小火星

The latter half part of ‘Profiler Hanryang’, was set in the year 2010. Park Dae-ri appeared in the background of a scene, following the discovery of a body in the mountains. The method of murder matched with that of an unsolved serial killer from the past.

The world was turned upside down, but Park Dae-ri was calm.

The direction was also outstanding. It was fast-paced for about 45 minutes, but when the scene switched to Park Dae-ri, it had a slow and cozy feeling.

A quiet park.

From the very first scene, Park Dae-ri was shown in a close-up shot that filled up his face. Thanks to this, his face filled the TV screen. If you know this unknown actor’s face, you’d have to be a fool not to recognize him.

Thanks to that.

“…That crazy bastard.”

Kim Dae-young’s reaction, as if his eyes were about to pop out, wasn’t strange. Why? Because his friend, who had participated in a short film festival a few days ago, was now appearing in the major drama ‘Profiler Hanryang’.

Kim Dae-young’s eyes got bigger and bigger as he recalled the day he chased after Kang Woojin.

“Was this the next work you were talking about??!”

There was no talk that the drama he was filming would come out so quickly, let alone being the most anticipated work of the first half of the year?! Kim Dae-young’s shout surprised his colleagues again.

“What’s happened?! Why, really?! Ah, You startled me.”

“Why so surprised? Dae-young! What’s wrong? Why are you acting like this?”

Kim Dae-young, who was a bit stunned by the questions from his colleagues mixed with worry and bewilderment.

“No….That’s my….”

He shut his mouth mid-sentence. The complete sentence was ‘That’s my friend’, but he remembered Kang Woojin had told him to keep his mouth shut for a while. Still, the shock remained.

‘Ah, you bastard! Do it all at once. What the heck is this, a surprise attack?!’

Kim Dae-young was already surprised that Kang Woojin had appeared on ‘Exorcism’. But now, his friend, who had become an actor overnight, was appearing in a drama.

And moreover.

‘The amount of screen time and angle cuts are exactly like a supporting role, right? He entered his first drama as a supporting actor?’

It seemed like Park Dae-ri was not a minor role.

Thanks to this, he…

“……”

Without responding to his colleagues’ questions, he just stared blankly at the TV, and his colleagues who were tilting their heads turned their gaze to the TV.

Park Dae-ri’s angle was shown from various perspectives.

From smiling to expressionless. That brief moment was quickly interchanged with frontal and side views. The depth increased. It was clear to anyone. That his face was masked with a fake expression.

[“……”]

There was no dialogue. Park Dae-ri in the quiet park just looked ahead. Park Dae-ri’s face filled the entire TV screen. Then, the corners of his mouth twitched and returned to being expressionless. The change in expression was strangely eerie. Soon after, Park Dae-ri’s mouth corners lifted slightly again. But it didn’t last long. Back to expressionless again.

At this, Kim Dae-young’s colleagues exclaimed.

“Wow, that’s crazy. Is he practicing smiling right now?”

“He’s like a psychopath. So creepy. The actor is really good at acting, right? Well, he must be good since he was cast in that drama.”

“Really amazing. Look at that. Each smile feels a little different, right? The expressions are all different too.”

“He seems like an emotionless psychopath.”

His colleagues brushed their arms. Some of them had goosebumps. However, Kim Dae-young, who was watching his friend on TV, was just appreciating Park Dae-ri’s acting.

‘Was such acting… possible? It’s a completely different character from ‘Exorcism’, but I don’t see any similarities.’

In his eyes, ‘Kim Ryu-jin’ and ‘Park Dae-ri’ seemed like two completely different characters played by different actors.

[“I stepped on dog shit.”]

To that extent, his friend’s acting differentiated each character.

[“Ah, there it is. The son of a bitch.”]

Before they knew it, Kim Dae-young and his colleagues were engrossed in ‘Profiler Hanryang’. More precisely, in Park Dae-ri’s brilliant performance.

“…..Is it because he acts so well? It’s so immersive?”

“I know, right? Who is that actor? Will he come up if I search?”

Soon, Kim Dae-young quietly answered his colleagues who were showing interest in the actor who played Park Dae-ri.

“Kang Woojin. That actor’s name is Kang Woojin.”

“Huh?? Dae-young, you know him?”

At that moment.

“Wow! Look at that!”

One of the colleagues pointed at the TV. The reason was simple.

“Wow- Look how natural the CG (Computer Graphic) is, are they expressing the character’s perspective? It’s amazing!”

The current scene showed a distorted fairy tale world through Park Dae-ri’s eyes. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, navy, and purple. But the colors were unnatural. A bit of gradient was added. The ordinary world turned into a weird fairy tale world, and this special effect made Park Dae-ri’s character even more intense.

And then, Park Dae-ri lifted up a dog that had shitted, painted in yellow.

[“You’re cute. Fluffy. Makes me want to pop you.”]

His colleagues swallowed their saliva.

“No way. Is he going to kill that puppy??”

“Maybe they colored it because it’s too cruel.”

“Look, I guess the red firework is to express the blood bursting.”

“Ah- take it away, don’t do it!”

However, Park Dae-ri on TV disappeared with a smile and a dog in his hand, and Kim Dae-young, who had been watching up to this point, smirked and picked up his phone.

He logged into a group chat with his close friends.

-Dae-young: Hey Kang Woojin, you bastard! If I ever meet you again, I’ll beat you up.

What’s funny is that Kang Woojin, who never usually replied, was the quickest to respond.

-Woojin: Are you watching SBC, my friend?

-Dae-young: Yeah, you asshole. Hey guys, Woojin is currently appearing in a drama on SBC right now.

-Woojin: Please watch SBC’s Profiler Hanryang.

-Kyung-sung: ???What now???

-Dae-young: The next work of actor Kang Woojin, this basterd, is being broadcasted.

-Kyung-sung: ???Kang Woojin, this bastard again??

-Hyeong-gu: What next work? Didn’t his short film just get released a few days ago?

-Dae-young: Check with your own eyes. It’s on SBC.

Soon, the friends who heard the news tuned into SBC from different places. Lee Kyung-sung, who was enjoying ramen at home, threw it aside and turned on the TV and immediately started cursing.

“······Fucking hell, it’s really him?”

Na Hyeong-gu was on a blind date. As he was simply having a drink, he turned on SBC on his phone. Na Hyeong-gu also quietly cursed, despite the woman in front of him.

“This bastard- He’s really in a drama?”

Meanwhile, Kang Woojin’s ‘Park Dae-ri’ spread across the country through broadcast signals. Anyone watching SBC on TV at this time could see Park Dae-ri. For example, The people at a design company watching TV in the conference room while having late-night snacks due to overtime.

“Huh? Isn’t that actor… Woojin?”

“Huh? Didn’t he go on a working holiday?”

“…No. It is him, right? What’s this, a drama?”

“Yes. I stopped flipping channels because it looked interesting- No, that’s Woojin, right? It’s him, right?”

“That’s right. It’s Woojin. Yes! Huh?!! Why?”

“What is Woojin doing there??!”

Or, a group of girls gathered around a laptop in a university dormitory. No, it was Kang Woojin’s younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah, and her friends.

“OMG!! Hey, Kang Hyun-ah! Isn’t that your brother??”

“Yes! He looks exactly like the picture of him receiving the award!”

“Wait, was that why you insisted we watch this drama no matter what?? Because your brother is in it??!”

“But this is amazing! Hey, hey, Hyun-ah! Your brother is totally on a roll! He’s already appearing in dramas??”

While the friends hit Kang Hyun-ahs shoulders and back in excitement, but Kang Hyun-ah herself was stunned looking at her brother on the drama. Regardless, her friends became more excited.

“He’s so good at acting!”

“Ah! Hyun-ah! Call your brother, call him!”

“It looks like he has a lot of screen time?? What is it? Ah! A supporting role! He must be a supporting role!”

At that moment, seeing the smile of Park Dae-ri in the drama, Kang Hyun-ah realized something.

“Ah… That’s the smile from the teaser.”

The smile of the man whose face was covered in the teaser for ‘Profiler Hanryang.’ She realized that it was her own brother.

‘No- Is it possible? He just started acting two months ago, right??! Is it realistically possible for him to get a supporting role???!’

It didn’t make sense. But her brother was definitely appearing in the drama. At this point, Kang Hyuna pushed away her clingy friends.

“Let me be!”

She called her mom. The ring didn’t last long.

“Mom! Brother is on a drama right now!”

The reply from her mom, Seo Hyun-mi, across the phone was swift.

“…I know, hang up for now.”

In fact, ‘Profiler Hanryang’ was also playing at the porridge shop in Jinju. The porridge shop was currently occupied by regular ajummas (older women). It happened quite often. They were regulars who were close to Seo Hyun-mi.

Those regular ajummas clicked their tongues while watching Park Dae-ri on TV.

“Hey- Look at that guy’s eyes, those eyes.”

“He’s strong, very strong. He did it, he killed him.”

“Whose son is that, having such a ruthless look in his eyes?”

Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-chul, who were standing side by side at the counter watching TV, both with wide eyes, answered at the same time.

“That’s…my child.”

“That’s our son.”

Meanwhile, at the same time, other drama teams were also monitoring ‘Profiler Hanryang’. Both MBS and TVM.

Both dramas were also airing their first episode at this moment.

There were teams having dinner like Hanryang’s team, and there were also teams checking the situation on the filming set. Anyway, both sides were watching the actor who played Park Dae-ri.

The interesting thing was that both teams felt jealous.

“······Shit, his acting is good.”

“It’s not just good. Look at him expressing things with his facial muscles without any lines. it’s crazy.”

“It’s not crazy. His acting is restrained, but captivating. It feels lively, but instead of making acting feel hard, it feels like he’s casually, easily throwing it out there?”

Of course, it was because of Park Dae-ri, who appeared at the end.

“Ah- He suddenly jumped out at the end and runs wild by himself? He alone is creating and releasing the tension of the drama, right?”

“He’s a proper villain. It’s a sure thing, right? He’s the scene-stealer that Writer Park mentioned in the interview.”

“Absolutely. It’s worthy of Writer Park’s high praise. Huh, but who is he? The face is new, but it doesn’t feel entirely unfamiliar.”

“Same for me. I know he’s a newcomer, but he seems familiar. Where did they find such a gem?”

“A used newcomer, maybe? Anyway, his acting is worth watching. Tsk, If he does a good job, even Director Park will be impressed.”

Something about Park Dae-ri’s appearance made the other drama teams jealous. The reason was simple.

“Ah crap, he’s got great impact. Enough! Let’s focus on our own drama!”

There was no impact in their own dramas that could hook and pull like Park Dae-ri. At this point, ‘Profiler Hanryang’ was heading towards the later half, and Park Dae-ri, who had just debuted, had left a strong impression in a short 10-minute scene.

No, rather than a strong impression, Park Dae-ri was definitely the key to the first episode.

He brought hidden cases to the surface and delivered a shock to the viewers with numerous question marks. Catharsis is only properly achieved when there’s a solid villain. In other words, Park Dae-ri was not a fake, but the real deal. The declaration made by Writer Park Eun-mi at the production press conference was completely true.

The ones who felt most regretful about this were the waiting reporters.

“Tsk, his acting’s good. If it’s like this, it won’t fail.”

Over 200 reporters attended the production press conference, including various entertainment reporters involved in the drama war.

“Hey, how about it Reporter Kim? The scene-stealer actor in ‘Profiler Hanryang’, he’s the real deal, right?”

“Yes, Chief Editor. His acting was amazing – worth the praise from the production team.”

“It’s a pity. There would have been more to write about tomorrow if it had completely failed. How high do you think the viewer ratings will be?”

“I’ve watched all of them, but I think Hanryang will be the highest~”

A tremendous number of reporters were all keeping an eye on the dramas. They had to pounce on any drama that smelled like prey. Of course, the focus was on ‘Profiler Hanryang’.

But ‘Profiler Hanryang’ was perfect in its completion.

At this point, some reporters felt something from the unknown actor playing Park Dae-ri.

“Ah, if it’s like this, it’s frustrating…huh? But I’ve seen this actor a lot somewhere?”

Surely he’s a newcomer, but there was a familiar feeling. Where have I seen him? Then, the reporters suddenly remembered the short film festival that took place a few days ago.

“Ah! Isn’t he the guy who won the grand prize at the ‘Mise-en-scène Film Festival’?!”

The unknown actor who had won the grand prize at this year’s popular ‘Mise-en-scène Film Festival’, but due to various issues, he did not receive much attention. Park Dae-ri was that actor.

It’s good. This is a good piece of prey, right?

Some reporters who caught on to this immediately had their eyes gleam.

“This means Hong Hyeyeon worked on two projects with him, right? Ah, what was the name of the guy who won the award?”

And not much later.

『[Drama Pick] ‘Profiler Hanryang’ premiere… Kang Woojin, the actor who played scene-stealer Park Dae-ri, won the grand prize at the ‘Mise-en-scène Film Festival’』

The first article was up. It was explosive.

Around 11:30 pm.

The large BBQ restaurant where the ‘Profiler Hanryang’ team gathered was bustling. The first airing of the drama had already ended, and from the production team to the actors, everyone was very satisfied with the quality of the first part.

“Wow- The drama turned out really well!”

“PD, did you edit this on drugs?!”

“Haha that’s what I’m saying! PD Song! The scene where Park Dae-ri’s world changes was killer, right??”

Especially on the second floor, where the main actors and PD Song Man-woo and the key production team gathered, was like a mad party. The actors and staff were busy praising each other.

In the meantime, Kang Woojin thought,

‘It’s fun, really fun.’

He was genuinely happy. Of course, only on the inside. His face was more solid than ever, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the TV, which was showing the drama that had just ended.

‘When I was on, it was really awkward, but the more I see it, the more I seem to get used to it.’

Regardless, unlike ‘Exorcism’, ‘Profiler Hanryang’ was aired all over the country. Who watched it? How many watched it? What did they think of my acting?

At that moment, Kang Woojin picked up his phone.

‘These guys are freaking out, as expected.’

His close friends were chatting non-stop in the group chat. Dozens of messages arrived from his younger sister, and several messages also arrived from Woojin’s parents. On top of that.

‘I didn’t expect the design company people to watch it too.’

The people from the design company where he used to work also sent messages. He probably didn’t know, but many people must have watched the drama.

It was then.

-♬♪

The phone of PD Song Man-woo, who was clinking soju glasses with the actors and staff, rang. A message arrived. PD Song Man-woo quickly grabbed his phone on the table.

It seemed like he was waiting for something.

What was strange was,

“Has it arrived?”

“How much is it?”

“PD, quickly, quickly!”

All the staff and actors had their eyes fixed on PD Song Man-woo. Writer Park Eun-mi even swallowed her saliva with a serious expression. Woojin tilted his head slightly. Why did everyone stop drinking and look at the PD?

Anyway,

-Swish.

As soon as PD Song Man-woo looked at the phone screen, his eyes widened. Then, he slowly opened his mouth.

“……Real-time mid-term viewership. MBS 5.9%”

An eerie silence swept over the entire filming area. Maybe that’s why PD Song Man-woo’s voice sounded loud.

“TVM 2.7%”

PD Song Man-woo, who slowly raised his head, scanned everyone and cracked a slight smile.

“We, 20.3%”

*****