Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province.
The massive set of the film Island of the Missing stood under the afternoon sun. It was already past two o'clock. The script reading for Island of the Missing was scheduled for three, and countless staff members were moving busily as they prepared.
"Art team! The Director is looking for you!"
"We need more chairs! Where are the extras?!"
"Over there! Behind the bus!"
They moved through a fairly large mock village built on the set. It was a place where old and new had been mixed together in rough balance. About sixty percent of the houses were old buildings, while here and there, two- and three-story structures stood scattered among them. It perfectly captured the image of an island village.
Still, something about it felt eerie.
The color tone of the entire village, the strange bloodstains smeared across trees and roads, and the scattered clothes and shoes left here and there only deepened the unease.
Even so—
"There's only thirty minutes left! Hurry up!!"
The staff, all busy preparing for filming, were gathered near the entrance to the set. A one-story building had been put up during set construction for meetings, and it was currently being organized. Inside the space prepared for production meetings, tables and chairs had been arranged in place.
Before long, nameplates began to appear.
At the head of the U-shaped table was Director Kwon Gitaek's seat. The first seat on the right belonged to Ryu Jungmin. Beside it was another nameplate.
[Corporal Jin Seoncheol / Kang Woojin]
That was Kang Woojin's place.
One by one, nameplates for the role Kang Woojin would play in Kwon Gitaek's Island of the Missing, Corporal Jin Seoncheol, began appearing on the surrounding tables. There were quite a lot of them. Even though only the leads and supporting actors were attending, there were at least three times more people than there had been for Boy Friend. Considering the scale of the film, that was only natural.
The cast lineup itself was astonishingly varied.
Aside from Kang Woojin, all of the lead actors were top-tier, and the supporting actors were either widely respected veterans known for their solid acting or actors with so many credits to their name they were practically called workaholics. Just looking at the full lineup was enough to raise expectations.
With that many famous actors gathered in one place, the script reading was bound to be intense and meticulous.
While character nameplates, drinks, and scripts were being laid out, the making-of team, which would film promotional footage and behind-the-scenes material for Island of the Missing, began setting up cameras inside the reading room.
"Ah, there are too many actors. Two cameras won't be enough. We need at least three more."
"Yes, understood! I'll bring them right away!"
The key staff, including the cinematographer and the lighting Director, started taking their seats around the U-shaped table. Naturally, actor managers and film company staff were there as well. The reading room steadily grew more crowded.
"I never imagined Kang Woojin would end up playing Corporal Jin Seoncheol."
The plump lighting Director said it while staring at the nameplate marked Corporal Jin Seoncheol.
"Honestly, when I first heard it, I thought it was a joke."
The reply came from the cinematographer sitting beside him, a man who looked about the same age as Kwon Gitaek.
"I thought the same. Corporal Jin Seoncheol is a major role. It isn't easy for a rookie to handle. Even veteran actors struggle with dual-natured characters."
"Exactly, sunbae. And on top of that, they cast an inexperienced rookie without even holding auditions? Sure, he's popular right now because of Profiler Hanryang, but... I'm a little worried."
"He can act. From what I heard on the Hanryang set, he holds up surprisingly well once filming starts."
"That's a relief, but don't you think he still lacks experience? Mentally, I mean. After all, this is Kang Woojin's first feature film."
They were not wrong. Kang Woojin had moved through several projects, but the only work released to the public so far was Profiler Hanryang. Even that had only been a four-part series. The Private Investigator was a short film, Drug Dealer was a minor role, and Boy Friend was a short-form drama.
In other words, Island of the Missing would be his first long project.
There was a clear difference between briefly appearing in a short role and carrying a project through to the end.
"I'm not worried about the beginning, but what if he starts running out of steam in the second half?"
"Heh, maybe Director Kwon noticed that too."
By then, a few more people had joined their conversation.
"It's definitely a gamble. How exactly is he going to pull off Corporal Jin Seoncheol's split personality? No matter how thoroughly he prepared, there are too many top stars and senior actors here today. What if the pressure crushes him?"
"That's true, but this is Kwon Gitaek's set. Even landing a supporting role here would be a burden, but a lead-level villain? Ah, if it were me, I'd be so nervous during the script reading I'd probably wet myself. And there are so many eyes watching too."
The sound Director and several other senior staff joined in as well.
"Isn't that just the fate of a popular actor? No matter how hard it is, he has to endure it. Still, for someone who debuted only half a year ago, the mountain in front of him does seem pretty steep."
"And isn't Woojin filming a romantic comedy right now too?"
"Ah, you mean Netflix's Boy Friend?"
"Yes, that one. Looking at the schedule, he should be filming that around now. I wonder whether a rookie actor can really handle such a sharp emotional shift. It's not just a change in tone. He has to completely erase whatever he showed in Boy Friend."
"Sometimes actors who land romantic comedy leads have a hard time shaking that style off, so they keep getting cast in nothing but romantic comedies. Of course, if he pulls it off, he'll be recognized as a versatile actor, but..."
At that, the wrinkled cinematographer let out a quiet laugh.
"Whether Kang Woojin crashes or pulls everyone down with him, one way or another, today will be an important day in his life as an actor."
In the end, everyone more or less agreed.
Meanwhile.
While most of the staff had gathered in the reading room, the actors of Island of the Missing were walking around the enormous set. Ryu Jungmin, Kim Iwon, Jeon Woochang, and several supporting actors were there. Ha Yura was nowhere to be seen, and the others were each wandering around, exploring whatever caught their interest.
Even so—
"Wow, this set is seriously impressive, isn't it?"
Kim Iwon, clearly struck by what he saw, looked around in admiration. The muscular Jeon Woochang followed suit.
"It goes beyond impressive. Once filming is over, they could turn this into a tourist attraction."
"They probably will. There's no way they'd just tear something like this down. They must've worked things out with the authorities from the start and planned to build it on this scale."
"Still, how did they find a place that fits the script this perfectly? That's what amazes me more."
"They must've combed through every corner of the country."
Their admiration spread naturally among the actors, and as they kept talking about the set, Kim Iwon approached Ryu Jungmin, who had stayed quiet the whole time.
"Jungmin hyung, is something wrong?"
"...No. Looking at the set just makes it feel real that everything is finally moving."
"Ah, I see. I'm a little nervous too."
Jeon Woochang, who had been smiling the whole time, laughed along.
"Same here. It's been a while since I've been in a film this big, haha. I think it'll go well thanks to all the sunbaes."
"But I don't see Woojin. I saw him arrive earlier, though."
"Ah, really? Maybe he went to the reading room first?"
"Even though he's the center of attention on this set, he looked incredibly calm."
"I think he's just naturally calm."
"Still, I'm curious how much he prepared for Corporal Jin Seoncheol. Right, Jungmin hyung? You praised him that much, so my expectations are really high."
"You said he studied abroad, didn't you? And also... ah, that he acts totally unfazed while still taking over the whole scene."
"But playing a villain with a split personality is genuinely hard. Honestly, the pressure must be huge. The role is like that, and so is the scale of the film."
Ryu Jungmin gave them a short answer.
"Who knows. We should worry about ourselves."
Kim Iwon and Jeon Woochang exchanged glances and shrugged. Wearing a cap pulled low over his head, Ryu Jungmin stood in front of a house and quietly swept his gaze over the entire set.
"..."
Even for someone who had spent more than ten years in the industry, the scale of this set was among the biggest he had ever seen. Ryu Jungmin's heart started beating faster.
And yet, paradoxically, his mind felt calmer than ever.
It was as though the way he thought had completely shifted.
'I should think about my role.'
Maybe he had already let go of most of the burden of being a lead, or a top star. Right now, his mind was filled only with thoughts of acting. And so Ryu Jungmin recalled his character once again.
'First Lieutenant Choi Yutae.'
In Island of the Missing, First Lieutenant Choi Yutae was the central figure of the story, but he was not the one who caused the first incident. The first incident in Island of the Missing began with Private Kim.
No, more precisely, everything began with a disappearance.
In a rural village, three villagers go missing. A massive search begins. Police, firefighters, and even the military are mobilized, but the three missing villagers cannot be found. Then some of the villagers report hearing gunshots, and the case grows even more serious.
That is when something far bigger happens.
While the search is still underway, twelve soldiers, including Private Kim, also disappear.
What on earth happened?
The village was not especially large, and it was surrounded by mountains. The mountain behind the village became the most likely place to search. The operation intensified, but the number of missing had already passed ten, and none of them had been found.
This was where Ryu Jungmin's character, First Lieutenant Choi Yutae, entered the story.
He and his platoon had also joined the search. During the operation, Choi Yutae found a strange cave. A foul stench poured out from it. After reporting its location, he selected several of his men and began searching both the entrance and the inside.
That was when it happened.
From deep inside the cave came the screams of terrified people.
Several voices overlapped. This was it. There was definitely something in there. Choi Yutae became certain the missing people were inside. But going deeper into the cave felt dangerous. More than ten people had already disappeared. They could not afford to lose anyone else.
In the end, Choi Yutae decided to pull back to the cave entrance for the time being.
But something felt wrong. Had the cave they entered really looked like this? Choi Yutae and his men were thrown into confusion. The shape of the cave had changed. Things that had not been there before were suddenly visible. Bloodstains smeared across the walls. Animal carcasses scattered everywhere. Then one of the sergeants shouted.
"Over there!"
At that instant, the unease reached its limit.
Because the exit had appeared.
Choi Yutae and his men hurried out of the cave. At the same time, they realized they had emerged somewhere completely different. It had definitely been daytime when they entered, but when they came back out, it was already night.
More than that, the scenery of the forest had changed completely.
The ground was muddy, the wind carried a strange scent of the sea, and the forest looked far denser than before. Choi Yutae and every one of his men noticed it immediately. The soldiers who were supposed to be waiting at the cave entrance were nowhere to be seen.
No.
There was no one here but them.
Only the sound of the wind brushing through the trees remained.
It was obvious. This was somewhere else.
Then where exactly was this place?
At that moment, one of the soldiers found something in the mud. Footprints. And there were quite a lot of them.
That was when it happened.
Grumble—
A strange sound came from inside the cave, and something long shot out, grazing one soldier's neck.
Slash!
His head separated from his body and lodged itself in the muddy ground. Choi Yutae, the senior officers, and the rest of the soldiers froze where they stood. All they could do was stare blankly at the head embedded in the dirt. It felt unreal, like a nightmare.
Then the strange sound came again.
Grumble—
With that sound, another long object shot out from the cave and split another soldier's body clean in half. Whether it was decapitation or a torso cut crosswise, either way it was the kind of grotesque sight no one should ever have to witness in real life.
It was utter chaos.
A sergeant who had lost his mind fired into the cave.
The flashes from the gunfire briefly lit up the pitch-black darkness.
For a fleeting moment, Corporal Jin Seoncheol's smile became visible.
Without anyone noticing, the corporal had already fired ten shots. Choi Yutae stopped him. Silence fell, and the strange rumbling disappeared as well. But that sound could return at any time, from anywhere. Choi Yutae quickly gathered his men and pulled them away from the area.
The two bodies would have to be recovered later.
They kept running through the pitch-black forest. One officer led from the front, while Choi Yutae brought up the rear. No one knew how much time had passed. Before they realized it, the sun had begun rising over the ridge. The world that had been swallowed by darkness slowly brightened.
After ordering everyone to hold position, Choi Yutae went off alone to scout the area.
He pushed through the brush, passed a grotesque statue, and climbed above the remains of a ruined house.
That was when he found another rotting head lying on the ground.
It belonged to Private Kim.
At that moment, Choi Yutae heard the sound of waves nearby. Very nearby. There should not have been any sea anywhere around here.
The village where the original disappearances had happened was surrounded by mountains on all sides.
Choi Yutae swallowed hard and slowly walked toward the sound. Soon, he reached a cliff at the edge of the forest.
In front of him stretched an endless sea.
It was impossible to believe, and yet it was real.
Where exactly was he?
Choi Yutae widened his eyes and looked beyond the horizon. He saw houses. No, a village. It was completely different from the village where the missing-person report had originated. The village was surrounded by dense forest, and that forest was surrounded in turn by the sea.
It made no sense, but it was the truth.
In other words, this place was an island.
Unbelievably, Choi Yutae had somehow ended up on an island.
How? Had they been teleported?
The real problem was that he could sense people were living in that village. If they had heard gunshots during the night, then they would be on guard too. No, on this absurd island, everything had to be treated as a threat.
As Choi Yutae made his way back to his platoon, he sank deep into thought.
The cave. The bizarre creatures. The people who had suddenly appeared on this incomprehensible island. And the people already living there. He tried desperately to piece together every clue and every fragment of memory he had encountered so far. Just like the soldiers who had vanished before them, Choi Yutae and his platoon were now trapped in the same situation.
For some reason, this place did not feel real.
But too many lives were being lost.
This Island of the Missing was probably a lawless place.
──────────
At that same time, Kang Woojin, dressed casually in a white T-shirt and jeans, was looking around the set. More precisely, he was taking a walk. The script reading would begin at three, and at Kwon Gitaek's suggestion, he had gone out to look around first.
Even though it was summer, the dense trees blocked the sunlight well enough that the forest felt fairly cool. The terrain was not steep enough to feel like a mountain. It felt more like a modest park tucked inside nature.
Of course—
'What is this? What's with that creepy statue?'
The strange things the production team had placed all over the area stood out immediately. Dug-up graves, grotesque statues planted in the ground, bloodstains smeared on trees, abandoned houses that felt hard to approach, and more.
Other than that, though, it was a pretty satisfying walk.
'How long has it been since I've done something like this? It's kind of healing, in its own way.'
Kang Woojin smiled inwardly.
Then—
"Gah!!"
He jumped at the sight of a prop animal carcass lying in the middle of the path.
A second later, he realized his mistake. A sound like that definitely should not have come out of someone who had worked so hard to maintain such a strict image.
And right behind him—
"Hyung, hyungnim!!"
The road manager, Jang Suhwan, was standing there.