The Face Genius Actor

Episode 097

Usually, production press conferences had a tense atmosphere.

As it was the first official event before showcasing the work, it was inevitable to feel some tension.

Also, the questions at production press conferences tended to follow similar formats.

If the first step was taken wrong, it could create various tiresome situations.

Moreover, production press conferences were events where situations couldn’t be smoothed over through editing.

For these reasons, it was harder to create entertaining situations than at other times.

At most, directors or actors occasionally responded to questions wittily, eliciting small laughs.

In the case of movie production press conferences, it was even more challenging as they often included screenings for journalists and critics.

As it was not just introducing the work but also the first time showing the film, it was inevitably burdensome even if one tried to relax.

That’s why I thought today’s press conference would proceed in a stiff atmosphere.

‘It was certainly like that, but…’

The situation changed when Director Kim Pil-sung made an unexpected mistake.

Everyone present burst into genuine laughter, and perhaps because of that, the press conference proceeded in a much more comfortable atmosphere.

Park Gyu-rim, who was hosting, also seemed much more energetic than usual.

Moreover, it felt like she wasn’t asking many unnecessary questions.

It seemed to have naturally turned out this way as we unexpectedly lost a lot of time.

“Actor Lee Si-joon.”

“Yes.”

“About those heel inserts earlier. You said you picked them up thinking they were Director Kim Pil-sung’s wallet?”

“I did, but they weren’t.”

“No, what on earth happened during filming that made you obsessed with the director’s wallet?”

Not sure if I should bring up the investment, I glanced around cautiously.

Then Ji Jung-hyun, understanding the situation, intervened appropriately.

“Ah, I think it’s better if I answer that question rather than the person in question.”

“Oh! Great. Actor Ji Jung-hyun.”

“Actually, Si-joon invested all the money he had in .”

“Really?”

“Yes. Because of that, his life has become noticeably harder recently. I think that’s why he’s become obsessed with the director’s wallet too. Right, Si-joon?”

I nodded and answered.

“Even though I shot a lot of commercials after finishing , my bank account still feels a bit light.”

“Right. It must look a bit emptier than before.”

“Yes. That’s why I coveted the director’s wallet. It looked quite thick, so I thought it had a lot of money in it.”

My answer made Park Gyu-rim and the reporters burst into laughter once again.

Then Director Kim Pil-sung seized the opportunity and responded to my words.

“The real wallet is thinner than the heel inserts. I’ve already spent all the money Actor Lee Si-joon invested.”

“So you spent it all…”

I muttered this and turned my head towards the press seats.

“Please write good articles. I beg you.”

I made this plea, and the reporters nodded with smiles.

Some reporters were continuously typing as if excited.

In this enjoyable atmosphere, the production press conference for could be concluded.

Fortunately, as I had requested, many good articles were posted online.

[‘Escape’ First Screening, Followed by Praise from Journalists and Critics]

[Ji Jung-hyun X Lee Si-joon ‘Escape’ Character Posters Revealed]

[(Photo) Lee Si-joon Clicks Looking at Packed Press Corps]

[Director of ‘Escape’s Heel Inserts Abandoned on Floor? Lee Si-joon’s Witty Recovery]

[‘Escape’ Production Press Conference Turns into Sea of Laughter Thanks to Lee Si-joon’s Wit]

[‘Escape’s Lee Si-joon Reveals Reason for Coveting Director’s Heel Inserts, ‘Bank Account Empty from Investing’]

[Ji Jung-hyun, Can He Surpass 10 Million Viewers Again? Rising Expectations for ‘Escape’]

[Rookie Director’s Bold Move Revealing Heel Inserts! Happy Production Press Conference for ‘Escape’]

[The Movie is Fun to Begin With! Increasing Expectations for ‘Escape’]

[From Tears of Emotion to Cheerful Laughter, ‘Escape’s Screening and Production Press Conference Wrap Up (Comprehensive)]

I could be certain that the production press conference would receive good reviews.

However, that was separate from receiving good reviews at the screening.

So there was a part I was worried about, but fortunately, also received good reviews.

This alone could make the production press conference successful.

‘I guess we’ve overcome the biggest hurdle for now…’

But the movie promotion was just beginning.

We couldn’t be satisfied with just receiving good reviews at the journalist and critic screening and production press conference.

Our first promotional event could be considered an event for movie enthusiasts.

Originally, the general public wasn’t very interested in journalist and critic screenings and production press conferences.

That was the reality.

In the end, for the movie to be successful, we needed to attract general audiences.

So we decided to appear on variety shows to imprint the name .

The first variety show Ji Jung-hyun and I decided to appear on was .

* * *

was a YouTube channel produced by SBC.

Perhaps because of this, Ji Jung-hyun was negative about appearing on .

Maybe because he had been in broadcasting for a long time, he seemed to think that terrestrial TV had more impact than YouTube channels.

“Wouldn’t it be better to appear on another SBC variety show instead?”

But sometimes, YouTube channels were more popular than regular terrestrial programs.

Especially was a program that best embodied the characteristics of YouTube channels where one could talk about many things more freely.

Moreover, it was also one of the most preferred programs among audiences in their 20s and 30s, who had the biggest purchasing influence in the movie sector.

I explained this point to Ji Jung-hyun.

Fortunately, Ji Jung-hyun nodded after hearing my explanation.

“If that’s what you think, let’s decide to appear on the program .”

“The format is a bit unique, so it might be good to watch a few videos of .”

“Right. That would be good. It’s my first time appearing on a YouTube channel. How can I watch the videos?”

I took Ji Jung-hyun’s phone and found the channel.

I clicked on the playlist containing movie promotion videos, and several titles appeared.

Ji Jung-hyun scanned the titles and mumbled quietly.

“…”

was a movie starring Park Jun that was released a month ago.

As expected, it achieved good results with 8.7 million viewers.

It was a shame that it didn’t quite reach 10 million, but this was not bad considering.

Especially considering that was a movie with a rather dark atmosphere.

By the way, it seemed Park Jun had also appeared on to promote his movie.

While I was organizing these thoughts, Ji Jung-hyun turned his head towards me.

“So I can watch the videos here?”

“What? Oh. Yes.”

“I see. From here on, I’ll watch the videos myself. Thank you for your help.”

“It’s nothing. Then I’ll head home now. Please contact me if you need anything else.”

So I returned the phone to Ji Jung-hyun and moved to go home.

In the process, I could briefly see the video Ji Jung-hyun was playing.

‘Why … Wasn’t he on bad terms with Jun hyung?’

I found it a bit strange but didn’t think much of it.

He might have just clicked on while playing random videos.

And that night.

I received a message from Ji Jung-hyun.

[Senior Ji Jung-hyun][22:13] It’s fortunate we decided to appear on Culture Transmission as you suggested

[Senior Ji Jung-hyun][22:13] If we promote our movie here, it should get quite a bit of attention

[Senior Ji Jung-hyun][22:14] By the way, there’s something called an MBTI test, how do you do this?

Come to think of it, an MBTI test was necessary to appear on .

This was because Lila, the host of , was a devotee of MBTI.

In fact, MBTI was a topic of interest not just for Lila, but for almost everyone recently.

However, the problem was that I hadn’t taken the MBTI test yet either.

[Si-joon][22:14] MBTI!

[Si-joon][22:15] You can take the test by following this link!

[Si-joon][22:15] Come to think of it, I haven’t taken the test yet either!

After sending the link to Ji Jung-hyun, I also started the MBTI test.

I heard it was a test that could be finished in 10 minutes, but as I carefully checked each question, 30 minutes quickly passed.

Some questions seemed to be poorly translated, requiring several reads to understand their meaning.

‘Phew… Finally finished. Is this my personality type?’

I nodded as I read the description of my personality type.

There were many parts I could relate to.

Naturally, I also looked up something called MBTI roasts, and when I looked up, it was dawn.

I went to bed thinking I should have asked Ji Jung-hyun about his MBTI.

* * *

A few days later.

On the day of filming.

Lila was just as she appeared in the videos.

“Hello, hello! Nice to meet you! Ha… We’re actually low-budget so we lack lighting, but with you two here, we don’t need… we don’t need lighting, do we? We can return some of the lights! So this is what they mean by self-luminous.”

Her energy was incredibly high.

Ji Jung-hyun seemed taken aback by Lila’s enthusiasm at first but soon adapted.

It was thanks to Lila’s skillful hosting of the show.

The most surprising thing was ’s research ability.

Lila even brought up past interview content that Ji Jung-hyun had forgotten and asked questions about it.

“In a 1999 interview with Cinema21, you said, ‘I was popular since high school. If I was chewing gum in an alley, a female student would approach and ask, Can I have some of that gum? That’s why I always carried a pack of gum in my pocket.’ Is this true?”

Ji Jung-hyun asked back with a slightly surprised look.

“Did I say something like that?”

Lila nodded as if it was obvious.

“Of course, Actor Ji Jung-hyun. Please give us an official explanation.”

Ji Jung-hyun hesitated, seeming flustered, then answered.

“It’s not true that I chewed gum in alleys. I always chewed gum on wide streets. And I always wrapped it in paper before throwing it away. It might be true that female students asked for gum. But they probably weren’t asking for the gum I was chewing.”

In the end, it meant he had exaggerated in the interview.

“Ah. What? Actor Ji Jung-hyun. Is it okay to lie like this?”

“In 2000, we thought the world was going to end, so I said whatever came to mind… And now it’s coming back like a boomerang.”

“Ahaha. Why would the world end in 2000? Look how shameless. What’s Actor Ji Jung-hyun’s MBTI?”

And finally, the MBTI talk came up.