Episode 38

Meanwhile, Hong Yuri, who was waiting at Sinchon Station, felt her heart race.

Of course, more than half of her excitement was because she was going to the Premiere of a movie featuring Yeon-woo, but she felt it wasn’t just that.

Lately, Yuri, who had been supporting Junsoo as a mentor, found that new feelings were slowly sprouting within her, although she hadn’t yet realized it herself.

 

***

 

Since this morning, Yeon-woo had been dressed up at a salon. His stylist, Ye-eun, coordinated him in a stylish suit with navy and purple accents, matched casually with a white round-neck T-shirt.

“I did the coordination, but it’s perfect. Really.”

Ye-eun was enchanted by Yeon-woo’s changed look.

“Oh my, you’ve done an excellent job, Ye-eun. He looks absolutely fantastic.”

Jeong Haneul, the salon director who finished Yeon-woo’s makeup and was working on other artists, also admired Ye-eun’s taste and Yeon-woo’s execution.

As Yeon-woo left for the Premiere event, members of the idol group ‘Axis’, who were getting their makeup done at the salon, looked at each other.

“Wasn’t that the guy from ‘Summer Promise’?”

“Yeah, he’s obviously a real actor. His aura is different.”

Although Axis usually has a swarm of female fans, today they somehow felt quiet. On the other hand, the van carrying Yeon-woo headed toward a large shopping mall cinema in Yongsan. From the parking lot, some citizens who recognized Yeon-woo cheered, and the staff members who were running the Premiere escorted him to the waiting room.

And Min-soo, who had been waiting in the parking lot, escorted the arriving Yeon-woo’s family to the waiting room. Yeon-woo arrived a bit early and was happily chatting with Han Ye-jin, the lead actress of the movie, in the waiting room.

Knock, knock.

Min-soo opened the door, and Yeon-woo’s family entered.

“Ah, my son,”

Yeon-woo stood up and greeted them, leading them further into the waiting room. Han Ye-jin quickly stood up to greet them as well.

“Ah, you must be Yeon-woo’s parents. Thank you. Because of your son, the quality of the movie has increased.”

The family’s eyes widened at the appearance of the star, Han Ye-jin.

“Oh my, it’s an honor. Han Ye-jin, I loved your drama ‘Lovers’.”

Ryu Cheol-yung said as he shook hands with Ye-jin, mentioning her hit drama from over a decade ago.

Today, for some reason, Yeon-woo saw a resemblance between his father and his friend Woo Seong-sik.

Soon after, Min-soo took the family to the Premiere hall, and Yeon-woo waited while greeting the directors and other actors who arrived in succession.

Meanwhile, a red carpet was laid out at the entrance of the Premiere hall. Invited media and distribution officials started entering, and celebrities who were friends with the cast also began to arrive, taking part in photo sessions as they entered.

The leading actors, Kang Joo-woon and Han Ye-jin were such big stars that many of the celebrities who attended were also high-profile. Due to the close relationship between Director Kim Han-soo and Ryu Yeon-woo, there was loud cheering from the crowd when Son Jin-yuk, Ahn Jun-ho, and Han So-hyeon made their appearance. Junsoo and Yuri also arrived in Yongsan and entered the screening hall.

Hong Yuri, a normal college student, felt like her heart was going to burst as she walked on the red carpet full of celebrities and entered the screening hall. Of course, Junsoo and Seong-sik felt the same way.

Once they took their seats, Seong-sik looked around with his mouth wide open and whispered to Junsoo, “Hey, look over there. It’s Han Ji-won. Wow, Zelliz are here too.” He pointed to various actresses and idol groups.

“Hey, be respectful. Yuri is sitting next to us, don’t embarrass us.”

However, Hong Yuri, a 21-year-old girl, was no different.

“Junsoo, the person sitting behind us is Nam Woo-hyun. This is amazing. What should we do?”

Junsoo sighed and shook his head. He was about to respond when he recognized some familiar figures sitting in the front row. “Oh? Yeon-woo mother and father, hello.”

When Ryu Yeon-woo’s parents turned around at the greeting, they saw Seong-sik and Junsoo.

“Oh, Seong-sik and Junsoo? You came all the way to Seoul to see Yeon-woo. Who’s the young lady next to you? Your girlfriend?”

Junsoo fumbled a laugh in response to Mrs. Lee Sun-ok’s question.

“Ah, hello. I’m Hong Yuri, Yeon-woo’s senior from high school.”

Feeling ecstatic to meet her favorite celebrity’s parents, Yuri shyly greeted them.

“Oh, as your name suggests, you’re pretty. Nice to meet you, Yuri.”

“Th—thank you.”

Whack.

Ouch.

Yuri, who was extremely tense, forgot she was sitting and hit her forehead against the back of the front seat while bowing 90 degrees to greet them.

“Are you okay, sis?”

“Haha, what a cute girl.”

“Geez…”

Rubbing her sore forehead, Yuri thought she would need to change the title of the story she planned to upload to the fan cafe when she returned to the dorm tonight. From ‘The Story of Attending Yeon-woo’s Premiere’ to ‘The Story of Embarrassing Myself in Front of Yeon-woo’s Parents.’

Soon after, guided by the announcer, the director and actors took their places on the stage.

“Hello, thank you for taking the time to watch our movie today. I hope our film stays in your memory for a long time. Now, I’ll pass the mic to the veteran actor, Yoo Hae-sik,” Kang Joo-woon said seriously.

“Hello, I’m Yoo Hae-sik.”

“You’re so handsome!”

Haha.

The audience erupted into laughter.

“Who are you saying that to?”

Yoo Hae-sik playfully asked, holding the mic. The audience laughed again.

“I mean, clearly holding a placard that says ‘Ryu Yeon-woo’, and you’re telling me that I’m handsome…”

The audience couldn’t stop laughing at Yoo Hae-sik’s joke. The compliment had come from the press seats at the back, but Son Jin-yuk and Han So-hyeon, who were sitting in the front holding Ryu Yeon-woo’s placard, bowed their heads in embarrassment.

“Haha, just kidding. Our movie is about to be released. I dare say you’ll think it was a good decision to come early. Thank you for coming.”

Then Han Ye-jin and Jeong Soo-yeon took turns receiving the microphone to express their gratitude, and finally, the microphone was passed to Ryu Yeon-woo, who was standing at the end.

Wow!

The cheering sound erupted from where the media personnel were gathered. Yeon-woo, who gained many older female fans with ‘Summer’s Table’, is popular among entertainment reporters these days.

Yeon-woo’s family and friends felt proud, as the cheering was almost as loud as when the lead actor Kang Joo-woon had the mic.

“Hello, I’m Ryu Yeon-woo. I’m honored and thrilled to be part of this film as a cameo and to be able to greet you all on this stage.”

At Yeon-woo’s words, the director and the actors next to him looked at him with grateful eyes and smiled gently.

“Since our movie features acclaimed senior actors giving brilliant performances, I hope you’ll trust us and watch it. Thank you.”

Wow!

As the cheering erupted again, the host’s commentary came out, and the actors left the stage. The screen then went dark, and the movie began.

With the opening, the names of the cast appeared as subtitles, and Yeon-woo’s name came up fourth. Director Kim Han-soo had included his name as if he were part of the official casting, not just a special appearance or a cameo.

The movie began with the lead characters’ school days, featuring pastel-toned warm colors in sports events and festivals. The beautiful cinematography was especially noticeable with scenes featuring Yeon-woo and Jeong Soo-yeon.

It was the director Kim Han-soo’s well-known warm palette depicting ‘The Time of Youth’.

During the movie, a scene shot by a water tap appeared.

“Oh!”

The audience gasped when, in a full-shot one-take scene, a soccer ball ricocheted and hit the face of the female lead, Ha yeri.

The scene felt too real. Only those who were on the set that day knew that it wasn’t just realistically portrayed, it was actually real.

Following this, the scene seamlessly transitioned to Yeon-woo’s lines and a scene featuring him as a firefighter. It was a change inspired by Yeon-woo’s performance, different from the original script.

Thanks to this, the audience could easily immerse themselves in the adult characters without feeling disconnected.

The movie then smoothly transitioned to the main plot featuring powerful performances by Kang Joo-woon and Han Ye-jin.

“Hyuk, is that you? Jiwoo Hyuk, right? Wow, it’s been so long. I’m Ha yeri.”

“Hmm? Jiwoo Hyuk’s not your dad?”

“If I close my eyes, I feel hot hands grabbing me from all sides. Asking why didn’t you save me, why did you come so late!”

Starting with a reunion with his first love, who happens to be his niece’s kindergarten teacher, the main plot unfolds.

It continues with comical misunderstandings when Jiwoo Hyuk mistakenly thinks he is married because of his niece.

As the story progresses, the atmosphere grows tense due to Kang Joo-woon’s portrayal of firefighter Ji Jiwoo Hyuk’s mental struggles.

Eventually, with Ha yeri’s help, Ji Jiwoo Hyuk finds stability, leading to a happy ending as the ending credits roll.

As it was a premiere, the audience, made up of associates and acquaintances, immediately gave a standing ovation.

Once again, the actors came up on stage to greet and conclude the premiere.

Yeon-woo greeted the actors from the ‘Summer Promise’ team who came to the premiere.

Meanwhile, Min-soo had gone to Seoul and reserved a nearby restaurant to treat their families and friends.