Chapter 1139: The Warmest Season, Winter (11)

After revealing the behind-the-scenes story of how we had gotten tangled up with World Art Studio.

The cast and I began an all-out promotional campaign.

「The most difficult thing about handling this film was the sheer amount of music left behind by the musician Sun Myung Joo. We had a lot of trouble deciding which pieces we should focus on.」

A talk show.

「Sunny! I heard that many celebrities expressed their anger over World Art Studio's statements. How do you feel about that?」

「I'm simply grateful. Until everyone became angry on our behalf, I was wondering if this was just the way things were done in Hollywood and was trying to accept it. Thanks to their attention and support, we were able to correct what was wrong, and I'm thankful for that.」

Another talk show.

「As you know, the song that Cold and I sang started as a response to , the song my father left behind.」

「Ah. So that's how it connects to Sound of the Sun as well?」

「Yes.」

And then another talk show.

The American promotion could be summed up in one phrase.

Endless talk shows!

"Ughhhhh……."

Every time we finished a talk show where we had poured all our energy into talking, Senior Lee Gyeonwoo came down with a completely drained expression.

He looked like someone had crumpled up a handsome can.

"I'm glad I wasn't born in America. Seriously, this is draining me. I don't think I can survive."

"Senior. You have to hold on. There are still seven more talk shows left."

"……."

"Come on. Our movie father can do this. Fighting!"

"I am Sun Myung Joo… I am Sun Myung Joo… I hate my son……."

Going around talk shows with Senior Lee Gyeonwoo and Director Kim Bora was quite exhausting.

After all, neither of them had much experience appearing on talk shows before.

So I and the hosts worked hard to create opportunities for them to speak at the right moments.

And it wasn't just talk shows.

There were also movie magazines, MyTube, and countless other schedules.

We completed every possible promotional activity we could do in America.

At the same time, we were gradually building momentum.

"Mr. Wooju, then should we make the racial discrimination story the main focus when talking about the film on talk shows?"

"No. I don't think so."

I answered Director Kim.

"I think it would be better to mention it gently, like placing a strawberry on top of a cake."

That was advice from Manager Hong Seoyeong of the promotional team.

What you're creating right now is only a ripple. The big wave will come after the movie is released. If you push too hard with issues like racial discrimination at this stage, Americans might lose interest.

She was right.

The story woven into was about discrimination and the fight against it, but that wasn't all the film was about.

Romance.

Music.

So we were only adding enough fuel to the issue to spark interest without letting it consume everything else.

"Ah… this is exhausting."

As we left a daytime talk show set, Director Kim asked me,

"Mr. Wooju, are you going to another schedule now?"

"Yes. I have another talk show recording tonight."

"Ugh…."

"This time I'm going with the members."

Unlike the other cast members, I was doing double duty.

I smiled warmly and said,

"We have to sell Overcooked."

"You're already doing incredibly well. How much more successful are you trying to become?"

"Junghyun always says something like that. He says he's always hungry. I think I'm the same way. I'm always hungry too."

"Couldn't Junghyun just mean he was literally hungry?"

"…I'll get going."

The talk shows I was appearing on this time were mostly for my main career rather than ones arranged by the film company.

It was because of what happened in Alaska.

「Everyone has been praising what you accomplished in Alaska. You completely restored the city of Anchorage in just a few days with hundreds of fans!」

The host stood up and applauded, and the audience members also rose with moved expressions and joined in.

It felt almost like people applauding firefighters, which was embarrassing, but it also felt good.

「How did you end up participating in volunteer work in Alaska?」

「Well, that happened because……」

We talked about what happened after experiencing the earthquake, how we ended up performing Overcooked and the carol, and all sorts of behind-the-scenes stories.

We also brought up topics that people would naturally be interested in.

「We can't leave out the story of Moonlight.」

「Moonlight?」

The host pretended not to know while showing curiosity, and we opened up our story vault.

「We met Moonlight at the survival camp this time, and there were so many interesting things that happened.」

「What happened?」

「That would be……」

We pretended to look at the clock and said,

「If Sound of the Sun does well at the box office, we'll come back here and tell you all the behind-the-scenes stories.」

「Aaaah!」

We gave the disappointed audience a mischievous smile before moving on to our performance.

Two songs in total.

One was obviously , and the other was….

「A lot of people who saw our performance that day called it ‘The Miracle of October’ and ‘Christmas in October.’ So we prepared a carol for you.」

The audience's faces filled with anticipation.

I sat down in front of the piano and exchanged glances with the members.

Ri Hyuk grabbed the standing microphone and continued.

「This is a carol written by our leader in 2015, and a fan song for our fans. Since it is a Korean song, it may feel unfamiliar to you, but I believe the meaning of a song filled with the happiness of Christmas can be understood by everyone.」

「It's been such a long time since we last performed this song.」

I took over at the piano.

My fingers gently danced across the keys.

「From this moment on, close your eyes and imagine.」

One by one, the audience members closed their eyes.

I spoke with the emotion of gently embracing them.

「Snow is falling softly from the sky. Smoke rises from the chimneys of every house. As evening arrives, the lights of the street lamps begin to sparkle beneath the falling snow. You are a traveler who has come to visit this place. And……」

Slowly opening their eyes, the audience members met our gazes.

「We, the residents of this village, are waiting for you.」

As I said those words, I changed the tempo of the intro and began playing with a lively rhythm.

The audience erupted into cheers.

The clear voice of our main vocalist filled the venue.

Merry Christmas

I've waited for this day

Turning the pages of the calendar

Beside Ri Hyuk's warm smile, the members gently swayed their heads as they sang.

Seeing the audience happily clapping along and moving with the rhythm, I raised my own energy.

I leaned toward the microphone.

The reason this feels so joyful

Isn't the snow falling softly

Or the carols echoing through the streets

It's because

We're holding each other's hands

Junghyun's rap followed.

Jiho and Biju exchanged their lines while looking at each other.

Then we all sang the chorus together.

Riding a sleigh, sleigh sleigh sleigh

We sang the vocals with a feeling similar to the famous Christmas carol , a song beloved by people in this country, and everyone loved it.

If nothing else, everyone joined in for the "Ta-Tata-" part of the chorus.

Fueled by that atmosphere, we repeated the chorus several times before standing together and bowing to the audience.

「This has been NewBlack-!」

After ending the final stage of our grand promotion with a carol.

While walking down the hallway, listening to compliments from the staff with a relieved feeling, I realized someone was missing.

The youngest member was walking far behind everyone else.

"Jiho. What's wrong?"

"Ah, the audience's expressions were just so beautiful."

"?"

Jiho, who had been peeking back at the audience behind the curtain alone, spoke to me.

"I always watch people's expressions carefully. That way, when I'm acting, I can remember them and bring them out later. Like how I used Ri Hyuk hyung's expression of disgust before and used it."

"What…?"

Ri Hyuk immediately protested, but I continued listening to Jiho.

"Anyway, when we sang the carol today, everyone's expressions were really beautiful. It was the kind of expression people make when they hear an amazing song."

"Really…?"

It wasn't a song I had chosen after any deep consideration, but the response had definitely been good.

Especially when the youngest, who specialized in acting and was sensitive to changes in people's expressions, said that much….

"Hmm…."

I stroked my chin and nodded.

"I don't think it got that kind of reaction in Korea."

"That's true."

It was a song that had reached number one on the charts, in its own way.

But aside from being loved by fans, it wasn't a song with a particularly strong impact.

It wasn't like Something, which crawled back onto the charts like a zombie every season.

Even at concerts, it was the kind of song people listened to and simply moved on from.

Ri Hyuk said,

"But Americans might react differently. Every country has different emotional points that resonate with them."

At those words, an idea flashed through my mind.

"Guys."

"Yes?"

"Let's make some small changes to the song. Jiho said it, right? That people's expressions were so beautiful when they heard it."

"Yeah."

"It's just my guess, but……"

I smiled at my members.

"I think I'm getting a feeling about this. This song."

While I became absorbed in a new project after discovering an unexpected hint from my main career.

After finishing our western region promotions, we moved to the east coast.

For the premiere.

—New York City.

Normally, commercial film premieres were held in Los Angeles, where Hollywood was located.

But our film's premiere was in New York.

It was not only one of the film's main settings, but also a city with deep symbolic ties to jazz.

However….

"Whoa……."

I hadn't expected it to be on this scale.

"Wow. This is insane. Seriously…."

Jiho, sitting in the limousine, stared in shock at the live stream playing on his screen.

The reason was the location of the premiere.

The youngest member looked at it with obvious envy.

"You're holding the premiere in Times Square……."

"You can do it later too, Jiho."

"But this is the real Square. For a movie I'm in, Yeongdeungpo Times Square would probably be my limit."

I burst out laughing at that, and Junghyun pointed at the screen.

"But look at the fans. There are so many."

A crowd that was probably mostly Souffle surrounded part of Times Square Plaza, where police officers were maintaining control.

Biju tilted his head.

"Are they really all Souffle?"

"Probably."

Senior Lee Gyeonwoo and the other Korean actors didn't have much of a fanbase in America.

There might have been fans of someone like Ronnie Lucas, but even then, it probably wouldn't have drawn this many people.

Most likely, people had gathered because they heard we would be performing after the premiere.

"Jealous."

Jiho continued staring with envious eyes, while Ri Hyuk asked,

"But how were they able to set up a red carpet in Times Square Plaza? They wouldn't allow that for just any movie."

"The film company said they put in quite a bit of effort."

"That alone wouldn't be enough."

Ri Hyuk had reason to find it difficult to understand.

Our film wasn't a blockbuster starring an enormous global movie star.

And they certainly wouldn't give a low-budget musical biopic access to Times Square Plaza just because of our name recognition.

I told them what I had heard from the film company.

"It's because of Dad. More precisely, because of the people who knew Dad."

This film featured countless real-life figures.

People who had committed various acts of racial discrimination, as well as many musicians who had worked alongside him during that era.

Just like Winston Ross had said before.

From world-famous pianist Paul Laurent to many others, countless people had lent their support this time.

"A lot of the people who appeared in the film are basically living history of jazz now. They have the mayor of New York's direct number saved in their phones."

"Ah……."

"They lent us their influence, and on top of that, the film's main setting is New York."

As I said that, Times Square Plaza slowly came closer through the limousine window.

The faint sound of cheers.

To be honest, my heart swelled at the thought of holding a premiere in a place like this.

Not because it was a famous tourist attraction.

Because of the reason this place had been chosen.

It felt like the connections my parents had left behind were still remaining.

As if they were saying something to me.

You should know this is possible because of your father and mother.

Watching the growing cheers of the Souffle outside, I rested my chin on my hand.

But….

These fans were gathered because of me.

I smiled at my own little internal argument and checked my clothes one last time.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

While waiting, tapping out the rhythm of with my fingers, the limousine finally came to a stop.

The door opened.

"WhoaAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"

"Sun! Sunny-!"

Cheers.

A storm of camera flashes.

「Looks like another Sun has arrived!」

I smiled happily as I heard a reporter shout excitedly in front of the cameras.

Lee Gyeonwoo was suffering.

「Haha! While playing this role, there were many difficulties. For example……」

An actor answering interviews from various media outlets while playing the confident Man Number One.

His eyes kept drifting toward another part of the red carpet.

Hurry up and come.

He wished his close junior would arrive soon and save him.

The reason was simple.

The atmosphere.

—Who… is this guy?

The premiere red carpet set up in Times Square Plaza.

The people gathered there looked at Lee Gyeonwoo and the other cast members as if asking, "Who are you people to be holding a premiere here?"

Fortunately, the film itself had gained considerable recognition thanks to the recent explosive controversy.

Lee Gyeonwoo glanced toward the commotion around him.

「Wow! It's Ronnie Lucas!」

「Ronnie!」

「Ronnie Lucas is here?!」

Interest shifted when

{N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t}

Ronnie Lucas arrived.

The close friend of Sun Myung Joo, and the actor who played Steve McQueen, who had died young.

After wetting his throat with bottled water, Lee Gyeonwoo approached Director Kim Bora, who had just finished her interview at the edge of the red carpet.

"Director. Are you okay?"

"Ah, yes… My mind is completely blank."

"Mine too."

The two smiled with expressions of shared suffering.

A rookie director who had only made low-budget independent films until taking the helm of her first commercial movie.

An introverted actor with plenty of premiere experience, but who had never experienced anything on this scale.

The director asked,

"What about Eunseon?"

"Eunseon is doing well."

The rookie actress who played Lee Myeong Eun could be seen giving interviews with a confident and calm expression.

The two laughed when they saw the Souffle waiting at the red carpet.

They had the excited expressions of children who had waited a million years for a cake.

"NewBlack needs to get here soon."

The actors nodded at the director's words.

It was obvious who the people gathered here had come to see.

Fortunately, the main attraction arrived soon after.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-!"

"Love you jonna!!!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Everyone who had been giving interviews flinched in surprise.

The cameramen and reporters all turned their heads at the same time.

Because today's main characters had arrived.

「Camera. Turn the camera!」

「Yes.」

Under the concentrated barrage of camera flashes, the NewBlack members stepped out of the car, and cheers poured out.

The members naturally waved to their fans as they walked forward.

After posing for photographers shouting at them from the red carpet, the members continued walking as reporters rushed toward them.

"Wow."

Yeo Eunseon joined the actors after finishing her interview.

"They're really unbelievably popular."

"Th... They are."

Everyone had heard that Overcooked had become a global hit, that Supernova Dodgeball and the recent Alaska incident had raised their public profile.

But they hadn't realized just how popular they truly were.

Not only the fans' cheers.

The reactions from industry people are different.

The staff controlling the event looked at them like top stars.

The reporters were unusually aggressive.

Trying to get even a single additional comment from them.

And.

Amid the courtship dance of cameras surrounding them, the NewBlack members remained relaxed.

"Junghyun said something yesterday, but……"

Yeo Eunseon smiled.

"They really are their father's sons."

"I agree."

Even beneath the overwhelming spotlight pouring down on him, NewBlack's leader shone brighter than anyone else.

Maybe that was why.

When Wooju approached them in an unfamiliar suit today—probably also because everyone was used to his usual fashion disasters—the actors and director awkwardly hesitated.

Wooju smiled brightly.

"Why is everyone suddenly acting so distant?"

"No, it's just… you seem kind of impressive……."

"Impressive? Not at all."

Even as he said that, he casually waved toward the fans.

The cheers erupted again.

Fans moved like waves, trying to get even a little closer look at his face.

Director Kim Bora voiced everyone's thoughts.

"They really all gathered to see you and NewBlack."

"For now."

Wooju smiled at them and continued.

"But when this movie is released in America, everything will change."

"?"

"Then everyone will gather to see you, not me."

Everyone burst into laughter at that.

Wooju widened his eyes and insisted he wasn't joking, but they all dismissed it as a joke anyway.

The NewBlack leader slightly pouted and said,

"Then shall we go inside?"

"Yes."

They began walking toward the theater.

What kind of impression would leave on American audiences?

Now it was time to find out.