Indeed, the popularity of Green Wing was remarkable, as most of the early reviews were about Green Wing.
Soon, reviews for Shadowman also started to appear. Many people found both movies entertaining, and some were already looking forward to the second installment.
One person posted a review.
Title: Shadowman, Strange.
Writer: WhyAmICrying
I saw Shadowman because Green Wing was sold out, and I cried. I don't usually cry, even in typical tear-jerkers. I didn't cry even when I was in so much pain that I had to have surgery. When I saw the baby's face, I was moved.
-? Did you cry watching a Marinza movie? Did you watch the wrong movie?
-Why were you moved?
It wasn't just this. As days passed, more reviews and photos from other people started to appear. When occasional reviews about crying after watching Shadowman started to surface, it became a hot topic.
The biggest buzz was created by the video from the YouTuber [MovieGoer]. MovieGoer, who posts movie reviews in video form, made a video after reading people's posts following the review of Green Wing.
[Shadowman Tear Challenge 15th Screening]
"Hello, this is MovieGoer. Finally, I succeeded!"
MovieGoer wiped away tears with a tissue while speaking.
"Based on my calculations, about 10% of people cried. There were times when no one cried at all, and times when 10% cried."
MovieGoer showed a chart on the screen, listing the number of viewers and the number of people who cried during the 15 screenings. The numbers at the end of the chart read 3, 7, 4... The highest number was 10.
"I didn't expect to do 15 screenings. I think I understand what others have been saying. It's like... I realized William's true acting. From the moment William smiled, I couldn't take my eyes off the baby's face. Melissa, who played the mother, was also amazing, but now I feel deeply moved by the acting of the child actor who played William."
MovieGoer opened a new window on the screen.
"So, I was curious about who the child actor playing William was and did some research. What is this?!"
William [SEOJUN LEE]
"He's a Korean child actor! I was wondering if he was a Korean-American or a Korean. Out of the blue, my younger sister is a first-generation fan of BrownBlack. She's the type who captures [48 Hours] frame by frame! While she was investigating behind me, she saw the photo of the child actor playing William and said something."
"'Huh? He looks like Seojun.' Seojun. Seojun Lee. Isn't it the same? So I asked my sister, and it turns out!"
MovieGoer showed two windows on the screen. One was an advertisement photo of Seojun holding a baby formula can with the brand name hidden, and the other was a photo of Seojun with BrownBlack.
"Korean! Plus, a star who has appeared in commercials and variety shows! This is Seojun Lee!"
MovieGoer's YouTube video quickly became a hot topic. Many people were curious about whether people cried watching Shadowman, whether it was staged, and so on. Sensationalist journalists fanned the flames.
[Youngest Korean Hollywood Actor, Seojun Lee!]
[Top of the Charts Again! Sound Source Powerhouse, BrownBlack, and Hollywood Actor Seojun Lee Met in the Past?!]
[Marinza's Chosen Child Actor!]
[Turn Your Child into a Hollywood Actor!]
[Common Traits of Those Who Cried? How Sensitive Are You!]
[Did You Cry? The Secret of Shadowman!]
Many people were curious about why so many people cried.
One film critic said in an interview, "The scene where William is laughing in an emergency situation is paradoxically even more tragic."
While many people agreed with the critic's interview, many others shook their heads. If that was the reason, people should have cried from the first time they watched the movie.
This issue wasn't limited to Korea. The [Shadowman Tear Challenge] became a trend in every country where Shadowman was released.
Especially in Korea, where people are determined to complete quests and events, many people were determined to cry and watched Shadowman multiple times.
However, those who burst into tears were rare.
* * *
Director Choi Daeman got the opportunity to direct his first feature film. A film production company that liked his script proposed working together.
Dream Film Productions produces and imports various genres of films, so Choi Daeman had thought this would be the place to produce his first film, especially because the genre of the film he wanted to make was a mystery, which is rare in Korea.
Thus, the film production began.
Choi Daeman, wanting to make the film even more perfect, traveled the country with Dream Film Productions' location manager.
For a month and a half, they didn't wander aimlessly. While traveling, he reviewed resumes and portfolios sent by the production company to find actors for the film. Occasionally, he returned to Seoul to hold auditions.
Despite his dedication, the production company was desperate for the film to be completed by August.
Thus,
"Here! This is it!"
He found a village.
After returning from searching for the village that would serve as the setting for the film, Choi Daeman faced another obstacle. The casting manager, scratching his head with a pen, sighed and spoke.
"This is the third audition. We called back child actors who were eliminated in the initial screening and the one who scored the highest in the first audition, but you dismissed them all, Director."
"I'm sorry."
"No, it's not your fault. I understand that it's your first feature film, so it must be challenging."
The casting manager, with a displeased look, crossed his arms and sighed. The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
"There's a child actor who's gaining attention lately. I'm not sure if he'll come to Korea for this film, though..."
The casting manager trailed off, as if just thinking of it. Choi Daeman asked.
"Then, shouldn't we ask if he's interested in auditioning?"
"That's... well..."
The casting manager recalled a movie he saw a month ago.
"He's quite famous now, so I don't think he'll appear in our film."
"Huh?"
Choi Daeman, who had been traveling the country, was behind on the latest news.
"The child actor appeared in a Marinza film. He's so good at acting that he's a topic of discussion in both Korea and the U.S. Most Hollywood films that could feature a child actor have probably already offered him a role."
"Marinza? Hollywood?"
"Yes. I'm talking about the massive Hollywood films that call anything with a budget under 100 billion won a low-budget film, and Marinza, which can easily spend 100 billion won on a single film."
It meant that a 60 billion won film was not a small budget. Choi Daeman was curious. How good must the acting be for the casting manager to say this?
The casting manager, stroking his chin, spoke.
"Let's go see it now, Director."
"Do you know who it is?"
"You'll know as soon as you see him."
Urged by the casting manager, Choi Daeman left the meeting room and headed to the nearest cinema.
Choi Daeman entered the cinema. It had been a month since the film's release. While the number of Green Wing screenings was decreasing, Shadowman was still widely shown.
After buying a ticket for Shadowman and looking around, he noticed that everyone was holding a pack of tissues.
Tissues?
Moreover, some people were holding cameras.
"Hello, viewers. This is my 10th attempt. Someone succeeded on their 15th try! I'll try to break that record!"
"5th attempt! Starting now!"
Other audience members seemed to ignore these people. They were even making bets on success or failure.
"What is this...?"
While wandering in the countryside, what had happened? Choi Daeman's mind was filled with confusion, which was cleared by the cinema staff's announcement.
"Screening 4, Shadowman is about to start! Please enter the theater."
Amid the crowd, Choi Daeman, with a complicated expression, followed.
"Yes, Mr. Haruharu. It's about to start. Yes, Mr. CoffeeLove. I was in China for a month. It was released there, but I don't speak Chinese, so this is my first time watching Shadowman."
Some were even live-streaming, but no one seemed to care. Why? Choi Daeman held back a sigh and sat down.
Throughout the movie, he worried that the camera lights would be distracting, but to his surprise, as soon as the lights in the theater went off, everyone turned off their lights as if by agreement. The chattering stopped.
The sudden silence was chilling.
'Now that I think about it...'
Everyone had cameras, smartphones, and tissues, but something more important was missing.
'Koreans, who say they watch movies to eat popcorn,' had no popcorn. No drinks, no nachos, no squid butter.
'What happened in just a month?'
A chill ran down his spine. No matter how great a movie, for there to be no food in the audience's hands!
Choi Daeman wanted to shout but held back as the screen lit up with Marinza's signature.
Mac lives happily with good connections despite his orphaned background. One day, while using his ability to move through shadows to deliver a pizza, he discovers a blood-stained necklace in a secluded place. The moment Mac touches the necklace, a signal shoots up into the sky.
On the planet Narta, which received the signal of the traitor, a battleship is launched to eliminate the traitor.
To stop Narta, Mac uses his ability to move through shadows.
Narta retaliates by creating strange wormholes worldwide. The other side of the strange wormholes was unexpected even to Narta.
People worldwide were sucked into the pitch-black wormholes. Emergency news broadcasts urged evacuation, but the wormholes appeared and disappeared too quickly to be stopped.
Mac, the Shadowman, repelled the Narta battleship but couldn't prevent the casualties.
Shadowman, with his mask pulled down, bowed his head at the sight of a woman crying silently.
Flash!
The lights in the theater turned on. The suffocating silence was instantly broken. The theater became noisy.
"Ah, another failure. But I'll try again for the 11th time soon!"
"Hehehe! I cried! I cried! Everyone! William... Hehehe!"
"The screening of Shadowman has ended. Tissues are available at the front if you need them!"
The situation was absurd, but Choi Daeman was in no state to care. Tears were streaming down his face.
The image of William smiling and disappearing into the wormhole lingered in his mind.
It was chilling. Just a smile, yet it hurt so much. It was chilling.
Such acting, the casting manager's words came to mind.
Almost every Hollywood film would send a love call to this child.
Tears streaming down his face, Choi Daeman nodded. If it were him, he would send a love call too. He would grab the child and the child's parents by the ankles to cast them in the film.