After a heavy night of drinking, the main characters of the after-party arrived home, having continued their revelry into the early hours.
Their parents were all asleep, and military boots were seen in the shoe rack.
"Has Sang-hyeon's first leave come around already?" Joon-seong asked, noticing the boots.
"I don't think he mentioned anything about taking leave," Joon-seong added. He was quite close to Sang-hyeon, even more so than I was, despite only having shared drinks with him once.
We struggled to remove our shoes while reeking of alcohol. Then, a sound of movement came from inside, and the lights were turned on.
"Hyung?"
It was Sang-hyeon.
My younger brother, whom I hadn't seen in years.
Our family's financial situation worsened, leading him to drop out of college and work part-time while preparing for the civil service exams. He had a major accident while working part-time and ended up hospitalized.
"Sang-hyeon!"
Sang-hyeon was still sporting his short military haircut, suggesting he was on leave.
As I approached Sang-hyeon slowly, he pinched his nose and said, "Ugh, the smell of alcohol. How disgusting. I didn't realize we'd meet after so many years."
"Wow, Sang-hyeon, it's been a while!"
"Ah, hyung. It's been a long time. Are you still being a nuisance these days?"
"Very much so. But you seem different lately."
"Mom and Dad have been saying the same thing… Huh?"
I hugged my brother tightly after a long time.
Sang-hyeon looked surprised and pushed me away, but I pulled him back into a strong embrace.
"Ugh, Sang-hyeon. If you work part-time, I'll kill you. If you ride a motorcycle, I'll cut off your legs. Ugh."
Perhaps because of the alcohol, my emotions were heightened, and tears began to flow as I reminisced about the past.
"Hyung, are you drunk? Soldiers don't do part-time jobs. And what's with the motorcycle? Ugh, the smell of alcohol. Are you crying?"
"Not again, are you crying?"
"Again?"
"A few days ago, you cried just because the food was delicious."
"Ha ha, so that's what Mom was talking about."
"Is that important? Ugh. I swear I'll kill you if you ride a motorcycle."
"I've never seen you ride one. But what's that thing behind you?"
Sang-hyeon pointed to a small trophy and plaque behind me.
"Hey, your hyung has some skills."
"What did you win an award for?"
"Two awards. The first time since the film department was established."
"Oh?"
Sang-hyeon looked slightly surprised and asked, "So, what do you want to do with these awards?"
"Do whatever you want. I'll earn the money."
"Nice words. You'll wake up the parents. Just keep it down and get some sleep."
"I'll sleep next to my brother after a long time."
"Why are you being so weird?"
_____________________________________
The next morning.
"Hyung! Have breakfast!"
Sang-hyeon's voice called out.
Joon-seong, still half-asleep from the alcohol, came out yawning.
As soon as my mother saw me, she slapped my back.
Smack!
Her affectionate slap made me smile.
"This guy! Your brother comes home on leave to serve the country, and you steal his sleep!"
"Hyung just wanted to talk with his brother…"
"Geez, it's like a reunion. It's his first leave, and you have so much to say!"
I put on a playful pout, and Mom reluctantly smiled, serving me some soup.
Dad glanced at the table where the awards were strewn about and said, "So, you won two awards? Congratulations."
"Yes, Dad."
Before I returned to the past, I hadn't been very close with my father. At that time, I thought of him as very strict and scary.
But as I grew older and reflected on my childhood, I realized he wasn't strict but rather principled and not really scary but rather caring.
"Dad…"
I had always called him "Dad" and had rarely called him "Papa" or anything more familiar.
The last time I called him "Papa" was probably when I was in elementary school.
Now, Dad was a bit older than my age before I returned to the past.
I could see that he was likely worried about the declining cinema profits.
"Why? Why are you being so weird?"
Despite his words, a faint smile of contentment showed on Dad's face.
"About the short film I won awards for..."
"Yes?"
"How about screening it at the cinema during the weekdays? Like you do with independent and short films. It would be great if my film could be included too."
Dad looked at me seriously. Joon-seong, waiting for Dad's response, was still chewing his breakfast quietly. He then cautiously spoke up.
"Mr. Kim, this is a work that won two awards. It's unprecedented to win two awards at the graduation exhibition."
"Hmm…"
"The Popularity Award is for audience voting, and the Redigo Award is selected by professors. This means..."
Joon-seong, being quite persuasive, explained the significance of the awards.
"It means the film balances both commercial and artistic value."
"What?"
Dad asked with a puzzled expression.
"Audience voting reflects commercial value, and professors focus on artistic value. Most graduation projects have only one of these, but Chan-hyun's 'Woman in the Room' has both."
"So, you're saying Chan-hyun's film covers both artistic and commercial value?"
"Yes. Your son is a genius, after all! Where do you think that genius comes from?"
Joon-seong, excited, was praising me and also flattering Dad with his eloquence.
"Dad, genes are important!"
Despite Dad's words dismissing the genius claim, his eyes showed he was pleased.
"So, should we watch the film?"
"Anytime. Please, watch it with Mom too!"
"I'm not very knowledgeable about movies. I know my husband does."
Mom waved it off and laughed.
"Hey, Mom and Dad, let's all watch together. Sang-hyeon, do you have any plans?"
______________________________________
That evening, we headed to the cinema, 'Agape Cinema.'
It was operated by Dad, who had worked his way up from being a gum seller to owning the cinema.
Dad loved movies so much that although he wanted to work in the film industry, he gave up acting as he wasn't particularly talented.
Instead, he found a job where he could watch movies all the time.
After years of hard work, he created the Agape Cinema.
"These days, people only come for foreign films. Hah..."
Dad had a somewhat bitter smile as he looked at the cinema.
I thought the smile hid many emotions, with concern being the most prominent.
"I'll come back often. It's really interesting," I said, bringing out the film from the car trunk.
We played 'Woman in the Room' for our family before the official screening.
During the 15-minute film, Dad, Mom, and Sang-hyeon were completely engrossed, not taking their eyes off the screen.
After the film ended and the credits rolled, Dad looked at me with a surprised expression. Mom, on the other hand, beamed and looked at me.
"So my good-for-nothing son isn't just drinking all the time?"
"Well…"
"Then it's okay to screen it here during the weekdays, right Dad?"
"Yes, when compared to other films, it's not of lower quality but rather higher."
Dad's surprised expression gradually changed to one of moved emotion.
"How should I pay?"
Dad asked.
"I don't intend to make money from this."
"What? You don't want to make money?"
"I'm just grateful for the opportunity to screen it. It'll be the starting point for getting my name out there."
"So it's like an advertisement?"
Dad quickly grasped my intention. However, I wasn't satisfied with just this.
"Instead of money, please include me in your future screenings and distributions."
Dad had a good eye for films, but that didn't mean all the films screened were hits.
Concerns about the Korean film market had led him to mostly distribute domestic films, which had quickly led to the downfall of our family's finances.
"In 2000, there were about 25 new releases each month."
Given that the cinema only had four screening rooms, the choice of films to distribute had the biggest impact on revenue, making Dad's choices less than ideal.
"Future distribution? Well, if you help, I'm fine with it. But with your film's quality, won't production companies contact you?"
"Of course."
My bold answer made Dad chuckle.
"Will you be able to debut as a director right away?"
"That's the plan, of course."
"Film industry is not that easy. Do you have connections?"
"Yes."
"Not just Joon-seong, kid."
"Don't worry."
Dad silently hugged me. His embrace, even at the age of 26, was warm, treating me like a child.
"Kid, you've grown up. I worried so much because you take after me."
"Well, Chan-hyun takes after you. Look at his intelligence."
Mom and Dad's playful bickering began, and Sang-hyeon and I watched with warm smiles.
____________________________________
From the next day, 'Woman in the Room' was regularly screened in the smallest theater.
Our filming team, excited by the news, brought their friends to the short film screening. There was quite a crowd.
"Did you set up a screening at your family's cinema? Awesome!"
"Wow, can I work here part-time?"
The team members eagerly explored the cinema.
I handed them some money and said, "Use this to buy snacks. And if you spill anything inside, you'll be in real trouble."
"Yes!"
Their enthusiasm for snacks was endearing.
Watching this, Mom remarked, "You have many friends? I thought you only had Joon-seong."
"How do you see your son?"
"Just like your father."
"Wasn't I supposed to take after you?"
"Your head is mine, but your personality is your dad's."
"Oh?"
Mom hit me lightly and laughed.
"Is that girl the lead in your film?"
"Hyo-seon?"
Mom smiled and said, "Son, you're graduating soon. You should date and get married too."
"...What?"
"This mother wants you to hurry up and..."
"I'll go clean up now!"
I quickly grabbed a broom and dustpan and ran away.
When Mom started such conversations, it usually lasted at least an hour.
The kids, despite coming for a 15-minute short film, seemed more interested in snacks and left without even touching them.
"Let's eat these at home."
"15 minutes flew by. We didn't even get to eat."
"I said I'd pay, right?"
Their reactions were positive. They were so focused on the film that they didn't even open their snacks.
"Chan-hyun, they said they enjoyed the movie!"
The friends who had just seen the film looked at me with admiration.
Hyo-seonn, leaving her friends behind, approached me with a smile and said, "My friend from art school wants to make a poster for the film. She said it's the most enjoyable film she's seen."
While I knew that opening hearts required money, I was thrilled to receive immediate reactions.