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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Shadowman vs. Green Wing
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When April bloomed, the theaters were abuzz. Today, *Shadowman* and *Green Wing* were released.
"Mom! Dad! Hurry up!"
Seojun stood at the front door, a slime backpack on his shoulders, stomping his feet impatiently. Packing Seojun's snacks and belongings, Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun laughed at their son's urgency and quickly grabbed his jacket.
"Seojun, it's still cold from the late spring chill. Let's put this on."
"Okay."
Seojun obediently put on his jacket, but his feet were still marching in place. The couple couldn't help but burst out laughing at the urgency radiating from his entire body.
"Are you that excited?"
"Yeah! I'm in the movie!"
On March 10th, while they were still in the United States, Seojun's birthday party was held.
The two-year business trip to the US had been extended to four years due to circumstances at his father's company. They had worried it might be extended again, but thankfully, the assignment was finally coming to an end.
Since they would soon be leaving the US for Korea, they threw a party as a farewell, inviting the friends they had made in America.
In the midst of eating, playing, and chatting, Seo Eunhye received a call on her phone. It was Director Ryan Will.
Director Ryan confirmed Seojun's role and offered his congratulations. Seojun ran around cheering, earning a scolding from his mother, but the smiles never left the faces of Eunhye or anyone else. Everyone congratulated him and promised Seojun they would be sure to watch.
And so, after returning to Korea, time flew by in the blink of an eye as they unpacked, cleaned, and searched for a kindergarten for Seojun.
And today, *Shadowman* was finally released.
Since this morning, Seojun's eyes had been sparkling, and he hadn't moved from the front door for a second.
The couple had planned to go after the opening day, worried the crowds would be too much for Seojun. But ever since he saw the 'Marine Company ad,' he couldn't sit still, so they booked tickets for opening day well in advance.
"*Green Wing* might win! We have to go see it quickly."
"I can't believe that's what Nara meant."
Even in the elevator, Seo Eunhye shook her head, watching Seojun who, unable to run around, couldn't keep his upper body still for even a moment.
Seojun and his parents were shocked by the first 'Marine Company ad' they saw after returning to Korea.
It was an ad that depicted Marine Company's two hero movies, *Shadowman* and *Green Wing*, as if they were competing against each other.
Furthermore, the ad openly encouraged competition by allowing people to vote online with their movie tickets. On top of that, they announced a lottery to give away figurines of the respective heroes and other small prizes, causing the internet to buzz with excitement even before the movies were released.
From that moment on, Seojun grew anxious. He had been confident he could win the audition, but a movie versus a movie? He worried about how Director Ryan had edited it.
'If the [Illusion of the Smiling Mushroom] worked, there's no way he would have cut it, but…'
Seojun recalled Director Ryan Will's impassive face after filming ended. He had patted his head and said he did well, but did he really mean it? Seojun nervously shook his leg.
The elevator reached the first floor, and the family headed to the nearest movie theater. It was the largest one in the neighborhood.
The inside of the theater was bustling with people. People here, people there. Having never seen so many people before, Seojun tightly held his parents' hands.
"Should we watch *Green Wing*?"
Even amid the chaos, those words struck Seojun's ears like an arrow. He pouted. After that, all he could hear was talk about *Green Wing*. Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun kept turning their heads as well.
"This promotion is something else."
"I know, right? It was chaos when we heard Redbone got into a car accident."
From the subway station exit, the entire street was covered in promotions for the Marine Company movies. Im Yiyeon nodded in agreement with her friend, Park Sunga, who sounded fed up.
Back then, it was like a war had broken out. Fans sending video messages wishing Redbone a speedy recovery were just the beginning; social media was flooded with fans declaring they wouldn't watch the movie if it wasn't Redbone.
News reports even covered the not-so-joking terror threats posted on social media.
Im Yiyeon pulled their reserved tickets from the kiosk. The tickets for *Green Wing* were sold out, so she had booked *Shadowman*. It didn't matter, since they planned to watch both movies anyway.
"Still, Marine is Marine. To create this much buzz with a competitive setup…"
"I'd probably watch both too. Two rookie directors, a famous character, and an unknown character."
"I bet *Green Wing* will win, right?"
"Definitely. The director for *Green Wing* has won a lot of awards."
The two of them picked up a pamphlet from the display and opened it.
It seemed Marine Company had framed the promotion for both films as a showdown, as a single pamphlet promoted *Green Wing* on the left and *Shadowman* on the right.
The green of *Green Wing* and the black of *Shadowman*.
Below that were the directors' filmographies. The list of awards for the *Green Wing* director was certainly longer.
"It is strange. Usually, for a matchup like this, they'd pair the famous character with the unknown director and the unknown character with the famous director, just to keep things fair, you know?"
"That's true. This setup makes it look like *Shadowman* is guaranteed to lose."
Indeed, while Im Yiyeon already knew about Green Wing, she had only learned of Shadowman's existence when the movie was announced.
After a moment of thought, Park Sunga spoke.
"Or, maybe they're playing on people's psychology."
"People's psychology?"
The people who had come to grab pamphlets were now listening in on their conversation. Seojun, who had picked up a *Shadowman* poster, also perked up his ears.
"You know. When one side seems certain to lose, people tend to root for the weaker one. The underdog."
"Ah, that could be it."
"Well, whatever. They know what they're doing. It's Marine."
"By the way, when is *Redbone 2* coming out?"
"Probably in the summer, aiming for the summer break."
The two, who had been chatting idly, turned around. At that, the people who had been eavesdropping also averted their gazes and pretended to go about their business.
It wasn't just Park Sunga and Im Yiyeon. The theater was filled with people who seemed to have come for the Marine Company films, and the air was thick with talk about them.
Two movies from the same studio. Calling it the showdown of the century and what not, everyone flocked to the theater as if they were cold-hearted film critics, ready to cast their votes.
"As expected, a lot of people are here for *Green Wing*."
"*Green Wing* is popular, after all."
"I'm gonna watch *Shadowman*! Underdog!"
"Where did you learn a word like that?"
The couple laughed at Seojun's words. Seojun looked at the movie ticket his mom gave him. *Shadowman*, Theater 3. He turned his head,
"Mom, it's Theater 3!"
Seojun, who could now read numbers well, spotted the number 3 written on the wall. With pounding hearts, the family stepped inside Theater 3.
"Wow, *Green Wing* was insane."
"I know, right? The world felt like it was moving in slow motion. I thought time had stopped for me."
The screening for *Green Wing* ended first. As the audience filed out, each person shared their impressions.
"The timing of the background music was incredible. Whenever Green Wing landed a punch on a villain, there was a *boom!* right at the moment of impact. It was like the music itself was hitting you. It wasn't even 4D, but it felt like it!"
Some were already planning to see it again, while others shook their heads, saying it wasn't as good as they expected. But even they couldn't help but nod at the spectacular visuals, muttering, "That's Marine for you."
"Is it because it's crowded? The line isn't moving."
"This theater is always like this. It's a pain to get out."
As the large crowd from *Green Wing* slowly made its way down in a long line, the screening for *Shadowman* ended.
The doors to Theater 3 opened. People came out, but not very many. A theater employee who had seen *Shadowman* in a pre-screening shouted loudly with a look of 'it can't be helped' on his face. His voice was loud enough for the *Green Wing* audience descending nearby to hear.
"The screening for *Shadowman* has ended. Please gather your belongings and exit. Tissues are available here at the front."
Just as the employee had said, there were several boxes of tissues next to him.
The *Green Wing* audience was puzzled. *Shadowman* was the Marine Company movie competing against *Green Wing*.
It was supposed to be a thrilling superhero movie, so why the tissues?
As soon as the employee finished speaking, a person emerged. He had come to see *Shadowman* alone and was sobbing so hard he hadn't even realized the doors had opened.
"*Sob*. E-excuse me… *sniffle*… can I have… a tissue…"
"Yes. Here you are."
"Thank… *sob*… you…"
Following him, the rest of the audience came out. A portion of those who had watched *Shadowman* were bursting into tears. It was only about ten percent of the audience, but they were sobbing so loudly that they stood out.
Some took tissues as they cried, while others were being supported by their friends as they left. The friends looked bewildered.
"Hey, why are you crying so much?"
"Will… William was just so pitiful…"
"I mean, I thought he was pitiful too, but… is it really something to cry this much over?"
Im Yiyeon was shedding tears nonstop.
"Hey, you're embarrassing me."
Park Sunga quickly grabbed some tissues from the box next to the employee and gave them to Im Yiyeon. Even as she wiped her tears with them, Im Yiyeon continued to cry.
Even after Im Yiyeon left, moviegoers continued to emerge from Theater 3, where *Shadowman* had been screened, crying intermittently.
People of all ages and genders were crying. The *Green Wing* audience stared intently at the *Shadowman* audience.
What on earth was this movie? The audience members who had been satisfied with *Green Wing* grew curious. Some were already on their phones, booking tickets for the next showing of *Shadowman*.
"*Waaaaah.*"
Seojun burst into tears. Sitting next to him, Lee Minjun and Seo Eunhye wore complex expressions as they got tissues to wipe his tears. Held in his father's arms, Seojun blew his nose loudly into a tissue his mom handed him.
"William… is so… pitiful…"
"Hey, how can you cry watching yourself, Seojun?"
Lee Minjun lifted Seojun from his seat and held him.
"But… he's so pitiful… *waaaah*."
Seojun buried his face in his father's shoulder. Although the small amount of mana he possessed offered little resistance, the effect of the [Illusion of the Smiling Mushroom - Low Grade], which could make even its owner cry, was immense.
"Seojun. Look over there. Your name is coming up."
"*Waaah*? My name?"
Seeing her son crying so much, Seo Eunhye quickly changed the subject. Just then, as the *Shadowman* OST played, the names of the production company, actors, and staff began to scroll up the blackened screen.
Among them, the name SEOJUN LEE appeared in fairly large letters.
Tears blurred his vision, but Seojun saw it clearly.
[SEOJUN LEE]
The pure white letters seemed to sparkle. Though tears continued to stream down his face, Seojun couldn't take his eyes off his name as it slowly scrolled up.
Meanwhile, the internet was going wild with reviews of *Shadowman*.
#
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