Chapter 24

Change (1)

"Self-study...? Come on, are you joking?"

The woman from the production team harbored hope. It must be a joke to lighten the heavy atmosphere of the reading session. However, Kang Ujin's response was low and confident.

"It's self-study."

"Really? You're serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious."

The woman from the production team instantly covered her mouth with one hand, shocked. She hadn't expected the word "self-study" to come up. The same went for the dozens of people still in the hall.

The entertainment industry professionals, producers, and journalists began to whisper conspicuously.

"What did he just say?"

"Self-study? He learned acting through self-study?"

"Does that make sense? It must be a joke. We've seen his acting, right? It's not the kind of quality that comes from self-study."

"But, his expression is so serious."

Of course, the situation was similar for the actors, including Ryu Jungmin.

Among them.

'Self-study? No, self-study???'

Ryu Jungmin, the male lead of "Profiler Hanryang," had a thoroughly shocked expression. It was even more so after seeing Kang Ujin's insane acting. The veteran actors sitting around him also had stiff expressions. Naturally, all the actors found it hard to believe at first.

Except for one person.

-Whoosh.

Hong Hyeon, who had just taken out her phone, was the only one among the dozens of actors who didn't react much. She already knew the fact.

'Everyone's eyes must be popping out. Well, I can understand. Even I find it hard to accept, knowing it already.'

Two more people. Song Manwoo PD and writer Park Eunmi, sitting side by side at the L-shaped table. The two giants were simply observing the situation without trying to mediate.

The atmosphere in the large hall had already become chaotic.

The word Kang Ujin had uttered was just "self-study," but at this moment, a flood of misconceptions and misunderstandings was overflowing. It was impossible to explain everything in detail.

Meanwhile, the protagonist who had set everything in motion, Kang Ujin.

'Stay calm, Kang Ujin.'

He was doing his best to maintain a poker face. He needed to create an atmosphere that matched the word "self-study," which he had used to stand out.

'Control your expression, control your expression.'

Initially, it was a smokescreen or a cover-up to hide his shame, but now, the concept had deeply seeped into Ujin, making self-study his trademark. Song Manwoo PD and Park Eunmi writer already knew this.

'Even if I look a bit arrogant, there's no choice. I've already said it.'

Consistency was needed in the concept. At least, that's what Kang Ujin thought. Being inconsistent would just make him look like a fool. Accidentally, he had started off on the wrong foot, but what could he do now that he had come this far?

Most importantly.

'It's not a lie, right? Even with the cheat key, I did learn through self-study. Yes, so it's safe.'

In a way, there was no lie in Kang Ujin's words. The period was incredibly short, but he had indeed learned on his own. Kang Ujin kept reassuring himself. Fortunately, the hall was filled with top actors. The sooner he could get out, the better.

However.

'Oh, I'm scared. Maybe I should run away now.'

The eyes of the veteran actors were too piercing. For Kang Ujin, who was essentially a commoner, it was a significant burden. His entire body was tense, and continuing to maintain the concept in front of them was problematic. He had already been doing it for more than half a day, and his energy was drained. Therefore, Ujin chose to run. That is, to escape.

-Clunk.

Kang Ujin, maintaining his poker face, slowly stood up from his seat and bowed slightly to the production team standing in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I'm not good with words."

The production team awkwardly responded and made way for him. At this point, Ujin's mind was filled with the idea of a straight path. The people remaining in the hall simply watched him leave with their eyes.

At this moment.

"Hey, Hong Hyeon."

Ryu Jungmin, with a serious expression on his face, stood up from his seat and approached Hong Hyeon.

"You knew, right? Kang Ujin came with you."

Hong Hyeon, who was preparing to leave, swept her long hair back and replied.

"Yes. Sorry. PD told me to keep quiet."

"Where is Kang Ujin from? Is he from your agency?"

"No."

"What did he do before? Self-study doesn't make sense."

"I don't know either. It felt like it came out of nowhere for me too. Maybe ask PD during the after-party."

After giving a casual answer, Hong Hyeon picked up her script and joined Choi Sunggeun, who was approaching her. When they were at a suitable distance from Ryu Jungmin, Choi Sunggeun, with his spiky hair, whispered to Hong Hyeon, his voice tinged with excitement.

"Hey, Hong Hyeon. Was what that guy said just now true? About self-study?"

"Yes. Even if you try to dig through your connections in the theater world, you won't find him. Acting was just a hobby for him? He even appeared on 'Super Actor' as a pastime."

"No... Does that make sense now? Acting isn't like a memorization subject. What about his overseas experience?"

"I told you, his past is unclear. There must be some reason... Anyway, let's talk in my room."

At this moment, everyone remaining in the hall was frantically discussing Kang Ujin.

Meanwhile.

A few minutes earlier, Kang Ujin had left the large hall, maintaining a blank expression as he walked down the corridor. There were quite a few staff members passing by, and this place was a battlefield, so he couldn't afford to relax. However, the accumulated tension made each step heavy.

'Ah, I'm so tired. I want to go to my room and lie down.'

Kang Ujin, who had been maintaining the concept from morning until now, was extremely exhausted. His body felt like it weighed a ton. He wanted to eat meat, but he thought he needed to sleep for an hour in his room.

As he was crossing the first-floor lobby.

"Mr. Ujin."

Someone called out to Kang Ujin from behind. It was a man's voice. Turning around, he saw a slightly chubby man approaching with a gentle smile.

"Hello, I was deeply impressed by your acting. You devoured this script reading."

"Thank you."

Who is he? Kang Ujin pretended it didn't matter as he responded, but he was thinking. There were so many people that he couldn't identify who this man was. Fortunately, the slightly chubby man handed him a business card.

"I'm Kim Namgu, the head of BHM Entertainment."

Ah, he's from an entertainment company. There were more than twice as many entertainment industry professionals as actors at today's script reading. Kim Namgu continued with a smile.

"I have a great interest in you, Mr. Ujin. Do you have an agency?"

"No, not yet."

"Wow! Really?!"

Ujin nodded sarcastically but was slightly excited inside.

'Wow, is this the contact or scouting I've only heard about? Amazing.'

Unaware of this, Kim Namgu clung to Kang Ujin.

"Please, please, give me a call. After this reading, I want to have a long talk with you at our company. Mr. Ujin, you are really, really desirable. Your mysterious aura and that insane acting just now."

"Ah, yes."

"Ha ha, as you know, BHM Entertainment is..."

Behind him, the slightly chubby head continued to boast about his company. It seemed to be a large entertainment company. Of course, it was an uninteresting story for Ujin, who didn't know much about the market, but fortunately, the head read Ujin's expression and quickly wrapped up his explanation.

"Let's have a longer talk at the company. Please give me a call. With Mr. Ujin, we can offer very generous terms."

Ujin didn't know what 'very generous' meant, but he nodded appropriately as he put the business card in his pocket.

"Yes, I'll consider it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kang Ujin started walking. He wanted to get to his room quickly. However, when Ujin reached the elevator.

"Mr. Kang Ujin!"

He was caught by someone again. This time, it was a woman's voice.

"Do you have an agency?"

A few dozen minutes later.

What should have taken five minutes to reach, Kang Ujin finally arrived at his room after 30 minutes. Regardless, as soon as he closed the door,

-Click.

Kang Ujin leaned against the door and collapsed. His legs gave out, and he plopped down on the floor.

"Ah, I'm going to die."

Unfamiliar place, unfamiliar top actors, over a hundred people he had never seen before, and acting. He had been on high alert from morning until now, and he had maintained the concept for a similar amount of time. It was exhausting.

Kang Ujin then leaned his head against the door and spaced out.

"......What did I do today?"

He had clearly experienced a war, but when he looked back, he couldn't remember much. Then, Ujin pulled something out of his bomber jacket pocket.

-Whoosh.

It was a stack of business cards. Ujin roughly placed them in front of him. There were about eight of them. He didn't look at them closely. Everyone had given him a business card and explained something, but the memories were vague.

"Everyone was from entertainment companies? Ah, I think there was also someone from a production company."

He didn't know. Ujin just wanted to lie down on the bed. He needed to shower, but his brain desperately wanted rest. Therefore, Ujin

-Plump!

Threw himself onto the bed. Sleep immediately washed over him. Oh no, that's not right. Ujin, who was about to close his eyes, set an alarm on his phone for one hour later.

Soon.

"Ah, so comfortable......"

Kang Ujin fell into a deep sleep.

About two hours later, around 7 PM.

Behind the outdoor parking lot of the condominium in Building 1, a large open space was bustling with a meat party. Naturally, it was the "Profiler Hanryang" team. The area was covered with artificial grass, and temporary tables, chairs, and grilling equipment were set up. The menu included beef and pork belly, among others.

About 50% of the total number of people were in attendance.

Almost all the production team, including PD Song Manwoo, had joined. However, writer Park Eunmi was not present. Quite a few entertainment industry professionals had gathered. Some actors had left the condominium due to their schedules or chosen to rest. The veteran actors had only shown their faces at the beginning and mostly stayed in their rooms.

Thus, about 50 people remained.

The problem was that Kang Ujin, who was craving beef, was nowhere to be seen. The reason was simple.

Kang Ujin was sound asleep, oblivious to the world.

Among the 8 actors sitting at a table, Ryu Jungmin had a deep, contemplative look on his face. He had been thinking about Kang Ujin since earlier.

'Kang Ujin, a completely new type of actor. Even after seeing him, I can't gauge him. And then, self-study?'

Ryu Jungmin was a top-tier actor among top actors. He had seen thousands of actors. However, Kang Ujin was difficult to judge. He was a rare breed. Mysterious expressions and actions, a seemingly hollow yet firm gaze, a high self-esteem aura, and an insane acting ability that was hard to trace its origin and end.

There was only one thing that was certain.

'Well, self-study was just a statement, right? The quality of that PD role is definitely not something that can be achieved through self-study.'

'The PD role' was one of the best performances in Ryu Jungmin's acting career.

At this moment.

"But that's a bit..."

A female actor sitting at Ryu Jungmin's table grumbled slightly.

"Regardless of others, shouldn't Mr. Kang Ujin attend the after-party? He turned the script reading upside down and is a newcomer, after all."

She seemed to have a complaint.

"Maybe he's already getting arrogant because he can act. I find such people a bit uncomfortable. His expression is almost indifferent, and his personality doesn't seem great."

Soon, the actors sitting at the table seemed to agree slightly. The one who unexpectedly objected was Ryu Jungmin.

"Well, I think he's closer to a prodigy than just being good at acting. And PD said the after-party is optional. It's not the 90s. If he's tired, he can skip it."

"But, still!"

"Moreover."

Ryu Jungmin, sweeping his long hair back, continued calmly.

"Didn't you see the intense emotions he displayed as PD? After that, a few hours won't dilute those emotions. From Ujin's perspective, attending the after-party would be a burden, wouldn't it?"

"Hmm......"

"We, as actors, build up emotions through the story, but PD, as a sociopath, is already complete. He needs to show that from the first episode. The intensity is different."

At this point, a couple of actors started to understand.

"Indeed. Ujin managed to bring out such intense emotions in an instant."

"Right, he must have done a lot of mental control a few hours before the reading started."

"Even we, as spectators, were left with our mouths agape. He must have experienced a lot of emotional turmoil."

Ryu Jungmin took over the conversation.

"After the acting, his emotional recovery was incredibly fast, but it only looked that way. Inside, he must be a mess. Talking to others in that state would only make things harder for everyone."

"I've had that experience too. When emotions get intense, I tend to get annoyed with people around me."

"Mr. Kang Ujin seemed on the edge. His constant blank expression. He needs to control his emotions well."

"I find him a bit dangerous. Don't you think? His acting was really method acting, maybe even more."

"The role itself is sensitive. A sociopath. Even if he can distinguish between reality and the fictional world, it must be difficult."

Indeed, as acting professionals, their opinions flowed smoothly. Ryu Jungmin delivered the final blow.

"Probably, he's going through a lot right now, trying to recover his emotions."

He was wrong. The actual subject of this conversation was

"Everyone has had the experience of struggling to recover emotions."

soundly sleeping without a care in the world.

The next morning, in Kang Ujin's room.

Kang Ujin, still in yesterday's clothes, was seen fast asleep. His phone, which was ringing, was on the bedside table.

-♬♪

The loud ringing suddenly jolted Kang Ujin awake. Wiping his mouth was a bonus.

"Phew! Did I fall asleep? What time is it?"

He muttered to himself and picked up his phone. There was an incoming call. The caller was top actress Hong Hyeon. He also checked the time.

"7 AM?? Wow, I slept for two hours?"

He then hesitated slightly as he was about to answer the call. It was to maintain his tone.

"Yes, hello."

On the other end of the phone, Hong Hyeon's laughter could be heard.

"Are you awake? Let's go to the store."

"Understood."

-Click.

As soon as he hung up, Kang Ujin thought of the beef. The after-party started at 7 PM, so it wasn't too late yet. Since Hong Hyeon was leaving now, it should be fine.

Then, Kang Ujin stopped moving.

"Huh? Why is it so bright?"

He could see a bright light through the curtains. It wasn't the light of the afternoon. So, he pulled the curtains open.

"Ah!"

The bright, dazzling sunlight enveloped him. At that moment, Kang Ujin had a hunch.

"Wow, no way."

He immediately checked his phone. Soon, Kang Ujin covered his face in despair.

"It's AM 7 AM, not PM 7 PM... Ah, I'm screwed."

Realizing he had missed the beef due to sleep.

About an hour later.

The outdoor parking lot in front of the condominium was crowded with staff packing their bags and actors getting into vans. Among them, PD Song Manwoo, who had just finished saying goodbye to Kang Ujin a few dozen minutes earlier, was visible.

Of course, writer Park Eunmi, wearing a headband, was also by his side.

They were looking at a large white van in front of them. It was Hong Hyeon's van. Kang Ujin and Hong Hyeon were already in the van, and the next to get in was Choi Sunggeun, the CEO of BW Entertainment.

Seeing this, writer Park Eunmi crossed her arms and spoke.

"Separate at first, but after seeing Ujin's acting, CEO Choi is going with him."

PD Song Manwoo chuckled.

"Hong Star showed a lot of interest in Ujin. Since Hong Star and CEO Choi are one, it's obvious they have a lot to talk about. I thought it would be like this. By the way, wasn't Hong Hyeon a key figure and investor at BW Entertainment?"

"From what I heard, Ujin received a lot of business cards from entertainment companies yesterday. It's the first time I've seen an unknown actor collect business cards on the day of the reading during my career as a writer."

"Ujin is not an ordinary unknown. His impact is different. Anyway, no matter where he signs, Ujin will be the first unknown to receive a signing bonus in the industry, right?"

"Signing bonus?"

In response to the question, PD Song Manwoo smiled deeply.

"After giving him time to assess his own value, he negotiated a higher appearance fee with me. He's sharp."

Recalling the day of the