Episode 77

The beginning of that flood of malicious comments was Movie Fact’s reporter, Oh Seung-hwan.

Oh Seung-hwan, from Movie Fact, was inevitably assigned a reduced number of press tickets to invite members of actor Ryu Woo’s fan cafe, Wooz, as well as members from other actors’ fan cafes. Being pushed down to the bottom of the list, he couldn’t receive a ticket, which hurt his pride.

“No, it doesn’t make sense that they’re not sending even one ticket for Park Chan-hong’s movie to our company, does it? I supported them so much in their previous works. This is such a ridiculous situation…”

He raised his hands to the keyboard to start writing his draft.

‘It’s one thing to mess with a master like Park Chan-hong, but Ma Seok-do has brought in too much success until now.’

As Oh Seung-hwan, from Movie Fact, scanned through the lineup, a relatively unfamiliar name caught his eye.

“Ryu Yeon-woo is perfect.”

As he researched Ryu Yeon-woo’s filmography online, the corners of Seung-hwan’s mouth began to rise.

[Why did Master Plan choose Ryu Yeon-woo?]

By Movie Fact, Reporter Oh Seung-hwan

It’s needless to say that Director Park Chan-hong’s box office performance is impressive.

Anticipation for the crime-action film ‘Master Plan’, which will hit screens this fall, is growing even stronger.

However, can this movie, set to release tomorrow, really succeed?

If it fails, what might be the cause?

Our speculation suggests that there may be serious weaknesses.

The chemistry between the highly praised Ma Seok-do and Ryu Yeon-woo, as expressed by Director Park Chan-hong as ‘the best casting’, is precisely the point. However, if we examine Ryu Yeon-woo’s career, it’s surprising.

Looking at this actor who debuted as a lead without much acting experience, it’s evident that he has stuck to conventional acting more than we thought.

According to available information, the role requires considerable acting skills and charisma. Can Ryu Yeon-woo handle this role? Our outlook is negative.

So, what is Master Plan’s true intention in choosing Ryu Yeon-woo over numerous seasoned actors? Ultimately, it seems to be taking advantage of the ticket-buying power of the young fandom in today’s trend.

Following that, there’s a concentrated analysis of Ryu Yeon-woo and a writing style almost close to blatant attack.

“Hah, I wrote it, but it’s a masterpiece, a real masterpiece. It seems like it will actually turn out like this, doesn’t it? That role for Ryu Yeon-woo is honestly like putting pearls on a pig’s neck.”

As soon as the article was published on the internet, attacks began in Ryu Yeon-woo’s fan cafe, with comments attacking the article.

[Why suddenly pick on our Yeon-woo?”]

[Isn’t this the kind of evaluation that should come after the movie is released?]

[Reporter Oh Seung-hwan, I’ll remember your name.]

Then, people who had been silently suffering and resenting Ryu Yeon-woo’s sudden rise without any obscure period began to emerge and sympathize with the article.

[Honestly, what notable acting has Ryu Yeon-woo shown in his previous works?]

[Let’s be honest, Ryu Yeon-woo just got famous for his good looks, it’s not like he’s known for his acting skills. Stop flattering him, fangirls.]

[Ugh, just because they have good looks, they’re praised, but actors should be good at acting.]

Supporters and detractors.

As two factions formed, insults spread like wildfire on the internet, and what had turned into a place for greeting each other’s parents’ well-being in messages quickly degenerated.

And the next day, ‘Master Plan’ was released.

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CEO Kim Joo-seong came to the movie theater early in the morning.

Although he naturally received an invitation to the VIP preview held yesterday, he declined because he wanted to feel the actual audience’s reactions and watch the movie together.

Alone, he bought a popcorn and cola set and sat at a table in front of the movie theater ticket booth, waiting. Perhaps because it was a national holiday, he felt quite a few people buying tickets from early in the morning.

“Honey, did you see how heated it got on the internet because of this movie yesterday?”

“Huh? Why? I didn’t see it.”

“Yesterday, some reporter wrote an article saying that if ‘Master Plan’ fails before it even opens, it’ll be because of Ryu Yeon-woo, and the fans and antis got into a fight.”

Hearing the couple’s conversation, CEO Kim Joo-seong turned his head in their direction.

The couple seemed to have also booked tickets for ‘Master Plan,’ holding tickets and looking at pamphlets. The man was speaking while the woman made a grimace.

“But isn’t that going too far? Why spread rumors before the release?”

“Because Ryu Yeon-woo among the cast is easy to target to attract attention and increase views, isn’t it?”

“The movie is fun, and Ryu Yeon-woo acts well, so I hope that shuts that reporter’s mouth.”

Watching the girlfriend holding tickets for ‘Master Plan’ soon to start, the man nodded his head.

[We’ll assist with entry to Theater 3. Please have your mobile ticket ready on the screen.]

People who had been sitting in front of the ticket booth stood up. They all seemed to be waiting for ‘Master Plan’ audience members.

CEO Kim Joo-seong, dressed in a neat suit with a pomade hairstyle, also nodded his head and entered the theater.

Afterward, for two hours, a storm of applause, admiration, laughter, and amazement mixed together as the black screen displayed the ending credits.

‘…I’ve always rated him highly, but Ryu Yeon-woo was more of a genius than I thought.’

CEO Kim Joo-seong, who still couldn’t leave the movie, waited until all the credits had rolled up on the screen. Then, a post-credit scene appeared.

Some of the audience who were waiting or couldn’t shake off the lingering feelings sat with wide eyes at the emergence of the uncommon post-credit scene, often unused in Korean films.

Seeing the post-credit scene hinting at a sequel, Kim Joo-seong grinned.

‘When we signed the contract, there was no talk of a sequel…?’

He nodded his head after a moment’s thought.

‘Yeah, Park Chan-hong the director must have felt it too. This is definitely going to be a success.’

Although a sequel wasn’t originally planned, probably due to the assurance of success during filming, they might have modified the latter part to make it seem like Kwak Ji-chul joins the team, Kim speculated.

After finishing his thoughts, CEO Kim Joo-seong tried to stand up and leave, but he heard the conversation of a couple following him from the aisle.

It seemed to be the same couple he saw before entering. They had watched the post-credit scene like him.

“Oppa, that reporter is in big trouble, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, what weakness? Ryu Yeon-woo is nailing this movie.”

“Wow, amazing. I didn’t know Ryu Yeon-woo could act so well.”

“The movie was really interesting, right?”

As they walked out of the theater, CEO Kim Joo-seong’s mouth lifted slightly.

Already, articles were popping up left and right from the reporters who attended the VIP preview yesterday, and now, on the opening day, they were coming out one after another.

[Blue chip Ryu Yeon-woo is no longer just a blue chip.]

[‘Master Plan’ is a real hit.]

[Anticipation for the box office performance of ‘Master Plan’ already.]

[Ma Seok-do and Ryu Yeon-woo’s fantastic chemistry in ‘Master Plan’ set to hit screens this fall.

As the afternoon approached, mocking comments also began to appear in Movie Fact’s articles, and fervent fans even called the company directly.

[Shouldn’t Movie Fact change its name? There’s not a single fact in their articles.]

[Reporter Oh Seung-hwan, I remember your name.]

ㄴI looked up this reporter, and it seems he’s gotten in trouble for stirring up trouble before.

[Why did he do that? Don’t movie reporters watch previews like premieres? If they had seen the movie, they wouldn’t have written such an article, right?]

[Where did all those antis who criticized Ryu Yeon-woo yesterday disappear to?]

With the internet already heated up yesterday, when new logs were added, it began to blaze in a positive direction this time.

Even without controversy, word of mouth about the movie began to spread quickly, and with the addition of issues surrounding Director Park Chan-hong’s name value, except for some seats that were available in the morning, all reservations were fully booked until the next day.

While the chaos was unfolding, Yeon-woo lay in bed, reminiscing about the meeting with fans yesterday and browsing through fan cafe posts. It was interesting to see how lively the posts were. Despite feeling somewhat awkward and bored yesterday while being in the same space with his fans, they posted reviews that were enriching and enjoyable.

As Yeon-woo read through the reviews, he recalled yesterday.

The meal turned into an impromptu fan meeting at the restaurant.

“Wow, it feels like I’m dreaming. I can’t believe I can see you up close like this for so long.”

“Ji-yeon, can you take a picture for me later?”

“Me too, me too.”

Fans who had become close while watching the movie and chatting soon started calling each other’s names like friends.

Seeing those fans looking at him with sparkling eyes even while eating made Yeon-woo feel even more grateful.

‘How thankful it is that they genuinely like me.’

Nodding while eating, Yeon-woo spoke up suddenly.

“Thank you so much for liking me. I’m just an actor…”

As he watched Yeon-woo speaking sincerely, the fans also felt his sincerity.

“Wow, his personality too.”

No matter what he said, his fans loved it.

After a pleasant meal, as they moved to a room where friends and family were present, Yeon-woo felt a desire to give something back.

“If there’s anything I can do for you, I’ll do anything except singing. Acting, taking selfies, anything you want. Do you have anything you want?”

Fans told Yeon-woo what they wanted, such as selfies or hugs.

There was even a fan who cruelly asked for a song, but Yeon-woo firmly shook his head at that.

‘As long as it’s not singing, I can do anything.’

At that moment, Han Yoo-kyung raised her hand.

“Yeon-woo, please do the cute voice you did in the movie today.”

“…Pardon?”

Yeon-woo faced a major crisis in his life.

More sweat dripped down his back than when he was isolated on the Eastern Battleground during the Sri Lankan Civil War.

His face turned red again as he recalled yesterday’s events.

‘Phew, yesterday was tough.’

As he scrolled through the posts from yesterday, not today, he discovered angry comments from upset fans.

“Oh Seung-hwan reporter? What did he write?”

The bulletin board was filled with vehement insults against the reporter.

While managers were trying to delete personal attacks in real-time, there were still plenty of posts left.

Yeon-woo clicked on the link to read the article about himself and soon chuckled.

Trying to shake Yeon-woo’s mental with such low-level attacks was like trying to dig a hole in the road to hell he had walked so far.

Reading the cute-level attacks, Yeon-woo found himself sympathizing and nodding.

“Yeah, even I think it was too sudden for me to be cast as the lead. It’s abnormal.”

Still, it was nice to see such posts.

“Hmm, with logs like this, the flames will burn even brighter. You’re a grateful person.”

Meanwhile, in a building in Gangnam, that ‘grateful person’ was currently not able to leave work and was being summoned to the disciplinary committee, feeling like he was facing his demise.