Chapter 83

Vroooom—!

Mystic’s van was busily making its way down the road.

They had just left director Ko Tae-min’s studio, and Sua’s gains went far beyond just securing the role of Kim So-hee.

At last, Kim I-seo broke the silence.

“Uh, Sua.”

“Yes.”

“First off, congratulations on landing the Kim So-hee role. And it’s impressive you got it through your own talents. But there are a few things I’m curious about.”

Sua quietly nodded, signaling it was fine to ask.

“First, about Ham Ah-yoon. There was a reason behind suggesting her for the role of Park Min-seo, wasn’t there? It seemed like you were especially proactive about it.”

“Hmm.”

The reason behind suggesting Ham Ah-yoon for the Park Min-seo role? Sua quietly checked her special ability window.

[Starting Tomorrow: Crescendo]

✔ Elements are sufficient for manifestation.

✔ Rating 1.5

001 – Kim So-hee (A Rating)

002 – Park Min-seo (Ham Ah-yoon)

003 – Lee Seung-myeong (F Rating)

The reason lay in the role suitability.

‘Park Min-seo’s rating was originally invisible.’

But now, with her rating visible, what was surprising was that instead of an alphabet, the special ability had indicated a person’s name – Ham Ah-yoon, no less.

Even Sua couldn’t help but quickly grasp the situation. Ham Ah-yoon must be used for the Park Min-seo role. That was why she proposed it, and Ham Ah-yoon accepted after some deliberation.

Thanks to this, the current rating for ‘Starting Tomorrow: Crescendo’ was a solid 1.5. An excellent start indeed.

Moreover, it would make it possible to graduate from the ‘Musician’ trait – truly a boon.

On another note, Sua was curious as well.

Perhaps, maybe it would be possible to see Ham Ah-yoon’s Yeoncheon-kyung form.

That’s when:

“And Sua.”

“Yes.”

“About that thing you said you wanted earlier – were you serious?”

The object of desire Kim I-seo was referring to was the unexpected favor Director Ko had promised due to the resolution of a production team conflict Sua had helped solve.

Sua had merely stated what she wanted.

Kim I-seo shrugged.

“…Well, good job. Take good care of it.”

What Sua had mentioned wanting was none other than the Arctic Fox.

◈◈◈◈◈

Meanwhile, in Gangnam, Seoul.

On a certain overpass.

Click—!

Two tourists were busy taking pictures of various Seoul landmarks with their expensive-looking camera, their attire slightly out of place compared to current Korean fashion trends.

Of course, they were Japanese.

While the man with the camera, treating it like a gaming console, checked the photo he had just taken, the man standing nearby hesitantly spoke up in a cautious tone.

“ところがですね. 監督”

(“But, Director…”)

The expressions of the camera-wielding man who had just spoken and the man who had voiced his opinion were entirely opposite. Whatever the case, the latter seemed rather uninterested in the Korean scenery, his bored demeanor quite evident.

“正直、もう韓国も日本もあまり変わりません.”

(“To be honest, these days Korea and Japan aren’t very different.”)

“どんな点で?”

(“In what way?”)

The pair continued their conversation in Japanese.

“It’s different from before. Nowadays, with the internet’s development, people’s trends in both Korea and Japan have become similar. Just seeing the people on the street confirms it.”

“And the conclusion?”

“Do we necessarily have to look for inspiration for our next work in Korea? There are plenty of good places in Japan too, right? Coming to Korea hasn’t given me any sudden inspiration or such.”

“Hmm.”

At that, Director Yusaku turned his gaze from the camera for the first time. He now looked at the scenery below the overpass and spoke.

“Well, whether or not it’s for inspiration, we had to come to Korea anyway since we were invited as a special judge.”

“The Busan International Short Film Festival… who’d have thought you’d accept that.”

The man shrugged.

“And Director, don’t lie. It’s not that you were invited as a judge; it’s because you like Korea, isn’t it? I have no idea why Director Yusaku has such fondness for Korea.”

“Hahaha, did I show it that much?”

Suzuki Yusaku.

There are many renowned directors in Japan, but Yusaku was quite well-known even in Korea due to his special affection for the country. Thus, he was a Japanese director with a considerable number of Korean fans.

He had been invited as a special judge for this year’s Busan International Short Film Festival.

“Have you seen the recently released ‘Carp and Goblins’?”

“Of course, I’ve seen it.”

‘Carp and Goblins’ was a story centered around Japan’s organized crime, the Yakuza, exploring various aspects of their world. A neo-noir film with plenty of masculine romance.

“That’s what they call Japan’s recent ambitious works. An actor who played a gangster in another work plays a gangster again here, and then goes on to play a gangster in yet another work…”

“Yeah, that’s true. But it can’t be helped, right? People like famous actors, and there aren’t many of them. Moreover, the newcomers don’t necessarily act better.”

“Still, it’s clear that Japanese actors these days are too limited. They gather familiar actors and merely repeat theatrical acting. That’s the reality of J-content. So stop your complaints and focus.”

Director Yusaku’s expression was exceedingly serious.

“There’s always something to learn no matter where you go, and it’s the same for Korea.”

◈◈◈◈◈

In the conference room of the Busan International Short Film Festival, business was as usual bustling.

Including the chairman – the overall supervisor – those who had previously discussed ways to boost the short film festival’s popularity gathered again.

Still, everyone’s expressions were much brighter than before.

“Well, it seems like the money spent was worth it. Look at all the articles being published.”

“Yes. Fortunately, the reactions have been quite positive. Quickly cutting ties with director Kim Jun-ki, who is a criminal, certainly helped too, and the lineup of invited actors and directors is solid.”

A staff member’s words were true.

The moment something was treated like a malicious advertisement is when it inevitably loses its meaning, regardless of the quantity. However, currently, fortunately, the articles related to the Busan International Short Film Festival were generally receiving good responses.

[‘Busan International Short Film Festival’ Draws Line in the Sand with Director Kim Jun-ki: No Excuses. Full Accountability.]

[‘Busan International Short Film Festival’ Invited Celebrity Actors Compilation!]

[Who Are These Overseas Directors Being Invited?]

Just filtering out the articles officially penned by journalists, there were already so many, and countless reactions could be seen from netizens in online communities.

[Title: Just How Much Money Has Been Spent?]

(Picture of nicely arranged chairs)

– Oh, I was worried about having makeshift chairs.

– What is this? Why has money been spent all of a sudden?

– Hahahaha, what’s going on this year?

As they checked one by one, the atmosphere in the conference room grew increasingly positive.

“How about the invited actors’ SNS promotion progress? Is it moving forward?”

“Yes, we launched advertising using hashtags.”

On various SNS platforms, when famous actors post their updates, they now include tags like #BusanInternationalShortFilmFestival to promote, naturally drawing attention from their fans.

And finally…

The chairman’s gaze turned to the ever-drowsy staff member.

“Did we manage to secure, you know, those virtual YouTubers?”

“Leave it to me, sir.”

A person who usually just dozes off transformed into a determined warrior the moment the topic of virtual YouTubers came up, oddly infuriating.

Yet, there was nothing to say. Fine, it was good that this was one time they were working hard, better than being entirely useless for life, so the chairman sighed and asked.

“Can I at least ask which Virtual YouTuber we secured?”

“We commissioned NeoLive’s Shikarin.”

“Shikarin? Ah, who is Shikarin?”

“Yes, Shikarin of NeoLive.”

“Why? I didn’t hear anything about hiring someone Japanese?”

“Excuse me? Are you saying they’re Japanese? Korean!”

“…?”

For a moment, the chairman was flustered.

It wasn’t intended to belittle or diminish the other party – it was simply incomprehensible to his mind. After pondering for a while about what it meant, the chairman spoke again.

“Listen, this is nothing new to me. Watching my daughter sometimes makes me realize how much the world has changed…”

“Haven’t you heard of NeoLive’s Shikarin, sir? Let me explain since you seem unfamiliar. They’re NeoLive’s most popular Virtual YouTuber, really extremely popular—”

“…That’s enough. Handle it as you wish.”

.

.

.

.

.

The following morning.

Thanks to (?), the promotional efforts of the festival organizers generated significant interest in the short film festival, and this naturally extended to Sua’s group chat.

Especially Monkeying.

[Monkeying: @(Mentioning all)]

[Monkeying: Yo, when’s our get-together?]

[Deer: What get-together?]

[Monkeying: Lately, all the buzz is about the short film festival.]

[Monkeying: Yang Ha-rin’s appearing; I want to see it.]

[Deer: Go alone.]

They had been talking about having a regular meeting for a while, but gathering everyone in reality was never easy.

Busy with their own lives, this was not the first time such a conversation came up in this group chat. It would always start, but then inevitably fizzle out. Likely, this time would be no different.

[Monkeying: Yo, really no one is going?]

[Monkeying: @Sua, hey, G2G(Go-Go-Go)!]

Everyone seemed inclined to think this chat would quietly fade as before—judging from the increasing notifications of message reads yet few replies.

However.

Then.

[Black Bear: Let’s meet up once.]

[Black Bear: I’ll be enlisting soon.]

Those few words completely changed the situation.

---