小火星

Had I just heard correctly? Did I mishear? Kang Woojin stood in a daze, trying to recall the moment. But it was all too clear.

‘I’m 100% sure she said she’s a superfan of me, right?’

Indeed, just a moment ago, Hwalin had said she was a fan of Kang Woojin. It wasn’t as if Woojin had deliberately eavesdropped on her. It was purely coincidental. He had merely intended to return the bracelet Hwalin had dropped.

Right when he was about to call out to her, he heard Hwalin’s voice.

In any case, Kang Woojin blinked several times, trying to process what had just happened. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t believe it.

‘Does this even make any sense?’

Hwalin was the leader of the famous girl group ‘Elani’. Their fandom? It was massive. Even among ‘Elani’ members, Hwalin was the most popular. Even someone like Kang Woojin, who wasn’t familiar with girl groups, knew that much.

To anyone’s eyes, Hwalin was clearly a top star.

She was a different caliber of star compared to Hong Hye-yeon. Why would such a star be a fan of Kang Woojin?

‘I mean, I am an actor… but I’m just a complete rookie. If it was someone like the handsome Ryu Jung-min or the top actor Jin Jae-jun, I’d understand.’

However, the fact remained: Hwalin had declared herself a fan, even overlooking top stars, actors like Ryu Jung-min and Jin Jae-jun. Woojin couldn’t help but feel a little elated.

Of course, he was. Hwalin had just revealed herself as a fan right in front of him.

Unconsciously, the corners of Woojin’s lips turned up slightly.

‘Ah, stop it. Don’t smile, you silly lips.’

His maintained concept was momentarily broken as Woojin quickly tried to regain his neutral expression, but overwhelmed by elated emotions, his lips kept curling into a grin. Was he losing his mind? Kang Woojin slapped his cheeks lightly.

‘Get a grip.’

For now, he put Hwalin’s bracelet in his pocket. Leaving it on the floor felt wrong, and directly handing it to her in the current circumstances seemed inappropriate.

Giving it back later, saying he found it, seemed more natural.

– Whoosh.

Forcing on an air of indifference, Woojin turned on his heel to leave. He decided to head first to the meeting room. As he did, he recalled his previous encounters with Hwalin.

‘She first saw me at Netflix, right? She looked uncomfortable around me from the start and even avoided eye contact.’

She always seemed cold and indifferent to him. But what if it wasn’t out of dislike, but surprise? Suddenly, Kang Woojin remembered all the misunderstandings that had occurred due to his ‘concept’ act.

‘That’s quite possible.’

Why she was a fan of him, he didn’t know, and he wasn’t keen on finding out.

It was one of two things: either she wanted to hide her admiration for Kang Woojin or she unintentionally started off on the wrong foot and it led to this.

Kang Woojin looked back on himself, from the past till now.

‘Misunderstandings can be tricky – I’m living proof of them.’

Of course, currently, Kang Woojin needed to maintain his composure. Hwalin probably just felt shy and awkward around him. Still, he felt a kindred spirit in her.

‘I should protect her secret, right?’

Regardless of the situation, Woojin decided to respect Hwalin’s feelings and keep her secret to himself. Blabbering about it wasn’t cool. Well, she might talk about it when the time is right. Or she might continue to hide it, which was fine too.

‘Heh, it still feels great though. Hwalin is a fan of me? Ah- I can’t even brag about it anywhere.’

Once again, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards into a smile. As he approached the entrance of Netflix Korea, a staff member greeted him.

“Ah! Mr. Woojin, over here!”

Suppressing his elated mood, Kang Woojin responded with a calm voice.

“Hello.”

Following the staff member’s lead, Woojin entered the meeting room. Inside, he immediately recognized a familiar face.

“Oh! Woojin! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“…Director Shin Dong-chun?”

It was the square-jawed director Shin Dong-chun. Why was he here? Just as Woojin was wondering, Hwalin entered the room behind him. While she tried to avoid Woojin, she greeted the other staff members.

Woojin called out to her.

“Ms. Hwalin.”

She flinched, slightly startled. Regardless, Woojin calmly handed her something with a neutral expression. It was the bracelet she had dropped.

“You dropped this.”

“Ah.”

Only now realizing that she had lost it, Hwalin took the bracelet and expressed her gratitude in the most emotionless manner that she could.

“Oh, thank you.”

“Yes.”

“Then.”

Hwalin swiftly turned to leave. At that moment, a few Netflix team leaders seated in the room whispered among themselves.

“I’ve noticed since the last time that Hwalin and Woojin don’t seem to be on good terms, don’t they?”

“They probably just aren’t familiar yet.”

“Well, I hope that’s the case-”

Kang Woojin, expressionless, tried his best to control the corners of his lips.

‘Keep it together, lips. Seriously.’

Because Hwalin came across as subtly cute.

Meanwhile,

The episode of ‘Sports Day’ that was skyrocketing in views was producing significant results.

–EP.1! The Hanryang team is on fire! Confused…I’m really confused… The ‘Hanryang’ team is full of enthusiasm but the result…? Sports Day X Profiler Hanryang

-ENG SUB

-Views: 10,465,008

Just a week after its release, it had already surpassed 10 million views. And of course, it was still on the rise. The channel ‘Sports Day’ already had over 3 million subscribers and had many loyal viewers. The combination of ‘Profiler Hanryang’, the various controversies surrounding Kang Woojin, and other topics caused the views to explode.

The meme about Woojin that spread like wildfire on YouTube also played a part.

Not only those who watched ‘Sports Day’ but also those who searched for Hanryang, Kang Woojin, and other top actors from Hanryang’s team would see ‘Sports Day’ in their search results.

Thanks to that.

-EP.2 !Furious Hong Hye-yeon…Did Kang Woojin survive??｜Sports Day X Profiler Hanryang

-ENG SUB

-Views: 1,155,146

The second episode of ‘Sports Day’, which was uploaded this morning, effortlessly surpassed 1 million views in just a few hours. The reactions of the public? There were already tens of thousands of comments.

-Woojin, why have you changed so much? LOL. You seem weird now

-The chemistry between everyone is just wonderful. (TL: In English in Raw Chapter)

-LOL!! Hurry up and release Episode 3~ I can’t wait to see it~ LOL!

-But really, Hong Hye-yeon is SOOO beautiful…

-The chemistry between Ryu Jung-min and Kang Woojin is unexpectedly good LOL

-Look at Jang Tae-san’s angry eyes, LOL… Check out Woojin’s tsundere act at 11:05…

-Some actors are really shy but I love how they tried their best for this show!! (TL: In English in Raw Chapter)

-Park Dae-ri’s form is awesome.

-Their team work is indeed awesome! (TL: In English in Raw Chapter)

-Ah… Kang Woojin’s arrogant but cute charm, what to do… He’s so cute.

-I know Ryu Jung-min is handsome LOL but I don’t know why I only see Kang Woojin? LOL

-Kang Woojin was even popular during his college days LOL. But somehow, he seems to have become a bit darker LOL.

.

.

.

Given the plethora of top actors, there were also quite a few comments in English. Naturally, Kang Woojin’s momentum continued to soar. Given this, domestic media outlets inevitably shifted their attention towards Woojin.

After all, new flavors sell better than familiar ones.

“Wow, what’s gotten into Kang Woojin in just a few months? He’s getting endorsements and everything. Hey, any rumors about Woojin out there?”

“I’m already digging, but there’s nothing yet.”

“Is his past clean? Dig deeper. Something might come up.”

Currently, Kang Woojin’s career was skyrocketing. And there were clear indicators of this.

@wooji_n

Posts: 29

Followers: 403K

Following: 4

Woojin’s SNS followers had surpassed 400K.

-[Official/Welcome to Kang Woojin’s official fan cafe ‘Kang’s Heart’!]

-Members: 8,008

-Chief Manager: BloodSister

His fan club members had surpassed 8,000. Naturally, there would be some inactive members, but for a rookie actor, this growth was unprecedented.

However, with such a rise to prominence, negative attention was bound to follow.

While the public was currently enthusiastic about Woojin, the media, like hyenas, could change their stance at any moment. These outlets began spitting out provocative headlines to boost their click rates.

『Rising ‘Kang Woojin’ is gaining momentum, but is there real substance beneath?』

『[Issue Pick] ‘Minor roles, short appearances, cameos’, why does hot rookie Kang Woojin only land small roles?』

Of course, there were far more positive articles about Woojin. In a landscape where scandals are fabricated out of thin air, such gossip pieces seemed rather mild.

『Park Dae-ri ‘Kang Woojin’ had troubles on the Hanryang set…. Outstanding acting but his future projects are subpar.』

Since news about Kang Woojin’s was selling well, a few media outlets were merely spewing nonsense. And if this grabs the public’s attention, things might blow out of proportion.

For now, there’s no major issue.

It was only natural for a rising star to attract both praise and criticism, especially when the criticisms were merely baseless rumors and speculation.

『[Star Talk] Chungmuro blue chip ‘Kang Woojin’: No major film casting news after his appearance in ‘Sports Day’?』

Nowadays, the public isn’t easily fooled. They are well aware of the reporters’ ulterior motives.

-These damn reporters again, LOL. Making up articles as they please LOL they should get sued to come to their senses.

If we look at it in terms of proportion, it was 80% positive and 20% negative. Therefore, the controversial bait didn’t stand out, and there was no need to respond to each one.

『Rising rookie Kang Woojin has established his variety show character thanks to ‘Sports Day’… but is his main career as an actor faltering?』

For now, it was just material to further raise Kang Woojin’s recognition.

A few minutes later, at GGO Entertainment in Nonhyeon-dong.

About three people can be seen on the spacious sofa in the CEO’s office. The bulldog face-like CEO, Seo Gu-seob, sitting in the main seat, appeared quite furious, his face alternating between red and pale. Seo Gu-seob angrily threw the tablet he was looking at onto the table in front of him.

– Bang!

The employees flinched, and Seo Gu-seob gritted his teeth and exclaimed,

“Ugh- Damn it. This rookie Kang Woojin or whatever is getting on my nerves.”

“……”

“Does this make sense? Starting from ‘Exorcism’ , to ‘Profiler Hanryang’, and now ‘Sports Day’ is also a hit? Is this the kind of momentum a rookie should have in just a few months?”

“It’s… an unusual rise indeed.”

“That’s not all, right? He’s also landed endorsements and even already has a fan club now?”

“His rise on social media is also unprecedented.”

“Don’t you think I don’t know that?”

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

Seo Gu-seob coldly muttered in a low voice and lit a cigarette.

“Is it right to just leave this be? This Choi Sung-gun bastard, who attacked GGO and me, too. How much would they belittle me if we leave it like this?”

“……”

“Poo-”

After exhaling a long puff of smoke, he turned to an executive sitting next to him.

“How’s the investigation on Kang Woojin’s background in Japan? He’s an ethnic Korean from Japan, right? Anything from the past we can use against him?”

“Well, we’ve been looking into his theater activities in Japan and everything. But so far, nothing has come up. We even hired a detective over there, but still nothing at all…”

“You couldn’t even find out his Japanese name?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And there’s no connection to Director Kyotaro?”

“Director Kyotaro is preparing for a new film, but there doesn’t seem to be any connection with Kang Woojin.”

– Bang!!

Frustrated by the fruitless investigations, Seo Gu-seob kicked the table.

“What about domestically?”

“We checked domestic theaters and acting schools just in case… but strangely, we couldn’t find anything.”

“So what? Did this Kang Woojin guy just drop from the sky?”

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

Seo Gu-seob massaged his temples. His irritation was reaching its peak.

“Damn it. ‘Exorcism’ was clearly stolen from us. It should’ve been all mine. Should I just let this go? They’ve made a fool of me, and thanks to that Kang Woojin or whatever his name is, Jung-hyuk has fallen to the very bottom. Tsk, for now, let’s keep an eye on that Kang Woojin.”

“Yes.”

“It might be better to target Choi Sung-gun and Hong Hye-yeon. I’ll handle that. You guys focus more on spreading rumors about Kang Woojin. I’ve seen a few articles already throwing shade at him. Saying he’s only taking minor roles and such. Make more noise about that.”

“Understood, sir.”

Seo Gu-seob, who lit another cigarette, stood up from the sofa.

“There must be a reason Kang Woojin only chooses minor roles or small projects.”

Shortly after, thanks to Seo Gu-seob’s influence, there was a noticeable increase in tabloid articles related to Kang Woojin.

Meanwhile, at the Harmony Film Company near Sinsa Station:

In a large conference room, more than 20 people were gathered. They were the production team for the movie ‘Island of the Missing.’ Naturally, sitting at the head of the ㄷ-shaped desk was…

“Um-”

Director Kwon Ki-taek was seated. The table was full of tablets, various transparent files, numerous papers, and location photos, suggesting they were in the middle of a production meeting.

However, the article displayed on the tablet Director Kwon Ki-taek was viewing read:

『[Star Talk] Chungmuro blue chip ‘Kang Woojin’: No major film casting news after his appearance in ‘Sports Day’?』

Recently, Director Kwon Ki-taek had been closely monitoring Kang Woojin. Naturally, since Kang Woojin had now joined Director Kwon Ki-taek’s crew.

Every issue related to Kang Woojin directly affects ‘Island of the Missing.’

Soon, Director Kwon Ki-taek, who put down the tablet, said,

“Why are there more and more gossip articles lately?”

“What?”

“I’m talking about Kang Woojin.”

He directed his gaze at the entire production team.

“It’s okay that he’s been in several works since ‘Drug Dealer’ and that his recognition soared with ‘Sports Day.’ But these gossip and slander articles are a bit annoying. Although they can be ignored, I don’t really like them.”

“It seems that because Woojin is so popular right now, reporters are spouting whatever nonsense they can.”

“I just don’t like that.”

“…Such minor gossip always comes with being a famous actor. No need to take it to heart.”

“I know. I’m just not in a good mood.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, who had been speaking in a gentle tone, slowly crossed his legs.

“Hmm, to be honest, I was thinking of announcing it after the shooting of ‘Drug Dealer’ was over, but since the main cast is almost finalized, how about we start our own official promotion for ‘Island of the Missing’?”

The first to reply was an employee from the distribution company.

“Should we immediately release the prepared promotional materials? The media is already poking around. They claim to know that you’re involved in the project. The timing seems good, as the film industry is currently starved for news.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, slowly nodding, gave his instructions with his arms crossed.

“For now, just officially announce Kang Woojin’s confirmed casting. We’ll reveal the rest gradually over time.”

“Understood, Director. We’ll prepare a teaser announcement. Given the current rumors about Woojin and his current popularity, we’ll get an immediate reaction. Naturally, our film promotion will follow.”

The distribution company employee then made a phone call, and an article with Director Kwon Ki-taek’s name appeared on the internet precisely 10 minutes later.

『[Exclusive] Renowned ‘Director Kwon Ki-taek’s’ confirms top rookie ‘Kang Woojin’ for his next film… Film Company says “Kang Woojin has been cast as the lead.”』

It was as if a nuclear bomb had dropped on the film industry.

*****