小火星

On the 20th, in front of Kang Woojin’s studio apartment.

Late in the morning, in slightly warm weather, Kang Woojin, wearing a grey sweatshirt, came out of his apartment building. In front of him, a familiar black van was parked.

At the same time.

“Woojin!”

Choi Sung-gun, having spotted Kang Woojin, got out of the van and laughed heartily.

“Good morning, get in!”

He opened the passenger door with a joyful expression. Kang Woojin also went along with his mood. Of course, only inwardly. He was reminded of the English he had learned a few days ago.

‘Yes, it’s a great morning.’

Woojin greeted Choi Sung-gun with a voice colder than his feelings.

“Hello, CEO.”

After Woojin got in, Choi Sung-gun took the driver’s seat and the car started moving. Choi Sung-gun glanced at Woojin in the passenger seat as he drove out of the alleyway.

‘Why does he seem cooler today? Did something bad happen yesterday?’

No, that was not the case. At that moment, the expressionless Kang Woojin was lost in trivial thoughts.

‘I’m hungry. Should I eat breakfast? Suddenly I crave cold noodles. And pork cutlet.’

Choi Sung-gun, who couldn’t possibly know this, let out a small sigh. The character Hong Hye-yeon, whom he had been managing for a long time, was far from ordinary, but Kang Woojin was several levels higher. This was the crazy person who refused director Woo Hyun-goo.

‘Why do only crazy people gather around me?’

But then again, these crazies had outstanding abilities. Accepting his life as it was, Choi Sung-gun initiated the conversation with a smile.

“Woojin, did you get the call about the first filming of ‘Profiler Hanryang’? They said it’s on the 25th.”

“Yes, I received it.”

“I’m arranging things accordingly, and although it’s not confirmed according to PD Song, it seems like they will shoot Ryu Jung-min and Park Dae-ri’s scene first.”

At this point, Woojin’s heart started to flutter.

After the warm-up of ‘Exorcism’, it was now the real deal. The filming won’t be short like ‘Exorcism’. In other words, he would need to maintain a steady performance throughout the filming. It was nerve-wracking. Regardless, Choi Sung-gun nonchalantly continued.

“You don’t seem like the type to get nervous, Woojin. Just prepare thoroughly for the shooting over the next five days. Do you need anything?”

“Not yet.”

“Okay. And today, we’ll start by taking profile pictures.”

Ah, profile pictures. Striking poses for them? Kang Woojin had seen it somewhere. A bit of shame washed over him. No, it was closer to embarrassment.

‘I’ve never done that before. How do you do that?’

He was always awkward when taking ID photos.

But it must be similar to acting, right? You can do anything if you try. Woojin managed to hide his feeble shame and spoke softly to Choi Sung-gun who just turned the steering wheel to the right.

“CEO, you can speak casually¹ to me.”

I’m uncomfortable with polite speech. As if he had heard Woojin’s inner thoughts, Choi Sung-gun nodded and spoke.

“Is that so? So, Woojin, shall I speak casually?”

In a tone mixed with honorifics and informal speech, Choi Sung-gun explained the schedule for the day.

First, they had to create Kang Woojin’s official profile. Since he had joined an agency, they needed it for external or website use. They had to take profile pictures first, and go to the salon to get groomed.

Here, the salon was exclusive to celebrities.

For a moment, Kang Woojin felt a slight sense of anticipation.

‘Finally, I’m going to a celebrity salon to get properly groomed.’

Ordinary citizen Kang Woojin knew only one phrase when going to the hair salon.

Please trim them.

This might be the case for any man, but especially for Woojin, who maintained short hair, the hair salon was an awkward place. But now it was a salon where actors went.

At this moment.

“Woojin.”

At a red light, Choi Sung-gun suddenly spoke solemnly.

“I’ve expressed our rejection for the audition to Box Movie. Chief Choi Do-min went berserk, but anyway, I’ve rejected it.”

Ah, that? He had forgotten about it. Honestly, Woojin had forgotten about the master or whatever. Learning English had been too big a deal.

“Is that so? Thank you.”

Choi Sung-gun, scratching his head, smiled slightly.

“To be honest, I still don’t understand it myself. I hate troublesome things, but this matter is… huh- Anyway, you didn’t talk about your intuition or whatever to Chief Choi Do-min, right?”

“Yes.”

“If he hears that, he’ll get even angrier. Anyway, Box Movie won’t look kindly upon you now. They got snubbed offering a role to a nobody.”

It’s a narrow-minded industry. One can refuse all they want. But entertainment industry is like a jungle; what can you do about it? Woojin reacted more calmly than expected.

“But it’s better then rejecting after auditioning.”

“Right, not starting at all would have fewer consequences. But it will be hard for you to get into Director Woo Hyun-goo’s work from now on. You know that, right? That guy’s got a nasty temperament, and his pride is high, too.”

What can we do? Just because he’s considered a master, I can’t do an F-rated movie, can I? It’s a shame he’s considered a master, but if it flops, it’s just a waste of time.

‘Anyway, I need to add a little bluff here.’

Kang Woojin replied with a stern expression.

“I don’t care.”

Looking at Woojin, Choi Sung-gun muttered to himself.

‘Is he really indifferent to the title of a master director? The more I see, the more extraordinary he seems.’

Misunderstandings were building up in real-time, but Choi Sung-gun didn’t know, and when the traffic signal changed, he heard Kang Woojin’s calm voice.

“CEO, I need a suit.”

“A suit? Why all of a sudden?”

Why? Because Director Shin Dong-chun told him to buy one. It’s still unconfirmed if he will get into the main competition, but he thought he would still need a suit in the future.

At least, that’s what Woojin thought.

But the answer had to be interesting. ‘Just in case’ seemed a bit flimsy. Kang Woojin thought it’d be better to mix in a bit of arrogance.

“I’m planning to wear it to the ‘Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival’.”

“…’Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival’?”

“Yes.”

Hearing Woojin’s serious reply, Choi Sung-gun was impressed inside.

‘If you can’t get into the main competition, there’s no reason to go to the film festival, right? but for this guy, there’s no such premise of failure at all. His self-esteem is insane.’

It was too strong a conviction. Choi Sung-gun arbitrarily added to the misunderstanding.

“Haha, sure, ‘Exorcism’ is definitely going to win the grand prize, right? Even if not, we should prepare a suit. You probably have one, but now we have to separate private from public. We have to care about appearances too.”

Then, after thinking for a while, Choi Sung-gun made a decision.

“The suit, of course, the company will handle it. It’s needed for work. You’ll be busy today. Let’s take care of the suit today, too. Um- Since Hye-yeon is partner with luxury brands, so getting a men’s suit won’t be a big deal. Since we’re talking about suits, let’s add a picture in a suit to your profile.”

At the word ‘luxury’, Kang Woojin perked up his ears.

‘Awesome. They’re just giving me a luxury suit?’

Then something suddenly popped into Kang Woojin’s head. It was a line he had prepared yesterday.

“Can I also get a Japanese script?”

“…Japanese? This’s a novel request. Why a Japanese script all of a sudden?”

In response to the question, Kang Woojin answered sternly.

“I just want to have a look. There’s no big reason.”

Two hours later, at a large shop in Cheongdam-dong.

Around noon. The shop in a three-story building looked quite luxurious at first glance. The interior was somewhat palace-like, and Kang Woojin could be found on the third floor. Choi Sung-gun was on the first floor. Anyhow, among the several seats in the middle, Woojin, who was sitting, was currently

“…”

Sleeping. He had been in the shop since morning and was tired by lunchtime. Moreover, the seat where he was sitting was quite comfortable.

At that moment.

-Swoosh.

The sleeping Kang Woojin suddenly opened his eyes. Fortunately, he didn’t move much, and Woojin made a face as if he had woken up from a nap during class.

‘Did I fall asleep? Ugh- is it because the seat is comfortable? I keep feeling sleepy.’

At that time.

“Oh my.”

The female designer standing behind Kang Woojin smiled.

“You must have been tired.”

The woman in the white shirt had long yellow hair. In response, Kang Woojin suppressed his embarrassment and lowered his voice.

“Just thinking about the script.”

That wasn’t true. He had slept without a thought. It was outrageous shamelessness. But fortunately, the designer accepted Woojin’s bluff without any suspicion.

“Is that so? It’s time to think about the script. You’re a rookie actor, right? You look exactly like an actor. Have you decided on your stage name?”

“Just Kang Woojin.”

“Aha, Mr. Woojin! Please come often, this is Hye-yeon’s designated salon.”

“Yes.”

“All done, take a look. CEO Choi asked me to do my best, so I was very serious, you know.”

Soon, Kang Woojin met his gaze in the mirror in front of him. And then, he checked his reflection in the mirror. The interesting thing here was.

“?!?!”

The point where Kang Woojin’s eyes opened wide upon seeing his face. The reason was simple.

The Kang Woojin in the mirror.

‘… Wow. Who are you? Is that really me?’

He had transformed into an incredibly handsome version of himself. It wasn’t just in Kang Woojin’s eyes either. The yellow-haired designer recited the proof.

“Even CEO Choi would be surprised at this change, wouldn’t he?”

At that time, on the set of the ‘Profiler Hanryang’.

As the first shooting day was confirmed, the ‘Profiler Hanryang’ team was extremely busy. Even now, they were reviewing the final checks. Of course, the overall responsibility lies with PD Song man-woo.

He was giving orders to the directing team.

“As soon as the inspection here is over, tell the filming-related staff to wait, I’ll talk to the camera director separately.”

“Yes, yes, PD.”

“There are 5 days left until the first shoot! Let’s hang in there just a bit longer!”

After giving the appropriate instructions, PD Song Man-Woo moved to the minivan parked in the parking lot. It was for a brief rest. He had only slept for 3 hours the previous day. He rarely had time to rest otherwise.

Then.

“Ah.”

Inside the car, PD Song Man-Woo was reminded of Kang Woojin. A few days ago, he had intermediated a matter related to a meeting with Box Movie film company. But he hadn’t heard the result. He was certainly curious. Would Kang Woojin really join Director Woo Hyun-goo’s work?

Soon, PD Song man-woo took out his mobile phone. However, the person he called was not Kang Woojin, but CEO Choi Sung-gun.

“Uh- CEO Choi .”

PD Song Man-Woo opened his mouth right away as Choi Sung-gun picked up quickly.

“Are you busy? Is it okay to talk?”

Over the phone, Choi Sung-gun gladly replied.

“Of course. I have to answer our PD Song’s call even if I’m sleeping, hahaha. What’s up?”

At the same time, a woman’s voice was heard.

“PD, hello-”

At the familiar tone, PD Song man-woo chuckled.

“Ah, is Star Hong with you too?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, Hye-yeon is also here. I met her while waiting for Woojin at the shop. Oh, did you call me because Woojin didn’t answer the phone? He’s on the 3rd floor of the shop right now.”

“No, no, that’s not it.”

As soon as Kang Woojin’s name came up, PD Song man-woo got to the point.

“I was just curious about how Woojin’s Box Movie meeting went. And whether he met Director Woo Hyun-goo?”

“Ah, he refused that.”

“What? Refused what?”

“Director Woo Hyun-goo’s next work. Even though it was not an audition, Chief Choi Do-min was eager to push for it, but our Woojin decisively rejected it.”

“···Really? What was the reason?”

To the question, Choi Sung-gun answered with a detached tone.

“He said something like his intuition. He quickly scanned a few pages of the scenario and simply said the feeling was not good.”

“What?”

It was a very familiar word. The feeling is not good? PD Song man-woo unconsciously stroked his beard.

‘··· Kang Woojin, again his feeling? Did the totem activate?’

Of course, nothing is for certain yet. Since the results for ‘Exorcism’ and ‘Profiler Hanryang’ have not yet come out. But for some reason, PD Song man-woo took Kang Woojin’s ‘feeling’ very seriously. The eye for works. Was it Kang Woojin’s real instinct coming into play again?

‘Did Director Woo Hyun-goo’s scenario really suck that bad?’

Otherwise, the situation was strange.

It was none other than Director Woo Hyun-goo. Even if the work was a bit subpar, the fact that an unknown joined his crew would be a significant issue. His rising recognition and incoming interview requests would surely increase.

‘But he refused without even looking back? An act that could only be done by someone insane. Ah, of course, Woojin does have a crazy side to him.’

Then, PD Song man-woo muttered towards his phone as if he was about to hang up.

“Well- what can we do, if the actor says he won’t do it.”

“Yes, I know. Anyway, thank you for your concern, PD.”

With the call ended, PD Song man-woo looked out the window. At the same time, he felt a strange sense of anticipation.

“It’s fun to watch, that guy.”

It was then.

-♬♪

The phone in PD Song man-woo’s hand urgently rang. Thanks to this, Song Man-woo, who had been wondering if it was CEO Choi Sung-gun, tilted his head. It was an unsaved number. However, since he has been receiving such calls frequently lately, Song Man-woo answered the call nonchalantly.

“Yes, this is Song Man-woo.”

A male voice answered from the other side of the phone. The tone was gentle.

“PD Song, it’s been a while. It’s Director Kwon Ki-taek.”

Soon, PD Song Man-woo’s eyes widened, and he put emphasis in his voice,

“Huh? Ah, yes! Yes, Director! It’s been a long time.”

“Haha, have you been well? Let’s see – we greeted each other at the Baeksang Awards two years ago.”

“I know, I know. How could I forget that?”

“I had something I was curious about, so I got your number. Sorry for calling suddenly.”

“Yes?? No, it’s fine!”

PD Song Man-woo was flustered. The reason was simple. Director Kwon Ki-taek was a big shot similar to Director Woo Hyun-goo. If one were to name the top directors in the country, he would always be included. If rankings had to be set, Kwon Ki-taek would be even above Woo Hyun-goo.

In terms of total audience or achievements.

That Kwon Ki-taek asked Song Man-woo PD,

“You’re preparing for a drama, right? I’m looking forward to it. Have you set the date for the first shooting?”

“Oh, thank you. The first shooting is confirmed for next week. But why do you ask?”

“Hmm- I heard a rumor that the actors in your drama are working incredibly hard to improve their acting quality, so I was wondering if I could sneak in and watch the shooting on the first day.”

“You want to observe?”

Upon the question, Director Kwon Ki-taek immediately answered from the other end of the phone.

“Yes, I want to see Ryu Jung-min’s performance, so I’m asking for a favor.”

*****

TL Notes:

1) The part where Woojin asked CEO Choi to speak casually doesn’t make much sense in English since we use honorifics in Korean.

*****