Translator: Dreamscribe
Inside the theater where advertisements were currently playing. The man in a black long padded coat, who had just checked his messages. No, Kang Woojin looked at the text message from Choi Sung-gun displayed on his phone screen and murmured to himself.
‘‘Pierrot’ audition/screen test is on January 25th. But I’m leaving on the 20th. Not many weeks left, feels faster than I thought?’
It was now the end of December. With December coming to a close, there were roughly three weeks left until January 20th.
‘Leaving a few days early must be because of jet lag and adjustment.’
That was correct. Not only to adjust to the time difference between Korea and LA but also to ensure Kang Woojin’s condition during the audition/screen test. It would take at least a day to adapt to everything. Although Woojin had visited LA several times before, this was his first time going with such a determined purpose. Moreover, since the film company was ‘Columbia Studios’, one of the ‘Big Five’, it was only natural for Choi Sung-gun, the CEO, to decide on an early departure.
Understanding this, Kang Woojin slowly nodded his head.
Then, he checked the next message.
-CEO: Also, we received an email from Disney. You’ve been officially confirmed as a candidate for the role in ‘Beast and the Beauty’.
At this, Woojin felt a sense of relief. After the preliminary meeting with ‘World Disney Pictures’ following ‘Pierrot’, ‘Columbia Studios’ officially announced their candidate actors for ‘Pierrot’. Naturally, Kang Woojin was included among them.
‘He said I might get dropped if there was competition between them, but looks like it worked out somehow?’
Choi Sung-gun had previously mentioned that Woojin might get dropped from ‘Beast and the Beauty’. While the atmosphere during the preliminary meeting with Disney wasn’t bad, the inclusion of Woojin as a candidate actor for ‘Pierrot’ could potentially change Disney’s perspective. In hindsight, it wasn’t an unreasonable concern. In fact, ‘World Disney Pictures’ had delayed their response after the preliminary meeting.
Although he didn’t show it outwardly due to his poker face, Kang Woojin had been a little anxious.
‘Beast and the Beauty’ seemed like it would be fun too.
It was also a work that carried some nostalgic memories for him. While he wouldn’t have clung to it if things didn’t work out, it was still better to seize the opportunity if possible.
‘The grade is high too.’
Whatever the case, the slight delay in ‘Beast and the Beauty’ had also concluded with Woojin being confirmed as a candidate actor. Although the official announcement hadn’t been made public yet, it was only a matter of time. With this, Kang Woojin now had.
‘Two out of the Big Five? This is insane.’
The fact that he had been confirmed as a candidate actor for major projects of two Hollywood giant film companies, ‘Columbia Studios’ and ‘World Disney Pictures’, was monumental. Though still a candidate for now, Woojin’s mindset already felt like he had secured the roles.
‘They’re both mine.’
He was confident. Naturally, his void space ability contributed to this confidence. Thus, he briefly wondered when ‘World Disney Pictures’ would announce their candidate actor list. However, he quickly dismissed the thought.
He chose to think of it as a happy wait.
He could imagine it. Even with just ‘Pierrot’, both domestic and international communities were in an uproar. If ‘Beast and the Beauty’, which had a global fanbase far beyond Korea and Japan, broke out, it would be chaos beyond imagination. Just thinking about it made Kang Woojin feel a thrilling sensation course through him.
Sure, there might be controversies or malicious comments.
‘Doesn’t matter to me.’
They wouldn’t really impact Woojin.
At that moment.
-♬♪
A faintly melancholic yet slightly somber piece of music filled the entire theater. The lights dimmed as well. Looking at the screen in front, the advertisements had ended, and ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ had officially begun. Woojin turned his phone to silent mode and stuffed it into the pocket of his long padded coat.
‘It’s been a while.’
He was referring to watching a movie as an audience member in a theater. The last movie he had watched like this was probably, ‘Exorcism’? For a moment, Woojin chuckled as he recalled the faces of his close friends, filled with shock and horror, from that time. Then.
-Swish.
Crossing his legs, Woojin focused on the screen. While there were some empty seats in the audience around him, more than half were occupied. For an early morning screening, it was a decent turnout. All of them, like Kang Woojin, were focused on ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.
The screen displayed ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’. In other words, Kang Woojin made his first appearance.
An emotionless face, a bland expression, a soulless posture, and a dried-up mood. Woojin’s face filled the large screen. Watching himself on screen made Woojin feel slightly embarrassed.
‘As expected- it’s still a bit embarrassing to watch myself in works.’
On the other hand, hundreds of audience members around him held their breaths as they stared at the screen. The intense atmosphere grew thicker as the story progressed. Starting with Woojin’s multi-personality acting in the early scenes, his emotionless piano playing, the first homework he carried out.
[“One might be okay, but all 9 is too much. I lack the strength. And the intellect. And experience.”]
The unexpected content caused the eyes of the hundreds of audience members to widen. But ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ gave them no time to relax. The second ‘homework’ on the boat, the suicide to create confusion, and then the detective pursuing ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ appeared. While the runtime of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ was by no means short, the hundreds of audience members in the theater were
“……”
“……”
Completely immersed, forgetting even to go to the restroom. Soon, the screen showed Kang Woojin wailing after completing the final ‘homework’. It was the first time the otherwise lifeless character expressed emotion. At this point, most of the audience let out gasps of admiration.
Then came the ending.
Kang Woojin, as a stranger, stood among many citizens and looked at the audience. His demeanor was calm and quiet, but unlike the beginning, there was now a spark of life in his eyes. The screen zoomed in closer and closer, and just as Woojin’s face completely filled the screen, it turned black, accompanied by grand music.
‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ ended, and the ending credits began to roll.
Simultaneously.
“Wow- seriously, that was insane.”
“Super fun.”
“No, really, what’s with Kang Woojin? His acting……was on another level.”
Even though the movie had ended, the audience couldn’t bring themselves to leave their seats, expressing heartfelt admiration.
“Chills! This was totally a Kang Woojin’s one-man show movie!”
“Agreed, he carried the whole thing, and there wasn’t a single boring moment, was there?”
Almost everyone shared similar sentiments.
“Kang Woojin’s acting was insane! I got goosebumps halfway through.”
“More than that, his Japanese was so flawless I got confused. I almost forgot Kang Woojin is Korea.”
“The fact that it hit 23 million in Japan is totally understandable.”
The audience sat in their seats, eagerly sharing their impressions. A man in a long padded coat casually walked past them. None of them realized that he was Kang Woojin.
“This one will definitely hit 10 million too.”
Though his face was hidden by a mask, Woojin was smiling.
Meanwhile, in LA.
Unlike the morning in Korea, it was afternoon in LA. At ‘World Disney Pictures’, one of the giant film companies, the team for ‘Beast and the Beauty’ was busily working.
“All the actresses for the role of ‘Belle the Beauty’ have confirmed.”
“Miley Cara was cutting it close, but fortunately she joined.”
“We thought she might decline since we didn’t hear back, but did she suddenly change her mind?”
“Who knows, but it’s a good thing for us.”
A group of foreigners gathered, increasing the speed of their preparations.
“With the male actors for ‘Beast’ and the female actresses for ‘Belle’ all confirmed, we need to set the dates.”
“Should we do it all together, or separately?”
“There’s no rush, so dividing it into phases might be better.”
“Hmm- but we need to confirm their duet compatibility. There’s the duet song, and the scene where ‘Belle’ dances to the Beast’s piano playing is crucial.”
“We’ll need to match the actors’ voices later.””
As various topics were being discussed quickly, one executive murmured.
“Before that, we need to officially announce the live-action adaptation of ‘Beast and the Beauty.’ As you all know, the rumors are getting loud.”
“Hmm- true. Delaying it too long might kill the momentum.”
Then, the first decision was made.
“Let’s handle that matter within a few days.”
Meanwhile.
In Korea, where Kang Woojin’s string of ‘Best Actor’ awards and other issues were making headlines.
『[MovieTalk] Kang Woojin’s starring film ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ releases in Korea!』
News of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’s’ first Korean release was added. Though it had been quite noisy since the previous day, on the morning of the release date, the 21st, it was several times more chaotic.
『’The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, which hit 23 million in Japan, starts strong in Korea as well! Overall #1 in advance ticket sales』
Anyone could see it was the Kang Woojin effect. Of course, the fact that it was a major film that reached 23 million viewers in Japan played a part, but the key was that this was Woojin’s first lead role in a Japanese film, which had already shaken Korea. With Kang Woojin having made so much history this year, the public’s expectations were naturally high.
Usually, such high expectations lead to disappointment, but ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ exceeded those expectations, receiving glowing reviews one after another.
[「The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger」/ Released on December 21, 2021]
[Rating: 9.6]
[Audience/Netizen Reviews/ 289 participants]
– No need to say more, Kang Woojin was just Kang Woojin / g****
– The movie itself is fun, but the ending is the highlight. A well-made film / 2****
– Wow… This is the first Japanese film I’ve seen because of Kang Woojin, and it was crazy good ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ/ d****
– Honestly, it was just okay / q****
– Starting with no emotion in the beginning, then exploding with emotions at the end… The way that was expressed through acting is truly… Kang Woojin’s acting is amazing… / 2****
– A Zainichi Korean killing Japanese people And 23 million Japanese watched it ㅋㅋㅋ Is there any reason not to watch this?? / r****
– Now I fully understand why Kang Woojin won Best Actor at Cannes… / s****
– Japanese films often give off the vibe of ‘I’m acting!’ which I don’t like, but this one had none of that and kept me glued to the screen / v****
– I found it a bit boring~~ It wasn’t as good as ‘Leech’ / 9****
– I was amazed by Kang Woojin’s Japanese and sign language skills… This movie truly shows the peak of Kang Woojin’s acting ㄷㄷㄷ / o****
.
.
.
As soon as the first screening ended, the audience who had seen ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ rushed to praise it. It was as if ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ had picked up the baton right after the explosive success of ‘Leech’, which hadn’t even had time to cool down. This signified that Kang Woojin’s dominance in the cinema world was growing even stronger without pause.
By the next day, December 22nd.
After a day of rest, Kang Woojin, equipped with an even stronger concept, boarded the waiting van. The team welcomed him, and Choi Sung-gun, seated in the passenger seat, immediately showed him the screen of his tablet with a smirk.
“Woojin, ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ is off to a great start!”
The tablet screen displayed the box office results from the film’s opening day in Korea.
[Audience Count as of December 21, 2021]
[Daily Domestic Box Office]
1. The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger / Release Date: December 21 / Audience Count: 608,893 / Screens: 1123 / Cumulative Audience Count: 608,893
At first glance, it might seem weaker compared to ‘Leech’, but that wasn’t the case at all.
“’Leech’ was at an insane level, and while you’re the lead, it’s still a Japanese film, so the audience might feel less familiar with it.”
Kang Woojin responded calmly.
“Yes, I understand.”
“Right, right. But with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the year-end holidays coming up, there are plenty of special dates to look forward to!”
Another day passed, and on the 23rd, the second-day results for ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ were announced.
『’The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ surpasses 1.2 million viewers on its second day of release!』
Crossing 1 million viewers in just two days, Kang Woojin once again dominated the year-end theater scene. But this wasn’t just limited to Korea’s box office.
『[IssueTalk] ‘Leech’, which rocked Cannes and Korea, releases in Japan today, December 23rd! What’s the advance ticket sales?』
Today, the 23rd, ‘Leech’ was also releasing in Japan as well.
A few days later, in New York.
A foreigner woman who had just finished recording a famous talk show appeared in the parking lot. It was Miley Cara in a navy coat with blonde hair flowing down, it was Miley Cara. Still in full makeup from the recording, she moved with a dozen staff members, eventually entering the first of several large vans waiting in the parking lot.
-Swish.
As soon as she got in, she brushed her blonde hair back, and a female team member handed her a water bottle. Miley Cara, after briefly thanking her, took a few sips of the water, crossed her legs, and pulled out her phone. Numerous messages had arrived. Among them, a message from a Hollywood actor she had met at a recent fashion show caught her eye. She moved her thumb to open it.
The message contained a simple line of text and a link.
Ignoring the message, Miley clicked on the link. Her phone screen quickly changed, and an article from a major media outlet appeared. After reading the headline, Miley Cara.
『BBX/ Official Announcement from ‘World Disney Pictures’: “Live-Action ‘Beast and the Beauty’ Film is Being Made”』
Smiled faintly.
“They’ve officially announced the live-action version.”