Chapter 96: Threat (6)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The username of the head manager of Kang Woojin’s official fan club ‘Kang’s Heart’ was ‘BloodSister.’
Woojin had thought it was just a peculiar username. However, there was a twist. The username was literal. The real ‘BloodSister.’ In other words, Kang Woojin’s blood relative. His younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah, was gleefully present right before his eyes.
Looking up at her, Kang Woojin felt intensely irritated.
‘Don’t lose it. Ah, crap. This was supposed to be an easy morning, but it’s become insanely annoying.’
Barely stopping himself from cursing, Kang Woojin managed to close his mouth just in time. At the same time, he racked his brains, trying to understand precisely how this had happened. But there wasn’t much to ponder deeply.
‘I wondered why she got so quiet suddenly when usually she used to text and call all the time.’
When was it? Right, it must have been around the time when the broadcast of ‘Profiler Hanryang’ began. That’s when Kang Woojin’s official fan club was established. This damned sister of his must have created it. Certainly, she couldn’t have done it alone.
Expressionless, Woojin peeked at the line behind Kang Hyun-ah.
A group of girls, presumably her friends, were all smiles. They made a fuss, playfully hitting each other’s arms. Then, Woojin turned his gaze back to Kang Hyun-ah in front of him and whispered under his breath.
“Damn girl.”
Nobody probably heard it, but Kang Hyun-ah might have, as she nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders.
“I didn’t tell you because it seemed like you were busy, big brother.”
What a lie. Undoubtedly, Kang Hyun-ah had intentionally kept it a secret. Ah, he really wanted to smack the forehead of this annoying sister. However, Woojin was in his deep cover persona, and there were hundreds of his fans here.
He had to restrain himself no matter what.
At that moment.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
Perhaps sensing something odd, Choi Sung-gun, who had been waiting in the back, approached and leaned in. Woojin, trying not to show his slight startle, forced a composed nod.
“No, it’s nothing.”
With a puzzled look on his face, Choi Sung-gun locked eyes with Kang Hyun-ah standing in front of him. He seemed to think she was visually okay. Generally, a pretty face with long brown hair.
‘She seems tall too. Maybe 168 cm? 170 cm?’
This was a scan from the CEO of the entertainment company. Regardless, Choi Sung-gun smiled at Kang Hyun-ah.
“You must be the first one, right? The head manager of the fan club with the username ‘BloodSister.’”
Cheerfully calling out was Kang Hyun-ah.
“Yes! That’s me!”
“Ha-ha, nice to meet you. I’m Woojin’s main manager and the head of bw Entertainment.”
“Wow! Hello!”
“Yeah, nice to meet you. I should have thanked you earlier, but Woojin has been so busy, you came with the rest of the club staff, right?”
“Yes! They are in the back.”
As Kang Hyun-ah pointed to the back, the waiting fan club staff, her friends, respectfully bowed their heads. Similarly, Choi Sung-gun, with a brief nod, looked back at Kang Hyun-ah.
He felt a strangely familiar sensation.
“It’s a bit weird. Why do I feel like I know ‘BloodSister’? Ha-ha, maybe because you look like an actress?”
“Hehe, really?”
In the meantime, Kang Woojin, who had been nonchalantly signing autographs, muttered under his breath.
“She’s my sister.”
Seemingly unimpressed, Choi Sung-gun clapped his hands.
“Oh, I see! So, she’s Woojin’s sister, and that’s why I didn’t feel she was a stranger… Wait. Hold on. Wait a minute, Woojin, what did you say?”
Kang Woojin, finishing the autograph, handed the paper to Kang Hyun-ah and reiterated without any hint of emotion.
“She’s my sister.”
Choi Sung-gun’s eyes grew wide as he exchanged looks with Kang Hyun-ah again. She was smiling as bright as the world itself.
“Hee-hee, hello, Sir. I’m Kang Hyun-ah, Kang Woojin’s sister.”
“······?”
Contrary to the bewildered Choi Sung-gun, Kang Woojin was calm. No, he had to be calm. With that, Woojin spoke to his sister with a cold stare.
“You. Step aside for now. We’ll talk later.”
Slightly embarrassed, Kang Hyun-ah chuckled and moved. Internally, she questioned.
‘Is oppa pretending to be cool because of the atmosphere? Well, there are a lot of people watching, after all.’
As Kang Hyun-ah retreated, Choi Sung-gun, who had been watching her back, barely came to his senses. He then leaned close to Woojin’s ear.
“Hey, Woojin. What are you talking about? Is she really your sister?”
“Yes. I didn’t know either, that she was the head of the fan club.”
“Oh- Okay, let’s talk after all this is over.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Choi Sung-gun finished speaking and gestured to the staff. It meant to continue with the autograph session.
‘A younger sister?’
He smiled as he stepped back. He knew that Kang Woojin had a younger sister. Knowing about his family was basic. But still, the situation was a bit absurd.
‘Whatever it is, this matter needs to be kept secret for now.’
He didn’t know if Kang Woojin’s sister or other family members would be affected, like reporters swarming in. Fortunately, no one else knew this fact, so it wasn’t a problem to keep it hidden.
Back at the event,
“Oh, oppa! Hello!”
The fan signing event continued as planned. Next up were friends of Kang Hyun-ah.
“We really, really missed you!”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
“We knew about our oppa even before his debut!”
“Thank you.”
Kang Hyun-ah’s friends, appearing in turns, were extremely excited. Nonetheless, Woojin remained calm, continuing with the autographs and conversations.
“You look absolutely handsome in person!”
“Thank you, what’s your name?”
“I’m Yoo-jin! Kim Yoo-jin!”
“Yoo-jin, you’re pretty as well.”
There had been some rather bewildering moments from the start, but fortunately, there were no problems with the signing event. Woojin did his best, exchanging glances with fans, having conversations, and signing autographs.
“I’m sorry, but could I possibly shake your hand?”
“Of course, I’ll give you a hug instead.”
“Ah!”
Kang Woojin, seemingly indifferent, exuded sweetness. Hence, the signing session grew increasingly enthusiastic. And so, 30 people, 50 people, 100 people.
Around this time, Kang Woojin felt it.
‘Wow, this is really not an easy task.’
He felt more and more overwhelmed. Of course, he was thankful for hundreds of fans showing up, and it was astonishing as such a scenario was beyond his imagination, but to put it bluntly, it was tough. Giving his best to each and every individual in an unfamiliar environment was not easy at all, not to mention keeping up his persona.
But he couldn’t afford to be weak. Kang Woojin had to grit his teeth and maintain his composure.
‘I don’t know, I have to keep pushing through. I can rest when I go home.’
There wasn’t anything easy about the path of an actor that Woojin, an ordinary man, had recklessly embarked on.
‘If a fan signing is like this, wouldn’t fan meetings be even more exhausting?’
At the same time, on the set of ‘Profiler Hanryang.’
A super-large set location in Ilsan. The main team and B team of Hanryang had all gathered here. As a result, it seemed there were over 100 people.
Those people, along with the set-up cameras and lights,
“Action!”
were all focused on the filming zone, and star actor Ryu Jung-min was in the middle of a passionate performance.
“Cut! Okay!”
The shooting was quick. Above all, PD Song Man-woo, in charge of it all, was pushing faster than ever.
“Let’s move on to the next cut right away! Let’s finish before lunch!!”
Therefore, the over 100 staff members also moved flawlessly. What was unusual was,
“Ah, PD Song is really going all out today since it’s the last shoot.”
“Isn’t it epic? So many people gathered in one place.”
“All the actors are here too. Only Woojin is missing?”
“I heard he couldn’t come because of the fan signing today.”
Every actor involved in ‘Profiler Hanryang’ was present, which was unusual. Additionally,
“Oh! Writer Park has arrived too!”
Writer Park Eun-mi, exuding elegance, had also shown up. In other words, except for Kang Woojin, who had a schedule, everyone from Hanryang was there. This, of course, included the leading actress Hong Hye-yeon, and next to her, Kim Dae-young, who was curiously exploring the set.
‘It’s amazing, really. How many actors are there? Ryu Jung-min is really damn handsome.’
Kim Dae-young, who had recently joined as a trainee, had seen the B team but it was his first time at Hanryang’s main team shooting site.
‘So Kang Woojin shot his scenes here?’
Somehow, Kim Dae-young thought Kang Woojin was quite impressive. He himself was nervous enough, and Woojin would have performed in front of everyone.
It was then.
“Cut! NG!”
PD Song Man-woo with a goatee shouted loudly into the megaphone. The current scene was for the last villain character’s turn.
The problem was that the actor kept making consecutive NGs.
Starting with Kang Woojin’s character Park Dae-ri, there were a total of four villains in Hanryang. However, after Park Dae-ri, the intense impression was somewhat lacking. Still, the actors playing the villains did their best.
“Cut, cut! Let’s see, Su-hyung! The lines are a bit rushed now, let’s smooth them out and try again!”
“Yes, PD!”
Kim Dae-young, who was watching the scene, felt puzzled. To him, the actor’s performance seemed more than satisfactory. However, the staff around him expressed disappointment.
“Another NG. It seems like Su-hyung is really nervous, right?”
“It’s understandable. We’re confirmed for Netflix Japan, right? I heard they’re negotiating to sell the rights in several other countries, not just Japan.”
“Well, it’s the last of the villain scenes, and with Park Dae-ri hitting it big, the pressure must be immense.”
“I heard Su-hyung has been monitoring Park Dae-ri a lot. Honestly, maybe the PD’s standards have gone up? It started with Woojin.”
“Park Dae-ri… Honestly, his impact was huge. It was legendary. The villains following are under a lot of pressure.”
Listening to the staff’s chatter, Kim Dae-young exclaimed inwardly.
‘Wow- Kang Woojin really commands respect here?’
He had felt it since earlier, but Kang Woojin was almost treated like a deity on this set. Sure, he had achieved remarkable results, but for Kim Dae-young, who was close to him, it felt somewhat strange.
At that moment,
“Cut! Hmm- this isn’t working. Let’s take a short break!”
PD Song Man-woo called for a break and comforted the actor playing the final villain. Then, with a worried look, he approached the actors.
“Hong star.”
He called for Hong Hye-yeon.
“Yes, PD. Oh- please stop with the ‘Hong star’.”
“It suits you. Right? But since Su-hyun is not in good shape, I think we should proceed with your scenes first.”
“Understood.”
As Hong Hye-yeon, with her long hair tied back, got up from her chair, she suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right.”
She pointed at Kim Dae-young, who was standing among her team.
“PD Song, do you remember him?”
“Huh? Should I know him?”
“You know, he came with Woojin during ‘Super Actor’ back in the day.”
Recognizing Kim Dae-young after a moment of awkwardness, PD Song clapped his hands.
“Ahh! That’s right! Woojin’s friend! Oh my, why are you here?”
“Hello, PD! I’m Kim Dae-young! I’ve recently joined the company.”
“At bw Entertainment?”
“Yes!”
“Oh, nice to meet you! So you followed Woojin to bw Entertainment? Haha, following a friend to Gangnam, huh? But didn’t you also act back then? Why suddenly a manager?”
What was peculiar was,
“Oh my, you’re Woojin’s friend?”
Suddenly, everyone from the writer Park Eun-mi to the lighting and filming directors crowded around, as soon as they heard he was ‘Kang Woojin’s friend.’
“Since when? How long have you been friends?”
“Um? Oh- it’s been a while.”
Questions poured in.
“So Woojin has friends after all! Tell us, when did Woojin start acting so well?”
“Are you friends from abroad? No? Since he came to Korea?”
“Hahaha, did you go abroad with Woojin? That must’ve been comfortable, right? Woojin speaks English and Japanese so well.”
What are they talking about? Kim Dae-young was clearly flustered. Wasn’t he just supposed to maintain a cool image? From self-studying acting to being abroad, what’s all this?
‘Speaks English and Japanese well? What are they even talking about?’
Soon, Kim Dae-young began to feel confused. He became friends with Kang Woojin in middle school, so what about before that? Regardless, he realized that Woojin’s situation was dozens of times stranger than he thought.
But for now, he dodged the questions.
“Well… it’s certain that he’s become more active, but it’s a bit much for me to explain in detail-”
“Who? Woojin became more active?”
“Are you saying that’s a changed behavior?”
“No way.”
PD Song Man-woo ended the growing confusion and the chaotic situation.
“Alright, everyone, let’s prepare and get ready! Daeyoung, I’ll talk to you in a bit.”
“Yes? Oh- okay.”
The staff, their faces mixed with disappointment, scattered in all directions. Hong Hye-yeon, who was about to move to the filming zone, suddenly asked Kim Dae-young in a small voice.
“Tell me, does Woojin not have much interest in women?”
Kim Dae-young, slightly distracted, recalled the past. It wasn’t that he was particularly disinterested, but?
‘Ah, he doesn’t really watch TV much or show much interest in girl groups or anything like that.’
Kim Dae-young, a close friend, spit out an answer to protect Kang Woojin’s aloofness.
“Well, he usually doesn’t pay much attention to women.”
“Ah-”
Fast backward by about three hours.
“Cut!!!”
At the shout of PD Song Man-woo.
“Okay!! Good job, everyone!”
The entire filming schedule for ‘Profiler Hanryang’ had come to an end.
Back at Kang Woojin’s fan signing event.
The crowd had already surpassed 300 people. The signing had been going on for over three hours. Fortunately, it was nearing its end. From this point on, Woojin was unaware, but news of the fan signing was spreading online.
Articles fired off by the invited reporters.
『’Monster Rookie’ Kang Woojin’s fan signing event, a sea of people/ photos』
Shared by attending fans on SNS or the ‘Kang’s Heart’ fan club and various communities.
-Kang Woojin (fan signing) in real life.jpg
Naturally, the response was hot. Especially photos capturing Kang Woojin’s real-time appearance were a hit. Meanwhile, on-site, Kang Woojin was making closing remarks to signal the end of the signing. It was past 4 PM.
Although it took longer than expected, Kang Woojin, standing in the middle of the stage, showed no signs of fatigue. Or at least, he pretended not to.
“Thank you all so much for coming today.”
Kang Woojin then bowed deeply to the remaining fans, about half of the 400.
“We have a fan meeting planned soon, so I hope to see you there. Please return home safely and don’t forget to take your gifts.”
Woojin, raising his head, locked eyes with his sister in the front row seats.
“······”
Kang Hyun-ah was smiling and waving her hand.
Fast forward by several minutes.
After the signing, while they were busy wrapping up, Kang Woojin was in the waiting room of the hall. However, he wasn’t alone. Kang Hyun-ah and Choi Sung-gun were there too.
Of course, Kang Woojin’s heart was pounding madly.
‘Kang Hyun-ah, if you mess this up, it’s all over.’
Though Woojin would have liked to tape Kang Hyun-ah’s mouth shut, overcoming this baffling crisis was the current priority.
‘I have to vehemently stop her if she starts spouting nonsense.’
It wasn’t a situation he could casually brush off. Woojin was fully focused on his sister, and Choi Sung-gun, after peering down the hallway outside the waiting room and seeing it was empty, closed the door.
-Swish.
Woojin, standing next to Kang Hyun-ah, met her eyes. At the same time, Kang Hyun-ah suddenly spoke.
“Sir! Your hairstyle is so stylish and cool!”
Kang Woojin let out a deep internal sigh.
‘Ha, please just keep your mouth shut.’
On the other hand, Choi Sung-gun seemed to be in a good mood, his smile deepening.
“Haha, thank you. Blood…no, what did you say your sister’s name is?”
“Kang Hyun-ah!”
“Yes, Kang Hyun-ah. Ha- Let’s first hear about the situation, what happened?”
Kang Hyun-ah, nodding vigorously, briefly explained the situation so far. Nothing too extraordinary. Just that she was surprised her brother suddenly debuted as an actor and the circumstances leading her and her friends to start a fan club. Up to this point, Woojin didn’t need to interrupt.
In fact, Choi Sung-gun didn’t think it was strange. He just had a simple thought while looking at Woojin.
‘Did Woojin not tell his family he was becoming an actor? Or did he just hide it from his sister? Well, he’s a pretty nonchalant guy, so it’s possible.’
But the crisis hit in an instant.
“But Sir! I watched the ‘Sports Day’ episode of Hanryang. The character of my brother is a bit-”
Of course, it came from Kang Hyun-ah’s mouth.
*****