novellhall Chapter 22 The Original Fans, Little Bear and Cold White Skin
Chapter 22 The Original Fans, Little Bear and Cold White Skin
Following the preview screening on July 16, the negative public opinion that had been hanging over "Haeundae" took a dramatic turn.
The widely circulated "CG disaster legend" has been debunked.
Audiences and critics were pleasantly surprised to find that the special effects were not only above average, but the film's rich humanistic emotions also precisely struck a chord with everyone.
Positive comments such as "the tsunami is just the background, people are the main characters" began to appear frequently in major newspapers and online forums.
In this wave of reputational turnaround, Li Zhixing's name has gradually become known to the public.
Many film critics, in addition to praising the lead actors, also highlighted this newcomer who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
His resolute yet relieved gaze as he risked his life to save others and fell into the deep sea is widely regarded as the most heartbreaking scene in the entire movie.
The day after the preview screening, Li Zhixing went to Busan to join the main creative team and officially participate in the promotional activities.
The publicity team is also closely monitoring public opinion.
Realizing that public attention had shifted, the marketing team finally confirmed the effectiveness of the "reverse marketing" strategy.
Therefore, the production team decided to continue this approach, and the main creators collectively "showed weakness" during interviews, firmly locking the public's expectations into the heartwarming story.
With unanimous praise from the media and precise promotion, the popularity of "Haeundae" began to rise steadily.
By July 21, pre-sale rates on major ticketing websites had exploded, even surpassing the popular film "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by an overwhelming margin.
Faced with overwhelming market enthusiasm, the distributor, CJ Entertainment, made a last-minute decision to move the release date of "Haeundae," originally scheduled for the 23rd, forward by one day to July 22nd.
……
July 22nd marked the first day of the official release of "Haeundae".
Before the afternoon Seoul district stage greetings began, Lee Ji-haeng took time out of his morning to accompany his grandmother and Jong Hoon to see an early morning movie.
"Grandma, why did we come so early? It's summer vacation, I want to sleep in..."
On the way to the movie theater, Lee Jong-hoon followed behind Lee Ji-hsing and his grandmother listlessly, whining and acting spoiled the whole time.
Grandma said irritably, "The tickets for the early morning showing are half price! All you do is sleep, you brat! It's your brother's first movie release, and you're still sleeping?"
Li Zhixing looked at his younger brother with disdain: "Hurry up and catch up. You've been whining the whole way. I should have just let you stay home and continue sleeping."
Lee Jong-hoon chuckled and quickly stepped forward: "How could I not come to support my brother's first movie?"
The three of them soon arrived at the Megabox Central cinema, which was not far from Fangbei Cave.
As soon as Li Zhixing entered the hall, he noticed that although it was only a little past eight o'clock, quite a few people had already gathered there, mostly young people in their twenties.
Grandma looked around in surprise: "Zhixing, weren't there supposed to be a lot of bad rumors? I see quite a few people here!"
Li Zhixing explained, "The word-of-mouth has reversed in the past few days, and now there are more people who want to watch it than Harry Potter."
As they were talking, Li Zhixing turned his head and found that Li Zhongxun had run up to the huge poster of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and was looking up at it intently.
At Li Zhixing's urging, Li Zhongxun reluctantly walked over: "Brother, to support you, I even gave up watching my favorite Harry Potter. I've been such a good friend, so it's not too much to ask you to take me out for fried chicken for lunch, right?"
Li Zhixing glanced at him sideways: "Go if you want to see it. I'm going to see 'Haeundae' with my grandma."
Lee Jong-hoon grabbed Lee Ji-hsing's arm, saying, "No, brother, I'm not that disloyal!"
After buying the tickets, under Li Zhongxun's expectant gaze, Li Zhixing still bought him a large bucket of popcorn and cola.
The three entered the theater and found that even for an early showing, the seats were already more than half full.
They bought seats towards the back, with Chung Hsun sitting between the two.
Having already seen the finished product, Li Zhixing came here mainly to observe the reactions of ordinary viewers.
Shortly after the movie started, two boys in the front row whispered, "Sol Kyung-gu is quite good at playing this kind of comedic, lower-class character. No wonder he's an award-winning actor."
His companion muttered under his breath, "Wouldn't Im Chang-jung be more suitable for this kind of role? Why didn't Director Yoon Je-kyun cast him this time?"
On the other side, a couple huddled together, the girl swooning over the big screen: "Wow, this lifeguard is so handsome!"
My boyfriend was a little annoyed and said sourly, "What's so handsome about him? He's so dark-skinned."
The girl immediately retorted, "He tanned on purpose for the role; that's called manliness!"
Some people in the back row were whispering, "Is this lifeguard a newbie? His acting is pretty good."
Hearing this feedback, Li Zhixing felt more confident.
As the plot unfolds, the atmosphere in the theater begins to change.
The first half of the story was hilarious and made the audience laugh out loud, but as the tsunami approached, the atmosphere became increasingly oppressive.
When the plot reached the scene where Choi Hyung-sik, played by Lee Ji-hyung, sacrificed himself, suppressed sobs began to be heard in the theater.
Lee Jong-hoon on the left was already sobbing uncontrollably, wiping away his tears and muttering softly, "Brother... how could you die... why did you save that bad guy..."
Before he could finish speaking, his grandmother slapped him on the back and hissed, "Nonsense! What do you mean your brother is dead?!"
That slap made Lee Jong-hoon's tears come back.
He rubbed his back, looking aggrieved. "I just said it without thinking..."
The commotion caught the attention of the two girls sitting to Li Zhixing's right.
One of the girls with single eyelids glanced at Li Zhixing, first thinking he looked somewhat familiar, then suddenly realizing something, her expression turning incredulous.
She nudged her companion excitedly.
His companion turned around in confusion, and upon seeing the face clearly, suddenly covered his mouth and let out a low exclamation: "Daaaa!"
For the rest of the time, the two girls basically stopped watching the movie and would occasionally turn their heads to steal glances at Li Zhixing.
Although Li Zhixing noticed it, he didn't pay much attention to it because he had encountered this kind of gaze so many times in the past.
As the movie ended, the group walked out with the crowd.
Lee Jong-hoon sipped his cola and said excitedly, "Hyung, I just realized today how beautiful Ha Ji-won is! I wish my future girlfriend looked like her."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but chuckle foolishly.
Li Zhixing rolled his eyes at him speechlessly: "Didn't you say last month that you wanted to find someone like Lin Yoona?"
Grandma, walking beside him with her hands behind her back, suddenly spoke with a worried expression: "Zhixing, is there really such a big tsunami at Haeundae Beach? Who will dare to go there to play in the summer after that!"
Li Zhixing explained with a smile, "No, Grandma, the Japanese archipelago is like a natural breakwater, blocking the tsunamis from the Pacific Ocean. Besides, the water in the East China Sea is too shallow to generate the kind of giant waves that are over a hundred meters high, as seen in the movies."
"When I'm free in a few days, shall I take you to Haeundae Beach?"
Grandma patted her chest with lingering fear and quickly waved her hand, "Forget it, forget it, watching this movie gave me the creeps, I'd better not go."
As the group was chatting, a slightly nervous voice suddenly came from behind them.
"Um...excuse me, are you Li Zhixing?"
Li Zhixing turned around and found that it was the two girls who had been sitting to his right.
The girl on the left is not tall, has pale skin, and exudes a cool and aloof temperament. She stands quietly to the side, looking somewhat reserved.
The girl on the right has single eyelids and chubby cheeks, making her look a bit simple-minded.
Lee Jong-hoon stared intently at the pale-skinned girl and muttered softly, "Hyung, this one's pretty!"
Li Zhixing glared at him, then looked at the two girls and nodded gently: "It's me, and who are you?"
The two girls exchanged a glance, their expressions brightening.
The single-eyelid girl mustered her courage and stepped forward excitedly, saying, "Li Zhixing, we're your fans! We recognized you in the theater just now. Could you give us your autograph?"
Li Zhixing smiled and nodded: "Of course, what's your name?"
The girl quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a notebook and pen, handing them over: "My name is Kang Seulgi."
After handing over the notebook, Kang Seulgi clenched the hem of her clothes, her tone filled with anticipation: "Senior... I'm actually a trainee, could you write me a word of encouragement? I really need some courage to keep going lately."
Li Zhixing paused, then looked at her intently.
Although the girl was trying to force a smile, the disappointment and exhaustion in her eyes were very obvious.
He thought for a moment, then smiled and asked, "You're a trainee at SM Entertainment, right?"
Kang Seulgi's eyes widened in surprise: "How did you know, senior?"
Li Zhixing didn't answer, but continued to ask, "The final lineup for the new group has been decided, but you're not on it?"
Kang Seulgi's smile froze instantly, and her eyes immediately reddened.
Seeing that the girl was about to cry, Li Zhixing quickly explained, "Don't be nervous. I just heard someone mention that SM has a trainee who looks like a little bear and is very talented. It seems like it's you."
Hearing him say that, Kang Seulgi couldn't help but burst into laughter before her tears even fell, scratching her head sheepishly, "Huh? Am I that famous?"
Li Zhixing looked at her, a hint of gentleness flashing in his eyes.
He then became more serious: "You're really lucky today. Have you heard of a legend in the entertainment industry?"
Kang Seulgi looked at him blankly.
Li Zhixing said in a serious tone: "Legend has it that if you receive a handwritten blessing from an artist on the day of their official debut, the person who received the blessing will have a much higher chance of debuting in the future."
Kang Seulgi looked at Lee Ji-hyeong in surprise: "Really?"
Li Zhixing smiled and nodded, quickly wrote a few lines in his notebook, and handed it over.
Kang Seulgi looked down and saw that it read: To my number one fan, Kang Seulgi, today is my debut day. I'm giving you half of my luck. Keep going, and I look forward to the day you stand on the stage.
Kang Seulgi blushed with excitement, clutching her notebook tightly and bowing repeatedly, "Thank you, senior! I will definitely persevere!"
At this moment, the pretty girl who had been a little shy couldn't help but step forward, her fair cheeks slightly flushed: "Senior, my name is Bae Joo-hyun, I... I also want to offer my blessings."
Li Zhixing looked at her, feigning surprise and raising an eyebrow: "You want some too? Are you going to take away the last half of my luck?"
The girl froze, then frantically waved her hands, repeatedly apologizing, "Ah, I'm so sorry, senior! I didn't mean it that way, I don't want it!"
Seeing her like this, Li Zhixing couldn't help but laugh: "You can have it, but you'll have to exchange it for something."
The girl nervously clenched her fingers and asked cautiously, "Exchange what? I didn't bring much money with me today..."
Li Zhixing pointed to the movie poster behind him: "Since you've taken my luck, you have to fulfill your duty as my number two fan. Go back and get everyone you know to help me promote this movie. Can you do that?"
The girl paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling: "I can do it! I'll definitely make sure everyone comes to see it!"
Li Zhixing smiled, signed his name on the other page, and handed it to her.
The two girls excitedly took the autographs, bowed respectfully to their grandmother, and then said goodbye and left.
After walking a distance, Kang Seulgi belatedly scratched her head and asked, "Unnie, is there such a rumor in the entertainment industry? I've never heard of it before."
Bae Joo-hyun carefully put the autographed book into her bag and said matter-of-factly, "If the senior says there is, then there definitely is."
On the other side, watching the girls walk away, Lee Jong-hoon immediately moved closer to Lee Ji-haeng, rubbing his hands together with an expectant look on his face: "Brother! Write me a blessing too!"
Li Zhixing put his hands back in his pockets and glanced at him indifferently: "That's a lie."
Lee Jong-hoon's smile froze instantly.
After holding it in for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out, filled with grief and indignation, "Brother, have some decency!"
......