
Since the other parts were so great, the shortcomings did not appear to be disadvantages.
The applause continued for over 10 minutes. There were some who believed that the standing ovation at Cannes was actually a custom. This was because most of the dozens of films at the Cannes Film Festival received standing ovations.
It also expressed the filmmakers attending the Cannes Film Festival’s love for movies and their respect for the film crew. First of all, it also meant that it had already been verified that the film was selected for the Cannes film festival.
But most were not all. Sometimes, when a movie was shown that did not appeal to the audience, there was no standing ovation at all, and even if there was, it was only about 3 minutes out of courtesy.
Therefore, it was difficult to view applause lasting more than 10 minutes as a practice. Heartfelt praise was evident in the eyes of those applauding.
It was a successful response to the point of certainty. The three people were thrilled to have released a film that would satisfy the eyes of sophisticated audiences.
‘To come to this place…’
Do-wook thought absently as he looked at the people and heard the sound of applause ringing in his ears.
‘It feels like I’ve climbed halfway up a mountain. It felt like I was heading towards the summit, which was hidden from view by clouds. I can’t easily predict anymore…’
I thought I had reached a certain level, but somehow I felt further away.
But it wasn’t an unpleasant distant feeling. Like this unexpected place. My expectations were greater. Of course, it wasn’t that there were no worries. Nevertheless, the reason my expectations were greater than my anxiety was because I was prepared to work harder.
A local response came immediately. Distributors from more than 10 countries in the United States and Europe expressed interest in “Blue Whale.” Although it had been planned to be screened overseas to some extent since coming to Cannes, there was even more interest.
An interview request came in from the local media.
Director Yoon Seong-ah, Park Hyo-won, and Do-wook, along with an interpreter assigned by the production company, also conducted interviews with local media outlets.
‘Daily’, a leading French daily newspaper, also requested an interview.
Interest in ‘Blue Whale’ was stronger than expected. These were three people who had no idea that they would get such a positive response, even though it wasn’t a competitive category.
In particular, there was a lot of interest in Dowook. The interviewing reporter’s eyes sparkled and he asked Dowook several questions.
Various articles also made sure to mention Do-wook’s acting along with the sensuous visual beauty of “Blue Whale.”
Various expressions were attached to Do-wook’s name, such as ‘the tension coming from black eyes that seem to get sucked in’, ‘charm like a black hole’, and ‘a boy from Korea who you can’t take your eyes off of’.
After completing interviews with local media, the last schedule the three had in Cannes was none other than a live interview schedule on MyTube.
This was the schedule proposed by Hit Entertainment, Do-wook’s agency and the second investment in Blue Whale.
In Korea, “Blue Whale” had only been shown for two weeks. Even though Do-wook appeared, he did not have ticket power as a movie actor, and due to the nature of the movie genre, it was not able to mobilize a large audience.
Although it was not a commercial film, it would have been good for the investor to somehow get more profit.
Because it received favorable reviews at the Cannes Film Festival, promotions were planned to be accelerated for the remaining period. There have been cases where films received good reviews at foreign film festivals and in turn became popular domestically.
The MyTube live interview was planned as part of such promotion.
Although it was called an interview, there was no separate reporter and all the three people did was exchange questionnaires and talk in a comfortable atmosphere.
Not only the fans of “Blue Whale” that emerged from domestic screenings, but also a significant number of Do-wook’s fans logged onto MyTube to watch the live broadcast.
“hello!”
“hello.”
The MyTube live broadcast began with three people waving their hands at the camera.
Filming took place outdoors. The equipment was installed on the roof of a tall building next to the Debussy Building. Below the rooftop, low buildings and a sea of spaces were spread out.
Dowook was wearing a light blue shirt. Wearing a bright-colored shirt, his hair comfortably disheveled, and sunglasses on to avoid the sun, Dowook’s appearance was shining again today.
Because it was broadcast live on MyTube, the fans’ reactions were relayed to the three people in real time.
Director Yoon Seong-ah stuttered as he read the fans’ reactions on the screen.
“Oppa Do-wook… he’s so handsome. Wow…. There are a lot of people here saying that Do-wook is handsome.”
“No, the actor who played Hyowon here did a good job. “There are things I do, but the director only reads them.”
“Park Hyowon, you know you can’t swear here, right?”
Director Yoon Seong-ah and Park Hyo-won bickered while looking at the screen.
“You two are very close. “Thank you for the compliment that I’m handsome.”
Dowook happily resolved the relationship between the two.
“Thank you so much for loving Blue Whale! Everyone who watched this has seen our movie, right? Our movie… is fun. “Did you enjoy it?”
“haha. Mr. Dowook! “It seems like you’re forcing it!”
Director Yoon Seong-ah stopped Do-wook, but Do-wook shook his head and muttered confidently.
“It’s true that it’s fun.”
Park Hyo-won smiled and said as if it was fun.
“That’s right. “The acting was very good.”
“Wow, these two actors are so….sigh?”
“Can I use that word, Director?”
When Park Hyo-won sharply pointed out Director Yoon Seong-ah, Director Yoon Seong-ah racked his brain to find another word for ‘jakkeok’. Meanwhile, Dowook answered on his behalf.
“Confidence! Right, Hyowon?”
“Yes!”
Park Hyo-won and Do-wook suddenly got along well.
Dowook was in a very good mood due to the enthusiastic local response. Of course, not only Dowook but everyone else did the same. However, considering Dowook’s usually calm personality, it was easy to notice that he was in a very high state right now.
Even when something good happened, Do-wook would instead smile brightly rather than laugh out loud. As Do-wook smiled and waved his hands almost like a child, the MyTube channel was about to explode.
-Do-wook oppa, I feel good^^??
-Why does Kang Do-wook seem to be in such a good mood? Haha, he looks like he’s manic haha
– Khan… Kang Do-wook is also… made to dance…
– Aren’t the members sad? Haha I guess he’s close with Do-wook’s brother, actor Park Hyo-won haha
– It’s nice to see that the three of you seem to be close friends haha
– There’s a reason why movies do well..!!!
-Hello!! uki oppa!!
-Director Yoon Seong-ah! You are a beauty~!
-I went to Cannes, so please say hello in French!
-Please say just one line from Blue Whale!!!
-Do-wook oppa, please curse at me!! You’re really good at cursing, but do you usually swear a lot? LOL
– Aggroㄴㄴ
– What’s going on with Park Hyo-won’s next project? I’ve been a fan for a long time.
-How do you feel about going to Cannes? Is the air in Cannes a little different?!
“How do you feel about coming to Cannes? Can you see the sea here? “The weather is so nice… both the weather and the people seem to welcome us… I love it!”
Dowook spread his arms wide, lifted the camera, and showed the view of the sea outside the rooftop.
Do-wook, a former idol, was bound to be more natural and skilled at communicating with these fans. As Do-wook took the lead and responded proactively, director Seong-ah Yoon and Hyo-won Park also continued their talk more comfortably.
“Park Hyo-won, do you have any plans for your next project?”
When Do-wook asked a question like a reporter, Park Hyo-won answered.
“Not yet. “There are a few places that contact me… but I hope there will be more in the future.”
“As expected of a greedy senior.”
Director Yoon Seong-ah laughed at Do-wook’s words and read one of the questions that quickly rose up.
“Greetings in French… Bonjour? haha. This is all I have. “Do any of you speak French?”
Park Hyo-won made an X with both arms.
“I can’t even speak English properly. “No, not even Korean yet.”
“Hmm… I’m not saying hello, but.”
Dowook seemed to be a little worried and then opened his mouth. I wanted to leave an impressive interview video, and before making such calculations, I had a spontaneous idea. It was because it felt that good.
At that time, Director Oh Baek-ho, who was watching the interview behind the camera, received a call from Koo Cheol-min from Korea.
“What’s going on?”
“You didn’t check the manager’s message…”
“Do-wook is broadcasting live right now. What’s going on? “Is it urgent?”
“Oh, that’s not it. I’ve received a casting request and I feel like I need confirmation urgently.”
“Public relations? What a shame. “I won’t schedule anything other than the awards ceremony schedule.”
“This is the awards ceremony schedule…”
The awards ceremony schedule had already been confirmed. This was when Director Oh Baek-ho was about to ask what he meant.
Dowook’s sweet singing voice echoed across the rooftop.
Even if you couldn’t understand the meaning, it was a beautiful song just by pronunciation. The note was a famous chanson that everyone knew.
It was ‘La Vie En Rose’.