Chapter 251: Storm (1)

The recorded voice was Amie’s, and the content was enough to shatter her life into pieces.

-Vwoom!

Slowly, Itsuma’s luxury sedan brushed past the camera.

Silence.

Then, Director Kyotaro’s signal echoed across the entire set.

“Cut!! OK!!”

Behind, the ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ team and Kang Woojin continued filming other scenes in the same set. The next day, late in the afternoon after the sun had set, the ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ team arrived at a high school in Tokyo.

The place where Kang Woojin’s character synthesis was first showcased.

In ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, it was also where ‘Iyota Kiyoshi,’ the ‘stranger’, was born. Dozens of staff members, Director Kyotaro, and numerous filming equipment besides the cameras were set up on the school rooftop. In reality, it was late afternoon, but according to the scenario, it was deep into the night.

Actors also stood in front of the camera.

Specifically, the characters from ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. Amie, with her exhausted makeup face, and Itsuma, in his fancy suit. Director Kyotaro sat in front of the monitor, and behind him, Kang Woojin, with an indifferent expression, was also visible.

“······”

Woojin also had scenes to film here, but not immediately, so he could have waited on the first floor or rested in the car. However, Woojin insisted on coming up to the rooftop.

It was a simple thought.

‘I wonder how those actors will perform-’

Woojin had read all the roles in ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, and he was curious about how the other Japanese actors would appear. Watching them could also help with his portrayal of Kiyoshi’s character.

However.

‘Kang Woojin, Kang Woojin is watching.’

‘Woojin-ssi has come up? Oh- this is a bit nerve-wracking.’

His presence put pressure on the Japanese actors. The Japanese cast of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ was beyond the point of just acknowledging Kang Woojin. Watching Woojin’s phenomenal acting made their own performances seem insignificant.

‘Fuck, I should have practiced my lines more?’

The Japanese actors were contending with two entities.

Iyota Kiyoshi within the world of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ and Kang Woojin as an actor. As a character, they were thoroughly ‘eerily sacrificed’ by Kiyoshi, and as actors, they were brutally outperformed by Woojin’s skill.

Yasutaro, who played the already dead ‘Konakayama Ginzo’, had said.

‘Forget about thinking it’s acting. If you fall under the hypnosis of Kang Woojin, this becomes the world of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.’

It was true. Undeniably so.

‘We’ll have to engage in a bloody fight with the real ‘Iyota Kiyoshi’ monster.’

All the Japanese actors found Kang Woojin overwhelming throughout the filming. If they didn’t struggle to their utmost, it showed immediately. No, anyone would appear lacking in a two-shot with that monster. Their acting skills weren’t severely lacking. It’s just that Kang Woojin was exceptional.

Then Director Kyotaro picked up the megaphone.

“Ready-”

In that instant, one word briefly crossed the actors’ minds.

‘Give up? No, that’s not an option.’

This is the toughest film since their debut. They had never struggled with a project this much before. Giving up would be easy. But the Japanese actors gritted their teeth no matter what.

If they gave in here, it was obvious they’d be buried.

Whether it was in front of the public or in the entertainment industry, they had to endure and hold on to contend with that monster.

‘What would it look like if a single Korean actor wiped us all out?’

Soon.

“Action.”

At Director Kyotaro’s signal, the actors’ performances began. The rooftop of the school filled with memories. Amie, still mentally unstable. Itsuma, watching her go mad. He had work gloves on his hands for some reason.

Amie suddenly let out a shriek.

“Kyah!”

She was hallucinating about Toka. She crouched down, trembling. Itsuma, looking at her pathetically, adjusted his glasses and looked up at the darkening sky. Then he sighed.

“Ha- why are these things happening all of a sudden.”

Holding this for a few seconds. The camera captured the two actors head-on. At this point, Itsuma helped the crouching Amie to her feet.

“Amie. It’s okay, I’ll make it easy for you now.”

“······”

However, there was no response from her. She wasn’t present on the rooftop. Yes, Itsuma had arbitrarily ended her life. He clicked his tongue as he looked down over the railing.

“Does it make sense to report such a thing to the police now? You brought this upon yourself, Amie.”

Cut. Several re-takes. Afterward, the filming crew, who had evacuated from the rooftop, moved to the parking lot behind the school. Itsuma got into his luxury sedan.

“I don’t know. It’s the right thing to do. After coming this far, should I give up my life? Amie, I’m sorry.”

He quickly left the school with the recorder that was delivered anonymously still playing.

The school returned to silence after the loud exhaust noise subsided.

And then.

-Swish.

A man’s back appeared in front of the camera that was illuminating the empty parking lot. Dead eyes, an expressionless face. It was Kang Woojin, no, it was Iyota Kiyoshi, who had just finished another homework. And he connected the line to the next homework.

“······”

The camera captured Kiyoshi’s bust. He held a camera in his hand. It must have recorded all of Itsuma’s actions at this school. Soon, Kiyoshi slowly turned his head back.

To the place where Amie’s lifeless body was.

But he had no intention of cleaning it up.

“Let’s go.”

Kiyoshi disappeared from the camera’s view, walking steadily.

Time melted away.

Kang Woojin continued filming ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, and everything related to it was the same. Regardless, Woojin was focused on filming ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.

When March came, he had to leave briefly again.

Before that, he had to complete as many cuts as possible. Therefore, Woojin had to use the void space frequently. He entered it immediately whenever he felt even slightly tired.

Meanwhile, the rating of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ changed.

-[10/Script (Title: Male Friend: Remake), SS grade]

It had risen from an S grade to an SS grade from its first appearance. It was a natural upgrade. After all, it was the hottest work right now among Japanese animes. Of course, Kang Woojin was at the center of it. With such popularity, A10 Studio couldn’t afford to produce ‘Male Friend: Remake’ in a lackluster manner.

They completed the voice actor lineup in no time.

The process was very simple. ‘Male Friend: Remake’ had such an impact that it shook Japan, and voice actors flocked to it even before the official casting announcement.

Additionally, A10 Studio expanded the production team.

In other words, a team covering four episodes moved simultaneously.

On the other hand, the ‘Our Dining Table’ team and PD Yoon Byung-seon had just finished preparing for the second shoot. The cast’s schedules were all sorted out, and the issues in LA had been resolved.

『[Entertainment Pick] ‘Our Dining Table’, second shoot confirmed for February 28th!』

The ‘Leech’ team, which had recently completed auditions successfully, was gearing up. They officially announced the lead actors, as well as the supporting actors, minor roles, and extras, confirming all the castings. The remaining tasks were the completion of the filming set, script reading, and the storyboard finalization.

However, Director Ahn Ga-bok felt the urgency to move even more quickly.

“Hmm- there’s no time.”

“The pre-production took a bit longer than expected.”

“When is the set completion date?”

“It should be ready by next week.”

“When is the expected script reading date?”

“······Around mid-March.”

Hence, while watching the set construction nearing its end, Director Ahn Ga-bok took decisive action.

“No. Move it up by a week. I’ll stay up all night to finish the storyboard, so schedule the script reading for March 6th.”

“Understood, I will adjust the schedule.”

“Let’s have the reading on the 6th and start shooting on the 8th, two days later.”

“Tw-Two days?!”

He meant to conduct the script reading and the first shoot almost simultaneously.

“Yes. Is it possible?”

“······Yes, it’s not impossible. But I’m not sure how well the actors and staff will take it.”

“There will be issues. But we have no choice but to push through. Besides, we need to start editing as we shoot.”

It felt like the first draft. The critical point of ‘Leech’ was not the filming but how much time could be saved during post-production. In short, it meant that they would shoot and edit simultaneously, getting little sleep in the process.

“Inform the actors that the reading will be on the 6th and the first shoot on the 8th.”

The cold weather was gradually easing up.

『‘Beneficial Evil’ aiming for global success via Netflix, contacting several top actors for casting』

Although it was still cold in the early mornings and nights, the afternoons were becoming pleasantly cool. As a result, people on the streets began shedding their heavy coats one by one.

It was a sign that the seasons were changing.

Naturally, various figures surrounding Kang Woojin also changed.

-@Wooji_n

Posts: 226

Followers: 18.503 million

Following: 48

Before he knew it, Kang Woojin’s social media had become a massive account. Many top actors followed him, whether from Korea or Japan. The growth of the ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel was still explosive. Excluding channels of global idols, he was almost at the top among actors.

Although Kang Woojin was currently in Japan,

『[Star Talk] Kang Woojin, whose popularity is exploding in both Korea and Japan, nearing 20 million followers in his second year of debut』

it was as if he were still in Korea. He was involved in so many projects, and numerous issues kept arising even now.

Thus, the month passed like that.

Before he knew it, it was the last day of February. Sunday, February 28th. The spring season was just around the corner.

『[Photo] Kang Woojin entering the departure hall for the second shoot of ‘Our Dining Table’/ Photo』

At this point, Kang Woojin was already on the plane.

Two days later, in LA.

March 2nd. Around morning. A large van driving through the bustling roads filled with cars. Inside the van were about six people, the most noticeable being a giant black man.

It was the famous Hollywood producer, Joseph Felton.

Wearing dress pants but a casual T-shirt, he mumbled while looking at a tablet.

“Robert, has the schedule in Korea been confirmed without issues?”

A bald foreigner sitting next to him answered.

“Yes. We arrive in Korea on the 3rd, meetings with distributors start on the 4th. And on the 8th.”

“I plan to visit Director Ahn Ga-bok’s site first.”

“Joseph, have you contacted them?”

“Yes, I already did. But I’ll need to do it again when we arrive in Korea.”

Joseph smiled slightly, put down the tablet, and changed the subject.

“Kang Woojin is in LA right now?”

“As far as I know, yes. He returned for the second shoot of a TV show. Do you need to see him? We can change the flight time.”

“No. I prefer to meet him in Korea. I want to see him as an actor, not in a TV show.”

“······His cooking will be marketed in Korea, just like the piano performance on YouTube. Videos are consistently uploaded to Kang Woojin’s YouTube channel. While I acknowledge his versatility, isn’t he just one person? Given his many side activities, wouldn’t his acting tension naturally decrease?”

Joseph crossed his long, massive legs and folded his arms, his biceps bulging.

“Well, normally yes, but I think Kang Woojin might be different. Besides, Megan Stone, who has worked with numerous top Hollywood actors, called him a ‘star’. There must be something about him that gives off a different energy than what I’ve seen before.”

Bald Robert scratched his head. He couldn’t quite understand it yet. He changed the topic at the mention of Megan Stone’s name.

“Come to think of it, didn’t Megan say she was going to Korea soon?”

“Yeah. She’s attending the Baeksang Arts Awards held in Korea in mid-March. Anyway, her part in ‘Last Kill 3’ is pretty much done, so she seems to be planning to go while working on other projects.”

“She went to Japan last time, and now it’s Korea.”

“To be a successful casting director in Hollywood, you need solid information on countless actors worldwide. Well, anyone can see that this trip to Korea is because of Kang Woojin.”

Joseph chuckled as he picked up the tablet again and mumbled.

“If our schedule allows, we should consider attending the Baeksang as well.”

They boarded a flight to Korea from LA International Airport around late lunch.

A few days later.

Late at night on the 4th, when Joseph Felton arrived in Korea and began his schedule.

A crowd of people came out in a swarm at the arrival hall, flooded with many reporters and onlookers. Roughly a few dozen people were enough. Leading the crowd was PD Yoon Byung-seon.

Indeed, the crowd was the ‘Our Dining Table’ team.

-Pabababababak!

-Pababababababab!

Despite it being night, the reporters’ shutter sounds were relentless, and the flashing lights were directed at the cast of ‘Our Dining Table’. The cast members, wearing hats or masks, separated at designated spots.

Among them.

-Slide!

A black-haired man got into a black van parked at the airport curb.

‘This is really tough. Airplanes are not for me.’

He looked calm and dignified on the outside but felt different inside. A few others boarded the van, and Choi Sung-geon, with his ponytail, turned from the passenger seat and spoke.

“Woojin, there’s the ‘Island of the Missing’ production announcement tomorrow and the ‘Leech’ script reading on the 6th, so there’s no schedule until 2 PM tomorrow. Rest well as soon as you get home.”

It was as if the lid of March, when many things would begin, was opening.

“Yes, CEO~nim.”

After finishing the second shoot of ‘Our Dining Table.’

『[Photo] Kang Woojin returns after filming ‘Our Dining Table’, greets reporters and fans calmly/ Photo』

『‘Issue Monster’ Kang Woojin who returned to Korea, has a packed schedule including ‘Leech’ first shoot and Baeksang Awards among other things.』

Kang Woojin returned to Korea.

*****

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