episode_0124

I opened my mouth and continued my review.

“The theme of ‘Goose Dad,’ which was once a social issue, is now being discussed as a current social problem… As they say. It didn’t give off that old feeling by evoking the theme of ‘Pong Pong Man,’ which was nice. The character Kang Jae-hoon, played by Byung-hun Lee, was very impressive. The way he portrayed the feeling of regret so well made me wonder if there is another work that expresses remorse so well… The occasional outburst of intense emotions amidst the calmness seemed to represent the character’s emotions well. More than the simple linear story line and relationships, the complex yet relatable organic relationships and inner changes of the characters deeply touched me, making me unable to hold back tears throughout. Especially the part where Kang Jae-hoon is engulfed in guilt for almost killing his wife… That part made me cry so much. I had just gone out for about 10 minutes to calm down, and when I came back, the movie had already ended. Oh, please don’t spoil the story. I’ll watch it again when the DVD comes out. Anyway, the actors’ performances were outstanding, and the director’s overall structure and directing skills made it a remarkable film. Well done.”

Unlike the previous four, my review was much longer, but a bit more analytical and logical, leaving both the actors and the director speechless as they silently watched me.

“Oh, wow. You summarized it so well. I think the director should have requested a review from you separately. What do you think? How about the three of you?”

The host, who was the first to regain his composure, spoke first, and soon the actors, who had also regained their composure, each spoke a few words.

“Oh… Thank you so much for the kind words. Really. It’s so exciting and satisfying from an actor’s perspective to see that you interpreted the character almost exactly as I did.”

First, actress Hyo-jin Gong expressed her gratitude, followed by So-hee Han and Byung-hun Lee taking turns to speak.

And then.

“Oh, that’s nice. As a director, and as a filmmaker, I know how difficult it is for the intended message of one’s work to be accurately conveyed. I have experienced it for a long time. Therefore, not only this person, but all the audience members who watched my film, including the previous four, taking the story of ‘Solo Rider’ that I wanted to show and carrying it in their hearts, I think that alone would make me consider this film a success. Thank you.”

Director Si-on Kim took the mic and concluded his feedback (?) on my review.

“Great. Heartwarming. Yes. Oh, there, ma’am? You should hug. Will you come up to the stage?”

As I hesitated on what to do, looking towards the writer Yeong-woo Lee, he nodded silently.

“Oh… Um, then I’ll be back.”

With that, I left my seat and walked towards the stage in front of the screen.

“Will you come up?”

As I stepped onto the stage, the three lead actors stood side by side, looking at me.

“Wait a moment. Could you come over here for a moment?”

The host reached out his arm, lightly grabbing my wrist and leading me somewhere.

I was standing right next to actor Byung-hun Lee, with Hyo-jin Gong and So-hee Han standing next to him.

“Wow… Amazing. I mean, I thought it was no joke even from a distance… Are you really not a celebrity? Maybe from an agency…?”

As I entered the theater and sat down, feeling the heat and taking off my straw hat, I realized I was only wearing sunglasses, so my beauty was probably hard to hide.

“I-I’m just a regular person…”

“Oh, come on. The director said your companion is the screenwriter of the film, right?”

“However…”

-Click!

The sound of the shutter at that moment.

-Click, click!

Of course, there were several reporters at the press conference, and the periodic sounds had been heard since earlier, but now that the subject was me, I felt extremely uneasy.

“Tell us honestly. Is it the work you starred in? No, really. Where else would such an opportunity come by so easily? With two senior actors next to you, you have a chance to promote yourself like this.”

When I turned to look, actors Lee Byung-hun and Gong Hyo-jin were watching the situation with interest, arms crossed.

Gong Hyo-jin even had a microphone in hand.

“Go on, tell us. What kind of work is it? I’m really curious now that we’re at this point.”

“Oh, well, um…”

“Don’t be shy! It’s really okay.”

And soon the host was encouraging the audience to respond.

-“Tell us!”, clap

-“Tell us!”, clap

-“Tell us!”, clap

No, there was no need to say anything, why were they insisting on it so much?

I was handed the microphone by the host and cautiously opened my mouth.

“I, I’m… I’m not really an actress, just an ordinary housewife. I’m here because the author sitting over there was invited to the press conference.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned awkward.

Why? What’s going on? Why is everyone reacting like this?

Looking at the host, I could see the thought ‘Oh, this is screwed’ on his face. The actors were also managing their expressions, but they had a similar look. Director Kim Sion, who was sitting next to me, was mocking author Lee Young-woo in the audience.

What’s going on here?

I quickly tried to figure it out.

First, it seemed like things got awkward because of my response, so let’s go back from there.

A middle-aged man in his 40s who came to watch a movie with housewife A. But she looked like she was in her late 20s at a glance.

Let’s not look at reality and just think about what it looks like.

A young woman coming to watch a movie with a middle-aged man, not calling him her husband or darling. But she says she’s a housewife. And she doesn’t back down even when standing next to a celebrity. The man is said to be in the film industry.

Ah, I see. I understand now. (I really do)

This is messed up, isn’t it?

This is a full-blown affair scene, and it’s even at the level of being caught on the spot.

“Oh, um…”

The host seemed unable to continue speaking, trying hard to figure out how to handle the situation.

I quickly started explaining.

“Oh, um. I… well, we’re divorced. Yes. I’m a single woman! Oh, it’s not my fault. My wife, I mean, my husband cheated… Oops!”

I felt like I had to try to fix the situation, so I blurted out everything that came to mind, even things that didn’t need to be said.

-Bubbling

“So you were crying while watching the movie…”

“Poor thing.”

“He cheated on such a pretty wife? How great of a person must he be…”

Oh, how am I going to fix this atmosphere…

I’m not confident at all.

But as they say, in events like this, you never know when a sudden crisis will occur. The host, who had experienced all sorts of unexpected situations, quickly tried to salvage the situation.

“Well, indeed. Whether we can call it a vibe coming from the energy, I’m not sure, but it seems like the wonderful review from earlier wasn’t just for show. They say you mature through pain. It’s not necessary to experience such pain, but seeing you rise up after it is truly admirable. Yes. Anyway. Now, the allotted time is coming to an end. Which actor would you like to hug?”

Fortunately, the host was experienced and smoothly continued the event with some light banter.

“Um… I’ll choose Ahn So-hee.”

My answer was met with a surprised murmur. In truth, I didn’t choose her for any significant reason, but simply because none of the other four people in front of me had picked her, and I felt a bit sorry for her. That’s all.

Fortunately, the host didn’t make any clueless comments like “an unexpected choice. May I ask for the reason?” and just smiled and clapped, allowing the moment to pass quietly.

I timidly approached her (I might have been a bit lacking compared to the two next to her, but still, being an entertainer made me nervous) and lightly embraced her.

An So-hee, whether it was a feeling of gratitude towards me for choosing her or a pitiful feeling about the situation earlier, whispered in my ear as we hugged, “Thank you. I will live diligently.”

As we were about to break the hug, suddenly actress Gong Hyo-jin stepped forward.

“I want to hug her too!”

With that, we ended up in a situation where both actresses and I were hugging each other.

Moreover,

-Pat pat

She hugged me tighter than I expected and lightly patted my back with her palm. Then, she asked, “What’s your name?” and when I told her, she said, “Doyeon, you’re a wonderful person. I don’t know what kind of person your husband was, but you will regret it later. So live well as if to show him. I’ll cheer you on from afar. Oh… and author Lee Young-woo is a nice person. I don’t know if he’s your type. I’ll cheer for both of you.”

After saying that, she let go of me, held my shoulders on both sides, looked into my eyes, nodded as if understanding everything, and then stepped back, distancing herself from me.

What’s going on? What does she understand? We weren’t even on those terms with author Lee Young-woo from the start.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say such things, so I just quietly thanked her with a nod, tears welling up in my eyes.

By the way, it seems that actress Gong Hyo-jin knew author Lee Young-woo. Come to think of it, there was a work in his filmography where Gong Hyo-jin was the lead actress.

Thinking about it, I wondered if I should hug actor Lee Byung-hun too, but he just looked into my eyes, gave a determined look, nodded lightly, and struck a fighting pose.

Oh, really. One wrong word and this turned into a mess, seriously.

My steps down from the stage towards the audience seats felt heavy.