Wednesday, March 11. Afternoon.
The production staff of The Private Investigator was in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on its second day of filming. The filming location was an old café-restaurant near a villa.
About ten members of the production staff were busy cleaning up after the shoot.
There was a saying in the film industry.
"Spread it out, then fold it back up."
It meant setting everything up wide during filming, then packing everything away once it was done. Even commercial films moved quickly after outdoor shoots.
Short films had to move twice as fast to save costs.
Even so—
Thunk!
Top actress Hong Hyeyeon climbed into a van parked by the roadside. Wearing a long white padded coat, she leaned her head back against the headrest and let out a deep sigh.
"Ahhh—"
She casually swept her long hair back. It looked like a scene straight out of a shampoo commercial.
With that, Hong Hyeyeon's filming for The Private Investigator was finished. Out of the production's five-day schedule, she had participated for two days.
Originally, she was scheduled for three days. But because she had so many other commitments, the schedule had been pushed through at a brutal pace.
The scene just before this had been a two-shot with Kang Woojin, the lead of The Private Investigator.
Pulling her padded coat closed, Hong Hyeyeon replayed the lingering emotions and scenes in her mind.
It felt completely different from watching it on a monitor.
Experiencing it with her own eyes was on another level.
Did I feel intimidated halfway through?
Why did that happen?
She bit her lower lip.
Because I kept trying to match the other person's acting… and it made me feel like my own acting was lacking.
Hong Hyeyeon had clearly felt a gap while acting opposite Kang Woojin.
She was a top star.
Kang Woojin was still a nobody.
And yet despite that, the gap between them had felt enormous.
Almost absolute.
I don't know… halfway through it felt like I was forcing it.
She had even voiced her frustration and asked Director Shin Dongchun for retakes. But the more they reshot the scene, the deeper Kang Woojin's Kim Ryujin became.
And the gap between them never narrowed.
Of course, her acting itself had not been bad.
In fact, it had been good.
Director Shin Dongchun had been satisfied as well. Hong Hyeyeon was one of the top actresses in Korea when it came to pure acting skill.
But Kang Woojin's presence had gone far beyond anything she had imagined.
How can he do that?
Watching him feels like watching someone who spent years in theater.
Those eyes… is that really just talent?
She had joined The Private Investigator to understand Kang Woojin's almost deranged level of acting.
But after seeing it for herself, she had only fallen deeper into it.
And this time she had been hit with another shock as well.
"…Kim Ryujin had a completely different tone from Assistant Manager Park. How can he separate those two characters so clearly while working on both projects at the same time?"
Assistant Manager Park was sticky and sly.
Kim Ryujin felt comfortable, ordinary, grounded.
The two characters Kang Woojin portrayed were completely different people.
That was not a level of control a rookie actor should have.
"Is that… a split personality?"
Yes.
That was exactly what it looked like.
Two distinct personas.
Hong Hyeyeon sighed.
"Can something like that be achieved through practice?"
Even Kang Woojin seemed to have developed it on his own.
There was no way to know right now.
Maybe it was impossible.
But she knew one thing.
She had to keep watching Kang Woojin.
Because she wanted to become better at acting.
Soon—
Whoosh.
Hong Hyeyeon pulled out her phone and called the head of her agency, CEO Choi Sunggeon.
"Hey! How much is Kang Woojin's signing bonus?? What? Isn't that way too low??"
Meanwhile, inside the café, cleanup was still underway.
Kang Woojin sat by the worn café window, waiting with the others to get into the car. He was still dressed fully as Kim Ryujin, but his face remained blank as always.
Inside, though—
He felt pretty great.
I did it.
More specifically, there had been a scene where Hong Hyeyeon hugged him from behind.
It had not been a sweet or affectionate moment.
If anything, it had been chilling.
But a back hug was still a back hug.
Hong Hyeyeon's warmth had pressed directly against his back.
Even an ordinary guy like him couldn't help feeling thrilled.
No way… Hong Hyeyeon gave me a back hug?
Great. That's one more thing I can brag about to Kim Daeyoung.
Just then—
"Woojin."
Startled by a voice, Kang Woojin turned his head and saw Director Shin Dongchun smiling.
"What are you thinking about so seriously?"
A back hug?
There was no way he could say that.
So he covered it up.
Since he was filming, thinking about acting would sound reasonable.
Keeping a stern expression, Kang Woojin answered quietly.
"I was thinking about the next scene."
It was a completely obvious lie.
But Director Shin Dongchun didn't notice at all. He tucked the shooting script into his back pocket.
"Don't overdo it. You're already doing more than enough. If you collapse, everything has to stop."
"I'll be careful."
With a satisfied smile, Director Shin Dongchun sat beside him and changed the subject.
"Woojin, you still haven't signed with an agency, right?"
"No, not yet."
"You must've gotten quite a lot of business cards at the Profiler Hanryang script reading."
What's this?
Do I need to brace myself?
As Kang Woojin stared silently, Director Shin Dongchun shrugged.
"Well, I used to be a drama PD. I was pretty good at it too. There are always plenty of entertainment industry people at script readings. Once they saw you, I figured they'd definitely hand you their cards."
"I see."
"Are you worried? Hmm… I don't know what advice to give, but rookies and unknown actors usually don't get a signing bonus when they join a company. If anything, they have to pay their dues."
…
"It costs money to develop new talent. Agencies are the ones investing. New actors usually sign five- or seven-year contracts, and it takes at least three or four years before they start turning a profit."
Director Shin Dongchun's expression shifted.
"But Woojin, you should definitely get a signing bonus. You're different. You're already making money through acting, and on a large scale too. No, I'm not talking about my project—I mean Profiler Hanryang."
"Yes."
"You know how incredible Song Manwoo PD and writer Park Eunmi are, right? Even top actors struggle to get into their projects."
How much am I supposed to ask for?
Just as Kang Woojin began thinking about it, Director Shin Dongchun answered first.
"The reason agencies want you is because they can skip the trainee period. That usually costs them millions of won. Much more than people realize. Both in time and money. They'd basically be saving three to five years."
"I understand to some extent."
"But the really scary part is the uncertainty. Agencies train someone, invest in them, promote them, run around meeting producers and broadcasters… and after raising them for three years, not a single one succeeds."
"The rest fail completely. And even the one who does succeed barely lands a small role."
The entertainment industry really is terrifying.
Kang Woojin kept his face expressionless, but inside he was starting to panic.
Then Director Shin Dongchun suddenly pointed at him.
"But look at you right now, Woojin. You're the lead in The Private Investigator, and you're also in Profiler Hanryang."
"I'm just a supporting actor there."
"You just debuted and already landed both a lead role and a supporting role. Without any three-to-five-year gap. And your acting is polished enough that you don't even seem to need training. You've got star quality too."
"Some people risk their lives just to get a single minor role. But you've already created opportunities far beyond that. Do you really think agencies won't line up for you?"
Once it was explained like that, it made perfect sense.
Still folding his arms, Director Shin Dongchun paused before speaking again.
"In my opinion… you could ask for at least twenty million won as a signing bonus."
Kang Woojin was shocked.
Internally, of course.
What?! Twenty million won???
Later—
By the time Kang Woojin returned to filming The Private Investigator, Profiler Hanryang had already finished its script reading and promotions had begun pouring out nonstop.
[Star Talk] Profiler Hanryang script reading packed with major stars / Photos
Will it live up to expectations? Profiler Hanryang script reading held at a rental apartment
Articles featuring photos of the top actors at the script reading began circulating everywhere.
[Issue Check] Profiler Hanryang confirms first broadcast planned for May
The first concept poster was released as well.
Against a background of black and gray smoke, photos of the main cast—including Ryu Jungmin and Hong Hyeyeon—were scattered across the lower portion, emphasizing the profiler theme.
The next day, Thursday.
The first teaser video was uploaded to the official YouTube channel.
— A sneak peek at the star-packed script reading | Profiler Hanryang
— [SBC] / ENG SUB
— March 12, 2020
It was only thirty seconds long.
But the numbers were massive.
Views: 1,001,332
The teaser surpassed one million views within a day.
Then two days later.
Saturday afternoon.
Kang Woojin stood in the second-floor bathroom of a villa in Paju.
Or rather—
He was Kim Ryujin.
With wary eyes, he pressed himself against the wall and hid behind the door.
Ten seconds passed.
Then—
"Cut!! Got it!!!"
Director Shin Dongchun rushed toward him.
"Thank you! Woojin, great work!"
"You too, Director."
Just like that—
Filming for the short film The Private Investigator officially wrapped.
Late that night.
The Private Investigator team had a modest wrap-up dinner at a butcher shop near their lodging in Paju.
It was already past 10 p.m.
Hong Hyeyeon had left earlier.
And yes—
Kang Woojin felt a little disappointed.
Still—
"Put three portions of pork belly on each table!"
"Yes!"
"And bring three bottles of soju first!"
Four tables were pushed together.
The wrap party for the fifteen-member production team began.
"What a shame. I really liked that villa."
"Right? It felt like home."
"If we work hard enough maybe we'll buy one someday."
"You know why they call it a villa? Because owning one is like plucking a star from the sky."
Everyone laughed.
Director Shin Dongchun watched them with a proud smile.
Meanwhile—
Kang Woojin sat beside him, expressionless.
Inside, he was thinking about the past five days.
This feels strange.
Bitter and sweet at the same time.
That feeling was regret.
He felt a little regretful.
It had been a long time since he had felt such a sense of accomplishment.
When they said, "Okay, that's good," I got goosebumps.
It had only been a short film.
But it was his first movie.
His first shoot.
His first lead role.
Everything had been new.
The five-day shoot had been exhausting.
But it had also been fun.
The unfamiliar environment wore him down, but the excitement outweighed the fatigue.
Still—
His conclusion was simple.
It was fun.
Then—
"Woojin?"
A female actress called him.
"Aren't you tired? You've been sitting there so quietly."
Soon everyone joined in.
"That's true. Woojin never changed his expression the whole shoot."
"By the end he was the only one still in good shape."
"Even while acting he stayed calm the whole time. Weren't you tired at all?"
No?
I was exhausted.
But complaining didn't suit Kang Woojin's persona.
So he answered calmly.
"I handled it."
Director Shin Dongchun laughed and patted his shoulder.
"You've got incredible stamina and mental endurance. Honestly Woojin, you don't lack anything as an actor."
Then he added—
"More importantly, you're about to step onto a huge filming set soon."
I know.
Thanks for reminding me of my fear again.
The other actors jumped in excitedly.
"What are you filming next? A movie? A drama?"
"With your acting you'll succeed anywhere."
"If I see you on TV I'm going to brag to everyone!"
"Woojin, can I get your autograph?"
"…Handwritten?"
Everyone raised their hands.
Director Shin Dongchun stopped them.
"Haha, later. Woojin's filming is finished, so tomorrow I'll start post-production."
Editing.
"After syncing there might be additional work. If the audio got distorted from noise we'll need to redo it."
"I'll finish everything in a day."
Kang Woojin nodded calmly.
"I understand."
Then he asked—
"Has the schedule for the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival been announced?"
"Not yet. Usually about two weeks beforehand. Probably mid to late April."
"I see."
Director Shin Dongchun's eyes lit up.
"The editing on your scenes is excellent. The visuals are strong too."
Then—
"Oh."
As he refilled Woojin's soju glass, he said,
"Woojin, you have a suit, right?"
A suit?
Of course.
The cheap one he bought during a buy-one-get-one sale for job interviews.
"I have one."
"Even so, buy another one. Spend a bit more."
"For any reason?"
Director Shin Dongchun smiled confidently.
"If we get selected as finalists for the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival…"
He pointed at Kang Woojin.
"The lead actor has to attend."
"And there will be many major figures from the film industry there."
"So you'll need to look the part."