Translator: Dreamscribe
In Korea, it was morning, but in Cannes, France, where the Cannes Film Festival was midway through, it was the past midnight of the 4th. The time was around 1 AM. At a moment when the globally bustling festival had momentarily quieted down, Kang Woojin could be found in his hotel room.
“Hmm-”
He was lying on the bed in comfortable clothes. Having showered not too long ago, his face and hair looked natural. Of course, his usual poker face was nowhere to be seen.
From his state, it seemed he hadn’t intended to go to sleep just yet.
-Swoosh.
Woojin, still lying down, was looking at his phone. Until a moment ago, he had been checking the local French news, and just now, he switched to see the situation in Korea. The first search term was the Cannes Film Festival. It was already an incredibly hot keyword, with articles spawning by the minute, and among them, the article that was currently the most visible caught Kang Woojin’s eye.
『[Cannes Film Festival] Closing Ceremony and Awards will be at 7 PM October 10th in Cannes, 3 AM in Korea... YouTube live streaming confirmed!』
It was related to the closing and awards ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival. It matched the official schedule.
“Oh- looks like it’ll be broadcast live. I should tell Dad and Mom.”
The festival was scheduled to continue until the 9th and would conclude then, with the official jury of Cannes, consisting of 10 members, making their final decisions that night. And at 7 PM on the 10th, the grand finale would take place. The closing and awards ceremony would also feature a red carpet event, and after the finale, an afterparty in the form of a celebration was also confirmed.
Soon, Kang Woojin scratched his chin.
“They call it an afterparty, but isn’t it just a glorified praise session for the award winners?”
It was true. The Cannes Film Festival’s afterparty, while attended by tens of thousands of invited guests, was essentially no different from a congratulatory party for the year’s award winners. It included interviews with numerous reporters, photo ops, conversations with big names, and so on.
Just imagining it made Kang Woojin feel suffocated.
“Ugh- damn, it's going to be crazy, I'll have to slip out early. But if ‘Leech’ wins an award, do I have to stick around?”
There were roughly seven award categories in the ‘In Competition’ section. If ‘Leech’ were to win even one of them, it would be a huge deal. At least, that was what Kang Woojin thought. However, Woojin wasn’t particularly considering that he himself would win an award. It wasn’t that he had no expectations at all, but this was the world stage, not the local one. The event was attended by globally renowned actors.
More importantly,
‘Aren’t we at a bit of a disadvantage?’
There was a chance of prejudice or subtle discrimination that couldn’t be entirely overlooked. This information was conveyed by Choi Sung-gun. Although it had diminished significantly compared to the past, Choi Sung-gun’s assessment was that it couldn’t be ruled out entirely. For reference, in the ‘In Competition’ section of the Cannes Film Festival, the Best Actor and Best Actress nominees are determined by a panel of 10 official jurors. With a total of 20 films, there would be 20 nominees. From there, they would narrow it down.
Afterward, the final winner would be decided.
Of course, during the awards ceremony, they wouldn’t necessarily list all the nominees one by one; typically, one of the 10 jurors would simply announce the winner. Strictly speaking, Kang Woojin was engaged in a friendly rivalry with Sim Han-ho from ‘Leech’. Between Kang Woojin and Sim Han-ho, one would be chosen for ‘Leech’.
A showdown between Korea’s veteran actor Sim Han-ho and second-year actor Kang Woojin.
On top of that, he also had to compete with 19 other formidable actors from around the world. The choice was up to the jury, and for that reason, Kang Woojin resolved to let go of his expectations.
“Tsk, whatever. Let’s just sleep.”
Since it was already 2 AM, Woojin closed his eyes. He was tired, so it didn’t take long for him to drift off to sleep.
Eight hours later.
“......Had a damn good sleep.”
When Kang Woojin opened his eyes again, it was around 10 AM. Since coming to Cannes, Woojin had been able to sleep in a bit. Compared to his hellish schedule back home, it was relatively relaxed. Soon, Woojin, who had gotten up from the bed, stretched and looked out the window.
“The weather’s amazing~”
Once again, Cannes was sunny, and the streets were bustling with people. About an hour later, Choi Sung-gun and some staff members entered Woojin’s room. Aside from the tasks they had to perform, this trip was almost like a vacation for them, so Choi Sung-gun had gained a bit of weight.
“Woojin, let’s start by picking out your tuxedo for the closing ceremony.”
The stylists, including Han Ye-jung, lined up an array of tuxedos that Woojin could wear for the closing and awards ceremony. Different colors, varied details. Woojin, maintaining his steadfast concept look, scrutinized the tuxedos with a serious gaze. Hmm, black was starting to feel a bit boring.
Kang Woojin’s decision was.
“This one.”
A white-toned tuxedo. Han Ye-jung, with her blue bobbed hair, gave a thumbs-up, clearly satisfied.
“Great, I was actually planning to recommend this one for you, oppa. Since it’s the finale, you need to stand out.”
“I thought the same.”
“Alright. We’ll lock this one in.”
The stylist team left hurriedly, carrying the displayed tuxedos. Meanwhile, Choi Sung-gun, who had been sitting with his legs crossed, got up.
“‘Apart from a few minor interviews, there are no official schedules for 'Leech' until the closing ceremony and awards ceremony—so, what’s the plan for today?”
“I was thinking of looking at the 'Beneficial Evil' script this morning.”
It was a lie. But Choi Sung-gun couldn’t see through Kang Woojin’s brazen poker face.
“Ah, I was going to tell you about it. It’s been confirmed that ‘Beneficial Evil’ will be split into two parts. I got a call from Kim So-hyang, just now. Episodes 1 to 6 will be Part 1, and they’re aiming to speed up production to launch that as soon as possible. Part 2 will come afterward.”
“Is that so?”
"Aren't you excited?"
"I am."
Choi Sung-gun chuckled and patted Woojin on the shoulder.
“The promotional impact of this Cannes trip is going to be massive, both domestically and internationally. We’re already seeing ripples. Do you know how many articles this side’s media put out about you walking the red carpet with Cara at the opening ceremony?”
He's really excited. Woojin felt the same, but that's why he kept his voice even lower.
"I saw."
Korea was no exception.
In Korea, where various issues were already trending:
『Miley Cara, who walked the red carpet with ‘Kang Woojin’ at the Cannes Film Festival opening, surpasses 70 million views on her new album teaser』
『[Issue Talk] Miley Cara’s new album, set to release on the 12th—what kind of appearance did ‘Kang Woojin’ make in the music video?』
Naturally, news related to the Cannes Film Festival was exploding. The fact that ‘Leech’ had made it to Cannes alone was enough to cause a stir, and with the rapid transmission of Woojin’s activities and other issues from Cannes to Korea, the hype only grew.
In fact, since the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival, Korean media had been in a frenzy.
『The 10 jury members of this year’s Cannes Film Festival who will decide the fate of ‘Leech’ stand on the red carpet / Photo』
『[Cannes Film Festival] Giant poster of ‘Leech’ hanging on a large building wall, Kang Woojin’s face flying high in Cannes! / Photo』
『“We worked on the album together.” Kang Woojin and Miley Cara walking side-by-side on the opening ceremony red carpet / Photo』
Though it was already the fifth day of the Cannes Film Festival, the excitement in Korean media was only escalating. The same was true across various broadcast channels and media platforms.
『Kang Woojin striking a pose for journalists before the official screening of ‘Leech’ in the ‘In Competition’ section / Photo』
『[Film Festival] Miley Cara rushing to see ‘Leech’』
『Hollywood heavyweight directors, including Danny Landis, entering to watch ‘Leech’ / Photo』
By this point, not only the Korean entertainment industry but the entire nation of South Korea was keeping a close watch on the Cannes Film Festival. Every day, the news reported on it, and on YouTube, social media, and various online communities, Cannes was the non-stop topic of conversation.
-ᅲᅮᅲᅮᅲᅲᅲ Woojin oppa on the red carpet... he's so freaking handsome....
-Haha omgᄏᄏᄏᄏ It kinda feels like watching the World Cupᄏᄏᄏᄏ
-It’s so amazing to see these world-renowned directors going in to watch a Korean film;;
-They're just extras anyway
-↑ Idiot, just the fact that it’s the only Korean film in the Cannes In Competition section is a huge deal....
-Butᄏᄏᄏ doesn’t Kang Woojin and Miley Cara look super close??? Are they dating????
-I wanna watch ‘Leech’ too... Is it not releasing in Korea??
-At this point, I really hope it wins an awardᄒᄒ
-Rooting for you!!!
-They say the Cannes closing ceremony is at 3 AM, guess I’ll be staying up for this...
-Kang Woojin looks so damn cool;;;;
-Pleaseᅲᅲᅲᅲᅲ win the Palme d'Or!!
-Palme d'Or is a bit muchᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ Let’s not get too carried away with national prideᄏᄏᄏᄏ
In short, South Korea was practically shaking with Cannes fever.
Then, on the morning of the 5th, in Korea.
In a large meeting room of a major distribution company in Seoul. Around a ᄃ-shaped table, more than 20 people were seated. A projector was casting images on the front wall. Interestingly, what was being displayed was a poster of ‘Leech’ and information related to the Cannes Film Festival.
Of course, this was expected.
This place was the official distributor for ‘Leech’. Naturally, a few executives, including the heads of the film company that produced ‘Leech’ and this distribution company, were currently at Cannes. However, not everyone could go, especially since the distribution side had a lot of work to handle in Korea rather than in Cannes.
At the moment, they were handling one particularly important task among many.
Soon, an executive wearing glasses at the front of the ᄃ-shaped table flipped through the documents he was reviewing and spoke up.
“Regardless of ‘Leech’s performance at Cannes, the buzz is already high, so it makes sense to release it as soon as possible.”
Other executives chimed in one by one.
“That’s right. Director Ahn also mentioned that. It’s something we’ve been preparing since the early stages of ‘Leech’s production.”
“We should aim to release it domestically within two weeks after the Cannes Film Festival ends on the 11th—at the latest, within three weeks.”
"I believe we started securing theaters a while ago, how's that going?"
A team lead quickly responded.
“Yes, we began securing theaters for ‘Leech’ even before it completed filming.”
“Good. Then there shouldn’t be any issues with releasing ‘Leech’ within three weeks of Cannes ending. As for promotion and marketing, Cannes itself is basically serving as our campaign. The buzz is already huge.”
“In addition, we plan to pour in as much advertising as possible over the three weeks leading up to the domestic release of ‘Leech’.”
The executive with glasses turned another page in the documents and continued.
“3 weeks... 3 weeks after Cannes, max, so October 27th would be an appropriate release date.”
At this moment, another executive, seemingly reminded of something, murmured.
"Wait, isn't that when the Japanese release is happening too?"
“What is?”
"I mean Kang Woojin's 'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger'. Though it's not confirmed, they said late October release, so the timing almost matches."
'Leech' and 'The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger'.
"Ah- so both movies will be released around the same time?"
It would be a simultaneous launch.