Chapter 31: 31

Having two handsome actors standing next to one another was not a common sight. As soon as they went up the stairs and stood in front of the photo backdrop, white camera flashes went off. People were speaking noisily at the same time, but at this moment, Woo-Jin could not hear anything. He thought that he would be fine because he had assumed that the experiences in his past lives would have prepared him enough for this, but it seemed like memories were nothing more than just that - memories. Seeing how he was feeling so nervous, and that his hands were trembling, it seemed as though only what he had experienced for himself was real.

“Mr. Chae Woo-Jin!”

Woo-Jin smiled as he turned his head towards the direction where his name was being called from. It was a subconscious reaction, but the reporters caught it right away and started calling out his name. Some of them called out Park Min’s name as well, but there were significantly more reporters who called out Woo-Jin’s name.

Woo-Jin also heard some of them asking him questions, but he simply smiled and looked into the camera. Before going to the event, his agency had thoroughly emphasized that if it was not an official interview, then he was not obligated to answer any of the reporters’ questions. Depending on the situation, saying thank you or that he would work hard was more than sufficient.

Shortly after, the other actors showed up and Woo-Jin stood in front of the photo backdrop once again with them. Only after taking a group photo with the main leads and supporting actors, with Director Moon in the middle, was Woo-Jin able to finally break free from the clutches of the cameras.

There were several reporters who wanted more time with him, but he simply bowed his head slightly and followed Director Moon as he walked off. He did not look haughty or arrogant; he looked very elegant and confident, causing a number of reporters to be in awe of him. But when Chae Woo-Jin and Director Moon entered the theater, their admiration turned into regret.

Thereafter, all the reporters who took photos of the other celebrities that had arrived tilted their heads to one side. All the celebrities who prided themselves on having their good looks seemed mediocre. Compared to Woo-Jin, they were just average-looking. With that in mind, a new title came to mind - Beauty Slayer! Contrary to Hwang Yi-Young’s expectations, Woo-Jin did not receive the title of ‘Korea’s most handsome man’; instead, he had received a rather unique title.

After entering the theater, Woo-Jin saw a familiar face. Woo-Jin and the female lead, Kang Hee-Joo, as well as the middle-aged actor who played the role of the loan shark boss, greeted one another delightfully. He had also greeted the main staff members as he shook hands with them. It had been a long time since they had seen each other, but they had developed a strange sense of camaraderie during the intense and arduous week-long shoot, thus playing a role in this happy reunion. The phrase, ‘Overthrow Park Min’, was still relevant.

“Can I really sit here?” Once again, Woo-Jin asked as he sat to the left of Director Moon. Sitting to the right of Director Moon, Kang Hee-Joo nodded and gestured to him to sit down.

“Mr. Park Min will sit next to me, so you can sit there. Director Moon must be very happy to be sitting in the middle of a handsome man and a beautiful woman,” said Kang Hee-Joo.

“The handsome man is here but where’s the beautiful woman you talked about?”

“Director!” Kang Hee-Joo rolled her eyes, but it was not because she was upset by what the director had said.

No matter what sort of comments she received today, she couldn't help but be in high spirits. After watching the film at the press preview screening, she had regained her confidence to some extent. Even though nobody could guarantee how well the movie would be received until it was finally released, the huge amount of favorable reviews and high anticipation of the movie becoming a box office hit made it so that regardless of what she heard, her excitement wouldn’t die down.

“By the way, ever since you’ve joined DS, you’ve truly become so good-looking that I couldn’t recognize you.”

In response to what Kang Hee-Joo said, Director Moon, who had been complimenting Woo-Jin on his good looks every time he saw him, defended Woo-Jin on his behalf instead.

“Woo-Jin has always been good-looking.”

“We have to be honest though. He might have been handsome back then but he wasn’t as handsome as he is now. Seeing Mr. Woo-Jin now, I truly lucked out. We shot the movie together when he was less attractive, and thanks to that, I don’t look bad next to him.”

Seeing Kang Hee-Joo clasping her hands in delight, Woo-Jin asked her in a serious tone, “Was I really less attractive back then?”

“You didn’t know that all this time, sir?” Seeing how Woo-Jin reacted in such a serious manner, Kang Hee-Joo responded politely to him, but it was just a joke with no significance.

If one were to compare Woo-Jin’s past self to his current self, he was definitely less attractive back then. However, it would be a different story altogether if one were to compare Woo-Jin’s past self to most people in their prime.

“If someone who wasn’t attractive changes, then isn’t it obvious?” Park Min spoke sarcastically, interrupting the conversation. He had entered the theater slightly after them and was sitting down at his seat. As someone who had always been at the center of attention, he felt bitter due to the sense of alienation he had experienced today.

“What is obvious? I don’t know what you’re trying to say.”

“I don’t know either. Do you know what he’s referring to, Woo-Jin?”

“If there was a change, I think that skincare treatments must have played a part.” Woo-Jin, who had always been serious, thought carefully before answering this time as well.

It was true that his features had always been the same, and if he had to pick out any differences in his face, then he could only point out that his skin had improved tremendously. As a result, all the praises went to his beauty technician. Truth be told, the fact that his overall style had become more refined and classy, coupled with the systematic self-care routines, played a huge role, but he didn’t feel that this was an appropriate time to be listing them out.

“His skin has certainly improved. His facial features are the same, but his face is glowing.” When Kang Hee-Joo became equally serious and chimed in, Woo-Jin started complimenting his beauty technician. It piqued Kang Hee-Joo’s interest and she asked for more information. In the midst of them going back and forth, Park Min ended up being disregarded once again.

“By the way, I noticed that you didn’t say hello to me, your senior in this field, when you saw me. Considering that we acted in the same movie, aren’t you being too haughty?” Park Min smiled thinly as he threw a jab at Woo-Jin. At first glance, he looked like an actor who was very considerate and kind to his juniors. That was because cameras were everywhere and there was no telling what they would capture.

“Ah! Come to think of it, I really didn’t greet you. I didn’t want to come off as overly friendly and overstep my boundaries since you’re very famous. Also, I realized that I haven’t officially introduced myself since you weren’t there when I was shooting on set. I am Chae Woo-Jin.”

Chae Woo-Jin stood up and bowed with a smile on his face that was even brighter than Park Min’s. He was polite, but not servile; he looked genuinely happy to meet him – there was nothing to nitpick.

“Alright.” Park Min responded curtly and turned his head back to the front.

Kang Hee-Joo then criticized him, “If a junior greeted you, shouldn’t you, as the senior, reciprocate it?”

“Is there anybody in Korea who doesn't know my name?”

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“Then you should have told him to introduce himself instead of greeting you from the get go. For a senior figure, you’re not very kind. I’m guessing you’re aging physically but not mentally.”

Even though they were exchanging insults, both of them had an extremely friendly look on their faces as they smiled brightly. They kept their voices as low as possible and barely opened their lips to the extent that it almost seemed as though they were ventriloquists to the people around them.

“I guess only your face is aging because you have so many wrinkles.”

“My brain has more wrinkles in comparison. People call it aging wisely and gracefully. What do you think? Don’t you want to learn a thing or two from me?”

Park Min used rationality to control himself and suppress his anger that rose instantly, holding himself back from lashing out.

“Should I say something, or should I stay silent…”

Park Min felt that Kang Hee-Joo shouldn’t have butted into his conflict with Woo-Jin, and he was unhappy with the fact that Kang Hee-Joo kept talking back casually to him, despite being younger than him, just because she was his senior in the field. Just as Park Min was about to chew her out, Woo-Jin interrupted and said to Kang Hee-Joo with gleaming eyes, “Are those Shuel shoes?”

“Yeah, these are handmade shoes that I’ve commissioned. They’re pretty, right?”

“These were designed by my mother.”

“Oh my! Really?”

Because Kang Hee-Joo turned her body to speak with Woo-Jin, Park Min no longer had anyone to talk to. He could have continued talking to her back, but he gave up and was forced to turn his head and face the front, but the bitterness in him continued to linger. The people around him, on his left and right, treated him as though he did not exist.

Even though it was obvious that Park Min was being excluded and that nobody wanted to socialize with him, nobody said anything about it either. The first reason was that the crew and cast were sitting in the row in front of them. Another reason was that the other celebrities and important people in the industry that were sitting behind them were busy looking at Chae Woo-Jin, so they were not paying attention to Park Min’s situation.

The birth of a new star has always been mysterious, and piqued people’s interest. This was the starting point of a star’s rise to fame, which could be a happy thing for some people, but a threat to others. Nobody knew whether it would be extinguished like a candle, or become an explosion of light that happened right before the birth of a star.

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On the other hand, Park Min did not care about the birth of a star at all; he felt that he himself was not suited for the movie industry. He felt that there were too many crazy people in the film industry, and had concluded it would be beneath someone as refined as him to work in an inferior industry.

The movie started screening, and after a runtime of 130 minutes, Woo-Jin felt as though he had returned from a different world. That was because he felt like he was loan shark A as he watched the movie. A’s screen time was a lot longer than what Woo-Jin had expected as most of the footage used were not edited. That’s why it was easier to keep up with A’s emotions, and even after the movie had ended, it was difficult for him to remove himself from those emotions.

When the movie was over, he subconsciously clapped his hands as he was swept up to the front by the people around him. Even when they were on the stage, Woo-Jin continued to sit to Director Moon’s left. Woo-Jin’s mind was blank even as he held onto the microphone that was handed by the staff to every single person on the stage.

“Although it’s true that we faced a lot of difficulties while shooting the movie, there were also fun times. That’s probably the reason why I continue to make movies and haven’t been able to leave this industry. I would like to express my gratitude to all the actors and staff members who have worked hard with one another for six months, and I hope that everybody who watches our movie will be happy.”

Director Moon Seung-Kwon, who picked up the microphone first, ended his brief address with a classic but typical remark. He glanced at Kang Hee-Joo, signaling that it was her turn to speak. Usually in places like this, it was best to add another line and close off with well wishes. Kang Hee-Joo also repeated what she had said in the previous preview screening, albeit modifying it a little.

“I am Kang Hee-Joo and I played Ara in the movie. As you may have known, I was at a major crossroads shooting this movie. Instead of immersing myself in the role during the shoot, I was more concerned about whether this movie would become a hit or what if it turned out to be a flop again. That’s why I was unable to thoroughly get into Ara’s character at first and struggled a lot, but I managed to overcome it with the help of the director and the staff. I would also like to thank my fellow actors who had watched quietly from the side and waited for me to get out of the rut.”

Kang Hee-Joo exchanged eye contact with the people around her as she expressed her gratitude. Park Min, who was the next person to speak, curled his lips as looked at her.

“Indeed, you had a hard time back then,” Park Min said, as he played it off as a joke while crinkling his eyes. However, she could not get mad at him. She thought about how absurd those words were since they were coming from the person who put her through hell because of his acting. Nonetheless, Park Min was not done talking.

“The reason why Miss Kang Hee-Joo struggled so much, which was uncharacteristic of her, was because one of the scenes that was shot early in the production had to be reshot all over again. But thanks to that, we were able to create such a wonderful movie. The hard work was worth it.”

Park Min cleverly revealed to the public that she had to reshoot her scene with Chae Woo-Jin, and phrased it in a way that made it seem as though he himself was the one reshooting the scene. In truth, he had not been there, so he did not know the reason behind the reshoot. Park Min, who had only heard about it later on, had weirdly twisted the truth.

As for the truth, by phrasing it that way, he made Kang Hee-joo the topic of discussion today first. It would be even better if it led to some controversy and criticisms about her acting skills. In any case, even if this movie was a flop, he had been casted in a huge drama, and was currently preparing for it. Unlike movies, he had always felt at home with dramas, and they had always been successful. It was better for him to abandon the film industry than waste his efforts by giving it another shot.

Park Min quickly turned his head around. He concluded that even if he was not at the center of the topic of discussion today, it would not be a bad thing to sacrifice others and make them look bad. He felt that it was better for the spotlight to be on Kang Hee-joo, rather than having himself being constantly compared to or mentioned with the rookie, whose name he did not even know. If she was painted in a bad light, then it couldn’t get any better.

Because Park Min had been smiling and playing everything off as a joke the entire time, Kang Hee-Joo could not get mad at him. She could only laugh. Since she was the one who said something first, it was too late for her to say anything now. Furthermore, it was true that she had struggled in the beginning of the production, so she did not know whether she should deny it or not.

After Park Min had finished his speech, it was the other supporting actors’ turn to address the crowd. They praised the production crew, as well as the female lead, Kang Hee-joo, adequately. They looked like they were in a rush to do some damage control and neutralize what Park Min had said earlier. On the other hand, the culprit who lit the fire was carefree and relaxed. Besides, he had achieved his intended reactions and ambience, so he was acting as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

Finally, it was Woo-Jin’s turn. Except for Park Min, everyone turned to look at him. Anybody who had seen the movie would know how deadly and charming Chae Woo-Jin was in Death Hill. The moment he appeared on the screen, they would become so focused and into the movie that it was breathtaking. However, strangely enough, he was not the only one who shone on-screen. His character permeated throughout the entire movie in a very natural manner and did not stand out alone. He made the other actors shine at the same time.

Kang Hee-Joo’s acting was consistently good throughout the movie, but when she was in the same frame as Chae Woo-Jin, she looked especially lovely and feminine. She had also naturally showed off her charm in response to the acting of Chae Woo-Jin, someone who genuinely loved Ara.

When the characters were in the same scene as Chae Woo-Jin, their acting was accentuated. The loan shark boss became more vicious than anyone else, and his co-workers and subordinates became underhanded at times, and were sometimes loyal at other times. A person who stood out in real life would not be the only one who shone alone in the movie; he would complement other people and make them shine too. Thus, his acting became even more meaningful. People who had personally worked with a typical actor like Park Min, who tried to shine alone in real life and in movies, knew how difficult that was.

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