Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Press Preview.

As the name suggests, a press preview is an event where a movie is shown to the media before its official release.

However, this press preview wasn’t an event just anyone could attend.

[“Before the release, only people whose faces can promote the film should be present.”]

During the distribution stage, every move should serve as promotion.

That’s why it was customary for only the director, the lead actors, and a few well-known supporting actors to attend.

It was supposed to be like that, but…

‘Who is that?’

There was someone who instantly captured the attention of the reporters on-site.

‘That person is incredibly striking.’

‘Great fashion sense, too.’

‘Was someone like that part of the cast?’

It was none other than Lee Min Ki.

Even from dozens of meters away, his radiant presence stood out.

Like a white egret among crows, like a swan among ducks.

Lee Min Ki stood tall, his figure piercing through the crowd.

‘I’ve seen many celebrities before, but this guy is in at least the top 30%. No… he might even be in the top 20%.’

‘He’s handsome.’

‘Wow. Is he an actor?’

Not just the ordinary passersby, but even the reporters had their eyes wide open.

Despite standing right in front of Lee Min Ki, they couldn’t recognize that the person was indeed him.

Was it because they didn’t know who Lee Min Ki was?

Or was it because the reporters were being lazy?

No.

Even though they had memorized the list of cast members, Lee Min Ki’s real-life appearance was just that extraordinary.

[“When the public usually sees actors, it’s through the finished footage, right?”]

There was a common saying among industry insiders.

[“But the thing about footage is that it can be manipulated depending on the director’s intentions. If they want to make someone look ugly, they can. If they want someone to appear small, they can. If they want to make someone look big, they can. It’s even possible to make a dwarf look like a giant.”]

The point is this:

There is a huge gap between how someone looks on screen and in real life.

Among them, there were some whose gap was particularly large, and people like Lee Min Ki fell into that category.

[“You need to see people with good proportions in person to really understand.”]

[“Once you see them, they overwhelm you.”]

[“If their features are sharp, even more so.”]

[“Even if there are dozens of people standing together, you can only see that one person.”]

He wasn’t extremely tall, but his physique was excellent.

His features were distinct.

And to top it off, he wore a coat that pulled all his strengths together, pushing him into an entirely new league.

Lee Min Ki’s real-life appearance was incomparable to mere photos.

Of course, just because you’d seen him in real life didn’t mean you wouldn’t be surprised.

‘I knew Min Ki was handsome, but seeing him all dolled up like this… it’s unbelievable.’

Even the production team was astonished.

‘His already broad shoulders are made even more prominent by that coat. Wow…’

‘His face is so gentle, but his shoulders are as wide as the Pacific Ocean. Does that even make sense?’

‘It reminds me of when I first debuted.’

Even if they knew, they were still shocked.

Even after watching for a while, they found themselves looking again a few seconds later.

That was the effect of Lee Min Ki’s presence.

Of course, the man himself was thinking:

‘The attention is a bit intense. The reporters’ gazes really are different.’

He was slightly out of touch.

* * *

The official preview had begun.

In the darkened theater, Lee Min Ki sat in a row with the rest of the cast towards the back.

Though he sat quietly, staring at the screen, his heart couldn’t stop racing.

‘Finally, I’m seeing the finished product.’

It was his first time seeing the edited version.

It had already been two months since they finished filming the movie, and during that time, Lee Min Ki hadn’t had any opportunity to check on the editing process.

This was a common occurrence.

Often, actors wouldn’t see the finished product until the press preview.

“Are you nervous?” Joo Ha Na asked.

“Ah, yes.”

Lee Min Ki scratched the back of his head as he replied.

“Since it’s my first movie, I’m a bit nervous. I’m curious about how it turned out.”

“Me too.”

Joo Ha Na smiled softly.

“I’m amazed to hear that Min Ki is nervous.”

“Really? Doesn’t everyone get nervous?”

His bewildered reply prompted Lee Min Ki to ask.

“Min Ki, you seemed quite comfortable during the filming. You were very mature, I should say.”

“Ah.”

“So I thought you’d stay composed even during the press preview. It’s nice to see your human side.”

“Well, it really is my first time.”

It couldn’t be helped.

Even in his previous life, Lee Min Ki had never experienced something like this.

Sure, he had worked in various filming sites.

But aside from small showcases, he had never been called to a proper press preview before, so it was inevitable.

The tension he felt wasn’t much different from that of a true rookie.

“Min Ki, Ha Na, enjoy this moment.”

Veteran actor Choi Yoo Chang leaned over from the next seat and spoke to the two of them.

“The first shoot, the first preview—over time, all of this becomes familiar, and eventually, it just becomes another tedious event. When that happens, you’ll find yourself reminiscing about how fun the first shoot was, using it as an excuse to talk over drinks. This is something you’ll remember for a long time.”

At the moment, everything felt emotional, but would it all dull with time after countless shoots?

“You must have received a lot of attention even from your first project, right, senior?” Lee Min Ki asked without thinking.

“Hey, Min Ki, what are you saying? Thinking back on my first appearance, I feel so embarrassed I can’t even show my face.”

“Huh?”

“I had a minor role, but I boasted to all my friends that I’d be on screen a lot. And when I finally went to the theater, guess what? Almost all of my scenes had been cut.”

Choi Yoo Chang laughed loudly as he spoke.

To hear him talk like that made one doubt if he was even trying to comfort them.

“Of course, even now, I still can’t sleep the night before a preview. My heart races, wondering how I’ll appear on screen.”

“…”

“My heart’s about to burst. Min Ki, if my heart stops, you have to perform CPR. Don’t forget.”

Choi Yoo Chang might be a seasoned veteran actor.

But at that moment, his face looked as youthful as a boy’s.

From this, Lee Min Ki learned something.

‘This must be what it means to never lose your initial passion.’

As they engaged in small talk, the last remaining lights in the theater flickered off, and the room was plunged into complete darkness.

And then, a few seconds later.

‘Ah, it’s starting.’

The screen gradually lit up, and the film began.

Then.

‘Oh…’

As the screening continued.

‘Oh?’

It went on.

‘Huh?’

And on.

‘Huh? Huh? What?’

Lee Min Ki was soon consumed by shock at the result he had not expected at all.

What was the result?

‘Why is my screen time so long?’

The frequency of his appearances on screen was absurdly high.

[“Look at this. Do the police in Korea look like tax thieves to you? I studied for years to become a cop. Tsk. Damn, my head is spinning.”]

The character of [Detective Goo Hak Jin] that Lee Min Ki portrayed kept appearing.

Almost to the point of overbalancing his role as a supporting actor.

‘My acting is pretty good.’

‘This character is really appealing. He’s so edgy.’

‘That’s the actor we saw earlier.’

For those watching the preview in the theater, it seemed like an appropriate amount of screen time.

But not from Lee Min Ki’s perspective.

‘Detective Goo Hak Jin wasn’t supposed to be this important a character.’

It was different from the version of [Forever Green] that he had read.

His screen time had increased drastically.

By 10%, no, 20%, no—nearly 30%.

The significance of [Detective Goo Hak Jin] had changed.

If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was a lead role rather than a supporting one.

‘Is this okay?’

He was happy.

To be honest, as an actor, it was impossible not to be happy.

There were countless horror stories of actors giving it their all during filming only to find their scenes cut out of the final edit.

Even Senior Choi Yoo Chang said that had happened to him as a rookie.

But to have the opposite happen, he ought to be dancing with joy.

However, this was too much.

Compared to the original version he remembered, the direction had diverged significantly. What could he say about this?

‘Will it sell well?’

He was seriously worried about the movie’s performance.

Of course, [Forever Green] wasn’t a project picked solely based on its potential for commercial success.

If anything, it was chosen based on personal taste.

But as a commercial actor, it was impossible to ignore box office performance altogether.

After pondering for a moment, Lee Min Ki shook his head, clearing away his concerns.

‘No, what good will worrying do? If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.’

Now that he had returned, there was no need to dwell on the past.

Whether or not he’d be twiddling his thumbs for the next seven years, it would be the same for any project he took on.

Let’s go forward with a clear mind.

‘The fact that my screen time increased means Director Yeom thought it was the right decision.’

Director Yeom was a pro.

If a professional director made a film, even just one second of screen time had to have meaning.

There was no reason to diminish himself.

Rather, he should embrace his confidence.

‘I earned that screen time myself.’

While Lee Min Ki was purging his inner conflict, others…

‘This is good.’

At least, there wasn’t a critical atmosphere.

‘Director Yeom Gwang Ho didn’t cast a rookie as a supporting actor for nothing. He has talent.’

‘The action is impressive.’

‘Just judging by the acting, he could be a lead.’

‘Hmm, I’m not sure how to write this review.’

‘This is unexpected. I thought Kang Do Won and Choi Yoo Chang would dominate the movie, but an unexpected rookie added something extra.’

Before they knew it, the movie had reached its climax.

In the scene where [Detective Goo Hak Jin] chases the criminal to the end and gets killed…

“Agh.”

“Agh.”

There were audible sighs of pity throughout the theater.

As his screen time had increased, the impact of his death had also become far greater.

After that, he didn’t remember much.

“I’m Lee Min Ki, greeting you all for the first time in a film. Please look upon me kindly.”

During the Q&A session that followed the screening, he was already so out of it that he answered on autopilot.

“Min Ki, over here! Smile for us!”

During the photo time, he posed for photos, feeling like a wooden puppet.

Though the posing skills he had developed during his modeling days shone through, he didn’t have time to be conscious of it.

And so, that evening…

[“I just watched Director Yeom Gwang Ho’s new film, Forever Green!]

[“Went to see two, ended up noticing a third.”]

The first official reviews from the reporters began to pop up on the internet one by one.

* * *

[“A well-made crime thriller from Director Yeom Gwang Ho.”]

[“No plot twists.”]

[“Ordinary setting, ordinary plot, ordinary characters. But being ordinary makes it highly polished.”]

As soon as the press preview ended, reviews began to flood in.

As was typical of press previews, there were no detailed discussions of the plot, only subjective evaluations of its quality.

But among all the reviews, there was one consistent point being made.

[“The rookie actor is handsome.”]

[“Director Yeom Gwang Ho’s eye for talent is noteworthy.”]

[“Female audiences will love him. Well, the male ones too, of course.”]

[“An actor worth paying attention to.”]

They all had something to say about one actor.

In reviews that were supposed to be entirely about the film, it was strange to see one actor mentioned in almost every single one.

What kind of movie had been made, for there to be a rookie actor’s name attached like an afterthought to every review about the film?

[“Did they bribe someone?”]

[“Now I’m curious.”]

[“Who is Lee Min Ki?”]

[“He was in Campus Story before.”]

[“What’s Campus Story?”]

[“I saw it. It was pretty average.”]

[“So, how’s his acting?”]

Among movie fans and netizens, discussions started popping up.

As opinions flew back and forth, a bit late, Lee Min Ki’s coat-clad photo from the photo time surfaced online.

[“?????”]

[“???????”]

The reaction was immediate.

[“Oppa… no, is he younger than me?”]

[“This small peninsula sure has a lot of talent.”]

[“Where can I buy that coat?”]