Chapter 23: Vision Awards (1)
The entrance to the Vision Awards venue was crowded from early in the day.
Above the doors hung a banner carrying the festival logo and the name of the awards ceremony.
Actors who arrived early were already taking photos in front of the photo wall.
Geonwoo stood a short distance from the entrance, looking toward the road.
Hyunsoo checked his phone.
"Dogyeom's almost here."
"Where is he?"
"One traffic light away."
Hyunsoo put away the phone and turned toward Geonwoo.
"Hyung, did you finish your acceptance speech?"
"Yeah."
"You spent so long on it last night. You finally wrote one."
Geonwoo pressed his hand against the inside pocket of his suit.
A folded sheet of paper was inside.
"If I happen to win, I can't exactly go up and say nothing."
"Can I read it?"
Geonwoo took out the paper and handed it over.
Hyunsoo read from the beginning.
Halfway through, his finger stopped.
"A little long."
"Right? I thought so too."
"Don't remove any names. Just shorten this explanation."
Geonwoo read the part Hyunsoo pointed to.
"I can take this out."
"And keep the last line."
"The part about making another movie?"
"Yeah. That's the best part."
Geonwoo folded the paper and returned it to his pocket.
Taejun, waiting beside them, smiled.
"I really hope you win something, sunbae."
"Thanks. I hope one of our actors gets an award too."
At that moment, a taxi stopped outside.
The back door opened, and Dogyeom stepped out wearing black pants and a white shirt.
"Director!"
He immediately ran over.
His mother followed and greeted them, saying she had worried traffic would make them late.
Geonwoo handed Dogyeom the pass he'd prepared.
[Before the Light Reaches - Cast - Lee Dogyeom]
Dogyeom read his name once and adjusted the pass so it sat perfectly in the center of his shirt.
"Can I keep this later?"
"Yeah."
"I'm going to hang it in my room."
Taejun lightly messed up his hair.
"Dogyeom, do you think our movie will win something?"
Dogyeom thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes!"
"Why?"
"Because lots of people watched it."
It was such a simple answer that Geonwoo smiled.
"We had additional screenings too, so I guess you're right. Let's go inside."
The hallway beyond the event venue was filled with film industry people.
When Geonwoo's team entered, several reporters immediately turned.
"Director Baek Geonwoo is here."
"Before the Light Reaches team, could we get a photo?"
The atmosphere was completely different from the first screening.
Geonwoo sent Yura, Taejun, and Dogyeom toward the photo wall.
Hyunsoo naturally stepped out of the camera's view.
"Hyunsoo, come here."
"I'm fine."
"What do you mean, you're fine?"
"It's for the director and actors."
Geonwoo grabbed Hyunsoo's arm and pulled him beside himself.
"You made the movie too."
Hyunsoo resisted for a moment, but the photographers were waiting.
Eventually he stood beside Geonwoo.
Camera shutters fired repeatedly.
At the opposite end of the venue.
Kwon Taeoh adjusted the sleeve of his suit.
Moon Taeseok walked down the hallway.
Taeoh bowed slightly.
"Professor."
"You're early."
A judge's badge hung from Moon Taeseok's chest.
He looked at Taeoh.
"Did you prepare an acceptance speech?"
Taeoh's hand stopped over his sleeve.
"Why are you asking?"
"I think it would be a good idea."
A faint smile appeared on Taeoh's lips.
"Of course I prepared one."
"Confident?"
"Obviously."
Moon Taeseok also smiled.
"You'll have a chance to use that speech today."
"Am I receiving the award you judged?"
"That's as much as I can tell you. I don't know the other results."
Taeoh asked casually,
"Then you don't know what award Before the Light Reaches might receive either."
"We were talking about your acceptance speech. Why is Baek Geonwoo suddenly entering the conversation?"
"Because it's the most noticeable competitor."
"Don't pay too much attention to that film."
Moon Taeseok walked toward the ceremony hall first.
Seo Jiwan stepped out of the waiting room and stood beside Taeoh.
"Shall we go in?"
"Yeah."
The two entered side by side.
The lights slowly dimmed.
Geonwoo sat in the middle of his reserved section.
Hyunsoo was on his right.
Yura sat on his left.
Beside her were Taejun, Dogyeom, and Dogyeom's mother.
Several rows ahead sat Kwon Taeoh, Seo Jiwan, and the Low Ceiling team.
Moon Taeseok was visible among the judges.
Near the back, Cha Myunghoon had opened a notebook.
Several rows in front of him sat Bridge Pictures' Yoon Jihye.
The stage lights came on.
Han Eunchae walked to center stage in a black dress.
"Welcome to the Busan International Film Festival Vision Awards."
Applause filled the venue.
Eunchae briefly explained the awards.
Audience members, critics, directors, broadcasters, theater companies, and industry organizations all selected films according to different criteria.
One movie could be called several times.
A movie that had received attention throughout the festival could also leave without winning anything.
The cinematography prize, critics' prize, and documentary award were announced in order.
Then the nominees for Vision Actor of the Year were introduced.
"Before the Light Reaches, Actress Han Yura."
The large screen showed Seorin standing in the funeral hall corridor.
Yura's shoulders twitched.
"That shot looks good."
"I didn't know they'd use that scene."
The actress award went to someone from another film.
Rather than looking disappointed, Yura leaned forward and applauded loudly.
For the male actor category, Taejun and Dogyeom's names were both announced.
After a shot of Minjae waiting at the end of a hospital corridor, the screen showed the young Seoyoon holding his camcorder.
"I'm nominated too?"
Dogyeom's mouth fell open.
Yura laughed and patted his shoulder.
"Wow. Congratulations, Dogyeom."
Hyunsoo whispered,
"It'd be great if one of you won."
Taejun immediately pointed at Dogyeom.
"Then Dogyeom should get it."
"No. I hope we both get it."
Geonwoo looked at the three cast members whose names had all appeared on the screen.
Yura earlier.
Now Taejun and Dogyeom.
"All three of you were nominated."
Hyunsoo nodded.
"At least the director's casting choices were recognized."
The final nominee was announced.
"Low Ceiling, Actor Seo Jiwan."
Seo Jiwan's face appeared on the large screen.
The Vision Actor Award had usually focused on discovering new faces.
When the already-famous Seo Jiwan's name appeared, quiet murmurs spread through the audience.
The presenter opened the envelope.
"The winner of this year's Vision Actor Award, Male Category, is Seo Jiwan for Low Ceiling."
Applause erupted.
Seo Jiwan stared at the stage for a second before standing.
Taeoh reached out first.
"Congratulations, hyung."
"It's thanks to you."
"Then make sure you thank me in your speech."
"I was already planning to."
Seo Jiwan went onstage and accepted the trophy.
"Thank you. To be honest, I didn't expect to receive this award either."
Laughter spread through the audience.
Seo Jiwan looked toward Taeoh.
"During Low Ceiling, there was one thing Director Kwon Taeoh told me more than anything."
He smiled.
"He told me not to do what I thought I was good at."
The camera focused on Taeoh.
"While filming, I realized there were many expressions and speaking habits I'd been repeating simply because I was comfortable with them. Director Kwon Taeoh caught every single one."
Seo Jiwan lifted the trophy.
"If I managed to show a different side of myself in this film, it was because Director Kwon Taeoh refused to give up until he found it."
A smile spread across Taeoh's face.
Not simply the director who cast a great actor.
But the director who discovered a new face within an already established one.
It was exactly the kind of praise Taeoh wanted.
After Seo Jiwan returned to his seat, several more awards were announced.
Geonwoo applauded the winners while repeatedly becoming aware of the folded paper in his pocket.
His fingers pressed the edge.
Hyunsoo whispered,
"You're going to wrinkle it."
"What?"
"Your speech."
"I'm fixing my suit."
"Sure."
Han Eunchae lifted the next cue card.
"Next is the KB Vision Audience Award."
People across the audience adjusted their posture.
The award was decided through votes from festival audiences.
The nominated movies were announced one by one.
"Low Ceiling, Director Kwon Taeoh."
Applause came again from the team that had already won the acting award.
Seo Jiwan tapped Taeoh's arm.
"If you win this too, today's going perfectly."
"We made the film. We should win as much as possible."
After several more nominees, a familiar title was announced.
"Before the Light Reaches, Director Baek Geonwoo."
The screen filled with Seorin standing in a dark alley, Seoyoon behind her holding a camcorder.
Geonwoo inhaled softly.
Hyunsoo nudged his arm.
"Hyung. Our film."
"I know."
After the final nominee, six posters appeared together.
The presenter walked onto the stage.
The venue quieted.
"The winner of the KB Vision Audience Award is..."
Geonwoo's fingers tightened.
"Before the Light Reaches, Director Baek Geonwoo."
For a moment, Geonwoo couldn't hear anything.
The other five posters disappeared.
Before the Light Reaches filled the screen.
His own name appeared below it.
[Director Baek Geonwoo]
Hyunsoo grabbed his arm.
"Hyung!"
Only then did the sounds around him return at once.
Yura and Taejun stood and applauded.
Dogyeom grabbed his mother's arm and shouted,
"It's our movie! Mom, it's our movie!"
Geonwoo tried to smile, but his lips wouldn't move properly.
The empty seats from the first screening appeared in his mind.
The audience member who had called a friend in the hallway and told them to watch the next screening.
The people who had waited outside asking whether any canceled seats were available.
The long lines in front of the theater.
Geonwoo closed his eyes once, then opened them.
Hyunsoo pushed his back.
"Hyung, go."
Geonwoo stood.
He high-fived Yura.
Taejun pulled him into a hug, and Geonwoo patted his back.
Dogyeom looked up, waving both hands.
"Director, congratulations!"
As Geonwoo stepped into the aisle, a spotlight followed him.
Onstage, he received the trophy with both hands.
It was heavier than expected.
"Thank you."
Geonwoo looked toward the audience.
"I thought it would be nice to win an award, but now that I'm actually standing here, my mind has gone completely blank."
Memories from his previous life flooded back.
After losing his sight in a filming accident, he had cried himself to sleep for a month.
The time when he gave up on becoming a film director had been unbearably painful.
The title of the movie he had never been able to finish back then was now engraved on a trophy.
Before the Light Reaches.
His lips moved, but the next sentence wouldn't come immediately.
From the front row, Hyunsoo raised both hands.
A signal telling him to take out his paper.
Geonwoo laughed softly and pulled out the folded sheet from his inner pocket.
"The first screening had a lot of empty seats."
The applause faded.
"Even after the movie started, I kept looking backward. I think I wanted to check whether those empty seats were still there."
He read the next line.
"But the people who watched our movie that day told other people about it."
"Some came back again. Some waited in front of the theater even though they couldn't get a ticket."
Geonwoo lifted his eyes from the page.
"Those people filled the empty seats for us."
Someone began applauding.
Then more applause joined.
"I want to thank Assistant Director Jung Hyunsoo, who made this movie with me from beginning to end."
Hyunsoo bit his lip once.
"I also want to thank Actors Han Yura, Kang Taejun, and Lee Dogyeom."
Yura pressed a finger against the corner of her eye.
Taejun lowered his head while applauding.
Dogyeom immediately turned to his mother.
"Mom! The director said my name!"
Geonwoo continued.
"If those three actors hadn't been there, we could never have shown Seorin, Minjae, and Seoyoon to the audience."
He moved his eyes lower on the page.
"I want to thank every staff member who struggled together on set, and every audience member who told someone else about our movie."
Geonwoo slowly inhaled.
"I won't forget the fact that you chose our movie today."
"I'll make my next movie properly too, and come back to the theater with something even better."
"I hope I'll meet you in the audience again then. Thank you."
Geonwoo folded the paper and bowed deeply.
Applause erupted.
After returning to his seat, he handed the trophy to Dogyeom.
Dogyeom carefully accepted it with both hands and placed it on his lap.
"KB Vision Audience Award. Before the Light Reaches."
His finger stopped on the engraved name.
"Director Baek Geonwoo."
Dogyeom wrapped both arms around the trophy.
From farther away, Kwon Taeoh watched with a cold expression.
