Chapter 173 : On the Big Screen at the Theater
Chapter 173: On the Big Screen at the Theater
The movie theater.
Not exactly a place I liked.
The ads that came before the movie were boring.
And sitting still for too long made me restless.
Still, there was a reason I came here from time to time.
A movie theater was the best place to hide your emotions.
Here, no one could tell what kind of expression I was making. Everyone just stared at the screen.
Once the lights were off, I didn’t need to say a word—just sit there in silence.
I could cry or laugh without worrying about being watched.
And...
“The theaters have gotten really nice these days! The seats are so comfy.”
Because Mom liked it so much.
Mom and Auntie still called movie theaters theaters.
So whenever I saw the word theater, it made my heart feel ticklish.
“Thanks to you, Auntie got to come to a place like this too. Thank you!”
The truth was, Hyung was the one who made the reservation.
But the mood was good, so I just stayed quiet.
“You picked good seats.”
“I heard this one’s supposed to be fun.”
We each held a small popcorn as we sat down.
I had caramel popcorn, and Mom and Auntie had regular.
The sweet popcorn smell was surprisingly pleasant.
“Taeyoon, you look like you’ve lost even more weight. These days young people are always dieting. But what good is a handsome face? A man needs to look sturdy…”
Auntie’s nagging, barging in without context, made me give her only an awkward smile.
“Ha, haha.”
“When are you going back to school? Your mom might not show it, but I bet she’s worried. Having fun is fine and all, but you should hurry back, graduate, get a job…”
“Yup.”
“Of course, Taeyoon, you’ve always done well on your own since you were young, but still—before you know it, you’ll blink and be thirty, then forty. So what I’m saying is…”
It wasn’t nagging I hated.
Half affection, half meddling.
As Auntie’s speech showed no signs of ending—
“Ow!”
Mom’s elbow poked into Auntie’s side.
Mom shut it down in one clean strike.
“Be quiet. I’m the only one allowed to nag my son.”
“Unnie! It’s not that, you know. I’m just worried…”
“You still don’t get it? These days, a single nag costs fifty thousand won. You’re already at three hundred thousand.”
“What? Come on. He went to Han Yun University and still hasn’t gone back to school…”
“Three-fifty.”
Yup, that’s my mom.
I held up a discreet thumbs-up in her direction.
Mom winked and smiled at me in return.
While Mom and Auntie bickered playfully—
Bzzzz—
My phone vibrated.
It was a message from Hyung.
[Our Hyung: Got there okay?]
[Me: Yeah]
[Our Hyung: Alright, enjoy the movie lololololol]
[Me: Yeah]
For some reason, the “lololololol” from Hyung bothered me.
He usually only sent two “lol”s, but today he sent five.
Must mean he’s amused by something all on his own… whatever.
I set my phone to silent and tossed it in my bag.
Mom and Auntie were still chatting away in their dialect.
Taking advantage of the moment, I popped a piece of popcorn into my mouth and looked at the screen.
Seemed like the movie was about to start.
The ads were over, and the emergency exit guide video was playing.
I was adjusting my posture, getting ready to watch for real—
Thump—
“Huh?”
A deep, heavy bass echoed through the theater.
It sounded like a heartbeat… or a drumbeat.
I’d definitely heard this before.
Was I imagining it?
Just as I was thinking that—
A familiar voice pierced my ears.
[ Every moment has a rhythm. ]
“Ah…”
I froze, popcorn still in hand.
That was… my voice.
I wasn’t hallucinating, right?
For a second, I doubted my ears—but the screen didn’t lie.
A subway platform. Someone on a treadmill. A couple shopping for groceries.
They were all moving to the same beat.
Yes. It was the Orbit Advertisement.
The ad built with my music, my concept, and my voice was playing right here.
[ Rhythm doesn’t only live in music. ]
The moment my second voice came on—
“Oh my, oh my. What in the world.”
I heard Mom gasp in awe.
And I felt their eyes turn toward me.
I wondered what kind of expression she was making.
…but I couldn’t bring myself to turn my head.
It made sense that the commercial was airing now.
But no one told me it’d be getting a theater premiere.
Could it be… Hyung? On purpose?
No wonder he suddenly insisted I take Mom and Auntie to the movies.
He’d planned this whole adorable setup.
Thump—thump—thump—
At this point, I couldn’t tell if the sound echoing in my chest was the drumbeat or my own heartbeat.
That’s how excited I was.
And then, I heard a voice from behind—sounded like a couple.
“Oh, that ad was really well-made.”
“Is he a DJ? So cool. What’s that song? I’m gonna look it up later.”
This time, it came from my side.
Two women were whispering, sharing their thoughts.
“It’s the Orbit ad.”
“Whoa… they used to only do those boring old-man type commercials. What happened?”
“Oh! I know that DJ. Remember that club Jiseon always talks about? In Ilsan…”
“Sierra?”
“Yeah, Sierra! I think he’s the DJ there. The hairstyle’s exactly the same.”
“For real? Send me the link later.”
…Times like this, being sensitive to sound is a real blessing.
Anyway, it was a surprising reaction.
Hearing the public’s response this directly felt so fresh.
The scene shifted, and the next line of narration came on.
[ When technology meets music, everyday life becomes a single track. ]
I felt like I’d recorded that line a hundred times.
But it was worth the effort I’d poured into it.
And—
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
The theater was buzzing.
“Whoa…”
“His voice is insane.”
Even the audience in front, who had been slouched disinterestedly, straightened up and focused on the screen.
Taking that chance, I stole a glance at Mom and Auntie.
Mom was staring at the screen, completely transfixed, while Auntie kept tilting her head, puzzled by Mom’s sudden change in demeanor.
At last, the big final scene.
Blackhole stepped away from the turntable and raised a hand to his mask.
His silhouette appeared between light and shadow.
His face wasn’t visible, but it was clear that Blackhole was bowing to the audience.
Exactly the feeling I wanted—no more, no less.
[ Your stage renews every day. ]
[ The smartphone that keeps your rhythm. ]
[ Orbit, designing your day. ]
– Your BEAT, Your LIFE.
– ORBIT, Live your HEART BEAT.
And with that, the Orbit advertisement ended.
Mom whispered in my ear.
“No matter how I look at it, I know that voice…”
I didn’t say a word. Just scratched my nose and stared intently at the screen.
A few more movie trailers played.
While Mom and Auntie chatted quietly beside me,
The movie began.
A scene passed that made everyone burst into laughter.
Then one that made the whole room sniffle.
“Hoo, hoo.”
I just couldn’t calm down.
I sat there blinking for two hours straight.
In the end, I barely watched the movie at all.
Seeing myself on the giant screen…
And hearing <Take a Bow> through the theater speakers…
It was overwhelming.
So overwhelming, I couldn’t even think straight.
What the heck.
Is this what movie theaters were like?
I think… I might start loving theaters from today.
Jin Eunha was going out of her mind with curiosity.
She wanted to shake her son until he confessed everything right now.
“No matter how I look at it, that is our Taeyoon.”
Even if he was hiding in the dark—
A mother could never fail to recognize her son.
To be honest, she already knew from the first subway scene.
That bowed crown of the head—it had to be her youngest.
Once the ad ended, the sister sitting next to her whispered.
“Unnie, that was Taeyoon’s voice, right? I mean—what’s going on?”
“Shh.”
“It wasn’t? Come on, it totally was. Taeyoon, was that you just—”
“Shhh! The movie’s starting.”
“…Alright, alright.”
Her eyes stayed on the screen, but nothing registered.
What stayed with her were Taeyoon’s gestures and music that had captivated the entire audience on that massive screen.
The movie, they said, was some touching true story or something.
But that was nothing compared to this.
Seeing her son appear that big in a movie theater—that was the real emotional story.
As the main figure of a KW Electronics Orbit commercial, no less!
“……”
For some reason, her eyes grew damp.
Whether crying from the ad or the movie—
Wasn’t this exactly the place for that?
While she was swimming in her feelings—
The movie ended before she knew it.
Her sister wiped her eye with a finger and looked at Jin Eunha.
“Ah, that was good. Right, unni—wait, are you crying?”
“Oh, uh…”
“I didn’t know you liked this kind of movie. Was it the scene with the grandmother’s keepsake at the end…?”
Her sister babbled on, but Jin Eunha just stared into space.
And suddenly—
“Ahhh!”
She couldn’t hold it anymore.
She threw her arms around her son.
Even though he was now a head taller than she was.
Even though he was the kind of son who could silently pat her back with his big hands—
In her eyes, he was still her baby.
“Mom, I… So, about what that was…”
Taeyoon opened his mouth, as if to explain.
“Taeyoon, wait.”
Jin Eunha looked around briefly.
This wasn’t the place to have an important talk.
And while she was at it—
‘Maybe this is my chance to brag about my son?’
She had listened to her sister gush about her son ever since he got into med school and became a resident.
Ten years straight.
And of course, she was proud of her nephew.
Med school is tough. He studied hard. He’s an amazing kid.
But still.
Isn’t starring in a KW Electronics commercial ten million times more impressive?
Surely, she deserved a turn to brag, too?
The thought bubbled up.
And even if it was petty—so what? Her sister had ten years. She just wanted this one time.
Even the closest sisters have moments when they want to score a direct hit.
But before that—
She had something more urgent.
Suppressing the wave of emotions rising in her chest,
She turned to her youngest son and simply said,
“Shall we go eat your favorite tonkatsu?”
Because all that aside, a mother’s gotta feed her kid.
It was a little past lunchtime.
The restaurant was quiet.
Mom had successfully brought Auntie and me to a tonkatsu place.
The place looked like a hidden gem behind the scenes—classic and a bit old-fashioned.
It had the vibe of those vintage Western-style diners from back in the day.
As soon as we walked in, a faint smell of fruity sauce welcomed us.
“Geez, I said I’d treat you! Auntie, please stop Mom.”
But Auntie just smiled even brighter than Mom and replied,
“Taeyoon was famous since he was little—for loving tonkatsu. It’s nice to be reminded of the old days.”
“That’s right, Taeyoon. This place is good. They even make their own soup.”
“This is such a throwback. Can’t believe it’s still here. You and Dongyoon came here a few times, right? Don’t you remember?”
I shook my head.
Mom and Auntie’s memories…
They must feel like ages ago, but to them, it was vivid like yesterday.
“Was it when you were six? You had sauce all over your face, remember? You stuck your head in the plate, and Dongyoon pushed you, and you ended up crying with sauce all over your face.”
“Taeyoon wasn’t the only one. Eunsu loves tonkatsu too, remember?”
For reference, Eunsu was my cousin—Auntie’s son.
A thick, yellow old-school soup was served.
Auntie couldn’t help herself and asked between spoonfuls.
“Taeyoon, that ad in the theater earlier… That was you, right?”
Mom gave a warning glance, but Auntie clapped her hands and declared confidently before I could answer.
“Of course it was. Who wouldn’t recognize their own nephew? That voice—definitely Taeyoon.”
Her gaze fell to the table.
Specifically, to the three smartphones sitting there.
All of them Orbit Phones.
Not long ago, I’d still been using an Airphone.
But ever since becoming a model, I now used the Orbit Watch, Orbit Earphones—everything.
Auntie continued.
“I just don’t get it. Is this real life? You’re not even a celebrity—how did you end up filming an Orbit Phone CF? Huh? Taeyoon, I’m dying of curiosity here.”
I put my spoon down and replied.
Better to wrap up the talk before the tonkatsu arrived.
“Auntie, yeah. That was me.”
“Oh my goodness… Taeyoon, do you remember the promise you made to your mom here back in the day?”
“Huh?”
“She asked if the tonkatsu was good, and you waved your thumb and said it was the best. Then you said, when you made lots of money, you’d buy her a house and a car. Looks like it’s really happening now?”
“Hmm…”
Mom, who had been silently listening, finally set her spoon down.
She wiped her mouth gracefully with a napkin and answered in my place.
“Oh please. Eunsu will probably do it first. He’s a doctor, after all.”
“Unnie! Are you serious right now? Taeyoon! He just filmed a KW Electronics commercial!”
I watched their back-and-forth with amusement.
There was something pointed in Mom’s reply…
“Oh, I had no idea either. Who knew my son had gone and filmed a whole commercial while keeping it secret like this.”
She waved her hands, playing it down.
But her face was lit up with a big, proud smile.
At this point, I figured it was time to finally give Mom her moment.
Maybe that’s why Hyung sent us to the movies in the first place.
I’d wanted it to be a surprise.
But now… I’d just say it.
“Mom, Auntie.”
“Yes, Taeyoon?”
“I’ll explain everything in detail on the way.”
“…On the way? To where?”
“Bundang.”
“…Bundang?”
At the mention of Bundang, Mom and Auntie looked uneasy.
Maybe it was because it was where we lived before our parents divorced.
It might bring up some hard feelings… But I’d stick to the plan.
“I told you when I was little that I’d buy you a house, remember?”
“You… did, yeah.”
“I’m going to keep that promise now.”
Just then, the tonkatsu was served.
Ah, that homemade sauce smell.
How can anyone resist that?
“Let’s eat first. Auntie, dig in! If anything’s missing, I’ll buy it all for you!”
Koreans run on food—first, let’s eat.
We can take our time after that.