Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Same Time Slot

The next morning.

The first thing Hyunsoo did after waking up was check his phone.

Half sitting on the bed, he refreshed the ticketing page.

[Before the Light Reaches - Additional Screening 1]

[SOLD OUT]

[Before the Light Reaches - Additional Screening 2]

[SOLD OUT]

[Before the Light Reaches - Additional Screening 3]

[SOLD OUT]

Hyunsoo shot upright.

"Hyung."

Geonwoo sat on a chair near the window.

The ends of his hair were still slightly wet after showering.

"What?"

"All the additional screenings are sold out."

Geonwoo looked up.

Hyunsoo held out the phone.

Geonwoo took it without saying anything.

[SOLD OUT]

[SOLD OUT]

[SOLD OUT]

He swiped down with his thumb.

The refresh icon briefly spun.

The screen appeared again.

Nothing had changed.

[SOLD OUT]

His fingertip stopped.

Hyunsoo said excitedly,

"Hyung, they're really all gone. Every single additional screening. Our regular run ended, then they added three more screenings, and every one of them sold out."

Geonwoo couldn't answer immediately.

"Hyung?"

Hyunsoo called carefully.

Only then did Geonwoo exhale.

He tried to smile, but his throat tightened first.

"That's good."

Hyunsoo blinked.

Geonwoo looked at the screen again.

"Really good."

Only after hearing those words did Hyunsoo relax.

"For a second, I thought you were going to cry."

"I'm not crying."

"Your eyes are red."

"I just woke up."

Hyunsoo openly wanted to laugh but stopped himself.

Geonwoo was still staring at the screen.

Soon Taejun knocked on the door.

"Can I come in?"

Hyunsoo opened it.

Taejun stood outside with his phone.

His hair was still flattened from sleep, and one side of his T-shirt hung slightly off his shoulder.

"Did you see it?"

Hyunsoo nodded.

"The sold-out screenings? Yeah."

"They really sold out. All three."

Taejun was grinning.

"I barely slept last night. I kept checking in the middle of the night because I thought maybe I was dreaming."

A moment later Yura also appeared in the hallway.

She held her phone too.

"Articles are already out."

She showed them.

[All Additional Screenings Sold Out: Before the Light Reaches Emerges as a Wild Card in the Vision Section]

[Grand Theater Low Ceiling vs. Small Theater Before the Light Reaches: Which Will Audiences Choose?]

[Seo Jiwan GV vs. Word-of-Mouth Indie Film: Same Time Slot Showdown]

Hyunsoo quickly read them.

"Hyung, now our movie and Low Ceiling are appearing together in article titles."

Geonwoo looked at the screen.

The article displayed the two schedules side by side.

Low Ceiling.

Before the Light Reaches.

In his previous life, those titles had never stood beside each other.

Kwon Taeoh's movie was introduced as one of the Vision section's biggest expected titles.

The phrase "Seo Jiwan's choice" followed it.

So did "new talent from Moon Taeseok's circle."

Now Baek Geonwoo's name appeared beside it.

Hyunsoo scrolled to the comments.

[I was going to Low Ceiling's GV, but now I'm seriously considering changing.]

[Looking for a cancellation ticket for Before the Light Reaches.]

[Isn't the Small Theater way too small?]

[I got curious after Cha Myunghoon praised it.]

[Why do these have to overlap? I want to watch both.]

Taejun smiled faintly.

"People are really deciding between the two."

"Exactly."

Even through breakfast, Taejun kept checking his phone.

"Hey, another post."

He put down his chopsticks and showed them the screen.

[Looking for a cancellation ticket for Before the Light Reaches. Will pay extra.]

Hyunsoo's eyes widened.

"They're already looking for cancellation tickets?"

"Yeah. There are tons in the replies too."

Taejun scrolled.

[Any chance someone can't attend Screening 1?]

[The Small Theater is way too small.]

[I booked Low Ceiling but I'm still debating.]

Geonwoo placed down his water glass.

"Stop reading articles and eat. You're going to give yourself indigestion."

Taejun finally put the phone down.

"Fine. But you're curious about the response too, aren't you?"

"Of course I am."

Geonwoo smiled slightly.

"That's why I want to get to the venue and see how many people actually came for our movie."

At 2:30 p.m.

Kwon Taeoh was waiting near the Grand Theater.

Even before making his directing debut, he had already been known within the film industry.

More accurately, his family name had been known first.

He was the youngest son of Taesung Group, the country's largest content conglomerate.

Taesung Group handled investment, production, and distribution for movies, along with dramas and entertainment management.

Kwon Taeoh had grown up in the center of the industry.

Then he became Moon Taeseok's student.

For his first feature, top actor Seo Jiwan joined the cast.

Naturally, Low Ceiling had been considered the Vision section's biggest expected film even before the festival began.

On one side, staff checked the GV order.

On the other, they arranged the press photo line.

Programs and interview sheets for Low Ceiling were neatly arranged on a table.

There were even bouquets, with Kwon Taeoh's name printed boldly on the ribbons.

Taeoh sat in front of a mirror.

A hair stylist fixed his bangs one final time while another stylist brushed his jacket shoulders.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Taeoh asked,

"Where's Jiwan hyung?"

A nearby staff member immediately answered.

"He just arrived. He's in a separate waiting room."

"The press?"

"Most of them are already gathering around the Grand Theater."

"Most?"

Taeoh's eyes shifted toward the staff member through the mirror.

The employee checked a tablet.

"A few are apparently going to the additional screening of Before the Light Reaches."

Taeoh didn't smile.

"That's in the Small Theater."

"Yes. But all three additional screenings sold out last night. Comparison articles are also continuing to appear."

Taeoh checked his watch.

"Sold out means how many seats?"

"Fewer than two hundred."

"Then that's nothing."

The staff member hesitated before continuing.

"Still, Xpeed keeps talking about the time overlap between the two films."

"So?"

"Some audience members are posting that they're deciding between Low Ceiling and Before the Light Reaches."

Only then did Taeoh turn his head.

"What about Cha Myunghoon?"

"Critic Cha Myunghoon is on our GV attendance list. He's coming alone without his YouTube filming team."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

Taeoh leaned back.

"Then it's fine."

The staff member said nothing more.

Taeoh picked up the program book from the table.

Before the Light Reaches.

He checked the director's name.

Baek Geonwoo.

He knew the name.

They had passed each other several times in school.

One of the juniors who took Moon Taeseok's class.

That was about all Taeoh remembered.

He closed the program.

"When our screening ends, bring me a summary of the reactions."

"Yes."

"Articles too. Xpeed too. And tell me what Cha Myunghoon writes."

"Understood."

Taeoh stood.

The stylist rushed over to check his jacket.

Taeoh ignored the offered water.

"I'm fine."

Then he walked toward the door.

The moment the waiting-room door opened, noise from the hallway rushed inside.

As 3 p.m. approached, Geonwoo's group arrived at the Busan Cinema Center.

There was no GV for the additional screening, but the festival asked them to give a short greeting beforehand.

Geonwoo, Taejun, and Yura would greet the audience from the front.

Hyunsoo accompanied them to help with logistics.

There were still about thirty minutes before the screening.

The area in front of the Grand Theater was already packed.

People took pictures in front of a banner bearing Seo Jiwan's name.

Reporters with press passes had their identities checked near the entrance.

Festival staff continuously separated guest traffic from general audience traffic.

Hyunsoo slowed.

"The Grand Theater really is different."

Taejun silently looked in that direction too.

A huge poster.

Seo Jiwan's name.

Reporters with cameras.

Industry people greeting each other near the entrance.

Some audience members held open the Low Ceiling page in the festival program.

Someone else had an article about Seo Jiwan open on their phone.

"Seo Jiwan's really coming out for the GV, right?"

"Of course. It's a GV."

"Kwon Taeoh is Moon Taeseok's student too, right?"

"That's why people are calling it a major anticipated film."

Those voices drifted around the Grand Theater.

Yura looked at her phone.

"There are a lot of reporters."

"They have a GV today."

Geonwoo said it calmly, but watched the Grand Theater for a long moment.

Then Hyunsoo stopped.

"Hyung."

"What?"

"Cha Myunghoon."

Geonwoo turned.

Cha Myunghoon, wearing a press pass, was walking into the Grand Theater.

Several people who recognized him greeted him.

He gave them short nods.

Hyunsoo's expression stiffened.

"If he watches Low Ceiling today and posts about it, the response will be huge again, right?"

"Probably."

Geonwoo turned away.

"Let's go to ours."

The Small Theater was deeper inside the hallway.

The atmosphere was different immediately.

No giant banner.

Only a small sign beside the entrance.

[Before the Light Reaches - Additional Screening 1]

[SOLD OUT]

Below it was a white sheet of paper printed in black text.

[Cancellation Ticket Waiting List]

People were standing underneath.

One audience member waiting in line spotted Geonwoo and touched the arm of the person beside them.

"Isn't that Director Baek Geonwoo?"

The other person turned too.

"It is. The actors are here too."

Whispers spread through the line.

"That's Kang Taejun."

"Han Yura's here too."

Many eyes turned toward them.

Taejun bowed awkwardly.

Yura smiled and greeted the audience.

A person waiting for a cancellation ticket approached Geonwoo carefully.

"Director?"

"Yes."

The audience member showed him the ticketing page on their phone.

It still said sold out.

"I couldn't watch it yesterday, so I tried getting a ticket today and failed again. I came anyway in case someone cancels."

"Thank you for waiting."

Another person behind them laughed.

"Do you think any cancellation tickets will appear?"

Geonwoo smiled.

"I really hope so too."

Soft laughter spread through the line.

Hyunsoo stood one step behind, watching.

There were two separate lines in front of the theater.

One for ticket holders.

People held mobile reservations or printed tickets.

The other was the cancellation waiting list.

A staff member repeatedly warned them.

"Cancellation tickets will be offered in order until right before the screening. It's possible that no seats will become available."

Still, nobody left.

"Do you know how many seats might open?"

A person near the front asked.

The staff member smiled awkwardly.

"We can't say yet. We have to wait until right before the screening."

"There might be none at all?"

"Yes. That's possible."

Even after hearing that, no one stepped out of line.

Taejun touched his neck.

"This feels strange."

"What does?"

Hyunsoo asked.

Taejun couldn't answer right away.

His face was also printed on the small poster outside the theater.

Complete strangers were standing in front of it, waiting for a chance to see their film.

"It feels great that this many people are waiting for our movie."

He exhaled.

"But it also makes me nervous."

Soon, an announcement from the Grand Theater echoed through the corridor.

Entry for Low Ceiling's first screening was about to close.

People outside the Grand Theater began moving faster.

Press-pass reporters disappeared through the doors.

Guest staff checked names at the entrance.

Hyunsoo glanced toward the Grand Theater.

"They must be starting soon."

Geonwoo nodded.

Meanwhile, the cancellation announcement continued outside the Small Theater.

"We still haven't confirmed any canceled seats. We'll check again immediately before the screening."

A few disappointed sighs came from the line.

Yet no one left.

At the same time.

Moon Taeseok was walking toward the Grand Theater with a festival official.

The hallway leading there passed the Small Theater entrance.

Moon Taeseok's pace slowed slightly.

"Director Moon, this way."

The official pointed toward the Grand Theater.

Moon Taeseok nodded.

Then his eyes moved down the corridor.

The Small Theater.

A small sign.

[Before the Light Reaches - Additional Screening 1]

[SOLD OUT]

Beneath it, a line still waited for cancellation tickets.

Moon Taeseok slowed further.

The official beside him asked,

"Director Moon?"

Moon Taeseok didn't answer.

The Small Theater staff were organizing the line.

"Cancellation tickets will be given out in order until just before the screening. There may not be any available."

A person at the back of the line carefully asked,

"Um... I canceled my Low Ceiling ticket and came here. Is there still any chance?"

Moon Taeseok's gaze stopped on that audience member.

An announcement from inside the Grand Theater said the screening would begin soon.

The official spoke again.

"Director Moon, it's almost time."

Moon Taeseok slowly turned his head.

A faint smile remained on his lips.

"Let's go in."

He walked into the Grand Theater.