The water truck at the drug deal scene kept spraying without pause, as if it had broken down.
Tok, tok, tok!
Other than the pounding rain, not a single voice could be heard on set.
It was strange.
It was not simply that the rain drowned everything out.
More than sixty people were gathered there, yet not one of them spoke.
…
…
One of the supporting actors, who had barely managed to ask a few questions earlier, slowly looked around.
Then he realized it.
'Ah. None of them are in any state to answer me right now.'
The lead actors, supporting actors, staff, and even the people from the production company and distributor all kept their mouths shut and stared in one direction.
Their eyes were fixed on the spot where the rookie actor who had shown up for a short cameo had just passed.
Their expressions were almost identical.
Dilated pupils.
Slightly parted lips.
Furrowed brows.
Flaring nostrils.
They looked like people who had been struck from behind and left half senseless.
Then, after several long seconds seemed to pass—
Swoosh.
The first to move among the frozen crowd were the actors.
"…He's incredible. No, how can he be that good? He only skimmed the script for a moment, didn't he? How can someone act like that after, what, a month of preparation?"
They retraced what they had just witnessed, desperately trying to make sense of it.
"That was the first scene he shot the moment he arrived, and on top of that, it was from the revised script. Fine, I get that he didn't make any mistakes. But how could he perform with that much depth without any emotional build-up? Why did it feel so real?"
Even though they had seen it with their own eyes, they still could not process it.
The disbelief only kept swelling inside them.
"Honestly… because he's a rookie, I expected it to feel amateurish. But there's nothing to criticize. It's just shocking. He only had the script for three weeks, and he can already act with that kind of depth?"
There were many experienced actors on the set of Drug Dealer.
Maybe that was why they were even more shaken.
It was something they simply could not understand.
Neither admiration nor shock came out properly.
Each actor silently tried to make sense of the terrifying performance they had just witnessed.
None of them spoke to one another.
"His acting is on par with veteran actors. I don't understand why he was ever limited to body double work. The problem is, there's nothing rookie-like about his acting, his technique, or the impact he leaves behind."
Knowing they would get no answers even if they asked, the actors sank into silence and thought.
Meanwhile—
"…Wow."
Unlike the actors, the people from the production company and distributor slowly began to come back to their senses.
"That scene just now was legendary."
They started murmuring among themselves.
"That was from the revised script, right?"
"Yes. He executed everything from the storyboard perfectly, without missing a single thing."
"Then what about the way he played Lee Sangman? Wow. That was seriously shocking."
Both the production company and the distributor had struggled over the Lee Sangman issue, so this reversal hit them even harder.
"The way Lee Sangman spoke, his expression, his aura, even his habits—it all looked like it had been pulled straight out of the script. How… how can that be called rookie acting?"
At that point, one of the production executives crossed his arms and spoke solemnly.
"The moment Lee Sangman appears on screen, he'll seize every viewer. At that level, there's no doubt."
On the other hand—
Kang Woojin was still standing in place, facing the giant camera.
…
Several minutes had passed since he last looked toward the dangerous staircase.
Slowly, suspicion began creeping into his mind.
'Did I mess up?'
The set was too quiet.
According to the script, the scene should have ended already.
Someone should have called either OK or NG.
But all that remained was complete silence.
'No, I didn't mess up. I was nervous because there were so many people watching, but I'm pretty sure I was standing in the right spot. Then my acting must've been almost perfect too. Well… I guess I'll find out.'
Woojin decided to wait with an indifferent face.
The humidity made the air a little chilly, but it was still bearable.
More importantly—
'I'm a little worried about that extra from earlier. Is his neck okay?'
As Woojin recalled the extra actor with the cigarette pushed toward his throat, the middle-aged man standing beside him stared at him in disbelief.
'This guy is seriously insane.'
It was Lim Sangho, the main cinematographer.
He had observed Woojin's acting from the closest distance, from beginning to end.
From the moment Woojin stepped out of the car as Lee Sangman, Lim Sangho had felt something bizarre.
His acting was incredible, yes.
But even more unbelievable was the fact that he wrapped everything up in a single take without any preparation at all.
Kang Woojin had been astonishingly natural.
Even though it was his first time on such a massive set filled with staff and actors, he had not looked awkward in the slightest.
His ability to adapt was so strong it felt as though he had been there from the beginning.
'As a rookie, especially in a situation where the production company and distributor are both watching this closely, wouldn't he feel any pressure at all?'
Was something like this really possible?
In all of Lim Sangho's past experience, there had never been an actor like him.
Lim Sangho was a cinematographer with twenty years of experience.
To him, Kang Woojin looked like someone from another world.
And what about his composure?
So many eyes had been fixed on him, all of them studying him sharply, but Woojin had shown no sign of tension.
He had delivered that intense performance flawlessly.
'No. He looks too relaxed.'
Then Kang Woojin, who usually remained so composed, suddenly glanced up the stairs and shivered slightly.
He subtly rubbed his arm.
Lim Sangho narrowed his eyes.
'Don't tell me… he's already catching the emotional flow for the next drug injection scene? No, he's already immersed in it. He's visualizing the scene in his head.'
Meanwhile, Kang Woojin glanced toward the stairs and grumbled inwardly.
'Damn it. Did they turn on a fan upstairs or something? It's freezing. I think I'm going to catch a cold. How much longer are they going to make me wait?'
Then, at that exact moment—
"…All right, Cut!!"
At last, a shout came through the loudspeaker from outside the building.
It was Director Kim Dohui's cue.
Woojin calmly turned around, and his gaze met the cinematographer's.
Lim Sangho spoke first.
"Did you catch the emotional flow and atmosphere of the next scene properly?"
The stern-faced Woojin scoffed inwardly.
'What is this small-eyed old man talking about?'
Was that some kind of professional cue?
Woojin decided not to think too deeply about it.
"Yes, more or less."
"Haha. Now I understand why the Hanryang production staff praised you so much. I'm pretty close with the art Director from Hanryang, so I asked about you. They said that whenever they filmed with you, everyone became so absorbed that it felt like the character had jumped straight out of the script and become real."
"Really?"
"I thought that was an exaggeration, but apparently not."
The cinematographer paused for a moment, then let out a quiet laugh.
"Woojin, even if they exaggerated ten times more, it still wouldn't have felt strange."
Caught off guard by the sudden praise, Woojin did not know how to respond.
Just then, Director Kim Dohui, her thinning hair plastered down, hurried into the building.
"Woojin!"
She grabbed his hand and pulled him away, with several assistant Directors and staff following behind.
Startled, Woojin tried hard to maintain his composure.
No matter what, he had to stay immersed in the role.
"What is it?"
"Shi— no, sorry. I almost cursed because I got too excited. My god, Woojin, that was seriously amazing! I saw it with my own eyes and I still can't believe it! How did you do that? You barely even looked at the script."
'What did I do? I just went with the flow.'
Of course, he could not say that.
So Woojin pretended to be humble and answered,
"I just followed the script."
"Haha, but the fact that you followed it that perfectly is what's unbelievable."
Director Kim Dohui was already overflowing with excitement.
She had completely forgotten Oh Junwoo, the actor who had been replaced because of the accident.
"It really feels like a gift from heaven. This is the first time in my career as a Director that I've been moved by an actor's performance."
She had studied Kim Ryujin and Assistant Manager Park countless times, yet she could not find even a trace of them in Woojin's version of Lee Sangman.
The Lee Sangman she had envisioned was standing right in front of her.
It was not common.
Nor was it anything she had ever seen before.
It was a version of Lee Sangman that felt fresh and familiar at the same time.
Looking at the calm Kang Woojin, Director Kim Dohui was sincerely moved, even if that emotion had been born from misunderstanding.
'They call him a hardworking genius? Even with that insane schedule, he carefully analyzed my script and Lee Sangman in detail. Otherwise, there's no way this level of detail would be possible.'
She decided the only way she could repay him was by giving him another opportunity.
"Woojin, let's shoot that scene again. We followed the storyboard just now, but this time let's darken the lighting a bit more and push the camera angle more directly from the front."
"Understood."
Because this calm monster had already given her an ideal version of the scene, Director Kim Dohui wanted to capture Lee Sangman in an even more vivid and realistic way.
She ran outside and shouted toward the water truck.
"Make the rain much heavier!"
At the same time, the cinematographer patted Kang Woojin on the shoulder and made him a promise.
"If the shot doesn't come out perfectly, that's on me. Trust me. I'll film it with everything I've got."
The morale of the crew seemed to rise on its own.
"Please do."
Since they were saying they would shoot him well, there was no reason to refuse.
Though—
'Ah, but if everyone gets more fired up, doesn't that mean I get off work later?'
Feeling vaguely conflicted, Kang Woojin stepped outside.
The supporting actors and staff were already busy preparing for the reshoot.
Among them, the supporting actors and extras started whispering the moment they saw him.
"His acting is unbelievable."
"I saw it up close, and his eyes were seriously… wow. Honestly, Oh Junwoo never could've done that."
"Shh, the staff might hear you. But there's a reason Kang Woojin-ssi is getting so much attention. His acting is incredible."
Ignoring the whispers around him, Kang Woojin walked over to the extra actor who had been getting beaten during the shoot.
"Excuse me—"
The extra was soaked from head to toe, and his face was covered in realistic injury makeup.
The moment he saw Woojin, he flinched.
"Y-Yes?!"
"Are you okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"I was wondering if your neck is okay, or if there's anywhere that feels uncomfortable."
"Ah… no! I'm fine!"
"I'm sorry. I'll try to finish it as quickly as possible without any NGs."
"No, it's fine! Please don't worry."
"No, I think I'm the one who should be worried."
Muttering quietly, Kang Woojin gave the extras a short nod, then walked toward the parked cars.
Watching his back as he left, the extras whispered among themselves.
"I thought he'd be cold, but was I wrong? Wasn't he actually kind and cool just now?"
One by one, they began admiring Kang Woojin.
"He's not just a great actor. He's a great person too."
A few minutes later—
Preparations for reshooting the same scene were complete.
The setup itself was no different from before.
"What do you think? Will the second try be different?"
"If he adds something new on top of that quality, that'll be unbelievable."
"Do you think there still won't be any NG this time?"
"Who knows."
More than sixty onlookers still remained.
Not a single one had left.
The actors had moved even closer to the set, the staff had clustered around Director Kim Dohui, and the people from the production company and distributor had done the same.
The ring surrounding the filming zone had only tightened.
Watching all this from a distance, Choi Sunggeon smiled strangely.
"What is this, a zoo?"
Han Yejung, holding a coordinator's folder, chimed in.
"I get it now. Even when everything suddenly changed on set, Woojin didn't so much as twitch. Now I understand why professional actors get drawn in by someone like that."
But Choi Sunggeon, his arms folded, was focused on something else.
"They all seem mesmerized by that side of him, but what really surprises me is how perfectly he completed Lee Sangman. With a schedule that busy, how did he manage to achieve that level of perfection?"
It was so complete that no one on set could even complain.
"And Woojin isn't only thinking about Drug Dealer right now either."
"Ah."
Choi Sunggeon recalled Kang Woojin after Profiler Hanryang finished filming.
"At that point, he was already working on his character for Island of the Missing, and on top of that he's also handling a recent Japanese project. Right now, he's working on at least five projects at once."
No one outside Kang Woojin's team knew that.
"If they found out, everyone standing there would probably go into shock."
Director Kim Dohui raised the volume of her loudspeaker.
"Water truck!! Good, Roll camera!! Action!"
The reshoot began.
Soon, Kang Woojin stepped out of the car.
No—
Lee Sangman stepped out of the car.
This Lee Sangman was in no way inferior to the one from before.
"Come closer. I'm wet."
But it was not exactly the same.
If anything, it was sharper and more vivid.
The gentle but firm atmosphere.
The delicate motion of scratching his forearm.
Even the soft gaze caught by the camera.
Only by remaining faithful to the original Lee Sangman did an even deeper Lee Sangman emerge.
"Hyung! Please, spare me! I think I lost my mind! Please, hyung!"
Repeated readings and repeated takes were nothing more than the process of breathing life into the person called Lee Sangman.
Soon, despite the pouring rain, the heat on set only grew fiercer.
"Say 'ah.'"
"….What?"
"Say 'ah.' Open your mouth."
Crouching down, Lee Sangman grabbed his drenched subordinate by the hair.
Then, just as he was about to shove the wet cigarette into the subordinate's mouth—
Swoosh.
Because the subordinate's hair was wet, Lee Sangman's grip slipped.
In an instant, Kang Woojin realized his mistake.
'Oh.'
The subordinate's short hair was one reason.
The heavy rain certainly did not help.
Because of it, Woojin, who had been crouching, lost his balance.
Thud.
As the force pulled him forward, Woojin ended up wrapping his arms around the drenched subordinate.
It looked completely natural.
That action was not in the script.
Neither was the way he held the subordinate like that.
'What?'
Holding onto the subordinate, Kang Woojin thought,
'Ah, damn it.'
He froze for a moment.
At that instant, Director Kim Dohui, who had been watching the performance, flinched.
"…He hugged him?"
The expressions on the lead and supporting actors' faces turned serious all at once.
Was that ad-lib?
From a rookie actor in his very first scene?
That had definitely been ad-lib.
It was ad-lib.
He came up with that on the spot?
And meanwhile—
Inside the large film company MV Films, two people sat facing each other, already trapped in deep misunderstanding.
There was no one else around.
Director Kwon Gitak wore a warm smile as he said,
"I'm glad we'll be working together. I'm looking forward to it."
Across from him sat top actor Ryu Jungmin, his soft baby perm making him look faintly gentle.
"Thank you, Director."
It was the moment Ryu Jungmin's casting for Island of the Missing was confirmed.
His eyes were sincere.
Seeing that, Director Kwon Gitak gave a small smile.
"For the record, I wasn't able to give every actor the full casting information, but like I told you, Woojin-ssi joined first."
Ryu Jungmin nodded calmly.
"Yes, Director."
"Mm. There may be some awkwardness, right? Like during Hanryang, for example. Even if it's a short project, doing several in a row can be burdensome. Are you really okay? I hope you're not pushing yourself too hard."
Ryu Jungmin let out a quiet breath, then answered immediately.
"No, to be honest, I'm not okay."