Chapter 281: All Time (12)

The first episode of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ was roughly under 20 minutes. The content included the introduction of the male lead ‘Toru Sengoku’ and the female lead ‘Kyoko Enma’, a brief explanation of ‘Toru Sengoku’s’ personality and high school background, appropriate appearances of supporting characters, and the start of the main plot.

Additionally, the final version is expected to include ‘Toru Sengoku’s’ past and a piano performance.

In other words, most of the first episode of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ is dedicated to the male lead ‘Toru Sengoku’. This means there are a lot of lines. There were also quite a few monologues by the male lead like in the script.

But Kang Woojin.

‘Oh- the anime quality is really good?? The artwork is superb. No wonder this anime production company is so big.’

He was so relaxed that he could enjoy the anime being displayed on the monitor while voicing the male lead. It was easier than he thought. Perhaps because he didn’t have to move his body like in acting. Of course, he had to put a lot of effort into his voice, but for Woojin, who already had exprienced ‘Toru Sengoku’, it wasn’t difficult.

When he brought out Toru Sengoku, Woojin’s surroundings became an anime.

The scenery of the reading room disappeared.

The cheat item, the void space, was the same in the voice acting version. No, in terms of difficulty, voice acting was several times easier. So, how well would Kang Woojin perform?

It was no surprise that the voice actors and the director were shocked by Woojin’s flawless performance.

‘How can he match the timing so perfectly?! Is he really new to voice acting??!’

‘Even though there’s a time sheet marked on the script… it’s natural to make mistakes. Why doesn’t he make a single mistake? Even veterans can’t do this, right??’

Moreover,

‘He’s not just matching the lines. There’s plenty of emotion, and he’s adjusting the pitch and emphasis while…’

Kang Woojin, who was voice acting for the first time, was precise in his rich emotions and tone control. Even Asami Sayaka’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘Practice? No, that’s not a level achievable by practice alone.’

The Japanese voice actors made more mistakes instead.

The atmosphere in the reading room quickly heated up. Exclamation and question marks were overflowing among the more than 50 people present. Regardless, Kang Woojin calmly did his job.

Like that.

“…Cut. Let’s take a short break.”

After finishing the reading of episode 2, the director called for a break. But the voice actors were all frozen in place. They were too shocked to move. The same was true for the executives and staff of ‘A10 Studio’. The only one whose mind was working was the female team leader of the planning department in charge of the overall progress.

‘Oh my god. I thought he’d be able to cover somewhat since he’s good at acting… but not a single mistake?’

Then she heard about the earlier incident from a staff member.

“What? Such a thing happened?”

She made a puzzled expression. Well, similar incidents are common in the entertainment industry, but she didn’t expect such a situation to happen so blatantly. Therefore, the female team leader, accompanied by the staff, approached the silent Kang Woojin and bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry, Kang Woojin.”

Frankly, she didn’t care much about losing some cast voice actors.

“I should have been more attentive. I will personally convey the warnings to the voice actors, and I apologize again.”

But losing Kang Woojin would be a significant issue that could halt the production of ‘Male Friend: Remake’. No, it would be closer to a disaster. From the beginning, the male lead character ‘Toru Sengoku’ was modeled after Kang Woojin, and he was crucial in promotion, marketing, and numerous issues.

In other words, he was the main focus related to the viewership ratings.

Therefore, ‘A10 Studio’ could not afford to upset Kang Woojin.

Meanwhile, Woojin,

“It’s okay, I’ve already forgotten about it.”

He shook his head indifferently.

‘I’ve been receiving so many apologies today, oh- it’s actually making me feel a bit more burdened.’

In reality, the earlier incident had mostly been diluted by now. At this point, the female team leader, who had been quietly observing the indifferent Woojin, suddenly whispered.

“But Woojin, you would have easily won even if you had made that bet, right?”

“Is that so?”

It was an obvious result.

“How on earth are you able to… no, how are you perfect even in voice acting?”

Later on.

The shock, no, the script reading ended for ‘Male Friend: Remake’ in the early afternoon. Even as the voice actors left, they clearly recognized Woojin.

If we’re not careful, we might get overshadowed.

Indeed, his skills were enough to declare confidently. The issue wasn’t why this Korean actor had perfect voice acting posture or how it was possible. The pros who made a living as voice actors were about to be outdone. Anyway, the voice actors quickly left the reading room, and Kang Woojin remained.

Because there were still recordings of the piano, OST, etc.

Thus, when Kang Woojin returned to the hotel after finishing today’s schedule, it was almost midnight. Despite the tight schedule all day, Kang Woojin, who endured thanks to the void space, was first met by ponytailed Choi Sung-gun.

“Hey, I heard you turned the reading room upside down again? I heard from the others.”

Choi Sung-gun, who met Woojin in the hotel lobby, was all smiles.

“What a shame, if only I wasn’t busy with work! To miss such a scene.”

“It wasn’t anything important.”

“Wasn’t it hard? It was your first time, wasn’t it?”

“It wasn’t particularly difficult.”

“Yeah, that’s like you. That’s Kang Woojin.”

Soon, Choi Sung-gun leaned in and whispered to Woojin.

“Today, I was busy looking into various things regarding our bw Entertainment’s Hollywood branch. That will be your base when you go to Hollywood.”

With a meaningful smile, Choi Sung-gun suddenly changed the subject.

“Ah, by the way, when is the official recording day for that anime ‘Male Friend: Remake’? I heard it’s roughly a few days later.”

Kang Woojin recalled the director’s comment in the reading room.

‘After today’s reading on the 29th, the official recording will start on the 31st. The entire recording schedule will take about 3 to 5 days at most.’

The official recording of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ was on the last day of May, the 31st.

That was two days later.

May 31st, Monday. Around 10 AM.

The day of the official dubbing recording for ‘Male Friend: Remake’. For reference, the gathering time was around noon. And today, including Director Kyotaro, the entire staff of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ had been summoned by Chairman Hideki. It was to hold a gathering in the hall of the ‘Kashiwa Tokyo Hotel’. The round tables in the spacious hall were set with splendid food and various drinks or alcohol.

It was a gathering arranged by Chairman Hideki to commemorate the crank up. A kind of wrap party.

In fact, there was no need for the main investor to go to such lengths, but Chairman Hideki, who had visited the crank up site, was moved and voluntarily gathered the staff.

Anyway.

“Wow! This is incredibly delicious!!”

“Eat a lot! Where else would you get to eat such food!”

“Talking is a waste of time!”

The hundred or so staff members of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ were enjoying the gathering frantically. Of course, actors and other related people were mixed in. However, for some reason, Director Kyotaro, Author Akari, and Kang Woojin were not visible.

Naturally.

They were all gathered in a reception room close to the hall. To be precise, the people gathered in the spacious room were Chairman Hideki at the head of the table, with Director Kyotaro and Author Akari on either side, followed by Kang Woojin and Choi Sung-gun. At the far end, representatives from the film company and executives from the distribution company could also be seen.

About a dozen or so people.

The atmosphere was somewhat serious. So was Kang Woojin’s expression. However, inside, he was grumbling.

‘Ah- damn, if it’s an important conversation, the higher-ups should just handle it themselves. I’m dying of hunger.’

He was craving the high-class food laid out in the hall. But he didn’t show it outwardly.

Soon, Chairman Hideki, seated at the head, with his suit jacket off, spoke in a gravelly voice.

“First of all, good job everyone. But about that- changed ending. Although we decided to proceed without hesitation, I wanted everyone to be mentally prepared, so I called this gathering. To discuss it a bit.”

He was the head of the ‘Kashiwa Group’. He had more experience than anyone in this room and a clear vision of the future of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’. Chairman Hideki, fixing his gaze on Author Akari to his right, spoke in Japanese again.

“First, when ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ is released, the initial blast will probably come from the original fans. That earthquake-like trend will quickly spread through the entertainment industry and among the public. Whether it’s controversy or complaints, whatever it may be.”

Everyone gathered here, including Chairman Hideki, had anticipated this scenario.

“I understand that we’re pushing forward, and I also agree. However, wouldn’t it be wise to prepare in advance?”

“Yes, indeed.”

Director Kyotaro, along with the representatives and executives from the film company and distribution company, nodded in agreement. This was something they had intended to discuss after finishing the film shooting anyway. Chairman Hideki, who was stroking his chin, asked Director Kyotaro.

“I’m not doubting it, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. But the director’s perspective might be different. What do you think? Are you confident in the quality of ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’?”

“…Although editing remains.”

Director Kyotaro, full of grey hair, spoke with conviction.

“I believe it will be the best film in my entire film career.”

When a film stirs up a massive controversy, if its quality is also poor, the situation becomes very unfavorable. However, he was implying that ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ could exclude that concern. It wasn’t 100% certain, but with the renowned Director Kyotaro’s confident declaration, it seemed reassuring.

Soon, Chairman Hideki nodded slowly.

“Hmm, then there’s no problem with the film itself.”

An executive from the distribution company chimed in.

“Well- ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ has been quite noisy since the early stages of production, and it already has a considerably higher recognition compared to other competing works. We’d need to conduct a clear survey, but just looking at social media, it seems like there’s no one who doesn’t know about ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.”

Chairman Hideki, with a slightly raised eyebrow mixed with white hair, glanced at the silently seated Kang Woojin.

“Hmm, Woojin’s influence has been significant recently.”

“Yes, that’s correct. So, how about we slightly reduce the promotional intensity when the full-fledged marketing begins two months before the film’s release?”

“Reduce it?”

“Yes. We can do the basic promotions, but pass on press conferences or marketing schedules moderately. Also, slightly reduce the number of preview screenings.”

“Is the idea to minimize the expected noise as much as possible?”

“That’s the intention.”

Normally, they would engage in frantic promotion and marketing, but ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ had already generated significant buzz. Therefore, the idea was to minimize the predicted controversy and complaints as much as possible. Honestly, no one could guarantee how large the fire would spread, but according to the film company and distribution company’s predictions, it would be quite massive.

At this, the main investor, Chairman Hideki, who had his arms crossed, exhaled deeply.

“Hmm-”

The atmosphere grew considerably heavy. At this moment, Chairman Hideki’s gaze suddenly settled on Kang Woojin, who was seated in the middle.

“What do you think, Woojin?”

The question was unexpectedly directed at Kang Woojin. Of course, Woojin maintained his poker face. However, inside, he was slightly startled.

‘Why is this old man suddenly asking me? Shouldn’t the higher-ups handle this on their own?’

He felt they should handle it themselves, but his concept-driven persona couldn’t afford to back down. Here, he had to deliver a solemn remark.

Above all.

‘But isn’t reducing the promotion a bit- timid? Is it just me? It feels like running away.’

Woojin’s true thoughts were entirely different from the current situation. It was a judgment he could make because he had the option to ‘escape to Korea’. His mindset was fundamentally different from everyone here. Woojin then.

-Swiftly.

He scanned Chairman Hideki, Director Kyotaro, Author Akari, Choi Sung-gun, the distribution company and film company representatives. All eyes were on him.

‘Ah- this is burdensome.’

But Kang Woojin spoke in a very calm voice, contrary to his inner turmoil. His Japanese was low and concise.

“On the contrary, I think it’s better to expand the scale even more.”

Most were surprised. The response came from Chairman Hideki, who was seated at the head.

“…Expand the scale further?”

Kang Woojin remained composed.

“Yes. If we retreat, people will perceive us as more foolish, and the criticism will only intensify.”

A smile spread across Chairman Hideki’s wrinkled lips.

“In times like this, we should stand firm and amplify the situation instead. You’re suggesting we expand our promotional efforts, marketing, press conferences, and events even more than planned, right? Invite more reporters and stakeholders than usual.”

In other words, the intention was to not cower and sow even more seeds of chaos. The smile on Chairman Hideki’s face deepened as he spoke to Kang Woojin.

“Let’s face this head-on by scaling up our efforts several times.”

Kang Woojin responded in a nonchalant tone.

“That’s what I think.”

Meanwhile, at the same time in Korea.

The Korean film media was pouring out quite a few articles related to the past weekend.

『Weekend theaters packed, cinemas filled to capacity with crowds flocking to watch movies/ Photos』Theaters fully booked

『[Movie Talk] Drive-in theater filled with cars coming to see the phenomenon ‘Island of the Missing’』

In the juk restaurant in Jinju, Gyeongnam, Woojin’s parents, Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-chul, were looking up at the large TV on the wall while preparing for the opening.

“……”

“……”

Both were just staring blankly at the TV. The morning news was currently on. It was the cultural segment. The female anchor’s clear voice resonated.

[“The movie ‘Island of the Missing’, which has been setting new records and causing a sensation, has surpassed 10 million viewers for the first time this year, becoming the 19th Korean film to reach this milestone. It achieved this record in just 12 days since its release, which is 3 days faster than the previous record of 15 days set by the all-time number one film ‘Sea Battle’. It is overwhelmingly breaking new records. It remains to be seen if it will take the throne of the Korean film industry. This is reporter Yoo Hyun-tae.”]

Soon, the news showed theaters packed with people. At the same time, the male reporter’s voice continued.

[“Directed by Kwon Ki-taek and starring prominent domestic actors like Ryu Jung-min, Ha Yu-ra, Kim Yi-won, Kang Woojin, and Jeon Woo-chang, the popularity of ‘Island of the Missing’ is fierce.”]

A graphic of ‘Island of the Missing’ appeared on the center of the TV.

[‘Island of the Missing’ audience count as of May 30, 2021]

[Island of the Missing / Release Date: May 19 / 12-day total audience count: 10,178,755]

Soon, Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-chul, who had been staring blankly at the TV, slowly turned to look at each other. Then, as if on cue, they simultaneously murmured.

“Our son, a ten million viewer actor?”

*****

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