After hearing the robotic female voice, Kang Woojin grinned.
'My singing can improve?'
The result had gone far beyond his expectations.
To be honest, Woojin had vaguely expected something like this.
But he had never imagined it would be this extreme.
The clue had been cigarettes.
Woojin had never smoked in his life.
But after gaining the void space, he first experienced smoking while playing Kim Ryujin in the early stages of The Private Investigator.
What was interesting was that he had felt no discomfort at all.
Usually, first-time smokers reacted badly almost every time.
But Kang Woojin hadn't even coughed.
In other words, it was clearly the power of the void space.
It was as if the character's traits had been transferred directly into Woojin's body.
That was why, even while playing Lee Sangman, cigarettes had felt completely natural to him.
Addiction?
He wasn't worried about that at all.
While acting as Lee Sangman, he craved cigarettes intensely.
But the moment the role ended and he let go of Lee Sangman, all thoughts of smoking disappeared completely.
That was when an idea came to Kang Woojin.
Maybe singing could be learned the same way smoking had been.
He had never expected to become a professional singer.
He had only wanted enough singing ability to suit a stage performance.
Just one verse.
Maybe one full song.
That would have been enough.
Singing was different from learning languages.
Anyone could learn a language.
But singing required natural talent and physical conditions.
But—
[Preparing to improve singing ability…]
The void space was improving his singing.
Was it really enhancing even his singing ability, just like it had improved his language skills?
Kang Woojin shook his head in disbelief.
"This void space is seriously insane. Wow… this is crazy."
How far did the limits of this bizarre ability go?
But that wasn't what mattered right now.
Woojin only needed to enjoy the moment.
Then suddenly—
A thought crossed his mind.
"Wait… was my singing really that bad?"
Kang Woojin laughed awkwardly.
He had actually been somewhat confident in his singing.
But inside the void space, that level apparently meant almost nothing.
If his singing had already been close to Han Inho's level from the drama Boyfriend, then maybe nothing would have changed at all.
"If I'd filmed without this upgrade… that would've been humiliating."
Just imagining it made him cringe.
At that moment—
[…Preparation complete. Beginning the process of improving 'singing ability.']
As soon as the robotic female voice finished speaking, the familiar gray world swallowed Kang Woojin.
A moment of weightlessness followed.
Then—
Woojin opened his eyes.
'Huh?'
'This feels a little different.'
It was different from the place where he had learned languages.
First of all—
he wasn't floating.
And it wasn't completely gray either.
Instead, he was standing firmly in an endless dark space.
Then—
"Whoa."
A white beam of light suddenly appeared in the darkness.
It stretched endlessly from Woojin's feet to the distant horizon.
Something was moving along that beam.
Musical notes.
Silver musical notes glided along the white path.
Then—
They accelerated.
And crawled across Woojin's body.
The notes gathered around his throat.
Then melted into him.
At the same time—
a tingling sensation spread through his body.
"Mm."
The tingling grew stronger.
But more notes kept coming.
"Another one."
A second.
A third.
Then countless notes.
They poured down endlessly along the white beam.
Time passed.
Eventually—
Woojin returned to the hotel room.
He thought he had heard the robotic voice one last time, but the experience had been so overwhelming that he couldn't remember it clearly.
"..."
Kang Woojin stood silently beside the small table.
Then he touched his throat.
The tingling sensation still lingered faintly.
Soon—
he opened his mouth.
"Ahhh—"
…Huh?
Something was different.
Resonance?
His voice itself sounded the same.
But somehow—
it felt different.
Unable to put it into words, Woojin immediately walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Swoosh.
Water rushed down loudly.
Woojin cleared his throat.
Then he began to sing.
Every song he could remember.
♬♪
Just one line.
A single verse from a ballad he always sang at karaoke.
And immediately—
Woojin muttered,
"This is ridiculous."
His singing had clearly improved.
Soon after.
Around 7 p.m., Kang Woojin once again immersed himself in filming Drug Dealer.
A world-shaking event had just happened in his hotel room.
But no one knew about it.
And Kang Woojin showed nothing on the surface.
Inside, however—
he was grinning.
'Did my vocal range get wider?'
Interestingly, while acting as Lee Sangman, Woojin's vocal acting improved too.
His pronunciation had become firmer.
More controlled.
That caught the attention of Director Kim Dohui and the production staff.
"Does Woojin's speech sound different today? Or is it just me?"
"It was good before too… but now it sounds even more attractive."
In any case—
Kang Woojin's acting remained excellent.
Maybe because he felt so good, he didn't look tired at all.
The scene being filmed showed Lee Sangman meeting the Japanese yakuza after Jung Hoon killed drug king Choi Junho.
"We bring in the raw materials from China, produce in Korea, and sell in Japan."
Lee Sangman's Japanese flowed naturally.
The actors playing the yakuza were actual Japanese actors.
Yet Lee Sangman's Japanese sounded just as natural.
It felt like native speakers having a real conversation.
"Haha. Selling is no problem. But production is fine, right?"
"Hyung, don't you trust me? I'll give you the best results. Just handle the market."
Of course, Kang Woojin's acting went far beyond fluent Japanese.
He vividly portrayed Lee Sangman's descent into addiction.
As time passed—
dark circles deepened.
His skin turned pale.
His voice weakened.
Woojin portrayed a man dying from drug addiction with terrifying realism.
The makeup helped.
But Kang Woojin's hollow facial acting was the real highlight.
Even the other actors praised him.
"His voice is getting weaker and weaker. Even his eyes look fragile. It's totally different from the morning shoot."
"And did you see how he kept checking his forearm during his lines? That's exactly how addicts behave."
"This is the first time I've seen a rookie focus on details like that."
"He doesn't feel like a rookie at all. But Woojin is hard to approach."
"Yeah… he has a cold aura."
"I heard he taught himself acting."
"What? How is that even possible?"
"I heard it from Mr. Park from Profiler Hanryang. Since he studied acting alone, maybe he doesn't have much experience acting with others."
While the actors chatted among themselves—
Choi Sunggeon, who was waiting nearby, suddenly felt his phone vibrate.
Bzzzzzz.
He stepped away and answered.
"Yes, this is Choi Sunggeon."
A man spoke from the other side.
"Hello, Mr. Choi. I'm calling from Director Kyotaro Tanoguchi's agency."
"…Ah! Yes!"
Choi Sunggeon moved even farther away.
"We received the manuscript you sent."
"That's good news."
"The reason I'm calling is that Director Kyotaro is currently in Korea."
Choi Sunggeon's eyes widened.
"What? Right now?"
"Yes. But he didn't come specifically to meet Kang Woojin."
"I understand."
"However, the person accompanying him would like to see Kang Woojin's acting in person. Is he currently filming?"
Choi Sunggeon glanced toward the filming set.
Kang Woojin was acting intensely.
Only then did he realize something.
'I figured the Director might come back to Korea… but this is too soon.'
What especially caught his attention was the guest.
Director Kyotaro was famous even in Japan.
Anyone accompanying him was bound to be important.
After a brief moment of thought, Choi Sunggeon replied,
"Actually, Woojin is filming a movie right now."
"Ah, I see."
"It's a cameo role, but an important one. If they want to see his acting, that's possible. But the timing will need to be carefully coordinated."
"Could you tell us his schedule?"
"Once today's shoot ends, he'll have a short break. Filming resumes again in about two days."
That would be when Kang Woojin filmed Lee Sangman's final scene.
A cruel death.
Two completely different scenes scheduled back-to-back.
Both were very important.
"Then may we visit in two days?"
"Yes."
Pages rustled on the other side.
"Understood. The Director and the guest will quietly observe Kang Woojin's performance and then leave."
"Yes. I'll keep it a secret from Woojin as well."
Choi Sunggeon smiled faintly.
"It could distract him otherwise."
Then the man asked one last question.
"Has Kang Woojin read Director Kyotaro's scenario?"
"I usually don't interfere in that area, but I trust he's taking it seriously."
Thinking of Woojin's personality, Choi Sunggeon chuckled.
"He may have already made his decision."
The next morning.
The 10th.
HTBS Broadcasting Station.
A little past 9 a.m.
Kang Woojin and Choi Sunggeon walked through the hallway of the HTBS entertainment department.
Both wore white short-sleeved shirts and jeans suited to the warm June weather.
Then—
"Alright. See you later."
In front of the meeting room, Choi Sunggeon patted Woojin on the shoulder.
It seemed only Woojin would be going in.
"Understood."
Inside, Woojin felt slightly nervous.
'Damn. I've been to a broadcasting station before… but this is my first time in the entertainment department.'
Still, his calm mask remained perfect.
Knock knock.
He opened the meeting room door.
The first person he saw—
was PD Yoon Byungseon.
"Oh! Woojin, you're here?"
Yoon PD quickly stood and shook his hand.
Several female writers were seated around the room.
"Hello."
After greeting them, Woojin looked around.
Small cameras were placed on the table.
More were set up around the room.
Yoon PD smiled reassuringly.
"Haha, don't be nervous. If your appearance is confirmed, we'll use the footage. If not, we won't."
Confirmed?
What exactly was being confirmed?
Woojin sat down.
Inside, he was confused.
Yoon PD continued.
"You've been busy lately, right? I saw the news. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"Your value is rising day by day."
Then he handed Woojin a thin document.
"This is a proposal for a new variety show we're preparing."
"..."
"We're planning to air it in the second half of the year. Honestly, it might be the biggest variety show I've ever made."
"Please take a look."
Woojin lowered his head.
Inside—
he panicked.
'A variety show?!'
'Is PD Yoon trying to cast me??'
Meanwhile, Yoon PD kept explaining.
"As you can see, the main stage will be overseas."
"One English-speaking country in Europe."
"Then Japan."
"And possibly Korea."
Woojin's heart pounded.
"I understand."
"We'll open a Korean restaurant and sell Korean food to foreigners."
"We want laughter, cultural exchange, and even promotion of Korea."
Then—
Yoon PD leaned forward.
"And I want one of those actors to be you, Woojin."
"..."
"What do you think?"
"I'm making you a formal offer."
Inside Kang Woojin's mind—
a storm erupted.
'This is insane.'
'I'm getting cast in Yoon PD's variety show??'
Woojin had always loved Yoon PD's shows.
But appearing in one himself?
This was completely different from Sports Day.
His thoughts spiraled.
But outwardly—
he stayed calm.
"Hm—"
Woojin deliberately hesitated.
To Yoon PD, it looked like deep contemplation.
Yoon PD quickly continued.
"It'll be fun."
"You'll get to enjoy foreign air again after a long time."
Again?
It would actually be Woojin's first time abroad.
But he ignored the misunderstanding.
"I'm not casting you just because of your language skills."
"Your character is attractive."
"You saw the response to Sports Day, right?"
"The public likes you."
"Yes. I noticed."
"People like you."
Yoon PD smiled.
"To be honest, we interviewed others too."
"But you're the best fit."
"I really want to work with you."
The writers watched Woojin closely.
Woojin stayed silent.
Several seconds passed.
Finally—
he spoke.
"If I have some kind of condition, would you take that into consideration?"