Translator: Dreamscribe
The moment Kang Woojin appeared at the arrival hall of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport with his poker face, an enormous crowd filled the space before him.
-Pababababababak!!
There were dozens of Thai reporters frantically pressing their camera shutters, and behind them, countless spectators with their phones out, calling out to Kang Woojin. Most of them were Thai. Lined up along the pre-arranged fence, dozens of Thai reporters had even climbed up small ladders, snapping photos of Woojin without wasting a single second.
-Pababababak!
Even with a rough estimate, the crowd easily exceeded hundreds.
“Kyaa!!!”
“%)%(#%Kang Woojin!! Woojin!!”
The arrival hall began to echo with a mix of screams and shouts. Due to the extremely excited reporters and spectators, the flow of the arrival hall became more intense. The crowd swelled visibly, and the guards and airport staff were desperately trying to contain them.
But the shouts echoing through the arrival hall only grew louder.
“……”
Despite the suddenly unfolding terrifying scene, Woojin remained calm. There was little change in his solemn expression. He merely scanned the Thai reporters and spectators quietly. On the surface, he appeared very composed, but in truth, Kang Woojin was inwardly startled beyond belief.
‘Oh-shit!! That scared the hell out of me! I almost screamed for real!’
While he had already gotten used to being swarmed by reporters and crowds, he never expected such a scene to unfold here in Bangkok, Thailand. It was completely unforeseen. In other words, Kang Woojin right now wasn’t maintaining his concept, he was more frozen in place, unable to do anything.
‘W-What the hell is going on here?! Is another celebrity arriving here or something??’
While it was understandable in Korea or Japan, witnessing such a scene in Bangkok, Thailand, left Kang Woojin’s thoughts slightly scrambled. For a moment, he wondered if this wasn’t about him, but upon closer inspection, the dozens of reporters were definitely taking pictures of him. Plus, the hundreds of Thai people gathered were too.
‘My name? They’re shouting my name, right??’
They were shouting Woojin’s name at the top of their lungs. Some even waved signs enthusiastically, with his name written in Korean. At this point, it was clear that the crowd was gathered because of Kang Woojin. But then, why? Just then, the other supporting and minor actors following behind Woojin exclaimed in awe.
“Woah, amazing.”
“All these Thai reporters and people, they’re here just for Kang Woojin-nim??”
“This is crazy, seriously!”
“No wonder there were so many guards!”
Even though the conversation was loud enough for Kang Woojin to hear, it went in one ear and out the other. At the same time, the guards of the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team rushed to both sides of Woojin and to the front, with ponytailed Choi Sung-gun sticking close and muttering to Woojin.
“Holy crap-this is nuts, absolute chaos. This is like twice as many people as what Line PD told us to expect, isn’t it??”
Line PD was the key staff responsible for the overseas filming part of ‘Beneficial Evil’. It seemed Choi Sung-gun had been informed of this scene beforehand by the local Line PD in Bangkok.
“Woojin, it looks like more people have gathered than what I told you earlier, so just wave and say hello a bit, then let’s get out of here.”
Told me? When? Choi Sung-gun spoke as if he had informed Kang Woojin too, but Woojin himself had no recollection of it. Had he been so out of it that he glossed over it? With his schedule growing like hell, Kang Woojin couldn’t remember everything. Anyway, Woojin pushed forward slowly, flanked by the guards, through the crowd of hundreds.
The piercing screams and shouts raised the decibels even higher.
‘Shit, this is insane!’
Barely managing to keep up his poker face, Kang Woojin finally squeezed out of the arrival hall, leaving behind the blinding flashes and a barrage of gifts thrown by the Thai crowd. However, the hundreds of people were still chasing after Woojin. Soon, in the middle of the chaos, Woojin’s eyes caught sight of several parked cars on the roadside.
‘Am I supposed to get in those?!’
Several vans and mini-buses were already waiting on the roadside of the airport, and Kang Woojin, along with his team and a few guards, boarded the black van at the front. As soon as the door closed, the van carrying Woojin immediately started moving. The frenzied crowd would only disperse after Kang Woojin left.
-Vrooom!
While the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team was still at the airport, Choi Sung-gun already knew the hotel that was their accommodation, and the locally hired driver seemed to know the way as well, smoothly driving onto the road. Kang Woojin stared silently out the window, maintaining a quiet expression, though inwardly, he was puzzled.
‘What the hell just happened?’
He felt like something massive had just flashed by in an instant. Because of that, even the view of Bangkok, which he was seeing for the first time in his life, didn’t fully register in his mind.
Soon, Woojin.
-Swoosh.
He turned his head to the right and quietly asked ponytailed Choi Sung-gun, who seemed to have just finished a phone call.
“CEO-nim, you said the crowd at the airport was larger than expected.”
Still wiping the sweat from his brow, Choi Sung-gun met Kang Woojin’s gaze and answered immediately.
“Huh? Oh, yeah-just now, I had a call with PD Song, and it seems there was a bit of miscommunication with the Line PD. They’re sorting it out without any big issues, so don’t worry.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. We expected a certain number, but-man, we didn’t expect them to crowd like that. Remember, I told you before, ‘Hanryang’ and ‘Male Friend’ did well in Thailand too. That’s why. Plus, your social media and the ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel contributed too.”
It was only then that Woojin understood, internally thinking, ‘Ah-’. In reality, Kang Woojin hadn’t paid much attention, but the Hallyu wave had been huge in Thailand for quite some time. The fact that many Korean shows were in the top 10 rankings on Thai Netflix was proof of that. Among those shows were ‘Profiler Hanryang’ and ‘Male Friend’, and Woojin himself had become a full-fledged influencer, boasting thousands of subscribers and followers.
In other words, the scene at the airport earlier wasn’t strange at all.
It was all thanks to Kang Woojin’s influence.
Meanwhile, Han Ye-jung, who had recently changed her hair to a short red bob, chimed in with her typical cold tone.
“Was the crowd that big? I thought it was a bit disappointing compared to what I expected, honestly. Especially since we posted something like a notice on social media before coming to Bangkok.”
Choi Sung-gun, who was untying his ponytail, responded.
“We didn’t see it, but apparently there were a few hundred more people gathered on the side of the airport. They arrived late, so the airport staff blocked them.”
“Ah, okay, in that case, I’ll accept it.”
“And so.”
With a slight smirk, Choi Sung-gun lightly tapped Kang Woojin on the side, whose expression was still as stiff as ever.
“You don’t seem that impressed, but how do you feel seeing the Thai fans in person? You know as well as I do that only a few actors get this kind of turnout unless they’re idols. Doesn’t it feel good?”
“Yes.”
“Hehe, you’re such an unexciting guy.”
The unphased Woojin turned his gaze back to the window. From Korea to Japan, and now to Thailand, where he was visiting for the first time. Witnessing hundreds of his fans here, Kang Woojin realized something anew.
‘This is really insane.’
The fact that his influence was steadily spreading globally.
A few dozen minutes later,
The van carrying Kang Woojin had already entered the heart of Bangkok’s city center. There were about 10 minutes left until they reached the reserved 5-star hotel. Outside the van window, a large park had come into view. The park’s name was ‘Lumphini Park’. Soon, the other members of Woojin’s team crowded around the window, admiring the sights of Bangkok.
Of course, though he didn’t show much excitement, Kang Woojin also glanced out of the window with some curiosity.
‘Ohhh-Bangkok!’
Having arrived in Bangkok today, Kang Woojin and the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team would unpack at the hotel and then, led by PD Song Man-woo, visit several pre-scouted filming locations around the city. Naturally, Kang Woojin would join them.
The real action would start tomorrow.
At this very moment, in Japan, which had little time difference with Bangkok, Thailand, the stage for Kang Woojin was also expanding.
The location was the ‘Toega’ Film Company, near Tokyo.
More precisely, it was the large editing room of ‘Toega’ Film Company. It was where the editing for the film The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger, which had recently held a production presentation and shook all of Japan, was in full swing. Quite some time had passed since Kang Woojin had dropped a bombs at the film’s production presentation, but the numerous hints and controversies surrounding The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger had not diminished at all.
In fact, they had only intensified compared to a month ago.
It felt like, when the film finally premiered, the public would pounce on it like wild beasts and tear it apart.
The first reason was that the team behind The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger was pouring out marketing and promotion several times more intensely than for a regular film, almost to the point of madness. The second reason was the power of word-of-mouth from the Japanese public spreading the buzz on its own. The hype was growing sharper day by day. Naturally, at the center of it all was Kang Woojin.
“……Hoo-”
Inside the editing room of The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger, a man with graying hair, surrounded by various editors, wiped his face with one hand. It was none other than the legendary Japanese director, Kyotaro, who had just been staring at several monitors in front of him. The monitors were displaying footage of a single actor. It was Iyota Kiyoshi, standing alone on a subway stairway where people in suits and ant-like citizens were hurrying up and down, staring directly into the camera.
Director Kyotaro, who had been gazing at the monitors for a while, let out a slow nod. The multiple editors who had been closely watching him also turned their attention back to their work.
All of them had deep, dark circles under their eyes, and each editor displayed a different type of tension. Some swallowed hard, others held their breath.
At that moment-
“…Okay.”
Director Kyotaro slowly nodded his head. Then, in a low, raspy voice, he muttered in Japanese.
“Let’s go with this for ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.”
This signaled that the long editing process for The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger had just been completed. Suddenly, applause erupted from behind Director Kyotaro, who was still seated.
-Clap clap clap clap clap!
Looking back, he saw the film company’s CEO and several executives, who had gathered to witness this moment, clapping enthusiastically. The CEO of the film company bowed his head toward Director Kyotaro.
“You’ve worked hard, Director-nim.”
“Thank you. But the real war is just beginning.”
“……That’s true, but-”
Soon after exchanging words of appreciation with the editors around him, Director Kyotaro spoke again to the film company’s CEO.
“When are we scheduled for the screening test, including the actors?”
“It will be in two days.”
“And the preview?”
“We’ve significantly increased the number of screenings, so we’ve had to push up the schedule quite a bit. We’re also tight on time leading up to the release. But of course, all preparations have been completed in advance. We’ll kick off with a press screening.”
A press screening meant a preview where reporters and film critics would gather. The CEO of the film company continued.
“The first screening is next week.”
This would be when Kang Woojin would be in the midst of filming ‘Beneficial Evil’.
That same night, in Bangkok.
It was around 9 p.m. The location was one of the 5-star hotels in Bangkok, the ‘Kempinski Hotel’. It was close to where Kang Woojin and the Beneficial Evil team were staying, but not the same hotel. The grand hotel featured a large pool, various trees that recreated a natural setting, and a luxurious entrance where two high-end vans were parked. Naturally, the hotel staff waiting at the entrance rushed forward.
-Thud!
Soon, a group of foreigners exited the vans. The most eye-catching figure was a giant Black man. It was none other than the famous Hollywood producer, Joseph Felton. His muscular frame stood out, thanks to his tight-fitting black short-sleeved shirt. Behind him, a familiar woman appeared. It was casting director Megan Stone, sporting a brown bob.
In other words, this foreign entourage was the team gathered by Joseph.
There were roughly 20 people in total, excluding Joseph and Megan. The rest consisted of Joseph’s team members, a stunt team that had already been hired, and a few executives from the distribution and film company ‘Universal Movies’. Naturally, they were in Bangkok to observe the filming of Beneficial Evil. Whatever the case, the foreign group, including Joseph, exited the van and entered the luxurious 5-star hotel.
The interior of the hotel was even more dazzling.
Beige-toned marble was everywhere, and the ceilings were incredibly high. Thick columns stood around, and a massive fountain dominated the center of the expansive lobby. The foreigners group, led by Joseph, moved toward the check-in counter. Of course, handling the practical details was Joseph’s bald subordinate, Robert.
As the foreigners group surveyed the hotel, they let out exclamations of satisfaction.
“Not bad.”
“Right? I particularly like this wide lobby. There are plenty of waiting sofas over there too.”
“Shall we rest a bit while we wait?”
Those who weren’t involved in the check-in process began walking toward the large waiting sofas on one side of the lobby. The lobby was so vast that it took some time to get there. Joseph and Megan were deep in conversation, and just as they were about to reach the waiting sofas-
“Huh?”
One of the executives from ‘Universal Movies’, a man with a bit of a belly, widened his eyes slightly. It was because of a woman who had just entered the hotel. She had her blonde hair tied up, wore a hat pulled low, and had a white mask on. Even though her face was covered, the executive with the belly found her presence strangely familiar and involuntarily muttered a name.
“……Ma, Miley? Miley Cara?”
Suddenly, the entire foreigners group froze. All eyes turned to the executive with the belly. The giant Joseph did the same.
“Hm? What are you talking about? Did you dream or something?”
Joseph laughed incredulously.
“There’s no way Miley would be here.”
****
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