From A Producer To A Global Superstar-Chapter 260: Adding doubt

For days, the internet had been restless. No scandals. No big celebrity fights. No shocking announcements. Just recycled news and half-baked rumors that went nowhere. People were bored, scrolling endlessly, waiting for something—anything—to grab onto.

Then the leak appeared.

It came from an anonymous account. No caption. No explanation. Just a short clip.

A train interior. Soft lighting. A man sitting beside a young girl. The movement of the train steady and calm. Their voices low, intimate, unforced.

It was a father and daughter moment in the train full of zombie where the father held the daughter tight telling her it would be alright.

Within minutes, the video spread.

Within an hour, it exploded.

"What is this?"

"Wait, is this a movie?"

"Why does this look... good?"

"Wait that’s Park Hyun-Seo I recognize him."

Screenshots flooded timelines. Clips were reposted, slowed down, zoomed in, analyzed frame by frame. Forums that had been quiet for weeks suddenly lit up.

"Look at his eyes when he talks to her."

"That pause before she answers... that’s not acting you can fake."

"Why does this feel so real?"

Someone commented, "I swear, I’d pay just to watch this scene in a cinema."

Another replied, "Same. Even if the rest is trash, this moment alone is worth it."

Then someone dropped a line that shifted everything.

"Do you guys know they’re actually father and daughter in real life?"

The replies came instantly.

"What?"

"No way."

"Chincha?"

"Are you serious or just spreading nonsense?"

A user responded with a link. Profiles. Old interviews. A family registry screenshot that had somehow surfaced.

"They’re real father and daughter. You can check."

The reaction doubled.

"Oh my God... that explains everything."

"No wonder the chemistry feels natural."

"This is unfair. How do you even compete with real blood relation acting?"

Comments kept pouring in.

"So this is Dayo’s movie?"

"Isn’t this the same director everyone was doubting?"

"Wait, this is Train of Busan?"

"I thought that project was dead."

The discussions spread beyond fan spaces. News blogs picked it up. Entertainment accounts reposted the clip with speculative captions.

"LEAKED FOOTAGE FROM UPCOMING TRAIN OF BUSAN PROJECT?"

"Unexpected quality from mysterious production."

Some reactions were cautious.

"It’s just one scene."

"Let’s not overhype."

"Yeah i mean we cant use one scene to judge a movie that’s meant to be an hour long."

"Leave them let them belive anything this is just another Stun from the project."

But even those voices were drowned out by curiosity.

"I don’t care. I want to see this."

"For a first-time director, this is impressive."

"Who cast these actors?"

That question kept coming back.

Who cast them?

And why hadn’t anyone seen them before?

Not everyone was pleased.

Inside the VIREX headquarters, the mood was tense.

The CEO stared at his tablet, jaw tight, eyes cold. The leaked clip replayed silently on the screen, paused on the frame where the father looked down at the girl.

His assistant stood a few steps away, careful not to speak unless spoken to.

"So," the CEO finally said, voice low, "this is what he’s making."

The assistant swallowed. "Yes, sir."

The CEO scoffed. "And people like it."

"Yes." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He leaned back slowly, fingers tapping against the armrest.

He hadn’t forgiven Min-Ji.

Not for leaving.

Not for signing elsewhere.

Nor has he forgiven Dayo for stealing hos actress he still remember how he lost face during the meeting of the big five.

He had allowed the other top agencies to stand down because he believed the project would collapse on its own after all it was a New director. And making use of an Undebuted actors.

So failure had seemed inevitable.

Now?

Now the narrative was shifting.

"This is dangerous," he muttered.

As he watched the scene again he mow remember that Dayo wasn’t not working alone and he would surely have people who knew how to directer so that has to be why cause he refused to belive this was directed by Dayo.

The assistant hesitated. "Sir... it’s still early."

The CEO shot him a sharp look. "Early doesn’t mean harmless look at ghe quality of this one scene i can already picture the rest of the scene with this quality."

He stood up and walked toward the window.

"If this movie succeeds," he continued, "then what does that say about us?"

The assistant stayed silent.

He already knew the answer they qoild loose face and most especially power because even after banning Dayo he still found a way to create a movie without their help and succeed.

The CEO exhaled slowly.

"I was the one who said we should let him proceed."

He made a pause.

"And now everyone will remember that."

His fingers tightened.

He turned back. "Call my strategist."

The assistant nodded immediately. "Right away."

As the call was placed, the CEO’s mind was already working.

Leaks could be managed.

Narratives could be twisted.

Expectations could be poisoned.

If the movie couldn’t be stopped...

Then it could still be weakened.

Across the ocean, the reaction was quieter but still present.

In the United States, the clip didn’t trend globally, but it circulated in film circles. Indie forums. Movie subreddits. Group chats between critics and industry watchers.

A post appeared.

"Leaked scene from a Korean zombie film remake. Surprisingly solid."

Replies trickled in.

"Looks intimate."

"Good acting. Especially the kid."

"Who’s the director?"

"Dayo. New name, I think."

Another user replied, "Didn’t he use a lot of unknown actors?"

"Yes."

"That’s... bold."

Some doubted.

"Could still flop."

"Zombie films are tricky."

But others were intrigued.

"If this is the emotional core, the action just needs to be competent."

"Keep an eye on this one."

Back in Korea, the leak continued spreading.

Memes appeared.

Reaction videos.

For the first time since production began, the conversation wasn’t about doubt at least not totally.

It was about possibility.

And somewhere, away from the noise, Dayo continued working fully aware that the calm he felt now would not last.

Because once attention returns...

Pressure always follows.