Chapter 245 - Sprint (1)

Translator: Dreamscribe

On the 6th, as soon as the official announcement from ‘Leech’ broke.

『[Official] ‘Leech’ Actor Lineup Confirmed! Sim Han-ho, Kang Woojin followed by Oh Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-jun, Han So-jin』

The film industry media quickly followed.

『Director Ahn Ga-bok’s 100th Work ‘Leech’ Adds Oh Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-jun, Han So-jin』

『[Movie Talk] ‘Leech’ Lineup is Glamorous! Sim Han-ho, Kang Woojin, Oh Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-jun, Han So-jin Confirmed』

It was already a work loaded with a lot of significance. Director Ahn Ga-bok’s 100th film in the history of Korean cinema, the addition of top actor Sim Han-ho and the unpredictable Kang Woojin, aiming for the Cannes Film Festival, and so on.

Furthermore, uniquely.

『’Leech’ Held Auditions, Did All the Added Actors Pass the Audition?』

Rumors that even the top stars went through auditions spread, further heightening interest.

The actor lineup announced by ‘Leech’ itself was somewhat peculiar.

Following Kang Woojin and Sim Han-ho were top-tier actress Oh Hee-ryung, and Jin Jae-jun, alongside the standout new rookie actress of the year, Han So-jin. It was innovative, to say the least. Having two newcomers join was refreshing.

Of course, the treatment of Kang Woojin and Han So-jin was vastly different.

『The Best New Actor and Actress Award Winners of the Blue Dragon Awards in ‘Leech’』

『Han So-jin, Overshadowed by ‘8-award winner’ Kang Woojin, Can She Shine in ‘Leech’?』

Still, looking at it broadly, it was a lineup that completely overturned the expectations of the film industry media.

“The later selections are Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-jun, and Han So-jin? Oh Hee-ryung seems amazing, doesn’t she?”

“Right? But Jin Jae-jun and Han So-jin feel a bit out of place. Especially Jin Jae-jun, considering how recently ‘Drug Dealer’ finished, he jumped right in?”

“Wow- Han So-jin hit the jackpot? Landing a role in Director Ahn’s film right after winning the newcomer award at the Blue Dragon?”

“They say there were auditions for ‘Leech,’ so they must have shown their skills there.”

“There must have been top stars lining up, so how did she manage?”

“Who knows. Maybe something unexpected happened during the auditions.”

“But looking at it this way, Kang Woojin is really something else, he didn’t even need an audition, he was just picked by Director Ahn right away?”

“To be honest, even market value-wise, Kang Woojin and Han So-jin aren’t on the same level.”

The public, deeply interested in ‘Leech’, was also busy typing.

-Wowwwwww finally the lineup is out! Sim Han-ho, Kang Woojin, Oh Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-jun, Han So-jin? It’s unique but they seem to fit well together

-Sim Han-ho and Oh Hee-ryung……amazing….really curious about the movie’s content…..

-Jin Jae-jun is doing another movie with Kang Woojin right after ‘Drug Dealer’??? But seriously, there seems to be no end to Kang Woojin’s issues

-↑Agreed ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ the story about Kang Woojin playing the piano in Japan caused a huge stir over there ㅋㅋㅋㅋ he really seems like a top star ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-We can see this after it goes to Cannes, right? Ah…when is it coming out….

At this point, Kang Woojin, who had heard the news about ‘Leech’, was in the van moving to his next schedule. Since he hadn’t received any direct contact from Director Ahn Ga-bok, Woojin also confirmed it through the news. Despite his habitual poker face, various concerns were passing through Kang Woojin’s mind.

‘Hmm- does this mean Hye-yeon and Hwalin didn’t make it? The same goes for the other actors. Should I send them a message or something? Like, ‘Cheer up’? Would that be too much?’

It was unnecessary. Even if it was an unintentional misunderstanding, Kang Woojin had set the standard for acting in the auditions for ‘Leech’ For someone like him to send consolation to the actors who didn’t make it felt a bit off.

Moreover, Kang Woojin wasn’t particularly good at doing such things.

More than anything, aren’t they all professionals? Anyway, the surrounding stylists asked ponytail Choi Sung-gun.

“Ah······ should we contact Hye-yeon sunbae?”

“Right, if we send her a message to cheer her up-”

But Choi Sung-gun in the passenger seat was rather cold.

“No need. Hong Hye-yeon hasn’t been in this field for just a day or two. You guys just focus on your work.”

“Ah! Yes!”

“Woojin, you don’t have to say anything to Hye-yeon either. Same for Hwalin-ssi. They’re both professionals. Well, not that you’re the type to worry about it anyway.”

“······”

Kang Woojin, who had refrained from answering, erased the momentary concerns he had and just maintained a poker face. Then, Choi Sung-gun continued.

“The comfort and all that, their own respective teams would have taken care of it. More importantly, we need to handle the Japanese side.”

Referring to the heroic stories.

“If you were in Japan, the reporters would have gone wild, the situation is crazy right now. Anyway, through our channel, we’re continuously spreading articles in both Japan and Korea, right? What do you want to do? Are you going to respond on SNS like voice actress Asami Sayaka did?”

Is there a need for that? Woojin hadn’t played the piano with such a situation in mind. Taking action felt like it would diminish its meaning. It also felt excessive.

So Woojin chose.

“No. I’ll just leave it as is.”

He chose silence.

“Is that what you want?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, it doesn’t really matter. Japanese media are already handling it well. It wasn’t something meticulously planned from the start. Got it.”

Choi Sung-gun, who nodded, listed today’s schedule. Apart from minor things, there were two major ones. The first was the character interview shoot for ‘Island of the Missing’, which was in the middle of post-production. It was a shoot close to a teaser for promotion and marketing, and the second was the recording for Woojin’s ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel.

For reference, the current status of ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel was.

[Channel Name: Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego]

[Subscribers: 12.03 million]

[Videos: 45]

It had surpassed 12 million subscribers, with a significant increase in Japanese subscribers in recent days. Although many domestic fans also joined, the surge of Japanese subscribers was enormous. Therefore, video uploads couldn’t be neglected. Additionally, following Hwalin and Cara, the third guest was confirmed to be Ryu Jung-min.

The next guest being discussed was a top actor from Japan.

Whatever it was, Choi Sung-gun, who was listing the schedule, moved on to the next. He handed over a tablet to the silent Kang Woojin. The tablet contained a lot of material sent from the production company ‘A10 Studio’ related to the anime ‘Male Friend: Remake’.

The script and OST guide recording files for the anime ‘Male Friend: Remake’.

All needed to be reviewed.

For most actors, this would be a daunting schedule, but it wasn’t much of a problem for Kang Woojin. He could adequately go over the script after a reading (experience). If other actors spent 10 units of time, Kang Woojin only needed about 1. And then.

“Woojin-ah, A10 Studio requested piano performance for the role, you expected that?”

“Ah- yes.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“They probably didn’t know you played the piano. But now that your piano performance is causing a stir in Japan, they quickly reached out. They have eyes and ears too, so it’s understandable they wouldn’t want to waste this kind of story. This would be a significant marketing boost for ‘Male Friend: Remake.’”

Currently, ‘Male Friend: Remake’ had not been officially announced yet. However, if Kang Woojin’s participation as a voice actor, OST, and piano performance were included in the first announcement, it was clear that the Japanese public would be thrilled.

“The conditions will naturally be improved, but it’s optional, so if you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to. But since you’re already the lead voice actor in the project, and you were the lead in the original ‘Male Friend’ too, I think it’s not bad to do it. Your brand power will also rise sharply.”

In that case, he had to do it. It wasn’t particularly difficult for Kang Woojin.

“Understood, please let them know I’ll do it.”

“Oh- okay. I’ll sort out the contract amendments properly.”

Choi Sung-gun, who finished speaking, suddenly grinned.

“And Baeksang is starting to show interest.”

Baeksang? Ah- was he talking about the Baeksang Arts Awards? As Woojin nodded calmly, the smile on Choi Sung-gun’s face deepened.

“You know, right? Baeksang covers both film and TV. Think of it as wrapping up last year. Considering your momentum last year, one or two trophies won’t be enough.”

The Baeksang Arts Awards were scheduled to be held in mid-March.

After that.

The bustling 6th day came to an end and the 7th, a Sunday, began. Of course, the 7th was just as noisy in the domestic entertainment industry. Whether it was the film industry or the variety show industry, it was the same everywhere. Kang Woojin was also busy without a moment to breathe.

Thus, time melted away.

Later in the afternoon.

『’Our Dining Table’, setting a new record with 19% viewership ratings, can it surpass 20% this week?』

『[Variety] As Expected of PD Yoon! With Fearsome Momentum, All Eyes in the Variety Show Industry are on ‘Our Dining Table’!』

The main broadcast of ‘Our Dining Table’ aired again. It had already achieved a viewership of over 19%, and with PD Yoon Byung-seon’s relentless promotion throughout the week, today’s viewership was highly anticipated.

This week’s content on ‘Our Dining Table’ covered the conclusion of the food truck and the opening of the restaurant.

What stood out particularly was Kang Woojin’s cynical adaptability and his demeanor as a leader and chef. With that, Sunday ended with ‘Our Dining Table’ and the weekday returned.

Monday, the 8th.

From early morning, a large number of people gathered in Netflix Korea’s large conference room. There wasn’t a single empty seat at the large U-shaped table. There seemed to be over 30 people. On one side of the table near the window sat Netflix executives, including Executive Director Kim So-hyang, and across from them sat PD Song Man-woo and his team.

In other words, these people were also the team of ‘Beneficial Evil’.

DM Production and Netflix Korea. Now, these two companies were set to join and aim for the global market, and this was the first production meeting after a major team reorganization.

“Looks like everyone’s here, let’s get started.”

Overall, there wouldn’t be major changes to the production of ‘Beneficial Evil’. However, in detail, many things were set to change.

“First, this is related to the revised budget calculated on our end.”

What was immediately noticeable was the significantly increased budget. In other words, the funding. The number of staff and various equipment also increased. This would naturally speed up production. More people meant faster work, didn’t it?

Moreover, the power of promotion and marketing also became several times stronger.

About an hour later.

“Alright- then first, let’s make a big announcement.”

“Yes, PD-nim. We’re already prepared, just give the signal.”

‘Beneficial Evil’ properly revealed itself to the entire nation.

『The title of the new drama that unites ‘acting monster’ Kang Woojin and big shot PD Song Man-woo is ‘Beneficial Evil’, with the script written by Choi Na-na, the writer of the short drama ‘Male Friend’.』

Furthermore.

『[Exclusive] ‘Beneficial Evil’, brings together the collaboration of Kang Woojin and PD Song Man-woo, aims for a global launch on Netflix!』

It was immediately revealed that the goal of ‘Beneficial Evil’ was the global market.

Meanwhile, at the HTBS general programming variety department.

The variety department office was bustling.

“PD Yoon-nim! It’s out!!”

“Alright! Let’s see!”

To be exact, it was the ‘Our Dining Table’ team that was busy. As a result, surrounding PDs also focused on the ‘Our Dining Table’ team. In the midst of this, the ratings chart from yesterday was handed to bespectacled PD Yoon Byung-seon. Soon, PD Yoon Byung-seon found ‘Our Dining Table’ in the ratings chart.

It didn’t take long. The numbers quickly caught PD Yoon Byung-seon’s eye.

-‘Our Dining Table’ / 20.4%

Finally, ‘Our Dining Table’ surpassed a 20% viewership rating. Thanks to this, the assistant directors and writers who gathered around PD Yoon Byung-seon roared.

“Waaaah!! We did it! We really did it!!”

“Ahhh! How! Did we really surpass 20%??!”

“Wow- it’s my first time!! A 20% viewership rating!!”

“Re, really! 19% was already an insane figure, but with the first digit changing, the impact is immense!!”

Congratulations poured in from the surrounding PDs.

“Hahaha, congratulations, PD Yoon!”

“K- it’s really amazing! A 20% viewership rating in this day and age!”

“As expected of PD Yoon!!”

It was a noteworthy achievement. A 20% viewership rating was a significant milestone even for Yoon Byung-seon, the veteran of variety shows. At the same time, executives like the department head of the variety department and the general manager rushed into the variety department. Naturally, it was to heap praise on PD Yoon Byung-seon, who, feeling slightly awkward, shifted the credit to the cast.

“What did I do? It’s all thanks to the members who did well.”

“Hahaha, is that so?”

Everyone added their agreement in unison. Among them, the head of the variety department brought up Kang Woojin.

“Kang Woojin is the key, the key! It was a stroke of genius.”

“That’s right. Having Woojin-ssi made ‘Our Dining Table’ perfectly balanced.”

“His cooking skills as a chef are amazing too!”

“He’s a prodigy, a prodigy. There’s nothing Woojin-ssi can’t do.”

At this moment.

-Swoosh.

The main writer of ‘Our Dining Table’, who arrived late at the variety department, squeezed through the bustling atmosphere and approached PD Yoon Byung-seon. Her expression was rather unusual.

“PD-nim, I just received a message.”

“Huh? What message?”

“From a food company’s marketing team.”

Then the main writer whispered into PD Yoon Byung-seon’s ear.

“It seems to be about Woojin-ssi’s ‘Kimjaban Makguksu’ commercialization.”

PD Yoon Byung-seon’s eyes widened.

“‘Kimjaban Makguksu’ commercialization?”

*****