Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The People Who Came to Watch the Movie

Kwon Taeoh woke before his alarm.

Sunlight slipped through the curtains and fell across the foot of the bed.

He sat up and checked the clock.

6:28 a.m.

A moment later, his alarm rang.

Taeoh turned it off and got out of bed.

His laptop was open on the table opposite him.

The screen had gone dark, but the charging light remained on.

He must have fallen asleep while watching the video last night.

Taeoh walked over and touched the trackpad.

The screen lit up.

Cha Myunghoon's YouTube video was paused.

The Low Ceiling poster occupied one side of the screen while Cha Myunghoon spoke on the other.

"Arrogant bastard. Talking about another movie during a review of mine."

Last night, the moment Baek Geonwoo's Before the Light Reaches had been mentioned, Taeoh had angrily paused the video.

After getting out of bed, he walked into the bathroom without closing the laptop.

There weren't many people in the pool.

Taeoh entered the outermost lane.

He pushed off the wall and stretched into the water.

Swimming a fixed number of laps every morning had been his habit for years.

Even during shoots, he rarely skipped it.

If he had worked all night, he reduced the number.

If he had been drinking, he started later.

But he almost never skipped it entirely.

Someone who couldn't even manage his own body couldn't lead a film set.

Taeoh moved through the water at a steady pace.

Five laps.

Ten.

His breathing stayed even.

Yet every time he turned at the wall, Cha Myunghoon's words returned.

This year's Vision section has one unexpected dark horse. Director Baek Geonwoo's Before the Light Reaches.

Taeoh pushed through the water harder.

Baek Geonwoo.

An unknown rookie director.

At first, hardly anyone had attended his film.

Then a top celebrity happened to watch it and say something positive.

After that, the screenings started selling out.

Exactly the kind of story critics loved.

Taeoh finished his twentieth lap.

The production scale isn't comparable. There are no famous actors and no major corporate investment. But if I had to name the film whose audience remained seated the longest, it might be Before the Light Reaches.

At the turn, just as he reached for the wall, the line came back again.

His hand slipped slightly.

He sank for a moment before surfacing again.

Taeoh removed his goggles.

"Ha... I can't focus at all."

He normally had another ten laps.

But he didn't want to swim anymore.

He climbed out and dried his hair.

"Why am I so irritated?"

After changing in the locker room, he went straight to breakfast.

A staff member was already waiting at a window-side table.

The moment Taeoh sat down, the staff member turned on a tablet.

"You have a distributor meeting this morning. In the afternoon, there's a joint interview with Actor Seo Jiwan. In the evening..."

"Before the Light Reaches has another screening today, right?"

The staff member stopped.

"Yes. There's an additional screening."

"What time?"

The staff member checked.

"3:10 p.m."

"Get me a ticket."

"All screenings are sold out."

Taeoh stopped lifting his coffee.

He looked at the staff member.

"I know it's sold out. Do you think I'd ask if I didn't?"

"I'm sorry. I'll check for cancellation tickets."

"You want me to wait for a canceled ticket?"

The employee immediately corrected himself.

"I'll ask the festival whether any industry seats remain."

He pulled out his phone.

Taeoh cut his omelet.

The staff member continued carefully.

"Should we keep this morning's schedule as planned?"

"The movie's at 3:10. Why would we change the morning schedule?"

"Understood. We'll keep the meeting."

"Have the car ready at 2:30."

"Yes."

Taeoh took a bite.

He opened the festival website and checked the schedule.

Before the Light Reaches.

Additional screening.

Sold out.

It was a small theater.

About 180 seats.

Not even half the Grand Theater used for Low Ceiling.

Taeoh put the phone down.

After ending his call, the staff member said,

"The festival has secured one industry seat for you."

"Where?"

"Third row from the back, center."

Taeoh cut another piece of omelet.

"Good seat."

"Yes."

The employee checked the tablet again.

"Then after the morning meeting and lunch, we'll do the interview with Actor Seo Jiwan at one, and head straight to the theater."

"Don't let the interview run long."

"The broadcaster was given one hour."

"Thirty minutes is enough to say everything."

"I'll tell them."

Taeoh drank his coffee.

It was cold.

Before he could say anything, the staff member called a server.

"Could we have fresh coffee, please?"

At 2:30 p.m.

A black sedan waited outside the hotel.

Taeoh climbed into the back seat.

The staff member in front turned around.

"It'll take about twenty minutes."

"The ticket?"

"A festival official will meet us at the entrance. Director Baek Geonwoo is already there as well."

Taeoh looked away from the window.

"Why are you reporting that?"

"I thought you might want to meet him."

"Me?"

The staff member immediately turned back around.

"No."

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped outside the theater complex.

A festival representative approached when Taeoh stepped out.

"Director Kwon Taeoh? I'll guide you to the reserved industry seat."

Taeoh followed them inside.

People wearing festival passes crossed the lobby.

The electronic board beside the ticket counter showed:

[15:10 - Before the Light Reaches - SOLD OUT]

They took an escalator up one floor.

People were gathered outside the theater.

They were waiting for canceled tickets.

"Still nothing?"

"No. If any seats open, we'll call people in order."

"What about tomorrow's screening?"

The staff member shook their head.

"Nothing available yet."

Taeoh walked past the line.

What are they so desperate for?

The wall displayed the movie poster and the additional screening notice.

Near the entrance stood Baek Geonwoo.

An audience member held out a festival pamphlet.

"Director, could you sign this?"

"Of course."

"Are you already preparing your next movie?"

"The scripts are finished."

"Really? What kind of movies?"

"It's still too early for me to say."

As Taeoh passed Geonwoo with the festival official, Geonwoo noticed him.

Huh? Why is Director Kwon Taeoh here...?

Taeoh entered the theater.

"Your seat is here."

The official pointed to the rear-center seat.

Taeoh sat, silenced his phone, and looked around.

Everyone seemed full of expectation.

Let's see just how good it really is.

The lights dimmed.

The chatter quickly disappeared.

After the festival logo, the film began.

Taeoh watched with his arms crossed.

From the first scene, it wasn't what he'd expected.

What... This doesn't have that cramped feeling cheap films usually have.

There were no obvious attempts to hide a lack of budget by shooting everything tightly.

No overly dark color grading trying to disguise cheap production.

The cinematography isn't bad.

At first, Taeoh credited the cinematographer.

But after two or three scenes, his thoughts changed.

The points where each cut changed matched the actors' movements perfectly.

These weren't lucky images found on set.

Taeoh's folded arms slowly loosened.

This is directing.

It wasn't an actor accidentally making a good expression.

It wasn't something found later during editing.

The movie had clearly been shot by someone who already knew what he wanted to show.

The actor blocking was precise.

The pacing of the cuts had no hesitation.

Even when nobody spoke, the soundscape never felt empty.

Although he knew this was a low-budget film, it never felt poor.

This is his first feature?

One great scene could be luck.

One great actor could also be luck.

But the rhythm of an entire film could not be created by luck.

What to include in the frame.

What to exclude.

How far to move the actors.

When to stop them.

Baek Geonwoo already knew.

Soon the film entered the funeral sequence.

People from the neighborhood sat in the funeral hall, comforting Seorin.

Some cried.

Some lowered their heads.

Some held her hand silently.

Then Minjae appeared outside.

He started to enter, then stopped.

His eyes moved past Seorin toward the people sitting inside.

Taeoh leaned forward.

Is he avoiding Seorin because of guilt...?

Seorin raised her head.

Their gazes met.

When she asked something, the people sitting inside stopped moving for just an instant.

Someone looked at Seorin.

Someone else looked at Minjae.

Then everyone turned away as if nothing had happened.

Taeoh leaned forward even more.

What is this?

It was obvious Minjae was hiding something.

But after seeing the reactions of the mourners, suspicion no longer remained on Minjae alone.

There's something else going on.

The tension built naturally.

Taeoh couldn't look away.

For a debut feature, this is extremely calculated.

Cha Myunghoon's words returned.

The film whose audience remained in their seats the longest might be Before the Light Reaches.

Now he understood why.

Baek Geonwoo wasn't simply showing less emotion.

He was making the audience search for it themselves.

Taeoh unconsciously began imagining how he would have filmed the same scenes.

The final scene ended.

Credits rose against the black screen.

The theater remained silent.

Someone sniffled.

Then applause began.

One or two people started, then the whole room joined.

Taeoh didn't move his hands.

Names moved across the screen.

Director: Baek Geonwoo.

Screenplay: Baek Geonwoo.

Even after the lights came up, people did not immediately stand.

"The second viewing was even better."

A woman in the row ahead said,

"I've seen it twice, and I still cried at the funeral."

"I want to watch it again..."

Listening to them, Taeoh stood.

Outside, his staff member approached.

"How was it?"

Taeoh didn't answer.

Geonwoo stood outside the theater surrounded by audience members.

"Director, this was my second time watching it and it was even better."

"I heard tickets were hard to get. You managed to watch it twice? That's impressive. Thank you."

While signing a pamphlet, Geonwoo looked up.

His eyes met Kwon Taeoh's.

Surprise flashed briefly across Geonwoo's face.

He excused himself to the audience and turned toward Taeoh.

Taeoh walked away first.

The staff member followed.

"Aren't you going to greet him?"

"Why?"

"I heard he's your junior from school."

"Do I have to greet everyone from the same school?"

"No."

Taeoh pressed the elevator button.

When the doors opened, he stepped inside.

Once the staff member followed, he cautiously asked,

"Was the movie bad?"

Taeoh looked through the closing doors.

Geonwoo hadn't followed him.

He was already signing another pamphlet.

"Find out about Baek Geonwoo's next project."

The staff member looked up.

"His next project? I don't think anything has been announced."

Taeoh turned to him.

"Do you think I pay you because I want to hear things I can find out myself?"

"I'll check whether he's contacting production companies."

"Investors. Distributors. Actors too."

"Understood."

"Find out where his scripts are circulating."

"He just left."

Hyunsoo watched the elevator.

"I thought he was coming over to say hello."

Geonwoo returned the signed pamphlet to an audience member.

"He probably just came to watch the movie."

"He even made eye contact with you."

"Maybe he didn't want to talk to me."

"Annoying."

Geonwoo smiled.

Kwon Taeoh had a good eye for films and scripts.

That was exactly why Geonwoo knew he couldn't have watched Before the Light Reaches and remained completely unaffected.

The final audience member received an autograph and left.

Then a woman who had been standing near a pillar approached.

She wore a black jacket over a white shirt.

An industry pass hung around her neck.

"Director Baek Geonwoo?"

"Yes."

She handed him a business card.

"Hello. I'm Yoon Jihye. I really wanted to see your movie today, so getting a ticket was difficult."

Geonwoo accepted the card.

[Bridge Pictures - Distribution Business Team - Yoon Jihye]

Bridge Pictures.

It wasn't as huge as a major conglomerate distributor.

But it also wasn't a tiny company that only handled independent films.

It released several commercial films nationwide each year, with multiple titles regularly passing their break-even points.

It could negotiate directly with multiplex chains and run nationwide marketing.

Among mid-sized distributors, it was considered one of the strongest.

Even within the company, Yoon Jihye was known for discovering smaller films.

Geonwoo's gaze remained on her name for a moment.

She noticed.

"Do you know my name?"

"I've seen it in articles."

"You read distribution industry articles too?"

"Of course."

Jihye nodded lightly.

"Then I don't need a long introduction."

She got straight to the point.

"Before the Light Reaches hasn't secured domestic distribution yet, correct?"

"That's right. No distributor has contacted us yet."

"Good."

Hyunsoo looked between them.

Yoon Jihye continued.

"We'd like Bridge Pictures to handle the domestic distribution of Before the Light Reaches."