Chapter 287: History (2)

It happened. It really happened.

The moment when the history of South Korean cinema changed, when it rose to the top, surpassing countless formidable films, the moment it seized an unimaginable throne.

“……”

Surprisingly, Kang Woojin did not react immediately. He just looked down at the phone in his hand, slightly dazed. His head was messy, and his hair was disheveled, making him seem out of it. Of course, it wasn’t entirely wrong. Woojin’s current thought process was somewhat broken.

[All-time Box Office in South Korea]

[All-time Movie Rankings (Combined)]

-1. Island of the Missing / Total Audience: 16,752,991

16.75 million. 16.75 million? I don’t know. Is what I’m seeing real?

“All-time… 1st place. Me? The movie I starred into? Crazy.”

Dropping the phone he was holding, Woojin stared blankly at the void in front of him. His pupils dilated. Additionally, his heartbeat grew louder. Although it was a long-awaited moment, now that it had arrived, he couldn’t believe it. Humans sometimes deny reality when something they desperately wanted comes true.

However, Kang Woojin’s current reality wouldn’t change.

The long history of South Korean cinema had been overturned, and the one who had boosted this changed history was Kang Woojin.

Slowly.

“Hehe.”

Gradually.

“Huhuh.”

Kang Woojin accepted reality. The corners of his mouth started to rise uncontrollably. The change was sudden. Because of his sudden laugh, he looked like a downright crazy madman.

So what?

Woojin seemed determined to look like a crazy madman.

-Swoosh.

With his disheveled hair, he suddenly got up from the bed and wiggled his hips. No, it wasn’t just his hips. He let his whole body, including his waist and shoulders, move to the rhythm.

“Did you see that? I said, did you see that? This is me.”

Wiggling or shimmying. Of course, there was no music. He was just shaking out of excitement.

Concept? Persona? Who cares, just dance.

Kang Woojin’s excitement increased. It was quite understandable behavior. Not only Woojin, but any ordinary actor would have done the same. He had replaced the top all-time Korean film, which was like an impregnable fortress. What greater honor could there be? Especially for Kang Woojin, ‘Island of the Missing’ was his first lead role in a feature film, and it was an achievement he had accomplished with a massive hit.

Moreover, it was a one-shot, one-kill.

He had proven his substantial influence, not just as the ‘Issue King’. However, the half-crazed Kang Woojin at the moment wasn’t thinking about such elaborate meanings, he was just happy to have reached number one. Woojin, who was in this state, suddenly stopped.

“Whew-”

Catching his breath, he recalled the moment he first acquired the void space. More precisely, it was his half-joking line he had muttered around that time.

‘Maybe I should try acting?’

That’s what he had said, and now he had become a 10 million viewer actor. No, even more than that. Kang Woojin, who had thrown his resignation letter at the toad boss of the design company and had become unemployed, was now the lead actor of the number one film in Korea’s history.

-Buzz

-Buzz

-Buzzn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Short vibrations echoed continuously. It was coming from the phone on the bed. Given the timing, they were 100% congratulatory messages. However, Woojin did not pick up the phone immediately.

“Heh, I need to shake it off a bit more.”

He intended to enjoy his overwhelming excitement for a few more minutes.

But.

-Knock, knock, knock knock knock!

Someone knocked on his room door frantically, forcing Woojin to stop. Oh, wait a minute. Regardless of who it was, he needed to put back his discarded persona first. Mind control, poker face.

Stay calm, Kang Woojin.

Though the corners of his mouth were rising uncontrollably, Woojin managed to put on his usual indifferent face somehow. After checking his face in the mirror again, Woojin opened the door.

At the same time.

“Haha! Woojin!!”

Choi Sung-gun, with his slightly messy ponytail, suddenly hugged Kang Woojin tightly. Because it was a hotel, the scene was somewhat strange, but Woojin’s expression remained unchanged as Choi Sung-gun patted his back and shouted.

“We’re number one, number one! And it’s just a number one? No! We’ve completely overturned Korean history to reach number one!! You rascal! You’ve now reached a different level as an actor!!”

Even though he was the CEO of bw Entertainment, Choi Sung-gun was honestly overjoyed. It was understandable. He had been with Kang Woojin from the very beginning. Of course, their journey was filled with many misunderstandings and misconceptions, but that didn’t matter. Anyway, Kang Woojin, who had patted Choi Sung-gun’s back appropriately, lowered his voice.

“We still have a long way to go.”

Meanwhile.

As Kang Woojin moved towards the ‘Leech’ set, the moment the history of Korean cinema was overturned. It wasn’t just Choi Sung-gun who was making a fuss. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the entire country was shaking.

Especially, at Harmony Film Company, where the ‘Island of the Missing’ team and Director Kwon Ki-taek were gathered.

“Aaaaah!!”

“Congratulations! Congratulations!!”

“I-Is this for real?? I can’t believe it even though I’m looking at it??”

“Wow!! Goosebumps! I have goosebumps on my arms!!”

“Director~nim! Congratulations!”

“‘Island of the Missing’ is number one! Number one!!”

“Hey, someone smack my cheeks! This isn’t a dream, right?!”

They were in an uproar. They jumped up and down or hugged each other and cried. It was a quite understandable scene. Even a 10 million viewer movie has a strong impact, but surpassing 16 million and reclaiming first place, and the overall results aren’t even final yet.

“Amazing!! No, it’s beyond amazing! No!! It’s legendary! It’s legendary!!”

The atmosphere was reminiscent of a wild party. Meanwhile, seated, Director Kwon Ki-taek, with a gentle appearance, quietly exhaled and muttered.

“Yes, this is the taste.”

Many scenes flashed through his mind. The time when he first wrote the ‘Island of the Missing’ script, the time he searched for suitable actors after completing it, the time Kang Woojin suddenly fell from the sky, the time he gave the leading role to a rookie with only one year of experience, and so on.

“As expected- this is why I can’t quit directing.”

Usually calm, Director Kwon Ki-taek clenched both of his fists. It was his way of expressing his own excitement.

The lead actors of ‘Island of the Missing’ felt the same.

Although they weren’t at Harmony Film Company, all the actors were rejoicing in their respective places. From actors like Ryu Jung-min, Jeon Woo-chang, Ha Yu-ra, Kim Yi-won, to even the extras who appeared in ‘Island of the Missing’.

On the other hand, there was a film companies walking a path to hell, completely opposite to Harmony Film Company and the actors.

“Sigh, in the end.”

“……Hmm.”

“We were prepared, but still- it doesn’t feel good.”

“What can we do? It’s reality.”

Where else could it be? It was ‘BOX Movies’, which produced ‘Sea Battle’. Compared to the bustling Harmony Film Company, this side was like a funeral home.

It couldn’t be more gloomy.

Probably, ‘BOX Movies’ was the most depressed film company in the entire country. In reality, the media was already crazily or joyfully churning out articles.

『[Official]‘Island of the Missing’ dethrones ‘Sea Battle’ to seize the throne!』

『From today, the all-time number one movie is ‘Island of the Missing’, not ‘Sea Battle’, the shifted ranking shakes the Korean film industry』

『“Super hit!” The number one in Korea changed after years, but the run of ‘Island of the Missing’ is not over yet』

For today, most media outlets congratulated ‘Island of the Missing’ without any tabloids or criticisms.

『The ‘Kang Woojin’ effect is clear… Can ‘Island of the Missing’ which reclaimed number one reach 18 million viewers?』

The atmosphere heats up. The entertainment industry was abuzz. Various media outlets, including radio, were competing to deliver the news of ‘Island of the Missing’.

“Wow- ‘Island of the Missing’ has really done it! Congratulations to Director Kwon Ki-taek and all the actors!”

“It’s amazing. Honestly, I thought no movie would ever break the record of ‘Sea Battle’ again. But- they’ve blown past 16 million viewers.”

“What’s even more surprising is that this isn’t the final score.”

“Exactly.”

Of course, YouTube, video platforms, and social media were also exploding. What about the public opinion in communities?

-Wow!!! Congratulations!! Clap clap clap!!

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ seriously, ‘Island of the Missing’ has trampled ‘Sea Battle’ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ crazyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-…..But honestly, did ‘Island of the Missing’ really seem like a movie that would get close to 17 million viewers? I found it super boring.

-↑ The only thing super boring is your face.

-But wow…..what’s happening with Kang Woojin? He caused quite a stir in just his second year of debut.

-It’s not even the past, having 16 million viewers now is really insaneㅋㅋㅋ

-A hyped movieㅋㅋㅋㅋthey were just lucky, and Kang Woojin’s power also played a partㅋㅋㅋ

They too were extremely excited.

-Director Kwon has become the undisputed top director in Korea with just ‘Island of the Missing’ㅎㅎㅎ

-The actors are going to have a money partyㅋㅋㅋㅋso jealous

-Kang Woojin is crazyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋhis filmography is insaneㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-The historical day when the number one movie changed!!

-Wanna know something cool? Kang Woojin is currently preparing for Cannesㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Right… no industry can afford to stagnate.. there must be continuous change

-The actors from ‘Sea Battle’ must be pissedㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-‘Island of the Missing’ is super fun!!!

Meanwhile, countless congratulations poured in for Kang Woojin, who had arrived at the ‘Leech’ set. Actors like Sim Han-ho, Oh Hee-ryung, Jin Jae-jun, Han So-jin, and over a hundred staff members all seemed as happy as if it were their own achievement. Of course, veteran Director Ahn Ga-bok also congratulated Woojin.

“Woojin-gun, you’ve made a remarkable achievement. Congratulations.”

At the same time, he reaffirmed his resolve.

“Our ‘Leech’ also needs to make a real impact at Cannes, right?”

Thus, two days including the weekend passed. The 12th and 13th were gone, and the morning of the 14th arrived, with the changed number one movie in Korean history.

[All-time Box Office in South Korea]

[All-time Movie Rankings (Combined)]

-1. Island of the Missing / Total Audience: 17,681,238

It was in the process of establishing an iron fortress.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the 14th. In Japan.

As the new week dawned, Japan was also reporting on the change in the throne of Korean cinema.

『“Kang Woojin” starring ‘Island of the Missing’ ascends to number one in Korean movie rankings』

『“Kang Woojin”’s unrivaled journey, Japanese fans are ecstatic about the news of ‘Island of the Missing’ reaching number one』

Of course, the noise wasn’t as loud as in Korea, but since it was news involving Kang Woojin, it was still quite a big deal. As a result, Woojin’s name was frequently mentioned on Japanese social media. Interestingly, Woojin’s name also often came up in a certain editing room. This was in ‘A10 Studio’, one of Japan’s top three anime production companies.

Specifically, in a large editing room within ‘A10 Studio’.

The room was filled with various equipment and numerous monitors, and quite familiar figures were present. The overall director of the anime ‘Male Friend: Remake’ and several staff members. The reason was simple. They had finished dubbing with Kang Woojin and the other voice actors, so now all that was left was the final editing.

The director, seated in the center, was leading the process.

“Play the opening song again.”

“Yes, Director.”

In the spacious editing room, a song began to play.

-♬♪

It was the OST performed by Kang Woojin. A moderately fast beat mixed with piano melodies and drums. Furthermore, many monitors in front of them started displaying the opening cuts of the animation that would be combined with the OST. Various scenes from ‘Male Friend: Remake’ chosen by the director.

At this point.

“……Wow.”

The female staff member sitting next to the director exclaimed in Japanese with admiration.

“Kang Woojin is really good at singing too. His voice is great. If you didn’t tell me it was Woojin, I would have thought he was just a singer.”

This comment triggered a cascade of praise from most of the staff gathered in the editing room.

“That’s right, his Japanese doesn’t feel awkward at all.”

“I’ve heard him a few times on YouTube too, but hearing it again is still surprising.”

“Is there anything he can’t do?”

The director, seated in the center, slowly nodded.

“I was very surprised during our first meeting too.”

While the director was confirming the opening song of the anime, he ordered something different this time.

“Let’s listen to the piano part too.”

The song that had been playing in the editing room quickly changed. It was the piano played by Kang Woojin. It was a cut that would be inserted at the beginning of the anime.

“No matter how you look at it, Woojin seems to have been very active in music in the past.”

“That’s probably true, considering his vocals and piano skills.”

“But his acting is also phenomenal, and he has voice acting skills too.”

“Now that you mention it…what exactly is he? An alien? For most people, mastering even one skill in a lifetime can be a challenge.”

The director, listening to the piano melody with his arms crossed, murmured quietly. His tone was decisive.

“……It must be a combination of innate talent and blood, no, blood and sweat. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense. I don’t know for sure, but Woojin probably hasn’t wasted a single second of his life so far.”

Everyone in the editing room agreed.

“He’s a monster, indeed.”

Hours passed.

By the time the sky, which had been bright in the morning, turned dark, a woman entered the editing room where the editing of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ was in full swing. She was the team leader of the planning team at ‘A10 Studio’. When she entered, a few staff members greeted her, and she approached the director seated at the center of the equipment and spoke.

“Director, how’s it going?”

The director, yawning, manipulated the equipment a few times and then displayed the edited first episode of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ on the monitor. Soon, the female team leader’s gaze was fixed on the monitor, and after watching for a while, she smiled.

“It’s good, it already makes my heart race. Especially, Kang Woojin really embodies the main character, ‘Toru Sengoku’.”

Satisfied, the female team leader turned her eyes to the director.

“I’m here to inform you that the airing schedule for ‘Male Friend: Remake’ has been set.”

She stated the confirmed details.

“It will air in the third quarter of this year, around July.”

About a month was left.

*****

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