Subscriber count: 1.01 million.
What the Netflix Japan team leader had said was true. As if to prove it, Han Yejung stepped up beside Choi Sunggeon, who had his hair tied back in a ponytail.
"CEO."
Keeping her voice low, she showed him her phone.
"We did it just now."
On Han Yejung's screen was the main page of Kang Woojin's YouTube sub-channel.
[Channel name: Kang Woojin's Alter Ego]
[Subscribers: 1.01 million]
[Videos: 5]
The moment he saw it, the corners of Choi Sunggeon's mouth lifted.
Another first.
He gave Kang Woojin, who was up on stage, a thumbs-up.
But Woojin, busy with the event and answering fluently in Japanese, had no idea.
"Yes, my chemistry with Hwarin was really good. The atmosphere on set was warm and lively from beginning to end as well. If there's one thing that stands out in my memory, it's a little hard to say because it might become a spoiler."
He really had no idea.
──────────
The next morning.
After successfully finishing the event hosted by Netflix Japan the day before, Woojin began the morning of the twenty-seventh with a meeting with PD Shinjo from Ametalk Show!
Thin as a reed, PD Shinjo sat across from Kang Woojin and Choi Sunggeon in the hotel restaurant with his writers.
"Haha, Woojin, seeing you in Japan makes me even happier!"
"Hello, PD-nim."
"You know, don't you? Your name is causing a huge stir in Japan right now. Profiler Hanryang is doing incredibly well too, and things are completely different from when we first looked into you. Whether it's communities or social media, Woojin is a blazing hot topic. And ever since you arrived in Japan yesterday, that heat has only gotten stronger."
Excitement was written all over PD Shinjo's face and the writers' faces as they spoke quickly in Japanese.
That was only natural. They had originally only expected to film Profiler Hanryang with Kang Woojin, but instead he had become an unexpected smash success. It felt like hitting the jackpot.
"I saw earlier that your YouTube channel already passed one million subscribers. That's really incredible. I've been a PD for a long time, but I've never seen growth this fast."
Wearing his usual mask of indifference, Woojin was honestly thrilled inside.
'Honestly, even I can't believe this is real. Me, a YouTuber with a million subscribers.'
He briefly recalled yesterday's rush and started imagining a sweet future.
'At this rate, two million will be easy, and three million won't be hard either. No, I could definitely clear five million too.'
Just then, PD Shinjo abruptly shifted the conversation to work. He brought up the recording scheduled for two days later.
"Everything moved so suddenly that we had to revise the original plan from top to bottom. A lot has been added, so the recording time will probably run a little longer too."
"That's fine."
"Haha, thank you. The opening and closing will stay the same as usual. You've got several active projects, right? Profiler Hanryang, Boy Friend, The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, your other Korean projects, and your YouTube channel too. We've prepared a lot of promotional segments."
"Yes, PD-nim."
"And if possible, could you sing at least a little of the song you uploaded to your YouTube channel?"
"You mean perform it on stage?"
"No, no. Just a line or two during the talk would be enough."
"That's possible."
The moment he finished explaining the recording flow, PD Shinjo's face lit up.
"As you know, the recording won't be done in the same order the viewers will see in the broadcast. The shoot takes a long time, and the invited audience can only stay for two hours, so we're going to mix different parts together and edit them accordingly. The recording will probably begin with a Q&A session with the audience."
"So that part will air in the second half?"
"Yes, around the middle to later section. Oh, and just for reference, Hwarin has been confirmed as a guest for the Boy Friend segment."
It was the first Woojin had heard of it. When he looked at Choi Sunggeon, he seemed slightly surprised too. Had it been a sudden decision? Just as that thought crossed his mind, PD Shinjo gave him the answer.
"I contacted Hwarin's side just in case this morning, and fortunately they said she'd be able to attend for a short while."
Woojin figured he could ask about it in more detail later. Just as he thought that, PD Shinjo continued.
"For this recording, the audience was selected mainly from your fans, Woojin. There will be about two hundred people in total."
Kang Woojin was genuinely startled inside.
'I have two hundred fans in Japan?!'
But the skinny PD Shinjo immediately followed it up with the real twist.
"There were over three thousand applicants for the audience seats. It was incredibly difficult to narrow them down."
Two hundred was only a tiny fraction.
──────────
The twenty-ninth.
Those two days disappeared in a blur of short interviews and promotional schedules. Before he knew it, it was already the twenty-ninth. Today was the official recording day for the hugely popular Japanese talk show, Ametalk Show!
The shoot would run all day.
The recording was taking place on the Ametalk Show! set inside Japan's TBE private broadcasting station. Since the filming was scheduled to begin around ten in the morning, Woojin had gone to the salon early, gotten his hair and makeup done, and dressed in a brown blazer and slacks set.
Around nine-thirty that morning, Kang Woojin was sitting alone in the waiting room behind the set.
'Whew... whew...'
He kept taking deep breaths.
About thirty minutes earlier, he had looked around the set with PD Shinjo, and it had been much larger than he expected. Two sofas sat at the center of the main stage, several posters related to Kang Woojin hung at the back, the Ametalk Show! logo surrounded the stage, and there were seats for around two hundred audience members in front.
Without the lights on, it had almost felt like walking into a large movie theater.
'It's already the recording day? Damn it. I'm so nervous.'
Come to think of it, this was the first time Kang Woojin had ever properly appeared on a real talk show. Aside from radio and the sports festival, he had barely appeared on variety programs in Korea either. And now he had suddenly landed on one of Japan's representative variety shows, and not just any variety show, but a straight talk show.
'I heard Hollywood stars and top Korean actors have appeared on this show. And now I'm appearing on it too?'
As the main guest of a program like this, it was only natural that Woojin felt nervous. Anxiety over the unfamiliar setting made his palms start to sweat.
Ametalk Show! was not acting.
In other words, there was no need for the power of the void space. He had to get through this place purely as Kang Woojin himself. So Woojin mentally prepared himself with the mindset that there was no way back.
'Anyway, somehow it'll work out. I just have to do what I always do, the way I always have.'
There was no avoiding it, so he decided he might as well enjoy it as much as possible.
Hadn't that always been how it was? There was no way back, only forward. As Woojin steadied himself, he gradually calmed down.
Click.
At that moment, the waiting room door opened, and Choi Sunggeon, still wearing his ponytail, poked his head in.
"It's starting. Let's go, Woojin."
As he rose from the chair, Woojin deliberately put on an even colder air.
"Yes, CEO."
While Kang Woojin and Choi Sunggeon walked down the hallway, one of the Ametalk Show! staff members came hurrying toward them with an intercom hanging around his neck. Following the staffer's lead, Choi Sunggeon quietly muttered something under his breath.
"The audience is completely packed. They said around two hundred, but it looked like more than that. Probably closer to two hundred fifty."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's not that I'm nervous, but since this isn't Korea, I figured I should at least mention it."
At this point, though, whether it was two hundred or two thousand made no real difference to Woojin. He had already hardened his resolve.
"Korea or Japan, it doesn't make much difference to me."
Choi Sunggeon smirked and patted him on the shoulder.
"At least that's a relief. Managing rookies' mental state is usually the hardest part. But you're always so composed, haha."
'Yes, CEO. I'll fight this battle alone.'
After firming himself up once more, Woojin stepped into the studio where the recording would begin.
Inside, it was chaotic. Dozens of staff members were running around, setting up cameras, lights, and sound equipment.
Before long—
Several staff members rushed over to attach a mic to Kang Woojin, and Choi Sunggeon leaned in, pointing at the male MC sitting on the sofa on stage.
"That man over there is Karamatsu Soyo. He's practically a national MC in Japan. Ever heard of him?"
MC Karamatsu Soyo was checking his cue cards. His face was slightly round, almost like a beaver's.
But Kang Woojin barely had time to notice him.
He was too busy staring at the audience filling the seats. Under PD Shinjo's direction, they had already been filming insert shots for the beginning, middle, and end of the program.
'This is insane. This is way too insane. Are all of these people Japanese?'
Then a few audience members near the front noticed Kang Woojin standing there with a mic, and exaggerated reactions broke out at once.
"Wah! K-Kang Woojin!"
"Where? Where is he?!"
"Over there!"
The near-screams in Japanese, mixed with over-the-top reaction sound effects, spread through the audience almost instantly. PD Shinjo immediately turned and rushed toward Woojin.
"Woojin, it's a recording, so don't get too nervous! Ah, and like we discussed during the meeting, we're starting with the audience Q&A first. Oh, and Hwarin will come in during the middle of the recording."
"Yes, PD-nim. Understood."
"Everything's ready, right? Good, then you can go on stage now."
Suppressing the pounding of his heart, Woojin stepped onto the brightly lit stage. MC Soyo, who really did look a little like a beaver, smiled and extended his hand.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Karamatsu Soyo. Haha. It's an honor to meet the hottest actor in Japan right now. Ah, your Japanese really is excellent?"
"Yes. Hello, I'm Kang Woojin. Please take good care of me today."
"Wow, seriously? PD Shinjo, this goes way beyond just being good at Japanese, doesn't it?"
After a moment of admiration and polite greetings, Kang Woojin and MC Soyo sat side by side on the sofa. Offstage, PD Shinjo, standing among the staff, raised his voice.
"Alright then, shall we begin the recording? We'll start with the Q&A segment first!"
The moment he shouted that, the camera lights around the stage came on. It was the signal that recording had officially begun.
MC Soyo held his cue cards and began speaking naturally.
"Alright, let's switch up the mood a little. I've been feeling everyone's sharp gaze for a while now, so let's start with a Q&A session with the audience!"
It was the kind of scripted line commonly used in recordings. A microphone was immediately passed through the audience. At the same time, two staff members approached PD Shinjo. Watching the situation closely, Choi Sunggeon stroked his chin.
'Interpreters? You'd obviously need one in case something comes up in Korean, but why are there two?'
Since he couldn't fully follow Japanese, Choi Sunggeon only caught bits and pieces of the conversation, but even to him, having two interpreters seemed odd.
In any case, the first question came from a woman seated near the middle of the audience. She looked delighted, as if seeing Woojin for the first time.
"Hello! I became a fan after watching Profiler Hanryang! I also watched Kang Woojin's Alter Ego recently, and I was wondering if you plan to keep uploading covers with that same concept?"
Holding the mic, Kang Woojin answered in calm, fluent Japanese.
"Yes. I'm planning to keep uploading videos consistently. Not just K-pop covers, but I'm also thinking about covering J-pop and Korean pop songs."
"Oh! When will they be uploaded?"
"I'll do my best."
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome."
The first question went smoothly. The next one came from a young boy sitting in the front row.
And that was when things changed.
Instead of speaking into the mic, the boy began using his hands.
Sign language.
Choi Sunggeon couldn't be sure whether this had been intentionally planned by PD Shinjo, but as soon as he saw the boy signing, he slowly nodded.
'Ah, so that's why there were two interpreters.'
Then, turning his eyes back toward Kang Woojin on stage, Choi Sunggeon folded his arms.
'Woojin knows Korean Sign Language. But sign language differs by country, doesn't it? That must be Japanese Sign Language.'
And he was right.
Sign language is not a universal language. Just like spoken language, sign language differs from country to country, whether it's Korean, Japanese, or American. In other words, each country's sign language is its own language.
A moment later, Choi Sunggeon sighed inwardly.
'That's a shame.'
Watching the young boy passionately signing in Japanese Sign Language, he felt a slight sense of disappointment.
If sign language were universal, Woojin could have pulled off a shocking display of skill right here. Everyone would have been amazed.
If that had happened, Kang Woojin's appearance on Ametalk Show! would have become even more memorable. The entertainment industry loved moments like that. Since Choi Sunggeon knew how well Woojin handled Korean Sign Language, the disappointment hit him even harder.
Still, there was nothing to be done.
In the end, imagination cost nothing. While Choi Sunggeon was lost in thought, PD Shinjo and the production crew hurriedly prepared a Japanese Sign Language translation and displayed it on the prompter. Then they signaled to MC Soyo on stage.
And right then—
"Huh? What?"
PD Shinjo, who had been in the middle of signaling, suddenly froze. His eyes widened in disbelief.
And it wasn't just him.
"P-PD-nim, look at that!"
"What is going on?!"
"No way."
"How is that even possible?"
The staff around PD Shinjo reacted the same way. So did the two hundred members of the audience. Everyone stared blankly at the stage with their mouths slightly open, like they were seeing something they had never expected.
And in fact, they were.
What PD Shinjo and the entire Ametalk Show! team were looking at was Kang Woojin.
The indifferent attitude he had worn at first had shifted into an expression better suited to the moment.
Or more precisely—
He was answering the young audience member in sign language.
Woojin kept eye contact with the boy and didn't even glance at the prompter. Why? How was that possible? That was exactly what made the scene so strange.
Japanese Sign Language?
Just as Choi Sunggeon had muttered to himself, Kang Woojin was calmly using Japanese Sign Language, not Korean Sign Language.
But Kang Woojin himself didn't seem to care.
'This should be enough of an answer, right? Yeah, I think so.'
He acted as though it were nothing.
Then he noticed the boy's expression. The child looked frozen with shock, his eyes wide like a startled rabbit. A moment later, the boy signed to Woojin again in Japanese Sign Language.
[How do you know Japanese Sign Language?]
Woojin understood it comfortably, then suddenly thought,
'Huh? I know sign language. Wait a second.'
And right then, it hit him.
'How do I know Japanese Sign Language?'
Because what he had just used—
wasn't Korean Sign Language.