assistirfilmes Chapter 34 The Night of Judgment
Chapter 34 The Night of Judgment
December 15th, 9:50 PM.
The air was thick with the smell of cheap air freshener mixed with old paint, making one's chest feel stuffy and uneasy. Su Yu slumped in the secondhand ergonomic chair, his long legs propped up unceremoniously on the table, clutching the remote control in his hand, like a prisoner awaiting execution.
Cai Xiubin came downstairs, her steps as light as a cat's, holding a glass of water, occupying the "prime spot" by the window.
At 9:55, the door was suddenly pushed open.
Park Jiyeon burst in, carrying a plastic bag from the convenience store, the rustling sound breaking the silence.
"What did you buy?" Su Yu didn't even lift his eyelids.
Fried chicken. Ice-cold beer.
"Are you treating?"
"Hmm. Today is auspicious to spend money to avoid disaster."
She slammed the fried chicken box on the table, flipped the lid, and the aroma of steaming chicken mixed with grease exploded out. She tossed one can of beer to Su Yu, shoved one in front of Cai Xiubin, and kept one for herself.
Cai Xiubin didn't take it, her brows furrowing slightly. "I don't drink."
"Then what will you drink? The northwest wind?" Park Jiyeon raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying a strange sense of irritation.
"water."
Park Jiyeon clicked her tongue, took the beer back, pulled the tab, and with a "hiss," foam gushed out. She tilted her head back and took a big gulp; the icy liquid slid down her throat, but it couldn't suppress the anxiety churning in her stomach.
Three people, an old television, the air thick with tension, like a block of cement.
The TV was still playing "GG," that brainwashing "laundry detergent GG" on repeat. Outside the window, some house in the alley was playing music; I couldn't make out the lyrics, only the drumbeats making my heart race. The potted plant on the windowsill, its leaves a glaring green under the harsh white light, seemed to mock her restlessness.
Park Jiyeon couldn't sit still. She kept pushing the fried chicken box to the left and pulling it to the right, her fingers unconsciously picking at the soda can until her fingernails turned white.
"Representative Su, is this watch running slow?" she couldn't help but ask, her voice trembling slightly.
"No slow."
"Why isn't it time yet? There are still three minutes left, why are these three minutes taking so long?"
"Because you're bored." Su Yu glanced at her. "If you were busy, three minutes would be nothing but a blink of an eye."
Park Jiyeon was speechless. She stood up and paced back and forth in the room, her high heels clicking on the concrete floor. She walked to the window to look at the alley outside; she walked to the stairwell to listen to the sound of keyboards being used upstairs; then she walked back to the table and stared blankly at the potted plant.
The newly grown leaves were a little bigger, a tender green, with slightly serrated edges. She reached out, wanting to touch them, but then hesitated, afraid of damaging them. Her hand hovered in mid-air for a few seconds before she pulled it back.
"Representative Su, do you think the audience will like Jiang Meina?" she suddenly asked, her voice so low it was like a mosquito's buzz.
"have no idea."
Do you think I acted well?
"good."
"It's alright? Nothing particularly good?"
"Park Jiyeon." Su Yu put down the remote control, sat up straight, and looked at her. "If you ask any more of this nonsense, I'll throw you out."
Park Jiyeon bit her lip and didn't say anything more. She sat back down in her chair, picked up the beer can, and took another sip. The ice-cold beer went down her throat, but her stomach felt like it was on fire.
She recalled the scene where she was slapped during the filming of episodes 7 and 8. The director yelled "Action!" and the male actor slapped her across the face. She didn't dodge; her face was turned to the side, and her ears rang. She cried her heart out; it wasn't acting, it was real pain and genuine grievance.
She didn't know how the audience would react when they saw it. Would they laugh at her for being a washed-up idol with awkward acting skills, or would they be genuinely moved?
She wants the audience to remember her not because she is Park Jiyeon of T-ara, but because she is Kang Mina.
But right now, her show hasn't aired yet. She can only wait. This kind of waiting is more painful than being slowly sliced to death.
10 o'clock sharp.
The screen went black, and the opening theme song began.
Jin Daoqi's cold, stern face appeared on the screen, his eyes like knives.
Park Jiyeon's heart skipped a beat. She stared intently at the screen, even her breathing became shallow.
The comments started scrolling.
"Holy crap? Kim Do-gi? Isn't that Yoon Shi-yoon? The naive and innocent guy from 'King of Papa, Kim Takgu'?"
"This guy has lost so much weight, he looks unrecognizable. I almost didn't recognize him."
"Haven't seen you in a long time. What are you doing on a niche platform like OCN?"
"This face, I still think of it from the Kim Takgu era, but now that look in his eyes... it's kind of ruthless."
"Taxi driver? This setting is interesting. The vibe has changed; there's something there."
Park Jiyeon stared at the scrolling comments on the screen, then turned to Su Yu, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Isn't he your friend? Why are these people interrogating me like this?"
Su Yu leaned back in his chair, a playful smile playing on his lips. "He used to star in a national drama. It had a 50% viewership rating. Everyone in South Korea, from eighty-year-old grandmothers to three-year-old children, knew him."
"Then how come he's ended up in such a miserable state?"
"Because he has no connections. Even if he becomes famous, it's useless. Without the support of investors, he'll still be struggling to make ends meet." Su Yu pointed to the screen. "But his face is an insurance policy for viewership ratings."
Park Jiyeon didn't say anything more. She looked at Yoon Shi-yoon on the screen, wearing a black jacket, his hands on the steering wheel, without uttering a word. She hadn't seen his previous works, but she could sense that the person on the screen wasn't acting; it was a kind of decadence and ruthlessness that emanated from his very bones.
Cai Xiubin held her water glass, her knuckles slightly white. An Gaoen hadn't appeared yet. She was waiting.
The comments section was still scrolling wildly. "This driver is kind of handsome, a man of few words but ruthless."
The first episode aired for fifteen minutes.
The scene shifts to a dimly lit corner of an internet cafe. Two monitors stand side by side, their pale blue light illuminating a clean-cut face. Code scrolls frantically across the screen.
Angoun has entered the scene.
She didn't look at the camera, or even at the people around her. Her fingers tapped rapidly on the keyboard, a pace so fast it was dizzying. When someone asked for directions, she didn't turn her head for two seconds, her eyes vacant like two dry wells.
The barrage of comments exploded instantly, like firecrackers being lit.
"Who is this woman? Her eyes are so empty, but I love her!"
"Those hands are amazing at typing; it's a shame they're not playing the piano."
"She's a hacker? She doesn't look like one, she looks like a college student."
"Newcomer, right? Hasn't she had plastic surgery? All natural?"
"The lighting and shadows in the internet cafe scene are amazing; the director has some talent."
"Look at the speed! This isn't staged! This is the real speed of a programmer!"
Park Jiyeon suddenly turned her head to look at Chae Soo-bin.
Cai Xiubin remained expressionless, but the hand holding the water glass was frighteningly steady, without even the slightest tremor.
"They said you acted well," Park Jiyeon said in a low voice, her tone tinged with jealousy.
"Hmm." Cai Xiubin's voice was as cold as ice.
"Are you unhappy?"
"I'm happy." Cai Xiubin stared at the screen, "but not because someone said it was good, it's because they're watching. As long as they're watching, I can win."
Park Jiyeon didn't say anything more. She turned back to watch TV, but her heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat. Ahn Go-eun was typing away on the keyboard, her fingers flying across the keyboard. She remembered the fight scene in episodes 7 and 8, when she was slapped, her hands trembling violently, and she cried her heart out.
She didn't know how the audience would react when they saw it. Would they laugh at her for being a washed-up idol with awkward acting skills, or would they be genuinely moved?
She wants the audience to remember her not because she is Park Jiyeon of T-ara, but because she is Kang Mina.
But right now, her show hasn't aired yet. She can only wait. This kind of waiting is more painful than being slowly sliced to death.
The first episode has finished airing.
The end credits are rolling.
Cause and effect entertainment.
These four words appeared on the screen, and although they only lasted for a second, Su Yu saw them. Cai Xiubin saw them too.
She didn't speak, but her fingers tapped lightly twice on her knees. That was her highest expression of excitement.
Park Jiyeon finished her beer in one gulp, then crushed the can with a crisp "crack." She stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound.
"Representative Su, I'll be going now."
"Um."
She walked to the door, put her hand on the doorknob, stopped, and didn't turn around.
"Representative Su, I'll be back when episodes 7 and 8 air."
"Whatever. Just don't be late."
She pushed open the door and went out. Her ponytail swung back in a defiant arc.
Su Yu sat in the chair, looking at the gray-blue wall, where the paint was still uneven.
Cai Xiubin stood up, placed the water glass on the table with a "thud".
"I'm going upstairs."
"Um."
"Su Yu".
"Um?"
"Episode 1 has finished airing."
"Um."
"They saw me."
Su Yu looked at her, a hint of admiration in his eyes. "Yes. I saw it. And they didn't want to change the channel."
She turned and went upstairs.
The keyboard started clicking again. Tap tap tap.
It was a bit lighter than before, like some kind of war drum.
Su Yu turned off the lights.
In the darkness, the leaves of the green plant that Park Jiyeon brought on the windowsill shimmered slightly in the moonlight.
Episodes 7 and 8 will be released in a few days.
Park Jiyeon is awaiting trial.
Su Yu was waiting to receive the money.
Cai Xiubin is waiting to be deified.
Viewers can't wait. They only wait for two episodes a week.
Su Yu can afford it. Park Jiyeon can wait.
But tonight, the first shot has already been fired.
Kim Do-gi became a familiar face, and Ahn Go-eun became memorable.
The name "Yinguo Entertainment" finally seeped into this bizarre and fantastical world from this run-down alley.