From the moment Kang Woojin arrived at the Leech script reading room, he was slightly tense. He had arrived first, which made him the only actor there. He had been through plenty of script readings before, but getting used to unfamiliar places and unfamiliar people was never easy.
Especially since it had been quite a while since he had attended one.
'Ugh, damn it, this is way too awkward being here alone. Can someone please get here already?'
Of course, Woojin hid his increasingly pounding heart and pretended to study the script with a serious expression, but he could not focus at all. Today in particular, the difference between his outer appearance and his inner thoughts was extreme.
'Isn't this reading room kind of too big?'
Director Ahn Gabok, one of the greatest directors in the Korean film industry, was attending, and every actor in the cast was a top veteran.
And on top of that—
"Mr. Woojin, you came really early. You must've arrived ahead of time to go over the script, right?"
"Exactly. Anyone could tell just by looking at that determined expression. By the way, did you see his acting at the audition?"
"Of course I did. All the staff were completely overwhelmed that day, weren't they?"
Because of the acting Kang Woojin had shown at the Leech audition, the eyes of the dozens of staff members who were busy preparing for the script reading were all fixed on him. The same was true of the key staff entering the room, the film company representatives, and the distributor personnel.
"Kang Woojin is here already? There's still about an hour left before the script reading starts."
"I heard he looks tough on the outside, but inside he's surprisingly delicate."
"Unexpected... with all the controversy surrounding him, and especially after causing such a stir at the audition, I thought he'd be much more arrogant."
"Oh, I heard he caused a scene at the audition when he stepped in as the reader for the other role?"
The stares were sharp. Should he have held back more at the audition? No, he had definitely tried to hold back, hadn't he? As the tension gradually rose, Woojin felt a strange ache in his lower stomach.
'I need to fart.'
He could have quietly excused himself, but remembering a mistake from the past, Woojin silently clenched.
Then Han Sojin appeared.
"Hello, Mr. Woojin."
Woojin, who had been alone the whole time, was inwardly glad to see her. He wanted to smile and tell her he had been lonely, but his fake composure would not allow it.
'I thought this back at the audition too, but this woman is seriously unbelievably beautiful.'
But Han Sojin had a rather peculiar temperament.
"Yes. That's why I've only become more determined. I really want to surpass you, Mr. Woojin."
Why did this woman always talk about surpassing him every time she saw him? Was she naturally combative or something? Woojin decided to just let it go. As time passed, more actors began arriving. Jin Jaejun, Oh Heeryeong, and the other supporting actors filled the room, and the contrast between their presence and Woojin's fake calm became even more pronounced.
To be honest, in the middle of all that growing tension, the moments when nobody spoke to him were actually the most comfortable.
Because he kept acting intimidating, people avoided him to some extent, and that worked in his favor.
Around then—
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Rather than a wild man, it was the great actor Shim Hanho who appeared. Giving off a rough, heavy presence, he walked straight toward Woojin. Kang Woojin rose with dignity, but the moment Shim Hanho stopped right in front of him, he was startled inside.
'Oh my god! Wow—damn, what is this? Shim Hanho sunbae's aura is insane!!'
With his thick beard and his completely transformed image, Shim Hanho radiated an overpowering masculinity. He had always given off the impression of a tiger, but now that he had changed this much, he was overflowing with the energy of a beast.
Woojin, completely captivated, lowered his voice.
"Hello, sunbae."
Shim Hanho's reply was brief and deep.
"My acting may be a little fierce today."
Kang Woojin was genuinely shocked.
'Wow, that sounds like a line straight out of a movie!'
That was his reaction, at least inwardly. Shim Hanho's words fit him so perfectly that it was probably because of that intense, beast-like aura hanging around him.
'He's seriously cool. This is what the aura of a great actor looks like.'
Wow, this was really intense. Just being able to feel Shim Hanho's aura up close was overwhelming. On top of that, Woojin even felt that there was something he could learn from him. That weight. That atmosphere. Shim Hanho was not acting the way Woojin did, but memorizing the image he gave off now felt like it would be useful later if Woojin ever had to play a tough guy role.
Now it was Kang Woojin's turn.
Maybe because he had just witnessed such an intense force, Woojin steeled himself. He wanted to show the beast in front of him the greatest bluff he could manage. He put on the most arrogant expression possible and forced his voice into a low, thick register.
As his heart began pounding, a strange momentum suddenly carried him.
But what should he say? Since Shim Hanho had said his acting might be intense today, should he answer with something like, "I'll do my best to keep up"? No, that felt too weak. In the end, Woojin mixed a little arrogance with politeness and said:
"Yes. I'll gladly accept it."
He threw the line back without any decoration at all. Kang Woojin immediately pulled himself together and maintained his composure.
'Oh, damn it, don't shake now.'
Looking away here would be something only a beginner would do. Woojin answered in a cool tone and did not avoid the great actor Shim Hanho's gaze. After a brief silence—
"······"
"······"
Kang Woojin and Shim Hanho exchanged silent looks. Shim Hanho's calm yet intense gaze was like that of a real beast. On the other hand, Woojin was covered in goosebumps because of his own act. But nobody in the reading room noticed the difference.
That was thanks to the misunderstanding that had steadily piled up until now.
In any case, the reading room turned cold in an instant. The tension was enormous. The dozens of staff members glanced at one another, and the actors wore bewildered expressions. Meanwhile, Han Sojin, who was standing across from Woojin and Shim Hanho, was screaming inwardly.
'No way! Kang Woojin! Are you seriously doing this?! You're charging straight at him?!'
Of course, that scream was directed at the unwavering Woojin. To her eyes, it looked as though a beast and a monster were growling at each other. But how could that even be possible? Shim Hanho was a legend among legends in the acting world. Even Director Ahn Gabok treated him with respect.
Yet Kang Woojin showed no sign of backing down at all.
At that very moment—
"Goodness."
Oh Heeryeong, seated to Han Sojin's right, murmured something with an odd smile.
"He's got guts."
Han Sojin widened her eyes and asked with difficulty,
"······What?"
"Mr. Woojin. Doesn't he feel like a kind of character we've never seen before?"
"Ah—"
"Most people get overwhelmed by Shim Hanho sunbae's presence up close, but he's so calm~ They say he has overseas experience, right? I guess it must be true."
"Huh? He came from overseas?"
Just as Han Sojin was about to step into the swamp of misunderstanding, the murmur among the reporters gathered at the reading room entrance grew louder.
"Wow, what is this? Is this a scoop? Should we film this?"
"Are you crazy? Do you want to get kicked out just because you filmed that?"
"Still, shouldn't we step in somehow? Why is everyone just standing around?"
Right then—
"They froze because the situation was too unfamiliar."
A seasoned voice came from behind the reporters. It was Director Ahn Gabok, who had appeared without anyone noticing. The reporters almost all cried out at once.
"Ah! Director—"
But their words were cut short. Director Ahn Gabok placed a finger to his lips. Then he looked toward Kang Woojin and Shim Hanho inside the reading room. Around them stood about six staff members, including the assistant director, and the assistant director looked anxious enough to intervene.
"Director, I'll mediate. I think something is about to happen."
But Director Ahn Gabok shook his head with an easy smile.
"If we step into the middle of that psychological battle between those monsters, we'll be the only ones who get hurt."
"······What?"
"I'm saying leave them alone."
"But still—"
"A jungle is better than a polite landscape."
On the other hand, the assistant director and the staff were restless. Director Ahn Gabok gestured for them to calm down.
"It's fine, just leave it. If anything, it'll stimulate the actors. Mr. Kang Woojin has already set the standard for acting in Leech, and Mr. Shim Hanho has already laid down its starting point. Where else are we going to find this kind of tension between the two leads?"
Then Director Ahn Gabok pointed toward the two monsters with his index finger.
"Look. Out of everyone here, the only people who are truly Park Haseong and Chairman Yoon Jeongbae are those two."
Soon.
As everyone watched, with Kang Woojin and Shim Hanho still exchanging sharp looks, it was Shim Hanho—the one wearing the face of a beast—who broke the tension first.
"Looks like the response was good—"
The man with the thick beard suddenly formed a faint smile on his usually hardened face. There seemed to be genuine interest mixed into that smile.
"You answered without even taking time to think. I have a lot to learn."
"I'm really looking forward to it."
"So am I."
"Thank you."
"Likewise."
With that, the cold confrontation ended. Kang Woojin dipped his head slightly, and Shim Hanho, having returned the greeting, slowly moved to the seat across from Woojin. Smiling, Oh Heeryeong spoke to Shim Hanho as he pulled out his chair.
"Sunbae, didn't you tighten the belt a little too much right from the start? The kids all froze up. Ah, it's freezing in here."
Shim Hanho loosened the long hair he had tied back and replied in a low voice.
"I only said what was necessary."
Oh Heeryeong looked fine, but most of the actors still had not relaxed. Han Sojin in particular, seated in the third chair, kept darting her eyes around anxiously. The one who shattered that overwhelming tension was him.
"Is everyone here now?"
Director Ahn Gabok entered at the perfect moment. Short, with white hair, he took the head seat at the U-shaped table and received everyone's greetings. Soon after, he slowly swept his gaze across the entire reading room. Dozens of actors from Leech, staff members, and people from the film production and distribution companies had gathered there. After examining the more than one hundred people in the room—
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He quietly muttered,
"Let's begin."
At the same time, the reporters raised their cameras, and the cameras set up around the script reading room also began rolling. Naturally, the reading began with introductions.
"Actor Shim Hanho will play Chairman Yoon Jeongbae."
Of course, Director Ahn Gabok led the proceedings.
"Actor Kang Woojin has been cast as Park Haseong."
The overall atmosphere was heavy.
"Actor Oh Heeryeong has been cast as Yoo Hyeonji."
The simple actor introductions and greetings continued for about thirty minutes, and then Director Ahn Gabok, seated at the front, moved on.
He opened the first page of the script for the film Leech.
Everyone seated around the U-shaped table did the same.
During the reading, Director Ahn Gabok handled the narration and also read the lines of actors who were not participating in a scene.
"1. Park Haseong's monologue."
Kang Woojin was the first to speak, naturally after the mention of Park Haseong.
"I don't know who I am anymore. I don't even know what kind of existence I am. I'm lost..."
It was quite a long monologue, but no one shifted in their seat. Everyone listened to Woojin's monologue. It was because the content ran straight through the central theme of Leech.
After that, the situation changed.
The parts that would later be expressed through editing were handled roughly through Director Ahn Gabok's explanations. One page, then another. Around the third page of the script, Kang Woojin spoke again. It was a scene dealing with Park Haseong's childhood, so there was an exchange between Kang Woojin and Director Ahn Gabok. About fifteen minutes later, the other actors began to enter.
Oh Heeryeong, who had been smiling the whole time, changed completely.
She entered under the name Yoo Hyeonji.
In truth, she was a seasoned veteran with a long career as a great actress. But there was no trace of her usual self. The atmosphere surrounding Oh Heeryeong also felt different somehow. After Director Ahn Gabok's narration ended, Kang Woojin and Oh Heeryeong faced each other for the first time.
But—
"······"
"······"
There were no spoken lines between them. From the start, the two characters communicated only through sign language, so it felt natural. There were no words, but their hands moved busily. Yet what stood out was not just the sign language. The movements of their upper bodies, their gazes, their expressions, and the changes in their eyes, noses, and mouths were all vivid.
Because Kang Woojin and Oh Heeryeong had to convey the entire situation through emotion alone, there was no awkwardness at all.
The other actors, including Jin Jaejun and Han Sojin, were stunned.
'This is on another level. Even though they're only using sign language, I can understand the scene. Their expressions and body language are replacing the dialogue.'
'Kang Woojin—this is incredible. Park Haseong uses sign language too, but reaching this level while acting at the same time?'
Everyone in the reading room except Director Ahn Gabok was thinking the same thing. Unfamiliar sign language. The extreme concentration of the two actors. And extraordinary acting ability.
Then—
"Hmm? Young man, who might you be?"
Shim Hanho, with his thick beard, opened his mouth. Chairman Yoon Jeongbae had entered. He looked across at Kang Woojin. Despite his rough appearance, there was not a trace of beast-like energy in the words Shim Hanho spoke. If anything, they were mixed with wit and softness.
That was exactly the problem.
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His eyes.
There was a smile at the corners of his mouth, but something strangely unhinged was hidden in his eyes. His breathing looked calm, yet from time to time it turned irregular.
"Take good care of my wife. And don't flirt with her."
At first glance he did not seem dangerous, but a quiet threat was lurking underneath. He still retained the essence of Chairman Yoon Jeongbae, yet it felt as though he were hiding a knife behind his back. That was the kind of acting Shim Hanho was showing Woojin right now.
But it was not obvious.
Kang Woojin. Shim Hanho. Oh Heeryeong.
The three actors leading the reading felt like monsters hiding their true forms. Each of them concealed what lay inside and poured out false words instead.
The staff broke out in goosebumps all over.
'W-what the hell is this, seriously?'
They were clearly reciting the lines written in the script, and the setting itself had not changed much, but the more the three actors continued, the more the eeriness deepened.
Then the scene changed again.
It was the moment Chairman Yoon Jeongbae sealed his first deal with Park Haseong.
"The goal is simple. Make my wife trust you blindly."
"······I'll try."
At this point, Park Haseong still had not properly grasped the man's true nature, so he felt fear instinctively.
"Honestly, I don't really know how to make her rely on me. And blindly... that sounds even harder."
This was where everything truly began. It was here that Shim Hanho began to move in earnest.
"Then I'll make it easy for you."
Shim Hanho looked at Woojin and opened his eyes wide. The area around his mouth, buried beneath the thick beard, twitched. His sly tone remained the same, but his whole face looked as though it belonged to a madman.
Somewhere between madness and anger.
It was clearly different from the Chairman Yoon Jeongbae created by Director Ahn Gabok. He preserved the essence, but the actions rising beyond that essence felt natural. He was like a clown overflowing with the desire to control.
"Everything depends on your mindset. It changes depending on how you look at it. Right? So first, change that defeatist way of thinking."
"······"
Chairman Yoon Jeongbae pressed Kang Woojin harder.
"Did you know? From the moment you got into this car, your life was already in my hands."
"What??!"
"You heard me. So now you can't just sit still. You want to live, don't you? Then pour every bit of effort you have into changing your mindset."
He was blunt.
But Kang Woojin did not retreat in the slightest. If anything, he held his ground from beginning to end.
"Mindset... Are you saying I need to believe I'm living in the same world as you, Chairman?"
"Don't confuse the matter. Think of it as a lease. Your position is like filthy laundry that stays dirty no matter how much it's washed."
"Still, it's hard to think of it as a lease. I'll think of it as a tenancy instead."
"Ha ha, just as I expected. You really are the perfect choice. I like that dark atmosphere of yours. But don't cross the line, understood?"
"If you would draw that line clearly for me..."
"The moment you step into my house, you'll understand. You'll come to dominate my wife, and I'll come to dominate you."
At this point, Han Sojin could only sit there and listen in a daze.
"······"
Because it was a fight between monsters.
Meanwhile, the studio looked like an apartment.
There was a desk placed in the middle of the living room. It was large enough for about five people to sit comfortably, but only one woman sat there, typing on a laptop.
Tap, tap, tap.
With her slender frame and round glasses, she was writer Choi Nana. Usually she was shy by nature, but right now she was unusually full of life. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the laptop screen, and the fingers moving across the keyboard were filled with confidence.
About an hour later.
After typing with fierce concentration, writer Choi Nana suddenly lifted her head and looked up at the ceiling.
"Haah—"
She let out a long breath.
"It's finished."
She had just completed the writing of the final episode of The Good Deed's Evil.