After receiving the script, Kang Woojin gave a casual nod.
"Ah, thank you for getting it for me."
But inside, he was practically dancing.
'I got my hands on a great Japanese script.'
If that excitement showed on his face, his image would shatter instantly. Woojin barely suppressed the grin that was threatening to split his mouth.
The reason he had asked for a Japanese script was simple.
After English, Japanese had come to mind next.
'It's probably better to start with something familiar.'
As Kang Woojin checked the cover of the script, stylist Han Yejung, sitting beside him, asked in her usual slightly cold tone. It wasn't that her personality was bad. That was simply how she spoke.
"oppa, can you speak Japanese too? This doesn't look translated."
"A little."
"Oh really? Then why is the setting Japan?"
"I just wanted to take a look."
Because of the cold and strict atmosphere inside the vehicle, the conversation remained quiet.
While Kang Woojin flipped through the script booklet, CEO Choi Sunggeon, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced at him through the rearview mirror and spoke.
"It took a little time to get the original Japanese script instead of a translated version. Will this work?"
"Yes. This is fine. Thank you."
At that moment, road manager Jang Suhwan chimed in.
"Wow! CEO! How did you get a Japanese script?"
"Hey, hey, watch the road! How did I get it? I know a few people in Japan."
Choi Sunggeon answered casually, then glanced at Woojin again through the mirror.
Looking at him, he let out a faint sigh.
'Ah, damn. The contract clearly says I can't ask about his past, so I can't even bring it up. I'm dying of curiosity.'
He was incredibly curious about the monster's past.
Had he lived overseas?
…In Japan, maybe?
Considering how suddenly he had asked for a Japanese script, it didn't seem impossible.
While trying to piece things together in his own way, Choi Sunggeon glanced at Woojin again.
"Then are you thinking about debuting in Japan too? Japan's a good market. Just speaking Japanese already gives you several times more advantages than other actors. It opens a lot of possibilities."
For actors, language was essential.
It wasn't just about memorizing lines.
To become a global actor, foreign language ability was practically mandatory.
Once an actor mastered another language, their growth speed could increase dozens of times over.
Choi Sunggeon knew that better than anyone.
'Japanese is good… but for actors, English is still the best. Does Woojin not know English?'
At that moment, Kang Woojin, pretending to read the script, subtly moved his index finger.
—Swipe.
Without anyone noticing, he touched the black square that had appeared beside the script.
Pop.
In an instant, Woojin entered the endlessly pitch-black void space.
Naturally, he turned and checked the white squares floating in the darkness.
As expected—
Another one had been added.
[1 / Scenario (Title: The Private Investigator) – A Grade]
[2 / Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1) – S Grade]
[3 / Scenario (Title: Tokyo Station) – C Grade]
The Japanese text was still difficult to read.
Even so, Kang Woojin smiled.
"Let's go eat Japanese food."
After English, he was about to master Japanese.
It was only a matter of time.
In just two weeks, he would be able to speak two foreign languages.
Then—
Slash.
Kang Woojin selected the white rectangle written in Japanese.
At that moment—
"A new language other than the base language has been detected. Acquiring '日本語 (Japanese)' first."
A robotic female voice echoed.
"Preparing to read 'Japanese'."
"…Preparation complete. Beginning 'Japanese' reading."
An immense gray haze engulfed Kang Woojin.
A moment later—
He returned to reality inside the van.
Woojin stared at the script in his hands and quietly muttered.
"いいね,すごい. (Nice, this is awesome!)"
He read the original Japanese text smoothly.
So naturally that he didn't need an interpreter.
Japan acquired.
Japanese had been carved directly into Kang Woojin's body.
After that—
Yesterday, March 25.
Filming for the drama Profiler Hanryang officially began.
Both the production staff and actors moved through the schedule smoothly.
As a result—
Kang Woojin had to throw himself into filming like a madman.
"Cut! Good!! This time it's Woojin solo! Let's start from the upper body!"
The switching between Assistant Manager Park and Kang Woojin repeated dozens of times throughout the day.
Acting.
Acting.
Acting.
Eat.
Acting.
Acting.
Other than short breaks, Woojin did nothing but act.
He was practically a machine built for acting.
"Good! Next is Woojin's turn! Huh? Where's Woojin?!"
"He's waiting in the car! I'll bring him right away!"
All of it revolved around rookie actor Kang Woojin.
"Woojin! Stand by!!"
At this pace, it wouldn't have been strange if someone collapsed from exhaustion.
'Please save me.'
Because of that, Kang Woojin reduced his words even further outside of acting.
Just maintaining the filming schedule and his character concept was already overwhelming.
But Woojin wasn't the only one struggling.
The staff and actors seemed to be in the same situation.
Close-ups.
Full-body shots.
Crowd scenes.
"Call in the extras! The next scene is a crowd shot!"
Meanwhile, Song Manwoo PD filmed like a man possessed.
But his directing was never careless.
"Cut! Jungmin! That expression ruins the mood. Give me a slight smile and let's try again!"
As a veteran, he controlled each scene with depth even while filming at breakneck speed.
Sometimes he spent over two hours filming just one or two scenes.
And just like that—
A week passed.
March ended.
April began.
Wednesday, April 1.
But the filming pace only became faster.
It felt like riding a high-speed train.
Kang Woojin had no choice but to endure.
'Isn't this a little too much?'
It was a completely different world from The Private Investigator.
"Good!! Alright, Woojin, go touch up your makeup!"
Filming.
Filming.
More filming.
Even with such a massive production staff, they constantly moved between filming sets and outdoor locations.
Filming set.
Location.
Filming set.
Location again.
The ridiculous part was that the schedule had been planned with maximum efficiency.
"Woojin, stand by! Ah! Let's fix Woojin's makeup first!"
"Yes! I'll take care of it!"
Every calorie Kang Woojin consumed went straight into acting.
Outwardly, he looked calm and strict.
But he didn't even need to force that image anymore.
Simply adjusting the tone of his voice was enough.
For Woojin, who had only started acting two months ago, this brutal schedule felt like torture.
But he couldn't complain.
And he couldn't show weakness.
To everyone around him, Kang Woojin was an eccentric actor overflowing with pride.
So he used a trick.
That trick—
Was the void space.
Thud.
Since he was always on set, the script was constantly beside him.
Whenever things started to feel unbearable, Woojin tapped the black square.
On the first day, everything had been too chaotic to use it.
But now he couldn't endure without it.
Unlike the chaotic filming set, the void space was silent as a grave.
Though it was an endless darkness—
The void space itself felt like heaven.
"Haa… now I can live again."
But—
"It's a shame I can't sleep."
He couldn't sleep inside the void space.
Woojin had tried several times.
Every attempt failed.
He didn't know why.
Was it a psychological issue?
Or a rule of the void space itself?
He couldn't tell.
"Or is it some kind of punishment?"
It was a bizarre space beyond human understanding.
If it didn't work, it didn't work.
Woojin chose to stay positive.
Even without sleep, the void space had enormous advantages.
He could at least rest.
It couldn't completely remove fatigue.
But it dulled it.
For now, that was enough.
He couldn't bring anything with him—no phone, nothing.
So it was boring.
But compared to his hellish reality, that was a luxury complaint.
"Being able to rest like this is good enough."
After recharging himself, Kang Woojin shouted—
"Exit!"
Then he returned to reality.
And once again put on his calm mask.
But during this process, a strange misunderstanding began spreading among the staff.
"Why does Woojin look perfectly fine? Just how good is his stamina? A normal person would've collapsed already."
"Exactly. Even the lead actors were nodding off. But Woojin never even groans in pain. His acting is always incredible too. No fluctuations."
"He must've been born with monstrous endurance. He's too perfect. Every time I see him I wonder why he only started acting now."
Meanwhile, the Profiler Hanryang team pushed the pace even harder.
When Team B joined the production, the speed increased even more.
With Team B filming simultaneously—
They could now shoot twenty cuts per day instead of ten.
It almost felt like Song Manwoo PD had split into two people.
Of course, Team B handled minor scenes.
But even that was a huge help.
The actors—including Kang Woojin—alternated between the main team and Team B.
Time flew.
The weekend passed in a blink.
The second week of April began.
Around April 6—
Director Woo Hyunggu, who had been cursed by the public for days, finally confessed everything.
[Exclusive — Director Woo Hyunggu, from "Master" to "Monster": "I will live my life in repentance."]
That afternoon—
Woo Hyunggu appeared at a press conference.
His face looked dark.
"I sincerely apologize to the victims and the public. I deeply regret causing such a major issue in the film industry. I am truly sorry."
With that—
His brilliant career officially ended.
And the very next day—
The Profiler Hanryang team released official news.
[Official — Highly anticipated Profiler Hanryang premieres May 15. Broadcast every Friday and Saturday at 10 PM.]
The broadcast date had been finalized.
A few days later.
Friday, April 10.
That morning—
About twenty people had gathered inside a spacious meeting room.
They were committee members of the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival.
Because the festival had a long history, many members were older.
A white-haired man seated at the head of the table spoke.
"It's decided. The event date will be April 30. The one-week schedule after the opening is finalized. Applications will open the day after tomorrow."
He was the chairman.
The highest authority of the committee.
"Are preparations about seventy percent complete?"
"Yes."
"What about the venue?"
The vice chairman answered.
"We're considering Seoul Cinema Art Hall, CCV COEX, the sponsor headquarters, and one or two additional theaters."
"Decide quickly. Once submissions begin, we won't have time for minor matters."
"Understood."
"What about the jury invitations?"
A younger woman responded.
"We sent invitations to ten Directors, including last year's judges and several newly invited Directors. Famous Directors were also included."
"Did you invite Director Kwon Gitak?"
"Yes. However, after the Woo Hyunggu incident, one position became vacant."
"Hm. Even if they aren't major names, include some variety show PDs or well-known Directors and expand the list to fifteen. Better too many than too few."
"Yes, Chairman."
The chairman glanced at the transparent file in front of him.
"We also need to expand the list of honorary jury actors and invited actors. It must exceed last year."
Then he asked the vice chairman.
"What about the invitations sent to Japanese Directors?"
"As instructed, we sent them to five Directors. However, none have responded yet."
"Send invitations regardless of whether they're art-house or commercial Directors. Ideally, two master Directors would attend. If not, reasonably famous Directors will suffice."
The chairman clasped his hands.
"Good. As you all know, this year we're putting in far more effort than last year. The promotional strategy will also change. We'll contact YouTubers and BJs as well. Gather as many people as possible."
It was clear—
He wanted to completely overhaul the festival this year.
"We're considering inviting famous actors as honorary judges and promotional ambassadors. The goal is to encourage the public to watch short films, both online and offline."
Then he explained the reason.
"With the sponsor changing this year, the new sponsor is investing heavily. Expanding the festival scale is mandatory. It creates promotional value for them."
Corporations sponsor film festivals for brand image.
It promotes cultural support.
"So this year will be far more explosive than last year. Understood? Everyone stay focused."
The chairman closed the file.
"And the sponsor proposed adding acting awards this year. What do you think?"
A team leader replied.
"I think it's a good idea. Given the nature of our festival, there are years without a Best Picture winner. In those cases the impact becomes weaker."
"Right."
"If we add acting awards, the festival will feel less empty. It will energize things. Reporters will also have more to write about. Best Actor and a Grand Prize would work."
Another member raised a concern.
"But most actors in short films are unknown. Wouldn't that mean awarding actors with weak performances?"
"Hm. We'll give awards to the better ones. Even if the acting is slightly awkward, it can encourage future growth. Eventually more talented actors will participate."
Many committee members nodded.
The chairman slowly agreed.
"Then prepare an acting award category."
Meanwhile—
Inside the editing room for the film The Private Investigator.
A strange smell lingered in the air.
Three disheveled men sat there.
Director Shin Dongchun.
And two editors.
They looked terrible.
Dark circles.
Messy hair.
Rough skin.
They looked like zombies.
But their eyes were fixed on the monitors.
Tap.
Editing equipment clicked repeatedly.
On the screens—
The short film The Private Investigator played.
Play.
Rewind.
Fast-forward.
Stop.
Sometimes Kang Woojin's character looked awkward on screen.
But Director Shin Dongchun's face was serious.
Despite his exhaustion, his eyes were sharp.
"Please widen the sound slightly on that side."
"Yes."
The three worked in perfect harmony.
As a result—
The visual quality of The Private Investigator became extremely high.
An hour passed.
Then—
Thud.
One editor pressed a key.
It sounded like a declaration.
Everything was finished.
Director Shin Dongchun leaned back.
He looked at the ceiling.
Covered his face with both hands.
And exhaled deeply.
"Finally."
The editors jumped up.
"It's over!!"
"Wah! Damn! It's finally over!"
"Hahaha! Director, you worked so hard!"
"Yes! Director! Seriously!"
That was how it happened.
The editing for The Private Investigator—
Which began in mid-March—
Was completed today.
April 10.
A month-long journey.
"No, you two worked incredibly hard too. Thank you. Truly."
The short film The Private Investigator was complete.
A project filled with affection.
A project Director Shin Dongchun believed Kang Woojin loved deeply.
Of course—
That belief came from a misunderstanding.
But Shin Dongchun didn't know that.
He picked up his phone.
'I should tell him right away. He was so passionate about it—he'll definitely be happy.'
He had to tell Kang Woojin.
His first leading project—
Was finally complete.