Chapter 269: Masterpiece (6)

Chapter 269: Masterpiece (6)

As soon as the first day’s results of ‘Island of the Missing’ was released.

1. Island of the Missing / Release Date: May 19 / Audience: 700,223 / Screens: 1159 / Cumulative Audience: 700,223

The 50 or so people gathered in the studio of the Harmony Film Company suddenly burst into screams.

“Waaaaaah!!”

“What!! Is, is it real?!”

“Hahaha, it’s real, it’s really real!!”

“Congratulations, Director~nim!!”

“No, no way!! 700,000?! In one day??!”

“Wow!! This is truly unbelievable!”

“Snap out of it! This is reality!!”

The studio resonated intensely with the simultaneous shouts. The key staff like the cinematographer and the lighting director were hugging each other and jumping around, while the Film Company’s CEO and executives were clapping and were in an uproar. Half of the distribution staff were jumping up and down, and the other half were busily making phone calls somewhere.

It was a result worthy of such a reaction.

700,000 viewers in just one day. Even considering it was a holiday during peak season, this was phenomenal. In a year, numerous films fail to surpass even 1 million. Yet, ‘Island of the Missing’ achieved a figure close to 1 million in just one day.

It would be foolish to sit still at this point.

They had to ramp up the promotional marketing efforts and widely spread this incredible result. Although the media would cover it extensively on their own, adding a booster would accelerate word of mouth spread through various mass media, YouTube, and social media, thereby speeding up the increase in public opinion.

The power of increasing audience numbers stems from that.

Word of mouth.

Depending on how explosive the power and speed of that word of mouth are, the flow can differ drastically. Kang Woojin had actually experienced that disaster-level power with ‘Drug Dealer’.

For reference, ‘Drug Dealer’s first-day audience count was 250,000.

It’s about three times less than ‘Island of the Missing’. Well, ‘Drug Dealer’ was rated R, so it was expected. Regardless, the first-day result of ‘Island of the Missing’ was legendary. It was evident from the many notable people in the film industry dancing wildly in celebration.

“I, I’ve never seen 700,000 in a day before!!”

“Me neither! I’ve seen up to 500,000! But 700,000!”

“Director~nim! Congratulations, really!!”

“This is going to be an ultra-ultra-ultra hit!!”

Even to them, the current result was unfamiliar. No, it would be fair to say they had almost never seen it. The same was true for Director Kwon Ki-taek, who was considered a top-tier domestic director.

‘...700,000 viewers in a day – that’s an absurd number.’

Director Kwon Ki-taek, who had already surpassed 10 million total viewers before, saw his maximum single-day audience count at 600,000. 700,000 was something he had never seen before.

“Amazing.”

At this moment, an employee in front of the laptop shouted.

“There’s not much difference!!”

The others who were in an uproar crowded around.

“What?!”

“You idiot! What are you saying without any context?!”

The employee shouted again.

“The record of ‘Sea Battle’! ‘Sea Battle’ had 730,000 viewers on its first day! There’s only a 30,000 difference with us!!”

The movie ‘Sea Battle’. It was released in 2014 and achieved a total viewers of 16.75 million, an incredible result.

And that ‘Sea Battle’ was the number one film in Korean box office history.

In the seven years since then, the 16.75 million record has not been broken. Of course, there have been several close contenders. 14 million, 13 million, and so on. But none were overwhelmingly dominant. ‘Sea Battle’ was legendary from daily viewer counts to weekend viewer counts. No film had ever caught up to that massive record.

But now.

“30,000?? Only a 30,000 difference?! Isn’t ‘Sea Battle’ the number one domestic movie? It hasn’t been broken yet?”

“Not yet!”

“W-wow! If we do well, this could...!!”

‘Island of the Missing’ came close to that legend for the first time in seven years.

It meant it was challenging the number one spot in the Korean box office.

Meanwhile, in Japan. On the set of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.

Dozens of staff and actors were bustling about, preparing for the shoot. Amidst this chaotic environment, Kang Woojin sat in the waiting area, maintaining a poker face without letting his guard down. While the first results of ‘Island of the Missing’ were being announced in Korea, Woojin had yet to receive the news. Well, Choi Sung-gun would soon come running to tell him, or his phone would ring.

Anyway, Woojin’s makeup was already complete, perfectly embodying Iyota Kiyoshi. Looking composed, he was reading the script of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ with a black square attached to it.

‘Hmm-’

Initially, he pretended to read it to hide his anxiety while waiting for the results of ‘Island of the Missing’. But now, he was genuinely focused. The reason was simple.

‘It’s definitely strange.’

As he did so, he moved into the set. The atmosphere was thick with the concept. He summoned Iyota Kiyoshi. By the time the slate was ready in front of Woojin, he was already no different from Kiyoshi.

“......”

An expressionless face. Cut-off emotions. When all preparations were complete, the sound of the slate echoed throughout the set. Multiple cameras focused on Kang Woojin. Over a hundred staff members watched him silently. Director Kyotaro, looking at Woojin on the monitor, shouted.

“Action.”

A moment later.

This cut was a solo scene of Kang Woojin that continued from the previous one. It was a difficult scene where he had to convey a lot with a blank face despite having no lines.

Kang Woojin looked down at the floor.

There was no one now, but he was staring at a lifeless body. It was a corpse that felt cold at a glance. However, there was no change in Woojin’s face. After a few seconds, he slowly lifted his head. The front camera on the rail slowly captured Woojin, or Kiyoshi.

From the bust to the face, a close-up.

Silence.

The set was quiet, and so was Woojin’s expression. But strangely enough, many things were embedded in Kang Woojin’s stiff face. The depth gradually intensified. Director Kyotaro, glued to the monitor, licked his lips.

‘Yes, that’s right. This subtle turning point is the key. It’s the essence.’

Calm breaths. Impulsive actions. Compared to that, deflated spirit. Reasonable revenge. A simple homework. A convincing past. All these realizations were captured in Kang Woojin’s eyes. They settled in his expression. They were conveyed in his portrayal.

‘Eyes that have not a shred of expectation for people. Incredible, gives me goosebumps.’

The scene ended here. But Director Kyotaro enjoyed the current thrill and extended the sign a bit longer.

Approximately after 10 more seconds.

“......Cut!!”

Director Kyotaro sprang up from in front of the monitor. Simultaneously, the surrounding Japanese actors and staff let out dry laughs. Some people exhaled sharply. They had been fully immersed in Woojin’s acting and were only now coming out of it.

Then.

-Swish.

Director Kyotaro, with the shooting storyboard tucked into the back pocket of his jeans, walked briskly toward Woojin inside the set.

“Woojin-ssi. There’s no need for another take. It’s beyond satisfactory. But let’s change the composition a bit and go for a few more cuts.”

“Understood, Director~nim.”

Kang Woojin replied in a low voice. He looked calmly at Director Kyotaro, whose hair was streaked with gray. On the outside, he appeared cynical, but internally, he was wrestling with his thoughts, somewhat intensely. Then, following his usual straightforward nature, Woojin made a rough decision.

‘Ah, damn, I don’t know. Just say it. If it doesn’t work, then forget it.’

He called out to Director Kyotaro.

“Director~nim.”

Kyotaro tilted his head at the low-pitched Japanese, and Woojin delivered the line he had prepared.

“Don’t you think ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ would consider returning to an ordinary life, as a true ‘Stranger’ would?”

“......Hmm?”

“Kiyoshi’s ending. It seems like he would want to show Misaki Toka that ‘I’m doing fine as a stranger.’ Someone has to check the homework, and for Kiyoshi, isn’t that probably Toka?”

Woojin lowered his voice even more.

“To be frank, retribution doesn’t suit Kiyoshi. Living well and comfortably seems more fitting. Without any harm.”

For a moment, Director Kyotaro’s eyes slightly widened.

‘......Becoming a stranger to all consequences.’

Several scenes with Kiyoshi flashed like lightning in his mind.

“!!!”

During the shooting of numerous content like movies or dramas, it’s quite common for the plot or dialogue to change. This usually happens due to ad-libs or actions by actors who have thoroughly analyzed the script, or because of the surrounding filming environment.

Of course, it’s only possible if it pleases the director or writer.

However, it’s rare for the ending itself to change.

Especially once production has begun, it becomes even more difficult. This is even truer for works like ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ that have an original source. Changing the ending from the original is quite a bold move.

But for some reason, Director Kyotaro’s eyes were gleaming in a subtle yet intriguing way.

‘Ending as a ‘Stranger’ once again-’

A hint of change appeared in the conclusion of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.’

*****

For more chapters, you can check out my Patreon here –> /dreamscribe

If you enjoy this novel, please review and rate it at Novelupdates. Thanks! <img draggable="false" role="img" class="emoji" alt="????" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/svg/1f60a.svg">

To receive the latest update notifications or report mistakes, join our Discord server linked below.

Discord Server: https://discord.gg/woopread-708613326262894654