When a movie is released, the actors get busy as well.
We have to attend previews.
In our movie’s case, there is an exclusive stakeholders’ screening three days before the release, and a public preview one day before the opening at Myeongdong Cinema Hall.
It was quite an important event as it was the first time our film would be evaluated by stakeholders and the public alike.
And for this preview event, Ellie joined us all the way from the U.S.
“Hi~ Siwoo.”
“…Ellie?”
“Yoo-a! Luna!”
“Wait, why are you here?”
As the teaser was released, the interest in Ellie, the star of the first teaser, skyrocketed immensely also due to her impressive background as the leader of a Hollywood stunt team known to many.
Not only that, she was a striking actress with incredible action skills.
The publicity agency, which throws everything it has for success, requested Ellie’s attendance at the preview to create more buzz, and upon accepting this request, Heavenly Yuah contacted and invited Ellie in the U.S.
It would have been difficult if she had other schedules, but she was on hiatus, so she graciously agreed to come to Korea.
I, who wasn’t privy to all these details, was indeed quite surprised by her sudden appearance.
“Missed you, Yoo-a. You’re still as cute as ever, Luna.”
Ellie, who decided to stay with our company until the preview, greeted me with a bright smile and a handshake before rushing to Heavenly Yuah and Moon Suyeon, hugging them passionately.
She really is a consistent woman.
I’ve long known that she’s more interested in these two than me.
And these two who absorb her attention in stride are no ordinary people either.
“Did you invite Ellie?”
“Yes, it’s an important movie. We need to throw everything we can.”
“Anyway, she’s not a rival, so there’s no real reason to guard against her.”
“She’s actually quite pure too.”
“She’s not a bad choice to have around.”
“Anyhow, we have to win…”
“Hehehe…”
Heavenly Yuah’s determination to bring Ellie for the movie’s success is definitely commendable.
But, I can’t help but feel a bit uneasy, can I?
Surely, it’s not because she promised to fulfill a request of mine if we get more viewers than Revenge, is it?
Pfft, it’s not worth worrying about so much.
It’s just some absurd speculation, but I’ll just assume both of them are working hard for the film’s success.
Though Ellie is just Ellie, it’s quite impressive that these two didn’t react much against Ellie’s particular preferences, which they know about.
This side seems to feel that if she’s not a competitor, it’s not really a big deal.
I guess that could be possible with these two, considering their past in Martial Forest.
By our world’s standards, such cool attitudes might be hard to understand.
But from our perspective, it’s quite familiar.
In New Religion and Hao Moon, same-sex couples were more common than one would think.
In some male-exclusive groups, female couples were even the norm.
Moreover, in places like the U.S., same-sex marriage has become legal.
“Eh, she’s just a good friend personally, so getting to know each other appropriately may mutually benefit. Ellie is also starting her acting career for real.”
It may feel a bit too quick to reunite so coolly, but since I have a good impression of Ellie as well, I didn’t feel particularly bad about it.
“Oh, ¡Qué padre! Is there a pool in the company?”
“Ah, yeah, it’s there.”
“Awesome.”
“Well, but are you really planning to stay here?”
“It’s fine if Yoo-a says so. Why would I refuse? Staying with Yoo-a and Luna, why would I say no?”
“Yeah, that’s true, but…”
Ellie decided to stay in our company for about five days until the preview event was over, without securing separate accommodations.
When I asked why, it was because of security issues.
While it’s possible to deploy our guards for protection, it’s safest to just stay here if she agrees.
But since she likes it so much, there’s no real need to look elsewhere.
“She’s our guest. We need to ensure her safety and send her back safely.”
“It doesn’t seem like there will be any big problems.”
“Still, her striking appearance could cause issues if her pictures suddenly go viral.”
“That’s true.”
Well, it doesn’t matter.
She seems to actually enjoy it here.
“Siwoo, Yoo-a said she’ll get Ashbloom concert tickets for me.”
“Oh, is she?”
“For goodness’ sake, a live Ashbloom concert? Yoo-a really is a good person.”
“I think Su-yeon might have gotten the tickets rather than Yoo-a.”
“Is that so? Cutie Luna, allez-view~”
“You’re still as consistent as ever.”
This Korean trip feels like a holiday to Ellie.
After wrapping up our schedule, she’ll directly experience the live concert of Ashbloom, the top Korean idol girl group featuring Ji Seo-eun, with whom I worked in my first project, before heading back to the U.S.
Given how immersed in K-pop and K-dramas Ellie is, it makes sense she’s a fan of Ashbloom.
“Isn’t there anything for Hayoung?”
“Ah, Pentaring. They’re a hot group too, but still lack power.”
“Is that so?”
“Most importantly, she’s your brother, Siwoo.”
“So?”
“You don’t mess with a friend’s family. It only ruins the sense of loyalty.”
Ellie, who was quite aggressive with Heavenly Yuah and Moon Suyeon, seemed to have little interest in my younger sister, but her answer to my question was rather subtle.
I don’t fully understand, but it’s clear Pentaring still has a long way to go.
Spoiled brat.
Though she thinks she’s established her foothold, she still has much to grow.
Ellie’s impartial evaluation of that spoiled girl confirms that she’s indeed a good person.
*
Ellie, who temporarily stayed at Flame, is enjoying her time.
Having a naturally sociable personality, she quickly became friends with the bodyguards.
Especially with Selly, whom she already met at a filming location in LA, she’s now almost like lifelong friends.
By the way, isn’t Selly also somewhat bisexual?
If so, the grand collaboration of Selly (a Slavic topless enthusiast) on the left and Ellie (a Latin triple-player) on the right is enough to make one’s head spin.
“On top of that, it’s already a battlefield over there.”
According to Heavenly Yuah, from the first day, it’s been like Asura’s chaos.
Our company’s swimming pool has a designated time only for women.
When Selly couldn’t break her habit of going topless, Heavenly Yuah had to reluctantly assign a so-called Happy Time.
In fact, Heavenly Demon also had the peculiar habit of practicing in the nude.
Maybe following that memory, lately Heavenly Yuah also seems to quietly enjoy topless swimming.
As Selly started working with Moon Suyeon as her coordinator, the two got closer, and at times, Moon Suyeon also enjoys swimming freely.
What did they say? When you’re always pressed down, your chest gets tight?
Looking at it objectively, her size was indeed constrictive, so I’m just pretending not to notice.
Ellie wouldn’t just let such a golden opportunity pass.
As far as I heard, after becoming an honorary member of the topless club, she has been showing off her unique presence.
No serious problems occurred, but it has been quite bustling.
“Well-intentioned, but…”
“That’s why it’s more frightening.”
Although I don’t know exactly what happened, it’s clear that Heavenly Yuah and Moon Suyeon are being thoroughly outplayed by Ellie.
This might be a natural predator-prey relationship.
It seems much harder for these two, who are used to dealing with hostility, to handle Ellie’s friendliness.
“Revenge’s stakeholders preview…”
While chaos was breaking out in the company, Revenge’s stakeholders’ screening was successfully completed.
It was a highly anticipated blockbuster expected to cost several hundred billion won, so stakeholders were reportedly very enthusiastic.
The earlier opening on their side is likely to take advantage of that special opportunity.
Of course, we’re not sitting idly by.
We matched their press coverage by tying our movie with Revenge and code number: 7 in a rivalry set strategy.
The idea was that as our rival grew, we would grow accordingly.
In fact, making the pie larger this way wasn’t a loss for them either, so no significant interference came, and we’re slowly accumulating small advantages.
“Still, we did plant some landmines.”
We couldn’t just stand aside while Revenge’s screening took place.
I heard we had our journalists add some spices.
They were especially serious about stirring up Taekyu’s fandom.
Taekyu might have a cheerful personality, but by scratching at his weakness of being cast in roles without lines, we slowly began to get some reactions.
Surely, Taekyu’s fans would understand that this is an abnormal situation.
Unaware of this environment, Director Sun Juhong might have treated Taekyu like just another prop, but this isn’t something to be taken lightly.
After all, idol fandoms can actively engage in rating terrorism if they don’t like something.
Even without that, if Taekyu’s fandom actively boycotts the movie, you can expect attendance to drop by at least a few hundred thousand.
We’re clearly going to receive support from the Phantom fans of Pentaring, so this could make a meaningful difference.
-A grandmaster presenting a new paradigm of Korean noir cinema, Director Sun Juhong.
-Korean noir’s history will be divided before and after Revenge.
-Perfect direction, fantastic acting. The greatest masterpiece of the second half of the year, Revenge.
Regardless of our outside struggles, most experts gave high praise to Revenge.
Though Sun Juhong is a renowned director loved by industry insiders, it looks like this film is indeed well-crafted, given its expert review ratings surpassing 90 points out of 100.
It’s just that even on our side, Director Sun Juhong seems to be unfairly receiving too much spotlight compared to the lead actors, Yoon Ju-won and Jin Seo-hee.
While it’s true that moviemaking often relies heavily on the director, it seems a bit extreme this time.
If I were the lead actor, wouldn’t I feel a bit disappointed?
Although someone as seasoned as Yoon Ju-won or Jin Seo-hee wouldn’t show such feelings, I wonder.
“Seems like it’s worth experiencing in person.”
What did they film that made everyone praise Director Sun Juhong so much?
What kind of performances did I can’t help but acknowledge from Yoo-won and Jin Seo-hee?
Revenge seems to be a completely new kind of movie, which is why I’m even more curious.
I’m attending this screening not just because of a bet but also out of curiosity about the changes in a movie that used to not exist.
Especially since I’m in this industry, I am especially curious.
Especially about content that didn’t exist before.
I think I’ll sneak out after our preview event to check it out myself.
