Peninsula: I can steal the luck of disgraced celebrities

Chapter 121 The Crucible (screening)

The promotion of "Silenced" resembled a meticulously planned street speech.

It's clear that Kim Bum-soo is taking the people's approach.

He mobilized a large number of online trolls to promote the difficulties in making the film, rather than its quality.

The screenwriter was threatened, filming was hindered, crew members were bribed, and no investment could be found.

Investors sold everything they owned, even their houses, just to draw public attention to what happened back then.

Upon seeing this rumor, Lim Ji-hoon called Kim Bum-soo to ask why he himself didn't know about it.

Kim Bum-soo said on the other end of the phone, "You're an actor who's only been in the industry for a year or two. It's normal for people to suspect that you sold your house to invest in movies. You didn't say that."

You can explain it after the movie is released and the hype dies down, which will generate another wave of traffic.

All I can say is that Kim Bum-soo truly lives up to his reputation as an internet savvy individual.

Kim Bum-soo also contacted the Korea Federation for the Rights of the Disabled.

He got them to sign a joint statement in support of the film, while he was responsible for generating buzz behind the scenes.

The hashtag #BannedMovies# rose to the top of Naver's real-time search rankings within 24 hours.

Some university students even launched a petition on the Blue House website, demanding that the cultural authorities investigate whether "Silenced" was treated unfairly.

The national pre-sale ticketing platform crashed twice in the week leading up to the release.

There were too many people buying tickets.

Film critics haven't even started writing their reviews yet, but fans have already organized themselves into a "Protect 'Silenced' Viewing Group," forming in Seoul, Busan, and other cities.

A banner was hung outside a movie theater in Daegu that read: "Let's vote with our movie tickets."

At the wrap party for the film crew, Gong Yoo raised his glass and approached Lim Ji-hoon.

The tall man's eyes were a little red.

"I've been in this industry for twelve years," Gong Yoo said. "This is the first time I've encountered an investor willing to stake their entire fortune on this, not to make a quick buck, but to let their story be seen."

Lim Ji-hoon touched his glass and said helplessly, "Senior Gong Yoo, I didn't sell the house."

He needs to have a house to sell even if he wants to.

However, Gong Yoo did not believe it.

Meanwhile, the director, already quite drunk, was hugging the screenwriter and crying, "Can we really change anything?"

The screenwriter adjusted his glasses, which were fogged up: "At least, more people have learned about the incident at the school for the deaf and mute in Gwangju, and that's enough."

The excitement of the victory celebration didn't reach a private club on the other side of Seoul.

Jin Guangzheng smashed the crystal glass in his hand onto the carpet, splashing wine all over Jin Yongzhe's trouser leg.

The well-dressed middle-aged man's face was contorted at that moment.

"Idiots, two idiots who could be in a museum!"

"I sent you to bribe supporting actors! The kind with few scenes who just do their jobs for money!"

Jin Guangzheng's voice was like a dull knife scraping against glass, "Who gave you permission to approach the investors?"

Kim Young-chul and Lee Jung-soo huddled in the corner of the sofa.

"He—" Lee Jung-soo carefully chose his words, "We didn't know he was an investor at the time?"

Kim Young-chul looked up: "Hyung, we checked and he's only been in the industry for a year or two—"

"You investigated?" Jin Guangzheng interrupted him. "If you had investigated, would you still have gotten yourself into this mess?"

He took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it after three tries, took a drag, and exhaled smoke from his nostrils.

The room was silent for a few seconds.

Kim Young-chul managed to stammer, "Hyung, what do we do now?"

"What do we do?" Jin Guangzheng sat back on the sofa. "What do you think I can do?"

He raised his chin and pointed at Lee Jung-soo: "Don't you know people at Naver? Ask them to help suppress it."

Lee Jung-soo swallowed hard: "My friend—is just an ordinary employee, he doesn't have enough authority—"

"Then what were you bragging about before? Saying you had connections on Naver?"

"There is a relationship, but not the kind where you can just delete posts."

Jin Guang stared at him for five seconds, then suddenly laughed.

That smile sent chills down Li Zhengxiu's spine.

"Okay." Jin Guangzheng stood up. "Then let's try a different approach."

He walked to the window, his back to the two men: "That Lin Zhixun, didn't he hit someone?"

"what?"

Is there any evidence that he assaulted someone?

Kim Young-chul thought for a moment: "We have the hospital's medical report—"

"Then let's do it." Jin Guangzheng picked up the freshly poured wine.

"But the public opinion online right now—"

"So we need to wait for the right opportunity," Jin Guangzheng waved his hand, "Go prepare the materials and wait for the right opportunity."

The two quickly got up and walked outside.

As they reached the door, Jin Guangzheng spoke again.

"etc."

They stopped.

"Remember, this has nothing to do with me," Jin Guangzheng said slowly. "It was an anonymous tip from a netizen, a clue provided by a concerned viewer. You two shouldn't use your real names either, find someone else."

37

"Okay, bro."

"Go."

Two days later.

The premiere of "Silenced".

CGV Cinema, Seoul, 3 PM showing.

The theater was packed.

There were movie fans, media, and several social activists invited by the film's production company.

Representatives from the Korea Federation for the Rights of the Disabled sat in the front row.

The lights went out.

The screening has begun.

The first half is about daily life.

In a classroom at Gwangju Inhwa School, children use sign language while the teacher smiles gently.

Everything seemed peaceful and beautiful.

Then undercurrents began to stir.

The principal's office door was closed; the soundproofing was excellent.

When the first nightmare scene appeared, some viewers gasped.

Then came the second, and the third.

The theater was eerily quiet, with only the occasional suppressed sniffling sound.

Gong Yoo's portrayal of the male lead, Kang In-ho, was superb. From initially wanting to be a teacher, to gradually witnessing the truth, to anger, to helplessness, and finally collapsing while holding Kim Jeon-soo's portrait, he went through a lot.

When Gong Yoo held his child and cried bitterly, shouting "I'm sorry," the alliance representatives in the first row were already sobbing that they couldn't lift their heads.

When the lights came on, the applause lasted for a full two minutes.

Someone stood up and applauded.

Some people were sitting and crying.

Lin Zhixun sat in the last row, next to Ha Joo-hee, whose eyes were red and who was clutching a wad of tissues in her hand.

"Look at the film you submitted," Ha Joo-hee said softly, "it made me cry like this."

"You cried?"

"nonsense."

"That seems alright."

"Not bad?" Ha Joo-hee glared at him. "You call this not bad? Are you blind?"

Lin Zhixun smiled but didn't reply.

In the cinema lobby, audience members gradually left, many with serious expressions, still discussing the plot.

"So true!"

"Gong Yoo acted so well, that character was so pitiful in the end."

"9

"I heard it's based on a true story? Is that true?"

"It's true, that school for the deaf and mute in Gwangju—"

Lin Zhixun and He Zhuxi mingled in the crowd and walked out.

No one recognized him, or rather, even if they did, they didn't care; everyone was still processing the emotional impact of the movie.

The box office figures came out on the opening night.

The number of moviegoers on the first day exceeded 13.

Gong Yoo sent him a message: 【It's all settled.】

Lin Zhixun responded with an OK sign.

Then he turned off his phone and went to sleep.

When I woke up the next day, there were more than forty unread messages on my phone.

The agent, Cui Hao, sent the most messages, posting more than a dozen in a row.

[Hoon, are you awake?]

Have you checked Naver?

You're trending on social media!

[This isn't a trending topic for the movie, it's about you personally.]

Lin Zhixun rubbed his eyes and opened Naver.

Third in real-time search: Lin Zhixun.

Fifth: Investors in "The Crucible".

Eighth: Lim Chih-hsun sells his house.

He clicked in and saw that most of the comments praised him, saying he was responsible, that it was rare to find such a person among young actors, and that he supported the disadvantaged with his actions.

The comments section has a very consistent style—

"Who is this guy? I looked him up, he's only been in the industry for a little over a year? Wow."

"The guy who played a supporting role in 'Will It Snow for Christmas?' He's quite handsome."

"No, where would a new actor get the money to invest in a movie?"

"Didn't you see the news, upstairs? That person lost all their savings and even had to sell their house."

"Really? Are there still people like this these days?"

Then he saw a repost.

Jung Woo-sung.

A top South Korean actor with immense box office appeal and high social engagement, he frequently speaks out on human rights issues.

He shared the official poster for "Silenced" on his personal social media account, with a single caption: "Everyone should see this movie."

This post received over 30,000 likes within two hours.

Immediately afterwards, Xue Jingqiu reposted it.

"I've finished watching it. It's been a long time since a movie made me sit in my seat and not get up. I salute everyone who participated in this work."

Then there's Ha Jung-woo.

"The investor is a new actor? Interesting, he's got guts than us old guys."

When Lin Zhixun saw Ha Jung-woo's post, he was drinking water and almost choked.

What do you mean by "more courageous than you"? Are you broke?

But he quickly lost interest in complaining, as more and more people were sharing the post.

Song Kang-ho didn't write anything; he only shared the poster.

But Song Kang-ho's act of reposting it was enough in itself.

Jeon Do-yeon posted a long article mentioning the pressure she faced when filming similar topics, and said she was gratified to see the younger generation willing to stand up.

Choi Min-sik was even more direct: "A good movie."

Two words, but the comment section has already exploded.

Cui Hao called him again.

"Xun!" The agent's voice trembled. "Do you know what's going on? Half of the film and television industry is sharing this!"

"I saw it."

"How can you be so calm?!"

"Otherwise what?"

"You—never mind." Cui Hao took a deep breath. "I'm talking to you about serious matters. Three brands have already contacted me, wanting to discuss endorsements."

What brand?

"A sports drink, a cell phone, and a—uh—men's underwear."

"Underwear?"

"The price they offered wasn't low."

"—Let me think about it some more."

"Also, KBS and MBC have both extended invitations to you to appear on variety shows. SBS has also made inquiries, but they haven't officially sent a letter yet."

""

Lin Zhixun leaned against the headboard, processing the information.

To be honest, he didn't have any particular feelings about becoming famous; that was the original owner's wish, not his.

The system's task for him was to do good deeds and accumulate points; whether he became famous or not was not important to him.

"Variety shows are a different story," Lin Zhixun thought for a moment. "As for endorsements, we can talk about sports drinks, but the underwear thing—let's forget about it."

"Okay, I'll reply."

Park Jae-won hung up the phone, and Lim Ji-hoon scrolled through his phone for a while.

The trend in the comments section has shifted from "Who is this person?" to "Oh, it's him!"

Some people found his role as the male lead in "Dream High School" and said his acting was good. Others found some of his previous interview videos and said he was good-looking and intelligent.

"New crush acquired!"

"Sisters, let's go! I'm reserving this guy!"

"Wait, does he have a girlfriend?"

"I checked, and there's nothing publicly available."

"Then I'm relieved."

Lin Chih-hsun found these comments somewhat amusing.

He tossed his phone aside and went to take a shower.

My phone vibrated again as I came out.

Gong Yoo's update: [The box office results for the second day are in. 17 admissions, bringing the total to over 30.]

The next item reads: "At this rate, it could break 100 million by the weekend."

Lin Zhixun replied: "Did my investment break even?"

Gong Yoo: [It's still early. But at this rate, doubling isn't a problem.]

Lim Ji-hoon: [That's good.]

Gong Yoo: [Couldn't you have acted a little more excited?]

Lin Chih-hsun: [Excited (emoji)]

Gong Yoo: [————]

At 2 PM, Lin Chih-hsun went out to buy coffee.

Inside the convenience store, the TV behind the checkout counter is broadcasting the news.

The video shows members of Congress being interviewed, discussing the social debate sparked by the film "Silenced".

Some have proposed a review of the verdict in the Gwangju Inhwa School incident.

Lin Chih-hsun paid the bill and walked out with his coffee.

A young woman at the door recognized him.

"Um—are you Lin Zhixun?"

"Um."

The girl's eyes immediately welled up with tears: "Thank you. My younger brother is hearing impaired, and our whole family went to see 'Silenced' yesterday. Thank you for investing in this film."

Lin Zhixun was stunned for a moment.

"You're welcome." He smiled. "As long as the movie is good."

The girl bowed and ran away.

Lin Chih-hsun stood at the entrance of the convenience store and took a sip of coffee.

It's quite hot.

He looked down at his phone; Cui Hao had sent another message.

[Hoon, someone from YG Entertainment just contacted me. They say one of their artists wants to collaborate with you on a short film, for charity. Are you interested?]

Before Lin Chih-hsun could reply, another message popped up below.

An unfamiliar number.

[Mr. Lim Ji-hoon, I am the producer of MBC's "PD Notebook." We are currently producing an investigative report on the Gwangju Inhwa School incident and would like to invite you for an interview. Would this be a convenient time for you?]

Lin Zhixun stared at the message for a few seconds.

"PD Notebook" is one of the most influential investigative programs in South Korea.

Just as he was about to reply, his phone vibrated again.

Choi Ho: [Do not accept any interviews.]

Lim Chih-hsun: [Why?]

Cui Hao: [Someone is planning to get you. I just received news that someone is contacting the media, saying they have evidence that you assaulted someone.]

Lin Zhixun's finger stopped on the screen.

Hit someone?

He thought for two seconds.

Oh, that time.

He did indeed resort to violence when that group of thugs caused trouble on set.

Cui Hao posted another message: "Don't panic, I'm investigating who's behind this. But keep a low profile these next few days."

Lin Chih-hsun put away his phone, finished his coffee, and threw it in the trash can.

He didn't panic.

But he was thinking about a question—

When will the bullies in "The Crucible" finally make their move?

The phone rang again.

This time it's Cui Hao.

"Xun, someone claiming to be a reporter just called the company and asked if you have a history of violence."

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