小火星

In fact, when Kang Woojin arrived at the detached VIP room, his heart was on the verge of bursting.

‘This is insane! There must be a lot of top actors in this room, right?’

About to see the so-called top actors. Standing in front of the room’s door, Woojin took a deep breath inwardly.

‘Whew-‘

He entered a mindset control. He had to properly equip his persona. What lay ahead was an unknown battlefield. He needed to have a heart several times stronger than usual.

Kang Woojin’s face became more emotionless than ever before.

And then he,

-Swish.

Opened the room’s door. Instantly, many people inside the room came into Woojin’s view.

‘Wow- shit, how many people are here?’

Roughly over 20 people? Moreover, all eyes were focused on Woojin as he entered. The looks were varied. Woojin, ignoring his pounding heart, stepped into the room and threw a stern greeting.

That’s when a familiar voice was heard.

“Woojin, over here.”

It was Ryu Jung-min, sitting somewhere in the middle of the table. Kang Woojin almost rushed to hug him in relief. That’s how glad he was to see him. Then, his field of view widened. He saw top actors sitting around Ryu Jung-min. Wow- fascinating. Although Woojin wanted to ask each one for a handshake,

‘No, I can’t.’

Kang Woojin acted solemnly without a hint of rashness.

-Swish.

‘You all are just common pedestrians I often see on the streets.’ With that kind of sentiment, Woojin greeted lowly.

“Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Kang Woojin.”

Done. While Kang Woojin was praising himself,

“You’re quite late. Shouldn’t a newcomer be the first to arrive? Isn’t it too early for you to be so arrogant-”

A female actress seated next to him spoke. Her tone was sufficiently snide. Woojin turned his head. He recognized who it was in an instant.

‘Seo Chae-eun. She is indeed gorgeous. No, that’s not it.’

Top actress Seo Chae-eun. When seen in the media, she had a kind and elegant image, but judging by the way she was speaking to Kang Woojin now, it seemed somewhat venomous. Therefore, Woojin wondered inwardly.

‘What’s with her? Is she outright picking a fight? The notorious arrogance I’ve only heard about?’

Arrogance exists everywhere. Even at the design company where Kang Woojin worked. Of course, the entertainment industry was even more so. Regardless, Woojin sensed that this actress was picking a fight.

‘Or does she dislike me? Whether it’s picking a fight or disliking me, neither feels particularly pleasant.’

Seo Chae-eun was somewhat different from Hwalin. She openly showed her dislike. So? Then I’ll be straightforward too. Kang Woojin made a decision in a brief moment.

‘I’ll retort a bit harshly – to a not-too-severe extent.’

This was the most plausible action considering his current persona.

“Do you have a problem with me?”

Since he was a newbie, he maintained politeness. That was obvious. But there was no need to be humble when the other party wasn’t being polite. Kang Woojin is now a monstrous actor. Moreover, he was a blend of bluster and pretense, not caring about others’ views, straightforward and forthright.

Moreover,

‘What are you going to do about it? I’m indeed a bit special.’

Kang Woojin didn’t have connections, lines, or strings. Therefore, he was not afraid to engage in outrageous behavior. Seo Chae-eun, with a face asking if what she heard was correct, blinked her eyes.

“…What did you say?”

Pretending not to hear? Woojin repeated with a collected voice.

“Do you have a problem with me?”

Ryu Jung-min, who already knew of Woojin’s quirky personality, stifled his laughter while snickering.

‘As expected of Woojin.’

In the surroundings, Kim Yi-won,

‘Wow, he’s confronting Seo Chae-eun directly? Manly!’

Jeon Woo-chang was somewhat impressed by Woojin’s straightforwardness.

‘Such a fascinating character. The atmosphere’s also somewhat cold, but he is not backing down. Moreover, there are several people here, isn’t he nervous?’

And Seo Chae-eun, frowning her brows, showed her utter perplexity.

“No… Excuse me? It’s not about whether I have a problem with you or not, but pointing out that you came late when all the seniors are already here.”

Ryu Jung-min mediated the slightly hostile atmosphere.

“Hey, hey, Seo Chae-eun. That’s enough.”

“What? You should be scolding this person, not me.”

At that moment.

“If you’re talking about being late.”

Kang Woojin, unperturbed, looked straight at Seo Chae-eun and spoke.

“I believe I was the earliest.”

“What do you mean?”

“I arrived 45 minutes ago and had a little talk with Director Kwon Ki-taek in the parking lot. The director will be here soon, too.”

“·····Really?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you could have said that first.”

Woojin continued with a cynical expression.

“You didn’t give me time to explain. You got aggressive as soon as I sat down.”

Seo Chae-eun, at a loss for words, clenched her teeth in frustration.

‘···Look at this guy.’

The newcomer wasn’t losing ground. Instead, it was Seo Chae-eun who seemed overwhelmed. For her, who has been in the entertainment industry for over a decade, Kang Woojin was a person of a kind she had never encountered before. The atmosphere was heavy. His words and actions were calm and cold.

‘How can such a person exist? Emitting such a heavy aura already?’

On the other hand, Kang Woojin was deeply engaged in a staring contest with Seo Chae-eun.

‘If I lose this staring game, it’s over. The pressure is real.’

Then.

– Swoosh.

The door of the room opened again, and a gentle voice was heard.

“Oh my- I’m a bit late. The call took longer than expected.”

Director Kwon Ki-taek, with his warm presence, entered. Upon this, all the actors and everyone stood up.

– Swish.

The staring contest between Seo Chae-eun and Kang Woojin barely ended. However, starting with Ryu Jung-min, the existence of Woojin was strongly imprinted in the minds of Kim Yi-won and Jeon Woo-chang.

‘He’s somewhat insane?’

‘I find the crazy one somewhat charming.’

Of course, Seo Chae-eun was the most impacted.

‘Ugh- annoying. How can he be like this?’

And Kang Woojin.

‘Yep, I definitely nailed the concept act, pass.’

He praised himself highly.

Several minutes later.

When Director Kwon Ki-taek entered, all the people intended for the VIP room had arrived. Therefore, Director Kwon Ki-taek, who sat on the long table, said,

“Okay, everyone-”

After casually chatting with the surrounding staff, he focused everyone’s attention, and over 20 pairs of eyes were on him.

“There may be faces you’re familiar or unfamiliar with. But now that we are on the same boat, let’s sail smoothly without any problems until the release.”

It was a wishful statement. Even if the lineup from the production team to the actors is incredibly formidable, a sailing ship doesn’t always have a smooth journey to the movie release. The entertainment industry is a place where trouble can occur at any time. There are many movies that get messed up in a year, whether it’s due to a small or big problem.

Anyway, Director Kwon Ki-taek gestured towards the actors and continued warmly.

“First of all, our main actors. I look forward to working with you. Oh, and there must be many people seeing Kang Woojin for the first time, right?”

For a moment, the gazes of everyone was fixed on Kang Woojin at the actor’s table. He still had an unperturbed face, and Director Kwon Ki-taek smiled.

“He’s quite remarkable these days, so there’s no particular need for introduction. He’s a rookie, but not at all like a rookie, and he’s a very good actor, so everyone should be on their toes, haha.”

The words sounded like a joke, but there was an urgency in the words. Injecting alertness into top actors? The warm charisma of the kind Director Kwon Ki-taek was indeed unique.

“Woojin, please give a brief greeting to everyone.”

Upon the request, Kang Woojin calmly stood up and greeted everyone.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kang Woojin.”

The key staff seemed slightly bewildered, perhaps expecting a longer greeting. However, Director Kwon Ki-taek, who already knew Woojin’s personality, smiled again.

“Haha, he has a bit of a nonchalant side, but he’s always like that, so let’s not take it strangely.”

After the introduction of other top actors and greetings from key staff, the conversation baton returned to Director Kwon Ki-taek.

“Hmm, for now, we’ve gone public with Woojin and Jung-min to the media, and the rest will be revealed gradually. We’re in this for the long haul, so please be mindful not to leak any confidential information, everyone. To briefly inform you of the pre-schedule. The set is in the middle of production and perhaps we can go into reading as early as next month if fast,······”

The explanation about the schedule took roughly 30 minutes. After that, it was mealtime. A feast was laid out on the tables, and everyone began dining, sharing conversations with those nearby.

Of course, this included Kang Woojin.

‘Oh! This beef is so delicious, kind of an upscale taste.’

He marveled at the taste with genuine appreciation, though his expression didn’t show it. At this point, Seo Chae-eun, sitting next to Woojin, was sneakily glancing at him. A hint of discomfort mixed into her gaze.

“I’m just asking out of curiosity, but you won’t be late or cause any on-set disputes once shooting starts, right?”

The term ‘on-set disputes’ refers to a situation, rather crudely, where a successful actor ‘holds out’ on set, showing dissatisfaction, whether it’s with the director or other actors.

Kang Woojin, of course, did not know this.

‘What is she talking about? She’s less pretty than Hong Hye-yeon. Whatever, shush. Don’t disturb me while I’m enjoying my beef.’

Woojin, picking up kimchi with his chopsticks, casually replied to her.

“No, I won’t. Will you, senior?”

“……Yes?”

“No, I was just asking in case.”

Across the table, Ryu Jung-min almost spat out his soup, and Jeon Woo-chang and Kim Yi-won merely observed the situation unfold, showing no intent to intervene. It seemed like quite a common occurrence.

Then, Seo Chae-eun snorted softly, looking at Woojin with bewildered eyes.

“Hey, are you really related to Director Kwon? Or do you have some powerful backing?”

Kang Woojin responded curtly.

“No, I don’t.”

Seo Chae-eun blinked her eyes in disbelief. She seemed to regard Woojin as a sort of odd variety. Ryu Jung-min then stepped in.

“Stop it, and eat, will you? By the way, Woojin. Share your thoughts about the ‘Drug Dealer’ shooting, how was Jae-jun’s acting?”

Soon, the topic of conversation at the actors’ table changed. About an hour passed like that?

-Swoosh.

Ryu Jung-min asked Kang Woojin, who stood up quietly.

“Where are you going?”

“The restroom.”

With that, Woojin then left the room. At the same time, Seo Chae-eun rushed forward. Her target was Ryu Jung-min on the opposite side.

“Hey, Oppa! Does he really not have any backing?”

“What backing are you talking about?”

“Like, being a son from a wealthy family.”

The muscular Jeon Woo-chang gave a small laugh.

“Nuna. You should be shooting dramas, not living in one-”

“Do you want to die? Seriously, I’ve never seen anyone like him in all my years of acting. How can he be so shameless if he doesn’t have any backing?”

Ryu Jung-min, seemingly somewhat understanding, lifted his cup.

“Woojin is not your ordinary type, for sure. If you’re not interested in getting ahead, they wouldn’t care about keeping up appearances, you know.”

“What?”

In response, Ryu Jung-min locked eyes with Seo Chae-eun and folded his arms. He then voiced his impressions of Kang Woojin.

“He seems to act pretty casually, doesn’t he? He could act or not act. You’ll see it in time. But even so, look at where he is now. Do you really think he needs connections or backing?”

“What do you mean by that? Is acting just a hobby to him?”

“I don’t know about that. But acting doesn’t seem to be everything for him. Woojin studied abroad, he’s fluent in English and Japanese. Ah, and they say he’s good at design too.”

“…What’s that supposed to mean.”

Ryu Jung-min seemed to spread his misunderstanding to the fellow top-tier actors.

Anyway, looking at Woojin, it seems like he’s acting in a half-hearted way. But even so, it’s only by gritting his teeth and putting in effort that his acting maintains a standard where he can sustain himself through acting alone.”

He grinned sardonically, resting his chin on his hand, and matched eyes with Seo Chae-eun.

“Woojin does have backing, his skill is his backing.”

The next day, late morning. The broadcasting station HTBS.

A long-haired woman wearing a mask appeared in the bustling lobby. It was Hong Hye-yeon. She had briefly stopped by before filming. As a top actress, she naturally attracted dozens of gazes. There were also reporters taking pictures.

What’s interesting here was:

“Dae-young, is this your first time at a broadcasting station?”

Kim Dae-young, boasting a sturdy physique, was included in Hong Hye-yeon’s team. The reason was simple. He had recently joined Hong Hye-yeon’s team for training.

“Ah… Yes, it’s my first time.”

Although Dae-young’s large frame suggested otherwise, his face was stricken with nervousness, and the skinny manager team leader patted his shoulder.

“Quickly get used to it. Well, there’s nothing to be so nervous about. Just think of it as any other company.”

“Yes, understood. But there are so many people staring.”

This time, Hong Hye-yeon, leading the way, turned her head to respond.

“Because it’s me? But Dae-young, did you contact your friend? To say you’ve come to work?”

She meant Kang Woojin.

“Yes, I did.”

“What did he say?”

“To work hard…”

“Pretty ordinary, huh?”

It wasn’t so. In fact, what Kim Dae-young heard from Kang Woojin was, ‘Don’t drool over Ms. Hong Hye-yeon.’ Regardless, Hong Hye-yeon and her team got on the elevator.

“We came a bit early. I’ll contact PD Yoon for now.”

“Okay-”

Their destination was the variety show department.

-Ding!

When the elevator arrived at the floor and smoothly opened its door,

“Huh??”

A woman with a mole under her eye, waiting among the crowd, was surprised to see Hong Hye-yeon in the elevator.

“He, Hye-yeon, unni?”

It was Hwalin. Hong Hye-yeon inside the elevator and Hwalin, looking at her with surprised eyes. The two were wearing completely different styles of clothes. Hong Hye-yeon was in a loose shirt, and Hwalin in a tight short-sleeve.

However,

“Unni??”

“Hwalin??”

Their surprised expressions were the same. Of course, Kim Dae-young was the same.

‘Whoa- it’s Hwalin. As expected of the broadcasting station!’

Either way, after exiting the elevator, Hong Hye-yeon stood in front of Hwalin and said,

“Hwalin? Why are you here? And so early in the morning?”

With slightly widened eyes, Hwalin answered the question with a question.

“Ah- what about you, unni?”

“I came to see PD Yoon.”

“…PD Yoon? You mean PD Yoon Byung-seon?”

“Is there another PD Yoon in HTBS besides him?”

Feeling something at that moment, Hong Hye-yeon asked back.

“Don’t tell me- Hwalin, did you also come to see PD Yoon??”

“No……I’m on my way back from seeing PD Yoon.”

“You’ve already seen him?”

Hwalin abruptly spit out what flashed through her mind.

“Uh, unni, did you come because of PD Yoon Byung-seon’s new variety show?? No, right?”

While brushing her long hair aside, Hong Hye-yeon responded simply.

“That’s right.”

For a moment, Hwalin’s pupils drastically expanded.

“Whoa! Really? Why?? Suddenly??”

“No, what about you?”

“Eh? Uh…I.”

Hwalin, who was trailing off, suddenly lowered her voice.

“I’m confirmed for that.”

“Confirmed? You’re confirmed to join PD Yoon’s new variety show?”

“Yeah.”

“I had no idea. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“No, it’s not that I didn’t, but I couldn’t. PD Yoon said it’s top secret.”

“But only Woojin’s confirmation has been announced, right?”

“They only released Woojin for now. There are a few others confirmed besides me.”

As soon as she heard the answer, Hong Hye-yeon slightly bit her lip.

‘What’s going on? So, does this mean Hwalin is doing a drama and a variety show with Kang Woojin?’

Her woman’s intuition became stronger.

‘Is it a coincidence……maybe? But while I can accept the drama as a coincidence, joining the variety show immediately seems a bit too much to be a coincidence-’

It was Hwalin who broke Hong Hye-yeon’s deep thoughts.

“Is unni confirmed for the variety show too?”

“…No, I’m just having a meeting for now.”

“Whoa- unni, you hardly ever do variety shows, right?”

“Well, that’s true. But I’m thinking of taking a little break from acting. I’m here to hear what PD Yoon has to say for now.”

After explaining, Hong Hye-yeon placed her hand on Hwalin’s shoulder and pulled her closer. Then, she whispered in her ear.

“Hwalin. Do you like Kang Woojin?”

*****