Miley Cara is starring in a Korean production? The female reporter asked back immediately, sweeping her long, permed hair, at the words of the male reporter wearing a hat.
“Are you kidding me?”
The male reporter shrugged. The female reporter stared at him for a moment, narrowed her eyes, and then smiled.
“If you made me laugh, you succeeded, it’s the most ridiculous joke I’ve made all year.”
Treated as a joke. It was worth it. Miley Cara was already one of the top five stars in the world. In both acting and singing. Her new album, which was recently released, is even eating up the Billboard charts. Who would believe that a superstar with that much influence would suddenly appear in a Korean production?
But the male reporter wearing the hat repeated the joke.
“I’m sorry, Peggy, but I didn’t mean to make you laugh.”
“Then what? Why are you saying such nonsense? I’m busy.”
The male reporter lifted the tablet in one hand and handed it to her.
“I also think it’s ridiculous, but for some reason, rumors about Miley Kara are spreading rapidly in Korea and on social media.”
“······”
The smile disappeared from the female reporter’s face and her brow furrowed again. Then she looked down at the tablet she had been given. It contained translated Korean articles and posts the male reporter had brought from SNS. Most of them were posted by Kara’s fans. The title of the Korean article was:
『Miley Kara in the ‘Beneficial Evil’ filming photos that suddenly burst out! Is her appearance confirmed due to her relationship with Kang Woo-jin?』
Most of the articles collected by the male reporter had similar headlines. Moreover, the SNS posts uploaded by Kara’s fans also had similar content to the article. The way they spoke was a little different, but the gist was this.
Our Miley Cara is participating in a Korean production?
The female reporter who had been skimming the contents once again swept her long perm hair. This time, she was serious. Soon, the male reporter added an explanation.
“I haven’t confirmed everything, but there’s been a lot of noise about this on Korean SNS and communities. However, Hollywood is still quiet because it hasn’t been that long since it got red.”
“······I’m confused. Why are these rumors suddenly spreading?”
In response to the question, the male reporter raised his index finger and flipped through the tablet screen held by the female reporter. A photo that appeared to be from the filming location was printed out.
“This is the filming location for a Korean production called ‘Beneficial Evil.’ The location was overseas and was in Bangkok. I found out that it is being produced as a Netflix original. Anyway, this male actor here is Kang Woo-jin.”
“Kang Woo-jin – won the Best Actor Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.”
“Yeah, Peggy, you were dumbfounded when you saw his acceptance speech, which was almost like a declaration of war: ‘I’m going to aim for an Academy Award next year.’”
“I know. As soon as the Cannes Film Festival ended, there were a lot of articles about it, and there’s already a lot of talk in Hollywood.”
The male reporter nodded as if he already knew and moved his index finger.
“The reason the rumor spread was because of this blonde woman.”
“······She definitely looks like Miley Cara.”
“I think it came to the surface when this cut was leaked. Do you know? Kang Woo-jin also participated in Miley Cara’s album this time, and when she visited Korea in the past, she appeared on Kang Woo-jin’s YouTube channel.”
“There were a lot of two-shots in this section too.”
“Isn’t it useful? I owe you something from last time, and I’ll give this to you, Peggy.”
The female reporter looked down at the blonde woman on the tablet again. Miley Cara was currently hot all over the world. Not only was she seen at Cannes, but the response to her new album, which swept the Billboard charts, was explosive.
That means, Miley Cara’s news is selling very well right now.
The female reporter who had been standing pulled out her chair again, sat down, opened her laptop that had been closed, and asked the male reporter next to her, who was sitting on the desk, another question.
“Kang Woo-jin, Miley Cara – Oh, the title of that Korean work is ‘Beneficial Evil’?”
It was a sign that the ‘beneficial evil’ was spreading abroad.
since.
Advertisements
Kang Woo-jin, who was on the set of ‘Beneficial Evil’, was 10 minutes away from standby. The team members around him were all looking at their phones. To be exact, they were checking the reactions that were happening in Korea and Japan at the same time.
“Oppa! ‘Leech’ has 780,000 viewers! 780,000!!”
“This is crazy! How much did ‘The Island of the Lost’ cost on the first day???”
“About 700,000!”
“Wow!! 80,000 more??!”
“Is another record being broken with ‘Leech’?!”
“Wow- no matter how much publicity the Cannes Film Festival has, 780,000 on a weekday······ daebak.”
“What about ‘Stranger’? Are the results for ‘Stranger’ out?”
Kang Woo-jin, who had been pretending not to hear, joined in solemnly.
“880,000.”
The excitement of the stylists and other team members turned into a frenzy.
“880,000!!! It’s more than the first day! Huh?? But how did you know that, oppa?”
“I got a call.”
“Wow! 880,000! Seriously, this is the first time I’ve seen this number! The Japanese media was making a fuss about ‘Strange Parasite’ being ruined! This is great!”
“Hey, no matter what, it’s still bullshit.”
“No, I was a bit pissed when I read the article!”
To that extent, ‘The Stranger’ and ‘The Leech’ were both showing crazy performances. Until yesterday, only ‘The Stranger’ was breaking records, but today, both works are flying high. The number of viewers of 880,000 and 780,000 is more than enough to break the records of both countries.
At this time.
“Woojin!! Congratulations!!”
“Wow- the audience numbers were really amazing??!”
Dozens of staff members from ‘Beneficial Evil’ flocked to the silent Kang Woo-jin and showered him with congratulations and praise. A few of them pointed out something that should not be forgotten.
“I’ve never heard of anything like this, absolutely! It’s crazy that a film starring me is being released in Korea and Japan at the same time, and both films even broke box office records!”
What these two works have in common is that Kang Woo-jin is the lead actor.
There has never been a case where an actor has released a movie in two countries and the momentum of those movies has skyrocketed. Naturally, this was the first time in Korea or Japan. Woojin caused an unprecedented event that would never happen again in both countries.
Then, all the staff members predicted a terrifying future.
“If this continues, both movies will really hit the 10 million mark, right?”
“Nothing more! Woojin-ssi is just becoming a legend!!”
In an instant, everyone was jumping up and down with one mind and one purpose. Except for Kang Woo-jin.
“But Woojin-ssi! Why are you so calm after detonating a nuclear bomb this size? You’re so quiet!!”
No. Kang Woo-jin had already done an extreme shoulder dance. Of course, only a few dozen minutes ago, in his mind. Even now, he was full of smiles inside.
‘Hehe, the corners of your lips keep going up. Calm down, Kang Woojin. Calm down.’
He was cooling his heart to death, but the domestic media did not.
『[Issue Pick] Cannes Palme d’Or winner ‘Leech’, 780,000 viewers on the first day of release···Unrivaled No. 1 at the box office!』
『’Leech’, mobilized 780,000 people on weekdays, higher first day performance than ‘The Island of the Lost’ with 20 million viewers!』
『’The Man of Khan’ Kang Woo-jin succeeds again, ‘Leech’, 780,000 people saw it on the opening day alone!』
Advertisements
As soon as the results of ‘Leech’ were announced, they flocked to the area like a pack of dogs.
『”If it continues like this, it could exceed 20 million” ‘Leech’ that turned the tables, breaking the record by reaching 780,000 viewers』
Even today, the second day of release, ‘Leech’ is in first place in advance ticket sales. As a result, various expectations are pouring in and the articles are being created one after another.
『[Movie Talk] 780,000 on the first day of release, No. 1 in box office, rave reviews from audiences, Cannes Palme d’Or, Best Actor ‘Leech’, will it be a hit in Korea too?』
The media atmosphere was at its peak, but public opinion was no joke. The public must have had enormous expectations for ‘Leech’. After all, it swept the Cannes Film Festival and was highly praised by world-class celebrities. When expectations for a movie are high, disappointment is usually great.
However, the audience who saw ‘Leech’ had no regrets.
“Ah- this is seriously so much fun. I have to watch it again.”
“Are you tired of changing genres in the middle of a scene? When Kang Woo-jin changes his expression.”
“I looked it up and it’s called Ripley Syndrome. But, isn’t that Kang Woo-jin’s fault? What’s with the acting- he’s possessed.”
“To be honest, I didn’t even see a single person like that.”
“I honestly don’t think there’s any actor who can beat Kang Woo-jin in acting.”
Because I experienced a pleasure that exceeded my expectations.
[「Leech」/ Released on October 27, 2021] [Rating 9.5] [Audience and netizen reviews/ 1,988 participants]
-The scenario, the direction, the actors, everything was good… It gave me goosebumps… ./ r****
-The genre changes the moment Kang Woo-jin’s expression changes as he enters the mansion/ t****
-Ripley Syndrome. These days, almost everyone has it because of Instagram, believing fiction to be true? Anyway, Kang Woo-jin’s acting was really good / f****
-I completely understand why Cannes gave this film the Palme d’Or and why they gave Kang Woo-jin the Best Actor award/ h****
-A movie that makes me feel a bit bad… ./ 4****
– It’s a movie that needs no introduction and everyone in this day and age should definitely watch it at least once, and Kang Woo-jin is now the undisputed number one actor in Korea / a****
-It left a lingering impression and gave me goosebumps, and I deleted the Instagram/ d****
-This movie criticizes the problems of today’s society with Ripley Syndrome. Director Ahn Ga-bok is a genius. / 6****
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅁㅊIsn’t Kang Woo Jin just suffering from real Ripley Syndromeㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ/ b****
-Why is it all full of praise?? To me, it just looks like one asshole is destroying the family/ c****
-I changed my underwear several times because of Kang Woojin’s acting… I carried it alone/ 1****
·
·
·
Well, the local reactions to ‘Leech’ and ‘The Stranger’ were starkly different. ‘Leech’ was welcomed from the beginning and upon its release, but ‘The Stranger’ has been criticized ever since its production.
However, as the public outcry grew louder and the criticism and insults poured in, ‘The Stranger’ became even more popular.
『850,000 + 880,000! “The Stranger” surpassed 1.73 million in two days, and today, on the third day of its release, it still ranks 1st in advance ticket sales!』
『Controversy and resentment are actually becoming strength? “The Stranger” is full of harsh criticism, but is silently breaking records.』
The more this happened, the more Kang Woo-jin’s comments spread like wildfire. Many people, including actors, directors, the public, and the media from both countries, turned the two countries upside down, but that wasn’t the end of it.
『New York major media outlet’s headline: “Kang Woo-jin declares war on Academy Awards, Miley Cara appears in the film he is preparing, ‘Beneficial Evil'”』
Perhaps it was having an impact all over the world.
A few days later, Sunday the 31st. LA.
The film industry in Korea and Japan is a mess, but LA is relatively well-mannered. Among the numerous small and large film and distribution companies in LA, a familiar old man was sitting in a medium-sized meeting room of one of the top five film and distribution companies. He was sitting in the middle of a T-shaped desk, giving off the aura of a veteran.
Advertisements
“······”
Director Ahn Ga-bok, with his short white hair and wrinkled face, silently staring out the window at the LA scenery, was still the same. Of course, he wasn’t the only one there. The CEO and executives of the management agency that Director Ahn Ga-bok was a part of, as well as an interpreter, were there too. Five people, including Director Ahn Ga-bok. They all looked like they were waiting for someone.
Then why is director Ahn Ga-bok in LA and not in Korea?
This was also at a time when ‘Leech’ was released domestically. It was a strange timing. Normally, since ‘Leech’ was released in Korea, Director Ahn Ga-bok would have had to show up here and there for promotion and marketing. But now he is in Hollywood.
At this time.
“Director.”
The slightly fat CEO spoke softly to Director Ahn Ga-bok, who was sitting next to him. Judging from his expression, he was excited, but it felt like he was suppressing it.
“The score for ‘Leech’ was just announced yesterday, Saturday. It surpassed 1.21 million, and 4 million viewers in its 4th day of release. It’s faster than ‘The Island of the Lost.’”
“hmm.”
Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had been spitting briefly, asked back.
“How about the ‘stranger’ side?”
“They are more successful than us.”
At this time.
-Bam!
The door to the closed meeting room opened, interrupting the CEO’s words. Soon, foreigners of all different appearances entered one after another. A total of four people. As soon as the foreigners entered, all of them, including Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had stopped talking, stood up, shook hands, and exchanged brief greetings.
“It is an honor, Director Ahn Ga-bok. Congratulations again on winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.”
“It was truly amazing to see you break Khan’s tradition and win the award.”
“thank you.”
About 10 minutes later.
-Ugh.
Everyone who had been exchanging pleasantries and conversations sat down. Then, among the group of foreigners sitting across from Director Ahn Ga-bok, a foreign man with a bald head and glasses who looked to be in his 60s spoke to Director Ahn Ga-bok in English. His tone was full of sincerity.
“Director, I would like to entrust you with the megaphone of our film.”
It was an offer to direct a Hollywood movie.
