121. Forgotten solace

Jean Dumont.

Once called the godfather of the French film industry, he was also a film director who is now forgotten beyond the memory of the public.

Born in a poor rural farm family, Jean Dumont secretly went to the theater when he was young and watched movies to grow his dream of becoming a filmmaker.

After becoming an adult, Jean-Dumont ran away from home, and since then, he has been moving around the film industry recklessly to learn film, taking on any chore.

Did heaven recognize his earnestness?

Jean-Dumont caught the eye of director Luc Besson, who was called a master at the time.

“Directing a movie doesn’t end with drawing a picture that looks plausible and putting it on camera. The sun is setting, and the production budget is in trouble. There are still five cuts left to shoot, but only two cuts? Dragging. Only then will you know what real directing is. In a fucking situation where dreams and reality are out of sync, I want to overturn it right away, but it’s this damn director who has to work hard to bring out a positive will. You will someday find out why I got into the habit of smiling even in the worst situations.”

Under the strong support of Luc Besson, he started learning film work in earnest and finally presents his debut film [Purity for the Devil], which he had longed for.

After his debut film hit the so-called jackpot, Jean Dumont’s move was even more unstoppable.

Chastity for the Devil, Serious Pierrot, Image Game, Govidi’s Self-Portrait, Montmartre’s Fallen Saint, and more.

He proved his worth in the French film industry by succeeding in box office success for each film he made, and soon established himself as the godfather of the film industry.

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Now, he has risen to a position where he is praised wherever he goes, but on the contrary, he has no choice but to neglect his family.

“honey. Are you coming home late today?”

To the words of his wife, Imelia, Jean Dumont replied nonchalantly.

“I have an important drinking date with an investor today. The budget for the next project is tough, so we have to convince them well.”

“Did you know that today is your first birthday?”

Jean Dumont touched his forehead at his wife’s words.

“Oh. was that today? I forgot to stop I’ll buy something on the way.”

“Still, if Dad doesn’t congratulate me, I’ll be very sad.”

“It’s a birthday that comes every year, so what’s so sad about it? Anyway, I’m running out of time for my appointment, so I’ll go quickly.”

But Jean-Dumont could not have imagined that it would be the last with his family.

buzz buzz.

asked Jean Dumont, bewildered by the sight of the police and other residents surrounding his mansion.

“what’s going on? in someone else’s house.”

“Are you Jean Dumont? Really… what should I say… .”

The hesitant policeman’s words made Jean-Dumont feel chills in his backbone, and he shook off the police who were trying to stop him and desperately entered the house.

dump.

Entering the house, Jean-Dumont’s legs gave out and he sat down.

The trembling pupils, as if an earthquake had struck, made Jean Dumont feel shocked.

The house itself is miserable.

The whole house was stained with red blood, and a strong bloody smell that made my head dizzy stung my nose.

His wife, Amelia, was lying on the stairs, bleeding from all over her body, and her two sons were also lying in a similar situation.

There must have been fierce resistance to protect the pups born from stomachaches.

The whole story of the incident, which was later revealed, was that the murderer Laurent Gavin and his followers raided Jean Dumont’s house.

They were looking for a target to show off their cruelty to the world, but [Serious Pierrot], directed by Jean Dumont, became a problem.

A line that seemed to ridicule hippie culture was the starting point, and this brutal criminal plan was conspired.

“Ah… uh… so much”

Jean-Dumont began to weep when he began to realize that this terrible reality was real.

“Amelia!! Oops Clement! Eric!”

Everyone looked at Jean Dumont in pity as he cried out the names of his family members he would never see again.

Since then, Jean Dumont’s life has completely collapsed.

Indulging in alcohol every day, he became pessimistic, hated himself, and destroyed himself.

gulp

“Keuh… keuhuh What kind of director are you? Giggling, you’re just trash. Garbage that can’t protect even one family.”

“I’m sorry, my son Eric. If I had known it was my last birthday, I would have stayed with you. I’m sorry Dad.”

Jean-Dumont, unable to sleep due to the sound of his wife Imelia’s voice and the laughter of his sons echoing in his head, could only rely on strong alcohol.

In this way, Jean-Dumont lived like a disabled person no different from a homeless person.

Did you say that time is fair for everyone?

The reporters who reported on this tragic event day after day gradually fell silent, and little by little they were forgotten from the public’s attention.

Twenty years passed like that.

Jean Dumont staggered down the Place Grenette with a cheap, strong absinthe in his hand.

People looked away from Jean Dumont, who looked unattractive to anyone, and even deliberately avoided him.

At that time, Jean Dumont’s hazy eyes trembled slightly.

“This..this”

A smell that irritates the nose.

Jean-Dumont, as if possessed by something, involuntarily headed toward it.

The place we arrived at was what looked like a eatery.

Unfortunately, the business seemed to be closed.

Jean Dumont asked in case of regret.

“Are you still doing business?”

The Asian young man who seemed to be the boss looked at him intently and agreed.

And Jean Dumont, who tasted the food he served.

I felt a surge in my chest that I thought would have been worn out.

“Coco-coubin… It tastes like the coco-coubin that Imelia used to make… Khehehe”

before becoming a successful film director.

He met and married the naive wife Imelia.

“Let it go. One day he will become the best French film director! When that time comes, Imelia will make you feel better. Hang in there.”

“You can be like that. I trust you.”

His wife, Imelia, always warmly believed in and supported him, who had shouted loudly while wrapping up his unstable future with hope.

At that time, the food Imelia cooked the most was coq au vin, a chicken stew commonly eaten in France.

And surprisingly, the taste of coq au vin at this house reminded me of the taste that my wife, Imelia, used to make while alive.

Jean Dumont hurriedly began to eat Coco Vin.

Gyu-ha looked at Jean-Dumont like that and asked.

“Old man. It seems to suit your taste. Eat slowly. If it’s not enough, I’ll do more.”

Jean Dumont suddenly felt grateful for this Asian young man who reminded him of precious old memories.

“Thank you, young man. When I tasted this coco vin you made, I met an ugly husband and thought of my wife who is no longer in this world. I was… a very ugly husband, a shameful father, and at the same time a sinner who couldn’t protect my family.”

And as if complaining, he told his story.

Gyu-ha listens to Jean Dumont’s story in silence.

Jean Dumont calmly unravels it as if he were confessing.

“That’s how time passed. I had been consumed by anger and regret for the past 20 years, and I never felt like I could be forgiven no matter how much I wished for wrongdoing to my wife and children. I’m in a position where I’m waiting for the day I die, but in fact, I’m afraid of dying too. When I die, go to the afterlife and meet them. What can I say? It’s so painful to feel like I’m in a situation where I can’t go anywhere in this world or in the next world. What the hell am I supposed to do… I just don’t know.

If I could hold my family in my arms, even just once… . If I could hear even a small answer, this torn heart would be filled even a little… .”

Kyu-ha, who had been listening to Jean Dumont in silence, spoke.

“In any life, being born and living is a series of ‘losses’. We start with things and let go of money and even dreams and hopes. Of course, the most terrifying thing is to lose a loved one.

When this loss occurs, ‘mourning’ naturally follows. And I have two feelings here. I want to let go now, or I want to keep holding on to my heart.”

Jean Dumont’s trembling eyes turned to Kyu-ha.

Kyu-ha continued talking without hesitation.

“They run into each other and cause conflict. This delayed mourning threatens the body and mind. Older people probably do. You must have made irrational efforts to alleviate the pain with smoking, drinking, and drugs. And that anger would have returned to you like a boomerang in the name of guilt. While blaming himself for the loss.”

“It is my fault. If I hadn’t vacated the house that day… . If I hadn’t been a film director, my family wouldn’t have had such a miserable death.”

“It is just a matter of conclusion. I just somehow put the pieces together for what was already happening. You think that happened because the teacher was away that day? If the teacher had been at home that day, they would have just died together. Wouldn’t that have happened if it weren’t for the film director? Can you be sure?”

“……”

“It was just an accident. It could have happened to anyone. I was just terribly unlucky, but it can’t be the elder’s fault. There is no such thing as a prepared death, but sudden separation from a loved one is painful. It must have been difficult for you to control your emotions because you were not prepared to face this great tragedy and loss.”

Little by little, tears welled up in Jean Dumont’s wrinkled eyes.

“It may sound futile, but there is nothing left for the person who left. Literally nothing. I don’t mean to miss you. Those who have left have no choice but to have no connection with this world anymore. Life in this world no longer has any meaning for the departed family, but it is different for the elders left behind.”

“I’m… different?”

“Twenty years have passed, but have the wounds of the elderly healed at all? Those kinds of wounds don’t heal on their own. I have to sew up my own wounds. It wasn’t something that could be stopped. Don’t feel guilty. It won’t be much comfort if I tell you this, but shouldn’t you sew up your wounds and live the rest of your life worthwhile? Even the family members who left first will not want you to live the rest of your life like this.”

At Kyuha’s sincere words, Jean Dumont felt as if his complicated mind, like a tangled skein of thread, had been loosened a little.

“Then… how am I supposed to live from now on… the hell am I…”

“What did your family think of you, who was a film director?”

Jean-Dumont’s eyes were wet, as if he had returned to those happy days.

“I was an ugly father who knew nothing but work, but my family was proud of me. I knew that Imelia secretly went to the theater alone and watched my movies a few times. My son, Eric, always boasted at school that his father was a film director.”

“One day, you will meet your family again in the afterlife. What will you say to your family then? If I told you that I came here drunk and drugged out of guilt, would the family who were proud of you really be happy?”

After deep consideration, Jean Dumont shook his head.

“No, no. Any Emilia I know will surely shed tears as she sees my misery…”

“Rather than living a life ruined by guilt, what your family wants is for you to tell them that you have worked hard to become a husband and father you can be proud of so that you can confidently overcome and meet again later.”

“A confident husband… Dad… and what I can do…”

The eyes of Jean Dumont, who had been drunk and bewildered, gradually returned to their place.

“Thank you very much. Maybe it’s something I knew, but I kept turning away and hiding. No one was interested in me who was broken as much as it was broken. It feels like the dark path has finally been revealed.”

“I’m glad I was of any help. This is also a fate, so I will give you a present.”

“Gift…?”

Gyuha came out of the truck kitchen and headed somewhere in the plaza.

The place Gyu-ha headed was a musician who performed street performances on the piano in a corner of Place Grenette.

He was also a customer who used Kyuha’s restaurant.

It seemed like they were organizing the props for the performance as if they had finished their schedule for the day.

The two of them had a conversation about something, and the musician nodded happily.

Kyu-ha, who came back, said to Jean Dumont.

“I thought of a song that was perfect for the elderly. I hope it can be of some comfort to the elderly.”

“Why are you doing this to me…?”

“Just… if I was a pianist who wanted to make people happy with the piano, I think I would have done it like this.”

Jean Dumont asked at Kyu-ha’s unknown words.

“What is the song title?”

Gyu-ha, who was trudging toward the piano, opened her mouth quietly.

“’Forgotten solace’”