After Story 68

“Ah, ah. Mic test, one two three. One two three. One two three four. Three four. The mic is working well.”

The director, who stood under the stage lights, overreacted in front of the mic.

“You must all be wondering what a fat man is doing here, right? Over there, please don’t look at me like that. I know that my face isn’t the most pleasing to look at, but if you keep staring at an ugly man, they’ll get hurt.”

Laughter erupted from the audience. Maru also covered his mouth with his fist and laughed. The director, who came up to ease the mood before the ceremony, showed what leisure and experience were.

“Please allow me to boast a little. My speech should be something similar to the principal’s speech that everyone dreaded when they were in school. If I may introduce myself, I’m Choi Dongha, and I’ve been acting as the head of the Short Film Festival Committee for the past four years.”

Director Choi Dongha stepped aside and bowed. The audience applauded. The director raised his head and gestured to them to do more.

Maru raised his hands above his head to clap.

“I can’t quit this position because of this applause. Man, high positions are good. You get to feel proud around others. Where else would I get applauded by people like you, lovers of film, handsome and beautiful, and have great fortune, right? Everyone here is good-looking, pretty, and even lucky. Can we have a round of applause from those who are?”

Loud cheers erupted from everywhere. He was a great moodmaker.

Maru looked at the helpers moving busily around the stage. The fact that there was no mention of the ceremony despite the fact that it was long past the time it was supposed to start seemed to indicate that there was a problem. The reason director Choi Dongha came up on stage should also be to buy time.

“I’m a fan of that director,” said Yoonseok, sitting next to him. He said he was going to come wearing a tuxedo, but he was wearing a hoodie instead.

“Director Choi Dongha’s works are definitely good.”

“He’s one of my role models. I want to create a movie just like his. ‘Hey, do you still live your life like that?’ — dang, that line. I watched his movie many times, but I keep clapping every single time.”

He really seemed to like this director’s work.

Director Choi, who was talking about the Short Film Festival while handing out presents, nodded toward somewhere off the stage. It seemed that the preparations were done.

“Thank you for listening to this uninteresting old man like me until now. Now, I’ll start the closing ceremony for the Short Film Festival. First, allow me to introduce an honorary judge of the festival who is also in charge of the proceedings today. Please welcome him with a round of applause.”

Director Choi then stepped back from the mic. At the same time, the door at the front of the theater opened. After that, there was a near scream-like cheer.

“Hyung! Look, look over there!”

Even without Yoonseok making a big deal, he was looking well.

“He’s my persona! It’s my dream to shoot a movie with him.”

“Don’t you think the director is too lacking to have that person as a persona?”

“I might be able to in the far future, so don’t nag me so much. Rather than that, he looks awesome in real life.”

“Yeah, he hasn’t changed.”

Maru looked at the actor who climbed the stairs and walked across the stage. The actor, wearing a light brown sweater, responded to the thunderous applause and stood in front of the mic.

“Hasn’t changed? It sounds like you know him. But there’s no way you do, right?” Yoonseok asked him what he meant.

“I just meant I’m used to him because I saw him a lot through the screen.”

“Then be clear about it. Hasn’t changed isn’t right, you should be saying, he looks the same as he does on screen.”

“Fine, he looks the same as he does on screen.”

While they were exchanging words, the actor finished leveling the microphone and began speaking,

“Hello everyone. I’m Hong Geunsoo.”

His voice flowed out through the speakers. It was a whisper-like voice. The cheers of the fans became a level louder.

Geunsoo calmly looked at the audience. The passionate shouts of the audience soon died down.

“Thank you for the great welcome. I hope you can do the same when the awardees come up. Hm, I had a lot to say before I came here, but now that I’m actually standing here, I can’t remember anything. I guess that’s a good thing. It’s somewhat strange for the person in charge of procedures to keep saying things and acting like he won something. But still, I have my own part, so allow me to talk a little more.”

The helper brought some chairs in front of the mic.

The director and actor who win an award would be able to sit down on those chairs and say their speech. They were intended to help break the stiff formality and were also a form of consideration for the awardees to talk with ease.

“It was the first year. I got the actor award right here. I can still remember it clearly. It was my first work with director Choi Dongha right over there. It was really fun. A few people dedicating all their effort into one work is definitely different from large-scale film shoots. And I’m sure those of you gathered here are people who have gotten a taste of that special thing. Some will get an award and some might return empty-handed, but I hope you can remember that the award is not a method of discerning superiority or inferiority, but an act of encouragement for all.”

Geunsoo picked up the mic and moved over to the left. While he moved, he declared in a mischievous voice that the 2008 Short Film Festival was officially starting.

“First, let me introduce two people who will help me out with the awards.”

Two people came up on the stage amidst the applause of the audience.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Baek Seoksoo, a slightly popular director.”

“Since you put it like that, director, I guess I should do the same. I’m Kim Jihye, a slightly less popular actress.”

They were the director and lead actress of ‘Infiltration,’ which was widely considered to be the best work of the latter half of the year.

Yoonseok caused a fuss again, saying that they were a director and an actress he liked. He probably had no one he hated among industry members.

After a short conversation, the director immediately introduced the awarded sections.

One work will be awarded in each of the five respective sections, one will be picked from votes by the audience, one will be the judges’ award, and one award will be given out for acting, production, and lastly staff, for a total of ten.

“As you all know, the Short Film Festival has one more award. It’s the Grand prize. However, we don’t pick one every year. It was left vacant both last year and the year before that. I don’t know how it will turn out this year. However, I hope there is one this year.”

The award proceeded. Not everything went according to the procedures like large-scale film festivals. There was some empty time with the awardees walking to and fro, and the awarding of the trophy took some time.

However, no one raised a complaint. In fact, they enjoyed it. This was not an award ceremony where everyone had to put on neckties. It was liberal and filled with laughter.

The fourth section, the action section, finished its award.

The director, who sat down on the chair, mentioned the name of all the staff in his speech. The audience went into an uproar, saying that he forgot someone’s name.

Just as the director was walking down the stage with the award, the director shouted in his raw voice, “Thank you Myungchul for the lighting.”

“Congratulations, Mr. Myungchul,” Geunsoo said with a laugh. “Next will be the melo section, ‘Rising Rain.’ Actress Kim Jihye will do the honors.”

Kim Jihye stepped forward. She looked down at the cue card and started speaking, “Melo film. That’s a genre I really like. In this festival, a total of ten melo films participated. We’d love to give all ten an award, but the card in my hands only has one title. Then, let me announce the winner: The award-winning work for the melo section is ‘Water Fog,’ Congratulations.”

Moon Jungah went up on stage. Maru looked at Yoonseok. Yoonseok was looking at Jungah in a daze before raising his hands to clap. He did not say anything.

“Thank you,” Jungah said before sitting down to give her speech.

Yoonseok scratched his eyebrows before smiling like a dejected man.

“It would be a lie to say that I didn’t expect anything at all. I was wondering if maybe I’ll get it, but… I guess it’s a disappointment.”

“The ceremony isn’t over yet.”

“As you said, it’s not over yet. Hyung, let’s get the acting award. I’m not sure about anything else, but I really wouldn’t be able to understand if you didn’t get the acting award.”

Jungah left the stage after saying that she would become a good director.

After that, the production award and the staff award followed. ‘The Form of Love’ was not called.

Maru expected this to some extent. The three other films he saw during the GV told him of the preferences of the judges.

‘The Form of Love’ was definitely not mainstream in the melo section of the film festival this time. That was why he was expecting the audience award; it was because the firm was unlikely to win any of the awards that the judges gave out.

Eventually, the time for the audience award arrived. However, ‘The Form of Love’ did not get it this time either. As unfortunate as it was, it couldn’t be helped.

“Next is the acting award, which might be our last. The acting award will be done by me. I look forward to who it is. Then let me announce the winner: acting award, Park Joohwan from ‘Water Fog.’”

Joohwan, who sat next to Jungah, stood up. He didn’t have any tissues with him, as though he wasn’t suffering from allergies right now.

Maru clapped towards Joohwan who walked past in front of him. Joohwan glanced at him before walking past him with a disgruntled face.

Joohwan got on the stage. He received a small trophy given to him by Geunsoo and stood next to the chair.

Even though Geunsoo gestured to him to sit down, he did not comply.

“First of all, thank you for this prize. I’ve done my best. I dedicated all my effort so that I wouldn’t be ashamed to receive it. That was why I thought that I would be able to boldly say my impression and then go down. Until three days ago, that is.” Joohwan put down the trophy. “But now, I feel bitter. I did my best, and I did well. I did everything I could. However, I believe that the award should go to someone who is better than me. He said that the award isn’t about discerning who’s superior, but the existence of the award itself is already a symbol to discern superiority, isn’t it?”

Maru smiled awkwardly. Joohwan was glaring at him. Joohwan rubbed his forehead before looking at Jungah. Jungah was gesturing to him to come down with a big frown on her face. Come down if you don’t wanna die — that was probably what she meant.

“Anyway, since you gave it to me, I’ll accept it. I think I got my meaning across to a certain senior sitting over there. Let me say one last thing: It feels iffy, but I win this time.”

The awardee came down the stage, but there was no applause. Everyone stared holes at him to find out what he meant by those words.

Maru eyed and gestured to Joohwan who stood in front of him. He looked like he might hand the trophy over if he stayed still.

“Hey, hey. Just walk past.”

“I want to give it to you.”

“You’re ruining the atmosphere enough already, so just go.”

The weirdo junior sighed and walked past.

Maru patted his chest in relief. That guy had to learn that even without malice, he could put other people in difficulty.

Even as he thought so, he felt laughter escape his lips. He was a funny guy. Maru was taken aback by this bold junior’s actions but also found him interesting.

“I get what he means, I think. I really like that kind of speech. Since everyone’s quiet now, I guess I should announce the important news. I just got a piece of paper. There’s a grand prize this year.”

When Geunsoo mentioned the grand prize, everyone’s eyes fell on the paper.

“And if I may dare, I’d like to invite a great senior who came to the festival today to proceed with it. Sir, please come up to the stage.”

Geunsoo pointed at the back of the audience seats. Everyone’s heads turned around. An elderly man, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, laughed and waved his hand in denial. The words ‘I’m not doing it’ could also be heard.

“Everyone, please give a round of applause for Sir Yoon Moonjoong. He’s a bit shy, so you should do it loudly.”

Maru immediately stood up from his seat. Faint light reflected off the elderly man’s face.

“Elder.”

A word escaped his mouth against his intention.