The recorded voice belonged to Amy, and what it contained was shocking enough to shatter her life completely.
A low engine roar cut through the air as Itsuma's luxury sedan slowly passed in front of the camera.
Silence settled over the set.
Then Director Kyotaro's voice rang out sharply.
"Cut!! That's good!!"
Behind them, the production team of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice and Kang Woojin were filming different scenes on the same set. The following afternoon, after sunset, the team arrived at a high school in Tokyo.
It was the place where Kang Woojin's character would be revealed for the first time.
It was also where Iyota Kiyoshi—the "stranger" in The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice—was born. Dozens of staff members, along with Director Kyotaro, filled the rooftop, surrounded by cameras and an array of filming equipment. Though it was actually late afternoon, within the script it was deep into the night.
The actors stepped in front of the cameras.
More precisely, the characters of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice stood ready. Amy, her makeup slightly worn, and Itsuma, dressed sharply in a suit. Director Kyotaro sat before the monitor, and behind him stood Kang Woojin, his expression unreadable.
"······"
Woojin had scenes to film here as well, but not immediately. He could have waited on the first floor or rested in the car. Instead, he chose to come up to the rooftop.
It was a simple reason.
'I want to see how they act.'
He had read every role in The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, and he was curious how the Japanese actors would bring their characters to life. Watching them, he believed, might help him shape his own portrayal of Kiyoshi.
But—
'Kang Woojin… he's watching.'
'Woojin's here? Damn… I'm getting nervous.'
His presence alone weighed heavily on the Japanese actors. It went beyond recognition—they had already been overwhelmed by his acting. Watching Woojin's performances had made their own feel small by comparison.
'Damn it… I should've practiced my lines more.'
They were fighting on two fronts.
Iyota Kiyoshi within the story, and Kang Woojin as an actor. As characters, they were utterly consumed by Kiyoshi's eerie dominance. As actors, they were crushed by Woojin's sheer skill.
Yasuta, who had played the now-deceased Kinjo, had said this:
'Forget that you're acting. The moment you fall under Kang Woojin's spell, this becomes the world of The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice.'
It was true. Undeniably so.
'We're going to have to face the real monster—Iyota Kiyoshi—and survive it.'
Throughout filming, the Japanese actors found themselves constantly overwhelmed by Woojin's presence. If they faltered even slightly, the gap became obvious. Standing in the same frame as that monstrous actor made anyone look awkward.
It wasn't that their acting lacked ability.
Kang Woojin was simply that exceptional.
Director Kyotaro lifted his megaphone.
"Ready—"
In that instant, a single thought passed through the actors' minds.
'Give up? No… that's not an option.'
This was the hardest project they had faced since their debuts. They had never struggled like this before. Giving up would have been easy.
But they clenched their teeth and pushed forward.
If they surrendered here, they would be buried—whether in front of the public or within the industry itself.
'What would it look like… if one Korean actor wiped us all out?'
Soon—
"Action."
At Director Kyotaro's signal, the performance began.
The rooftop filled with memories.
Amy, still mentally unstable. Itsuma, watching her as she unraveled. For some reason, he wore work gloves.
Suddenly, Amy screamed.
"Kya!"
She was seeing hallucinations of Toka. Her body curled in on itself as she trembled.
Itsuma looked at her with pity, adjusted his glasses, and glanced up at the darkening sky. Then he let out a quiet sigh.
"Ha… why is all of this happening all of a sudden?"
He held that posture for a few seconds as the camera captured them head-on.
Then he helped Amy to her feet.
"Amy. It's okay. I'll make things easier now."
"······"
She gave no response.
She wasn't there anymore.
Yes—Itsuma had ended her life without hesitation.
Looking down past the railing, he clicked his tongue.
"Does it even make sense to call the police now? This is your own doing, Amy."
Cut. Retake after retake.
Afterward, the crew evacuated the rooftop and moved to the parking lot behind the school. Itsuma climbed into his luxury sedan.
"I don't know either. But this is the right thing. After coming this far, should I just throw my life away? Amy… I'm sorry."
Still playing the recorder that had been delivered anonymously, he hurried away from the school.
As the loud exhaust faded, silence returned.
Then—
──────────
A man's back appeared before the camera, which now faced the empty parking lot.
Lifeless eyes. A blank expression.
Kang Woojin—no, Iyota Kiyoshi.
He had just finished another task.
And now, he moved on to the next.
"······"
The camera framed his upper body.
He held a camera in his hand. It was clear that everything Itsuma had done at this school had been recorded.
Slowly, Kiyoshi turned his head.
Toward where Amy's body had been.
But he had no intention of cleaning it up.
"Let's go."
He walked forward at a steady pace, disappearing from the camera's view.
Time passed in a blur.
Kang Woojin continued filming The Stranger's Grim Sacrifice, and everything surrounding it remained unchanged. Even so, his focus never wavered.
By March, he would have to leave again for a while.
Before that, he needed to complete as many cuts as possible. Whenever even a hint of fatigue crept in, he immediately entered the void space.
Meanwhile, the rating for Boy Friend: Remake shifted.
-[10/Script (Title: Boy Friend: Remake), SS Rank]
Its rise from S-rank to SS-rank was only natural. It had already become one of the most popular works in the Japanese animation industry, and at its center stood Kang Woojin.
With that level of popularity, A10 Studio had no room to cut corners.
They completed the voice cast in an instant.
The process was simple. Even before the official casting announcement, voice actors had been lining up.
At the same time, A10 Studio expanded its production teams.
In other words, four separate episode teams began working simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the Our Table production team, led by PD Yoon Byeongseon, had just finished preparing for the second shoot. The cast schedules were finalized, and the issues in LA had been resolved.
『[Entertainment Pick] "Our Table" confirms second shoot for February 28!』
The Leech production team, having successfully completed auditions, entered full-scale preparation. Casting for lead, supporting, and extra roles had all been confirmed. What remained were set completion, script readings, and finalizing storyboards.
But Director Ahn Gabok felt an increasing urgency.
"Hmm… we're short on time."
"Pre-production took longer than expected."
"When will everything be ready?"
"By next week."
"And the script review?"
"······Around mid-March."
Once the set construction neared completion, he made a decision.
"No. Move it up by a week. I'll stay up all night finishing the storyboards, so schedule the script reading for March 6."
"Understood. I'll adjust the schedule."
"We'll do the script reading on the 6th and start filming on the 8th."
"Two days later?!"
He was essentially planning to overlap the two.
"Yes. Is it possible?"
"······It's not impossible. But I'm not sure how the cast and staff will take it."
"There will be issues. But we have to push through. We'll also start editing while filming."
It was like drafting a manuscript at full speed.
For Leech, the key wasn't the filming itself, but how much time they could save in post-production.
Which meant—
they would be filming and editing simultaneously, barely sleeping.
"Inform the actors. Script reading on the 6th. First shoot on the 8th."
The cold weather was gradually easing.
『Film "The Good Deed's Evil," aiming for global success via Netflix, in talks with major actors』
Mornings and nights were still chilly, but afternoons had become comfortably cool. People on the streets began shedding their heavy coats one by one.
The seasons were changing.
Naturally, so were the people around Kang Woojin.
-@Wooji_n
Posts: 226
Followers: 18.503 million
Following: 48
Without even realizing it, his social media had grown to an enormous scale. Famous actors from Korea, Japan, and beyond were following him. His "Kang Woojin's Alter Ego" channel was experiencing explosive growth.
Among actors, it was already near the top tier.
Though Kang Woojin was currently in Japan—
『[Star Talk] Kang Woojin nearing 20 million followers just two years after debut, gaining explosive popularity in Korea and Japan』
—it felt as though he were still in Korea.
He was involved in too many projects, and even now, issues kept arising one after another.
And just like that—
a month passed.
Before he knew it, it was February 28, the final day of the month.
Spring was just around the corner.
『[Photo] Kang Woojin entering departure hall for second shoot of "Our Table"』
By then, Woojin was already on the plane.
Two days later—
in LA.
Around the morning of March 2, a large van drove along a congested road filled with cars. About six people sat inside, but one stood out the most—a massive Black man.
Joseph Felton, a renowned Hollywood producer.
Wearing suit pants and a casual T-shirt, he glanced at his tablet and spoke.
"Robert, is the Korea schedule confirmed without issues?"
The bald man beside him replied.
"Yes. We arrive on the 3rd, meetings with distributors begin on the 4th, and we have another on the 8th."
"We'll visit Director Ahn Gabok's set first."
"Joseph, did you contact them?"
"Yes. But I'll follow up again once we land."
Joseph smiled faintly and shifted the topic.
"Is Kang Woojin in LA right now?"
"As far as I know, yes. He came back for the second shoot of a TV program. Do you want to meet him? We can adjust the flight."
"No. I want to meet him in Korea. Not as a TV personality—as an actor."
"······His cooking will probably be marketed in Korea like his YouTube piano videos. His channel keeps uploading consistently. I acknowledge his versatility, but at the end of the day, he's still just one person. Wouldn't juggling so many side activities naturally weaken his acting tension?"
Joseph crossed his long legs, folding his arms as his biceps bulged.
"That's usually true. But Kang Woojin feels different. Even Director Megan Stone—who's worked with countless top Hollywood actors—called him a 'star.' There's definitely a unique energy about him that I haven't seen before."
Robert scratched his head, still unconvinced. At the mention of Megan Stone, he shifted the topic.
"Come to think of it, didn't Megan say she's heading to Korea soon?"
"Yes. She's attending the Baeksang Arts Awards in mid-March. Filming for Last Kill 3 is nearly done, so she's planning to go while handling other projects."
"She was in Japan last time, and now Korea."
"A successful casting director in Hollywood needs solid knowledge of actors worldwide. Anyone can tell this trip is because of Kang Woojin."
Joseph picked up his tablet again, grinning.
"If the schedule allows, I should consider attending the Baeksang Awards too."
Around late afternoon, they boarded a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Korea.
A few days later—
late at night on the 4th—
Joseph Felton arrived in Korea and began his schedule.
A crowd of reporters and onlookers filled the arrival hall. Roughly dozens of people had gathered, led by PD Yoon Byeongseon.
They were the Our Table team.
-Flash! Flash! Flash!
Even at night, camera shutters fired endlessly, flashes exploding toward the cast. Wearing hats and masks, the cast stood spaced apart in designated spots.
Among them—
A black-haired man slipped into a black van parked by the curb.
'This is exhausting. I really don't get along with airplanes.'
Outwardly, he looked calm and composed, but inside he felt otherwise.
Several people boarded the van, and Choi Seonggeon, wearing a ponytail, turned from the passenger seat.
"Woojin, tomorrow is the press conference for 'The Missing Island,' and on the 6th there's a script reading for 'Leech.' So you're free until 2 PM tomorrow. Get some rest as soon as you get home."
It felt as though March—the month where everything would begin—had just been opened.
"Yes, sir."
After completing the second shoot of Our Table—
『[Photo] Kang Woojin calmly greeting reporters and fans after returning from filming "Our Table"』
『"Issue Monster" Kang Woojin returns to Korea, juggling tight schedule including first shoot of film "Leech" and Baeksang Awards』
Kang Woojin had returned to Korea.