小火星

“Director, you thought of the role ‘Kiyoshi’ for him too?”

Author Akari asked with a hint of surprise, and Director Kyotaro, with a hint of mischief in his eyes, smiled faintly.

“Yes, Author .”

So, he had initially considered that Korean actor for the lead role? Author Akari inquired further.

“Did you have actor Kang Woojin in mind for the role of Kiyoshi from the beginning? The moment you saw him?”

Director Kyotaro gently shook his head.

“No, not from the very beginning. When I saw Woojin, the script was still being revised. After watching ‘Exorcism’ and meeting him, I just wanted to work with him, regardless of the role.”

“Then from when? When did you start seeing him as the lead?”

“… I’m not entirely sure. Probably after coming to Korea again and watching the drama Woojin starred in. Have you, by any chance, seen ‘Profiler Hanryang’ at the hotel?”

Although Akari could have watched it, her busy schedule didn’t allow her the time.

“No, not yet.”

“I had more flexibility in my schedule, so I watched it as soon as I arrived in Korea. I watched it immediately out of curiosity. Please watch it when you have some time. It’s excellently made. And I must admit- I felt envious.”

“You’re referring to the difference in drama quality between Korea and Japan.”

“Yes. Korea is far ahead of Japan in many respects – acting, direction, techniques, and so on.”

Director Kyotaro, looking slightly bitter, continued.

“It’s probably due to the system. Truly, it’s a production deserving of a viewership rating exceeding 20%. And Woojin set the pace for the early episodes of that big project from the beginning.”

“…”

“He appeared as a serial killer with traits of both a psychopath and a sociopath. Woojin’s restrained emotional portrayal was exquisite. It’s not just about expressing emotions. Just by looking at his face, you can feel the character’s emotions. His actions, gaze, breathing, voice tone – nothing is superfluous.”

Director Kyotaro, reflecting on his decades-long career, continued in a low voice.

“As I think about it, it’s truly unprecedented. I’ve never seen anything like it. Woojin has his unique acting style, and it resonates with the viewers.”

“Today, I noticed it seemed to even ignite his fellow actors on set.”

“That’s right. You saw his addictive acting and the look in his eyes, chasing something blindly… Any actor would get fired up seeing that up close.”

Meeting Akari’s gaze, Director Kyotaro turned serious.

“I thought of it during ‘Hanryang’, and was certain today at the film set. He would be perfect for the role of ‘Kiyoshi’.”

“Considering his sociopathic tendencies. I was drawn to his live performance today. Acting that chases after only one thing. What kind of life has he lived to effortlessly express such a dreadful emotion…”

“I don’t know. But he probably didn’t have an easy life. He must have faced countless hardships and endured a long and dark period of obscurity.”

Adjusting her glasses, Akari inwardly agreed. Even if she didn’t know the specifics, it seemed clear that Woojin had led a challenging life. Otherwise, the intense portrayal of a tormented man that Kang Woojin demonstrated today would be near impossible.

“Although I’m the original author… I’m a bit scared.”

Director Kyotaro nodded in agreement.

“It’s intimidating when an actor surpasses the character created by the director. It makes one feel that the script and direction were somewhat inadequate.”

With that, he picked up a bundle of papers nearby. It was the script for ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.

“Author , I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor? What kind?”

Opening the script, Director Kyotaro pointed to a certain section.

“I’d like to modify the character setting of ‘Kiyoshi’ a bit.”

“Setting? How?”

“I’d like to infuse some elements of Korea into the character, maybe something from his past.”

“You mean his origin? Like a Korean-Japanese?”

“And it would be great to include some lines in Korean.”

“…Indeed. The character ‘Kiyoshi’ would have more depth that way. Especially since the actor playing him is Korean.”

Soon, Akari smiled.

“I agree.”

Scratching his gray head, Director Kyotaro closed the script.

“Now, we just await his response.”

The next day, the 13th.

Kang Woojin’s ‘Drug Dealer’ shooting, except for a minor scenes, wrapped up yesterday. Naturally, as the character ‘Lee Sang-man’ had died in the story.

Then, the weekend arrived.

Due to a series of constant breaking news, the entertainment industry was bustling. This led to a media frenzy and the internet was buzzing with new topics every day.

『[Drama] Tense ‘Profiler Hanryang’ episode 9, final viewership rating 22.6%』

‘Profiler Hanryang’ continued to hold its viewership in the 20% range even after crossing the mid-point. Of course, every time Park Dae-ri made an appearance in flashbacks, it made headlines.

Viewers still couldn’t forget about Park Dae-ri.

– Park Dae-ri was definitely amazing… Other actors are good too, but Kang Woojin’s impact was just too strong…ㅠㅠㅜ Please come back… we miss you…

Hanryang’s shooting was scheduled to conclude next week. Of course, Kang Woojin had already finished filming, but it wasn’t like his schedule with Hanryang had come to a complete end.

In fact, the real challenge for Hanryang, a hit show that achieved a viewership of 25%, would be what comes after the show ends.

Firstly, the wrap-up party.

The wrap-up party where all the actors gather was also an opportunity for actors to boost their popularity, with significant attention from reporters and the public. After the party, there would be various follow-up shootings, interviews, reruns, OTT releases, and more.

Especially for a massive hit like Hanryang, overseas expansion was crucial.

『[Official] ‘Profiler Hanryang’ to be launched on Netflix Japan after its finale!』

Currently, Hanryang’s expansion to Netflix Japan was confirmed. This means that there would still be numerous opportunities for Woojin even after Hanryang concludes. Specially since Kang Woojin had undeniably contributed significantly to Hanryang’s success.

Furthermore,

『[Movie Talk] A rookie as the lead? Is there something between ‘Kang Woojin’ and Director ‘Kwon Ki-taek’?』

The recent explosive news about ‘Island of the Missing’ was now evolving, and it was gaining even more traction. There were countless articles, both factual and abusive, involving Director Kwon Ki-taek and Kang Woojin.

Still, amidst all the noise and rumors,

While the past was forgotten, new rumors embedded with some truth continued to circulate. However, from Kang Woojin’s perspective, the current situation wasn’t at all unfavorable.

『[Star Photo] ‘Rising Star’ Kang Woojin sees a surge in SNS followers, up by 550k / Photos』

『Kang Woojin’s fan cafe ‘Kang’s Heart’ nearing 10k members』

He was solidifying his spot in the public’s memory. Kang Woojin’s popularity was now on par with other top actors. However, while this sudden rise in popularity may seem sustainable, it is driven by ‘freshness’ and ‘shock.’ As with most things, there will come a time when the heat dies down.

Anyway, after the bustling weekend passed,

Monday arrived again. Late morning, at a photo studio near Samseong station. The studio was illuminated with a white backdrop and numerous bright lights. Kang Woojin, dressed in a gray suit, stood there.

With full makeup and neatly styled hair.

And then,

-Click! Beep beep beep!

A photographer captured images of Kang Woojin.

“Nice! Great, great! Woojin, this time, lift your chin a bit more!”

“Ah- Yes.”

“Oh, nice, nice! With confidence. Perfect!”

-Click! Beep beep beep!

Woojin was in the middle of a photoshoot for a well-known men’s magazine. Of course, he was set to be featured on the magazine’s cover. Lately, Woojin had a lot of such schedules.

“Okay! Let’s see a smile this time! Smile!”

Deep down, Woojin, a commoner at heart, had somewhat adapted to photoshoots, thanks to acclimatization. Of course, it still felt a bit awkward. But compared to acting, this was a piece of cake.

‘Is this for the magazine cover? Man, I’ve really made it big.’

However, Woojin felt a bit downcast at the thought.

‘Ah- But it’d be a bit embarrassing if people I know see that magazine.’

Then,

“Alright! Woojin, change your outfit, and we’ll resume in 5 minutes!”

The photographer called for a costume change, which kept Han Ye-jung, Woojin’s stylist, busy. Kang Woojin took off the jacket he was wearing and returned to his seat.

At the same time,

“Woojin.”

Choi Sung-gun, who had been on a call just moments ago, handed Woojin a bottle of water and asked,

“You finished reading ‘Island of the Missing,’ right?”

Taking a sip from the bottle, Woojin nodded.

“Yes, I’ve read it once and am on my second read.”

Choi Sung-gun leaned in and whispered,

“When do you want to meet Director Kyotaro?”

All of a sudden? Ah- maybe since he’s in Japan, they should set a meeting in advance? Woojin responded nonchalantly.

“Whenever it fits the schedule, it’s fine by me.”

“Have you decided on expanding to Japan?”

“Yes.”

“Then how about wrapping up today’s schedule and meeting tonight?”

“…Tonight?”

Isn’t that a bit rushed? Woojin’s expression indicated his surprise. Choi Sung-gun laughed,

“Actually, I didn’t tell you because you were shooting ‘Drug Dealer,’ but Director Kyotaro is in Korea right now.”

“Oh.”

“And he even visited the ‘Drug Dealer’ set. With his guest. That- author Akari you mentioned.”

Although surprised, Woojin managed to control his facial expressions, but inside, he exclaimed,

‘They saw me?! Both of them?!’

But Kang Woojin had to remain calm, so he repressed his excitement.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, sorry. They requested it, and I didn’t want to disturb your acting, so I didn’t mention it.”

“That’s fine.”

Looking at the composed Woojin, Choi Sung-gun showed a hint of disappointment,

“I wanted to surprise you, but your reaction is quite dull. Well, that’s just like you. So, shall we meet tonight?”

Woojin replied succinctly,

“Yes, let’s.”

Then, the photographer called out to Woojin again. With that, Woojin stood up and Choi Sung-gun spoke to Woojin again.

“Oh, and I think Akari will be coming too.”

Elsewhere, on the set for Hanryang’s shoot.

Perhaps because the end is near, dozens of staff, including PD Song Man-woo, were bustling around.

“Standby in 10 minutes!”

“Director! Please check these props over here!”

“Alright, coming.”

On one chaotic side of the set.

“Hmm-”

Actress Hong Hye-yeon, sitting with crossed legs in the actors’ waiting area, looked at her phone. With noticeable wound makeup on her fair skin, she must have had a rough shoot.

What Hong Hye-yeon was looking at was an article about ‘Island of the Missing’.

-Swipe.

Suddenly, she turned her head to the right. Ryu Jung-min, with his baby perm hair, was reading a script.

“Oppa, you’re confirmed for the role in ‘Island of the Missing’, right?”

Caught off guard, Ryu Jung-min, who was reading his script, furrowed his brow.

“Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?”

“No- It’s just that only Woojin keeps appearing in the articles about ‘Island of the Missing’. I was wondering when they would announce your participation.”

“Well, last I heard, they’re planning to release it bit by bit, slowly. They’ll probably lead with Woojin and gradually reveal more. You know the drill, right?”

“Have you contacted Woojin?”

“No, not yet. The casting of the main actors for ‘Island of the Missing’ was confidential after all. Woojin probably doesn’t know I’ve joined yet. Have you told him?”

“Me? No.”

“Why? Aren’t you and Woojin close? You’re from the same agency.”

Ryu Jung-min, seemingly amused by something, laughed suddenly.

“Are you still upset with Woojin over the ‘Sports Day’ incident? Seriously, how can you hold a grudge over that? The photo from the event was honestly confusing.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not.”

Just then, PD Song Man-woo called for Ryu Jung-min. Consequently, Hong Hye-yeon looked at her phone again, this time searching for something related to Hwalin and Kang Woojin, specifically ‘Male Friend’. A lot of articles popped up.

‘It seems to be going smoothly.’

In truth, since the ‘Sports Day’ schedule, Hong Hye-yeon hadn’t seen Kang Woojin and hadn’t communicated much with him, other than sending congratulatory messages. On the other hand, she had contacted Hwalin right after ‘Male Friend’ was confirmed.

She was insanely curious.

‘When we drank wine together back then, she seemed uninterested. Why did she suddenly decide to join?’

However, Hwalin’s response was simple. ‘It wasn’t really about Kang Woojin, I just liked the work’. It seemed good at first glance.

‘But… something feels off.’

Hong Hye-yeon felt a sense of unease. Well, there was no connection between Kang Woojin and Hwalin. It was just a woman’s intuition that she couldn’t explain. But confronting Hwalin about it seemed strange.

At this point,

“Ah, what am I doing?”

Hong Hye-yeon, lost in thought, shook her head.

‘Let it go, just don’t worry about it. Yes, I’m just curious about how the project Woojin chose will turn out. That’s all.’

Kang Woojin, with his uncanny intuition, chose ‘Male Friend’, and suddenly Hwalin joined. It felt similar to ‘Exorcism’. Hong Hye-yeon tried to reassure herself, saying it was merely a coincidence.

However.

“…”

A faint and unfamiliar emotion continued to brew within Hong Hye-yeon. It kept nagging at her, coming back, making her uneasy. There was a discomfort in her heart. Nevertheless, she kept denying it.

Soon after, Hong Hye-yeon, who had been silent for a while,

-Swipe.

Called her manager from the team gathered on her left.

“Team leader.”

Soon, the skinny team leader, who had been talking with the stylists, approached Hong Hye-yeon.

“Hmm? What’s up? Do you want something to drink?”

“No. It’s just… you know, didn’t Woojin confirm for PD Yoon’s new variety show?”

Kang Woojin’s involvement in PD Yoon Byung-seon’s new variety show was still a secret to the public, but there were rumors inside bw Entertainment. Of course, it was kept hush-hush. That’s why Hong Hye-yeon had heard about it.

In any case, the team leader nodded nonchalantly.

“Ah- Yes, I heard that. They’re gathering promotional materials.”

“Is it an outdoor variety show?”

“Not exactly an outright outdoor variety, I think.”

“…”

She suddenly fell deep in thought, and noticing this, the manager inquired,

“Why? All of a sudden.”

Looking around, Hong Hye-yeon spoke in a hushed voice.

“Should I give it a try too?”

*****