I Will Live As An Actor - Chapter 88:

Chapter 88

The first week of release.

In Chungmuro, they often say that the first week of release is the decisive factor for the box office success.

It’s because the cumulative number of viewers is calculated then. But having a lot of viewers doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good.

No matter how much they say it’s a meaty week, if the word of mouth doesn’t spread among the viewers, it’s obvious that they will walk downhill afterwards. In that sense, ‘The Priest’s Confession’ was.

“Senior, I still can’t get rid of the chills. It was totally crazy.”

AD Kim Young-min’s words could be seen as crazy. Not only did it surpass 1.5 million viewers nationwide in the first week of release, creating an overwhelming gap with the second place, but also the word of mouth of the viewers was not ordinary.

From saying that you would regret it for life if you didn’t see ‘The Priest’s Confession’ in the theater, to predicting that it would be the first 10 million movie in Korea.

If you look at the reaction of the public, it was rather insufficient that the critics who were picky at the press conference said that it drew a line for the Korean R-rated movie. How else would it be a trend among students to get their ID cards and watch the movie.

‘It’s beyond imagination.’

PD Yoo Myung-han licked his dry lips. He sweated so much in his hands while watching the movie in the theater that he looked like a person who had heatstroke. His hands and back were damp, but his lips were dry.

The cola next to him was useless.

The ice had melted and it was only water.

The immersion of the movie was so great that he couldn’t even think of drinking cola.

‘This is what, I went up too high.’

He was an actor who had been raising his stock price since the Korean Theater Festival.

Anyway, the performance of Baek Moo-yeol that he showed at the Korean Theater Festival was amazing enough to surprise everyone. But the movie ‘The Priest’s Confession’ was too different even if the track was different.

They often say that an actor has a thousand faces. Yoo Myung-han felt keenly what that meant as he watched the priest ‘Kim Moo-jin’ on the screen. As if he had read his thoughts, AD Kim Young-min added.

“I saw him acting at the Korean Theater Festival before, but it feels different when I see him in the theater. How can a person change like that. In the scene where the priest sheds his duty as a clergyman, I thought of Anthony Hopkins who played a great role in The Silence of the Lambs in a good way. I still think of the scene where he recites Latin. Look, I have goosebumps on my arm.”

“Young-min, how many screens are assigned to ‘The Priest’s Confession’ in the theater now?”

“Most of the time slots had one each. They said it was hard to get a ticket if you didn’t book in advance.”

It’s not screen monopoly.

They increased the number of screenings in the theater because they couldn’t stand the fierce backlash of the viewers. But it’s not a common thing to think of a typical R-rated movie.

At that moment, Kim Young-min said in a small voice.

“If we hadn’t booked in advance, we would have been sitting there like those people. How about it, did you do well to book in advance after listening to me?”

In one corner of the theater, there were people who were sitting like they were homeless, as AD Kim Young-min said.

This was also a syndrome-like phenomenon that occurred after ‘The Priest’s Confession’.

Like people who couldn’t book train tickets for the homecoming trip, they waited for the train tickets to be canceled, or they waited for the seats in the ‘The Priest’s Confession’ screening room to be vacant.

“I’m going crazy.”

“It’s awesome, I want to see it again if I can. At the end of the movie, when he recites a meditation on the villain,

‘I will be arrogant until the end. So Lord, punish me.’

I still can’t get that scene out of my head. But senior, can we lie that we went on a business trip and be in the theater like this? The director asked when we would cast the actors, right?”

“If you come out because you’re boiling, I’ll be a sesame oil shop. We didn’t come to see the movie because we were bored. This is a pre-research for drama casting, pre-research. Young-guk, no, if you want to meet Jang actor, you have to watch the movie properly and talk. We couldn’t go to the press conference either because we were busy. And what drives me crazy is not that.”

“Then what is it?”

“Young-min, don’t you hear it?”

Kim Young-min made a puzzled expression at Yoo Myung-han’s sudden words. Then he tilted his ears. The only sound that came from the front of the ticket office was the stories related to ‘The Priest’s Confession’.

Some of them, like Kim Young-min, couldn’t get out of the deep aftertaste after watching the movie, and some of them were full of excitement and anticipation for the movie. Then PD Yoo Myung-han licked his dry lips again and added.

“Jang actor, the sound of his price soaring.”

***

In the provinces, movie previews usually open later than in the capital. It was right after the release, but it took a week or two to travel around the country.

Moreover, The Priest’s Confession made even the previews as hard as concert ticketing. Some people stayed up all night in front of the theater building to get preview tickets, and there was even a black market for them.

“I’m bored.”

Young-guk was sitting alone in the waiting room prepared by the theater. He was on a chartered bus with other actors to tour the provinces. Usually, they moved to another region as soon as the stage greeting was over, but since it was the last preview, the actors decided to watch the movie with the audience as a fan service.

“It’s really inconvenient to be a minor at times like this.”

An old man with wrinkles would explode if he heard that, but Young-guk had no choice. He starred in the movie, but it was rated R, so he couldn’t watch it. Young-guk felt a little sore in his body and glanced back.

As they were traveling around the provinces, manager Lee Bong-chun was also tired and dozing off. That’s when Young-guk got up from his seat with a smile.

“Director Shin, what should Young-guk do when he’s bored by himself?”

“That’s right. It’s a pity that it’s an R-rated movie. How can an actor not watch his own movie in the theater?”

“That’s why I told you to lower the level a bit. No matter how I think about it, if you lowered the level and got a 15+ rating, you would have surpassed 2 million in the first week of release by now.”

“How can you re-edit the picture for the sake of the audience, you have to make sense. You kid.”

“I’m kidding, kidding.”

Assistant director Kim Seok-cheol and director Shin Seong-hyun bickered. Actor Kim Hyung-seop looked at them with a pleased smile.

He was a movie actor who had experienced many previews, but this was the first time he had such a happy day.

The movie was really well made.

The directing, of course, and the music that was laid on the background.

Not to mention the great acting of the famous actor, there was no flaw.

‘Maybe An-hyung (actor An Jung-hyun)‘s joke will come true, and Young-guk will surpass me first.’

Whenever he drank with actor An Jung-hyun, he always said that as a habit.

That Young-guk might surpass him. Actor Kim Hyung-seop couldn’t take that as a joke.

He had seen the movie many times, but he couldn’t hide his surprise at Young-guk’s acting every time he saw it. It was then.

“What are you talking about?”

Assistant director Kim Seok-cheol perked up his ears at the noisy sound coming from the ticket office.

It was when director Shin Seong-hyun and the actors were escorted by the security guards and walked to the ticket office.

They couldn’t close their mouths at the sight they saw there.

“Huh.”

“Totally.”

“It’s like a fan meeting.”

Young-guk was signing and taking pictures with the fans who couldn’t attend the preview.

Among them, there were adults, but there were also many children. He didn’t know how they became Young-guk’s fans.

He probably watched the drama ‘Youth’ with his parents and became Young-guk’s fan.

The security guards were helping Young-guk’s guerrilla signing event as if they were staff. Before long, a little child was in Young-guk’s arms, smiling happily. Looking at him, the others thought the same thing at the same time.

The heart for the fans.

‘That’s what an actor is.’

***

“Ah, you can’t do this.”

“Wait a minute, let go. Let me go.”

“No, how can you come here without making an appointment in advance. Even if you are a PD from a broadcasting station, you can’t do what you can’t do. We are banning outsiders from entering right now. Either make an appointment in advance or go back.”

There was a commotion in the lobby of Songwon Entertainment.

There is a saying that ants gather where there is sugar.

Like that, as The Priest’s Confession recorded the box office number one every day, Songwon Entertainment had no choice but to increase the security company staff.

He had a reason to do so, because the number of fans who came to see him in Young-guk was increasing day by day. Not only that.

From the broadcasting station to the advertising industry, and even the people from Chungmuro, they would push their faces in without making an appointment. Kim Jin PD was one of them.

“I want to make an appointment, but he keeps saying he doesn’t have time. I’m just going to see if he’s in Young-guk and leave. Leave me alone, hey, I’m not someone you can treat like this. Don’t grab my shoulder so hard. I have a habit of dislocating. I’ll fall to the floor with a thud and you won’t be responsible. Hey, let go, I told you to let go.”

It was when the security company employee was having a headache. Kim Jin PD saw someone walking across the lobby and quickly waved his hand.

“Director Cha!”

It was Director Cha Min-seok, who had been beaten up by Manager Lee Bong-chun, or rather, one-sidedly beaten up.

He also saw Kim Jin PD’s face and turned his head, his expression twisted, but he soon recovered and ran over.

“Oh, Kim PD! What are you doing here? Did you come to see me?”

“Hey, I always want to see Director Cha. But today I came to see the CEO for a moment and tell him something. I’ve been trying to make an appointment for a few days, but he keeps saying he doesn’t have time. I’m not a peddler, why do you have to block me like this?”

“Well, how can I not know that Kim PD is the most successful PD in SBC these days. I heard you got a big project this time, is that why? But the CEO is talking to Jang actor right now, so you might have a hard time seeing him.”

“That’s good. I feel more comfortable when the person involved is there.”

“Wait, wait a minute. Kim PD!”

Kim Jin PD hurriedly moved his steps, ignoring Director Cha’s call. Director Cha followed him, muttering ‘he is a peddler’ in his mind.

At that moment, CEO Kim Sung-hwan and Young-guk came out of the CEO’s office and met Kim Jin PD. Director Cha quickly hid his body behind the corner of the corridor.

“Kim PD?”

At Young-guk’s puzzled question, Kim Jin PD grabbed his hand and smiled brightly. Then he came to his senses and bowed deeply to CEO Kim.

“CEO Kim, do you have a moment?”

****

After the unwelcome guest left, CEO Kim put down his cold tea cup and said.

“Young-guk, what do you think?”

It was CEO Kim’s principle that the choice of a work should be based on the actor’s subjective perspective. Of course, from a management point of view, he would prefer a more profitable work. In that sense, the proposal from Kim Jin PD of SBC drama department was very shocking.

There was a joke that if you took a luxury drama, the main actor would get a building in Gangnam. The production cost was huge, of course, and the appearance fee allocated to the main actor was beyond the imagination of the ordinary people.

Moreover, the appearance fee that Kim Jin PD suggested was higher than the appearance fee of the top actors who were called the ratings guarantee in the drama field.

“Kim PD must be very desperate for you in SBC, since he came out with such a low posture. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to apologize so much. I guess he thought you wouldn’t see him because of the excellence award you received at the last acting awards.”

“I didn’t have that feeling.”

“Now that I see it, you have some ambition, Young-guk. That’s right, an actor should have some ambition. You always talk like an old man, so I thought you didn’t have any ambition for the award.”

“It’s a joke, how can I get an excellence award at this age. And I really didn’t have time to meet him. I still have to attend the premiere in the provinces, and I have interviews piled up. I don’t have enough time even if I have two bodies. How can I review the next work? But today, when I saw Kim PD, I felt uneasy. But still.”

Young-guk looked at the script that Kim Jin PD had left and smiled firmly.

“I don’t want to do it.”

CEO Kim nodded briefly, as if he had expected it. Young-guk scratched his head and asked.

“Really, is that all you have to say, CEO? Just nod your head and end it? You should be tempted by the appearance fee that Kim PD suggested.”

“If you don’t want to do it, that’s it. The script is about a ruthless chaebol second generation who wakes up after his father dies and swallows the company in the gap between his hyena-like brothers. It’s not that the content is bad, but it’s a waste of your acting skills to take it, Young-guk. And the appearance fee, it can go up over time. It’s not impossible at this rate. You heard how many cumulative audiences there are, right?”

For most commercial movies, the first week of release determines the trend of the audience numbers.

While most movies see a decline in daily viewers after the first week, The Priest’s Confession surpassed the break-even point in just one week and soared to the sky with word-of-mouth, as if it had gained momentum.

“You have quite an eye, Young-guk.”

“What are you talking about, airplanes? Stop changing the subject from your appearance fee.”

“Don’t play coy, Young-guk. You know what they call you in Chungmuro. You have so many nicknames that I can’t even count them. From ten million cameo, to blue chip, to manner king, and to the most promising actor to reach ten million viewers. And in the movie investment industry, they even have this nickname for you.”

In that sense, Young-guk was already pissed off.

After all, he was one of the initial investors of The Priest’s Confession, so his bank balance would change depending on how the audience numbers turned out.

“The Midas touch.”