On the 20th, in front of Kang Woojin's studio apartment.
Late in the morning, under slightly warm weather, Kang Woojin stepped out of the apartment building wearing a gray sweatshirt.
Parked in front of him was a familiar black van.
At the same time—
"Woojin!"
The moment he spotted Kang Woojin, Choi Sunggeon jumped out of the vehicle with a wide grin.
"Morning. Get in!"
He pulled open the passenger door in high spirits.
Kang Woojin found himself getting swept up in the mood too.
Only on the inside, of course.
It was because the English he had learned a few days earlier suddenly came to mind.
Yes, it really is a good morning.
Woojin greeted Choi Sunggeon in a voice much colder than he actually felt.
"Hello, CEO-nim."
Once Woojin got in, Choi Sunggeon took the driver's seat, and the van started moving.
As he steered it out of the alley, he glanced at Woojin in the passenger seat.
Why does he seem even calmer than usual today? Did something bad happen yesterday?
No.
That wasn't it.
At that exact moment, expressionless Kang Woojin was occupied by an utterly trivial thought.
I'm hungry. Should I eat breakfast? Suddenly I want naengmyeon. And tonkatsu too.
Completely unaware of this, Choi Sunggeon let out a small sigh.
Hong Hyeyeon, whom he had managed for years, had never been ordinary either, but Kang Woojin was on another level.
This was the same lunatic who had turned down Director Woo Hyungoo's offer.
Why do only crazy people gather around me?
Still, when he thought about it, those weirdos all had remarkable ability.
Accepting his life for what it was, Choi Sunggeon smiled and started talking.
"Woojin, did you get the call about the first shoot for Profiler Hanryang? They said it's on the 25th."
"Yes, I did."
"I'm still checking the details, and PD Song hasn't finalized everything yet, but it sounds like they'll probably shoot the scenes with Ryu Jungmin and Assistant Manager Park first."
At that, Woojin's heart started pounding.
After warming up with The Private Investigator, the real filming was finally about to begin.
And unlike The Private Investigator, this wouldn't be short.
In other words, he would have to maintain steady acting through the entire shoot.
That thought was nerve-racking, but Choi Sunggeon kept speaking as casually as ever.
"You don't seem like the type to get nervous, Woojin, but still, prepare thoroughly for the shoot over the next five days. Need anything?"
"Not right now."
"Good. Then let's start today with profile photos."
Ah, profile photos.
So he had to pose for pictures?
Kang Woojin felt a wave of embarrassment.
Something close to shame.
I've never done that before. How are you even supposed to do it?
Even for ID photos, he had always felt awkward.
Still, wasn't it kind of like acting?
If he worked at it, maybe he could handle anything.
Barely suppressing his embarrassment, Woojin quietly said to Choi Sunggeon, who had just turned the steering wheel to the right,
"CEO-nim, you can speak comfortably to me."¹
As if he had read Woojin's mind and understood that formal speech was making him uncomfortable, Choi Sunggeon nodded.
"Really? Then, Woojin, mind if I talk more casually?"
Mixing formal and informal speech, Choi Sunggeon explained the day's schedule.
First, they needed to create Kang Woojin's official profile.
Since he had joined an agency, he now needed a profile to use publicly and on the company website.
After the profile photos, they would head to a salon for styling.
And not just any salon.
It was a place only celebrities used.
For a moment, Kang Woojin felt a flicker of anticipation.
I'm finally going to one of those celebrity-only salons and getting properly taken care of.
As an ordinary guy, Kang Woojin had only ever said one thing at the barbershop.
"Just trim it, please."
That was true for most men, but especially for Woojin, who had always kept his hair short.
Hair salons had always felt awkward to him.
But now it was the kind of salon actors went to.
Just then—
"Woojin."
When the traffic light turned red, Choi Sunggeon suddenly spoke in a serious voice.
"I told Box Movie you wouldn't be attending the audition. Department Head Choi Damin made a huge fuss, but I turned them down anyway."
Ah, that.
He had forgotten about it.
To be honest, Woojin had completely forgotten about Mentor or whatever it was.
Learning English had been too overwhelming.
"Really? Thank you."
Choi Sunggeon scratched his head and smiled faintly.
"Honestly, I still don't really get it. I hate troublesome things, but this situation... hmm... anyway, you didn't tell Department Head Choi Damin anything about your intuition, right?"
"No."
"Good. If he'd heard that, he'd have gone even more insane. Anyway, Box Movie probably won't think too highly of you anymore either. They hadn't even formally offered the role to an unknown actor."
The entertainment industry really was narrow-minded.
Sure, you could reject things.
But the industry itself was a jungle.
What could he do?
Woojin reacted more calmly than expected.
"Still, it's better than getting cut after the audition."
"True. Maybe it's better not to start at all. But it'll probably be hard for you to get into one of Director Woo Hyungoo's projects in the future. You know that, right? He has a nasty personality and a huge ego."
What could he do about that?
Just because the man was treated like a master Director didn't mean Woojin could go shoot an F-grade film.
It was unfortunate that such a giant was tied to it, but if the film flopped, it would just be a waste of time.
Anyway, I should add a little swagger here.
With a solemn face, Kang Woojin answered,
"It doesn't matter."
Watching him, Choi Sunggeon muttered inwardly,
Is he really that indifferent to the title of master Director? The more I see him, the more extraordinary he seems.
Misunderstandings were piling up in real time, but Choi Sunggeon had no idea.
When the light changed, Kang Woojin's calm voice sounded again.
"CEO-nim, I need a suit."
"A suit? Why all of a sudden?"
Because Director Shin Dongchun had told him to buy one.
It still wasn't certain whether The Private Investigator would make it into the competition section, but Shin Dongchun had said Woojin would probably need a suit later.
At least, that was how Woojin saw it.
Still, the answer needed to sound interesting.
Saying just in case would sound weak.
He figured it would be better to add a little confidence.
"I'm planning to wear it to the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival."
"...The Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival?"
"Yes."
Hearing Woojin's serious answer, Choi Sunggeon was inwardly impressed.
If it doesn't make the competition section, there'd be no reason to go to the film festival. But this guy doesn't even seem to have a concept of failure. His self-confidence is unbelievable.
His certainty was too absolute.
All on his own, Choi Sunggeon deepened the misunderstanding even further.
"Haha, of course The Private Investigator is going to win the grand prize, right? Even if it doesn't, you should still have a suit ready. You probably already own one, but now you need to separate private life from public life. Image matters too."
After a brief moment of thought, Choi Sunggeon made a decision.
"Obviously the company will take care of the suit. It's necessary for work. Since today's already packed, let's handle the suit today too. Hmm... Hyeyeon is working with a luxury brand, so getting a men's suit won't be a problem. Since we're talking about suits, should we do your profile photos in one too?"
The moment the word luxury came up, Kang Woojin's ears practically perked up.
No way. They're getting me a high-end suit?
Then suddenly, something else came back to him.
A line he had prepared yesterday.
"Can I also get a Japanese script?"
"...Japanese? That's a pretty unusual request. Why are you suddenly asking for Japanese text?"
Kang Woojin answered firmly.
"I just want to see one. There's no special reason."
Two hours later, at a large shop in Cheongdam-dong.
It was around noon.
The three-story building looked expensive at a glance.
The interior practically looked like a palace.
Kang Woojin was on the third floor.
Choi Sunggeon was on the first.
Anyway, sitting in one of the many chairs in the middle, Woojin was currently—
"..."
Asleep.
He had been at the shop since morning, and by lunchtime, he was tired.
Besides, the chair he was sitting in was surprisingly comfortable.
Right then—
Swoosh.
The sleeping Kang Woojin suddenly opened his eyes.
Fortunately, his body hadn't moved much, and he just looked like a student who had drifted off during class.
Did I fall asleep? Ugh, maybe it's because the seat's so comfortable. I keep getting drowsy.
Just then—
"My goodness."
The female designer standing behind Kang Woojin smiled.
"You must've been tired."
The woman in the white shirt had long blonde hair.
Kang Woojin suppressed his embarrassment and lowered his voice.
"I was thinking about the script."
That was a lie.
He had simply fallen asleep without thinking about anything.
It was shameless, really.
Fortunately, the designer accepted the excuse without question.
"Really? Well, this is exactly the time to be thinking about a script. You're a rookie actor, right? You really do look like an actor. Have you decided on a stage name?"
"Just Kang Woojin."
"Ah, I see, Mr. Woojin. Come often. This is Hyeyeon's personal salon."
"Yes."
"All done. Take a look. CEO Choi told us to do our very best, so I took this very seriously."
Soon, Kang Woojin met his own gaze in the mirror in front of him.
Then he slowly looked himself over.
And what was interesting was—
"?!"
The moment Kang Woojin saw his face, his eyes widened.
The reason was simple.
The Kang Woojin reflected in the mirror—
"...Wow. Who are you? Is that really me?"
He had transformed into someone absurdly handsome.
And it wasn't just in Kang Woojin's eyes.
The blonde designer immediately offered proof.
"Don't you think even CEO Choi will be shocked by this transformation?"
At that same time, it was the Profiler Hanryang filming set.
Once the first day of filming had been set, the Profiler Hanryang team became overwhelmingly busy.
Even now, they were in the middle of final checks.
Naturally, the overall person in charge of everything was PD Song Manwoo.
He was currently giving instructions to the directing team.
"Once the inspection here is done, let the filming staff know to wait a bit. I'll speak separately with the cinematographer."
"Yes, PD-nim!"
"Five days until the first shoot! Let's push through a little more!"
After giving the necessary instructions, PD Song Manwoo headed toward a minivan parked in the lot.
He meant to take a short break.
The day before, he had only managed about three hours of sleep, and even normally, he barely had time to rest.
Then—
"Ah."
Inside the van, PD Song Manwoo suddenly thought of Kang Woojin.
A few days earlier, he had acted as a bridge regarding the meeting with Box Movie, but he still hadn't heard the result.
He was curious.
Was Kang Woojin really going to join one of Director Woo Hyungoo's productions?
Soon, PD Song Manwoo pulled out his phone.
But the person he called wasn't Kang Woojin.
It was CEO Choi Sunggeon.
"Uh—CEO Choi."
The moment Choi Sunggeon picked up, PD Song Manwoo went straight to the point.
"Are you busy? Is it okay if we talk for a moment?"
Choi Sunggeon replied cheerfully over the phone.
"Of course. Even if I were asleep, I'd still answer a call from PD Song, hahaha. What's up?"
Right then, a woman's voice could be heard nearby.
"PD, hello—"
Recognizing the familiar tone, PD Song Manwoo laughed.
"Ah, is star Hong there with you too?"
"Yes. Sorry, Hyeyeon's here too. I ran into her while waiting for Woojin at the shop. Ah, did you call because Woojin didn't answer? He's on the third floor right now."
"No, no, that's not it."
The moment Kang Woojin's name came up, PD Song Manwoo went straight to the point.
"I was curious how Woojin's meeting with Box Movie went, and whether he met Director Woo Hyungoo."
"Ah, he turned it down."
"What? Turned what down?"
"It was Director Woo Hyungoo's next project. It wasn't exactly an audition, but Department Head Choi Damin pushed hard for him, and our Woojin flatly refused."
"Really? Why?"
Choi Sunggeon answered evenly.
"He said it was intuition. He skimmed a few pages of the script quickly and then simply said, 'I don't have a good feeling about it.'"
"What?"
That was a very familiar phrase.
A bad feeling?
Without realizing it, PD Song Manwoo stroked his beard.
...Kang Woojin, is it that feeling again? Did his totem kick in?
Of course, nothing had been confirmed yet.
The results for The Private Investigator and Profiler Hanryang still hadn't come out.
But PD Song Manwoo took Kang Woojin's feeling quite seriously.
His eye for projects had been extraordinary.
Had Kang Woojin's real intuition surfaced again?
Was Director Woo Hyungoo's script really that bad?
If not, the situation would be strange.
That man was Director Woo Hyungoo.
Even if the quality of the work ended up somewhat disappointing, the fact that an unknown actor had joined his project alone would have held enormous meaning.
His name recognition would rise, and interview requests would surely pour in.
But he had turned it down without even looking back?
Only someone completely out of his mind could do that.
Ah, right. Woojin really does have a streak of madness in him.
Then, as if wrapping up the call, PD Song Manwoo muttered into the phone,
"Well, what can you do if the actor says he won't do it?"
"Yes, exactly. Anyway, thanks for worrying about him, PD."
Once the call ended, PD Song Manwoo looked out the window.
At the same time, a strange sort of anticipation rose inside him.
"There's something genuinely entertaining about watching that guy."
Just then—
♫♪
The phone in PD Song Manwoo's hand rang urgently.
Thinking it might be CEO Choi Sunggeon again, Song Manwoo tilted his head.
It was an unsaved number.
Still, because he had been getting a lot of those lately, he answered without much concern.
"Yes, this is Song Manwoo."
A man's voice came from the other end.
The tone was gentle.
"PD Song, it's been a while. This is Director Kwon Gitaek."
At once, PD Song Manwoo's eyes widened, and strength entered his voice.
"Oh? Ah, yes! Yes, Director! It really has been a long time."
"Haha, have you been well? Hmm, we last saw each other at the Baeksang Arts Awards two years ago, didn't we?"
"I remember, of course. How could I forget?"
"I got your number because there's something I wanted to ask. Sorry for calling so suddenly."
"Huh?? No, not at all!"
PD Song Manwoo was startled.
The reason was simple.
Director Kwon Gitaek was a giant in the industry—on par with Director Woo Hyungoo.
Whenever people listed the top Directors in Korea, Kwon Gitaek's name was never left out.
If someone ranked them, Kwon Gitaek would even place above Woo Hyungoo.
At least in terms of total audience numbers and achievements.
What Director Kwon Gitaek asked PD Song Manwoo was this:
"You're preparing for the drama right now, aren't you? I'm looking forward to it. Has the first shoot date been set yet?"
"Ah, thank you. The first shoot is confirmed for next week. But may I ask why?"
"Hmm... I heard a rumor that the drama actors are working incredibly hard to improve their acting. Would it be possible for me to quietly observe on the first day of filming?"
"You want to observe?"
The moment the question was asked, Director Kwon Gitaek answered immediately from the other end.
"Yes. I'd like to see Ryu Jungmin's performance, so I wanted to ask a favor."
TL Note:
When Woojin asks CEO Choi to speak more comfortably, the nuance is that Choi has been using formal Korean speech. In English, that distinction can sound less obvious, so the original nuance is harder to carry over directly.