When April, the month of blooming flowers, arrived, the movie theaters buzzed with excitement. Today, Shadowman and Greenwing were released.
"Mom! Dad! Hurry up!"
In front of the door, Sejun, with his slime backpack, was hopping from foot to foot. Se-eun-hye and Min-joon, who had packed Sejun's snacks and luggage, laughed and quickly helped Sejun put on his coat.
"Sejun, it's still cold because of the spring chill. Put this on."
"Okay."
Sejun obediently put on his coat. Still, his feet continued to tap impatiently. The urgency he felt made the couple burst into laughter.
"Are you that excited?"
"Yep! I'm in the movie!"
On March 10th, while they were still in the U.S., Sejun's birthday party was held.
The two-year business trip to the U.S. had been extended to four years due to his father's company. They were worried it might extend even longer, but fortunately, the business trip was finally coming to an end.
Since they were about to leave the U.S. and return to Korea, they invited people they had become close to in the U.S. for a farewell party.
While they were eating, playing, and chatting, Se-eun-hye received a call on her phone. It was from Director Ryan Will.
Director Ryan congratulated Sejun on his confirmed role in the movie. Sejun jumped around shouting "Hooray!" but got scolded by his mother. However, the smiles on Se-eun-hye's face and everyone else's didn't fade. They all congratulated Sejun and promised to see the movie.
Time flew by as they settled back in Korea, cleaned up, and found a kindergarten for Sejun.
And today, finally, Shadowman was released.
Since this morning, Sejun's eyes had been sparkling, and he hadn't left the front door for a moment.
The couple had planned to go after the opening day to avoid the crowds, but when Sejun couldn't sit still after seeing the "Marin Company's advertisement," they booked tickets for the opening day.
"Greenwing might win! We have to go see it quickly."
"Who knew that's what you meant."
In the elevator, Se-eun-hye shook her head at Sejun, who couldn't keep still, even though he couldn't walk around.
When Sejun and the couple saw the "Marin Company's advertisement" for the first time in Korea, they were shocked.
The ad featured Marin Company's two hero movies, Shadowman and Greenwing, as if they were in a showdown.
Moreover, the ad announced that moviegoers could vote online using their tickets, openly encouraging competition. The internet was abuzz even before the movie's release, as it promised to send the winning hero's figurine and other prizes through a lottery.
From then on, Sejun was anxious. He was confident about the audition, but a movie against a movie? He was worried about how Director Ryan had edited it.
'If the [Phantasm of the Smiling Face Mushroom] worked, he definitely wouldn't have cut it...'
Sejun recalled Director Ryan Will's expressionless face after the shoot. He had patted Sejun's head and said he did well, but did that really mean he did well? Sejun nervously tapped his foot.
The elevator arrived at the first floor, and the family headed to the nearest cinema, the largest in the neighborhood.
The cinema was bustling with people. Everywhere, people, people. Sejun, who had never seen so many people before, held his parents' hands tightly.
"Should we see Greenwing?"
In the midst of the chaos, those words pierced Sejun's ears. He pouted. He kept hearing about Greenwing. Se-eun-hye and Min-joon also kept turning their heads.
"The promotion is intense."
"Indeed. When we heard about Redbone's car accident, it was chaos."
From the moment they left the subway station, the entire street was promoting Marin Company's movies. Park Sung-ah's friend, Park Sung-ah, nodded in agreement, looking tired.
It was like a war. Fans sent video messages wishing Redbone a quick recovery, and SNS was flooded with fans saying they wouldn't watch the movie unless it was Redbone.
There were even serious threats posted on news and SNS.
Im Yeon took out the reserved tickets from the machine. Greenwing's tickets were sold out, so she booked Shadowman. Since they planned to see both movies, it didn't matter.
"Still, Marin is Marin. Creating a showdown like this to generate buzz."
"I'd watch both. Two new directors, a famous character, and an unknown character."
"Greenwing will probably win, right?"
"Indeed, the director of Greenwing has won many awards."
The two of them unfolded the pamphlet they were holding.
It seemed Marin Company had set up the promotion for the two movies as a showdown. On one side of the pamphlet, Greenwing was promoted, and on the other, Shadowman.
Greenwing in green and Shadowman in black.
Below, the directors' histories were listed. The director of Greenwing had a longer list of awards.
"It's unusual. Usually, to balance the competition, they put an unknown director with a famous character and a famous director with an unknown character."
"That's true. This setup makes it seem like Shadowman is destined to lose."
Im Yeon had known about Greenwing, but only learned about Shadowman when it was announced that a movie was being made.
After a moment of thought, Park Sung-ah said,
"Or maybe they're playing on people's psychology."
"People's psychology?"
People who had come to get pamphlets were now listening to their conversation. Sejun, holding the Shadowman poster, perked up his ears.
"Why? If one side is clearly going to lose, people tend to root for the underdog."
"Oh, that could be it."
"Well, they'll figure it out. It's Marin, after all."
"But when is Redbone 2 coming out?"
"Probably in the summer, to coincide with the school break."
The two of them turned their bodies, and the people who had been listening to their conversation also turned away, pretending they hadn't heard anything.
It wasn't just Park Sung-ah and Im Yeon. The cinema was filled with people who had come to see Marin Company's movies, and the air was thick with talk of Marin.
Two movies from the same studio. The century's showdown, everyone seemed to be acting like serious film critics, flocking to the cinema to cast their votes.
"Looks like more people are seeing Greenwing."
"Greenwing is more popular."
"I'm going to see Shadowman! The underdog!"
"Where did you hear that?"
Sejun's words made the two of them laugh. Sejun looked at the movie ticket his mother had given him. Shadowman, Screen 3. He turned his head,
"Mom, it's Screen 3!"
Now able to read numbers well, Sejun spotted the '3' on the wall. The family, hearts pounding, stepped into Screen 3.
"Wow, Greenwing is amazing."
"Indeed, the world felt so slow. I thought time had stopped."
The screening of Greenwing ended first. As the audience came out, they shared their thoughts.
"The background music timing was incredible. When Greenwing hits the villain, the music hits just right. It felt like the music was hitting. I thought it was 4D, even though it wasn't!"
Some were planning to watch it multiple times, while others shook their heads, saying it wasn't as good as they expected. Even those who didn't like it couldn't help but nod at the stunning visuals, saying, "Indeed, it's Marin."
"Is it because it's so crowded that people aren't leaving quickly?"
"This cinema is like that. It's hard to leave."
As the Greenwing audience slowly filed out, the screening of Shadowman ended.
The door to Screen 3 opened. People came out, but not many. A cinema employee who had seen Shadowman beforehand sighed and shouted loudly, so loud that even the Greenwing audience could hear.
"The screening of Shadowman has ended. Please gather your belongings and exit. Trash bins are available here."
As the employee said, there were several trash bins next to him.
The Greenwing audience was puzzled. Shadowman was a Marin Company movie competing with Greenwing.
It was supposed to be a heroic superhero movie, so why the trash bins?
As the employee finished speaking, a person appeared. He had come alone to see Shadowman and was sobbing so hard he didn't even notice the door had opened.
"Sniff... Excuse me... Sniff... Can I have... Sniff..."
"Sure, here you go."
"Thank you... Sniff..."
More audience members came out. Some of those who had seen Shadowman were crying. About 10% of the audience, but their sobs made them stand out.
Some were crying while taking tissues, and others were being supported by their friends. It was enough to make their friends panic.
"Why are you crying so much?"
"William... William is so pitiful..."
"I know, I feel sorry for him too, but... to this extent?"
Im Yeon was crying uncontrollably.
"Hey, I'm embarrassed."
Park Sung-ah quickly took a tissue from the bin next to the employee and gave it to Im Yeon. Im Yeon, wiping her tears with the tissue, continued to cry.
Even after Im Yeon left, some audience members from Screen 3, where Shadowman was shown, were still crying.
People of all ages were crying. The Greenwing audience watched them in amazement.
What kind of movie was it? The audience who had enjoyed Greenwing was curious. Some were already booking tickets for the next Shadowman screening on their phones.
"Sniff."
Sejun was crying. Se-eun-hye and Min-joon, sitting next to him, had mixed expressions as they wiped his tears with tissues. Sejun, in his father's arms, blew his nose with the tissue his mother gave him.
"William... So... pitiful..."
"Sejun, what should we do if Sejun cries?"
Min-joon lifted Sejun from his seat.
"But... so pitiful... Sniff."
Sejun buried his face in his father's shoulder. Although he had less mana and resistance, the effect of the [Phantasm of the Smiling Face Mushroom - Low] was powerful enough to make even a skill user cry.
"Sejun, look. Your name is up there."
"Sniff? My name?"
Se-eun-hye quickly changed the subject because Sejun was crying so much. Just then, the screen turned black, and the credits for Shadowman, including the production company, actors, and staff, started rolling.
In the middle of the credits, Sejun saw his name in large letters.
[SEOJUN LEE]
Tears blurred his vision, but Sejun saw it clearly.
[SEOJUN LEE]
The white letters seemed to sparkle. Sejun, tears streaming down his face, couldn't take his eyes off his name as it slowly rolled up.
Meanwhile, the internet was flooded with reviews of Shadowman.