Chapter 298 - Comeback (3)

Translator: Dreamscribe

When Kang Woojin first arrived at the large warehouse-like studio complex, he was honestly a bit surprised.

‘Whoa- It’s bigger than I thought??’

He thought it would be a simple character shoot, so he expected it to be held in an modest studio. However, upon arrival, the place gave off a serious and professional vibe. It was quite similar to the set of a decent-sized production.

‘Well, they probably didn’t rent the whole warehouse.’

Woojin quickly calmed his slightly surprised heart and started to pull up his firm concept. Soon after, Kang Woojin got out of the van, and Choi Sung-gun along with the team members joined him. Among them, Choi Sung-gun, who was retying his ponytail, opened his mouth.

“You heard about today’s character shoot concept, right?”

“Yes, CEO-nim.”

“They’ll give you a storyboard when we arrive, but there’s nothing too difficult about it. It’s just a promotional actor introduction? Kind of shoot. It’s just a few lines of greeting and some dialogue. It shouldn’t take long.”

“I understand.”

“Oh, and after the shoot, there’s a meeting with PD Song Man-woo. Just so you know, they’ll probably talk about the script, overseas locations, and other related matters.”

Without any change in his stern expression, Woojin simply nodded slowly. As they got closer to the warehouse studio where the shoot would take place, Han Ye-jung with her short blue hair approached Kang Woojin.

“Oppa, just a moment.”

As expected from the head stylist, she was checking Woojin’s outfit. Small details that an ordinary person wouldn’t care about were a big deal to her. Soon, after fixing his clothes, Han Ye-jung spoke to Woojin in her characteristic cold tone.

“I think we should have gone with dandy instead of casual today after all.”

“I like it.”

“You might like anything because you look good in everything, but you heard there are a lot of actors here for the shoot today, right? Including unknowns and rookies, from supporting roles to top stars, they’re all coming – I think it might be too casual.”

“It’s fine.”

“Really? Well, as long as you like it, I guess it doesn’t matter.”

Behind Han Ye-jung, who was brushing aside her bob, the stylist team members chimed in.

“It’s not too casual, but not too heavy either. I think it’s just right? Didn’t you say that Woojin oppa’s face tone is low, so even casual clothes looks classy on him.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“And besides the coordination, Woojin oppa just has an overwhelming presence. The gathered actors will probably be overwhelmed by oppa’s aura right away, don’t you think?”

“Right! If I were an unknown or rookie actor, I’d freeze seeing oppa!”

Listening to their words, Kang Woojin thought to himself. Ah, maybe I should add a bit more intensity to my usual tough guy act? Come to think of it, they did say there are a lot of new faces among the actors at this shoot. There will be some familiar faces, but they’re in the minority, with most being unknown or rookie actors.

‘It’s quite a battlefield, better to overdo it than be careless.’

Kang Woojin increased the intensity of his concept act. He entered the warehouse studio next.

“Kang Woojin-ssi has arrived!!”

A staff member from the ‘Beneficial Evil’ production team shout echoed loudly. At the same time, Woojin briefly surveyed the inside of the warehouse studio. For a short shoot, the scale was considerable. There were over a hundred gathered staff members, a lot of installed filming equipment, and.

‘Wa- damn, are those people sitting over there actors? There’s more of them than I expected.’

Several makeshift chairs on one side were filled with actors. At a glance, there were more than 20. All the unknown and rookie actors awkwardly stood up, staring at Kang Woojin. Or perhaps more accurately, they were dumbstruck?

Around this time.

“Woojin-ssi.”

A familiar voice penetrated toward Kang Woojin, who had just passed through the entrance. It was PD Song Man-woo, accompanied by a few staff members. With a smile on his face, he looked to be in a good mood.

“Hahaha, why does it feel like it’s been so long? Ah, has it really been that long since we last met?”

“Hello, PD-nim.”

After a brief handshake with Woojin, PD Song Man-woo started a conversation about recent events.

“Congratulations on reaching 20 million viewers.”

“Thank you.”

“Well- I kind of expected it to hit 20 million. Still, Woojin-ssi, you never do anything in an ordinary way, huh.”

The surrounding key staff members also congratulated Kang Woojin, and PD Song Man-woo continued the conversation, discussing topics like the donation in Jinju and recent issues related to Kang Woojin.

This went on for about 5 minutes.

Finally, PD Song Man-woo, who had barely gotten to the main point, started the briefing on today’s shoot. As already communicated, it wasn’t a particularly difficult shoot.

“Woojin-ssi, you’ve probably seen it before, right? You know, those promotional videos that comes out to warm up the audience before the teaser and trailer is released. Just think of it as something like that, an actor introduction, just an introduction.”

As he muttered, PD Song Man-woo flipped through a few pages of the storyboard. Then, he began to walk around the warehouse studio with Woojin. As they approached the area where dozens of unknown and rookie actors were gathered, goateed PD Song Man-woo grinned.

“These are the core members of ‘Beneficial Evil.’ Ah, and you, Woojin-ssi, is the heart of it.”

What an embarrassing thing to say. Kang Woojin deliberately ignored his remark and lowered his voice.

“It’s my first time meeting everyone here. What about the others?”

“Who? Ah- Hwalin-ssi or the other lead actors? They’re on their way. How about we exchange a quick greeting before that?”

As Kang Woojin and PD Song Man-woo approached, the unknown and rookie actors, who had been sitting on the makeshift chairs, began to stand up one by one. The closer Woojin got, the more varied their reactions became.

‘C-crazy!’

‘I’m nervous- so nervous!’

‘What? His physique is more ordinary than I thought.’

‘The main lead… The atmosphere on set definitely changed the moment Kang Woojin arrived.’

‘No way?? How can this be the aura of someone only two years into their career!’

‘Don’t be intimidated! He’s just an actor like us!’

Shock, jealousy, confusion, and more.

On the other hand, Kang Woojin…

“……”

Showed no significant change in his composed appearance.

Soon enough.

-Swoosh.

Kang Woojin stood right in front of the actors. He quietly scanned them all. They were rather stiff. Because of this, the unknown and rookie actors wondered if they should greet him first.

However.

“Hello.”

With an indifferent expression, Woojin suddenly bowed at a 45-degree angle to the actors, showing a gesture mixed with respect.

“I’m Kang Woojin, please take care of me.”

The unknown and rookie actors widened their eyes in surprise. Some, caught off guard, even followed Woojin’s lead and bowed. The reason was simple. It was an unexpected situation. Of course, the same went for PD Song Man-woo. But he soon smiled.

‘This must be what the younger generation calls ‘strong to the strong, weak to the weak’. He seems arrogant but keeps a clear line. He really knows how to handle people.’

At the same time, a woman wearing round glasses entered the warehouse studio, panting heavily.

“Huff, thank goodness. I’m not late.”

It was Choi Na-na, the Writer of ‘Beneficial Evil’, and while receiving greetings from the staff, she spotted Kang Woojin with PD Song Man-woo.

“Whoa- he’s gotten even more handsome.”

She had two copies of the script tucked under her arm.

After that.

Kang Woojin finished greeting the unknown and rookie actors. In the past, he might have been a little nervous at this point, but now he was composed. This much was a piece of cake. However, a few actors caught Woojin’s eye as being unusual.

Like a short, cute-faced female actor or a handsome male actor with sparkling eyes looking at him.

The female actor was staring at Kang Woojin with an expressionless face.

‘What the hell, her gaze is terrifying. Definitely a key character.’

The good-looking male actor had an atmosphere as if he might hug Woojin at any moment.

‘I kind of feel like running away.’

The introductions of the two began with PD Song Man-woo. Among the unknown and rookie actors, he introduced those who would frequently interact with Kang Woojin.

“This actress here is Lim Hae-eun, she made it through the large-scale audition. She’s very skilled at acting. Despite her appearance, she has a dark image too.”

The short, cute-looking Lim Hae-eun greeted Woojin calmly. Her voice was unexpectedly gloomy.

“Hello.”

Though slightly surprised, Kang Woojin received her greeting without much reaction.

“Nice to meet you.”

Once the greetings were over, Lim Hae-eun continued to stare intently at Woojin. Normally, he would have just ignored it, but Kang Woojin, with his strong concept, didn’t let it slide. Without hesitation.

“What’s up?”

“…Nothing.”

“It doesn’t seem like nothing.”

“I’m just curious.”

PD Song Man-woo chimed in, whispering into Kang Woojin’s ear.

“I heard her mother is a shaman.”

A shaman? Whoa— that’s a first. It’s not me who’s curious, but you who’s interesting, right? But Woojin, keeping his expression unchanged, responded to Lim Hae-eun.

“It wasn’t a gaze of curiosity, but a gaze of wonder.”

“……”

To change the atmosphere, PD Song Man-woo pointed to another actor. It was Jo Moo-chan, who had been anxiously fidgeting.

“This friend here is Actor Jo Moo-chan. Woojin-ssi, you know Teacher Jeon Mun-guk, right? Of course, you do; he’s so famous. Jo Moo-chan is part of his theater troupe. In other words, he’s a direct disciple of Teacher Jeon.”

Jeon Mun-guk, a top-tier veteran actor. Naturally, Kang Woojin knew him. Not because he’d seen his work, but simply because anyone living in Korea couldn’t not know Jeon Mun-guk. At this moment, Jo Moo-chan, who was about the same height as Woojin, finally managed to speak up, stuttering.

“H-Hello! I’m Jo Moo-chan! U-Um, my idol. No, I-I’m a huge fan, Kang Woojin-nim!”

“Hello.”

Woojin received the greeting with appropriate politeness and briefly scanned Jo Moo-chan. The conclusion came quickly.

‘He’s really handsome.’

With his naturally downturned hair, clear skin, and distinct yet gentle facial features.

‘How should I put it- like a super handsome university sunbae? That kind of vibe.’

Just like with Lim Hae-eun, Jo Moo-chan also had a strong character, and once again, PD Song Man-woo provided additional explanation, whispering into Woojin’s ear.

“Don’t you feel he gives off a contrasting vibe to Woojin-ssi? That’s exactly what I liked about him. He might seem bland at first glance, but once he starts acting, his power surges. Truly, he lives up to being a student of Teacher Jeon Mun-guk.”

Is that so? Woojin looked at Jo Moo-chan again. His eyes were sparkling. Well, indeed, he did have an aura completely opposite to the current Kang Woojin. Of course, this was with Woojin’s concept act in play. PD Song Man-woo continued whispering.

“Ah- and. Jo Moo-chan-ssi’s role model is you, Woojin-ssi. When I talked to him during the audition, he said he is a very ardent fan. No, actually, he seems to almost worship you like a god.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

At this point, Kang Woojin understood why Jo Moo-chan’s eyes were shining so brightly.

Anyway.

‘This project feels refreshing in various ways.’

A sense of anticipation welled up in Kang Woojin’s heart. To put it in simple terms, it felt like he had gained more experience. If his previous projects had been filled with an overwhelming lineup of top stars, this time, Kang Woojin was the standout.

‘Well, even so, I just need to act as I always do.’

Just then.

“Hwalin-ssi has arrived!!”

Lead actors of ‘Beneficial Evil’ like Hwalin, Ha Gang-su started to arrive, and.

“Ah! Woojin! Ah, ahem. Woojin-ssi, you’ve been too out of touch, haven’t you?”

“Is that so?”

“I have to confirm you’re alive through news articles.”

The character shoot for ‘Beneficial Evil’ officially began.

Later that same day, in the early afternoon.

As scheduled, the character shoot for ‘Beneficial Evil’ didn’t take long. In particular, Kang Woojin’s scenes were finished in less than two hours. It was because he started first. In between, Woojin went to another schedule, and currently, he could be found in a meeting room at Netflix Korea.

Of course, there were several people present in the meeting room.

Kang Woojin, Choi Sung-gun, Executive Director Kim So-hyang, PD Song Man-woo, Writer Choi Na-na, and even the production manager of ‘Beneficial Evil.’ Naturally, everyone gathered after finishing the character shoot that morning. For Kang Woojin, who hadn’t been in the this meeting room with various hit posters hanging up for a while, it was a bit nostalgic.

‘It’s been a while—here.’

While recalling the past, he maintained his poker face. Meanwhile, slightly plump Kim So-hyang, who had been discussing something with PD Song Man-woo, directed her gaze across the table to Woojin, with a smile to boot.

“Woojin-ssi, I’ve been seeing news about how well you’re doing lately. Ah! And congratulations on ‘Island of the Missing’ reaching 20 million viewers.”

When Kang Woojin gave a brief response, the smile on Executive Director Kim So-hyang’s face deepened.

“I hope our ‘Beneficial Evil’ hits it big too.”

The production manager chimed in.

“Hahaha, with our ‘Midas touch’ Kang Woojin-ssi here, what’s there to worry about?”

Kang Woojin also nodded. But inwardly, he thought to himself.

‘Agreed. Beneficial Evil is definitely SSS+ grade.’

However, since he couldn’t say that out loud, Woojin responded nonchalantly.

“I’ll work hard.”

It was a simple reply, but for some reason, PD Song Man-woo, Kim So-hyang, and the others felt reassured by Woojin.

‘If that monster is working hard, there’s nothing to worry about.’

‘He’s not the Midas touch, he’s the Kang Totem.’

At this point, Writer Choi Na-na, who still seemed a bit timid, adjusted her round glasses and slid two scripts over to Kang Woojin.

“Woojin-nim, I’m sorry for the delay. These are the scripts for episodes 1 and 2, including the newly added scenes.”

“It’s alright.”

“They’re almost identical to the original scripts, so you just need to check the added scenes.”

PD Song Man-woo added his own comments.

“You’ve probably seen the materials I sent regarding the overseas locations. For now, please check the script and feel free to let us know if you have any opinions, Woojin-ssi.”

He also mentioned that if Woojin didn’t have any specific opinions, there would be frequent rehearsals and practice sessions with the martial arts director, especially for the overseas location action scenes. Of course, they would adjust everything according to Woojin’s schedule.

At this point, Kang Woojin.

-Swoosh.

He pulled the revised script of ‘Beneficial Evil’, attached with a black square, towards him. Although he pretended to listen to the others, in reality, Woojin’s index finger was already moving.

-Pook.

Why? To enter the Void space, of course. He was a bit tired, and he also needed to replace the revised script of ‘Beneficial Evil’. Regardless, after entering the endlessly dark Void space.

“Haaa—”

Woojin stretched and let out a big yawn. The concept act peeled away in an instant. In that state, he walked towards the area where multiple white rectangles were lined up. As expected, the white rectangles of ‘Beneficial Evil’ were listed separately between the existing ones and new ones.

Since he had experienced this before, Woojin casually deleted the old white rectangle for ‘Beneficial Evil’.

“Episodes 1 and 2—I read (experienced) these a while ago, didn’t I?”

After finishing up, Woojin turned his attention to the newly added rectangles.

-[9/Script (Title: Beneficial Evil), SSS+ grade]

-(Episode 1)/(Episode 2)/(Episode 3)……

-[*This is a highly refined drama script. 100% reading is possible.]

He tapped on the white rectangle for ‘Beneficial Evil’, which had previously granted him the ‘Martial Arts’ ability. Specifically, he selected Episode 1.

-[Listing characters available for reading.]

Although he had already completed the reading (experience) in the past, he needed to check the newly added scenes. Well, it wouldn’t be too late to read the actual script afterward. Naturally, Kang Woojin chose the male lead of ‘Beneficial Evil’, ‘Jang Yeon-woo’.

And then.

[“……”]

The anticipated robotic female voice delivered an unexpected message.

[“Abilities exceeding the basic specs have been detected. ‘CQC’ will be acquired first.”]

Kang Woojin’s brow furrowed instantly.

“What?? What’s that supposed to mean! No, what the hell is ‘CQC’?”

It was a term he had never heard before in his life.

****