Chapter 179

Chapter 179. The Power of Love

More time passed.

Filming 〈Listen to the Sound of Blue〉 was brutal.

They would get up at the crack of dawn and travel to the filming location, then not finish until it was nearly dawn again.

Fortunately, my luxury German-made Volkswagon was built well enough that if I folded the back seats properly, they could be used almost like a bed.

While Youngchae was filming the movie, I kept them folded down and frequently took naps outdoors.

As a result, Youngchae now understood "acting" as a form of highly advanced manual labor.

Park Chan-deok had said he would stick to the shooting schedule no matter what and meet the deadline.

He had meant it.

He ground down the actors to some extent.

Then during the final all-night editing session, he ground down his own lifespan too.

That was how we barely managed to meet both the World Boxing Center advertising deadline and the Sriver contest submission deadline.

Even if it was only a thirty-minute film, they had finished filming in less than a month.

Maybe Park Chan-deok belonged on some program about legendary eccentrics rather than at the Academy Awards.

Anyway.

Today was the day the Mayway versus Pakwis fight would be broadcast live.

Only major national broadcasters in various countries had managed to secure broadcasting rights.

It wasn't like the Olympics, where there were countless different events.

The broadcast rights for this single match alone were extremely expensive.

In Korea, KBC would be airing it.

The advertisement for 〈Listen to the Sound of Blue〉 would appear on a medium-sized banner on the left side of the arena.

And during the breaks between rounds, a short clip would periodically appear as a KBC commercial too.

"Ooooooh! Pakwis! Win this, Pakwis!"

The match hadn't even started yet, but Dae-hun was already punching the air and shouting.

We'd all gathered at the office with the members to watch the fight together.

Chicken?

Of course we ordered chicken.

"Hey, hey. We agreed to cheer for Mayway, so get with the program."

Come to think of it, I'd promised Mayway I'd contact him before the fight.

I forgot.

Please understand, Mr. Mayway.

If you want to hang out with our members while possessing the male gender, you must first pass all seven rounds of my screening process.

"Pakwis's punches curve. Why do you think they call him Magnetic Fist? Why cheer for the guy who's obviously going to lose?"

"How is an Asian supposed to beat a Black guy? You don't know anything, so stop talking about magnetic punches. Look at the difference in size."

Thinking back to the future-spam video, that combat-sports Nutuber hadn't even mentioned which one of them won.

Had the match been so boring that the result itself wasn't worth talking about?

Even someone like me, who knew nothing about combat sports, had heard the name Pakwis.

And this many people were excited enough to go crazy over the match.

"Both fighters have entered the ring. The crowd here is absolutely roaring. And now, the match begins!"

Mayway and Pakwis slowly approached each other.

Almost immediately, they exchanged several punches.

The movements were impressive enough that even I couldn't help admiring them.

Mayway threw first.

As though he'd been waiting for it, Pakwis ducked inside and threw a one-two combination.

But Mayway blocked it with his opposite hand, then Pakwis quickly dodged the counterpunch that came right back.

They moved as though they'd rehearsed the exchange beforehand.

"That really is impressive."

Boxing fans.

You've been enjoying something this fun all by yourselves?

Unfortunately, that impression didn't last long.

Because those became practically the last real punches they exchanged.

"But Youngchae's advertisement stands out way more than I expected."

"Yeah. Looks like those Yeyoung Planning guys actually did their job properly."

The banner showed a side profile of short-haired Youngchae gazing upward at the sky.

Since the photograph only framed her from the shoulders up, her face was clearly visible.

The film's English title, 〈Hotter than Blue〉, was written across it in a stylish font.

Even judged purely as a poster, it looked like a complete work of art.

Submit it to a photography contest or a literary contest, and that poster could win first place.

"Youngchae unni looks so pretty there. Take a picture like that of me too!"

"Is that an actual scene from the movie? Then that picture must've been taken with a Sriver phone too. The camera quality is that good?"

At Serin's question, Youngchae looked at the banner on the broadcast and answered.

"Yeah. They used Sriver phones for all the cameras. But Director Park said he wasn't going to use that scene. I guess he ended up using it for the poster."

At first, the members had been enthusiastically talking about the match.

But little by little, the topic shifted toward 〈Listen to the Sound of Blue〉.

Was it simply because their beloved unni and dongsaeng Youngchae was the model?

Apparently not.

The live online reactions made that clear.

[The stray dogs in my neighborhood have more entertaining standoffs than this. I'm starting a livestream, come over.]

[Ah! Just go in already!]

[Wait, is the match actually boring? I thought I just couldn't focus because I kept looking at Youngchae.]

[Wow... Why is Youngchae doing so well lately? Her visuals are insane right now.]

[Please stop hugging each other! Jab, jab, hug. Jab, jab, hug...]

[Is this that American-style romance thing people talk about?]

The reaction from the Nutuber in the future-spam video was becoming reality.

This wasn't a boxing match anymore.

It was practically a broadcast advertisement for 〈Listen to the Sound of Blue〉.

I called Park Chan-deok.

"Director! Are you watching the broadcast and the online comments right now?"

"Online comments? Where can I see them? I'm watching the match."

I sent him a link to the live reactions.

Park Chan-deok slowly read through them.

Then he said,

"My God..."

We planned to release the original cut on Nutube and the director's cut in theaters.

And before theatrical screenings even began, Sriver informed us that the film had officially won the contest.

Park Chan-deok was so happy that it almost interfered with his ability to function normally.

To think he'd originally won like this only to have it taken away later.

How devastated must he have been?

Even a master director could be swept up by joy and despair.

That thought made me feel a little bad for him.

Though this time, that future wouldn't happen.

"All right. We've done the solo concert. Youngchae finished filming her movie too. There are about two months left until the Super Bowl, and during that time we're really going to rest. Vacation. This is vacation."

For Youngchae's sake too, it would be better to rest.

Until now, every time I said we'd take a break, I'd somehow ended up filling their schedule again.

But this time we were really resting.

Even if future spam arrived.

Bzzzt.

I hurriedly pulled out my phone and checked the message.

It was from Park Chan-deok, telling me they'd won the Sriver contest.

...

I had not desperately checked because I thought it might be future spam.

Absolutely not.

I replied with congratulations.

"Whaaaat? Vacation?"

"Yeah. Vacation."

Aran spoke.

"Then we're doing absolutely nothing? I don't like that..."

"You don't like it?"

"Let's do something small at least! Two months is way too long."

The other members nodded in agreement with Aran.

Youngchae included.

Of course, we could casually enjoy a few small activities here and there.

But whenever we started doing something, it inevitably grew into something much larger.

That was why I'd used the word vacation.

I'd underestimated our Blue Moon members.

Their love for the fans truly knew no bounds.

"Really? If that's what you want, then what should we do? Variety shows? Or do you want to tour regional performances?"

"Regional performances would be good too. And it's about time we released a new song, so working on an album might be nice."

Anna suggested it.

Ah.

An album.

I'd been planning to start after we returned from the Super Bowl because adding another major project while preparing for that seemed like too much.

But Anna was right.

Timing-wise, it was about time for new music.

"That's true. Still, a new release isn't something we should rush through before the Super Bowl, is it? Don't you want to spend more time on it and do it properly?"

"That's true."

"And physically, it'll be exhausting for you too. How about something lighter that doesn't completely defeat the point of resting?"

They might be full of enthusiasm right now, but you never knew.

People often didn't recognize their own mental limits.

If exhaustion suddenly hit in the middle of a project, it could turn directly into a slump.

Anna thought about it and nodded.

"You're right. It doesn't have to be album work specifically. I just thought fans would probably like that the most."

So in the end, they wanted to do something fans would enjoy.

"Then how about this?"

The moment I started making a suggestion, the members perked up.

"The best service is the kind that comes directly to you. We do a national tour, going counterclockwise through Seoul, Daejeon, Jeonju, Gwangju, Busan, Daegu, and Chuncheon. We won't make the schedule too tight. We rest for a day or two between stops, and each show is... maybe around two hours?"

"What? Even if we take it slow, won't that make things harder for you, CEO-nim?"

Serin asked.

"That's my job. Designing the stage and booking venues is still a lot easier than personally dancing and singing."

"No way."

Just imagining myself standing onstage, smiling brightly while singing...

Ugh.

I didn't even want to think about it.

I'd probably destroy my body before surviving one year as an active performer.

Everyone seemed to think there was no problem other than worrying about me.

So we decided to go ahead.

What kind of employee worries about the boss?

I immediately called a stage producer right in front of the members.

Not Seung-tae.

Kim Hyo-seok.

"Yes, yes, CEO Do. I thought the high from the solo concert would last a little longer, but 〈Listen to the Sound of Blue〉 completely buried it. Hahaha. Anyway, congratulations. You didn't suffer too much during filming, did you?"

Kim Hyo-seok immediately showered me with belated congratulations.

He was the regular stage producer who'd worked with us on Blue Moon's first solo concert.

As far as I knew, he already had a mountain of work scheduled for the second half of the year.

But the moment he heard it was Blue Moon's first concert, he'd joined without asking questions.

"Director Park Chan-deok can be a little unpredictable, but he's the kind of person who always succeeds in the end. So I just trusted him and followed along."

"Oh, really? Unpredictable but always successful... Isn't that describing you, CEO Do?"

Was that...

A compliment?

Probably.

Surely he wasn't talking about how I'd suddenly extended the solo concert from three days to five.

"Come on. When have I ever been unpredictable? Hahaha. Anyway, that's not why I called. I'd like to plan another Blue Moon performance. I know you're busy, but you're too good at what you do, so I thought I'd ask just in case."

I explained that it would be a nationwide tour, but promised the concept would remain simple and the planning wouldn't be too intense.

Kim Hyo-seok politely declined.

"Haaa... If I turn this down, you're not going to stop giving me opportunities next time, right?"

"Of course not. Did something come up?"

"My oldest princess starts elementary school next year. So we're taking a family trip during the last week of next month. If this were any other production job, I'd happily pay tens of billions in penalties just to switch over to Blue Moon, but this one... I'm a henpecked husband. Hahaha..."

Ah.

A family trip.

If it had been another performance already scheduled, I would've offered to cover every cent just to bring him over.

But family memories were important.

I decided to protect those.

After I ended the call, Serin asked,

"What did he say? Is he busy?"

Damn.

Now I'd completely lost face in front of the members.

What do I do?

A stage producer capable of overseeing direction, planning, production, and marketing.

Someone responsible enough to handle an entire nationwide tour.

Someone with a good personality.

Someone who didn't cling only to major productions, but could understand the sensibility of every concept and scale.

It was hard to think of anyone besides Kim Hyo-seok who fit all those requirements.

Still.

People like that didn't only exist in the major performance industry.

Maybe I should search the indie scene too.

"Everything in this house belongs to~ Elizabeth~!!"

She looked like a fairly young actress, but her voice was powerful and her acting was pretty good too.

I'd urgently come to watch a musical while searching on foot for a producer.

Coming here had been the right choice.

It was surprisingly entertaining.

And the stage design was excellent too.

The lighting shifted subtly with the actors' dialogue.

It almost felt like half the power behind each spoken line came from the stage direction itself.

This was a small-theater musical, yet whoever had planned the stage understood that completely.

Normally, when actors sang, you used more dramatic stage lighting.

When they acted, you tended to keep the lighting relatively stable.

But this musical didn't do that.

That alone made it clear the production was experimental and fresh.

I raised my ticket and checked the title, cast, and production credits.

The name listed as the overall stage planner was Shin Ji-yoon.

Once the performance and curtain call ended, more than half the audience left.

Only afterward did the photo session begin.

I joined the line under the excuse of taking a picture so I could speak with the producer.

Since most people had already left, I didn't have to wait long.

I handed my phone to a young woman who looked like she was probably the producer, Shin Ji-yoon.

"Please make me look good."

"Yes!"

Shin Ji-yoon carefully looked at me and the actors while preparing to take the photo.

Then she suddenly froze.

"Uh...? Are you perhaps from Uni..."

The moment Shin Ji-yoon started saying that, the actors began glancing toward me.

"Oh! Aren't you CEO Do Jun-hyeok from Universe? I'm a huge fan. Please take a picture with us."

I'm already standing onstage because I came up here to take a picture.

"What brings you here? Did you really come just to see our show?"

"Ah, yes. I saw good reviews online and decided to check it out. It was really, really fun."

"Oooooh!"

The actors and Shin Ji-yoon exclaimed in delight.

The atmosphere was completely different from the Elephant Theater Company.

"I've become a fan too. The acting was great, but the stage itself was excellent. The lighting, the props, all of it. How did you come up with these ideas?"

The young woman who really was Shin Ji-yoon handed my phone back and answered.

"I'm the planner. Ah... but it wasn't entirely my idea. I got inspired by an indie-band performance I saw in Hongdae before. It was a street performance, but they brought a few lighting fixtures and used them really efficiently. I really love things like that, so I tend to learn quickly."

She learned quickly because she loved it.

In other words, she'd overcome the gap through the power of love.

Her instincts were excellent.

Taking inspiration for a musical stage from an indie-band performance.

This person was going to become very successful someday.

I added a few more compliments and reached for my business card.

Or rather, I was about to hand it to her.

Bzzzt.

A message arrived.

I slipped the business card back into my pocket for a moment and checked my phone.

Of course.

Could it possibly have been anything else?

It was future spam.