Translator: Dreamscribe
Kang Woojin or Kiyoshi remembered the only person he respected, who had thrown herself from the railing. ‘Misaki Toka.’ That unattached, lonely smile, and, for some reason, her school uniform buttons that looked as if they had been forcibly torn off.
‘It must have been you, Ginzo.’
Although it seemed like he was bullying ‘Misaki Toka,’ Ginzo had always looked at her in a strange way. It was because he had a sick obsession with women. That’s why that laugh doesn’t suit him now.
It’s not that Ginzo shouldn’t smile, but he shouldn’t forget.
It wasn’t intense hatred. Rather, there were no emotions. It just reminded him of the need to complete the homework. The worn piece of paper in Woojin’s pocket right now. The paper listed nine names.
At that moment, having finished talking with the woman, Ginzo started walking again.
-Swish.
Kang Woojin also started walking, observing indifferently. Ginzo didn’t realize that a ‘stranger’ was following him. It had been more than a month, but he hadn’t noticed a hint, and Kang Woojin had already figured out his personal habits in that month.
He was somewhat tall. But smaller than Woojin. Woojin had the upper hand.
It might not look like it, but Ginzo has a family and young children. He also has a decent job. The routine of going to work and coming home. The time he leaves the office, the time he takes the subway, the bars he frequents, the acquaintances he meets, his travel routes, his secret lover, the illicit encounters he engages in once a week, the karaoke girls he meets under the pretext of business trips.
Perhaps Kang Woojin knew more about Ginzo’s life than Ginzo himself did. He meticulously recorded and stored his life and his existence.
Konakayama Ginzo entered his company.
“8:48 AM. Three minutes later than yesterday.”
Kang Woojin or rather Kiyoshi pulled out an old cellphone. It wasn’t registered under his name. He bought it from one of the homeless people in an empty lot a little away from the station. Not just one, but several. The camera he’s holding is also a film camera.
He had already gathered enough of Ginzo’s secrets.
It’s enough. Now, let’s set up the fireworks. First, using his company and family as leverage, he would shake him. Woojin sent a text to Ginzo. The content was brief.
‘Hmm what should I start with—yes, an affair would be good.’
A minute after sending the text, Ginzo called. Woojin answered the phone with an expressionless face.
“Hello.”
From the other end of the phone, Ginzo yelled angrily.
“Y-you! Who are you?!”
“Does it matter? First, come outside the company.”
He hung up immediately. The phone rang again, but Kang Woojin ignored it. Across the street, with a face mixed with despair and anger, Ginzo burst out of his office. Woojin watched him with a blurry gaze for a while.
‘What method would be best?’
He had no thoughts of granting Ginzo comfort of death immediately. Slowly and gradually, he would strangle him. After today, a smile like earlier will cease to exist.
‘And the final end?’
Well, I can’t get an answer from him, so I’ll decide myself. Anyway, you’ll be isolated. From today onwards, the dessert you’ll taste for over a month is going to be aa mental hell. Anxiety, vigilance, discomfort, restlessness, creepiness, and all similar feelings.
“It should be enough for today?”
Leaving the raging Ginzo behind, Kang Woojin entered a nearby fast-food restaurant. He was just a bit hungry.
From that day, every day, one of Konakayama Ginzo’s secrets was delivered.
The number changed frequently. But the opponent was clearly the same.
“Damn it!! Who the hell are you bastard!!”
Every day was disgusting for Ginzo. His wife’s suspicions deepened, and he couldn’t work properly at work. Even the women he had affair with didn’t look appealing to him anymore. A person becomes extremely anxious the moment their tranquility is broken.
Ginzo spent each day in agony, ending it with alcohol.
But every morning, a text message arrived without fail.
Why are you doing this to me?
I’ll give you money if you want, and women if you want them. However, the anonymous otehr party made no demands. He just slowly took away Ginzo’s life each day.
Then.
“Kuk! Auk-”
Reeking of alcohol, Ginzo struggled to open his eyes. It was because his body was swaying. And it was cold. Why was it so cold? Ginzo let out a faint groan as he slowly got up.
“······Huh?”
His eyes widened in an instant. He realized that he was lying on a swaying boat floating above the sea.
It was at this moment.
“Awake?”
The man sitting in front of him, expressionless, came into Ginzo’s view.
“Long time no see, Ginzo.”
It was ‘Iyota Kiyoshi.’
20th, Kyoto, Japan.
Late afternoon. In the fishing village ‘Ine Funaya,’ where the ocean is in front and lush mountains behind, the underwater town that seemed to float above the sea was usually bustling with tourists, but since yesterday, it had been crowded with a filming team.
It was the team of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.’
There were easily 70 to 80 Japanese staff members gathered at the far end of the tightly packed houses floating above the sea, near several boats that were docked.
The shooting conditions were not great.
“Director~nim! Please check the monitor!”
While a few cameras were set up on land, a couple had to be on boats. Thanks to this, two of the filming team members had to get onto a gently bobbing boat with cameras hoisted on their shoulders. Meanwhile, the overall director in-charge of the site, Director Kyotaro, who had a head full of gray hair, was checking the monitor at a position set up on the dock.
“Camera 2, let’s pull back a bit!”
“Yes!”
The walkie-talkie communications flew back and forth hectically. Not just among the filming team, but also the lighting team raising lights according to the darkening sky, the diving team for safety, the drone team responsible for inserts and backgrounds shot, and more.
“Director~nim! The drone is up!”
“Ok, Start from the entrance of the village!”
All teams, despite the cold weather, prepared for shooting with serious expressions. Today was the official first day of shooting for ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.’ Of course, clear preparations had been made during yesterday’s rehearsal, but naturally, the tension was several times higher on the actual crank-in day. Amidst this, the directing and production teams also managed the gathered villagers and onlookers behind the tent where Director Kyotaro was.
Moreover, there were quite a few guests at today’s shoot.
Most of them gathered in the second of two large tents. Today, a few lead actors were participating in the shoot despite having no scenes, the original writer of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger,’ Akari, key staff members from ‘Toega’ Film Company and the distributor of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger,’ and about five Japanese reporters who were allowed on the scene were present.
Author Akari, wearing glasses on the tip of her nose, stood next to Director Kyotaro, enjoying the view. It seemed she quite liked the setting unfolding according to the script.
“It’s nice, just as you said, Director. ‘Ine Funaya’ was the right choice.”
Director Kyotaro, who had been busily communicating with the staff, smiled faintly.
“Thank you. I took some shots with the actors during yesterday’s rehearsal, and it exceeded my expectations.”
“‘Ine Funaya’ is a beautiful place but also feels eerily scary. A blue sea in front, green mountains behind. However, the village itself can look bizarre depending on the direction.”
Meanwhile, dozens of staff members, even as they prepared for shooting, occasionally glanced at the first tent. It was the tent where the actors who would be involved in today’s shooting were gathered.
“Did you see yesterday’s rehearsal? I thought it was a bit dull.”
“I think it’s because the actors performed with less energy. The director also directed them that way.”
“······That may be true—but Kang Woojin seemed a bit weaker than during the script reading.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Because of that, there was quite a fuss among the shooting team.”
Among the chattering staff, there was a surprising amount of worry.
“Will it be okay? During yesterday’s rehearsal, the chemistry between the actors seemed a bit uncomfortable.”
“The key lead, Kang Woojin, dropped a bomb right before arriving in Japan, so it’s bound to be a bit like that.”
“That’s disappointing, though—I had higher expectations.”
Today, the ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ team included many who had not attended the past script readings. That is to say, there were quite a few staff members who were seeing the lead actors for the first time. Naturally, most of the discussions involved Kang Woojin, who was at the center of the controversy.
After all, he was the only Korean actor on this filming site.
Many people shared similar concerns. Will it be okay? If it continues like this, the movie might be branded as nothing but failure. Currently, in Japan, the interest in ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ was explosive. Additionally, the entire Japanese entertainment industry was focusing on Kang Woojin.
“If the movie is subpar, it might just get backlash from the hardcore original fans as soon as it’s released.”
“And the press will gleefully mock it.”
“I’m worried, the noise has grown much larger than our initial plan. The atmosphere of anticipation and expectations has become excessively high. To properly conclude this, it has to be of a quality that no one can criticize…”
As the conversation among the film company officials suggested, the position of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ was precarious. It was at its peak in terms of issues but also on the edge of a cliff. They had pushed through the shooting despite all the criticism, and if the results were mediocre, they would likely be attacked to the point of being crushed.
Perhaps that’s why worry was mixed in the expressions of about half of the staff, film company employees, and distribution company representatives, among others.
At that moment.
“Actors, standby!”
At the signal from Director Kyotaro, who was wearing thick padded jacket, a few of the directing team staff sprinted toward the first tent, and actors who had been watching the shooting emerged from the tent. Four actors were needed for this cut. ‘Konakayama Ginzo’ played by the handsome Ogimoto Yasutaro, ‘Misaki Toka’ who will appear in a flashback by Nakajo Kimi, an unidentified man played by an supporting male actor.
And.
-Swish.
Kang Woojin, who was playing ‘Iyota Kiyoshi,’ emerged last from the tent.
“······”
Woojin’s current outfit was a simple suit, laden with cynicism. His makeup was done but not heavily, and his hair was slightly disheveled.
In a way, even his appearance is no different from ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ from the outside?
Anyway, at his entrance, which was crucial for this scene, dozens of eyes glued themselves on Kang Woojin. The lighting team moving equipment, the directing team around Director Kyotaro, the props team crowded at the dock, the reporters in the next tent, etc.
Regardless, Kang Woojin.
“Hoo-”
Didn’t seem to care much. He just breathed out softly. Despite the considerable attention, he had become somewhat accustomed to such gazes.
‘Okay, let’s crush it.’
About 30 minutes later.
A bit of darkness had settled over the village of ‘Ine Funaya.’ It wasn’t completely dark, but from the distant seashore onward, darkness filled the area. At this moment, Kang Woojin was aboard a boat. An weirdly unstable-looking wooden boat. Sitting in front of him, preparing to be thrown overboard, was the Japanese actor Yasutaro.
Playing ‘Ginzo’, he spoke softly to Woojin in Japanese.
“It’s our first shoot. There are a lot of people watching, and it’s a bit nerve-wracking. You feel it too, right, Woojin? Especially since the media and public opinion are focused on us.”
Kang Woojin responded quietly.
“No, not really. I’m just here to act.”
“Haha······I, I see?”
“Yes. I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes, me too.”
As their brief conversation ended, two boats carrying cameras and another with soft lighting approached them. A drone also soared high in the sky. Soon, as preparations seemed to be completed, Director Kyotaro, who had been standing in front of the monitors, sat down. Several monitors showed Kang Woojin and Yasutaro.
Finally, ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ was appearing on the monitors.
Many people were watching it. Most notably, the globally renowned original writer Akari was right beside them. Japanese maestro Director Kyotaro closed his eyes and took a quiet deep breath.
“Hoo-”
He then exchanged signals with the key staff around him. Camera, audio, lighting. All okay. Director Kyotaro slowly picked up the megaphone, and the over seventy staff members all gulped and remained silent.
Behind them, the eerie yet tranquil ‘Ine Funaya’ village dock was filled with Director Kyotaro’s first command.
“Action!”
In an instant, aboard the wooden boat, Kang Woojin blinked for just a short moment.
-Swish.
He brought out Iyota Kiyoshi. It was very brief. It was impossible for anyone at the shooting location to notice. However, Woojin’s whole body was already filled with Kiyoshi.
Although floating on the deep sea, Kang Woojin’s emotional currents were incredibly weak.
Emptiness. Futility. Blankness.
His calm and eerie eyes faced the camera directly. His posture was upright.
“······”
With an expressionless face, he simply performed the act of staring. The monitor displayed an inscrutable Kang Woojin. For some reason, Director Kyotaro, glued to the monitor, slightly opened his mouth. Something about him?
‘To be able to show ‘nothingness’ so effortlessly—who else could portray such clear ‘emptiness’?’
There was no desire in it. Yet, his blurry eyes seemed unyielding.
At that moment.
“Uh-”
Yasutaro, lying in front of Woojin, or rather, Ginzo, slowly got up holding his head. Meanwhile, the blurry and absent-minded gaze of Kang Woojin, who was looking into the camera, also shifted downwards. Ginzo’s eyes widened as he assessed the situation.
“······Huh?”
He was startled, causing the boat they were on to sway slightly. Surely, he should be in a bar, so why was he on a wooden boat on the sea? Where is this? That was the meaning in Ginzo’s eyes.
Into his ears came a man’s voice, steady in tone.
“Awake?”
Ginzo’s gaze shifted forward. It was too dim to see the man’s face clearly. Ginzo squinted. Meanwhile, the man’s voice was unwavering.
“Long time no see, Ginzo.”
“Wh-who are you!”
“You’ll know. We’re old classmates.”
“···What?”
Woojin’s stiff face just moved his lips.
“Ans I’m the one who have been keeping you awake every morning.”
“!!!”
Ginzo’s eyes widened further as he hastily pressed his back against the end of the boat.
“You- you!! You’re the one who’s been sending the texts!”
“I’m also glad to see you. But let’s save the greetings for later.”
-Creak.
Suddenly, there was a noise next to Ginzo. The sound of a similar wooden boat. In a moment, a shocked Ginzo turned his head to the right. An unknown man was rowing a wooden boat. Slowly approaching.
When Ginzo, who was wondering what was going on, turned his head forward again.
“Ugh!”
Ginzo almost vomited out of shock. Woojin, who had been sitting at the end of the boat, was now just a fist’s distance away. His expressionless face, his indifferent eyes, were right in front of him. A mannequin? There was no change at all. There was not even a slight tremor on Woojin’s face.
Yet it was terrifying and eerie.
“So you make this kind of expression too.”
At this, Ginzo stammered, mouth agape. Meanwhile, Woojin, who had been quietly observing him without blinking, spoke in a calm voice.
“Are you okay? Calm down.”
“······Wh-who are you!”
“My introduction? Of course, I plan to tell you. But later.”
Soon, the sound of the wooden boat was heard again.
-Creak.
Before he knew it, the unkown man’s wooden boat had come close. The expressionless Woojin pointed towards that boat and calmly explained to Ginzo.
“Rather than me, let me introduce him first. He’ll be the one to ravage you, say hello.” (TL: Ravage = r*pe)
At this point, Ginzo, or rather, Yasutaro playing Ginzo, looking at the mannequin-like face of Kang Woojin in front of him, was genuinely about to pee his pants.
‘Wait, wait, wait! Don’t genuinely get scared. It’s just acting, just acting.’
It was unconscious.