Translator: Dreamscribe
Autumn. A season that briefly stays in preparation for winter. While that may be true in terms of temperature, when looking at the passing dates, autumn was also a short time when one could feel the temperature of the end of the year in advance.
What was cool turns cold.
The second half of the year or the year-end. It was at most just four months from September to December, but countless events were about to unfold.
Or destructive bombs.
This was about Kang Woojin. Although there hadn’t been a quiet day all year, as the end of the year approached, bombs related to him were finishing their loading. At this moment, dates were swirling in Woojin’s head.
‘October, Japan release; November, Korea release.’
That was the future of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. It was overwhelming. Last year and this year, Woojin’s daily life and background had drastically changed. Of course, even last year, Kang Woojin’s progress was jaw-dropping. How many achievements did he rack up in his debut year?
However, this year, Kang Woojin was even more aggressive than last year.
From January to the upcoming December, there wasn’t a single month of rest. Inside the booth, with his phone pressed to his ear, Kang Woojin maintained a calm expression while his mind was working rapidly. This was right after hearing from Director Kyotaro.
‘…This month, ‘Beneficial Evil’ cranks in, at the end of the month, I’ll go to Cannes, in October, ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ will be released in Japan, and in November, it’ll be released in Korea. Ah- shit, and although it’s not certain, isn’t Miley Cara’s new album going to drop soon too??’
Even just listing the big ones, it was like this. There were quite a few things Woojin hadn’t mentioned, like ‘Male Friend: Remake’ which was currently in progress. In other words, there were nuclear bombs lined up, waiting to drop by the year-end.
‘Damn, this is insanely packed. Too packed even.’
Kang Woojin excessively clicked his tongue inwardly, but there was no particular change on his firm face. In fact, if other actors saw this, they wouldn’t be surprised if they felt like throwing up from the schedule. Only someone like Kang Woojin, with his void space, could pull off this hellish schedule.
A monster.
Probably. No, definitely, Kang Woojin was the only one in this world who could create such a reality or future. Woojin raised his gaze. Outside the booth, Choi Sung-gun and the team members were tilting their heads, wondering who Kang Woojin was talking to. Ignoring them, Woojin lowered his voice as he responded to Director Kyotaro over the phone.
“I understand.”
The slightly hoarse voice of Director Kyotaro came immediately.
“Assuming the editing is finished by the end of this month, the release schedule for October or November won’t change much. You can consider it confirmed.”
“Yes.”
“In relation to that, as we agreed beforehand, the promotion and marketing before the release will be amplified several times compared to the usual scale. The same goes for the preview screenings. We’ll increase the number of screenings, their scale, and the number of sessions compared to the usual.”
“Will the previews start around mid-October?”
“Probably.”
Preview screenings.
Journalists, critics, film directors, actors, a random audience of various kinds, etc. It meant that the size of the preview screenings, where ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ would be preemptively hit by the big shock before its release, had been greatly increased. Given that Kang Woojin had already drawn extreme attention during the production conference, it was only natural that people would flock.
Then.
“Woojin.”
Director Kyotaro asked again from the other side of the phone.
“Regarding the test screening for ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ are you unable to attend as well?”
Kang Woojin, who had remained indifferent for a moment with his lips closed, nodded his head.
“I’m sorry.”
If the editing of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ finishes by the end of September, there’s a high chance the test screening will be held that week. Around that time, Kang Woojin would either be filming the overseas location for ‘Beneficial Evil’ or attending the Cannes Film Festival after completing the shoot.
There was no time in the schedule to spare.
“It seems I won’t be able to attend.”
Director Kyotaro laughed lightly. Although there was some regret in his voice, there was also more of a sense of acceptance.
“I see. It’s fine. You’ve already made a strong impact during the production conference, so that’s enough. Just make sure to attend the stage greeting when the film releases.”
“Yes, I’ve been informed about that.”
“You’ll be going to Cannes soon, right?”
“Yes.”
“As much as I’d like to go to Cannes too- I’ll be cheering for you from here.”
“Thank you, Director.”
Woojin, who responded quietly, was spoken to again by Director Kyotaro.
“I really wanted to witness the moment when Woojin lifts a trophy.”
A trophy? Isn’t he getting ahead of himself? Woojin chuckled inwardly. To be honest, he couldn’t quite imagine himself holding a trophy at an international film festival. However, if Woojin or Leech were to win any award at Cannes, the destructive power of all the bombs yet to be dropped would undoubtedly multiply several times over.
That alone would have an immense promotional effect.
Director Kyotaro who was fully aware of this, murmured.
“This would be a first. No Asian actor has ever won a Best Actor award at Cannes.”
His deep sincerity could be felt.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Meanwhile, back in LA.
The sky shifted from night to morning. It was the start of a new day in LA. In a large conference room inside a giant agency in LA, a global superstar was facing Koreans. It was Miley Cara and PD Song Man-woo.
‘This is crazy, I never thought the day would come when I’d see Miley Cara in person.’
‘Miley Cara… Even when Netflix persistently sent proposals, she ignored them. But now, with Kang Woojin involved, we can meet her this easily? How close did they get?’
‘Oh my god!! It’s really Miley Cara!! Wow!! Her face is glowing!!!’
There were Kim So-hyang, the Executive Director of Netflix Korea, writer Choi Na-na, and the production manager of Beneficial Evil. They were all trying not to show it outwardly, but inside, they were all in a frenzy. On the other hand, Cara was very relaxed. It was natural. She must have experienced meetings like this countless times.
Then.
-Swoosh.
Cara extended her hand to PD Song Man-woo, who had greeted her first, and spoke in slightly cold-toned English.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Miley Cara.”
“Haha, of course, I know. No, I’m sure the whole world knows.”
“You’re being a bit too generous from the start, aren’t you?”
“Was I?”
Even though he was nervous, PD Song Man-woo was still a big figure in the drama world. Though his English was slightly clumsy, he and Cara managed to engage in a somewhat comfortable conversation. Next, Cara shifted her gaze to the slightly chubby Kim So-hyang.
“Hello.”
“Nice to meet you, Miley. I’m Kim So-hyang, the Executive Director of Netflix Korea.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes. It’s an honor.”
“Likewise.”
As expected from a global company like Netflix, Kim So-hyang’s English was top-notch. Then it was writer Choi Na-na’s turn.
“Ah, hello!”
Writer Choi Na-na, who was extremely nervous, greeted her in English but introduced herself in Korean.
“I’m writer Choi Na-na!”
Kim So-hyang naturally took on the role of interpreter, and at the mention of ‘writer’, Cara’s blue eyes gleamed.
“Is that so? Nice to meet you, writer. I’m looking forward to the script.”
“T-t-thank you!”
“Yes?”
“Huh?”
Thanks to Choi Na-na’s bewildered response, the atmosphere in the conference room quickly lightened. Soon, everyone took their seats. The next person to speak was PD Song Man-woo. He kept adjusting his blazer, seemingly uncomfortable with it, before finally unbuttoning it.
“First of all, thank you for agreeing to appear in Beneficial Evil.”
With a slight smile, her unique cool aura still lingering, Cara gently swept her blonde hair aside.
“I’m excited about the project, but it’s also something I needed to do. You should probably thank Kang Woojin for this.”
“Of course.”
“Hmm, may I take a look at the script first?”
PD Song Man-woo nodded and directed his gaze to writer Choi Na-na, who was sitting two seats away. Choi Na-na picked up the transparent file in front of her and handed it over to Cara, who was sitting across from her. Noticing the slight tremble in the writer’s hand, Cara smirked inwardly.
‘This writer is really nervous. She looks young; could she be a rookie? Even so, writing a project that someone like Kang Woojin would star in means she’s got some serious talent. She’s cute, though.’
Cara, who had received the transparent file, immediately opened it. Inside was a thin bundle of papers. It contained the script for episodes 1 and 2 of Beneficial Evil, including the scenes she would be involved in. Most of these were the cuts to be shot during the overseas location. Cara didn’t need to see the entire script. A synopsis that summarized the full story along with the parts featuring her was enough for now. Of course, everything had been translated into English.
-Flap.
Cara turned the first page. After reading the script for a moment, Miley Cara’s blue eyes slightly widened. She was surprised.
‘A long take? They’re going to Bangkok for an overseas shoot and filming such a major scene right from the start?’
-Flap, flap.
For about 15 minutes, Cara continued reading the script without saying a word. Neither PD Song Man-woo, Kim So-hyang, nor writer Choi Na-na spoke to her either. Soon, Cara had grasped her role.
‘I’m a former colleague of this male lead, ‘Jang Yeon-woo’. That role will obviously be played by Kang Woojin. Specifically, I’m a trigger related to ‘Jang Yeon-woo’.’
The script containing Cara’s scenes had a lot of action, martial arts, and CQC. However, most of it would be performed by Kang Woojin, while Cara’s role involved simple movements and a few gunfight scenes. Still, her part included a fair amount of dialogue and required solid acting.
What was interesting was that as Cara continued reading the script, her eyes became filled with even more intrigue.
‘Not just my acting, but the pacing, intensity, impact! CQC, gunfights, hand-to-hand combat, various weapon skills including knives! What is this? The action design is… this looks like a lot of fun! Watching Kang Woojin in this will be something extraordinary!’
She had already seen countless scripts and scenarios in Hollywood. From Cara’s perspective, the script for Beneficial Evil didn’t fall short compared to Hollywood at all. The fact that it started with a long-take action scene lasting over 10 minutes was proof of that. At this point, Miley Cara recalled that Beneficial Evil had the Hollywood stunt team led by Ethan Smith.
‘Ah, so that’s why the action design is this elaborate?’
Next, Kang Woojin came to mind. The script was certainly flashy and magnificent. So, how would he pull this off? For a moment, Cara replayed the bold movements Woojin had shown when he saved her during the music video shoot in the past.
That in itself was already like a movie.
But that had been reality. The Woojin in this script was set to be many times more intense than that. Cara, while running her fingers through her blonde hair, exhaled lightly. She was gradually getting more excited.
‘I can’t wait to see this. How much would I have regretted if I hadn’t done this?’
Cara was especially intrigued by the ‘CQC’ scenes Kang Woojin would perform. Naturally, she had seen countless Hollywood actors perform ‘CQC’ before. Because of that, she could picture the scenes to some extent just by looking at the storyboard. The images popped right into her mind.
However, for some reason, Kang Woojin was difficult to predict.
That feeling made Cara’s excitement soar even higher. Her emotions and state of mind reflected that. She even felt a tinge of impatience. About 10 more minutes passed before…
-Swish.
Cara closed the script she had been reading, her lips curling into a slight smile.
“It’s an interesting script, and it’s quite excellent.”
PD Song Man-woo, Kim So-hyang, and writer Choi Na-na’s eyes widened. They hadn’t expected such high praise. Meanwhile, Cara, still maintaining her composure, spoke again.
“This is exciting. I now have something to look forward to before the shoot. I’ll make sure to focus so as not to be a burden on the project.”
She meant that she would thoroughly study the script, including her performance.
“But about the script reading we discussed earlier-”
“It’s fine!”
PD Song Man-woo, sensing her slight discomfort, quickly waved his hand in reassurance.
“It’s no problem at all if you can’t attend the script reading. We can adjust everything on set before filming. It’s not just occasional-it happens quite often.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! Please feel at ease!”
What couldn’t be done if they could get that Miley Cara to join the project? An excited PD Song Man-woo handed over the other transparent files he had prepared to Cara. They contained the ‘CQC’ martial arts storyboard, completed in collaboration with the stunt team led by Ethan Smith, as well as the Bangkok overseas shooting schedule.
“The ‘CQC’ storyboard should help you understand the script better. And as you can see from the schedule, the first shoot for Beneficial Evil starts on the 20th. It’d be great if you could arrive the day before, but even if you’re a little late, it won’t be an issue.”
“Hmm-got it.”
Today was the 11th, so about ten days remained. Though the time was tight for Cara, she had been informed in advance, so it wasn’t a problem.
“The total shooting schedule-about two weeks, right?”
“Yes. If everything goes smoothly on set, we’ll wrap it up in two weeks.”
“It has to be, because the next schedule is important.”
She was referring to Cannes.
Anyway, PD Song Man-woo, who nodded firmly, switched topics.
“Oh, and. Until the day of the shoot, no one will know you’re joining the project to maintain confidentiality. No one-neither the actors nor the staff-except Kang Woojin.”
“I understand.”
Cara, with her blonde hair, crossed her legs and smiled.
“They’ll all be pretty shocked when they see me.”
At the same time.
While Miley Cara was in the middle of her meeting with the Beneficial Evil team, somewhere else in LA, about an hour away from her agency. Amidst the skyscrapers lining the bustling downtown, in an office on the mid-floor of one of the tallest buildings, a familiar giant sat alone at a desk.
It was Joseph Felton, a famous Hollywood producer, dressed in a white shirt and tie.
With his shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, Joseph sat at a thick glass desk, cluttered with a laptop and various documents. In front of him lay four thin bundles of paper neatly arranged. They were scripts for a project Joseph was in charge of at Universal Movies, one of Hollywood’s top five studios. This film project, to which Megan Stone had also joined, was discussed in their last meeting, where they talked about pushing for Kang Woojin to be involved.
The movie idea had been handed over to four Hollywood screenwriters, and now, the four thin bundles of paper before Joseph were four distinct synopses, each with clear differences.
In other words, it was the moment to choose a scenario.
“Hmm-each has a different style, this is going to be a tough choice.”
****
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