Chapter 53: Countdown (3)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Around 10 AM, in Kang Woojin’s studio apartment.

In the center of the tidy room, a body was lying on the bed. It was Kang Woojin. He was sleeping so deeply that he would probably not be awakened even if the world was ending.

The reason he was sleeping until this time was simple.

The CEO Choi Sung-gun, told him that today, Saturday the 9th, was a day off.

It was after he had finished the busy schedule of the ‘Mise-en-scène Film Festival’. It was indeed time for him to have a day off. Things would get busy soon anyway. Of course, at this moment, his agency, bw Entertainment, was still a battlefield. Because ‘Exorcism’ swept both the film and actor awards.

As an investor, with good news for Hong Hye-yeon, Kang Woojin and others, it exploded.

Although they didn’t know, ‘Exorcism’ director Shin Dong-chun would be busy with film company meetings and interviews, and Hong Hye Yeon was also swamped with her already busy schedule plus the issues from the ‘Mise-en-scène Film Festival’.

“······♬♪-”

Currently, there are a flurry of inquiries from various production companies and film studios regarding Kang Woo-jin. Several interview requests came in from various film media and magazines. Although his public recognition was still low, he was treated as a blue chip in the film industry.

All of this went through bw Entertainment.

However, Choi Sung-gun asked Kang Woojin to wait for now.

‘Woojin, we are now riding a fast current, but let’s observe the situation for a bit.’

Hong Hye-yeon is already at the top, but Kang Woojin was at a very sensitive and cautious time. They needed to sort out the meetings and interviews pouring out from the company.

Well, Kang Woojin simply nodded his head.

Anyway, Kang Woojin, who was having a good sleep after a long time, could not sleep for long.

-♬♪ ♬♪ ♬♪

The phone on his bedside was vibrating for a long time. It was a call. However, Woojin only opened his eyes slightly and did not answer the call. Why?

“…..Why does she keep calling? Is she that bored?”

The caller was his younger sister, Kang Hyun-ah. Obviously, the reason for the call would be annoying questions.

“What – Did she see the article?”

Soon, Kang Woojin, who nonchalantly ignored the call, got up and stretched.

“I can call Mom, Dad, and Kang Hyun-ah later. Let’s just go to the void space first.”

Kang Woojin, who murmured to himself, looked down at the small table. There were stacks of scripts and scenarios. Among them, Kang Woojin picked up the ‘Island of the Missing’ scenario.

He had already finished the first reading of ‘Island of the Missing’.

“Shall I start with the small roles first?”

He needed to read it several times for a clearer understanding, but since the casting for the work was almost confirmed, he planned to slowly read (experience) the entire cast from now on.

“I went there often to rest, but it’s been a while since I went for a reading.”

Whatever the case.

– Pook!

Woojin poked the black square attached next to the ‘Island of the Missing’ scenario. Just like that, Woojin entered the void space. The void space was still endlessly empty and dark. Kang Woojin yawned again and turned his body.

There were three familiar white rectangles floating.

-[1/Scenario (Title: Exorcism), A grade]

-[2/Script (Title: Profiler Hanryang Part 1), S grade]

-[3/Scenario (Title: Island of the Missing), A+ grade]

Among them, Kang Woojin looked at the white rectangle of ‘Exorcism’ and stroked his chin.

“A grade······hmm. It was certainly A grade as a short film, right? It won the best actor award, grand prize, and the best film award.”

A speculation about grade A. The good fortune of director Shin Dong Chun, Hong Hye Yeon, and Kang Woojin was just beginning, but Woojin, who lacked knowledge, passed it by thinking, ‘Well, let’s say it’s like that.’

Next, Kang Woojin chose ‘Island of the Missing’.

Among the roles listed, Woojin decided on ‘Private Kim’, located at the very end. It was a relatively significant minor role. It appears in the first scene of the scenario, responsible for the theme, stimulus, and tension of the movie.

Though the part only lasts for less than 5 minutes, it’s quite significant.

Kang Woojin took a small breath just before selecting Private Kim. Even though it’s a minor role, what he experienced was beyond imagination.

“Huff- hoo-”

Woojin then chose Private Kim with his index finger.

[“‘P: Private Kim’ reading preparation in progress······”]

A friendly female voice was heard shortly after.

[“······Preparation complete. It’s a highly refined script or scenario. The completion rate is 100%. The reading will begin now.”]

A vast grayness engulfed Kang Woojin.

A hot wind blew.

-Saah

Because it was summer. The stickiness and suffocating heat. Then Kang Woojin’s gray vision began to clear up little by little.

Although it was afternoon, the surroundings were dark.

The dense forest blocked the light. The surroundings were filled with nothing but trees and rocks. No, there was something else visible.

‘A tomb?’

In front of him, he could see dozens of round tombs with wooden planks stuck in them. There were also strange sculptures. Rocks piled up randomly with weird dolls stuck on top.

A creepy and subtle atmosphere spread.

From this point on, everything about ‘Private Kim’ started to be hammered into Kang Woojin. His thoughts, emotions, sensations, current mental state. Because Kang Woojin now possessed Private Kim.

“F*ck- f*ck!”

He didn’t know since when, but Kang Woojin was now full of immense fear. His breath was irregular. He exhaled and held it in. He was breathing in and out like a madman.

“Huff! Huhuhuff, hoo-”

Kang Woojin was alone.

Alone in this f*cked-up forest, not knowing where he was. He felt the dampness. He looked down. He was wearing a military uniform. He could see mud-stained military boots and a dark stain in the center of his military trousers.

Private Kim, no, Woojin had wet himself.

His whole body wouldn’t stop trembling. The chill felt on his back, the hair on his arms sticking up through the rolled-up sleeves of his uniform.

And then.

-Silence.

He had a rifle in his hand. The rifle hanging over his shoulder, ready to be fired at any moment, was loaded. Come out, f*cker, come out. I’ll shoot and kill you all. Kang Woojin cursed inwardly.

But it was just a bluff to reduce the fear.

His whole body felt as heavy as a soaked towel. That’s how it felt. Every corner ached from running and rolling around, dried mud stuck all over his face and arms, and his thighs stung as if something had pierced them. But that wasn’t a problem at the moment.

Ah, the helmet is heavy.

Wiping the sweat flowing down his forehead, Kang Woojin took off his helmet while panting. For a moment, a very brief moment, he felt a coolness. The taken off helmet fell on the ground.

-Thud!

At that moment.

-Crunch!

There was a sound from behind. Simultaneously, Kang Woojin, who turned his body in a hurry, waved his gun muzzle here and there anxiously.

“Heuk, heuk-”

There was something. He had run and hid because there was something. But nothing could be seen now. Kang Woojin kept shaking the muzzle and whimpered. He wanted to find his comrades.

“Se, Sergeant Kim! Corporal Park!!”

“………”

However, there was no answer. The more there was no answer, the more Private Kim called his colleagues desperately.

“Over there! Is that you, Corporal Park! You’re there, right? Right?? Or Corporal Jang??! Are you there! If you are, answer!!”

The lingering fear exploded. Kang Woojin started firing the rifle on impulse.

-Bang bang! Bang bang! bang!

Five shots. There is no way to know at whom they were aimed or where they landed. It wasn’t a warning. He just wanted to reduce the rising fear.

“——Where the f*ck did they all go?”

At this moment.

“Ugh- Private Kim.”

A strange voice was heard right behind Kang Woojin. No, was it a voice? Woojin had a hunch and once again, pee trickled down his leg.

-Swoosh.

Kang Woojin, turning his body slowly. There was a person standing behind him. It was Corporal Park he had been looking for. A smile quickly spread across Kang Woojin’s face.

“Corporal Park…sir?”

That was only for a moment as he realized that he could only see the upper body of Corporal Park. The lower body was torn and not visible. Then again, a strange sound was heard.

“Ugh-”

Something was holding Corporal Park’s upper body. Kang Woojin fired his gun at whatever that was.

-Bang bang bang bang!!

“Shit! F*cking die! Die!!”

At that moment.

-Thud!

“Ugh-”

Something long pierced through Corporal Park’s upper body and penetrated Kang Woojin’s stomach. It was full of wrinkles. It felt as if all the organs in the body were torn apart at once. When Kang Woojin, who had lowered his head, faced forward again.

-Splat!

For some reason, Kang Woojin’s vision turned upside down.

“······Huh?”

And then, Woojin’s head fell to the ground with a thud.

“Ugh!”

Since his neck was cut and separated from the body.

Later that afternoon, in Jinju, Gyeongnam.

Kang Woojin’s parents, Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-chul, were at the counter of their porridge restaurant. To be precise,

“Yes, Woojin.”

They were on a call with their son, Woojin. It was their first call since receiving a message a few days ago. Kang Woo-chul put the call on speaker and laid down his phone.

“You, what on earth happened?”

“Yeah, yeah, do you know how curious mom and dad were?”

Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-chul vented their excitement into the phone. Their son, who announced to become an actor, won some award after two months – what parents wouldn’t be curious? Anyway, Kang Woojin explained it calmly over the phone.

“Ah- I’m sorry. But it wasn’t really a big film festival.”

“What festival was it? I tried to look it up, but I couldn’t figure it out.”

“Um, it’s not a commercial that goes up in a movie theater, it’s a short film festival that only judges short films. Of course, it’s a big film festival for a newcomer like me, but overall, it’s small.”

“But anyway, you won the acting award there, right?”

“Yes, I was lucky. Soon, I think the next work will also come out. A drama.”

“Is that possible? Is it normal for actors to have things go so smoothly?”

“No, it’s not. I think I might have a knack for acting, and it just worked out.”

“······Huh?”

“What?”

The call with their son lasted for several minutes. However, they had to end it reluctantly when a customer came in. Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-chul listened to their son’s explanation, but they didn’t understand a thing.

But they had to acknowledge that he had won an award.

While preparing the ordered porridge, the two endlessly talked about their son. The conversation was started by Seo Hyun-mi.

“Was my son actually an acting genius? Woojin was introverted when he was young.”

“Such kids suddenly change like that. Woojin took after me, he was handsome from a young age.”

“What are you talking about? His nose and eyes are completely like mine.”

Suddenly, Seo Hyun-mi clapped her hands together.

“Ah! Come to think of it, wasn’t there a kid among Woojin’s friends who loved acting? Who was it?”

“Oh, the kid who looked a bit like a gorilla? Big build. His name was Kim Daemyung? or Daeyoung?”

“Is he doing it together with him?”

Soon, Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-chul who were preparing the porridge started shoulder dancing joyously.

“He said he’s doing a drama, right??! Can we see our Woojin on TV even if it’s for a short time?”

Meanwhile, in a dormitory of a university in Seoul.

It was a Saturday, so the campus was quiet. However, the dormitory was full of students. Among them, Kang Hyun-ah, who was lying face down on the right side bed of a two-person room, said.

“Wow- Awesome. ‘Exorcism’ even won the Best Film Award.”

She was conducting serious research on her laptop. What else could it be? It was about ‘Exorcism’ the movie her older brother, Kang Woojin, appeared in. Unfortunately, she couldn’t watch the movie, but just by typing Kang Woojin in the search bar, it brought up quite a few articles.

It was a fascinating experience she had never had in her life.

Yesterday, she talked about Kang Woojin with her friends. Her friends were frantic, asking her to call him, but the actual protagonist, her brother Kang Woojin, never answered the phone. So, all Kang Hyun-ah could do was search for information related to her brother.

“Wow, the community is quite buzzing, huh? Which agency is he with?”

At this time,

-♬♪

Kang Hyun-ah’s mobile phone rang. The caller was the long-awaited Kang Woojin, her brother. She immediately put her phone to her ear.

“Ah!! Are you kidding me?!”

A sigh from Woojin came through the phone.

“Ha- my ears are going to fall off. Why do you keep calling? You should study more.”

“I am! Why are you ignoring my calls, brother?”

“Tell me ten reasons why I should answer.”

“Because you’re my brother! And… ugh, I don’t know! Are you really becoming a celebrity??”

“I am planning to, so you just focus on your studies.”

“Holy······this is crazy. How is this possible? Winning an award in two months? Where is your agency, brother? Are you close with Hong Hye Yeon? What’s your next work? Did you shoot anything else?”

A barrage of frantic questions. At this, Kang Woojin sighed again.

“Even if I answer all of that, you’ll just have more questions. Look, I’ll tell you everything when the time is right, so just focus on your studies. If you get good grades this time, I’ll give you pocket money.”

“…Really? From you?”

“Don’t you want it?”

“No, I do.”

“Then focus on that. I’m hanging up.”

“Ah ah ah, just one thing! Just one thing! What are you shooting now, brother?”

“A drama.”

– Click!

The call was cut off, and Kang Hyun-ah, who slowly put down her cell phone, covered her mouth with both hands, shivering.

“Shit… but a drama? Amazing. Probably just a brief appearance, right?”

Meanwhile, at Nonhyeon-dong GGO Entertainment.

Bulldog-looking CEO, Seo Gu-seob, who was sitting in the center of the office’s 5-person sofa. His hardened face showed that he was in a very bad mood. Next to him sat Park Jung-hyuk, who had not attended the ‘Short Film Festival’, and there were several employees around.

At this moment, an employee sitting on the left cautiously started speaking.

“In retrospect, it was the right decision for Jung-hyuk not to attend the closing and award ceremony. Currently, the focus is on ‘Exorcism’, Hong Hye-yeon, and that unknown actor who won the award…”

Hearing this, CEO Seo Gu-seob, pressed his forehead, and spoke in a cold voice.

“Regarding Jung-hyuk.”

“There has been no mention of him except on the day of the ceremony. If he had attended, he would have been mocked even more.”

-Bang!!

CEO Seo Gu-seob slammed the sofa armrest with his fist.

“Fuck! Why is everything so messed up?!”

The employees and Park Jeonghyuk, who had a sullen expression, were startled. CEO Seo Gu-seob, who barely managed to calmed down, glared at Park Jung-hyuk on his left.

“Hey, that’s why I told you to put everything you have into this role, right?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“How badly did you act for that unknown trash to win over you?”

In fact, although Park Jung-hyuk did not attend, CEO Seo Gu-seob did attend the closing and award ceremony of the ‘Short Film Festival’, and was busy glaring at the ‘Exorcism’ team, including Kang Woojin, throughout.

“Hong Hye Yeon, I get it, I’ve been backstabbed by her before and I understand her level. But an unknown? Losing to an unknown?”

“Well, but sir. Even Hong Hye Yeon also lost to that unknown actor and only received the best actor award.”

“Shut up! Don’t interrupt me! You should have crushed both of them!!”

CEO Seo Gu-seob, whose head was throbbing, took a deep breath and gave instructions to the employees on the right.

“Hu- First, dig into background of that unknown bastard who won the award. Kang Woojin, right? Look into his background. His acting is crazy and it’s strange that he suddenly appeared. Find out what kind of guy he was from the beginning.”

“Understood. We will start with the domestic theater scene.”

“No.”

CEO Seo Gu-seob, who interrupted the employee’s words, shook his head.

“It’s not domestic, he must be from Japan. He had a friendly conversation with Director Kyotaro and spoke Japanese like it was his mother tongue.”

He instructed the employees with a serious expression.

“So look into his background in Japan.”

CEO Seo Gu-seob was also infected.

*****