Detective Graser
The day before the premiere.
Chester let out a small, expectant chuckle.
In his hand was the premiere ticket that Gyeong Chanhyeon had personally delivered a few days ago.
“Finally… it’s making its appearance to the world.”
“Haha, indeed.”
James, who was sipping whiskey in front of him, nodded with a smile.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of impact it’ll have on the American film industry.”
Chester rubbed his palms together and took another sip of his whiskey.
“It seems like quite a few famous figures are attending. Hmph… though there’s one bastard I’m a bit worried about.”
“Who are you referring to?”
“Duke.”
At Chester’s words, James frowned.
“If you mean Duke…”
“Yes. That Emil Duke.”
“What…? Isn’t he a fairly prestigious producer?”
At James’s question, Chester shook his head and sipped his whiskey.
‘There aren’t many people who would be happy about Gyeong Chanhyeon’s movie.’
And among them, the most malicious was Emil Duke.
He was a racist who took pride in being white.
At the same time, he ranked first on the ‘2007 Power List 50’ of influential Hollywood figures published by an American film magazine.
Perhaps because of his polished exterior, few people knew of his hideous inner nature.
Chester was only aware of it because he had happened to glimpse Duke’s true colors by pure chance.
“There’s no need to worry… No, if you are concerned, I can dig into his background. What do you think?”
Chester shook his head in response to James’s offer.
“Forget it, man. If we touch that man, we might end up being the ones targeted. Let’s just watch the situation for now. Maybe he’ll just let it slide smoothly?”
“But still…”
“I said forget it. Who knows who is backing that bastard. He’ll be incomparable to someone like Philip, whom you handled.”
James smacked his lips and nodded at Chester’s words.
“Besides, as long as the movie is good, it won’t matter what that bastard does. And if it’s Director Gyeong’s film, it’ll definitely be good.”
Chester rubbed his palms and grinned.
Knowing Gyeong Chanhyeon’s meticulous nature, he wouldn’t leave any flaws for others to exploit.
Hoping that nothing would go wrong, Chester looked at the Detective Graser premiere ticket once more.
Praying that no strange storms would blow their way.
And the day of the premiere.
Under the blazing sun, a man stepped out of his car and frowned.
‘The weather is damn too good.’
He had a prominently developed jawline and a dark, stubbly beard.
The beard contrasted with his clean attire, but that scruffy look was his trademark.
As he headed toward the premiere venue, waiting reporters swarmed him.
“It’s Emil Duke! Take a photo! A photo!”
“Mr. Duke, please give us a comment on Director Gyeong Chanhyeon!”
Reporters crowded around him, hurling questions, but Duke didn’t offer a single word of answer, merely waving with a fabricated smile.
‘Bugs swarming around a piece of trash movie.’
Duke maintained his smile until the reporters were out of sight, slowly walking toward the venue.
He intended to carry out his conviction: that a trashy director and a trashy movie should receive a fitting result.
The storm Chester had worried about was slowly beginning to blow.
At the same time.
Yesterday, Junseong insisted I wear expensive clothes, dressing me in a suit that cost millions of won.
He also lent me his watch, strapping a timepiece to my wrist whose price I couldn’t even fathom.
And from this morning, he took me to a salon, claiming I needed to be set from head to toe.
“Now you look the part. You really look the part.”
Junseong nodded, scanning me from top to bottom.
“This is too much… I don’t even usually wear watches…”
“Hey, do you know how many snobs are coming today? That watch I lent you is seen as your ‘class’ in the eyes of those snobs. This all becomes your image. Got it?”
“Sigh…”
“And you should style your hair like this more often. Since you have straight hair, you need a bit of setting. You look decent just by fixing your hair a bit.”
Junseong smiled contentedly as he dropped me off in front of a cinema.
The Egyptian Theatre.
I knew my movie was being shown at a theater designed in an Egyptian style, but knowing it was actually happening brought a slight tremor of excitement.
“You’re confident, right?”
“Of course. This is something I’ve always dreamed of.”
“The image of our movie depends on your mouth today. Answer the questions well.”
Today was the VIP premiere.
Thanks to Junseong’s networking, it was a premiere where celebrities and staff from all walks of life were invited.
As a strategy to draw attention to Detective Graser across various media, a few influential figures from Hollywood were also in attendance.
They approached me first to greet me.
“Nice to meet you, Director Gyeong Chanhyeon. I assume we can look forward to the movie today?”
“I heard you’ve been very busy lately… the movie should be fine, right?”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
As the VIPs I was meeting for the first time greeted me, I was nodding and responding with an awkward smile.
Then, a familiar figure appeared.
“Hello, Director Gyeong Chanhyeon.”
“Huh…?”
A man dressed neatly in a black suit.
A slightly receding hairline and noticeably mismatched eyes.
His cheeks were dark with an untrimmed beard.
As the man extended his hand first, my breath hitched.
“Hmm?”
Seeing that I wasn’t taking his hand, the man stared intently into my eyes for a moment.
I quickly snapped back to my senses, shook his hand, and spoke his name.
“Ah… ah, yes. Hello, Mr. Emil Duke.”
I gripped his hand lightly.
He gave it a slight shake and wore a satisfied smile.
“Oh, you know my name?”
“Haha… of course. To make movies in Hollywood, one must at least know someone like Mr. Emil Duke.”
At my words, Duke suddenly tightened his grip on my hand.
He began to apply pressure, as if trying to pull me toward him.
A classic power struggle.
I considered pretending to lose, but perhaps because I knew how much of a piece of trash this man was, I gritted my teeth and pushed back.
“Haha…”
“Haha…”
“Ahem… haha.”
Duke seemed flustered by my reaction and let out an awkward smile.
He soon let go of my hand and spoke first.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I hear you’re close with Chester?”
“Yes. He has done so much for me… I am trying my best to repay his kindness.”
Duke’s eyes widened in surprise.
This made his mismatched eyes stand out even more.
“Ah, Chester has done a lot for Director Gyeong…?”
“Yes. Is there something strange about that?”
At my words, Duke shrugged and gave a smirk.
“Well, what could be strange about that? Haha. Anyway…”
Duke let out a foul-sounding laugh, glanced at me, and trailed off.
Then, a brief silence.
His mismatched eyes stared intensely at me, but I stared back, my fist clenched tight.
Just then, a welcoming voice rang out.
“Hey, Director Gyeong!”
A familiar voice.
Looking over, I saw Chester.
From a distance, Chester approached me with the same expression he used when warning off reporters.
“Ah, Chester. Haha. It’s been a while.”
“While or not, I need to see Director Gyeong. May I borrow him for a moment?”
“Yes. Well, I’m done here anyway. I’ll head inside first.”
Duke let out a smirk and walked into the premiere hall.
“Are you alright? You?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“Did that man do something?”
Chester asked, looking at me with a worried gaze.
“Do you know about him too, Chester?”
“…?”
At my words, Chester blinked, looking bewildered.
“What? Do you… by any chance know what kind of person he is…?”
“Ah…! Ah, no. Haha.”
Emil Duke.
This man was a quite capable producer in Hollywood.
At the same time, he was one of the absolute worst pieces of trash.
However, thanks to his image-making, it would be a long time before his true nature was revealed.
Realizing that knowing Emil Duke’s true nature right now might seem strange, I laughed awkwardly.
“I don’t know the details, but… he tried to attack me with a handshake…”
“Did you dodge it?”
“No. I gripped him harder.”
At my words, Chester let out a bewildered chuckle and looked at me.
“You know what kind of man he is, right?”
“Ah… yes. A producer who is doing quite well in Hollywood…”
“That’s just the shell. Just be careful. Don’t even think about getting entangled with that insect-like human. Understand?”
With a firm expression, Chester pointed toward Duke’s retreating back.
“I don’t want to be entangled either… but what if he’s the one who attacks me?”
“…”
Chester held his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
This was certainly going to be a headache.
If I ended up crossing that man, a mountain of trash would come tumbling out.
Whether Hollywood could handle that mountain was the question.
Emil Duke’s downfall happened in the 2010s.
Compared to now, his fame was much lower then.
In fact, right now was the peak of Emil Duke’s influence.
“Damn… I don’t know. Let’s just hope that vermin has no ill will. Ah, that’s not it. Tsk. Because of that bug, I forgot what I was supposed to say first.”
“Yes?”
“Congratulations. On your first step into Hollywood, young man.”
Chester offered a warm smile and extended his hand for a shake.
A warm hand, incomparable to someone like Emil Duke.
After a light shake, we entered the premiere hall together.
After entering the hall first, Emil Duke pretended to scan the surroundings and headed toward the restroom.
He rubbed his hands vigorously and frowned.
“That insect-like brat… how dare he…”
An Asian who had only just crossed over to Hollywood.
The sight of a guy from a country whose name he didn’t even properly know acting as if he were something special made Emil Duke grit his teeth.
“Oh? Mr. Duke?”
When a man who entered the restroom recognized him, Duke put on a smile and greeted him.
“Wow, Goodman. Long time no see. How long has it been?”
“Haha, indeed. I knew you’d definitely be here, Mr. Duke.”
“Of course I’d come. He’s an Asian director stepping into Hollywood for the first time. Someone like me should come and offer help.”
Hearing Duke’s words, the man nodded with an impressed expression.
Duke continued with a pleased smile.
“As a member of Hollywood, the increase of people of color is great news. Diversity. That in itself will only increase the value of Hollywood.”
“Wow… as expected of Mr. Duke. Truly, you are a necessary person for Hollywood.”
“You flatter me.”
“Humble as well… haha. Well, I’ll head back to the hall first.”
“Ah, please do. It was an honor to see you after so long.”
“Oh, the honor is mine. I’m the one who’s honored. Haha.”
As he watched the man bow and walk away, the smile on Duke’s lips instantly turned cold.
He checked his hair in the mirror one last time and headed back to the hall.
There were more decent people gathered at the premiere than he had expected.
From famous actors to renowned producers from other distributors.
Duke looked around, slightly surprised by a lineup sufficient to draw significant attention.
‘I guess he’s already built some connections? Maybe those Ching-Chang-Chongs actually have some talent.’
Though he had made a name for himself with Space Vagabond, Duke hadn’t even watched the movie.
The fact that an Asian had achieved something that couldn’t be done in Hollywood—the mere news of it filled him with displeasure, so Duke acted as if Space Vagabond didn’t even exist in this world.
—The premiere of Detective Graser will begin shortly. We ask everyone in the Egyptian Theatre to please take your seats.
‘I’ll tear him down one way or another. That goddamn brat.’
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