Chapter 71: Glory on the Stage

Han Yun-seong and Lee Seok-hyun realized the situation a moment too late and let go of each other’s hands.

Embarrassment flickered across both of their faces, but Taeha didn’t have the luxury of standing by and watching. If he didn’t want to cause a broadcast accident, he had to get onto the stage immediately.

Taeha’s footsteps quickened as he headed toward the podium.

“Congratulations.”

Finally reaching the stage, Taeha received a bouquet and a trophy from the previous year’s winner. Then, he stood before the microphone to deliver his acceptance speech.

As the winner of the Best New Actor (Film) award, it was impossible to give a long speech. Fortunately, unlike most first-time winners, his mind didn’t go blank. Every part of the speech he had prepared came to mind.

It was thanks to his Immersion Ability, which he had activated once more after gripping his sanity the moment his name was called.

“First of all, I dedicate the honor of this award to Initial, who waited for and expected the news of my award more than anyone else. I am here because all of you are here, and I will continue to exist because of you in the future. I am always grateful, and I will leave a longer message on the fan cafe after this ceremony is over. I love you, Initial.”

Actually, Taeha could have mentioned other names before Initial. However, he mentioned the name of the fan club first to show that he always prioritized his fans. After all, the reason he wanted to receive an award on this stage in the first place was to express his gratitude to Initial in an official capacity.

“Next, I want to express my gratitude to my old friend and manager, Im Chan-hyung, who led me back into the entertainment industry when I was wandering without courage. We did it, friend. But this is just the beginning. I won’t disappoint you in the future.”

Then, Taeha moved on to his family and the members of Freesia.

“Thirdly, I give my thanks to my family and the older brothers of Freesia, who are like family to me. Thank you so much for helping the immature Kang Tae-ha grow into the person I am today. As a mature adult, I will repay your support from now on.”

After that, he listed the names of those he was grateful to in a rapid-fire sequence. Since he didn’t have much time for his speech, he was quite busy just reciting names.

“Fourthly, I’ll express my gratitude a bit more quickly due to time constraints. CEO Go Seokjun, CEO Han Sung-joo, Director Lee Hae-ik, Director Yun Taeseong, Director Jeong Myeong-hwan, Writer Kim Jeong-sik, Writer Sim Yeong-seon, Brother Yun-seong, Brother Minki, Brother Seok-hyun, Sister Hyo-jin, Actress Yoo Yeonha, Actress Han Woo-ri, Teacher Lim Mi-hee, PD Kim Seoan, our stylist Su-jin, and assistant writer Hyo-seop…”

As Taeha rattled off the names like he was rapping, laughter erupted in the awards hall. The sight was so amusing that the host, Seo Jeong-yeop, who had been quietly listening, even cracked a joke.

“Mr. Tae-ha. Time is a bit tight, but you can speak a little slower than that. Slow down. That way, you can mention my name, too.”

It was a comment typical of Seo Jeong-yeop, who was excellent at shifting the mood with his wit. Regardless, having mentioned every single person he was grateful for, Taeha began the most important part of his speech. In fact, he had listed the other names so quickly specifically for this moment.

“Lastly, I offer my gratitude to my parents in heaven. I am finally showing you a bit of myself repaying your kindness. Please don’t worry about me and rest in peace there. I love you forever.”

A message of gratitude to his deceased parents.

People nodded quietly at Taeha’s simple expression of thanks. In his ordinary but restrained words, they could feel a strange, deep sense of sorrow.

It was only natural. Taeha’s words of gratitude contained the feelings of four people—Ho-jun’s parents and Taeha’s parents.

The audience expected Taeha to conclude his speech there. Usually, an acceptance speech ended after thanking one’s parents. However, Taeha had one more thing he absolutely had to say. It was something he had agonized over until the very end, wondering if it was appropriate to say it here.

Having made up his mind, Taeha spoke slowly.

“And Taeha. Good job. I really wanted to tell you this. An incredible thing happened to us, and whether it’s a misfortune or a miracle, I don’t know, but I’ll keep moving forward like I am now. I’ll make you proud for a long time. So please wait for me—until I call your name from an even higher place.”

It was a final remark that some might interpret as self-love. After leaving those words, Taeha bowed and left the stage.

However, a strange, lingering resonance remained at the podium, as if a requiem had just been sung.

***

The awards ceremony continued afterward. Fortunately, Han Yun-seong and Lee Seok-hyun no longer fought a battle of pride over Taeha. They seemed conscious of the fact that they had been caught on camera holding hands earlier.

Thanks to that, Taeha could focus on the Baek-am Art Awards. And for Taeha, good news came pouring in.

First, as expected, *Killer × Killer* won many awards. Starting with Taeha’s Best New Actor (Film) award, Kyung Juncheol won Best Supporting Actor (Film), and Lee Seok-hyun won Best Actor (Film).

In particular, the Best Actor award carried as much authority as the Grand Prize at other ceremonies, making it a monumental occasion. Even for a top-tier actor like Lee Seok-hyun, it was his first time winning Best Actor at the Baek-am Art Awards.

However, even more impressive was the acceptance speech Lee Seok-hyun gave. At the end of his speech, Lee Seok-hyun added a specific remark.

“Uh… lastly, I want to express my gratitude to Taeha, who lumped my name in with a bunch of others during his Best New Actor speech. I’m a bit sulky about it, and I think I’ll feel this way for a few more days, but I’m mentioning it because I’m thankful anyway. If you hadn’t taken the role of Ian, I wouldn’t have been able to receive this award. Thank you so much for playing Ian perfectly despite the pressure of your film debut.”

It was a somewhat flustering speech for Taeha. He hadn’t expected Lee Seok-hyun to feel this grateful toward him. On the other hand, he felt a bit guilty for mentioning Lee Seok-hyun’s name as just one of many.

‘If I had known, I would have dedicated a bit more time to him,’ he thought. He felt that Lee Seok-hyun had a right to be sulky.

So, when Lee Seok-hyun returned to his seat after winning the award, Taeha asked him, “Brother, were you really that sulky?”

However, he couldn’t get a proper answer.

“I don’t know,” Lee Seok-hyun replied.

It seemed he really was sulky.

***

Regardless, the ceremony continued, and the good news increased. Among them, the highlight was undoubtedly Jeong Myeong-hwan sweeping both the Grand Prize (Film) and Best Picture.

With this, *Killer × Killer* completed a rare five-crown sweep at the Baek-am Art Awards. It wasn’t the seven-crown sweep that was originally predicted, but it was still an incredible record.

Jeong Myeong-hwan also seemed deeply moved, as he grew choked up on stage. Perhaps because of that, he forgot the names of both Taeha and Lee Seok-hyun and failed to mention them in his speech.

After the ceremony ended, Lee Seok-hyun quietly added a word to Taeha.

“You were an angel.”

For Taeha, it was a relief. It seemed Lee Seok-hyun’s sulkiness had faded a little thanks to Jeong Myeong-hwan.

And that concluded the awards related to Taeha in the film category at the Baek-am Art Awards. There were no major surprises. It ended exactly as Taeha expected, with him winning the Best New Actor (Film) award.

However, the lack of surprises only applied to the film category. In the TV category, where he hadn’t expected anything, a shocking twist occurred.

The first twist was Han Yun-seong winning Best Actor (TV).

“The winner of the Best Actor (TV) award is… actor Han Yun-seong, who played Han Seo-yul in *Virus*!”

The moment his name was called, everyone there was shocked. Han Yun-seong, in particular, was so surprised that he covered his mouth and couldn’t say anything.

After a long time, he finally regained his senses, took the stage, and gave his speech. Naturally, there was a mention of Taeha, the writer of *Virus*.

“To be honest, I’m also sulky at Taeha and don’t want to mention him, but I can’t help it. Taeha, thank you so much for turning me into Han Seo-yul of *Virus*. I won’t forget the promise you made to use me as the protagonist of your work again someday. So, I’m counting on you then as well.”

Even Han Yun-seong was sulky. By this point, Taeha felt it was unfair. What was a Best New Actor winner supposed to do when they were forced to keep their speech short?

But perhaps it was fortunate. A second twist was waiting for Taeha. Surprisingly, Taeha’s name was called as the winner of the Best Screenplay (TV) award.

“…Writer Kang Tae-ha.”

This time, his name was called as a writer. To be honest, this was even more moving than winning the Best New Actor award. In his days as Ho-jun, he could never have dreamed of such an honor.

His ears felt muffled, and the stage lights felt dazzling as Taeha stood before the podium. He received his second bouquet and trophy. Yet, even then, he couldn’t quite come to his senses.

What finally snapped him out of it was Seo Jeong-yeop’s comment, thrown in to prevent a broadcast accident.

“Mr. Tae-ha! This is your chance! Please give an acceptance speech to the people who said they were sulky earlier!”

Only then did Taeha’s mind return, and he opened his mouth.

“Ah… thank you so much. Specifically, I want to express my gratitude to Brother Yun-seong and Brother Seok-hyun. For this acceptance speech, I will only mention the names of the two who said they were sulky. If anyone else is sulky, please contact me. I will make sure to mention your name first at the next opportunity. For your information, priority will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Thank you.”

Even in his dazed state, Taeha’s characteristic wit shone through in his speech. It was a relief, as it prevented the atmosphere from being spoiled.

By the time the Baek-am Art Awards concluded, the reason why Taeha was able to win an award in the TV category became clear. *High Level* had swept the Grand Prize, Best Picture, and Best Director in the TV category. It didn’t stop there, as it also took home Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress.

For the sake of the awards’ objectivity, they had to give the Best Screenplay (TV) and Best Actor (TV) awards to *Virus*. Of course, that didn’t diminish the meaning of the award. After all, such an achievement wouldn’t have been possible if *Virus* hadn’t performed well.

In fact, looking at the viewers’ reactions after the Baek-am Art Awards, many said it was fair for Taeha to receive the Best Screenplay award. The public evaluation was that *High Level* succeeded more due to its provocative subject matter, the actors’ passionate performances, and excellent directing rather than the script’s quality. While the script’s quality wasn’t something to be ignored, they seemed to think that winning Best Picture was enough of a reward for it.

On the way back in the car, Taeha held the two trophies in his hands.

‘Maybe this is a message that I can do both as a writer and an actor,’ he thought. ‘Maybe it means I should carry out both with more confidence.’

Now, all that remained was to prove this fact through *Your Brilliant Sparkle*.