Translator: Dreamscribe
‘Should we start teasing about Miley Cara from Beneficial Evil?’ PD Song Man-woo, who had been walking side by side with Kang Woojin, abruptly stopped in his tracks. Kang Woojin also came to a halt. Both exchanged looks, seemingly communicating with their eyes. Meanwhile, the dozen or so staff members surrounding PD Song Man-woo had a confused expression on their faces, as if wondering, What’s going on?
“……For now.”
After several silent seconds, PD Song Man-woo finally spoke, giving instructions to the staff nearby.
“You all go in first, I need to talk with Woojin-ssi about something.”
“Yes!”
The assistant directors and several other staff members started heading toward the massive warehouse-like studio. Kang Woojin’s team, including Han Ye-jung, followed suit. In no time, only Kang Woojin and PD Song Man-woo were left, though the gazes of the security personnel and staff stationed several dozen steps away were still fixed on them.
Then.
“Woojin-ssi.”
The PD Song Man-woo gestured at Woojin, who maintained a calm expression. He pointed to a secluded corner next to the studio, an area where filming props were scattered on the floor. PD Song Man-woo took the first step, with Kang Woojin following behind.
Well, it wasn’t as if the Beneficial Evil team was unaware of the Miley Cara situation, but her involvement was still top secret, and even more so were the details of the ongoing negotiations. It was better to talk where no one could overhear.
Shortly after.
-Swoosh.
Once they reached the corner, PD Song Man-woo, wearing a gray zip-up hoodie, appeared unusually serious. Without hesitation, he leaned in close to Woojin, standing just inches from his face.
“Dropping hints about Miley Cara – you mean openly announcing her appearance in ‘Beneficial Evil’ right now?”
The proximity was enough for Woojin to feel his breath. Slightly leaning back, Woojin responded in a low voice.
“Something like that. Do you, PD-nim, or Netflix have a specific timing in mind?”
“Timing. No, we haven’t decided anything yet. But since Beneficial Evil is divided into parts, the release date for Part 1, covering episodes 1 to 6, has been significantly moved up. So, I’ve been thinking we might need to reveal the Miley Cara news sooner than we originally planned.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. And no matter how much we try to keep it under wraps, there are limits. Sure, we can control our staff, but handling the local staff in Bangkok is much harder. This is something Kim So-hyang, our Executive Director, is already aware of.”
As Kang Woojin slowly nodded, PD Song Man-woo continued.
“Well, if you and Miley Cara have agreed on something and believe now is the right time to make it public, then I’ll adjust accordingly. But… if I could add my personal opinion, I honestly think it’s a bit premature.”
PD Song Man-woo, a veteran heavyweight who had been in the domestic drama industry for decades, judged the timing to be slightly early.
“Right now, you, Woojin-ssi, and Leech have turned not just Korea but the entire world upside down with the Cannes Film Festival. Just looking at the flood of articles makes that clear. And I saw that, even France and Hollywood are publishing feature stories about you. Has Korea ever had an actor like you, Woojin-ssi? Not at all.”
“……”
“Because of that, not only your past but also your future projects are getting explosive attention. Naturally, Beneficial Evil is included in that. Especially since our drama is backed by Netflix, which has been hyping its global expansion efforts from the start, it’s drawing even more buzz.”
As he explained, PD Song Man-woo let out a small chuckle.
“It’s something to be grateful for, really. No matter how many times I bow in thanks, it wouldn’t be enough. I can’t buy this kind of publicity even if I tried. And on top of that, you’re gaining even more international recognition because of Miley Cara’s new album. Whew- just saying it out loud makes it sound even more incredible. So what I’m saying is….”
“You mean there’s already enough impact right now. If we drop the Cara hint for ‘Beneficial Evil’ here, it might dilute the effect.”
“Exactly. Stacking one wave on top of another doesn’t always work. Let’s be real, Miley Cara appearing in a Korean production? That’s an outrageous headline, no question about it. Which is why it’s all the more valuable. I just feel like revealing it now might be a bit too soon.”
Hearing the answer, Woojin brought up the topic of Cara.
“Well, Miley Cara’s side said they’re fine with releasing it anytime.”
“Really?”
“Yes. They said they’ll be prepared, just give them advance notice.”
“That’s great.”
“And I agree with your perspective, PD-nim.”
“Hmm?”
When PD Song Man-woo tilted his head in curiosity, Kang Woojin lowered his voice even further.
“I was only suggesting we drop a tease.”
“……Just a tease?”
“Yes. It’s true that there’s already plenty of promotional momentum. It would be better to pull some of that toward Beneficial Evil.”
The veteran PD Song Man-woo’s eyes sharpened, as if he had caught on to something.
“You mean create a channel for the flow?”
“Exactly.”
Woojin, speaking calmly, continued.
“Not an outright announcement, but leaving hints, something vague, something ambiguous to spark curiosity.”
A smile slowly spread across PD Song Man-woo’s face as he stroked his goatee.
“Ah- so you’re saying we roll the snowball. Not an official statement, but intentionally letting some info ‘leak’. For example- casually dropping a still cut from the Bangkok overseas location shoot where you can’t quite tell if it’s Cara or not.”
“Not a bad idea.”
“Since both she and you, Woojin-ssi, are already creating such a buzz, the rumors will spread quickly. But we remain silent, building anticipation. A dry field burns faster when you light it.”
This old man really is a heavyweight. PD Song Man-woo perfectly understood Woojin’s suggestion, even though Woojin had explained it vaguely. In fact, the PD even expanded upon the idea. Actually, what Kang Woojin had suggested was something he’d learned from watching Choi Sung-gun.
Woojin had just thrown it out there to see if it would stick, and PD Song Man-woo had taken the bait.
“Haha, exactly. If we pave the way like that, the tabloids will inevitably blow it out of proportion, and the current promotional momentum will be maintained. This could be fun.”
“You think so?”
“I’m not kidding. All we’re doing is tossing out a teaser photo and waiting.”
Even as PD Song Man-woo spoke enthusiastically, Woojin’s face remained calm and stoic as he added another point.
“With the current buzz, it will quickly spread internationally as well.”
After that.
Kang Woojin and PD Song Man-woo, having finished their conversation, entered the warehouse-like studio filled with over a hundred staff and dozens of actors. The studio was brimming with Japanese-style sets. The moment they entered, applause broke out.
-Clap, clap, clap, clap!
All one hundred staff members of Beneficial Evil stopped what they were doing and began clapping fervently as Woojin appeared.
-Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
Cheers, praises, and exclamations of admiration reverberated loudly through the studio.
“Congratulations!!”
“I seriously stayed up all night watching the Cannes live stream!!”
“Woojin-ssi! Congratulations!”
“I got goosebumps when you won the Best Actor award!!”
“Please show us the Cannes trophy later!”
Though the situation was slightly embarrassing, Woojin maintained his composed demeanor and gave a small bow. Then the actors swarmed around him, including Hwalin, who was trying her best to appear indifferent.
“I already texted you, but really, congratulations. Watching the live broadcast felt like watching a movie.”
“Thank you.”
Ha Gang-su, who first met Woojin on Our Dining Table, also chimed in.
“This is insane, absolutely insane. Did you know the group chat for Our Dining Table is buzzing non stop too?”
Soon, all the lead, supporting, and minor actors from Beneficial Evil came forward to congratulate Kang Woojin, one by one without exception. Some, like Hwalin, were sincerely thrilled, while others couldn’t hide their envy and jealousy.
But to Kang Woojin, it didn’t really matter.
For about 30 minutes, the studio remained noisy and celebratory. Once the excitement died down, the over one hundred staff and actors began preparing for the shoot. Woojin joined in as well. Multiple staff members approached him for his costume and makeup, and as he allowed them to work on him, Woojin scanned the vast set with his impassive expression.
‘I’d heard about it, but it’s ridiculously huge.’
This was Kang Woojin’s first time at the Beneficial Evil filming site since the Bangkok shoot. The sheer scale of the ultra-massive set left him speechless.
‘There are six of these warehouse-sized sets?’
The set Kang Woojin was looking at was roughly twice the size of a typical warehouse. Half of it was set up with Japanese-style houses and buildings, while the other half was designed as a fictional space set in Korea. And there were six more such warehouse-sized sets. Not to mention the additional outdoor shoots depending on the scenes.
‘Ah- damn, feels like coming home.’
Anyway, from this moment on, Kang Woojin had to shed ‘Park Ha-seong’ from ‘Leech’ and live as ‘Jang Yeon-woo’ from ‘Beneficial Evil’ for a while. The schedule would be worse than hell. ‘Beneficial Evil’ filming, existing schedules, backed-up work, and on top of that, overflowing schedules derived or to be derived from the Cannes Film Festival.
Of course, PD Song Man-woo was going to be grinding his bones as well.
He had to manage both filming and editing simultaneously to launch Part 1 of Beneficial Evil on the planned release date. In fact, the intensity of his workload might even surpass that of Director Ahn Ga-bok from Leech.
At that moment,
“Okay! Let’s start rehearsals!”
PD Song Man-woo shouted at Kang Woojin, who had finished his preparations.
“Woojin-ssi, standby!!”
Beneficial Evil began accelerating its pace.
The next day, early morning.
By the time Kang Woojin arrived at the massive filming complex of Beneficial Evil in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, the media had started breaking new stories.
『[Issue Pick] “Kang Woojin” and “Director Ahn Ga-bok”, who left a legendary mark at the Cannes Film Festival, are swamped with offers from French and Hollywood broadcasters』
『Kang Woojin appears in international news / Photo』
Both Korean and international media were buzzing, and it seemed like this was just the beginning. Every hour, new issues were igniting public interest.
『[Exclusive] Kang Woojin, who rose to “global star” status overnight… appointed as luxury brand “Chanel’s” ambassador』
『“Chanel” selects Cannes’ leading man Kang Woojin as their new ambassador』
Meanwhile, Miley Cara’s explosive momentum about five days after releasing her new album was breaking records daily.
『[Issue Talk] Miley Cara’s new album featuring “Kang Woojin” surpasses 1 million sales in just three days!』
『Miley Cara’s new album… sets a record for “most-streamed album in a single day”, Kang Woojin’s YouTube subscribers and social media followers soar』
With just a few days left before the Billboard chart rankings were updated, the views for Miley Cara’s music video were also skyrocketing.
-【alcoholism(feat. WooJin)】｜Miley Cara
-Views: 200 million
It had surpassed 200 million views.
A few days later, Monday, the 18th.
At approximately 7 a.m., Kang Woojin was at bw Entertainment near Samseong Station, which had recently become busier than any other entertainment company in Korea.
-Swoosh.
Entering the empty office before regular working hours, Kang Woojin, wearing a hoodie and cap, was accompanied by his team, including Jang Su-hwan. Without hesitation, and as if he already knew what was going on, Woojin headed straight for the CEO’s office.
At the CEO’s desk, Choi Sung-gun as letting out a big yawn.
“Ahhh, you’re here??”
Spotting Woojin entering, he jumped to his feet. He looked somewhat disheveled, as though he had spent the night at the office. Seeing him like this, Woojin asked in a low tone.
“Did you sleep here?”
“Ah-”
Dragging out his words, Choi Sung-gun tied his ponytail again and chuckled.
“There was a long meeting yesterday, and I had a ton of stuff to handle. Honestly, sleeping here was way more efficient than going home.”
“Is that so?”
“Don’t worry. For me, this is heaven compared to hell. Anyway, sit down first. How much time do we have?”
He was asking how much time was left before heading to the Beneficial Evil set.
“About 30 minutes.”
“Okay, then let’s quickly go over a few important things.”
Choi Sung-gun, who had been moving around busily, grabbed a stack of papers from his desk and placed it in front of Woojin, who sat down silently. At a glance, it seemed to be over five bundles, and the fact that they came from Choi Sung-gun indicated they were likely scripts or screenplays.
And that’s exactly what they were.
“These are scripts and screenplays.”
It had been quite some time since Choi Sung-gun last handed scripts or screenplays to Woojin. Naturally, domestic scripts and screenplays flooded endlessly toward Kang Woojin, but most of them were cut off. Not only because he couldn’t possibly take them all on, but also due to prior conversations Woojin had about his workload.
Because of that, Kang Woojin found it a little curious.
‘What’s this? All of a sudden.’
Woojin asked Choi Sung-gun, who was sitting across from him yawning.
“Is there a reason you’re suddenly giving me these?”
Choi Sung-gun smirked and gestured for him to read.
“Just take a look first.”
“……”
Woojin stared at Choi Sung-gun for a moment before picking up the topmost script from the pile and opening it to the first page. He quickly noticed something different.
‘Ah, this.’
The text on the paper wasn’t in Korean, it was in French. At that moment, Choi Sung-gun, as if he had been waiting for this, chimed in.
“These aren’t from Korea. These are scripts and screenplays sent from abroad. It’s been only a few days since Cannes ended, but it’s absolute chaos. We’ve received over 100 inquiries, and they’ve been throwing scripts and screenplays at us without end. Those five bundles you see, two are from France, two are Hollywood films, and one’s an American TV series.”
It was a sign that the international offers were starting to pour in.
For a moment, Kang Woojin felt a wave of amazement, but he managed to keep his composure.
“……”
Choi Sung-gun spoke again.
“You prefer the original text, right? Go ahead and skim through them.”
Knowing Woojin’s proficiency in both English and French, Choi Sung-gun had brought him the untranslated originals. Woojin silently checked the covers of the scripts and screenplays one by one.
Then,
‘Hmm?’
Woojin stopped at the third bundle. It was a Hollywood screenplay. The English title caught his eye, and it felt familiar.
‘Jurassic Land 4’
Though his outward expression remained stoic, Kang Woojin was internally thrilled.
‘No way. fuck? Dinosaurs? I can’t resist that.’