Chapter 246
"It had co, as expected."
"It was sowhat of a relief."
Calmly searching through the kitchen drawer, I found and took a calming herbal pill. I scooped so honey, a gift from Nam Joyoon's mother, into a mug and brewed myself a cup of honey tea. As the sugar hit, my nerves relaxed. The effects of the dicine were superb.
"Hyung, why is it so quiet? Team leader, you're not monitoring, are you?"
"Just watch. You have to eat shit to know its shit."
"What are you talking about! Hyung, never look it up online! You know I'm the expert when it cos to this, right? ntal health is the most important."
"If you know so well, why are you always looking things up and whining?"
"Ah, keep quiet! Cant you read the room right now?!"
Amidst the loud voices of Im Seoyoung and Eljay coming from the speakerphone, Im Seoyoung soon spoke again.
"Anyway, Hyung, don't worry about things like hate comnts!"
"Are there hate comnts?"
"About ?"
I logged onto SNS. Searching my na, I saw that new posts were being updated almost in real-ti.
"Let's see what they're saying."
"I went to see 'Hong Gil-dong' as the first session. Im on my way to get a refund from Jung Sunwoo."
"This is bullshit, even Jung Sunwoo who recomnded this is a bastard for making
watch this at 7 AM."
What recomndation? He even clarified that it was a rumor.
But when they were promoting 'Hong Gil-dong,' it was flaunted as recomnded by Jung Sunwoo.
"I think Jung Sunwoo must have been paid to promote this. Hes been continuously associated with World Art Pictures from 'Alive' to 'City Jungle,' isnt it obvious he was promoting it? He denies it to avoid the backlash while keeping the promotions up. Pure honey for him, isnt it?"
Exactly, seems right. Such insight.
What about the other movies on the list?
You have to make a tidy list so it doesnt look obvious.
"This ti it's just Jung Sunwoo picking the wrong movie. About ti he slipped up."
"Let's stop looking."
Hearing my incredulous sigh, Im Seoyoung advised again.
"Did you see? Ah, I told you not to look! From my experience, on days like this, it's best not to leave the bed."
"What is this, a reason to go into hiding?"
"Hyung."
This ti, it was Lee Songha.
"Are you really okay?"
"Dont worry about . This chaos wont last long."
"But people are too much..."
Lee Songha's voice trailed off solemnly.
Despite everything bubbling underneath, the hate comnts seed trivial to her.
"Stop monitoring and get back to work."
"How can you say that with all this chaos?"
"Ill handle everything. Have I ever ssed up or failed?"
"That's true."
"So whats there to worry about?"
Suppressing the urge to speak my heart out, I ended the call.
I then dropped a herbal tea bag into my still-warm honey tea. The sweet and subtle aroma lingered around my nose.
Soone sent another ssage, and my ignored phone vibrated intensely.
I ignored it and leisurely sipped my tea.
This was all expected.
From the day Baek Hansung asked about my ntal state, I had been preparing for this mont.
It didnt bother .
Not really.
*
Compared to the noisy online world, the office was quiet.
Although glances followed, no one overtly asked anything. Instead, the staff tried their best to act as if nothing was amiss, treating
with the usual deanor.
A bit of humanity seed to rise within ,
But evaporated as soon as I reached the fifth floor.
The promotional team's office was bustling with prowlers.
Goodness.
It seed they wanted to witness my downfall in real ti, those who typically disliked
were especially gleeful today. Every ti we t, their faces soured, but today, they were all smiles.
Among them, the most delighted was,
"Team Leader Jung!"
Acting team leader, Cho Byunghwan.
He briskly approached and patted my shoulder.
"Its okay. The first ti is the hardest, it's nothing once you get past it. We've all been through it."
"How could a person only walk on a path of roses? This is normal."
"I don't understand why everyone is making such a fuss. Everyone goes through this, learning from insults and embarrassnts. Dont worry too much, Team Leader Jung."
It would have been better if they had just mocked .
Their true feelings were obvious, but outwardly, they all acted like wise seniors, showering
with comforting and
encouraging words which made it even more unbearable.
"This too shall pass. Im a bit busy right now."
"Oh, alright"
I waved them off like shooing flies and left.
In the office, Kim Hyunjo was waiting for .
He held a box of doughnuts that slled strongly of sugar.
"Youve had a tough ti. This is a gift."
"Thank you."
He followed
into the team leader's office and cleared his throat before speaking.
"Dont mind those clueless people outside. You know how it is. When soone unlucky slips, everyone jumps at the chance to bite."
"Am I that unlucky guy?"
"Well, my point is, those who thought so are now jumping out at this opportunity. It's said that the nail that sticks out gets hamred down, and you werent just sticking out; you were like a teorite that fell from the sky"
His words were disorganized, but I understood what he ant.
Seeing him try to offer clumsy comfort with his tired, dark-circled face made
feel a pang of emotion.
Ah. Am I being sentintal?
I almost hugged him.
Just then, there was a knocking sound, and the third team leader entered the room, holding a jar of homade liquor and a single paper flower.
He looked particularly nonsensical today with a snapback, part of Blackout rchandise, worn askew.
He placed the crumpled paper flower on my desk and inexplicably wished soone's soul peace.
"Who died?"
"Yeah, there was soone. Called Midas's Touch. It was short and intense, lasted about three years."
This guy, really.
Before I could react, Kim Hyunjo, looking genuinely flustered, suddenly kicked the third team leader's sturdy shin.
"Are you a sociopath? Huh?!"
"Ah, ouch, ouch, it hurts! It was just a joke, man! Normally, you should take these things lightly. I was trying to lighten the mood because I was worried youd be brooding over getting trashed."
"A joke? You call that a joke!"
"My pride is intact, and Im not brooding. Please leave, go on."
I sent the disruptive duo out and then brewed so coffee.
Just as I poured a cup, there was an ominous knock.
"Team Leader"
This ti, it was Director Lee Taeshin from Prettygirl.
He entered cautiously and pulled sothing from a plastic bag he was clutching. It was a box of dicine that looked like a fatigue recovery supplent.
"This is like a recovery supplent. When Prettygirl was going through a rough patch, I started taking this because of stress-induced gastritis and headaches, and it really helped. Thought it might help you too"
The listed benefits were extensive.
Anxiety, nervous exhaustion, sleep disorders, asthenia, tonic, loss of appetite...
A cure-all?
"Thank you."
I took it anyway.
Once the office door closed, I was left alone again.
I slumped back in my chair.
I felt drained just ten minutes after arriving at work.
Wondering whether to take the cure-all, I ultimately just shoved it in the drawer and instead pulled out a doughnut.
With the first bite, the sweet sugary coating crumbled and lted in my mouth. The oil-fried dough was chewy yet moist. Each bite felt like fireworks exploding in my head.
I quickly ate two and, on a whim, poured myself a shot of the homade liquor.
Indeed, sugar, carbohydrates, and alcohol are the ultimate peacekeepers of the mind.
Sipping the liquor, I pondered how far this situation would go.
After all, this was just the beginning.
It seed it would be noisy for a while.
***
Million.
On the opening day of "Hong Gil-dong," the number of spectators exceeded a million.
It was a trendous achievent that took the third spot in the dostic box office opening scores.
It implies that many had booked their tickets in advance and waited just for the premiere of "Hong Gil-dong," and just as many were devastatingly disappointed.
No, a million...
Sohow a million people on the first day...
The aftermath was massive.
I did end up watching it, but I urge you all never to watch ita sacrificial review.
I cant be the only one to suffer; "Hong Gil-dong" is a masterpiece of my life, so you all must watch it tooa ghostly persuasion.
Both sides clashed fiercely. It was simply a ss.
And on the second and third days of the release.
The number of spectators truly plumted.
Naturally, whether on social networks or communities, it was chaos.
I dont know how my na is being tossed around in there.
I havent seen it.
And I wont in the future either.
***
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