Chapter 1144: The Warmest Season, Winter (16)

After the college entrance exam ended.

Stories about the word “overcooked” that appeared in the English listening section were posted everywhere.

[Failed the college entrance exam because of NewBlack]

The moment I heard “overcooked” in the listening test, I knew I was done lol

I ruined my college entrance exam because of NewBlack

└ [OP] Shut up

└ Ahㅋㅋㅋ Anyway it’s NewBlack’s faultㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Looking at posts like those, people laughed.

“I think overcooked came up while the kids were taking the exam. They’re saying they failed because of it.”

“Really?”

One of the most important days of the year in Korea.

A day when people arrived late to work—or perhaps when they should not have gone to work at all—and even airplane departure times were adjusted.

A day when everyone quietly cheered for the students taking the exam in their hearts.

But today was also an important day for another reason.

【15:45 Sound of the Sun (Subtitles) (Theater 1)】

The subtitle scrolling across the theater display.

The audience members preparing to enter looked around in surprise.

“Wow. I’ve never seen this many people at this time of day before.”

“Everyone must have taken a day off work... right?”

“They could be freelancers. It’s not like everyone here works at a company.”

While having a conversation about a question they always had whenever they walked around shopping malls during the daytime—

Why were there so many people?

The major theaters across the country were packed.

“Miss!! Two tickets for Sound of the Sun!!”

“We don’t have any seats available right now, so we can’t sell tickets at the counter~”

“Okay!!!”

An elderly man in his eighties casually accepted his failure to get a ticket and turned away.

People arguing at ticket counters, repeatedly asking whether there really were no remaining seats.

People taking certification photos while looking through the pamphlet.

People awkwardly pulling out their tickets or preparing mobile tickets while hugging popcorn buckets and cups of soda as if protecting them.

Among them, the people preparing to enter had bright smiles blooming on their faces.

Ah... this is nice. The smell of a movie theater.

I love this feeling.

Many of the people who came to watch today were people who genuinely loved movies.

Their hearts were pounding.

That unique excitement of coming to see a movie they had been waiting for.

“Please proceed with entry~”

After checking their tickets, the staff pointed toward Theater 1, and the audience began entering one by one.

The dark theater.

s played before the eyes of the people sitting in their seats.

Hehe.

Even though people always complained that pre movie advertisements were a trick, somehow the theater felt empty without them.

Various trailers played, including superhero movies scheduled for release next year.

“Come to think of it, Wooju and Jiho are appearing in movies next year too, aren’t they?”

“The companies are different. Wooju is with Silver Comics, and Jiho is with Wonder.”

“Really? They all feel like the same place to me.”

People ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) watched the advertisements while sipping their drinks or rustling their popcorn bags.

As the start time approached, their hearts beat faster.

It’s starting.

Finally...!

The screen slowly narrowed.

The lights dimmed.

The safety announcement video played.

Then, together with the theater logo, powerful cinema sound filled the room, and everyone swallowed nervously.

[Silver Screen Pictures]

The logo of a major studio everyone knew appeared, giving off a sophisticated atmosphere.

Then came Studio Lemon’s logo, showing five boys squeezing lemons.

But the color of the logo was slightly different.

It feels kind of faded....

The Silver Screen logo was the same.

There was something yellowish about it.

As a sepia-toned logo appeared, jazz music began playing.

It sounded like old, elegant music.

Sun Myung Joo, sitting alone and playing the piano, greeted the audience while bathed in sunlight.

[Do you know what jazz and life have in common? It’s that nobody knows what will happen next.]

It was a calm opening number, but Korean audiences’ hearts were already racing.

The music is good...!

Before coming to watch the movie, everyone had shared the same thought.

-The reviews are too good. The critics’ scores are insane. The reactions after the premiere were crazy too... Ah... this is dangerous.

Their expectations had reached their absolute peak.

In situations like this, there were two possible outcomes.

They either watched the movie after release and felt disappointed, or the movie was extraordinary enough to satisfy those expectations.

But the latter was rare.

Most of the time, it was the former.

Expectations became so high that even a genuinely excellent movie ended up feeling ordinary.

That was why movie fans prepared themselves mentally.

-I’m going in while lowering my expectations as much as possible!

There was a simple method.

They say the songs are good, so I’ll just go with the mindset that I’m listening to good songs.

Yeah. As long as a musical movie has good songs, that’s enough. I’m just here to hear some good music today.

And so, most of the audience came in with their expectations lowered, telling themselves they were only there for the music.

But...

“……”

As the movie truly began, the expressions of movie fans changed.

It felt like they lost themselves without realizing it.

This is...

There was no exact way to describe .

If they had to force an explanation, it was a musical movie that did not feel like a musical, and a movie that did not feel like a movie.

That was the highest praise possible.

Wow. The transitions between songs...

Normally, musical movies had a certain timing.

As you watched, you could vaguely think, Oh, these guys are about to start singing now, aren’t they?

But connected everything so naturally.

The transition from dialogue to music, and music back to dialogue, was so seamless that it felt less like music had been inserted into the movie and more like the two had always been one.

“Wow……”

And saying it did not feel like a movie was also the greatest compliment.

For movie fans, a truly great movie was one that did not feel like a movie.

A movie so engaging that you forgot you were watching one and became completely absorbed in that world.

Combined with overwhelming historical accuracy, it felt less like the lives of Sun Myung Joo and Lee Myeongeun had been recreated as a film and more like they were following the trajectory of those two lives in real time.

Just like the line Sun Myung Joo said at the beginning.

[Do you know what jazz and life have in common?]

It truly was a movie like a single life.

There was no particularly emotional scene, yet when about an hour had passed, movie fans found tears filling their eyes.

Yes. This is it.

Right. This is what I wanted to see.

At some point, they had become so immersed in the film that they forgot they were watching a movie.

They were overwhelmed by the realization that they had encountered something truly great.

They began regretting that there was less time left.

Ordinary viewers were no different.

As the film reached its later half, everyone’s eyes became red.

They were moved by the person who had shone more brilliantly than anyone else.

And especially when the ending credits began rolling, everyone was openly crying.

[After he passed away in 2017, twenty years later, countless “Sun Myung Joo kids” he had raised gathered together to prepare his performance.]

[The legacy he left behind still remains throughout the world.]

Countless archival videos.

Looking at Sun Myung Joo and Lee Myeongeun smiling brightly within them, Korean audiences sobbed.

They did not know exactly why.

They had only recently come to know Sun Myung Joo properly, yet they felt heartbroken that the time he had existed was far too short.

Still, it was a sad yet happy ending.

Because his story truly had not ended.

It was continuing happily even now.

Videos showed the children he discovered performing as world famous musicians.

The musicians he supported becoming professors and teaching.

Jazz musicians performing Sun Myung Joo’s music.

And above all...

Wooju.

In the movie, the baby who had once grabbed his mother and father’s fingers with tiny hands had now grown into a star traveling the world.

At that moment, as the archival footage in the ending credits ended, a familiar voice could be heard.

The names of the staff rolled across a black screen.

I opened my eyes and was met by darkness.

Floating in empty space,

I was nothing more than a tiny speck of dust.

It was not the actors’ version from the movie.

It was Wooju’s version of .

As if comforting the audience.

“……”

“……”

Even while the credits continued, everyone remained quietly seated, listening to the song.

When the song that had stirred countless emotions finally ended—

A couple looked at each other.

“Should we... watch it again?”

“Yeah.”

That was what made audiences across the country decide to watch it a second time.

“Oppa...”

“Yeah?”

“But they said there are no seats.”

“I see...”

The day was released.

[Sound of the Sun Egg Score 99%]

boasted an overwhelming rating from actual viewers.

On movie review sites, perfect scores poured in endlessly.

-The most brilliant sun we ever had

-Beans grow where beans are planted, and the sun grows where the sun is planted(?)... I finally understood where that son’s genes came from

-It’s the best movie I’ve seen this year. Music, direction, story, emotion. There isn’t a single thing missing. Those worried it would be a patriotic movie don’t need to worry.

-Feels like it’ll become a life movie.. Going for a second viewing

-A movie you absolutely have to watch multiple times

Naturally, there were also people who tried to ruin the positive atmosphere.

-Tsk tsk. The patriotic movie cooldown has come around again

-The >>Korean<< pianist who moved the whole world lolololol. It’s getting old now

-I think Koreans periodically lose their minds over patriotic movies.

But these opinions received little support.

Did they even watch the movie?

Everything that happened in the film was based on real events.

Nothing had been intentionally exaggerated.

-What patriotic nonsenseㅋㅋㅋ Do they think calling something patriotic makes them the only awake person?

-The movie does have moments like that. “Is this even possible??” -> Surprise, it was real

-I heard the writers spent months researching and cross checking everythingㅋㅋㅋ Seeing idiots like that is infuriating

-Traitors, hello

Instead, posts like these appeared.

[The Line 4 group chat’s logic is weird]

A title that excited haters enough to click.

But the content was completely different from what they expected.

[The Line 4 group chat’s logic is weird]

How does it make sense that people that good left so earlyㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Earth writer, is this really okay?

-Seriously, the logic doesn’t add up

-While watching it, I kept hoping they were living somewhere like an island

-222 Everyone thinks the same way

-33333 It really feels strange

-Honestly the movie had some flawsㅋㅋㅋㅋ Even when they tried to persuade people, it felt like they were winning with their faces

-(Lee Gyeonwoo dressed as Sun Myung Joo.jpg) Logic. Accuracy.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ But I saw the writers’ interview and it’s true. Jazz industry people at the time said “he used his face.” Apparently he smiled and persuaded people with that face and everyone fell for it

Movie reviews flooded everywhere.

The internet was full of stories about Sun Myung Joo.

But the atmosphere was different from when Sun Myung Joo’s performance had become a hot topic earlier that year.

It felt more familiar.

Earlier this year, it had been—

So someone this amazing existed in our country!

But now it was completely different.

And that was thanks to the medium of film.

Because the movie followed one person’s life and showed his emotions, Koreans’ understanding of and closeness toward Sun Myung Joo grew much deeper.

Before, he had felt like a figure from a biography.

Now, he felt more like a familiar celebrity.

Especially because of the film, Sun Myung Joo’s wife also received enormous attention.

-I didn’t realize Myeongeun’s role was that important..

-I think the sun in Sound of the Sun has a double meaning. Sun Myung Joo is the sun, but the sun of Sun Myung Joo’s life was his wife

-My dad’s one comment after watching the movie) This is why you should listen to your wife

-She was someone who could never be left out when talking about Sun Myung Joo

-In the Gunsan scene, I thought it was such great directing that Lee Myeongeun was standing where Sun Myung Joo was riding his bicycle, with the sunset behind her. He was running toward his own sun

This completely contradicted the information people had previously known.

That she was merely a cellist who accompanied Sun Myung Joo to performances.

No one questioned why the protagonist’s wife, who was not even the main character, had her own theme song.

Along with her, various real figures gained attention.

[Long post) About Steve McQueen who appeared in Sound of the Sun]

Sun Myung Joo’s close friend during school years, a tragic genius classical pianist who passed away in an accident at a young age.

[Interesting facts about the jazz musicians who appeared in the movie]

Stories about Winston Ross and various jazz musicians, as well as real people who discriminated against Sun Myung Joo.

But among them, the person receiving the most attention was surprisingly his son.

The son of the protagonist known by the entire nation.

[Sun Wooju]

People who searched his profile or watched Wooju’s MyTube videos smiled without realizing it.

Perhaps because of the lingering emotions left by the movie.

For some reason, people felt a little closer to Wooju than before.

He grew up well...

That kid really grew up well.

It was the moment when the nation’s idol truly became the nation’s idol.

And the public’s passionate interest in created an unexpected result.

That was—

“...Excuse me?”

I stared blankly.

“How much did you say?”

“1.31 million!”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s amazing! Wooju!”

A Studio Lemon staff member stood up, grabbed my hands, and shook them excitedly.

But the members and I just stared blankly.

Especially our youngest, who knew the most about movies, looked completely shocked.

“Uh... how much was it again? Say it one more time.”

“1.31 million people! On the first day of release!”

“……”

My legs lost their strength.

I staggered, and Junghyun grabbed my shoulder.

The Studio Lemon staff member showed us an article on a tablet.

-‘Sound of the Sun’ does it again... “1.31 million viewers on opening day... No.1 opening score in Korean film history”

It meant the film had attracted the largest number of viewers on its first day in Korean box office history.

Biju shook me with a shocked expression.

“Hyung! Congratulations!”

“Congratulations!”

“Uh……”

I was too stunned to process reality.

Jiho shouted excitedly.

“Hyung! If this continues, we might hit 10 million in ten days. Ten days after release!”

“Ah... r right.”

I had prayed every night hoping it would do well.

But I never expected the result to be this incredible.

The previous record holder was a Hollywood blockbuster that had brought in 1.1 million viewers on opening day.

While articles were already appearing calling it a historic achievement for Korean cinema, debating whether it even counted as a Korean movie, and more—

“Hyung?”

Junghyun tilted his head and looked at me.

“Hyung, are you crying?”

“No.”

It was not tears from being moved or sadness.

They were closer to tears of relief.

The thousands of kilograms of pressure that had been sitting on my chest disappeared, replaced by overwhelming relief.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

I did not know who I should thank.

But those words would not leave my mind.

“Someone who has even reached No.1 on Billboard is crying over something like this?”

Ri Hyuk awkwardly comforted me while patting my shoulder.

“I’m not crying.”

“Look at your face. You’re literally about to cry.”

“No. I’m not crying.”

It was not time to cry yet.

Not yet.

But regardless of everything else, I felt relieved knowing the film’s early domestic performance was incredible.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“Our hyung is amazing!”

“What’s amazing? I didn’t do it. Everyone else did.”

“But the music everyone says is the best was made by you, hyung. Waaaaaah!”

While I laughed at the sight of my members jumping around excitedly like baboons, Jiho suddenly said,

“Wow. 1.3 million.”

He shook his head.

“But seriously, you remember when Junghyun hyung looked at the jelly book? It said it was a modest beginning.”

“Ah, right.”

As we asked how this could possibly be a modest beginning, Junghyun asked,

“Then should we look again?”

“Let’s do it.”

As we stared at him like we were demanding an explanation, Junghyun recited the jelly and opened the book dramatically.

[The beginning was splendid]

Then we all looked at the phrase that appeared in reverse.

[And the ending was splendid too~☆]

“……”

“……”

We looked at each other, then at the book.

“Did it change what it said?”

“The words are different from before.”

“What are you?”

Like someone embarrassed, the pages of the book fluttered in a breeze that came from nowhere.

We stared at it with blank expressions.

“……”

“……”

For some reason, it felt like the jelly book was avoiding our gaze as if saying:

I... I didn’t know it would turn out like this either.