Chapter 610

Editing normally means watching the footage from beginning to end first, then highlighting the moments that make you think, This is it.

Simple in theory.

In practice, though, those this is it moments were incredibly hard to find.

The so-called editing points. Especially when filming involved actors rather than entertainers, the difficulty increased dramatically.

That was why editors desperately tried to breathe life back into otherwise lifeless footage with subtitles, sound effects, and endlessly intercutting split-up scenes.

“Wow...”

The JC ENM Intube Content Team was moved.

“This video turned out ridiculously well.”

At some point, a saying had quietly spread among not only the Intube Content Team but also the broadcasting stations' clip editors.

As long as Han Yeoreum was there, everything would work out.

From behind-the-scenes videos to variety shows, Han Yeoreum quite literally carried the entire production. Every scene she appeared in always produced at least one moment that made everyone think, This is it.

This episode of <First Ride Live> was no exception.

Just having Han Yeoreum there was enough.

There was an easygoing atmosphere that naturally came from everyone being familiar with each other. They mixed behind-the-scenes filming stories with personal conversations, making everything even more entertaining.

“Yun Hyeonjo is completely wrapped around her finger.”

The editors had even included the scene where Han Yeoreum slipped away to buy ice cream by herself, making the whole thing genuinely feel like a real drinking party.

It was a side of Yun Hyeonjo that viewers almost never got to see. No matter what program he appeared on, he was normally impeccably polite and always maintained a clear professional distance.

“I already knew Han Yeoreum was amazing back when she carried Han Yohan on <After School Quiz Show>....”

“Yeah. That was great.”

And from beginning to end, the tone fit the audience of <First Ride Live> perfectly. Viewers expected the cast to gradually loosen up over the course of the program.

Especially Joo Junseo.

“Drunk Joo Junseo is adorable.”

“I thought he'd be able to drink really well. That's unexpected.”

Before long, Han Yeoreum herself had become the Content Team's absolute favorite.

“How does she do this every single time?”

Above average.

No matter what format she was thrown into, Han Yeoreum always fulfilled her role.

More than that, she had the ability to pull everyone around her along as well.

That was never easy.

Even veteran entertainers sometimes struggled with it.

Everyone around Han Yeoreum inevitably found themselves in the public spotlight at least once.

She was the very definition of star material.

Like a star reflecting its light onto everything nearby.

“Our editing time gets cut in half, but the views automatically double!”

Looking at Han Yeoreum's face filling the monitor, the Content Team smiled brightly.

They would probably be getting bonuses again this time.

Although the nearly completed <First Ride Live> video had quite a long runtime, it never became boring.

“I'm heading out!”

Seong Team Leader from JC ENM's Content Team picked up her bag and stood.

She was smiling too.

“Where are you going?”

“I've got an outside appointment today.”

Only after hearing that did everyone notice the star marked on the office calendar.

“Oh! It starts today!”

Today was Wednesday, just before the holiday weekend.

It was finally the premiere day of <Faster Than the Law 3>.

After seeing Seong Team Leader off, the staff immediately returned to talking about Han Yeoreum.

“But what if it doesn't hit ten million this time? There are reverse-viral campaigns everywhere.”

“Oh, you saw them too?”

“It'd be stranger if someone didn't notice. Seriously, isn't this just an absurd smear campaign?”

Han Yeoreum was JC ENM's only in-house actress and the Content Team's favorite.

By now, nobody even had to tell them to monitor public opinion.

They did it on their own.

“I was wondering what Manager Hong was doing. Those attacks have been getting worse and worse.”

Several people burst into laughter.

“Manager Hong approved the final cut of <First Ride Live>, remember?”

“Yeah. So?”

“Ahhh. You don't know?”

“Better that way.”

“That's basically Manager Hong's darkest history.”

Apparently everyone else shared an inside joke.

A moment later, someone dropped an unbelievable story.

“Manager Hong almost got investigated by the police once. If Director Jegal Rok hadn't covered for him, things would've gotten really ugly.”

“Huh...? How did that happen...?”

“What reason would someone from PR ever have to get dragged in?”

It was back when Manager Hong still hadn't fully learned how to hold back.

The days when NEVER Blogs, countless internet cafés, early Tr*tter, and Acebook dominated public attention.

The era when smartphones first appeared and people suddenly spent unbelievable amounts of time online.

“Because he was too good at reverse virals.”

Back then, the very concept of online opinion warfare had practically been invented by Manager Hong.

“If you want to beat Manager Hong at reverse virals in Korea, you'd need to bring in someone like Jegal Rok at the very least.”

This was JC ENM.

The birthplace of bait.

* * *

Manager Hong had been monitoring every reaction on the internet.

Where did the thrill of turning the tide come from?

It came from overturning the certainty that there was absolutely no chance of a comeback.

That was exactly Han Yeoreum's current situation.

An actress who was considered excessively entertaining.

A commercial, mainstream star.

“So people naturally expect someone like her to stumble sooner or later....”

The higher someone climbed, the more spectacular people expected their fall to be.

There were certainly many waiting for exactly that.

“But for an entertainer, being highly entertaining is actually the greatest compliment imaginable.”

Entertainment.

The first character meant to entertain.

The second meant joy.

Simply existing brought people fun and enjoyment.

The release of dopamine in those moments.

The ability to erase the stress occupying people's minds and replace it with complete immersion.

That quality became even stronger when combined with accusations of being clichéd.

The familiar flavor.

It meant giving audiences exactly what they already knew, wanted, and had been anticipating all along.

For modern audiences, there was almost nothing more appealing than that.

“There'll always be more people who watch because it's familiar than people who avoid it because it's familiar.”

That was why he had deliberately left Management H and Jeongdam alone after they created the slogan Han Yeoreum ruined it.

Why reject a comeback story someone else was creating for free?

If the other side wanted to work hard spreading reverse virals, all he had to do was overturn everything at the right moment.

Nothing could be easier.

“As long as it doesn't actually fail.”

Everything worth extracting from Han Yeoreum's conversations with Yun Hyeonjo and Kwak Cheolsik in <First Ride Live> had already been extracted.

The process through which Influ 1, who barely had any screen time at the beginning, eventually earned a name.

“We'll change it to Thanks to Han Yeoreum.”

That alone explained why no other actress could have taken Influ 1's role.

After that, Manager Hong intended to show Management H what real public opinion looked like.

“They need to learn what a fandom audience really is.”

The more entertaining an actor was, the more the public liked them.

It was time to prove that properly.

A tense atmosphere filled JC ENM's PR Department.

“This is going to be fun.”

“I haven't gotten a proper dopamine rush since the Holy Grail War....”

“Han Yeoreum had that dating rumor, remember? The Kim Jisang incident.”

“That one got shut down too quickly. It wasn't satisfying enough.”

Just like a fighting dog kennel, nobody in the PR Department was exactly sane.

A report arrived.

“Manager. The stage greeting footage just came in.”

The stage greetings for <Faster Than the Law 3> had finally begun.

* * *

The increased ticket prices were enough to infuriate any cultured moviegoer.

Still, IP 85.152 arrived at Wangsimni with the heart of Spinoza.

Even if the Korean film industry collapses tomorrow... I'll still watch one movie today....

If the pie that was K-content kept shrinking under the current distorted monopoly, then the major investment-distribution companies would inevitably reduce risk by pulling back the very first thing they always sacrificed—their minimal Mecenat-style investments in independent and art films.

If that happened, Korea's film industry would suffer a devastating blow.

The market would become increasingly dependent on importing Hollywood blockbusters and other overseas films.

People of culture like IP 85.152 would lose their place entirely.

Ultimately, buying this ticket was a noble cultural sacrifice made in solidarity to preserve the diversity of Korea's art film ecosystem.

At this rate, the nightmare scenario dreaded most by IP 85.152 and countless other cultured moviegoers would become reality.

We absolutely have to stop everything from turning into live-action adaptations....

With the face of a revolutionary, IP 85.152 firmly shut their eyes.

“We'll now begin admitting guests for the <Faster Than the Law 3> stage greeting.”

Then they walked forward.

They absolutely had not come because they were a Han Yeoreum fan.

Watching all those ignorant people with no interest in cultivating their artistic appreciation insist that someone else should have played Influ 1 had been infuriating.

To refute every single one of them with objective facts proving that Han Yeoreum was the only possible choice, they had no option but to watch the movie as soon as possible.

That was the only reason they had booked tickets for a stage greeting screening.

Seriously.

* * *

The first week of stage greetings had finally arrived.

I had been waiting for this day.

All those sketchbooks waiting for me....

I wonder what kind of performance I can put on this time.

If someone gives me a stage, I'll absolutely soar.

My heart was pounding like crazy.

Unni's coming!

Since I'd infiltrated the private Tr*tter account of my Number One fan—the very first person who supported my debut and attended every event—I had already obtained most of the lines she'd prepared.

When you've already seen the exam questions, how could you not study?

I don't settle for a perfect score.

I've got to do something on the level of the Anadyo series.

Unni prepared all of this for me.

There's no way I'd stop at just one hundred points.

I'm going to make everyone desperately want to attend the <Faster Than the Law 3> stage greetings.

As it happened, the culture of bringing sketchbooks to stage greetings hadn't become popular yet.

The hugging video from <Funny Bunny Harmony> had gone viral through the Rolls algorithm, but there still weren't many fans using sketchbooks to communicate with actors.

Which means nobody truly knows the real joy of stage greetings yet.

Once people fall into this rabbit hole, they'll never escape.

I looked at the unusually tense Joo Junseo.

The more exhausted he looks, the better his face gets.

The weight he'd lost had definitely improved his visuals.

Good.

I can work with this.

Grabbing Joo Junseo by the shoulders, I spoke seriously.

“Let's do our best.”

“Why are you only saying that to me?”

“The seniors are already veterans.... I'm worried about you.”

“You should worry about Director Gong instead.”

Director Gong had swallowed who knew how many calming pills, yet he was still trembling.

“B-break-even point....”

Apparently even a crying director would instantly sober up at the mention of the break-even point.

Since they'd filmed overseas, Director Gong was under twice as much pressure.

“Please get ready to enter!”

Before anyone could comfort him, it was already time to enter the theater.

Once he saw my spectacular stage greeting, all his worries would disappear.

The now-familiar movie theater corridor.

I walked forward in rhythm with my rapidly beating heart.

“We'll be starting the stage greeting. Please take your seats.”

I looked around at the audience, all eagerly waiting for the movie to begin.

Not a single seat was empty.

Among them, I spotted a familiar face.

The person I'd been waiting for.

I waved.

“Hello, everyone.... I'm Gong Mujin, the director of <Faster Than the Law 3>. Thank you all for coming despite the cold....”

Director Gong clutched the microphone with a pitifully trembling voice.

While he spoke, I secretly looked through the sketchbooks.

Just as expected.

Only a handful of people who kept up with trends had brought them.

Only one had my name written on it.

Perfect.

Then I'd provide even more fan service than during the previous series and ride the Rolls algorithm again.

[Looking for Yeoreum to make a cheek heart]

Pretending to look around, I secretly made a cheek heart.

Holding up her phone while filming, Unni turned to the next page.

[Unni fell down the stairs... T_T

Whose fault was it?

1. The stairs

2. Unni]

I pointed at myself.

Then I carefully mouthed the words.

Clear as day.

I couldn't catch you.

Only after a brief delay did she realize I meant it was my fault because I hadn't caught her.

The camera in her hands visibly shook.

But she never stopped recording.

She really had come fully prepared.

[Who's the cutest out of these? ><

1. Puppy

2. Kitty

3. Han Yeoreum]

Pretending to think, I first answered Number One.

Then, after watching her reaction, I acted like it was Number Two.

Finally, with a shy smile, I lowered my head before quietly holding up three fingers.

That was incredibly natural.

The microphone found its way into my hands.

“Hello. I'm Han Yeoreum, and I play Influ 1 in <Faster Than the Law 3>.”

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

“Huh...?”

An unbelievably loud scream echoed through the theater.

I turned toward the sound.

As expected.

Another familiar face.

“Thank you... haha.”

Having one familiar face on each side made me ridiculously happy.

There wasn't much time before the screening.

The photo session began immediately.

Walking over to Unni with the sketchbook first, I asked her about one of the things she'd prepared.

Unni really put a lot of effort into this....

I'd watched her stay awake until dawn on Tr*tter yesterday.

“Your bangs? Like this?”

“Mm-hmm!”

I brushed my hair back, Influ 1's signature gesture.

The camera captured it perfectly.

“Junseo Oppa!!! Over here too!!! Please come here!!!”

“KYAAAAAH! It's Yun Hyeonjo!”

The theater filled with camera shutters and delighted screams.

I took people's phones one after another, helping them take photos.

“I became a huge fan after watching <Seoul Metropolitan City>.”

“Thank you. Please enjoy <Faster Than the Law 3> too.”

“M-me too... Please take one for me....”

Come to think of it, I hadn't been able to reach that Unni last time.

Fortunately, she was sitting on the aisle today.

There was enough time.

I walked over beside the now-familiar face and picked up her phone.

“You're wearing matching padded jackets?”

“Huh?”

“This one. From the fan signing a while back.”

Seeing the N-brand padded jacket reminded me of that day.

By the time I finished taking her photo, the staff announced it was time to move to the next auditorium.

“....”

“Enjoy the movie!”

I ran down the stairs.

Making sure to deliberately slap palms with every outstretched hand beside me.

“Enjoy the movie! Thank you!”

“Thank you!”

As I stepped out of the theater, I heard the emergency evacuation video begin playing.

The lights dimmed.

The movie was about to start.

I was already looking forward to hearing what everyone thought after watching it.

“Our little puppy's flying around again.”

“I've been living for today....”

“Even so, stop taking the stairs two at a time~.”

“...The reaction was good, right? Right? Tell me?”

“....”

Since this was only the first auditorium, everyone seemed to be warming up.

Our hearts pounding, we entered the next theater.

“WAAAAAAAH!”

Into the familiar cheers.

Accompanied by the endless sound of camera shutters.