Chapter 42: CUT. Cholinergic Urticaria (1)
by fnovelpia
CUT.
“The audience reacts strongly to three elements.”
An old professor, standing at the podium, spread three fingers.
“Violence, humor, and twists!”
The undergraduates listened attentively.
The professor continued, “You can find these elements in almost every film, from children’s animations to blockbusters. However, a movie made only of violence, humor, and twists would be terrible.”
He walked slowly with his hands clasped behind his back.
Then, he pointed to a student and asked, “What truly makes a movie cinematic? Han Yeoreum, answer this!”
The student was Yeoreum.
He looked extremely bored but responded reluctantly, “Betrayal makes a movie cinematic.”
“Betrayal?!”
The professor was startled and his wrinkles trembled.
“I’ve heard of conflict, emotions, empathy, resonance, but never ‘betrayal’…! Yeoreum, isn’t betrayal just a device for a twist if planned from the beginning?”
Yeoreum replied casually, “The betrayal I mean happens without the betrayer knowing, betraying someone’s expectations.”
The professor reacted strongly.
“Unintentional betrayal! What an extraordinary idea!”
The professor, very excited, continued to speak at length about character arcs and cinematic moments being born from inner changes.
Yeoreum was dumbfounded; ‘betrayal’ had been a spur-of-the-moment answer.
He glanced back sneakily.
Yuna Yeon, who usually sat right behind him, was now two rows away.
They made eye contact.
Normally, she would have smiled, but not today.
Yuna Yeon looked sulky.
Two days ago, Yeoreum had his first argument with Yuna Yeon.
After discovering an unidentified facility in the basement of a video rental shop and encountering flying alien muscles, Yeoreum went straight home.
He planned to review S#5 ‘The Lloyd’ to prepare for emergencies, and to learn about the alien muscles’ weaknesses.
Unexpectedly, a new scene, S#7 ‘Saturday the 13th’, had been added.
It started like a supermarket-set slasher film but ended chaotically with an unexpected twist.
Reiko Ishikawa appeared in the last sequence.
Reiko, not a frequently seen character, seemed particularly noticeable today.
Yeoreum felt a strange sense of déjà vu and repeatedly watched her scenes.
Reiko wore a simple-designed pendant with ‘W’ engraved on it.
He recalled the silver-haired narrator from the basement, who wore cufflinks with the same ‘W’ pattern.
Yeoreum pondered the possible connection between Reiko and the narrator.
He leaned close to the TV screen, deep in thought.
Suddenly, a chilly voice came from behind him.
Startled, he turned to see Yuna Yeon holding a black plastic bag.
“Yeoreum, are you cheating on me with a woman in a video?” she asked.
“What? No!”
“To think you’re attracted to a video woman after taking all of my body and heart!”
“I don’t recall receiving that,” Yeoreum replied.
“Yeoreum, you’re a betrayer…”
It was absurd to call him a betrayer after she had barged into his house.
“Video watching is now banned,” Yuna Yeon declared, stopping him from watching any more videotapes.
It was outrageous, but since she had brought a drink, he decided to overlook it.
Yuna Yeon pulled a green can from the plastic bag and handed it to him.
It seemed to be aloe. He was thirsty, so it came at good time.
He opened the can and took a refreshing sip.
“Pffffft!”
He immediately spit it out.
It was disgusting, like drinking ground-up rotten dirt.
He ran to the bathroom to rinse his mouth.
His esophagus churned and his tongue writhed in pain.
“Why, why are you reacting like this, Yeoreum…? Did it taste that bad?”
“Ugh, Yuna Yeon, what the hell did you give me? Monkey piss?!”
“It’s a pine-flavored drink.”
How dare she feed me such trash.
It was extreme culinary torture.
His suppressed anger burst out.
“Drink this crap yourself!!”
“That’s too much… It’s really tasty.”
Yuna Yeon took a sip of the dreadful green drink.
She was completely mad.
“Why didn’t you buy cola instead of this crap?”
“There’s too much sugar in cola… I bought this thinking of your health, Yeoreum… Why don’t you appreciate my intentions…?”
“Does monkey piss flavor show you care about my health?”
He clenched his fists.
“You always do whatever you want, Yuna Yeon. You never consider what I want!”
“Why would you say that? You’re so important to me, how can you say I don’t care…!!”
It was the first time they had raised their voices at each other.
A minor issue escalated dramatically. They vented intense emotions for 5 minutes.
Eventually, Yuna Yeon left the house sobbing.
That was two days ago.
Yuna Yeon was still deeply offended and upset, not talking to him.
He felt uneasy too, but he didn’t have the courage to apologize.
After the lecture,he left the classroom.
Normally, they would have walked together happily.
Now, they went separate.
It seemed she still cared, as she followed him at a distance.
“Yeon~! Yeoreum~!”
Ahead, president Jung Joo-Yi waved her hand.
She was not alone.
There was a neat-looking man with horn-rimmed glasses next to her.
He clearly wasn’t a student and looked too young to be a professor.
“Senior Joo-Yi, who is this…?”
Yuna Yeon asked cautiously.
The man handed her a business card.
“Nice to meet you.”
The card had the name of a famous newspaper.
The man was a journalist.
“I’ve come to ask a few questions.”
“Hehe, our club room is a bit messy, isn’t it, sir?”
The ‘Horror Film Club’ room.
Following the president, Yeoreum, Yuna Yeon, and the journalist entered.
The journalist observed the room as if exploring an ancient hut.
In one corner, there were projectors, cameras, old films, and disguise tools scattered about.
Models of a fish-man and a hairy gorilla were noticeable.
The gorilla model gave an unpleasant giggling laugh.
The journalist frowned.
“What is this, Ms. Joo-Yi?”
“It’s a gorilla robot. It has a recorder inside that plays laughing sounds.”
The president casually lied.
We all sat down. The journalist fanned himself.
“I’m sorry. I’m very sensitive to heat.”
He laughed awkwardly and shifted slightly.
He seemed itchy as well as hot.
“Ah, I’ll go buy some cool drinks…”
Yuna Yeon left the room.
Yeoreum considered following her but decided against it.
The president set up a camcorder on a tripod.
“Do you mind, sir? I’m making a film. Is it okay if I record our conversation?”
“That’s fine by me.”
“Great. Then I’ll show you what you wanted to see.”
After setting up the camcorder, the president took out a laptop.
She pressed the space bar and a video played.
It had been filmed two days ago.
Huge twisted beings with red wings began attacking nearby residents.
Screams and shouts filled the air as dust rose. Several black box-like vehicles arrived.
Special forces troops emerged from the vehicles.
They fired their machine guns, and bullet holes swiftly appeared in the hosts’ bodies.
The alien disturbance was quickly suppressed.
The president was more fascinating than the content itself.
Her ability to film in such chaos was astonishing.
After watching the video, the journalist adjusted his glasses.
“It’s unbelievable that such bizarre events occurred right in the middle of the city.”
“Exactly. I doubted it was real even as I was filming.”
Yeoreum asked the journalist, “Why hasn’t such a major event been reported in the media?”
“This incident is under strict control. It’s hidden from the media, social networks, internet communities, and even private messengers,” the journalist explained, visibly shaken.
“They are trying to erase it as if it never happened. But as long as I am here, that won’t happen. I don’t know what’s behind this, but I will expose it.”
“That’s a true journalist’s resolve.”
“Ms. Joo-Yi, will you help me?”
“Of course, I will!”
The president tapped on her laptop.
She closed the video and showed a folder list to the journalist.
“Mr. Journalist, I also have other exclusive materials. I have videos of a UFO, our college president cross-dressing, a clown being preserved alive in glue, and videos of fighting zombies.”
“Zombies? Like in the movies?”
“Yes, real zombies. They are closely related to the incident two days ago.”
“That’s very interesting.”
“But, I can’t give them away for free,” the president said with a smile.
The journalist understood quickly.
“Alright, Ms. Joo-Yi. Let’s make a trade. If you provide me with information, I’ll give you resources to help with your ‘film production.'”
“Wow, our first investor! Then I’ll take cash. We need funds!”
A worried Yeoreum leaned in and whispered to the president.
“President, we shouldn’t reveal too much.”
“Why?”
“Because the journalist could be put at risk.”
“Don’t worry about that. Being in danger is part of a journalist’s duty.”
Yeoreum wasn’t really concerned about the journalist.
His main concern was the videotapes.
They are the only way back to his original world. They must be protected.
This could endanger his return.
The journalist scratched his neck.
“Mr. Yeoreum, do you know something?”
Yeoreum remained silent.
The journalist then rolled up his sleeves.
His skin was sweaty.
“Tell me, Mr. Yeoreum. What do you know?”
Then Yeoreum noticed a small tattoo on the journalist’s forearm.
It was a familiar pattern.
The ‘W’ pattern.
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