Chapter 8
The Muse That Can Never Be Close
“Mirror Match” entered the US box office at number one, setting a monumental record.
Usually, the top ranks of the box office are occupied by animations that can be watched with children or series films.
This time, similar works were also released in large numbers, but they failed to gain traction and fell flat. In that gap, “Mirror Match” rose up and achieved the feat of reaching first place. Despite being a genre-specific crime film, it surpassed the break-even point on the second day of release, heralding the birth of a blockbuster hit.
Even Mitchell, who was seasoned in Hollywood, said it was an unexpected result. The film was better made than expected, and the results spoke for themselves in the rankings.
“Hmph, they just got lucky.”
Director Hugo Turner was displeased with the success of “Mirror Match”. It was because his junior McKenney had directed it, and Bae Geon-woo, whom he had disparaged, had starred in it.
He couldn’t help but feel twisted inside, seeing a work he had hoped would fail rise to the top of the box office. It was especially so as it was two days before the release of his own film, “Space 9”.
“With Mitchell as the lead, it would be stupid not to achieve that much. Right?”
Hugo spent all day venting his complaints and irritation. He insulted McKenney’s timidity and belittled Bae Geon-woo’s status.
He treated their efforts as insignificant, saying anyone could achieve such results with Mitchell, a guaranteed box office draw.
The assistant director of “Space 9”, sitting right next to Hugo, initially agreed, but as time passed, he grew increasingly tired. He thought he had become immune to this as it wasn’t a one or two-day thing, but this time it was a bit severe.
His heart was pounding, worried that Hugo’s voice might be heard by those around them. Of all places, this was a dinner gathering organized by Seimon for those who participated in this film project.
All the staff from both “Space 9” and “Mirror Match” were gathered. Since the two films would inevitably be compared once “Space 9” was released, someone suggested meeting before the results of the later release came out, which is why today’s gathering was arranged.
“Did you see the fighting scene at Mitchell’s house? I don’t know why they filmed it that way. If it were me, I would have broken it down scene by scene. Maybe it’s because the director is still a rookie. I almost walked out in the middle of the movie. Tsk. Disappointing.”
Such talk should be done in private, but Hugo was the type of person who spoke rudely regardless of who was around. There weren’t many people yet as they had arrived early.
It wasn’t a formal event, just a simple gathering. Although it was just a fancy meal, almost everyone who had participated in the project showed up.
Hugo had been reluctant to come but decided to show his face after Brandon suggested he should make an appearance.
However, he didn’t see Brandon, whom he had been waiting for, and instead met two people he didn’t want to encounter. McKenney and Bae Geon-woo.
“How have you been, Director?”
“Hello, it’s been a while.”
When McKenney greeted Hugo, Geon-woo followed suit. They showed polite behavior but didn’t soften their stern expressions. Even the perceptive Hugo knew that much. After all, he had done something to Geon-woo at the audition.
“Didn’t Mitchell come?”
Hugo asked McKenney after finishing their handshake. There was no response or handshake for Geon-woo.
“He had a pre-scheduled appointment. He said he’d come if time allows, but it’s not certain.”
“I see.”
Geon-woo was about to sit at a different table after briefly greeting Hugo. McKenney was the same. They knew they made each other uncomfortable. Especially since Hugo had just blatantly ignored Geon-woo, they shouldn’t get too close.
“Hello!”
Just as they were about to turn away after a brief conversation, an unexpected figure appeared. It was Malik, who was good at making his presence known everywhere.
“It’s even more delightful to see you here. Let’s all sit down and have a meal together.”
Malik forcibly pushed McKenney and Geon-woo to sit at Hugo’s table. With few seats left, the rest of the group sat at other tables, and only Geon-woo’s new manager sat next to him. Thus, all eight seats at the round table were filled.
“Director Hugo, it’s the first time since the movie was scrapped, right?”
Malik asked Hugo. He was supposed to be the lead in “Space 9” but had dropped out, and for the same reason, he wasn’t on particularly good terms with Director Hugo.
Geon-woo listened with one ear and let it go out the other as Malik made frivolous jokes and Hugo bristled defensively.
He checked his phone whenever he had a chance. He was only waiting for Mitchell’s contact. Mitchell had said this morning that he would come not too late if nothing special came up, and that he would make sure nothing special came up, so it should be so.
“But how did Geon-woo snag the lead role? After getting cut from our movie, you went straight to audition for McKenney, right? Come to think of it, Geon-woo is the most impressive.”
It was an incredibly rude remark. Even as the surroundings became noisy with people gathering, silence fell over Geon-woo’s table. Even the talkative Malik glanced at Geon-woo.
“Ah, I’m so absentminded.”
Geon-woo, who had been looking at Hugo, picked up his water glass and took a sip.
“I forgot to give separate thanks to Director Hugo. Thanks to you, I was able to appear in ‘Mirror Match’. Co-starring with Mitchell, and debuting in Hollywood at number one in the box office. Not everyone can do this. Thank you so much, Director.”
Do you like grinding slowly? Or do you prefer being trampled and buried?
Geon-woo spoke with the minimum courtesy possible in this situation. He wanted to curse, but he held back because of Director McKenney, who was fidgeting uncomfortably. No, he held back for Mitchell’s sake.
Anyway, “Space 9” was produced by Seimon, and if Hugo’s reputation worsened, it would be a loss for Seimon too.
Of course, Geon-woo was the only one who thought he had held back. Hugo, feeling ignored, couldn’t control his fiery temper and shouted.
“But why is there only this kind of food here?”
Ridiculously, the answer wasn’t directed at Geon-woo. He suddenly got angry at the assistant director sitting next to him and insulted the food.
Only the main dish, steak, was brought by servers. For the rest, food was placed on the table for everyone to help themselves.
There was a wide variety of food, but more than half was Asian cuisine, specifically Korean.
“Well… these kinds of foods are popular these days. And they’re delicious.”
The assistant director mumbled an appropriate answer, but Hugo complained about the food, almost throwing his fork. This was the same person who had been emptying his plate just fine before Geon-woo arrived. The assistant director could only sigh heavily inside.
“I guess the chef here came all the way from Asia, dreaming of the American Dream.”
Hugo, wiping his mouth with a napkin, spat out a meaningful remark.
“That chef must know they need to play in good waters. But how did they become the chef of a good restaurant with such skills? Ah, I see. They parachuted in. Can’t ignore connections. I don’t know how it feels to succeed by latching onto one person, but seeing how brazen they are, I guess they didn’t go all the way. All the way. Huh?”
The assistant director, involuntarily drawn into the conversation, continued with a pale face.
“All the way…?”
“Yeah. All the way. The chef here didn’t give this to secure their position. Just like someone.”
He made a gesture implying sexual favors and glanced at Geon-woo. Since everyone knew the rumors surrounding Geon-woo and Mitchell, they all understood Hugo’s words and actions.
“No. Maybe they did go all the way.”
“Ahem, Director.”
The first to react to the crossing of the line was not Geon-woo, but McKenney.
“I’d like to congratulate you in advance on the release of ‘Space 9’.”
Starting with kind words, he continued in a gentle voice.
“You cast the lead roles yourself, right?”
“Of course.”
“I did too. As you know, various media outlets are full of praise for Geon-woo’s outstanding acting skills. And Geon-woo was the first person cast in ‘Mirror Match’. He was in the lead role even before Seimon took on the production. Before Mitchell.”
After finishing his words, McKenney made eye contact with another man sitting on the opposite side.
“Do you understand?”
That man was a reporter from a famous newspaper, and what McKenney had just said was information not yet known to the world. The reporter, who had been given consecutive story materials, nodded quickly.
Of course, the tension between Geon-woo and Hugo was tempting, but somehow it seemed that couldn’t be written as an article. It was obvious it would be cut out by Seimon if written.
“Excuse me.”
At that awkward moment, Geon-woo’s manager, who had been sitting next to him, left early saying he had some business to attend to. In that gap, someone else returned from the bathroom. With people coming and going beside the table, the atmosphere became busier than before. The frozen atmosphere also thawed a little.
Amidst all this, there was one person who had been unaffected from start to finish. It was Geon-woo.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
