Chapter 75. The Movie "Master Plan" (2)

Beep—

"It comes to 8,700 won in total. Please insert your card in front."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Guksujeol, with a haggard face and sunken eyes, looking every bit like a jobless man who had failed in business, put the snacks and soju from the counter into a plastic bag and left the convenience store.

Sighing and lamenting his fate, Guksujeol trudged along and entered a shabby motel room.

At that moment, tense music began to build up, and the camera captured Guksujeol entering the room with an uneasy angle.

In the audience, Jung Su-yeon recalled the scene at the beginning of the movie where Guksujeol had opened the door at home and shouted inwardly.

'No! Don’t go in!'

The music reached its climax, and as Guksujeol turned on the light, a man was lying on the bed.

"Is that you? Guksujeol, who made the request?"

Pierre Choi, the hired fixer, was lying on the bed, eating the leftover snacks from yesterday.

"Phew."

A sigh of relief echoed from the audience.

On the other hand, Guksujeol, inside the screen, was startled by the sight of Pierre Choi.

"Mom! I almost had a heart attack."

Guksujeol, a large man, clutched his heart and leaned against the wall, which made the audience burst into laughter.

"You look like a bear... Where are the kids you're going to drop?"

Pierre Choi, looking at him disdainfully, delivered a dry line, which again made the audience laugh.

Holding the doorknob as if ready to run at any moment, Guksujeol raised his eyebrows and asked cautiously.

"Are you Pierre Choi?"

"Who else would it be? This cheap motel room doesn’t even have a chair. Lie down here."

Pierre Choi, in a playful manner, patted the space next to him and lay down seductively. Guksujeol, feeling awkward, finally sat at the edge of the bed.

The contrast between Pierre Choi's playful demeanor and Guksujeol's pitiful appearance elicited continuous, gentle laughter from the audience.

Ryu Yeon-woo and Ma Seok-do, playing Pierre Choi and Guksujeol, delivered their lines with such chemistry that it broke the tension and turned the mood into a light-hearted one, making the audience, who had been emotionally invested from the beginning, feel more relaxed.

Yu Gang-jin, a famous film critic and journalist for Cineplan, nodded as he watched the movie.

'This is why Ryu Yeon-woo's appearance was delayed. The tension was built up from the perspective of a commoner with something to protect, and then he appeared at the climax. Indeed, it's Director Park Chan-hong.'

On the screen, Pierre Choi naturally took the convenience store bag from Guksujeol, took out the snacks, and said,

"Let's wait while eating some snacks. I called some professionals. Who will come first, the deer?"

"The deer?"

Pierre Choi, smiling and eating a snack, his face close-up, seemed to evoke the first scene of his appearance.

Yu Gang-jin, the critic, marveled at the screen where Ryu Yeon-woo appeared.

'Even if we consider Director Park Chan-hong, the charisma of this actor is on another level. It's difficult to maintain the tension and focus on one point, but he has a presence that can dominate the entire film.'

Meanwhile, the experts Pierre had called started to arrive one by one, filling the small motel room.

"Pierre, why did you gather us in such a place? Ugh, it's dirty."

"Hey, old man from the junk shop. You've put on some weight. You look perfect with a hammer. Dwarf."

"You seem to have lost more hair since I last saw you. Can't you draw hair?"

The infiltrator, seducer, and actor, 'Deer'.

The information gatherer and tech expert, 'Junk Shop'.

The installation artist and makeup artist, 'Picasso'.

And the planner, Pierre Choi.

'Deer' Jennifer was complaining, while the others were busy greeting each other after a long time. Guksujeol, sitting awkwardly at the edge of the bed, added to the laughter.

Pierre Choi got up from the bed, picked up a briefcase in the corner of the room, and took out a sketchbook that looked like it belonged to a kindergartener.

"Everyone, pay attention."

As Pierre Choi placed the sketchbook on the bed, everyone stopped talking and focused.

The camera captured a pink children's sketchbook with a princess character, which made the audience burst into laughter.

"Ah, why does this guy have such peculiar tastes?"

Jennifer shook her head. Pierre Choi, smiling at her, turned to the first page of the sketchbook.

Despite its appearance, the sketchbook contained a densely packed operation briefing with attached photos and data.

"Let's try to make it a big game."

This was the line from the end of the trailer.

Following this, the fast-paced music and the scenes of Pierre Choi explaining the plan and the members discussing and refining it quickly unfolded.

Whenever Jennifer, with her alluring red lipstick and perfect appearance, appeared, the male audience members swallowed hard. When Pierre, with his rolled-up shirt sleeves and visible muscles, appeared, the female audience members blushed.

At that moment, Guksujeol, glancing at Jennifer, asked Pierre Choi,

"Is it because your eyes look like a deer that everyone calls you that?"

"No, it's because I melt men's hearts."

Seeing the two talking about her, Jennifer, who habitually sent a seductive smile, suddenly looked bewildered.

"Here we go again. Another lame joke... It's not funny, Pierre."

"Hehe. I find it funny. Melt, melt."

Picasso, sketching the faces needed for the operation on a smart pad, chuckled.

The members then left the motel and began their respective tasks.

Son Jin-wook, also watching the movie, was deeply engaged.

'Yeon-woo's acting has really improved. It's embarrassing to compare it to his first drama. And So-hyun's transformation is impressive. It's completely different from her usual roles. This movie is interesting. The small motel room leading to the outside world must be a way to expand the movie's universe. Indeed, it's Director Park Chan-hong.'

Nodding, Son Jin-wook predicted the box office success of the movie.

'Conservatively, four million... No, if the second half is good, it could reach six million.'

Although he didn't know how the second half would unfold, the content so far was interesting, and the characters were vivid and lively.

The movie then unfolded smoothly, leaving the audience breathless.

"Isn't it, hello. Meeting you here, senior!"

"Hmm? Do I know you?"

"I'm Kim Ji-hoon from the 59th batch. I met you at the last alumni meeting and greeted you."

"Oh, was that it?"

Pierre, playing the role of a natural, approached the loyalist, Mr. Koo, and recorded his voice.

"Hmm, is this not how it's done? Why is there no power in my swing?"

"Miss, let me show you?"

"Oh, that would be great. I've learned, but it's not working well?"

Jennifer, using the pretext of golf practice, naturally approached Park Kang-woo and switched the SIM card.

Watching this on a monitor in a small warehouse, Manager Kim Min-su, who had been quietly watching the movie, felt an indescribable thrill, reminiscent of a prize-winning game.

'It feels like I contributed to the filming, which is satisfying.'

The screen then showed the other members.

"Hey, put that over there. Have you finished recruiting people? No amateurs. Only reliable people."

"Yes, sir. We only called professionals who have worked with us before."

The team members of 'Junk Shop' were busy setting up the stage and recruiting con artists.

At that moment, Picasso, frowning, held up some dishes.

"Old man, you said not to use cheap dishes. Let's use Norwegian ones. Norwegian."

"Hey, are these Norwegian?"

"Of course. I know. I tested them."

'Junk Shop' shook his head and moved to fix something else.

"Whatever. I bought them from the market nearby. Norwegian, my ass."

Despite their bickering, 'Junk Shop' and Picasso transformed the old factory into a perfect party venue.

As the movie progressed, the audience's curiosity grew.

This was also true for the film critic, Ju Ye-wool.

'I understand they are conning Park Kang-woo, but what are they preparing for? Can they move that old chairman? No, then there's no need for Ryu Yeon-woo to secretly get the voice sample.'

Pierre Choi, using a modified voice, successfully lured Park Kang-woo by pretending to be Mr. Koo.

The screen then showed the day of the final confrontation, with Park Kang-woo arriving at the fake party venue.

Entering the party hall through the grand entrance and the high marble stairs,

"Oh, I thought you were a golf pro?"

"No, the lady from that golf course?"

Jennifer, pretending to meet him by chance for the second time, acted as Yoo Chae-yeon and began to control Park Kang-woo.

Unaware of this, Park Kang-woo, as time passed, drank more champagne and became more talkative.

At that moment, Pierre Choi appeared on the screen.

"Hey, damn it... What is this?!"

"Sorry, I'm new to such places, so I was looking around."

Following the plan, Pierre Choi bumped into Park Kang-woo and provoked him.

Seeing the endlessly humble expression of Ryu Yeon-woo on the screen, the fan club manager, Lee Jin-ah, was surprised.

'My actor can make such expressions?'

The characters in "Summer Wardrobe" and "Stars Beyond the River" were more similar than expected.

A rich young man who initially treats the female lead with a cold attitude but later realizes his feelings, a cliché character.

'These expressions can't be found in Cha Woo-ju and Seo Hee-han. It's so surprising.'

Lee Jin-ah, who had watched all of Ryu Yeon-woo's appearances multiple times, was amazed and felt chills as she saw new faces and expressions in every scene from the moment Pierre Choi appeared.

The next scene showed Park Kang-woo grabbing Pierre Choi by the collar and dragging him to the bathroom.

In this scene, Jennifer and Pierre Choi exchanged glances, and Pierre Choi, while being dragged, playfully made faces to avoid Park Kang-woo's gaze.

Watching this, Director Park Chan-hong and Ryu Yeon-woo thought,

'This scene aimed for one specific image...'

It seemed their worry was unfounded, as the many audience members in the theater, seeing Yeon-woo, thought the same thing.

Pierre, not just because of his name, but with his slightly red, makeup-applied nose and his mischievous, ever-changing expressions, was a mix of playful and scary.

He was like a clown, 'Pierrot'.

In the next scene, Park Kang-woo, grabbing Pierre Choi by the collar, turned a corner and was hit with a club, falling to the ground. The screen then went black.

At the same time, question marks appeared in the minds of all the audience members.

'What is this? They went through all this trouble to con him and then knock him out? Then they could have just kidnapped him from the beginning.'