小火星

‘Wow… Hwalin? Is that Hwalin? This is insane.’

Hwalin, who appeared out of nowhere in the meeting room. The leader of ‘Elani,’ hailed as the top-tier among numerous girl groups. Even Woojin, who wasn’t particularly interested in the entertainment industry, knew of Hwalin. After all, she was very famous.

‘She’s not as beautiful as Hong Hye-yeon, but still, she’s stunning.’

Kang Woojin simply stared at Hwalin, who stood by the glass door, with wonder. It was that feeling when you unexpectedly see a celebrity. At that moment, the slightly plump executive from Netflix murmured, looking at Hwalin.

“Ms. Hwalin? Why are you in this meeting room? You should have been guided to the next room.”

Ah, did she come to the wrong meeting room? Woojin roughly grasped the situation and looked at Hwalin again. Strangely, she was also looking at Kang Woojin. A bit startled, Woojin thought he should remain calm.

So, he greeted Hwalin with a steady voice.

“Hello.”

“……”

However, Hwalin, who was staring intensely at Kang Woojin, did not respond. She just slightly furrowed her brows. Woojin felt a bit awkward.

‘Why isn’t she greeting back? Her expression doesn’t look good either. Why is she like that?‘

On the other hand,

‘This is insane.’

Hwalin, completely flustered, was in a daze after Woojin’s greeting.

‘His voice is so good! What? Is that his regular voice? It almost melted my ears!’

It was already a shock that her favorite, Kang Woojin, was at Netflix, but his deep voice shook both Hwalin’s brain and heart. It was understandable. The actor she had been obsessing over for weeks was right in front of her.

Her thoughts became jumbled.

‘Why? Why is Kang Woojin here? What should I do? I don’t understand. What’s going on?’

Hwalin felt the urge to jump around.

If she could, Hwalin would have loved to rush to the seated Woojin, shout she’s a fan, and ask for a photo together, or at least have a short conversation or a handshake. She could even exclaim that she unknowingly became his fan.

Unbeknownst to her, her feelings for him had grown to that extent.

However,

“Hey, Hwalin.”

Considering all the eyes on her, including the plump director who just called her and other Netflix employees, she had to control herself. So, Hwalin,

“Hmm.”

coughed lightly, shifting her gaze away from Woojin.

‘I can’t keep looking. My heart feels like it’s about to burst.’

Woojin, on the other hand, became slightly more irritated.

‘I get that she ignored my greeting. But did she have to avoid eye contact like that?’

It was then that the chubby manager asked Hwalin,

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“…No, I’m fine.”

Hwalin replied in a whispery tone and sneaked a peek at Woojin again. It was then that she greeted him.

“Hello…”

“Ah- yes.”

A brief exchange. Hwalin tried hard to calm her pounding heart.

‘Is it over? What a pity! Should I say something else? Yes, let’s!’

However, she had to tone down her enthusiasm because there were too many eyes around.

“I enjoyed the drama.”

She toned down too much. Her tone was very curt and soulless, even somewhat rude. Naturally, Kang Woojin felt the same.

‘She seems to have a bad personality.’

Soon, Woojin replied, several times colder than his usual demeanor.

“Thank you.”

Hwalin’s heartbeat intensified. Watching Kang Woojin from a distance and having him right in front of her felt worlds apart. Then Hwalin pulled on the arm of the manager standing next to her.

“…Brother, let’s go.”

“Huh? Ah, okay.”

She practically fled.

‘If I stay any longer, I feel like I might rush at him. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t! I need to calm down somewhere!’

Thus, Hwalin left the meeting room as abruptly as she had arrived, and the employee who had guided her followed out after getting an earful from the general director. It was then that Kang Woojin softly asked Choi Sung-gun, who was seated next to him.

“That woman, Hwalin, is she a bit peculiar?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Choi Sung-gun whispered back.

“I don’t know? I haven’t seen her much either. But given she’s close with Hye-yeon, she’s probably not ordinary. I haven’t heard any bad rumors, just that she’s not that approachable. Why?”

“No, nothing. Just asking.”

Woojin decided to let it go and not dwell on it.

‘Hwalin seems a bit rude. Well, celebrities have various personalities. It’s none of my business.’

There was a stark contrast in attitude compared to Hong Hye-yeon. At that moment, the plump general director smiled apologetically.

“Woojin, I’m sorry for the suddenness. It seems our employee made a mistake.”

“It’s fine.”

As Woojin responded, Choi Sung-gun chimed in.

“But are you doing something with Hwalin as well? Ah, just casually asking, you can ignore it if you like. Ha ha.”

Seeing the cheerful Choi Sung-gun, the general director smiled.

“To be honest, we’re also surprised. We don’t understand why both you, Mr. Kang Woojin, and Hwalin agreed to participate in this project.”

“Huh? When you say this project.”

“Yes, Hwalin came for a meeting related to the short drama ‘Male Friend’. It’s not confirmed yet.”

The general director looked at the woman seated next to him. Sitting beside her was a slim woman wearing glasses. It was Choi Na-na, the writer of ‘Male Friend’.

“It feels like… a dream. I was grateful that Woojin agreed, but I never expected Hwalin would contact us.”

The timidly spoken words of writer Choi Na-na were cut off by the general director, who then looked back at Choi Sung-gun and Woojin.

“We have been promoting this project and distributed the script quite widely in the industry. Of course, we knew it might not work. It was honestly more symbolic.”

Choi Sung-gun, crossing his arms, nodded.

“Well, when you distribute a script among top-level actors, it does get some positive buzz in the industry.”

“Exactly. That’s what we were aiming for. We got a meeting with Hwalin, but I think she probably came just to check it out. I don’t think she’ll actually commit to the project.”

“Ha ha. Someone like Hwalin doesn’t really need a short drama.”

“True. But it’s okay. Even without Hwalin, having Woojin alone is more than enough for us. Right, Ms. Writer?”

“Yes, yes!”

At this point, the smiling general director looked straight into the indifferent face of Woojin.

“Woojin, you’re really going to do this, right? I just want to make sure since it’s such great news.”

Woojin’s response was concise.

“Yes. I’ll take the role of the male lead in ‘Male Friend’.”

For a moment, the general director’s smile deepened, and writer Choi Na-na, sitting next to her, began to speak hesitantly.

“Um… Mr. Woojin! But, is there a reason why you chose my short drama?”

‘Yes, because the kissing scenes are quite refreshing. Of course, the overall content is good too. But saying this might get me labeled as weird.’

So Woojin cautiously answered,

“I liked the straightforward script.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I liked the overall feel too.”

“Feel…?”

Seeing the indifferent Woojin, writer Choi Na-na seemed entranced.

‘Feel. Is that what writer Park Eunmi was talking about? Having an excellent eye for spotting good work? Anyway, this man truly has a unique aura. I don’t know what it is, but he’s different.’

Then, the general director leaned closer to Woojin.

“By the way, Woojin, can you sing?”

Why was she suddenly talking about singing? The conversation seemed off-topic, but Woojin, who was confident in his singing, quickly replied.

“Yes, I’m not bad at it.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Why do you ask?”

The answer came from Choi Na-na, who pulled out several scripts she had brought.

“Well, the thing is, it doesn’t appear in the first episode, but from the second episode, the male lead reveals a hidden talent.”

“That talent is singing?”

“Yes. It’s a scene where the female lead is taken aback because she didn’t know about it.”

Although he had became busy, Kang Woojin recently read several scripts and scenarios when he had time. Of course, this included ‘Male Friend’. However, there was no such content in episode 1.

‘Is it some kind of surprise?’

Choi Sung-gun asked.

“What kind of singer did you have in mind?”

“Like a professional singer?”

“Hmm.”

Then, the general director waved both her hands.

“It’s not that deep of a setting. Just some script adjustments will do. Hmm, being average is fine too. As long as it’s not off-pitch and tone-deaf, editing can cover it to some extent.”

“Yes, yes, yes! You’re right! It doesn’t matter that much!”

Upon closer look, both the general director and Choi Na-na seemed to be rather demanding of Kang Woojin. Whatever the case, Kang Woojin thought,

‘When I go to the karaoke, I feel like I’m flying high again.’

He reminisced about the times he went to karaoke with his old pals.

“I’m not tone-deaf.”

“Then it should be fine!”

“Writer.”

Soon after, Kang Woojin extended his hand to Choi Na-na.

“Can I get the scripts for episode 2 and onwards today?”

Without hesitation, Choi Na-na handed a stack of papers to Kang Woojin.

“Of course! You’re the male lead now!”

Meanwhile, in the adjacent meeting room.

Still excited about meeting her favorite star Kang Woojin, Hwalin’s heart rate remained elevated. She couldn’t hear the conversation of the manager next to her or the discussion from the Netflix team across the table.

‘Ah, really! Did I come out too soon? I should’ve just approached Kang Woojin for a handshake! I was too flustered!’

All she could think of was her idol, who was nearby.

‘But seeing him in person, he has such a presence. He’s not light-hearted, he’s serious, and his voice is so deep! His personality was totally different from Exorcism and Park Dae-ri.’

Being face to face with Kang Woojin had a significant impact. Hwalin’s fan-filled eyes widened even more as she suddenly had a thought.

“Ah.”

Hwalin, having a sudden realization, asked the Netflix team leaders seated in front of her.

“Why is Kang Woojin here?”

“Huh? Oh, haha, actually, it’s for the same context as you, Writer Choi Na-na picked Woojin as the male lead.”

“…Kang Woojin?”

“Yes. It’s not confirmed yet. It’s a bit difficult to go into details.”

At that moment,

-Whoosh

The meeting room door opened, and the plump general director and writer Choi Na-na entered. They seemed to have finished their meeting with Kang Woojin. The general director, sitting opposite Hwalin, began speaking.

“First of all, thank you for attending this meeting, Hwalin.”

“Yes. I found the script interesting.”

“Before we go into details, since you’ve shown interest in the script, I should inform you about the confirmed counterpart role.”

“…?”

Hwalin swallowed her saliva nervously, and the general director continued with a slight smile.

“The male lead of ‘Male Friend’ will be played by Kang Woojin.”

“!!!”

“It was just confirmed. Considering this, we can proceed with the meeting. Woojin’s side has requested not to notify the media yet, so the announcement will probably be made next week.”

Hwalin fidgeted subtly in her seat. She was anxious. She had come to the meeting without much thought, and suddenly the co-star was her favorite, Kang Woojin?

‘Amazing.’

At that moment,

“Director.”

The chubby manager next to the shocked Hwalin chimed in.

“Firstly, we understand the matter regarding Kang Woojin. We’ll make sure not to leak any information. Hmm, for now, I have a few conditions to mention.”

“Yes, Manager.”

“Regarding the kiss scene in the very first line of the script. If our Hwalin becomes the female lead, could you remove that scene?”

“Brother.”

“Uh!”

Hwalin discreetly pinched the chubby manager’s thigh and stopped him from speaking further, gritting her teeth.

“Shh, be quiet.”

Night, in Kang Woojin’s studio apartment.

It was past 10 PM by the time Kang Woojin, who had been extremely busy with photo shoots for magazines and social media, arrived home. As soon as he entered, he threw the scripts for ‘Male Friend’ and his phone on the bed.

“Oh, what a long day.”

Looking tired, Woojin stretched his neck in various directions. After taking a sip of cold water, he turned on his laptop. It was to watch ‘Profiler Hanryang.’

It’s Saturday night. So, episode 6 of Hanryang should be airing.

-Swoosh.

Soon, the laptop began streaming episode 6 of ‘Profiler Hanryang.’ Although Park Dae-ri had already died, Kang Woojin did not plan to miss monitoring it.

“I wish the ratings would increase even more.”

Thanks to the falling ratings of Hanryang, Woojin’s popularity had risen, but he had grown fond of the show and hoped it would continue to do well because it was a project he was grateful for.

Regardless,

“Hmm.”

While casually looking at his laptop, Woojin shifted his gaze. He reached for his phone.

“Should I ask Hong Hye Yeon about Hwalin?”

But he dismissed the thought and put down the phone, feeling it wasn’t that important. He then turned his attention to the scripts of ‘Male Friend’.

“Let’s list them up first.”

Muttering to himself, Woojin stretched and tapped on a black rectangle attached to the script of episode 2 of ‘Male Friend’. It seemed he was planning to update all the four episodes all at once in the void space.

Then,

“Let’s see.”

Kang Woojin entered the void space. He saw six white rectangles. Among them, he noticed the one floating at the very end.

-[6/Script (Title: Male Friend), B+ Grade]

-[*This is a drama script with a very high degree of completion. 100% reading is possible.]

-(Episode 2)

‘Male Friend’ had been successfully listed up to episode 2. But then,

“Huh?”

Kang Woojin tilted his head.

“B+? Wasn’t ‘Male Friend’ B?”

Indeed, the grade of ‘Male Friend’, which was definitely B, had risen to B+. Woojin muttered, suspecting the reason.

“The only change from yesterday and today… could it be because of me?”

It was evident. Today, Woojin was confirmed as the male lead for ‘Male Friend’. So, the most likely reason for the grade increase would be because of him.

“Seriously? Because of me?”

Woojin quickly checked the white rectangles for ‘Drug Dealer’ and ‘Freezing Love’.

-[4/Scenario (Title: Drug Dealer), B+ Grade]

-[5/Script (Title: Freezing Love), C+ Grade]

However, they remained unchanged. He scratched his chin, puzzled.

“Why did ‘Male Friend’ increase, but not the others?”

Especially since ‘Drug Dealer’ and ‘Freezing Love’ were well-known works in the media and public opinion. Regardless, for now, only ‘Male Friend’ had increased in grade.

“Hmm, maybe there’s another reason?”

Then,

“What?”

A sudden change occurred in the white rectangle of ‘Male Friend’ that Woojin was looking at. The written characters were erased and began to be rewritten. It felt like an invisible person was rewriting the characters.

The updated text read:

-[6/Script (Title: Male Friend), A Grade]

The grade of ‘Male Friend’, which had just changed to B+, rose again to A right before Woojin’s eyes.

“…For now, exit!”

Woojin quickly exited the void space and picked up the episode 2 script of ‘Male Friend’ placed on his blanket. His eyes widened in surprise.

“What’s going on? Why did only this one rise to A grade?”

Meanwhile, at the same time,

Inside the CEO’s office of Hwalin’s agency, JML Entertainment. Although it was late at night and most of the employees had left, the lights were brightly lit in the spacious office. Three people were seated at the large table in the center: the cleanly dressed CEO of JML Entertainment, the chubby manager, and Hwalin with her legs crossed.

The interesting part was,

“What… What did you say?”

“Ha, Hwalin, can you say that again?”

Both the CEO and the manager had their mouths wide open looking at Hwalin. Nonchalantly, Hwalin simply replied,

“I said I’ll do it, the short drama series ‘Male Friend’.”

*****