Chapter 33
The Aftermath of Summer (1)

Im Ha-yeon.

After she graduated from High School of the Arts, she enrolled in the Department of Design at Korea University of Arts and Design.

Although she didn't have any major aspirations, she developed her design skills through various projects.

An unexpected inspiration struck her.

A play at the Daehak-ro that she accidentally discovered.

Im Ha-yeon, who tasted the depth of the performance at a gathering of youths, was completely captivated.

'....Wow.'

The first play she had ever seen gave her a new sense of vibrancy.

Although she had always loved movies and dramas, she had never been particularly interested in the theater stage.

The third day of the play was the first time she saw the actor.

『Wow, I got goosebumps...』

There was a sense of rawness to them that was completely different than when seen only on the screen.

And not just in terms of being a good actor, but beyond simply being able to perform.

『... is he an actor?』

『Are you saying that? Just by looking at it, it looks like they were recruited in advance.』

So naturally, she was very interested and eager to see it again. Unfortunately, she hadn't seen Charlotte's brother since then.

But it turns out he wasn't.

『What? Let's go see it one more time, you enjoyed it too......』

After some persistence, she found herself back at the theater, where he was once again on stage.

Lee Shinwoo.

The actor's performance had left an inseparable impression on her.

『You must be the actor Lee Shin-woo!』

She braved her embarrassment and managed to get his autograph.

『I've been watching you since you played that character Charlotte's brother, no, I've been a fan ever since!』

Even though she didn't know the actor's name at the time, she was confident that she had been a fan since that day.

As if that sentiment was conveyed, the warm actor thanked her for her positive reaction and expressed his gratitude.

The emotion hardly dwindled.

"That summer, you were there...."

It was as if every fiber in her body was clamoring for the opportunity.

She had to get it, no matter what. She'd preorder the ticket instantly,

There were no regrets.

'Im Ha-yeon?'

'Eh, yes...?'

The actor shook her hand warmly and said her name as if he was delighted to see her.

'It's so nice of you to come all the way to the movie.... thank you, Ha-yeon.'

In fact, he remembered Ha-yeon shyly asking for his autograph because she was a fan.

From the day after the movie.

As a senior on the verge of graduation, Im Ha-yeon has applied all the creative skills she's learned in art school.

In fact, she used everything to create a fan cafe.

Her painstakingly constructed website looks more artistic than any senior's graduation work seen in the past school years.

"Hey, Im Ha-yeon... Why do you look like that...?"

When they saw Ha-yeon come to school after such a big project, they were shocked.

Her disheveled appearance was literally beyond words.

In spite of this, Ha-yeon showed immense happiness.

The website was a work of art in itself.

Although it didn't have much content, so it wasn't much of a fan cafe yet, but at least it had surpassed other fan cafes in its appearance.

"Heh...."

Dazzled.

Or rather, mesmerized, before someone typed the name Lee Shinwoo into the search bar again.

A second time.

A third.

Soon, there were hundreds of people coming in.

This was just a precursor to fame.

A precursor to the immense fame of a rookie actor just starting out.

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Audiences who went to the movie theater without much preparation were greeted with an unexpected summer.

And every single one of them were shocked.

The aftermath of summer.

Those audiences who were deeply immersed could barely compose themselves after leaving the theater.

For those who had recovered their senses, the hidden questions suddenly surfaced.

The actors in the movie they just watched.

In particular, the identity of those who played the lead roles.

The first thing they searched for was the lead actor, Lee Shinwoo, and then they found out that the actress, Yoo Chae-rin, also lived in some kind of obscurity.

Of course, her career was not quite as extensive.

After gradually resolving their questions, some of the audience members even had thoughts they wouldn't normally consider.

'Should I watch it again?'

'I have to recommend this.'

These thoughts were soon realized one after another.

"Hey, did you say you're going on a movie date tomorrow, and have you decided what you're going to see?"

"Hehe, I saw a movie with Soojin yesterday. It was awesome, and it's called....."

The movie went viral and spread like wildfire.

The lingering impact of the movie.

It was like a strong wave, rippling in waves and surges. It was impossible to tell how it would end.

Soon, the public that was hit by the wave became a new audience.

And soon enough, they would create a new wave.

Less than a week later.

「Cumulative attendance: 218,000」

The movie was once again climbing frantically to higher heights.

It seemed like it was about to break through that plateau.

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Throughout the busy and exhausting week, the audience reviews kept improving.

Even the cast and crew members were increasingly getting better at their stage greetings.

Finally, they were able to conclude their stage greeting at the last theater.

Despite the repetitious routine, there wasn't the faintest sign of weariness.

On the contrary, everyone was fueled up by the festive atmosphere.

Everyone was ecstatic with the success of the movie.

Moreover, there was a lot of excitement in the reviews that came up when one simply searched for the movie name.

Among those comments, the one at the top immediately caught his eye.

★★★★★ 10

(Spectator) I went to see it alone and ended up crying... I was embarrassed in the middle, so I looked at the person next to me and they were crying too... │wlsl****│

♥ 196 ▼ 8

'Heh'

For some reason, his fingers moved in the heart symbol without realizing it.

In the meantime, there was a steady stream of good reviews in the review panel.

★★★★☆ 8

(Spectator) The overall impression is soothing yet the explosion at the end is amazing │oldb****│

♥ 152 ▼ 12

★★★★★ 10

(Spectator) I feel like my dormant love cells are being revived... But the reality is I'm single │pall****│

♥ 97 ▼ 5

There were also some different kinds of reviews written in between.

★★★★★ 10

(Spectator) Are the two of lead actors actually rookies?;; Their acting skills are crazy; It's been a long time since I've been so moved by a movie │niaj****│

♥ 33 ▼ 4

★★★★★ 10

(Spectator) I haven't seen such great actors in a long time, and I enjoyed the movie because of them│musa****│

♥ 25 ▼ 2

Of these, compliments were given to the director's mise-en-scene and cinematography, which captured the actors in a very realistic way.

In addition, the OST and the story were not left out.

*Tap!*

One comment stuck out like a sore thumb.

★★★★★ 10

(Spectator) Can I make a prediction about Lee Shinwoo? He's bound to become something big │shle****│

♥ 7 ▼ 2

His fingers unconsciously moved in the heart shape without thinking this second time.

Without the slightest notion of intent.

After tapping the button so quickly, a window popped up telling him it was a second attempt.

[already participated].

At that moment, he felt a movement next to him.

"....."

"....."

She was definitely sleeping earlier.

Yoo Chae-rin was staring at his hand when she woke up.

Her gaze shifted to his cell phone.

No, it was already passed through his fingers.

Behind the window indicating that he had already "liked" the post was an ominous prediction.

Lee Shinwoo, he will become something big.

Coincidentally, the person who pressed it was him, Lee Shinwoo.

"....!"

He quickly turned the phone to the side and put it away. Just before Yoo Chae-rin's eyes curled into half-moons.

"Pfft."

Of course, it was too late.

"...Did you see that?"

"Eh? W-What.... Heheh."

He saw it.

She saw it.

He felt helpless as he looked at Yoo Chae-rin, who couldn't hold back her laughter while feigning ignorance.

Why did he have to see that comment?

......He felt sorry rather than resentful.

He felt sorry for himself for not being able to control himself and for liking it so much.

Still, how could he hate the person who gave him such a nice comment?

"Shinwoo."

He purposely kept his head fixed on the bus window, and after a moment, Yoo Chae-rin tapped him on the shoulder.

Wishing she'd just leave him alone for a moment, but alas.

"Shinwoo?"

Yoo Chae-rin's tone was filled with laughter, and he finally turned his head.

The woman who had been peeking at his phone earlier held out her own.

★★★★★ 10

(Spectator) Can I make a prediction about Lee Shinwoo? He's bound to become something big │shle****│

♥ 9 ▼ 2

Before he knew it, she was shoving a comment in his face with two more hearts.

It also had a heart next to it, indicating that she had already pressed it.

"I totally agree with this, I think you're going to be amazing."

"...Haa."

For some reason, his heart skipped a beat.

If anything, it made him redden even more.

Nevertheless, Yoo Chae-rin smiled at him with her trademark cheerfulness.

"If it's Mr. Shinwoo."

"...What's different about you, Chae-rin?"

Her or him.

[That Summer] was going to be quite special for both of them.

Not just for the two of them alone, but for everyone involved.

The aftermath of the summer would continue to spread and sweep the country.

The movie, which drew at least 1.4 million viewers, was spreading its waves even faster than last time.

Perhaps.

Even higher than before.

With momentum that would be nothing short of phenomenal.

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In just two weeks, [That Summer] is approaching 600,000 cumulative total viewers.

More than double the 200,000 in its first week.

The increasingly aggressive marketing of the distributor and the widespread word of mouth were also spurring the good trend.

This made the normally laid-back Kang Jin-mok increasingly anxious.

- What happened to the bet you made back then? I heard that you were going to treat Kwang-chul as your superior? Hahah.

He was already in a bad mood!

The irritating phone call reminded him of the rant he'd made after a night of drinking.

『Look! If Park Kwang-chul succeeds, I'll bow down and apologize. No? Let me see his results, and I'll treat him like a superior!』

After that he felt so fired up that he thought why would he be treating him as a superior.

To cover up his anxiety, he said in a loud voice.

"Hmm! You're being funny. What do you mean by 'superior'?

He remembered his arrogant wager and felt a little more uncomfortable.

Of course, he didn't think of himself as arrogant in the slightest.

There was still faith in the back of his mind.

That his and Park Kwang-chul's situation would never change.

"...No way."

There was no such possibility.

This would be nothing more than a temporary sensation.

By next week, the popularity would fade as it always does, and he would be able to laugh at Park Kwang-chul's incompetent face.

The following week was a disaster.

At least for Director Kang Jin-mok.

「Cumulative audience number: 937,000」

The movie had been out for less than three weeks and was on the verge of reaching the one million mark.

Out of the blue, The Director, Park Kwang-chul, sent him a text.

To him.

[Director Park Kwang-chul]

Get ready to bow, Jin-mok.

"....Th... This!!"

A red-faced Kang Jin-mok was soon shaking, but the box office, which had already surged, didn't stop.

As if the 1.4 million figure didn't matter any longer.