Chapter 26: The Person Who Noticed First
"Have you decided on your next project?"
At Kwon Taeoh's question, Geonwoo thought briefly before answering.
"No project has officially entered production yet."
"No script either?"
"I've written scripts."
"How many?"
Geonwoo saw no reason to hide it.
"Two."
Taeoh's eyebrows moved slightly.
"Two?"
He stared at Geonwoo.
At first, he had thought Before the Light Reaches became known only because of Han Eunchae's interview.
Then he thought the audience came because Cha Myunghoon noticed it.
But after watching the film himself, he could no longer dismiss it that way.
The scenes weren't good by accident.
Baek Geonwoo knew exactly what he wanted before filming.
And that director already had two more scripts.
Taeoh adjusted his grip on the trophy.
"What kind of stories?"
"They're not at a stage where I can talk about them publicly."
"You haven't shown them to any production companies?"
"No."
"No investment discussions?"
"Not yet."
A faint smile appeared on Taeoh's lips.
"Then it's probably too early to call one your next film."
"That's right."
Because Geonwoo accepted the statement so easily, Taeoh's smile stiffened slightly.
"Having a script doesn't mean it automatically becomes a movie."
"I know."
"Don't rush just because you won two awards with your first movie."
Taeoh's tone carried a warning.
"You need to produce the same kind of result with the next film before people acknowledge it as real skill."
Geonwoo watched him briefly.
It didn't sound like Taeoh was truly advising him.
It sounded closer to something Taeoh was telling himself.
Geonwoo asked,
"You must be preparing your next movie too, sunbae."
"Of course."
"I'll look forward to it."
Taeoh's gaze froze on him.
Until a moment ago, Taeoh had been the one evaluating Geonwoo's future.
With one sentence, Geonwoo had put Taeoh's next film under the same expectation.
Taeoh laughed briefly.
"Don't worry about me."
"I wasn't worried."
Taeoh didn't continue.
He walked past Geonwoo with the trophy.
His steps toward the waiting driver were just as steady as before.
He got into the back seat and immediately called someone.
"Keep investigating what I told you about."
"Director Baek Geonwoo's next project?"
"He already has two scripts. Find out which production companies he contacts."
"Understood."
Geonwoo watched the black sedan leave.
Hyunsoo asked beside him,
"Did that sunbae come over to congratulate you or just annoy you?"
"Maybe he came to ask what he wanted."
"Why is he so curious about your next movie?"
"Who knows?"
Geonwoo smiled.
"Forget him. Let's go eat. Today's a good day. We need a team dinner."
Hyunsoo immediately brightened.
"Finally!"
The barbecue restaurant near the Busan Cinema Center was still crowded late into the evening.
At tables near the entrance, festival staff wore their passes around their necks.
Farther inside, actors and production crews from other films clinked glasses.
Geonwoo's group took a long table near the back.
The boxes containing the Audience Award and TGV Award sat side by side on an empty chair.
Hyunsoo placed meat on the grill.
"I'm grilling today."
"That makes me more nervous."
When Taejun reached for the tongs, Hyunsoo blocked him.
"Just for today, leave it to me."
"The last time you grilled pork belly, you burned everything."
"That was the grill's fault."
Yura laughed as she distributed lettuce.
"Stop fighting. Let's raise our glasses first."
Hyunsoo put down the tongs and picked up his glass.
Dogyeom held his soda cup in both hands.
Geonwoo looked around the table and raised his own glass.
"Everyone worked hard."
"That's it?"
Hyunsoo immediately asked.
Geonwoo laughed.
"We could only win two awards because everyone did such a good job."
"Right. That's what you should say."
Taejun cut Hyunsoo off.
"The director is speaking."
"Fine."
Geonwoo continued.
"And our theatrical release is still ahead."
He looked around the table.
"I'll do everything I can so the movie all of us worked on reaches as many audience members as possible."
Yura laughed.
"You're already talking about the next job at the celebration dinner?"
Geonwoo shook his head.
"No. Work talk ends here."
He raised his glass higher.
"Tonight, let's enjoy ourselves."
The glasses met in the middle.
"To Before the Light Reaches!"
Hyunsoo shouted the loudest.
Dogyeom followed a little late.
"To the movie!"
As soon as the glasses came down, smoke rose from the meat.
Taejun snatched the tongs.
"Hey, it's burning."
"It's not burned yet."
"If this isn't burned, what is?"
Hyunsoo quietly surrendered the grill.
While the meat cooked, he opened his phone and checked the group photo they had taken earlier.
"Hyung, look. This came out great."
He enlarged it.
Geonwoo stood in the center.
Taejun and Yura were on either side.
Dogyeom hugged the Audience Award trophy.
Hyunsoo supported the TGV Award box with one hand.
Taejun looked at the photo.
"I'm putting this on my social media."
Yura checked her own phone.
"The festival's official account already uploaded our photo."
She turned the screen around.
[Before the Light Reaches Wins Both Vision Audience Award and TGV Award]
One picture showed Geonwoo giving his speech.
Another showed the team with both trophies after the ceremony.
Hyunsoo scrolled through the comments.
"Look at this. Everyone's asking when the theatrical release is."
They leaned closer.
[Couldn't get tickets at the festival. I'll definitely watch it when it opens.]
[Missed every additional screening.]
[This is the movie Han Eunchae watched, right?]
[Audience Award plus TGV Award? Doesn't that mean theatrical release is basically confirmed?]
[First time seeing the cast together. They look close.]
Hyunsoo raised his head.
"Hyung, we need to decide the release date quickly."
"Distribution contract first."
"Team Leader Yoon Jihye said she'd send the revised proposal."
At that moment, a woman from the next table looked over.
She checked each face and then grabbed her friend's arm.
After hesitating, the two approached.
"Excuse me."
Hyunsoo lowered his phone.
"Yes?"
"Are you the Before the Light Reaches team?"
Yura smiled.
"Yes."
The woman looked at Geonwoo.
"Director Baek Geonwoo? Congratulations on the awards. I saw the first additional screening."
"Thank you."
Her friend looked disappointed.
"I couldn't get a ticket. I waited for cancellations too, but I still couldn't get in."
"If it gets released, please watch it."
"You're really releasing it, right?"
"We're currently speaking with distributors."
The woman almost held out her phone, then stopped.
"Could we possibly take one picture with everyone? Sorry to interrupt your meal."
"Of course."
The entire group stood.
Someone at the next table agreed to take the picture.
The two audience members knew not only Geonwoo and Hyunsoo but Taejun, Yura, and Dogyeom by name.
They told Dogyeom he looked taller in person than in the film.
They told Yura the final scene had made them cry.
After the picture, they thanked them several times.
"When it releases, I'll bring all my friends."
After they returned to their table, Hyunsoo sat down.
"People recognize us even in restaurants now."
"We're near the festival."
Yura said that, but couldn't hide her smile.
A little later, a middle-aged man approached.
An industry pass hung from his neck.
"Director Baek Geonwoo, sorry to interrupt your meal."
"It's fine."
He introduced himself and handed Geonwoo a card.
[Move Pictures - Distribution Business Team - Lee Seongho]
"Congratulations on the awards. I watched the second additional screening too."
"Thank you."
"Has domestic distribution already been decided?"
"We're discussing it with one company, but nothing has been formally signed."
"I see."
Lee Seongho looked at the trophy boxes.
"We'd also like to consider distributing Before the Light Reaches. Could we meet once you're back in Seoul?"
"If you have a proposal, I'm willing to hear it."
After Lee Seongho left, Hyunsoo picked up the card.
"Move Pictures is bigger than Bridge Pictures, isn't it?"
"A little bigger, if you're only comparing company size."
"Then they might offer better terms."
Geonwoo took the card and placed it inside his wallet.
Near the end of dinner, a young man approached their table.
This time, he was from a production company.
"Director, are you preparing your next project too?"
"I have scripts written."
"If you start looking for a production company, could we also have an opportunity to review them?"
The man offered a card.
[Circle Studio - Planning & Production Team - Im Junho]
Geonwoo accepted it.
"I haven't sent the scripts outside yet."
"Of course. I'm not asking for them immediately."
Im Junho smiled.
"Whenever you decide how you want to produce your next project and begin looking at companies, please remember us too."
"All right."
"Congratulations again."
When he left, Hyunsoo looked over the cards.
"You're meeting everyone, right?"
"I should at least hear their proposals."
"What about Team Leader Yoon Jihye from Bridge Pictures?"
"I'll meet her first, of course."
"Because she made the first offer?"
"That's part of it."
Geonwoo added,
"But she also prepared the most concrete release strategy before we even won anything."
Several representatives from overseas sales companies and investment firms also came by before dinner ended.
The next morning.
Geonwoo's group packed their luggage and headed to Busan Station.
Taejun, Yura, Dogyeom, and Dogyeom's mother had booked trains around the same time.
After spending days moving only between the hotel and the Busan Cinema Center, dragging their suitcases through the station felt strange.
Hyunsoo checked the departure board.
"So it's really over now."
Geonwoo smiled.
"You worked hard."
"You worked harder."
Hyunsoo looked at the two trophy boxes stacked on top of his suitcase.
"Still, I'm glad."
"About what?"
"That we're not going home empty-handed."
The departure announcement echoed.
They pulled their luggage toward the platform.
Monday morning.
Geonwoo sat at his desk and turned on his laptop.
At exactly nine, a new email arrived.
[Revised Distribution Proposal for Before the Light Reaches]
The sender was Yoon Jihye.
Geonwoo downloaded the attachment.
The first page showed the same film title as before.
But everything after that had changed.
Expanded initial release regions.
Negotiations for TGV theater programming.
Priority for weekday evenings and weekend screenings.
Clear standards for expanding screens based on first-week seat occupancy.
Marketing expense execution and settlement rules.
While Geonwoo turned the pages, his phone rang.
Yoon Jihye's name appeared.
"Yes, Team Leader."
"Director, did you see the email?"
"I'm reading it now."
"A lot has changed from the materials I gave you before the awards. The company sees those two awards as significant."
Geonwoo returned to the first page.
"You received offers from other companies too, right?"
"I got several business cards."
"I expected that."
Jihye laughed softly.
"Please review their offers too. I just want you to read ours all the way through before deciding."
"I will."
"If you're back in Seoul, I'd like to explain it in person. When are you free?"
"This afternoon. I'll come to Bridge Pictures."
"How about three?"
"That works."
The call ended.
Geonwoo returned to the proposal.
Then his phone rang again.
An unfamiliar number.
"Hello."
"Director Baek Geonwoo?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"This is TGV's Content Business Division."
Geonwoo's hand stopped on the mouse.
"We'd like to meet with you regarding the theatrical programming of Before the Light Reaches and your next project."
