Lord Of Dying Smoke - Chapter 214



Only Noblemtl

The King of Death Smoke Episode 214

The Hope (2)

Previously, Kang Min had received praise for playing a madman, a modern-day Richard I.

Even critics who dismissed the play itself as a piece of garbage with no answers praised the action in the middle and the flow of the dialogue in the latter half, saying it was “one of the top ten experiences since Travis Bickle.”

– That’s a misunderstanding. At least I never tried to play a madman in this role.

Of course, Kang Min said this during the interview.

However, some critics have pointed out that the very discourse that distinguishes between mental normality and abnormality is meaningless.

Normality as health.

Average (Normality as average).

Development (Normality as process).

And, the ideal state (Normality as utopia).

Normality in psychology is nothing more than a moderate intersection between these ambiguous concepts, and if the audience felt that Richard I’s actions were abnormal and mad, then they were acting mad. What kind of wordplay is that?

It was a good story, but Amos Hoven later commented that he was “just trying to show off” and got into a fight, which led to him turning into a professional troll.

No it wasn’t.

There was a very clear difference.

At least the audience quickly realized that Kang Min had never intentionally set out to play a madman.

[Oh my God, why didn’t you tell me earlier that it was our wedding anniversary! Come on in before your wife grabs me by the collar!]

[Start purifying the planet.]

What is a madman? Abnormality.

[What do rules matter? The situation is what it is. I’ll take care of the vacation schedule. It was a difficult birth, you know. I sent you some consolation money, so don’t refuse.]

[Aren’t you missing the escape pod? Shoot it down.]

What is abnormal? It is something that deviates from the average.

[Hahaha! What a lively kid! No, no need to bow your head. The hair will grow again!]

[Don’t miss a single one.]

What is the average? It’s the average of everyone.

So what gets us out of it?

[I want you to have peace through me. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have chosen to overcome the world.]

It’s a belief.

* * *

“… … .”

The audience blinked in a daze as they watched the galaxy burst into flames with screams just ten minutes after the intro video began.

It wasn’t the work of some evil villains.

It was the captain’s doing.

Amos Hoban’s mouth was open in amazement. He looked dumbfounded.

And so did director Hopper Dusk, who was in another theater.

To be exact, he looked like he was going to turn around.

‘What the heck… What the heck are you thinking! Kangmin! Henry Pyan!’

‘Have you really gone crazy?!’

It was a scene that was truly beyond expectations. It had impact, and the audience was instantly absorbed in the scene.

But isn’t this a previous problem!

‘This is… this is a prequel movie!’

‘What are you planning to do by making the main character of , who the audience has grown attached to, a madman who can’t even do laundry?’

Even if you win, it’s not a win. The opponent has self-destructed.

Are you really saying that the movie itself was unfinished?

However, Director Dusk’s expression, which was turning inside out in absurdity and despair, soon hardened.

That’s because the scene has changed.

[Now, let us follow along. He said, “We humans are all wanderers who were driven out of the small, green Eden, but we are all compatriots and family…”

[[[But we humans…]]]

[Yes, no matter what you look like, no matter who you are, you are all family! You get it?]

[[[yes!!!]]]

Again, 20 minutes after the intro video.

The film shows how close to a utopia the ‘human empire’ is.

Vast territory.

Stable security.

And, above all, human rights.

The audience’s expectations of a predictable dystopia are once again off the mark.

It is incomparable to the dystopias often seen in science fiction. In this empire, no weakling is discriminated against.

[Thank you for your hard work, sir. Leave the rest to your descendants.]

Elderly people who live alone and wait for everyone to leave and die are given honorable treatment.

[Don’t worry! There is an infinite future open to you!]

Orphans who have lost their families and are left alone are given generous support, no matter which path they choose.

There is no such thing as a discriminatory job.

There is no such thing as a discriminated race.

Everyone deserves respect.

Limitless altruism and charity are the beliefs of the empire.

Even though they are referred to as ‘Eden’, religion is not their essence.

[Love your neighbor as yourself. All mankind is one family.]

Bible.

[It is left to all of us to wander about in peace and comfort towards our faith and bow down in the midst of the crowd.]

The Quran.

[Before the fruit of evil ripens, even the evildoer can be happy, but once it ripens, he will eventually meet with misfortune. That is why we humans must guide one another.]

Even the Buddhist scriptures.

In a single book titled , the knowledge accumulated by the ancestors of the ‘Blue Homeland’ for thousands of years is neatly organized.

But the name of the god they originally served has been erased and no longer exists.

The Empire believes in only one religion.

Although each and every human being may be weak.

But look at what these weak humans have accomplished.

Look at the twinkling of countless stars, the light of a civilization that shines even brighter, and the will to move toward a more splendid utopia.

Behold the pride of having evolved from barbarism, yet overcoming the base nature of barbarism.

Who would dare say that this sight is not great?

[Therefore, anyone who denies this is not human, Major.]

The captain opens his mouth.

His tone is seemingly calm, as he wears a light dog tag instead of an imperial insignia.

But that calmness is betraying confidence and determination.

[You too know the history of your homeland. You have seen the terrible divisions of nations and states and the terrible consequences they have brought about. These heretics are trying to revive it.]

[Ugh…]

[If a thousand or ten thousand people were killed, would that be comparable to the terrible consequences? Would that be comparable to the barbaric era that would tear apart the united humanity? Where on earth could their sins be washed away?]

[That’s nonsense! They just want to coexist with peaceful alien civilizations!]

The captain takes off his hat with a bitter smile.

[I have no intention of questioning your convictions, Major. But don’t you think that the fact that you can say that is a credit to the current situation?]

[…What did you say?]

[Long ago, all those who tried to coexist with tigers were captured and killed. They reappeared after all the tigers were killed and locked in iron bars, ensuring the safety of humanity.]

[They are not beasts! They can communicate!]

[Tigers are like that too. It would be amazing to realize how advanced they can communicate with their keepers. But who can guarantee that they won’t bite us to death in the wild?]

[… … .]

[Of course we need people like you. However, regardless of necessity, it seems like a harsh task for you. Do you have any intention of transferring?]

The information officer grits her teeth and sighs. Some people around her look at her.

But the captain does not give a warning at that sight.

Neither nagging nor insulting.

All he does is say, “Calm down. It’s okay to use the facilities,” and after calming them down, he scolds those around him who look down on him and turns away.

“… … .”

“… … .”

The audience members who came together stare blankly at each other.

For about 10 minutes after the start, the movie showed how evil the empire was and how brutal the massacres were.

But for another 10 minutes, Kang Min confused the audience with just his words, actions, and tone of voice.

That got worse as the play progressed.

[The information officer simply stated his beliefs. No more words.]

[I see. The recovery budget is late… Let’s pay for it with our own money for now.]

[To save them. Even if it is the land of heretics, if there is even the slightest possibility of innocence, we must help our fellow countrymen.]

[…What a pity.]

Kang Min’s acting was sincere, as if it came straight from his heart. And that made the situation even more mysterious.

The audience was embarrassed at themselves for unknowingly favoring the captain.

He has noble ideals, is truly concerned for humanity, and has the character and generosity to face direct and rude criticism from subordinates without taking it seriously.

Can this be called evil?

A person of unquestionable character?

A person who acts for humanity itself, not for personal honor or greed?

Rather, aren’t those who want to overturn such an ideal world the very ones who are trying to kill humans by releasing wild beasts to save them, selfish beings?

[Ugh…!]

The action scenes in the middle part further amplified such emotions.

The captain fights desperately against the pirates who are determined to strike at the imperial leadership.

It was great. But the action itself wasn’t much different from what we saw in the trailer.

However, the audience who tried to empathize with the rebels fighting against the dystopian empire ended up being moved by the captain’s determination to step forward to avoid loss of life.

Just by changing the viewing position, the meaning of the scene completely changed.

Even the lines in the trailer, which are said in a calm tone.

[For humanity.]

flag.

glory.

And, belief.

Actor Kang Min-i succeeded in planting the seed of madness in a completely different direction than before.

And, it also proved.

True belief can shake even those who see it.

‘Ugh.’

Finally, in the middle of the film, a bead of sweat ran down director Hopper Dusk’s forehead as he watched the audience blankly absorbed in the action between one actor and two pros.

‘What on earth are you trying to do, Henry Pyrene… .’

He gritted his teeth.

amazing.

It’s definitely great.

but.

‘How on earth did this great captain become the character in the main story!’

‘Just how great a calculation are you hiding…!’

* * *

In fact, there was no calculation at all.

40 days ago, a conversation like this was taking place in the studio.

“Hey, Director Pian…? Are you sure this is okay?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No… It’s a bit unlikely that the captain, who was so desperate, would be persuaded by an information officer after repeated sincere persuasion.”

“Well… Of course I feel sorry, but what can I do? The schedule is tight and the ending is already set.”

Director Henry Feynman’s enthusiasm was largely consumed by the utopian empire in the first half and the action scenes in the middle.

It was a prequel with an obvious answer, and the schedule was also urgent.

In the world, if a movie does well in the first half but then becomes a ‘huh?’ in the second half, it’s usually because they lack either money or time.

Investors didn’t think too deeply about it either.

“… Well, I think it will probably get some good reviews in the first half alone.”

“I think so too. It was kind of like a half-promotional film to begin with.”

“I think I might benefit from Director Dusk’s crazy stuff.”

In that way, was set to be released with an ambiguous feeling. If it had remained that way, it would have most likely been caught in the trap that Director Dusk had risked his life for.

But there was a slight error.

An actor came in after gaining enlightenment(?).

-Tsk, sorry, Olsen. It’s too late. There are less than four weeks left until the opening. You’re going to mess with the data now─

“I’m really sorry about that. But I really hope you’ll take a look at it just once.”

-… Phew, just come and have a look.

Penelope stood in front of the director, who had no expectations and was just crossing his arms, in a place full of monitors, not even a stage.

And then I took a deep breath.

‘The captain has a belief in humanity throughout the play.’

I couldn’t quite understand that.

It was such a big unit, such a big story, that it was hard to act.

I thought it was just like Kang Min himself. He seemed friendly at first glance, and he seemed to know a lot about me, but I had no idea what he was thinking.

However, I think Penelope now knows Kang Min a little bit.

The fragmentary knowledge I had until then slowly began to come together.

‘In , he turned down the role so that the writer’s script wouldn’t be ruined.’

That kind of thing happened.

At that time, it felt like Kang Min just needed to act like he was dying, but that was probably an illusion.

‘In the later public service announcement, instead of persuading Director Shim, he helped him. At the most important moment, he turned down numerous advertisements. As if there was something more important than his career.’

That kind of thing happened.

I feel like it’s because no one has ever presented an ad where someone dies, but I’m probably mistaken.

‘After that, I met Ace. And I returned home without asking anything of her. Even though everyone tried to use her.’

That kind of thing happened.

It feels like I just got a new clue for the death act and went back excitedly, but I’m probably mistaken.

‘And, she helped me when we were at odds on the talk show. After I took the Emmy away from her, she said she believed in me.’

‘Even though it doesn’t benefit you at all.’

Penelope bit her lip.

I don’t know anything about the captain’s humanity. I can’t even imagine it. I don’t even know how to persuade such a person.

But, if it’s a person named Kang Min.

If that person breaks his beliefs, then definitely─

“······!”

and,

Director Henry, who saw the smoke caused by that misunderstanding, stood up in an instant.