Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 145

The God-Given Top Star 145. Box Office Promise (2) (145/401)

145. Box Office Promise (2)

2022.03.25.

“You don’t have to worry; I already knew it would do well.” As expected. The staff’s faces lit up as if they were children being praised by their teacher. They were such innocent people. “See, I told you?” “Since Yeonwoo said that, I really think it’ll do well.” “Right. I have a feeling it’s already doing well, but it’s going to do even better…” Yeonwoo laughed. “Didn’t I decide to appear in this movie because I thought it would do well from the start?” “Oh…” “Come to think of it, that’s true. Then we were already destined for success.” “Yeah. Being stranded on that island must have been a jinx. I really thought we were all going to die back then…” “I never even imagined that the cynical and sarcastic Hanhyang would give us such high praise.” “Hanhyang was really unexpected. I’m personally a fan of Hanhyang, so should I ask for an autograph when I meet her later? If I say I’m a staff member of this movie, would she give me one?” “If she sees it that positively, she might.” Everyone nodded in agreement, their heads bobbing in a row. Apparently, Hanhyang usually acted quite cynical towards people involved in the entertainment industry, except for ordinary people. She hardly had any personal relationships.

“The initial reactions are more favorable than I thought…” “I thought there would be spoilers about the ending, but it’s amazing that people are refraining from it because the reaction is good.” Part of the marketing led by Woo Dogyeom was about the ending. It wasn’t intentional to confuse the ending, but as the situation ambiguously unfolded, Woo Dogyeom used it as a marketing element. The photo taken when the twins visited the set with Woo Dogyeom was key. It worked so well that:

[Those who have been to the preview…?] -Can someone please tell me if it’s a happy ending? I don’t know why I’m crying everywhere I go;;; Are they tears of happiness? Or tears of the opposite?? No one is telling me clearly, so I’m getting anxiousㅠㅠ

(Comments)

-No spoilers

ㄴCan’t you just tell meㅠㅠ? I’m a happy ending personㅠㅠ

ㄴNope

-To be hooooonest, I don’t think it matters if you know it beforehand…….

ㄴ헐 [Korean slang for “OMG” or “What the heck”], are you going to tell me then?

ㄴNo?

ㄴYou said it doesn’t matterㅠㅠ

ㄴI didn’t say I would tell you^^ -ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

ㄴWhy are you cryingㅠㅠㅠ??

ㄴBecause I came to the preview

ㄴCan you please tell me the ending?

ㄴYes. I can’t.

ㄴㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-Just wait and see. No one dies, so don’t worry

ㄴReally? Then it’s not a sad endingㅠ I have to watch it when it’s released!

ㄴOh dear…….

ㄴAnother lamb has gone to the Lord…….

ㄴ??? Why are you all doing this??? It’s making me anxiousㅠㅠ

The people who came to the preview didn’t seem to have any intention of revealing the ending, even on purpose. It was as if there was an unspoken agreement not to spoil it and ruin the movie, since the ending was controversial. ‘They’re definitely all strangers…’ I don’t know how they get along so well. Anyway, it was a good thing for the movie team.

“It seems like our movie ending is already becoming a meme… That’s totally fine.” As expected. “Wow. The reporters are quick. An article about Hanhyang’s Instagram is already out.” The reporters, who were better than anyone else at recognizing hot issues that would become a topic, seemed to have caught the scent. “Seriously. Awesome. Already?” “Where, where? Let me see. What does it say?” “It says we’re the first ones to praise her so highly. The reporter is surprised too?” I didn’t eat as much meat as I wanted… but I smelled it as much as I wanted. I scanned the reactions and drank plenty of sweet alcohol instead of water because my throat was dry. On top of that, I was in a good mood, so I couldn’t help but laugh.

“There are other articles too.” “What do they say?” “‘A unique scene at the preview… Attendees unanimously hide the ending of the movie.’ ‘It was common for the press who attended the preview together to refrain from reporting according to the production company’s instructions until the release, but it is quite unusual for even general attendees to remain silent’… ‘A rare scene of analyzing the ending of the movie is already unfolding online’… ‘There are also users who are posting frustrated messages asking when it will be released.’” It seems like I’ll be busy looking at my phone and tablet for a while. ‘I thought it wouldn’t be helpful at all, but it’s unexpected.’ It was quite unexpected for Yeonwoo. When Woo Dogyeom said he was going to use his children for fake marketing, I wondered if it was necessary to go that far. But. ‘It’s quite… no. It’s being quite helpful.’ I guess he’s a human who made his own throne and sat on it with his own hands? Yeonwoo glanced at Woo Dogyeom with new eyes. Then she quickly turned her head away. ‘I almost suffocated.’ Woo Dogyeom and Kwon Seonghyeon were still keeping their places with Yeonwoo missing in the middle, but the atmosphere between them was very bad. It didn’t seem like they were exchanging any particular words, but it looked like it would be suffocating. They just seemed to be tilting their glasses without saying anything, but I don’t know why I felt like I was watching a scary hellscape. ‘I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it.’ There’s no reason to go in between them and break the stiff air.

When Yeonwoo turned her head again, Yeon Dohee, who was excitedly looking at her phone with the staff, raised her head. “Yeonwoo!” “Yes.” Yeonwoo answered, raising her hand high. Yeon Dohee quickly got up and sat across from Director Ji. “Huh? Yeonwoo is grilling meat?” “Yes. Would you like some?” “Um… then our Director Ji will cry [referring to the director being sad if she takes Yeonwoo’s attention away], so I’ll pass.” Although the tempo was slower than before, Yeonwoo was still grilling meat steadily. Grilling meat was just a repetition of simple labor anyway, so there was nothing to interfere with. “No, more than that… what’s important now is something else.” “Yes. Tell me.” Yeon Dohee’s eyes sparkled as Yeonwoo answered. “When we officially release it, shall we do that, that?” “That?” “You know, that! That thing! The box office promise!” Yeonwoo was puzzled. “Box office promise? What is that?” It seemed like I was fulfilling some kind of promise. “Um, that’s… it’s a kind of promise that you make to do something whenever the number of moviegoers reaches a certain number in order to promote the movie, but it’s hard to define exactly…” Yeon Dohee held up her phone, tilting her head because she didn’t know exactly what it was. “Seeing is believing! It’s better to see it once than to explain it a hundred times!” Inside the screen that I received obediently, a photo was floating. Yeonwoo’s eyes widened. “I don’t think it’s a still cut… Is it a press photo?” In the screen, there was another actor being beaten by a strong actor. I asked because it looked like a scene of assault if you looked at it wrong, but the assistant director who was watching spat out the beer he was drinking. “Here’s a wet tissue.” “Ah, thank you… But Yeonwoo, that’s not a press photo… that’s a photo that the actors of the XX movie took as an 8 million [viewers] promise.” “Ah.” “Dohee, why did you show that one of all things…” “Um. That’s my mistake. I admit it. Yeonwoo, there are many other promises. There are many things you can do, such as dancing, taking pictures with a piece of paper with a message written on it, or posing. I showed you the one I just showed you because it was a popular unusual promise…” It was fortunate that Yeonwoo, who was ignorant of the customs of the film industry, was about to misunderstand. “Does this help with promotion?” “It does. It definitely does. What do you think? Do you want to do it?” Yeon Dohee’s eyes sparkled once again. “If it helps with promotion, of course I have to do it.” “Excellent decision! Then let’s think about what to do together. I enjoy this so much.” And the words she added were very solemn. “…I’ve never succeeded in a promise before.” Yeon Dohee’s nickname, which had been circulating secretly in Chungmuro [Korean Hollywood] and was now known to everyone, even ordinary people, was “Goddess of Flops” because every movie she made flopped so badly that there was no such thing as a flop. “…We’ll definitely be able to do it this time.” Yeon Dohee nodded at Yeonwoo’s calm words. “Of course! We’re definitely going to succeed this time. How much should we start with?” “Hmm. It looks unlucky to bet too big from the beginning, so shall we go carefully?” The assistant director slipped in. “I think it would be good to start with 2 million first. And then add one more for every million that increases. What do you think?” “Oh. Assistant Director! That sounds good. If the numbers are too big, it feels a little too vague… I think it’s better to catch them closely because it will increase motivation.” “Right? I think it’s more helpful for promotion to catch them in short bursts rather than catching them far apart, right?” “Then let’s call it a bet of 1 million starting with 2 million.” “Ah, and let’s not do anything unreasonable. There was something like pulling out a tooth.” “Ahhh. I know that. You couldn’t do it in the end, right?” “What did the actor who was with you say he would do? I think there was some talk about that too.” “That’s it. I’m going to eat 10 servings of pork cutlet at once.” “That’s right. There was talk about playing with food, right?” “We should avoid things that are controversial…” “Let’s do that. We’re a romance, so let’s do something fresh and lovely.” The two seemed to be in perfect harmony, having a heated discussion. Before I knew it, other staff members gathered around and added a word each. “How about taking pictures in the style of an epilogue? You know, taking pictures wearing the clothes that Yeowon and Jooyoung were wearing when they passed by each other at the end.” “Oh, that’s good. Then we can soothe our regrets.” “Since the ending is the ending, how about the two of them being affectionate? I think it would be good to upload a video as if they were dating!” “Not bad.” “How about writing handwritten letters like love letters? It’s also a way to express gratitude to the audience…” “Call!” Adding one or two words completely caught fire. Now, ideas were popping out from everywhere, as if it were an idea meeting to decide what to do. Director Ji, who had slipped back and was watching with interest, said, “Now that all that’s left is to wait, we’re doing this to soothe the emptiness. We’re also enjoying the promotional effect. It’s killing two birds with one stone.” “It looks like a good way.”

In the meantime, one of the staff came up with a novel idea. “How about taking a picture of Yeowon and Jooyoung with the twins, like our fake promotion?” “Wouldn’t it ruin the afterglow of the ending too much?” “So, not too early, but as a promise to do later. If it’s around 7 or 8 million, they’ll be asking for a sequel, right? We’re filling that demand!” “Wow… 7 or 8 million. It sounds good just to hear it.” “Ah, why. We can go to 10 million, you know?” “Wow, it sounds good just to think about it, but reality is reality. By the way, we need to get permission to make that promise, right?” “Maybe the twins will be okay with it? They really liked coming to the set.” “Still, we have to get the guardian’s permission.” “If the twins like it, the guardian will definitely give permission….” The words of the people who were giving and taking each other with great dreams stopped. Come to think of it, the guardian of those cute and adorable twin little angels was…

“……”

“……”

Silence fell in the audience. It was a bonus that the expression of the staff who had brought it up was as stiff as wax. With a very awkward attitude that made a creaking sound, everyone’s heads moved to one place. None other than the twins’ guardian, towards the place where Woo Dogyeom was, and shouted a silent scream. “It seems like you’re having an interesting conversation.” Because the person in question was already nearby.