‘Drug Dealer’ officially premiered today, the 28th. And now, it was being shown to the world for the first time as a morning show. About 30 audience members filled the screening room, including Hwalin, all of them adults.
It couldn’t be helped.
After all, ‘The Drug Dealer’ was rated R. From the moment ‘Drug Dealer’ started, the audience’s expectations were high. From when the title, a rough mix of black and red, appeared on the screen to when the names of the leading actors were shown.
But above all, what captured the audience’s attention was.
-[And Kang Woojin]
When Kang Woojin’s name, who made a cameo appearance in ‘Drug Dealer’, flashed on the screen. He had been the source of numerous issues recently, but undoubtedly, the hit of ‘Male Friend’ played the biggest part. Most of the audience here had watched ‘Male Friend’.
This only heightened the anticipation and curiosity.
As soon as Kang Woojin’s name appeared, dozens of audience members, regardless of gender, whispered so softly.
“Kang Woojin’s name came up, he’s in a cameo but his name is first?”
“Maybe it’s because he’s so popular? Anyway, I’m curious. How Kang Woojin will appear here.”
“Will his image be similar to ‘Male Friend’? Maybe acting a bit rougher there?”
“He acts well, so he’ll probably at least hit average.”
The whispers mostly revolved around similar topics. How will cameo Kang Woojin appear? What kind of acting will he do? How different will it be from ‘Han In-ho’ in ‘Male Friend’? And also, what kind of mask he will present.
However, the audience’s interest soon shifted to the content of ‘Drug Dealer’.
‘Drug Dealer’ was stimulating and tense from the start. After the entrance of the protagonist ‘Jeong Seong-hoon’, played by Jin Jae-jun, ‘Drug Dealer’ maintained a gripping pace. Therefore, Hwalin and dozens of audience members fixed their eyes on the large screen.
But, as always with movies, there’s a need for pacing.
There are times when explanations are needed, and scenes where the world is unfolded through dialogue between characters. Constantly running can leave one breathless. In other words, ‘Drug Dealer’ also reached a moment when it slowed down.
Therefore.
-Swish.
The focused audience members began to fidget or distract themselves. The concentration dipped briefly. However, just when the audience’s interest seemed to wane, the background on the large screen changed abruptly, presenting a strange atmosphere and scenery. The pouring rain was just as abrupt.
Huh? Something’s different?
-♬♪
The music that played was majestic. Soon, as the audience’s focus slightly increased.
-Thud.
In the scene, a character with a cigarette in his mouth got out of the last of four parked sedans.
“Uh? Is that Kang Woojin?”
The first appearance of ‘Lee Sang-man’ with a cigarette in his mouth. Everything about the environment amplified his impact. The pouring rain, the gangsters in suits, the music echoing in the screening room, the vivid camera movements.
And.
-[“Hoo-”]
The bold character of ‘Lee Sang-man’, with a controlled violent mask, long exhaling smoke. The actor Kang Woojin playing him. As soon as he appeared on the screen, the slightly scattered focus instantly converged.
Hwalin, frozen in movement, muttered to herself, and the slight movements of dozens of audience members increased.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Lee Sang-man on the screen.
His impact was that intense. A character appearing about an hour into the movie’s runtime, but instantly escalating the tension.
From then on, the audience’s hearing and vision sharpened.
It felt like the calm before the storm ever since Lee Sang-man appeared. His every word.
-[“Come closer. I’m getting wet.”]
-[“Ah! I’m sorry!”]
-[“Or is that what you want?”]
-[“No, no. Hyung!!”]
Every action carried a subtle weight. The mix of flexibility, seemingly languid yet with a scent of cruelty and violence, was something else.
The audience reacted.
“Wow, that gave me chills.”
“Isn’t it kind of scary?”
She brushed her forearm. The cold blast of the air conditioner in the screening room intensified that feeling. The coolness touching her skin and the ruthlessness of ‘Lee Sang-man’ in the screen meshed well together. Amidst this, Hwalin, with her mouth slightly open, was completely captivated by Kang Woojin on the screen.
‘It’s different. There’s none of the acting or atmosphere he’s shown until now. Did he change his voice too? He kept his characteristic low tone, but… how did he produce that tone as if he had phlegm in his throat?’
Hwalin, whether as a fan indulging in her fandom or as an actress, was tightly wrapped up in Kang Woojin’s acting.
‘There’s not even a trace of the pure, warm emotions from ‘Han In-ho’. Honestly, it’s impressive. From the motion of smoking a cigarette to the small hand movements, eye direction, even the blinking, none of it feels light. Every single one amplifies the character’s presence. I knew about his acting detail, but really…’
Considering this was the level of acting experience she had from Kang Woojin, what about the dozens of audience members around Hwalin? Hwalin glanced at the women in the seat next to her, brushing their forearms. She completely understood that reaction.
‘The timing of Lee Sang-man’s appearance killed it, and above all, Woojin-nim’s acting and character transformation exceeded expectations by far.’
At this point.
[“They’re dancing.”]
Lee Sang-man uttered, looking at the long line of orange street lamps. His eyes, hazed yet with a faint smile, were closely zoomed in. Yet, Lee Sang-man kept scratching his neck or forearm since his appearance.
It was initially overlooked, but the audience felt something was off.
“Hey, hasn’t he been scratching himself since a while ago?”
“Yeah, yeah. I thought it was strange too.”
“Is it a clue?”
Simultaneously, Lee Sang-man’s face on the screen deepened with discomfort. The music playing also became heavier. Clearly, Lee Sang-man was expressing his problem to the audience.
That problem was.
– patpatpat!
– patpatpat!
After passing through the heavy rain.
[“It’s going to burn.”]
[“Huh?”]
[“The sea. It’s going to burn.”]
Crossing over the death of a subordinate.
[“Dump him in the water.”]
As Lee Sang-man climbed the dark and dreary staircase, the darkness intensified. Anyone could see that the scene at the top of the staircase was ominously ominous, yet a faint smile spread across the quirky and indifferent expression of Lee Sang-man. The angle was frontal, filling the screen with Lee Sang-man’s face as he ascended the stairs.
-[“……”]
Twitching facial muscles, lips curving like a bow gradually showing teeth, eyes filled with madness, hastening movements.
Such progressive expression changes in Lee Sang-man were somewhat shocking to the dozens of audience members.
“What, what’s that. Why is he like that.”
“Ew- that expression is going to haunt my dreams tonight.”
“What? Is he actually a crazy bastard? A lunatic?”
Hwalin, with her eyes widened, directly stared at the screen, noticing the change in Lee Sang-man.
‘I see liberation, a sense of freedom. It was a dreary workplace until just now, and now it seems like he’s heading to his own playground… And the laughter is unsettling. That laughter itself seems to be showing Lee Sang-man’s fate.’
She was accurate. Now, Lee Sang-man was like giving a spoiler to all the audience. My laughter is akin to death. Kang Woojin showed that not with words but through his acting, and the audience felt the death glimpsed behind Lee Sang-man’s laughter as ‘unease’.
However, the audience’s unease quickly turned into certainty.
-Thud!
When the half-crazy Lee Sang-man in the movie opened a desk drawer revealing several tools. Soon, Lee Sang-man took off his suit jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves.
-[“Hup- Hoo.”]
As his breathing roughened, his face filled with vitality. Then, Lee Sang-man seated on the sofa was liberated, and the audience realized. Lee Sang-man was a drug addict. Then Lee Sang-man implanted this realization into the audience’s minds several times more intensely.
-[“Hehe”]
Lee Sang-man seated on the sofa snickered softly. Just that kind of smile. The screen captured the scene behind Lee Sang-man, including the window with rainwater streaming down. At that moment.
-Rumble, Boom!
A powerful thunderbolt struck, startling about half of the tense audience.
“Ah!!”
“Whoa!!!!”
“Yikes!!”
“Scared me!”
Regardless, Lee Sang-man in the screen slowly raised his head towards the ceiling. The angle viewed his entire face from above, gradually closing in. Soon, an eerie laughter spread throughout the entire screening room.
-[“Ehehe-”]
No, it was the sound of death. At this moment, none of the dozens of audience members in the vast screening room opened their mouth. They just stared at the screen, frozen like ice.
The scene’s drawing power was indeed tremendous.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Hwalin felt the same. However, a unanimous thought had settled in everyone’s mind.
‘Kang Woojin’s acting is damn good.’
Because they saw something beyond a scene-stealer.
About 1 hour and 30 minutes later.
Before they knew it, the screen in the screening room where Hwalin was had turned black, and the ending credits were rolling up.
-♬♪
The majestic OST also signaled the end of the movie. The dim lighting of the screening room brightened slightly. There was no post-credits scene, so now the audience had to leave the screening room. However, for some reason, the dozens of audience members couldn’t easily leave their seats. It was as if they all felt a lingering sensation.
Among men who came together.
“It was awesome, fuck. Really fun. Not a single hole in the acting.”
“Honestly, feels like it’s been a while since a dope movie came out.”
“Wow- I really want to see this again? Hey, and what’s with Kang Woojin? His acting is insane.”
“Totally agree. No, really, is he crazy? Cameo, you say? Why is he overshadowing the main actors’ performances?”
“But Kang Woojin was killer in ‘Hanryang’ too.”
“Ah- the less charming Park Dae-ri?”
Whether it was groups of women.
“It was a bit brutal and scary but fun, right?”
“Yep, yep! Totally! Jin Jae-jun is so cool.”
“Ah- I didn’t like it much. Kind of disgusting? Maybe these kinds of movies are not for me. But Kang Woojin’s scene in the middle was killer, stood out more than Jin Jae-jun?”
“It was epic. Just when it was getting a bit boring, he came out and instantly boosted the focus! Ah… I liked Kang Woojin, really. The role was a bit trashy but he was cool.”
“It’s because he acts so well. Everyone watched ‘Male Friend’, right? But Han In-ho was nowhere to be seen? Just like a different person.”
Couples felt the same.
“Wow- Kang Woojin can really act. Gotta watch ‘Male Friend’ when I get home.”
“See, I told you to watch it, oppa. In ‘Male Friend’, Kang Woojin is like this super tsundere but warm, but in ‘Drug Dealer’, he’s completely crazy. How can he change his acting so much with different roles?”
“It wasn’t for nothing that the media was hyping him up as a monster rookie.”
It wasn’t until the end of the ending credits that the dozens of audience members occupying the seats began to move. They threw away their eaten popcorn and drink cups in the trash can right outside the screening room, yet their mouths didn’t stop moving.
What was interesting.
“Kang Woojin has an SNS, right?”
“Yeah, he does. Have you seen Kang Woojin’s Youtube?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Most of the audience members mentioned the name Kang Woojin. Following them from behind, Hwalin, wearing a hat, mask, and glasses, trailed. She was in a slightly dazed state.
No, to be precise.
‘Woojin-nim… Wow, really.’
Her already thick fandom was soaring boundlessly. A kind of faith different from the ‘Kang Totem’? In other words, it meant her fandom was growing immensely in size. Among today’s audience, she was the only one who could accurately judge Kang Woojin’s acting.
Why?
Because Hwalin had seen all characters played by Kang Woojin. From ‘Kim Ryu-jin’ in ‘Exorcism’, which made her a fan, to the recent ‘Lee Sang-man’. Of course, none of them felt overlapping.
‘Is this what they call method acting? But it feels even more extensive than that. The acting technique changes with each role.’
What kind of actor was he, really? Hwalin felt jealousy as an actress, and awe as a fan.
‘The simultaneous opening of ‘Male Friend’ and ‘Drug Dealer’ made Woojin-nim’s diverse acting stand out even more.’
Regardless, Hwalin continued to think about Kang Woojin after getting on the elevator, until she arrived at the underground parking lot. Naturally, she was planning on thinking about him all day today. Soon, she woke her foreign car parked in the parking lot and climbed into the driver’s seat.
Only then did she remove the disguises that had covered her face.
-Swish.
Hwalin, whose long hair had become disheveled because of the hat, was about to start the car when she suddenly clapped her hands together.
“Right, right!”
“I have to give it a rating!”
It seemed she intended to rate ‘Drug Dealer’, which she had watched as the first audience member. Of course, this included writing a review. She knew very well that the initial ratings are crucial for the success of a new movie. Hwalin then picked up her phone and accessed a search site. Naturally, the search term was ‘Drug Dealer’.
The information about ‘Drug Dealer’ appeared at the top of the search results.
Her eyes widened slightly as she tapped on the rating section.
“Wow- already.”
Even though the morning show had just ended, there were already many ratings and reviews from the audience.
[「Drug Dealer」/ Released on October 28, 2020]
[Rating 9.7]
[Viewer·Netizen Reviews/ 198 participants]
-So damn fun and Kang Woojin is the real deal/ t****
-A bit brutal and scary….but the actors’ performances are amazing….especially Kang Woojin/ g****
-The rediscovery of Jin Jae-junㄷㄷ No need for words, just watch it/ c****
-Kang Woojin’s cameo casting was a stroke of genius./ 1*****
-Why is Kang Woojin only acting now? His performance was seriously insane? It’s like he really did drugs/ 9*****
-Damn entertaining, the immersion is crazy and Kang Woojin will soon be a top actor, his acting is mad/ f****
Even here, the presence of Lee Sang-man was intense.