Chapter 66

66. Movie Premiere

The game of flipping palms.

Two people face each other, placing their palms on a desk or the floor, and take turns attacking and defending by slapping the back of the other's hand.

When the attacker flips their palm, if the defender flips their palm in the same direction, they are hit.

The rules varied slightly from neighborhood to neighborhood, but there was one common result everywhere.

At some point, one person would keep getting hit.

Myung-tae didn't really have the heart to seriously hit or torment his much younger brother, Si-woo.

If he did, he would only make Ha-yoon hate him even more.

He just wanted to tease him a little.

However—

Three minutes into the game.

Myung-tae was gritting his teeth and fuming.

In front of the other kids and his crush, Ha-yoon, he was the only one getting hit continuously.

Si-woo's superhuman defensive skills had long shattered the self-respect of the elementary school big brother.

Myung-tae's eyes, which seemed ready to transform into a Super Saiyan from sheer anger, glared fiercely at Si-woo.

Si-woo met his gaze with a smirk.

Thwack!

Si-woo's palms flipped like lightning.

To Myung-tae, the entire scene played out in slow motion.

'I can see it! I can see it!'

Following what he saw, Myung-tae also flipped his palms like lightning.

He should have flipped the other hand, but he flipped the same hand as Si-woo.

'Ah—!'

Si-woo's hands sprang up from the floor.

Smack!

A sharp impact sound erupted from the backs of Myung-tae's hands.

Si-woo's hands, returning to their original position, tapped the floor twice.

Thump thump!

Myung-tae couldn't react to what happened in the blink of an eye.

Si-woo's hands came up again.

This time, it was two hits.

Five-year-olds shouldn't have such stinging hands!

No, before that...

How could he be so good at this game!

Feeling the numbing pain from his hands, Myung-tae thought it was a good thing he didn't teach Si-woo the five-hit and ten-hit attacks.

It was fortunate that he only taught Si-woo the simple rules because he was too young.

If he hadn't—

Then, a third-grade boy watching the match said to Si-woo.

"Si-woo, if you put your hand like this between Myung-tae's hands, it's five hits. And if you swipe your hand over the back of Myung-tae's hands like this, it's ten hits..."

Myung-tae, who was playing the game with Si-woo, jumped up from his seat.

He yelled at the older boy who was teaching him something he shouldn't.

"Don't say it—!"

After that, Myung-tae kept getting hit.

Even though Si-woo was controlling his strength, it still hurt.

"Brother, let's stop now~"

"No way! Why stop! Hurry up!"

Despite the pain, the tears welling up, and the urge to stop, he couldn't.

Just one hit.

He desperately wanted to land just one hit.

But the chance to attack never came.

Si-woo, thinking this could go on forever, decided to take one hit.

It wasn't his intention from the start, but he ended up hitting too much.

How could he be so bad at this...

Thwack!

Si-woo deliberately made a mistake, giving the attack turn to Myung-tae.

'Just one light hit and it's over.'

At that moment, flames of anger shot from Myung-tae's eyes.

It was his chance for revenge after getting hit dozens of times.

Though he had been blocked by Si-woo's impenetrable defense, he couldn't afford to fail this attack.

Carefully.

Don't be greedy.

He didn't ask for much.

Just one hit would do.

Myung-tae, without moving his palms, stared intently at Si-woo's hands.

Si-woo, seeing Myung-tae's face, couldn't help but smile.

The second-grade boy, who was getting worked up for a girl he liked, was just too funny and cute.

Then,

Myung-tae's palms flipped.

A full-force attack—!

Si-woo, who had decided to take the hit, missed the timing to follow along while laughing.

"..."

"Is it my turn again now?"

"Si-woo..."

"Yeah?"

"Let's stop..."

"..."

Although he couldn't believe it, Myung-tae was crying.

* * *

The first day of April.

The movie "In the Name of God," featuring the box office guarantee of director Choi Min-cheol and lead actor Ha Seung-seok, premiered.

The film, which was Choi Min-cheol's first foray into fantasy and Ha Seung-seok's bold acting transformation, immediately sparked significant buzz upon its release.

Exactly 15 days after its premiere, "In the Name of God" hit 10 million admissions.

With a break-even point of 7 million, it still had a long way to go to be considered a blockbuster, but it was smoothly on the path to success.

After finishing a drama and taking a month-long vacation in Europe, screenwriter No Jin-hee was organizing her manuscript in her office, which she hadn't visited in a long time.

She had scribbled down various ideas in Europe, but perhaps because she was drained after completing her previous work, she didn't have much to show for it.

"Phew... well-made. Well-made. That damn well-made."

She had written two well-received but polarizing dramas, which had significantly reduced her market value.

Well-made dramas that satisfied the few but not the many.

Clearly flawed dramas that were widely watched.

Struggling daily with the balance between artistic and commercial value, she had hit a 5% rating in her last work, severely damaging her pride.

It was no longer the era where a writer's reputation or a lead actor's popularity could guarantee viewership.

The only thing that mattered was whether the drama itself was interesting or not.

Turning on her computer, No Jin-hee entered the entertainment section of a portal site.

Articles related to "In the Name of God" were everywhere.

No Jin-hee clicked her tongue.

"The whole world is into fantasy. Deep introspection and profound contemplation are disappearing, and all that's left are flashy, superficial things. Am I getting old, or is the world getting too young?"

She detested fantasy.

Feeling that when non-existent things take center stage, existing things get distorted, No Jin-hee clicked on the top-ranked article about "In the Name of God" breaking 10 million admissions.

As she scrolled down, comments appeared.

'Is there no one who shares my perspective? Do I need to change?'

However,

The top comment.

- King Yama is so cute!

The second top comment.

- Yama is such a good actor, and every time he appears, my heart is shattered ㅠㅠㅠㅠ And at the end... ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

The third top comment.

- I was disappointed that there weren't more scenes with Seung-hyun, but the chemistry with Han Yu-ri was good. I thought they were a couple in a past life ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I'll give a thumbs up to those who thought they were a couple.

And the latest comments continued.

- The best scene in the movie is when Yama bursts the evil spirits. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Yama's cute face and cruel actions... ㅋㅋ

- Ha Seung-seok is always the best. Han Yu-ri was good at the end, but her acting was inconsistent. Seung-hyun's battle scenes were amazing. Yama... I wanted to shout 'Babu-ya' while watching the movie. He really grew up beautifully. ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I'm so happy as an aunt.

- Is Yama six now? He was five when filming? How can he act so well? And Han Yu-ri, an actor who gets overshadowed by a five-year-old... At least she found her groove at the end, which was a relief. Honestly, I know she can't act, but I support her because she's cute.

- Babu-ya dance~ I do the Babu-ya dance when I'm angry. King Yama, please come to the comedy major league.

"Yama? Why are there so many comments about Yama? There are more comments about Yama than about the movie."

No Jin-hee, puzzled, searched for [In the Name of God Yama].

"Oh, this is the child from Director Lee Hong-kyun's 'The King's Path.'"

She recognized Si-woo's face.

"The King's Path" was a work she had found impressive.

But why was everyone making such a fuss about the child's acting?

He was only five when filming?

Could he even deliver lines properly?

It must have been a minor role, just a few lines and a brief appearance.

Looking at a photo of Si-woo in Yama's costume, No Jin-hee couldn't contain her curiosity.

She had been working on a traditional romance set in Rome during her trip to Europe, but it felt lacking and seemed like a rehash of outdated works like "Paris Lovers" or "Prague Lovers."

Just as director Lee Hong-kyun, a master of historical dramas, had ventured into fusion historical dramas with "The King's Path," she clearly needed some new changes.

"Maybe I should go see it."

It had been a long time since she last went to the cinema.

No Jin-hee, in her late forties, bought a ticket, sipped her coffee, and watched young people pass by before entering the theater.

Sitting down, she carefully held her popcorn, waiting for the lights to dim.

Soon,

The movie began.

The opening scene showed several evil spirits escaping from the underworld through a hole in hell.

No Jin-hee, with a mix of anticipation and resistance, focused on the fantasy and commercially-driven "In the Name of God."

Amid the chaos caused by the evil spirits' escape, a newly appointed underworld envoy, Ha Seung-seok, joins Ryu Seung-hyun's team, which acts like a military police unit in the underworld.

Laughter erupted from the audience as Seung-seok's rookie performance was shown.

While Seung-seok was going through the initiation, another underworld envoy appeared and shouted to Seung-hyun.

Seung-hyun asked.

Seung-hyun, Eui-sung, Yu-ri, and Jae-hoon, the existing team members, looked shocked.

The rookie Seung-seok's dazed voice was heard.

No Jin-hee chuckled at Seung-seok's facial expressions.

Laughing would mean losing.

The scene changed.

Finally,

It seemed the child Yama, whom No Jin-hee was curious about, was about to appear.

She knew this because...

"Ah!"

"He's here."

"Shh, shh."

Even before the scene started, there were slightly noisy voices around her.

'Hmm, he's just a kid. Duk-gu's acting was naturally cute because he's so adorable, but delivering lines and acting is a different matter. Let's see.'

The scene shifted to the center of the underworld, Yama's office.

Si-woo, sitting at a desk, flipped through a report with his small hands, then glared angrily at the busy underworld envoys in front of him.

The envoys were sweating profusely.

Si-woo's closed mouth opened.

No Jin-hee, eager to see what kind of performance the child would give, leaned forward, her heart pounding.

Despite the significant age difference, there was no awkwardness in his dialogue.

His eyes were piercing, conveying a clear sense of disdain that even reached the audience.

Si-woo hopped off his chair.

No Jin-hee realized then how young he was.

He was small and incredibly cute, like a five-year-old.

Then,

The small Si-woo, pacing in the center of the office, stomped his foot.

The floor where Si-woo stood cracked.

When Si-woo lifted his head, No Jin-hee, seeing his eyes, gasped in surprise.