Why had it suddenly become S+?
Kang Woojin stared blankly at the white rectangle labeled The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, momentarily dazed. He stayed like that for about five seconds, then blinked.
──────────
He abruptly lifted his hand and smacked the white rectangle as if he were trying to smash something apart. Of course, the white rectangle made no sound.
'What the hell? Is this right? Is it bugged?'
Fear and disbelief slowly spread across Woojin's face. It was only natural. Just thinking about how the grade for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had dropped to C rank made this impossible to process.
'The situation got worse, and it upgraded to S+?'
The gap was absurd.
It had shot up so violently that there was no way he would not think something was wrong. With his brows furrowed, Woojin shouted into the pitch-black void.
'Hey! Something's weird here! Is this real?'
He was speaking to the robotic female voice. But as always, the vast empty space gave him no answer.
'Damn it, can't you answer me for once?'
Muttering under his breath, Kang Woojin rubbed his chin.
When the investment trouble first broke out, the grade had dropped to C. If that issue exploded, things should have gotten even worse. But now it was S+.
At present, S+ was the highest grade in the void space. For reference, Profiler Hanryang had been S rank, and Island of the Missing had been S+ rank. This was only the third time he had ever seen it.
But The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice was a completely different kind of project from Profiler Hanryang or Island of the Missing.
'This has to be a mistake.'
At the same time, he also felt that the strange void space was not the kind of thing that made mistakes so easily. Just in case, Kang Woojin acted immediately.
Exit.
He stepped out of the void and then entered it again. But the grade for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice inside the white rectangle was still S+.
Woojin scratched his head.
'What is even happening here?'
He could not make sense of it. The more he thought about it, the more it felt like he was sinking deeper into a swamp.
Maybe that was why, after a while, he let out a breath.
'Ha... damn it, just leave it alone and watch what happens. There's nothing I can do about it right now anyway.'
He decided to stop trying to figure it out. Even if there was a problem, maybe it would sort itself out by tomorrow. He brushed the worry off as lightly as he could.
'Maybe something I don't know about is happening somewhere.'
The void space did not seem likely to make mistakes. Well, if it stayed at S+, that was a good thing in its own way, but the uneasiness in him did not disappear completely.
Exit.
Kang Woojin left the void and returned to reality inside the van. He let out a low sigh and muttered to himself.
'I'll check the grade again tomorrow. Still, it'd be best if it doesn't change.'
At that point, he had no idea that a wealthy Japanese backer from overseas had started moving behind the scenes.
Right then—
Bzz. Bzz.
The phone beside him vibrated.
Woojin turned his head and checked the caller ID.
'Director Kyotaro?'
It was Director Kyotaro, who should have been in Japan. Woojin was sure the call had to be about the worsening situation around The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
Either way, he had to answer it.
Kang Woojin cleared his throat and raised the phone to his ear.
"Yes, Director."
──────────
Meanwhile, at Toega Film Company in Japan—
Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro, his white hair neatly combed back, was sitting in the conference room of the production company behind The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice. There was a faint smile on his face, but worry hung heavily over his overall expression. He had just placed the call to Kang Woojin.
"Mr. Woojin."
From the other end came Kang Woojin's low voice from Korea.
"Yes, please go ahead, Director."
It was hard to read.
Director Kyotaro tried to gauge Woojin's mood from his voice, but failed. After letting out a quiet sigh, he slowly began to speak.
"Mr. Woojin. As you've probably heard, there's quite a commotion in Japan right now over The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice."
"Yes, I heard. The investment issue you mentioned before seems to have grown much bigger."
Kyotaro's bitter explanation continued after Woojin's reply.
"Yes. The situation is much worse than I expected. The major newspapers are running it prominently on their front pages, and the smaller papers have quickly followed. I still don't know exactly how it leaked. The spread has been so fast that it's difficult to trace the source. I was careless. It was most likely from the investors who pulled out. They signed non-disclosure agreements, but it seems those agreements weren't honored."
As he spoke, Director Kyotaro lowered his eyes to the tablet in front of him. On the screen was a long list of portal articles about The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice. Every title was sensational.
"The media started with rumors of conflict, and now they're pouring out provocative, malicious articles. It's spreading too quickly. At this point, I think it's already too late to contain it."
"I see."
"Yes. Of course, I can't say for certain whether it will quiet down with time."
"If more rumors spread, the situation will only get worse."
"That's right. At this stage, it's difficult to predict what will happen. The bigger problem is that beyond the investors who already pulled out, the remaining investment has become unstable too. Nothing official has been announced yet, but..."
His voice trailed off.
If the controversy around The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice kept growing like this, there was a real chance even the remaining investors would back away. The same could happen with the cast. The longer this dragged on, the darker the outlook became. A shadow settled across Kyotaro's face.
The worse the financial situation became, the harder it would be to bring in new investment.
"The delay I mentioned before may not stop at early next year. It could stretch to the middle of next year."
He ran a hand through his graying hair and added quietly,
"In a situation like this, Mr. Woojin, your image could suffer serious damage. The press and public seem most eager to latch onto your name."
On the other end of the call, Kang Woojin's reply in Japanese remained calm and dignified.
"That's possible."
"Your name is already appearing in many of the articles that have come out. So I wanted to ask what you think. The situation is getting worse, and even the cast has started to worry. If you want to withdraw now, that would be understandable, Mr. Woojin. This is my fault."
It sounded as though he were saying, 'Before things get even worse, I want you to stay safe.'
Of course, Director Kyotaro still needed Kang Woojin. Even so, what would be the point of clinging to him? If Woojin left, Kyotaro could always gather another cast later.
But that was only the director's greed speaking.
Because of his own greed, he could not pretend not to see the arrows that would come flying toward Woojin. To hold him down for the sake of his own stubbornness would have been arrogance.
"I can't allow your image to be damaged because of the controversy around The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice. So if you want to step away now, please don't hesitate."
"No."
But the Kang Woojin on the other end had no intention of doing that. His voice stayed completely steady.
"I'll wait."
"Besides, if I pull out now, wouldn't that just be admitting all the nonsense the press is spreading?"
"That may be true, but—"
"Even if my image takes a hit, that's fine."
"But Mr. Woojin, you've only just started to shine after such a long period of obscurity."
"I don't really care about that. I just want to do The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice."
Director Kyotaro was moved.
"Thank you. Truly."
"It's nothing. Director, if you're all right with it, I'll wait."
"Thank you. I'm deeply grateful."
"All right. I still have a schedule to take care of."
"Yes, understood. I'll contact you again."
Click.
Director Kyotaro slowly lowered the phone. Just then, a woman's voice in Japanese came from across from him.
"What did Mr. Woojin say? Is he leaving? With how bad things are, I wouldn't blame him."
The speaker was a woman in her sixties. No, more than that—she was Takikawa Akari, the original author of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
Only a few hours into the controversy, the media had already begun focusing intensely on Woojin.
Behind Akari, who looked weighed down by regret, Director Kyotaro slowly shook his head.
"No, Writer. He said he'll wait. He said he wants to film The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice no matter what."
Akari's eyes widened in surprise.
"Really? He truly said that?"
"Yes. He said he doesn't care if his image suffers. He told me not to worry about him and that he would wait."
A faint smile spread over Takikawa Akari's lips.
"Mr. Kang Woojin is really... ah, I don't even know how to describe him. He's a rookie, and yet he's so steady."
"That's right. I've only known him for a short time, but even the first time I met him during The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, he already had that same conviction. I've worked as a director for decades, but at least in Japan, I've never seen an actor like him."
Akari straightened a little in her chair.
"This isn't the time for us to sit here wasting time foolishly."
"Yes, Writer."
Director Kyotaro rose slowly from his seat.
Even though the entire conversation had been built on misunderstanding, the fact that such an actor was willing to wait somehow gave him strength.
At that moment, Director Kyotaro felt courage rise inside him.
──────────
Meanwhile, the situation surrounding The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice in Japan had become this—
Was all of this merely a show? The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice struggles to hold on to its investors.
Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro's stubbornness caused this result. He should have listened to the original fans.
It would not have been an exaggeration to say that things were deteriorating rapidly. The investment controversy that broke on the 8th spread at astonishing speed.
Endless controversy surrounds The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice. Was it simply too bold a challenge? Investors are withdrawing their funding.
There had been smaller reports before, but once the major media outlets stepped in, the scale of the impact changed completely.
Maybe that was why.
Even smaller outlets quickly followed suit.
The story dominated the entertainment front page of Japan's biggest portal site, and by the 8th, it had already shaken the entire country. As soon as the article exposing the situation around The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice was published, the press and public atmosphere turned hostile almost instantly, and the attacks began.
Questions raised over a production cost leak tied to The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice. Insider statements suggest possible problems with the script.
Investors are beginning to flee the dangerously unstable project known as The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
The media did not miss the opportunity, and people who had been hiding their opposition until then started revealing themselves openly.
By the next day, the 9th, even baseless rumors had begun to spread.
Rumors of discord among the cast, differences in opinion between the investors and Director Kyotaro, claims that original author Akari had stepped away, and fabricated scandals involving Kang Woojin all started circulating at once.
Conflict among the cast of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice? Is the film's production in danger of being canceled?
The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice was hit with wave after wave of vicious articles, and the Japanese public was visibly stirred.
I knew this would happen! Casting a rookie Korean actor in the lead was ridiculous to begin with, especially when the original fans were against it!
But if you looked at it another way—
Lately, all I see in the news is talk about The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice! Ah! I wasn't really interested before, but now I'm curious because it keeps showing up!
The level of attention was practically nuclear.
It was a truly bizarre sight. Even while facing the worst crisis possible, The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice was drawing explosive attention. The response was several times hotter than when Kang Woojin first debuted in Japan as a Korean rookie actor.
That was the power of sensationalism in the media world.
Salty, spicy food was far more addictive than bland food.
In any case, by the 10th, two days later, The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice was still benefiting from the effects of what could only be called accidental noise marketing. Mentions of Kang Woojin poured out like a waterfall.
In truth, it was not an entirely bad situation for Woojin either.
The rise and fall of attention around Kang Woojin resembles a roller coaster. What stance will he take?
Even if The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice fails, for Kang Woojin it would only mean losing one of the many projects he had prepared. For better or worse, his recognition in Japan had increased enormously.
At that point—
"PD! Did you see the articles about The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice?! The situation looks like it's getting really serious!!"
An emergency mood took over the set of Ametalk Show!, where the team was in the middle of editing after recently wrapping a recording with Kang Woojin. But the thin-framed Shinjo PD only said this.
"I know. I saw them."
"Shouldn't we wait and see what happens a little more?"
"Why? From where I'm standing, if we air it like this, we might hit our highest ratings yet."
He sounded as though he thought it was actually a good opportunity.
As time passed, the rumors around The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice naturally spread to Korea as well. Unlike Japan, though, people in Korea seemed to be observing the situation more like outside spectators.
[Exclusive] Monster rookie Kang Woojin, facing sudden investment crisis in his Japanese leading film debut The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice
The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice has already lost half its investment, and after the controversy, more investors are expected to pull back.
Just as in Japan, all kinds of speculation ran wild. But the atmosphere in Korea felt a little lighter. The public reaction was similar. There were plenty of comments on articles and social media, but the tone stayed fairly consistent.
Huh? What is this? Is that Japanese film really falling apart? That's disappointing.
Either way, Kang Woojin stood right at the center of the entire mess.
[Star Pick] Japanese film The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice appears to be facing an existential crisis? But Kang Woojin remains silent
He stayed astonishingly quiet.
──────────
The morning of September 12, on the set of a commercial shoot.
It was around nine in the morning. Dozens of staff members moved busily as they prepared for filming. Sitting at a desk surrounded by monitors, the commercial director spoke.
"This kind of mood, you know? Running in jeans. Would it be possible for him to do it shirtless too?"
He was showing the storyboard to a man with tied-back hair.
Naturally, that man was Choi Sunggeon.
"Hmm, I'm not sure. We didn't discuss that part at the start."
"I know. We can talk once the agency people arrive, but I wanted to hear Mr. Woojin's thoughts first. I think taking his top off would make the jeans stand out much more."
The center of the commercial shoot, of course, was Kang Woojin.
But at that moment, Woojin was not on set.
He was inside a van parked in the lot.
And he was not alone.
A bearded man sat across from him—an uncommon sight. It was none other than Song Manwoo PD, one of the giants of the drama industry.
Flap.
Kang Woojin had just opened the first of the two thin bundles of paper Song Manwoo PD had handed him. Written on the cover was:
Synopsis.
Woojin was reading the first line with his usual detached expression when his eyes suddenly met Song Manwoo PD's. PD Song swallowed nervously.
"PD. The main character of this project is..."
"Y-yes."
Instead of waiting for the question to finish, Song Manwoo PD nodded quickly and answered.
"The lead is a chef. A chef, exactly."