Chapter 611

SweetWatermelon clutched the tub of popcorn with trembling hands.

The front row...

The very front row for the stage greeting. It was an absolutely unbelievable jackpot seat.

Doing her best not to acknowledge Han Taeyang, who was sitting beside her sipping cola, SweetWatermelon said,

“Fr.om.wh.at.I.sa.w.in.th.e.tr.ai.le.r... Ju.n.Ju.ns.eo.is.re.al.ly.ha.nd.so.me.”

It was a performance that contained absolutely no ulterior motive toward Han Yeoreum. Thankfully, Jun Junseo happened to be there as the perfect excuse. Han Taeyang simply fiddled with his phone without answering.

“I'.m.re.al.ly.lo.ok.ing.fo.rw.ard.to.it.”

“...”

“Se.ei.ng.Ju.n.Ju.ns.eo.in.pe.rso.n.”

Because she gave absolutely no sign that she was a Han Yeoreum fan, Han Taeyang had clearly agreed to come with her. There was no way he would ever suspect the truth.

I've really been an incredible actress all this time...

Trying so hard to act natural, SweetWatermelon became so nervous she felt like she might pass out.

Then, a moment later—

“Please welcome them in!”

“Waaaaah!”

At last, Han Yeoreum walked in.

SweetWatermelon’s brain instantly shut down.

For a very long time.

Han Yeoreum looked somewhere, mouthed something, greeted people...

Then walked toward—

Toward...

Closer?

“Are you Taeyang's friend? You're cute. Same age?”

“Huh?”

“Your phone, your phone.”

Click.

Han Yeoreum took SweetWatermelon’s phone and snapped a selfie with her.

Inside the photo, SweetWatermelon stood beside Han Yeoreum's face as though she'd been edited into the picture.

Seeing Han Yeoreum up close...

She smelled wonderful.

Her voice carried far more resonance than it ever had in any of her works.

She possessed an irresistible pull that seemed to absorb every camera shutter and every gaze around her...

In other words, she was simply...

“Thank you for coming. Let's get along.”

“Uh...”

SweetWatermelon’s tongue had completely tied itself into knots. She couldn't even pronounce words properly anymore.

She was just...

Too happy.

SweetWatermelon...

SweetWatermelon...

“Enjoy the movie!”

“Thank you!”

“Fighting!!!”

The overwhelming dopamine rush had completely shut down her brain.

Even after the movie began, she simply sat there blankly.

She knew images were playing across the screen before her, but it felt as though she were watching them while floating outside her own body.

Hwaaah...

Suddenly, SweetWatermelon’s eyes refocused.

Influ 1.

Han Yeoreum had appeared.

A moment later—

Huh...?

She had watched Han Yeoreum's videos so many times she'd practically memorized every frame.

But she had never seen acting like this before.

It was the kind of performance that seized the audience by the collar in an instant...

...then slowly dragged them under.

The way she expressed someone completely possessed by something sent chills racing through every viewer.

Inside the dazzling Macau casino—

In complete contrast to the constant racket of roulette wheels spinning every second—

The theater itself was as silent as a grave.

The rustling of padded jackets that had filled the room just moments ago...

The crunching of popcorn...

The quiet whispers between neighbors...

Even the occasional cough...

Every last sound had disappeared.

The silence was immaculate.

It truly felt like a space existing solely for the movie itself.

Without a single distracting noise—

There was only Han Yeoreum.

It almost felt as though strength had gathered in Han Yeoreum's grip as she held the entire audience in the palm of her hand.

There was no escaping her.

Ah... now that I think about it...

SweetWatermelon suddenly realized...

Han Yeoreum had never before appeared on a screen this large—

For this long.

Even if you combined Han Yeoreum's total screen time from <Faster Than the Law 1> and <Faster Than the Law 2>, it still wouldn't equal the amount she appeared in <Faster Than the Law 3>.

In other words...

If she'd had this much screen time from the very first movie...

Han Yeoreum...

...might already have been known as a film actress.

She might even have completely buried the record-breaking success of <ParCheHi> beneath <Faster Than the Law 1>.

Not until the post-credit scene began did anyone in the theater—including SweetWatermelon—allow their concentration to waver.

Outside the theater showing <Faster Than the Law 3>.

The popcorn tubs left behind by the audience looked practically brand new.

As though everyone had forgotten to eat.

* * *

Han Taeyang dragged Park Sumin, who still hadn't come back to her senses, into a nearby restaurant.

“So? Cola?”

“Uh...”

“Let's get a half-and-half pizza.”

“Uh...”

“Want some wings too? Better say it now so you don't regret it later.”

“Uh...”

“Already ordered.”

It looked as though Park Sumin had completely lost the ability to speak.

Her face remained utterly blank.

“Hey. This one's definitely the best so far.”

“Yeah. Best one in the series.”

“I told you we should come watch it!”

“Jun Junseo is seriously unbelievably handsome in person...”

It was lunchtime on a weekday.

Several people nearby had also just come out after watching <Faster Than the Law 3>.

Even while tapping away at their phones, they chatted nonstop.

“Han Yeoreum really is an amazing actress.”

“If she wasn't, she'd have been dropped after the first movie.”

When an entertaining blockbuster turns out to be even more enjoyable than people expected...

The satisfaction is even greater than anticipated.

“But don't Jun Junseo and Han Yeoreum look great together?”

Clang.

Without realizing it, Han Taeyang dropped the fork he was holding in his right hand.

“I think she matches Yun Hyeonjo even better.”

Clang.

Without realizing it, he dropped the knife in his left hand as well.

“Uh...”

Park Sumin still couldn't form a proper sentence.

“Excuse me... we dropped our fork and knife.”

“Of course! I'll bring you new ones right away.”

Since today was opening day, <Faster Than the Law 3> was showing in an enormous number of theaters.

As audiences from screenings that had started at different times began arriving, more conversations filled the restaurant.

“Influ 1 absolutely has to be played by Han Yeoreum.”

“Yeah... facts. If someone messes up that kind of comedy role, it'll just be embarrassing.”

“Is there really nobody else in their twenties?”

“Someone in their twenties... Do Gyeoul?”

“Do Gyeoul would completely ruin a role like this. The synchronization is way off.”

“I just threw out the first name that came to mind.”

With Han Yeoreum's expanded screen time, she had clearly left a much stronger impression on audiences.

“So there really isn't anyone besides Han Yeoreum?”

Their food finally arrived.

Even with a steaming pizza covered in melted cheese sitting right in front of her, Park Sumin remained dazed.

Han Taeyang used the newly delivered fork and knife to cut the pizza into bite-sized pieces.

“Was it fun?”

“Uh...”

“Thought so.”

As Park Sumin opened her mouth to answer, Han Taeyang simply stuffed a slice of pizza inside and listened to the surrounding conversations like background radio.

“See? Han Yeoreum's the best.”

The best.

At some point...

Words like that had begun naturally attaching themselves to Han Yeoreum's name.

* * *

Daily Media, located in Jongno District, Seoul.

Tap.

Tap-tap.

Inside the silent newsroom, the sound of typing echoed clearly.

[Entertainment | <Faster Than the Law 3> Packs Theaters During Lunar New Year Season... Finally Premieres, Surpasses 380,000 Viewers on Opening Day: "As Expected of a Double Ten-Million Franchise"]

-Dominates 1,950 screens on the Wednesday before the Lunar New Year holiday, leading reservations with 68%

-The pinnacle of K-action entertainment... Audiences: "Not a single won of the ticket price was wasted." Verified audience rating soars to 9.6

The irreplaceable franchise <Faster Than the Law 3> premiered this morning.

A massive tentpole film aimed squarely at the Lunar New Year holiday, <Faster Than the Law 3> kicked off what looked to be a box-office storm by posting overwhelming numbers from its very first day.

Late that night.

Reporter Wi continued typing with complete focus.

Since it was opening day, every positive article mattered.

There were already so many people trying to push negative narratives before release.

They needed to shift public opinion away from quietly observing whether <Faster Than the Law> would fall victim to the so-called "curse of the third installment."

They needed to sway the undecided middle ground—

People who neither loved nor hated the series, but were merely curious.

Those were the people who would determine the final box-office numbers.

According to the Korean Film Council's Integrated Computer Network, on its opening day (Wednesday), <Faster Than the Law 3> met audiences across 1,950 theaters nationwide, attracting 382,415 moviegoers (395,112 cumulative admissions) and easily claiming first place at the box office.

Naturally, it had taken first place the moment it opened.

The criticism that it would be stale had instead turned into praise saying it was enjoyable precisely because it delivered exactly what audiences expected.

“So the only remaining question is whether it's worth the ticket price.”

The achievement was even more astonishing considering it had been reached on a regular Wednesday before the Lunar New Year holiday officially began.

Its reservation rate also reached an incredible 68%, widening the gap over second-place films by more than three to four times and effectively securing complete dominance over the holiday box office.

Despite rising ticket prices making many people hesitate before going to theaters, the film had completely opened their wallets....

The early reservation numbers were already answering that question.

Apparently, plenty of people still thought it was worth paying for.

Added: The driving force behind the film's success was unquestionably the overwhelming praise from verified audiences. After screenings ended, major portal sites and theater apps (GCV Golden Egg Score: 96%, L Cinema Rating: 9.4, etc.) were flooded with enthusiastic audience reviews.

By now, nearly every showing of <Faster Than the Law 3> during the Lunar New Year holiday had already sold out.

Aside from late-night and early-morning screenings...

It had practically achieved a clean sweep.

Finding an empty seat had become difficult.

Even people who hadn't bought tickets yet were becoming curious because of the reactions spreading online.

[HOT / Today's <Faster Than the Law 3> Post-Credit Scene LOL (Spoilers)]

(Screenshot from the original work that was being paid homage to.)

-Anonymous 1: I absolutely lost it when this came on LOL

-Anonymous 4: This was the first time Influ 1's name came up and it was seriously such a genius choice T_T LMAO It wouldn't have been nearly this funny if she'd appeared in the earlier movies.

└ Anonymous 8: 222 That's exactly what I thought.

-Anonymous 12: I haven't watched it yet so I have no idea what you guys mean...

└ Anonymous 15: You seriously have to go watch it T_T LMAO

-Anonymous 21: Han Yeoreum was so freaking adorable there. She's shameless as hell LOL

Because of all the reverse-viral marketing leading up to release, quite a few people had gone in just to give it a try.

Instead of saying, "It's probably going to be predictable," audiences overwhelmingly came away saying, "It was fun again."

And, conveniently...

The public was suffering from a lack of anything truly worth watching.

The era of endless dopamine scrolling.

Open your phone, and you can watch an unlimited stream of thirty-second videos.

Every social media platform is flooded with provocative photos and posts from celebrities and ordinary people alike.

There are webtoons, web novels...

And now NetHolics has arrived, allowing people to comfortably watch dramas and movies from home.

But trends always have their own momentum.

From the Great Actress War...

To Kim Jisang's school-violence scandal...

Han Yeoreum and Han Yohan's dating rumor...

The release of <Seoul Metropolitan City>...

And the reactions from overseas media...

One event after another had thrown all of Korea into an uproar.

ScreenDaze (Drama Fan) @ScreenDaze

(Veteran fan reaction image.)

Nothing to watch... Ah, nothing to watch... Seriously nothing to watch... I'm dying because there's nothing to watch... Seriously nothing... This is driving me crazy... Nothing to watch... So frustrating... Nothing to watch...

24K reposts · 31K likes

└ Damn, if even a veteran like you says that...

└ But honestly there really isn't anything to watch.

Just as everyone's dopamine began settling down...

Something else exploded.

Then something else.

Then another thing.

There was {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} an endless supply of content...

Yet somehow nothing worth watching.

People starving for stories found themselves with only one real option.

They simply had to watch <Faster Than the Law 3>.

They couldn't logically explain why.

But their subconscious kept telling them—

If you follow Han Yeoreum...

It will always be worth it.

This wasn't just because of the Great Actress War.

It was the power of an actress who, ever since her debut, had built a flawless filmography piece by piece—

An actress audiences trusted without question.

[Drama & Movie Actors TALK / I'm so freaking sick of people forcing Han Yeoreum hate now LOL]

Just watched <Faster Than the Law 3>. There's literally nobody else in her generation who could play that role, so why do people keep demanding she be replaced?

-Anonymous 1: Facts... I'm so tired of people pretending they're above caring about popular actresses and throwing in a snarky comment every chance they get.

└ Anonymous 2: 222 Exactly. Couldn't have explained it better.

└ Anonymous 4: Seriously. No matter who you replace Han Yeoreum with, it just wouldn't work. What the hell are these people talking about? LOL

[Drama & Movie Actors TALK / Tap tap tap... Ha...n Yeoreum... sick...of...her... replace...her...]

???: We'll... think... about... who... to... replace... her... with... later... Tap tap tap... First... Han Yeoreum... needs... to... leave... I'm sick of her... Tap tap... Mom, get out!!

-Anonymous 1: LMAO that's so pathetic.

-Anonymous 5: The more successful someone gets, the more irrational haters show up... That's just history. T_T

-Anonymous 12: Didn't people say Eun Baekhap was nothing but a pretty face before <Weird Land> and <Tamhok>? They simply aren't capable of understanding what a work is trying to say, judging the depth of acting, or recognizing a genuinely talented actor.

└ Anonymous 14: Just tell them to die already... Stop beating them up like this.

└ Anonymous 18: LOL Are you insane? But you're right.

-Anonymous 23: If Han Yeoreum quits, I'm the one who loses, damn it. Don't leave.

└ Anonymous 26: Seriously. It has to be you.

Reverse-viral campaigns have no substance.

They're nothing more than inflated waves of baseless negativity.

But Han Yeoreum's proof...

Always had substance.

The moment people realized that those predicting the movie would definitely fail had been completely wrong...

Even those who hadn't watched it yet naturally turned their backs on the negativity.

[Anonymous Chat Board / I'm seriously looking forward to the <Faster Than the Law 3> stage greeting T_T]

Han Yeoreum absolutely killed it... She kept looking straight at me through the camera, I got embarrassed. ///

-All those cocky male actors should go train in Han Yeoreum Camp...T_T

└ What did Yeoreum ever do to deserve that?

-Every single time Han Yeoreum does something, there are always people chanting that this time she'll flop. It's so annoying that now I want this one to hit ten million too LOL. I'm not even a Han Yeoreum fan.

Reporter Wi had been browsing community forums after finishing most of the article when he sensed someone behind him.

“No wonder you can never go home on time.”

“Oh. Senior.”

It was his senior reporter, who had returned to the office.

The same senior who had uncannily predicted the first-episode ratings.

“But why did you come back?”

“Ah.”

His senior answered casually.

“Han Yeoreum's stage-greeting algorithm blew up. I need to write an article.”

“Oh... the algorithm... Wait, the algorithm?”

“You haven't seen it?”

His senior sent him a messenger link.

A very familiar channel name appeared.

Wait... isn't this...

It was Aetami's account—

@EveryDayIsSummer.

Not only had she spent the entire day following the stage greetings, she'd already edited the footage and uploaded it with remarkable speed.