The world-renowned film critic Jimi Parker.
He was a highly recognized figure in American film columns.
It could even be said that a single review from Jimi Parker was enough to drastically change the response to a film.
He was a cold and impartial man who possessed the spirit of a true journalist.
He did not accept bribes.
If a production company tried to bribe him, he would expose it immediately.
There was a reason people in the industry called him a mad dog.
No matter how remarkable or famous an actor might be, Jimi Parker treated everyone the same way.
That remained true even now.
He knew that Instinctive Rush was an internationally acclaimed film.
He also regarded Instinctive Rush as a masterpiece.
However, that did not mean a spin-off of Instinctive Rush would automatically become a masterpiece as well.
Just because the first installment was remarkable did not mean the second would be too.
A production with a prestigious name did not always produce something good.
After coming to the production press conference for Rampage, Jimi Parker took a seat in what was known as the royal section.
“Wow, that’s Jimi Parker.”
“The mad dog? That man came here?”
“I wonder what he’ll write this time. He tore into Instinctive Rush 6, remember? He said the material was good, but the directing failed to bring it to life.”
“He’s insane. The Instinctive Rush fans must have cursed him out like crazy over that. He even left a critical review when the trailer for Instinctive Rush came out.”
“Isn’t that man afraid of anything? Incredible. He’s incredible.”
Despite the whispers directed toward him from all around, Jimi Parker’s expression remained calm.
He had spent more than twenty years living as a critic.
He had faced more than disapproving stares. There had been many occasions when his life had even been threatened.
Even so, he had never stopped writing criticism.
Jimi Parker’s convictions were far too firm for him to submit to something like that.
Despite all the attention pouring toward him, he stared ahead without a care.
As the screen darkened, he clicked his pen and finished preparing to write in his notebook.
He intended to record exactly how Rampage made him feel.
—This is where it begins!
—Don’t stop. Running is what you do.
The footage began playing, and sounds of admiration came from those around him.
Ignoring them, Jimi Parker scribbled with his pen.
His eyes remained fixed on the screen as his hand moved quickly.
After moving steadily for some time, his hand suddenly stopped during one scene.
It was a scene of Yu driving.
Jimi Parker’s eyebrow twitched as he watched Yu escape from the police.
‘Well, look at this.’
Had they said the actor playing Yu was Han Seongtae?
Before he knew it, he had set his pen down and was completely focused on the screen.
His expression became peculiar as he watched Han Seongtae act.
He looked like a child who had discovered an amusing new toy.
Wearing an intrigued smile, he lightly tapped his lips.
‘This could produce an interesting angle.’
The instant he saw Han Seongtae’s acting, inspiration struck him.
For some reason, he felt as though he would be able to write an entertaining review.
“How fascinating.”
He quietly muttered while considering how to structure his review.
Questions lingered on his face as he watched Han Seongtae’s performance.
‘How can one person’s acting possibly be this diverse?’
He had watched many actors, but this was the first time he had seen one as unusual as Han Seongtae.
It was fascinating that one person could possess such a wide range of colors.
Wouldn’t someone act exactly like this if they had learned under masters who had each reached the pinnacle of a different field of acting?
Jimi Parker’s gaze deepened as he stared at the screen.
[It’s heeeere! Rampage is finally here!]
A post appeared in an online community.
People who had been waiting solely for the unveiling of Rampage flooded into the community.
Each of them shared articles they had found and began uploading posts.
[Rampage, the Spin-Off of Instinctive Rush. It Was Not a Spin-Off.]
[Critics Spare No Praise for Rampage and Its Perfectly Constructed Narrative.]
[Who Exactly Is Han? Audiences Show Interest in Yu, the Other Protagonist Who Brought the Story of Rampage to Life……]
The posts they brought filled the entire community site.
It was not merely one or two people.
Hundreds and thousands of people were posting.
So many people were showing interest that it was more surprising the site had not crashed.
The subject of their interest was Rampage.
Testimonies from those who had been able to attend the production press conference had heightened expectations.
And with Rampage being shown in a theater, the entire world was in an uproar.
Instinctive Rush had already received a great deal of love.
Rampage was a spin-off of that film.
However, not one person who had seen it described Rampage as merely a spin-off.
‘Rampage is another story, distinct from Instinctive Rush.’
Rampage was simply a production that shared a world with Instinctive Rush.
The production company felt the same way, which was why it had not attached the title Instinctive Rush to it.
Rampage.
That was the name of the film.
『[Holy crap. Jimi Parker has done it again.]
Has anyone seen the article Jimi Parker uploaded today?
I never knew this critic was capable of writing something like this.
Isn’t everyone losing their minds right now because of Jimi Parker’s review?
I’ll post the link, so hurry up and read it.』
The article uploaded by world-renowned critic Jimi Parker once again attracted public attention.
It had been written by a man whose very reviews had earned him both tremendous fame and infamy.
Naturally, an enormous amount of attention was bound to gather around it.
People immediately followed the link to check Jimi Parker’s article.
『[What Is a Race?]
Rampage is a film that makes us consider that question once again.
Britton Lee’s directing style and the story were both remarkable.
However, the performances of the actors who unfolded that story provoke many thoughts…….
…….
…….
……The actor who portrayed Yu is also worthy of attention.
Watching his acting brings to mind the masters who once defined entire eras.
The meeting of a remarkable actor and a remarkable director.
Rampage showed us what possibilities can be created through the meeting of those two beings.』
Jimi Parker was a critic known more for his biting words than for praise.
There had never been a film, no matter how widely it was called a masterpiece, that he had not criticized.
This time was different.
There was no negative content in Jimi Parker’s review.
It contained nothing but praise for Rampage, giving those familiar with him an enormous shock.
The surprise did not end there.
—bbb: Isn’t this the first time Jimi has directly mentioned an actor?
—ab: That’s right. I just looked it up, and this is the first time Jimi has ever mentioned an actor.
—akrka: Just what kind of actor is this Han? Every actor and director has been praising him. Now even Jimi is mentioning his acting? What is he, the next Chaplin?
The fact that Jimi had directly mentioned Han Seongtae became a major topic of discussion.
The reaction was even greater because it was the first time he had ever directly spoken about a particular person.
The enormous response in Europe soon spread to Korea.
『[Wow, Han Seongtae. What in the world is this guy?]
From Race Start all the way to Rampage.
Seriously, what does this guy even do?
It feels like the whole world is helping him succeed as an actor.
I thought he would get popular for a moment and then disappear, but people overseas are going crazy over Han Seongtae.
Everyone is talking about nothing but Han Seongtae!
If this isn’t a national-pride high, what is? He really is incredible.』
—On Junseo: Our Seongtae hyung really is amazing. He’s handsome, he’s good at acting, and he has good manners. What can our hyung not do?
—Prisha: Auntie, one bowl of gukbap over here, generously loaded with national pride!
—Candy: At this rate, couldn’t Rampage reach ten million admissions? Judging by the response, it doesn’t seem impossible.
—TheRemoteIsMissingAgain: It’s absolutely possible. Everyone is talking about nothing but Rampage right now. Wouldn’t it be stranger if it failed? Just look at the ticket reservations. Everyone is already going crazy about buying tickets in advance.
The trailer had already created a feverish response to Rampage in Korea, but the production press conference in America caused interest to literally rampage out of control.
People clamored for the film to be screened as soon as possible.
Advance sales had not even begun, yet large numbers of people were already preparing to reserve their tickets.
—Geum Jandi: Ticket scalpers are going to appear again.
—Dumbbell: But wouldn’t it be stranger not to scalp tickets for this? Judging by the current situation, ticket prices might rise dozens of times over.
—Electric Fan: Ah, seriously, this can’t happen. I’ve been preparing to watch Rampage for days. I have to get a ticket!
Some people were already worried that they might not be able to obtain tickets.
While the public response continued to boil over, another piece of news poured oil onto the already blazing fire.
—An article says the cast of Rampage is visiting Korea!
The whole of Korea was thrown into an uproar.
After the production press conference ended.
Han Seongtae spent an extremely busy three days in America.
He was constantly being called from place to place and had hardly any proper time to rest.
Only three days had passed.
Yet Han Seongtae looked haggard as he boarded the plane back to Korea.
[‘The One with a Thousand Faces’ pats you on the shoulder and says you have been through a lot.]
[‘The One Who Defined an Era’ says that the life of a famous person is naturally exhausting.]
[‘The One Who Made Laughter from Tragedy’ says that if you cannot avoid it, you should enjoy it.]
Han Seongtae laughed at the gods’ messages.
Yes, this was something he had already anticipated to some extent when he heard that Rampage would be released.
Even after arriving in Korea, Han Seongtae remained busy.
He had become considerably more famous following the production press conference.
Naturally, he received many offers for commercials, productions, and variety programs.
As the saying went, one should row while the tide was in.
Han Seongtae believed he needed to earn plenty of money, so he did not turn down the commercial offers that came his way.
While he was spending one busy day after another, he received a call from Britton Lee.
—Han, all of us are planning to go to Korea together. When do you think would be a good time?
Britton Lee said that they were coming to Korea.
His words reminded Han Seongtae of an article.
[Rampage Cast Decides to Visit Korea!]
It was an article reporting that they would be coming to Korea.
At the time, he had wondered whether it was merely an unverified rumor.
Looking at it now, it had been an article reporting the facts.
—Then we’ll see you at that time!
After ending the call with Britton Lee, Han Seongtae let out a disbelieving laugh.
The actors had mentioned several times that they wanted to come to Korea.
Still, he had not expected it to turn out this way.
It was not that he opposed them coming.
But it was true that he was somewhat surprised.
He had not thought they would genuinely visit Korea.
While Han Seongtae was still surprised, another startling piece of news remained.
—Jung Dusik: Seongtae, would you like to hold an autograph event?
Following the news that his colleagues were coming to Korea, Han Seongtae wore a peculiar smile at this additional news of an autograph event.
It seemed the wind had not finished blowing yet.
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