chapter 155
155 – Unboxing (6)
Before Seo Eun-woo’s movie introduction, the atmosphere in the auditorium was very heated.
The final stage to mark the end and grand finale of the festival. This was because it ended with a movie made by the 927 author himself.
For reference, there is currently very little information known about the movies he made.
At most, the trailer has been released and the actors’ casting information.
However, as soon as the trailer and casting information were released, people’s expectations inevitably grew.
Actually, I expected Seol So-young to play the female protagonist to some extent.
Writer 927’s love for Seol So-young was so special that he included her in all of his works until now.
The problem was with the male protagonist.
I did not use a popular actor like Park Ha-joon, nor did I use an unknown actor whose name is not well known like I have done so far.
Simply, the author of 927 took on the role of the male protagonist.
Even without considering his age, his skills as a screenwriter were now out of the question. That’s why he usually doesn’t think about tackling what the story or directing will be like.
But such a genius has gone further and is now trying his hand at acting? In addition, Go Dong-bin, who was the director of photography for ‘Summer Without You,’ also left these meaningful words.
─The acting of the actor who played the male protagonist was quite impressive. In particular, when I filmed the ending scene, I was as amazed as I was when I first saw Soyoung.
Of course, with the addition of these testimonies, I think the expectations that were already overflowing are bound to grow even more.
This must be the same for the people currently in the main auditorium, so I was thinking that being here right now might be enjoying an incredible privilege.
And as expected, when Seo Eun-woo went on stage as the representative of ‘Summer Without You’, there was a huge response from everyone.
Seo Eun-woo looked a little embarrassed at this, but immediately corrected his expression and started giving information about the movie.
Meanwhile, there was someone watching closely from the second floor bleachers.
It was director Go Dong-bin who sat down with producer Na Young-jin today. And Na Young-jin, who noticed that Ko Dong-bin’s expression was not very good right next to him, asked him with a puzzled expression.
“Director Go. “You don’t look so good today.”
“I’m a little nervous.”
“Hmm? “It’s a bit new for someone who doesn’t usually feel nervous at all.”
“What… I think this can’t be helped. Don’t you, PD, know this too? “The movie Summer Without You is not a movie you can watch comfortably.”
“… ….”
Na Young-jin was silent at Go Dong-bin’s words.
Na Young-jin also sympathized with his words to some extent.
These two people have already confirmed the results of their works with the 927 author. That’s why I couldn’t be here with such peace of mind.
And while they were having that conversation, a video with a black background suddenly started playing on the stage screen.
Soon, the phrase ‘Production Studio Nmixx’ appeared in the very center of the screen, quietly announcing the start of the movie.
Summer without you begins with the appearance of a boy, Seo Eun-woo… No, in the movie, a boy called ‘Kang Ha-neul’ enters in front of a certain building.
That place was commonly called a charnel house, where the remains left after cremating the body were collected.
And Kang Ha-neul stopped when he saw a photo there.
A photo of a beautiful girl whose voice I can no longer hear or see again.
I don’t think it’s my mood that makes her face shine brighter in that photo today.
Kang Ha-neul slowly closed his eyes.
Then she remembered the bright girl she had last seen a week ago, and slowly her memories with the girl came back to her.
The screen turned black again, and soon Kang Ha-neul’s monologue came out.
─That’s how we started… ….
It was from the moment I accidentally found out about her death.
***
The movie starts… ….
Seo Eun-woo also returned to where the students were sitting and started watching the movie together.
She looked at the already completed results several times and checked them again and again.
But every time I see it, I get a strange feeling.
I think it’s probably because of the atmosphere of the movie.
Summer Without You starts off with a huge blow to the audience from the beginning.
Literally showing the causal relationship first with a predetermined ending.
However, at this point, the death of a girl will not have that big of an impact on the audience.
Nevertheless, the word ‘death’ was not a very light word.
It was such a heavy topic that it made me think a lot.
Yes. As the audience is feeling right now, the end of this story will definitely be a tragedy.
But at the same time, they probably feel that their narrative is not that heavy.
And the reason for this is because the personality of the female protagonist, Han Yeoreum, and the male protagonist, Kang Ha-neul, are completely opposite.
Although she knows the end of her life, she is always sunny and shows unpredictable directions, and at times, midsummer instantly evokes the atmosphere of the play with slightly strange thoughts.
On the other hand, Kang Ha-neul openly finds it annoying to go around with such a girl, and in the end, she pretends that she can’t win and gets carried away by Han Yeo-reum.
And in the process, the color of the river sky begins to gradually change to that of midsummer, and the presence of the river sky begins to change three-dimensionally.
For example, from an ordinary classmate to a somewhat unique classmate who likes alone time and is suspiciously close to Midsummer.
Of course, their relationship showed signs of becoming more than just friends in the climax scene.
Kang Haneul found it difficult to be honest with her own feelings, but on the contrary, she showed her greed and approached the person she liked first in midsummer.
In the beginning, it was already an ambiguous relationship that could be called ordinary friends, as the two of us went on trips for 2 days and 1 night together or went to an amusement park together wearing school uniforms.
And thanks to her bold action in midsummer, Kang Haneul also decided to make up her mind after her.
However, as time passes in the play and towards the latter part, the audience’s anxiety also increases.
At the end of their story, Midsummer was realizing that even at the happiest moment of her life, her death was getting closer.
But feeling that anxiety is only temporary.
Midsummer’s death does not end with the deadline being met, but rather comes really suddenly.
In the climax scene, he broke up with Kang Ha-neul and got caught up in a stabbing incident on his way back home.
At the beginning of the play, it is implied through the news that stabbing incidents are occurring frequently these days. While watching the story of Midsummer and the River Haneul, it was barely mentioned until the latter half of the work, so it was probably forgotten in people’s minds forever.
It was probably an unexpected ending, so if there was a twist, it was a twist.
Kang Ha-neul’s parents were also strangers who saw the reports of Midsummer’s damage, so they simply told Kang Ha-neul to be careful.
However, Kang Ha-neul receives a huge shock.
This also applies to the audience.
As we have been following her emotions through Kang Ha-neul’s gaze all this time, it will come as an even bigger shock because we know the story of Midsummer.
Like Kang Haneul’s parents, she is indifferent to the deaths of unknown people and immediately forgets them, but for Kang Haneul and her audience, the girl named Midreum was a very important person.
Therefore, she has no choice but to come to her with great sadness. There is no way I can continue to watch it in good condition. Some people may find it difficult to watch movies anymore.
But.
The movie has not yet reached its end.
The starting point is again.
Kang Ha-neul returns to the present when he visits the charnel house.
And there, Kang Haneul happened to encounter Midsummer’s mother and gave her something that was the last thing her daughter left behind.
It was the envelope containing the will.
For Han Yeoreum, wills were a truly daunting topic.
She couldn’t figure out what to write, and every time she looked at her will, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her situation.
This was a fact that Kang Ha-neul also knew well.
Someday.
She once confided in her heart that she had no idea what to write in her will.
And toward that midsummer, Kang Ha-neul said this.
─If you don’t want to write it down, just don’t write it down.
─Huh?
─With a will, you leave behind words that you cannot help but convey while you are alive. Then wouldn’t it be okay to just tell your parents and friends everything you want to say while you’re still alive? So that there are no regrets left behind.
Midreum couldn’t help but laugh at Kang Ha-neul’s words as if it wasn’t difficult at all.
Normally, she would have complained, saying that she spoke too simply because it was someone else’s business, but for some reason, Han Yeoreum did not say anything at that moment.
Of course, Kang Haneul thought it was no big deal and just ignored it. But Midsummer took her river Haneul’s words seriously, and she heard them directly from her mother.
─ The child who had always been telling her to be okay and not to worry suddenly burst into tears. She says she doesn’t want to die, it’s so unfair. She probably didn’t want to worry her. Because Summer had always been that kind of child, and she thought she was that kind of child.
─… ….
─And he said that it was all thanks to you that he was able to be honest. As Yeoreum’s parent, she really wanted to say thank you.
Next, Midreum’s mother said that she honestly told her classmates about her illness and her honest feelings before the summer vacation began.
Thanks to you, I instantly became a sea of tears.
─Ah, this will was left to you by Yeoreum. Of course, it’s a little disappointing, but we didn’t receive the will, saying we said everything we wanted to say.
That was the end of Midsummer’s conversation with her mother.
Kang Haneul, who was alone again, smiled bitterly as she looked at Midsummer’s will held lonely in her hand, and opened the envelope of her letter to read the last will she left behind.
So… ….
The summer without you has come to an end.