Translator: Dreamscribe
This answer that Kang Woojin casually blurted out,
“I expect it to easily surpass 20 million.”
It started from a rather light-hearted thought. It wasn’t that he intended to flip this press conference or make a declaration of war. He simply answered without any deep intention.
‘Anyway, I need to maintain the concept. But I didn’t lie, did I?’
It was the truth.
‘Of course, it’s going to be a success. It’s just uncertain how many viewers there will be. Still, it’s certain it will surpass Island of the Missing.’
Currently, The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger was rated higher than Island of the Missing, which had surpassed 20 million viewers.
-[7/Scenario (Title: The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger), SSS Grade]
This meant a minimum of 20 million viewers. Of course, The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger was going to be released in both Korea and Japan, so it could be more than 20 million combined between the two countries. So what? Anyway, it’s still a huge success, right? Among the hundreds of reporters and numerous people gathered in this hall, Kang Woojin was the only one who could roughly see the future of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.
That’s why he remained calm.
Meanwhile, the barrage of camera flashes momentarily slowed down. This was because Kang Woojin’s answer caused hundreds of reporters to start murmuring.
“W-what did Kang Woojin just say?”
“20 million? He said 20 million, didn’t he?”
“Is he talking about 20 million viewers?”
“What else could it be?”
After all, when asked whether he thought The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger would be successful, Woojin had answered without hesitation that 20 million would be easy. Many Japanese reporters, though slightly bewildered, began silently making their own assessments.
‘Isn’t he too overconfident? I mean, look at how many people are here.’
‘How can he say something like that without changing his expression?’
‘I can’t tell if it’s confidence or arrogance.’
It wasn’t just the reporters watching this suddenly awkward press conference. Tens of thousands of Japanese viewers who had tuned into the live stream were also watching.
-[The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger Press Conference Live Streaming!]
-[Live broadcast]
-[49,872 people watching]
By now, the number of viewers had nearly reached 50,000, and the moment they heard Woojin’s words, they frantically started typing in the chat.
-Huh??? 20 million?!!
-Isn’t Kang Woojin going too far??
-www It feels like he just answered without thinking
-I really hate how Kang Woojin acts without thinking
-Having confidence is good, but… isn’t he taking 20 million viewers too lightly??
-So what’s the big deal?
-Kang Woojin!! You’re awesome!!
-By the way, doesn’t Kang Woojin look really good in that all-black suit? Korean actors definitely have amazing physiques.
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The comments were coming in so fast it was impossible to read them all. The expressions of the Japanese actors standing next to Kang Woojin, who remained indifferent, were also worth noting. They all widened their eyes slightly as they looked at Woojin.
‘Wow… he just threw that out there.’
‘I knew Woojin was straightforward, but I didn’t think he’d be this direct.’
The same went for Writer Akari.
A small smile spread across Director Kyotaro’s lips, who was standing at the front. He was witnessing the behavior he had been hoping for. Anyway, the reporter who had initially attacked Woojin with the first question stammered.
“……You say over 20 million will be easy?”
Kang Woojin answered in a low voice.
“Yes, that’s what I said.”
At that moment, the flashes that had temporarily subsided exploded once again.
-Pababababak!!
Of course, they were all directed at Woojin, and among the hundreds of reporters, dozens quickly began typing on their laptops. In Japan, reaching 20 million viewers was a monumental achievement. Historically, only about three films had done so, and all three were animated films. The highest record for a Japanese film was 19 million, and that was quite a long time ago.
Recently, even reaching 10 million viewers was difficult, as the Japanese film industry had shrunk significantly.
However, suddenly, Kang Woojin-who wasn’t even a Japanese actor but a Korean one-boldly declared at the The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger production press conference that the film would surpass 20 million viewers. Although this was a moment to show his aspirations, it’s usually better not to throw out unrealistic numbers like 20 million. Otherwise, it leads to a lot of unnecessary noise later. Not to mention, if the goal isn’t achieved, the criticisms are an added bonus.
Above all, the reporters focused on the word “easily” in Kang Woojin’s statement.
‘Saying “easily” means he’s claiming that surpassing 20 million viewers is no big deal, right?’
In other words, he was implying that not only would they surpass 20 million viewers easily, but they were also aiming for much more. A Korean actor was predicting a legendary future in the Japanese market. It was certainly an odd scene, and Woojin’s declaration was prime fodder for the press and public opinion.
At this moment, in the minds of the hundreds of reporters.
‘Hehe, good, good. There’s plenty to write about.’
They had already decided on their main headlines for the articles they would publish in just a few hours.
Meanwhile, the somewhat chaotic The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger press conference proceeded. Starting with Director Kyotaro, there were greetings from all the actors, a brief overview of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger from Director Kyotaro and Writer Akari, followed by the actors answering pre-arranged questions from the host.
One hour flew by in the blink of an eye.
Then.
“We’ll now take questions from the reporters.”
It was time for the hundreds of reporters to freely ask their questions. Of course, every reporter raised their hand eagerly. However, since it wasn’t possible to listen to everyone, the host randomly picked someone. It was a chubby male reporter sitting at the far left in the front row.
The selected reporter.
-Swish.
Fixed his gaze on the cynical actor sitting third on the stage. It was Kang Woojin.
“Kang Woojin, as a Korean actor, you must have felt some pressure participating in The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger, but now that the filming has finished, how would you describe The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger?”
Woojin’s response came quickly.
“I believe it’s the first movie that will have a huge impact on the Japanese film industry. A lot is going to change.”
Once again, it was an answer that made the eyes of hundreds of reporters widen. It was the second bomb drop. At this point, the viewers of the press conference were.
-[60,021 people watching]
The number had surpassed 60,000, and Chairman Hideki, who was quietly observing from the very back of the hall, chuckled.
‘Kang Woojin, he really has star quality. Stirring things up like this, even if people criticize, their curiosity will explode.’
It seemed that Kang Woojin was quite fond of throwing no-holds-barred bombs. But even after this.
“We’ll take the next question, yes, the reporter with glasses over there.”
“M-me too! I also have a question for Kang Woojin!!”
The bomb throwing continued.
Two days later, Monday, the 23rd. Korea.
After wrapping up his short three-day schedule in Japan, Kang Woojin had returned to Korea the previous night. Now, on the morning of the 23rd, he was in the elevator on his way to work.
‘Ugh-I’m so stiff.’
If it weren’t for the Void space, I’d probably be dead by now, right? Woojin murmured inwardly. He pulled his hat down low, and while stifling a yawn thanks to his poker face, he pulled out his phone. He was about to check the messages that had piled up but instead switched directions and opened the portal site.
The main headlines appeared immediately.
Kang Woojin’s face was plastered all over them.
『[Star Photo] The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger press conference, Kang Woojin’s bold declaration in front of over 200 reporters / Photo』
The bombs Kang Woojin dropped in Japan were being introduced in Korea as well.
‘Why are they making such a big fuss about this?’
But the sense of realism was lacking. After all, the articles blowing up in Korea were merely snippets taken from Japanese social media and online communities. The ones who put in a little more effort simply referenced Japanese articles. Woojin’s fingers moved again. He exited the domestic portal site and logged into a Japanese search engine.
Soon, Woojin let out an inward exclamation.
‘Wow-this is even crazier than yesterday, isn’t it?!’
In reality, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Japanese media was already in chaos. All because of who? Kang Woojin.
『「Kang Woojin」 boldly declares at the The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger press conference: “It will easily surpass 20 million.”』
『“Is it confidence or arrogance?”, 「Kang Woojin」 predicts The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger will exceed 20 million viewers』
The news rankings on Japan’s number one search site were practically dominated by Kang Woojin. In fact, ever since the The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger production press conference ended, it had been like that. The Japanese reporters who attended had immediately churned out articles, and as they ballooned over the next two days, it drew enormous attention.
『「The first film to have a major impact on the Japanese film industry」-What does Kang Woojin mean by ‘impact’?』
Japan’s TV networks, film industry, production companies, agencies-everyone was focused on Woojin. So were many of the Japanese public. This atmosphere continued into the 24th, the day after the press conference.
No, actually, it had even intensified. The Japanese media continued to churn out more stories.
『Kang Woojin’s bold declaration at The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger press conference, causing a ripple effect on social media!』
Public opinion joined in and stoked the fire further. Alongside facts, rumors and speculative gossip were rampant. The aftermath of the bombs Woojin dropped spread throughout Japan.
-He’s way too overconfident.
-Well, since the original work is so popular, it’s bound to do well, but isn’t Kang Woojin exaggerating?
-The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger had finally calmed down… and now there’s more controversy again…
-What kind of film is it that he claims will have such a huge impact on the Japanese film industry? wwwww
-Well, I’m definitely going to watch it when it’s released!
-Regardless of everything, Kang Woojin looked the best in that all-black suit at the press conference!! He’s so handsome….
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The interesting thing was, the more The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger and Woojin attracted attention in Japan, the more curiosity exploded among the Japanese public.
-I’m curious to see what kind of acting Kang Woojin delivers in The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger.
-I’m not a fan of Kang Woojin, but I’ll hold off on criticizing him. I’ll wait until I watch the movie.
Even those harboring negative feelings couldn’t help but feel intrigued. How exactly had they filmed The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger for Kang Woojin to be acting this way?
Maybe he’s just putting on a bit of a show?
Though Kang Woojin had caused a huge stir throughout Japan, in reality, he himself was.
‘Look at this-since I came back to Korea, there’s hardly any impact on buzz regarding The Eerie Sacrifice?’
He was simply going about his schedule without paying much attention. Time passed quickly as a result. From the 26th, Woojin began the main poster shoot for Leech. It was the poster that would officially be sent to Cannes. Since it was conducted in utmost secrecy, only the essential staff were present for the shoot.
The poster shoot alternated between the set and outdoor locations. It wrapped up in about two days.
They shot two main concepts for the poster, and within each concept, they adjusted the composition and background slightly to create different feelings. In the end, hundreds of photos were taken.
The task of selecting just one poster from all of these fell to Director Ahn Ga-bok.
Kang Woojin thought it was less special than he had expected.
‘I thought it would be something special since they’re sending it to Cannes, but it’s just like shooting any other movie poster, huh?’
He murmured inwardly, somewhat amused at his earlier tension relieved, thinking it was an easy task. Afterward, Woojin immediately moved on to his next schedule. As always, there were numerous engagements to attend.
『Behind-the-scenes stills from Beneficial Evil martial arts training released-preparing for global release?』
Among his schedules, the main one was martial arts training for Beneficial Evil.
About a week later.
As August came to a close and September began, a few days had already passed. The weather was now transitioning fully into autumn, and people’s clothing on the streets was becoming thicker.
Today was Monday, September 6th.
The location was the editing room of a major film company. The editing room was somewhat dimly lit, filled with many monitors and tightly packed equipment. Toward the back, there was a resting area with sofas, and on a round table, two familiar posters were attached to thick plastic boards.
Both posters prominently featured Kang Woojin.
Several editing staff were visible in the room. Among them, sitting at the far end and operating the editing equipment, was an elderly man.
It was the veteran director Ahn Ga-bok.
This, of course, was the editing room for the movie Leech.
“……”
“……”
There wasn’t much conversation exchanged. Director Ahn Ga-bok, with his short white hair, was at the center, simply continuing the editing process. His movements, as he handled all aspects of the process, were precise and without any unnecessary actions.
“Play the music.”
He spoke like someone who knew everything inside out.
“Cut, next one.”
Including Director Ahn Ga-bok, there were about ten people in total, and except for mealtimes, they practically stayed in the editing room. Yet, despite that, there were no signs of fatigue, and everyone worked in perfect sync. It was probably thanks to Director Ahn Ga-bok’s veteran charisma and experience as the foundation.
Later that night.
Around 11:45 PM, as Director Ahn Ga-bok, who was seated in the center of the editing equipment, was staring intensely at the monitor in front of him, he suddenly.
-Swish.
Leaned back deeply into his chair and muttered briefly. His voice was rough and hoarse.
“It’s done.”
Soon, several editing staff sitting around him turned their gazes toward him. Although no one opened their mouths, the widened eyes of everyone expressed the same thought.
‘Say it again!’
Whether or not he noticed, Director Ahn Ga-bok, who was rubbing his roughened cheeks and forehead, murmured again in a low voice.
“This is good enough.”
Suddenly, several editing staff jumped up and let out wild cheers. Some even bounced around. Meanwhile, Director Ahn Ga-bok, who was staring at the many monitors in front of him, gave a small chuckle.
“We finished earlier than I expected.”
The final editing of Leech was complete. It was ready for launch.
Two days later, on the 8th.
Around 9 AM, a large black van stopped in the underground parking lot of a major film company. A familiar black-haired man got out of the parked van.
“……”
As usual, Kang Woojin wore a nonchalant expression. He was dressed in a cream-colored jacket. After getting out of the van, Woojin waited for Choi Sung-gun and his team members, all the while trying to keep himself composed. Outwardly, he seemed solid, but inwardly, he was busy with mental control. His level of tension was quite high at the moment. Or rather, it was closer to anticipation.
The reason was simple.
In about an hour, they were about to screen test the completed film that would be sent to Cannes.
‘Damn-Is it because it’s a movie that’s going to Cannes? Why am I more nervous than other films?’
They were about to test the final product of Leech, the movie set to be sent to the most prestigious of the world’s three major international film festivals: Cannes.
****
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