Chapter 31: Master (3)
Translator: Dreamscribe
“Okay, I got it. Just refuse… Huh? Wait a moment.”
Choi Sung-gun paused at Kang Woojin’s reply and whispered into his ear.
“Woojin, did you just say you’re refusing? I must have heard wrong?”
He wondered if he heard correctly. OOr it was denial of reality. Yeah, right? He must have heard wrong. But Kang Woojin was nonchalant. No? You heard right. Woojin repeated the same words in a low voice, emphasizing.
“Please refuse.”
“···!!”
For a moment, Choi Sung-gun’s eyes, behind his frameless glasses, widened. It was such an unexpected answer. But currently, Kang Woojin seemed very calm. Especially, his gaze was unshakeable.
“Ah, no, that’s not…”
Choi Sung-gun was a bit stunned looking at Woojin. Then, suddenly, he came to his senses. A freak, yes, that’s what Hong Hye-yeon said. Kang Woojin was such an unpredictable character. Choi Sung-gun first showed a smile to Chief Choi Do-min on the other side.
“Haha, Chief, just a moment.”
He leaned closer to Woojin next to him and whispered again.
“Refuse? But you only read a few scenes from the scenario, right? But what’s this about rejection?”
“I think it’s best not to attend the audition.”
“No way. No, Woojin, calm down for a moment.”
“I am calm.”
“Calm down more, more. Seriously? Are you really going to blow off this opportunity?? When Chief Choi Do-min is pushing so hard for you?”
Choi Sung-gun desperately tried to dissuade him, but Kang Woojin’s poker face remained unchanging.
“Yes. I will still refuse.”
He’s firm. It’s not a face of someone to be persuaded. There’s no room for negotiation. Looking at Woojin, who was so stubborn, Choi Sung-gun felt dizzy for a moment. But Choi Sung-gun he kept his cool as much as possible. Whatever the case, this was the headquarters of Box Movie.
It was right to maintain the relationship with sweet words for now.
Therefore, Choi Sung-gun.
“Ah- Chief Choi, haha.”
He turned his gaze from Woojin to Chief Choi Do-min across from him. A forced laugh was a bonus.
“Yes, yes, Woojin said the scenario is very good.”
“Really? Haha, of course, it’s Director Woo Hyun-goo’s work. But why is the CEO saying that?”
At the same time, Choi Sung-gun subtly jabbed Woojin’s side. ‘Ow, what? Ah, is it about matching the response?’ That was roughly the right answer. Regardless of refusal or anything else, it was a signal to maintain the image. Soon, Kang Woojin nodded calmly.
“I would like to continue reading the scenario.”
“That’s right, hahaha. But giving you the scenario right away is not right. If the auditioner knows the work first, it can look too favorable.”
Here, Choi Sung-gun chimed in.
“Exactly, of course. It’s a headache if the word gets out that we gave favors.”
He began to speak off-topic.
“Anyway, Director Woo Hyun-goo is amazing. I’ve never seen him rest; he’s going into his next work soon?”
“The director’s personality is like that, right? He’s not good at resting. CEO Choi, you’ve met him a few times, right? Because of Hong Hye-yeon.”
“Yes, of course.”
Honestly, this meeting was filled with unnecessary small talk. Just to kill time. Leaving right after reading the scenario would be strange. Including the fact that Kang Woojin became a member of bw Entertainment. Anyway, after about 30 minutes of small talk, Choi Sung-gun said.
“Ah, yes, yes. Then, um- we’ll coordinate the schedule and contact you as soon as possible.”
He swiftly stood up. Naturally, Kang Woojin followed suit. So did Chief Choi Do-min.
“Am I going to wait again?”
“Well, it’s because of ‘Hanryang’ and preparations for other works, the schedule is a bit tight. I’ll contact you, so don’t worry.”
“Please contact me soon? I’m really going to get scolded by the director.”
“Of course, then thank you for your hard work.”
Choi Sung-gun and Kang Woojin came out of the meeting room after exchanging brief greetings. Then, the hallway, followed by the elevator. They pressed the button for the basement first floor.
Up until this point, the two had been silent.
“······”
“······”
There was no conversation. There was just a slightly strange atmosphere. However.
-Thump!
As soon as they got in the van, Choi Sung-gun lunged at Woojin, who was seated in the passenger seat. He seemed to have deemed this place safe.
“Woojin! Why on earth?!! Why do you want to refuse? There must be a reason, right??”
Whoa, that was surprising. A reason? Yes, there was one. Kang Woojin slightly pulled his face back a bit because Choi Sung-gun was so close and answered inwardly.
‘So what? The work is F Grade.’
In fact, Kang Woojin had secretly visited the void space during the meeting earlier. And he confirmed.
-[3/Scenario (Title: Negotiable), F grade]
-[*This is a highly completed movie scenario. 100% reading is possible.]
Master director Woo Hyun-goo’s next work is an F-grade. As soon as he saw it, Kang Woojin was dismayed. Not F grade? Even E grade, but F grade?? The same F grade as the very first script he read. The lowest rank. Naturally, Woojin was reluctant to take it.
‘If it’s not even E grade but F grade, why should I do it? How could this movie fail so miserably to get an F?’
Was it a box office flop? Or for some other reason? There were countless examples, including works that collapsed before even being produced. However, Woojin was a bit puzzled.
‘But the director is known to be an amazingly great master director, right? But it still failed with an F-grade? Why?.’
But thinking about it was meaningless. Regardless of the reason for the failure, the movie ‘Negotiation’ had no merit for Kang Woojin. Others might see him as Kang Woojin who had taught himself acting for a long time, but the real Woojin had only been an actor for one month.
Wouldn’t it be better to go into a successful production if possible?
‘Well, they say it’s okay if the work fails but has artistic value, but I can take care of that later.’
Kang Woojin pondered for a while. He couldn’t tell Choi Sung-gun, who had wide-open eyes on the driver’s seat, ‘The movie is rated F, didn’t you know?’ So suddenly, Woojin came up with a common word that can be used anywhere, containing appropriate bluff and heaviness.
‘Yeah, that’s a cheat key.’
It was a word he had used on PD Song Man-woo in the past.
“It was just a feeling. The vibe was off.”
Kang Woojin replied calmly without any change in expression. The epitome of shamelessness was here. Either way, Choi Sung-gun seemed to understand right away. However, he was even more confused.
“…What? Feeling? Intuition? Did you just say intuition?”
“Yes.”
“So, you rejected director Woo Hyun-goo just because you had a bad intuition?”
“It’s not that I rejected, but refused.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
Choi Sung-gun asked back and looked at Woojin’s nonchalant face. There was a slight worry in his eyes.
“Woojin, you’re not sick anywhere now, are you? Like a severe headache or something?”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
“But what’s this intuition you’re babbling about?”
“It’s the truth.”
“If it’s true, that’s even more problematic.”
Amidst this, Kang Woojin remained consistent. Now, he included a bit of bravado.
“But please refuse the audition.”
“······”
Choi Sung-gun was almost speechless and almost swore at the unfazed Kang Woojin. He was indeed an incredible nutcase.
‘Isn’t this beyond the level of being fearless? Why is he doing this to me?’
Hong Hye-yeon was one thing, but Kang Woojin surpassed her. He far exceeded common sense. No, intuition?? What kind of weirdo was he?
Choi Sung-gun’s mind was in a daze.
‘He’s not just unmanageable… he’s a crazy freak??!’
He had to assist this nutcase from now on.
Around early afternoon.
After arriving at bw Entertainment from Box Movie, Kang Woojin, who left the agency, wandered the streets. He had refused Choi Sung-gun’s offer to drive him home. Since he began focusing on his persona, personal time had become very precious to Woojin.
“I’m so tired.”
Kang Woojin muttered to himself and paused. And then he laughed absurdly. Because he had spoken in a stern voice even when he was alone.
‘Am I crazy? Why do I carry on like this even when I’m alone? Oh, I haven’t laughed like this in a long time.”
Woojin slapped his neck as if blaming himself. Passersby looked at him strangely. Whether or not they did, Woojin went down the subway stairs. A lot of people could be seen.
It was here that Kang Woojin felt a new sense of wonder.
‘Will these people really recognize me one day?’
He, an ordinary citizen, had joined an agency. Moreover, he accepted the huge sum of 40 million won and good conditions to join them. Somehow, he had filmed ‘Exorcism’, and now he is about to shoot ‘Profiler Hanryang’.
‘I even had a meeting with a big movie company tied to some master director.’
Things keep getting bigger and bigger, and the snowball of misunderstandings keeps rolling. Although it might be a burdened situation, Kang Woojin, the origin of all these events, was surprisingly calm.
‘Is it because it doesn’t feel real?’
Then it happened.
-Brrrr, Brrrrrr.
Kang Woojin’s phone, tucked in the back pocket of his jeans, emitted a long vibration. The caller was top actress Hong Hye-yeon. Kang Woojin chuckled again.
“How did my life become one where Hong Hye-yeon calls me like a friend?”
Then he cleared his throat regained his composure.
“Yes.”
He heard Hong Hye-yeon’s laughter over the phone.
“I heard you signed with us. That you decided to join us.”
The CEO is fast. Woojin leaned against the wall and answered.
“I did. I look forward to working with you.”
“Well, I look forward to working with you too. Now we’re part of the same family. But I’m just curious, what’s the main reason you chose our company?”
A reason? Woojin thought for a moment, but nothing concrete came to mind. It had been a calm judgment mixed with various minor factors. Talking about the conditions and signing bonus seemed too materialistic and didn’t fit his cool persona.
‘Should I just say it’s because of Hong Hye-yeon? That was one of the reasons, after all.’
Soon, Kang Woojin spoke dryly.
“Just this and that. Because you’re there too, Hong Hye-yeon.”
“……”
There was a moment of silence from Hong Hye-yeon on the other end. Her reply came a few seconds later.
“Do you often hear that you’re tsundere?”
Meanwhile, the fact that Kang Woojin had signed with bw Entertainment was not only heard by Hong Hye-yeon. Choi Sung-gun quickly contacted everywhere related to Woojin.
PD Song man-woo of ‘Profiler Hanryang’.
“bw Entertainment- Hong Star was really concerned about it. Well, it’s not bad. The key is how CEO Choi Sung-gun will control Kang Woojin.”
Of course, to director Shin Dong-chun of ‘Exorcism’, too.
“Oh- bw Entertainment? CEO Choi has good connections, and his influence is considerable. But did Woojin receive a signing bonus?”
Director Shin Dong-chun, who was currently in the editing room of the production company with two editors. was working on the post-production of ‘Exorcism’. The editing had just begun.
Shin Dong-chun’s eyes showed his strong determination.
“Alright, let’s get started! We must make it to the main round of the ‘Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival’, our cuts are incredible so we definitely can do it!”
It seemed he was determined to somehow dress Woojin in a stylish suit.
The next morning, the 17th, in Kang Woojin’s studio apartment.
It seemed that Kang Woojin had just taken a shower, as he came out of the bathroom shaking his wet hair. He then gulped down banana milk from the refrigerator, feeling the coolness moving down his throat. Soon, Woojin let out a very refreshing sound.
“Kyaa- There’s nothing like banana milk after a hot shower.”
Dressed only in his underwear and gulping down the banana milk, Woojin was 180 degrees his usual uptight self. Well, of course. Then he started to get dressed. Actually, Kang Woojin had just returned from a morning run, part of his training to improve his stamina for filming. It was just a simple run, though.
‘After all, starting is half the battle.’
Anyway, there was no particular schedule for today. Choi Sung-gun probably had a lot to prepare, but all Kang Woojin had to do was wait.
Around then.
“Oh, right.”
Something occurred to Woojin, and he moved to pick up one of the scripts on the table: the book script for ‘Profiler Hanryang’ Part 3. Or rather, he pressed the black square attached to the side of the script.
-Puk!
He then entered the void space. As the endless dark void spread out rapidly, Woojin, now comfortable in this space like his own home, turned to find the floating white white squares, which had now increased to three.
-[1/Scenario (Title: Exorcism), B grade]
-[2/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1), S grade]
-[3/Scenario (Title: Negotiation), F grade]
The scenario ‘Negotiation’ by Director Woo Hyun-gu was added yesterday. The reason Kang Woojin entered the void space out of the blue to check ‘Negotiation’ was simple.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had a scenario, and it’s by a master director. it wouldn’t hurt to give it a read, right?”
He was curious. Although he couldn’t actually read the scenario itself, it didn’t matter. Woojin could read (experience) all the male roles in ‘Negotiation’. Maybe even judge why it’s F grade.
Soon, Kang Woojin selected the white square of ‘Negotiation’. Immediately, another phrase appeared.
-[3/Scenario (Title: Negotiation) has been selected.]
-[Listing characters that can be read (experiencing).]
-[A: Lee Do-jun, B: Park Dae-hyun, C: Kim Wang-woo ……G: James]
Kang Woojin, who was scanning through the characters, tilted his head.
“James? Is he a foreigner?”
His curiosity was piqued. Because it was his first foreigner character. Thanks to that, Woojin chose the role of ‘James’ right away. At the same time, a familiar robotic female voice rang out.
[“A new language other than the base language has been detected. Acquiring ‘English’ first.”]
However, her words were a little different from usual.
[“Preparing ‘English’ reading ……”]
[“……Preparation complete. Starting ‘English’ reading.”]
Listening, Kang Woojin frowned.
“What? ‘English’? Hey, lady! What’s with the sudden.”
But.
“Eh!”
Instead of a response, a vast gray engulfed Kang Woojin. When he opened his eyes, he was not in the dark void but floating in an entirely grey area. He could feel the temperature on his skin, slightly chilly, and the sensation of floating was definite as his stomach tingled.
“What is this? Exit!”
Woojin shouted the command to exit the void, but all he got back was an echo. At that moment, Woojin was flustered, unable to understand what was happening.
Just then.
“Huh?”
Something was approaching from afar. No, flying? It was getting closer quickly, and its speed was fast. Soon, Kang Woojin recognized its shape.
“···A?”
It was the alphabet ‘A’. It was white and as big as Woojin, flying rapidly towards him. The funny thing was,
“Huh!”
As the fast-flying A stuck to Woojin, it seeped into him. But that wasn’t the end. As if waiting, B came flying, followed by C. In other words, the alphabets were flying at him in sequence.
The alphabets stormed into Woojin without a hitch.
And finally, up to ‘Z’. The problem was that this wasn’t the end. Now it was a large army.
“What are those?”
In front of Woojin, hundreds and thousands of white English words were flying at him.
How much time had passed? When Woojin was completely worn out, he heard a woman’s voice again.
[“Ending the new language ‘English’ reading.”]
Before he knew it, Woojin was back in his studio apartment. However, the chilling sensation of the alphabets and words seeping into his body was still vivid.
Yes, it was eerily similar to when he read for a role.
In addition, there was one more vivid thing to Woojin, who was slightly dazed. It was English. A language he hadn’t studied beyond the basics in his entire life.
“What happened¹?”
It was too clear as if he had been studying for decades.
“Oh my goodness···”
His pronunciation was fluent.
“···Am I going crazy? Is this real?”
‘English’ was imprinted on Woojin.
*****
TL Notes:
1) I have italicized a few lines to indicate that those were spoken in English in the actual raw version, so I have kept them as they are to differentiate them. Also, in the raw chapter, there is a Korean equivalent in brackets after the English for the Korean audience, so I have removed them too.
Enjoy!!!
*****