Translator: Dreamscribe
The news that the official production announcement for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger had been confirmed. Typically, production announcements are held about two months before the project’s final editing is completed. However, the post-production for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger wasn’t expected to take two full months. At least, that’s what Director Kyotaro, who was overseeing the editing, thought.
‘At the latest, by the end of September.’
Currently, it was mid-August, meaning there was roughly a month and a bit left. Then Director Kyotaro spoke to the CEO of the Toega Film Company.
“Let Kang Woojin know first.”
Woojin was essential to the production announcement for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.
“He’s the key. He’s such a busy actor, so make sure to confirm it well in advance.”
The CEO nodded.
“Understood. I already conveyed the situation to him last month. Since Male Friend: Remake has become a hit, we expect him to manage our schedule alongside the anime.”
“That’s likely.”
The sudden, massive success of Male Friend: Remake had also benefitted The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger. Of course, the pathway had been through Kang Woojin. Anyway, Director Kyotaro, who had let out a deep breath, ran his hand through his graying hair, recalling the past. It was at the wrap party after all the filming for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger had finished, hosted by Chairman Hideki Yoshimura.
‘Woojin-ssi had suggested we expand the scale.’
In response to a proposal to reduce publicity to quell some of the numerous controversies expected around The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger, Kang Woojin had firmly said ‘no backing down’.
As a result.
‘We decided to expand all aspects, including publicity, marketing, production announcements, and events beyond what we had originally planned.’
In the end, Director Kyotaro and everyone else agreed that the situation should be magnified several times over. The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger had to push forward and face everything head-on. Then, Director Kyotaro told the editing room staff to take a short break. Soon, only he and the CEO of Toega Film Company remained in the editing room. The one to speak again was Director Kyotaro, who gestured for the CEO to take a seat.
“The stage-no, the production announcement, how is it being set up?”
The CEO, pulling a nearby chair and sitting down, answered seriously.
“The date is Saturday, August 22nd.”
About five days remained.
“We’ve set the time for noon, and the venue will be at the Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel. Not only Kang Woojin but all the lead actors will be attending, and Akari Takikawa, the writer, will be available too.”
“That’s a relief. What about the reporters?”
“We’ve gathered over 120 on the list. That’s twice what we initially planned. Since The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger has been such a hot topic, even more might show up.”
“That’s fine. That’s what we intended. And?”
“In addition to the reporters, we’ve also prepared to livestream the production announcement on YouTube on the day of the event. We plan to promote the livestream in advance through SNS and other means.”
“Hmm.”
In short, they were going to do everything they could for the production announcement of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger. Livestreaming was often done in Korea, but The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger had top-tier stars, including Kang Woojin, and influential figures like Writer Akari. Moreover, since the project had sparked explosive interest in Japan, a huge number of netizens was sure to flock in.
Among those netizens would be not only the general public but also Japanese actors and figures from the entertainment industry.
Director Kyotaro, crossing his arms slowly, stroked his chin.
‘That should be enough to magnify the stage.’
He recalled Chairman Hideki’s comment from the past wrap party.
‘Kang Woojin is an icon of declaration of war.’
To be exact, it was a misunderstanding that Chairman Hideki had arrived at on his own. He had misinterpreted Kang Woojin’s casual remark about expanding the stage as a bold declaration to stir up even more attention.
‘What is Woojin-ssi planning?’
At this moment, Kang Woojin was likely thinking of nothing at all, yet Director Kyotaro’s smile deepened. As anticipated, the stage for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’s grand announcement was set. Now, the only thing left was the nuclear bomb that Kang Woojin would drop.
‘Yes, I’m starting to look forward to it too. What kind of declaration will he make?’
However, Director Kyotaro had no intention of leaving everything to Kang Woojin. When the lead actor was going all-in, the director couldn’t afford to be lukewarm.
“I need to steel myself too.”
The misunderstanding planted by Chairman Hideki only fueled Director Kyotaro’s fighting spirit. At this moment, the CEO of Toega Film Company glanced at several monitors behind Director Kyotaro. Kang Woojin’s face -or rather, the image of Iyota Kiyoshi -was frozen on the screen.
Kiyoshi was staring into the camera with a poker face.
The CEO had already seen Woojin’s performance in person on set, but this was the first time he was seeing it on a monitor, through video. And the moment he saw Kiyoshi on the screen, he swallowed hard. Kang Woojin’s acting was one thing, but the sight of Kiyoshi’s expressionless face gave him goosebumps.
‘This film will surely throw Japan into chaos.’
It might become an unprecedented disaster for the Japanese film industry.
Meanwhile.
By early afternoon, important tidbits related to The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger had started pouring out in the Japanese media. Kang Woojin, who was in the middle of moving between schedules in Korea, checked it out.
‘Wo -shit, the firepower is insane??’
On the outside, Woojin seemed calm, but on the inside, he was taken aback. Even though he had already been informed about the production announcement for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger, the fierce blaze surrounding the project still surprised him.
『News of the production announcement for 「The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger」 starring Kang Woojin is released』
『「The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger」 pushes ahead with its production announcement amid a storm of issues and controversies』
Of course, the official announcement of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger, which was now entering the final stages of editing, drew sudden attention, further fueled by the success of Male Friend: Remake.
It was inevitable.
『Production announcement for 「The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger」 to be held on Saturday the 22nd! The venue is Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel, with live streaming on the day』
The production announcement for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger included various content. Not only were twice the number of reporters expected to attend, but the fact that it would be live-streamed also provoked public interest. By that same night, this news had spread like wildfire across Japan’s leading SNS platforms.
-Isn’t this the movie that got canceled?
-www I’ve never seen a production announcement with a live stream before! Of course, Kang Woojin will be there, right?
-I’m curious! The 22nd? What time is it? I have to watch if I’m free!
-…The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger starring a Korean actor as main… doesn’t sound appealing…
-They ignored the outrage of the original fans and now they’re acting so bold?
-It seems like this will be the first time Kang Woojin stands in front of the press since he confirmed his role in The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.
-Looking at the buzz, the live stream is going to get a massive crowd, wwww.
-If Kang Woojin’s in it, I’ll watch!!!
The responses varied, without a unified sentiment. Some cheered, while others poured out harsh criticism. Some were laying in wait, while others expressed indifference. It was, in a word, a mess. It felt like a clash between Kang Woojin’s fans and the hardcore fans of the original The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.
『Because of the upcoming production announcement for 「The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger」, SNS is heating up』
『News of the 「The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger」 production announcement is spreading like wildfire on SNS, with public opinion sharply divided』
By the time the 17th came to a close and the 18th dawned, the situation had become even more intense. The conversation had snowballed from SNS to online communities. There were even articles in foreign media about the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger. This was because the original novel had gained global popularity.
Whatever the case, as this flood of attention began to surge,
“Hmm, it’s a bit disappointing.”
Chairman Hideki, head of the Kashiwa Group and main investor of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger, gave instructions to his chief secretary, Lili Tetsugawa.
“Let’s put some more weight behind the press from our side. Let’s make it even noisier.”
“Understood, Chairman.”
“And is the hall for the production announcement prepared well?”
“Yes. We’ve communicated clearly with the Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel, and the preparations are being handled meticulously.”
“Don’t forget about the publicity.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Although articles had already flooded in through The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger channels, Chairman Hideki’s personal influence was now added to the mix. The ensuing situation was obvious even without seeing it -it would overflow even more. Of course, The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’s original writer, Akari Takikawa, didn’t stay silent either. She mentioned the movie during an interview with a major media outlet.
“Writer, the live-action film adaptation of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger is once again a hot topic. Can you give us a little hint about what’s being produced? Haha, there are so many fans around the world who are really curious.”
“I can’t go into details, but one thing’s for sure -the film The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger will be more entertaining than the novel I wrote. And it will surprise everyone.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“I guarantee it. I was surprised myself. I think the upcoming production announcement for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger will be the same.”
“Ah, I read the article. You’ll be attending too, right? Will Kang Woojin also be there?”
“Of course. He’s the key lead actor of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.”
This interview with Akari Takikawa was published later that afternoon.
『[Hot Issue] The original writer of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger, Akari Takikawa, says, “The film adaptation will surprise everyone”』
Given how well this attracted the audience, the bait was quickly snapped up. In no time, a flood of comments from the Japanese public rolled in. Kang Woojin, currently at a commercial shoot in Korea, checked the news. It seemed to be break time now, as he was wearing a white shirt and jeans, which were the clothes for the advertisement.
Though Woojin’s face looked serious as he sat with his legs crossed,
‘Is the situation getting this big?? Is this right??’
Inside, Kang Woojin was deeply shocked. Well, considering what he had said earlier, he had expected this to some extent, but the current situation in Japan was pulling in way more attention than he had imagined. It seemed that when heavyweights united, this level of buzz was effortless. While muttering to himself inwardly, Kang Woojin felt a slight worry.
‘Ugh, this feels a bit burdensome.’
However, the concern didn’t last long.
‘Tch, whatever.’
He concluded that as long as he maintained his concept without letting his guard down, everything would be fine.
‘It’s actually easier this way -just no backing down, and I’m set.’
A few days later, on the highway.
It was Friday, the 20th of August, just after 8 a.m. The black van carrying Kang Woojin was speeding down the road. The destination: Gimpo Airport. Inside the van were several team members, and of course, Kang Woojin was there too. He wore a beige shirt with dark brown slacks. His hair and makeup had already been styled to perfection.
Naturally, as he had been to the salon shop early in the morning.
“……”
Woojin, exuding a cynical aura, was staring blankly out the window, though a mix of anticipation and worry quietly simmered inside him.
‘It’s already time for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger production announcement. Time flies. At this rate, the premiere will come up in no time.’
Today, he was scheduled to fly to Japan. In the passenger seat, Choi Sung-gun, who had tied his ponytail tightly once again, turned around, holding a planner in his hand.
“Woojin, after we arrive in Japan today, starting around lunchtime, you’ve got interviews for Male Friend: Remake and a visit to ‘A10 Studio’, and as you know, tomorrow, the 21st, is the main event, The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger production announcement.”
Kang Woojin’s schedule in Japan this time was short, about three days. Today, the 20th, would be focused on the massively successful Male Friend: Remake; on the 21st and 22nd, the main focus would be The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’s production announcement and a few other key events. Since it was such a short trip, the schedule was packed. Even so, they had to get as much done as possible in the short time available.
Still, Woojin replied calmly.
“Yes, CEO-nim.”
At that moment, Choi Sung-gun answered a call as his phone rang. Meanwhile, Han Ye-jung, who had recently changed her hairstyle to a short orange bob, called out to Woojin.
“Oppa, about the The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger production announcement, CEO-nim said you need to make a strong impression, so I put together a list of outfits. Which one would you like?”
Printed photos of various outfit concepts were laid out. Kang Woojin pointed to one of them.
“This one.”
It was an all-black ensemble.
About two hours later. Kang Woojin passed through the airport departure gates, leaving behind a massive crowd of reporters. Spectators gathered quickly, but thanks to Choi Sung-gun having arranged additional guards in advance, there were no major issues.
At that moment.
-Bzzz, bzzz.
As Woojin moved towards the gate, his phone buzzed with a long vibration. Since it had been ringing quite often recently, Woojin casually checked the caller.
‘Oh?’
Though there was no change in Kang Woojin’s expression, inside, he was slightly surprised. The reason was simple. The caller was none other than a veteran of the Korean film industry, Director Ahn Ga-bok. Soon, Woojin made a gesture to Choi Sung-gun to stop for a moment, then raised the phone to his ear. His voice was low.
“Yes, Director~nim. How are you?”
The aged voice of Ahn Ga-bok on the other end of the line was still the same. However, it sounded even more dry.
“Hmm. It’s been a while since we last talked. Where are you now?”
“I’m just about to depart for Japan.”
“Our Leech is also just around the corner.”
“…Is that so?”
“Hmm. So, you’ll need to pay attention to our side too. It looks like the editing will be wrapped up before mid-September.”
There were less than three weeks left. Then, Director Ahn Ga-bok continued over the phone.
“In any case, we’ll have to meet after you get back from Japan. We need to shoot the poster.”
He said decisively.
“The main poster we’ll send to Cannes.”
****
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