Chapter 1152: The Warmest Season, Winter (24)

Capitalism ruled the world.

Under the logic of capital in the twenty-first century, the most important principle could be summed up as: go where the money is.

In that regard, the first to notice the shift were the theater chains across North America.

“The trend for Sound of the Sun is strange. Usually, around this point, the graph should either slope gradually downward or fall off sharply, but it’s actually rising.”

“That really is strange. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Normally, once a film entered its second week, the graph began to slope downward.

Instead, this one was climbing.

It could not be explained simply by saying word of mouth was good.

The people who ran theaters knew perfectly well why a movie succeeded.

Because people are enjoying it.

The movie was simply good.

“It’s rising in its second week. At this rate, there’s a chance the numbers could increase even further in the third and fourth weeks.”

“Hmmm. Shall we add a few more screens and see what happens?”

The theaters increased the number of screens showing Sound of the Sun.

To their surprise, they sold out immediately.

“Then let’s add just a few more….”

Another sellout!

The eyes of every theater operator in North America lit up.

This makes money!

And so, the number of screens, which had been small at first, began increasing exponentially.

When the tide came in, they had to row.

“The music is receiving tremendous praise. Why don’t we open sing-along screenings?”

“Excellent. Put it into effect immediately.”

As theaters continued rowing with everything from sing-along screenings, where audiences could sing along with the songs, the film’s audience numbers began rising rapidly.

The figures astonished everyone involved.

-“The Winter Sun Rises Late”: Sound of the Sun Shows Unprecedented Box Office Growth Beginning in Its Second Week

Just as one Hollywood reporter had written, it truly resembled a sun rising late in winter.

A film that had initially received little attention had suddenly become one of the hottest movies around.

Experts offered all kinds of analyses of the phenomenon.

[From my perspective, this movie’s success was entirely predictable. Who is the superstar currently sweeping the world with Overcook?]

[NewBlack.]

[Seventeen million. They drew an incredible seventeen million viewers to a livestream. No film studio could ever accomplish something like that.]

One expert claimed the film succeeded because of NewBlack.

[You can view it as the convergence of three factors: the movie’s entertainment value, the soundtrack, and the sing-along screenings.]

Another expert analytically presented his own explanation for the movie’s success.

A hundred experts each expounded on why the film had done so well.

And none of them forgot to add one final remark.

[From the moment I saw it in theaters, I predicted this movie would be a success.]

No one pointed out that this differed from what they had said during Sound of the Sun’s first week.

Yet regardless of what the experts said, the general public knew perfectly well why the movie was succeeding.

-SoS was the best movie I watched this year. I really think it’s a film for people like me, who have encountered countless walls throughout their lives. I hope everyone can feel the same sense of healing I did.

-“Being different doesn’t mean being wrong”… That’s true. We shine like a radiant sun.

-The reason I like Like The Sun among the movie’s songs is that it doesn’t feel like it heals me. It feels like it fills me completely.

The reason Sound of the Sun had become explosively popular.

The movie was entertaining, of course, but more importantly, audiences accepted its story as though it were their own.

Korean viewers had watched it as the life story of someone who felt like a national hero, while American audiences were deeply affected by the film’s depiction of discrimination and the struggle against it.

It feels like my story.

The film showed all kinds of people blocked by invisible walls at every turning point in life.

Gender, religion, social status, and more.

Audiences became fascinated by Sun Myungju and Lee Myungeun as they broke through those barriers and moved forward, and they laughed or cried at the stories of the vividly individual jazz musicians around them.

In other words, because viewers projected themselves into the film, the response could only be intense.

Countless personal stories poured in.

-This gave me courage. I’m going to prepare myself to say goodbye to what has oppressed and tormented me.

-I was mocked so much for my appearance ever since I was in school, so I really related to Robinson’s story in the movie. But just like the film said, I think the person who continued tormenting me in the end wasn’t those cruel kids from back then. It was me.

-I’m so happy I got to watch this film in a theater.

With truly great songs, people did not merely leave comments saying the vocals were good or offering technical evaluations. Instead, their own stories poured out.

In the same way, the soundtracks from Sound of the Sun were filled with comments from people who related to the film’s themes.

And then—

The audiences who had become so deeply immersed in the movie naturally grew interested in what had happened in real life.

“What the hell?”

North American viewers searching to find out how much of the movie had been based on true events were taken aback.

It was all true?

Even scenes that had horrified them while watching the movie had archival footage plainly available on MyTube.

One clip showed a comedian hosting a banquet filled with distinguished guests and making a joke at Sun Myungju’s expense.

[Hahaha! Now this is fascinating.]

[What is?]

[The fact that you’re tapping on a piano instead of a calculator.]

It was a rude remark based on the stereotype that Asians were good at calculations and therefore went into fields like accounting.

While the white people around them laughed, Sun Myungju and his wife’s expressions visibly hardened.

At the time, it had been the kind of comment people simply laughed off.

Was he insane?!

Under normal circumstances, even if Asians objected, netizens might have reacted with, “Come on, why are you being so sensitive over something like that?”

But having just watched the movie, they were now so emotionally invested that it felt personal.

Naturally, criticism began pouring down on those who had tormented Sun Myungju at the time.

-Quasimoto! I’ve come for your head!!

-Hashimoto, my friend… If you’re going to insult someone, at least get the name right.

-But why was Sun Myungju discriminated against like that in Japan? Aren’t they from similar regions?

The first target was Genji Hashimoto in Japan, where the movie had not yet been released, followed by the jazz musicians who had discriminated against Sun Myungju in the film.

As outraged viewers rushed to their social media accounts, the people involved began offering explanations one by one.

[Honestly, the movie exaggerated things.]

Some claimed it had been exaggerated and said they knew nothing about it.

[I cannot let this pass. I intend to file a lawsuit against the film.]

Others were even willing to pursue legal action.

At first, those involved tried to smooth things over that way.

But once they realized the atmosphere had turned hostile, they gradually began changing their attitudes.

[…Although this is extremely late, I would like to apologize to Sun Myungju, Lee Myungeun, and their son Wooju for the hurt they must have suffered.]

The insincere apologies only drew further criticism, and the people involved began making their social media accounts private or fleeing altogether.

Meanwhile, as the film’s audience continued to grow, the music industry became the next target of concentrated fire.

[None.]

The shocking caption that had appeared at the end of the film.

Everyone had been stunned to learn that a man who had lived such a brilliant life had not received so much as a commonplace plaque of appreciation.

-How does someone accomplish that much and not receive a single award???

-The musicians who claim to love art are the ugliest of all. You don’t love art.

-Give the award to the badass sun! Give the award to the badass sun! Give the award to the badass sun! Give the award to the badass sun! Give the award to the badass sun! Give the award to the badass sun! Give the award to the badass sun!

-My sun… We’ll give you the award.

-Everyone in the theater groaned when that caption appeared at the end.

The film’s success was only beginning, so the pressure had not yet reached its peak, but something was already starting to weigh on the music industry.

-Sun Myungju, the Life of an Overlooked Musician

The media showed signs of slowly gearing up.

In particular, established media outlets hostile toward the current administration were using Sound of the Sun’s story as material.

[The occupant of the White House absolutely needs to watch this movie. Of course, I’m not sure whether he has the patience to sit through a two-hour film.]

[…This is not merely the story of some foreign pianist. It is the story of all of us. Anyone can watch this film and relate to it.]

The recurring season of, “Oh… we discriminated too much against Asians too! Sorry!” had also returned.

And while the music industry swallowed hard and watched the situation unfold—

The box office success of Sound of the Sun, now truly taking off in North America, brought NewBlack an unexpected gift.

“So that tiny, adorable baby in the movie was Sunny?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. He was such a little baby…….”

The gift was that NewBlack had gained a narrative.

Compared to other celebrities who had found success in North America, NewBlack’s greatest weakness was that they lacked a story.

Moonlight, for instance, was firmly associated in people’s minds with the story of succeeding through an audition program.

But NewBlack?

-How did NewBlack become successful?

-Uh… because they had a lot of fans?

In Korea, they had the story of becoming the nation’s idols, but here, NewBlack had no success story.

They had simply entered the market.

However, because of Sound of the Sun, audiences now perceived Sun Myungju as a kind of prequel to the person Sun Wooju would become.

The son of that man from back then became a singer in America…….

The son of someone who had once shone brilliantly in this country had become a singer and was carrying on his father’s legacy.

That narrative completed itself naturally in the minds of those who had seen the movie.

No one had intended it, but NewBlack was being given exactly what they had needed most.

While Sound of the Sun continued leaving a powerful impression on countless people—

“Hmmm.”

There were those watching the situation with great interest.

People in the film industry.

“Even after watching it again, it’s incredible. How did he arrange this?”

“Do you know Tom Jones? He’s a friend of mine who works as a musical producer on Broadway. He said he couldn’t even guess how this was arranged.”

“Really?”

“This guy seems talented. I looked into his career, and it’s impressive. Thousand Dreams was his work too.”

Film music professionals began taking an interest in Wooju’s compositional ability, which had stood out tremendously in the soundtrack.

“…I think there’s money in this.”

“We could make quite a bit if we sold it as a musical, couldn’t we?”

Businesspeople tried to use Sound of the Sun’s success to create all kinds of new revenue streams.

And finally….

“Look at NewBlack’s fans. You could say they account for a significant share of Sound of the Sun’s current success. They’re voluntarily promoting it on their own and watching the movie multiple times. Their star isn’t even in it. It’s a movie about his father.”

“Oh?”

“What if a member of NewBlack appeared in one of our films? Suppose actors like Jiho or Wooju joined the cast….”

“!!”

The industry executives’ mental calculators began spinning rapidly.

“Hehehehehehe!”

Our youngest baby laughed triumphantly like a cartoon brat.

His stomach was thrust out as he giggled.

“Hehehehehehehehe! Wooju.”

“Yes, Lord Jiho.”

“What did I tell you!!?! I said!! We should wait!! And see! Hahahahahaha!!!”

“You were absolutely right, Lord Jiho.”

“See? I told you it would succeed.”

I nodded.

“You did. They say it’ll soon pass one hundred million dollars in the United States.”

“Hahahaha! See wha— Huh? What? How much?”

“They think it’ll pass one hundred million dollars.”

Jiho blinked and asked,

“Doesn’t a movie have to pass ten million admissions in Korea to reach a hundred million dollars?”

“Movie tickets must be more expensive over there.”

“…….”

“Amazing country, anyway.”

The movie was performing so strongly in North America that even our youngest, who knew films well, was stunned.

It truly was a mysterious thing.

Only a week earlier, we had been saying, “It failed. It’s over.”

Now, we were startled by how overwhelmingly successful it had become.

“Look at this. Father’s face is on CNN’s main page.”

“Really?”

I smiled as I took a screenshot of the page Ri Hyuk showed me.

I was so happy it hardly felt real.

Whenever news arrived about Sound of the Sun’s North American success, the younger members found it, captured it, shared it, and laughed together with delight.

Biju said,

“It doesn’t seem quite as huge as it was in Korea, but it must still be incredibly popular in the United States. I want to feel that popularity on site.”

“Me too.”

Since the news was coming from across the ocean, we could only look at the revenue figures and say, “Wow!”

It did not feel real.

No.

It had not felt real.

Not until Seokhwan called me over.

“We’ve received some scheduling requests, but… well…….”

“?”

“There are a lot.”

The TF team leader, who normally would not blink at any amount of scheduling, looked exhausted.

There was a stack of

★ ★

proposals large enough to form a bundle.

I reached out with both hands and accepted it.

“First, these are proposals related to film soundtracks.”

“Oh.”

At a glance, the proposals were remarkably varied.

One came from a famous animation studio preparing a new release for next year, asking whether I would consider handling the soundtrack.

A famous director wanted to collaborate with me on the soundtrack for a new film.

Others wanted to use NewBlack through motion capture in their animated project.

I did not particularly want to do any of them, but it still felt good to be recognized.

“Here. Take more.”

Seokhwan handed me another stack of documents.

“These are business proposals for Sound of the Sun. First, there’s a musical proposal.”

“A musical sounds good.”

“There’s also a drama adaptation proposal. It came from a major streaming platform. They want to turn the stories that couldn’t be fully covered in Sound of the Sun into a drama and explore them further.”

“That one’s a little questionable….”

“This is only Silver Screen sounding us out, but they asked whether there was any interest in making a sequel.”

“A… sequel?”

Had I misheard him?

I asked in confusion,

“How would there be a sequel?”

“About your life.”

“…….”

“Don’t worry. I turned it down. I think Silver Screen is getting carried away because the movie’s numbers are so good.”

As he said that, Seokhwan placed another stack of documents on top.

“These are emails from American talk shows. The movie has so much momentum right now that they seem to want to invite you and Lee Gyeonwoo back and hear more from both of you. These might actually be worth considering.”

“Okay.”

The number of documents he handed me was making my arms heavy.

I thought I had trained myself fairly well at the gym, but even my arms were beginning to ache.

“Why are you still holding all of those?”

“Because you keep giving them to me.”

I placed the stack of documents on the table as I said that.

“There’s more?”

“Yeah.”

Then came the most important matter.

A stack of papers that looked larger than all the others.

“These are acting offers that came in for you guys, including you and Jiho.”

“Acting offers?”

“Some are asking whether you’d be interested in making a cameo in their films. Others are offering minor roles. A few places offered supporting roles to you and Jiho. One independent film director who won an award at a famous film festival even sent a proposal asking whether you’d consider taking the lead role, but…….”

“Oh.”

“He’s famous for flirting with the actors he casts.”

“Then absolutely not.”

In any case, acting offers for us appeared to have increased dramatically.

Seeing them made me smile.

Seokhwan grinned and nodded.

“Transparent, right?”

“Like a glass bead.”

It was obvious what had motivated them.

-He speaks English and can act… Huh? This guy’s fandom is incredibly powerful. He might help the movie succeed.

I smiled and said,

“I’ll look through them with the others. But Jiho and I probably can’t appear in any of them.”

“Right.”

Jiho already had two films to shoot, and I had agreed to appear in a superhero movie this time.

Perhaps because that topic had come up, Seokhwan said, “Ah,” turned his chair, and pulled out the most important document.

“This is actually why I called you. A new proposal came from Director John Edwards of Guardians 2, the film you’re appearing in. It seems to be because of Sound of the Sun’s success….”

“What is it?”

“You know post-credit scenes, right? The kind that appear in another superhero movie to tease something before the film’s release.”

“Yeah.”

“He wants to know whether you’d be interested in filming a post-credit scene with you as the central character.”