Chapter 40

Fast Track (2)

Upon receiving the script, Kang Ujin nodded indifferently.

"Ah, thank you for rescuing me."

But inside, he was dancing with joy.

'Nice, got the Japanese script.'

He was grinning from ear to ear. If this were visible, the concept would be ruined in an instant. Anyway, the reason Ujin requested a Japanese script was simple: he thought of Japanese after English.

'After all, it’s better to start with what’s familiar.'

As Kang Ujin checked the cover of the script, the stylist, Han Yejeong, sitting next to him, asked somewhat coldly. It wasn’t that she had a bad temper; that was just her usual tone.

"Bro, do you know Japanese? This doesn’t seem to be a translation."

"A little."

"Ah, really? But why a Japanese script?"

"Just to take a look."

The conversation was low-key and serious, and as Ujin flipped through a page of the script, Cha Sunggeun, sitting in the passenger seat, spoke, looking at Ujin in the rearview mirror.

"It took a while to get a Japanese script in the original language instead of a translation. Is this one good?"

"Yes, this one is fine. Thank you."

Road Jang Suwhan chimed in at this moment.

"Wow! Boss! How did you get a Japanese script?"

"Hey, hey, look ahead! How did I get it? I just have some connections in Japan."

Cha Sunggeun, who answered casually, scratched his afro but glanced at Ujin in the rearview mirror again. He was looking at Ujin and, at the same time, licking his lips. He was a bit frustrated.

'Ah, damn. It’s written in the contract that I can’t ask about his past, so I can’t even ask. I’m dying of curiosity.'

He was extremely curious about the past of this monster.

'Was he really overseas? ...Maybe in Japan? It could be, since he suddenly asked for a Japanese script.'

Cha Sunggeun, who was making some assumptions in his head, glanced at Ujin through the rearview mirror again.

'So, is he thinking about entering the Japanese market? Japan is good. Just knowing Japanese gives you a huge advantage over other actors. It opens up a lot of possibilities and a wider world.'

Language is crucial for an actor. It’s not just about lines; to grow globally, you need to be fluent in a foreign language. Once you master a foreign language, your growth rate increases by several times. Cha Sunggeun knew this very well.

'Japanese—good, but for an actor, English is still the best. Does Ujin know English at all, besides Japanese?'

At this point, Kang Ujin pretended to read the script.

-Swoosh.

He subtly moved his index finger to stab the black square that appeared next to the script.

-Poke.

Ujin immediately entered the endless dark subspace and naturally turned to check the listed white squares. Sure enough, one more had been added.

-[1/Script (Title: Detective Agency), A-grade]

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

-[3/Script (Title: 東京駅), C-grade]

The Japanese text was hard to read, but Ujin smiled.

"I can read Japanese."

He was about to acquire Japanese right after English. It was a matter of moments. In about two weeks, he would own two foreign languages.

Then.

-Swoosh.

Ujin selected the white square with Japanese text. At the same time,

["A new language has been detected. Acquiring '日本語 (Japanese)' first."]

A robotic female voice was heard.

["Preparing to read '日本語'..."]

["...Preparation complete. Starting to read '日本語'."]

A massive grayness enveloped Ujin.

After a while, when Ujin returned to the real world of the van, he looked at the script in his hand and muttered softly.

"いいね, すごくいい. (Roughly means 'Good, very good.')"

The Japanese in the script flowed smoothly. As expected, no need for a translator.

'Got Japanese.'

Japanese was added to Ujin’s knowledge.

After that.

The filming of 'Profiler Hanryang,' which started on March 25, proceeded steadily, both for the staff and the actors. As a result, Ujin had to digest the filming like a madman.

"Cut! OK!! This time, Ujin alone! Starting with a close-up!"

Switching between Park Dae-ri and Kang Ujin dozens of times could make a day pass in no time. Acting, acting, acting, meal, acting, acting. Apart from a few breaks, Ujin was just acting. He seemed like a machine for acting.

"OK! Next is Ujin! Hey, where’s Ujin?!"

"He’s waiting in the car! I’ll bring him right away!"

For the rookie actor Kang Ujin,

"Ujin! Standby!!"

The pace was nauseating.

'Please save me, please.'

Therefore, Ujin reduced his talking even more, except for acting. Maintaining the concept and filming was already a challenge. But Ujin wasn’t the only one in a tough spot. The staff and other actors were also struggling.

Solo shots, full shots, group shots, and so on.

"Call the extras! Next cut is a group shot!"

Song Man-woo PD was shooting like a possessed person. However, he wasn’t doing it carelessly.

"Cut! Jung-min! Your expression is dead. Add a slight smile and try again!"

As a veteran, he progressed the shooting quickly but controlled each scene deeply. Sometimes, a single scene could take over two hours.

A week passed.

March ended, and April began. On April 1, a Wednesday, the filming speed increased even more, like a fast train. In that scene, Ujin could only stick out his tongue.

'No, this is really not right, is it?'

The world of 'Detective Agency' was different.

"Okay!! Now, Ujin, go fix your makeup!"

Continuous filming, one after another. The team moved frequently, from sets to outdoors, back to sets, and back to outdoors. The absurd part was that this schedule was made to be the most efficient.

"Ujin, standby! Ah, let’s fix Ujin’s makeup a bit!!"

"Okay! I’m going!"

Ujin poured all his energy into acting.

He looked calm and serious, but there was no need to maintain the concept. Just adjusting his tone, he naturally maintained a poker face. For Ujin, who started acting two months ago, this schedule was violent without any consideration. However, he couldn’t whine. He couldn’t appear weak.

To everyone, Ujin was a crazy monster actor, full of self-esteem. So, Ujin used a cheat key: the subspace.

'I can’t do this. I’m really going to die.'

-Poke!

Since it was a filming site, the script was always nearby. Whenever things got hellish, Ujin stabbed the black square. On the first day of filming, he was too busy and had some resolve, so he didn’t use it, but he couldn’t endure with just pride. Unlike the chaotic filming site, the subspace was eerily quiet.

The endless dark space was heaven.

"Phew—now I can breathe a little."

However,

"I can’t sleep, which is a bit disappointing."

In the subspace, he couldn’t sleep. Ujin tried a few times but failed. The reason was unclear. Was it a psychological issue with Ujin or a characteristic of the subspace?

"Or some kind of penalty?"

Given the bizarre nature of the subspace, it was impossible for a human like Ujin to understand. If it’s not possible, it’s not possible. Ujin thought positively. So what if he can’t sleep? The subspace was already a cheat.

At least, he could rest like this.

He couldn’t completely relieve his fatigue, but he could ease it somewhat. That was enough for now. Since nothing could enter, including a phone, it was boring, but compared to the hellish filming site, it was a luxury.

"Being able to use rest freely is already satisfying."

After recharging roughly, when Ujin shouted 'Exit!' he calmly put on the mask of the concept. However, this process led to some misunderstandings among the staff.

"Why is Ujin so fine? How much stamina does he have to be like that? This kind of grueling schedule would make anyone collapse."

"Right, even the lead actors are nodding off. Ujin seems to have incredible endurance. I’ve never seen him struggle. His acting quality is always good, without any fluctuations."

"He must have been blessed with stamina. He’s really too perfect. I always wonder why he started acting now when I see Ujin."

Regardless, the 'Profiler Hanryang' team increased their filming speed even more. With the addition of Team B, they added a booster. When a B team is formed, they can shoot 20 scenes a day instead of 10.

It was like having two Song Man-woo PDs.

Of course, the B team would shoot more minor scenes rather than important ones, but that was still a significant help. The actors, including Ujin, moved between the main and B teams to continue filming.

Time flew by.

The weekend ended quickly, and the second week of April began. On April 6, Director Woo Hyun-gu, who had been receiving constant criticism, admitted to all his wrongdoings.

[Exclusive: Director Woo Hyun-gu, from 'Master' to 'Leech': "I will spend my life atoning."]

In the afternoon of the same day, Director Woo Hyun-gu held a press conference with a somber expression.

"I am truly sorry to the victims and the public. I feel heavy-hearted for causing significant distress to the film industry. I am sorry."

With this, Director Woo Hyun-gu’s illustrious career came to an end.

The next day,

The 'Profiler Hanryang' team announced an official update.

[Official: The highly anticipated first-half release 'Profiler Hanryang' will premiere on May 15, Friday at 10 PM.]

The premiere date was set.

A few days later, on April 10, a Friday.

In the morning, many people gathered in a large conference room. The number of people sitting at the U-shaped table seemed to exceed 20. They were all members of the 'Mise-en-Scène Short Film Festival' committee.

This was the committee room of the 'Mise-en-Scène Short Film Festival.'

As befitting the long-standing tradition of the 'Mise-en-Scène Short Film Festival,' the committee had many older members. The man with a receding hairline sitting at the head of the table spoke.

"Alright. Then let’s set the opening date for April 30, and the one-week schedule after the opening as follows. Submissions will start in two days."

He was the chairman of the committee.

"Preparations are about 70% complete, right?"

"Yes."

"How about the venue?"

The vice chairman, sitting next to the chairman, answered. He also looked old.

"Seoul Cinema Art Hall, CCV Coex, and the headquarters of the sponsor. A couple of theaters are still undecided."

"Get them finalized quickly. Once the submissions start pouring in, you won’t have time to worry about it."

"Understood."

"Regarding the invitation of jury directors?"

This time, a young woman sitting in the middle of the table answered.

"We have sent invitations to about ten directors, a mix of those who served last year and newly selected ones. Of course, we have invited the masters."

"Did you include Director Kwon Ki-taek?"

"Yes, but Director Woo Hyun-gu’s position is vacant due to the recent incident."

"Hmm. Even if they’re not masters, we can invite 15 directors, including those who appear on variety shows and have high recognition. It’s better to have more than to have too few."

"Understood, Chairman."

The chairman, looking down at the transparent file in front of him, continued.

"Expand the list of honorary jury actors and invited actors. It must be more than last year."

Suddenly, something clicked in the chairman’s mind, and he called the vice chairman.

"Vice Chairman, how about the special invitations? The Japanese directors?"

"Ah, as you said, we have sent invitations to five directors, but we haven’t received any responses yet."

"Send them out aggressively, both for art and commercial films. I hope at least two masters can come, but if it’s not possible, even directors with high recognition will do."

The chairman, who was giving instructions, suddenly clasped his hands and drew everyone’s attention.

"Alright, as you all know, we plan to put in a lot of effort this year. The promotional power must be different from last year. We will also ask influencers and BJ’s to advertise and invite good friends. We need to attract as many people as possible."

From the atmosphere, it seemed the chairman was aiming for a significant refresh this year compared to last year.

"We will also propose honorary jury members and invite top actors. Our ultimate goal is to make short films more accessible to the public, both online and offline."

The chairman explained the reason.

"The sponsor has changed this year, and they are putting in a lot of effort. Their requirement is to make a big event. Only then can they achieve the desired promotional effect."

When large corporations sponsor sports teams or film festivals, brand promotion is a significant factor. It’s to create an image of cultural development.

"Therefore