Chapter 234: Tidal Wave (1)

The high school where the past scenes of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ were filmed. It was around late morning. The corridor at the entrance of the music room was crowded with dozens of staff members from ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. The actors were also visible. Various filming equipment was set up around them.

Director Kyotaro was sitting in front of the monitor.

“······”

The entire team of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ held their breath. About half of them were looking inside the music room, while the other half were staring at the monitor where Director Kyotaro’s face was buried. More precisely, they were watching Kang Woojin in a school uniform inside the music room.

The cue sign had already been given.

In other words, Kang Woojin inside the music room had already started acting. At this moment, he was being captured on camera as ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’. Director Kyotaro, whose hair was full of gray, watched Kiyoshi with sharp eyes.

‘Yes, that’s the atmosphere.’

In fact, the scene being shot now was not originally planned in the shooting storyboard. Of course, it was in the original work, but it was removed during the adaptation. However, Director Kyotaro revived the scene. He urgently created the direction and planning yesterday and started shooting today.

Even so, there was no need to be in such a hurry.

What excited Director Kyotaro was Kang Woojin’s piano performance two days ago. The scene he saw at the restaurant, the energy that captivated dozens of guests, the overwhelming emotion and exhilaration. The great Japanese director Kyotaro, who had witnessed this with his own eyes, was filled with an irresistible desire.

He wanted to capture it on camera as soon as possible.

And now, Kang Woojin as Kiyoshi was sitting at a black piano.

“······”

His face, looking down at the open piano, was expressionless. His pupils, the surrounding air, were extremely lifeless. Normally, one would recall memories, but for Kiyoshi, it was just a piano keyboard.

“It’s been a while.”

He murmured flatly. Slowly, he placed both hands on the piano keys. Since Kiyoshi had already filled his entire being, his heart was dead. Before pressing the keys with his fingers, Kang Woojin, as Kiyoshi, summoned the ability of ‘piano’.

There was no problem.

He had experience in summoning abilities when his role was fully ingrained. For example, Corporal Jin Sun-cheol from ‘Island of the Missing’. Without words, Woojin expressed his dual personality using his expressions.

It was just that now it had changed to the piano.

Kiyoshi exhaled slightly and moved his fingers.

-♬♪

A crude melody flowed from the old piano. The piece was ‘Merry-Go-Round of Life’ from ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’. This too was Director Kyotaro’s choice, and Kiyoshi, with a blank face, played the piano a bit slowly.

It was peculiar.

Even in the piano performance, no emotions could be felt. It was just sound. The front and back of the notes were connected, but they were stiff and bland. The one playing the piano had no expression, and the piano performance was devoid of expression.

-♬♪

But Kiyoshi did not stop playing.

In an instant, the actors who had witnessed Kang Woojin’s piano performance at the restaurant two days ago widened their eyes. Mifuyu and the actresses covered their mouths with one hand.

‘It’s completely different from that time? I don’t know why, but it’s definitely different.’

‘The playing skill is similar, but why is there such a big difference? Is he acting through piano performance too?’

‘It’s like a robot playing the piano······ It sounds like that?’

‘It’s so different that it’s giving me chills.’

Since they were not familiar with the piano, they could not make a clear judgment. They just felt a strange goosebumps from the lifeless piano melody they were hearing now. However, Director Kyotaro had some knowledge of the piano. Although not frequently, he occasionally attended piano concerts.

Therefore, he knew.

“He’s talking to himself.”

The piano Kiyoshi was playing now lacked the intention of conveying something to the audience. He was just murmuring to himself.

-♬♪

The camera angle capturing Kiyoshi’s back at the piano lowered slightly. His figure, previously visible up to his head, now showed only his back. Then, someone walked into the frame that had shown Kiyoshi alone. Calm footsteps. She wore the same school uniform but with a skirt.

She, who had been standing behind Kiyoshi playing the piano, briefly paused before sitting beside him.

On the monitor, two backs were displayed.

Neither of their heads was visible. The woman was simply sitting next to Kiyoshi. She was ‘Misaki Toka’. Or rather, she was a form of Kiyoshi’s memory.

Or a figment of his imagination. The past.

Kiyoshi had summoned the non-existent Toka. Thus, she existed here without taking any action.

At that moment.

-♬♪

The lifeless, monotonous piano melody Kiyoshi had been playing suddenly changed. It was from the moment Toka appeared. There was a faint trace of emotion in the piano Woojin was playing. This slowly gained strength.

He was speaking to her.

Something new was seeping into the previously empty sound. The difference between the beginning and now was stark; the emotion was vastly different. Even someone who didn’t know much about piano could immediately tell.

This too felt eerie.

Director Kyotaro’s intention was clear. He wanted to convey the faint emotions of ‘The Stranger’ Iyota Kiyoshi in this cut. To show that Kiyoshi’s heart, though strange, was not dead.

– Ssss.

The camera moved from behind Kiyoshi to his side. Before they knew it, Toka’s seat was empty. Kiyoshi had stopped remembering her. Slowly, the camera panned up from Kiyoshi’s chest to his face.

“······”

Kang Woojin’s expressionless face. Kiyoshi remained the same. And then.

-♬♪

The piano he played became emotionless again. He was talking to himself without emotion. Soon, dozens of staff members swallowed hard. This scene had to be filmed. That was the expression on everyone’s faces.

What about the actors?

‘It’s amazing. No other words are needed.’

‘The contrast between nothingness and presence is so stark… I can’t take my eyes off it. Even though it’s just a scene of him playing the piano.’

‘That actor can command anything through acting. It’s a truly enviable ability.’

At this point.

“Phew-”

Director Kyotaro, his face still buried in the monitor, clicked his tongue. Of course, it was an OK take. But it felt wasteful. He wanted to savor it a bit longer. He soon thought of the future audience.

“They won’t be able to help but fall in love with this absurd variation.”

He was certain they would feel the same as he did.

Meanwhile.

Kang Woojin’s time began to fade away. Even today, on Sunday, the shooting of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ continued without rest.

Nevertheless.

“Cut!! OOOOK! Good job, Woojin-ssi!”

The shooting pace of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ was fast. Thanks to Kang Woojin, who played Kiyoshi, the quality of the actors improved significantly. In other words, NG cuts were drastically reduced. Consequently, the chapters of the shooting storyboard progressed quickly.

Meanwhile, around the same afternoon. In Korea, the second episode of ‘Our Dining Table’ was being broadcast.

The content of the second episode included the reason why there was a long line of foreigners in front of the food truck, the introduction of ‘Our Dining Table’ in the local LA community, the relationship between the elderly chef couple and the reporter, and the tireless efforts of the ‘Our Dining Table’ members to serve guests.

In this second episode, there were even more reactions from foreigners than in the first episode.

[“Oh! This is delicious? What did they say the name of this dish was?”]

[“It’s written on the menu. Kimjaban Makguksu? Is it really that good?”]

[“Yeah, I could eat this every day and not get tired of it.”]

[“Then I’ll try it too.”]

Everyone praised the cooking skills of the main chef, Kang Woojin. Additionally, Woojin’s quick thinking shone. Whether it was dealing with mistakes during food truck operations or catering to the tastes of foreign customers, the popularity of ‘Kimjaban Makguksu’ and his composure stood out in this episode.

-HaㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠThis is so goodㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-I want to eat Kimjaban Makguksu too!!!! Please sell it!!!!

-↑Agreed. I want to try all the dishes Kang Woojin makes, not just the makguksu…..

-The members of Our Dining Table were really well-chosenㅋㅋㅋㅋThe chemistry is amazingㅋㅋㅋPD Yoon definitely has an eye for talent

-Kang Woojin’s leadership today was incredibleㅋㅋㅋㅋHe handles any situation so smoothly, it’s super coolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-………So this is how Sunday ends…..How will I survive until next week…..

-Yeon Baek-kwangㅋㅋㅋㅋFollowing Kang Woojin around like a puppyㅋㅋㅋㅋSo cuteㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Today, Hong Hye-yeon and Hwalin were stunning as usual

-Chef coupleㅋㅋㅋㅋAm I the only one who found it cute that he kept coming back because he fell for Woojin oppa’s cooking???

As the weekend ended and Monday arrived, January came to an end. It was February 1st. The start of February.

The busiest person from the morning of the first day of February was…

“Why does the set look like this? It’s completely different from the meeting.”

It was PD Song Man-woo, a big name in the drama industry. He was out at the construction site of the set early in the morning, directing operations.

“Set team, bring the finalized storyboard. Am I the only one seeing something wrong?”

Unlike ‘Leech’, which was in the latter half of its pre-production, ‘Beneficial Evil’ was in the middle stages.

But they were almost simultaneous.

In any case, PD Song Man-woo, after confirming the main lead Kang Woojin, meticulously searched for other actors and focused on script work. He was thorough in everything. Script meetings, martial arts storyboards, location scouting, set checks, actor meetings, and so on—he was more detailed than ever.

The direction of production might change to pre-production.

The reason was simple.

As an outsourced production company, ‘Beneficial Evil’ had begun production but had not yet secured a broadcasting network. Therefore, they hadn’t announced the production of ‘Beneficial Evil’ externally yet. Of course, public broadcasters, general programming channels, and cable networks were all eager, but PD Song Man-woo was considering the conditions carefully. SBC, which produced ‘Hanryang’, was the most likely, but there was no need to decide immediately.

There was room to elevate the conditions further.

There was something they had kept tightly under wraps.

PD Song Man-woo instructed the production manager to reveal it.

“Let’s slowly start revealing Woojin-ssi. We’ve already finished talking with bw Entertainment.”

“Ah- Are we starting?”

“We have to. Just drop a hint like bait. Make it seem like Woojin-ssi and I are teaming up again.”

“Haha, just PD-nim and ‘Male Friend’ writer Choi Na-na were powerful already a prowerful combo, but adding Kang Woojin will make the broadcasters drool.”

PD Song Man-woo smiled, recalling the broadcasters he had met.

“The tables will turn.”

Later in the late morning on Monday.

The first issue was fired.

『[Official] It rose again, ‘Our Dining Table’ Episode 2’s combined viewership rating of 19.3%』

It was the viewership rating of ‘Our Dining Table’. At 19.3%, it set a new record in the variety show industry. Many factors contributed to this result. The quality of ‘Our Dining Table’, word of mouth, numerous issues surrounding Kang Woojin, the recognition of the cast members, and the relentless promotion by the ‘Our Dining Table’ team.

Moreover, there was the fact that there was nothing else to watch in the current domestic variety show scene.

『Creating legendary episodes, ‘Our Dining Table’ hits 19.3%… and once again, Kang Woojin proves his worth』

In short, Kang Woojin was making history even in variety shows.

Following ‘Our Dining Table’,

『[Exclusive] The two key players who created the miracle of ‘Hanryang’ team up again, ‘Drama Industry Big Name’ PD Song Man-woo’s next lead confirmed as ‘Acting Monster’ Kang Woojin!』

The first bait for ‘Beneficial Evil’ was thrown.

At the same time, in Tokyo, Japan. Kashiwa Group headquarters.

A massive executive office where even the sofa and desk looked exceedingly expensive. A man in a suit stood by the large window in such a place.

“······”

With even his eyebrows mixed with white hair, it was Chairman Hideki of the Kashiwa Group. He stood with his hands in his pockets, quietly gazing out the window. From the high floor, all of Tokyo seemed to be at his feet.

At that moment.

-Knock knock.

The sound of knocking echoed throughout the office. Chairman Hideki, who immediately responded, opened his mouth while keeping his gaze out the window. His voice was rough and deep.

“Come in.”

Soon, the sound of the door opening clicked, and in walked Secretary Lili Tetsugawa, with her hair neatly tied in a single ponytail.

“Chairman.”

“Hmm, yes.”

It seemed she had a lot to report, as she brought numerous items, including reports and a tablet. Chairman Hideki, who had returned to his large desk, listened as Lili stood in front and calmly reported. Numerous topics were discussed. Chairman Hideki nodded and looked down at the reports Lili handed him.

Then.

“Oh, right.”

As if something had come to mind, Chairman Hideki raised his head and looked at Lili.

“Was it last week? How did the filming of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ go at our hotel?”

He was referring to the ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ team filming at the Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel. Although Chairman Hideki had been too busy to pay attention recently, he always had ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ on his mind. Specifically, the investment target: ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger,’ Kang Woojin, and bw Entertainment.

Anyway, Lili, who had slightly bowed her head, suddenly handed the tablet she had been holding to Chairman Hideki.

“I received a report that the filming itself went without any major issues. I also checked the on-site photos from the hotel.”

Chairman Hideki, folding his arms, asked again.

“No major issues? Why say it like that?”

“Well······”

For some reason, Secretary Lili trailed off. Chairman Hideki furrowed his wrinkled brow.

“Did something happen?”

“Well, it’s more of an incident, but-”

Instead of explaining, perhaps judging that it was better to show directly, Lili leaned over and operated the tablet in front of Chairman Hideki. She accessed YouTube Japan. Lili typed something into the search bar.

The search term in Japanese read:

-‘Kang Woojin Piano’

As soon as he saw it, Chairman Hideki’s brow furrowed even more.

“Kang Woojin Piano? What is this about?”

“You need to see this, Chairman.”

Lili pushed the tablet closer to Chairman Hideki. Naturally, Chairman Hideki lowered his gaze to the screen. The results of the search term they had just typed were displayed on the screen.

However.

“······Hmm?”

The number of videos that appeared was not just a few. In fact, there was an overwhelming amount.

-Kang Woojin playing piano during ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ filming in Japan!!!

-Kang Woojin was a pianist in the past (Includes piano playing scene)

-Check out Korean actor Kang Woojin’s piano version of ‘Merry-Go-Round of Life’! Filmed by me at Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel!!

-Appreciate Kang Woojin’s piano skills「Merry-Go-Round of Life」/ Location: Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel

-Korean actor Kang Woojin’s piano performance that shook the restaurant (+Full version, last Friday)

-【Kang Woojin Piano Performance】Reasons why you can’t help but fall for him wwwwwwwwwwww

·

·

·

·

The view counts were all impressive. The lowest had 100,000 views, and some easily reached 1 million. Chairman Hideki tapped on a title that included Kang Woojin, piano, and the hotel’s name.

The video started playing immediately.

At first, it was a bit shaky. It was clearly filmed with a phone. The screen then showed a wide, upscale restaurant with dozens of guests, and the back of a man sitting at a white piano. Then he began playing the piano.

-♬♪

At the same time, Lili, standing in front, quietly spoke in Japanese.

“That man is Kang Woojin-ssi.”

“······Hold on.”

Chairman Hideki paused to listen to the piano melody for a few moments, roughly several seconds.

“Huh- Amazing.”

Finally, Chairman Hideki spoke, and Lili continued her explanation.

“Last Friday, it was confirmed that Woojin-ssi performed an impromptu piano performance in the hotel’s restaurant.”

“Did he know how to play the piano? It even sounds very professional. What do you think?”

“If he hadn’t revealed his name, people would confuse him with a pianist. There are many comments that are actually confused.”

After briefing, Lili sought permission from Chairman Hideki and moved her index finger to change the screen on the tablet. The main page of YouTube appeared. She touched the ‘Trending Videos’ section. Chairman Hideki read aloud what he saw.

“Number one is ‘Kang Woojin Piano.’”

“There are quite a few videos below that as well. And.”

Lili paused for a moment, then exited YouTube and accessed Twitter. It was currently the most used social media in Japan, along with Instagram.

It allowed them to grasp the current trends and hot topics in Japan.

Lili opened the ‘Real-Time Trend Rankings’ on Twitter. In other words, it showed the keywords that were currently receiving the most attention from the Japanese public.

[1. #KangWoojinPianoPerformance]

[2. #MerryGoRoundOfLifeKangWoojin]

Both the first and second places featured Kang Woojin’s name, along with the piano.

Chairman Hideki’s eyes widened.

“······So, Twitter is completely dominated by this.”

Lili, as if indicating that she wasn’t finished.

“The video is spreading rapidly. Instagram shows a similar situation, Chairman.”

She replied calmly.

“It is taking over the three major social networks in Japan.”

*****

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