In the morning, around 10 a.m., a familiar van running on the road catches the eye. It was Kang Woojin’s vehicle. However, inside, although Choi Sung-gun and the usual members of Woojin’s team were present, Woojin himself was not.
It was to be expected.
They were on their way to pick up Kang Woojin. Woojin’s departure from work had been too late yesterday, so they delayed going to work a bit. Therefore, the destination of the van was Kang Woojin’s officetel. Incidentally, Woojin’s schedule was also packed today. The morning started with a meeting with the ‘Our Dining Table’ team, including PD Yoon Byung-seon.
With only 4 days left until departure to the USA.
After handling a few interviews, they would head to Buyeo for the late lunch to shoot ‘Island of the Missing’.
At that moment.
“Ah-”
Choi Sung-gun, who had a tired look on his face in the passenger seat, let out a light exclamation after looking at his phone. Then, Han Ye-jung, the main stylist among several in the back seat, reacted. She leaned close to the passenger seat, asking him.
“What’s the matter, CEO~nim?”
“Oh, there’s this article that came out of nowhere.”
“Really? Show me.”
Responding to Han Ye-jung’s question, Choi Sung-gun lifted his phone. The article that immediately came into view.
『[Exclusive] Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had not shown himself, suddenly spotted dining with top actor Sim Han-ho… Is Sim Han-ho selected for the lead in the legendary 100th film?/ Photo』
It featured domestic heavyweights. Director Ahn Ga-bok and superstar Sim Han-ho. While it wasn’t a problem for the two, who were already close, to be photographed together, the title written by the reporter was eye-catching. Soon, the other stylists crowded around Han Ye-jung to check the article.
“Wow- Awesome. Si, Sim Han-ho??!”
“What’s this? Is Sim Han-ho really doing ‘Leech’??”
“Ah, it seems like the reporter just took a picture of them eating and made up the title.”
“But the timing is just perfect. Director Ahn Ga-bok has started his 100th project! If after Woojin oppa, actor Sim Han-ho is picked······”
The stylists were buzzing with excitement. Given the immense influence Sim Han-ho had in the acting industry. Director Ahn Ga-bok and now Sim Han-ho. Kang Woojin seemed to diminish in comparison. However, Woojin’s confirmed casting in ‘Leech’ was still confidential, and amidst the murmuring stylists, Choi Sung-gun stroked his chin.
‘Actor Sim Han-ho? Hmm- I didn’t expect this. No, should I have expected it? The two are close······This article seems like gossip for now. But if it’s true-‘
‘Leech’ was already a project loaded with much significance. It was director Ahn Ga-bok’s 100th film, marking a milestone in the history of domestic cinema, the Cannes Film Festival, Kang Woojin’s debut at an international film festival, etc.
And now with superstar Sim Han-ho included?
‘The scale becomes tremendously big.’
At this point, Choi Sung-gun considered all possible scenarios. What needed to be thought about was the chemistry between Kang Woojin and Sim Han-ho. Sim Han-ho was a 30-year veteran superstar, and Kang Woojin was a rookie of just a year. How would the public view this pairing? What about everyone in the entertainment industry? Their acting synergy?
And what about Kang Woojin’s thoughts?
Woojin always had a way of not being swayed by others, but Sim Han-ho was on a different level from the typical top actors.
‘Woojin might feel a bit pressured.’
If that were the case, could director Ahn Ga-bok give up on Sim Han-ho? As Choi Sung-gun pondered various thoughts, the van driving on the road arrived at Kang Woojin’s officetel.
-Screech.
It stopped in the usual underground parking lot.
-Rumble.
As soon as the door opened, Kang Woojin, wearing a hat, appeared. Today, as always, he was the epitome of cynicism.
“Good morning.”
Receiving greetings from Han Ye-jung and the other stylists, including Jang Su-hwan, Woojin got into the car, and as soon as the van started moving, Choi Sung-gun informed Kang Woojin about the news.
“Woojin, I sent you an article on KakaoTalk. Check that first.”
“Yes, CEO~nim.”
Woojin quietly responded and checked his phone. He read the article for a moment. His expression remained solid.
However.
‘Wow- Shit, is this for real?’
Inwardly, he was startled. Sim Han-ho? Sim Han-ho?? Every Korean knows he is a superstar actor. In the past, Woojin had watched Sim Han-ho’s movies and often thought, “His acting is incredible-“.
‘Sim Han-ho is god-tier, isn’t he? But he’s doing the same movie as me??!’
Reality felt dulled again. The pressure was mounting. At this point, Choi Sung-gun asked a question.
“It’s not certain yet. But if it’s true, what do you think?”
Kang Woojin’s response, as he lifted his head, was cool and simple.
“It doesn’t matter to me.”
Because he was stomping down his feelings of pressure internally.
‘I don’t know, shit. Just think of him as another old man.’
It was extreme mind control.
Meanwhile, at the ‘Our Dining Table’ office.
The ‘Our Dining Table’ team, gathered in the officetel office, was truly busy.
“PD-nim! Do we take the props??!”
“Of course. But leave out what we can buy locally in the U.S. We don’t want to extend the immigration inspection unnecessarily.”
“Got it! I saw plenty of Korean markets there when we went to the U.S. for the site visit.”
Writers, the production team, and dozens of staff were busily packing their luggage. PD Yoon Byung-seon, wearing glasses, was no exception. Half of his team had already moved to the U.S. The preparation in Korea was handled by PD Yoon Byung-seon’s team, and the local preparation in the U.S. was taken care of by the main writers’ team.
“Is the accommodation issue in the U.S. resolved??”
“Yes! I called, and they said everything was sorted out!”
“Check again, and start contacting the participants! Send them a list of luggage to bring, too.”
“Understood!!”
“If we get tangled up in the departure process starting from the 5th morning, it’s going to be chaos?? And where’s Woojin-ssi?”
“He’s almost here!”
The reason PD Yoon Byung-seon was meeting with Kang Woojin today was because he was key to ‘Our Dining Table’. In other words, cooking. Without cooking, ‘Our Dining Table’ would be no different from an empty can.
“Let’s hurry! We’ll have the meeting with Woojin-ssi over lunch!”
At the same time, in Incheon.
‘Paradise S City’, a mega-resort hotel located in Incheon. The large hotel, along with a giant swimming pool, casino, club, etc. ‘Paradise S City’ was so large it could be considered a holiday destination rather than just a hotel.
In the ‘Plaza’, a huge hall responsible for events at ‘Paradise S City’, construction was in full swing.
“The stage!! Please check this side of the stage!”
“Just a moment!”
“We’ll test the lights now! Section A! Yes- that’s good! Section B!”
“When will the screen on the side be installed?!”
“I’ll check!!”
Dozens of people from the facility team and another dozen leading the construction were busy. Despite the abundance of people, the space was so vast it didn’t seem crowded. Then, a man wearing a badge around his neck and holding a walkie-talkie shouted from the front of the stage. Above him hung several large screens.
“Start with the logo! Let’s saw the prepared logo first!!”
Soon, the dark screens above lit up, displaying a video. Black and gold swirled together before a trophy and a title appeared beneath it.
-[The 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards, 2020]
That was it. ‘Paradise S City’ was the venue for this year’s Blue Dragon Film Awards. The Blue Dragon Film Awards were just a few weeks away.
“Okay!! Next, the promotional video! Let’s hurry up!!”
The end of 2020 was less than a month away.
In the late afternoon.
At the time when news about ‘Leech’ continued to gain traction, the conference room of DM Production, where PD Song Man-woo was the director and CEO, was bustling. It was the first time the conference room was filled since the production company was established.
People filled the ㅁ-shaped table.
There were faces that seemed familiar and others that were new. Among them, sitting in the prominent seat near the entrance, was a very familiar face. It was drama magnate PD Song Man-woo. Flanked by dozens of people on both sides, soon, PD Song Man-woo took off his lightweight padding jacket and declared to everyone.
“Let’s- begin.”
If PD Song Man-woo is the main, what could it be? It was the production meeting for the new work ‘Beneficial Evil’ by writer Choi Na-na. Of course, this was the first implementation. That is, the people gathered were the key staff of ‘Beneficial Evil’ as well as part of PD Song Man-woo’s crew. That’s why there were familiar faces. They had worked together on ‘Hanryang’ after all.
Then, PD Song Man-woo, stroking his chin beard, lightly sighed and broke the ice.
“Shall we start with the casting?”
All the key staff picked up the tablets prepared in front of them, and a square-jawed man seated next to PD Song Man-woo spoke up. He was the casting director (CD).
“Before we start, PD-nim, has there been any progress with casting Kang Woojin?”
As Kang Woojin’s name was mentioned, all the key staff looked at PD Song Man-woo, who scratched his chin and gestured for them to wait a bit.
“I’ve passed the script to him, and I’ve heard that he finds it interesting. You can take it positively.”
A sound of ‘Ooh’ came from among the key staff, to which PD Song Man-woo threw cold water.
“But we haven’t received a definite response yet. Let’s wait a bit more. He’s quite quick to read, so he’ll make a decision soon.”
The CD slowly nodded in response.
“Understood. But as you know, for ‘Beneficial Evil,’ we must confirm the male lead first. The rest of the casting can proceed afterwards.”
“I know.”
At that moment, the overweight cinematography director chimed in. He had handled the camera for ‘Hanryang’ as well.
“Wow- Kang Woojin is killing it. It feels like yesterday he was just a office worker, and now he’s the sole lead in a PD Song’s work? And that’s within just one year of debut?”
Similarly, the art director from ‘Hanryang’ joined the conversation.
“How much is Woojin’s market value these days?”
The CD’s response came quickly.
“Based on market evaluation, it’s generally up to 60 million. But it will go higher. Have you all seen the situation with ‘Freezing Love’? The overall viewership was 12%, but do you know how much it fluctuated with Kang Woojin’s appearance?”
“The peak viewership hit around 19%, right?”
“That’s right. Now, Kang Woojin has firmly established himself as an actor with solid ticket power. Plus, all the projects he’s already joined are all major productions.”
At this moment, PD Song Man-woo, with his arms crossed, thought about Kang Woojin’s rising price.
’60- or more? Perhaps 70?’
The CD, looking down at the tablet, redirected the conversation.
“What you’re seeing now is Plan A, assuming Kang Woojin is confirmed. The one next to it is Plan B, the version without Woojin.”
“It would be better to go with Woojin if possible.”
“That’s right, more than half of the people here have worked with him on ‘Hanryang’. We mesh well together.”
It was then.
“But, PD Song?”
A muscular man seated in the middle called out to PD Song Man-woo. He was the martial arts director.
“Is Kang Woojin ‘martial arts’ okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you mean what. ‘Beneficial Evil’ already has a lot of action scenes. I’m currently drafting the martial arts storyboard based on the script, and just from the angles I’ve got, it looks like it’ll take over three months of practice alone. But can Woojin handle that? I heard his schedule is already overloaded.”
“Ah- Hmm.”
“As you know, once we start martial arts practice, it’s not something you can just dabble in for a few weeks; it needs a solid three months at least, but with Woojin’s tight schedule, can he manage that?”
PD Song Man-woo and the key staff quickly understood. PD Song Man-woo answered.
“3 months? Is that enough?”
“The minimum, the minimum. Of course, it’s not all day, but he needs to do it for more than 4 hours a day. As far as I know, Woojin hasn’t done any action-oriented projects yet.”
“Right. It’s his first time being upfront about it.”
“Woojin’s acting is killer, we know, but martial arts is a different field, isn’t it? We need to check. You know, there are actors who are good at acting but bad at martial arts. For example, Jung Jang-hwan from ‘Freezing Love’?”
“Ah- Jung Jang-hwan is weak in martial arts, so he doesn’t sell well in movies, right?”
“We definitely need to check with Woojin’s side.”
The concerns deepened. However, PD Song Man-woo’s expression was very firm.
“It’s okay if Woojin is a bit awkward with martial arts. He can compensate with his acting.”
December 2nd, morning.
Inside Kang Woojin’s van. The van was bustling through Seoul’s roads. Naturally, Kang Woojin and his team was inside it. Currently, Woojin was wearing his cap pulled down low, and their destination was a shop in Cheongdam-dong. The first schedule of the day was a shooting for the ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel. It was for new content related to cooking, and there was a guest.
It was Hwalin.
Anyway.
-Flap.
Kang Woojin, wearing a cap, was silently reading something. It was the ‘Beneficial Evil’ script that PD Song Man-woo had passed on last week. He had already read through episode 1 and was into episode 2.
And it seemed he had almost finished episode 2 as well.
“……”
Exactly 10 minutes later, when the van stopped on the congested road, Kang Woojin closed the script he was reading. His expression was cynical, but internally, he gave a thumbs up.
‘Awesome. Wow- shit, did writer Choi Na-na really write this?‘
Soon, Kang Woojin checked the situation outside the window and his condition. It seemed like it would take some time, and he felt energetic.
‘Should I have a quick read?’
Muttering to himself, Woojin secretly pressed a black square attached next to the ‘Beneficial Evil’ script. His view quickly changed. He soon entered a completely dark void space and stretched out, also loosening the tight hold on his usual persona.
Then he walked towards the array of white rectangles laid out in front of him.
“Let’s just go through episode 1 of ‘Beneficial Evil’ and come back.”
Kang Woojin moved his hand.
-[9/Script (Title: Beneficial Evil), S+ grade]
-(Episode 1)/(Episode 2)
-[*The completion level is very high for a drama script. 100% reading is possible.]
Naturally, he chose ‘Beneficial Evil’. The text in front of Woojin changed.
-[You have selected the script (Title: Beneficial Evil).]
-[Listing characters available for reading (experience).]
Woojin confidently selected the name of the first male protagonist. Then, after a brief moment of silence.
[“……”]
A very familiar robotic female voice echoed in the void space.
[“Abilities exceeding the basic specs have been detected. Acquiring ‘Martial Arts’ first.”]
Kang Woojin’s lips curled up. It was a deep smile that couldn’t be seen in his usual persona.
“Oh- ‘Martial Arts’?”
*********
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