The bald man in his sixties with glasses, one of the foreigners in the group, had said to Director Ahn Gabok,
"Director, we would like to place the megaphone for our film in your hands."
In other words, they wanted him to direct it.
Director Ahn Gabok, his face lined with wrinkles, silently looked across at the foreigners seated opposite him.
"..."
His expression was firm and serious, his emotions tightly restrained. If one were to picture a towering, immovable figure, it would have matched him exactly. He carried the unmistakable air of a true veteran.
The team that had come with him, however, was different.
Unlike Ahn Gabok, the CEO and executives from his management company had excitement blazing in their eyes.
'We did it. Finally.'
'I can't believe the day has come when I'm seeing this with my own eyes.'
They were genuinely overwhelmed. Right in front of them, Hollywood was offering Director Ahn Gabok the chance to direct a film. Ahn Gabok was a legend of Korean cinema, a master who had carved his name into its history. With his hundredth film, he had won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and even before that, he had already left an enormous mark both at home and abroad.
But even for someone like Ahn Gabok, this moment was unprecedented.
In truth, it was rare in itself for an Asian director to take the megaphone in Hollywood. Even when it happened, it was only for a select few, and among them, there had never been a Korean director. Simply put, if Ahn Gabok accepted, he would become the first Korean director to do so.
It would be a monumental moment that would remain in Korean film history.
Ahn Gabok had already broken several records this year.
'For me to have come this far...'
This was one of the goals he had set for himself decades ago. But it had taken far too long. Toward the end, he had nearly given up. He had resigned himself to the thought that it was simply because he had not been good enough.
What was interesting was this.
'Since meeting Kang Woojin, that kid surpassed my decades-long career in just one year.'
After Woojin entered Director Ahn Gabok's life, everything had changed and turned upside down. Leech had been meant to be nothing more than a graceful final work. He had only wondered how far Kang Woojin's influence could reach. That was why Ahn Gabok had willingly taken on the role of a stepping stone. That alone had been his mindset.
And yet, strangely enough, it now felt as though his directing career was only beginning to bloom on a global scale.
'Is that boy my benefactor? The truth is, if it weren't for Mr. Kang Woojin, would Leech and I have received this much attention?'
From a broader perspective, it was true that both Kang Woojin and Ahn Gabok had helped each other. But if Kang Woojin had not played Park Haseong in Leech, this moment would never have come. At least, that was how Ahn Gabok saw it.
'Who else could have surpassed Park Haseong in that script?'
Because of Kang Woojin, Leech had shone several times brighter. After a brief moment of thought, Ahn Gabok shifted his gaze. The foreigners seated across from him, all the way up to major Hollywood figures, were staring at him. Normally, he would have welcomed that sort of attention without hesitation.
But veteran director Ahn Gabok forced down the heat that had briefly risen in him.
"Thank you for making me such an offer."
The idea of becoming the first Korean to direct a Hollywood film was certainly appealing, but Ahn Gabok believed he was too old to leap into something like that for that reason alone.
"But may I ask why you are making that offer to me? There are many excellent directors in Hollywood, aren't there?"
His question was conveyed to the foreigners across from him through the interpreter. The four foreign executives all wore relaxed smiles. The conference room where Ahn Gabok sat belonged to the executives of Columbia Studios, a Hollywood film production and distribution company.
Columbia Studios was one of Hollywood's Big Five.
It was obvious they had not approached him without thorough preparation.
Among the foreign executives, the bald man who looked to be in his sixties addressed Director Ahn Gabok.
"Of course there are many excellent directors in Hollywood. But the director we are looking for is not simply someone talented or accomplished. We need a director with sharp instincts and insight into society."
-Sss.
He placed two thick bundles of paper on the table.
"To be honest, we took your achievements at this year's Cannes Film Festival into consideration. Cannes is a prestigious and honorable festival, and what you accomplished there is not something that comes easily. Countless filmmakers praised you and Leech*, and that includes us. I also watched* Leech*."*
Soon, the two executives seated beside the bald man nodded, showing that they had also seen the film. That meant they too had attended Cannes.
"I couldn't take my eyes off it for even a moment. The moment I watched it, I knew you had to be the director of our project. The instant we got back, we started preparing. All of it was for the sake of casting you as the director."
After finishing, the bald foreign executive handed the two script bundles to Ahn Gabok.
"These are the official scripts. If you accept, a meeting with the producers will be arranged soon after."
Ahn Gabok, who had been listening quietly, lowered his gaze. He looked at the scripts. After flipping through them, he understood why there were two copies. One was the original English script, and the other was a Korean translation.
At that point, the bald foreigner spoke again.
"If you read them, you'll understand why we want you."
The treatment was impeccable. The fact that they had already translated the completed script into Korean, their respectful manner, and their detailed explanation regarding the director casting all proved it. At last, Ahn Gabok, his lips pressed together, spoke.
"...The Leech you couldn't take your eyes off wasn't made by me alone."
"Of course. You may bring your team with you as well."
"If I take the position, will I be allowed input in the casting?"
Taking Joseph Felton as an example, actor casting in Hollywood was generally the responsibility of executive producers rather than the director. But the bald man answered as if it were not a problem at all.
"There are considerable differences between the Korean and Hollywood production systems, but it is not entirely impossible for a director to be involved in casting. Of course, it would require agreement from the producers and the studio. The possibility is there."
"The one who elevated the quality of Leech was—"
"You mean Mr. Kang Woojin?"
"And I'm also curious about the actors who appeared in Leech*. In other words, I'd like to know how much freedom there is when it comes to casting actors."*
In simple terms, he was asking whether they were willing to cast Korean actors. In response, the bald man with glasses smiled calmly, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, and answered at once.
"Mr. Kang Woojin's name is already on our casting board."
──────────
Monday, November 1. Early morning.
October had ended, and November had begun. Before the sun had fully risen, the van carrying Kang Woojin was already heading toward Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province. It was on its way to the filming set of Beneficial Evil. A few of the stylists were half asleep, but Woojin sat expressionlessly, staring out the window.
Of course, that was only on the surface.
'My eyes feel like they're about to fall out. This won't do. I need to escape into the void for a bit.'
Today, too, his schedule was packed with filming from start to finish, with shooting set to continue late into the night. Just as Kang Woojin reached for the Beneficial Evil script nearby, the one with the swirling black square attached to it—
-Bzz, bzz.
His phone screen suddenly lit up with an incoming call. The caller was Director Ahn Gabok. Woojin tilted his head slightly with curiosity.
'The old man? No, Director Ahn? What could this be about?'
After clearing his throat lightly, Kang Woojin pressed the phone to his ear. His voice came out lower than usual, probably from fatigue.
"Hello, Director."
Ahn Gabok's seasoned voice came through the speaker.
"Yes. Can you talk right now?"
"Yes. Go ahead."
"I'm in LA right now. Ah, is it early morning over there in Korea? Were you asleep?"
Huh? LA? Director Ahn had gone to Hollywood? Woojin had heard nothing about it, but given how chaotic everything had been since Cannes, he understood quickly enough.
"No, I'm on the move. It's fine."
"There's something I'd like to ask you."
"Yes."
"Have you received any scripts from Hollywood recently?"
There had been several offers, like Jurassic Land 4, but those had already been rejected. Ah, but Joseph's project was still ongoing, wasn't it? Woojin answered,
"No. But discussions are in progress."
"I see. Then let me ask you one more thing."
"Yes."
"If you were to begin a Hollywood project, would you approach it with the same level of passion you've shown toward your domestic projects? In other words, would you be willing to work on more than one project at the same time?"
Woojin had heard about this from Choi Seonggeon before. The Hollywood system made it far easier to shoot multiple projects at once. But for Woojin, who could use the void space whenever he wished, going to Hollywood would not change anything.
"Of course."
A moment later, a faint laugh came from the other end of the line.
"I see. The more projects you have, the higher your chances of reaching the Academy Awards."
"..."
Then came the question that followed.
"Once I return to Korea, I'd like to see you first. Will you have the time?"
──────────
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles—
It was morning in Korea, but early afternoon in Los Angeles. Inside a five-star hotel room in LA, Director Ahn Gabok, having just finished his call with Kang Woojin, let out a low sigh and sat down on the sofa. His gaze settled on the two scripts he had received from the Columbia Studios executives.
"..."
After a short silence, Ahn Gabok suddenly recalled the meeting he had had with those executives. More precisely, he thought back to his conversation with the bald foreign executive.
It had started the moment Kang Woojin's name came up.
"All of the actors in Leech*, including Shim Hanho and Oh Heeryeong, were impressive. But the actor who intrigued us the most was Kang Woojin, who won Best Actor at Cannes. It was only natural for his name to be included on our casting board. In fact, I'm certain Hollywood is already competing to cast him."*
"..."
As Director Ahn slowly nodded in apparent approval, the bald man continued.
"But besides Mr. Kang Woojin, there are many actors on our casting board. Here, regardless of an actor's career or reputation, almost everyone goes through an audition. It's not to verify acting ability, but to see how well they fit the character. For that reason, we always conduct table reads and screen tests. I hope you understand that many actors go through this process before we choose the most suitable one."
Ahn Gabok knew very well how brutal the competition was among Hollywood's top actors. Screen tests were infamous for being demanding. Without question, many A-list Hollywood stars would have gone through that process.
'But that won't be a problem for Woojin.'
Firmly believing in Kang Woojin, Ahn Gabok had posed another question to the Columbia Studios executives.
"One more question. Is this film aiming for the Academy Awards?"
Once again, the answer came from the bald foreign man with glasses.
"To be frank, that is our ultimate goal."
Now, recalling that conversation, Director Ahn leaned back against the sofa and let out a deep sigh.
Then—
"Hm."
He gave a short hum. The offer to direct the project and his conversation with the Columbia executives had contained many important points, but the one that had left the strongest impression on him was the mention of the Academy Awards.
"I see."
Folding his arms out of habit, Ahn Gabok looked down at the two scripts placed in front of him.
"I can't say for certain that the Academy Awards were their ultimate target from the very beginning, but was this project designed from the start with a clear intention of aiming for them?"
The executives from Columbia Studios had definitely implied as much.
Hollywood films came in many forms, but aside from projects openly chasing commercial success and box office profit, most films seemed to be made with the Academy Awards somewhere in mind. Of course, there were also films created from the outset specifically to target the Oscars. These films tended to sacrifice some degree of mainstream appeal, yet in Hollywood, it was not uncommon for such projects to achieve unexpected success anyway.
In other words, Hollywood was unpredictable.
Judging from the freedom that seemed to have been granted to him and the conversation he had with the Columbia executives, Director Ahn Gabok believed there was a very high probability that this project had indeed been designed with the Academy Awards in mind. At the same time, completely shutting out mainstream audiences was not under consideration either. In the end, everything would depend on the director's capability.
The veteran director ran a hand across his wrinkled forehead.
"Haha. It feels as though, in the twilight of my career, I've been swept into some enormous vortex."
Ten years earlier, the blood in his veins would have been boiling with excitement. But the veteran director Ahn Gabok of the present was calm and composed. He had already spent a long time speaking with the Columbia executives, yet he still had not given them a definitive answer. Naturally, he would need to read the scripts first.
As he touched his wrinkled cheek, Ahn Gabok recalled the conversation he had just had with Kang Woojin only minutes ago.
"I've already laid some groundwork, but if this project doesn't satisfy me, there's no way that monstrous kid will see any value in it either."
Suddenly, he remembered the image of Kang Woojin when they had first met in Vietnam: cold, detached, and frighteningly rational. Kang Woojin had looked the legendary director Ahn Gabok straight in the eye and said that he had no interest in Cannes.
"He is strangely cold yet polite, but when it comes to acting and choosing projects, he is utterly merciless."
Regardless of a project's background or scale, if it failed to interest Kang Woojin, he would reject it without the slightest hesitation. Ahn Gabok knew that better than anyone.
That was why the scripts had to pass through Ahn Gabok's judgment first. Only after deciding whether he himself would take on the project could he confidently present it to Kang Woojin.
Unfolding his arms, Kang Woojin took one of the two scripts in hand. Naturally, he chose the Korean translation.
The title of the project was printed on the cover.
-Pierrot
About an hour later—
-Flap.
As Director Ahn Gabok read through the script for the film Pierrot, a smile spread across his wrinkled lips.
"If we're going to see Pierrot running wild in real life..."
His voice was full of certainty.
"Only that monster can pull this off."