Chapter 159
Chapter 159
46. The Great Demon’s Business (4)
The teaser video was released to an explosive reaction, but Jin-woo didn’t pay it much mind. In the case of the movie, he left it all to Lilith and asked Richard to prepare for the release. Thus, it had entered Hollywood. Young-hoon’s wish was to advance to Hollywood; it didn’t matter if it was successful or not. He just told Richard to work well with the connections he was introduced to.
Jin-woo’s words were more influential than anyone else’s on Earth.
An extensive marketing campaign immediately began, and a simultaneous worldwide release was confirmed. A Hero Story posters were plastered over all subways and buses. Razzle threw away huge amounts of money without thinking about profits or losses. There was no problem as all of Razzle’s executives had joined the Great Demon Worship Society.
The Great Demon Worship Society had already become a secret society controlling the Earth from behind the scenes. It had spread little by little around the world’s top thirteen businessmen, and now they had formed a huge network. No matter how much money, fame, or power other corporations possessed, none of them could treat an incurable disease. They could not reverse one’s poor health. However, the Great Demon Worship Society presented a miracle that money could never buy.
As a result, people lined up on their own to join. Jin-woo gave a potion or a low-level artifact as a reward whenever Richard did a good job. As a result, each of the thirteen businessmen had one artifact at a piece. From Jin-woo’s point of view, it wasn’t something to be concerned about, but they became tokens that symbolized the executives of the Great Demon Worship Society.
Anyway, the public reaction was hot, but there were also clear concerns. Although A Hero Story gained sensational popularity, all the actors in the movie were new names. Profiles of the actors weren’t disclosed in detail, just names and roles. They also didn’t visit other countries to promote the movie. However, to match the format, they decided to hold a premiere in Los Angeles.
Young-hoon nervously boarded a plane to the U.S. He had been locked up in the Moon Cannery working on his next project. However, suddenly, a platform called the World Tree was created, and his novel was being produced as a comic and cartoon, and now even as a movie. All of this happened in less than a year. He couldn’t believe it when he saw the money stamped in his bank account, so he had opened and closed it a few times to confirm it was accurate. He had no time to spend it, so it kept piling up in his bank account.
Young-hoon looked to his side. Jin-woo was sitting next to him, reading the manuscript, and the surrounding chairs were filled with the actors in the film and those from the publishing company. They looked just like he imagined their characters to be, so he was startled at first and stood there blankly for a while. He was still surprised as he sat down. They didn’t look human at all.
It felt more real to say that they came out of his work as they were. How could they cast those characters so quickly and make it into a movie otherwise? Young-hoon’s common sense failed to explain it, and there was something else that he didn’t quite understand.
“Well… sir.”
“Yes.”
“A-are we having a premiere in LA?”
It was premiered in LA, not Korea. When he first heard it, he thought it was a late April Fool’s joke. Jin-woo looked at Young-hoon, noting the puzzled expression on his face. He couldn’t believe this was real, so it was natural.
Jin-woo smiled and nodded.
‘Well, he has been working too much.’
It was understandable because he was trapped on the moon, writing almost nonstop. However, he had no time to rest. Right after the premiere, he had to finish his next project at the Moon Cannery. Young-hoon was now unable to write without Zhuge Mi-xian.
‘This is good, too.’
One of the businessmen in the Society, Rick, sent a charter plane to comfortably arrive in the United States. Except for Heo-young and Duan Yu-tian, as well as Yoo-na, who sat nearby, the main actors were, of course, avatars. Duan Yu-tian was sitting at attention next to Heo-young.
‘He got hit a lot because he wasn’t good at acting.’
Duan Yu-tian learned what acting was only after being smacked several times by Heo-young. Indeed, people would open their eyes to new talents when they were pushed into extreme situations, and Duan Yu-tian awakened into becoming a great actor.
Jin-woo was reading the side story manuscript of SSS-Ranked Absolute Ability on the way to the United States. With every sentence he read, he felt the urge to throw Young-hoon out of the plane, but for now, Jin-woo managed to keep reading as he was accustomed to it.
‘Sci-Fi, huh…’
The universe was the side story’s stage. Jin-woo didn’t like science fiction, and he hardly read any of it. He watched Sci-Fi movies from time to time but didn’t often seek them out. Jin-woo shook his head and concentrated again on the manuscript.
“It’s so boring.”‘
As expected, it wasn’t fun, but that was how they arrived at the airport. Richard came to the airport himself to greet them. The actors climbed into a different car while Duan Yu-tian approached the lost-looking Young-hoon.
“Mr. Writer, let’s go.”
“Yes? Yes! E-excuse me…”
“You can come this way.”
Duan Yu-tian had maxed out his social skills while working as Heo-young’s manager so that he could be readily trusted with Young-hoon’s well-being. Perhaps he felt a sense of unity in Young-hoon’s depressed appearance.
“Mr. Writer, do you have any thoughts on learning martial arts?”
“Martial arts?”
“Yes, it will be good for your health. It is a style called the Heavenly Demon God Technique. I remember when I was a pupil… the Heavenly Demon God Technique was the first I learned. For your information, I was pretty popular back then…”
“Haha, i-is that so? I-I will sit over there.”
Young-hoon was avoiding him, thinking he was a strange person. Duan Yu-tian, now slightly away from Heo-young, became talkative. Ignoring them, Jin-woo got into the limousine that Richard had prepared. John sat in the driver’s seat.
“We’ve prepared a separate place for you.”
“Really?”
“The others are gathered already. If you don’t mind, they want to say hi to you…”
“I don’t mind.”
Jin-woo nodded. Several businessmen had gathered to help grant Young-hoon’s wish. Even today, they even sent a chartered plane, so that was only reasonable. The car headed to Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, passing by several high-end residences. The car stopped at the largest and most magnificent mansion among them. But, strangely, unlike the other buildings, it was dark.
It was one of the churches of the Great Demon Worship Society, where their secret meetings were held. The Great Demon Worship Society was composed of Richard and thirteen businessmen. Richard was in charge of politics, while the others were running their companies for the Great Demon.
Richard had declared his candidacy for president, but there was no candidate against him. Under Richard, the U.S. politicians were pulled in one after another. It was a scene of political and economic collaboration that Jin-woo didn’t mean to bring about. When they entered the mansion, several people were waiting inside. Rick and Tom were near the door, Razzle’s CEO and several major politicians working for Richard. It was quite crowded.
Richard had used all his powers to attract key U.S. politicians, and his tenacity proved fatal. Once he bit, he wouldn’t let go.
As soon as Jin-woo arrived, everyone jumped up from their seats, their eyes focusing on him.
‘Umm, it feels like I’m a bad person.’
He wondered if there was any need for them to feel so nervous. He had never really dealt with them or had anything to do with them before, after all. Jin-woo sat down, and Yoo-na took her position behind him. When Yoo-na beckoned them to sit, everyone hesitated for only a moment before sliding into their seats.
‘I can just be comfortable, right?’
Everyone here knew he was no ordinary man. From the beginning, he didn’t care how other people looked at him, but anyway, he was able to act more comfortably. Let’s do it as comfortably as usual.
“So you’re the CEO of Razzle?”
“N-nice to meet you. M-my name is Steven Wilson. It is an infinite honor to meet you.”
“Thanks to you, things went well.”
“N-never mind that. I just did what I had to do.”
Steven was sweating bullets. He was well aware of how important this was and that it was a movie made by torturing people in hell. If he did something wrong, he could become one of them. Steven had started suffering from nightmares shortly after watching the video, but the promised reward was sweet.
“T-thank you!”
Jin-woo took out a potion from the subspace and handed it to him. Steven carefully accepted the potion with both hands. It was worth betraying humanity.
Everyone in the hall watched Steven with envy. He held a panacea and an elixir of rejuvenation, a more precious treasure than the elixir of life that Qin Shi Huang coveted.
‘One sip will cure all diseases, and two sips will eliminate scars. If you drink three sips, you will regrow lost body parts, and if you drink it all, you will become ten years younger.’
Such words were spread as law in the Great Demon Worship Society. It was a blood-red elixir, the color of the blood that humans shed in that video.
‘M-maybe, blood is the main ingredient…’
‘It probably doesn’t use ordinary ingredients.’
There was always a price for everything. The businessman Steven was well aware of that truth. However, desire made him overcome his disgust and fear.
“D-don’t worry about preparing for the premiere. We’ve readied everything!
“The premiere will be held in the theater that was completed yesterday, the world’s best theater!”
“We invited the best as guests.”
All the giant figures gathered here reported to Jin-woo in a hurry to receive praise. It was good to have a big premiere, but even presidents of each country were about to arrive at this rate. Jin-woo wanted it to happen within the line of common sense.
“Um, that’s a bit grandiose.”
“T-then I will cancel it right away!”
“No, since I’m already here, I just have to do it.”
“I see.”
Richard sweated and looked around. The others were in an even worse state. Richard took a deep breath and opened his mouth carefully.
“I-is there anything you want?”
“I just want it to be quiet and peaceful.”
Richard and everyone began to think fiercely. It was what the Great Demon said, so his meaning couldn’t be ordinary. As a result, it was rather far from the ordinary that Jin-woo wanted.
‘These days, war and terrorism… it is a bit loud.’
‘Ah! Our preparation was poor! We need to press the media. It has to be distributed on all channels and media!’
‘What else is peaceful?’
‘He wants humans to focus fully on that evil movie!’
It was a masterpiece carefully made by the Great Demon. It was a hellish movie that brutally killed and harassed humanity. It would be a big deal if everyone in the world didn’t see it! They didn’t know for sure, but that certainly seemed to be his intention. They were too afraid of Jin-woo to ask what he meant. So misunderstandings created further misunderstandings.
Jin-woo nodded and smiled as everyone seemed to understand.
“Anyway, just do it that way. Just don’t make it too noisy.”
“Yes! We understand!”
“We will take care of everything!”
“We will make it quiet!”
They all answered in unison. To be honest, it was just a movie, but they were making too big a deal out of it. Since they came here, Jin-woo decided to take out potions and liquors and gave them out one by one.
The liquor was the latest product made by Elonti, crafted in collaboration with Lee Min-woo to provide an excellent stamina-restoring effect. It felt an appropriate gift as those gathered here looked exhausted.
“Since tomorrow is the premiere, how about getting some rest first? You all have worked hard.”
Jin-woo stood.
“P-please rest well!”
“We’ll pick you up tomorrow!”
“Thank you for your grace.”
The gift Jin-woo gave was a simple favor, but they didn’t accept it that way. Nothing was free in the world, especially if it were from the Great Demon.
‘We have to work quickly!’
‘It’s urgent!’
‘We need to cooperate globally…’
‘We need to have a meeting to take measures!’
Everyone hurriedly took out their cell phones and began to make calls. Following that, the world quieted down. By enacting a month of peace, it made it possible to focus solely on the movie without incident. Starting with the United States, it quickly spread to other countries. The sound of gunfire, which was constantly ringing on the Earth, gradually became less frequent.
It might be only for a while, but for the first time since the beginning of human history, it had become peaceful. Ironically, that month of peace was created by the Great Demon.
* * *
The Los Angeles Worship Grand Theater was built by the Great Demon Worship Society as soon as they heard the news that a movie was being created. It boasted the best facilities and scale globally, so it was a clear winner to be where the first premiere of A Hero Story was held. Thanks to the Great Demon Worship Society’s tireless work, famous critics and reporters from each of the major media outlets arrived alongside famous Hollywood actors and singers.
Right outside the theater, for the first time, the actors of A Hero Story were enjoying some photo time. The reactions were incredible as even the most handsome actor in Hollywood could not be compared to Kim Gun-joo. It looked like he was made by an angel.
‘Sculpture-like Appearance, Kim Gun-joo.’
‘Ahn Heo-young! Ceres Herself!’
‘Premonition Of The Birth Of A Superstar Who Will Lead Hollywood!’
‘The World Catching A Hero Story Fever!’
Media companies were also bought behind the scenes and set to publish only good articles. The premiere was being broadcast live on several major U.S. channels and the Internet. It was also broadcasted in Korea.
Young-hoon’s parents had a snack stand in the alley. Young-hoon’s mother, Kim Bok-ja, couldn’t take her eyes off the tablet PC Yeong-hoon bought for her.
“Madam! Jjolmyeon, please.”
“Yes! Please sit!”
The restaurant was small. There were several small and medium-sized businesses nearby, so their business had barely enough to feed themselves as of late. They were worried because their debts were piling up, but they could work with a smile thanks to the money Young-hoon sent them so they could buy their building.
They were immeasurably proud of their son.
“Boss, is it okay to sell it this cheap?”
“Oh, my. It’s okay, enjoy your meal.”
They lowered the price of all items on their menu. All of the people who ate there now were students, job seekers, and poor employees. Kim Bok-ja remembered a student she used to take care of from time to time. She had been calling him for dinner since he was in high school, and it had been a while since she got a call from him telling her he had a job. He was a student whom she looked after like a son.
‘I should’ve been nicer…’
She regretted it.
“O-oh! That’s him!”
“Where?”
Young-hoon’s father, Lee Han-seop, peeked at the tablet PC from the door to the kitchen. Young-hoon was waving awkwardly in the photo line. Lee Han-seop wasn’t good at expressing his feelings to Young-hoon, but he was always worried about his son. He couldn’t help his eyes turning red now as he watched his son greet several reporters.
“Son, you look good dressed like that!”
Lee Han-seop wiped away his tears as he watched the stream. Kim Bok-ja brought an order Jjolmyeon to their customer, then gently pointed to the tablet PC in front of the customer.
“He’s my son.”
“Huh? Really? Isn’t that in Hollywood?”
“My son is a writer. Do you know A Hero Story?”
“A Hero Story? Really? I’m a huge fan!”
Kim Bok-ja was immersed in the fun of showing off her son. Lee Han-seop also went around the neighborhood stores to brag about his son. Lee Han-seop and Kim Bok-ja always lived a life of loss by giving, but they believed in the saying that if you gave something, you would get it back someday.
Their son, who grew up to be a good person even in a difficult environment, proved that belief.
‘Oh my, I have to meet the Team Manager…’
She wanted to thank the Team Manager Lee Jin-woo, who made her son a star.
‘Come to think of it…’
He had the same name as the student she had taken care of before. Kim Bok-ja shook her head, wondering if they could be the same person. Regardless, today was a joyous day.
Lee Han-seop and Kim Bok-ja thought that every day to come would be like this.