Episode 76

The screen paused for three seconds after blackout.

Three seconds may seem longer than one thinks. In broadcasting, if there’s no audio for three seconds, it’s considered a broadcasting accident.

During that time, the audience had countless thoughts racing through their minds.

Soon, rough breathing was the first sound heard, and when the screen returned from blackout, it still displayed a dark view and a rough-textured surface.

“Uh… ugh!”

A groaning sound as if someone’s mouth was stuffed.

“It seems that thing woke up. Take it out.”

A man’s voice could be heard from afar, followed by a loud noise.

– Thud! –

– Thunk. –

With the noise, the sound of wood breaking could be heard, and light seeped into the darkness before them.

Now, the screen, which had been unfolding from Park Kang-woo’s perspective, finally revealed the scene inside the room.

Around were scattered wood chips and in front of them, Park Kang-woo, bound and sprawled.

“Heheek!”

Park Kang-woo trembled like a leaf as he looked at the crimson logging axe held by the burly foreigner.

And there, sitting with crossed legs, looking down at Park Kang-woo, was Pierre.

More with finesse than courage, more with wit than force, Park Kang-woo, who had risen to the position of the organization’s leader through strategy rather than strength, quickly prostrated himself, kneeling on the ground.

With his arms and legs bound, as he knelt down, his head naturally hit the ground.

“It’s quite interesting. Very perceptive. Let’s entertain our guest.”

“P-Please spare me.”

“But you’re alive, aren’t you?”

The positions of Pierre and Park Kang-woo were now 180 degrees different from before the blackout.

Yu Kang-jin, the critic, admired this scene.

‘When Park Kang-woo entered the party hall and ascended the marble stairs, continuing to rise, and when his voice tone kept rising, and when he grabbed Pierre’s collar, the taller actor Ryu Yeon-woo intentionally stooped to allow Park Kang-woo to be positioned on top.’

Then he looked back at the screen.

‘Pierre Choi is sitting on a high chair, looking down below, while Park Kang-woo continues to sway and fall, being the lowest point in this room, with his head banging on the floor.’

Through the contrast of ascension and descent, and the contrast between the brightness of the party hall and the darkness inside the ship, the reversed relationship between the two was aesthetically expressed.

‘Although he’s only recognized as a master in commercial films, if Park Chan-hong, the director, decides to make it, it could be aimed for an art film, even competing for awards overseas. And the actors who express it solely are remarkable, especially the young actor Ryu Yeon-woo.’

Critic Yu Kang-jin gazed at Ryu Yeon-woo and Pierre Choi on the screen.

The scene on the screen showed Pierre proposing a poker game that would determine Park Kang-woo’s fate.

Reporter Ju Ye-wool only now realized, her body shivering all over.

Even though she had been a movie journalist for ten years, if she couldn’t catch hints as obvious as this, she should resign.

‘There’s probably one more twist left for the final reversal.’

But most of the audience still had puzzled faces, concentrating on the screen.

Although he’s the villain, starting this scene from Park Kang-woo’s first-person perspective created a certain level of immersion for the viewers, adding to the suspense.

As in the filming, Park Kang-woo ultimately wins with a full house, securing the rights to domestic drug trafficking from the ‘Asian liaison of the Italian Mafia’.

And the movie rushes towards its conclusion.

Several scenes passed, and Pierre and Park Kang-woo negotiating inside the ship appeared.

“Haha. Let’s do well from now on. Once the Sicilian brothers establish a trust relationship, they never betray first.”

“Of course. I look forward to working together.”

Then, an urgent voice came from the radio.

– Beep. –

[Run! We’ve been exposed!]

With escalating tension in the music, the bewildered expression of Pierre Choi was captured as the screen widened inside.

Pierre, holding a gun, aimed it at Park Kang-woo, then quickly aimed it at his subordinate behind him, expressing his confusion.

“What the! Is it you?”

“Y-Yes? What do you mean?”

Then, special agents wearing black protective suits burst in through the door of the cabin.

“It’s Interpol! You have the right to remain silent and to an attorney. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

The sudden turn of events stunned the clueless audience.

Even Han Yoo-kyung, using the café nickname ‘Universe Beauty’ after winning a draw by the Wooz Club, was surprised.

‘So, is Pierre using Park Kang-woo as a shield to escape from here? What’s going to happen?’

But contrary to Yoo-kyung’s thoughts, Pierre seemed to have no intention of fleeing, and Park Kang-woo was actually stepping back.

With both hands raised, Park Kang-woo stepped back.

“I-I have nothing to do with this.”

“Stop! Don’t move!”

Then, from the opposite corridor, another group, wearing masks and holding guns, appeared with loud noises.

Pointing his gun in all directions, Pierre shouted.

“What the! Who the hell are you!”

Then, a man in a black suit, notably larger, removed his mask and aimed a gun at Pierre.

As he removed his mask, Gwak Ji-cheol’s face was revealed.

“It’s me. This bastard.”

Pierre Choi’s face contorted in a mixture of laughter and tears at Gwak Ji-cheol’s sudden appearance.

“This is so amusing. Life is this amusing, isn’t it?”

Meanwhile, Han Yoo-kyung, watching the movie, seemed unable to keep up with the rapid developments.

‘…What? So, Gwak Ji-cheol has been acting all along? To capture Pierre Choi? Isn’t this storyline too problematic? What about our Yeon-woo? He seems to be stuck in a strange movie…’

Other audience members were also agitated, like Han Yoo-kyung.

The audience, deeply immersed in Gwak Ji-cheol, who had been with them since the beginning of the movie, couldn’t accept this situation.

Whether or not they accepted it, Ryu Yeon-woo on the screen fired his gun at Gwak Ji-cheol in anger.

As a signal, the three groups, holding guns, began shooting at each other, and Park Kang-woo, still holding his head, fled to the entrance of the cabin.

With legs trembling as if insane, Park Kang-woo and his subordinate rushed out of the ship, hearing gunshots reverberating beyond the metal sheets.

As the camera focused back inside the cabin, Park Kang-woo, running out, showed a chaotic scene of indiscriminate gunfire without any concern for each other.

A spectacle of bullets hitting everywhere, blood spraying, sparks flying from broken machinery, and shattered lights.

Slowing down the speed slightly from the original pace, the slow-motion depicted the gunfire, giving the audience enough time to think.

‘So, everyone dies and only Park Kang-woo survives, leading to a bad ending? Then who gets the 30 billion won he transferred? Does Jennifer get it?’

The screen solemnly captured the scene of the cabin filled with corpses from gunshots.

The space, previously filled with noisy gunfire, suddenly turned silent as if questioning when it had happened, creating a stark contrast that felt eerie.

Then, after a few seconds, only the broken machinery sparks intermittently blinking from the dangling fluorescent lights on the ceiling could be heard.

At that moment, amidst the pile of corpses, Pierre Choi rose his upper body like a zombie, stifling his laughter and covering his mouth to avoid making any sound that might be heard outside.

“It’s really fun, as expected.”

Then, the men in the cabin who had been bleeding and fallen began to rise hesitantly.

“Gwak Ji-cheol. It felt like there was emotion in it, didn’t it? There was no cursing during rehearsal.”

“Hmm. Wow, it’s so realistic. Mr. Junk Dealer is amazing. Let’s all get up quickly.”

Finally understanding the situation, the audience shivered, stretching their arms with goosebumps.

‘So, this is all a scam from Park Kang-woo’s perspective? He just hands over the money, and his trading partner dies. Wow…’

Then, the team members who had been waiting behind the ship appeared, boarding Jennifer’s boat to escape.

“Is this mine?”

“No. We can’t take away the biggest fun.”

As Pierre raised the switch high and pressed the button, the bridge exploded, and simultaneously, in a cross-edit, Park Kang-woo, startled by the explosion, tried to flee the ship with trembling legs.

Reporter Ju Ye-wool nodded.

‘So, with another twist, Park Kang-woo is left with nowhere to complain, whether in a positive or negative light. It’s a perfect plan, truly a Master Plan.’

As CG effects, unlike during filming, were realistically integrated over the actors’ performances, the audience’s faces were immersed in the crimson light of the explosion from the screen.

With cheerful and whimsical music, the movie depicted a boat heading towards the sunset, just like at the beginning of the film, with the same logo.

「Master Plan」

Deceivers and deceived.

Then, as the screen brightened again, a post-credits scene appeared.

After the end credits were all displayed tomorrow after the release, the scene would appear.

“Oppa, where should I drop you off?”

“Hmm, I don’t know.”

Jennifer smiled at Gwak Ji-cheol’s response.

“Huh, I knew it would be like this. Did you like the taste, mister?”

Jennifer, elbowing Gwak Ji-cheol’s side knowingly, as if everyone knew, ended the post-credits scene.

Watching this, Pierre chuckled.

“Get off when you want to. No one’s going to say anything if you don’t.”

As Gwak Ji-cheol joined the team, hinting at a sequel, the post-credits scene ended, and the lights in the preview screening hall turned on.

Then, as the director and actors took the stage, everyone in the audience stood up, applauding and cheering enthusiastically.

– Wow! –

– Clap, clap, clap. –

The applause continued unabated for a long time, even to the point of surprising the director and actors who came up for the final bow.

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“Excuse me, everyone.”

After the preview ended, it was Manager Kim Min-soo who blocked the way of the fan cafe alliance consisting of 15 members, including Lee Jin-ah and Han Yoo-kyung, from leaving after the show.

“Hello. I’m Kim Min-soo, manager of actor Ryu Yeon-woo. If it’s okay with you, the actor would like to treat you all to a meal. Is there anyone who can join?”

The eyes of the fan cafe members widened, and they eagerly raised their hands.

“Of course! I’d attend even if a meteor fell right now!”

“Awesome.”

Meanwhile, as Yeon-woo was leaving the preview screening, he was waiting momentarily at the director Park Chan-hong’s request.

“Well, Yeon-woo, it seems difficult to talk for a long time now, so if it’s okay, could you spare some time soon? I have a piece I’d like to discuss with you over a meal.”

Looking slightly hesitant, Park Chan-hong gestured while speaking, and Yeon-woo smiled subtly in response.

“Of course, Director. Whenever you mention it, I’ll adjust my schedule to meet you.”

“Great. Thank you. You’ve really worked hard on this project amidst the filming.”

Park Chan-hong chuckled contentedly, patting Yeon-woo’s shoulder.

Yeon-woo recalled how Park Chan-hong, who seemed indifferent to rookie actors when he first went for auditions, had now overlapped with the director he knew, realizing how much he had grown during their time together in filming, and smiled back warmly.

Afterward, Yeon-woo headed to the restaurant that Min-soo had reserved in advance.

Meanwhile, amidst the peak of the movie’s preview screening, the internet was buzzing with malicious comments about Yeon-woo.