We partied hard after our wrap-up celebration—drank till we could barely stand—and ended up getting home around the third round of drinks.
When we got in, both of my parents were already asleep. I noticed a pair of military boots in the shoe cabinet.
“Is it already time for Sang-hyeon’s first leave?”
Jun-seong asked, eyeing the boots.
“I don’t remember him saying anything about coming home.”
Jun-seong was pretty close to Sang-hyeon too. Even though the three of us only drank together once, it felt like they became closer than I was with my own brother. I had no idea why.
We staggered inside, still reeking of alcohol, and struggled to take off our shoes. Just then, we heard someone moving around inside and the lights flicked on.
“Hyung?”
It was Sang-hyeon—my younger brother, whom I hadn’t seen in years.
Our family had fallen on hard times, so he dropped out of college, worked part-time jobs, and was studying for the civil service exam. Then he had a really bad accident on the job and even ended up in the hospital.
“Sang-hyeon-ah!”
It looked like he was on his first military leave, still rocking that buzz cut from basic training.
As I walked toward him, he covered his nose and said, “Ugh, you smell like booze. Gross. What’s with you acting like it’s been years since we last met?”
“Oh, Sang-hyeon, long time no see!”
“Oh, hyung. Long time. Has he been bugging you lately?”
“He’s driving me nuts. But sometimes he seems like a different person these days.”
“Mom and Dad said something like that too… huh?”
I pulled my brother into a tight hug since I hadn’t seen him in so long.
He looked startled and tried to push me away, but I just clung on even harder.
“Waaaah, Sang-hyeon, if you pick up any more part-time jobs, I’m gonna kill you. If you ever ride a motorcycle, I’ll really chop your legs off. Hoooo…”
Maybe it was the booze, but my emotions were all over the place. Thinking about the past made me tear up.
“Hyung, are you drunk? I’m a soldier—where would I even get a part-time job? And what’s this about motorcycles? Ugh, you smell like alcohol. Are you crying?”
“Oh man, he’s crying again?”
“Again?”
“He cried a few days ago because the food tasted good.”
“Pfft, oh, so that’s what Mom was talking about?”
“How is that even important right now? Sob. Seriously, if you ever get on a motorcycle, you’re dead.”
“When have you ever seen me ride a motorcycle? And, uh, what’s that behind you?”
Sang-hyeon pointed at the small trophy and plaque behind me.
“Dude, your big bro has some skills, you know.”
“You got an award?”
“I actually got two. It’s the first time in our film department’s history.”
“Oh?”
Sang-hyeon looked a bit surprised and turned to stare at me. I looked back at him and said,
“Do whatever you want, man. I’ll take care of the money.”
“You sure talk big. Mom and Dad are going to wake up if you keep this up. Go to bed already, quietly.”
“I haven’t slept with my little bro in ages. I’m totally sleeping next to you tonight.”
“Ugh, why are you being so clingy and gross?”
“Hyung! Breakfast!”
I heard Sang-hyeon’s voice.
Then I saw Jun-seong stumbling out, still half-asleep, yawning like crazy.
The moment Mom saw me, she smacked me on the back again.
Smack!
That affectionate whack actually made me grin.
“You! Your brother comes home on leave from serving our country, and you couldn’t even let him sleep in!”
“I just wanted to have a chat with him…”
“Oh, look at you two acting like some long-lost family. It’s his first leave—what’s there to talk about so much?”
“Boohoo…”
I pretended to pout, so Mom forced a little smile and handed me a bowl of soup.
Dad glanced at a plaque lying in the living room and said,
“I heard you won some awards yesterday. Congrats.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Before I went back in time, I was never really close with my father. Around this age, I basically thought he was super strict and scary.
But as I got older and looked back, I realized he wasn’t scary—he just believed in sticking to his principles. Actually, he was pretty caring.
“Um… Dad.”
I almost never called him “Dad,” always “Father” instead. The last time I said “Dad” might have been back in elementary school.
Right now, Dad’s only a bit older than I was before my regression.
He’s probably worried because theater revenues are declining around this time.
Knowing that, I could see how his shoulders seemed slumped with anxiety.
“What is it? Geez…”
Even if he was secretly happy, he only showed it in the tiniest smile.
“You know that short film I won the award for yesterday?”
“Yeah.”
“How about we screen it at our theater on weekdays or something?”
“Alongside other stuff?”
“Sure, you run indie and short films from time to time. It’d be cool if mine could be shown there too.”
Dad fixed me with a serious look.
Even Jun-seong, who was about to take a bite of his breakfast, stopped mid-spoonful and waited for Dad’s answer. Then he spoke up carefully,
“Sir, this piece won two awards. It’s unprecedented to win two prizes at our graduation showcase.”
“Hmm…”
“The popularity award was by audience vote, and the ‘Ready, Go!’ award was chosen by the professors. You know what that means…”
Jun-seong was good at talking—no surprise he ended up producing and dealing with investors and distributors so skillfully. Plus, he had family money for days.
“It means it’s got both commercial appeal and artistic merit.”
“What?”
Dad asked, still skeptical.
“The audience vote proves it’s commercially appealing, and the professors would’ve looked more at its artistic value. Up until now, graduation films only managed one or the other, but Chan-hyeon’s The Woman in the Locked Room pulled off both.”
“So, you’re saying Chan-hyeon’s film has both artistry and commercial potential?”
“Exactly. Your son’s a genius, sir. And where would he get that talent from, right?”
As he kept talking excitedly—his face all red—he wrapped it up by politely pointing at Dad with both hands.
“Genes really do matter, you know!”
He flattered Dad by calling me a genius and implying it came from him. Dad looked pretty happy.
“Genius, my foot.”
Even though he tried to brush it off, Dad had a clear smile in his eyes.
Jun-seong definitely knew how to handle him.
“Well, guess I should watch it then.”
“Anytime. Ma’am, you should watch it with him!”
“I don’t know much about movies. My husband’s the one who’s into them.”
Mom waved it off, smiling.
“Aw, come on, Mom, Dad, Sang-hyeon too. You free later tonight, Sang-hyeon?”
“Tonight, huh?”
“So we can watch it, right?”
Sang-hyeon silently nodded.
“What about you, Jun-seong?”
“Ah, I’ve got plans today. I’ll join in next time for sure. Promise you’ll let me!”
That morning, our whole family went to the theater for a change.
Agape Theater.
This is the theater my dad runs.
He started from nothing, selling gum around various cinemas when he was a kid, slowly working his way up.
He loved movies so much he wanted to work in film, but he wasn’t exactly handsome enough to be an actor, so that was out.
He also didn’t know that much about making films, so he took a job that let him watch a ton of them. After years of backbreaking work, he finally opened Agape Theater.
“Nowadays, if it’s not a foreign movie, people barely show up. Ha ha…”
Dad stared at the theater with a bittersweet smile. I could sense a mix of emotions there—mostly worry.
I pulled the film reel out of the trunk and said,
“People are definitely going to come see this one—it’s really good.”
Before opening hours, we played The Woman in the Locked Room in one of the screening rooms, just for our family. It was only fifteen minutes long, but Dad, Mom, and even Sang-hyeon were glued to the screen the entire time.
Once it ended and the short credits rolled, Dad turned to me looking startled. Mom beamed at me.
“So my little troublemaker son doesn’t just drink all day, huh.”
“I… guess not.”
“So, Dad, can we show it here on weekdays?”
“Sure, compared to other films, it’s not subpar at all. In fact, it might be better.”
His expression went from surprise to being genuinely touched.
“How do you want to handle the money?” Dad asked.
“I don’t really plan on making money from it.”
“What? You don’t want to make money?”
“I’m just thankful for the chance to screen it. And it’ll help me get my name out there.”
“So it’s basically an advertisement?”
Dad quickly caught onto my plan. But I wasn’t planning to stop there.
“I won’t take any revenue share, but let me help out the next time you screen or distribute something. Let me be involved.”
Dad definitely had an eye for movies, but not all of the ones he chose were successful.
He worried too much about the local film industry and mostly showed domestic films, which ended up tanking our family’s finances.
Around 2000, about 25 new movies were released every month.
With only four screens, picking which movies to show had a huge impact on profits. Unfortunately, Dad’s picks often turned out to be the worst.
“So you want to help with distribution? Fine by me. But with a film like yours, production companies might reach out to you anyway.”
“They definitely will.”
I answered shamelessly. Dad let out a quiet laugh and asked,
“You really think you can debut right away as a director?”
“Of course.”
“The movie world isn’t so simple. You got connections?”
“Yep.”
“Not counting Jun-seong, kid.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
At my words, Dad pulled me into a quiet hug.
Even though I’m 26, he still treats me like a child, and his embrace felt really warm.
“You little punk, you’ve really grown up. I was worried since you take after me.”
“Oh, come on. He’s obviously more like me—look how smart he is.”
Mom and Dad started their usual playful back-and-forth, while Sang-hyeon and I just watched and smiled.
Starting the very next day, the smallest screening room at the theater started playing The Woman in the Locked Room on a regular basis.
Word got out to our film crew, and they showed up in droves with their friends to check out the short film.
“Wow, your family owns a theater? That’s awesome!”
“Hey, can I work part-time here?”
The crew looked super excited, wandering around the theater like little kids. I handed them some cash and said,
“Buy some snacks with this, but if you spill anything in there, you’re dead. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!”
They were still basically kids, and just the mention of snacks lit them right up—it was kind of adorable.
Mom, watching them, made a comment to me,
“Wow, you have a lot of friends. I thought you only had Jun-seong.”
“Geez, Mom, what do you take me for?”
“What do I take you for? You’re just like your dad.”
“But you used to say I take after you.”
“Oh, you got my brains, but your dad’s personality.”
“Gah, seriously?”
I rolled my eyes, and Mom smacked me lightly on the back, laughing.
“That girl over there’s your film’s lead actress, right?”
“You mean Hyo-seon?”
I asked, and Mom wrinkled her nose and said,
“Son, you’re about to graduate—don’t you think it’s time you start dating and eventually get married?”
“…What?”
“As your mom, I really want—”
“I’m just gonna go clean!”
I grabbed a broom and dustpan lying nearby and bolted.
Whenever Mom brought that stuff up, it’d be at least an hour-long lecture. Running away was the only option.
Even though our film was only fifteen minutes, my crew bought so many snacks you’d think they were there to eat more than watch. But in the end, they were so engrossed in the movie they didn’t even open their snacks.
When it finished, they came out with their snacks still unopened.
“Dude, let’s just eat these at home.”
“Fifteen minutes flew by. We barely got to eat anything.”
“See, I told you not to buy so much.”
They clearly enjoyed it if they forgot to eat. They were totally sucked in.
“Chanhyeon hyung! They said it was awesome!”
The friends who’d just watched the film were huddled together, whispering, and occasionally stealing glances my way in awe.
Then Hyo-seon left the group, walked up to me, and said with a smile,
“Oppa, one of my friends over there is an art major, you know?”
“An art major?”
“Yeah, that one in the back. She says she wants to make a poster for you. Says this is the most fun she’s had watching a movie in a long time.”
I always knew nothing opens hearts like an open wallet—but getting a reaction this fast?
Well, I’m not complaining. This is awesome!
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