This was what writer Park Eunmi, the creator of Profiler Hanryang, had to say about actor Kang Woojin's portrayal of Assistant Manager Park.
"Alright, please begin."
She could not take her eyes off Kang Woojin, seated across from her, even for a second. His gaze, his tone, his gestures, his breathing, even the smallest changes in his expression—she had to catch every detail.
"I stepped on dog poop."
The reason was simple.
'How… how can he portray the character I created so perfectly? No, this goes beyond accuracy.'
The Assistant Manager Park she had created and the one Kang Woojin was performing were exactly the same.
And yet Kang Woojin's acting felt far more vivid. Far more alive.
Alive?
Was that even the right word?
After all, he was a living, breathing human being.
Park Eunmi's thoughts twisted into a strange knot.
'Assistant Manager Park is standing right in front of me.'
The character she had created through countless sleepless nights was now unfolding before her eyes.
There was no doubt.
It was Assistant Manager Park.
The one with unmistakable psychopathic tendencies.
Before long, Park Eunmi felt excitement and fear at the same time.
Characters in a story were created by the writer.
But it was the actors who brought them to life.
Because of that, perfect reproduction was almost impossible. No matter how brilliantly an actor analyzed the work, they could never fully step inside the writer's mind. It was impossible to express every single detail the writer had imagined.
That was why writers had no choice but to compromise.
If there were small errors in the actor's performance, they let them pass. If the tone of the lines differed a little, they accepted it. Even when the portrayal strayed from the original vision, they forced themselves to understand.
Park Eunmi was no exception.
It was something every screenwriter in Korea—no, every screenwriter in the world—experienced. The faster a writer learned to acknowledge the gap between what was in their head and what existed in reality, the faster they matured.
But—
'I wrote this… but I can't even see my own writing anymore.'
The actor performing that mad, intense scene in front of her left no room for compromise.
Kang Woojin was already overwhelming the script itself.
If Park Eunmi felt that way, everyone else in the room must have felt something similar.
He preserved the character the writer had created without the slightest distortion.
At the same time, he expressed it dozens of times more vividly.
That was exactly what Kang Woojin was doing right now.
And this—
"..."
Even Park Eunmi, one of Korea's top star writers, had never seen anything like it before.
So of course she was captivated.
She had worked with hundreds—no, thousands—of actors by now.
If all of them were lined up in one place—
'Kang Woojin. Of course. I have to cast him no matter what.'
The word precious was not enough for him.
He was the kind of actor who might never appear again.
That was what Park Eunmi felt as she watched the overwhelming presence right in front of her.
-Tap.
She did not care much about the looks around her or what anyone thought.
"Woojin, I really want you to take the role of Assistant Manager Park. It has to be you."
Could a writer ever meet the character they created in real life?
Park Eunmi felt like begging him—using any means possible—just to hold on to him.
She was the kind of person who would do anything for the quality of her work.
So—
"..."
"..."
Not a single person in the meeting room tried to stop Park Eunmi then.
No one told her to maintain her dignity.
Song Manwoo PD, top actress Hong Hyeyeon, even the key production company staff—none of them said a word.
They all sat there with serious expressions.
Because they understood exactly how Park Eunmi felt.
Anyway, Park Eunmi's eyes, still fixed on Kang Woojin's hand in hers, burned with desire.
There was no visible fire.
But her momentum felt like a pot at a full boil.
However—
'She grabbed my hand out of nowhere, so yeah, that startled me a little.'
Kang Woojin was the only one in the room who had not been swept up in the moment.
If anything, Park Eunmi herself was the one flustering him.
Who would not be startled if someone suddenly grabbed their hand?
'I wish she'd let go of my hand before saying all this. Still, judging by how a famous writer reacted, my void space ability really is insane.'
As long as he stayed calm, everything seemed to work out on its own.
Well, he could just go with it.
Of course, he had no idea.
'I wonder if I can get a copy of that acting video too.'
That this moment would become a major turning point in his life.
Anyway, with his hand still in hers, Kang Woojin quietly spoke to Park Eunmi.
"Ms. Park, could you let go of my hand first?"
Only then did Park Eunmi snap back to herself and release him.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't even realize."
"It's alright."
A question came from the other side of the room.
It was Song Manwoo PD.
"But Mr. Woojin, why did you choose Assistant Manager Park? The other roles would've been easier to analyze."
Park Eunmi clapped her hands once and jumped in.
"That's right! I'm curious too."
"Same here. Why that role specifically?"
Soon, every curious gaze in the room turned back to Kang Woojin.
But Woojin kept the same calm expression.
'Hmm. I can actually tell the truth here.'
Then he answered casually.
"Because it's short."
It was his honest answer.
Not arrogance.
Not bluffing.
Just Kang Woojin's real thought.
But the reactions in the room were completely different.
Song Manwoo PD frowned slightly and asked at once,
"…What do you mean?"
"That role is short."
"You chose Assistant Manager Park… because the role is short?"
"Yes."
It was the plain truth, without even the tiniest lie.
But everyone else interpreted it very differently.
Song Manwoo PD thought,
'Because it's short? So he chose that difficult role just because it's short? But the shorter the role, the harder it is to analyze, isn't it?'
Park Eunmi thought,
'Is there something wrong with that man's brain?! Most people avoid a role as difficult as Assistant Manager Park! But this?? Because the screen time is short??? Is he an idiot or a genius?'
And top actress Hong Hyeyeon thought,
'Ah, now I get it. He's acting humble while showing off. He's basically saying a role like this is easy for him.'
Naturally, every one of those assumptions was completely wrong.
At that moment—
Thud.
Kang Woojin, who had been sitting quietly in that meeting room boiling with excitement, suddenly stood.
Then he spoke softly to Park Eunmi in front of him.
"I'll think about the offer."
A little later.
Kang Woojin left the meeting room with a solemn face and slowly walked down the hallway.
He passed several C-Blue Studio staff members.
After another five steps—
-Whoosh.
He glanced back toward the meeting room, then instantly dropped the persona he had been keeping up.
"Hoo—"
The tension finally drained out of him.
Just what the hell had happened in there?
Woojin rubbed his face with one hand as he pressed the elevator button.
Right then—
"Kang Woojin-ssi."
A woman's voice called from behind him.
When he turned around, a tall woman with long hair was walking toward him.
It was Hong Hyeyeon.
For a split second, Kang Woojin was startled.
'Wow. Never thought I'd live to see the day Hong Hyeyeon called my name out loud.'
But he quickly pulled himself together.
He needed his poker face back.
"Yes. What is it?"
Unaware of any of that, Hong Hyeyeon stopped right in front of him.
Then, while Woojin was momentarily distracted by her scent, she asked,
"Why didn't you accept the casting offer right away?"
Why?
Just because.
The reason Kang Woojin had said he would think about it was very simple.
If some genius-type actor acted all arrogant and then immediately accepted humbly, it would feel weird.
Besides—
'If I agree right away, it doesn't feel cool somehow. In movies, people always take time to think in situations like this.'
It was just his way of maintaining the image.
Obviously, he could never say that out loud.
Suppressing his nerves, Kang Woojin met Hong Hyeyeon's eyes.
"I meant what I said. I need some time to think."
"..."
Hong Hyeyeon stared blankly at him for a moment.
'Wow. She's unbelievably pretty.'
Woojin's heart immediately began pounding on instinct.
'Can she hear this?'
Fortunately—
"By the way, Mr. Woojin."
Hong Hyeyeon changed the subject as if she had not heard him.
"Do you run your own agency?"
"…Of course not."
"Then why not? Why don't you have one?"
"Do I need a reason not to?"
"No, that's not what I mean… were you really overseas?"
"..."
Kang Woojin stayed silent.
He had to make it look like there was some complicated story behind it.
Seeing that, Hong Hyeyeon realized her mistake and cleared her throat.
"Ah, that was my mistake. Sorry. By the way, Mr. Woojin, how old are you?"
"I'm twenty-seven."
"I'm two years older than you."
Hong Hyeyeon replied awkwardly, then let out a small sigh.
It looked like she was choosing her words carefully.
After a brief pause, she asked again with a very serious expression.
"How… how does someone develop acting skill like that on their own…?"
What she really wanted to say was, How can I reach that level too? But she held it back.
Hong Hyeyeon was one of Korea's top actresses.
And she was famous in the industry for her obsession with acting.
For her, there was no such thing as good enough.
Because of that intensity, some actors even avoided working with her.
When she first saw Kang Woojin, she felt envy.
But right now, as one of the country's top actresses, directly asking an unknown acting master for advice would have been humiliating.
If rumors like that spread, it could damage her image badly.
So she shifted the question instead.
"Never mind. Anyway, you still don't have an agency, right?"
"Yes."
At that moment—
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
Kang Woojin naturally stepped inside.
When he turned to look at Hong Hyeyeon again, she was smiling with her eyes and giving him a small wave.
"I hope we meet again through work."
Then the elevator doors closed.
At the same time, Kang Woojin—who had been holding himself together the whole time—collapsed into a crouch.
"Whew. I barely got through that."
Of course he had.
He had just had a close, one-on-one conversation with Hong Hyeyeon.
The fact that he had managed to carry that off so naturally was already a miracle.
"Wow, seriously. I can't even brag about this to anyone. But man… that was amazing."
Meanwhile, Hong Hyeyeon, still standing in the hallway, muttered to herself,
"Ha… honestly, that stings my pride a little."
She stared blankly at the elevator doors Kang Woojin had disappeared behind.
With her arms crossed and one foot lightly tapping the floor, she looked slightly sulky.
The reason was simple.
She had not met anyone recently who treated her with such complete indifference.
"Maybe he's just not interested in women… I seriously can't figure him out."
Her misunderstanding only deepened.
"Still, it's a good thing he doesn't have an agency yet."
Later that same night, in Park Eunmi's workspace.
It was around eleven.
With none of the assistant writers present, four people were gathered around the kitchen table in the large workspace.
Song Manwoo PD.
Writer Park Eunmi.
A production manager from C-Blue Studio.
And a casting Director.
In other words, they were the same people who had seen Kang Woojin earlier that afternoon.
Hong Hyeyeon was not there.
On the table in front of them were scripts and several transparent file folders.
It looked like a planning meeting.
But there was no conversation.
The atmosphere was heavy.
"..."
"..."
Everyone looked tired, buried in thought.
Why?
Because the afterimage of the insane actor Kang Woojin still had not faded.
Then—
"…Honestly."
The person in charge of producing Profiler Hanryang finally broke the silence.
"I had expectations after hearing PD Song talk about him, but I didn't think he'd be this good."
As soon as he finished, the casting Director with glasses jumped in.
This was his field, after all.
"I've worked as a casting Director for eight years. Among casting Directors, you could say I'm fairly experienced. But even I've never seen an actor like that before. No—someone like that simply doesn't exist. I can say that for sure."
"He felt like someone beyond the level of just 'acting a character,' didn't he?"
"…It was almost dangerous. You know how things like that happen sometimes. In Hollywood, actors have gotten hurt because they sank too deeply into a role. But this felt even more extreme than that."
"And yet the second he stopped acting, he snapped right back to himself. The switch was crystal clear."
At that—
"That part."
Song Manwoo PD, who had been sitting with his arms crossed, finally spoke.
"That ability to switch that clearly. Even top actors rarely have that."
"That's… true."
Park Eunmi, who had been absentmindedly flipping through the script pages, turned to Song Manwoo PD.
"You said earlier that Woojin had been overseas, right?"
"Yeah."
"Do you really think he was? I'm so curious about his past."
"You think I know? The overseas part is just my guess. But—"
Shrugging, Song Manwoo PD went on in a serious tone.
"You all saw that acting today. That wasn't normal. And he's self-taught? I don't know whether to call him amazing or insane."
Soon, unable to hold herself back any longer, Park Eunmi pointed at the tablet lying on the table.
It contained Kang Woojin's earlier acting footage as Assistant Manager Park.
"..."
"..."
Once again, everyone watched Woojin's acting through the video.
And that only made Park Eunmi's desperate greed stronger.
"Ah!"
She suddenly covered her face with both hands.
"The more I watch, the greedier I get. PD, this is the first time I've ever felt like this while writing."
"Same here."
"But… what if Woojin still refuses after all this?"
"What?"
"I mean—what if Woojin doesn't want to play Assistant Manager Park?"
"Ah."
Park Eunmi groaned, her long perm falling into a mess.
"Who else would even stand out after Woojin?"
In other words, in Park Eunmi's eyes, Kang Woojin had raised the acting standard so high that everyone else now looked lacking.
Song Manwoo PD felt the same way.
That was one of the reasons the two had worked together so many times.
Their tendencies were similar.
They would do anything for the work.
At that moment—
"Hmm, but…"
The production manager, who had been listening quietly, crossed his legs and spoke with a slightly stiff face.
"Kang Woojin. He was definitely an incredible actor, but the fact that he said he'd think about it is a little…"
Song Manwoo PD responded at once.
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious? Who's directing Profiler Hanryang, and who wrote it? It's PD Song and writer Park."
Both were powerful names in the industry.
"I didn't bring it up earlier, but several famous actors have put other casting meetings on hold because of this project. If they were offered Assistant Manager Park, they'd jump at it immediately."
"That's very likely."
"But both of you said you cared more about who could portray Assistant Manager Park properly than about career history. I agree with that. That's why we've kept rejecting actors who bring baggage."
Then the production manager suddenly got more worked up.
"He knows the situation perfectly well. Even if he didn't know, he should've sensed it. PD Song and writer Park were sitting right in front of him."
Thinking back on Kang Woojin, he went on,
"But the way he firmly said, 'I'll think about it,' came off as a little arrogant. Normally, shouldn't someone feel sincerely grateful to get an opportunity like this?"
A lot of people in the industry would probably have agreed with that.
But Song Manwoo PD, who had encountered Kang Woojin before anyone else there, only grinned.
"He was like that from the start. It felt like common sense just didn't apply to him."
"What do you mean?"
"Like he didn't care about give-and-take at all. You know that phrase kids use these days? Ah, right. 'Do it my way or don't do it at all.' That kind of attitude."
Still, the production manager let out a frustrated sigh.
"But PD, you know Assistant Manager Park isn't just some minor role! He's practically a second lead! So what exactly does he need to think about?"
Song Manwoo PD slowly stroked his beard, arms crossed, as he recalled Kang Woojin's face.
"He said he'd think about it. Maybe he has another angle in mind."
"Another angle? Like what?"
At that question, a meaningful smile spread across Song Manwoo PD's face as he answered quietly.
"Hmm… maybe he's trying to raise his own value."
He was talking about the appearance fee.
Naturally—
"Give me time to assess what I'm worth. Something like that."
It was an answer the actual person involved had never even thought of.