Chapter 53

< Park Doo (3) >

Around 10 a.m., in Kang Woojin's studio apartment.

In the center of the tidy studio, a body lay on the bed. No, it was Kang Woojin. He had slept so deeply that he wouldn't have noticed even if the world had ended.

The reason he was still asleep at this hour was simple.

He had been told by the CEO, Choi Sunggeon, that he could take the day off today, which was a Saturday, the 9th.

After the hectic schedule of the 'Mijangsen Film Festival,' a day of rest was appropriate. It was clear that things would get busy again soon. Of course, Kang Woojin's agency, BW Entertainment, was still a battlefield at this moment. 'The Private Investigator' had swept the awards for Best Film and Best Actor.

As an investor, along with Hong Hyeon and Kang Woojin, the good news had piled up.

Without a doubt, the director of 'The Private Investigator,' Shin Dongchun, would be swamped with meetings and interviews, and Hong Hyeon, who was already busy, would be even more overwhelmed with the 'Mijangsen Film Festival' issues.

"......"

Kang Woojin was also receiving a barrage of inquiries from various production companies and film studios. He had received quite a few interview requests from film industry media and magazines. Although his public recognition was still low, he was considered a rising star in the film industry.

All of this went through BW Entertainment.

However, Choi Sunggeon had asked Kang Woojin to wait for now.

"Woojin, you're riding a strong current, but let's observe the situation for a bit."

Given that Hong Hyeon was already at the top, Kang Woojin was in a very sensitive and cautious period. First, they needed to organize the meetings and interviews pouring in from the company.

Kang Woojin nodded silently.

In any case, Kang Woojin, who was finally getting a good sleep, was enjoying it. But his good sleep didn't last long.

- Vroom, vroom.

The phone on his bedside table vibrated. It was a call. However, Woojin only opened his eyes groggily and didn't answer. Why?

"......Why does she call when she's bored?"

The caller was his younger sister, Kang Hyeona. The reason for the call would undoubtedly be annoying questions.

"Did you see the news?"

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

"Mom, Dad, and Hyeona, I'll contact them after I go to the subspace—"

Kang Woojin muttered to himself and looked at the small table. A stack of scripts and scenarios had accumulated. Among them, he picked up the script for 'The Missing Island.'

Kang Woojin had already completed the first reading of 'The Missing Island.'

"Let's start with a small role and go step by step?"

He needed to read it a few more times for a clearer understanding, but since the casting was almost finalized, he planned to start reading the entire script bit by bit.

"I used to go there often for rest, but it's been a while since I went there to read."

Regardless.

- Plop!

Kang Woojin poked the black square attached to the side of the 'The Missing Island' script and entered the subspace. The subspace was still endlessly empty and dark. Kang Woojin, who was not at all tense, yawned widely and turned his body.

Three familiar white squares floated.

-[1/Script (Title: The Private Investigator), A-grade]

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

-[3/Script (Title: The Missing Island), A+ grade]

Among them, Kang Woojin stroked his chin while looking at the white square for 'The Private Investigator.'

"A-grade...... Hmm. It was definitely A-grade as a short film, considering it swept the Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Director awards."

He was gauging the A-grade. The good news for Director Shin Dongchun, Hong Hyeon, and Kang Woojin was just beginning, but with his lack of knowledge, Woojin brushed it off with "Whatever, let's leave it at that."

Next, Kang Woojin chose 'The Missing Island.'

Among the listed roles, Kang Woojin decided on 'Private Kim,' a minor but significant role. He appeared in the very first scene of the script and was responsible for the theme, stimulation, and tension of the story.

The role was less than five minutes but very important.

Kang Woojin took a small deep breath before choosing Private Kim. Even though it was a minor role, the experiences were extraordinary.

"Huff, huff—"

Kang Woojin selected Private Kim with his index finger.

["'P: Private Kim' reading preparation..."]

Soon, a familiar female voice was heard.

["...Preparation complete. This is a very high-quality script. The realization rate is 100%. Reading begins."]

A large grayness enveloped Kang Woojin.

A hot wind blew.

-Swish

It was summer. The sticky and suffocating temperature. Then, Kang Woojin's gray vision gradually cleared.

It was probably afternoon, but the surroundings were dark.

The dense forest blocked the light. The surroundings were filled with trees and rocks. No, something else was visible.

'Graves?'

Dozens of round graves with wooden planks nailed in a row were visible to Woojin. There were also strange sculptures. Rocks were piled up randomly, with a bizarre doll stuck on top.

A strange and subtle atmosphere spread.

From here, everything about 'Private Kim' began to hit Kang Woojin. His thoughts, emotions, senses, and current psychological state. Because Kang Woojin had taken on the role of Private Kim.

"Shit—Shit!"

He didn't know when it had coalesced, but currently, Kang Woojin was filled with immense fear. His breathing was irregular. It was blocked and then expelled, held and then expelled, spewed out wildly and inhaled.

"Huff, huff, huff—"

Kang Woojin was alone.

Woojin stood alone in this crazy forest, somewhere unknown. He felt dampness. He looked down. He was wearing a military uniform. He saw mud-covered boots and a dark stain on the center of his military pants.

Private Kim. No, Woojin had wet his pants.

His whole body was trembling uncontrollably. He felt goosebumps on his back, and the hair on his arms, exposed by the rolled-up sleeves of his military uniform, stood on end.

And.

-Click.

He held a rifle in his hand. The rifle slung over his shoulder was loaded, ready to fire at any moment. Come out, damn it, come out. I'll shoot you all. Kang Woojin muttered to himself.

But it was just a show to reduce his fear.

His body felt heavy like a wet towel. That's how it felt. His body ached all over from running and rolling, and his arms and face were covered with hardened mud. His thigh stung as if something had pierced it. But that didn't matter now.

Ha, the helmet was heavy.

Kang Woojin wiped the sweat streaming down his forehead, panted, and took off the helmet. For a moment, a brief coolness was felt. The helmet he took off fell to the ground.

-Thud!

At that moment.

-Swish!

A sound was heard from behind. Kang Woojin, who suddenly turned his body, swung the gun barrel nervously.

"Huff, huff—"

There was something. That's why he had been running and hiding. But now, he couldn't see anything. Kang Woojin, swinging the gun barrel, sobbed. He wanted to find his comrades.

"Se, Sergeant Kim! Corporal Park!!"

"......"

But there was no answer. The more he didn't hear a response, the more desperately Private Kim called out to his comrades.

"Over there! Corporal Park, is that you?! Are you there? Is that right?? Or Sergeant Jang??! Are you there?! Answer if you're there!!"

The fear that had been building up exploded. Kang Woojin began to fire the rifle wildly.

-Bang, bang! Bang, bang!

Five shots. He didn't know who or what they hit. It wasn't a warning. He just wanted to reduce the rising fear.

"......Shit—Where did everyone go?"

At that moment.

"Gurgle—Private Kim."

A strange voice came from right behind Kang Woojin. No, was it even a voice? Woojin, sensing something, wet his pants again.

-Swish.

Kang Woojin slowly turned his body. Behind him stood a person. It was the Corporal Park he had been looking for. Kang Woojin's face immediately broke into a smile.

"Corporal Park......sir?"

But soon, he realized that only the upper body of Corporal Park was there. The lower body was torn off and not visible. At that moment, a strange sound was heard again.

"Gurgle—"

Something was holding the upper body of Corporal Park. Kang Woojin fired the gun at whatever it was.

-Bang, bang, bang, bang!!

"Shit! Die! Die!!"

At that moment.

-Thud!

"Ugh—"

A long, wriggling thing that had pierced through the upper body of Corporal Park now pierced Kang Woojin's stomach. It was covered in wrinkles. He felt all his organs being torn apart in an instant. As Kang Woojin, who had lowered his head, looked up again.

-Whoosh!

For some reason, Kang Woojin's vision flipped upside down.

"......Huh?"

And Woojin's head fell to the ground.

"Gurgle!"

His neck had been severed, separating his head from his body.

On the same day, in the early afternoon, in Jinju, Gyeongnam.

Kang Woojin's parents, Seohyunmi and Kang Woochul, who were at a restaurant, were leaning against the counter. To be precise,

"Uh, Woojin."

They were on a call with their son Woojin. It was their first call since receiving a message a few days ago. Kang Woochul put the phone on speaker and put it down.

"You brat, what's going on?"

"Right, right, do you know how much Mom and Dad missed you?"

Seohyunmi and Kang Woochul were excitedly talking into the phone. How could parents not be excited when their acting son won an award after two months? In any case, Kang Woojin on the other end of the phone explained calmly.

"Ah, sorry. But it wasn't such a huge film festival."

"What kind of film festival was it? Mom looked it up, but I couldn't quite figure it out."

"Well, it's a short film festival that only reviews short films, not commercial films shown in theaters. Of course, for a newcomer like me, it's a big festival, but overall, it's small."

"Anyway, you won the acting award there, right?"

"Yes. I was lucky. Soon, I think I'll have a new project, a drama."

"Is that possible? Isn't it usually difficult for actors to get smooth opportunities like that?"

"No, not really. I guess I have a talent for acting. It's been going well."

"......Huh?"

"What did you say?"

The call with his son continued for several minutes. But it had to end regrettably when a customer came in. Seohyunmi and Kang Woochul heard their son's explanation but didn't understand anything.

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

While preparing the order, they kept talking about their son. Seohyunmi started the conversation.

"Is my son actually a genius at acting? He was introverted when he was young."

"Kids like that can suddenly change. Woojin took after me and was handsome from a young age."

"What are you talking about? His nose and eyes are exactly like mine."

Seohyunmi, who was talking, suddenly slapped her hands together.

"Oh! Speaking of which, doesn't Woojin have a friend who likes acting?"

"Yeah, a guy who looks a bit like a gorilla? Big guy. His name is Kim Daemyeong? Daeyoung?"

"Is he working with him?"

Soon, Seohyunmi and Kang Woochul, who were preparing the order, started dancing shoulder to shoulder.

"A drama, huh??! So we'll be able to see our Woojin on TV, even if it's just for a short time?"

Meanwhile, at a university dormitory in Seoul.

The university was quiet because it was a Saturday. However, the dormitory was full of college students. Among them, Kang Hyeona, lying on the right bed in a double room,

"Wow—Amazing. 'The Private Investigator' seems to have won the Best Film award."

She was actively searching on her laptop. What was she searching for? It was related to 'The Private Investigator,' in which her brother appeared. Unfortunately, she couldn't watch the film, but just typing Kang Woojin's name in the search bar brought up quite a few articles.

This was her first time having such a strange experience.

Yesterday, she had been talking about Kang Woojin with her friends. They had been asking her to get a call with him, but the main character, her brother Kang Woojin, hadn't answered the phone even once. So, Hyeona could only search for information about her brother.

"Wow, the community is in an uproar? What agency is he with?"

At that moment.

-♬♪

Hyeona's phone rang. The caller was the long-awaited Kang Woojin, her brother. She immediately put the phone to her ear.

"Ah!! Are you kidding me?!"

She could hear Woojin's sigh from the other end of the phone.

"Ha—You're going to make me deaf. Why do you keep ignoring my calls? Study a bit."

"I am! Brother, why do you ignore my calls??"

"Give me ten reasons why I should answer."

"Because you're my brother! And......I don't know! Is my brother really becoming a celebrity??"

"I'm planning to, and you should focus on your studies."

"Wow......Are you serious? How is that even possible? Winning an award in just two months? What agency is your brother with? Are you close with Hong Hyeon? What's your next project? Have you done anything else?"

A barrage of questions. Kang Woojin sighed again.

"Even if I answer all of that, more questions will keep coming. Listen, I'll tell you everything when the time is right. Focus on your studies. If you do well this time, I'll give you pocket money."

"......Wow. My brother will?"

"Are you not happy?"

"No?"

"So, focus on your studies. I'm hanging up."

"Ah, brother, just one thing! Just one! What are you working on now??"

"A drama."

-Click!

The call ended, and Hyeona slowly lowered her phone, covering her mouth with both hands, either from shock or chills.

"Shit......But a drama? Wow. He'll probably just have a brief appearance, right?"

At that moment, at GGO Entertainment in Nonhyeon-dong.

In the spacious CEO's office, CEO Seo Guseop, who looked like a bulldog, sat in the main seat of a five-person sofa. His face was stiff, and he looked very unhappy. Next to him sat Park Jeonghyuk, who had not attended the 'Mijangsen Film Festival,' and a few employees were around.

At that moment, an employee on the left side spoke hesitantly.

"Ultimately, it was correct for Jeonghyuk to not attend the closing and award ceremony. Currently, the focus is on 'The Private Investigator,' Hong Hyeon, and the unknown actor who won the award."

CEO Seo Guseop, who heard the report, rubbed his forehead and spoke in a cold voice.

"Regarding Jeonghyuk."

"There's no particular mention except for the day of the award ceremony. If he had attended, he would have been mocked even more."

-Bang!!

CEO Seo Guseop slammed his fist on the armrest of the sofa.

"Shit! Why did this happen like this?!"

The employees and the aristocratic-looking Park Jeonghyuk were startled, and Seo Guseop, who barely calmed down, glared at Park Jeonghyuk on the left.

"Hey, didn't I tell you to bet your life on this?"

"......I'm sorry."

"How badly did you act to lose to an unknown nobody?"

In fact, Park Jeonghyuk was absent, but CEO Seo Guseop had attended the 'Mijangsen Film Festival' closing and award ceremony and had been busy staring at the 'The Private Investigator' team, which included Kang Woojin.

"Hong Hyeon, I understand. I was also surprised, and she's at that level. But an unknown? Losing to an unknown?"

"But, sir, Hong Hyeon also lost the Best Actor award to the unknown."

"Shut up?! You should have crushed both of them!!"

Seo Guseop, CEO, who seemed to have a headache, sighed and gave instructions to the employees on the right.

"Huff—First, the unknown who won the award. Kang Woojin? Dig into his background. His crazy acting and sudden appearance are suspicious. Find out what he was doing from the beginning."

"Understood. I'll start with the domestic theater scene."

"No."

Seo Guseop, CEO, shook his head and cut off the employee's words.

"Not domestic, he's probably from Japan. He seemed to be close to Director Kyoshiro and spoke Japanese like it was his native language."

He spoke seriously to the employees.

"So, look into his background in Japan."

Seo Guseop, CEO, was also infected.

< Park Doo (3) > End