Chapter 5

Concept (1)

Around 11 PM, in a writer's studio.

The space was easily over 1,300 square feet. Though it looked like a home at first glance, it was indeed a writer's studio. As proof, several assistant writers were busily typing away on their laptops at a table in the center of the living room.

It was a common sight for assistant writers to live and work in the studio. The same went for the largest room, surrounded by bookshelves filled with books.

-Tap, tap-tap-tap.

The frantic sound of typing echoed through the room. A middle-aged woman with a gray headband was visible.

"Tsk."

She clicked her tongue, seemingly struggling with her writing. She was the owner of this large writer's studio, writer Park Eun-mi. She was in her early 40s, with long permed hair tied up.

Then, Park Eun-mi,

"Ha-"

She covered her face with both hands, as if in frustration.

-♬♪

Her phone beside the laptop rang with a cheerful ringtone. However, Park Eun-mi,

"......"

Only glanced at it, not answering. Calls had been pouring in like crazy for about a month.

The reason was simple.

"[Hot Topic] Star Writer Park Eun-mi Returns... Broadcasting Industry Buzzes"

She was one of the few star writers in the country. She had written 14 drama series so far, and 8 of them, including her most recent work, were hits. Did the other 6 fail? No, they did better than average.

In other words, Park Eun-mi was an ultra-star writer with no failed works.

Then, Park Eun-mi,

"Phew-"

Was about to cover her face with her hands when,

-♬♪

Her phone rang again. Most of the calls were from large to medium entertainment companies, clearly trying to get their actors into the project. Of course, it was understandable.

After all, being part of this project meant a guaranteed blockbuster.

Park Eun-mi was well aware of this.

"It's a mess, a real mess."

For a writer of her caliber, controlling the casting process was no big deal. However, the casting for this new work was already largely set. With Hong Hye-yeon confirmed, the calls from entertainment companies were just a nuisance.

Perhaps because of this,

"Ugh- It's so noisy."

Park Eun-mi reached to turn off her loudly ringing phone. She paused.

"Hmm?"

She tilted her head, looking at the caller, and then put the phone to her ear.

"Hello, Director Song. What's the call at this hour? I thought you were judging the preliminaries of 'Super Actor,' is the filming done?"

It was Director Song Man-woo, known for his beard, not an entertainment company. On the other end, Director Song Man-woo answered urgently.

"Yeah, it's done. By the way, I'm on my way to the studio right now."

"Now?"

"Almost there. I'll arrive in 20 minutes."

Since they were already on the same team, there was no problem with him coming to the studio, but Park Eun-mi frowned slightly due to the late hour.

"I was just about to take a shower. If it's not urgent, let's meet tomorrow morning?"

"No, no. It's urgent, and you need to see this right away. Oh, and Hong Hye-yeon is coming too."

"See what? Wait, Hye-yeon is coming too??"

"Yeah. We'll talk about it when you get here."

It was past 11 PM, and Director Song Man-woo and the confirmed lead actress Hong Hye-yeon were on their way. It didn't seem like a trivial matter.

"Phew- You said you'd judge together. Alright, I understand."

"Okay!"

-Click.

Park Eun-mi, who had casually thrown her phone aside, took off her headband and left the room. She seemed to be preparing to send the assistant writers home.

"Guys, Director Song is coming. Go home for today. Take a couple of days off."

The assistant writers quickly packed up their things, and Park Eun-mi smiled.

"Good. I'll give you a card, so buy something nice to eat on your way home. Don't worry about the price."

"Ah! Thank you!!"

The assistant writers, excited to receive the card, one of them, a woman with glasses, handed Park Eun-mi a thin stack of papers.

"Writer, here are the sociopath materials you asked for."

Park Eun-mi, who received the stack, sighed softly.

"Thanks. But I might not use this."

"Why not?? Oh- Is it a casting issue?"

"Exactly. There are plenty of actors, but the problem is they can't handle it. The ones who can act well avoid it."

Park Eun-mi, who clicked her tongue, casually placed the materials on the table in front of the TV.

"I might change the character setting itself."

A few minutes later.

The assistant writers had left, and two new figures were seen on the living room sofa: Director Song Man-woo and top actress Hong Hye-yean, who was closely attached to Park Eun-mi and Song Man-woo.

"Wow- Writer, your studio smells great! Did you change the diffuser?"

Park Eun-mi, who seemed a bit annoyed,

"Hong Hye-yeon, calm down and sit down."

She gave a slight rebuke to Hong Hye-yeon. However, Hong Hye-yeon, who was used to Park Eun-mi, wasn't fazed.

"You always say that. You act annoyed but secretly want me to notice the new diffuser, don't you?"

"No, I don't. Anyway, sit down, the tea is ready."

Park Eun-mi placed the tea she had prepared on the table. Meanwhile,

-Swoosh.

She glanced at Director Song Man-woo, who had been looking at his phone, and spoke.

"Director, is it really okay to keep directing? You said you might not be able to direct this one, right?"

"Hmph."

Director Song Man-woo, who snorted,

"What can they do if I say I'll do it?"

"Still, isn't it hard to be part of a group? Honestly, with your experience, name, and age, shouldn't you be a desk executive by now?"

"Desk executive, my ass. If I can't direct, I should retire."

Only then did Director Song Man-woo lift his gaze from his phone to Park Eun-mi across the table.

"But this might be my last work. I'm getting old, and I need to think about the younger generation. It's time to step back."

Scratching his beard, Director Song Man-woo looked like he was in his 50s but was actually in his mid-40s. Given his achievements and age, he should have been a CP or higher in a broadcasting company long ago. However, he had a mindset that he would rather die than not direct.

He let out a long sigh,

"At least for now, I'm still the one who can pull in ratings."

Hong Hye-yeon and Park Eun-mi added their thoughts.

"I hope you keep directing, Director!"

"I feel the same, but I'd be okay if you joined as a CP too."

However, Director Song Man-woo shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Enough. They'll keep giving me hints anyway, and I'll have to leave the company after this project. I'm thinking of setting up a production company to keep directing."

"Oh- As a director, you'll get investments right away."

At that moment,

"So."

Director Song Man-woo's eyes lit up.

"Let's make this one a big hit, no matter what."

Hong Hye-yeon, with her long hair swaying, smiled.

"Agreed, completely agreed."

Park Eun-mi, who let out a small sigh, shrugged and chimed in.

"Wasn't that always the mindset? So, why are you two here at this hour?"

In response, Director Song Man-woo abruptly stood up from the sofa. He then connected his phone, which he had been fiddling with, to the large TV. Park Eun-mi, who frowned,

"What are you doing? Are we watching a movie?"

Director Song Man-woo, who was operating the large TV, held the remote and calmly replied.

"Just watch, and we'll talk after."

"What are we watching?"

"A hidden master we found today. Or, an actor."

"......What do you mean exactly?"

Park Eun-mi, who openly complained, but Director Song Man-woo played a video from his phone. On the large TV, a man appeared.

This morning, the first contestant of 'Super Actor' preliminaries, Kang Woo-jin.

Seeing him, Park Eun-mi tilted her head.

"What's this? Is this a recording of 'Super Actor'?"

But Director Song Man-woo, who was standing with the remote, answered with a question. Pointing at the TV,

"What do you think of this guy?"

Kang Woo-jin, sitting in a chair, had a slightly tilted head and a phone to his ear. His pupils were slightly dilated. Park Eun-mi, who seemed uninterested, gave her evaluation.

"He's tall. The visuals are good. There's a bit of a rough edge. But did he drink? He looks drunk. His pupils are dilated. His eyes are a bit..."

Hong Hye-yeon, who was sitting cross-legged, was quick to respond.

"Intense, right? Drunk but intense."

"Seems a bit off. A newcomer? An aspiring actor? For an unknown, he has a unique vibe."

"No, it's hard to categorize him as a newcomer or aspiring actor."

"What? - Director, why are you showing me this? I'm really tired. I couldn't write today, and my head is already splitting."

At that moment,

-Creak.

Kang Woo-jin in the TV slowly moved to stand in front of the judges and began to perform.

Somewhere between a seizure and a fit.

Ragged breathing, desperate eyes, bizarre hand and foot movements, trembling body with a mix of sorrow and intensity, and subtle expressions radiating from his facial muscles.

For 30 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes.

Kang Woo-jin in the TV had become a different person, and Park Eun-mi, who had been sitting on the sofa,

"......"

Was now right in front of the large TV. Her earlier complaints had vanished. Her expression was now firm and focused.

'Is this... Is this real acting?'

Is there such a reversal in the world? Park Eun-mi, who watched, was filled with doubt.

'Has he really been stabbed before? Otherwise, how is this possible?'

At that moment,

-Swoosh.

Director Song Man-woo abruptly stopped the video. He then asked Park Eun-mi, who had wide eyes,

"Which one seems more like his real personality? The initially dazed one or the intensely emotional one now?"

"I don't know. More importantly, why is his acting like this? I've never seen anything like this. It's not just realistic, it's real."

"Right. What if he did this after just one minute of looking at a script?"

"What are you talking about? That's ridiculous!!"

"Who knows, but there must have been an incredible amount of effort."

"What do you mean??"

"Let's watch his interview."

Soon, a short interview with Kang Woo-jin, who had stopped acting, played on the TV. He looked very arrogant or had high self-esteem, saying things like "I self-studied."

Director Song Man-woo asked again,

"Does this seem more like him?"

"......I'm confused."

"Right?"

Then, Director Song Man-woo, who had a beard, took a step closer to Park Eun-mi, who was staring at the TV.

"The kid's acting is insane, and he has a clear sense of seasons. He was cool, then hot, then cold. Like a psychopath. Watching him, doesn't a character come to mind?"

At that moment, Park Eun-mi's mind snapped back. She turned her body and focused on the table.

On the table, she saw,

"Ah."

The sociopath materials given by the assistant writer.

The next morning, the 13th. Kang Woo-jin's studio apartment.

It was around 8 AM. Kang Woo-jin, who had been asleep, suddenly opened his eyes. His hair was messy, and a script and a scenario were scattered on his bedside table. He must have fallen asleep while reading the script.

Anyway,

"Ugh-"

Woo-jin, who got up and stretched, drank some water and checked his phone. He paused.

"Ah, it's here."

A message from an unknown person had arrived. It was the acting cut from 'Super Actor' sent by the PD. Woo-jin, who had downloaded the video to his phone,

-Swoosh.

Sat cross-legged. He needed to check the video. However, he couldn't easily play it.

"It's a bit embarrassing."

His sense of shame, which had faded, came back. It was like kicking the covers. Even hearing his own recorded voice felt awkward. Watching his own desperate and embarrassing acting?

It wasn't easy.

Still,

"Phew- Calm down, it's just a video."

Woo-jin had to watch it. This video was proof of his first entry into the alternate space.

Soon,

-Tap.

Woo-jin touched the saved video. He appeared on his phone. Despite the initial disgust, he held back.

It was about 5 seconds.

"Hmm?"

Woo-jin tilted his head. The overwhelming sense of shame had faded. The reason was simple.

"This... isn't bad, is it?"

The acting in the video wasn't bad. Of course, it was still a bit awkward.

However,

"I'm doing well? Why am I doing well?"

It wasn't embarrassing or shameful. For a moment, as the video showed him screaming as if stabbed,

"Wow, this is amazing?"

Woo-jin couldn't help but be amazed. Is this really me? Of course, he knew nothing about acting, so he had no real standard, but as a viewer, the person in the video was impressive.

Woo-jin, who was now engrossed in the video, suddenly realized.

"Was I not that bad?"

He didn't need to feel embarrassed or kick the covers.

'Yeah, thinking about it now, I was in a state of no self-awareness at that moment.'

He was distracted, and his brain was slow. Moreover, Woo-jin didn't have a clear standard for "good acting." Even if everyone praised it as a divine performance, if he concluded it was trash, that was the end. Yesterday's Woo-jin was exactly like that.

Therefore, acting is something others evaluate.

However, Woo-jin, overwhelmed by shame, had run away immediately after his performance. Or, rather, fled. Now, a bit calmer, Woo-jin recalled yesterday.

'My acting was good. Using that as a standard, what about the rest?'

The dark history he had tried to erase now looked different. The questions from the three judges were not just formalities but out of shock. The 'Super Actor' PD was the same.

"Wait a minute. Then my first round pass wasn't for laughs, but because of my real acting."

Everyone he met yesterday was impressed by his acting. That was the conclusion. At that moment,

"Ah, damn."

Woo-jin covered his face with one hand. He remembered the intense concept he had shown all day yesterday. Pretending to be serious, tough, and arrogant.

"I'm going to be laughed at."

They must have seen him as a crazy talented person.

"A top-tier actor or a monster genius. With such high self-esteem, it's easy to misunderstand."

Woo-jin's sigh was mostly true. However, the misunderstanding had already started to snowball, and quite quickly.

Of course, Woo-jin didn't know this.

Then,

"So what?"

Woo-jin, who muttered, quickly came to a conclusion.

"I won't see them again, so I don't need to worry about it."

He needed to focus on something else.

"Anyway, I can enter this alternate space or whatever and get a role in a production."

Woo-jin could immediately show the 'frightened man' from yesterday. It felt like it was stored in his brain. Soon, he crossed his arms and silently looked at the script next to him.

More precisely, at the black square that appeared next to the script.

"......"

He muttered softly,

"It's a ridiculous thing to say, but instead of working in Australia, should I try acting?"

At that moment,

-Vroom, vroom.

The phone in his hand vibrated. It was a call, and an unknown number appeared on the screen. Woo-jin, not thinking much of it, put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

A man's voice came from the other end.

"Kang Woo-jin? This is Director Song Man-woo, remember? I was in the middle of the judges' panel."

"Ah, the bearded one."

It was Director Song Man-woo.

"Ha-ha-ha, that's right. I was wondering if we could meet. As soon as possible."

Me? Why? Woo-jin, who frowned, cleared his throat and replied in a very low tone.

"Shouldn't you tell me the reason first?"

He needed to maintain his concept.