Chapter 78

078. The Me I Convey (3)

"Phew, I can't stand the tension. How much longer is it going to be?"

M&ACT office.

CEO Kim Gwan-woo quietly came out and leaned against the partition with both arms.

The employee, who had been looking at the slightly bent partition with unease, turned his gaze to the wall clock given by the film festival.

"It's supposed to start at 6 PM... so there are about 4 hours left."

"Time really drags on. Still, the trailer was pretty impressive, right? Right?"

It was just a trailer, not the actual release, but it was still a matter of concern.

Because interest in the trailer directly translates to ticket sales.

That's why film companies go all out to produce high-quality trailers, even if they end up emptying the bag by using too many good scenes.

CEO Kim Gwan-woo, who asked with a nervous voice, was listened to by another employee, who scratched his shiny forehead and said,

"We think so too. Honestly, I don't think anyone said the trailer smelled like a flop. The problem is that the second trailer for the superhero movie we're competing against is getting such great reactions."

It was even better than the first trailer.

CEO Kim Gwan-woo ran his hand through his hair and frowned.

"Did they intentionally release it yesterday?"

"An American major film company? Because of us?"

"......Hmm. Maybe not. Still, they're despicable. How many trailers did they make anyway?"

The employees agreed with a nod, saying, "Yeah, that's true."

He turned his head to look at the clock again. There were about 3 hours and 50 minutes left until 6 PM.

Time was dragging on, but he was afraid to complain because the results might not be good.

The success of Yoon Jart, and the top star Han Se-kyung, along with Han Se-ho, who had become famous through the competition.

He was quite confident, but who could be the predetermined winner in this game?

"If only that movie hadn't appeared suddenly! Where would we get our buzz from?"

"Nothing has been released yet, so how can we get any buzz? Still, Han Se-kyung is supposed to promote it on a variety show next week, so let's look forward to that."

Yeah, that's our hope.

At that moment, the door behind the hopeful CEO Kim Gwan-woo opened, and an employee with a backpack came in. He had just returned from a meeting near his house and said urgently,

"CEO, did you see the second trailer for 'Cain' that came out yesterday? The scale was insane. They destroyed the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, everything!"

"......"

The employees gestured with their hands at the sight of CEO Kim Gwan-woo's face, which had lost all hope.

"But, but we have the Park-Song duo, Han Se-kyung, and Han Se-ho, our dream team. The dream team for a music movie."

"Ah, but they have it even better. The legendary director Peter, known for blockbusters, and Paul, famous for his action scenes, and the music by the Debra sisters. They have a Hollywood dream team... huh? Why? What?"

The employee's gaze wandered and finally landed on CEO Kim Gwan-woo's face.

"......Ahaha, I need to quickly summarize the meeting~."

"You this......"

The next scene was as predictable as fire, but then,

"Hey, look at this. Our soprano is trending on the real-time search list?"

"Suddenly? Why? Was the trailer already released?"

"No way."

CEO Kim Gwan-woo started fiddling with his phone, and the employees typed on their keyboards to find the cause.

"Um... it seems to be because of Se-ho. Se-ho is also trending. He did something, mentoring? A video of him performing with a student from Hwagwon Arts High School has been uploaded, and the reaction is... wow, it has over 500,000 views on YouTube in just one day. And Han Se-kyung commented, saying he's our composer. As expected, the media timing... "

"This is really a stroke of luck from heaven!"

Then the employee corrected with a happy laugh,

"Strictly speaking, it's Se-ho who is helping us."

#

The trailer for 'Soprano' was released on portal sites and YouTube.

According to Manager Kim Yoon-ju, the video of my performance at Hwagwon Arts High School acted like gasoline on a fire, quickly spreading and burning brightly.

The evidence was that my phone was ringing non-stop, even without checking the internet.

CEO Kim Gwan-woo of M&ACT called his father, boasting that the trailer had already surpassed 1 million views and hoping for similar box office numbers.

When he said it was all thanks to me, his father was at a loss for words, but his lips also curled up.

The following schedule was a series of interviews that had been planned long ago.

From a small magazine journalist to a large media company journalist, I met various people.

The questions were diverse, and naturally, there were many about 'Soprano'.

They mentioned that it was the first time a film composer in Korea had received such attention, and brought up the names of music directors like Hans Zimmer and Jerry Goldsmith, who are sometimes more famous than film directors or actors.

When asked if I wanted to be like them, I nodded calmly. It wasn't about wanting worldwide fame, but about wanting to continue making music even as I grow old, like they do.

In the midst of this, a journalist brought up this topic.

"Your fan club has quite a few members, right?"

Chung Moon-jeong, a journalist from Monthly Audience, asked.

"......I've heard from friends."

The fan club was called 'Han's Voice' or something like that, and it already had over 10,000 members.

I was grateful for their support, but I couldn't help feeling embarrassed.

"Still, it's a good thing."

"What is?"

"That you're still famous."

"......?"

When I looked at her with a puzzled expression, she stirred her coffee and said,

"After the competition, it's natural for interest to wane over time, just like many classical performers. It's not just in this field; sports stars are the same."

Chung Moon-jeong sipped her coffee and continued,

"But this time, I feel reassured. It seems you've moved into a different category, like figure skating, swimming, or soccer. Even if people don't recognize your face, they know your name."

"Is that so?"

I nodded, feeling relieved.

Not because my popularity hadn't waned, but because I had a role to play, as I had promised to Im Jin-gyu.

Chung Moon-jeong, who seemed to be about to start the interview, opened her notebook.

"Is there anything you hope for in the future? Of course, you want 'Soprano' to do well and the album to be successful?"

"That would be nice, but what I hope for the most is......"

I trailed off as if about to say something grand, but there was no need to think hard.

"An increase in interest in classical music itself."

"That's exactly what I hope for too. But."

Chung Moon-jeong smiled and typed on her keyboard.

"It seems possible when I see you."

#

"It's a pity that I could only observe your last class."

Behind the round glasses, deep-set eyes looked at me.

The principal of Hwagwon Arts High School, who had personally observed the final mentoring session, said with a regretful expression.

But that soon turned into a joyful laugh, spreading across his wrinkles.

"It was an interesting approach. When you played Mozart, you acted as if you really knew him well. When you played Paganini, you acted as if you had actually interacted with him. It's amazing that you already thought that such an attitude could change the performance. How did you come up with that idea?"

"Classical music today is called 're-enactment music.' While they are certainly great composers, if we keep them at a distance, it would be impossible to truly re-enact their music."

"That's a natural line of thought. You're not just a light in Korean classical music. I'm so disappointed. If I had known earlier that I had a friend like you, I would have tried to persuade you to come to our school myself."

"I'm grateful that you called me now. I was curious about what a preparatory school is like."

"Now, we're the ones who are grateful. To be honest, you've done a great job promoting the school."

The principal, who laughed heartily, looked at me with bright eyes and asked,

"By the way, this is just out of pure curiosity. ......Are you going to a famous overseas college, of course?"

"Ah, that's......"

It was a question I had been asked a few times by journalists recently.

And it was a decision I had made myself in response to Chairman Baek Han-gil's question in the past.

I have many great mentors who inspire me, including those who are not well-known. So, I didn't think studying abroad was necessary.

I even thought that college itself might not be necessary.

However, as with the competition, I began to wonder if I might have been wrong.

Because it's not just great mentors who can inspire.

It's something you can't know until you try.

But, even so.

"I don't think I'll go abroad."

I have no intention of studying abroad.

I didn't want to be away from my family for four years, not just a month or two.

I was afraid of that time.

Because I didn't know what might happen.

Like before.

"Can I ask why?"

"That's......"

I couldn't say it was my trauma, so I thought for a moment and chose an appropriate answer.

"Because I wanted to be close to home."

"???"

......Was that not appropriate?

The principal, who had been staring blankly, burst out laughing.

"Was it about commuting? Haha! There's no ordinary answer, really. You're just like the mentor who told our students not to play poker."

"A, poker......"

So that's what the principal had heard.

"The students felt you were very influential. Many of them wrote long essays in the course evaluations. So, it's even more disappointing. If there had been more time, there might have been even greater changes."

"I'm disappointed too."

As I nodded in agreement, I suddenly became curious.

"Those course evaluations. Can I see them?"

#

......After all the study sessions were over.

I finished the mentoring session and said goodbye to the students.

Fortunately, the students expressed the same feelings I was feeling.

"I'm disappointed!"

I smiled and tidied up the music stand I had used as a lectern.

Then, I looked at the students and said,

"I think we'll meet again. Maybe in a form like a field trip."

"Really? When?"

"Next year? I'm graduating!"

"Tell us when, and I'll prepare a lot of practice pieces!"

I smiled at their enthusiastic reactions.

The words they said brought back the content of the course evaluations, creating a pleasant resonance.

"I'll try to make it happen this year."

I had already proposed it to the principal and received a very positive response.

I had also contacted my father and easily received his permission.

This was my father's alma mater, after all.

I smiled at the students I would see again soon and added,

"Next time, let's meet in the studio."

"......!"

We parted ways with the promise to meet again when we were both busy with our respective tasks.

After that day, I shed the name of mentor and returned to being Han Se-ho, and sometimes Brinner.

The songs I uploaded to SoundCloud had piled up, and I was close to 100.

The tracks for my album, which had been sent to a mastering company, were nearing the final stages of post-production.

Time passed quickly, and I was so immersed in music that I didn't even notice.

When I came up for air, I realized the seasons had changed twice, and it was early winter, with thick coats still feeling unfamiliar.

Finally, the film 'Soprano' was unveiled.