"…Not bad, right?"
At Ryu Jungmin's firm answer, Director Kwon Gitak scratched his chin, folded his arms, and sank into thought.
"So in the end, you were forced into it."
"You could say that. To be honest, there were a lot of things that worried me."
"But is that because it's my project? Are you putting too much weight on the scale and background of this work?"
At that question, Ryu Jungmin straightened his posture.
Then he recalled the earlier filming set he had shared with Kang Woojin.
"…"
A few seconds later, he spoke again.
"Director, when actors are still early in their careers and start feeling the limits of their ability, they try to break past those limits. They're overflowing with energy. I was like that too."
"But once you establish yourself, instead of trying to break through, you often start feeling frustration instead. That sense of loss is enormous, isn't it?"
"…Hmm."
"But people see me as a top actor. That only amplifies the fear of failure and that sense of loss."
"The problem is, I recently fell into exactly that state, and the one who caused it was that monster pretending to be a rookie."
Ryu Jungmin gave a bitter smile.
"Leaving aside that monster's past, even if his entertainment career in Korea is far shorter than mine, he's the kind of monster who could tear apart everything I've built in this industry in just a few days."
"You're talking about Woojin."
"You asked if I'm really okay. Kang Woojin is incredible. I can't see his limit."
"Every time I look at him, all I see is growth. When I face him while acting, he feels far away."
"I try to close that gap, but the moment I think I've barely caught up, he's already far ahead of me again."
"Hmm."
Director Kwon Gitak slowly nodded.
He understood exactly what top actor Ryu Jungmin was feeling.
He had personally seen the dynamic between Ryu Jungmin and Kang Woojin on set.
On the surface, their acting might have looked similar.
But in depth and intensity, there was a clear difference.
Then Ryu Jungmin's bitter smile deepened.
"But ironically, at the exact moment I felt the biggest crisis in my ten-year acting career, that project is becoming a historic success."
"The evaluations of my acting and technical skill are higher than ever."
"You evolved. Usually, we call that breaking out of your shell."
"Yes. Without realizing it, I think I let go of the burden of being the lead, of being a top actor, and focused only on acting as I competed."
"Of course, Woojin may not have been thinking the same way I was."
Director Kwon Gitak answered inwardly.
Kang Woojin had made that possible by performing his supporting role perfectly on set.
Because of that, lead actor Ryu Jungmin had been able to focus purely on acting.
"When Woojin finished his part and left, it felt empty. At the same time, I felt anxious."
"When I'm with him, everything I've built feels trivial. Every time I see him, the urge to run away comes naturally."
"…"
"A lot of things fall apart. Motivation. Passion. Everything."
Then Ryu Jungmin's expression turned grave.
"But it also strips a person down to something pure. Desire, greed, jealousy, passion—every one of those words takes on the prefix pure."
"He exposes my weak points. I feel despair, but at the same time I see the possibility of growing even more."
"That's a rare kind of relationship."
"A monster? Sure, he's frightening. But I changed the way I think. I'm going to use that fear for my own benefit."
Ryu Jungmin leaned forward slightly.
Meeting Director Kwon Gitak's eyes, he smiled faintly.
"And this time, there's no gap between our roles. It'll be far more intense."
"Now I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm curious how much more monstrous Woojin will become, and how much I'll grow."
Director Kwon Gitak laughed inwardly.
Ryu Jungmin was an incredible monster too.
Just a completely different kind from Kang Woojin.
Meanwhile, back on the filming set of Drug Dealer.
Director Kim Dohee was absorbed in the monitor, savoring the scene.
The lead and supporting actors were waiting for Kang Woojin's next move.
'I wasn't expecting ad-libbing here. His changes in acting are so varied, it's mesmerizing.'
'Did he think his earlier acting was lacking? It looked more than good enough to me.'
Because Woojin's first performance had left such a strong impression, no one except Woojin himself thought there was anything wrong with the current hug scene.
Still—
'Hmm? This atmosphere... I feel like I've experienced it before.'
In that strangely quiet moment, Kang Woojin remembered the past.
He recalled the time he had actually fallen over during the filming of The Private Investigator.
Somehow, everyone had thought his mistake was part of the acting.
The energy now felt exactly the same.
'All right, let's keep this moving smoothly.'
His boldness hit its peak.
Thanks to that previous experience, Woojin kept his composure and focused once again on the role of Lee Sangman.
As a result, filming continued without any disruption.
Of course, no one noticed Woojin's mistake.
On the outside, he looked calm.
Inside, he was clenching his fists.
'Looks good. It seems like it went smoothly, right?'
Only after repeating the scene around four times did they move on.
The next scene was Lee Sangman alone, high on drugs.
It was an important scene.
It had to firmly imprint Lee Sangman's character after his first appearance in front of the drug dealer.
Because of that, the other actors didn't approach Woojin.
They all looked curious, but none of them stepped forward.
"Woojin, are you ready to keep going? You can rest if you want."
Director Kim Dohee, who had been rehearsing with Woojin, looked a little concerned.
But for Woojin, who held the script in his hand, time didn't mean much.
It only delayed the moment he had to leave.
"No, I'm fine. We can keep going."
With a cynical expression, Woojin briefly scanned Lee Sangman's office set while the filming set was being prepared.
After checking the space, he secretly raised his index finger and stared into empty air before filming, preparing himself.
Thump!
More precisely, he was bracing himself for his dulled senses.
It was disgusting.
But the more he repeated it, the clearer it became, and the less afraid he felt.
A little while later, Kang Woojin returned after experiencing Lee Sangman's world.
For Lee Sangman, reality and death coexisted.
Carrying that sticky emotion with him, Woojin sat on the sofa and tried to maximize Lee Sangman's presence and drag out his emotions.
He was already fully immersed in the character.
But he wanted more.
'Just a little more. Make it more real.'
He was already Lee Sangman.
Even so, he tried to forget that and focus again.
He had to sink into the role completely.
At this moment, the surrounding environment did not matter much.
This scene was only about Lee Sangman's presence.
Then—
"Ready—"
Director Kim Dohee, having finished preparations, shouted loudly through the megaphone.
"Action!"
Kang Woojin immediately depicted the path of death Lee Sangman had walked.
A disgusting smell seemed vividly stamped across his face.
"Kh—hu—"
His eyes, nose, and mouth moved unnaturally.
Something was pulling at Lee Sangman.
Or maybe pushing him away.
The physical space itself felt as though it were endlessly dissolving.
Lee Sangman's world was full of things beyond description.
It was incredibly intense, yet vague.
The camera captured head-on a face filled with a world of death.
Far too close.
Because of that, the forced joy and sorrow reflected on the monitor felt even more vivid.
More than sixty crew members were watching it all unfold right in front of them.
No one said a word.
No one dared speak while watching that performance.
It wasn't the kind of acting one could casually evaluate.
The scene itself was not long.
"...Cut! Ah, got it!!"
The instant the signal dropped, Woojin's dazed face immediately returned to its usual blankness.
The addictive energy pouring out of him only moments before seemed to vanish all at once.
Keeping in mind the possibility of a retake, Kang Woojin organized the props and handed them back to the prop team.
Only then did a few actors whisper among themselves.
"That was completely insane."
"I got chills. He portrayed something between a seizure and a convulsion, and I can't even describe it."
Director Kim Dohee, still holding the megaphone, looked slightly dazed.
Of course, her eyes stayed fixed on Woojin in the monitor.
'He's not a rookie. He's just an actor. A real actor.'
He was truly outstanding.
There was no other way to put it.
The scene they had just filmed was one Director Kim Dohee had designed with extreme care.
She had personally interviewed drug addicts and collected every drug-related video she could find just for that moment.
Her standards for the acting had been extremely high.
And Kang Woojin had handled the role far too easily.
Of course, she wasn't the only one who felt that way.
At that moment, one of the production company executives standing beside her spoke hesitantly.
"...Um... I'm only asking because I'm genuinely worried, but has Kang Woojin maybe ever done drugs or something?"
"It sounds strange, but wow... the acting felt way too real."
"Don't be ridiculous. That's impossible."
A few of the distribution staff cautiously added their opinions.
"But he portrayed it in such detail..."
"...Something like that has happened before."
"Ah, you mean Jo Hojae?"
The situation itself was bizarre.
His performance was so good that the production staff were starting to confuse acting with reality.
Director Kim Dohee stepped in directly.
"Is there anyone here who has actually used drugs?"
"No, not at all."
"Then how can you say what Woojin just did was realistic?"
"..."
"If you're going to be suspicious, why don't you investigate me first, since I wrote the script?"
"No, I'm sorry, Director."
"Don't ever ask Woojin something like that. If you insult a talented actor like him, this set will turn into a disaster."
The production and distribution staff immediately backed off.
After all, when Director Kim Dohee said she would do something, she always did it.
Still, Director Kim Dohee understood their feelings to some degree.
Look at it another way, and it meant Kang Woojin's acting was so overwhelming that it could make people say something that stupid.
A rookie who had debuted only a few months ago had managed to rattle industry veterans with acting alone.
It was impressive enough to be absurd.
A little later, Director Kim Dohee stood up and coldly addressed the production and distribution staff.
"All right, everyone out now. You've seen Kang Woojin's acting. You've verified it. Now you're just getting in the way of filming."
Then she walked over to Woojin on set.
Woojin was talking with the cinematographer.
"Woojin, are you okay?"
Woojin, who looked slightly tired, replied in a low voice.
"Yes, I'm fine."
"All right, let's take a short break. Anyone would get worn out after a scene that intense."
"The footage came out well too, so there's no need to reshoot it. Just rest and settle your emotions."
Director Kim Dohee patted Woojin on the shoulder and exchanged a glance with the cinematographer.
"Woojin, let's go have a cigarette."
She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket.
Woojin calmly shook his head.
"No, I don't smoke."
"...Ah, you don't smoke?"
"No, I don't smoke."
For a moment, both Director Kim Dohee and the cinematographer looked surprised.
Director Kim Dohee asked,
"But even when you filmed as Lee Sangman, you smoked so naturally. I assumed you were a heavy smoker in real life too."
Woojin answered as if it were nothing.
"That was just acting."
At that, Director Kim Dohee finally burst out laughing.
"...Haha, I was completely fooled."
She realized she wasn't really that different from the production and distribution staff after all.
It was early the next morning.
The area around the shabby warehouse inside the massive set of the film Drug Dealer was busy.
Anyone could tell they were in the middle of preparations.
"Art team! The Director said there needs to be more blood on this chair!"
"How much more?!"
"A lot! A lot more!"
"Cover that window up there! Where's the blackout curtain?!"
"I'll bring it right away!"
The atmosphere was exactly like an abandoned warehouse.
Thick stone pillars marked by time stood throughout the space.
Trash was scattered all over the floor.
In one corner, bloodstained plastic sheets had been spread out.
In the middle of all that, dozens of staff members moved around busily.
Click.
One man drew particular attention.
He sat in a wooden chair placed in the center of the warehouse, reading a script.
He wore an ordinary short-sleeved T-shirt.
It was none other than Jin Jaejun, the male lead of Drug Dealer.
Known for his sharp looks, he was one of Korea's top actors.
He was also famous for method acting.
In Drug Dealer, he played undercover detective Jung Sunghoon.
What was interesting was this.
"Hoo—"
Tension was clearly written across Jin Jaejun's face.
Filming for Drug Dealer had already passed the halfway point.
He was fully immersed in his role.
And yet something was obviously weighing on him.
It was because of Kang Woojin.
The monstrous rookie who had appeared the day before.
With a single scene, that rookie had turned the entire set upside down.
After filming ended yesterday, the actors at the lodging had talked about nothing but Kang Woojin.
And Jin Jaejun thought,
'It's exactly like Jungmin hyung told me.'
He had already asked Ryu Jungmin about Kang Woojin because he wanted to know what kind of actor he was.
Ryu Jungmin's answer had been brief and clear.
Act with absolute sincerity. Otherwise, before you realize it, you'll get overshadowed.
Honestly, Jin Jaejun had found it hard to believe.
Even if it was advice from a top actor like Ryu Jungmin, how could a rookie actor overshadow him?
But after what happened yesterday, he sincerely believed it.
They brought in a replacement.
And the replacement turned out to be terrifying.
Even watching him through the Director's monitor had been enough to send chills down his spine.
Kang Woojin's drug scene in particular had enough force to grab the viewer by the throat.
Today, Jin Jaejun was supposed to film his first scene directly opposite Kang Woojin.
In the film, Jung Sunghoon dreamed of expanding into Japan and arranged a meeting with Lee Sangman through his organized crime connections.
By then, Lee Sangman had already become the head of the largest organization in Busan.
With one wrong move, Jung Sunghoon's plans for Japan would collapse.
And without anyone knowing, he could lose his life at Lee Sangman's hands.
But at that point, the only person with proper Japanese connections was Lee Sangman.
So Jung Sunghoon had no choice but to win his favor.
The problem was the meeting place.
It wasn't an office.
It was an abandoned warehouse.
In the actual script, many intense scenes unfolded between Jung Sunghoon and Lee Sangman inside that warehouse.
Naturally, the climax was created by Lee Sangman's hand.
Then—
Swish.
"Hello."
Kang Woojin, finished with makeup and costume, entered the warehouse.
He had also stayed at the lodging near the set the night before.
And although his voice was still low, he seemed slightly more lively today than he had the day before.
After greeting Director Kim Dohee and the staff, Woojin said,
"Hello, sunbae-nim."
He bowed to Jin Jaejun, who had been waiting.
Jin Jaejun gave a faint smile and held out his hand.
"We didn't get to properly greet each other yesterday. I'm glad we'll be working together. Looks like we'll be seeing each other often from now on, right?"
"Yes. I'll do my best."
Seeing Kang Woojin up close, Jin Jaejun noticed his aura was unusual.
'Is he calm, or is he cold? Hard to tell. But his real personality doesn't matter when it comes to acting.'
Meanwhile, after letting go of Jin Jaejun's hand, Woojin sank into thought.
'Wow, Jin Jaejun really does look young. Handsome, compact build... top actors really are on another level.'
A few dozen minutes later, preparations for filming were complete.
Actors who weren't even scheduled to film that day had gathered inside the warehouse.
"Huh? Professor, you're here too?"
"There are a few scenes with Lee Sangman, and I was curious how his acting would look in a proper exchange instead of a solo scene."
"Ah, right. It was Lee Sangman who killed Professor Kim, wasn't it?"
It would've been more accurate to call them an audience than actors.
Anyway, Kang Woojin and Jin Jaejun were seated facing each other in the middle of the warehouse.
Director Kim Dohee stood between them holding the script.
"Let's assume we already filmed the scene where Lee Sangman tortures his subordinate, and rehearse the next part."
"Woojin, here's the knife."
Soon, a sashimi knife was handed to Kang Woojin, who was wearing only a shirt.
The blade was clean for now.
But during actual filming, blood would be dripping from it.
Kang Woojin took the knife and wiped it against his shirt sleeve.
Then he tossed it into the middle of the table.
The knife rolled and stopped in front of Jin Jaejun.
No—
more precisely, in front of Jung Sunghoon.
At that moment, Lee Sangman leaned forward and spoke.
"What do you want?"
Trying hard to stay calm, Jung Sunghoon answered,
"I came to sell drugs. Open the road to Japan for me."
"Those Japanese bastards are slippery."
"I know. But if you vouch for me, it'll work. That's why I came here."
"Then show me what you've got."
Jung Sunghoon took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
Looking at the tiny particles, Lee Sangman said,
"A deck of diamonds."
Then suddenly—
Thud!
Lee Sangman quickly grabbed the sashimi knife in front of Jung Sunghoon and brought it right up to his eye.
The sharp blade trembled faintly in front of Jung Sunghoon's right eye.
Jung Sunghoon flinched.
Lee Sangman tilted his head slightly and said,
"Your eyes don't look like a drug dealer's."
With a fierce stare, he looked deep into Jung Sunghoon's eyes.
"Your eyes look like a snitch's. You are a snitch, aren't you?"
Jin Jaejun swallowed before he even realized it.