EPISODE 43
The black stylus "OSM" draws on the tablet, handled by Soo-Bong's hand.
The rendering is partial. The white rifts swallow the lines!
| ~ | (trembling voice) It looks like torn paper. (worried) I can barely see what I'm drawing! |
¤ His drawing: Disorganized tanks on the battlefield. Slashed by tears.
¤ In the foreground: A tank officer yells into his radio. Half his face erased.
Soo-Bong's clenched hand draws the officer's speech bubble: "Mayday...".
PRELAP: Boom! Sound of a shell exploding.
Boom! Boom! A few tank shells explode, the last ones.
The officers and soldiers panic at the sight of the strange white rifts.
| - | Mayday Mayday! An inexplicable phenomenon is disrupting the operation. Retreat. I repeat, retreat. |
The tanks from both sides pull back. At least this battle stops.
On the tablet, the tank officer and his text bubble:
| ~ | Mayday Mayday! An inexplicable phenomenon is disrupting the operation. Retreat. I repeat, retreat. |
Kang Chul, Wang Shin and Ren-Bo watch...
... Soo-Bong and Yeon-Joo drawing on the tablets.
(In the background: Yoon-Hee takes care of Chul-Moo in the sofa area.)
|
| - | If the fighting stops, will that slow down the white rifts? |
| - | Check if the manhwa understands what a rift is hiding. |
On the tablet, the drawing disappears, and a new image materializes:
¤ While the officer had his face masked by tears...
¤ ... his face is whole once the tank is out of the zone!
|
| - | Yes!!! It's just annoying to draw because it masks the view. |
| - | ... (blue wings) |
| - | In that case, what effect will these tears have? |
|
| - | Am I going to be torn in two?! |
|
| - | (no answer) ..... It's too early to say. (uncertain) But the phenomenon is going to amplify, and then... ?? |
|
| - | ... !! (anguished, mauve wings) |
|
| - | (hopeful) Maybe it's for the best? (tells...) |
Soo-Bong draws on the tablet:
"TO BE CONTINUED in Queen of Darkness AND Butterfly Girl".
Once completed, the text erases itself!
|
| - | (?!!) Why isn't this working?! I am the true author of both manhwas! |
|
| - | ("incredible") The manhwa accepted the merge, but refuses to separate?! |
|
| - | (painful) You created the Crossover during a time stop. That may be the reason. Or just, a manhwa is inseparable. |
|
| - | Could the Crossover become two manhwas again thanks to the tears? |
|
| - | (certain) Not in the current context. If the illustration battle continues, this world will be... devoured. |
|
| - | ... !! |
| - | Are we going to sacrifice an entire world... (looks at Ren-Bo) to save one person? |
|
| - | ?!! |
|
| - | You wish to sacrifice Ren-Bo? |
|
| - | Of course not, but-- |
|
| - | Then the question is settled, we must continue at all costs. We must finish the manhwa before the apocalypse. |
|
| - | ... ("he has definitely become kind") |
|
| - | How? |
|
| (thinks about his plan...... but uncertain) |
|
| - | ... ?! |
|
| - | (checks his watch, if he has time to explain) ("for lack of anything better") We have an asset... |
Kang Chul watches Soo-Bong draw, and the stylus "OSM" he is handling...
|
| - | What happened? (points at Soo-Bong's stylus) ... About this stylus? |
|
| - | Metempsychosis! |
|
| - | (?) ... Metempsy-what?!? |
|
| - | The psychic imprint infused into an object! |
|
| - | Soo-Bong, how did you get this stylus? |
|
| - | (?!) ... It was before W became a living manhwa. (tells while continuing to draw...) |
Oh Sung-Moo draws on his tablet.
He stops and looks at his stylus with disapproval.
| - | SOO-BONG! |
| ~ | (from the living room) Yes Seonsaingnim. |
Soo-Bong hurries in with small steps, dressed geeky with glasses.
|
| - | (holds out his stylus) It's worn out. Throw it away and go buy me a new one. |
|
| - | Yes Seonsaingnim. (takes the stylus and backs away with small steps...) |
|
| ~ | I thought it was in good condition. But Seonsaingnim was sometimes fussy. |
In the tablet section, Soo-Bong picks up a stylus box, reads the specs.
Sung-Moo draws pencil sketches on a notepad.
Toc! Toc! at the door.
|
| ~ | It's me Seonsaingnim! |
|
| - | MmRrh. (grunts, focused on his drawing) |
Soo-Bong enters, walks up to the desk and...
... places the new stylus box near Sung-Moo's hand.
Sung-Moo, silent, focused. He has to finish his sketch!
Soo-Bong stays, intimidated, afraid to ask, and finally...
|
| - | (lifts his head) What else? |
Soo-Bong breathes to gather courage, and brandishes the old stylus!
|
| - | (military tone) This, Seonsaingnim!!! |
|
| - | (??) ... Well... Throw it in the trash. |
Soo-Bong places the stylus on the desk and pulls out a diamond scribe!
|
| - | I have a favor to ask you, Seonsaingnim!!! (remembers, a few hours earlier...) |
He walks toward a poorly decorated, artisanal IT shop. (the same as Ep14)
Sign: "All computer equipment: Second-hand sales, Repairs".
|
| - | (points at the stylus tip) Here, I'd like a gold plate. Is that possible? |
| - | (smells a good deal, hides his greed) Of course, I can do that for next week. |
|
| - | (!!) ... Uh... And doing it today... Would that-- |
|
| - | (falsely embarrassed) Aaah... For the priority intervention option... I must ask you to pay a "small" extra. (sorry eyes) |
Fzzz... solders the gold plate onto the stylus tip.
|
| - | A dedication? (annoyed) Is that why you took so long?! |
|
| - | Sorry, Seonsaingnim. I... I should have consulted you first, but-- |
|
| - | Years working together and you play the fan?! |
|
| - | !! (panics) No Seonsaingnim!! It's to work better! (speaks fast) An object you wish to get rid of can become a blessing, a source of inspiration, a symbol of hard work that-- |
|
| - | (fed up) Alright, alright! (reluctantly, holds out his hand) |
|
| - | ?! (... gives him the diamond scribe) |
|
| - | (takes the diamond scribe, examines it) Tsss... That costs as much as the stylus. |
Sung-Moo never wastes time haggling, and it's done in ten seconds.
He engraves his signature "OSM" on the gold plate, admired by an amazed Soo-Bong.
|
| ~ | When did this happen? |
|
| - | It was... (thinks) Three years ago. One year before Noona went into W. |
|
| - | ("as expected") And since then, you've always used this stylus? |
|
| - | Most of the time. |
|
| - | So you drew with it, ONE YEAR on your old W tablet. ONE YEAR on the one bequeathed to Yoon-Hee and ONE YEAR on Butterfly Girl's. ("last doubt") But Mi-Ra's tablet, you drew on it?! |
|
| - | (uncertain, but remembers...) |
Mi-Ra draws Cha Yu-Sun on her tablet, the face, the upper bust.
| - | (discomfort, clutches her lower abdomen) Soo-Bong, finish the bottom! (stands up) |
|
| - | ... ?! |
Mi-Ra leaves. Soo-Bong replaces her at her workstation.
Handling his stylus "OSM", he completes Cha Yu-Sun's dress.
|
| ~ | That happened, to help out... |
He draws shadow killers in the background of the Queen of Darkness.
Mi-Ra retouches one killer to show him, with her own stylus.
Soo-Bong imitates her for another killer, with his stylus "OSM".
|
| ~ | ... or when she wanted to teach me. |
|
| - | Omo... (vaguely understands) |
|
| - | Ah ah ah. ("derisory, it was right under our noses") |
| - | The most important thing is how a new manhwa could come to life. |
| - | An isolated case, non-reproducible. |
| - | But... with an infinity of parallel worlds... There must be one that fits every manhwa! |
| - | So... all manhwas can become alive? |
| - | We are linked to the phenomenon in an unknown way. |
|
| - | W, Queen of Darkness, Butterfly Girl... There were never isolated mysteries... It was the same and unique phenomenon, non-reproducible! |
|
| - | (hesitant) So... How did it all start... |
|
| - | What is the object closest to the author? |
The very first page of the manhwa W!
He takes a break, pours himself a glass of whisky, but... keeps his stylus in hand!
|
| ~ | The object that never leaves his hand? |
|
| - | (!!) It's not the tablet... It's the stylus! |
|
| - | Oh Sung-Moo's psychic fluid first infused his stylus. |
|
| - | It's a shame, but it's over. |
Close-up on Sung-Moo's stylus, without the signature "OSM" at that time.
The hand and stylus emanate a blurry aura of energy.
|
| ~ | One year after the start of the manhwa... Like a paradox where all variables coincide... |
|
| ~ | The supernatural phenomenon was triggered, the stylus activated the tablet. Then turned it into a portal to the manhwa's parallel universe. |
Sung-Moo stares at the drawing, incredulous!
|
| ~ | I felt it like a revelation. My desire to be reborn. |
|
| - | I am a God in my manhwa, since I created everything. |
|
| - | Oh Sung-Moo thought he was the God of his manhwa, but he never was, except at the ultimate moment when he renounced. Like God, he granted me free will, and like a human, because I was the only one who could save him. |
|
| - | (sad) He did not understand his divine act, that granting freedom to the characters of his manhwa must allow them to refuse his decisions. |
|
| - | Oh Sung-Moo's stylus became a supernatural vector, capable of transferring the author's psychic energy to the tablet. |
|
| - | (!!) That means... any manhwa can become alive? It only takes the author drawing for ONE YEAR with this stylus?! |
|
| - | That's correct, and the tablet becomes functional. |
| - | So my tablet was already functional when Soo-Bong gave it to me? But why-- |
|
| - | It took an additional year before the manhwa recognized you as one of its true authors. And I bet Mi-Ra never used your tablet. |
|
| - | (thoughtful) ... That's true. |
|
| - | The stylus has other properties. It makes what is drawn with it more real. |
|
| ~ | It is impossible to erase what this stylus draws. |
Yoon-Hee tries to erase it, but it fails.
|
| ~ | That's true!! I noticed that when you went to get the stylus. The stylus was then being used by the journalist-zombie. |
|
| - | (looks at his stylus, amazed) This stylus is magical!! |
|
| - | No, I just explained. It's... |
|
| - | ... ?! |
|
| - | Ah! Never mind... (looks at them one by one seriously) From now on, one of you three must always use this stylus. |
Soo-Bong, Yoon-Hee and Yeon-Joo nod "yes", serious.
Kang Chul looks toward the kitchen:
The giant spider's legs have been evacuated by the garden gnomes.
Now they cut up the crushed body and load the pieces onto a wheelbarrow.
|
| - | And how is this magical stylus going to finish this damn manhwa? |
As Kang Chul sees the empty space where the refrigerator was...
Growwik... His stomach roars with hunger!
|
| - | ... ! |
|
| - | (checks his watch, if he has time left) Ren-Bo? (embarrassed) |
|
| - | ... ? |
|
| - | (?!) But what-- |
|
| - | I'm starving. |
|
| - | !! |
|
| - | (mocking) Heol... |
|
| - | This endless battle in the Crossover has consumed all my energy. |
|
| - | (clicks on "blank page", ready to draw) What do you want to eat, Hyung? |
|
| - | (from the sofa, with Chul-Moo) The baby is hungry too! |
Shortly after, Yoon-Hee gives Chul-Moo his bottle in the sofa area.
On the studio table, Kang Chul eats a giant bowl of Jajangmyeon with pork.
(Jajangmyeon: black bean sauce noodles)
|
| - | So, what's your idea? |
|
| (Slurpp... slurps noodles) |
|
| - | (annoyed) Hu-Ho! |
|
| (grabs the remote and Clic! turns on the TV) |
|
| - | (!!) Is this the time to entertain yourself with this picture box?! |
|
| - | Shhht... (continues eating while watching TV) |
On television, the SBN news journalist:
At the bottom of the image, a scrolling banner, "Emergency - Zombie Crisis".
| ~ | The incredible news: the government lifts the curfew! |
|
| - | Right now, the presidential spokesperson's statement. |
| - | The disease is not contagious. Not all the sick have been captured, but they are harmless. The curfew is crippling our economy. On that basis, we are lifting movement restrictions. Stay vigilant and report cases to the authorities. |
Immediately, the journalists ask dozens of questions...
|
| - | 30,000 zombies have been captured and will be gathered at the Olympic Stadium tomorrow. While an estimated 20,000 remain at large, and witnesses say some are dangerous, is it prudent to relax security? Journalist Lee... |
| - | Absolutely not! I almost died right here yesterday. (points at the building) Attacked by a dozen aggressive zombies! (brandishes his camera) I have proof! |
|
| - | Exclusive: never-before-seen images taken by Journalist Lee, at the risk of his life! |
The camera tilts: Sang-Deuk shows his own face.
|
| - | They are motionless. I'm going to try to get through. |
Camera view: other zombies as we climb the stairs.
Suddenly, dozens of zombies rush at us!!
The camera shakes chaotically: Sang-Deuk screams and we run up the stairs.
|
| - | What about the cure and the origin of the disease? Is the government hiding something else? |
|
| - | Yes! But I discovered the origin of the disease during my investigation. |
|
| - | (surprised, unplanned) A... A new SBN scoop... |
|
| - | At the moment they were turned into zombies, they were all reading a manhwa! |
|
| - | Aish... !!! (worried, "is this idiot going to reveal everything?") |
|
| ~ | A manhwa? A comic book?! |
|
| - | This manhwa, "Butterfly Queen in the Dark". (brandishes his smartphone to show the manhwa) |
|
| - | ... ("is he crazy?") |
|
| - | I have other images proving it is a supernatural phenomenon. |
|
| (signals the control room to cut) |
|
| - | A famous personality is involved. It is the ac-- |
Sang-Deuk's half-screen shrinks, sound cut.
|
| - | Thank you, Journalist Lee. |
|
| - | Phew... (sigh of relief) |
|
| ~ | This once again demonstrates the harmfulness of manhwa addiction. A scourge attracting bad luck, illness, and leading to violent behavior. |
|
| - | !! (outraged, orange wings) |
|
| (clicks the remote and turns off the TV) |
|
| - | (offended) They always say the same nonsense. Last time, video games were accused of creating violence. They want to ban everything, as if people weren't capable of-- |
|
| - | This situation is going to blow up in our faces sooner than expected. (looks at his watch) |
|
| - | (?!) The... the situation...? What... This journalist? Or... or-- |
|
| - | That's why I got ahead of it. (concentrates to...) |
KZZT! Colored interference. Do-Yoon materializes, and--
| - | OMO!! (startles at the giant spider remains) |
|
| - | Did you prepare everything? |
|
| - | (recovers) ... Yes, the equipment is in the replica. |
|
| - | Prepare what?! |
|
| - | HYUNG!!! |
|
| - | ?? (sees Soo-Bong staring at his tablet) |
Kang Chul joins him and glances... immediately, great moral suffering.
Mi-Ra looks at her tablet, sad, a white reflection in her eyes.
The image: Troops lacerated by a white tear.
She touches the tablet, suspecting a technical defect.
No. The tear is just printed over the image.
|
| - | ... ?? (wonders if...) |
She opens the window curtain and looks outside...
From the 3rd floor of a posh building, near the royal skyscraper.
Far enough from the fights, which have almost stopped.
(!!) She sees the strange white tear printed in front of the skyscrapers.
Toc! Toc! Someone knocks on the door.
SWROMPH! Shadow puff. Mi-Ra becomes Cha Yu-Sun, dressed as Queen.
The silver shadow killer enters and salutes, one knee on the ground.
| - | My Queen!! |
| - | Speak. |
|
| - | (stands up) The conflict is temporarily slowed. This would be the ideal moment for you to join a secure location, Priestess of the dark abyss. |
Cha Yu-Sun hesitates, tortured... afraid to speak.
She finds a feint and approaches the silver killer.
|
| - | ... ?? (embarrassed, her face close) |
She slowly brushes her forehead, pretending to fix her hair.
|
| - | Let's go... Let's go together. |
On her hand, her gold, ivory and ebony alliance sparkles.
Cha Yu-Sun dissolves from "real" to "image" on the tablet...
... that Kang Chul watches with a knot in his gut.
| - | Let's go... Let's go together. |
(?!) Kang Chul frowns while analyzing the image:
A close-up, the hand strangely frozen on her forehead.
|
| : | A close-up... Is it just the manhwa or... ?? This pose doesn't seem natural... |
Kang Chul, !!!, realizes she is conspicuously showing her alliance.
He caresses his own alliance, death in his soul.
Then, examining her face, Cha Yu-Sun's tortured eyes pierce him.
He has the terrible sensation that she is staring at him... with despair.
|
| : | "Let's go together"..... Where? |
He clicks "Previous Image":
¤ The silver shadow killer, wide shot.
Kang Chul examines the background, a luxurious apartment...
|
| : | Since Mi-Ra used her tablet during the Assembly battle, she must have recovered it before, in the real world. |
He mentally reconstructs Mi-Ra's probable path...
|
| - | ..... !!! (frightened by something we don't see) |
|
| ~ | An apparent betrayal, or a stratagem. She may have seen that our plan had failed. |
PFWOM... Shadow puff. She disappears.
|
| ~ | Going back is the first thing she did upon arriving in the Crossover. |
| ~ | Places between worlds are linked. But there is one exception. You can always choose to appear next to the tablet. |
Cha Yu-Sun takes the tablet, then...
PFWOM... Shadow puff. She disappears.
|
| ~ | But since her tablet was at her home... |
She is in a sumptuous and colorful living room. (the same as Episode 41)
|
| ~ | ... impossible to return to the National Assembly in the Crossover. She teleported to this apartment, corresponding to the one in the real world. |
Cha Yu-Sun quickly draws a royal skyscraper on the tablet.
... a royal skyscraper materializes. Traditional Joseon aesthetic.
|
| ~ | That's why she drew a new royal palace. She needed a place close to the apartment. |
|
| - | Police like rebels, listen to your Queen. CEASE THE FIGHTING! |
|
| ~ | She made her official declaration there, then returned to the apartment. |
|
| ~ | A hidden place that Ren-Bo doesn't know. So she can teleport there... |
|
| : | ... it was first necessary to bring Ren-Bo from here to Mi-Ra's. But time was short, and I no longer want to risk Ren-Bo's life. |
They wonder about Kang Chul's long silence...
|
| - | President Kang? |
Kang Chul takes out his pistol, Shik-Shak! racks the slide.
|
| - | !!! |
|
| - | Ren-Bo! Summon Mi-Ra. |
|
| - | (?!) Uh... Isn't that a bit risky? |
|
| (shows his gun, shakes it) |
|
| - | (!) As if that was enough to-- |
|
| - | Nan-Nan-Nan-Naaan. I don't feel like arguing. I'm fed up. I'll do it, that's all!! |
Ren-Bo closes her eyes and concentrates, under Wang Shin's disapproving eye.
But nothing happens...
|
| : | (as expected, still disappointed) There were only two hypotheses. (remembers...) |
Ren-Bo and Fairy Spark remain in the room, catatonic.
|
| ~ | Either Mi-Ra wanted to spare Ren-Bo, to give us a chance. |
|
| : | Or the two protagonists of the manhwa are unable to summon each other. |
|
| - | (opens her eyes, ??, sees no one) It didn't work? |
|
| - | I was just testing a theory. (remembers...) |
|
| - | Let's go... Let's go together. |
|
| - | But what I have planned could turn into an opportunity. Do-Yoon! Wang Shin! Prepare for the final battle!! |
|
| - | !! |
|
| - | Planned what?!! What is-- |
FZZT! Colored interference, Kang Chul disappears.
|
| - | (!!!) ..... He leaves just like that... without revealing anything about his plan?!! |
|
| (amused, nods "yes") |
|
| (dismayed) |
Yeon-Joo squints her eyelids in annoyance.
While drawing, she is tormented by a doubt, thinks...
|
| - | Ah. I'll explain to you later. (points at the spider remains) But this, what is it? |
|
| - | I almost got eaten by a giant spider! Created by Moon Mi-Ra the witch! |
|
| - | (disgusted) Hahaa, that filth almost ate me too. Pouah, I already hate these creatures at normal size. |
|
| - | (mocking) It's not the little beast that will eat the big one? I always let them live. Thanks to them, never any harmful insects at home. |
|
| - | Ha! We were the insects to that monster. (pensive) Without Kang Chul and his cold blood, we would all have been devoured. (must admit) I shouldn't have lost my temper with him so often, especially since in your era, you're all fragile and sentimental. |
|
| - | ... (exasperated, "hearing such nonsense") |
|
| - | The poor man had no chance against Cha Yu-Sun. In Joseon, she would have made anyone succumb. Whether the most chaste monk or the Qing emperor. So a naive and sensitive guy like Kang Chul, think about it... |
|
| - | Nothing of the sort. They remained alone in the Imagination for an endless time. I went there once, and I guarantee you it's the scariest place that exists. |
|
| - | Ttttt... (disdainful, "scary for the faint-hearted") |
|
| - | ("he doesn't believe me") You would have to face your worst nightmares there. Imagine an army of spiders even more monstrous than the one you fought. |
|
| - | Bweuuuh... !! (disgusted) |
|
| - | Who knows what horrors they had to face there. These trying circumstances inevitably brought them closer. |
|
| - | Yes of course... It's like being shipwrecked on a desert island with a woman. It wouldn't make much sense not to enjoy her company... (Joseon noble laugh) He he he he he. (proud of his allusion) |
|
| - | ?! ("not funny") Whatever, it's over now. |
|
| - | (convinced) It's a good thing he came to his senses! After this... humm, this moment of lapse as men sometimes have. It would be wise for him to return to his lawful wife now, if she is ready to forgive him... |
Yeon-Joo hears Wang Shin, pulled from her thoughts.
She sketches a smile tinged with painful hope.
Seeing Ren-Bo, a remorse erases her smile.
A conclusion imposes itself on her and...
|
| - | (stands up) Yoon-Hee, replace me. |
|
| - | ... ? |
Wang Shin takes care of Chul-Moo. Yoon-Hee works on the tablet.
Yeon-Joo puts on her jacket, takes her bag, and heads toward the exit.
|
| - | Where are you going, Noona? |
|
| - | To get help. |
|
| - | Huh? Help from who? |
|
| - | The most competent person to resolve the manhwa. (tells...) |
Yeon-Joo talks with screenwriter Song Jae-Jung.
| - | Your famous blockage about the mummified dead heroine intrigued me. I have rarely seen someone so involved in their story. With such motivation you will write properly one day. |
|
| - | I'm sorry, I won't be able to continue your classes. I have such problems with this manhwa... |
|
| - | (authoritative) I forbid you to give up! I will read your story. It will be more convincing than the mediocre assignments you hand in for class. If you have any issues on this subject, feel free to consult me anytime. |
|
| - | The screenwriter Song Jae-Jung?!! But... And Hyung Kang's plan?! |
|
| - | (annoyed) I don't want to rely solely on his plan!! And what if it fails again?! Like last time?! |
|
| - | But Noona... We'll have to explain the situation to her? (so impossible) And convince her to believe it?!!! |
|
| - | (certain) She writes the script for the "W" drama. She already has one foot in it. If there is a screenwriting process to resolve the manhwa, she will find it! |
|
| - | (frantic) Noona, come back to earth!! She just writes a drama!! How do you expect her to accept that her script is real?!! And that since W, the situation has degenerated to the power of ten?!! She'll just think you're crazy!!! |
|
| - | There is no choice! Otherwise, she won't be able to analyze our real problems. |
|
| - | I don't see what's so unbelievable about it... |
(!!) Yeon-Joo and Soo-Bong stare at Ren-Bo... The same idea comes to them...
|
| - | ... ?! |
|
| - | Ren-Bo... When she sees Ren-Bo, she will be convinced! |
|
| - | Mmh? |
|
| - | (seized by a new idea) In that case... I'll go get her with Ren-Bo! |
|
| - | Huh? She doesn't even know you! Already she'll be hard to convince... |
|
| - | (ulterior motive impossible to reveal) I... Just... I'd like to stay with Ren-Bo. |
|
| - | Is it safe for one of you two to go? With the manhwa to draw? |
|
| - | It'll be quick! I'm going! |
|
| - | No need to take such a risk. I volunteer. My face will be familiar to her. I look like an actor from her drama. |
Passing by, carrying Chul-Moo toward the bedroom...
|
| - | Hu-Hoo... Don't you see they need privacy? |
|
| - | But... |
|
| - | (Aegyo) I prefer to go with Soo-Bong. |
|
| - | Ah! You see? It's true that you are the only single person here. (PAF! friendly slap on the shoulder) Sorry old man. |
|
| - | !! (shaken) |
| - | (points at Do-Yoon) Gna.. Single! |
|
| - | ... ! (vexed) |
|
| - | Well, in that case... |
|
| - | Do you have her address? |
|
| - | No, but she is certainly at the university. Working on her classes or her script. |
|
| - | What?! With the faceless zombie crisis? Isn't that dangerous?! |
|
| - | AahAaha... She's a workaholic. I'm sure she doesn't care. And she has nothing to fear: Even Death would wait before taking Song Jae-Jung, the time to know the end of her latest story. |
|
| - | ..... !!! ("absurd, she's crazy") |
Soo-Bong drives, Ren-Bo sitting in the back.
|
| - | (pouting, orange wings) Why go by car?! I could have flown you there. |
|
| - | My angel, we'll have to come back with screenwriter Song. How could you transport both of us? |
|
| - | (Oops) Ah yes... That's true... (green wings) |
Soo-Bong's car moves away from the Sung-Moo neighborhood...
A large official car with tinted windows moves away from the neighborhood...
|
| ~ | The manhwa's impact on reality is too great to be hidden. |
|
| : | In a few hours, the authorities will find us. |
|
| - | The disease is not contagious. |
|
| : | They had time to study a zombie, to discover a supernatural phenomenon. |
... a faceless zombie, with gray diamond pupils!
|
| : | They claim it's a simple epidemic because they are secretly investigating. |
|
| - | At the moment they were turned into zombies, they were all reading a manhwa! This manhwa, "Butterfly Queen in the Dark". (brandishes his smartphone to show the manhwa) |
|
| : | Even if they find it absurd, they will eventually take an interest in the manhwa. If they prevent us from drawing for just a few minutes, it's over for Ren-Bo. The Narrator wins, and the thousands of zombies never regain their identity. |
|
| - | A homicide has just taken place, and the victim is probably President Moon Beak-Soo. And I have proof that the government is involved in this case. |
|
| - | Thank you, journalist Lee. We are broadcasting this proof exclusively. |
The screen shows a photo of Agent Bae's badge, taken with a telephoto lens.
"Bae Su-Ran, NIS, National Security of South Korea".
|
| : | Bae Su-Ran. This secret agent investigated this supernatural murder. She is the most qualified to understand the situation. |
A high-tech equipment-filled office in the bunker.
On the table: piles of manhwa!
The complete "W"... "Queen of Darkness"... "Butterfly Girl"...
A computer displays the first page of "Butterfly Queen in the Dark"...
Seated comfortably in an armchair, Su-Ran reads a manhwa!
The clock shows "17:00 pm"... briefly checked by Yeon-Joo.
|
| - | (impatient) What are they doing?! |
|
| - | I'll check. (takes out his smartphone) |
Zoop! Wang Shin snatches the smartphone from his hands.
|
| - | I'll do it! |
|
| - | Yah!! |
Do-Yoon tries to take it back, but Wang Shin pushes him away. Scuffle.
|
| - | Let me try this thing!! |
|
| - | (exasperated) Do-Yoon, just let him try! |
|
| - | It's not a toy! |
|
| - | (hysterical) I don't care!!! Let's get it over with!!! |
Atmosphere cools immediately.
They are surprised by Yeon-Joo's nervousness.
|
| - | Let's go. |
Poc! Poc! Wang Shin taps the table with the edge of the smartphone.
Then he puts the smartphone to his ear.
|
| - | Soo-Bong? Are you in the box? |
|
| (dismayed) |
Poc! Poc! Wang Shin taps two more times.
Do-Yoon half grabs the smartphone without trying to recover it.
|
| - | Yah! Idiot, that's how you do it! |
He clicks on "Contacts list", with "Soo-Bong" displayed inside.
|
| - | (vexed) Oh! I'd like to see you ride a horse. |
|
| - | Go on! (shows the green "Soo-Bong" button) |
Wang Shin clicks with a hesitant index finger, then puts the smartphone to his ear.
Tuuuu... Tuuuu... Tuuuu... Ringing tone.
|
| - | Oh?! There's a monotonous flute piece. (it picks up) |
|
| ~ | Hello, Hyung Seo? |
|
| - | Hum, Hum... I'm Wang Shin! I am tasked with inquiring about important news! |
|
| ~ | Huuh... Yes? What is it? |
|
| - | Is Ren-Bo okay? |
|
| ~ | A bit translucent on the edges, but she's better. |
|
| - | Well, that will be all, goodbye! Mmmh... (spots a red button) (uncertain) I'll try! (Click, presses and hangs up) ... Hey!!! I did it! (proud) |
|
| - | !!! (in rage) Retarded!!! You were supposed to ask if they found screenwriter Song!!! |
|
| - | ... Oh. (Oops) |
Soo-Bong's car is parked near the campus.
The avenue is almost deserted. Two students on campus.
Soo-Bong grimaces and moves the phone away from his ear to avoid the screams of...
|
| ~ | ............ !!!! (long angry sermon) |
|
| - | (in a low voice) Tsss... Ajumma is having her nervous breakdown. It must be her time, like cats... |
|
| - | Ah sorry, Noona!! Traffic was bad. End of curfew. Everyone had the idea to go out at the same time!! |
|
| ~ | ... !! |
|
| - | Yes, yes, I'll keep you posted... Yesssss... Yes yes, Noonaaa... (hangs up) Pfeww... (sighs) |
|
| - | (yellow wings) Oppa, I have an idea!!! (big smile) |
|
| - | (looks at her in the rearview) ... ?! ("she's preparing a prank") |
An office on the 3rd floor of the university, with a large bay window.
On the computer, an image from "Butterfly Queen in the Dark" (Episode 41):
¤ Ren-Bo consoles Kang Chul on the bank of the Han River.
Jae-Jung, seated in her chair, reads the manhwa on the screen.
She scrolls through the images, OUTRAGED!!!
¤ Machine guns appear out of nowhere in the National Assembly.
|
| - | What a horror! (continues scrolling) Totally delirious, no sense! And on top of that, shamelessly plagiarized from W! |
¤ Kang Chul fights hundreds of killers in the poor district. (Episode 42)
|
| : | (?) And even... (squints) Wouldn't that be Kang Chul?!! |
She struggles to remember... in vain.
She opens the "Butterfly Girl" manhwa to check:
¤ Kang Chul shoots Jin In-Jin's henchmen. (Episode 13)
|
| - | (!!) It's him?! Yes it's him! It's scandalous!!! |
She scrolls, one chapter later (Episode 17):
¤ Soo-Bong hidden behind a tree in the forest.
¤ Jin In-Jin lands by helicopter on the roof of his building.
¤ Soo-Bong in Jin In-Jin's office.
|
| - | And this mess! How did he arrive before the helicopter?! At least 10 plot-holes per chapter!!! What are the classes I give her for, DAMN IT?!!! |
She stops reading to calm down... then, an expression of pity.
|
| : | That poor Yeon-Joo has no future as a writer... How to tell her without pushing her to suicide? |
Demotivated, she looks at the next image:
¤ Hug between Soo-Bong and Ren-Bo. Moved, she puts her hand on his cheek.
|
| - | That coward Soo-Bong as hero... And an Ajusshi romance! Awful! He's so ugly he should be enlisted in a horror movie. Just his grotesque face would make people scream in fear. |
VLAM!!! Soo-Bong violently opens the door!!! Rushes inside!
|
| - | Seonsaingnim! I am Park Soo-Bong!!! |
|
| - | (startles) BwaAaAah!!! (sends her computer mouse flying) |
|
| - | (briefly bows) Oh Yeon-Joo needs you! It's a matter of life or death!! |
Jae-Jung, !!!, mouth agape, looks at Soo-Bong, the manhwa, Soo-Bong again.
Bom-Bom-Bom! Someone knocks on the bay window... from outside!
Jae-Jung, !!!, jaw dropped, sees Ren-Bo flying outside.
Stunned, she looks at the manhwa Ren-Bo, the real Ren-Bo again, then...
plic-plic-plic... She blinks frantically. (a nervous tic)
SHAF! - FSHA! Luminous flash. Ren-Bo teleports inside.
|
| - | WAHAA!! (stands up in surprise) |
PLUFF! Luminous puff. Fairy Spark appears.
She flies around Jae-Jung, a trail of stars in her wake.
| - | Hello Ajumma. It's an Oppa romance, not an Ajusshi romance! |
|
| (stunned, shakes her head frantically, another nervous tic) |
|
| - | Seonsaingnim! What the manhwas say is real!!! Both "Butterfly Girl" and "W"! |
|
| - | (!!!) ... What... crazy... cliffhanger... |
|
| - | We are not at the end of an episode, this is very serious! |
FLIP! FLIP! Ren-Bo flies low to...
... Jae-Jung, paralyzed with fascination, connecting her neurons.
Ren-Bo hugs her from behind, arms slipped under her armpits.
|
| - | Ren-Bo, wait! |
|
| - | It will be simpler this way. |
|
| - | (judges it as a lifeguard gesture) Stop... I didn't swallow anything wrong! |
|
| - | Have a good flight, Ajumma! |
FLUFF! Fairy Spark disappears in a brief luminous cloud.
FLIP! FLIP! Ren-Bo takes off carrying Jae-Jung...
... toward the bay window... about to hit it!
|
| - | Oooh!!! |
SHAF! Luminous flash. They disappear!
FSHA! They appear outside, at 15 meters altitude!
FLAP! FLIP! FLAP! Ren-Bo flies over the campus toward the avenue.
Jae-Jung clings on, eyes bulging, panting in the wind.
She calms down, spots stunned passersby staring at them from below.
|
| - | (takes a big breath, frightened and amazed) I am really being kidnapped by... a flying manhwa heroine?! |
|
| - | Mpfff... You're going a bit far, Ajumma. It's just to save you from falling down the stairs. |
|
| - | I... I would have preferred a stunt double for this scene... (confused) ... Ah, no, over budget. And I'm a screenwriter, not an actress? |
|
| - | I don't understand your weird humor, Ajumma. If you don't want to help, I'll drop you, we all die, and we don't talk about it anymore. |
|
| - | Help you? (adrenaline!) |
Despite vertigo and fear, Jae-Jung exults with euphoria.
Soo-Bong rushes down the stairs and--
Ziiip! slips, panicked!!!
Bump-rol-rol! He falls, rolling down a few steps.
|
| - | Ouch!! (grimaces in pain) |
He recovers... notices on the ground, briefly seen:
A black pen that slipped from his pocket. He quickly picks it up.
|
| ~ | Help you by writing a script? |
FLAP! FLIP! FLAP! Ren-Bo dives.
Jae-Jung, !!, clings, feels the wind whistling.
|
| - | A script capable of resolving this: I am about to be DISINTEGRATED at any moment, while an INTERDIMENSIONAL SUPER-VILLAIN has captured the souls of the manhwa readers HERE, and turned them into obtuse revolutionaries THERE. |
FLOP! She lands abruptly near Soo-Bong's car.
Jae-Jung, freed and with wobbly legs, digests the emotion...
|
| - | There are a bunch of complicated variables coming from "narrative laws" to respect. And Oh? (quickly) I forgot, the main romance between the villainess who almost killed us and the hero who cheated on his wife. Which according to Unnie Yoon-Hee reminds of the drama "World of the married", if that detail can help you. But you'll have to ask her because I didn't have time to watch that drama. I've been in the real world for less than a week, so obviously, Hey! That said, this romance is on the rocks since Kang Chul got dumped by Mi-Ra. He suffered like crazy. I was there crying with him at that moment. But maybe such a scoundrel deserved it a bit, right?... |
|
| - | ......... (stunned by her verbal flow) (mumbles) We'll probably have to shorten this dialogue in post-prod... |
Soo-Bong bursts out of the building and rushes onto the campus.
Soo-Bong reaches his car, out of breath. (?!) He notices:
Jae-Jung at the wheel! Front door open, Ren-Bo in the back.
Jae-Jung orders him to get in with an impatient nod.
Vrr! Vrr! She aggressively revs the engine. Tires smoking.
Soo-Bong, ... ?!, climbs in and closes the door--
VROOM!! Jae-Jung starts with a roar! Tires screeching.
|
| - | Seonsa... Seonsaingnim! |
|
| - | I hate when characters waste time stupidly during an emergency instead of optimizing every move! This also corrects an inconsistency: you are too out of breath to drive. |
|
| - | (!) Do you even know where we're going?!! |
|
| - | Oh Sung-Moo's house. I know the way! A setup explains it: Kang Chul lent us the house for drama location scouting. I would prefer to show you that in a flashback rather than expose it through dialogue, but we'll manage. |
|
| - | Ah yes... That's a credible reason... Impossible to catch you out on that. |
Jae-Jung floors the accelerator and--
VROARR!! The car leaps at maximum speed.
|
| - | Aaah!! You're a crazy driver! |
|
| - | I've been itching to do this for so long! You know they force me to respect speed limits in my dramas? Even chase scenes to escape the police or save the heroine! |
|
| - | Seonsaingnim, if I understood the situation correctly... You accept to help us? |
|
| - | Of course!!! It's a crazy situation like you never encounter in life. You'd have to be crazy to refuse to participate in such an incredible plot. |
|
| - | Uh... However... I must warn you... Sometimes... It can be "a bit" dangerous. |
|
| - | (doesn't care, mumbles to herself) Luckily I read these manhwas, and everything makes new sense. Only, there are plenty of twisted rules hidden, vicious Red herrings, Foreshadowing galore, out-of-context unpublished ellipses, and-- STOP!! My monologue is too long... (loud) PARK SOO-BONG!!! |
|
| - | ?!! (startles) |
|
| - | (authoritative) Answer my questions! Speed, precision, concision! Zero digressions! |
|
| - | (military tone) Yes Seonsaingnim! Understood Seonsaingnim! |
|
| - | Pfwah ah ah! |
(In the meantime, the military judged the tears harmless.)
|
| - | ASSAULT!!! |
The tanks, planes and soldiers charge.
Large white chasms crack the streets!
On Yoon-Hee's tablet: Tanks and soldiers attack.
White tears lacerate the image.
|
| - | The battle has resumed! (draws) |
Further away, Do-Yoon on the smartphone, near Wang Shin.
|
| - | Perfect, Soo-Bong, and bravo! (hangs up) (to all) Soo-Bong convinced Song Jae-Jung. She is even motivated, already informed of the situation! |
|
| - | That storyteller has no sense of reality. Does she at least know what risks she is taking? |
|
| - | (concentrated on her drawing, doubt) Should I really have involved her...? |
|
| - | Let's see the bright side, the worst is behind us now. What could be worse than this zombie crisis? |
Yeon-Joo draws a military drone.
A large white tear slices the scene.
Little by little, without Yeon-Joo realizing...
The tear extends to the edge of the screen, outside the image.
|
| - | ... ?!! (incredulous) |
Crk! The white tear overflows onto the tablet, outside the screen!
|
| - | Oooh... OoOooh... (eyes widening) |
CraKk! The tear leaves the tablet, fractures the nearby air like lightning!!
|
| - | OoOoOOOOOOh!!! |
CrKkKk! The white tear zigzags by jolts in the room!!!
They all see it, !!!!, dumbfounded, seized with terror.
|
| - | Here too!!! |
CrKkk! A tear leaps from her tablet and strikes the ceiling!
|
| - | (petrified with panic) Omo!!! This thing is overflowing... into the real world?! Why??!! |
|
| - | Aish! |
|
| - | (frightened, distraught) Unnie! What do we do?!! |
|
| - | ....... (devastated, no answer) |
Helpless, Yeon-Joo sees other tears spring from the tablets.
They pierce the ceiling, fly through the windows, intangible.
The white tears spring from the house.
They streak the sky in several directions.
We follow one of them, stretching by anarchic jolts.
Like lightning erratically searching for its destination...
The tear snakes across the sky above Seoul...
Finally it dives toward a suburban road.
It targets Soo-Bong's car in full speed!
|
| - | (driving) I'll be able to think better once the wheel is down. |
Suddenly--
Zakk! The tear crosses the windshield and rushes at Ren-Bo!
|
| - | BwAAh!! (startles, loses control) |
Swerve! Jae-Jung straightens the car in time.
|
| - | !!! |
|
| - | Hiiiii! |
Wriiiick!!! Jae-Jung brakes hard and stops the car.
Stunned, they stare at the white tear.
They squint because it ignores the laws of perspective!
The tear systematically prints itself over obstacles.
It crosses the windshield but seems in front until the horizon!
plic-plic-plic... Jae-Jung blinks frantically.
|
| - | ... !! (stunned, looks at her shoulder, blue wings) |
Soo-Bong and Jae-Jung turn toward Ren-Bo, dismayed!
The tear stops at her shoulder, as if the terminus.
sSsKratsh... Sound of torn paper behind her shoulder.
There, the tear opens into a twenty-centimeter rift!
A white hole tearing reality like 2D paper!!!
|
| - | (devastated) What is this thing?!!! |
|
| - | My angel, does it hurt? |
|
| - | (disoriented) No... I don't feel anything... (tilts her head to look) ... It looks like it's behind me. |
Ren-Bo contorts herself checking behind her.
The white hole follows her, attached to her!
Connected to the celestial tear like an umbilical cord.
|
| - | These white tears, they were in the manhwa?! |
|
| - | Of course. How could the real world tear? |
|
| - | So this phenomenon comes from the manhwa. (realizes) But also... This rift targeted Ren-Bo like a marked target! |
|
| - | (cries) I left my manhwa to have a peaceful life. And I've had even more trouble since I've been here... (mauve wings) |
Soo-Bong's car parks in front of Sung-Moo's house.
Soo-Bong, Ren-Bo and Jae-Jung get out.
Dismayed, they see dozens of white rifts springing from the house.
The white hole attached to Ren-Bo has doubled in size!
Jae-Jung notices passersby intrigued by the phenomenon.
|
| - | This kind of high-concept works better kept secret. But now the whole world is going to learn about it soon... |
|
| - | ("shit!") Let's hurry. |
They cross the house gate...
Jae-Jung enters and sees--
|
| - | BWAaAah!!! (horrified) |
A 5-meter blackish mound: a mush of giant spider!
The monster seems whole because of the legs sticking out. ABOMINABLE!!
|
| - | (as if nothing) Oh that? The Queen of Darkness sent it to eat me. Kang Chul liquidated it, thanks to my gift that moOOonsieur found ridiculous! |
plic-plic-plic... Jae-Jung blinks, remembers...
¤ A gigantic spider approaches Ren-Bo on a web woven between buildings.
|
| - | But... But... How did it get here?! |
|
| - | (as if nothing) Ah that? I teleported it from the manhwa. |
|
| - | (!) Does this often happen to you, bringing back such horrors?!! |
|
| - | Hmmm... Usually I'm more of a Kitchen Clerk... |
|
| - | ... ?? |
|
| (smiles) |
As they head to the front door...
Mr. Green-Hands comes out, wheeling a barrow of organic remains.
Two garden gnomes follow him, holding shovels.
| - | Hop-Hop! Last load! The kitchen is clean! |
|
| - | (bewildered) These... These are the manhwa gnomes?! |
|
| - | (as if nothing) Well yes, who else would they be?!! |
|
| - | ... !! |
Heavy atmosphere. Soo-Bong and Yoon-Hee at the tablets.
They draw despite the white tears emerging from them.
|
| - | I can't see half of what I'm doing... |
One of the tears flies to the white hole behind Ren-Bo.
The hole is almost her size, threatening to engulf her.
Do-Yoon sadly inspects Ren-Bo, preoccupied.
|
| - | You okay? |
|
| - | For now... Yes? (anguished, blue wings) |
Yeon-Joo watches Jae-Jung, who vainly tries to touch a white rift.
She brings her index finger close to her nose, but the rift remains invariably in front.
However, Yeon-Joo also sees the rift in front of the index finger instead of behind!
Jae-Jung goes cross-eyed. Unbearable! She stops, moans and shakes her head.
|
| - | It's not material, and even... outside of reality? |
|
| - | It happened because the manhwa is tearing in two. (worried) I don't understand what it's doing here... |
|
| - | Wouldn't it be safer to turn off the tablets? |
|
| - | (tormented) We decided to persevere at all costs. Otherwise Ren-Bo will cease to exist, and the Narrator will eventually abolish the reality of the other world. |
An empty bottle is placed on the table by...
Wang Shin, rocking Chul-Moo in his arms.
|
| - | Now, give us a nice burp! |
|
| - | Agueu... White... |
|
| - | ?? (notices that the baby...) |
|
| - | (... points a finger toward the window) White. |
|
| - | (looks out the window) ..... !!! |
The white tears go out toward the garden...
... but beyond, no street, no decor. EVERYTHING IS WHITE!
At the end of the street, Mr. Jeong walks his dog.
| - | ... !! (stunned, sees in the distance...) |
A crowd roams around Sung-Moo's house...
... in front of an immense white background where the tears gush!
A tear grazes the sky, crashes behind Mr. Jeong.
"Bark! Grrrrr... Bark!" His dog barks at the threat, pulls on the leash.
|
| - | (looks behind) ... !!! (terrified) |
Armed and masked individuals walk toward the house.
Around them, the air is torn for a large white hole!
Mr. Jeong presses himself against a fence to let them pass.
He freezes in terror, prays for his life, that they pay him no attention.
"Bark! Bark!" He pulls the leash to muzzle that cursed dog attracting attention!!
Trembling with fear, he barely dares to look at them...
They all hold an improvised weapon:
Baseball bat, wrench, knife, iron bar, fire axe, etc.
Impossible to see their faces and eyes, masked variously:
Glasses and pollution mask, hood, wrapped scarf, bandages, cardboard bag, etc.
|
| - | (bursts into the room) Everything is white outside!!! |
General astonishment! Before they react--
|
| - | Hiiiiiiii!!! (looks around her) |
The white hole behind Ren-Bo engulfs her entirely!
All, ... !!!!
A gnome tamps down the spider remains with his shovel.
He comes out of his concentration and then sees...
At the gate, dozens of threatening individuals.
Beyond the fence, white for the entire horizon!
Frightened, the gnome flees into the house.
Yeon-Joo opens the window and peers outside.
|
| - | ... !!! |
|
| - | (has to draw) What's happening outside?! |
|
| - | (has to draw) ... ?! |
Yeon-Joo, Wang Shin, Do-Yoon, Ren-Bo, Jae-Jung:
Worried, they spy through the windows...
Bom-Krak! The armed and masked crowd smashes the gate. Breach open!
The intruders climb the fences around the house, invade the garden.
They approach silently, with sinister slowness, heavy steps...
Behind them, the entirety of the decor is an immense white background.
|
| - | (to Yoon-Hee) There are some kind of armed terrorists. They have a white hole like mine! But ten times bigger!! |
|
| - | We need weapons!! |
He rushes toward Do-Yoon's weapon bag on the shelf.
|
| - | Shit! (runs toward the shelf) |
|
| - | There are dozens of them... maybe more... |
The masked individuals freeze strangely, a few meters away.
One by one, they remove their masks and hoods.
|
| - | ..... !!! (terror!) |
|
| - | ..... !!! (terror!) |
None of them has a face! No eyes, no nose, no mouth.
In their eye sockets: YELLOW diamond pupils!
|
| - | (trembling) The faceless zombies... |
|
| - | (trembling) The NARRATOR!!! He is HERE!!! |
All, .... !! Terror freezes their blood!!
|
| - | According to Kang Chul, they are invulnerable. |
|
| - | (stammers, nervous) W-W-W We have to flee, far from here... Ren-Bo, teleport us, QUICK!! |
|
| - | (nods "yes") MH!! |
Frightened, she obeys immediately.
SHAF! Luminous flash. But she doesn't disappear!
|
| - | ?! |
SHAF! Luminous flash. Swallowed by the white hole!!
|
| - | ... ??! |
SHAF! SHAF! SHAF! Luminous flashes. In vain! Impossible to teleport!!!
|
| - | Why isn't it working??! (blue wings) |
Now a panic fear paralyzes them...
Jae-Jung falters, so appalled she reacts on autopilot.
|
| - | This... is really an end-of-episode cliffhanger... |
They see the tide of motionless zombies, and suddenly--
Zht! Zht! Zht! Their yellow diamond pupils turn RED!
BrRrrm... The faceless zombies assault the house!!!
Jae-Jung, ... !!!!!