A post about Kang Woojin went up at dawn that day on a community board that mainly dealt with celebrity gossip.
-[I graduated from the same high school as Kang Woojin, and his personality is completely different now lol]
It was not a particularly popular community, but thanks to Kang Woojin's recent rise in popularity, the post quickly passed a hundred views.
-I graduated from the same high school as Kang Woojin. I'm too lazy to prove it, so if you don't believe me, just leave a reply hahaha
The post itself did not look especially trustworthy.
-Anyway, it's not like I was super close to Kang Woojin, but if you spend three years in high school together, you end up recognizing each other's faces, right? We weren't close, but I still knew what kind of personality he had and the basics about him. First of all, the fact that he debuted as an actor was honestly shocking. He never talked about acting at all, and he was more interested in design. Plus, he was handsome too.
Still, it did not feel like a complete lie either.
-But when I watch Kang Woojin's recent sports day videos or interviews, it feels weird. The way he talks, his tone, everything is different. It's not like his personality changed a little. He feels like a completely different person. You know how people think Kang Woojin is this cynical, cool city guy now? Back in high school, he was really bright, smiled a lot, and was a little cocky, but that was what made him cute.
Quite a few comments were posted under it.
-LOL, celebrities are basically products anyway, aren't they? Maybe he just created an image that sells.
-I saw comments under his YouTube videos too saying he wasn't like this before.
-Did you only just realize celebrities have different real personalities???
-What if he has a split personality? Haha
-It's been at least seven or eight years since high school graduation, right? Haha. People can change, can't they? Haha. This is ridiculous. Haha. Can't believe you're clinging to this thought so stubbornly. Haha.
-↑ The point isn't that he changed a little, idiot. It's that he acts like a completely different person.
Around eleven in the morning, the head of BW Entertainment's PR team found it while monitoring online activity. He looked closely through both the post and the comments.
He immediately took screenshots of the post and the comments. The captured images were saved into a file on his laptop, and that file already contained all sorts of material related to Kang Woojin.
There were already quite a lot of screenshots similar to the one he had just saved.
The reason was simple.
'Hm, it's not a serious issue yet, but if posts like this keep appearing, it could become a problem.'
This was not the first time something like this had appeared.
Ever since Kang Woojin began standing out in the entertainment industry, similar posts had surfaced several times. They could be found in community posts, article comments, forum boards, and replies under YouTube videos. This time it was someone claiming to be his high school classmate, but just last week, someone appeared claiming they had worked at the same company as him.
That information had come from an office worker community.
On top of that, it was the second time someone claiming to have worked with him had spoken up. Those posts drew the strongest reactions, probably because they were from people who had seen Kang Woojin more recently. Even so, the tone of both the posts and the comments was the same.
He feels like a completely different person. His personality changed too much. His attitude is strange. It feels like he has a double personality.
The PR team leader went through the same process every time.
Capture and store anything that might potentially become an issue. At first, it had seemed easy enough to ignore.
'If there are a hundred comments, maybe five of them will say things like that.'
But as time passed, those kinds of comments seemed to be increasing little by little. Not explosively, but steadily. That was when the PR team leader began to worry.
'I think it's time we deal with this properly.'
The entertainment industry was like a harsh jungle, or a battlefield. Anything could happen there.
That was why you always had to stay alert and be prepared. Trying to clean things up after the horse had already bolted was too late. No one knew when, where, or what kind of bizarre incident might happen. More than anything else, even if strange rumors were one thing, what the PR team leader was most focused on was this.
'The reporters are the problem. If even one of them catches onto this, it'll get troublesome.'
Entertainment media were like hyenas. Something the general public might brush off as no big deal became a completely different matter once it turned into an article. Naturally, the headline and content would be blown up in the most sensational way possible.
The PR team leader picked up his phone and made a call. It was to CEO Choi Sunggeon.
"Yes, sir. There's something I need to report."
Meanwhile, inside Kang Woojin's van.
Kang Woojin had already stopped by the salon and was now on his way to his next schedule. He had a short interview in the morning, and the rest of the day was set aside for filming Boy Friend.
So Woojin sat there in silence.
Thunk.
With a blank expression, he was reading the Boy Friend script. The scene they were filming that day was part of episode two. He had already visited the void space a few minutes earlier and finished reading it there, or rather, experiencing it.
Then—
"Huh? A report? All of a sudden?"
Choi Sunggeon, seated in the front passenger seat with his phone to his ear, raised his voice slightly. On the other end was clearly the head of the PR team.
"Does it look that serious? That's a little scary. Go ahead and report it."
Even as he spoke, Choi Sunggeon looked relaxed, holding the phone between his shoulder and ear while using both hands to loosen his tied hair and pull it back tightly again. Only after hearing the PR team leader's next words did his reaction change.
"...Hm?"
The smile vanished from his face. His expression turned serious. Then he glanced at Kang Woojin through the rearview mirror.
"Yes, I'm listening. Go on. It doesn't sound like an immediate issue yet, so keep talking."
After listening quietly for a while, Choi Sunggeon spoke into the phone again.
"So you've been collecting them. How many are there? What? Hm, all right. I'll handle the verification, so just send me the data and continue taking care of the rest on your side. Yes, understood."
With that, Choi Sunggeon ended the call.
But even after lowering his phone, he did not look back at Kang Woojin in the rear seat. The content he had just heard was clearly related to Woojin, yet he only stole another glance at him through the mirror and said nothing.
Filming was about to begin, and he did not want to disrupt Woojin's focus.
Right then.
Bzzz.
The phone in Choi Sunggeon's hand vibrated briefly. It was a message from the PR team leader, and there was an attachment. When he opened it, several screenshots appeared.
"..."
Choi Sunggeon began checking them with a serious face.
In the meantime, filming for Boy Friend had already entered its seventh day. The Boy Friend team was gathered inside a high school classroom. The scene being filmed was an interview sequence for Han Inho and Lee Bomin. Boy Friend had many scenes where the characters subtly revealed their true feelings through interviews.
The questions would be added later as captions.
-What is your relationship?
Han Inho sat alone in front of the empty classroom.
"Relationship. We're just enemies."
Then there was a separate shot of Lee Bomin answering.
"We're just friends. Boy friend, get it? We even bathed together when we were little. We're practically family."
At times, Han Inho directly refuted Lee Bomin's interview.
"Family? What family? Sorry, but can you tell her that if you flip 'family' backward, it turns into 'terrible friend'? Hm? Doesn't that sound like a curse? Yeah, it's a curse."
And so, Kang Woojin and Hwarin, both dressed in school uniforms, continued filming while facing the camera.
-Please introduce your friend.
Lee Bomin carried a strong, lively, bright energy.
"Han Inho? Uh, well... first of all, he has absolutely no passion. He's stubborn too. Ah, and he's unbelievably, unbelievably, unbelievably lazy. He's just... kind of dumb, I guess?"
As expected, the one least willing to do this was Han Inho.
"An introduction? Ah, well, it's a nuisance. That's the answer. By the way, how much longer do we have to do this?"
Filming for Boy Friend continued smoothly and picked up speed. The biggest reason was the strong acting from the two leads. The staff's coordination and Director Shin Dongchun's direction all came together cleanly, and filming progressed without problems. Because of that, they even managed to cut one day off the original shooting schedule.
Around then.
『[Issue Talk] Star writer Lee Wolsun's new work Freezing Love, script reading just around the corner』
News came out that the script reading for Freezing Love, which was already well into its production preparations, was approaching. At the time, Kang Woojin was in the middle of passionately acting as Han Inho. Naturally, the person who received the call was Choi Sunggeon.
"Yes, manager, haha. The cast for Freezing Love is solid. Is that because writer Lee Wolsun wrote it?"
"That's right. The script was good too. But, CEO Choi, the more important thing is that we're setting the date for the reading now."
"Ah, then when is it?"
"It's been set for Friday, August 21. Will Woojin be available? He's been extremely busy lately."
"Hold on, the twenty-first? If it's the twenty-first, then—"
"Also, even if Woojin can't attend because he's too busy, that would be understandable. But the writer specifically said she really hopes Woojin can be there."
"The writer said that?"
"Yes, yes. The other actors are also very curious about him."
In Freezing Love, Kang Woojin's role would likely only take a few days to film at most. His part had some weight, but it was common for actors in roles like that to finish all their scenes in a single day.
But Kang Woojin was a complete rookie.
It would not look good for a newcomer to skip a script reading. Still, CEO Choi Sunggeon, a veteran of the industry, had already taken that into account.
"Haha, thank you. Even if you hadn't asked, he would have attended. We'll see you at the reading."
"Great! Ah, and on the day of the reading, a sign language expert will be there too."
Interestingly, later that same afternoon, news arrived about yet another script reading.
This time, it was for Island of the Missing.
Choi Sunggeon already knew that Director Kwon Gitaek had recently gone to Vietnam to scout locations. Not long after that, the script reading had been confirmed.
Which meant—
"Hm, looks like they're really going to film in Vietnam too."
Island of the Missing was planned to be filmed both in Korea and Vietnam. Director Kwon Gitaek had personally contacted people there and found several strong location options.
In any case, the confirmed date for the Island of the Missing script reading was this.
"August third."
It was a Monday. Because of that, CEO Choi Sunggeon pushed even harder to整理 Kang Woojin's already packed schedule. The same news was also passed on to the other actors in Island of the Missing, including Ryu Jungmin, Hwa Yura, Kim Iwon, Jeon Woochang, and Hong Hyeyeon.
Just as Island of the Missing had announced, the place chosen for the script reading was unusual.
『[Movie Pick] A script reading on the set of Island of the Missing, in a location that looks like a jungle?』
The venue for the script reading had been a massive set.
Monday, July 27.
It was the high school filming set for Boy Friend. That day was the last day of shooting at the high school. The project had already moved quickly past its opening stage and was entering the middle stretch.
The next destination was the university.
Of course, not every scene would be shot on the university campus. Outdoor scenes would be distributed appropriately according to the script. The filming pace was fast. At this rate, they might wrap earlier than originally expected.
Even so.
"Cut! Good! Let's change the angle and shoot it again!"
The atmosphere on set was extremely heated. Kang Woojin, Hwarin, and the other actors kept up their passionate performances the whole time. Around then, Choi Sunggeon was off somewhere taking another call. In truth, his phone had barely stopped ringing these days.
A little while later, after finishing the call, CEO Choi Sunggeon stretched and let out a long yawn.
"Ah! I'm exhausted."
But his phone gave him no chance to rest.
Bzzzz.
It rang again. Choi Sunggeon sighed quietly and checked the caller. It was Executive Director Kim Sohyang from Netflix Korea. He answered with a bitter smile.
"Yes, Director Kim."
Not long after, Kang Woojin returned to his spot with his usual blank face, as if he had been called over while waiting. Choi Sunggeon handed him a bottle of water and spoke.
"Woojin, have you ever heard of Ame Talk Show? It's a Japanese talk show."
What was that? Kang Woojin barely watched TV in the first place. There was no way he would know a Japanese variety program. Then again, most people probably would not either.
"No, I haven't heard of it."
"Hm. It's like a popular nationwide talk show in Japan. They contacted us because they want to invite you."
"...An invitation?"
A Japanese talk show had invited him? Why? For what reason? Kang Woojin went silent for a moment, a little bewildered, and Choi Sunggeon continued.
"Looks like Hanryang has gotten pretty popular in Japan since it was released on Netflix Japan."
It was an appearance on a Japanese talk show, and the response seemed even bigger than expected.
"If you agree, they said they're willing to come to Korea."
It sounded serious.
They were coming all the way to Korea themselves? Even after hearing that, Kang Woojin's cynical expression did not change much, but inside, he was genuinely surprised.
'Is this normal? Does it usually go this far?'
At that moment, Director Kyotaro came to mind. Looking back on everything that had happened, Woojin slowly began to understand the flow of it. Come to think of it, hadn't Director Kyotaro flown to Korea several times because of him?
'Still, how popular is Hanryang in Japan? From a quick search, it looks like it keeps holding first place.'
Choi Sunggeon quickly showed him his phone and displayed the search results for Ame Talk Show.
"Look, appearing on Ame Talk Show isn't a bad thing. No, considering the situation, it's definitely a good thing. Hanryang is doing well in Japan, and because of that, your popularity is climbing too. On top of that, Boy Friend is supposed to launch in Japan too, and you've also got your YouTube channel."
"Hm."
"If you appear, it'll become a major issue in both Japan and Korea. I still need to look into it more, but if I remember right, Ame Talk Show usually only brings in top stars. You might end up being their first rookie guest. That would mean something."
It did seem to come with a lot of advantages, but at that moment, Kang Woojin had other worries. Shooting Sports Day had already been exhausting, and now even a Japanese program? And not some YouTube channel either, but a proper broadcast program.
'Will this really be okay?'
Communication would not be the problem. Thanks to the void space, his Japanese was at a native level. But since it would be his first time stepping outside Korea for something like this, excitement and a slight unease mixed together inside him.
'It does sound fun, but it also makes me a little nervous.'
Naturally, anticipation and vague fear rose together. If he went through with this, the misunderstandings and misconceptions surrounding him would spread beyond Korea and into Japan as well. But after coming this far, what was there to be afraid of?
More importantly—
'Nothing's even confirmed yet. If it's just a meeting, then whatever.'
Lately, Kang Woojin had decided to focus on whatever was right in front of him instead of worrying about the future. Dealing with all the misunderstandings and wild assumptions around him was already exhausting enough. Right then, Choi Sunggeon, who was tying his hair up again, asked:
"So, what do you think? Do you want to meet the Ame Talk Show team?"
Woojin nodded with an indifferent face.
"Yes, I don't think it sounds bad."
Choi Sunggeon smiled more brightly, apparently deciding to give it a try without overthinking it, and immediately picked up his phone.
"All right. I'll contact them right away and coordinate their trip to Korea."
At that moment, one question came to Kang Woojin's mind.
"Will I be doing this alone?"
Choi Sunggeon shook his head as if he was not sure either.
"Not sure. I haven't heard the full plan yet. Since it's tied to Hanryang, it could include Jungmin or Hyeyeon too, but I still haven't heard anything from Hyeyeon's side. Normally, if Hyeyeon were involved, they would've contacted her before you, considering her status. But since they only contacted you—"
He trailed off, thought for a moment, then offered a guess.
"Maybe they're inviting only the villains. Including the four of you."
Hearing that he might have company eased Woojin a little.
'Ah, those people from the wrap party? We're not close, but if we go together, it'll be less nerve-racking. Then it should be fine.'
But none of that showed on his face. Kang Woojin kept a serious expression and stayed silent.
"..."
Seeing that look, Choi Sunggeon seemed to think he was still considering it and suddenly asked:
"Not a fan of going as a group?"