Today, Dad had arrived home first. The family talked about what had happened on the movie set while enjoying a hearty curry made by Dad, which included large chunks of potatoes and meat, something they hadn't had in a long time.
For Im Joon, it was his son's first movie shoot, and he felt regret for not being able to go along, so he kept asking questions.
"How was the shoot?"
"It was fun!"
"Did the director praise you? Did Seo Jun do really well?"
"Yep!"
After the shoot was over, Director Ryan visited the tent for a moment and gently patted Seo Jun on the head, praising him. Seo Jun laughed.
"I took some photos. Let's look at them later while eating strawberries."
After dinner, the three of them watched the photos and videos that Seo Eun-hye had taken on the TV, enjoying dessert.
The first photo that appeared was of Seo Jun sitting in a chair and Ryan Will, who was sitting on the floor, shaking hands. Seeing the photo of Seo Jun with the large-framed Ryan made Seo Jun look even smaller.
Seo Jun stopped eating his strawberry.
"That's the director!"
"He's huge."
"Apparently, he's over 190 cm tall."
"Wow... He would have been an amazing athlete."
Next were photos of Seo Jun, Melissa, and Baron in their costumes, and a photo of Seo Jun talking with Ryan Will in front of the chroma key. Then,
"This isn't supposed to be leaked. But since it was Seo Jun's first time shooting, they allowed me to take it from a distance."
It was a video of Seo Jun acting.
Unlike the video shown by Director Ryan Will, who insisted that actors should always watch the footage after shooting, the video taken by Mom from a distance looked different.
Seeing himself from a distance was fascinating. Sitting down, standing up, stretching his arms—it felt like someone else was inside his body, moving it.
Im Joon, who could faintly but clearly hear Melissa's voice and see Seo Jun disappearing into the chroma key, clapped. In particular, Melissa's acting moved Im Joon's heart deeply.
"Melissa is an amazing actor, isn't she?"
"I know. It's hard to believe she was unknown until now."
"What about me?"
Seo Jun, whose face was pouting, turned to look at his parents. His parents, who had wide eyes, smiled widely.
"Seo Jun did well too!"
"Getting an OK on the first take! You did really well!"
Seo Jun laughed and took a bite of a ripe strawberry.
"But when is it going to be released?"
"They said they need to do more shooting and post-production like CG... It's supposed to be released at the end of March or early April."
"I definitely want to see it in the theater."
Seo Eun-hye, who had been checking the schedule with excitement about seeing her son's first movie, hesitated and then poured cold water on the mood.
"But since it was an audition and a shoot, we don't know for sure if Seo Jun's scenes will be used."
Seo Jun, who had been enjoying strawberries, was shocked. After all, he had worked so hard, not laughing all day!
"Why?!"
"Yeah, why? You got an OK, right?"
Seo Jun and Im Joon asked Seun-hye.
"Movies don't always use everything they shoot. Many scenes are edited out. Unnecessary parts are cut, and the movie needs to be the right length."
This is why [OO Movie Deleted Scenes] and [OO Movie Director's Cut] often appear on the internet.
Seun-hye had been told by the country that she might be disappointed after seeing the movie, despite her high expectations. Seo Jun lay down on the carpet.
"I worked so hard!"
Seo Jun rolled around on the carpet with a zombie doll. He really had worked so hard! Seun-hye and Im Joon smiled at him.
* * *
Two men in suits were walking somewhere. They both held lightweight PinePads in their hands.
"Shadowman..."
Marin Corporation, which owns numerous hero characters, Vice President Richard Bowen tapped his PinePad. Phalen, who was in charge of the film division among Marin's many departments, shrugged.
"There's no choice. If we replace Redbone with another actor, there will be chaos."
"Yeah, that's true."
Redbone was a superhero movie that Marin Corporation had invested a huge amount of money in. Of course, the returns were also enormous.
To carry over the popularity from the first film, they cast the same lead actors. They poured even more money into production, hired more people, and acquired the latest equipment. They also planned a massive promotional campaign for the simultaneous release overseas.
With this support, the shooting of Redbone 2 was progressing towards the middle... until...
"Damn paparazzi."
Richard Bowen frowned.
The actor playing the lead in Redbone was chased by paparazzi and got into an accident. Fortunately, his life was not in danger, but it would take time for him to recover enough to act.
This created a huge hole in the schedule planned specifically for Redbone 2.
If they continued as is, they would be wasting money on equipment and personnel.
Richard Bowen and Phalen had no choice but to include two new directors' films in that schedule.
Money was not the issue; they were willing to break even or even take a loss. They decided to test the next generation of Marin's directors, whom they had been keeping an eye on.
Marin Corporation sent love letters to two promising directors.
One was Ryan Will.
He was a short film director who had sharply addressed social issues such as racial discrimination. He was not only good at directing but also had a keen eye for actors. The actors he cast came to life in his films, and their vivid performances left a deep impression on audiences.
"I was curious to see how his casting skills would work in choosing actors for Marin characters."
"The actors in Shadowman are mostly unknown. Based on their portfolio photos, I'm not sure if they fit."
Phalen's finger swiped through Ryan Will's resume and the resumes and portfolios of the actors he had cast for Shadowman on the PinePad screen.
An actor who was good at acting but lacked charisma. An extra who appeared for a very short time.
What did Director Ryan Will see in these actors? Phalen's expression was not good.
Whether he heard Phalen or not, Richard Bowen only tapped the resume of Ryan Will that appeared on his PinePad screen. Richard Bowen said in an annoyed voice.
"I didn't like choosing Shadowman in the first place."
"Well, Shadowman isn't popular."
Phalen nodded.
Redbone was one of the most popular characters among Marin Corporation's comic characters. That's why it was made into a movie and became a global hit.
In contrast, Shadowman, to be honest, was a character that Richard Bowen wouldn't have known existed if he hadn't heard about it from Ryan Will.
Phalen shook his head as he looked through the portfolios. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't tell. What kind of movie would come out from Director Ryan Will and these actors?
"What about Sara Roth?"
Richard shook his head and looked at the new resume that appeared. Phalen opened the Sara Roth folder on the PinePad.
Another director. Sara Roth.
She was a director who had won the grand prize at short film festivals with her action scenes that blended beautifully with beautiful visuals and music. Her action scenes, which matched well with music, were often compared to music games.
She was the perfect director for a superhero movie that required bold action scenes. This was also her first full-length commercial film.
"The actors Sara Roth cast are quite well-known and have received good reviews for their acting. I'm curious about her Greenwing."
Greenwing.
A character known for its incredible speed, one of the more popular heroes in Marin Corporation. Marin Corporation had recommended it, and Sara Roth had immediately agreed. Her vision of a world of speed was highly anticipated.
The two men arrived at a large door. Phalen grabbed the doorknob. The large door slowly opened, and murmurs could be heard. A large screen was set up in the center, and people were seated.
It was a pre-screening of the films being held internally at Marin Corporation.
Richard and Phalen took their seats. Soon, the host came up to introduce the two films and the two directors and then went down.
The room darkened. Soon, the Marin Corporation logo appeared on the screen, followed by the images of two superheroes facing each other.
[Greenwing VS Shadowman]
"At least the promotional line is set."
Such a confrontation would definitely pique the public's interest.
"Now, let's watch Director Ryan Will's Shadowman."
Applause was heard, and the screen that Ryan had seen dozens of times appeared.
Ryan, who was seated, was a Marin Corporation employee, but he couldn't focus on his first film being shown to the audience and was lost in thought.
Ryan's dream was to make a hero movie. Justice that fights against evil in the world.
He started with short films because no one would invest in him. They were short films that starkly portrayed social issues such as racial discrimination and wealth disparity.
Eventually, he got a chance. Marin Corporation offered him a deal.
[Shadowman]
It was Ryan Will's first full-length hero movie.
The protagonist, Mac, was an alien child who crash-landed on Earth. The other alien who crash-landed with him soon died, and the child, unable to walk, grew up in an orphanage and eventually entered society.
Although society was cold to orphans, Mac loved this country and this world because of the people who loved him. One day, a necklace appeared in Mac's hand.
Aliens came to Earth to find the necklace. Mac, wearing the necklace, used his powers to protect Earth. However, during the fight with the aliens, some people went missing.
And among the missing people was one of Shadowman's adversaries.
'That's William.'
Ryan Will wanted to make Shadowman a series, but it wasn't up to him. He had been considering whether to include this scene as a setup, and in the end, he decided to include it because William was the only adversary for his superhero, Shadowman.
Ryan thought of a boy. The boy with black hair and black eyes stood calmly, looking at the black-masked Shadowman.
Before the movie was shot, 'William' was a black-haired white person, but after seeing Jun, only Jun's grown-up image came to mind.
'This movie has to succeed for the next one to be made.'
But even the rational Ryan couldn't help but be optimistic about the success of this movie.
"Hehehe."
It was because Vice President Richard Bowen, who would cross the line between legal and illegal for the company's benefit, was crying like a child who had lost his mother.