Chapter 31

Master (3)

"Okay, I understand. I'll just refuse... Hmm? Wait a moment."

Choi Sung-geun, taken aback by Kang Woo-jin's response, whispered back.

"Mr. Woo-jin, did you just say 'refuse'? I must have heard wrong, right?"

He was wondering if he had heard correctly, or perhaps it was a denial of reality. Yeah, that's it, right? He must have heard wrong. But Kang Woo-jin remained calm. No? You heard it right. Woo-jin repeated the same words in a low, emphatic tone.

"Please refuse."

"···!!"

Choi Sung-geun's eyes, behind his rimless glasses, suddenly widened. It was such an unexpected response. But at the moment, Kang Woo-jin looked extremely calm. His eyes were unwavering. It was sincere. This was genuine.

"Ah, no, what do you mean by that..."

Choi Sung-geun stared at Woo-jin, slightly dazed. Then he suddenly snapped back to his senses. A weirdo, that's what Hong Hye-yeon had said. Kang Woo-jin was an unpredictable character. Choi Sung-geun first smiled at the opposite side's Chief Choi Do-min.

"Ha-ha, Chief, just a moment."

He leaned close to Woo-jin, who was sitting next to him, and whispered again.

"Refuse? But it's just a few pages of the script, right? Why refuse?"

"I think it's best not to audition."

"No, no, Mr. Woo-jin, just calm down."

"I am calm."

"Let's be even calmer, more, more. H- Are you serious? Really going to kick this opportunity away?? With Chief Choi Do-min pushing for it?"

Despite Choi Sung-geun's desperate attempts to dissuade him, Kang Woo-jin's poker face remained unchanged.

"Yes, I think I'll kick it away."

There was no room for persuasion. His face showed no signs of being convinced. There was no space to intervene. The determination in Woo-jin's eyes made Choi Sung-geun feel a moment of dizziness. But Choi Sung-geun maintained his composure as best he could. After all, this was the main office of Box Movie.

It was best to maintain a good relationship for now.

So Choi Sung-geun said,

"Ah- Chief Choi, ha-ha."

He shifted his gaze from Woo-jin to Chief Choi Do-min. A forced smile was a bonus.

"Yes, Mr. Woo-jin says the script is very good."

"Is that so? Ha-ha, of course, it's from Director Woo Hyun-gu. But why are you saying that, Chief?"

At the same time, Choi Sung-geun subtly nudged Woo-jin's side. Ow, what for? Oh, you want me to play along? It was roughly the right answer. A signal to maintain his image, regardless of the refusal. Soon, Kang Woo-jin nodded calmly.

"I want to keep reading the script."

"Right, ha-ha-ha. But we can't just give you the script right away. If the auditioner knows the work beforehand, it might seem like we're giving them an unfair advantage."

Choi Sung-geun chimed in.

"Right, of course. We don't want to cause any trouble by giving special treatment."

He started to ramble.

"Still, Director Woo Hyun-gu is truly remarkable. I haven't seen him take a break, and he's already onto his next project?"

"That's just his personality. He can't stand to take a break. Chief Choi has met him a few times, right? Because of Hong Hye-yeon."

"Of course."

Honestly, these were unnecessary comments in the meeting. Just a way to buy time. It would be strange to leave immediately after seeing the script. The fact that Kang Woo-jin had joined bw Entertainment was also included. Anyway, after about 30 minutes of small talk, Choi Sung-geun said,

"Ah, yes. Then, I'll try to match the schedule and get back to you as soon as possible."

He stood up from his seat. Naturally, Kang Woo-jin followed, and so did Chief Choi Do-min.

"Am I waiting again?"

"Ah, it's because of the 'Hanryang' project and other preparations. The schedule is a bit tight. I'll get back to you, don't worry."

"Get back to me quickly? I'll really get scolded by the director."

"Of course, thank you for your hard work."

Choi Sung-geun and Kang Woo-jin exchanged appropriate pleasantries and left the meeting room. In the corridor, the next stop was the elevator. The button pressed was for the basement level.

Even then, the two of them.

"······"

"······"

There was no conversation. Only a slightly awkward atmosphere lingered. However,

-Clunk!

As soon as they got into the van, with Woo-jin sitting in the passenger seat, Choi Sung-geun pounced. It seemed he felt safe here.

"Mr. Woo-jin! Why? Why are you going to refuse? There must be a reason, right??"

Oh, I'm surprised. A reason? Yes. Kang Woo-jin slightly pulled his face back due to Choi Sung-geun's closeness. He answered inwardly.

'What else? The movie is rated F.'

In fact, Kang Woo-jin had secretly entered the hidden space in the meeting room and confirmed it.

-[3/Script (Title: Negotiation), F-rated]

-[*This is a highly complete movie script. 100% reading is possible.]

Upon seeing that the next project of Master Director Woo Hyun-gu was F-rated, Kang Woo-jin sighed. No, F-rated? Not even E-rated, but F-rated?? If it's F-rated, it was the first script he read. The lowest among the ratings. Naturally, Woo-jin wondered if he should do it.

'If it's not even E-rated but F-rated, there's no reason to do it. But how did this movie fail so badly?'

Box office failure? Or some other reason? The ways a movie can fail are endless. There are countless examples of productions that never even made it to the screen. However, Woo-jin was a bit puzzled.

'But he's a renowned master director? Yet it's F-rated? Why?'

But thinking about it was pointless. Regardless of the reason for its failure, the movie 'Negotiation' had no merit for Kang Woo-jin. To others, he might seem like someone who had spent a long time studying acting alone, but the real Woo-jin had only been an actor for a month.

It would be better to join a successful project, right?

'Well, I've heard that even if a movie fails, it's okay if it has good quality, but that's something to consider after becoming famous.'

Woo-jin pondered. He couldn't answer the wide-eyed Choi Sung-geun, who was sitting in the driver's seat, with something like, 'The movie is F-rated, you didn't know, right?' Instead, he suddenly recalled a common word he often used, one that included a bit of pretense and weight.

'Yeah, that's the cheat code, isn't it?'

It was a word he had used on PD Song Man-woo in the past.

"Just a feeling. I didn't have a good gut feeling."

Kang Woo-jin answered with no change in expression, showing remarkable audacity. Choi Sung-geun understood immediately, but his confusion only deepened.

"···What? Feeling? Gut feeling? You just said gut feeling?"

"Yes."

"Y- You're turning down Director Woo Hyun-gu just because of a gut feeling?"

"Not turning down, but refusing."

"What's the difference?"

Choi Sung-geun, who had asked, stared at Woo-jin's face. There was a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Mr. Woo-jin, are you feeling unwell? Do you have a bad headache or something? Huh?"

"I'm fine."

"But why are you talking about gut feelings?"

"It's the truth."

"If it's the truth, it's even more of a problem."

In the midst of this, Kang Woo-jin remained true to his concept, adding a bit of toughness.

"But please refuse the audition."

"······"

Choi Sung-geun, at a loss for words, almost cursed at the calm Kang Woo-jin. He was truly a unique and strange individual.

'This isn't just about guts or confidence. Why are you doing this to me?'

Even Hong Hye-yeon was unusual, but Kang Woo-jin surpassed her. He transcended common sense. No, a gut feeling? What kind of weirdo is this?

Choi Sung-geun, with his spiky hair, felt a moment of dizziness.

'Not just unpredictable... This guy is just crazy, isn't he?'

He would have to support this crazy person from now on.

Around mid-afternoon.

After arriving at bw Entertainment from Box Movie, Kang Woo-jin walked down the street. He had refused Choi Sung-geun's offer to drive him home, as personal time was very precious to him since he started his concept.

"I'm so tired."

Kang Woo-jin muttered to himself and stopped, then laughed awkwardly. Even when alone, he spoke in a serious tone.

'Am I crazy? Why am I so serious even when alone? Ah, now that I think about it, it's been a while since I laughed.'

Kang Woo-jin slapped his throat as if scolding himself. Passersby looked at him strangely. Regardless, Woo-jin went down the subway stairs. He saw many people.

Kang Woo-jin felt a renewed sense of wonder.

'Will there really come a day when these people recognize me?'

As an ordinary citizen, he now had a talent agency. Moreover, he was signed with a 40 million won advance and good conditions. Somehow, he had appeared in 'Detective Agency' and was about to start filming 'Profiler Hanryang.'

'I even had a meeting with a major film company involving a master director.'

The situation kept getting bigger, and more snowballs were added, rolling along. While it might be a burden, Kang Woo-jin, the origin of all this, was surprisingly calm.

'Is it because it feels too real?'

At that moment,

-Woo, woo, woo.

Kang Woo-jin's phone, tucked in the back pocket of his jeans, vibrated. The caller was top actress Hong Hye-yeon. Kang Woo-jin smiled again.

"How did I end up in a life where Hong Hye-yeon calls me like a friend?"

He cleared his throat and regained his composure.

"Yes."

Through the phone, he heard Hong Hye-yeon's laughter.

"I heard you signed. I heard you're working with us."

The representative acted fast. Kang Woo-jin leaned against the wall and replied.

"Yes, I did. Please take care of me."

"What do you need to take care of me for? Well, I'll take care of you too. Now we're family. But this is just out of curiosity, what was the biggest reason you chose our company?"

Reason? Kang Woo-jin thought for a moment. But no core reason came to mind. It was a mix of various calm judgments. Talking about conditions or the advance would make him seem too materialistic, and it wouldn't fit his cool concept.

'Here, I'll just say it's because of Hong Hye-yeon. That was one of the reasons, after all.'

Soon, Kang Woo-jin spoke dryly.

"Just a mix of things. And because Hong Hye-yeon is here."

"······"

On the other end of the phone, Hong Hye-yeon was silent for a moment. Her response came a few seconds later.

"You often hear that you're a tsundere, right?"

Meanwhile, the news that Kang Woo-jin had signed with bw Entertainment wasn't just heard by Hong Hye-yeon. Choi Sung-geun had quickly contacted everyone related to Woo-jin.

PD Song Man-woo of 'Profiler Hanryang,' for example.

"bw Entertainment—Hong Hye-yeon seemed to care a lot. Well, it's not bad. The key will be how Chief Choi controls Kang Woo-jin."

Naturally, to Director Shin Dong-chun of 'Detective Agency' as well.

"O- bw Entertainment? Chief Choi has good connections and influence. But did Mr. Woo-jin receive an advance?"

Director Shin Dong-chun was currently in the production company's editing room with two editors. The post-production editing of 'Detective Agency' had just started.

His eyes were sharp, indicating his formidable combat skills.

"Alright, let's start! We have to get this into the 'Mise-en-Scène Short Film Festival' main event. The cuts are amazing, so we can definitely do it!"

He seemed determined to make Woo-jin wear a stylish suit.

The next morning, the 17th, in Kang Woo-jin's one-room apartment.

Kang Woo-jin came out of the bathroom, shaking his head, apparently after a shower. He then gulped down banana milk from the fridge. His Adam's apple moved up and down smoothly. Soon, Woo-jin let out a clear, cheerful sound.

"Kiya- Nothing beats a hot shower followed by banana milk."

Wearing only underwear and finishing the banana milk in one go, Woo-jin was a complete 180 from his usual concept. Of course, it was to be expected. He then slowly got dressed. In fact, Kang Woo-jin had gone for morning exercise to build up his stamina for filming. It was just a simple run, but,

'Starting is half the battle.'

Anyway, he had no particular schedule for today. Choi Sung-geun would have a lot to prepare, but Kang Woo-jin just had to wait.

Around that time,

"Ah, right."

Something seemed to come to mind, and Kang Woo-jin moved. He picked up the script for 'Profiler Hanryang' Part 3 from the table. Or rather, he touched the black square attached to the side of the script.

-Plop!

Kang Woo-jin immediately entered the hidden space. The endless darkness spread before his eyes. Arriving at the now familiar space, he turned his body. He was looking for the floating white squares, which had increased to three.

-[1/Script (Title: Detective Agency), B-rated]

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

-[3/Script (Title: Negotiation), F-rated]

The script 'Negotiation' by Director Woo Hyun-gu had been added yesterday. The reason Kang Woo-jin entered the hidden space to check 'Negotiation' was simple.

"It's been a while since I read a script, and since it's by a master director, it wouldn't hurt to read it, right?"

He was curious. Even though he couldn't read the script itself, it didn't matter. Kang Woo-jin could experience (read) all the male roles in 'Negotiation.' Perhaps this would help him understand why it was F-rated.

Soon, Kang Woo-jin selected the white square for 'Negotiation.' A different message appeared immediately.

-[3/Script (Title: Negotiation) selected.]

-[Listing characters available for reading (experiencing).]

-[A: Lee Do-jun, B: Park Dae-hyun, C: Kim Wang-woo... G: James]

Kang Woo-jin, who had been scanning the characters, tilted his head.

"James? Is he a foreigner?"

His curiosity was piqued. It was the first time he encountered a foreigner. As a result, Woo-jin immediately chose the role of 'James.' At the same time, the familiar robotic female voice sounded.

["A new language has been detected. Acquiring 'English' first."]

However, her words were a bit different from usual.

["'English' reading preparation..."]

["...Preparation complete. Starting 'English' reading."]

Kang Woo-jin, who was listening, furrowed his brow.

"What does that mean? 'English'? Hey