Chapter 297: Comeback (2)

Kang Woojin, standing by the shoe rack, looked down at the new record displayed on his phone.

“Wa- Fuck.”

Instead of dancing in joy, he couldn’t react at all. He just stood frozen as if time had stopped. It was quite understandable. As of today, the film ‘Island of the Missing’ had surpassed the top Korean movie of all time, leaving behind a new legend.

20 million viewers.

[All-time Box Office in South Korea]

[All-time Movie Rankings (Combined)]

-1. Island of the Missing / Total Audience: 20,013,889

This was a number Woojin had never even imagined. No, not just him, but no one in Korea could have expected this. In fact, when ‘Island of the Missing’ surpassed 19 million, the entire country went wild. It had already far exceeded expectations. Even with 19 million, it was believed that no film would ever catch up. No, it was 100% certain that this number would never be surpassed in the future.

But now, it had surpassed 19 million and achieved 20 million.

“Holy shit- Goosebumps.”

Woojin brought the phone closer to his eyes, feeling a sudden wave of chills. Initially, with the final score of ‘Island of the Missing’ dropping off, the entire entertainment industry judged that 20 million was impossible. However, that was all nonsense. It was a hasty judgment.

No matter what, Kang Woojin had now become.

“I’m not just a 10 million viewer actor.”

He had become a 20 million viewer actor. And this was his first lead role. With this, ‘Island of the Missing’ had not only left many legends in the Korean film industry but also delivered several messages. First, the value of veteran Director Kwon Ki-taek and the leading actors like Ryu Jung-min would skyrocket.

Of course, Kang Woojin’s nuclear bomb-like influence would increase several times over.

Naturally, there would be a money party later.

Additionally, the film industry, which had kicked off a tremendous start in the peak season, sent a message that if you make a good film, it’s entirely possible, so stop whining. For years, the entire film industry had been full of complaints about how tough things were.

Now, the film industry would naturally focus on Kang Woojin.

Although it was still calm domestically, like the calm before the storm, within a few hours, a typhoon accompanied by rain and wind would surely strike. It was obvious that congratulatory messages would flood Kang Woojin’s phone.

At this point.

-Swish.

With a sticky smile, Kang Woojin began to sway his shoulders. It was a silent dance. However, his body moving to the rhythm made him resemble a veteran dance singer. Although it was close to a random dance, the energy was there.

‘20 million!!’

Since he had to leave soon, Kang Woojin forcibly suppressed his overflowing excitement. After shoving his phone into his back pocket, he let out a long sigh. He needed to pour cold water on his thumping heart. Thus, Woojin, who had reluctantly put on his concept face, left the house.

The place he arrived at was the underground parking lot.

As always, a large van was parked in the usual spot. What was unusual was.

“Oh my.”

Not only were Choi Sung-gun, but also team members like Han Ye-jung standing around the van. Then, Choi Sung-gun, who opened the back door, gestured towards the car with a smirk.

“20 million viewer actor, please enter.”

As Woojin approached, Choi Sung-gun recited with dignity, and the team members gave a small round of applause. It was quite an embarrassing setup, but they were enjoying it, and Kang Woojin, who remained indifferent, got into the van without much ado, though internally, he greeted them playfully.

‘Hehe, thank you. I am grateful.’

As soon as Woojin got in, the van’s atmosphere became reminiscent of a club. Only the protagonist, Kang Woojin, remained composed, while the rest of the team couldn’t stop chattering.

“Amazing! Absolutely amazing!! No, I can’t believe this even after seeing it!!”

“What if you don’t believe it?”

“Woojin oppa! The articles are exploding, exploding! The main pages are all about oppa!”

“It’s 20 million, of course!”

On the other hand, Kang Woojin, while responding appropriately, was discreetly checking the articles. The media was releasing articles as if they had been waiting for this.

『[Official] ‘Island of the Missing’ Surpasses a Whopping 20 Million Viewers! Expands the Scope of the Korean Film Industry Several Times Over』

『‘20 Million Viewers’ Island of the Missing, and the Miracle Created by Kang Woojin / Photo』

『[MovieIS] “Was This Even Possible?!” ‘Island of the Missing’ Surpasses 20 Million Viewers, Public Buzzing!』

It was even hotter than when ‘Island of the Missing’ was crowned as the top film of all time.

『As expected, the ‘Midas Touch’ of Kang Woojin works its magic, not only securing the top spot in Korean history but also setting a new record with 20 million viewers』

This news spread like wildfire across all corners of the internet, from various domestic portal sites to online communities.

『In a time when even 10 million is hard to achieve, ‘Island of the Missing’ has accomplished something monumental, with 20 million viewers! High expectations for the secondary distribution as well』

The headlines and content of these articles invariably included ‘Island of the Missing’, 20 million viewers, and Kang Woojin. It was only natural. After all, it was indisputable that Kang Woojin was the one who fueled the final blaze of ‘Island of the Missing’. His presence, his influence, was what dragged the film by the collar and forced it to climb the mountain.

『[Special Report] ‘Island of the Missing’ reaches a miraculous 20 million viewers—How much money will actors like Kang Woojin receive? It varies greatly depending on the conditions』

Two hours later.

By the time Kang Woojin had fully dived into his backlog of schedules, most of the major morning news programs on public broadcast stations were reporting on the legend of ‘Island of the Missing’.

[“Indeed, it seems that nothing is impossible. Recently crowned as the number one film of all time, ‘Island of the Missing’ has become the first movie in South Korea to reach 20 million viewers as of today. Film industry experts are praising this as an achievement that may never be repeated. This is Go Min-joo, reporting.”]

This news, of course, excited the domestic public as well. Whether they had seen ‘Island of the Missing’ or not, wasn’t it something amazing?

“Hey, did you hear? They say ‘Island of the Missing’ just surpassed 20 million viewers.”

“Whoa—Holy crap. Really? That’s insane!”

“The articles are blowing up right now.”

“It was fun-but I really didn’t expect it to surpass 20 million.”

“I’m so jealous… They must be making a shitload of money. Kang Woojin and the other actors.”

‘Island of the Missing’ was constantly on the lips of countless people in public opinion. Of course, the entertainment industry was no different. Among them, the film company ‘Harmony Films’, which produced ‘Island of the Missing’, was in a festive mood.

“No, no way!!! 20 million??!! Is this for real?!!”

In a conference room where a dozen people, including Director Kwon Ki-taek, had gathered. These people had already seen signs of 20 million viewers yesterday, so they had gathered today, and as soon as the results were announced in the morning, they had been roaring in excitement ever since. It was Director Kwon Ki-taek who finally calmed them down.

“This is—indeed, all thanks to Woojin-ssi. If it hadn’t gained strength from the recent issues and late-stage promotion, it would have been difficult.”

“Of course! Absolutely!! Hahaha!”

Everyone in the room vehemently agreed. And the great director, Kwon Ki-taek, stroked his chin with a mysterious smile.

“He’s an alien, after all; he single-handedly brought a film to 20 million.”

After that.

With Kang Woojin’s massive donation and the 20 million viewers milestone of ‘Island of the Missing’, time slipped by as a myriad of issues erupted in Korea.

『The protagonist of the ’20 Million Viewers Milestone’, Kang Woojin, expresses gratitude to fans on SNS: “I love you all”』

Although Woojin gained new nicknames like ‘Donation King’ and ’20 Million Viewer Actor’, he had no time to enjoy them. Even though many of his projects had wrapped up filming, new ones were waiting, and he was navigating through a hellish schedule that included advertisements, photo shoots, and YouTube filming, among other things.

-Beep beep beep! Click!

“Niiiice!! Woojin-ssi! How about we take the next shot without the coat?”

“Sure.”

Around the next day, the buzz about Woojin had also reached Japan, where two of his works were currently in the pipeline.

『「Kang Woojin」, who achieved a miracle in Korea, sees his starring film ‘Island of the Missing’ surpass 20 million viewers』

Moreover, ‘Our Dining Table’ had recently launched officially in Japan. Naturally, it was through Netflix Japan, and as soon as ‘Our Dining Table’ was released, it shot to the top of the charts.

『Kang Woojin’s ‘Kimjaban Makguksu’ craze from the show「Our Dining Table」 skyrockets to number one upon its Netflix launch』

At the core of this overwhelming momentum was Kang Woojin, who was the main pillar. Additionally, the ‘Kimjaban Makguksu’ craze that swept through Japan also contributed to this force. The hit of ‘Our Dining Table’ in Japan led to many outcomes. Kang Woojin’s existing Japanese fans became even more dedicated, and new Japanese fans also surged.

As a result:

– Watching Kang Woojin cook… no matter how many times I see it, it’s still so cool….

– Ah! Was this Kimjaban Makguksu something Kang Woojin made??

– ‘Our Dining Table’ is so fun, why can’t Japan produce variety shows like this?

– Because Japan doesn’t have Kang Woojin

– I was just going to watch a little before bed, but I ended up watching ‘Our Dining Table’ all night… so tired….

– wwwww The scene where Kang Woojin gets mistaken for a chef is too cute!!

– I was immediately mistaken as a monstrous chef!!!

– Wasn’t Kang Woojin an actor? Why is he so good at cooking too?

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As Kang Woojin’s recognition exploded even further, this momentum naturally carried over to two other projects. These were ‘Male Friend: Remake’ and ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, both of which were scheduled to officially air in July. For several days, they ranked high in the tag rankings on Japan’s famous social media platforms.

Then, on July 2nd, in Korea.

“Phew! It’s done! It’s all done!!”

In her studio, where she had been holed up, Writer Choi Na-na suddenly shouted, raising both hands high. She had just finished working on additional scenes for the script of ‘Beneficial Evil’.

Upon hearing the news, PD Song Man-woo immediately visited Writer Choi Na-na’s studio around lunchtime.

-Flip, flip.

There was no need to go over the entire scripts of episodes 1 and 2. He just had to check the additional scenes. Therefore, it didn’t take long for the PD Song Man-woo to finish reading.

-Thud!

After reading all of Writer Choi Na-na’s meticulously crafted additional scenes, PD Song Man-woo looked up. Writer Choi Na-na, wearing round glasses, swallowed nervously.

“Is it, is it okay?”

PD Song Man-woo, without particularly answering…

“……”

Was wearing a deep smile.

And that late afternoon, a message reached Woojin, who was in the recording studio for the filming of reserve videos related to the ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel. More precisely, it was Choi Sung-gun’s phone that rang while he was watching Woojin.

“Yes, yes. Ah- I understand, PD-nim.”

The caller was PD Song Man-woo, and after finishing the call, Choi Sung-gun jotted something down in his diary. When Woojin came out of the recording booth during a break, Choi Sung-gun approached him.

“Woojin.”

Kang Woojin, whose concept hadn’t wavered even after the long recording.

“Yes, CEO~nim.”

Choi Sung-gun then relayed the contents of the call to him.

“The character shoot for ‘Beneficial Evil’ has been confirmed. PD Song will probably head out to scout overseas locations after wrapping this up.”

It would be the first time the entire cast of ‘Beneficial Evil’ gathered together.

On Saturday, July 3rd, in the morning.

A large set located in Ilsan. The studio complex looked like it had several warehouse-like buildings, and each warehouse or studio was massive. The size was roughly bigger than a school gymnasium.

In one of these, Studio 1, a filming crew was setting things up.

“Turning on the ceiling lights!!”

“Isn’t that middle light a bit weak??!”

“I’ll check it right away!”

“Where are the extra waiting chairs??!”

“They’re outside! How many do you need??”

“Just bring them all in for now!”

About a hundred people were bustling around, preparing for the shoot. Some were handling props, others were busy with the lighting, some were engrossed in setting up cameras, and others were checking audio equipment. Everyone was deeply absorbed in their respective tasks.

The interior of the warehouse studio was simple.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The high ceiling had several lights attached, and half of the space was covered with white cloth on the floor and walls. The other half retained the original appearance of the studio. On that side, about a hundred staff members were distributed. Most of them were familiar faces.

They were staff from ‘Beneficial Evil’ and Netflix.

Naturally, this was because the first promotional shoot for ‘Beneficial Evil’ was happening today in this warehouse studio. It was a character shoot. Specifically, it was heavily focused on introducing the actors. It was a promotional event shoot for the early stages.

In other words, many of the actors from ‘Beneficial Evil’ would be participating today.

Of course, not everyone was coming. Only the lead actors who played central roles and those participating in the first episode were present. These actors could be found sitting on the makeshift chairs set up on one side of the vast warehouse studio. Since there was still some time left, the chairs weren’t completely filled, but among the dozens of seats, around a dozen or so male and female actors were seated.

All the faces were unfamiliar.

“Uh— Ah, hello.”

“…Yes, hello.”

“Just sitting here like this feels awkward for no reason.”

“Same here.”

“Nervous, right? This is my first time doing a shoot like this.”

“Yeah, it feels like my heart is going to explode.”

They were all either unknown or rookie actors. Calling them rookies was an understatement; for most of them, it was their first time participating in a shoot. They had all either gone through a large-scale audition or were personally scouted by PD Song Man-woo from the theater scene.

“Uh, by the way, since all the actors are coming today, does that mean the lead actors are coming too? Like Kang Woojin? Or are they only filming us?”

“I’m not sure— but I was curious too, so I asked earlier, and they said Kang Woojin is coming.”

“…Amazing. Wow- honestly, I didn’t think I’d get to see Woojin-nim. You know how it is, even if you’re in the same project, if you’re not shooting with the leads, you don’t even get to see their face.”

“Right. That’s why I’m super excited too.”

It was at that moment.

-Swish.

More actors began arriving at the waiting area. Among them were a petite actress with short brown hair, who had a cute and lovely vibe—Lim Hae-eun. There was also a handsome male actor with a gentle image—Jo Moo-chan. And several other unknown actors.

Since no one recognized each other, they exchanged awkward greetings.

Gradually, the dozens of chairs began to fill up.

Meanwhile, the topic of conversation among the actors who had started talking to each other was naturally about the top actors of ‘Beneficial Evil’.

“Kang Woojin hitting 20 million viewers is seriously amazing, right?”

“I hope our project becomes a huge hit too.”

“But this is my first time seeing Kang Woojin in person… Do you think it’s okay to ask for his autograph?”

“Ah— I was thinking about maybe asking for a photo if it seems okay.”

Lim Hae-eun, whose mother is a shaman and who had been silently staring ahead without saying a word for a while, had a stiff expression.

“……”

Jo Moo-chan, a direct disciple of a top-tier veteran actor in Korea, who idolizes Kang Woojin and has a refreshing look that contrasts with Woojin’s image, was.

‘Wow! Finally! Finally, I’m going to see Kang Woojin-nim??! What do I do? I feel like I’m going to freeze up!’

He was on edge, fidgeting in his seat.

Well, overall, the dozens of unknown and rookie actors shared the same tension as Jo Moo-chan. They were either nervous or couldn’t sit still. Their anxiety was palpable.

At this moment, a loud voice echoed through the vast warehouse studio where about a hundred staff members were scattered.

“Kang Woojin-ssi has arrived!!!”

In an instant, most of the staff turned their heads toward the entrance. Through the open entrance, Kang Woojin in a black-blue jacket, with a strong poker face, was entering.

-Swoosh.

And the gazes of all the dozens of unknown and rookie actors were fixed on Kang Woojin. The aura around him was full of calmness and composure, yet the energy was intense. Just the appearance of the monsterous Kang Woojin changed the atmosphere of the scene 180 degrees.

The hundred or so staff members either fixed their gazes on him or ran towards him.

Is this the aura of the male lead? The unknown and rookie actors were just dumbfounded, staring at the solemn Kang Woojin. On the other hand, the indifferent Kang Woojin was thinking to himself.

‘Ah— I’m craving bossam and soju.’

It was an overwhelming sense of hunger. He was slightly irritable.

But to the unknown and rookie actors, it appeared differently.

“…His aura is insane.”

“Wow…”

“Amazing.”

“…His presence is overwhelming.”

It was an overwhelming presence.

****

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