Chapter 46: This Will Definitely Work
“Long time no see!”
“It has, hasn’t it? How have you been?”
“I was so insanely busy, but now I can finally catch a break. I missed the little ones so much. Gong-tan, come here.”
As soon as Hong Seul-gi spread her arms, Gong-tan, as if he’d been waiting, jumped right into her embrace.
Jealous… No, I wasn’t… and no, I’m not sulking either, but hey, I’m supposed to be the owner, and yet this disloyal little kitten…
Even with our busy schedules, we made it a point to meet up like this from time to time.
Of course, the main reason for these gatherings was our cats.
Over time, the suffocating awkwardness from our early meetings had significantly faded, and we were now able to have comfortable conversations.
“Even while filming, I couldn’t stop thinking about the little ones. I missed them so much, I thought I’d die! Oh, Gong-tan, that tickles!”
When Gong-tan licked her white neck, Hong Seul-gi burst into giggles and showered him with kisses.
I couldn’t help but pay attention to her latest project since it was closely related to me as well.
“So, how was the atmosphere like on set?”
Hong Seul-gi beamed at my question.
“It was so~ so amazing! Honestly, it might be the best out of everything I’ve worked on so far. The senior actors were all great, and the atmosphere on set was fantastic. But most of all, Director Jeong… his passion is just… wow. Because of him, the actors couldn’t help but focus even more on their performances.”
“As long as the post-production goes well, the movie should turn out great.”
“Don’t even get me started! From what I’ve heard, Director Jeong has been so engrossed in the editing process that he hasn’t been eating. People are worried he’ll collapse if he keeps going like this.”
As she stroked Gong-tan’s sleek back, Hong Seul-gi shook her head in disbelief.
“Why would he go that far? There’s still some time left, right?”
“That’s what I said! But Director Jeong keeps mumbling about how he can’t disappoint the investor who did him a favor so great, he wouldn’t be able to repay it in a lifetime… It’s almost obsessive. I’m starting to wonder what’s really going on… Could he have taken out a private loan or something?”
“A loan… shark? I don’t think so.”
“Huh?”
“Hahaha, no matter how desperate he is, do you really think he’d borrow money from a loan shark?”
“Well, yeah, but I’m still worried about his health. I heard he lost 7 kilos while working on this project… The investor must be putting a lot of pressure on him. Otherwise, why push himself so hard?”
I felt wronged.
I didn’t do anything.
I just cheered him on without thinking too much about it.
While filming ‘Nemesis’, Director Jeong Dae-yoon had a lot on his mind.
Whenever he was stressed, he’d call me and vent about everything, but how much of it did I really understand?
All I did was go along with it, saying things like, ‘You’re the best!’, ‘You can do it!’, ‘There are trials, but never failures!’ I just kept throwing out encouraging words like that.
After venting as much as he could, Director Jeong Dae-yoon would suddenly act like he’d found a solution, thank me in a rush, and hang up.
“There’s no one around, so should we go for a walk? I think these little kittens would enjoy it too.”
“Oh, should we?”
Hong Seul-gi smiled brightly and nodded at my suggestion.
Could she really like my black cats that much?
I grabbed Yeon-tan’s neon leash while Hong Seul-gi held Gong-tan’s pink one.
If any paparazzi spotted us, they’d probably lose their minds, but this was a place where no one could enter unless they were residents. Plus, it was late, so no one else was around.
“It’s so fascinating. How do your cats like to walk this much?”
“I honestly thought all cats were like this. They keep bringing me their leashes and whining to go for walks. It’s unbelievable, really.”
“Oh my, that must be so adorable!”
“That’s not even half of it. Now, they’ve figured out how to turn on the shower by themselves. I’ve never taught them, so where did they even learn that?”
“Oh wow, that sounds absolutely adorable too!”
I had the feeling our conversation wasn’t quite connecting.
“Sometimes, I feel like I’m just their temporary caretaker, and you’re their real owner, Seul-gi-ssi. Is that just my imagination?”
“Hahaha, no way. Don’t you feel it? How much do they love Dae-woon-ssi? They love you so much! It’s completely different for me.”
I tilted my head at her comment.
“What do you mean by different?”
“To them, I’m just a human they like. But with you, they think of you as real family—like their dad. Look at them right now.”
My gaze naturally followed hers, landing on my two proud and elegant cats walking ahead.
“See? They keep looking back at you every few steps. I’ve never seen a cat do that before. It shows just how much they care about you.”
“Hmm… do they, really?”
Sure enough, the two of them would walk a bit and then glance back, their gem-like eyes fixed on me with each turn.
“My little ones…”
A wave of deep emotion hit me unexpectedly.
I had thought they only saw me as the guy who feeds them.
I should probably treat them to some Churu when we get home.
We wrapped up our walk after a couple of laps around the rooftop garden.
It was time for us to part ways.
Just as I was about to take the pink leash from Hong Seul-gi and say goodbye…
Hong Seul-gi, looking a bit hesitant, pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to me.
“Um… here.”
In her slender fingers was a white envelope.
I looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“They’re tickets to the Nemesis’s premiere. You’ve always let me see your cats, and… I wanted to give you something as a thank you.”
“Oh… well, thank you.”
Sure, Director Jeong Dae-yoon was probably going to give me a bunch of tickets anyway, but I couldn’t help feeling better about receiving them from the lead actress herself. There’s something about that personal touch.
I bowed my head in gratitude and took the tickets from her.
“There are two tickets, so if you have a girlfriend, you could bring her along…”
“I don’t have one.”
“Or… someone you’re seeing…”
“I’m not seeing anyone.”
“Well, you could come by yourself if you’d like.”
“I’ll do that.”
And with that, we said our goodbyes, parting ways as we headed down from the rooftop.
Yongsan I ‘Park Mall, CCV.
The long-awaited day of the ‘Nemesis’ premiere had finally arrived.
“Whew… I’m not even in this movie, so why am I so nervous?”
It was a big day for me as well.
Most of my liquid assets had been poured into this important investment.
Although I trusted its success, it was impossible not to feel a bit anxious.
If, by any chance, the movie flopped, I’d be facing some serious losses.
“So far, the reviews aren’t bad…”
The film was off to a good start.
During the press screening for movie critics, it received rave reviews, building strong anticipation.
The screening I was invited to was the VIP premiere—a gathering exclusively for famous figures from various fields.
Because of that, there were numerous reporters surrounding the photo wall, armed with camera lenses as big as cannons.
After confirming my identity at the ticket booth, I picked up my tickets and entered the theater.
I’d heard there would be a lot of famous celebrities, but it was too dark to recognize anyone.
Not that I cared much about celebrities anyway, so I simply found my seat and settled in.
A little while later—
“Owoo! Hong Seul-gi!!”
“Oh my God. Nam Jung-hyeok is so handsome!”
Cheers erupted as the cast members entered for the stage greeting. First up was Director Jeong Dae-yoon.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Jeong Dae-yoon, the director of ‘Nemesis’. It’s nice to meet you.”
Clap clap clap clap
“It took exactly 10 years to reach this point. Although ‘Nemesis’ is my first commercial film, it’s actually a project I’ve been working on for eight years. I’ve put in endless effort to refine it and make it the best film it could be. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you.”
Then the cast members introduced themselves and their roles.
As expected, when it was Hong Seul-gi’s turn to take the mic, the audience went wild.
“Hello, I’m Hong Seul-gi, and I play the role of Baek Ah-ri in ‘Nemesis’. This film is going to be a very special one in my acting career. Every actor involved gave their all with sincerity, and we did our best to create something great. I hope you enjoy watching it.”
With the brief greetings concluded, the cast left the stage, and the movie began.
I’m not just watching the film as a simple audience member, I watched the film from a business perspective—as the movie’s biggest investor.
But by the time the film ended.
I was back in the shoes of an ordinary audience member.
“Wow… holy sh—…”
I couldn’t help but swear under my breath.
This movie was insane.
There was no other word that could describe it.
From Hong Seul-gi’s powerful entrance that oozes charisma in her first scene to the villains’ mere performances that made my blood boil just watching them—it was beyond groundbreaking.
It was overwhelming.
Even someone like me, who doesn’t know much about filmmaking, could feel the immense effort and thought that must have gone into capturing the realistic action scenes and immersive atmosphere.
“I thought she was just a cat lover… but wow, an actor is truly an actor.”
And of course, the most impressive was none other than Hong Seul-gi herself.
Having spent most of her career playing innocent and delicate roles since her child actor days, there had been widespread doubt about whether she could convincingly portray Baek Ah-ri, a character who was the complete opposite—bold, brash, and driven by revenge.
But after watching the film, all those doubts melted away like snow in the sun.
“There’s nothing innocent about this… she’s a freaking revenge-crazed killer.”
It was hard to believe that this was the same Hong Seul-gi, who had been the epitome of purity and grace. Without a flicker of hesitation, she threw herself into the role of a madwoman consumed by a singular obsession—revenge. She nailed it, flawlessly delivering a performance of someone who had sacrificed everything in pursuit of vengeance.
“I didn’t even realize two hours had passed.”
The breathtaking cinematography, the suffocatingly intense acting, and the relentless action left no room for any stray thoughts. It was total immersion from start to finish.
I looked around.
Even as the credits rolled, most of the audience remained glued to their seats, unable to shake off the powerful emotions the film had left them with.
As I watched the ending credits scroll across the screen, a familiar name suddenly caught my eye.
<The Credits>
[Co-Investor: Song Dae-woon…………….]
“Ah…”
How could I possibly express this overwhelming sense of pride in words?
Seeing my name, in bold letters, at the top of the credits for such an incredible film felt entirely different from any other investment I had made before.
“This is definitely going to be huge.”
After watching the movie directly, any lingering anxieties I had disappeared completely.
There was no way this movie could fail. The direction was insane, and the acting? Even more so.
The audience, slowly recovering from the emotional whirlwind of the film, started to leave the theater one by one.
“This movie is unbelievable.”
“Wow… Hong Seul-gi. I’m seeing her in a whole new light. She’s an incredible actress.”
“I need to write a review on my blog right away. This is a must-watch film. Everyone has to see this.”
Normally, the chatter of people would be irritating, but today, their voices sounded like the sweet melody of an orchestra.
Bzzz. Bzzz.
I felt my phone buzzing roughly in my pocket and picked it up.
[Director Jeong Dae-yoon]
“Yes, Director-nim 1(Gamdok-nim) (In Korean, 감독 (gamdok) specifically refers to a “director” in the context of creative fields like movies, TV shows, or sports teams, where they oversee the production or performance)?”
— “President-nim, did you enjoy the movie?”
“Of course! I was so engrossed I didn’t realize time had passed. This movie is going to be a hit. You really outdid yourself.”
— “Hahaha, hearing that from you finally puts my mind at ease. Oh, by the way, do you have any plans for later today?”
“Me? No, not really… I was just planning to head home, grab something to eat, and relax after watching the movie.”
— “In that case, would you be able to join us for a wrap-up dinner tonight?”
“Dinner?”
— “Yes, we’re having a small gathering with the cast to celebrate finishing the stage greetings. We’d love for you to join us.”
A dinner, huh?
I figured it wouldn’t hurt to go.
“What’s on the menu?”
— “Hanwoo 2(premium Korean beef).”
“I’ll be there.”
The moment I heard ‘hanwoo’ any hesitation disappeared.
— “I’ll send you the address right away.”
And just like that, I found myself invited to the ‘Nemesis’ team’s wrap-up dinner.
Ding.
A notification popped up a moment later. I checked my phone.
“Huh…? This address looks familiar…”
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