Chapter 1146: The Warmest Season, Winter (18)

Inoue Mina.

Currently working as an editor for a famous Japanese weekly magazine, she was an ardent fan of Sun Myeongju.

The reason she had first become a fan was… honestly, his handsome face.

[Hello. My name is Sun Myeongju.]

The 1980s, regarded as Japan’s golden age before the bubble economy.

In an era when city pop was in vogue and the public enjoyed a diverse range of music, Sun Myeongju had appeared like a shooting star.

A genius with overwhelming talent.

Everyone who saw him became captivated, and once they heard him play the piano, they fell in love with him.

Even when he left Japan to establish a new home in the United States, no one called it a betrayal.

Rather than feeling disappointed, everyone considered it only natural.

-Sun Myeongju is a once-in-a-generation genius. He needs to move on to a bigger stage.

Inoue Mina had been one of those people.

As a student, she had been such a devoted young fan that every wall in her room was covered with Sun Myeongju posters.

And she also had one very special memory.

It was when she had happened to encounter Sun Myeongju after one of his performances.

[I… It’s my birthday today!]

The moment he heard that, Sun Myeongju and his fellow musicians had played their instruments on the spot and celebrated her birthday.

She could see the photograph they had taken back then.

Sun Myeongju stood beside the young fan, making the same crooked V sign with his fingers as she did.

Her eyes needlessly grew red, and she shook her head.

It’s a happy day. I shouldn’t cry.

Today was the day she had been invited to the premiere.

It was all thanks to Wooju.

Three years ago, when she had interviewed NewBlack as a magazine editor, she had been given the opportunity to speak with him about his father.

[I’m a huge fan of Sun Myeongju.]

She remembered how embarrassed she had felt admitting to his son that she was his father’s fan.

She still could not forget the warm smile her favorite star’s son had given her upon hearing those words.

[Really? Thank you.]

It felt like only yesterday that she had looked at Sun Wooju, thought, He really does resemble his father, and become lost in nostalgia.

Three years later, she had been invited to the premiere of Sun Myeongju’s film.

It was truly difficult to believe.

So… something like this really can happen.

Back in 2015, NewBlack had merely been one of the idol groups beginning to shine in Korea.

Accordingly, the future she had imagined for Wooju had largely resembled that of any successful idol.

Performing at Tokyo Dome and going on an Asian tour.

But the NewBlack of today had shattered every limit she had ever imagined.

They had become a group loved by the Korean public, topped the Billboard chart, and embarked on a worldwide stadium tour.

And now they had partnered with a Hollywood studio to produce a biographical film about his father.

Honestly, who could ever have imagined something like this would happen?

A film.

Her heart truly swelled with emotion.

Her devotion remained so fierce that, had Wooju not contacted her to invite her to the Japanese premiere, she would have taken time off work and flown to Korea to see it first.

All of Sun Myeongju’s fans felt the same way.

The network formed by those who had followed him back then was still alive, and recently it had become extremely active again.

The only real difference was that, whereas they had communicated by phone in the past, now their messages appeared as mentions on Twitter.

-I was invited to the premiere. (tears) (tears) (tears)

-Huh? Why wasn’t I invited…? Just as I was wondering whether I had done something wrong, the ticket arrived. I became a complete puddle of emotional tears. Thank you so much, Wooju-san.

-I can’t believe tomorrow is really coming.

-I’ve waited for this day!! At the premiere, I’ll prove that even a middle-aged man’s pure devotion can be beautiful—!

They were all united in heart and purpose.

While the fans grew excited over attending the premiere of Sun Myeongju’s film, the Japanese media began covering Sound of the Sun extensively, causing his Japanese fans to look displeased.

It was not particularly welcome attention.

Hashimoto Kenji again.

The media would undoubtedly start talking about Hashimoto Kenji and their so-called rivalry again.

Even though footage had emerged earlier that year of Sun Myeongju saying in an interview that he did not believe he had any rivals, the Japanese media collectively pretended it did not exist.

-Hashimoto again…

-Every time I see an article about Hashimoto Kenji, it feels like gum stuck to the sole of my shoe. At least gum can be scraped off with a putty knife.

-That old man’s desperate hunger for fame is number one in the world lololol

-He’s far too ugly to call himself a rival. The absolute worst.

-One of my elementary-school classmates plays for the Hanshin Tigers. I beat him in a race at our school sports day. Does that make me his rival??

-Hashimoto has never even beaten him.

Koreans might periodically say, “What is with that old man…?” but the Japanese fans, who saw the same media manipulation repeated every day on television and radio, were nearly driven mad.

At least he had been somewhat restrained since the recent KMA ceremony, where he had called pianist Paul Laurent’s playing amateurish.

But with the film’s release, he had begun creeping back into public view and giving interviews again.

[Hashimoto-san! Were you invited to the premiere?]

[I was not.]

Hashimoto Kenji shook his head at the reporter.

[Perhaps some emotional resentment still remains between him and me. Since we were rivals who competed throughout an era, I suppose such a thing is understandable. I look forward to the film.]

Sun Myeongju’s fans felt their blood pressure soar.

Had he possessed a status screen like a Pokémon, it might have displayed: [Hashimoto Kenji’s Blood Pressure Raising was super effective!]

They were furious.

I seriously want to flip everything over.

More than anything else, the fundamental reason they were so angry was the personalities of Sun Myeongju and Sun Wooju.

They were humble, courteous, and kindhearted.

Even when Hashimoto Kenji spouted nonsense, they would not respond, “Stop talking complete bullshit,” but merely let it pass with a polite, “I see.”

That was precisely why Hashimoto Kenji behaved this way.

Because more than anyone, he trusted in the kindness of the Sun father and son.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

Thinking of Hashimoto Kenji, Inoue Mina pointlessly punched the air.

I’m furious! Eat shit, you miserable old fossil!

Her irritation surged.

Even so, no one in this situation demanded that the Sun father and son “give them some catharsis!”

After all, one of the reasons they were still fans of Sun Myeongju was his character.

“Phew.”

After climbing into the taxi headed for the premiere, she looked at her phone.

There was a photograph of Tokyo Tower, which was scheduled to be illuminated in orange to commemorate the premiere of Sun Myeongju’s film.

As Inoue Mina read articles and comments about Sound of the Sun, a smile quickly spread across her lips.

It was the same expression currently worn by all of Sun Myeongju’s fans on their way to the premiere.

-Wait for us, our sun.

Their beloved star, who had never even published an autobiography, was finally releasing one twenty years later through the hands of his son.

Everyone’s heart swelled at the thought of witnessing its first page.

However….

There was one fact every fan imagining the countless possibilities of what might happen that day had gotten wrong.

The personalities of the Sun father and son were not quite what they believed them to be.

“Hashimoto Kenji-san recently said in an interview that he believed he might appear in Sun Myeongju’s film. What do you think? Could you give us a small spoiler about the movie?!”

“I believe that question will also be answered once you watch the film.”

They discovered the meaning behind Wooju’s smile during that television interview only a few hours later.

The premiere was held at a Japanese multiplex theater.

“Waaaaaaaaah!”

“Waaaaaaaaaah!”

Perhaps because Japan was another Asian country, it was clear that not only Souffles but the general public were showing interest from all around.

In particular, the actors appearing in our film were also Korean Wave stars.

A star popular enough to earn enormous cheers even from the general public was standing right beside me.

“Hahahahaha! Konnichiwa! Hahaha… Wooju, switch places with me.”

“Sure.”

…Though he himself seemed to find all the attention somewhat difficult to handle.

During the red-carpet event, we also looked around the special Sound of the Sun event zone prepared inside the theater.

There was a photo zone that perfectly recreated a scene from the film.

There was also an exhibition hall displaying costumes from the movie.

“What do you think?”

A staff member asked us with a proud expression.

“Isn’t the exhibition beautifully arranged? Since this is a film about none other than Sun Myeongju, we did our absolute best to prepare it.”

“It’s wonderful. Truly.”

It was my first time visiting a Japanese movie theater, and it was certainly decorated more beautifully than theaters in Korea or the United States.

After finishing the various red-carpet events in Japanese, we greeted my father’s fans, who were waiting to enter.

They were people who had remained active in offline and online communities for more than twenty years.

“Did you enjoy the performance earlier this year? I believe I sent you invitations then as well.”

“Yes!”

They responded vigorously.

A truly diverse group of people caught my eye.

There was a bald man like our CEO, a bearded middle-aged man wearing glasses and proudly displaying his protruding stomach, the editor who had interviewed me, and a calm-looking middle-aged woman.

The one thing they all had in common was the way their eyes sparkled.

“Truly….”

I bowed my head to them in greeting.

“You’ve waited a long time.”

“…….”

“It was a long wait, wasn’t it?”

I had barely said a few words before the bearded man began shedding tears.

As they made expressions difficult to put into words, I gestured toward the entrance and smiled.

“I think there’s one thing I can promise you about today’s film, even if nothing else.”

My father’s fans tilted their heads.

I continued.

“The joy you feel will be every bit as great as the time you spent waiting.”

“…….”

As everyone nodded with choked-up expressions, someone rummaged through their belongings, took something out, and handed it to me.

“What is this?”

“It’s something I bought from an auction site a long time ago. It’s one of the items Sun Myeongju used….”

“A fountain pen. And a pair of glasses….”

“They were among the belongings Sun Myeongju sold long ago to raise money for charity. They passed through many hands before eventually reaching ours.”

There were boxes containing a fountain pen and various other objects.

My father’s fans looked at the boxes holding their treasured possessions, then held them out to me.

“Take them.”

“What…?”

“We discussed it among ourselves, and we concluded that giving these to you would be best, Wooju.”

“Something this precious, to me….”

My hands trembled.

Not simply because they had belonged to my father, but because I knew what these objects meant to these people.

As I hesitated, wondering whether I could truly accept them, Sun Myeongju’s fans smiled brightly.

“Thank you, Wooju.”

“You’ve given us so much, and we’re sorry this is all we can give you in return.”

Their smiles were truly radiant.

After NewBlack’s leader entered the auditorium with strangely damp eyes, the Sun Myeongju fans, reporters, and ordinary audience members invited to the premiere finished applauding and waited for the film to begin.

The atmosphere was quiet and solemn.

“Waaah!”

Sun Myeongju’s bearded fan cheered alone when the film’s logo appeared, then closed his mouth with an embarrassed expression.

Soon, the film began, and quiet exclamations escaped the audience.

He’s handsome.

It was because of Sun Myeongju’s appearance as portrayed by Lee Gyeonwoo, a top actor famous even in Japan.

Along with him, faces familiar to anyone who had watched Korean dramas continued appearing on the screen.

The opening section was, as expected, set in Gunsan.

Korea was poor in those days.

Why was it so poor?

As the Japanese audience watched the underdeveloped Gunsan of that era with such thoughts, a line was delivered by veteran actress Oh Hyunsook, who portrayed the young Kim Deoksun.

[Anyway, the Japanese swept away everything good—!!]

The Japanese audience stared into the distance.

So that was what happened….

The viewers quickly erased the memory of that line from their minds and continued watching.

After Sun Myeongju, who had briefly gone to study in the United States during the opening section, returned to Korea and seriously embarked upon the path of jazz, the scenes they had been waiting for finally appeared.

[TOKYO]

The Japanese audience opened their mouths with impressed murmurs.

It’s the eighties!

Wooooow…….

Sound of the Sun had devoted immense effort to historical authenticity, even bringing aboard a Korean staff member who had won an Academy Award for art direction.

The 1980s, an era the Japanese always carried in their hearts, unfolded before them.

Dazzling neon signs.

The streets of Roppongi packed with young people.

Groups of strangely dressed Takenoko dancers busking in the streets.

It was a setting completely different from the Korea shown only moments earlier.

“Ohhh…….”

As the Japanese audience watched, sinking into memories of that period, the film showed Sun Myeongju gradually growing accustomed to Japan’s bustling city streets after initially finding them unfamiliar.

[Everyone! This is Sun Myeongju!]

Sun Myeongju delighted in the passionate support of his fans at the time.

His albums sold well.

He collaborated with famous city-pop singers, and the film portrayed his steady rise to success in Japan.

That’s right. That was how it happened.

Sun Myeongju’s fans nodded.

Although each of them had begun following him at a different time, they knew his career so thoroughly that they could identify what he had done on virtually any given date.

That was why they were impressed.

The film’s historical accuracy is incredible. The order of a few events is different, but everything else is authentic.

And if this much was authentic….

Does that mean everything else is real too?

As the film revealed Sun Myeongju’s private thoughts and behind-the-scenes incidents he had never disclosed at the time, the fans’ eyes began to sparkle.

It was new material.

True stories likely drawn from the notes he had left behind, testimony from the people around him, and surviving records.

[What do you think? Do you like Japan?]

Lee Myeong Eun asked her husband as he quietly played in the practice room.

He nodded and drank a glass of nonalcoholic wine.

His playing became much more cheerful.

[I like the fans here.]

Sun Myeongju spoke as he played the piano.

[Maybe settling here as a performer wouldn’t be so bad. I could live here for as long as the performances continue.]

The fans smiled at the sight of the genius artist finding happiness in the knowledge that people appreciated his music.

That only made them more curious.

Then why did he end up going to the United States?

They wanted to know what had truly happened behind the scenes at the time.

All they knew in fragments was that Sun Myeongju’s music had begun receiving a response in the United States, so he had left.

But no one knew the exact reason.

He had departed Japan without giving any special interview.

As though answering that question, the film’s atmosphere changed.

[…What?]

A dark hand reached toward Sun Myeongju.

[The performance was canceled? Who’s taking the slot from the canceled show?]

No name was directly mentioned in the film.

Only the circumstances were shown.

[I heard it was canceled again.]

[…What?]

Someone subtly pressured venues into canceling Sun Myeongju’s performances whenever he had one scheduled.

[Sun. About your upcoming radio appearance. I’d like you to go on with someone else.]

[Can’t I appear alone?]

[You came from Korea, so perhaps you still don’t fully understand how things work here. But in Japan, life can become quite difficult if you refuse to compromise. I hope you’ll understand that.]

There was a figure who tried to attach himself to every appearance Sun Myeongju made.

Everyone could think of the same person.

That bastard.

A man who had attempted to promote himself alongside the suddenly emerging genius and manufacture an image of genius versus genius.

The film also portrayed the musicians and the atmosphere within the industry that had ostracized Sun Myeongju at the time, centering around Hashimoto Kenji.

Insidious exclusion.

Relentless obsession.

The industry figures had been friendly at first, only to reveal unmistakable malice once a Korean achieved success and received enormous love.

Their behavior was portrayed so realistically that even the Japanese audience swallowed hard.

Only then did they understand why he had left.

[The United States…….]

Sun Myeongju and Lee Myeong Eun sat in their Japanese home, staring at tickets to the United States and thinking for a long time.

[Should ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) we at least hold a farewell performance before we leave?]

[We should.]

But even the farewell performance fell through.

Sun Myeongju said he at least wanted to say goodbye to his fans, but even that was denied to him.

It was not an era when he could communicate with them over the internet as people did now, so Sun Myeongju headed to the airport alone and forlorn.

There, he merely sat before a piano on display and played a gentle melody.

[Someday… I hope I can return.]

After playing a song for his fans, Sun Myeongju departed without ceremony, and the setting shifted to New York.

As the couple arrived in New York and began dancing to lively music, the Japanese audience inexplicably stared down at the floor with blank expressions.

It was as though the film were telling them this.

-He did not leave. They drove him away.

Clench—

Fists tightened.

Flames began blazing in the eyes of Sun Myeongju’s fans.