Monday morning, the 17th. Kang Woojin's studio apartment.
Over the weekend, dozens of people from the Profiler Hanryang production team and the entertainment industry had been thrown into confusion by the sudden appearance of a mysterious actor.
But the man at the center of it all, Kang Woojin, was on a completely different wavelength.
"Hm—"
He had no idea any of that was happening.
With his hair a mess and his legs crossed, he simply stared blankly at his laptop screen.
It was a little past nine in the morning.
The first thing Woojin checked after waking up was the movie community site his friend Kim Daeyoung had sent him a few days earlier.
To be exact, Kang Woojin had already spent part of the weekend digging through it.
Now, he was reading through everything he had gathered.
Since the community was packed with random tidbits, it also contained a fair amount of information about the short film The Private Investigator.
However—
"None of this is actually confirmed."
It was hard to believe everything posted there was true.
These days, there were too many online communities, and most of them were flooded with nonsense.
So Woojin focused only on the posts that looked the most credible.
Movie Info: Title: The Private Investigator (Short Film) / Blue View Film Company (Independent Production Company) / Director: Shin Dongchun (Unknown)
There are rumors production has been confirmed! Someone I know in theater said auditions are already happening, so it seems almost certain.
It was the most detailed post on the site.
And it also had the most views and comments.
Even so, the information was still thin.
There wasn't even a contact number.
"Would a community really be satisfied with something this vague?"
Muttering to himself, Kang Woojin moved the cursor.
Click.
First, he searched for The Private Investigator and Director Shin Dongchun through a search engine, but nothing meaningful came up.
"Then maybe the film company."
Next, Woojin searched for Blue View Film Company.
Fortunately, there were results.
Unfortunately, there was still very little information.
It only listed the company's address and described it as a studio specializing in short films.
"Don't they usually at least leave a phone number?"
There was no number there either.
Maybe the production company really was that small.
Woojin had heard something similar from Kim Daeyoung before.
The reality of independent films, short films, and art films was brutally bleak.
In the end, the only thing he managed to get was the address.
"Hm. Sitting around won't get me anywhere. I should just go to the production company myself."
The reason Kang Woojin had stayed interested in The Private Investigator even after securing a role in Profiler Hanryang was simple.
The scenario itself was interesting.
And more importantly, it gave him another chance to experiment with the void space.
The drama would be measured by ratings.
But The Private Investigator was a short film that might not even get released.
And yet, inside the void space, it had been marked as B-grade.
-[4 / Scenario (Title: The Private Investigator), B-Grade]
So more than anything, what Woojin wanted to know was what kind of production environment a short film like The Private Investigator had.
And since it was only a short film, the burden felt lighter.
"Whenever veteran actors do interviews, they all say they started with really small projects."
Woojin vaguely remembered hearing something like that before.
And it wasn't far from the truth.
Some actors exploded into fame overnight.
Some rose like shooting stars.
But stars like that were like fireworks.
They burned bright, then vanished fast.
Countless actors had caused a sensation once, only to disappear completely later.
On the other hand, actors who slowly built their filmography from the bottom up tended to have stronger foundations and lasted much longer.
Right now, Kang Woojin was instinctively leaning toward the second path.
"I've already got a major drama lined up, so filming The Private Investigator can just be something lighter. Well… that's if I even get the chance to be in it."
He still had time.
A normal actor would probably be buried in the Profiler Hanryang script around now, but Kang Woojin didn't need to be.
Even the day before filming, he could still rehearse hundreds of times inside the void space.
Woojin was trying to absorb everything he was encountering in the entertainment industry for the first time, like a sponge.
Around then—
Swoosh.
Woojin, who had been staring at the laptop, turned his head.
The copied script for The Private Investigator was sitting there.
And beside it, naturally, was the black square.
Without a word, Kang Woojin picked up the stack of The Private Investigator scripts.
"..."
He had already read the scenario before, but he had never actually experienced it inside the void space.
Recently, between the experiments in the void space and everything related to Profiler Hanryang, his mind had been scattered.
But things had calmed down a little now.
So—
Swoosh.
Just as Woojin raised his index finger toward the black square—
Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
His phone started ringing.
When he checked the caller ID, a curse escaped him inwardly.
'Bitch.'
The contact saved under that name was his younger sister, the only blood relative he had besides his parents.
She had not contacted him in ages, and yet now she was suddenly calling.
'She definitely heard from Mom. One hundred percent.'
Kang Woojin's sudden bombshell—that he was becoming an actor.
If he answered, his sister would obviously start mocking him.
So Woojin quietly ignored the call.
But then—
Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
The phone rang again.
Another call.
Soon, Kang Woojin muttered in irritation.
"Ah, seriously?"
But then something unexpected happened.
"Huh?"
The number on the screen was not Bitch.
It was unsaved.
Had she borrowed someone else's phone?
Thinking that, Woojin still answered.
"Hello."
Then a familiar and yet unfamiliar female voice came from the other end.
It definitely wasn't family.
"This is Hong Hyeyeon."
"..."
Wait.
What had she just said?
Hong… Hong Hyeyeon?
Top actress Hong Hyeyeon had just called Kang Woojin directly.
At that moment, Woojin shot to his feet.
He nearly shouted, This is insane, but somehow managed to hold it in.
'Calm down. You need to stay calm right now.'
After repeating a few mantras to himself in silence, Woojin regained his composure.
"Hello."
Since it was morning, his throat was still dry, so his voice came out colder than usual.
He hadn't meant to do it.
On the other end, Hong Hyeyeon spoke again.
"...Isn't your reaction a little lukewarm?"
"Should I have been more surprised?"
"That's not exactly what I meant."
"I was surprised."
"Fine. Anyway, I heard you've been confirmed for Assistant Manager Park."
"Yes."
"Things are apparently pretty noisy among the staff right now. Since an actor who wasn't part of the original plan suddenly joined, rumors are flying everywhere. Everyone's curious."
Woojin blinked.
That happened?
He had no idea, but still replied calmly.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Assistant Manager Park was a pretty hot role to begin with. Anyway, you're going to become a star from the very first script reading."
"..."
"Everyone's going to walk in and see some actor they've never even heard of sitting there. Sounds fun."
A faint laugh came through the phone.
"I've been watching you from the start, so I called to tell you. I'll see you at the script reading."
"Take care."
"What is this? Don't push work onto me. I'm resting right now."
With another low laugh from Hong Hyeyeon, the call ended.
Woojin slowly lowered his phone and muttered to himself.
"Wow… that's amazing."
Just a few days ago, it had been nothing but an ordinary phone.
Now it held the number of top actress Hong Hyeyeon.
A goddess he had only ever seen on TV had just called him directly.
Kang Woojin's life was turning upside down.
"If I sold this phone to Kim Daeyoung, I could probably make hundreds of millions."
Smiling to himself, Woojin poked the black square beside The Private Investigator.
Plop!
In an instant, Kang Woojin was sucked into the void space.
Later that afternoon.
Inside an old building.
The building itself was old, and the hallway was just as worn down.
At the very end of the corridor, a slightly faded nameplate hung on an iron door.
—Blue View Film Company
The office inside was small.
Two men sat facing each other across a desk in the middle of the room.
One had small eyes.
The other had a square jaw.
Both looked like they were in their forties.
And judging by their expressions, both were in miserable moods.
Their conversation was already underway.
The square-jawed man let out a deep sigh and scratched his head.
"So you're saying we have to make him the lead? And fill the supporting cast with rookies?"
The small-eyed man nodded firmly.
"That's right. But you expected this too, didn't you, Director? Let's think positively. They liked your script. That's why we even got this far."
He tapped the stack of papers in front of him with one finger.
On the cover, the title was written clearly:
The Private Investigator
Whether that mattered or not, the square-jawed man—called Director—rubbed his face with one hand as the small-eyed man continued awkwardly.
"Director, to be honest, I'm angry too. But the situation itself isn't bad. We somehow got the chance to produce a film that was practically on the verge of collapse."
"...Then how are we supposed to raise more funding?"
"You've been saying that for months. That's exactly why so many independent and short-film productions fall apart."
"..."
"Director, think positively. In this industry, it's common to cast actors who come attached to money. And The Private Investigator is a short film, not a commercial one. They said they'd cover the full investment once the cast is confirmed. That's a rare opportunity."
The Director gritted his teeth.
"But the actor they're trying to push into the lead caused controversy in the past."
"Yes. Park Junghyuk. He was involved in a pretty major assault case before. Because of that, he took nearly two years off. Lately he's been doing independent films and short films, and that's how he reached out to us."
"So this is basically his attempt to bury the scandal."
"Yes, that's right. It looks like Park Junghyuk wants to completely change his image through The Private Investigator. Like he's saying he'll start over from the bottom. But Director… do we really have the luxury to separate clean water from dirty water? Even if we have to wade into the mud, the film still has to get made."
But the square-jawed Director held his head in both hands, still clearly conflicted.
"...Even so. I think this is wrong."
"What's wrong with it? The short-film and independent-film market has always been like this. You heard stories like this all the time back when you worked as a drama PD. Director, calm down and think about it. The investment and actors are already lined up."
The small-eyed man tapped the The Private Investigator script again.
"GGO Entertainment said they'll start production immediately once you approve it. They also said the investment money will be delivered right away."
"..."
The Director stayed silent, both hands still covering his head.
The small-eyed man sighed.
"You don't have much time to think, Director. At most, a few days. You'll have to decide by then. And tomorrow, you're meeting President Park from GGO Entertainment again, right?"
"...Yes."
"He's bringing a few new actors for the supporting roles. They'll perform for you. Once you make your decision, you'll be able to see actor Park Junghyuk too. So please make sure you keep tomorrow's appointment."
"Ah—"
Soon, the square-jawed, messy-haired Director slowly nodded.
"...Alright."
Ten minutes later.
The Director left the shabby Blue View Film Company and walked down the hallway with a stiff face.
Reality felt harsh in every way, and he let out a sigh with each step.
Then—
Swoosh.
As he started down the stairs—
♫♪
His phone rang inside his coat pocket.
Startled, he stopped on the stairs and checked the screen.
A small smile appeared on his face.
He quickly answered.
"Yes, hyung. I was going to call you, but I held back."
A man's voice came from the other side.
"Why? Why'd you hold back?"
"You've been busy lately, right?"
"Yeah. But don't you know I'm only going to get busier from here? Where are you?"
"I'm near Sinsa Station."
"Good. I've got a meeting tomorrow, so I can't stay long. Let's just have one bottle of soju."
The square-jawed Director nodded as he headed toward the subway station.
"Sounds good. The spicy chicken feet place we always go to?"
About an hour later.
It was already past nine at night.
The square-jawed Director was sitting in a spicy chicken feet restaurant near Yangjae Station.
Even though it was only Monday night, the place was crowded thanks to how famous the food was.
Meanwhile—
"..."
The Director, who had gotten there early, was drinking soju alone.
His only side dish was kimchi.
The whole scene looked bleak.
His stiff face made his mood obvious.
Then—
Swoosh.
The Director checked the time.
His hyung was running very late.
"Why is hyung so late?"
Fortunately, around then—
"Hey, Shin Dongchun."
Someone called out to him from the entrance of the restaurant.
The square-jawed Director stood at once with a smile.
"You're late. Really late. What happened, hyung?"
"Sorry, sorry. There was an accident up ahead, so traffic was awful."
The man he called hyung awkwardly scratched his beard.
"And the Profiler Hanryang scenario meeting dragged on longer than expected."
The man Shin Dongchun called hyung was none other than the PD of Profiler Hanryang.
Song Manwoo PD.
"But are you crazy? Why are you drinking soju with nothing but kimchi? That's depressing as hell."