Translator: Dreamscribe
When Kang Woojin boarded the flight to Japan, domestic media were frantically generating based on Woojin’s interview.
『[Entertainment+] Kang Woojin heads to Japan for the shooting of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ with a mindset similar to the declaration at the Blue Dragon Awards』
『Kang Woojin calmly declares before leaving for Japan / Photo』
『Kang Woojin, who says he will ‘dominate the Japanese acting scene’, departs for the shooting of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’』
The source of these were the reporters spread out at the airport, followed by various media outlets. It all started with an interview of Kang Woojin, which provided some ground, but gradually, the number of abusive articles noticeably increased.
『[Staris] After winning the ‘Best New Actor’ at the Blue Dragon Awards, Kang Woojin boards a flight to Japan, netizens ask, ‘Going to Japan to dominate acting alone?’』
It went beyond distortion to the point of writing fiction. For Woojin, it was just a simple interview before departure, but it caused a serious ripple effect through the media.
Nevertheless, the media continued to excitedly publish articles. No, they were spewing crap. Surprisingly, the domestic public opinion was not bad. Rather, it could be seen at the level of praise.
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋDamnㅋㅋㅋㅋ, Kang Woojin smashing it, with this vibe ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Damn ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Kang Woojin totally likableㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Lee Sang-man’s form is crazy!!!
– But if he’s the only Korean actor… it might be a bit tough ㅋㅋㅋㅋ, I support him!!
– Personally, I kind of dislike Kang Woojin ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ, but still, crush those Japanese actors with your acting!!
– Such charisma, no wonder directors are crazy about him
·
·
·
In common terms, there was a strange mix of patriotism and support like ‘Go and conquer’. It almost felt like Kang Woojin had been selected as a representative of South Korea.
Well, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
Kang Woojin was the only Korean actor among the main cast of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. To the public, it seemed like Woojin was representing Korean actors. Whatever it was, the noise from both the domestic public and media soon crossed over to Japan where Kang Woojin was headed.
Japanese media focused more on abusive coverage.
『「Kang Woojin」, coming to Japan, shows excessive confidence in an interview before departure』
『’The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’s 「Kang Woojin」 to conquer Japan with his acting?』
Especially since recently, public opinion in Japan about Kang Woojin was polarized, and this issue was more than enough bait for them. Of course, not all Japanese media outlets were trash; some articles were mixed with facts.
But, as media in any country do, they sought sensationalism. Soon, the Japanese media instilled a sense of urgency and alertness in the Japanese entertainment industry.
Thanks to this, a curious competitive atmosphere formed. Not only among Japanese actors but public opinion as well.
Approximately two hours.
During this brief moment as Kang Woojin flew to Japan, both Korea and Japan were ablaze. It was a battle on all fronts. So how was Kang Woojin at this moment? Actually, Woojin had heard about the current situation from Choi Sung-gun before the plane took off.
‘It’s a mess, Woojin.’
Although his comment had been terribly distorted, Woojin’s response was brief.
‘It doesn’t really matter to me.’
That was actually the case. Well, it would be funny to explain at this point that that’s not what he meant, right? It doesn’t even fit the concept.
If something happens, it will be dealt with then.
Meanwhile, the protagonist Kang Woojin was currently.
“······”
Quietly sleeping like a baby.
Approximately 2 hours later, at Haneda Airport in Japan.
Kang Woojin arrived in Japan around early lunchtime. First off the plane were Woojin, Choi Sung-gun, and the team from bw Entertainment.
Soon, Kang Woojin, who had replenished his energy through a peaceful nap, assessed the weather in Japan.
‘It’s freaking cold.’
Although Korea and Japan were ablaze, Kang Woojin’s body remained cold. He showed no sign of concern. In contrast, Choi Sung-gun and nearly 20 members of Kang Woojin’s team, along with the guards, were exchanging serious conversations, spreading a tense atmosphere.
Thus, Kang Woojin set foot in the arrival hall of Haneda Airport.
The moment he saw the entrance doors, Woojin had a gut feeling.
‘Damn, it’s going to be blinding.’
He knew behind those doors lay a swarm of formidable reporters. The reason was simple: even before Kang Woojin appeared, he could see camera flashes firing through the semi-transparent doors. They weren’t just occasional; they were going off every second.
But who was Kang Woojin now?
‘Heh, I’m used to it now.’
Isn’t he the monster actor who had spread his meticulous concept even to Japan? He had been to Japan several times already, and since his first visit had been chaotic, so his heart wasn’t pounding too much.
He might not have been completely at ease, but he maintained his composure.
Then.
-Swish.
Kang Woojin, flanked by guards from all directions, reached the entrance of the arrival hall. As soon as the door opened, the expected scene unfolded.
-Papapapapak!
-Papapapapapak!!
Hundreds of Japanese reporters pressed their camera shutters.
“$Woojin!)@($)@$@(&@&(!!!!”
“Kang Woojin!#(%&%(#(%@(%)@(*%()@!!”
“#$&#(Kang Woojin!@()#@#”
All of them were shouting at Kang Woojin in Japanese, and with everyone yelling at once, it was impossible to make out what they were saying. Only bits and pieces of Kang Woojin’s name could be barely heard.
However, the excitement was more than during his previous visits.
The airport staff and guards who were blocking the fences struggled to push back the reporters. Meanwhile, Kang Woojin, with an indifferent expression mounted on his face, remained composed.
“Hello-”
With a clear voice, he greeted the hundreds of reporters and quickly passed through the arrival hall, while the howls of the Japanese reporters continued behind Woojin.
“##&($@($@((Woojin!! Kang Woojin!!!”
Although not certain, Woojin, who was proficient in Japanese, roughly grasped the nuance of the reporters’ questions.
‘Did I just hear someone cursing?’
There were indeed blunt and high-toned questions mixed in. Choi Sung-gun, sticking close to the unfazed Woojin, whispered.
“Ignore them, just ignore. They’re just excited. Most of these reporters are from crappy media outlets.”
You seem more pissed off than them, CEO~nim? With Choi Sung-gun’s rough choice of words, Woojin responded quietly.
“I don’t care, I couldn’t hear them well anyway.”
He meant it. Really, Woojin wasn’t upset at all. Perhaps this too was a buff of a ‘common citizen’. Whatever the case, after a warlike situation, the Kang Woojin team finally reached the airport exit.
The interesting thing was.
‘Huh? Where have I seen that woman before?’
Outside the exit, there were people waiting for Kang Woojin and his team. The woman Woojin just noticed was in a neat suit with her long hair tied back in a single line. A definitely familiar face. Then, Choi Sung-gun approached her, extended his hand, and greeted her in slightly awkward Japanese.
“It’s been a while.”
“Welcome, we’ve been waiting for you.”
As Kang Woojin approached, the woman bowed slightly.
“Woojin ssi. You must be tired.”
“Yes, hello.”
For now, he greeted her, but who is this woman? As Kang Woojin pondered inwardly, Choi Sung-gun whispered in his ear.
“Thankfully, Chairman Hideki’s chief secretary has come to meet us.”
Ah, that’s right. Now Woojin recalled the woman he had seen at the script reading session of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. The suit-clad woman was Lili Tetsugawa, the chief secretary of Chairman Hideki. Her posture was very upright then, and it was the same today.
Thus, it was no different from a major Japanese corporation, the ‘Kashiwa Group’, coming out to meet Kang Woojin.
Then, Chief Secretary Lili gestured towards the area behind her.
“Let’s move before it gets worse.”
She pointed to the curb where two large vans and a luxurious sedan were parked. It was spacious enough for the entire Kang Woojin team. Among them, the vehicle Kang Woojin and Choi Sung-gun were to ride in was the sedan at the very front.
-Thunk.
Thanks to Lili opening the car door for them, Choi Sung-gun awkwardly got in first, followed by Kang Woojin. The treatment felt somewhat overwhelming, but Woojin maintained his poker face.
With that, all the cars departed.
It was then that Choi Sung-gun, sitting in the backseat of the sedan, murmured into Woojin’s ear.
“I did get a call, but honestly, I didn’t expect them to go this far.”
“······”
Kang Woojin was genuinely amazed, internally of course.
‘Damn, the backing of a conglomerate is no joke.’
bw Entertainment was currently backed by, or more precisely, secretly invested in by Chairman Hideki of the Kashiwa Group. This welcome was part of that support. Naturally, the backing and investment were confidential, so externally, it was framed as if they were simply taking care of Kang Woojin, who had been selected as an advertisement model.
Soon, Lili, seated in the passenger seat, turned around and spoke.
“As I told the CEO, we will take care of you during this schedule in Japan.”
This meant that they would support all of Kang Woojin’s activities in Japan for ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. Naturally, the accommodation Woojin was heading to was the ‘Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel’.
Several tens of minutes later.
After arriving at the massive hotel, Lili, who had greeted Choi Sung-gun in the lobby, exited after saying, “Feel free to contact me if you need anything.” Watching her leave, Choi Sung-gun muttered as if enchanted.
“I almost fell for her.”
Woojin glanced at him.
Was it her or the care he’d received? Curiosity raised its head, but since the team of about a dozen members had also arrived in the lobby, they had to move. In fact, people in the lobby had been stealing glances at Kang Woojin since a few minutes ago.
Since Chairman Hideki had already arranged some matters, the check-in process was straightforward.
Therefore, it wasn’t long before Woojin got on the elevator, with Choi Sung-gun sticking to his side, murmuring while looking at his phone.
“You can rest a bit and come out around 2. There are two interviews today, and tomorrow there’s a meeting with ‘A10 Studio’ and ‘Kashiwa Group’······”
While Choi Sung-gun was still talking, his phone emitted a long vibration. Thanks to that, he stopped in the corridor after exiting the elevator. He hesitated upon seeing the caller.
The caller was Director Ahn Ga-bok.
Choi Sung-gun slightly tilted his head, met Woojin’s gaze, and put the phone to his ear.
“Yes, Director~nim. How are you?”
From the other side of the phone, Director Ahn Ga-bok’s aged voice was heard.
“You arrived in Japan, right?”
“Yes? Ah- yes, yes. Just entered the hotel. But what made you call?”
“Woojin-gun, what is his schedule like this afternoon, around 8 PM?”
Suddenly? Choi Sung-gun calculated in his head momentarily.
“···At that time, he’ll be at the hotel.”
“I see. How about Woojin-gun attends a film festival in Japan around then?”
“Huh?”
“CEO Choi, you know about the ‘Tokyo International Short Film Festival’, right? It started a few days ago. It’s currently ongoing, and I was invited as a judge and arrived in Japan yesterday.”
The ‘Tokyo International Short Film Festival’ could be considered almost equivalent to Korea’s ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’. It’s likewise a premier short film festival in Japan. Naturally, the mainstream figures are Japan’s master directors and actors, but it’s an international festival, so global figures attend too.
“Today is the closing of the festival. I’m also flying back to Korea tonight. But there’s a small party afterward, wouldn’t it be good if Woojin-gun could attend? I also have something to say.”
“Ah-”
“But you know, there are a lot of significant figures from the movie and entertainment industry here. I want to give them more of a sense of urgency if Woojin comes.”
Urgency? No. It was probably a matter that would shake the Japanese entertainment industry. At least, that was what Choi Sung-gun thought. However, the issue was.
“I’m sorry, but Director~nim. We don’t have an invitation.”
“Ah, I can handle that.”
“···I’ll ask Woojin ssi first.”
“I’ll wait.”
Choi Sung-gun, having put down his phone, conveyed the gist to Kang Woojin in a low voice. Soon, Woojin nodded slowly with a stoic face. A film festival party in Japan? Something like an after-party? It sounded somewhat bothersome but also intriguing.
He had heard that there would be many top Japanese actors present.
It could be compared to ‘Mise-en-scène’. Having quickly come to a conclusion, Woojin murmured softly.
“It seems good to check it out.”
At the same time.
-Vrrrr, vrrrrrr.
Now, Kang Woojin’s phone was vibrating. The caller was Director Kyotaro, and Woojin answered the call while walking, naturally speaking in Japanese.
“Hello, Director~nim.”
“I received your message that you’ve arrived in Japan. I’d like to meet briefly before the crank-in, but today’s night is packed with film festival schedules.”
“Is this film festival by any chance the ‘Tokyo International Short Film Festival’?”
“That’s right.”
Upon hearing the answer, Woojin spoke into the phone to Director Kyotaro.
“I think I’ll be going there, we can meet then.”
Director Kyotaro sounded noticeably surprised.
“Really??!”
A few hours later, in the early afternoon. Korea.
It was 7 PM. Inside a studio in Gangnam, posters and logos of the popular girl group ‘Elani’ were everywhere.
This place was a studio for ‘Elani’ to conduct their communication broadcasts.
It was primarily used for SNS and ‘Elani’s YouTube live broadcasts, and currently, Hwalin along with the other members of ‘Elani’ were seated on a pink sofa in the middle of the studio, broadcasting.
But it wasn’t a tightly controlled broadcast.
It was purely for interacting with fans. Hence, the ‘Elani’ members seated on the sofa were dressed comfortably in hoodies and such, chatting with fans via the camera and monitor.
Then.
“See you in a bit-”
Hwalin, seated in the center of the sofa with her long hair braided into pigtails, waved at the camera. The other members did the same. They were taking a short break. Soon, a staff member behind the camera shouted to the members.
“15 minutes! We’ll go live again in 15 minutes! This time on YouTube!”
A 15-minute break was given. Consequently, the members dispersed to use the restroom and touch up their makeup. However, Hwalin immediately pulled out her phone while sitting cross-legged on the sofa. She had felt it vibrate about an hour ago. Among the numerous notifications on her phone, one from a YouTube channel caught her eye.
-[New video uploaded on ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’/ 1 hour ago]
She couldn’t resist checking out a new video from her favorite channel!
Ignoring other messages, Hwalin accessed the YouTube channel ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’.
‘I’ll watch this first and then check TV.’
In fact, she needed to check the TV too. Anyway, an expectant Hwalin checked out the new video from ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’.
But.
“Wow- amazing.”
Hwalin exclaimed involuntarily. The reason was simple. The view count of the new video uploaded about an hour ago on ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ was.
-【Duet+What do you want to eat?+Cooking Avatar (ep1)】 guest/ Miley Cara｜Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego
-Views: 2.18 million
It was extraordinarily high. No, it was exploding.
Meanwhile, at Hong Hye-yeon’s house.
She was in her pajamas in a white-and-black color scheme because she had the day off. With her long hair tied back, she sat alone on the living room sofa, sipping wine. The table showed snacks like cheese. Then, Hong Hye-yeon checked the time on her phone.
“7 PM-”
She picked up the remote and turned on the large TV. The HTBS channel came up immediately. A variety show’s title appeared on the TV just after an ad ended.
-[‘Our Dining Table: US Edition’]
-[‘Episode 0’]
It was ‘Our Dining Table’.
*****
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