Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 399

399. A Great Step (1)

It was astonishing.

“Wow…? I still can’t believe it?”

After the $1 billion bomb exploded.

The Last Piece crew became increasingly busy.

“Judging by the trend, it seems like we’ll reach $2 billion in the shortest amount of time.”

“No way.”

“Here. I’ve organized it into a chart. Take a look.”

Andrew, a meticulous publicist, had perfect data.

When setting the standard for mega-hit records, people usually consider $1 billion as the starting point.

Of course, $1 billion isn’t the end of the record.

Beyond 1 billion, to 1.5 billion, 1.7 billion.

And up to $2 billion.

‘These are really unrealistic numbers.’

Converted to Korean won, it’s a truly enormous amount.

Although it’s the same in dollars.

Hiccup!

“Hic, is this a lie, re, hic, really tr, hic?”

Mac Houston, who was satisfied with successfully making his cherished scenario into a movie.

He started hiccuping like crazy from the moment Andrew mentioned the amount.

-I am already satisfied with being able to finish the work I created from beginning to end with my own hands. I don’t want anything more.

Mac Houston, who debuted as a rising star at a prestigious independent film festival.

However, his subsequent steps were filled with hardship and adversity.

The scenario he was confident was a masterpiece was treated as obsolete for several years, with no one even looking at it.

Mac’s words that he didn’t want anything more were true.

From the moment it exceeded the break-even point, he stopped paying attention to the amount.

But the amount Andrew brought was enough to surprise even Mac.

“It’s not manipulated, is it?”

“Do I look like someone who does things haphazardly like that?”

“Ah, no…?”

The timid Elliot shrank back at the cold question from Hollywood’s best publicist.

“Is this perhaps a program planned on a TV show? Haha. Hahaha! You’re really deceiving us realistically, aren’t you?”

Another actor bravely challenged.

But this time, only cold silence returned.

One way or another, everyone knew that Andrew wasn’t someone who made empty or frivolous remarks.

It was just that the reality was too unbelievable, so they doubted it before rejoicing.

“So, it’s real? Holy… I really can’t believe it.”

An enormous number.

It wasn’t unreasonable to doubt it rather than rejoice.

Frankly, it was an unrealistic situation.

“We know the reaction is good, but is it to the extent that these results are coming out?”

Around the time it was first released.

The explosive reaction at that time is understandable.

Why?

‘Back then, Yeon-woo won an award at the Grammys with a mask, and that became a hot topic, so people were bound to be interested.’

His cameo appearance in the last and hugely successful episode of the Black Series also helped.

The fact that Gabriel, who had been in seclusion for a long time, was returning to the screen.

And the fact that it was a movie starring the Dream Walker composer who created the Dream Walker syndrome.

Not just one, but several pieces of news overlapped, becoming a hot topic.

That interest was directly linked to The Last Piece.

So, the explosive reaction in the beginning was something that could happen.

But.

“No, why?”

Not only did it hit $1 billion, but now it’s even aiming for the shortest time to join the $2 billion club?

“Andrew. Really, this isn’t some TV show program, is it?”

“I told you it’s not.”

“…How is that possible?”

Now the actors began to doubt the reality itself.

“Why… Still, our movie… is fun, isn’t it…?”

Mac belatedly protested timidly, as if it were his own child.

He seemed to think it was a bit strange even as he was saying it.

“Everyone knows the movie is fun. We know that better than anyone else, right? How hard and with all our heart we filmed it…”

Not a single line was treated carelessly.

Even scenes that would be edited out and shown on screen for only 0.1 seconds were repeatedly reshot to achieve the best results.

They just didn’t feel the reality of the enormous numbers.

They had tremendous pride in the movie.

“Think about it. Aside from the fact that we filmed it well, the conditions for this movie aren’t that great, are they?”

“That’s right. It’s not based on an original work either.”

If there was an original work, they could aim for the expected effect of absorbing fans of the original.

But this movie didn’t have an original work that could bring about such an effect.

“It’s not like we’re a big blockbuster movie either.”

“That’s right. It’s not a famous franchise movie either.”

Agreements popped out from here and there.

Apart from the fact that they had pride in the movie, it was a very cold and objective perspective.

“It’s not like we have an actor whose face is a guaranteed box office hit.”

“That’s right.”

That perspective applied to themselves as well.

“It’s not like our director is a well-known director that people trust and watch.”

“That’s right. It’s probably closer to the opposite, right?”

Again, this was nothing but the truth, so Mac’s shoulders drooped a little more.

“Now that I say it, there’s really no reason for us to be successful, is there…?”

The atmosphere even sank as a result of too much self-objectification.

However, the voice that intervened soon changed the situation.

“Isn’t that even more amazing? It means we succeeded this much with just the quality of the work.”

It was Gabriel.

“No matter how much money you throw at it, if the content isn’t fun, no one will watch it in the end. That’s the cold commercial market. But if it’s fun, it’ll go viral even if you bury it in the countryside.”

“That’s… right.”

“Assuming Andrew’s words are true, if you’ve earned $1 billion, it means the content has properly touched some corner of people’s universal emotions. Without any other external factors, just the movie itself.”

“Then… should we be proud?”

“That’s right.”

Gabriel is chic and haughty.

In other words, she’s not the kind of nice person who makes up words to comfort people.

“So, why don’t you stop with the unnecessary self-objectification and just enjoy it?”

When Gabriel said that much, everyone reacted with ‘Is that so?’

She only says what’s right, so it seemed trustworthy.

One by one, joy began to emerge from the faces of the actors.

Watching that, Yeon-woo.

‘When did he grow up so much?’

He even felt a fresh sense of emotion at Gabriel’s change.

‘He couldn’t even communicate with other people in the past.’

Because he was so eccentric, others avoided Gabriel, and Gabriel avoided others who didn’t believe his story.

But at some point.

[72]

Gabriel, who started growing rapidly after meeting Yeon-woo, had changed so much from before that it was difficult to recognize him.

The number above his head proved that fact.

‘Is this a parent’s heart… no. What crazy thoughts am I having right now?’

Anyway, it’s admirable to see him grow so well as a person.

With Gabriel’s intervention, the actors’ reality escape was safely resolved.

But the aftermath of the bombs Andrew threw in succession wasn’t just that.

“Yes? Where do we have to go? Yes? Overseas?”

The actors, who were taking breaks and filming mukbangs [eating broadcasts] in between their busy schedules.

After the $1 billion declaration, they slowly began to learn about the reactions towards them one by one.

“Wow. Our movie had this kind of meaning.”

“Oh… It’s possible to interpret it this way?”

Now, in the third week since its release.

They seemed to have decided to fully enjoy this situation.

“There’s even a battle of theses here.”

“Hmm… It’s a little different from my interpretation?”

As time passed after the release, many people offered their own impressions of ‘The Last Piece.’

But the level of those impressions was unusual.

As someone said, it was a long and vast amount at the level of a thesis.

But even that kind of review wasn’t just one or two.

“A forum has even been created. Peace Finder.”

“Oh. The name suits it. That’s right. Because they’re people looking for the last piece, Peace Finder.”

People who deeply study and interpret The Last Piece even named themselves Peace Finders.

They were so-called Peace Otakus [die-hard fans or enthusiasts].

The strange thing was that the number of these Peace Finders was surprisingly large.

Regardless of nationality, they were everywhere.

The sight of Peace Finders having in-depth discussions about the content could be easily found everywhere online.

It was even covered in the news as an unusual matter.

[‘Peace Finder’ Interview …… ‘The Last Piece’ is a movie that suggests the right direction to find oneself’]

[Sharp decline in PC game usage time among teenagers, the effect of after-school ‘Peace Finder’ discussions?]

From one expression in the movie to the meaning of the lines.

There were even people who presented interpretations that surprised even Mac, the actor and director at times.

They were happy, satisfied, and surprised as they searched for each of those reactions.

But those happy and relaxed days didn’t last long.

“Let’s move right away.”

“So soon?”

“Invitations have been sent urgently.”

They moved frantically following Andrew’s instructions.

From this country to that country.

They fell asleep on the plane and woke up in another country.

Even after returning to North America, the busy schedule was the same.

‘Something’s wrong?!’

The actors, including Yeon-woo, thought so.

But Andrew wasn’t someone who did things that would harm them.

Everyone knew that if he moved, there would definitely be a profit.

That’s why they had no choice but to receive the data Andrew gave them and diligently run around like grasshoppers.

“I… I definitely went to Korea to rest, right…?”

I don’t know when or how I was kidnapped and left Korea.

I closed my eyes because I had somewhere to go for a while, and when I opened them, I was in another country.

That wasn’t just once or twice.

The strange thing was that every time that happened, the things in my hand increased one by one.

“What is it…? It’s good, but…”

After finishing the event according to the hectic schedule, a trophy was already in my hand.

The number was repeated not just once, but several times.

“Is this perhaps… ‘that’?”

At this point, someone with quick wits realized something.

…To be honest, I barely realized it after rolling around so much, so I couldn’t say I was quick-witted.

Anyway, there were still far more people who were just panting and struggling to keep up without knowing anything.

That’s because the actors didn’t do anything carelessly even while being frantically rolled around.

‘They like our movie this much!’

Everywhere they went, they were welcomed and admired as they listened to the stories they told.

Naturally, they were excited and happy, and they had no choice but to do their best with all their heart and soul.

And then, they would lose their strength and groan, but they had no time to think because they were moving.

“What is ‘that’?”

“Think about it. We received a lot of awards, right?”

“That’s right.”

Not just any awards.

Literally a lot of awards.

Including the Best Picture Award at the D International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the M Film Festival, and nominations in various categories at the B International Film Festival, and awards.

Not only that.

Various associations also gave them trophies for various reasons.

It was only yesterday that they were amazed to see the prominent associations they had only heard of with their own eyes.

Those associations gave several awards to The Last Piece.

Best Screenplay, Best Film, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, etc.

Among them, the number of awards accumulated by Yeon-woo was outstanding.

The number of Best Actor awards alone exceeded ten, and the number of Best Performance awards exceeded five fingers.

‘It’s good to receive awards, but I don’t know why they’re giving them, but it’s good and difficult anyway.’

The actors simply thought that way and did their best in every given moment.

Until someone raised this question.

“Why do you think they gave us the awards?”

“…Well? Just because we did well?”