Possessed 10 Million Actors C.195:

Every May in a small town in the southeast of France, superstars from around the world gathered.

This was because the world-renowned Cannes Film Festival, one of the top three film festivals globally, was taking place.

In line with this, in front of the festival venue, numerous reporters were sending breaking news to their respective countries.

"This year marks the 83rd Cannes Film Festival, already reaching its closing ceremony."

"On this closing day, the attention of filmmakers and fans worldwide is converging. Who will be the protagonist of this year's Cannes Film Festival?"

"Oh, Rachel, what a splendid dress. After a long break, you're back on the red carpet. Can you briefly share your feelings about being invited to Cannes for your comeback film?"

It was a place where the festival of filmmakers unfolded, and where the pride of films from various countries clashed.

That place was none other than ‘Cannes.'

At that moment, a reporter pointed to a car that appeared in the distance and exclaimed, "They're here!"

Upon hearing this, people around turned their gaze to where the reporter was pointing. There, a luxurious SUV from Maserati was slowly approaching.

Though not remarkably expensive, the journalists' hands were busier than ever, capturing the moment.

That Maserati SUV had been a long-time companion of a particular actor.

The SUV came to a halt in front of the red carpet. As the door opened slowly, camera flashes erupted in succession.

"Hello. Good afternoon."

The man who stepped out of the car lightly raised his hand, greeting the cameras and capturing his image.

It was Jinseok.

Now accustomed to such camera flash rituals, Jinseok appeared at ease.

In response, journalists immediately began crafting articles. The hands of Korean reporters, in particular, were busier than ever.

[Kang Jinseok, "Good afternoon."]

[Jinseok elegantly stepping out of the car.]

[Actor Kang Jinseok personally driving.]

[Jinseok wearing a suit, once again from ‘Hermes.' The suit's price is astonishingly…]

Although the articles didn't contain any groundbreaking information, journalists wrote them down as best as they could.

Jinseok slowly walked on the red carpet.

As if determined not to miss a single step, cameras followed Jinseok's every move.

As Jinseok walked past the red carpet and ascended the stairs, the host approached for an interview.

"Actor Kang Jinseok, welcome to Cannes. The interview can be conducted in English, French, or Korean. What would you prefer?"

"I'll go with French. If you come to Cannes, you should speak the language of Cannes. I wanted to do it in French this year, so I worked hard on studying French."

"Haha, understood."

When the staff relayed Jinseok's words to the reporters, they eagerly extended microphones to him.

"Last year, you were invited to Cannes as an actor, but this year, you're here as a director. It must feel different. Please share your feelings briefly."

"Just being invited to an event like this is truly an honor and a joy. I'm grateful for the positive reception of ‘Possessed 10 Million Actors.' It took quite a while to produce, and I want to express my gratitude to everyone who stuck with it till the end."

With a light smile, Jinseok replied, and another reporter asked, "Actor Kang Jinseok, two years ago, you won the Best Actor award for ‘Long Time No See, Andy.' If you win again this year, it will be a consecutive honor. What do you think? Do you think you can win?"

"If I say I have no ambitions, it would be a lie, but there are so many talented individuals that it won't be easy."

The questions continued.

"The ‘Possessed 10 Million Actors' team went in ahead. Is there a specific reason for your separate arrival?"

"To be honest, should I tell the truth?"

"That would be great."

"Min Gyeongsu insisted on going separately, saying he didn't want to have the spotlight stolen."

"Haha! Is that true?"

"Yes. I thought it was a joke too, but he left me alone at the hotel."

"You didn't fight?"

"We get along really well."

After finishing the interview, Jinseok entered the ceremony hall.

The venue appeared grand, almost to the point of being majestic.

It was filled with directors and actors who could be called "superstars" anywhere in the world.

At first glance, everyone seemed to be enjoying the event with laughter, but a closer look revealed that they were subtly competing with each other.

The silent eye battles between actors and directors known to have a high chance of winning in their respective categories were a quiet war in itself.

While this was happening, when Jinseok passed by, the attention of the actors shifted towards him.

No matter how remarkable these superstars were, in the end, there was only one person, naturally drawing attention to Jinseok.

"Mr. Kang Jinseok. It's been a while."

It was Director Katahiro from "The Most Painful Predestined Relationship in the World." Jinseok warmly shook his hand.

"Oh, Director. It's been a while. How have you been?"

"I'm good. If it weren't for ‘The Most Painful Predestined Relationship in the World' that I shared with Kang Jinseok, I wouldn't be here today."

"Haha… No, it's what you accomplished, Director."

In response to Jinseok's humble words, Katahiro shrugged his shoulders as if to say he couldn't deny it.

When Katahiro engaged in a very friendly conversation with Jinseok, other directors and actors sent envious glances their way.

Although everyone seemed eager to talk to Jinseok, no one stepped forward.

It was a challenging task for a director hailed as a master in their own country to initiate a greeting with an actor from another country without any formalities.

"Well then, I'll be on my way."

As Jinseok politely said this, Katahiro seemed disappointed.

"Is that so? Are you going back to Korea right after the award ceremony today?"

"It seems necessary. I have a schedule."

"Ah… I see. If you have time, I would have liked to have a meal together. Alright then."

After expressing his regret, Katahiro returned to his seat.

‘I should head back to my seat too.'

Jinseok slowly looked around before heading back to his place.

***

Inside the press center within the award ceremony venue.

Reporters anxiously watched the live broadcast of the award ceremony while checking the articles they had prepared in advance.

Some seemed more nervous than the directors or actors who were actual nominees.

‘Who will take home the Golden Palm?'

‘Best Actor?'

‘There's a Korean actor nominated for Best Actress. It's probably challenging for them to both win, right?'

Among the journalists contemplating this, there was Kang Suyeon, a deputy editor who used to be Go Seoyoung's subordinate. Thanks to her past mentor Go Seoyoung, she found herself in this bustling environment.

Kang Suyeon glanced at the window open on her laptop. Like the other reporters, her screen displayed various pre-written article contents.

[‘Cannes, Best Actor' Kang Jinseok, the first Korean to win twice!]

[‘Possessed 10 Million Actors' Director Yeo Jaeyoon, wins the Golden Palm!]

It might seem like excitement, but Kang Suyeon had completed all the preparations faster than anyone else to publish articles.

She had written articles for various scenarios, but none of them mentioned Jinseok not winning or his film receiving no awards. It was a precaution, as words can become seeds of reality.

‘Phew. I hope Kang Jinseok wins.'

Thanks to Go Seoyoung, Kang Suyeon had already secured an exclusive interview with Jinseok. However, if Jinseok didn't win, the interview would undoubtedly be awkward, and there wouldn't be much material to work with.

Even if it wasn't for that reason, as a fan of Jinseok, Kang Suyeon sincerely wished for his victory.

‘I heard it was chaos when he won the Best Actor award last year.'

As Kang Suyeon was lost in various thoughts.

[Best Actor, we will announce it.] 𝘧𝓇𝘦𝘦𝔀ℯ𝘣𝓃𝓸𝓿ℯ𝘭.𝑐𝓸𝓂

The voice of the host echoed from the TV installed in the press center. The somewhat murmuring crowd fell silent. Everyone was waiting and anticipating the names the host would call.

A moment later.

The host smiled joyfully and announced, "[Best Actor, Kang Jinseok]."

As those words echoed,

"Wow!!"

He won again! Again!

The press center erupted in cheers. Even though everyone was surely prepared to publish articles, few were doing so.

Click!

Unlike other journalists, Kang Suyeon uploaded the article she had prepared in advance as planned. The article reported that Jinseok won the Best Actor award, and both the jury and the audience gave him a standing ovation.

Meanwhile, as Jinseok walked to the stage and received the trophy, he began his acceptance speech.

"Um… Haha. First of all, what should I say? Thank you so much. I didn't expect to receive this award again."

While admiring the trophy, Jinseok continued speaking into the microphone.

"Last year, I think I said something similar in this very place. I prepared an acceptance speech. It's not that I was confident I would win again, but if I come up here and say something lame, I would feel sorry to those who gave me this award, my colleagues, and the fans."

After a brief pause, Jinseok smiled sheepishly and added, "Maybe I'm still a bit nervous. I'm an actor known for not making mistakes during filming, but this ‘live' situation makes me nervous in various ways. Other seniors and colleagues seem to handle it effortlessly, but I wonder if it's because I'm still a lacking actor."

Kang Jinseok saying he's still a lacking actor brought a burst of light laughter to the venue.

Encouraged by the good atmosphere, Jinseok gathered his courage and continued, "[I don't exactly remember the words I intended to say, but it was something along these lines. Last year, I expressed my gratitude to many who helped me be in this position. So, if I have the opportunity to be in a place like this again, I want to say something different for others.]"

After glancing around for a moment, Jinseok calmly spoke, "[Looking at me in this position now, I believe many juniors who are nurturing their dreams might be here. Those who sweat to appear on the screen for even a second. Although it's not my place to speak, unexpectedly finding myself here due to various twists of fate, I hope you all don't give up. You may want to give up each time you hit the wall of reality, but at those moments, I hope you envision yourselves in this position dreaming, just like I did with a script in hand.]"

After speaking for a while, Jinseok approached the microphone even closer.

"[Every time you feel like giving up, consider that as another starting point, and I sincerely hope a protagonist is smiling at the end of your life's film. Thank you.]"

With Jinseok's final words, the venue erupted in more fervent applause than ever before.