To understand why Kang Woojin chose the role of Assistant Manager Park, one must first look back at what he experienced inside the void space.
Everything began the moment Woojin confirmed the white square labeled "Profiler Hanryang."
-[5/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1), Grade A]
-[This work is a drama script of extremely high completion. 100% readable.]
Standing alone in the endless darkness, Woojin folded his arms and stroked his chin.
"A-grade."
Beside him floated another white square.
The short film The Private Investigator.
Its grade was B.
This was the first time Woojin had ever seen an A-grade script. Naturally, a question surfaced in his mind.
"Hmm… If it's A-grade… is that the highest rank? Or is there something above A?"
Even if higher grades existed, A-grade was still among the top.
In other words, writer Park Eunmi's new work Profiler Hanryang was likely a project with huge potential.
'Gangster Prosecutor was C-grade and had around 7% ratings…'
'If this is two levels higher… maybe it'll exceed 10%. Maybe even 15%.'
Of course, Woojin had no way of knowing how large the difference in ratings would actually be.
So he quickly moved on.
"Well… this will work as an experiment too."
It would help him determine whether these mysterious "grades" could really predict the future.
Right now, it looked likely.
But it wasn't certain yet.
Woojin then shifted his gaze to the title.
"Profiler Hanryang… If it's about a profiler, then it's probably a crime genre."
He suddenly remembered what Song Manwoo PD had told him earlier.
'Woojin-ssi, I want to cast you as an actor.'
At the time, his thoughts had completely frozen.
But here in the void space, he was calm.
Calm enough to reach a rational conclusion.
"It'll probably be a minor role."
Woojin knew very little about the entertainment industry.
But even he knew that rookies usually started as extras.
That would be even more true for a project involving big names like Song Manwoo PD and writer Park Eunmi.
Of course, in actual production, "minor roles" could include supporting characters or image roles.
But Kang Woojin didn't know that.
"Still… it's not bad."
A positive thought surfaced.
This was the second time he had felt that way since experiencing The Man Who Is Afraid.
It might actually be nice to be evaluated properly by people at the very top of the industry.
Soon—
Swoosh.
Woojin stared at the floating white square.
Then he selected Profiler Hanryang.
Text appeared beneath it.
-[You have selected 5/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1)]
-[List of readable characters (experiences)]
-[A: Yoo Jihyung / B: Jung Sangmin / C: Bae Sejun … E: Assistant Manager Park]
What caught Woojin's attention was the character list.
There were about six roles.
"Hmm… The ones near the top are probably the leads."
Then his eyes stopped.
Assistant Manager Park.
"Let's go with this one. It probably has the fewest lines."
Based on previous experiences, Woojin had learned something.
Characters listed near the end usually had fewer lines.
So he selected Assistant Manager Park.
Thump.
The moment he touched the name—
A familiar mechanical female voice echoed through the void.
[Preparing script for "E: Assistant Manager Park"······]
The wait was short.
[Preparation complete.]
[This is an excellent script.]
[Execution rate: 100%.]
[Beginning reading.]
In an instant—
A thick gray haze swallowed Kang Woojin whole.
Then a voice exploded into the air.
"Hey! Assistant Manager Park!! What are you doing? Hurry up and get over here!"
The gray haze slowly cleared.
Woojin's vision sharpened.
He was standing near a park bench.
Warm sunlight touched his skin.
Spring, maybe.
The temperature was pleasant.
He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt.
As Woojin's field of vision widened, the surroundings became clear.
Flowerbeds in full bloom.
People jogging.
And two men ahead of him, waving.
Woojin shouted back.
"Go ahead without me!"
His immersed mind had instructed him to say it.
The moment the line ended—
Woojin noticed something.
He was smiling.
A friendly smile.
But the words and expression were completely superficial.
There was no sincerity in them.
Inside, his mind was cold.
Extremely rational.
In fact—
It was too rational.
It felt as if something had been removed from him.
Emotion.
No—
It simply didn't exist.
Kang Woojin had already become Assistant Manager Park.
He possessed everything about the character.
Which meant he understood.
'Expression is a tool.'
For Assistant Manager Park, facial expressions and gestures were merely props.
Whenever he had time, he practiced them.
Even memorized lines.
All to appear like a good person.
Just like now.
With a smile on his lips, Woojin hid madness in his eyes and practiced expressions.
True joy.
Forced laughter.
Ecstatic delight.
It was his daily routine.
Practice he always did before returning to the office.
Then suddenly—
Woojin's expression stiffened.
What a strange era.
After finishing his practice, he resumed walking.
His heart remained completely empty.
Then—
"Ah."
A faint smile formed on his lips.
Woojin looked down at his shoes.
"I stepped on dog poop."
"It's not hard… it's soft."
"Fresh."
He stared at his shoe.
Then murmured quietly.
"Dog poop…"
Madness flickered in his eyes.
Because he had found a target.
He had been harmed.
By a dog.
Woojin slowly turned his head.
Scanning the surroundings.
"Ah."
"There it is."
"A dog."
Near a flowerbed, a dog was defecating.
It had a leash.
So it probably had an owner somewhere.
Woojin watched silently.
Then—
Suddenly—
The colors of the world began to change.
Red.
Orange.
Yellow.
Green.
Blue.
Indigo.
Violet.
Reality transformed into something like a fairy tale.
The ground turned purple.
The trees green.
The sky black.
Clouds blue.
Every person became a different color.
At first glance, it looked childlike.
Innocent.
But something about it felt wrong.
Distorted.
'A dream…?'
Yes.
It felt like a dream.
Then something strange happened.
Woojin felt an emotion he had never experienced before.
Excitement.
Suddenly, Kang Woojin was thrilled.
'Hurry.'
'Hurry.'
'Hurry.'
He felt like he had to do something.
Quickly.
Right then—
Rustle.
The dog approached him and rubbed against his leg.
In Woojin's eyes, the dog looked yellow.
"Cute."
"Like cotton."
"I want to burst you."
Woojin glanced around.
There were many people.
Many eyes.
So he grabbed the leash.
And moved elsewhere.
Luckily, the dog followed.
Soon, a public restroom came into view.
Woojin walked behind it.
Then—
He pulled the dog closer and hugged it tightly.
The dog licked his cheek.
"So cute."
"But you shouldn't poop on the road people walk on."
Still smiling, Woojin lightly tapped the dog's nose.
In his eyes—
Red fireworks exploded.
Of course, only he could see them.
That made him even more excited.
He was so happy he could barely contain himself.
'Faster.'
'Faster.'
'Faster.'
He wanted to burst more things.
So Kang Woojin disappeared behind the restroom—
Holding the yellow dog.
Several minutes later—
Woojin returned.
His expression was calm.
"Ah."
"I'm a little late."
His hands were empty.
Phew.
The reading of Assistant Manager Park had ended.
Woojin returned to the meeting room.
At the same time, he cursed inwardly.
'Damn it.'
Because he felt intense disgust toward the character.
Everything about Assistant Manager Park felt unpleasant.
But the character had already been deeply engraved into Woojin's mind.
'This feels awful.'
Inside the void space, the reading had lasted about twenty minutes.
But to Woojin, it felt like five hours of seasickness.
Assistant Manager Park was both unfamiliar—
And strangely familiar.
Even though both now existed within him, Woojin felt an urge to erase the character entirely.
Just then—
'What is this? No, don't come out.'
Woojin suppressed the rising emotions of Assistant Manager Park.
It was instinctive.
Almost like a reflexive defense.
Then—
"Did you understand the overall context?"
Writer Park Eunmi's voice reached his ears.
Woojin's vision widened again.
Across from him, Park Eunmi continued speaking.
"Don't feel pressured. Any role is fine. Even just a few lines. I only want to hear your tone."
Still slightly flustered, Woojin regained his composure.
'Ah right.'
'This was the situation.'
He looked down at the script in his hands.
Profiler Hanryang Part 1.
'Starting without reading it feels a bit awkward.'
Even though he already knew the entire role from the experience, Woojin lowered his voice out of courtesy.
"I'll read it for a moment."
Of course—
He didn't actually read it.
Flip.
Flip.
He only pretended to.
About five minutes passed.
Then something caught his eye.
[S#14]
The world seen by Assistant Manager Park is filled with strange colors like a dream garden.
"So that's why I saw those colors."
Woojin sighed.
Then—
Thud.
He lifted his head and calmly announced,
"I'll take the role of Assistant Manager Park."
The moment he finished—
Everyone across from him widened their eyes.
"!!!"
They looked shocked.
Especially Song Manwoo PD and Park Eunmi.
"…Assistant Manager Park?"
But Woojin calmly confirmed again.
"Yes."
"Assistant Manager Park."
Song Manwoo PD stroked his beard and turned to Park Eunmi.
She was already looking at him.
For a moment—
They exchanged glances.
Woojin found it strange.
'What's going on?'
'Are they communicating with their eyes?'
They really were big figures.
They could talk without speaking.
Soon Song Manwoo PD looked back at Woojin.
Which scene should they perform?
There was no need to jump to the later parts where the character became more complex.
Woojin chose an early scene.
"I'll do the dog scene."
Park Eunmi adjusted her glasses and said,
"PD-nim, please handle the camera angle."
"Woojin-ssi, act as if the PD-nim is the camera."
In truth, there was already a camera installed behind Woojin near the window.
Woojin handed over the script.
Swoosh.
Park Eunmi frowned slightly.
"…You can perform without looking?"
Actually, it felt easier that way.
Woojin answered honestly.
Not to show off—
But because he was already immersed in the character.
"Yes."
"It's fine."
Unfortunately, that answer only deepened the misunderstanding in the room.
'He memorized the lines, stage directions, and emotions in minutes…?'
'Impossible.'
But for Kang Woojin—
It was possible.
Still, to Park Eunmi and the others, it made no sense.
'Is he bluffing?'
'No… he's too calm for that.'
Then—
"Alright."
Song Manwoo PD leaned forward.
"Let's begin."
He delivered the first line.
The scene began.
"Hey! Assistant Manager Park!! What are you doing? Hurry up and get over here!"
Woojin blinked once.
Song Manwoo's eyes twitched.
Why?
'His gaze changed.'
'His personality changed.'
A trace of madness seeped into Woojin's calm eyes.
Before and after that blink—
He was a completely different person.
For a split second—
Emotion appeared.
At least that's how it looked.
Woojin slowly lifted the corner of his mouth.
His gaze remained intense.
"Go ahead without me!"
The moment the line ended—
His smile vanished.
As if playing in slow motion.
Then—
Expressionless.
Then smiling.
Then expressionless again.
Then smiling again.
Over and over.
Like a psychopath.
A chilling aura radiated from him.
Top actress Hong Hyeyeon felt goosebumps.
'Each smile feels different.'
Every smile carried a unique meaning.
The twitch of his eye muscles.
The tilt of his head.
The angle of his lips.
Everything had intent.
'All that… from facial expressions alone?'
Woojin slowly stood.
Still smiling.
Then he paused.
And looked down at his feet.
Silence.
Ten seconds.
But the entire meeting room froze.
Woojin's indifference became fear.
Then he turned his shoe.
"I stepped on dog poop."
He scanned the room.
Then glanced briefly at Park Eunmi.
Finally—
His eyes met Song Manwoo PD's.
Madness flickered.
Excitement.
Then Woojin laughed quietly.
"Ah."
"There it is."
"That bastard dog."
That was the end.
Woojin sat back down.
Clearing his throat—
"It's finished."
His voice returned to calm.
Assistant Manager Park was gone.
Kang Woojin had returned.
'So… how will they evaluate me?'
Right then—
Clatter.
Park Eunmi suddenly stood up.
Her long permed hair swayed.
Her eyes were fixed on Woojin.
She slowly approached.
Very slowly.
Woojin leaned back slightly.
'Why is she acting like that?'
'That's kind of scary.'
'Is she angry?'
Suddenly—
She grabbed his hand.
"Woojin."
Woojin felt disgust internally.
'Why is she grabbing my hand?!'
But Park Eunmi ignored everyone in the room.
She leaned toward him.
Her voice trembling.
"Please take the role of Assistant Manager Park."
"Woojin-ssi."
"It has to be you."