Inside the van, Song Manwoo PD, who had just mentioned that the protagonist's profession was a chef, added a little more explanation.
"You'll understand once you read further into the synopsis, but to be more precise, it's about a chef who was once successful and has now fallen from grace."
"So it's a story about his comeback?"
"That seems the most likely. Of course, there could always be unexpected variables."
Kang Woojin slowly nodded and focused on the synopsis again. He had hesitated at first when he saw that the very first line was about cooking, but after hearing Song Manwoo PD's explanation, he felt more certain.
'A chef, huh? Wasn't there some popular chef drama a long time ago? I can't remember the title.'
A synopsis usually included a brief overall plot, an outline, planning notes, the intent behind the writing, and the cast of characters. What Woojin was looking at now was no different.
Chefs really did look cool, especially when they were trimming ingredients.
A video he had once watched on YouTube suddenly came back to him. It had featured a cooking YouTuber whose face was hidden, and Woojin had been so captivated by his knife skills that he had binge-watched several of his videos. He had even tried following a few of the recipes himself.
Even so—
Flick.
As Kang Woojin turned the next page of the synopsis with a dry expression, he let out a short sigh to himself.
The reason was simple.
'Well, there's a lot here, but honestly, to me a synopsis is just paper.'
Unlike a drama or film script, a synopsis never produced a black square. No portal leading into the void appeared. The two project synopses in Woojin's hands had nothing attached to them. They were just ordinary, thin bundles of paper.
It had always been that way.
Even if he only read a few pages of a script, a portal to the void could open, but no matter how long a synopsis was, a black square never attached itself to it. Well, that made sense, didn't it? A synopsis was basically just the project compressed into something like a PowerPoint presentation.
There was not a single line of dialogue, only descriptions.
While other actors carefully studied synopses in order to choose their next project, Kang Woojin had never found them especially interesting. Even so, he pretended to read with care.
Then a thought occurred to him.
'If I check the script for this chef-centered drama, would I be able to gain some kind of cooking ability?'
A faint spark of anticipation rose in his chest. If the void space was involved, it seemed entirely possible. After all, that place had already given him an outstanding voice and all sorts of language abilities in an instant.
'Would it be a cooking skill? Or knowledge? I don't know what kind of ability would get imprinted, but it's not impossible, is it?'
There might always be some twist with that unpredictable void, but the odds felt low. If he really did gain a cooking-related ability, several uses immediately came to mind.
The first one was Our Table at Home.
It was the massive variety show being produced by entertainment heavyweight Yoon Byeongseon PD, and top stars, including Kang Woojin, were scheduled to appear. On top of that, cooking skills would be useful in everyday life too.
Meanwhile, Song Manwoo PD, who had been watching Woojin's silent face, swallowed nervously.
'Good grief, just watching him quietly read is enough to make me tense.'
Kang Woojin. Or more precisely, he was an ardent believer in Kang Totem.
Even though the drama had been a major success, he was so nervous that his palms were sweating. In a way, it felt as though he were being evaluated by Kang Totem himself.
At present, Song Manwoo PD had resigned from the broadcasting station.
The work related to Profiler Hanryang had not been completely wrapped up yet, but most of it was being handled through handover procedures and occasional participation whenever necessary.
In other words—
Song Manwoo PD had now gone independent. He had taken the position of president at a new production company. Officially, that was his title, but in practice it was little more than a nominal president's seat.
There were actually two representatives.
Song Manwoo PD served as both the face of the company and its chief director, and he was also the one who had personally proposed this drama script as Kang Woojin's first independent project. It was connected to the promise he had made at the Profiler Hanryang wrap party. Knowing how busy Kang Woojin was, Song Manwoo PD had come all the way to the filming set himself. Even as a major industry figure, he remained consistently polite.
'I'm honestly grateful that he made time for this in the middle of such a packed schedule.'
Naturally, his devotion to Kang Totem was part of the reason too.
At that point—
While pretending to read the second synopsis, Kang Woojin spoke in a detached voice.
"PD."
"Yes, yes, I'm listening, Woojin."
"The scripts for these two projects aren't out yet?"
In response to the question, Song Manwoo PD, his chin covered in beard, shook his head.
"Both projects exist, but neither is complete yet. For both of them, only the first episode has been written. Since we haven't decided which one to proceed with first, additional development is on hold."
"I see. Hm."
Woojin gave a short hum, neatly stacked the two synopses together, and lowered his voice.
"Then may I take a look at the unfinished drafts?"
"That's no problem at all. But are you really sure? Honestly, even if you only gave me a slight indication, that'd be enough for me. I'm worried it might be troublesome for you."
"It's fine. Send them."
Song Manwoo PD's expression brightened immediately.
"Understood! Then you want both scripts, right?"
That was only natural. Kang Woojin gave a serious nod.
"Yes. Both."
"Got it! Haha, honestly, I've lost track of just how busy Kang Totem-nim is. Then I'll organize the scripts and send them to your company, Woojin."
"No. If possible, send them to my house."
"To your house? Ah, yes, then I'll send them there. Your schedule ends in the evening today, right?"
"Yes."
Right then—
Knock, knock.
A tapping sound came against the van window. A moment later, the rear door opened, and Choi Sunggeon appeared with a bright smile, his hair tied back in a ponytail.
"PD, sorry, but it's almost time for Woojin's shoot."
"Ah! Right, right, Woojin, thank you so much for making time. You should get going now!"
After a brief farewell, Song Manwoo PD hurried toward a car parked nearby, while Woojin headed toward the commercial set with Choi Sunggeon. As they walked, Choi Sunggeon spoke first.
"What did PD Song say?"
"He gave me synopses."
"Ah, right, he went independent, didn't he? I heard he made a fortune thanks to the success of Hanryang. Whew, we really need to manage our investments well too."
Choi Sunggeon—or more precisely, BW Entertainment—was currently busy preparing for expansion, searching for various investors, and evaluating the company's future value. As soon as the subject of investment came up, Woojin thought of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
"How are things in Japan with The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice?"
"We're continuing to keep track of it and monitor the situation."
Choi Sunggeon trailed off briefly, then scratched his chin with a thoughtful look.
"To be honest, things have gotten worse. The image took quite a hit, and I don't think public opinion is likely to turn around completely. Are you considering pulling out now? No one would blame you, so you can decide comfortably."
"No. I'll wait."
"Since you're always very clear about work and personal matters, I doubt this is about loyalty or manners. Is there another reason?"
Woojin could not very well say, 'It's because The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice has an S-plus rating.' So he dodged the question.
"I just want to do The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice."
But after hearing that, Choi Sunggeon drew his own conclusion.
'As expected, the project itself must have made a deep impression on him. Otherwise there'd be no reason for him to keep holding on in a situation like this. Assuming that strange intuition of his is right, anyway.'
He was swallowing down his misunderstanding by the spoonful all on his own.
──────────
At the same time in Japan—
Toega Film, the company involved in producing The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice in Tokyo, was in complete chaos. The situation had not calmed at all. If anything, it had only grown worse since the news first broke a week earlier.
"The investment leak involving The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice—will Director Tanoguchi Kyotaro really fall like this?"
In simple terms, awareness of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice had reached its peak, but along with it came an avalanche of ridiculous and outrageous rumors. Toega Film had responded quickly with official clarification materials, but—
"Toega says that while it is true the investment has decreased, the other claims are groundless."
The flames of controversy did not die down so easily. Rumors began spreading not only among the actors attached to The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, but throughout the Japanese entertainment industry as a whole.
"Director! There's more talk about investment reviews coming in!"
"Good grief. Which investor is it this time?"
Even the original investors were beginning to waver. Around sixty percent of the investment had already been withdrawn. Director Kyotaro and the film company were struggling desperately to attract new investment, but the results were poor.
That was hardly surprising.
Who would willingly invest when the situation was this bad? The pool of potential investors was shrinking by the day. At this point, the options left to Director Kyotaro and the production company were painfully obvious.
"Director, what if we scale down the production with the budget we still have left?"
That would mean reducing the entire size of the film significantly. But Director Kyotaro opposed the idea strongly.
"No. If it comes to that, I'd rather abandon production entirely. Besides, there's no telling how long even the remaining investment will hold."
"Hmm. But we need to make a decision. These baseless rumors keep linking our film and Mr. Woojin together, and the other actors aside from him are starting to make suspicious moves too. I think we need to take some kind of action while there's still money left."
"What about pushing ahead with the initial startup phase quickly and then gradually making up the rest of the investment later?"
Every choice before them was extreme. Director Kyotaro had started to wonder if his own stubbornness had been a mistake. Was Japan simply not ready to accept change? Either way, if this went on much longer, everyone involved—including Kang Woojin—would suffer.
Kyotaro found himself sinking into troubled thoughts.
They had struggled for over a week, and no solution was in sight.
It was time to decide whether to keep going or stop.
The moment had finally come to choose between those two options.
Just then—
His phone rang on the desk.
The number was unsaved. Lately, the press had been calling relentlessly, so his first thought was to ignore it.
He let out a sigh.
But worried that it might have something to do with the rumors, he decided to answer.
"Yes, this is Tanoguchi Kyotaro."
The person on the other end was not a reporter.
It was a woman.
"Hello, Director. This is Lily Tetsukawa from the Kashiwa Group."
Kyotaro blinked in surprise.
"The Kashiwa Group? The Kashiwa Group I'm thinking of?"
One of the ten largest corporations in the Japanese business world.
"Yes, Director."
It was an utterly unexpected caller.
"There is someone who wishes to meet with you."
"Me? Who?"
But the woman on the line remained calm the entire time.
"Someone willing to provide every investment necessary for the production of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice."
──────────
Night, at Kang Woojin's officetel.
The moment Kang Woojin got out of the car, the van glided smoothly out of the underground parking garage. Woojin quietly watched it leave.
Only after it had completely disappeared did he finally drop the mask he had been wearing all day.
'Whew—I'm dead. No, maybe I'm already beyond dead.'
The time was 11:40 at night. By anyone's standards it was quite late, but to Kang Woojin, it counted as getting off work early for once. His eyes were heavy with fatigue. He soon turned and started walking, retracing the day in his mind.
'I honestly can't even remember what I did today.'
But he was too mentally exhausted to piece it together properly. It had already been three weeks since he returned from Japan. As he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor, he muttered to himself.
There was a simple reason he was not going straight home.
'It should be in the mailbox, right?'
He recalled the conversation from that morning, when Song Manwoo PD said he would send the scripts over. Just as expected, there was a slightly thick yellow envelope waiting in the mailbox. Woojin picked it up and got back into the elevator. As the elevator hummed upward, he tore it open.
Snap.
Even through the exhaustion, anticipation filled him. Most of that anticipation came from the thought that he might gain a new ability tonight.
'Let's see.'
Inside the yellow envelope were two scripts. By the time the elevator reached his floor and Woojin stepped into his apartment, kicked off his shoes, and pulled both scripts out, he already knew he needed to check them both.
Still, there was one in particular that he had his eye on.
'What was the one about the chef?'
It did not take long to find. The title he was looking for immediately caught his attention.
Honorable Chef
As soon as he saw the title, Woojin smiled faintly.
'This is it. This one.'
He placed the yellow envelope on a nearby table and picked up the script for Honorable Chef. Unlike the synopsis he had looked at that morning, there was a familiar black square attached to the side of the script. It swirled with patterns of black and gray.
Without much thought, Kang Woojin tapped it lightly with his index finger.
Boing.
Before he knew it, he had stepped into the void space he visited more often than his own home, a place filled with endless darkness. Stretching lazily, he walked toward the white rectangle floating at chest height.
The recently added scripts appeared as white rectangles.
As always, the first thing he checked whenever he entered the void was one specific title.
-[7/Script (Title: The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice), S+ Grade]
The rating for The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.
'Yep. Still S-plus.'
The project had maintained its unexpectedly elevated S-plus rank. Satisfied, Woojin shifted his gaze to the last white rectangle.
-[8/Script (Title: Honorable Chef), C Grade]
Unfortunately, Honorable Chef had only a C grade. In other words, it was average. Woojin suddenly tilted his head.
'A C isn't terrible. Am I just being too picky?'
Muttering that to himself, he reached out and touched the white rectangle labeled Honorable Chef. The text displayed on it changed at once.
-[8/Script (Title: Honorable Chef) has been selected.]
-[List of readable characters (experience).]
-[A: Jang Hyunjae]
There was no need to worry about the supporting roles. The only thing Woojin needed was the lead. Without hesitation, he selected the first role from the list.
At the same time, he quietly chanted inwardly.
'Come on. Please. Please. Please.'
If the robotic female voice simply read the lines, then it was a failure. But if there was even the slightest nuance in the delivery, then it was a success.
And then it happened.
[An ability exceeding the base specs has been detected. Please acquire "Chef Skill" first.]
A result so good it felt like the whole void had burst into celebration spread through the air. Woojin clapped without thinking.
Success.
And Chef Skill? That was exactly what he had been wondering about—what kind of ability would be engraved onto him.
[…]
After a brief pause, the robotic female voice rang out again.
[An ability exceeding the base specs has been detected. Please acquire "Chef's Recipe" first.]
At those words, Kang Woojin's eyes widened slightly.
'Two abilities?'
That had never happened before.