Translator: Dreamscribe
Kang Woojin returned to Korea.
The black van carrying Woojin entered Samsung-dong. The time was around 10 o’clock. It had been a very intense LA schedule, so several staff members, including Han Ye-jung, who were in the van, were nodding off. Choi Sung-gun, who was in the passenger seat, was pressing his temples as if he were tired, and the burly driver, Jang Su-hwan, yawned widely.
The only one who was awake.
“······”
Kang Woojin, wearing a hat pulled down low, was the only one staring indifferently out the window. Though he was pretending to be tough, he was actually wide awake. Woojin discreetly looked around at his team members. Unlike a few days ago when they were fine, they now looked like complete zombies.
‘It’s tough, but I have the void space, so I’m fine. Is Han Ye-jung even alive?’
Just as Woojin was inwardly mumbling about how great the void space was, the van entered the parking lot of Kang Woojin’s officetel. Only then did the stylists start waking up and greeted Woojin.
“Ugh- I’m dead tired··· Oh! Oppa, you worked hard!”
“Rest well!!”
“See you tomorrow!”
Woojin, who greeted them solemnly, got out of the van, followed by Choi Sung-gun, who stretched and yawned.
“Ahh!! Somehow, we made it back alive, Woojin. Come out around 2 tomorrow.”
“Yes, CEO-nim.”
“I might not be able to join tomorrow because of company work. I’ve already told the others, so call me if anything comes up.”
As Woojin nodded calmly while slinging his backpack over his shoulder, Choi Sung-gun, squinting his eyes, approached Woojin and started massaging his arm. Woojin, who was standing still, asked quietly.
“What are you doing?”
Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, grinned crookedly.
“Just checking. You seemed too fine, so I thought you might be a robot.”
“I’m human though.”
“What’s your secret? How do you keep your stamina so solid?”
I rest in the void space. Woojin couldn’t say that, so he made an excuse.
“It’s probably genetics.”
“Genetics······ When you get married, you need to have at least three kids. No, four. Honestly, even five might not be enough.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your genes must be passed on. This is something the government should promote.”
For a moment, a random thought crossed Kang Woojin’s mind. Would the void space be passed on to my kids? Around this time, Choi Sung-gun checked the time and changed the topic.
“Speaking of marriage. Woojin, I don’t mind you dating, but you must tell me in advance, okay?”
“Ah.”
“You’re too high-profile right now. If an article drops, it will be a mess. Okay?”
“···Understood.”
“Is there already someone? Like a potential love interest or something.”
A love interest. It had been so long since he heard the term that Woojin paused for a moment. Seeing this, Choi Sung-gun smiled wider and patted Woojin’s shoulder.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s in Korea, Japan, or Hollywood, just give me a heads-up.”
“Japan- Hollywood?”
“Yeah, man. You don’t have any language barriers, right? You’ve gotten close to top actresses in Japan and even someone like Miley Cara, right? And of course, in Korea too.”
Come to think of it, beautiful people now surrounded Kang Woojin. People he could only imagine before becoming an actor were now being mentioned as potential love interests in real life. Even Cara was a global star. Woojin almost laughed out loud.
Soon.
“Anyway, get some rest-”
Having finished his words, Choi Sung-gun waved his hand slightly and returned to the waiting van. Woojin watched him for a moment before turning and getting on the elevator.
‘Dating? With those top actresses? He’s crazy.’
Perhaps because of the conversation with Choi Sung-gun, Woojin felt restless. At this moment, the elevator stopped on the first floor, and a few residents who lived in the same officetel as Woojin got on. One family with a child and a couple. To the residents of this officetel, Kang Woojin was very famous.
To the point where there wasn’t a single person who didn’t know him.
“······Hello-”
“Did you just finish your schedule?”
“Mom! It’s Kang Woojin! It’s really him, right??!”
“Hey! Shh!”
A brief moment of fan service. Kang Woojin greeted and signed autographs for the residents. Of course, it was voluntary. It didn’t take much time anyway.
Arriving home, Kang Woojin let out a long sigh.
“Whew- how long has it been since I’ve been home.”
He finally dropped the persona he’d been maintaining non-stop for the past few days. He quickly took off his hat and clothes, changing into comfortable home attire, and let out a long yawn. Then, he threw himself onto the sofa.
“This is the life- Home is really the best!”
Woojin, finally shedding his public persona, lay down and scratched his belly. He checked his phone while doing so. He went through the accumulated messages. First were his parents and his sister, Kang Hyun-ah. Family first, then he checked his messages and DMs. There were messages from the group chat of ‘Our Dining Table’, and separate messages from Hwalin, Hong Hye-yeon, and Ryu Jung-min. All from top stars.
Even.
-[Woojin-ssi!! Did you arrive in Korea?? I’m filming right now, but it’s boring without Kiyoshi on set…]
“Ah, it’s Mifuyu.”
In his social media DMs, there were messages from various top Japanese actors, including the thick-lipped Mifuyu Uramatsu. After replying to these messages for several tens of minutes, Kang Woojin suddenly thought.
“Isn’t my phone pretty valuable??”
He realized the value of his phone. Previously, it was almost dead except for his childhood friends, but now it received messages daily from top actors in Korea and abroad.
Even.
“Heh, wow- shit. I’m leaving these messages unread.”
Kang Woojin sometimes ignored messages from these prominent figures. What a crazy life this was. It was beyond surreal.
At that moment.
-♬♪
The bell rang throughout the house. It wasn’t his phone. Someone had arrived at Woojin’s home. Without any hesitation, Kang Woojin got up and walked towards the front door. He already knew who it was.
-Click!
When Kang Woojin opened the front door, there were three men standing there, each holding a heavy bag.
“Yo- Kang Star.”
“Long time no see, it’s been a really fucking long time?”
“Were you sleeping??”
They were his childhood friends.
Later.
Kang Woojin had a drinking session with his friends for the first time in ages. It wasn’t a sudden gathering; it was a promise they had made months ago. His friends brought the alcohol, and Woojin took care of the snacks, of course, using a delivery app.
“Wow- look at the color of this jokbal, the quality is insane.”
“Hey hey, fuck. Lee Kyung-sung you idiot, don’t eat with your hands! You’re not an Australopithecus.”
The burly Kim Dae-young, the now even more chubbier Lee Kyung-sung, the dandy Na Hyeong-gu, and Kang Woojin. The four of them, gathered for the first time in ages, set up the snacks and drinks on the living room table in no time. Although it had been a while since they last met, nothing much had changed. It felt like they had just seen each other yesterday.
“Hey Woojin, look at this bastard Lee Kyung-sung’s protruding belly. Fuck, you could totally use it as a slide.”
“Shut up, Hyeong-gu, you weasel bastard.”
“No, seriously, you need to lose weight. Didn’t they find something in your stomach during the endoscopy?”
They started with simple updates. Or rather, a bit rough talk. Of course, Kang Woojin, forgetting his persona for a while, showed his old self.
“Someone throw some snow on Kyung-sung’s belly.”
“What the hell are you saying, Woojin, you crazy bastard.”
“With that slope, you could probably snowboard on it.”
Kim Dae-young, watching this happily, raised his soju glass.
“You idiots. First, let’s do a cheers.”
Of course, it was bottoms up. But the emptied glasses were quickly filled again, and they clinked once more. More snacks kept arriving. Before they knew it, the table was filled with jokbal and chicken.
“Hey, Kang Star, did you see in the group chat? This bastard Na Hyeong-gu got a girlfriend and turned into a true lover boy.”
“What lover boy? You’re totally exaggerating.”
Kang Woojin chuckled as he looked at Na Hyeong-gu, who was frowning.
“You bought a bouquet of flowers and gave it to your girlfriend, right? Then you are a lover boy.”
“······No, it’s just that I thought I’d try it once. It wasn’t even that expensive. Ah! Right, Woojin, can I tell my girlfriend that we’re friends? She’s a fan of yours and it’s killing me to keep it to myself.”
“Really? Hmm- Hyeong-gu, try after pouring a drink for hyung nicely. And prepare some snacks too.”
“Wow- This guy, seriously. Do you think I’ll serve you like a slave just for that??”
Na Hyeong-gu, a bit annoyed, suddenly pointed at the jokbal with both hands.
“Hyung-nim, today’s jokbal is fantastic. Shall I prepare it for you?”
“Go ahead.”
“How about it, can I get an autograph today as well?”
For the first time in a while, Kang Woojin freely indulged in drinking, which had been sealed off due to his persona. Perhaps that’s why he quickly got tipsy. Or maybe it was the atmosphere. Without a moment to think, Woojin and his childhood friends chatted endlessly.
“By the way, Dae-young, aren’t you going to join Woojin’s team?”
“I don’t know, the company won’t send me. How can I go on my own? Woojin, can you talk to them? Guys, did I tell you? Woojin is hugely influential in our company.”
“Ooh- Kang Star!”
“Dae-young, I heard you got promoted to schedule manager in Hong Hye-yeon’s team? Just stay put then.”
“Wow, Woojin, that’s harsh.”
Their conversation topics changed quickly, but as always, they followed similar paths. From work to military talk.
“Hehe, Woojin. You wore a military uniform in ‘Island of the Missing,’ right? I saw the video on YouTube.”
“Ah- right, it felt like I was back in the army.”
“The thought of going back to the is making me puke.”
“But who’s prettier, Ha Yu-ra or Hong Hye-yeon?”
“Na Hyeong-gu, you still haven’t learned your lesson. Should I tell your girlfriend?”
“Bullshit! Hey, Kyung-sung! Aren’t you curious? Huh?”
From juicy military stories to talking about women. Then, Woojin’s friends got excited because of the messages and DMs on his phone.
“Wow- damn!! You chat with Hwalin??! Woojin, I’m so jealous!”
“Huh? Even Hong Hye-yeon??!”
“Hey, hey! Woojin! In that group chat named after the show, are there only celebrities??!”
“This is insane. Getting DMs from Japanese actresses is amazing, but having tons of top Korean actors on your chat list is like another world.”
“It reminds me of that time. We went to see a movie and suddenly, Woojin appeared on the screen. It was a shock.”
“Agreed, I almost fainted.”
From talking about women to reminiscing, Lee Kyung-sung and Na Hyeong-gu reminisced. Meanwhile, Kim Dae-young, who was refilling the soju glasses, spoke to Kang Woojin, who was chuckling.
“But honestly, sometimes I still can’t believe it, even when you’re right in front of me.”
“Really? It doesn’t feel like my life either.”
“Even though you’re at an insane level now, I think it’s like you not to get star disease or anything like that.”
“Star disease?”
“Yeah. It’s like a newbie who gets hyped up after one successful drama and thinks they’re the next big thing. A star disease.”
“Ah-”
“You’ve gone beyond a rising star to a point where even other countries are going wild, but you haven’t changed. That’s very you. Well, you’ve always had a strong mentality and clear sense of self.”
Star disease- Woojin, clinking soju glasses with Kim Dae-young, got momentarily serious. Star? The world was going crazy over Kang Woojin. Given his current momentum, no one would disagree if he were called a top star. But Woojin himself had never really thought about it.
‘What’s this about a star disease.’
It wasn’t because he was humble or timid. On the contrary, Woojin was enjoying the current situation. The insane attention from people he’d never experienced before, his gradually improving acting skills, the constantly changing, extraordinary surroundings, and so on.
But the word star had never truly imprinted on his mind.
It might be because he fights a war every day with his persona. Each moment is a continuous tension and fierce battle. Added to that is the genuine core of Kang Woojin’s real essence.
‘Whether I’m a star or not, what does it matter? As long as I do what I’m supposed to do well, that’s enough.’
Sure, it’s true that he’s doing well, but he has no intention of showing off. That’s how it was when Kang Woojin first gained the void space. Despite his no-nonsense attitude, he only exploded when someone provoked him.
Who cares?
Kang Woojin chuckled. It was a smile rarely seen due to his intense persona, but it didn’t feel awkward.
“Hey, Dae-young. Shut up and give me some more drink.”
His life had turned absurd, but Kang Woojin remained the same.
“It tastes amazing after a long time.”
And it would likely continue to be so.
The next day, the 5th. At a hotel in Seoul.
It was a hall in a top-tier hotel. Usually a place for events, today it was swarming with over a hundred reporters. All the reporters were either taking pictures of the front or busily typing on the laptops placed before them.
“Wow- there’s a huge crowd. Is this a production announcement or a press conference?”
“What’s the difference, it’s the production announcement for Director Kwon Ki-taek’s ‘Island of the Missing’-”
“But isn’t this scale unusual?”
“Director Kwon Ki-taek alone draws a lot of attention, but there are also loads of top actors. Plus, Kang Woojin is coming too, right? Looking at everyone drooling, they’ve all come prepared. Even you, Reporter Kim, right?”
“Well, yeah. Given the crazy level of buzz, Kang Woojin is hard to see at official events. Damn, is he really coming today?”
“I asked one of the staff, they said he’s coming 100%.”
As dozens of reporters murmured, the staff at the front of the hall were finishing the setup. A long table was placed on the stage, with hand microphones and water bottles on top, and a large poster hung behind. Naturally, it was one of the official posters for the production announcement of the movie.
Soldiers standing in front of a large cave. No, they were actors. Kang Woojin, with an awkward smile, stood out.
In front of them, the rough-textured white title was stamped.
-‘Island of the Missing’
A major event typically held two to three months before the movie’s release.
At this moment.
-Swish.
The door at the front of the hall opened, and Director Kwon Ki-taek, full of gray hair, appeared. Hundreds of reporters who noticed this began frantically pressing their shutters. In no time, a tremendous storm of flashes erupted on the stage.
Following Director Kwon Ki-taek were the main cast of ‘Island of the Missing.’ In other words, the entrance of the top actors. And then.
“Ooh! Kang Woojin is here!!”
Kang Woojin was the first.
*****
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